Application of steady state finite element and transient finite difference theory to sound propagation in a variable area duct: A comparison with experiment

Sound propagation without flow in a rectangular duct with a converging-diverging area variation was studied experimentally and theoretically. The area variation was of sufficient magnitude to produce large reflections and induce modal scattering. The rms (root-mean-squared) pressure and phase angle on both the flat and curved surface were measured and tabulated. The steady state finite element theory and the transient finite difference theory are in good agreement with the data. It is concluded that numerical finite difference and finite element theories appear ideally suited for handling duct propagation problems which encounter large area variations

Effect of culling on individual badger (Meles meles) behaviour: potential implications for bovine tuberculosis transmission

1. Culling wildlife as a form of disease management can have unexpected and sometimes counterproductive outcomes. In the UK, badgers (Meles meles) are culled in efforts to reduce badger-to-cattle transmission of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB). However, culling has previously been associated with both increased and decreased incidence of M. bovis infection in cattle. 2. The adverse effects of culling have been linked to cull-induced changes in badger ranging, but such changes are not well documented at the individual level. Using GPS-collars, we characterised individual badger behaviour within an area subjected to widespread industry-led culling, comparing it with the same area before culling and with three unculled areas. 3. Culling was associated with a 61% increase (95% CI 27-103%) in monthly home range size, a 39% increase (95% CI 28-51%) in nightly maximum distance from the sett, and a 17% increase (95% CI 11-24%) in displacement between successive GPS-collar locations recorded at 20-minute intervals. Despite travelling further, we found a 91.2 minute (95% CI 67.1-115.3 minute) reduction in the nightly activity time of individual badgers associated with culling. These changes became apparent while culls were ongoing and persisted after culling ended. 4. Expanded ranging in culled areas was associated with individual badgers visiting 45% (95% CI 15-80%) more fields each month, suggesting that surviving individuals had the opportunity to contact more cattle. Moreover, surviving badgers showed a 19.9-fold increase (95% CI 10.8-36.4 increase) in the odds of trespassing into neighbouring group territories, increasing opportunities for intergroup contact. 5. Synthesis and Applications: Badger culling was associated with behavioural changes among surviving badgers which potentially increased opportunities for both badger-to-badger and badger-to-cattle transmission of M. bovis. Furthermore, by reducing the time badgers spent active, culling may have reduced badgers’ accessibility to shooters, potentially undermining subsequent population control efforts. Our results specifically illustrate the challenges posed by badger behaviour to cull-based TB control strategies and furthermore, they highlight the negative impacts culling can have on integrated disease control strategies

On Resilient Behaviors in Computational Systems and Environments

The present article introduces a reference framework for discussing resilience of computational systems. Rather than a property that may or may not be exhibited by a system, resilience is interpreted here as the emerging result of a dynamic process. Said process represents the dynamic interplay between the behaviors exercised by a system and those of the environment it is set to operate in. As a result of this interpretation, coherent definitions of several aspects of resilience can be derived and proposed, including elasticity, change tolerance, and antifragility. Definitions are also provided for measures of the risk of unresilience as well as for the optimal match of a given resilient design with respect to the current environmental conditions. Finally, a resilience strategy based on our model is exemplified through a simple scenario.Comment: The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40860-015-0002-6 The paper considerably extends the results of two conference papers that are available at http://ow.ly/KWfkj and http://ow.ly/KWfgO. Text and formalism in those papers has been used or adapted in the herewith submitted pape

Transfer of training: an effective tool of knowledge application

Training alone is not adequate to increase organisational effectiveness, as not all knowledge acquired from the training is implemented correctly in the workplace. To implement training effectiveness, acquired knowledge should be transferred to the workplace. This study intends to understand and describe how expatriate faculty members perceive the supervisor's support behaviours for an effective transfer of training during three stages, (i.e., before, during and after training) in the context of UAE's higher education (HE) sector. A qualitative interpretivist approach was adopted, and the data was generated from 21 expatriate faculty members in three HE institutions through semi-structured interviews. The findings had contributed to the knowledge concerning transfer of training, particularly, in the UAE's HE sector by proposing a framework which for the first time identifies the types of supervisors' supportive behaviours that foster transfer of training among faculty members in each phase of training - thereby increasing the knowledge application and training effectiveness in the UAE private HE sector

The influence of baffle fairings on the acoustic performance of rectangular splitter silencers

A numerical model based on the finite element method is developed for a finite length, HVAC splitter silencer. The model includes an arbitrary number of bulk-reacting splitters separated from the airway by a thin perforated metal sheet and accommodates higher order modes in the incident sound field. Each perforated sheet is joined to rigid, impervious, metallic fairing situated at either end of a splitter. The transmission loss for the silencer is quantified by application of the point collocation technique, and predictions are compared to experimental measurements reported in the literature. The splitter fairing is shown to significantly affect silencer performance, especially when higher order incident modes are present. It is concluded that laboratory measurements, and theoretical predictions, that are based on a predominantly plane wave sound source are unlikely to reflect accurately the true performance of an HVAC silencer in a real ducting system

East Asia and the global/transatlantic/Western crisis

This paper introduces the special collection on East Asia and the Global Crisis. After justifying why a focus on East Asia is appropriate, it draws out the main themes that run through the individual contributions. These are the extent to which the region is decoupling from the global economy (or the West), the increasing legitimacy of statist alternatives to neoliberal development strategies, and the impact of crises on the definition of ―region‖ and the functioning of regional institutions and governance mechanisms

The household economic burden for acute coronary syndrome survivors in Australia

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background: Studies of chronic diseases are associated with a financial burden on households. We aimed to determine if survivors of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) experience household economic burden and to quantify any potential burden by examining level of economic hardship and factors associated with hardship. Methods: Australian patients admitted to hospital with ACS during 2-week period in May 2012, enrolled in SNAPSHOT ACS audit and who were alive at 18 months after index admission were followed-up via telephone/paper survey. Regression models were used to explore factors related to out-of-pocket expenses and economic hardship. Results: Of 1833 eligible patients at baseline, 180 died within 18 months, and 702 patients completed the survey. Mean out-of-pocket expenditure (n = 614) in Australian dollars was A$258.06 (median: A$126.50) per month. The average spending for medical services was A$120.18 (SD: A$310.35) and medications was A$66.25 (SD: A$80.78). In total, 350 (51 %) of patients reported experiencing economic hardship, 78 (12 %) were unable to pay for medical services and 81 (12 %) could not pay for medication. Younger age (18–59 vs ≥80 years (OR): 1.89), no private health insurance (OR: 2.04), pensioner concession card (OR: 1.80), residing in more disadvantaged area (group 1 vs 5 (OR): 1.77), history of CVD (OR: 1.47) and higher out-of-pocket expenses (group 4 vs 1 (OR): 4.57) were more likely to experience hardship. Conclusion: Subgroups of ACS patients are experiencing considerable economic burden in Australia. These findings provide important considerations for future policy development in terms of the cost of recommended management for patients

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: development of concensus referral criteria for specialist diagnostic assessment in Australia

Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is known to be under-recognised in Australia. The use of standard methods to identify when to refer individuals who may have FASD for specialist assessment could help improve the identification of this disorder. The purpose of this study was to develop referral criteria for use in Australia. Method: An online survey about FASD screening and diagnosis in Australia, which included 23 statements describing criteria for referral for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and FASD based on published recommendations for referral in North America, was sent to 139 health professionals who had expertise or involvement in FASD screening or diagnosis. Survey findings and published criteria for referral were subsequently reviewed by a panel of 14 investigators at a consensus development workshop where criteria for referral were developed.Results: Among the 139 health professionals who were sent the survey, 103 (74%) responded, and 90 (65%) responded to the statements on criteria for referral. Over 80% of respondents agreed that referral for specialist evaluation should occur when there is evidence of significant prenatal alcohol exposure, defined as 7 or more standard drinks per week and at least 3 standard drinks on any one day, and more than 70% agreed with 13 of the16 statements that described criteria for referral other than prenatal alcohol exposure. Workshop participants recommended five independent criteria for referral: confirmed significant prenatal alcohol exposure; microcephaly and confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure; 2 or more significant central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities and confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure; 3 characteristic FAS facial anomalies; and 1 characteristic FAS facial anomaly, growth deficit and 1 or more CNS abnormalities .Conclusion: Referral criteria recommended for use in Australia are similar to those recommended in North America. There is a need to develop resources to raise awareness of these criteria among health professionals and evaluate their feasibility, acceptability and capacity to improve the identification of FASD in Australia

Defining and assessing spiritual health : a comparative study among 13- to 15-year-old pupils attending secular schools, Anglican schools, and private Christian schools in England and Wales

This article argues that the nation's commitment to young people involves proper concern for their physical health, their psychological health, and their spiritual health. In this context the notion of spiritual health is clarified by a critique of John Fisher's model of spiritual health. Fisher developed a relational model of spiritual health, which defines good spiritual health in terms of an individual's relationship to four domains: the personal, the communal, the environmental, and the transcendental. In the present analysis, we make comparisons between pupils educated in three types of schools: publicly funded schools without religious foundation, publicly funded schools with an Anglican foundation, and new independent Christian schools (not publicly funded). Our findings draw attention to significant differences in the levels of spiritual health experienced by pupils within these three types of schools

Promoting students’ interest through culturally sensitive curricula in higher education

Previous studies have emphasized culturally sensitive curricula in the context of enhancing minoritized students’ education. We examined the relationship between second-year higher education students’ perceptions of the cultural sensitivity of their curriculum and both majoritized and minoritized students’ interest in their course. A total of 286 (228 F) students rated the cultural sensitivity of their curriculum on six scales using a revised version of the Culturally Sensitive Curricula Scales (CSCS-R), the perceived quality of their relationships with teachers, and their interest. The CSCS-R widened the construct with two new scales and showed better reliability. Ethnic minority students (n = 99) perceived their curriculum as less culturally sensitive than White students (n = 182), corroborating previous findings. Black students perceived their curriculum as less culturally sensitive than Asian students. There were no significant differences between ethnic minority and White students on interest or perceived quality of relationships with teachers. Five dimensions of cultural sensitivity (Diversity Represented, Positive Depictions, Challenge Power, Inclusive Classroom Interactions, Culturally Sensitive Assessments) and perceived quality of relationships with teachers predicted interest. Ethnicity did not. Ensuring curricula and assessments represent diversity positively, challenge power and are inclusive may support students’ interest while reflecting an increasingly diverse society