3,293 research outputs found
The Thermal Environment of the Fiber Glass Dome for the New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory
The New Solar Telescope (NST) is a 1.6-meter off-axis Gregory-type telescope
with an equatorial mount and an open optical support structure. To mitigate the
temperature fluctuations along the exposed optical path, the effects of
local/dome-related seeing have to be minimized. To accomplish this, NST will be
housed in a 5/8-sphere fiberglass dome that is outfitted with 14 active vents
evenly spaced around its perimeter. The 14 vents house louvers that open and
close independently of one another to regulate and direct the passage of air
through the dome. In January 2006, 16 thermal probes were installed throughout
the dome and the temperature distribution was measured. The measurements
confirmed the existence of a strong thermal gradient on the order of 5 degree
Celsius inside the dome. In December 2006, a second set of temperature
measurements were made using different louver configurations. In this study, we
present the results of these measurements along with their integration into the
thermal control system (ThCS) and the overall telescope control system (TCS).Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, submitted to SPIE Optics+Photonics, San Diego,
U.S.A., 26-30 August 2007, Conference: Solar Physics and Space Weather
Instrumentation II, Proceedings of SPIE Volume 6689, Paper #2
What Motivates Residential Mobility? Re-examining Self-Reported Reasons for Desiring and Making Residential Moves
Understanding why people move home is an important objective for population research. While studies are increasingly examining residential mobility motivations using the reasons reported in social surveys, data constraints and the conceptual legacy of behavioural theories mean that little is known about how people's reasons for desiring and making residential moves vary over the life course. In this paper, we address these issues using longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey. The results show that the reasons people report for desiring to move vary considerably over the life course. People are more likely to relocate if they desire to move for âtargetedâ reasons like employment opportunities than if they desire to move for more âdiffuseâ reasons relating to area characteristics. Life course events and moving desires intersect to strongly condition moving behaviour. These insights demonstrate how a deep engagement with life course theories can help researchers to overcome the difficulties encountered when using behavioural models to understand moving decisions
Associations between neighbourhood deprivation and engagement in arts, culture and heritage: evidence from two nationally-representative samples
Background: Previous research has shown the benefits of arts and cultural engagement for physical, mental and social wellbeing. This engagement is socially and geographically patterned. Yet it remains unclear whether place-based attributes are associated with engagement behaviour independent of individual factors. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to robustly disentangle associations between geographical deprivation and arts engagement from the individual socio-demographic factors that tend to correlate with residential locations.
Methods: Two different samples drawn from two representative surveys of adults living in England were compared â Understanding Society Wave 2 (2010/12) (N =â14,782) and Taking Part survey (2010/11) (N =â4575). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to investigate the association between neighbourhood deprivation (20% most deprived vs 20% least deprived) and arts engagement (arts participation, cultural attendance and museums and heritage engagement).
Results: Higher levels of neighbourhood deprivation were associated with lower arts, culture and heritage engagement independent of individualsâ demographic backgrounds, socio-economic characteristics and regional locations. When exploring subcategories of deprivation, similar results were obtained across deprivation domains. Results were also consistent when using more distinct categories of deprivation (i.e. 10% most deprived vs 10% least deprived) and when comparing people living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods with those living in the 40% medium-deprived areas.
Conclusion: This study is the first to apply a robust PSM technique to examine the association between neighbourhood deprivation and arts engagement using two nationally-representative samples. Results show that neighbourhood deprivation may act as a barrier that could prevent people from engaging in the arts, which in turn may exacerbate social and health inequalities. This highlights the importance of place-based schemes that focus on increasing individual motivation and capacity to engage in arts and cultural activities, especially in areas of high deprivation
Patterns of social inequality in arts and cultural participation: Findings from a nationally representative sample of adults living in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
CONTEXT:
A significant amount of literature indicates the health benefits of arts
engagement. However, as this engagement is socially patterned, differential
access to and participation in the arts may contribute to social and health
inequalities.
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to uncover the patterns of participation in
arts activities and engagement with culture and heritage among adults in
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to examine
whether such patterns are associated with demographic and socioeconomic
characteristics.
METHODOLOGY: We applied latent class analysis to data on arts and cultural
participation among 30â695 people in the Understanding Society study.
Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify predictors for the
patterns of activity engagement.
RESULTS: For arts participation, adults were clustered into âengaged
omnivores,â âvisual and literary arts,â âperforming artsâ and âdisengaged.â
For cultural engagement, adults were clustered into âfrequently engaged,â
âinfrequently engagedâ and ârarely engaged.â Regression analysis showed
that the patterns of arts activity were structured by demographic and
socioeconomic factors.
CONCLUSION: This study reveals a social gradient in arts and cultural
engagement. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, this suggests
the importance of promoting equal access to arts and cultural programmes,
to ensure that unequal engagement does not exacerbate health inequalities
Does arts and cultural engagement vary geographically? Evidence from the UK household longitudinal study
Objectives: Previous studies have shown the beneficial impacts of arts participation and cultural engagement on health outcomes. However, this engagement is socially patterned and is also possibly influenced by geographical factors. /
Study design: The aim of this study was to examine the association between geographical factors (spatial setting and neighbourhood characteristics) and arts and cultural engagement amongst adults in the UK. /
Methods: Data analysed were from Understanding Society Wave 2 (2010/12) with a total sample size of 26,215. Logistic and ordinal regression was used to identify geographical predictors for the patterns of the engagement. /
Results: Our results show that there are geographical differences in participation independent of individual demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. In particular, there was more evidence for differences in the participation based on neighbourhood characteristics (e.g. level of area deprivation). We also found some interactions between individual and geographical factors for cultural engagement but not for arts participation. /
Conclusions: This study reveals a geographical and individual socio-economic gradient in arts and cultural engagement. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, improving access to arts and cultural programmes geographically may potentially help to reduce health inequalities
- âŠ