Experimental validation of a two-dimensional shear-flow model for determining acoustic impedance

Tests were conducted to validate a two-dimensional shear-flow analytical model for determining the acoustic impedance of a liner test specimen in a grazing-incidence, grazing-flow environment. The tests were limited to a test specimen chosen to exhibit minimal effects of grazing flow so that the results obtained by using the shear-flow analytical model would be expected to match those obtained from normal-incidence impedance measurements. Impedances for both downstream and upstream sound propagation were generally consistent with those from normal-incidence measurements. However, sensitivity of the grazing-incidence impedance to small measurement or systematic errors in propagation constant varied dramatically over the range of test frequencies

Understanding radionuclide migration from the D1225 Shaft, Dounreay, Caithness, UK

A 65 m vertical shaft was sunk at Dounreay in the 1950s to build a tunnel for the offshore discharge of radioactive effluent from the various nuclear facilities then under construction. In 1959, the Shaft was licensed as a disposal facility for radioactive wastes and was routinely used for the disposal of ILW until 1970. Despite the operation of a hydraulic containment scheme, some radioactivity is known to have leaked into the surrounding rocks. Detailed logging, together with mineralogical and radiochemical analysis of drillcore has revealed four distinct bedding-parallel zones of contamination. The data show that Sr-90 dominates the bulk beta/gamma contamination signal, whereas Cs-137 and Pu-248/249 are found only to be weakly mobile, leading to very low activities and distinct clustering around the Shaft. The data also suggest that all uranium seen in the geosphere is natural in origin. At the smaller scale, contamination adjacent to fracture surfaces is present within a zone of enhanced porosity created by the dissolution of carbonate cements from the Caithness flagstones during long-term rockwater interactions. Quantitative modelling of radionuclide migration, using the multiphysics computer code QPAC shows the importance of different sorption mechanisms and different mineralogical substrates in the Caithnesss flagstones in controlling radionuclide migration

The fickleness of data: Estimating the effects of different aspects of acupuncture treatment on heart rate variability (HRV). Initial findings from three pilot studies

© 2014 Tony Steffert and David Mayor.Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the interplay between sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on heart rate. Higher HRV is usually associated with relaxation and health benefits, lower HRV with stress/pathology. HRV is used increasingly in acupuncture research. Electroacupuncture (EA) and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation(TEAS) are frequently used variants of manual acupuncture (MA).Peer reviewe

Does the cortical response to electroacupuncture depend on stimulation frequency? Results of a pilot EEG study first proposed at the AACP Conference in 2001

© 2013 Tony Steffert and David Mayor.EEG (electroencephalography) is a low-cost, accessible method of investigating electrical brain activity that is sensitive to rapid changes (unlike fMRI). Electroacupuncture (EA) and Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS) are methods of acupuncture-like stimulation. This pilot crossover study, first proposed at the 2001 AACP Conference,1,2 explores the relationship between frequency of TEAS applied peripherally and frequencies of cortical electrical activity detected centrally.Peer reviewe

Expectation and experience of the ‘nonspecific’ effects of acupuncture: Developing and piloting a set of questionnaires

© 2013 David Mayor and Tony Steffert.32-item ‘EXPectation of feelings’ questionnaires were developed to explore the expected (EXPre) and reported (EXPost) incidence of ‘nonspecific’ (whole person) feelings in response to acupuncture-type interventions, in particular electroacupuncture (EA) and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS). They were tested on 204 participants familiar with acupuncture in three separate cohorts (Pilot, CPD, Students). Their validity and reliability were assessed, a cluster analysis conducted, and the association between expectation and experience analysed, along with those items most frequently found, association with other trait and state measures, and the influence of various aspects of treatments on reported feelings. Results are briefly reported in our poster. Methods and further detailed material are provided in the online background information.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Comparing Ecological Sensitivity with Stream Flow Rates in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin

Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Changes in finger temperature and blood flow in response to different frequencies of transcutaneous electroacupuncture at LI4 (hegu)

© 2015 David Mayor, Tony Steffert and Ronakben Bhavsar.Background. Finger blood flow and temperature are often used as indices of autonomic (sympathetic) function. Transcutaneous electroacupuncture (TEA) is an increasingly used variant of electroacupuncture (EA). This is the fifth in a series of conference posters from a study investigating the effects of EA and TEA on heart/pulse rate variability (HRV/PRV), the electroencephalograph (EEG), and now blood flow.Peer reviewe

Health Care and Change Management in the Context of Prisons: Rapid reviews of the literature in two parts

First paragraph: The literature review of factors promoting or inhibiting change finds that there is no unified science of change management and that there is a general lack of empirical evidence across the board about change management in all domains of human industry. - We have proposed a general five-level evidence framework that can be used to categorise broadly the quality of evidence for and commission research into prison management. - We argue that proposals for change should be subjected to a formal decision making process in keeping with good practice in decision making in which alternatives to the proposed change are also evaluated. - We find that change can occur to structures, processes, outcomes and people (table 6) in planned or unintended ways, gradually or radically. - Despite the lack of empirical evidence we find that there is a broad consensus on the features of successful change management approaches

Data Points and Duration for Estimating Fuel Consumption of a Diesel Engine

Accurate measurement of fuel consumption is required to quantify the efficiency of an engine or predict emissions. As part of a larger project, accurate instantaneous fuel consumption data was required for a John Deere 4045T diesel engine. While establishing test criteria, it became evident that literature did not provide clear recommendations on the number of data points or time duration for data collection, for a diesel engine. Fuel consumption tests were conducted using up to 15 data points of percent fuel rate and up to 15 min of data collection. Based on statistical analysis of test results, at least 2 data points (0% and 100% of fuel rate) and 2 min of data collection are recommended for similar fuel-injected, diesel engine fuel rate tests. When a nonfuel injected engine is used, the Hogan et al. (2007) recommendation of at least 3 data points and 3.5 min of data collection should be followed

Comparative Models of Hydrocarbon Emissions for a Diesel Engine Operating at Constant Loads and Speeds

Linear multiple regression (LMR) and nonlinear polynomial network (NPN) models were developed from data collected from ISO 8178‐4 (1996) test cycle B‐type tests (ISO) and an expanded set of tests (EXP) to predict hydrocarbon (HC) emissions from a diesel engine. LMR using the ISO training data (R2 = 0.94) resulted in overfitting of the model as applied to the evaluation data (R2 = 0.49). LMR based on the expanded data (R2 = 0.68) was a better LMR model when applied to the evaluation data (R2 = 0.64). NPN using the expanded training data (R2 = 0.99) resulted in the best model when applied to the evaluation data (R2 = 0.98) and is preferred for predicting HC when the larger set of test mode data are available. NPN using the ISO training data (R2 = 0.99) resulted in a satisfactory fit for the evaluation data (R2 = 0.91), although with a higher average absolute error (0.52 vs. 0.42 g/kWh) than NPN using the EXP training data. This model was also considered suitable for predicting HC. Results of this initial study suggest that data could be collected during ISO 8178‐4 emission tests and modeled with NPN to predict HC emissions for a diesel engine operating at various constant speeds and loads