Andrew Silke, et al., (edited by Andrew Silke). The psychology of counter-terrorism. Routledge: Oxon UK, 2011. pp. 202. £21.98. ISBN: 978-0-415-55840-2 [Book review]

Reviewed by Robert W. Hand, University of Aberdeen.Publisher PD

Uppercase and lowercase computer printout increases readability

Print chain of 120 characters facilitates production of computer printout in both uppercase and lowercase characters. Although the output speed is reduced, the use of the print chain increases the computer printout readability

The effect of 3-indoleacetic acid on the response of Lactobacillus arabinosus 17-5 to nicotinamide

Lactobacillus arabinosus 17-5 has been widely used as an assay organism for nicotinic acid (NA) since the development of the method by Snell and Wright (1). Although it has been realized that other substances present in tissue extracts may interfere with the bioassay, the nature of such substances has not been elucidated. During an investigation of tryptophan metabolism in the pea plant, we studied the possible conversion of this compound to nicotinic acid, since such a transformation has been demonstrated to occur in numerous organisms (2-4). The method involved infiltration of tissue with large quantities of tryptophan and subsequent bioassay for nicotinic acid with Lactobacillus arabinosus 17-5. Certain anomalous results led us to believe that other metabolites of tryptophan were interfering with the assay. Because 3-indoleacetic acid (IAA) is a known plant metabolite of tryptophan (5), we tested it for possible interference with the assay, and, as described below, found that such interference may occur under certain circumstances

Impact of including pre-defined object on high resolution assessments

Many simulation teams create models of empty buildings e.g. without the thermophysical and visual artefacts which are observed in the built environment or with highly abstract representations. This paper explores the impact of including explicit representations of furniture and fittings on multi-domain assessments vis-à-vis environmental control response, support for comfort and visual assessments and model clarity. Typically increasing model resolution is a tedious process and added detail if included, may not be fully utilised. The concept of pre-defined entities, which include visual form, explicit thermophysical composition, IESNA light distributions and mass flow attributes has been introduced in ESP-r. ESP-r facilities for calculating view-factors and insolation distributions have been updated to include this extended data model. Issues related to creating and managing such entities is discussed and the impacts quantified via case studies

Contrasting the capabilities of building energy performance simulation programs

For the past 50 years, a wide variety of building energy simulation programs have been developed, enhanced and are in use throughout the building energy community. This paper is an overview of a report, which provides up-to-date comparison of the features and capabilities of twenty major building energy simulation programs. The comparison is based on information provided by the program developers in the following categories: general modeling features; zone loads; building envelope and daylighting and solar; infiltration, ventilation and multizone airflow; renewable energy systems; electrical systems and equipment; HVAC systems; HVAC equipment; environmental emissions; economic evaluation; climate data availability, results reporting; validation; and user interface, links to other programs, and availability

An optical fibre dynamic instrumented palpation sensor for the characterisation of biological tissue

AbstractThe diagnosis of prostate cancer using invasive techniques (such as biopsy and blood tests for prostate-specific antigen) and non-invasive techniques (such as digital rectal examination and trans-rectal ultrasonography) may be enhanced by using an additional dynamic instrumented palpation approach to prostate tissue classification. A dynamically actuated membrane sensor/actuator has been developed that incorporates an optical fibre Fabry–Pérot interferometer to record the displacement of the membrane when it is pressed on to different tissue samples. The membrane sensor was tested on a silicon elastomer prostate model with enlarged and stiffer material on one side to simulate early stage prostate cancer. The interferometer measurement was found to have high dynamic range and accuracy, with a minimum displacement resolution of ±0.4μm over a 721μm measurement range. The dynamic response of the membrane sensor when applied to different tissue types changed depending on the stiffness of the tissue being measured. This demonstrates the feasibility of an optically tracked dynamic palpation technique for classifying tissue type based on the dynamic response of the sensor/actuator

Laser spot welding of laser textured steel to aluminium

Laser welding of dissimilar metals (steel and aluminium) was investigated with the aim to increase the maximum tensile shear load of the Fe-Al joints. The increase was achieved by texturing the surface of steel prior to the laser spot welding process which was performed in a lap-joint configuration with the steel positioned on top of the aluminium and with a texture faced down to the aluminium surface. This configuration enabled an increase of the bonding area of the joints, because the molten aluminium filled in the gaps of the texture, without the need of increasing the process energy which typically leads to the growth of the intermetallic compounds. Different textures (containing hexagonally arranged craters, parallel lines, grid and spiral patterns) were tested with different laser welding parameters. The Fe-Al joints obtained with the textured steel were found to have up to 25% higher maximum tensile-shear load than the joints obtained with the untextured steel

COMBATING HEGEMONIC DISCOURSE IN AN ONLINE MULTICULTURAL LEADERSHIP COURSE: A NARRATIVE STUDY OF AN INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT WORKING AT TANDEM FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

This narrative study examines hegemonic discourse in an online multicultural leadership course by translating e-narrative analysis findings into implications for social justice and recommendations for andragogical strategies. These strategies specifically address hegemonic discourse within an online educational environment. The setting for this article is a graduate level class in Multicultural Leadership geared toward Masters’ students in an educational leadership program. Through the e-narrative analysis, four themes emerged that characterized the hegemonic discourse: rejecting social justice; wooing white privilege; he oppressive “other,” and telling it straight. Based on the findings and implications surrounding the research questions, four andragogical strategies were recommended: engaging in moral conversations; adopting bilateral teaching tools; strategizing for collaborative alliances; and enabling emblematic change