Fast aquatic escape with a jet thruster

The ability to collect water samples rapidly with aerial–aquatic robots would increase the safety and efficiency of water health monitoring and allow water sample collection from dangerous or inaccessible areas. An aquatic micro air vehicle (AquaMAV) able to dive into the water offers a low cost and robust means of collecting samples. However, small-scale flying vehicles generally do not have sufficient power for transition to flight from water. In this paper, we present a novel jet propelled AquaMAV able to perform jumpgliding leaps from water and a planar trajectory model that is able to accurately predict aquatic escape trajectories. Using this model, we are able to offer insights into the stability of aquatic takeoff to perturbations from surface waves and demonstrate that an impulsive leap is a robust method of flight transition. The AquaMAV uses a CO 2 powered water jet to escape the water, actuated by a custom shape memory alloy gas release. The 100 g robot leaps from beneath the surface, where it can deploy wings and glide over the water, achieving speeds above 11 m/s

University academics’ perceptions of reading list labels

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to reflect on the results of a continuing professional development sessions delivered to academics on the importance of a properly annotated reading list to the student experience. Approach: As part of the session the academics were asked to take part in a ‘pop quiz’ providing their interpretation of commonly used reading list labels. Findings: There was quite a broad interpretation of the labels, with several eliciting strongly positive or negative reactions. The similarity of meanings between some reading list labels made them redundant for helping students to prioritise their reading. Value: This case study could be used to provide sessions on reading lists at other institutions and the results from the quiz can be used to simplify reading list labels

Plastering the Prehistory: Marl as a unique material to cover, maintain and decorate the Neolithic walls of Catalhöyük.

Çatalhöyük (World Heritage site, c.7400 BC) is a renowned Neolithic site in central Anatolia, Turkey on account of its size, well-preserved mudbrick architecture and wall art. The current international project led by Professor Ian Hodder has been continuing since the 1990’s and the studies showed that people of Çatalhöyük were highly aware of their natural environment and knew how to skillfully modify their resources to develop various material technologies according to their needs. One of the most important material technologies evident at Çatalhöyük makes the site unique within the Neolithic Anatolia and the Near East is the use of ‘Marl’ as a plastering material to cover the internal surfaces of the mudbrick walls. This paper is based on the most recent research undertaken on the technology of the Çatalhöyük wall ‘plasters’ and paintings and will aim to look at what it is meant by ‘plaster and plastering’ in the context of Neolithic Çatalhöyük, identify materials and their characteristics, define the areas of use and terminologies between the different materials and answer some of the controversial questions on the Çatalhöyük wall plasters, such as the use of true lime plaster

The Building Fabric Thermal Performance of Passivhaus Dwellings - Does It Do What it Says on the Tin?

The Passivhaus (or Passive House) Standard is one of the world’s most widely known voluntary energy performance standards. For a dwelling to achieve the Standard and be granted Certification, the building fabric requires careful design and detailing, high levels of thermal insulation, building airtightness, close site supervision and careful workmanship. However, achieving Passivhaus Certification is not a guarantee that the thermal performance of the building fabric as designed will actually be achieved in situ. This paper presents the results obtained from measuring the in situ whole building heat loss coefficient (HLC) of a small number of Certified Passivhaus case study dwellings. They are located on different sites and constructed using different technologies in the UK. Despite the small and non-random nature of the dwelling sample, the results obtained from the in situ measurements revealed that the thermal performance of the building fabric, for all of the dwellings, performed very close to the design predictions. This suggests that in terms of the thermal performance of the building fabric, Passivhaus does exactly what it says on the tin

Effectiveness of a six-week high-intensity interval training programme on cardiometabolic markers in sedentary males

High-intensity interval training (HIT) has been proposed as an effective, time efficient strategy to elicit similar cardiometabolic health benefits as traditional moderate-intensity endurance training. This is an important consideration as "lack of time" is a common cited barrier to regular physical activity

Opening lines of communication: book ordering and reading lists, the academics view

This article outlines and assesses the research into resource management and ordering processes at the University of Northampton and academics’ knowledge of these processes. The aim of the research was to identify ways of streamlining the service, to improve communication between academic and library staff, with the objective of an enhanced student experience. The focus groups highlighted concerns around growing spoon-feeding in Higher Education and the ongoing communication barriers between academic and library staff. This article will evaluate the current debates, research and practices within the sector and present and analyse the findings of the research

International study on <i>Artemia</i> : 32. Combined effects of temperature and salinity on the survival of <i>Artemia</i> of various geographical origin

The brine shrimp inhabits geographically isolated biotopes with specific biotic and abiotic conditions. This has resulted in various geographical strains between which marked genetica, biological and chemical differentiation exists. The response of 13 different Artemia strains to the combined effect of temperature and salinity has been studied. Experimental temperatures tested ranged from 18 to 34°C and salinities from 5 to 120 promille. Except for Chaplin Lake (Canada) Artemia , all strains showed high survival over a wide range of salinities (35-110 promille). For all strains the common temperature optimum was between 20 and 25°C. Interaction between temperature and salinity was negligible or very limited. Substantial differences in tolerance were recorded in particular at the lower end of the range of experimental salinities and at the upper end of the range temperatures. Resistance to high temperature seems to be related to the genetic classification of the Artemia strains in different sibling species. Differences, however, also exist among strains from the same sibling species. Genetic adaptation to high temperature seems to take place in Artemia . The data obtained provide a first guideline for strain selection for specific aquacultural purposes

Effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation on intermittent exercise in thermoneutral and hot environments

It is well-established that repetition of heat stress exposure has been shown to facilitate adaptations to the heat but these protocols have tended to be of a fixed work intensity, continuous exercise, long-term in duration (>7 days) and use hydration. Secondly, there is limited information on the potential use of heat acclimation as a training method for human performance in thermoneutral conditions. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation (STHA) for 5 days, using the controlled hyperthermia technique with dehydration, on intermittent exercise in thermoneutral and hot environments