Accurate near-field calculation in the rigorous coupled-wave analysis method

The rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) is one of the most successful and widely used methods for modeling periodic optical structures. It yields fast convergence of the electromagnetic far-field and has been adapted to model various optical devices and wave configurations. In this article, we investigate the accuracy with which the electromagnetic near-field can be calculated by using RCWA and explain the observed slow convergence and numerical artifacts from which it suffers, namely unphysical oscillations at material boundaries due to the Gibb's phenomenon. In order to alleviate these shortcomings, we also introduce a mathematical formulation for accurate near-field calculation in RCWA, for one- and two-dimensional straight and slanted diffraction gratings. This accurate near-field computational approach is tested and evaluated for several representative test-structures and configurations in order to illustrate the advantages provided by the proposed modified formulation of the RCWA.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure

Cluster analysis of wind turbine alarms for characterising and classifying stoppages

Turbine alarm systems can give useful information to remote technicians on the cause of a fault or stoppage. However, alarms are generally generated at much too high a rate to gain meaningful insight from on their own, so generally require extensive domain knowledge to interpret. By grouping together commonly occurring alarm sequences, the burden of analysis can be reduced. Instead of analysing many individual alarms that occur during a stoppage, the stoppage can be linked to a commonly occurring sequence of alarms. Hence, maintenance technicians can be given information about the shared characteristics or root causes of stoppages where that particular alarm sequence appeared in the past. This research presents a methodology to identify relevant alarms from specific turbine assemblies and group together similar alarm sequences as they appear during stoppages. Batches of sequences associated with 456 different stoppages are created, and features are extracted from these batches representing the order the alarms appeared in. The batches are grouped together using clustering techniques, and evaluated using silhouette analysis and manual inspection. Results show that almost half of all stoppages can be attributed to one of 15 different clusters of alarm sequences

The impact of rape myth education on jury decision-making: A systematic review

A systematic review of research exploring the impact of providing rape myth countering information to mock-jurors was conducted. The primary aim of the review was to inform the development of an educational intervention for jurors to reduce potential bias in their decision-making based on belief in prevalent rape myths. In total, the following 12 databases were searched: British Education Index, CINAHL, Child Development and Adolescent Studies, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Educational Administration Abstracts, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Social Care Online. The databases were filtered to return peer-reviewed publications, written in English, and published between 1980 and 2020. The search returned 5,093 potential articles. After duplicates were removed, the 2,676 remaining publications were screened. Only studies that presented rape myth countering information to participants within a mock-juror paradigm were included. Studies that did not compare an information condition to a no-information control condition were excluded, as were those which concerned male rape myths, given the focus on female rape myths beliefs in this review. Six studies were reviewed and were critically appraised in line with criteria based upon validity criteria utilized by Dinos et al. (2015). Some evidence emerged to suggest that the provision of judicial directions, expert witness testimony, and complainant statements regarding rape myths can impact upon jury decision-making, though findings were mixed overall. Study limitations regarding internal and external validity were frequently present. Recommendations regarding future research questions and methods are advanced, including that which can inform the development of an effective intervention for jurors.</p

Automatically identifying and predicting unplanned wind turbine stoppages using SCADA and alarms system data: case study and results

Using 10-minute wind turbine SCADA data for fault prediction offers an attractive way of gaining additional prognostic capabilities without needing to invest in extra hardware. To use these data-driven methods effectively, the historical SCADA data must be labelled with the periods when the turbine was in faulty operation as well the sub-system the fault was attributed to. Manually identifying faults using maintenance logs can be effective, but is also highly time consuming and tedious due to the disparate nature of these logs across manufacturers, operators and even individual maintenance events. Turbine alarm systems can help to identify these periods, but the sheer volume of alarms and false positives generated makes analysing them on an individual basis ineffective. In this work, we present a new method for automatically identifying historical stoppages on the turbine using SCADA and alarms data. Each stoppage is associated with either a fault in one of the turbine's sub-systems, a routine maintenance activity, a grid-related event or a number of other categories. This is then checked against maintenance logs for accuracy and the labelled data fed into a classifier for predicting when these stoppages will occur. Results show that the automated labelling process correctly identifies each type of stoppage, and can be effectively used for SCADA-based prediction of turbine fault

Forty Years of Rape Myth Acceptance Interventions: A Systematic Review of What Works in Naturalistic Institutional Settings and How this can be Applied to Educational Guidance for Jurors

A systematic review of research assessing rape myth acceptance (RMA) interventions within institutional settings was conducted. The aim of this review was to inform the development of an educational intervention for jurors in rape trials that addresses rape myths, given previous evidence that RMA can affect decision-making and verdicts (Dinos et al., 2015; Gravelin et al., 2019; Leverick, 2020). 12 databases were searched, filtered to return peer-reviewed journals, published from 1980 to 2020, written in English. After removing duplicates from the 5,093 search results returned, 2,676 studies were screened for inclusion. Research studies were included in the review if they assessed the impact of a naturalistic intervention on RMA within an institutional setting. Studies that did not compare an experimental condition to a control condition or did not randomly allocate participants to conditions were excluded. Studies were also excluded if they used a non-validated, or adapted, RMA measure. 20 Research studies were included within the review and were critically appraised according to an author-created critical appraisal tool. It was concluded that RMA interventions can have a short-term impact upon individuals’ RMA. Intervention types that were effective in reducing RMA included those that presented RM information; those that contained an empathy component; and bystander programmes. With regards to duration and format, short interventions led to reductions in RMA, and most successful interventions were presented via videos. Implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research, are discussed

Investigating the diagnostic utility of high-resolution oesophageal manometry in patients with refractory respiratory symptoms

Background: The interaction between the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, and the role of the latter in the development of respiratory pathology, has been examined with a focus on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). However, little data exists examining the link between oesophageal motility and respiratory disease. Aims and objectives: In this study, we examined patterns in oesophageal motility using high-resolution oesophageal manometry (HROM) in patients with refractory respiratory symptoms. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively for all patients that were investigated using HROM at a single centre for refractory respiratory symptoms between January 1st, 2011–December 1st, 2021. Patients were selected for investigation based on airway reflux symptoms, measured by the Hull Airways Reflux Questionnaire (HARQ). Results: 441 patients were investigated with HROM (64% female, mean age = 56.5 [SD = 13.9]). The commonest diagnoses of these patients were Chronic Cough (77%, n = 339), Asthma (10%, n = 44), and Interstitial Lung Disease (7%, n = 29). The prevalence of oesophageal dysmotility was 66% in our cohort. Those with oesophageal dysmotility had significantly higher HARQ scores than those with normal motility (40.6 vs 35.3, p < 0.001) and there was a significant inverse correlation between HARQ scores and distal contractile integral (DCI), a measure of oesophageal contractility. Conclusions: Two-thirds of patients with refractory respiratory symptoms were found to have oesophageal dysmotility on HROM. These findings suggest motility disorders of the oesophagus may contribute to the development and progression of respiratory disease. This study highlights the need for further prospective study of the relationship between oesophageal dysmotility and respiratory disease

Exploring the views of planners and public health practitioners on integrating health evidence into spatial planning in England: A mixed-methods study

Background: This study explored barriers and facilitators to integrating health evidence into spatial planning at local authority levels and examined the awareness and use of the Public Health England Spatial Planning for Health resource. Methods: A sequential exploratory mixed methods design utilised in-depth semi-structured interviews followed by an online survey of public health, planning and other built environment professionals in England. Results: Views from 19 individuals and 162 survey responses revealed high awareness and use of the Spatial Planning for Health resource, although public health professionals reported greater awareness and use than other professionals. Key barriers to evidence implementation included: differences in interpretation and use of ‘evidence’ between public health and planning professionals; lack of practical evidence to apply locally; and lack of resource and staff capacity in local authorities. Key facilitators included: integrating health into the design of Local Plans; articulating wider benefits to multiple stakeholders, and simplifying presenting evidence (regarding language and accessibility). Conclusion: The Spatial Planning for Health resource is a useful resource at local authority level. Further work is needed to maximise its use by built environment professionals. Public health teams need support, capacity and skills to ensure that local health and wellbeing priorities are integrated into local planning documents and decisions