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Three-dimensional computational modeling of pelvic locomotor muscle moment arms in Edmontosaurus (Dinosauria, Hadrosauridae) and comparisons with other archosaurs
No full textAn exploratory study of the impact of visual representation on perception of energy consumption in UK households
No full textThe ever increasing awareness of climate change is driving homeowners and property users to adopt essential measures when dealing with energy consumption. The Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) scheme for domestic properties in England and Wales requires homes to undergo energy surveys in order to be issued an EPC, thereby certifying their property is energy efficient. The aim of this study was to explore changes in householders’ perceptions towards EPCs after being introduced to thermal images as a visual aid. Thus the effectiveness of EPCs would be assessed. 10 houses in South East England were selected and a deep qualitative study was undertaken. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in all of the households. The collected data was thematically analysed. The perceptions of householders with regard to energy consumption changed upon the introduction of thermal images. Householders also showed keen interest in fighting ‘man-made’ climate change. However, various barriers restrain them from contributing effectively e.g. financial restrictions. Thus thermal images alone may not be enough to change individual practices. This paper highlights why the EPC scheme is not living up to expectation, and recommends that more dynamic methods of assessment need to be introduced to replace or assist EPCs
Optimizing the Channel Load Reporting Process in IEEE 802.11k-enabled WLANs
No full textIEEE 802.11k is an extension of the IEEE 802.11 specification for radio resource measurements. In an IEEE 802.11k-enabled wireless LAN, an access point or other network element may request from a client or another access point to monitor and report the load of a channel. We call the latter a channel monitoring station. In this paper we propose a mechanism for a channel monitoring station to efficiently derive accurate values of channel load. We especially focus on optimizing the duration of channel monitoring and thus minimize the impact on applications. Note that such mechanisms are critical for the success of new sharing regimes such as Cognitive Radio and Open Spectrum Access
New approaches to modelling vortex rings and vortex ring-like structures
No full textThe paper presents an overview of recent progress in the modelling of vortex rings and vortex ring-like structures with specific potential applications to direct injection gasoline engines. A new theoretical model for a confined axisymmetric vortex ring is described. The predictions of this model are shown to be in agreement with available experimental data and numerical simulations. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are used to test the range of applicability of the model and to investigate new physical features of confined vortex rings recently reported in the experimental studies. A meshless method for modelling of 2D transient, non-isothermal, two-phase flows with phase transitions, based on a combination of the viscous-vortex and thermal-blob methods for the carrier phase with the Lagrangian approach for the dispersed phase, is briefly described. The flow parameters were found from the solution of three systems of ordinary differential equations, describing the motion of viscous-vortex blobs, thermal blobs and droplets. Potential applications of the results to modelling the processes in direct injection gasoline engines are discussed
Introducing a 3-Level Approach for the Identification and Analysis of Impacts on Modern Heritage Sites: the Case of the Campus of the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas
No full textDrivers and Barriers in Implementing Information Management Systems in European Micro Enterprises
No full textThis fascinating case study demonstrates how the Agile approach can be utilised by European micro enterprises which need to adopt wider Information Communication Technologies.The case study analyses the rapid advances of Information Communication Technologies and how they can help to facilitate business processes and organizations. It is based on the authors' indepth consultancy work done for Edilglas, an Italian SME competing in the flat-glass business. The company is involved in both the construction and interior design sectors, thus having an extremely diverse and interesting clientele
Introduction: Reframing Cultures of Decolonisation
No full textThis introductory chapter provides the context for Cultures of Decolonisation by offering a theoretical framework for analysing the ‘end of empire’. It sets out the value of using the lens of culture, broadly understood, to explore the processes of decolonisation. Here, we argue that cultural products and sites provide a productive arena for engaging with the complexities of decolonisation as lived beyond ‘flag independence’ and constitutional reform, and that object and spatial form are active agents in the discourses of independence, nationalism, decolonisation and neo-colonialism. Diverse cultures, shaped through and contributing to ideologies of modernism, development, internationalism, reframing notions of the universal and the specific, and engaging with questions of knowledge, epistemology and expertise, were crucial in the remaking of the geopolitical landscape in the mid-twentieth century. Material culture, social spaces, and creative arenas, from the museum to the internet chat room, Royal Mint and dictionary, are highlighted as sites for commentary and reflection, activism and articulation, and the celebration and negotiation of decolonisation. Having established the importance of image, object, text and practice in thinking through decolonisation, a series of claims about the nature of decolonisation are made: first, we argue for the need to redraw Eurocentric historiographies of decolonisation and highlight the activities and agency of decolonising and newly independent nations and individuals within and alongside analyses of metropolitan cultures of decolonisation. Second, we argue for the transnational and international nature of decolonisation, highlighting movements and networks – of people, ideas and things – between places and across borders, emphasising instances of solidarity and cross-fertilisation amongst individuals and communities, and the role that the cultural realm had in facilitating these exchanges beyond the high politics of empire. The role of the individual actor (working in tandem with the designed and natural world, and political and cultural frameworks) is particularly emphasised. In acknowledging the impact of the so-called periphery on decolonisation in this way, parallel assumptions about the origins of modernism and modernity are also contested. Finally, it is argued that we must pay attention to the shifting and non-linear temporalities of decolonisation. It is in the cultures of decolonisation that we can see more clearly the pre-histories, continuing legacies, resurgences, and contradictory trajectories of this phenomenon
Role of Operations Strategy and Big Data: A Study of Transport Company
No full textIt has been observed that the less than truck load (LTL) industry is going through significant transformation. After the last few years of decline in revenue, due to weak economy, the profitability of the LTL is on the rise. A strategy based on improving freight flow and density, and tightening terminal capacity is finally producing results for many LTL's, at the same time other LTL's are investing on expanding terminal network's while making bigger gains in the revenue. The availability of big data has revolutionised the way the LTL industry operates. The data assists in planning, efficient routing, safety control, fuel conservation, driving habits, etc. Analysts be- lieve that big data still has a bigger role to play and it will have significant impact on the LTL industry in the coming days. This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities for LTL carriers as it arises due to the emergence of big data
Older women and alcohol
No full textOver recent years much attention on alcohol has focused on younger people's drinking and in particular on binge drinking and anti-social behaviour in public spaces. When we think about the problematic use of alcohol we do not tend to think about older people, and alcohol use amongst older people is a neglected area in research, policy and practice. This chapter explores how older women talk about the place of alcohol in their lives drawing on a study which sought to understand people's life journeys as they get older, the kinds of issues they face, their problems and concerns and how alcohol may relate to these factors. We suggest that there are both problematic and positive aspects to older women's alcohol use which need to be understood within the relational contexts of their lives and gendered aspects of ageing