Remote fieldwork: using portable wireless networks and backhaul links to participate remotely in fieldwork

Fieldwork is an important means of contextualising knowledge and developing subject-specific and generic transferable skills. However, field locations are not always accessible. To address this problem we present a remote fieldwork approach that makes use of a portable wireless network and other mobile technologies to support fieldwork at a distance. As well as improving access to fieldwork, this approach can also be used to provide communication tools to fieldworkers, enabling them to share their findings and talk to their colleagues while in the field. This paper presents the portable communications toolkit we have developed and reports on three recent trials

MISSPECIFICATION IN SIMULTANEOUS SYSTEMS: AN ALTERNATIVE TEST AND ITS APPLICATION TO A MODEL OF THE SHRIMP MARKET

Concern over the effects of public policies based on misspecified econometric models motivates interest in a procedure to test, diagnose, and improve the specification of models that have been estimated with three-stage least squares. A test of system-wide specification based on Hausman's specification test is employed in a test of the a priori restrictions placed on the parameters of a structural model of the U.S. shrimp market. The null hypothesis of proper specification is rejected. After diagnosis via a comparison of unrestricted and restricted reduced forms and respecification, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Hemispheric specialization in selective attention and short-term memory: a fine-coarse model of left- and right-ear disadvantages.

Serial short-term memory is impaired by irrelevant sound, particularly when the sound changes acoustically. This acoustic effect is larger when the sound is presented to the left compared to the right ear (a left-ear disadvantage). Serial memory appears relatively insensitive to distraction from the semantic properties of a background sound. In contrast, short-term free recall of semantic-category exemplars is impaired by the semantic properties of background speech and is relatively insensitive to the sound’s acoustic properties. This semantic effect is larger when the sound is presented to the right compared to the left ear (a right-ear disadvantage). In this paper, we outline a speculative neurocognitive fine-coarse model of these hemispheric differences in relation to short-term memory and selective attention, and explicate empirical directions in which this model can be critically evaluated

Structural Evolution in the Dynamic Plasticity of FCC Metals

Above true strain rates of $10^4$ s$^{-1}$ FCC metals exhibit a rapid increase in strength. Understanding of the physical mechanisms behind this strength transition is hindered by the number and interdependence of candidate mechanisms. Broadly, contributions to strength can be split into `instantaneous' effects and the more permanent `structural' ones. In this thesis a series of experiments are presented which are designed to separate the two types of contribution. Chapter 2 outlines the basics of dislocation plasticity, based on the seminal works of Taylor and Orowan. It then progresses on to discuss recent experimental and theoretical work on the understanding of slip as avalanche behaviour. Chapter 3 summarises traditional modelling approaches for instantaneous strength contributions which are routinely applied below $10^4$ s$^{-1}$. It then continues on to outline a number of different approaches which have been adopted to attempt to explain and model the strength transition. Chapter 4 outlines the methods used in the earliest stages of the study: Instron and split Hopkinson pressure bar methods. Both methods are well established, and cover the majority of the range of rates under study. Emphasis is made on minimising experimental sources of error, and subsequently accounting for those which are unavoidable. Finally, the specimen material is introduced and is shown to be fit for purpose. Chapter 5 presents a set of mechanical tests of specimens at strain rates between $10^4-10^5$~s$^{-1}$. The softening of the specimens with increased temperature is observed to increase with strain rate, both in absolute terms and when normalised to the 300 K measurement for each strain rate. The observations are most easily explained if the strength transition is due to an increase in early stage work hardening, however, some anomalous behaviours remain. Chapter 6 introduces a new experimental technique; direct impact Hopkinson pressure bars, required to perform experiments shown to be necessary by the results of Chapter 5. Photon Doppler velocimetry is applied to the projectiles used in experiments, removing one of the most significant flaws of the technique, and creating a more confident basis with which to perform further experimental work. Chapter 7 presents a series of `jump tests' at ambient temperatures. Specimens are deformed at strain rates ranging from $10^{-2}$ to $10^5$~s$^{-1}$ to a fixed strain of 0.1, then reloaded to yield at a strain rate of $10^{-1}$. The yield point at reload is shown to have the same rapid upturn as seen when the specimens were deforming at high rates, providing strong evidence that the increase in strength is due to changes in the underlying dislocation structure, rather than a dynamic effect, as it remains even when the high strain rate is removed. Chapter 8 continues on from the conclusions of Chapter 7. Jump tests are expanded to a variety of temperatures and strains, to provide a more complete characterisation of metal behaviour. No dramatic change in the saturation of work hardening is observed to coincide with the increase in early stage work hardening. Chapter 9 discusses discrepancies between contemporary high rate models and recent developments in the understanding of plasticity being an avalanche process. Potential consequences of incorporating avalanche plasticity into high rate models are explored. Particular attention is paid to Brown's observation that based on quasi static observations of avalanche behaviour, the formation of dislocation avalanches will begin to fail at strain rates of approximately $10^4$ s$^{-1}$. Consequences of the progressive breakdown of avalanche behaviour are discussed with respect to the experimental observations presented in earlier chapters. In Chapter 10, we will discuss the key conclusions of the work. Finally, a number of avenues are proposed for building upon the current work both theoretically and experimentally.EPSRC both QinetiQ PLC funded this PhD using the ICASE award scheme. Downing College provided funding to attend an international conference

Thyroid hormones correlate with field metabolic rate in ponies, Equus ferus caballus

Acknowledgments The authors thank Jürgen Dörl for technical help and for taking care of the animals and Peter Thompson for technical assistance with the doubly labelled water analysis. Funding The study was supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG;GE 704/13-1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Higher education in further education: Capturing and promoting HEness

This article discusses the implications of continuing to support the delivery of higher education (HE) in further education (FE) settings. Although a critical mass of students studying HE in Further Education Colleges (FECs) is significant in sustaining the viability of the provision, we argue that the qualitative dimensions to 'capturing HEness' are in need of further critical scrutiny. This is undertaken by highlighting the importance of institutional and individual autonomy in maintaining an HE culture, with specific reference to the curriculum, pedagogy, and research. Throughout, some key similarities and differences between HE and FE organisational practices and cultures are identified, and the various pressures which are simultaneously pulling the two apart, and together, are analysed. The article concludes by arguing that there are some grounds for cautious optimism but we must be mindful that both FE and HE need to retain practices and a culture, without which the essence of HEness could be compromised in both settings. © 2012 Copyright Further Education Research Association

Not if – but how – to defund the police: Response to our critics

This article is a response to: McElhone, M., Kemp, T., Lamble, S. and Moore, J.M., 2023. Defund–not defend–the police: A response to Fleetwood and Lea. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice. https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.1250

Biologists meet statisticians: A workshop for young scientists to foster interdisciplinary team work

Life science and statistics have necessarily become essential partners. The need to plan complex, structured experiments, involving elaborated designs, and the need to analyse datasets in the era of systems biology and high throughput technologies has to build upon professional statistical expertise. On the other hand, conducting such analyses and also developing improved or new methods, also for novel kinds of data, has to build upon solid biological understanding and practise. However, the meeting of scientists of both fields is often hampered by a variety of communicative hurdles - which are based on field-specific working languages and cultural differences. As a step towards a better mutual understanding, we developed a workshop concept bringing together young experimental biologists and statisticians, to work as pairs and learn to value each others competences and practise interdisciplinary communication in a casual atmosphere. The first implementation of our concept was a cooperation of the German Region of the International Biometrical Society and the Leibnitz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (short: DSMZ), Braunschweig, Germany. We collected feedback in form of three questionnaires, oral comments, and gathered experiences for the improvement of this concept. The long-term challenge for both disciplines is the establishment of systematic schedules and strategic partnerships which use the proposed workshop concept to foster mutual understanding, to seed the necessary interdisciplinary cooperation network, and to start training the indispensable communication skills at the earliest possible phase of education