[Book Review] Urban Maps : Instruments of Narrative and Interpretation in the City by Richard Brook and Nick Dunn, Ashgate, Farham, United Kingdom, 2011, 250pp. ISBN 978-0-754676-5-77.

Urban maps discusses new ways and tools to read and navigate the contemporary city. Each chapter investigates a possible approach to unravel the complexity of contemporary urban forms. Each tool is first defined, introducing its philosophical background, and is then discussed with case studies, showing its relevance for the navigation of the built environment. Urbanism classics such as the work of Lynch, Jacobs, Venuti and Scott-Brown, Lefebrve and Walter Benjamin are fundamental in setting the framework of the volume. In the introduction cities and mapping are first discussed, the former are illustrated as ‘a composite of invisible networks devoid of landmarks and overrun by nodes’ (p. 3), and ‘a series of unbounded spaces where mass production and mass consumption reproduce a standardised quasi-global culture’ (p. 6).

Nuclear instruments and methods in physics research section B : beam interactions with materials and atoms

The impact-induced deposition of Al13 clusters with icosahedral structure on Ni(0 0 1) surface was studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation using Finnis–Sinclair potentials. The incident kinetic energy (Ein) ranged from 0.01 to 30 eV per atom. The structural and dynamical properties of Al clusters on Ni surfaces were found to be strongly dependent on the impact energy. At much lower energy, the Al cluster deposited on the surface as a bulk molecule. However, the original icosahedral structure was transformed to the fcc-like one due to the interaction and the structure mismatch between the Al cluster and Ni surface. With increasing the impinging energy, the cluster was deformed severely when it contacted the substrate, and then broken up due to dense collision cascade. The cluster atoms spread on the surface at last. When the impact energy was higher than 11 eV, the defects, such as Al substitutions and Ni ejections, were observed. The simulation indicated that there exists an optimum energy range, which is suitable for Al epitaxial growth in layer by layer. In addition, at higher impinging energy, the atomic exchange between Al and Ni atoms will be favourable to surface alloying.

Online or conventional democracy? The Ashgrove election and networked journalism

This study focuses on new media use in democratic discourse, specifically in the Queensland state electoral division of Ashgrove, 2011. This site was chosen to make an enquiry into the place of mass media in public decision- making, asking the question: did online media provide an extension of democracy, and what would be journalism’s role in democratic discourse? The study utilises a survey of 280 constituents, a review of pertinent news coverage, and extensive interviews with a panel of informants. In the outcome, it found those most equipped to utilise online media showed a lack of will to get involved in deeper political, social engagements. It also sees younger demographics forming news habits, not usually in step with traditional political avenues, based on familiarity with online processes, while consciously marginalising the need for trustworthiness in this set- ting. These issues are considered together with one leading proposal as to where the future of new media might be heading. It assesses the notion of professional and amateur collaboration by employing the model articulated by Beckett, called ‘networked journalism’.

Intensive versus conventional glycaemic control for treating diabetic foot ulcers (Protocol)

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of intensive glycaemic control compared to conventional control on the outcome of foot ulcers in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Repeatability and comparison of peripheral eye lengths with two instruments

Purpose: To assess intrasessional and intersessional repeatability of two commercial partial coherence interferometry instruments for measuring peripheral eye lengths and to investigate the agreement between the two instruments. Methods: Central and peripheral eye lengths were determined with the IOLMaster (Carl-Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) and the Lenstar (Haag Streit, Bern, Switzerland) in seven adults. Measurements were performed out to 35° and 30° from fixation for horizontal and vertical visual fields, respectively, in 5° intervals. An external fixation target at optical infinity was used. At least four measurements were taken at each location for each instrument, and measurements were taken at two sessions. Results: The mean intrasessional SDs for the IOLMaster along both the horizontal and vertical visual fields were 0.04 ± 0.04 mm; corresponding results for the Lenstar were 0.02 ± 0.02 mm along both fields. The intersessional SDs for the IOLMaster for the horizontal and vertical visual fields were ±0.11 and ±0.08 mm, respectively; corresponding limits for the Lenstar were ±0.05 and ±0.04 mm. The intrasessional and intersessional variability increased away from fixation. The mean differences between the two instruments were 0.01 ± 0.07 mm and 0.02 ± 0.07 mm in the horizontal and vertical visual fields, but the lengths with the Lenstar became greater than those with the IOLMaster as axial length increased (rate of approximately 0.016 mm/mm). Conclusions: Both the IOLMaster and the Lenstar demonstrated good intrasessional and intersessional repeatability for peripheral eye length measurements, with the Lenstar showing better repeatability. The Lenstar would be expected to give a slightly greater range of eye lengths than the IOLMaster across the visual field.

The acute effects of eccentrically-biased versus conventional weight training in older adults : a randomised controlled cross-over study

Background Whilst resistance training has been proven to convey considerable benefits to older people; immediately post-exercise there may be elevated transient risks for cardiac events and falls. Objectives and Measurements We assessed the acute effects of eccentrically-biased (EB) and conventional (CONV) resistance exercise on: platelet number, activation and granule exocytsosis; and mean velocity of centre of pressure displacement (Vm). Design, Setting, Participants and Intervention Ten older adults (7 males, 3 females; 69 ± 4 years) participated in this randomised controlled cross-over study in which they performed EB and CONV training sessions that were matched for total work and a control condition. Results Immediately post-exercise there was a statistically significant difference in platelet count between the control condition, in which it fell (pre 224 ± 35 109/L; post 211 ± 30 109/L: P < 0.05) and CONV in which it increased (pre 236 ± 55 109/L; post 242 ± 51 109/L: P > 0.05). There was no change in platelet activation and granule exocytsosis or Vm following EB and CONV. Conclusions Overall, while minor differences between regimens were observed, no major adverse effect on parameters of platelet function or centre of pressure displacement were observed acutely following either regimen. Eccentrically-biased and conventional resistance exercise training regimens do not appear to present an elevated acute risk in the context of changes to platelet function contributing to a cardiac event or postural stability increasing falls risk for apparently healthy older adults.

Performance-based structural fire design of steel frames using conventional computer software

Fire incident in buildings is common, so the fire safety design of the framed structure is imperative, especially for the unprotected or partly protected bare steel frames. However, software for structural fire analysis is not widely available. As a result, the performance-based structural fire design is urged on the basis of using user-friendly and conventional nonlinear computer analysis programs so that engineers do not need to acquire new structural analysis software for structural fire analysis and design. The tool is desired to have the capacity of simulating the different fire scenarios and associated detrimental effects efficiently, which includes second-order P-D and P-d effects and material yielding. Also the nonlinear behaviour of large-scale structure becomes complicated when under fire, and thus its simulation relies on an efficient and effective numerical analysis to cope with intricate nonlinear effects due to fire. To this end, the present fire study utilizes a second order elastic/plastic analysis software NIDA to predict structural behaviour of bare steel framed structures at elevated temperatures. This fire study considers thermal expansion and material degradation due to heating. Degradation of material strength with increasing temperature is included by a set of temperature-stress-strain curves according to BS5950 Part 8 mainly, which implicitly allows for creep deformation. This finite element stiffness formulation of beam-column elements is derived from the fifth-order PEP element which facilitates the computer modeling by one member per element. The Newton-Raphson method is used in the nonlinear solution procedure in order to trace the nonlinear equilibrium path at specified elevated temperatures. Several numerical and experimental verifications of framed structures are presented and compared against solutions in literature. The proposed method permits engineers to adopt the performance-based structural fire analysis and design using typical second-order nonlinear structural analysis software.

Do socially responsible investment indexes outperform conventional indexes?

The question of whether more Socially Responsible (SR) firms outperform or underperform other conventional firms has been debated in the economic literature. In this study, using the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) indexes and conventional stock indexes in the US, the UK and Japan, first and second moments of firm performance distributions are estimated based on the Markov Switching (MS) model. We find two distinct regimes (bear and bull) in the SRI markets as well as the stock markets for all the three countries. These regimes occur with the same timing in both types of market. No statistical difference in means and volatilities generated from the SRI indexes and conventional indexes in either region was found. Furthermore, we find strong comovements between the two indexes in both the regimes.

Course evaluation : reconfigurations for learning with learning management systems

The introduction of online delivery platforms such as learning management systems (LMS) in tertiary education has changed the methods and modes of curriculum delivery and communication. While course evaluation methods have also changed from paper-based in-class-administered methods to largely online-administered methods, the data collection instruments have remained unchanged. This paper reports on a small exploratory study of two tertiary-level courses. The study investigated why design of the instruments and methods to administer surveys in the courses are ineffective measures against the intrinsic characteristics of online learning. It reviewed the students' response rates of the conventional evaluations for the courses over an eight-year period. It then compared a newly developed online evaluation and the conventional methods over a two-year period. The results showed the response rates with the new evaluation method increased by more than 80% from the average of the conventional evaluations (below 30%), and the students' written feedback was more detailed and comprehensive than in the conventional evaluations. The study demonstrated the possibility that the LMS-based learning evaluation can be effective and efficient in terms of the quality of students' participation and engagement in their learning, and for an integrated pedagogical approach in an online learning environment.

Comparison of the gate drive parameter space for driving power MOSFETs using conventional and cascode configurations

Conventional voltage driven gate drive circuits utilise a resistor to control the switching speed of power MOS-FETs. The gate resistance is adjusted to provide controlled rate of change of load current and voltage. The cascode gate drive configuration has been proposed as an alternative to the conventional resistor-fed gate drive circuit. While cascode drive is broadly understood in the literature the switching characteristics of this topology are not well documented. This paper explores, through both simulation and experimentation, the gate drive parameter space of the cascode gate drive configuration and provides a comparison to the switching characteristics of conventional gate drive.

Opportunity cost of unavailable surgical instruments in Australian hospitals

Hospitals invest considerable resources organizing operating suites and having surgeons and theatre staff available on an agreed schedule. A common impediment to efficiency is perioperative delay,including delays getting to the operating room or during the operation. Perioperative delays entail significant costs for hospitals,wasting staff time and operating theatre resources. They may also affect patient outcomes; prolonged surgery is a predictor for unanticipated admission following elective ambulatory surgery...