Articulating Inequalities: a linguistic ethnographic account of race and class in an undergraduate architecture studio in England

In a political climate that has seen increasingly urgent and often separately articulated claims for social justice on the grounds of racial and class-based inequalities, Higher Education as a whole, and Architectural Education in particular, have consistently reported stark and persistent inequalities based on measures relating to class and ethnicity. Policy responses aiming to address these inequalities have been criticised for employing fixed and separate identity categories and for positioning students of colour as the deficient embodiment of social problems. More recently, these measures have been employed in government-commissioned reports and subsequent policy as justification for the denial of structural and institutional racism. In Higher Education, policy discourse around racial inequality has been displaced by a discourse of individual choice and agency. Addressing these issues, this thesis presents the findings of a linguistic ethnographic study into race and class in an undergraduate architecture studio. It employs a critical sociolinguistic approach that sees social structures and the categories of inequality they produce as reproduced and resisted in everyday social interaction (Silverstein, 2003; Bucholtz & Hall, 2005). Drawing on anti-essentialist study of race and class in Britain, the study engages Stuart Hall’s notion of articulation, to treat the discursive construction of race and class as co-constituted articulations in material conditions of inequality produced by specific histories (Hall, 2021 [1980]). Accordingly, the study is situated in specific histories of race and class in England (Shilliam, 2018; Virdee, 2014; Kundnani, 2021). The thesis finds the discursive and ideological conditions navigated in the architecture studio to be characterised by three interrelated centres of authority: racially hegemonic whiteness, self-responsible deservedness, and conviviality. In showing how Higher Education is hegemonically white, the findings suggest the importance of avoiding neoliberal meritocratic framings of choice and agency and of fostering the potential of convivial relations amidst racism

Session B3: Alden Fish-Friendly Hydropower Turbine: Potential Application, Performance and Economics

Abstract: The Alden fish friendly turbine is designed to safely pass fish downstream at hydroelectric projects while generating power. The new technology was developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Hydro Turbine Systems Program and more recently with funding from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Applications for the new technology include using the turbine as a downstream fish bypass, passing minimum environmental flows, adding new capacity, and new developments at non-powered dams. With further development, this new technology could also be considered to replace existing conventional units. This turbine has been designed and model tested by Voith Hydro and is available for commercial application. This presentation will provide examples of potential full-scale installation applications. The examples range in size from 7 MW to 70 MW and varying fish species including eels, salmon, shad, herring and shortnose sturgeon. Information presented will include overall powerhouse arrangements, predicted fish passage survival for varying fish species and sizes, estimated equipment costs and estimated total project costs. In addition, comparison to conventional Kaplan and Francis turbines will also be presented

Transducer design for clamp-on guided wave flow measurement in thin-walled pipes

Clamp-on ultrasonic transit time difference flow meters provide opportunities for metering where it is impractical or undesirable to cut into an existing pipeline to install an alternative flow meter. Up until now, it has been difficult to perform this type of measurement on thin-walled metal pipes, due to the difficulty of interpreting the guided wave modes in the combined pipe wall and internal fluid system, but a new method has been reported recently that utilises these guided wave modes for flow measurement. Through computational modelling, and construction and testing of different transducers, the design considerations for clamp-on transducers are highlighted and their impact on guided wave flow rate measurement is evaluated. The design features considered include a curved contact face to provide focusing of the ultrasound within the pipe and a scattering surface to reduce internal reflections. It is found that additional unwanted ultrasonic modes can be minimised by ultrasonic transducer wedge design features such as profiling the curvature of the transducer to conform to the pipe wall or creating a scattering edge to minimise internal wedge reflections. It is also observed that minimising these unwanted modes does not offer any advantage for the transit time difference measurement used in calculating flow

Design of miniature clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement transducers

Clamp-on ultrasonic transit-time difference measurements of liquid flowrate are widely used in industry for both flow metering and heat metering applications. However, the sensors used tend to be relatively large, hindering their use on small diameter pipes, and using more material in the transducer wedge than is strictly necessary. The accuracy of the technique depends on a number of factors, and particularly on the accuracy of the compression wave speed in the liquid that is used in the calculations to obtain flowrate or heat transfer rate from the liquid in the pipe. Many flow meters either assume a value for the wave speed or obtain it using thermocouple measurements of the pipe exterior with a look-up table or simple equation. An error in the liquid ultrasonic velocity relates directly to errors in the calculated flowrate. It is highly beneficial if the ultrasonic wave speed in the liquid can be accurately measured in real time for flowrate calculations, especially for temperature and pressure varying conditions. A new type of small clamp-on ultrasonic transducer is reported, using a 6mm wide PEEK wedge that contains two piezoelectric elements, one of which generates sound normal to the flow direction, yielding the measurement of ultrasonic wave speed in the liquid. The new transducers were tested on a small rig with a 15mm diameter copper pipe and a 70mm diameter stainless steel pipe, yielding accurate measurements of liquid ultrasonic velocity and flowrates

New and emerging technologies for the diagnosis and monitoring of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a horizon scanning review

There is a need for straightforward, novel diagnostic and monitoring technologies to enable the early diagnosis of COPD and its differentiation from other respiratory diseases, to establish the cause of acute exacerbations and to monitor disease progression. We sought to establish whether technologies already in development could potentially address these needs. A systematic horizon scanning review was undertaken to identify technologies in development from a wide range of commercial and non-commercial sources. Technologies were restricted to those likely to be available within 18 months, and then evaluated for degree of innovation, potential for impact, acceptability to users and likelihood of adoption by clinicians and patients with COPD. Eighty technologies were identified, of which 25 were considered particularly promising. Biomarker tests, particularly those using sputum or saliva samples and/or available at the point of care, were positively evaluated, with many offering novel approaches to early diagnosis and to determining the cause for acute exacerbations. Several wrist-worn devices and smartphone-based spirometers offering the facility for self-monitoring and early detection of exacerbations were also considered promising. The most promising identified technologies have the potential to improve COPD care and patient outcomes. Further research and evaluation activities should be focused on these technologies

Clamp-on measurements of fluid flow in small-diameter metal pipes using ultrasonic guided waves

Clamp-on ultrasonic transit time difference is used extensively to calculate the volumetric flow rate of a fluid through a pipe. The operating principle is that waves traveling along a path that is generally against the flow direction take longer to travel the same path than waves traveling along the same path in the opposite direction. The transit time difference between the waves traveling in opposite directions can be used to calculate the flow rate through the pipe, by applying suitable mathematical correction factors. The approach is non-disruptive and noninvasive and can be retrospectively fit to pipes and easily relocated to different positions. When ultrasonic clamp-on transducers are attached to pipes with diameters of less than 30 mm and a wall thickness of less than a few millimeters, the resulting guided waves can appear confusing and produce very different signals to those observed on larger diameter pipes. The experimentally observed behavior of these guided waves in fluid-filled, small-diameter pipes is analyzed, modeled, and explained. Experiments are performed in copper pipes of sizes that are commonly used in buildings, and accurate measurements of water flow rates are taken down to a few milliliters per second. This technique presents new possibilities for smart metering of water supplies, where the positioning of the small clamp-on transducers is not sensitive to the variations in water temperature, and low-power electronics can be used

A person based formula for allocating commissioning funds to general practices in England: development of a statistical model

Objectives To develop a formula for allocating resources for commissioning hospital care to all general practices in England based on the health needs of the people registered in each practic

Intercomparison of Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Measurements for Atmospheric Science During the LAPSE-RATE Campaign

Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are rapidly transforming atmospheric research. With the advancement of the development and application of these systems, improving knowledge of best practices for accurate measurement is critical for achieving scientific goals. We present results from an intercomparison of atmospheric measurement data from the Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation—a Remotely piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE) field campaign. We evaluate a total of 38 individual sUAS with 23 unique sensor and platform configurations using a meteorological tower for reference measurements. We assess precision, bias, and time response of sUAS measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Most sUAS measurements show broad agreement with the reference, particularly temperature and wind speed, with mean value differences of 1.6 ± 2.6 °C and 0.22 ± 0.59 m/s for all sUAS, respectively. sUAS platform and sensor configurations were found to contribute significantly to measurement accuracy. Sensor configurations, which included proper aspiration and radiation shielding of sensors, were found to provide the most accurate thermodynamic measurements (temperature and relative humidity), whereas sonic anemometers on multirotor platforms provided the most accurate wind measurements (horizontal speed and direction). We contribute both a characterization and assessment of sUAS for measuring atmospheric parameters, and identify important challenges and opportunities for improving scientific measurements with sUAS

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

“Fun, Yes, but Music?” Steve Reich and the San Francisco Bay Area’s Cultural Nexus, 1962–65

This article traces Steve Reich through the Bay Area’s cultural nexus during the period 1962–65, exploring intersections with Luciano Berio, Phil Lesh, Terry Riley, Robert Nelson, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and the San Francisco Tape Music Center. The aim is to present a revised history of this era by drawing on personal interviews with TomConstanten, R. G. Davis, Jon Gibson, Saul Landau, Pauline Oliveros, and Ramon Sender. In addition, previously unused source materials and contemporaneous newspaper reception are employed to provide a more nuanced contextual framework. Reich’s heterogeneous activities—ranging from “third stream” music and multimedia happenings to incidental scores and tape collage—deserve investigation on their own terms, rather than from within narratives concerned with the stylistic development of “minimalism.” More appropriate and viable aesthetic parallels are drawn between Reich’s work for tape and Californian Funk art