How Does Consumer Spending Change During Boom, Recession, and Recovery?

[Excerpt] This Beyond the Numbers article compares relative importances based on data collected during three periods that can be characterized roughly as boom, recession, and recovery. The “recovery” era is represented by the current CPI relative importances, which are based on surveys conducted in 2011–2012. These relative importances replaced figures that were based on data collected during 2009–2010, and represent the “recession” period. (While the economy was recovering at least during the latter part of this period, it seems reasonable to expect consumer behavior to reflect recession conditions.) Because the 2007–2008 period was one of transition from boom to recession, we will examine the weights based on 2005–2006 data, as representing spending during a booming economy

Longitudinal investigation of medical student perceptions of a video-based guided study resource used to facilitate an eight week module in medicine

We use an action research approach to evaluate three successive cohorts of medical student perceptions of using a multi-faceted video-based guided study resource which provides academic (skills-based), social (motivation-based) and professional (clinical-based) interventions aimed at facilitating and enriching learning across an eight week module in the second year of the MBChB medical degree. Our findings show that whilst students value these video resources both as a revision tool and an aid to learning during the semester, they have specific critiques about several areas which would improve the project. We interpret our data to evidence a tangible beneficial argument for the use video-based learning objects to support student learning that is reliably reaffirmed by our longitudinal data

Distinguishing between impairments of working memory and inhibitory control in cases of early dementia

Dementia (most notably, Alzheimer’s Disease) is often associated with impairments of both working memory and inhibitory control. However, it is unclear whether these are functionally distinct impairments. We addressed the issue of whether working memory and inhibitory control can be dissociated, using data from a sample of patients who were recruited in a longitudinal study (Crawford et al. 2013, 2015). The first case revealed a preserved working memory capacity together with poor inhibitory control in the anti-saccade task. A longitudinal follow-up revealed that the defective inhibitory control emerged 12-months before the dementia was evident on the mini-mental state examination assessment. A second case revealed a poor working memory together with a well-preserved level of inhibitory control. The dissociation of working memory and inhibitory control was confirmed statistically in 7 additional cases. These findings yield converging evidence that working memory and inhibitory control are distinct cognitive operations and challenges the Kimberg and Farah (2000) cognitive model of working memory

Hypervelocity impact study: The effect of impact angle on crater morphology

The Space Power Institute (SPI) of Auburn University has conducted preliminary tests on the effects of impact angle on crater morphology for hypervelocity impacts. Copper target plates were set at angles of 30 deg and 60 deg from the particle flight path. For the 30 deg impact, the craters looked almost identical to earlier normal incidence impacts. The only difference found was in the apparent distribution of particle residue within the crater, and further research is needed to verify this. The 60 deg impacts showed marked differences in crater symmetry, crater lip shape, and particle residue distribution. Further research on angle effects is planned, because the particle velocities for these shots were relatively slow (7 km/s or less)

Constitution and Jurisdiction in Neal Stephenson’s Speculative Fiction

A common feature of Neal Stephenson’s speculative fiction is the richly imagined political communities inhabited by his characters. Geographically defined constitutional states are reimagined, often with a focus on associations based on shared social identity or beliefs, as opposed to nation-state citizenship. Stephenson’s works offer an imaginative space for exploring possibilities of alternative political communities, and questions of constitution and jurisdiction. Modern territorially sovereign nation-states have presented constitutional scholars with a fixed framework. People sharing physical space constitute a political association stemming from a moment of legal constitution. Thus constituted, the nation-state authorises governmental entities to oversee the populace within the shared geographical space. Stephenson’s rich imagination offers constitutional scholarship an imaginary for exploring alternative conceptualisations of constitution and jurisdiction. This article proposes that recovery of medieval conceptualisations of overlapping networked jurisdictions might aid in sensemaking of models of political communities beyond the territorially sovereign nation-state

Thin-layer and full Navier-Stokes calculations for turbulent supersonic flow over a cone at an angle of attack

The proper use of a computational fluid dynamics code requires a good understanding of the particular code being applied. In this report the application of CFL3D, a thin-layer Navier-Stokes code, is compared with the results obtained from PARC3D, a full Navier-Stokes code. In order to gain an understanding of the use of this code, a simple problem was chosen in which several key features of the code could be exercised. The problem chosen is a cone in supersonic flow at an angle of attack. The issues of grid resolution, grid blocking, and multigridding with CFL3D are explored. The use of multigridding resulted in a significant reduction in the computational time required to solve the problem. Solutions obtained are compared with the results using the full Navier-Stokes equations solver PARC3D. The results obtained with the CFL3D code compared well with the PARC3D solutions

Emerging local schooling landscapes : the role of the local authority

The school system in England is undergoing rapid change, with the government creating more than 4000 ‘independent publicly funded schools’, known as academies, since 2010. The potential for fragmentation is considerable with diversity of governance emerging as a key feature of the new schooling landscape. Consequently, a major and widely recognised issue to which these reforms give rise concerns the future of the ‘middle tier’ –that layer between individual schools or groups of schools and central government. There are competing visions of how a future middle tier might evolve: one focuses entirely on a middle tier of individual schools and chains as a ‘self-improving system’; others conceive a continuing but revised role for the local authority (LA). The aim of this paper is to begin to explore the latter position, and in particular the potential role of the LA as a ‘broker’ of new patterns of school organisation. Drawing on interview data from three very different LA areas, the findings show that LAs differ in how they conceive their role and, consequently, on the strategies that they pursue

Design of a robotic hand and simple EMG input controller with a biologically-inspired parallel actuation system for prosthetic applications

This paper presents the mechatronic design of a robotic hand for prosthetic applications. The main characteristic of this robotic hand is its biologically-inspired parallel actuation system, which is based on the behavior/strength space of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus (FDP) and the Flexor Digitorum Superficialis (FDS) muscles. The design separates the strength space of the FDS and FDP muscles into a lighter strength region where finer manipulation and general approach tasks are executed, and a higher strength region where the more robust grasps are achieved. Two parallel actuator types and kinematic structures are designed to complement the requirements of both strength space regions.This unique structure is intended to be driven by electromyographical (EMG) signals captured at the surface of the skin. The direct relation between signal and actuation system lends itself well to interpreting the EMG signals from the FDP and FDS muscles into effective task execution, with the goal of helping the user to achieve a good approximation of the full capabilities associated with the human hand, without compromising strength, dexterity, appearance, or weight; which are common issues associated with prosthetic hands. The designed finger’s capability of having a strength space similar to that of the FDS and FDP muscles is validated via direct inputs from a power supply and then via a controller using an actual EMG signal input from the human forearm. The controller is a simple feed forward system at this point in the research but provides the appropriate framework to integrate more elaborate control schemes and EMG signal conditioning as this portion of the research area matures.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Atmospheric Profile Variability Impact on the Performance of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Detection Systems

Atmospheric profile variability impacts the effectiveness of hyperspectral remote sensing systems to identify geological materials from space. This variability alters the "truth" spectrum (e.g. reflective or emissive) by modifying its spectrum through such atmospheric factors as transmissivity, upwelling radiance, and downwelling radiance. Incomplete characterization of these effects can lead to incorrect target assignments and therefore can impact subsequent quantification estimates. It is thus necessary to understand the statistical variability of the atmosphere as seen from space and ultimately how it impacts uncertainty in the measured spectra of materials. The scope of this paper is to: Estimate atmospheric profile variability over the Hawaiian Islands for a period of one year. This variability is compiled over a daily interval and reported for each month. 2. Estimate material spectral variability resulting from atmospheric temporal variance using 6 selected geological igneous rock classes across the VIS/SWIR region. Evaluate the effectiveness of the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) to effectively discriminate between rock classes with limited a priori knowledge of atmospheric conditions. The ultimate goal of this effort is to assess to what level, if any, supplemental local meteorological data and/or in situ atmospheric retrieval methods are required to assure system discrimination/identification performance objectives

Effects of carbon dioxide on the searching behaviour of the root-feeding clover weevil <i>Sitona lepidus</i> (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The respiratory emission of CO2 from roots is frequently proposed as an attractant that allows soil-dwelling insects to locate host plant roots, but this role has recently become less certain. CO2 is emitted from many sources other than roots, so does not necessarily indicate the presence of host plants, and because of the high density of roots in the upper soil layers, spatial gradients may not always be perceptible by soil-dwelling insects. The role of CO2 in host location was investigated using the clover root weevil Sitona lepidus Gyllenhall and its host plant white clover (Trifolium repens L.) as a model system. Rhizochamber experiments showed that CO2 concentrations were approximately 1000 ppm around the roots of white clover, but significantly decreased with increasing distance from roots. In behavioural experiments, no evidence was found for any attraction by S. lepidus larvae to point emissions of CO2, regardless of emission rates. Fewer than 15% of larvae were attracted to point emissions of CO2, compared with a control response of 17%. However, fractal analysis of movement paths in constant CO2 concentrations demonstrated that searching by S. lepidus larvae significantly intensified when they experienced CO2 concentrations similar to those found around the roots of white clover (i.e. 1000 ppm). It is suggested that respiratory emissions of CO2 may act as a ‘search trigger’ for S. lepidus, whereby it induces larvae to search a smaller area more intensively, in order to detect location cues that are more specific to their host plant.<br/