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Analysis of turbulent flow structure with its fluvial processes around mid-channel bar
Get PDFYesResearchers have recognized that the successive growth of mid-channel bar deposits can be entertained as the raison d’être for the initiation of the braiding process, which is closely interlinked with the growth, decay, and vertical distribution of fluvial turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). Thus, focused analysis on the underlying mechanics of turbulent flow structures in the proximity of a bar deposit occurring in the middle of the channel can afford crucial scientific clues for insight into the initiating fluvial processes that give rise to braiding. In the study reported herein, a physical model of a mid-channel bar is constructed in an experimental flume to analyze the turbulence parameters in a region close to the bar. Notably, the flow velocity plays an important role in understanding the flow behavior in the scour-hole location in the upstream flow divergence zone as well as near the downstream zone of flow convergence in a mid-channel bar. Therefore, the fluctuating components of turbulent flow velocity are herein discussed and analyzed for the regions located close to the bar. In the present study, the impact of the mid-channel bar, as well as its growth in turbulent flow, on higher-order velocity fluctuation moments are investigated. For near-bed locations, the results show the dominance of ejection events in upstream zones and the dominance of sweep events at locations downstream of the mid-channel bar. In scour-hole sections, the negative value of the stream-wise flux of turbulent kinetic energy and the positive value of the vertical flux of turbulent kinetic energy indicate energy transport in downward and forward directions, respectively. The downward and forward energy transport processes lead to scouring at these locations. The maximum turbulent production rate occurs in the wake region of the bar. The high rate of turbulence production has occurred in that region, which can be ascribed to the process of shedding turbulent vortices. The results show that the impact of the presence of the bar is mainly restricted to the lower layers of flow. The turbulent dissipation rate monotonically decreases with an increase in the vertical distance from the bed. The turbulent production rate first increases and then decreases with successive increases in the vertical distance from the bed. The paper concludes with suggestions for the future potential use of the present research for the practical purpose of examining braid bar occurrences in alluvial rivers to develop an appropriate response through training measure
Semi-interpenetrating Polyurethane Network Foams Containing Highly Branched Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) with Vancomycin Functionality
Get PDFYesHighly branched poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (HB-PNIPAM), functionalized with vancomycin at the chain ends, acted as a bacterial adhesive and was incorporated into polyurethane foams to form semi-interpenetrating networks. The poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) was labelled with a solvatochromic dye, Nile red. It was found that the thermal response of the polymer was dependent on architecture and temperature dependent color changes were observed within the foam. The foams had open pore structures and the presence of the HB-PNIPAM substantially reduced the shrinkage of the foam as the temperature was increased upto 20 °C. The foams were selectively adhesive for Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria) compared to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative bacteria) and the presence of S. aureus was indicated by increased fluorescence intensity (590 to 800 nm)
Developing and validating a school-based screening tool of Fundamental Movement Skills (FUNMOVES) using Rasch analysis
Get PDFYesA large proportion of children are not able to perform age-appropriate fundamental movement skills (FMS). Thus, it is important to assess FMS so that children needing additional support can be identified in a timely fashion. There is great potential for universal screening of FMS in schools, but research has established that current assessment tools are not fit for purpose.
To develop and validate the psychometric properties of a FMS assessment tool designed specifically to meet the demands of universal screening in schools.
A working group consisting of academics from developmental psychology, public health and behavioural epidemiology developed an assessment tool (FUNMOVES) based on theory and prior evidence. Over three studies, 814 children aged 4 to 11 years were assessed in school using FUNMOVES. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate structural validity and modifications were then made to FUNMOVES activities after each study based on Rasch results and implementation fidelity.
The initial Rasch analysis found numerous psychometric problems including multidimensionality, disordered thresholds, local dependency, and misfitting items. Study 2 showed a unidimensional measure, with acceptable internal consistency and no local dependency, but that did not fit the Rasch model. Performance on a jumping task was misfitting, and there were issues with disordered thresholds (for jumping, hopping and balance tasks). Study 3 revealed a unidimensional assessment tool with good fit to the Rasch model, and no further issues, once jumping and hopping scoring were modified.
The finalised version of FUNMOVES (after three iterations) meets standards for accurate measurement, is free and able to assess a whole class in under an hour using resources available in schools. Thus FUNMOVES has the potential to allow schools to efficiently screen FMS to ensure that targeted support can be provided and disability barriers removed.ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership Pathway Award (ES/P000745/ 1). ActEarly: a City Collaboratory approach to early promotion of good health and wellbeing funded by the Medical Research Council (grant reference MR/S037527/). National Institute for Health Research Yorkshire and Humber ARC (reference: NIHR20016)
Multi-modal Aggression Identification Using Convolutional Neural Network and Binary Particle Swarm Optimization
Get PDFYesAggressive posts containing symbolic and offensive images, inappropriate gestures along with provocative textual
comments are growing exponentially in social media with the availability of inexpensive data services. These posts
have numerous negative impacts on the reader and need an immediate technical solution to filter out aggressive comments. This paper presents a model based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Binary Particle Swarm
Optimization (BPSO) to classify the social media posts containing images with associated textual comments into
non-aggressive, medium-aggressive and high-aggressive classes. A dataset containing symbolic images and the corresponding textual comments was created to validate the proposed model. The framework employs a pre-trained
VGG-16 to extract the image features and a three-layered CNN to extract the textual features in parallel. The hybrid
feature set obtained by concatenating the image and the text features were optimized using the BPSO algorithm to
extract the more relevant features. The proposed model with optimized features and Random Forest classifier achieves
a weighted F1-Score of 0.74, an improvement of around 3% over unoptimized features
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in primary school children: inactive lessons are dominated by maths and English
Get PDFYesA large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-min of daily, in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. Methods: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9 ± 0.3 years) from six primary schools in North East England, wore uniaxial accelerometers for eight consecutive days. Subject frequency was assessed by teacher diaries. Multilevel models (children nested within schools) examined significant predictors of MVPA across each school-day segment (lesson one, break, lesson two, lunch, lesson three). Results: Pupils averaged 18.33 ± 8.34 min of in-school MVPA, and 90.2% failed to achieve the in-school 30-min MVPA threshold. Across all school-day segments, MVPA accumulation was typically influenced at the individual level. Lessons one and two—dominated by maths and English—were less active than lesson three. Break and lunch were the most active segments. Conclusion: This study breaks new ground, revealing that MVPA accumulation and subject frequency varies greatly during different academic lessons. Morning lessons were dominated by the inactive delivery of maths and English, whereas afternoon lessons involved a greater array of subject delivery that resulted in marginally higher levels of MVPA.This research was funded by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
Gender Bias and Digital Financial Services in South Asia: Obstacles and Opportunities on the Road to Equal Access
No full textNoSeveral studies have shown that financial inclusion impacts poverty and income inequality and higher levels of financial inclusion lead to lower poverty and income inequality and promotes inclusive economic growth.
However, the gender gap in access and usage of financial services remains pervasive across all the countries in South Asia. Patriarchal societies, low involvement of women in decision making, low empowerment of women, no voice in the family matters are some of the factors influencing women’s financial access in the region. Although literature has developed on access to financial services in general, there is not much academic work available on access to digital financial services for women.
Gender Bias and Digital Financial Services in South Asia: Obstacles and Opportunities on the Road to Equal Access examines access to financial services to women in general in South Asia and specifically their access to digital financial services
Assessing the suitability of sustainability frameworks for embedding sustainability in higher education curricula: pragmatism versus transformation
Get PDFYesPurpose.
This viewpoint paper addresses the use of sustainability frameworks in embedding education for
sustainability into the curriculum of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). We focus on the paradox
that sustainability frameworks must facilitate transformation of existing structures whilst also being
well-enough aligned with current conditions to be readily adopted by today’s HEIs.
Design/methodology/approach.
We propose a set of four criteria for assessing the suitability of sustainability frameworks for use
across the curriculum: Relevance to Current Curricula; Language; Institutional Fit; and Concept of the
Future. Using these criteria, we assess how various frameworks align with the current
(unsustainable) state of affairs, and their transformative potential. The frameworks assessed are: the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); the Three Pillars Framework; and the Capitals Approach.
Findings.
We find that each of the frameworks has strengths and weaknesses: the SDGs and the Capitals
Approach perform well on alignment, but less well on transformation. Conversely, the Three Pillars
Framework perform well on transformation and less well on alignment. By applying the criteria set
out in this paper, we hope those working to embed sustainability into the curricula of HEIs will be
better equipped to navigate the tensions presented by sustainability transitions.
Originality.
Using a novel set of criteria for assessing sustainability frameworks, this paper provides guidance
that was previously lacking to education for sustainability professionals who are attempting to
embed sustainability into the curriculum at HEIs.The financial support of the UK Economic and Social Research Council for the Centre for the
Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) (ESRC grant no: ES/M010163/1) is gratefully
acknowledged
Impacts of sedimentation on rainwater quality: case study at Ikorodu of Lagos, Nigeria
No full textYesThis study investigated the impact of sedimentation on rainwater storage system using a case study at the Ikorodu area of Lagos state, a rural area in Nigeria. In this investigation, the proportions of Escherichia coli (E. coli) that were settleable (due to sedimentation) and those that were at the free phase have been studied. Water samples were collected from different depths in the inspected rainwater storage tank at two different periods (i.e. rainy and dry periods) for 20 days. The samples collected from these periods have been analysed for physical and microbial measures before passing it through the serial filters with pore sizes of 500 μm, 100 μm, 10 μm and 1.5 μm to measure the retained particle mass. From the results, it was observed that: (1) the water quality at the free-phase zone was better than that at the tank's bottom; (2) the settleable bacteria rapidly sinked to bottom; (3) the correlation of turbidity, E. coli and total suspended solids (TSS) for all the rain events showed a relatively high Pearson's coefficient of 0.9 to one another; and (4) over 70% of settling TSS occurred within first 36 hours. Finally, it has been found that the physical sedimentation process can significantly reduce the microbial measures
Biometrics in the World of Electronic Borders
No full textYesRecently, the demand for border crossing has increased massively, with the aim to increase the processing and clearance speed at border crossing points (BCP). The attempt to improve travel convenience, Border Cross Point (BCP) output, and national security result in automated border control (ABC) with biometric technology having a major effect on the efficiency, and safety of the control processes. The border processing of BCP can be increased by automating biometric recognition and facilitated by clearance procedures. This paper discussed the two structures of an e-gate (ABC) and a prospective benefit of biometrics to the EU border in terms of accuracy, integrity, robustness, and efficiency. Challenges posed by biometrics in border control systems were identified and recommendations such as multimodal systems and smart systems with AI and machine learning were suggested to assist travelers to cross border points faster.European Union's Horizon-MSCA-RISE-2019-2023, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Research, and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE), titled: Secure and Wireless Multimodal Biometric Scanning Device for Passenger Verification Targeting Land and Sea Border Contro