A study of turbulent flow between parallel plates by a statistical method

Turbulent Couette flow between parallel plates was studied from a statistical mechanics approach utilizing a model equation, similar to the Boltzmann equation of kinetic theory, which was proposed by Lundgren from the velocity distribution of fluid elements. Solutions to this equation are obtained numerically, employing the discrete ordinate method and finite differences. Two types of boundary conditions on the distribution function are considered, and the results of the calculations are compared to available experimental data. The research establishes that Lundgren's equation provides a very good description of turbulence for the flow situation considered and that it offers an analytical tool for further study of more complex turbulent flows. The present work also indicates that modelling of the boundary conditions is an area where further study is required

Contextual influences on social enterprise management in rural and urban communities

The idea that difference exists between rural and urban enterprise activity is not new, the obvious comparators are measures such as social architecture, resource availability and accessibility. However, when the concept and practice of management in social enterprise is compared in these two contexts then there is opportunity to further our understanding of the contextual challenges encountered by social enterprise. In this paper six cases studies are compared and analysed: three cases are urban social enterprises and three classified as remote rural social enterprises. The urban cases are social enterprises located around Glasgow in the west of Scotland and are compared with three remote rural location studies, one on the Scottish mainland peninsula, the other in northern Scotland and the final case on a Scottish western island. We conclude that the main differences between remote rural and urban management of social enterprise are heavily nuanced by in-migration levels in both rural and urban locations, leadership and community needs and therefore deserving of context relevant policy

Microwave tunability in tin substituted barium titanate

The relationship between low and high frequency tunabilities in tin substituted barium titanate (BaTi1-xSnxO3, Sn-BTOx, x = 0.12, 0.14 and 0.16) ceramics is investigated. Although X-ray powder diffraction reveals an average non-polar cubic structure, Raman spectroscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy, along with ferroelectric and strain measurements under applied voltage reveal the presence of polar nanoclusters, while larger ferroelectric domains are seen in Sn-BTO12. Although the highest low frequency tunability was obtained for Sn-BTO12 (79.2 %), at microwave frequencies comparable tunabilities were achieved for Sn-BTO12 (39.2 %) and Sn-BTO14 (38.2 %). The difference in relative tunabilities between low and high frequencies is attributed to the difference in activities between larger ferroelectric domains and polar nanoclusters at these frequencies, with the former relatively inactive at high frequencies. This study demonstrates that low frequency tunability is not always a good indicator of the high frequency performance due to the lack of a domain contribution

In good company: risk, security and choice in young people's drug decisions

This article draws on original empirical research with young people to question the degree to which 'individualisation of risk', as developed in the work of Beck and Giddens, adequately explains the risks young people bear and take. It draws on alternative understandings and critiques of 'risk' not to refute the notion of the reflexive individual upon which 'individualisation of risk' is based but to re-read that reflexivity in a more hermeneutic way. It explores specific risk-laden moments – young people's drug use decisions – in their natural social and cultural context of the friendship group. Studying these decisions in context, it suggests, reveals the meaning of 'risk' to be not given, but constructed through group discussion, disagreement and consensus and decisions taken to be rooted in emotional relations of trust, mutual accountability and common security. The article concludes that 'the individualisation of risk' fails to take adequate account of the significance of intersubjectivity in risk-decisions. It argues also that addressing the theoretical overemphasis on the individual bearer of risk requires not only further empirical testing of the theory but appropriate methodological reflection

Interaction between clients and physiotherapists in group exercise classes in geriatric rehabilitation

The aim of this paper is to explore how older people construct their interaction in group exercise classes in geriatric rehabilitation and what is their contribution to the interaction. Discourse analysis was employed and data, consisting of seven videotaped group-based exercise sessions, were collected from 52 older people (aged 66–93 years) and nine rehabilitation professionals in seven rehabilitation centres. Four discourse categories were found. In “taciturn exercising”, older people remained verbally silent but physically active. In “submissive disagreeing”, older people opposed the professionals’ agenda by displaying reluctant consent to proposals. In “resilient endeavouring”, older adults persisted on their course of action, regardless of the disapproval of the professionals. In “lay helping”, older people initiated spontaneous encouragement, but also gave verbal and physical assistance to their peers. Older people's meaningful contribution to interaction, whilst it may challenge the institutional flow of activities, can constitute an integral part of the re-ablement process of rehabilitation

Interacting for the environment:Engaging Goffman in pro-environmental action

Whilst there are profound disagreements about how more sustainable forms of living might be achieved, most research on pro-environmental action recognises it as a fundamentally social challenge – demanding shifts not merely in individuals’ attitudes and behaviours, but also in social norms, contexts and practices. Despite the social nature of the challenge, perhaps the most fundamental social medium – social interaction - remains under-theorised in this area. To address this gap, this paper applies Erving Goffman’s understandings of social interaction to an ethnographic case study of a pro- environmental change initiative called Environment Champions. The analysis shows that social interaction plays a crucially important role in shaping responses to pro-environmental change processes that has the potential to both help and hinder the spread of pro-environmental action. The paper concludes by exploring how Goffman’s ideas develop and extend current debates about pro- environmental behaviour change