An analysis of embodied energy of office buildings by height

Aims to compare the energy embodied in office buildings varying in height from a few storeys to over 50 storeys. The energy embodied in substructure, superstructure and finishes elements was investigated for five Melbourne office buildings of the following heights: 3, 7, 15, 42 and 52 storeys. The two high-rise buildings have approximately 60 percent more energy embodied per unit gross floor area (GFA) in their materials than the low-rise buildings. While building height was found to dictate the amount of energy embodied in the “structure group” elements (upper floors, columns, internal walls, external walls and staircases), other elements such as substructure, roof, windows and finishes seemed uninfluenced.

Professional development : the singing ear sees and does

This paper argues that professional development is seen as one element that can lead to the types of change that create more effective schools and improve the learning outcomes of students (Rhodes and Houghton-Hill, 2000). As change is a multifaceted phenomenon that teachers find difficult, it questions and challenges education reform that requires teachers to significantly change their practices and approaches to teaching without significant long-term ongoing support for that change. While there is an emphasis on teachers to be lifelong learners and teaching is viewed as a dynamic and growing profession, many teachers will require ongoing professional development to support such change. This paper examines the relationship between professional growth and professional development and its impact on teacher change. This paper concludes with some views from artists-in-residence and from music teachers regarding onsite professional development and the need for ongoing professional development specifically in African music. The authors contend that an expanded program of professional development in music is likely to be more effective if it is onsite and long-term where broad educational views are considered and participants’ knowledge valued.

The impact of computer display height and desk design on 3D posture during information technology work by young adults

Computer display height and desk design to allow forearm support are two critical design features of workstations for information technology tasks. However there is currently no 3D description of head and neck posture with different computer display heights and no direct comparison to paper based information technology tasks. There is also inconsistent evidence on the effect of forearm support on posture and no evidence on whether these features interact. This study compared the 3D head, neck and upper limb postures of 18 male and 18 female young adults whilst working with different display and desk design conditions. There was no substantial interaction between display height and desk design. Lower display heights increased head and neck flexion with more spinal asymmetry when working with paper. The curved desk, designed to provide forearm support, increased scapula elevation/protraction and shoulder flexion/abduction.

Height and construction costs of residential buildings in Hong Kong and Shanghai

A widely recognised theme of construction economics suggests that the cost of construction per square metre increases as building height rises. However, after many years, research conducted regarding the height and cost issue have established a classic relationship between those two, well known as a U-shaped curve. This paper describes the study of height-cost relationship of high-rise residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Initial findings indicated that the curved relationships of height-cost of residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibit different profiles. The differences suggest that, Hong Kong contractors have more expertise in multi-storey and high-rise construction than contractors in Shanghai. The dissimilarities also imply that different sets of criteria should be applied in the judgement of height affects cost in different locations. Many factors could be contributors, such as the history and experience in constructing residential high-rise buildings, location, linkage and relationships to the neighbourhood provinces, design and construction regulations, and government policy on residential construction.

Differences in height explain gender differences in the response to the oral glucose tolerance test - the AusDiab study

Aim To determine the extent of gender-related differences in the prevalence of glucose intolerance for the Australian population and whether body size may explain such differences.

Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from a national cohort of 11 247 Australians aged ≥ 25 years. Glucose tolerance status was assessed according to both fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h plasma glucose (2hPG) levels following a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Anthropometric and glycated haemoglobin measurements were also made.

Results Undiagnosed diabetes and non-diabetic glucose abnormalities were more prevalent among men than women when based only on the FPG results (diabetes: men 2.2%, women 1.6%, P = 0.02; impaired fasting glycaemia: men 12.3%, women 6.6%, P < 0.001). In contrast 16.0% of women and 13.0% of men had a 2hPG abnormality (either diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, P = 0.14). Women had a mean FPG 0.3 mmol/l lower than men (P < 0.001), but 2hPG 0.3 mmol/l higher (P = 0.002) and FPG-2hPG increment 0.5 mmol/l greater (P < 0.001). The gender difference in mean 2hPG and FPG-2hPG increment disappeared following adjustment for height. For both genders, those in the shortest height quartile had 2hPG levels 0.5 mmol/l higher than the tallest quartile, but height showed almost no relationship with the FPG.

Conclusions Men and women had different glycaemic profiles; women had higher mean 2hPG levels, despite lower fasting levels. It appeared that the higher 2hPG levels for women related to lesser height and may be a consequence of using a fixed glucose load in the OGTT, irrespective of body size.

Height and cost of buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong

Initial findings indicated that the curved relationships of height-cost of residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibit different profiles. The differences suggest that, Hong Kong contractors have more expertise in multi-story and high-rise construction than contractors in Shanghai. The dissimilarities also imply that different sets of criteria should be applied in the judgement of height affects on cost in different locations.

Hearing in athletes with intellectual disabilities : the need for improved ear care

Background The Special Olympics offer the opportunity for athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in a range of sports at regional, national and international level. A parallel Healthy Athletes programme was introduced to ensure safety at the games but also to collect data on the health needs of those with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Method This study reports on the introduction of a hearing screen for the first time at national games in Great Britain. Given the availability of free local healthcare it was unclear whether the screen would simply duplicate services already accessed locally.

Results Of the 996 athletes who went though the hearing screen 40% were identified with a previously unrecognised hearing loss, 52% required medical ear care and 43% required wax removal. Despite complex competing stimuli within the screening area only 15 of the subjects were unable to complete the full screen. Local clinical services are carried out in more controlled environments therefore it is reasonable to presume that it would be possible for them to provide assessment of ear care and ongoing audiological assessments where needed. It was found that carers and sports coaches were generally unaware of the hearing needs of the athletes, in spite of the fact that they worked so closely with them.

Conclusions The importance of imparting information to carers and coaches, together with the need for access to regular ear care locally is underlined in this study.

Height and construction costs of residential high-rise buildings in Shanghai

A widely recognized theme of construction economics suggests that the cost of construction per square meter increases as building height rises. However, over a number of years, research conducted regarding the height and cost issue has established a classic relationship between the two factors which can be represented by a U-shaped curve. This paper describes the study of the height-cost relationship of high-rise residential buildings in Shanghai in terms of the total construction cost and elemental costs while considering the context and commonality of buildings. This research was developed as an extension of the previous work, which examined data for buildings in Hong Kong. Initial findings indicate that the curves illustrating the relationships between height and cost of residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibit different profiles. The dissimilarities indicate that different sets of criteria should be applied in the judgment of height that affects cost in different locations. In terms of elemental costs, the findings suggest that there are differences in the way these costs react to changes in the building height.

A neural network based human identification framework using ear images

This paper presents a framework that uses ear images for human identification. The framework makes use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for ear image feature extraction and Multilayer Feed Forward Neural Network for classification. Framework are proposed to improve recognition accuracy of human identification. The framework was tested on an ear image database to evaluate its reliability and recognition accuracy. The experimental results showed that our framework achieved higher stable recognition accuracy and over-performed other existing methods. The recognition accuracy stability and computation time with respect to different image sizes and factors were investigated thoroughly as well in the experiments.

The effects of testing procedure on critical fall height determination for third-generation synthetic turf

Test procedures and their accuracy in determining critical fall height (CFH) on sporting grounds are paramount to player safety. The procedure currently adopted for synthetic turf in Australian football [1] consists of four consecutive drops at various drop heights at three test locations on the sample. The quantity and packing of the infill in third-generation turf and the pooling effect of the rubber particles with consecutive drops suggests that the current standard protocol may need re-assessment. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to investigate whether current methods of testing for CFH are appropriate for third-generation synthetic turf or whether an alternative or adapted method needs to be developed. CFH was measured, using a HISUN Uniaxe-II Impact Tester, on 12 combinations of synthetic turf samples (four different products with three shock pad options). Three conditions were investigated on each sample; the existing protocol; an alternative 12 single-drop protocol and four single drops from the CFH determined from the existing protocol. A significant difference was found for both absolute and percentage difference between the existing and 12 single-drop protocol, with p = 0.001 and t = 4.33 and p < 0.001 and t = 6.03, respectively. There was also a significant difference between the CFH reached with and without a shock pad for both the existing protocol and the 12 single-drop protocol. The results of this pilot study demonstrate that differences do occur with alterations to the existing protocol and highlight the need for a more detailed characterisation of testing methods on third-generation synthetic turf and the response of surfaces to them.

Influence of the blink interval on tear meniscus height in soft contact lens and nonlens wearers

Purpose: Tear meniscus height (TMH) is an indirect measurement of tear film volume. This study investigated the temporal changes in the TMH during the blink interval in the morning (8–9 am) and at the end of the day (5–6 pm) in both soft contact lens (CL) and nonlens wearers (NLW).

Methods: Fifty participants (25 CL; 25 NLW) were evaluated for their subjective symptoms, TMH, noninvasive break up time, and bulbar hyperemia at the am and pm visits on the same day. The TMH was measured at set intervals between 2 and 15 sec during the blink interval, using an optical coherence tomographer.

Results: The NLW group revealed no changes in a variety of symptoms during the day, whereas the CL group reported an increase in dryness (P=0.03) and grittiness (P=0.02) over the day. For both groups, the TMH and calculated tear meniscus volume revealed lower values immediately after the blink and increased progressively afterwards, mainly due to reflex tearing. The am tear meniscus volume values tended to be higher than the pm values for both groups, but this was not significant (NLW P=0.13; CL P=0.82). Noninvasive break up time deteriorated during the day for both groups but was only significant for the CL group (P=0.002), whereas bulbar hyperemia revealed no statistically significant change for either group.

Conclusions: Reflex tearing may play a substantial role in the TMH differences observed over the blink interval. Standardization of the time when a TMH measurement is performed will be valuable in comparing tear film clinical studies.