114612 research outputs found
Sort by
Beyond research excellence : a proposal for complementary evaluative practices in management and organisation studies
No full textIn this essay, we question evaluative practices concerning `scientific excellence' as solely captured in so-called `A journals', because they can entail a disconnection between the measure and its contents. Where this occurs, we start writing for our own immediate `survival' and long-term social standing among our peers. Along the way, however, there is a risk that we lose sight of what `meaningful' research can feel and look like. While research must be reliable or trustworthy, we advocate the use of complementary evaluative practices that involve learned societies, along with employee or employer-focused organisations and their assessment of the meaningfulness of published research in their respective contexts. Our proposal (a) encourages diverse forms of research contribution, (b) enables researchers to develop a collaborative approach that supports engagement and dialogue between researchers and the appropriate audiences for their work and (3) ensures that the impact of research can be developed more intentionally after publication. The Author(s) 2023
Chrysippus, the dynamically true and modality
No full textHow can events in part of the Stoic cosmos be contingent, when all events are necessary? Why does Chrysippus hold that the impossible may flow from the possible, or that while it is possible Dion die, ‘this person be dead’ is impossible. This article constructs a naïve model of Stoic modality in which truth evaluations are grounded in spatial location and motion. This is shown to provide a best fit for the Stoic doctrine, generating the six events which Chrysippus groups into the four Stoic modal categories, and explaining why the Stoics espoused doctrines attacked as contradictory by their opponents
Collinear-spin machine learned interatomic potential for Fe7Cr2Ni alloy
Get PDFWe have developed a machine learned interatomic potential for the prototypical austenitic steel Fe7Cr2Ni, using the Gaussian approximation potential (GAP) framework. This GAP can model the alloy's properties with close to density functional theory (DFT) accuracy, while at the same time allowing us to access larger length and time scales than expensive first-principles methods. We also extended the GAP input descriptors to approximate the effects of collinear spins (spin GAP), and demonstrate how this extended model successfully predicts structural distortions due to antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic spin states. We demonstrate the application of the spin GAP model for bulk properties and vacancies and validate against DFT. These results are a step towards modeling the atomistic origins of ageing in austenitic steels with higher accuracy
Behaviour of short columns made with conventional or FRP-confined rubberised concrete : an experimental and numerical investigation
Get PDFFailure of short columns in concrete buildings has been extensively reported during past earthquakes. Assessing the behaviour of short columns is challenging and often requires using time-consuming advanced numerical modelling. This article presents a new and practical Short Column Macro Element (SCME) that predicts accurately the behaviour of concrete short columns. A 1/3-scale one-storey building with short columns is subjected to lateral loading tests until failure. The experimental results from the building are then used to calibrate a numerical model in Abaqus®. It is shown that the numerical model matches well the experimental results. The experimental crack patterns and stress distribution from Abaqus® are then used to determine the load path within the short column. Based on these data, a new strut-and-tie SCME is proposed and implemented in OpenSees software to simulate accurately (within 5% accuracy) the behaviour of the short columns of the tested building. Subsequently, the frame models calibrated in OpenSees and Abaqus® are modified to examine numerically the effectiveness of highly deformable FRP-confined rubberised concrete (FRP CRuC) at increasing the deformability of short columns with different levels of FRP confinement (1, 2 or 3 layers). The numerical results show that whilst the tested building failed at a small displacement of 5.4 mm (0.43% drift ratio), the use of FRP CRuC short columns with minimal confinement (1 layer of AFRP only) increased the building’s displacement by almost seven times to 37 mm (3.0% drift ratio). This also enabled more redistribution of forces to other structural members of the building. This article contributes towards the development of practical design/analysis models for short columns made of conventional concrete and FRP CRuC, which are scarce in the existing literature
Optimisation of the deployment of automated external defibrillators in public places in England
No full text
Child and adolescent transmission and incrementation in acquisition in historical sociophonetic data from English in Missouri, 1880–2000
No full textPhonological conditioning of allophones of /æ/ is typologically important for American Englishes and a site of ongoing sound change. Combining historical and present-day data, this chapter traces productions of /æ/ in the US state of Missouri from the 1880s to 1990s. It reveals a transition to a nasal /æ/ system that progressed via children’s probabilistic calculations, as children initially acquired the /æ/ of their speech community (transmission) and then introduced innovations as they approached adulthood (incrementation). It also posits roots for the actuation of modern-day /æ/-backing in turn-of-the-century associations with high socioeconomic status and/or metropolitan Kansas City, which may have initiated incrementation. These findings highlight the value of historical sociophonetic explorations of sound changes as consequences of cognitive processes of language acquisition
The world turned upside down : can international student mobility contribute towards democratization and human development? Evidence from the Eurograduate pilot survey
Get PDFPolitical, social, environmental, and health challenges have questioned the relevance and sustainability of international student mobility (ISM). Strong critiques towards ISM stem from current global challenges but are also rightfully prevalent among scholars of internationalization. In response to the sustained critique of ISM, this article makes the case that—despite its limitations—ISM can contribute towards important public good outcomes and serve broader institutional and higher education sector aims. Public good is operationalized as referring to markers of democratization—trust in others and political participation—and markers of human development—self-reported competency levels and happiness. Data from eight European countries collected through the Eurograduate 2018 pilot survey is used to test the association between study abroad and democratization and human development markers. By doing so, the paper aims to understand if ISM can help address some of the democratization and human development challenges faced at national, regional, and global levels. The paper also observes how these outcomes vary between international, migrant, and domestic graduates. In this article, the juxtaposition of migrant graduates—an under-researched group in internationalization studies—with international graduates highlights how migrant students and graduates can be better supported. Results offer a complex picture of inequality between international, migrant, and domestic graduates. Findings also show that studying abroad is positively associated with trust in others, political participation, higher self-reported competency levels, and happiness, underlining the public good value of ISM
Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic : a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Get PDFBackground
Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period.
Methods
22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution.
Findings
Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations.
Interpretation
Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic
Development of new process and product monitoring technologies for the manufacturing of high value alloy steels for use in critical applications
No full textDuring the mid-1700s, Benjamin Huntsman developed the crucible steelmaking process to improve the performance of steels used for making clock springs. This can be considered the beginning of the development of clean steels, which have certain requirements regarding inclusion chemistry and content arising from the potentially deleterious impacts that inclusions can have on steel properties. Today, steelmakers continue to produce clean steels for applications such as aerospace and bearings using tight control of existing process parameters, as environmental and economic drivers have pushed performance requirements. The current project introduced new methods of linking process parameters and product quality at the program sponsor, Liberty Speciality Steels, in three areas: (1) Quantification of the inclusion flotation process has traditionally relied heavily on the operator's experience, and so a great effort has been expended on monitoring ladle bubbling, with an aim to quantify bubbling so that it can be even more closely and consistently controlled. (2) Many methods of inclusion assessment have been established by producers and international bodies, all with their own benefits and limitations. However, emerging technologies, such as x-ray computed tomography, might offer more information than current techniques. (3) Although the common practice of procedural slag chemistry control has historically been used to great effect, analysis of through-process slag chemistry using x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy would allow slag mixes to achieve the best chemistry and slag additions to respond to actual slag chemistry in the ladle. Ultimately, the project aim is to assess the viability of applying these technologies to a speciality steelmaking process with the hope of allowing further process developments to improve final product properties