Using the Twentieth Century Reanalysis to assess climate variability for the European wind industry

We characterise the long-term variability of European near-surface wind speeds using 142 years of data from the Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR), and consider the potential of such long-baseline climate data sets for wind energy applications. The low resolution of the 20CR would severely restrict its use on its own for wind farm site-screening. We therefore perform a simple statistical calibration to link it to the higher-resolution ERA-Interim data set (ERAI), such that the adjusted 20CR data has the same wind speed distribution at each location as ERAI during their common period. Using this corrected 20CR data set, wind speeds and variability are characterised in terms of the long-term mean, standard deviation, and corresponding trends. Many regions of interest show extremely weak trends on century timescales, but contain large multidecadal variability. Since reanalyses such as ERAI are often used to provide the background climatology for wind farm site assessments, but contain only a few decades of data, our results can be used as a way of incorporating decadal-scale wind climate variability into such studies, allowing investment risks for wind farms to be reduced.Comment: 18 pages, plus 4 page supplementary information included here as Appendix D. This is the authors' corrected version, matching the content of the version accepted by Theoretical and Applied Climatolog

Why don’t more people use this drug? Myths, Evidence & Policy

This presentation describes barriers to evidence-based medication development, availability, and use; and introduces some of the scientific tools and approaches, such as comparative effectiveness research, that address these barriers. Context: Medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence

From Trailing & Failing to Learning & Progressing:A bespoke approach to failure in engineering education

Starting with the research question “How can we reverse the negative impact of failure on engineering students’ futures?” the ‘Changing Futures Project’ is a five year longitudinal project which aims to identify and address the pedagogy of failure, and in doing so make a positive difference to students’ educational outcomes and progress. It builds on previous work [1, 2] to look at the issues behind ‘failure’ from the perspectives of individual students. In looking at the issues through the eyes of the students themselves this paper makes a distinctive contribution to current debates to the field of engineering education in general, but particularly in the areas of attrition, retention and student support. The paper ends with a total of 10 recommendations for institutions, colleagues and student

Promoting scholarship - The way forward: Learning & teaching research in a complex environment – A typology

This paper provides a critical overview into a distinctive typology of Learning and Teaching Research developed at a relatively small, research-led UK University. Based upon research into staff perceptions of the relationship between learning and teaching research and practice, the model represents an holistic approach to evidence-based learning and teaching practice in Contemporary Higher Education

Trailing or Failing? A Hidden Mental Health Issue: The Changing Futures Project

The ‘Changing Futures Project’ aimed to directly tackle an issue that has been long reported in both academic and professional body spheres, that of student failure in engineering education[1,2]. It focused on the experiences of 96 Engineering & Applied Science students who were classified as ‘failing’ or ‘trailing’ in one or more modules. One of the unforeseen outcomes of the project was the high numbers of students who reported that they had been experiencing mental health problems at the time when they found themselves failing. By putting in a series of academic and individual support interventions, including referring students to the relevant counselling and medical support services, the project proved to be a great success, with all but three students within the original sample progressing to the next level of their academic journey

Pedagogy, Practice and Procedure (The P 3 Project) - Educating Engineering Managers A Model for the Future

Over the past two decades there has been much discussion about how to best educate Engineering Managers. Indeed, traditional Management Education within Business School Settings has been subjected to considerable criticism, with, some suggesting that traditional MBA programmes lack engineering context and application and thus fail to meet the needs of both employers and students. Conversely, others postulate that Business Schools provide graduate students with generic skills and transferable competencies and are thus exactly engineering managers should be educated. Looking critically at Engineering Management Education within an Engineering School, this paper suggests that graduate level Engineering Management Education needs to be led by Engineers who have experience in industry and who also are qualified in management. It introduces a model of organisational change developed specifically for an Engineering Education setting and considers how that model may be best applied to an Engineering Management Education settin

An Economic Analysis of Texas Shrimp Season Closures

Management of the Texas penaeid shrimp fishery is aimed at increasing revenue from brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, landings and decreasing the level of discards. Since 1960 Texas has closed its territorial sea for 45-60 days during peak migration of brown shrimp to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1981 the closure was extended to 200 miles to include the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Simulation modeling is used in this paper to estimate the changes in landings, revenue, costs, and economic rent attributable to the Texas closure. Four additional analyses were conducted to estimate the effects of closing the Gulf 1- to 4-fathom zone for 45 and 60 days, with and without effort redirected to inshore waters. Distributional impacts are analyzed in terms of costs, revenues, and rents, by vessel class, shrimp species, vessel owner, and crew

Infants Exposed To Homelessness: Health, Health Care Use, And Health Spending From Birth To Age Six

Homeless infants are known to have poor birth outcomes, but the longitudinal impact of homelessness on health, health care use, and health spending during the early years of life has received little attention. Linking Massachusetts emergency shelter enrollment records for the period 2008-15 with Medicaid claims, we compared 5,762 infants who experienced a homeless episode with a group of 5,553 infants matched on sex, race/ethnicity, location, and birth month. Infants born during a period of unstable housing resulting in homelessness had higher rates of low birthweight, respiratory problems, fever, and other common conditions; longer neonatal intensive care unit stays; more emergency department visits; and higher annual spending. Differences in most health conditions persisted for two to three years. Asthma diagnoses, emergency department visits, and spending were significantly higher through age six. While screening and access to health care can be improved for homeless infants, long-term solutions require a broader focus on housing and income

A Problem Shared… The Value of Peer Mentoring as a Tool for Supporting Lifelong Learning in Higher Education :A Study of the Experiences of Mature and Black & Ethnic Minority Students

The role played by formal Peer Mentoring programmes in supporting learners within Higher Education is reflected in the literature. However, few studies have focused on the contribution made by formal Peer Mentoring Programmes in supporting BME and mature learners at University. Moreover, whilst a significant amount of previous work suggests that Peer Mentoring promotes student retention, there is little empirical evidence regarding the degree to which formal Peer Mentoring Programmes promote academic success with regards to non-traditional learners. Thus, in drawing attention to the early stages of a large international study, this paper begins to provide distinctive insight into the pedagogical and social value of Peer Mentoring from the perspectives of two distinctive groups of lifelong learners

Fishery management plan series

Documentation about the economic impact of proposed changes to oyster fishery management as a required legislative step, including "a brief discussion on the current economic status of the oyster industry, and projects the economic impacts of the proposed policy recommendations in the Oyster Management Plan [...and] addresses each of the plan's recommendations regarding projected impacts on the economy of the industry and the State" (p. 1)