The limits of simulating gas giant entry at true gas composition and true flight velocities in an expansion tube

Due to high entry velocities when entering gas giant planets in the solar system (20-50 km/s), simulating gas giant entry in ground testing facilities is a complex problem. This paper details an investigation to simulate radiating Uranus entry flow conditions in a superorbital expansion tube facility. Theoretical calculations show that the X2 expansion tube at the University of Queensland can simulate Uranus entry at 20 km/s. This paper provides the justification for an experimental campaign that has been partially completed, but is still being analysed

The matrix of drivers: 2022 update

Enhancing primary sector production and productivity while maintaining and improving our land and water quality for future generations is a key outcome of the National Science Challenge for Our Land and Water. It is therefore important to identify the hierarchy of international and national issues in order to provide an evidence base to guide investment and inform the Challenge Research Strategy. To this end, it was proposed that a small project be conducted, and regularly updated. This project aims to deliver an overview of international and domestic drivers, as well as issues that are of particular relevance to the New Zealand primary sector and land use. This overview is based on a literature search of the most important issues, followed by a survey of key stakeholders as to their opinion of the most important issues affecting New Zealand land use and land use practice from overseas and domestically. In addition, a review of the level of interest and concern of international consumers on various issues is produced relevant to the primary sector. This is the fourth report in this series and provides an updated understanding of the international and national drivers and issues of land use change/practice, and their importance to the primary sector. These drivers will help prioritise where investments in primary sector research based on their relationship to economic growth, social, cultural and environmental interactions. Updates of this research will allow us to understand how drivers and issues change, which will help to assess the impact the Challenge has had as well as future research investment needs. This work also provides a contribution to the Challenge Strategy. This report is structured as follows: Chapter 1 provides an introduction to this report and its wider context; Chapter 2 presents the results of a survey of primary sector stakeholders regarding their views of the importance of key international and domestic drivers of land use change/practice; Chapter 3 examines future trends and challenges related to land use change/practice (particularly within a New Zealand context); and Chapter 4 concludes the report and provides a summary of its findings

Looking to relate: teacher gaze and culture in student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour

Abstract: Mobile eye-tracking was used to investigate the link between teacher gaze and student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour. Teacher gaze was recorded for 10 min during a teacher-centred part of a naturally occurring lesson. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction was then administered to assess how UK students evaluated their teacher interpersonally in that lesson. Teachers conveyed greater dominance (or interpersonal agency) through increasing eye contact while asking questions (‘attentional gaze’). Teachers conveyed more interpersonal friendliness (or communion) through increasing eye contact while lecturing (‘communicative gaze’). Culture did not affect the way gaze was associated with students’ interpersonal perceptions

Looking to relate: teacher gaze and culture in student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour

Abstract: Mobile eye-tracking was used to investigate the link between teacher gaze and student-rated teacher interpersonal behaviour. Teacher gaze was recorded for 10 min during a teacher-centred part of a naturally occurring lesson. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction was then administered to assess how UK students evaluated their teacher interpersonally in that lesson. Teachers conveyed greater dominance (or interpersonal agency) through increasing eye contact while asking questions (‘attentional gaze’). Teachers conveyed more interpersonal friendliness (or communion) through increasing eye contact while lecturing (‘communicative gaze’). Culture did not affect the way gaze was associated with students’ interpersonal perceptions

Super-orbital re-entry in Australia - laboratory measurement, simulation and flight observation

There are large uncertainties in the aerothermodynamic modelling of super-orbital re-entry which impact the design of spacecraft thermal protection systems (TPS). Aspects of the thermal environment of super-orbital re-entry flows can be simulated in the laboratory using arc- and plasma jet facilities and these devices are regularly used for TPS certification work [5]. Another laboratory device which is capable of simulating certain critical features of both the aero and thermal environment of super-orbital re-entry is the expansion tube, and three such facilities have been operating at the University of Queensland in recent years[10]. Despite some success, wind tunnel tests do not achieve full simulation, however, a virtually complete physical simulation of particular re-entry conditions can be obtained from dedicated flight testing, and the Apollo era FIRE II flight experiment [2] is the premier example which still forms an important benchmark for modern simulations. Dedicated super-orbital flight testing is generally considered too expensive today, and there is a reluctance to incorporate substantial instrumentation for aerothermal diagnostics into existing missions since it may compromise primary mission objectives. An alternative approach to on-board flight measurements, with demonstrated success particularly in the ‘Stardust’ sample return mission, is remote observation of spectral emissions from the capsule and shock layer [8]. JAXA’s ‘Hayabusa’ sample return capsule provides a recent super-orbital reentry example through which we illustrate contributions in three areas: (1) physical simulation of super-orbital re-entry conditions in the laboratory; (2) computational simulation of such flows; and (3) remote acquisition of optical emissions from a super-orbital re entry event

Teaching Special Relativity using Virtual Reality

Learning Special Relativity is a highly anticipated experience for first year students; however, the teaching and learning of Special Relativity are difficult tasks. Special Relativity, while fundamentally and mathematically simple; has apparently bizarre implications and deals predominately with situations outside everyday experience. Understanding relativity requires one to accept that there is less that is absolute than was once believed and to accept a model of time and space that is strange and unfamiliar (Mermin 2005). As such, modifying everyday concepts of motion, time and space to develop accurate constructs of the theory of Special Relativity is extraordinarily difficult (Scherr, Shaffer and Vokos 2001; 2002; Scherr 2007). While Special Relativity is often featured in introductory physics courses, Scherr (2001) indicates many students fail to develop fundamental concepts in Special Relativity even after advanced instruction. To address these issues there has broad variety of efforts to determine the conceptual misunderstandings and develop activities to address them (Belloni, Christian and Dancy 2004; Carr, Bossomaier and Lodge 2007; Gamow 1965; Mermin 2005; Scherr 2007; Taylor 1989). Real Time Relativity (RTR) is a virtual reality simulation of Special Relativity. Giving learners real time control of how they explore and test the optical, spatial and time effects of near-light-speed motion in a realistic environment enables a constructivist approach, previously unavailable, for learning Special Relativity. Given the hands-on nature of RTR, it has been incorporated into the experimental laboratories of first year physics courses at the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Australian National University (ANU). These experiments enable students to explore relativistic effects without requiring a detailed understanding of the theoretical framework. RTR experiments have been developed with an active learning approach (Hake 1999; McDemott and Redish 1998) in which students learn by developing, testing and refining their constructs with their peers. The RTR system and experiments are currently being refined in a model inspired by the Physics Education Technology group at the University of Colorado (Adams, Reid, LeMaster, McKagan, Perkins and Wieman 2008) and evaluated through a multimethods research approach (Schutz, Chambless and DeCuir 2004). This paper outlines our current point in a continuing development and evaluation project

Mental health, deprivation, and the neighbourhood social environment: a network analysis

Different aspects of the neighbourhood social environment have been linked with mental ill-health, however the mechanisms underlying these associations remain poorly understood because of the number and complexity of the components involved. We used a novel statistical approach, network analysis, to explore the complex associations between neighbourhood social cohesion, social disorder and mental health symptoms in a sample of 3,670 adults from an economically deprived region of the UK (mean age [SD] = 49.34 years [18.87]; 57% female). Elasso regularised networks were estimated, and network comparisons were conducted by level of deprivation. Mental health symptoms and neighbourhood components formed relatively distinct clusters of items. These domains were linked primarily by paranoia, although only in the most deprived group. Drunken/rowdy behaviour was particularly influential within the neighbourhood cluster, therefore policies aimed at reducing such disruptive behaviour could have positive knock-on effects for social cohesion and mental health

Joint analysis of stressors and ecosystem services to enhance restoration effectiveness

With increasing pressure placed on natural systems by growing human populations, both scientists and resource managers need a better understanding of the relationships between cumulative stress from human activities and valued ecosystem services. Societies often seek to mitigate threats to these services through large-scale, costly restoration projects, such as the over one billion dollar Great Lakes Restoration Initiative currently underway. To help inform these efforts, we merged high-resolution spatial analyses of environmental stressors with mapping of ecosystem services for all five Great Lakes. Cumulative ecosystem stress is highest in near-shore habitats, but also extends offshore in Lakes Erie, Ontario, and Michigan. Variation in cumulative stress is driven largely by spatial concordance among multiple stressors, indicating the importance of considering all stressors when planning restoration activities. In addition, highly stressed areas reflect numerous different combinations of stressors rather than a single suite of problems, suggesting that a detailed understanding of the stressors needing alleviation could improve restoration planning. We also find that many important areas for fisheries and recreation are subject to high stress, indicating that ecosystem degradation could be threatening key services. Current restoration efforts have targeted high-stress sites almost exclusively, but generally without knowledge of the full range of stressors affecting these locations or differences among sites in service provisioning. Our results demonstrate that joint spatial analysis of stressors and ecosystem services can provide a critical foundation for maximizing social and ecological benefits from restoration investments. www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1213841110/-/DCSupplementa