Architectural research and its enemies

Like the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) that preceded it, the UK government's proposed Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a means of allocating funding in higher education to support research. As with any method for the competitive allocation of funds it creates winners and losers and inevitably generates a lot of emotion among those rewarded or penalised. More specifically, the 'winners' tend to approve of the method of allocation and the 'losers' denigrate it as biased against their activities and generally unfair. An extraordinary press campaign has been consistently waged against research assessment and its methods by those involved in architectural education, which I will track over a decade and a half. What follows will question whether this campaign demonstrates the sophistication and superior judgment of those who have gone into print, or conversely whether its mixture of misinformation and disinformation reveals not just disenchantment and prejudice, but a naivety and a depth of ignorance about the fundamentals of research that is deeply damaging to the credibility of architecture as a research-based discipline. With the recent consultation process towards a new cycle of research assessment, the REF, getting under way, I aim to draw attention to the risk of repeating past mistakes. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010.

Directly and parametrically excited bi-stable vibration energy harvester for broadband operation

Despite many recent advances, the wide-spread adoption of vibrational energy harvesting has been limited by the low levels of generated output power and confined operational frequency band. Recent work by the authors on parametrically excited harvesters has demonstrated over an order of magnitude power improvement. This paper presents an investigation into the simultaneous employment of both direct and parametric resonance, as well as the incorporation of bi-stability, in an attempt to further improve the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency by broadening the output power spectrum. Multiple direct and parametric resonant peaks from a multi-degree-of-freedom system were observed and an accumulative ∼10 Hz half-power bandwidth was recorded for the first 40 Hz. Real vibration data was also employed to analysis the rms power response effectiveness of the proposed system. © 2013 IEEE.

A parametrically excited vibration energy harvester

In the arena of vibration energy harvesting, the key technical challenges continue to be low power density and narrow operational frequency bandwidth. While the convention has relied upon the activation of the fundamental mode of resonance through direct excitation, this article explores a new paradigm through the employment of parametric resonance. Unlike the former, oscillatory amplitude growth is not limited due to linear damping. Therefore, the power output can potentially build up to higher levels. Additionally, it is the onset of non-linearity that eventually limits parametric resonance; hence, this approach can also potentially broaden the operating frequency range. Theoretical prediction and numerical modelling have suggested an order higher in oscillatory amplitude growth. An experimental macro-sized electromagnetic prototype (practical volume of ∼1800 cm3) when driven into parametric resonance, has demonstrated around 50% increase in half power band and an order of magnitude higher peak power density normalised against input acceleration squared (293 μW cm-3 m-2 s4 with 171.5 mW at 0.57 m s-2) in contrast to the same prototype directly driven at fundamental resonance (36.5 μW cm-3 m-2 s4 with 27.75 mW at 0.65 m s-2). This figure suggests promising potentials while comparing with current state-of-the-art macro-sized counterparts, such as Perpetuum's PMG-17 (119 μW cm-3 m-2 s4). © The Author(s) 2013.

Electron trapping materials for use in a picosecond infrared streak camera

We describe our research on the employment of an infrared upconversion screen made of electron trapping material (ETM) in combination with the high sensitivity of the S-20 photocathode responsive to visible radiation to produce a streak camera arrangement capable of viewing and recording infrared incident pulses. The ETM-based upconversion screen converts 800-1600 nm infrared radiation to visible light which is viewed or recorded by the S-20 photocathode. The peak values of the upconversion efficiency are located at 1165 nm for CaS:Eu, Sm and 1060 nm for CaS:Ce, Sm. The present experiment showed time resolution was 12.3 ps for a CaS:Eu, Sm screen and 8.4 ps for a CaS:Ce, Sm screen. The minimum detectability is 4.8 x 10(-9) J/mm(2) (minimum detectability of the coupled visible streak camera is 8.3x10(-10) J/mm(2)). Other parameters, such as spatial resolution and dynamic range, have also been measured and analyzed. The results show ETM can be used in the measurement of infrared ultrafast phenomena up to picosecond time domain. In consideration of the limited number of trapped electrons in ETM, the infrared-sensitive streak camera consisting of an ETM-based upconversion screen is suitable to operate in the single shot mode. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)00112-4].

三塘湖盆地牛圈湖区储层特征研究—以齐古组、头屯河组为例

In view of few researches into pore textures and anisotropy characteristics of Qiguzu-toutunhezu reservoir in Niuquanhu block in Santanghu Basin, in order to enhance the hydrocarbon recovery of the region of interest and improve the reservoir development effect, with the employment of the experiments like cast thin slice, scanning electron microscope, conventional high pressure mercury penetration, constant speed mercury penetration and nuclear magnetic resonance, the thesis makes a thorough research into pore texture characteristics and anisotropy characteristics of the sandstone reservoir. The research shows that the microscopic pore textures are complicated, the anisotropy is high and waterflood development water/oil displacement efficiency is low, which are mainly caused by the high microscopic anisotropy of the reservoir. Specially, the research shows that Qiguzu-toutunhezu reservoir belongs to braided delta front intrafacies, the intergranular pore is the main type of pores, which take up 65.50 percent of total pores, intergranular dissolved pores, feldspar dissolved pores and lithic dissolved pores are on the second place, and there are few carbonate dissolved pores. The reservoir belongs to mesopore-fine throat and mesopore-medium throat. The pore distribution of the sandstone reservoir is comparatively centralized. The reservoir inhomogeneity is mainly caused by the throat inhomogeneity. Diagenesis mainly includes compaction, cementation, metasomatism and dissolution. Compared with compaction， cementation exerts more direct impact on the decline of the porosity of the sandstone reservoir ( pore loss factor is 63.75 percent in the cementing process). Based on the classification of diagenetic stages, the reservoir diagenesis is on the stage of the late period of early diagenetic stage to early period of late diagenetic stage. The study area of the small sandstone reservoir layer of the anisotropy of the relatively strong; plane, the anisotropy of the relatively weak. microscopic anisotropy of its relatively strong.

地震偏移宽角吸收边界条件和Toeplitz矩阵反演中的边界效应研究

The content of this paper is based on the research work while the author took part in the key project of NSFC and the key project of Knowledge Innovation of CAS. The whole paper is expanded by introduction of the inevitable boundary problem during seismic migration and inversion. Boundary problem is a popular issue in seismic data processing. At the presence of artificial boundary, reflected wave which does not exist in reality comes to presence when the incident seismic wave arrives at the artificial boundary. That will interfere the propagation of seismic wave and cause alias information on the processed profile. Furthermore, the quality of the whole seismic profile will decrease and the subsequent work will fail.This paper has also made a review on the development of seismic migration, expatiated temporary seismic migration status and predicted the possible break through. Aiming at the absorbing boundary problem in migration, we have deduced the wide angle absorbing boundary condition and made a compare with the boundary effect of Toepiitz matrix fast approximate computation.During the process of fast approximate inversion computation of Toepiitz system, we have introduced the pre-conditioned conjugate gradient method employing co circulant extension to construct pre-conditioned matrix. Especially, employment of combined preconditioner will reduce the boundary effect during computation.Comparing the boundary problem in seismic migration with that in Toepiitz matrix inversion we find that the change of boundary condition will lead to the change of coefficient matrix eigenvalues and the change of coefficient matrix eigenvalues will cause boundary effect. In this paper, the author has made an qualitative analysis of the relationship between the coefficient matrix eigenvalues and the boundary effect. Quantitative analysis is worthy of further research.

Going global in small steps: e-internships in SMEs.

Technological developments over the last thirty years increasingly shaped the means by which we recruit, select and appraise employees. Today, technology supports more flexible and geographically dispersed working modes: From teleworkers, to virtual workers, to e-interns (also known as virtual interns). The current article describes how developments in e-HRM and changes in employment forms contribute to the development and increasing popularity of e-internships (better known as virtual internships) amongst small and medium-sized enterprises. In this paper, we reflect on the rise of e-internships across different countries and relate this to e-HRM and technological advances. We explore the opportunities and challenges. These include developing effective global talent and knowledge management practices, managing diversity as well as intellectual and social capital. We furthermore link the employment of e-internship practices to strategic organizational goals and learning. In the final section, we also critically reflect on the high investment required for e-internships to succeed. The discussion on e-internships is set in the literature on e-HRM, virtual teams and knowledge management, which is furthermore supported by interviews conducted with e-interns or internship managers. Keywords: e-internships, virtual internships, computer-mediated communication

Samorządy gminne województwa lubuskiego w kształtowaniu współpracy transgranicznej

Wydział Nauk Politycznych i Dziennikarstwa

O naruszaniu podstawowych zasad postępowania naukowego. “Wzgórze przeznaczenia archeologii” górą skandalu

„We are paying a high price for the increasingly unequivocal equation drawn between knowledge and science and ordinary market product. The ideal of perfectly unrestrained cognition, the true mother of science, is threatened by the mass drive towards practical use and application of knowledge, a looming departure into nothingness. Politicians and managers of scientific life are guilty of considerable contribution in corrupting respectable university structures, and thus undermining culture of science and scholarly ethics. (…). Acquisition of funds, sponsorship, media presence, popularisation or even striving for commercial gain are recognised by politicians and scientific consultants, but most of all they are accepted by the university management as objectives worthy of effort, not to say the foremost goals of science. University rectors are nowadays interested primarily in the amounts of acquired moneys. The outcomes of research thus financed is subject to virtually no control, nor does it arouse any interest, unless it turns out to be fit to be announced in the media as a sensation, thereby serving the ‘prestige’ of the university”.

Rent-seekers' lost El Dorado: Vietnam's financial turmoil, 2007-2013

In this investigation, we examined 256 cases of financial failure and fraud in Vietnam’s chaotic years from 2007 to 2013. Categorical data analyses suggest that the rent-seeking approach, or resource-based orientation, alone does not help explain the outcome of a business intention while the association between Orientation and Approach is the best-fit predictor. Rampant financial collapse not only increases the cost of funds but also erodes trust in the economy. Entrepreneurship development and creativity capacity building, in light of this, are necessary to improve socio-economic conditions and the environment. In this manuscript, we also introduce intuitive and cognitive factors to predict ex-ante outcome of a financing scheme.

Semantic and conceptual structures in module design

This paper describes the employment of semantic and conceptual structures in module design, specifically course modules. Additionally, it suggests other uses of these structures in aiding teaching and learning.

Critical Success Factors for Transfer-Operate-Transfer Urban Water Supply Projects in China

Over the years, build-operate-transfer (BOT) has continuously attracted research interests. Many studies on BOT have been carried out. Variations of BOT such as build-own-operate-transfer and build-own-operate have also been reported in some relevant publications. However, few investigations thus far have been conducted for transfer-operate-transfer (TOT). Therefore, there is a knowledge gap in this particular field. TOT is a new model that is suitable for existing infrastructure and public utility projects formerly funded by the governments and currently operated by state-owned enterprises. It refers to the transfer of a running public project to a foreign business or domestic private entity. Based on four case studies carried out in the Chinese water supply industry, this paper examines why there is an increasing need for TOT projects and identifies the distinctive features of TOT practice in China. This is followed by an introduction of a framework of critical success factors (CSFs) for TOT projects. The most important factors include project profitability, asset quality, fair risk allocation, competitive tendering, internal coordination within government, employment of professional advisors, corporate governance, and government supervision. The identification of CSFs provides a useful guidance to project parties planning to participate in TOT practice.

Abatement technologies for road surface run-off

Heavy metals, primarily zinc, copper, lead, and chromium, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the main hazardous constituents of road runoff. The main sources of these contaminants are vehicle emission, mostly through wear and leakage, although erosion of the road surface and de-icing salts are also recognised pollution sources. The bioavailability of these toxic compounds, and more importantly their potential biomagnification along food chains, could affect aquatic communities persistently exposed to road runoff. Several internationally approved abatement technologies are available for the management of road runoff on new motorway schemes. Recent studies conducted in Cork and Dublin, Ireland demonstrated the efficacy of infiltration trenches as abatement technologies in the removal of both heavy metals and PAHs prior to discharge; the technology was however inefficient in mitigating first flush events. Gully traps with sedimentation chambers, another technology investigated, demonstrated to have a substantially lower removal potential but appeared to be more effective in attenuating surges of contaminants attributed to first flush events. Consequently the employment of combined abatement techniques could efficiently minimise deviations from required effluent concentrations. The studies determined a relatively stationary accumulation of heavy metals and PAHs in sediments close to the point of discharge with a rapid decline in concentration in nearby downstream sediments (<50m). Further, Microtox® Solid Phase testing reported a negligible impact on assemblages exposed to contaminated sediments for all sites investigated. This paper describes pollutant loading from road runoff and mitigation measures from a freshwater deterioration in a water quality perspective. The results and analysis of field samples collected adjacent to a number of roads and motorways in Ireland is also presented. Finally sustainable drainage systems, abatement techniques and technologies available for onsite treatment of runoff are presented to improve and mitigate impacts of vehicular transport on the environment.

Zeros and Os:Silence, Absence and Erasure in an Intercultural O-thello

The performative function of sound and music has received little attention in performance theory and criticism and certainly much less so in studies of intercultural theatre. Such an absence is noteworthy particularly since interculturalism is an appropriative Western theatrical form that absorbs Eastern sources to re-create the targeted Western mise en scene. Consequently, a careful consideration of the employment of sound and music are imperative for sound and music form the vertebrae of Asian traditional performance practices. In acoustemological and ethnomusicological studies, sound and music demarcate cultural boundaries and locate cultures by an auditory (dis)recognition. In the light of this need for a more considered understanding of the performative function of sound and music in intercultural performance, this paper seeks to examine the soundscapes of an intercultural production of Shakespeare’s Othello – Desdemona. Directed by Singaporean Ong Keng Sen, Desdemona was a re-scripting of Shakespeare’s text and a self-conscious performance an identity politics. Staged with a multi-ethnic, multi-national cast, Desdemona employed various Asian performance traditions such as Sanskrit Kutiyattam, Myanmarese puppetry, and Korean p’ansori to create the intercultural spectacle. The spectacle was not only a visual aesthetic but an aural one as well. By examining the soundscapes of fractured silences and eruptive cultural sounds the paper hopes to establish the ways in which Desdemona performs absences and erasures of ‘Asia’ in a simultaneous act of performing an Asian Shakespeare.

Low-cost Process monitoring for polymer extrusion

Polymer extrusion is regarded as an energy-intensive production process, and the real-time monitoring of both energy consumption and melt quality has become necessary to meet new carbon regulations and survive in the highly competitive plastics market. The use of a power meter is a simple and easy way to monitor energy, but the cost can sometimes be high. On the other hand, viscosity is regarded as one of the key indicators of melt quality in the polymer extrusion process. Unfortunately, viscosity cannot be measured directly using current sensory technology. The employment of on-line, in-line or off-line rheometers is sometimes useful, but these instruments either involve signal delay or cause flow restrictions to the extrusion process, which is obviously not suitable for real-time monitoring and control in practice. In this paper, simple and accurate real-time energy monitoring methods are developed. This is achieved by looking inside the controller, and using control variables to calculate the power consumption. For viscosity monitoring, a ‘soft-sensor’ approach based on an RBF neural network model is developed. The model is obtained through a two-stage selection and differential evolution, enabling compact and accurate solutions for viscosity monitoring. The proposed monitoring methods were tested and validated on a Killion KTS-100 extruder, and the experimental results show high accuracy compared with traditional monitoring approaches.