Service users as peer research interviewers: why bother?

Drawing on two studies completed within the social housing sector, this chapter asks if there are advantages to peer interviewing, whereby those currently or recently receiving services interview their peers as part of a research project. Contribution is made to the broader methodological debate of how service users should be involved in research about their lives. Along with contributions from a peer interviewer, we examine the benefits to peer interviewers themselves, and whether there are any positive differences for the people being interviewed. This chapter argues that there are clear methodological advantages to peer interviewing as it can lend vital insights from rapport with those often regarded as ‘hardest to reach’. The chapter also discusses peer interviewing in terms of strategic risk and limitations, as well as practical and ethical considerations. Ways of developing peer research in general are also suggested

A demonstration of the utility of fractional experimental design for finding optimal genetic algorithm parameter settings

This paper demonstrates that the use of sparse experimental design in the development of the structure for genetic algorithms, and hence other computer programs, is a particularly effective and efficient strategy. Despite widespread knowledge of the existence of these systematic experimental plans, they have seen limited application in the investigation of advanced computer programs. This paper attempts to address this missed opportunity and encourage others to take advantage of the power of these plans. Using data generated from a full factorial experimental design, involving 27 experimental runs that was used to assess the optimum operating settings of the parameters of a special genetic algorithm (GA), we show that similar results could have been obtained using as few as nine runs. The GA was used to find minimum cost schedules for a complex component assembly operation with many sub-processes

High speed turboprop aeroacoustic study (counterrotation). Volume 1: Model development

The isolated counterrotating high speed turboprop noise prediction program was compared with model data taken in the GE Aircraft Engines Cell 41 anechoic facility, the Boeing Transonic Wind Tunnel, and in NASA-Lewis' 8x6 and 9x15 wind tunnels. The predictions show good agreement with measured data under both low and high speed simulated flight conditions. The installation effect model developed for single rotation, high speed turboprops was extended to include counterotation. The additional effect of mounting a pylon upstream of the forward rotor was included in the flow field modeling. A nontraditional mechanism concerning the acoustic radiation from a propeller at angle of attach was investigated. Predictions made using this approach show results that are in much closer agreement with measurement over a range of operating conditions than those obtained via traditional fluctuating force methods. The isolated rotors and installation effects models were combines into a single prediction program, results of which were compared with data taken during the flight test of the B727/UDF engine demonstrator aircraft. Satisfactory comparisons between prediction and measured data for the demonstrator airplane, together with the identification of a nontraditional radiation mechanism for propellers at angle of attack are achieved

High speed turboprop aeroacoustic study (single rotation). Volume 1: Model development

A frequency-domain noncompact-source theory for the steady loading and volume-displacement (thickness) noise of high speed propellers has been developed and programmed. Both near field and far field effects have been considered. The code utilizes blade surface pressure distributions obtained from three-dimensional nonlinear aerodynamic flow field analysis programs as input for evaluating the steady loading noise. Simplified mathematical models of the velocity fields induced at the propeller disk by nearby wing and fuselage surfaces and by angle-of-attack operation have been developed to provide estimates of the unsteady loading imposed on the propeller by these potential field type interactions. These unsteady blade loadings have been coupled to a chordwise compact propeller unsteady loading noise model to provide predictions of unsteady loading noise caused by these installation effects. Finally, an analysis to estimate the corrections to be applied to the free-field noise predictions in order to arrive at the measurable fuselage sound pressure levels has been formulated and programmed. This analysis considers the effects of fuselage surface reflection and diffraction together with surface boundary layer refraction. The steady loading and thickness model and the unsteady loading model have been verified using NASA-supplied data for the SR-2 and SR-3 model propfans. In addition, the steady loading and thickness model has been compared with data from the SR-6 model propfan. These theoretical models have been employed in the evaluation of the SR-7 powered Gulfstream aircraft in terms of noise characteristics at representative takeoff, cruise, and approach operating conditions. In all cases, agreement between theory and experiment is encouraging

Operational design co-ordination : an agent based approach

Operational design co-ordination has been identified as the basis for an approach to engineering design management that is more comprehensive than those that currently exist. As such, an integrated and holistic approach to operational design co-ordination has been developed that enables design to be managed in a coherent, appropriate and timely manner. Furthermore, the approach has been implemented within an agent-based software system, called the Design Co-ordination System, which has been applied to an industrial case study involving the computational design analysis of turbine blades. This application demonstrates that managing and adjusting in real-time in an operationally co-ordinated manner enables reductions in the time taken to complete the turbine blade design process to be achieved

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAIRNESS PERCEPTIONS: THE EFFECT OF ICFR AUDIT REPORTING OPTIONS AND FOCUS OF AUDITOR BEHAVIOR ON MANAGEMENT DEFENSIVENESS

Unlike financial statement audits, auditor reporting requirements for audits of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) prohibit auditors from issuing a qualified opinion (i.e., only unqualified or adverse opinions are permitted). Using an experiment with experienced financial reporting managers, this study explores how managers’ perceptions of the unfairness of the ICFR reporting requirements influence their judgments when audit issues arise. Based on fairness heuristic theory, I predict that managers are more defensive when the auditor is not permitted to issue a qualified opinion on the audit of ICFR (compared to the auditor being able to issue a qualified opinion) due to perceptions of unfairness, and managers’ defensiveness will result in less willingness to agree to a material weakness and more aggressive positions on subsequent financial reporting issues. Results suggest managers do not find the option for the auditor to issue a qualified opinion on ICFR to be fairer than current regulations that exclude that option, and their judgments on audit issues are not affected. I also explore whether a client-focused (compared to audit team-focused) auditor can reduce managers’ defensiveness on material weakness assessments and subsequent financial reporting issues. Results show that when managers believe the audit partner acts more on their behalf, they are more likely to agree to a material weakness assessment. Additional analyses also show managers’ defensive behavior is related to perceptions of fairness

Towards an understanding of the impact of resources on the design process

Considerable effort has been devoted within the design research community to understanding the structure of design processes and their development for different design problems. Whilst much work has examined the impact of design goals upon the structure of a design process, less attention has been paid to the role that design resources can play. This paper describes an experiment directed towards gaining an understanding of the impact that both active resources (which perform design tasks) and passive resources (which are used by active resources) can have upon design process structure. Main outcomes from the experiment were the conclusive identification that resources can significantly impact design process structure and a number of examples of how these impacts manifest themselves. The main conclusion of the paper is that given the sizeable impact resources can have upon process structure, there is a considerable need to obtain a greater understanding of these impacts to facilitate the development of techniques that can support design process definition based upon an understanding of the design resources being used to solve a design problem

Comparative aspects of phytase and xylanase effects on performance, mineral digestibility, and ileal phytate degradation in broilers and turkeys

Two experiments were performed, using broilers or turkeys, each utilizing a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, to compare their response to phytase and xylanase supplementation with growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and ileal phytate degradation as response criteria. For both experiments, 960 Ross 308 or 960 BUT 10 (0-day-old) birds were allocated to 6 treatments: (1) control diet, containing phytase at 500 FTU/kg; (2) the control diet with xylanase (16,000 BXU/kg); (3) the control diet supplemented on top with phytase (1,500 FTU/kg); (4) diet supplemented with 1,500 FTU/kg phytase and xylanase (16,000 BXU/kg); (5) the control diet supplemented with phytase (3,000 FTU/kg); and (6) diet supplemented with 3,000 FTU/kg phytase and xylanase (16,000 BXU/kg). Each treatment had 8 replicates of 20 birds each. Water and diets based on wheat, soybean meal, oilseed rape meal, and barley were available ad libitum. Body weight gain and feed intake were measured from 0 to 28 D, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) corrected for mortality was calculated. Ileal digestibility for dry matter and minerals on day 7 and 28 were analyzed in addition to levels of inositol phosphate esters (InsP6-3) and myo-inositol. Statistical comparisons were performed using ANOVA. Xylanase supplementation improved 28D FCR in broilers and turkeys. Increasing doses of phytase reduced FI and improved FCR only in broilers. In broilers, the age × phytase interaction for phosphorous digestibility showed that increasing phytase dose was more visible on day 7, than on day 28. Mineral digestibility was lower in 28-day-old turkey compared with 7-day-old turkey. InsP6 disappearance increased with increasing phytase levels in both species, with lower levels analyzed in turkeys. InsP6 disappearance was greater in younger turkeys (day 7 compared with day 28). In conclusion, although broilers and turkeys shared several similarities in their growth and nutrient utilization responses, the outcomes of the 2 trials also differed in many aspects. Whether this is because of difference in diets (InsP or Ca level) or differences between species needs further investigation

Virtue integrated platform : holistic support for distributed ship hydrodynamic design

Ship hydrodynamic design today is often still done in a sequential approach. Tools used for the different aspects of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation (e.g. wave resistance, cavitation, seakeeping, and manoeuvring), and even for the different levels of detail within a single aspect, are often poorly integrated. VIRTUE (the VIRtual Tank Utility in Europe) project has the objective to develop a platform that will enable various distributed CFD and design applications to be integrated so that they may operate in a unified and holistic manner. This paper presents an overview of the VIRTUE Integrated Platform (VIP), e.g. research background, objectives, current work, user requirements, system architecture, its implementation, evaluation, and current development and future work

A robust design methodology suitable for application to one-off products

Robust design is an activity of fundamental importance when designing large, complex, one-off engineering products. Work is described which is concerned with the application of the theory of design of experiments and stochastic optimization methods to explore and optimize at the concept design stage. The discussion begins with a description of state-of-the-art stochastic techniques and their application to robust design. The content then focuses on a generic methodology which is capable of manipulating design algorithms that can be used to describe a design concept. An example is presented, demonstrating the use of the system for the robust design of a catamaran with respect to seakeeping