A good practice guide on the sources and magnitude of uncertainty arising in the practical measurement of environmental noise

A brief introduction to measurement uncertainty, uncertainty budgets, and inter-comparison exercises (repeated measurements), is provided in Chapter 2. The procedure forformulating an uncertainty budget and evaluating magnitudes is outlined in greater detail in Chapter 3. A flow chart summarising this process, and a checklist for the identification of sources of measurement uncertainty are included at the end of the chapter. Two example measurement exercises with corresponding uncertainty budgets are presented in Chapter 4. Some of the more commonly encountered sources of measurement uncertainty are outlined in Chapter5. Where possible, information on magnitudes or pointers to where that information can be found are included. The more important sources of uncertainty are highlighted, and “good practice guidelines” provided to help the practitioner identify means of reducing their effect. Case studies illustrating some of the points made in Chapter 5,and listing of relevant guidelines and further reading are provided in the Appendices

Living with helicopter noise : evaluating sound insulation techniques for domestic dwellings using real helicopters

Specific remedial works designed to improve sound installation and reduce the noise level produced by helicopters inside dwellings are described. The theoretical problems and practical solutions to installing high performance acoustic insulation to a traditional property in the UK are presented. A novel application of ISO 140-5 is presented using real helicopters to measure sound insulation in-situ in the presence of multiple flanking transmission paths. Dedicated field trials to evaluate the performance of such acoustic double-glazing and associated modifications systems were performed and the precautions taken to minimise measurement uncertainties over the extended time period of the trials are detailed. The field trials involved the use of military training helicopters following selected flight paths around the property while noise level measurements were made internally and externally, before and after replacement of the existing single glazed windows and attenuated ventilation units were installed. The results show that after replacing the main windows with acoustic insulated glazing units, insulation levels of 40dB or above are achieved in most rooms. The results also illustrate the importance of effectively addressing ventilation when windows are replaced. It is concluded that despite complications due to sound flanking and regulatory ventilation, the use of acoustic double-glazing units and properly attenuated ventilation units can effectively reduce helicopter noise in suitable dwellings

Acute kidney injury in the elderly: predisposition to chronic kidney disease and vice versa.

There have been considerable advances in the past few years in our understanding of how chronic kidney disease (CKD) predisposes to acute kidney injury (AKI) and vice versa. This review shows, however, that few studies have focused on the elderly or conducted stratified analysis by age. It does appear that elderly patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 45-59 ml/min/1.73 m(2) are at higher risk for AKI compared with their counterparts with eGFR >60 ml/min/1.73 m(2). This is a similar relationship to that seen in younger patients, although effect size appears smaller. As the incidence of AKI has been increasing over the past several years, the proportion of elderly patients surviving after AKI has also been increasing. Since AKI heightens the risk for the development and acceleration of CKD, this implies significant public health concerns with regard to the absolute number of elderly persons developing incident CKD

The Metalinguistic Protocol: Making Disciplinary Literacies Visible in Secondary Teaching and Learning

Concerns about adolescent literacy continue to be highlighted in regards to the challenges of reading and learning from academic text. Recent efforts to address these concerns have led to an examination of the disciplines and their specialized ways of thinking and using language. In this article I discusses a metalinguistic protocol in a think-aloud process as a framework to use in university content area literacy courses with secondary preservice teachers to examine the language and thinking as it is used in the disciplines of knowledge and to address the implications of disciplinary literacies for teaching and learning in secondary schooling

The Metalinguistic Protocol: Making Disciplinary Literacies Visible in Secondary Teaching and Learning

Concerns about adolescent literacy continue to be highlighted in regards to the challenges of reading and learning from academic text. Recent efforts to address these concerns have led to an examination of the disciplines and their specialized ways of thinking and using language. In this article I discusses a metalinguistic protocol in a think-aloud process as a framework to use in university content area literacy courses with secondary preservice teachers to examine the language and thinking as it is used in the disciplines of knowledge and to address the implications of disciplinary literacies for teaching and learning in secondary schooling

Enhancement of pigmeat quality by altering pre-slaughter management

End of project reportThe studies presented in this report were conducted to investigate the effect of breed, slaughter weight, castration of male pigs and strategic feeding strategies on the performance of pigs to slaughter and on their carcass quality. The effect of breed, gender and feeding regimen on the performance of pigs and their carcass quality was examined in the first study (Section 3). From weaning to slaughter Landrace-sired pigs grew at a similar rate but had a better feed conversion efficiency compared with Duroc-sired pigs. Landrace-sired pigs also had a higher carcass lean and greater muscle depth than Duroc-sired pigs. Entire male pigs grew more efficiently, had lower lean content in their carcasses and had a reduced kill out yield when compared with gilts. The eye muscle depth was greater for gilts than entire males. Diluting the diet with grass-meal (GM) reduced growth rate, caused a deterioration in feed conversion efficiency, reduced back fat thickness, reduced eye muscle thickness and reduced kill out yield compared to the control feeding regimen of a cereal based diet. Compensatory growth was observed during a re-alimentation period following a period of diet dilution with grass-meal. However, where it did occur, in most cases it was only partial. Adding 5% rapeseed oil instead of lard to the finisher diet increased nitrogen utilization efficiency and phosphorous utilization efficiency. The effect of gender (boar, castrate, gilt) and slaughter weight (80 to 120kg) on pig performance, carcass quality, meat quality, and nitrogen excretion was investigated in the second study (Section 4). Boars grew faster than gilts and more efficiently than castrates or gilts. Castrates had a higher kill out yield than boars. Nitrogen excretion from castrates was similar to gilts which were both higher than that from boars. The processing value of carcasses from castrates may be higher than that of boars and gilts. In particular castrates had heavier loins and bellies than either boars or gilts. Carcasses from castrates and gilts had a higher temperature (recorded 24 hours post slaughter) than boars. However, pH24 was not affected by gender. The intramuscular fat content of the l. dorsi in castrates was higher than that of boars or gilts, however at 1.65% this was well below the level (2.0%) above which any noticeable sensory attributes might be detected. Feed intake increased with increasing slaughter weight and feed conversion efficiency deteriorated. N excretion also increased with each increment in weight. Carcass lean content increased up to 90kg live EOP 4939.doc 4 25/10/2005 weight then reached a plateau and declined after 110kg live weight. Heavier carcasses yielded more product for approximately the same slaughtering cost and the associated larger muscles could make it easier to use seam butchery techniques that result in lean, well-trimmed, attractive cuts and joints. The pH45 and pH24 were reduced with increasing slaughter weight and drip loss increased. Heavier pigs may be more prone to the development of PSE than lighter pigs as their carcass temperature remains higher for longer than that of lighter pigs