‘We kind of try to merge our own experience with the objectivity of the criteria’: The role of connoisseurship and tacit practice in undergraduate fine art assessment

This article explores connoisseurship in the context of fine art undergraduate assessment practice. I interviewed twelve fine art lecturers in order to explore and unpack the concept of connoisseurship in relation to subjectivity, objectivity and tacit practice. Building on the work of Bourdieu (1973, 1977, 1986) and Shay (2003, 2005), both of whom problematize the view that subjectivity and objectivity are binary opposites, my research illustrates the ways that connoisseurship is underpinned by informed professional judgements located in communities of practice. Within this particular conception of connoisseurship, the lecturers’ expertise is co-constituted in communities of assessors through participation and engagement. Standards reside in communities of practice

FBG-based fibre-optic current sensors for power systems protection : laboratory evaluation

Conventional differential current unit protection schemes rely on a pair of electronic protection relays that measure current phasors separately at the boundaries of the protected zone. The scheme requires a separate, often optical, communications channel for the sharing of measurement information to enable the timely identification of and reaction to internal faults. The high voltage environment that the transducers must operate in poses a number of engineering problems stemming from the need for electrical isolation and requirement for transformation of high primary system current magnitudes. Additionally, when either the number of relays or distance between relays is increased, timing problems can arise due to the limited bandwidth, speed and changeable latencies of the communication channels and the increased computation requirements. Fibre-optical sensor systems are maturing as a technology and offer a number of advantages over conventional electronic sensor regimes, including the possession of inherent electrical isolation, chemical inertness, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and their small size and serial multiplexing capability. Fibre sensor systems are therefore experiencing increased uptake in industries that operate in harsh environments, such as oil and gas, or where specific requirements such as large step-out distances or resistance to radiation prohibit the use of electronic sensors. The Advanced Sensors Team within the Institute for Energy and Environment has developed fibre-optic point sensors for voltage and electrical current, based on fibre Bragg grating (FBG) technology, that have been applied successfully to power systems diagnostics. With the photonic systems capability to interrogate up to 100 km from source at kHz sample rates with up to 30 sensors in series, it is possible and highly desirable to adapt this technology for use in power systems protection, where immediate applications in unit and distance protection are clear. In this paper, the application of the FBG-based hybrid current sensor system to power systems protection is presented for the first time. Experimental tests of the response of an optical unit protection system to a range of internal and external fault scenarios are also reported. Secondary current inputs to the system are modelled using ATP and injected into the prototype test system via an APTS3 (Advanced Protection Testing System) unit. Fibre sensors, separated optically by 24 km of fibre, provide all measurement information via a single interrogation system situated at one end of the protected zone. Experimental results confirm high performance of the optical unit protection both in terms of sensitivity to internal faults and stability under external fault conditions. Therefore, the systems ability to overcome problems experienced in electronic relaying systems using conventional current sensing technologies is demonstrated. No separate communications channel is required in this configuration, with fault algorithms being deployed only at one location that need not be close to the protected zone. The fibre-optic current sensor systems capacity for long-distance interrogation and high sensor count qualify it for further applications in more complex protection schemes, or over larger distances, where a single fibre could form the basis of highly novel distributed protection schemes. This potential will also be discussed in detail in the paper

Developing physical capability standards that are predictive of success on special forces selection courses

Free to read This study aimed to develop minimum standards for physical capability assessments (vertical jump, sit and reach, push-ups, seven-stage sit-ups, heaves, agility, 20-m shuttle run, loaded 5-km pack march, and 400-m swim) that candidates must pass before they can commence Australian Army Special Forces (SF) selection courses. Soldiers (Part A: n = 104; Part B: n = 92) completed the physical capability assessments before commencing a SF selection course. At the beginning of these selection courses, participants attempted two barrier assessments (3.2-km battle run and 20-km march). Statistical analysis revealed several physical capability assessments were associated with performance on the barrier assessments and selection course outcome (Part A); however, these statistical models were unable to correctly classify all candidates as likely to pass or fail the selection course. Alternatively, manual analysis identified a combination of physical capability standards that correctly classified 14% to 18% of candidates likely to fail, without excluding any candidates able to pass (Part A). The standards were applied and refined through Part B and included completing the 5-km pack march in ≤45:45 minutes : seconds, achieving ≥level five on the sit-up test, or completing ≥66 push-ups. Implementation of these standards may reduce attrition rates and enhance the efficiency of the SF recruitment process

QCD: Challenges for the Future

Despite many experimental verifications of the correctness of our basic understanding of QCD, there remain numerous open questions in strong interaction physics and we focus on the role of future colliders in addressing these questions. We discuss possible advances in the measurement of $\alpha_s$, in the study of parton distribution functions, and in the understanding of low $x$ physics at present colliders and potential new facilities. We also touch briefly on the role of spin physics in advancing our understanding of QCD.Comment: 12 pages, LATEX2e with snow2e, epsfig and 2 figures. Also available at http://penguin.phy.bnl.gov/~dawson/qcdsnow.ps . QCD working group summary at DPF/DPB Summer Study on New Directions for High Energy Physics, Snowmass, CO, June 25- July 12, 199

Preliminary feasibility analysis of a pressure modulator radiometer for remote sensing of tropospheric constituents

A pressure modulator radiometer operated in a nadir viewing mode from the top of a midlatitude summer model of the atmosphere was theoretically studied for monitoring the mean volumetric mixing ratio of carbon monoxide in the troposphere. The mechanical characteristics of the instrument on the Nimbus 7 stratospheric and mesospheric sounder experiment are assumed and CO is assumed to be the only infrared active constituent. A line by line radiative transfer computer program is used to simulate the upwelling radiation reaching the top of the atmosphere. The performance of the instrument is examined as a function of the mean pressure in and the length of the instrument gas correlation cell. Instrument sensitivity is described in terms of signal to noise ratio for a 10 percent change in CO mixing ratio. Sensitivity to mixing ratio changes is also studied. It is concluded that tropospheric monitoring requires a pressure modulator drive having a larger swept volume and producing higher compression ratios at higher mean cell pressures than the Nimbus 7 design

What Lies Underneath: The Base of Your Street (or Road)

If you have roads and streets that pothole or crack pre- maturely, it may be the gravel under the surface that is the culprit. Come learn what the sweet spot is for good gravel, how to test your own gravel, and how to make your poor materials better using full-depth reclamation (FDR)

The epidemiology of injuries in Australian professional Rugby Union 2014 Super Rugby competition

BACKGROUND: Rugby union is a collision-based ball sport played at the professional level internationally. Rugby union has one of the highest reported incidences of injury of all team sports. PURPOSE: To identify the characteristics, incidence, and severity of injuries occurring in Australian professional Super Rugby Union. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: The present study was a prospective epidemiology study on a cohort of 180 professional players from 5 Australian Super Rugby teams during the 2014 Super Rugby Union Tournament. Team medical staff collected and submitted daily training and match-play injury data through a secure, web-based electronic platform. The injury data included the main anatomic location of the injury, specific anatomic structure of the injury, injury diagnosis, training or match injury occurrence, main player position, mechanism of injury, and the severity of the injury quantified based on the number of days lost from training and/or competition due to injury. RESULTS: The total combined incidence rate for injury during training and match-play across all Australian Super Rugby Union teams was 6.96 per 1000 hours, with a mean injury severity of 37.45 days lost from training and competition. The match-play injury incidence rate was 66.07 per 1000 hours, with a mean severity of 39.80 days lost from training and competition. No significant differences were observed between forward- and back-playing positions for match or training injury incidence rate or severity. CONCLUSION: The incidence of injury for the present study was lower during match-play than has previously been reported in professional rugby union; however, the overall time loss was higher compared with previous studies in professional rugby union. The high overall time loss was due fundamentally to a high incidence of injuries with greater than 28 days’ severity

Staying Safe in the ROW

Being in the right-of-way (ROW) has plenty of hazards beyond the obvious one of traffic. Come learn a bucketful of ideas to make sure everyone gets home safely every single day