Rotor-Obstacle Aerodynamic Interaction in Hovering Flight: An Experimental Survey

Despite the presence of a fair number of numerical and experimental works on the rotor-obstacle interaction, a systematic study of the aerodynamic phenomena involved is lacking. In this paper a comprehensive experimental survey carried out at University of Glasgow is described, taking advantage of two different rotor rigs and several experimental techniques. Load measurements on the rotor were carried out in order to assess the rotor performance for different positions with respect to a cubic obstacle, thus simulating a set of possible hovering flight conditions around the obstacle. Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) measurements of the rotor inflow were used in order to investigate how the aerodynamic interaction affected the rotor performance. Eventually Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (SPIV) measurements in the region between the rotor and the obstacle were carried out in order to have a better insight of the interacting flow field

Les approches intégrées dans l’histoire du service social latino-américain : analyse de trois modèles

L'auteur montre d'abord comment le contexte des années soixante-dix en Amérique latine, marquée surtout par des conditions de dépendance externe, a provoqué un processus de réflexion, d'analyse et de reconceptualisation du service social latino-américain. Les milieux de pratique et de formation ont participé à ce mouvement, et Michea fait une présentation descriptive de trois propositions d'approches et de méthodologies de base qui ont marqué l'histoire du service social d'Amérique du Sud

Formative Research and Community Resilience: A Case of Under Addressed Youth Problem Gambling

The overarching research topic for this study is the issue of effectively engaging and informing community and government decision makers about health issues that can negatively impact a community\u27s resilience. The question guiding this study is how can formative research engage and inform community and government decision makers about the under addressed issue of youth problem gambling (YPG) in Windham County, Vermont? The study has two aims: 1) to develop a formative research conceptual framework and evaluate its effectiveness in addressing the public health issue of youth problem gambling, and 2) to use the formative research methodology to develop a better understanding of Windham County community dynamics relative to the public health issue of youth problem gambling. As defined in this study, formative research is the first stage of a health intervention initiative through which the dimensions, dynamics, stakeholders and general community awareness and understanding about a health challenge are established (Gittelsohn, J. Steckler, A. and Johnson, C. 2006; Valente, 2002). Research methods included interviews based upon snowball sampling, focus groups, journaling, relevant document review and informal conversations. Interview analysis was based upon Computer Aided Thematic Analysis (CATA) and developed within the framework provided by Greenhalgh et al\u27s (2005) five-step qualitative research protocol. The study\u27s conclusions, as well as informing next steps for approaching the under addressed issue of youth problem gambling in Windham County, Vermont, establish the broad applicability of formative research as a methodological approach for addressing all public health concerns whether the health risk is socio-economic, political, environmental and/or spiritual in origin

Investigation of the rotor–obstacle aerodynamic interaction in hovering flight

In this paper, a comprehensive experimental survey of the aerodynamic interaction of a hovering rotor in the proximity of a ground obstacle is described, taking advantage of multiple experimental techniques. Load measurements on the rotor were carried out to assess the change in the rotor performance for different positions with respect to the cubic obstacle, thus simulating a set of possible hovering flight conditions around the obstacle. Laser Doppler anemometry measurements of the rotor inflow were used to investigate how the aerodynamic interaction affected the rotor performance. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry measurements in the region between the rotor and the obstacle were carried out to gain a better insight of the interacting flow field. The investigation showed two main regions of interest. The first region is the one above the edge of the obstacle, where the rotor experiences a gradual ground effect as it is positioned over the obstacle. The second region, probably of more interest, is the one just beside the obstacle where a recirculation region between the rotor and the obstacle develops, causing both a significant reduction in the thrust augmentation experienced in unobstructed hover in ground effect and significant pitching and rolling moments, due to the nonsymmetrical inflow pattern on the rotor

Insight into unexplained infertility: How do women make sense of their experience of unexplained infertility followed by spontaneous conception

The causes of infertility are diverse and broadly fall under four categories: male, female, combined or unexplained (Wynter et al., 2013, p. 285). Treating infertility is usually associated with an often medically invasive procedure and fertility clinics have been expanding globally in the last thirty years (Krisak, 2013). Furthermore, medical research and treatment for this condition have allowed for considerable progress to be made, allowing a greater number of couples to have children despite their difficulty or inability to conceive at some time in their life (Bushnik, Cook, Hughes, & Tough, 2012). The focus of this study will be the psychosocio- emotional aspects of unexplained infertility. A qualitative approach was chosen to undertake this research, and the methodology best suited for this research was an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). IPA is the preferred methodology when studying a lived experience, especially when the research topic is emotional, such as infertility (Smith & Osborn, 2015). In this study, four women participants participated in an in-depth face to face interview during which they related their experience of unexplained infertility followed by spontaneous conception. All were encouraged to reflect on their experience by examining all aspects of that period in their lives. Physical health was explored, as well as work and family environment, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual well-being. Information from diverse literature, as well as interviews with the participants for this research, describe the journey of infertility and treatment as emotionally difficult, and often accompanied by strong feelings such as fear, grief, anxiety or trauma. All participants described their In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) journey as a magnification of those already difficult feelings. Although all participants noted that their reproductive health at the time was focussed solely on physical or medical aspects of their infertility, nonetheless all sought alternative therapies such as acupuncture or Chinese medicine too. In addition, they engaged in well-being 6 practices such as meditation, with the intention to increase their well-being or their chance of conception success. There was unanimity amongst participants that taking a holistic approach to the issue they were facing and taking a gentle approach towards the treatment or towards themselves allowed a path to pregnancy. The results of the study revealed a shift in participant’s situations which created circumstances where spontaneous conception could occur after infertility. These shifts were in the domain of emotional well-being, attitude towards conception and attitude towards treatment. The shift from negative to positive situation were all accompanied with a ritual that symbolically confirmed the change of mindset. These results offer an insight into the role well-being played in the ability to conceive a child for all participants. They present an opportunity for further research in this field, to develop deeper understanding into unexplained infertility and integrate the findings in a new medico-psychotherapeutic approach integrating physical and emotional well-being

Giving the customer a voice: A study of market research methods and their perceived effectiveness in NPD

There is a widely held view that a lack of, “…customer understanding,” is one of the main reasons for product failure (Eliashberg et al., 1997, p. 219). This is despite the fact that new product development (NPD) is a crucial business process for many companies. The importance of integrating the voice of the customer (VoC) through market research is well documented (Davis, 1993; Mullins and Sutherland, 1998; Cooper et al., 2002; Flint, 2002; Davilla et al., 2006; Cooper and Edgett, 2008; Cooper and Dreher, 2010; Goffin and Mitchell, 2010). However, not all research methods are well received, for example there are studies that have strongly criticized focus groups, interviews and surveys (e.g. Ulwick, 2002; Goffin et al, 2010; Sandberg, 2002). In particular, a point is made that, “…traditional market research and development approaches proved to be particularly ill-suited to breakthrough products” (Deszca et al, 2010, p613). Therefore, in situations where traditional techniques—interviews and focus groups—are ineffective, the question is which market research techniques are appropriate, particularly for developing breakthrough products? To investigate this, an attempt was made to access the knowledge of market research practitioners from agencies with a reputation for their work on breakthrough NPD. We were surprised to find that this research had not been conducted previously. In order to make it possible for the sample of 24 market research experts identified for this study to share their knowledge, repertory grid technique was used. This psychology based method particularly seeks out tacit knowledge by using indepth interviews. In this case the interviews were conducted with professionals from leading market research agencies in two countries. The resulting data provided two unique insights: they highlighted the attributes of market research methods which made them effective at identifying customers’ needs and they showed how different methods were perceived against these attributes. This article starts with a review of the literature on different methods for conducting market research to identify customer needs. The conclusions from the literature are then used to define the research question. We explain our choice of methodology, including the data collection and analysis approach. Next the key results are presented. Finally, the discussion section identifies the key insights, clarifies the limitations of the research, suggests areas for future research, and draws implications for managers. We conclude that existing research is not aligned with regard to which methods (or combination of methods) are best suited to the various stages of the NPD process. We have set out the challenges and our own intended work in this regard in our section on ‘further research’. Also, the existing literature does not explicitly seek the perceptions of practitioner experts based in market research agencies. This we have started to address, and we acknowledge that further work is required. Although our research in ongoing, it has already yielded the first view of a model of the perceptions of 24 expert market researchers in the UK and Denmark. Based on the explanation of these experts, the model situates a derived set of categories in a manner that reflects the way in which they are inter-linked. We believe that our model begins to deal with the gaps and anomalies in the existing research into VoC methods

Multiple Roles as Predictors of Subjective Well-Being in African American Women

Through multiple regression analysis of the NSAL archival data, this study examined how the subjective well-being (SWB) of African American women ages 18-44 (n = 1,877) can be predicted by their age, years of education, household income, number of children, and marital, parental, and employment statuses.https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/current/1010/thumbnail.jp

Muliple Roles as Predictors of Subjective Well-Being in African American Women

The role strain caused by the multiple roles of some women can impact their stress levels and health outcomes, which negatively affects reported subjective well-being (SWB). The culture and race of African American women has a complex effect on how they experience stress and manage their health. Some research shows the harmful rippling effect of stress for African American women is distinct from other racial groups and men. The purpose of this quantitative archival study was to understand how the SWB of African American women can be predicted by their age, years of education, household income, number of children, and marital, parental, and employment statuses. The theoretical foundation was role strain theory. The archival data set of The National Survey of American Life: Coping with Stress in the 21st Century provided data from African American female respondents ages 18 to 44, (n = 1,877). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that when combined in 2 models; marital, parental, and employment statuses (Model 1) and the remaining four variables (Model 2) were statistically significant predictors of SWB. Separately, parental status, age, years of education, and number of children were not statistically significant predictors of SWB. This study showed that married parents who were employed had higher SWB which suggests increased access to resources. Research shows higher socioeconomic status is correlated to higher SWB. Increased resources may help to reduce the additive impact of juggling multiple roles. This study will contribute to social change by educating women on the connections between balancing roles and happiness and encourage them to negotiate roles and duties to reduce stress and improve their health outcomes