37,355 research outputs found
Analysing International Sports Fan Motivations and Constraints: The Case of Japanese International Sports Fan Tourists and Rugby World Cup Fan Tourists
No full textThe scale of professional sports leagues and mega sports events has expanded recently. Many sports fans travel to foreign countries to watch international events featuring the world’s top athletes or players. The number of international sports fan tourists has increased, and understanding their behaviour is very important for stakeholders and those involved in marketing, such as sports organisations, travel companies, and government tourist organisations.
This study examines the motivations and constraints of Japanese international sports fan tourists and Japanese Rugby World Cup fan tourists. Sports fan tourists are tourists as well as sports fans. Many researchers have examined motivation either from a sports fan’s perspective or a tourist perspective. However, a motivation scale for international sports fan tourists (combining both sports fan and tourist motivations) has been not developed as there has been a lack of research into the behaviour of the international sports fan tourist.
The main research aim of this study is to analyse the motivation and constraint factors of both Japanese international sports fan tourists and Japanese Rugby World Cup tourists. The methodology aims to:
1.profile Japanese international sports fan tourists and Japanese Rugby World Cup tourists;
2.develop a motivational scale for actual sports fan tourists and a constraints scale for potential sports fan tourists (those who considered going but did not go);
3.analyse these factors according to demographics;
4.examine factors related to motivations and constraints on fans’ satisfaction, or their intention to attend future events.
A quantitative approach was employed. The main data collection methods were three email surveys:
1.Study 1 collected data about actual international sports fan tourists (N=338) and potential sports fan tourists (N=292).
2.Study 2 collected data about actual Rugby World Cup 1987-2007 tourists (N=101) and potential tourists (N=297).
3.Study 3 collected data about actual Rugby World Cup 2011 tourists (N=84) and potential tourists (N=115).
In previous studies, the sample was collected either from actual fans or potential fans separately; however, in this study, samples were collected not only from actual sports fan tourists but also from potential sports fan tourists from the same database.
The data analysis predominantly used explanatory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), independent t-test, ANOVA, regression analysis, and structure equation modelling (SEM) including interaction effects analysis.
The results of this study were analysed using four steps:
1.Showing the demographic profiles and behavioural patterns of Japanese international sports fan tourists and Japanese Rugby World Cup fan tourists.
2.Developing motivation and constraints scales:
• an International Sports Fan Motivation Scale
• an International Sports Fan Tourist Motivation Scale
• an International Sports Fan Constraints Scale
• a Rugby World Cup Sports Fan Motivation Scale
• a Rugby World Cup Fan Tourist Motivation Scale
• a Rugby World Cup Fan Constraints Scale.
3.Comparing the mean scores of extracted factors by demographics such as gender, age, sports experiences etc.
4.Analysing the impact on satisfaction or future intention using interaction effect methods.
The results showed some interesting academic and practical implications. This study has thus made a significant and unique contribution to the knowledge of international sports fan behaviour by researching the combined sports fan motivation factors and tourist motivation factors of actual sports fans, and the constraints of potential sports fan tourists. The study has also provided an academic contribution to the sports and tourism fields, and has provided a practical contribution to the areas of sports fan behaviour, tourism, leisure constraints, and sports events management
Magnesium alloy strip produced by a melt-conditioned twin roll casting process
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Twin roll casting (TRC) offers a promising route for the economic production of
Mg sheet, but unfortunately, it produces strip with coarse and non-uniform
microstructures and severe centre line segregation. Recently, a novel magnesium strip casting process termed melt conditioned twin roll casting (MC-TRC) was developed that, compared with the conventional TRC process, emphasizes solidification control at the casting stage rather than hot rolling. This was achieved by melt conditioning under intensive forced convection prior to twin roll casting resulting in enhanced heterogeneous nucleation followed by equiaxed growth. In this study the development of TRC and MC-TRC processes and a microstructural comparison of the MC-TRC Mg-alloy strip with that of conventional TRC strip, have been investigated. Emphasis has been focused
on the solidification behaviour of the intensively sheared liquid metal, and on the
mechanisms for microstructural refinement and compositional uniformity in the MCTRC
process. The results of the process development indicate that the MC-TRC process
reduces considerably or eliminates defects such as the centre line segregation, voids and cracks at or near the strip surface that are always present in conventional TRC strip.
The newly-designed homogenization treatment investigated for TRC and MC-TRC magnesium alloy strips was based on microstructural evolution obtained during heat treatment. The results of the MC-TRC strips showed a much faster recrystallization rate with finer recrystallized grains, which are due to more homogeneous and a finer grain size of the as-cast MC-TRC strips compared with the as-cast TRC strips.
During down-stream processing, the effects of MC-TRC process on microstructural
evolution of hot-rolled magnesium strips have been understood thoroughly by accurate control of the hot-rolling procedure during each step of strip thickness reduction. This
study indicates that the MC-TRC strip requires fewer rolling steps when compared to
TRC strip, thus offering reduced processing cost and carbon footprint. Mechanical
properties at room temperature of MC-TRC as-cast and rolled sheets are much improved
when compared with the conventional TRC as-cast and rolled sheets which can result in
a higher quality of final components. The mechanical properties at elevated temperature
shows for the first time that the higher elongation and lower yield strength of MC-TRC
as-cast strips at a temperature close to its optimised hot-rolling temperature results in
better ability for rolling and higher ductility of MC-TRC Mg strip compared with the TRC Mg strip
Air and Water Flowrate Optimisation for a Fan Coil Unit in Heat Pump Systems
No full textThe degradation in efficiency of auxiliary components in heating/cooling systems when operating at part load is frequently reported. Through the use of variable speed components, the supplied capacity can be reduced to match the required load and hence reduce unnecessary energy consumption. However, for fan coil units, difficulties can arise when optimizing fan and pump speeds at part load. Practically locating optimal water and air flow rates from readily available information and for varying supplied capacities is necessary, in order to reduce the fan coil power consumption. This research attempts to identify whether optimal fan and pump speeds exist for a fan coil unit and how they can be implemented, in a practical manner, in a system control applications. Using an empirical fan coil and pump model, the total power consumption (fan and pump) for different combinations of fan and pump speeds over a range of capacities was calculated. It was observed that, for a given capacity, an optimal combination of fan and pump speeds exists and there was a significant change in power consumption for different combinations of fan and pump speeds supplying the same capacity. A control strategy is described that utilizes a simple fan coil capacity estimation model, coupled with air and water flow rates, along with nominal design data. The pump speed is optimized using PID control to maintain the space temperature at the chosen set-point, which matches the supplied capacity to the required capacity. At set-time intervals, the capacity estimation model is utilized to optimize the water and air flow rates for the required capacity. The control strategy is evaluated, using a full building simulation model for a daily load profile and is compared to two baseline conditions: for no control of the fancoils/pump combination and for PID circulation control of the pump only. The optimal fan and pump speed control resulted in a 43% and 24% decrease in power consumption with compared to the no control baseline and the PID controlled circulation pump strategy, respectively
Lyman break galaxies and the star formation rate of the Universe at z ~ 6
No full textWe determine the space density of UV-luminous starburst galaxies at z≈ 6 using deep HST ACS SDSS-i′ (F775W) and SDSS-z′ (F850LP) and VLT ISAAC J and Ks band imaging of the Chandra Deep Field South. We find eight galaxies and one star with (i′−z′) > 1.5 to a depth of z′AB= 25.6 (an 8σ detection in each of the 3 available ACS epochs). This corresponds to an unobscured star formation rate of ≈15 h−270 M⊙ yr−1 at z= 5.9, equivalent to L* for the Lyman-break population at z= 3–4 (ΩΛ= 0.7, ΩM= 0.3). We are sensitive to star-forming galaxies at 5.6 ≲z≲ 7.0 with an effective comoving volume of ≈1.8 × 105h−370 Mpc3 after accounting for incompleteness at the higher redshifts due to luminosity bias. This volume should encompass the primeval subgalactic-scale fragments of the progenitors of about a thousand L* galaxies at the current epoch. We determine a volume-averaged global star formation rate of (6.7 ± 2.7) × 10−4h70 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 at z∼ 6 from rest-frame UV selected starbursts at the bright end of the luminosity function: this is a lower limit because of dust obscuration and galaxies below our sensitivity limit. This measurement shows that at z∼ 6 the star formation density at the bright end is a factor of ∼6 times less than that determined by Steidel et al. for a comparable sample of UV-selected galaxies at z= 3–4, and so extends our knowledge of the star formation history of the Universe to earlier times than previous work and into the epoch where reionization may have occurred
Spectrums of investment in Doctor Who fandom
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Drawing upon a significant weight of empirical data, collected in the field, this thesis proposes a set of four spectrums of investment engaged in by cult media fans: the spectrum of financial investment; the spectrum of what is here termed 'participatory investment'; the spectrum of investment in the idea of textual authenticity; and the spectrum of multiple investments. The spectrum model allows the individual members of the research sample to be located within specific regions of each spectrum and correlations to be drawn between the distinct spectrums, in order for any patterns which emerge to be examined. The thesis also reviews a number of relevant theoretical concerns such as fan studies, ethnography and social psychology
Review of the book How Fascism Works, by J. Stanley
No full textDr. Devin Z. Shaw (Douglas College) reviews the book How fascism works, by J. Stanley (2020).Final article published
Learning of algorithms: a theoretical model with focus on cognitive development
No full textTaking a broad perspective on algorithm in mathematics, the author presents a theoretical model about the learning and teaching of algorithm with focus on students’ cognitive development. The model consists of three cognitive levels: 1. Knowledge and Skills, 2. Understanding and Comprehension, and 3. Evaluation and Construction. The model suggests that teaching and learning of algorithm does not simply mean routine learning, memorization, or lead to a low level of cognition. The paper also discusses different teaching strategies and activities that can be used to support students’ cognitive development at different cognitive levels
Generalized pairwise z-complementary codes
No full textAn approach to generate generalized pairwise Z-complementary (GPZ) codes, which works in pairs in order to offer a zero correlation zone (ZCZ) in the vicinity of zero phase shift and fit extremely well in power efficient quadrature carrier modems, is introduced in this letter. Each GPZ code has MK sequences, each of length 4NK, whereMis the number of Z-complementary mates,
K is a factor to perform Walsh–Hadamard expansions, and N is the sequence length of the Z-complementary code. The proposed GPZ codes include the generalized pairwise complementary (GPC)codes as special cases
Dataset for Giant enhancement of cathodoluminescence of monolayer transitional metal dichalcogenides semiconductors
No full textDataset supporting:
Zheng, S., So, J-K., Liu, F., Liu, Z., Zheludev, N., & Fan, H. J. (2017). Giant enhancement of cathodoluminescence of monolayer transitional metal dichalcogenides semiconductors. Nano Letters, 17(10), 6475-6480. DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03585</span
An integrated, systematic data-driven supply-demand side management method for smart integrated energy systems
No full textDifferent energy systems become highly connected to provide better flexibility. However, this change poses new challenges for system management considering the diversity of demands, complexities of the energy networks, uncertainties, etc. This work develops a smart Supply-Demand Side Management method to overcome these challenges. The main objectives of this Supply-Demand Side Management framework are improving system efficiency and smoothing energy load, through flexible supply planning and dynamic pricing. Firstly, the customer response analysis method is proposed by combining the Deep Learning model and the economic model. Then, the energy network simulation model is used to coordinate the Supply-Demand Side Management strategies and the overall energy system capacity. A method is proposed to introduce the compressibility of natural gas in the management framework to offset the uncertain disturbances. Finally, a multi-objective decision method is developed to find the optimal strategy. The results of the application on a typical integrated energy system show that the proposed method can reduce the energy load fluctuation by 4%–8% under different planning horizons, and improve the system efficiency by reducing energy loss and increasing the profitability. The results also present a possibility of the development toward resilient Integrated Energy Systems by managing the buffer capacity of natural gas pipeline networks
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