Implementation of novel methods of global and nonsmooth optimization : GANSO programming library

We discuss the implementation of a number of modern methods of global and nonsmooth continuous optimization, based on the ideas of Rubinov, in a programming library GANSO. GANSO implements the derivative-free bundle method, the extended cutting angle method, dynamical system-based optimization and their various combinations and heuristics. We outline the main ideas behind each method, and report on the interfacing with Matlab and Maple packages.

Extensive, economical and elegant : the habitus of gentility in early nineteenth century Sydney

This paper challenges the modern expectation that mahogany furniture and silver cutlery were self-evident indicators of gentry status in colonial Sydney through close analysis of a bundle of middle class household inventories of the 1840s. They are considered as evidence of habitus--the structuring interaction of mentality with the material world--in order to demonstrate the active principle of consumption in the claim or assertion of bourgeois standing, which was particularly lively in the colony. A range of competences can he seen in the practice of gentility, which suggests that the possession of rosewood rather than mahogany, or imitation silver rather than sterling, was a variation shaped not merely by wealth but by cultural capital. This exposes strands of contingency, competition and compromise in middle class expression.

Identifying the drivers behind housing preferences of first time owners

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a rare insight into the motivation behind first-time buyers when looking to purchase their first home. The factors driving demand preferences for detached housing are constantly changing and difficult to measure, and often deemed to be a complex bundle of attributes.

Design/methodology/approach – The research in this paper is based on interviews with purchasers at a series of locations across Melbourne, Australia, who were actively seeking to purchase a home for the first time. The data were analysed using factor analysis to identify the core decision criteria in a new house that were most sought after.

Findings – The findings in this paper confirmed that “financial” issues accounted for approximately 30 percent of the actual decision by first-time buyers to purchase housing, where decisions relating to the timing and choice of housing are dependent on “site-specific” factors.

Research limitations/implications – The research in this paper is aimed specifically at first time buyers only and the influencing factors behind their purchasing decisions.

Practical implications – The paper shows that, if consideration is given to the characteristics that first-time owners are looking for, providers of new housing would be better equipped to meet this demand and maximise construction efficiency.

Originality/value – In the paper the emphasis was placed on identifying and analysing the decision criteria behind first-time buyers, which provided an invaluable insight into their concept of a suitable residence. Rather than analysing sales transactions after they have been completed, this research considers aspects of new houses that first-time owners are actively searching for, prior to making their purchase.

Characterization of the moisture absorption and thermal ageing behaviour of polymeric composite systems using Raman spectroscopy

Advanced polymeric materials and their respective composites are fast becoming one of the world's most frequently used engineering materials. They find application in the manufacture of e.g. boat hulls, high performance motor vehicles, aircraft components and sports goods. Their high specific strength and specific stiffness give them the edge in applications where weight savings are critical, but their long-term durability is often questioned. These materials are susceptible to environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. There is also a lack of relevant data, due to the long time-scales required for testing. In this study, the Raman technique has been used to monitor the degradation of two composite systems, namely: a rubber toughened vinylester material used in the marine industry and a high temperature bismaleimide/carbon fibre aerospace composite. Preliminary Raman studies show that the toughening rubber particles dispersed in the cured vinylester resin are leached out during hygrothermal ageing. The weight gain during ageing suggests that this leaching process occurs concurrently with the absorption of water molecules. An increase in the degree of cross-linking is observed when bismaleimide/carbon fibre composite is aged at high temperature. This cross- linking tendency decreases with increasing depth within the carbon fibre bundle.

Innovation and HRM : absences and politics

This article analyses the role of HRM practices in the implementation of an innovative cross-functional approach to new product development (concurrent engineering, CE) in Eurotech Industries. Contrary to CE methodology stipulations, and despite supportive conditions, HRM received scant attention in the implementation process. Organizational power and politics were clearly involved in this situation, and this article explores how their play created such HRM ‘absences’. The article builds on a four-dimensional view of power in order to provide a deeper understanding of the embedded, interdependent and political nature of HRM practice and innovation.

Wireless instantaneous neurotransmitter concentration system-based amperometric detection of dopamine, adenosine, and glutamate for intraoperative neurochemical monitoring - laboratory investigation

Object  In a companion study, the authors describe the development of a new instrument named the Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration System (WINCS), which couples digital telemetry with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) to measure extracellular concentrations of dopamine. In the present study, the authors describe the extended capability of the WINCS to use fixed potential amperometry (FPA) to measure extracellular concentrations of dopamine, as well as glutamate and adenosine. Compared with other electrochemical techniques such as FSCV or high-speed chronoamperometry, FPA offers superior temporal resolution and, in combination with enzyme-linked biosensors, the potential to monitor nonelectroactive analytes in real time.

Methods  The WINCS design incorporated a transimpedance amplifier with associated analog circuitry for FPA; a microprocessor; a Bluetooth transceiver; and a single, battery-powered, multilayer, printed circuit board. The WINCS was tested with 3 distinct recording electrodes: 1) a carbon-fiber microelectrode (CFM) to measure dopamine; 2) a glutamate oxidase enzyme–linked electrode to measure glutamate; and 3) a multiple enzyme–linked electrode (adenosine deaminase, nucleoside phosphorylase, and xanthine oxidase) to measure adenosine. Proof-of-principle analyses included noise assessments and in vitro and in vivo measurements that were compared with similar analyses by using a commercial hardwired electrochemical system (EA161 Picostat, eDAQ; Pty Ltd). In urethane-anesthetized rats, dopamine release was monitored in the striatum following deep brain stimulation (DBS) of ascending dopaminergic fibers in the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). In separate rat experiments, DBS-evoked adenosine release was monitored in the ventrolateral thalamus. To test the WINCS in an operating room setting resembling human neurosurgery, cortical glutamate release in response to motor cortex stimulation (MCS) was monitored using a large-mammal animal model, the pig.

Results   The WINCS, which is designed in compliance with FDA-recognized consensus standards for medical electrical device safety, successfully measured dopamine, glutamate, and adenosine, both in vitro and in vivo. The WINCS detected striatal dopamine release at the implanted CFM during DBS of the MFB. The DBS-evoked adenosine release in the rat thalamus and MCS-evoked glutamate release in the pig cortex were also successfully measured. Overall, in vitro and in vivo testing demonstrated signals comparable to a commercial hardwired electrochemical system for FPA.

Conclusions  By incorporating FPA, the chemical repertoire of WINCS-measurable neurotransmitters is expanded to include glutamate and other nonelectroactive species for which the evolving field of enzyme-linked biosensors exists. Because many neurotransmitters are not electrochemically active, FPA in combination with enzyme-linked microelectrodes represents a powerful intraoperative tool for rapid and selective neurochemical sampling in important anatomical targets during functional neurosurgery.

My place: exploring children's place-related identities through reading and writing

This paper considers how children perceive and represent their placed-related identities through reading and writing. It reports on the findings of an 18-month interdisciplinary project, based at Cambridge University Faculty of Education, which aimed to consider children’s place-related identities through their engage- ment with, and creation of, texts. This paper will discuss the project, its interdisciplinary theoretical framework, and the empirical research we conducted with two classes in primary schools in Eastern England. A key text used in our research was My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins. Drawing on our interdisciplinary theoretical framework, particularly Doreen Massey’s notion of place as a bundle of trajectories, and Louise Rosenblatt’s notion of the transaction between the reader and the text, this paper will examine pages from My Place, children talking about how this text connects with them, children talking about their sense of place, and maps and writing the children produced based on their place.

Influence of the sonication temperature on the debundling kinetics of carbon nanotubes in Propan-2-ol

The effect of sonication temperature on the debundling of carbon nanotube (CNT) macro-bundles is reported and demonstrated by analysis with different particle sizing methods. The change of bundle size over time and after several comparatively gentle sonication cycles of suspensions at various temperatures is reported. A novel technique is presented that produces a more homogeneous nanotube dispersion by lowering the temperature during sonication. We produce evidence that temperature influences the suspension stability, and that low temperatures are preferable to obtain better dispersion without increasing damage to the CNT walls.

Auditor industry specialisation, service bundling and partner effects in a mining-dominated city

This study examines auditor industry specialisation effects in Perth, a remote mining town in Australia characterised by a large number of small, homogeneous firms. We consider the impact of leadership by the non-Big 4 auditor BDO Kendalls (BDO) for a sample of 371 mining development stage entities (MDSE's). After controlling for factors known to determine audit fees, we find no evidence of auditor industry leadership fee premiums accruing to (BDO), a result robust to a range of sensitivity tests including the broadening of tests Australia-wide. However, when the dependent variable is redefined to the total 'bundle' of services provided by the audit firm (including audit and non-audit fees), the industry leader is shown to earn a fee premium suggesting BDO uses audits as a conduit to supply higher margin non-audit services. Our findings suggest that strategic pricing by industry leaders may not be confined to Big 4 firms.

Permeability mapping in porous media by magnetization prepared centric-scan SPRITE

The ability of porous media to transmit fluids is commonly referred to as permeability. The concept of permeability is central for hydrocarbon recovery from petroleum reservoirs and for studies of groundwater flow in aquifers. Spatially resolved measurements of permeability are of great significance for fluid dynamics studies. A convenient concept of local Darcy’s law is suggested for parallel flow systems. The product of porosity and mean velocity images in the plane across the average flow direction is directly proportional to permeability. Single Point Ramped Imaging with T 1 Enhancement (SPRITE) permits reliable quantification of local fluid content and flow in porous media. It is particularly advantageous for reservoir rocks characterized by fast magnetic relaxation of a saturating fluid. Velocity encoding using the Cotts pulsed field gradient scheme improves the accuracy of measured flow parameters. The method is illustrated through measurements of 2D permeability maps in a capillary bundle, glass bead packs and composite sandstone samples.

Consumer perceptions of bundles and time-limited promotion deals: Do contracts matter?

Marketers use various types of deals to positively influence consumers' product evaluations. Across two experiments, we manipulated print advertisements to examine whether the commonly used deal content of both bundling and time-limited promotions affect consumers' perceived confusion, risk and value. In study 1, the influence of this content was tested in the context of a 2-year telecommunications (telco) contract. Here, consumers associated a three-item bundle with greater perceived value than a single item, but perceived value was reduced and risk heightened when it was only available for a limited time. We speculate that this is because of the long-term nature of the contract. Study 2 removed the contract restriction, examining the bundling of a video game console and game(s), again with a time-limited promotion. However, in this context, we failed to locate any interaction effects. It appears that consumers further appraise the drawbacks of a long-term telco contract when accompanied by a time-limited promotion and may perceive the switching costs for study 1 three-item telco bundle to be particularly risky. Our studies represent the first empirical investigation of the effect on consumers' perceptions of offering a bundle in conjunction with a time-limited promotion. Testing these effects in contract and no contract conditions adds to the contribution of our studies by delineating a boundary condition. From a managerial perspective, our findings are thought-provoking in respect to information integration, or how consumers process different deal content together.

Engineers' professional learning: a practice-theory perspective

With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and interdisciplinary contexts, different approaches to understanding how engineers practice and learn are necessary. This paper draws on recent research in the social sciences from the field of workplace learning, to suggest that a practice-theory perspective on engineers' professional learning is fruitful. It shifts the focus from the attributes of the individual learner (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to the attributes of the practice (interactions, materiality, opportunities and challenges). Learning is thus more than the technical acquisition and transfer of knowledge, but a complex bundle of activities, that is, social, material, embodied and emerging. The paper is illustrated with examples from a research study of the learning of experienced engineers in the construction industry to demonstrate common practices – site walks and design review meetings – in which learning takes place.

Effects of fibre parameters on the ultraviolet protection of fibre assemblies

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation protection is becoming increasingly necessary for human health, and textiles play an important role. The interaction between UV light and textiles is a complex one, involving fibre, yarn and fabric parameters. In this study, an optical model is presented for examining the influences of fibre parameters on the UV protection offered by a bundle of fibres with a given mass. The effects of mean fibre diameter and fibre type on UV absorption were examined. The model was verified with results of UV–visible diffuse reflectance measurements on natural and synthetic fibres. When the mass of fibres was kept constant, within the measurement range in this study, a bundle of fibres with coarser fibres had a lower UV reflectance than that with finer ones. The model accurately predicted factors influencing UV protection, including fibre diameter, fibre transmittance, porosity and refractive index.

UV protection performance of textiles affected by fiber cross-sectional shape

Abstract
In this study, a model was set up for simulating the effects of varying fiber cross-sectional shapes on ultraviolet protection of fibers. The fiber diameter and fiber type were also involved in the model setting. Experiments of diffuse reflectance spectra measurement on natural (wool, cotton, silk), regenerated (bamboo viscose) and synthetic (polyester, nylon) fibers were conducted to verify the model predicted results. When a more complex shape was assumed as the fiber cross-section for model calculation, the predicted results have a better agreement with the actual results. The effects on ultraviolet absorption from fibers with different cross-sectional shapes were investigated at a single fiber, fiber bundle and yarn levels. With the same material, when the fiber cross-sectional area and the areal coverage of a single fiber were constant, the triangular shape had the lowest ultraviolet transmittance and the highest ultraviolet reflectance for a single fiber and also for a fiber bundle. The difference of fiber cross-sectional shapes was also significant in the ultraviolet protection of a single yarn.

Sky high, skin deep: dark technologies of mediation

Media has become responsive architecture. Intelligent media artefacts are now embedded into the very fabric of our existence; they have become the structure of society itself. Ubiquitous computing creates informational environments in which material structures of communication become alive with agency. McLuhan's light bulb is now everyware: [1] technology that mediates by its mere presence. Pervasive mediation, a combination of mobile networks and systems of material translation such as 3D printers and programmable matter--is our current regime of mediation.