Drag study of the nacelles of a tidal stream device using CFD

Nowadays, renewable energy is in full growth. In particular, offshore wind farms will be at the centre of UK energetic strategy in the coming years. However, other types of marine renewable are still at an early development stage. That is the case for tidal energy. Many projects have been undertaken but there is no candidate for competitive commercial applications yet. Deltastream is one of these numerous pioneering projects. It consists of a set of three marine current turbines mounted on a triangular base put down onto the seabed. The device is not moored and no harm is done to the environment. However, that makes the structure more sensitive to water flows. And it is important to ensure that it will remain at its location and not being carried along with the tidal streams. Using CFD, the present study aims to evaluate the drag on the nacelles of the structure and come up with solutions to reduce it as much as possible

Beyond win-win: a syncretic theory on corporate stakeholder engagement in sustainable development

This article explores the concept of syncretism to articulate the construct of a novel theoretical approach that may help to accelerate progress in developing substantively more sustainable business activities. One reason why the integration of environmental and social responsibility in business has been so difficult to achieve in practice is that it is not just a battle of competing business logics, but a battle of faiths. The concept of syncretism, with its roots in religious synthesis, may be far more relevant and useful than conventional approaches to combining the two which rarely seem to rise above a “win-win” appeal to logic. The connectionist logic of syncretism may show us a way beyond paradigmatic conformity in business sustainability research so that scholars with diverse theoretical backgrounds might have a common ground for discussion, find constructive connections, and engage in potentially more insightful and creative interactions to develop our understanding of corporate sustainability

Integrating green into business strategies and operations - compatibility analysis and syncretistic perspective

The embracing of environmental responsibility by for-profit organisations is a latent concern for contemporary social scientists and management scholars. The Organisation for Economic and Co-operative Development recently published alarming predictions about the impact of human (and especially business) activities on the environment. Both management theorists and business practitioners failed to create the premise for, and inform the direction to, environmental sustainable development – although their interest in raising this challenge has significantly grown throughout the last decade. A number of Environmental corporate Social Responsibility (ESR) theorists are calling for a paradigm in which ethical or moral concerns are reintegrated in the practice of management. A more holistic and integrative perspective on corporate environmental and economic sustainability, it is argued, would generate improvements in the practice of ESR. Such a perspective is currently lacking; partly owing to the allegiance of theorists to atomistic and ‘outmoded’ ways of thinking. This thesis articulates a framework for ESR which prescribes the integration of environmental concerns in the day-to-day culture, processes and activities of a firm. Existing research suggests that the construct of a holistic and comprehensive view of ESR integration requires considerations both of business imperatives and of individuals’ cognitions. A compatibility framework is discussed, through which the operational and normative drivers for ESR integration are integrated. Four scenarios of compatibility are proposed: trade-off, ambidexterity, synergy and symbiosis. The theoretical discussion extends to the consideration of ESR integration as a managerial challenge whereby individual agents of management endeavour to balance objective rationale with subjective morale/ethics in the quest for a considerate environmental response. To examine this challenge, the present study suggests a new direction for theory based on the concept of syncretism – a perspective which received little attention outside the fields of culture and religion. The syncretistic framework is the main contribution of this thesis; it advocates the reconciliation of economic imperatives and environmental concerns via the reintegration of corporate objective (or systemic) and subjective (or constructionist) contingencies. To develop/refine the theoretical propositions, the thesis provides empirical evidence from thirty-seven interviews with business consultants and managers in a UK Brewery. The managers were interviewed more than once. The findings indicate that systemic pressures are often put forward as constraints to ESR integration; whether this translates into shareholders disapproval, economic instability, market volatility, etc. They tend to impinge on the normative engagement of business practitioners and provoke an incapacity or reluctance to change, understand, learn and lead towards syncretistic reconciliation. The analysis portrays the UK Brewery as an environmentally proactive, multi-level responsive company. Drawing upon the syncretistic framework, the firm’s proactive approach is argued to be impeded by a number of systemic factors. The syncretistic and compatibility frameworks, it is alleged, provide substance to the creation of a holistic theory of ESR integration for understanding the specific, and broader, causal mechanisms that are at play. KEY WORDS: corporate environmental responsibility, syncretism, sustainability, strategy management, business performance

Une base de données dédiée aux insectes nuisibles rencontrés dans les collections patrimoniales

La base de données "Insectes du patrimoine culturel" recense les espèces d’insectes s’attaquant aux collections muséales sous toutes leurs formes ; elle donne les clés et les différentes procédures pour l’identification de ces insectes afin de limiter leur développement et leur propagation et permettre aux institutions patrimoniales d’envisager des actions curatives et préventives adaptées

Shoulder electromyography-based indicators to assess manifestation of muscle fatigue during laboratory-simulated manual handling task

Muscle fatigue is a risk factor for developing shoulder musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to identify shoulder electromyographic indicators that are most indicative of muscle fatigue during a laboratory simulated manual handling task. Thirty-two participants were equipped with electromyographic electrodes on 10 shoulder muscles and moved boxes for 45-minutes. The modified rate of perceived exertion (mRPE) was assessed every 5-minutes and multivariate linear regressions were performed between myoelectric manifestation of fatigue (MMF) and the mRPE scores. During a manual handling task representative of industry working conditions, spectral entropy, median frequency, and mobility were the electromyographic indicators that explained the largest percentage of the mRPE. Overall, the deltoids, biceps and upper trapezius were the muscles that most often showed significant changes over time in their electromyographic indicators. The combination of these three indicators may improve the accuracy for the assessment of MMF during manual handling

Effect of expertise on shoulder and upper limb kinematics, electromyography, and estimated muscle forces during a lifting task

Objective To highlight the working strategies used by expert manual handlers compared with novice manual handlers, based on recordings of shoulder and upper limb kinematics, electromyography (EMG), and estimated muscle forces during a lifting task. Background Novice workers involved in assembly, manual handling, and personal assistance tasks are at a higher risk of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). However, few studies have investigated the effect of expertise on upper limb exposure during workplace tasks. Method Sixteen experts in manual handling and sixteen novices were equipped with 10 electromyographic electrodes to record shoulder muscle activity during a manual handling task consisting of lifting a box (8 or 12 kg), instrumented with three six-axis force sensors, from hip to eye level. Three-dimensional trunk and upper limb kinematics, hand-to-box contact forces, and EMG were recorded. Then, joint contributions, activation levels, and muscle forces were calculated and compared between groups. Results Sternoclavicular–acromioclavicular joint contributions were higher in experts at the beginning of the movement, and in novices at the end, whereas the opposite was observed for the glenohumeral joint. EMG activation levels were 37% higher for novices but predicted muscle forces were higher in experts. Conclusion This study highlights significant differences between experts and novices in shoulder kinematics, EMG, and muscle forces; hence, providing effective work guidelines to ensure the development of a safe handling strategy is important. Application Shoulder kinematics, EMG, and muscle forces could be used as ergonomic tools to identify inappropriate techniques that could increase the prevalence of shoulder injuries

Clinical and epidemiological assessment of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome associated with the NPHS2 R229Q variant

Mutations of NPHS2, encoding podocin, are the main cause of autosomal recessive steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (NS) presenting in childhood. Adult-onset steroid-resistant NS has been described in patients heterozygous for a pathogenic NPHS2 mutation together with the p.R229Q variant. To determine the frequency and the phenotype of patients carrying the p.R229Q variant, we sequenced the complete coding region of NPHS2 in 455 families (546 patients) non-responsive to immunosuppressive therapy or without relapse after transplantation. Among affected Europeans, the p.R229Q allele was significantly more frequent compared to control individuals. Thirty-six patients from 27 families (11 families from Europe and 14 from South America) were compound heterozygotes for the p.R229Q variant and one pathogenic mutation. These patients had significantly later onset of NS and end stage renal disease than patients with two pathogenic mutations. Among 119 patients diagnosed with NS presenting after 18 years of age, 18 patients were found to have one pathogenic mutation and p.R229Q, but none had two pathogenic mutations. Our study shows that compound heterozygosity for p.R229Q is associated with adult-onset steroid-resistant NS, mostly among patients of European and South American origin. Screening for the p.R229Q variant is recommended in these patients along with further NPHS2 mutation analysis in those carrying the variant

Formal Expression of Sensitivity and Energy Relationship in the Context of the Coupling Matrix

International audiencePrecise formulas to express the formal relationship between the time average stored energy in the resonators of a low-pass filter network and the sensitivity of the reflection S -parameter with respect to the coupling matrix terms are demonstrated in this paper, considering the normalized frequency axis. These relationships are found in the modern context of the N+2 coupling matrix, and for both diagonal and general nondiagonal coupling elements of the matrix. The results are valid for any type of coupling topology represented by the N+2 coupling matrix. Different examples are included as validation. Furthermore, important implications and applications derived from the new relationships are highlighted