A PC-based inverse design method for radial and mixed flow turbomachinery

An Inverse Design Method suitable for radial and mixed flow turbomachinery is presented. The codes are based on the streamline curvature concept; therefore, it is applicable for current personal computers from the 286/287 range. In addition to the imposed aerodynamic constraints, mechanical constraints are imposed during the design process to ensure that the resulting geometry satisfies production consideration and that structural considerations are taken into account. By the use of Bezier Curves in the geometric modeling, the same subroutine is used to prepare input for both aero and structural files since it is important to ensure that the geometric data is identical to both structural analysis and production. To illustrate the method, a mixed flow turbine design is shown

Front propagation in random media: From extremal to activated dynamics

Front propagation in a random environment is studied close to the depinning threshold. At zero temperature we show that the depinning force distribution exhibits a universal behavior. This property is used to estimate the velocity of the front at very low temperature. We obtain a Arrhenius behavior with a prefactor depending on the temperature as a power law. These results are supported by numerical simulations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

An acoustic gap between the NICU and womb: a potential risk for compromised neuroplasticity of the auditory system in preterm infants

The intrauterine environment allows the fetus to begin hearing low-frequency sounds in a protected fashion, ensuring initial optimal development of the peripheral and central auditory system. However, the auditory nursery provided by the womb vanishes once the preterm newborn enters the high-frequency (HF) noisy environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The present article draws a concerning line between auditory system development and HF noise in the NICU, which we argue is not necessarily conducive to fostering this development. Overexposure to HF noise during critical periods disrupts the functional organization of auditory cortical circuits. As a result, we theorize that the ability to tune out noise and extract acoustic information in a noisy environment may be impaired, leading to increased risks for a variety of auditory, language, and attention disorders. Additionally, HF noise in the NICU often masks human speech sounds, further limiting quality exposure to linguistic stimuli. Understanding the impact of the sound environment on the developing auditory system is an important first step in meeting the developmental demands of preterm newborns undergoing intensive care

Universal depinning force fluctuations of an elastic line: Application to finite temperature behavior

The depinning of an elastic line in a random medium is studied via an extremal model. The latter gives access to the instantaneous depinning force for each successive conformation of the line. Based on conditional statistics the universal and non-universal parts of the depinning force distribution can be obtained. In particular the singular behavior close to a (macroscopic) critical threshold is obtained as a function of the roughness exponent of the front. We show moreover that the advance of the front is controlled by a very tenuous set of subcritical sites. Extension of the extremal model to a finite temperature is proposed, the scaling properties of which can be discussed based on the statistics of depinning force at zero temperature.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Kritisk tilnærming til hverdagstekster: Hvordan kan hverdagstekster med tydelig agenda i omstridte bærekraftspørsmål legge til rette for elevenes kritiske refleksjon?

I denne masteroppgaven har jeg undersøkt om valg av tekst kan legge til rette for kritisk refleksjon blant elever på 10. trinn. Problemstillinga for oppgava er: Hvordan kan hverdagstekster med tydelig agenda i omstridte bærekraftspørsmål legge til rette for elevenes kritiske refleksjon? For å finne svar på problemstillingen, tok jeg i bruk kvalitative metoder. Jeg designet oppgaver knyttet til to utvalgte tekster som elevene skulle besvare, og samlet inn og analyserte svarene. I tillegg gjennomførte jeg intervju med lærerne som underviste i norsk på trinnet. Jeg har valgt ut to tekster, en fra Statens vegvesen og en fra McDonald´s, som har en tydelig agenda i omstridte bærekraftspørsmål, og analysert dem. I grupper på 2-4 elever, har et 10. trinn ved samme skole jobba med generelle leseforståelsesspørsmål knyttet til tekstene. Målet var å se om elevene, uten å bli bedt om å innta en kritisk posisjon, ville vurdere tekstene kritisk i sine besvarelser av spørsmålene. Oppgavens hovedfunn viser blant annet at elevene i hovedsak leser med tekstene når de ikke ble bedt om å forholde seg kritiske. I tillegg viser undersøkelsen at kildetillit i stor grad står i veien for elevenes kritiske refleksjon

Mekanismer for korrupsjonsbekjempelse : en komparativ studie av anti-korrupsjonsarbeid i offentlig og frivillig sektor, med fokus på Oslo politidistrikt og Norges Røde Kors

Temaet i oppgaven er anti-korrupsjonsarbeid i Norge og hvilke mekanismer som ligger bak dette arbeidet. Temaet er aktuelt fordi det har vært et fokus på korrupsjon de siste 10- 20 årene. Oppgaven er en komparativ studie av offentlig og frivillig sektor med fokus på Oslo politidistrikt og Norges Røde Kors. Anti-korrupsjonsarbeid er et omfattende begrep. For å forstå den etiske siden av dette arbeidet bedre, er det nyttig å studere fenomenet på et mikronivå; i denne oppgaven varslingsmekanismer og etiske retningslinjer. Elsters mekanismer bidrar til å forstå dette. Fokuset i oppgaven er på hvordan informasjon om etiske retningslinjer når ut til alle ansatte og hvilke mekanismer som ligger bak varslingsordningene i de ulike virksomhetene. Teorien i oppgaven og informasjon fra informanter vil bidra til å belyse tema. Oppgaven er basert på sekundærkilder. I denne oppgaven baserer funnene seg på tidligere forskning og ulike teorier fra Mintzberg og Weber. Både offentlig og frivillig sektor har elementer av å være lærende organisasjoner. Det er likevel sterkere kontrollmekanismer av anti-korrupsjonsarbeidet i politiet. Den eksterne kontrollordningen i politiet er Spesialenheten for politisaker og blir koblet inn i saker der det er spørsmål om en ansatt har begått et lovbrudd. Resultatene fra denne studien har vist at det er både likheter og forskjeller i hvilke mekanismer som ligger bak anti-korrupsjonsarbeidet i offentlig og frivillig sektor. Det er særlig etiske retningslinjer, varsling, samt grad av kontroll og åpenhet som er identifisert som de mest sentrale fokuspunktene i anti-korrupsjonsarbeidet. I tillegg er usikkerhet om hvordan informasjon om etiske retningslinjer og varsling best kan nå ut til de mange ansatte i begge virksomhetene viktige elementer. Forholdet mellom administrasjonen og fagenhetene i Oslo politidistrikt, samt mellom sentraladministrasjonen i Norges Røde Kors og de ulike lokallagene står sentralt. For å bekjempe korrupsjon, bør det være større åpenhet rundt temaet. Ifølge Mintzberg (http://www.leader.co.za/infocentrearticle.aspx?s=5&c=105&a=3489&p=3, lastet ned 24.01.2013) er samfunnet i dag i en kritisk ubalanse. Ikke minst kan fokus på å bekjempe korrupsjon bidra til å vende verden mot en ny og mer bærekraftig og etisk økonomisk orden.Title: Mechanisms for combating corruption in Norway. A comparative study of anti-corruption work in the public and nonprofit sector, with emphasis on the Oslo police department and the Norwegian Red Cross. The subject of this study is anti-corruption work in Norway. Corruption is a current issue which been given more focus the last 10- 20 years. This study examines the underlying mechanisms measures taken to combat corruption. This thesis is a comparative study of the public and voluntary sector, with emphasis on the Oslo police department and the Norwegian Red Cross. Anti-corruption work is a comprehensive term. To better understand the ethical dimension of anti-corruption work, it is useful to examine the phenomena at a micro level; in this thesis mechanisms regarding whistle-blowing and ethical guidelines. The thesis looks closer at how information about ethical guidelines reaches out to all employees and which mechanisms are underlying the routines for whistleblowing in the various agencies. The theory in this thesis and information from informants will contribute to increase our knowledge about the issue. The thesis relies on secondary data. The findings in this thesis are based on other research and theories from Mintzberg and Weber. The public and voluntary sector both have elements of being learning organizations. Still, there are stronger control mechanisms of anti-corruption work in the police. The external control unit in the police is the ‘Spesialenheten for politisaker’, which is the external control unit that is involved in cases where there is reason to believe that an employee in the police has committed a crime. This thesis has contributed to more knowledge regarding similarities and differences regarding which factors are underlying in anti-corruption work in the public and nonprofit sector. The most important factors to consider in anti-corruption work are ethical guidelines and whistleblowing, along with the level of control and ability of the organization to be a learning organization. To combat corruption it is important to conduct more research on the issue and be more open about the issue. According to Mintzberg (http://www.leader.co.za/infocentrearticle.aspx?s=5&c=105&a=3489&p=3, lastet ned 24.01.2013), society today is in critical imbalance. Focus on combatting corruption can contribute to adjust the Norway and world towards a new and more sustainable ethical economic order.Master i styring og ledels

Context-Dependent Encoding in the Human Auditory Brainstem Relates to Hearing Speech in Noise: Implications for Developmental Dyslexia

SummaryWe examined context-dependent encoding of speech in children with and without developmental dyslexia by measuring auditory brainstem responses to a speech syllable presented in a repetitive or variable context. Typically developing children showed enhanced brainstem representation of features related to voice pitch in the repetitive context, relative to the variable context. In contrast, children with developmental dyslexia exhibited impairment in their ability to modify representation in predictable contexts. From a functional perspective, we found that the extent of context-dependent encoding in the auditory brainstem correlated positively with behavioral indices of speech perception in noise. The ability to sharpen representation of repeating elements is crucial to speech perception in noise, since it allows superior “tagging” of voice pitch, an important cue for segregating sound streams in background noise. The disruption of this mechanism contributes to a critical deficit in noise-exclusion, a hallmark symptom in developmental dyslexia

High school music classes enhance the neural processing of speech

Should music be a priority in public education? One argument for teaching music in school is that private music instruction relates to enhanced language abilities and neural function. However, the directionality of this relationship is unclear and it is unknown whether school-based music training can produce these enhancements. Here we show that 2 years of group music classes in high school enhance the neural encoding of speech. To tease apart the relationships between music and neural function, we tested high school students participating in either music or fitness-based training. These groups were matched at the onset of training on neural timing, reading ability, and IQ. Auditory brainstem responses were collected to a synthesized speech sound presented in background noise. After 2 years of training, the neural responses of the music training group were earlier than at pre-training, while the neural timing of students in the fitness training group was unchanged. These results represent the strongest evidence to date that in-school music education can cause enhanced speech encoding. The neural benefits of musical training are, therefore, not limited to expensive private instruction early in childhood but can be elicited by cost-effective group instruction during adolescence

Hearing It Again and Again: On-Line Subcortical Plasticity in Humans

Background: Human brainstem activity is sensitive to local sound statistics, as reflected in an enhanced response in repetitive compared to pseudo-random stimulus conditions [1]. Here we probed the short-term time course of this enhancement using a paradigm that assessed how the local sound statistics (i.e., repetition within a five-note melody) interact with more global statistics (i.e., repetition of the melody). Methodology/Principal Findings: To test the hypothesis that subcortical repetition enhancement builds over time, we recorded auditory brainstem responses in young adults to a five-note melody containing a repeated note, and monitored how the response changed over the course of 1.5 hrs. By comparing response amplitudes over time, we found a robust time-dependent enhancement to the locally repeating note that was superimposed on a weaker enhancement of the globally repeating pattern. Conclusions/Significance: We provide the first demonstration of on-line subcortical plasticity in humans. This complements previous findings that experience-dependent subcortical plasticity can occur on a number of time scales, including life-long experiences with music and language, and short-term auditory training. Our results suggest that the incoming stimulus stream is constantly being monitored, even when the stimulus is physically invariant and attention is directed elsewhere, to augment the neural response to the most statistically salient features of the ongoing stimulus stream. These real-tim

WHEN I READ CAROL GILLIGAN’S IN A DIFFERENT VOICE

This article reviews some of Carol Gilligan’s ideas on the ethics of care and justice, and describes the development and validation of a care-based moral development instrument, the Ethic of Care Interview (ECI). Following Gilligan’s theory, the ECI measures five hierarchical levels of care reasoning that involve a progressively more sophisticated understanding of human interconnection. A series of studies suggests that the ability to care both for others and oneself is a valuable human quality and an important aspect of positive adaptation across the lifespan. The link between care-based moral thought and identity development is strong, especially for women, as Gilligan suggests. Potential decisive determinants of growth in the care ethic and moral maturity are discussed. Gilligan and Erikson agree that crisis reveals and creates character. Conflict, tension and trauma are potential sources of growth and strength. Crisis and life changing events can propel people into a deeper understanding of themselves and the truth of human interdependence. Questions of morality are bound with questions of right and wrong, good and evil, and ultimately of the meaning of life itself. Why be moral? Why care? Why live? Kohlberg and Erikson say that faith and the experience of unconditional love (agape) is required to find an adequate answer to such profound questions. Both contemplated a similar higher spiritual stage of human development – a transcendent perspective beyond the universal to oneness with the whole of life, nature, cosmos or God. A potential parallel higher metaphoric ECI level is considered. It is concluded that care and justice each is a part of agape. Moral maturity involves an integration that reconciles the truths of both. Future studies and implications for moral education are suggested