Numerical simulation for the 3D seepage flow with fractional derivatives in porous media

In this paper, the numerical simulation of the 3D seepage flow with fractional derivatives in porous media is considered under two special cases: non-continued seepage flow in uniform media (NCSFUM) and continued seepage flow in non-uniform media (CSF-NUM). A fractional alternating direction implicit scheme (FADIS) for the NCSF-UM and a modified Douglas scheme (MDS) for the CSF-NUM are proposed. The stability, consistency and convergence of both FADIS and MDS in a bounded domain are discussed. A method for improving the speed of convergence by Richardson extrapolation for the MDS is also presented. Finally, numerical results are presented to support our theoretical analysis.

Postpartum issues for expectant mothers and fathers.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the postpartum psychosocial and infant care topics that women and men who attend preparation for parenthood classes have been thinking or worrying about during the pregnancy. Furthermore, to compare the rates of endorsement of such issues for women and men so that clinicians can use this information to help plan which topics to include in preparation for parenthood classes. DESIGN: A survey of expectant parents attending preparation for parenthood classes at a local public hospital. Participants completed a 17- to 19-item postpartum issues checklist devised for the study. SETTING: Preparation for parenthood classes conducted in a public hospital in South Western Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: People attending the session were in their 2nd to 3rd trimester, of low to middle socioeconomic status, and 95% were expecting their first child. Eighty-five percent of women were accompanied by their male partner at the session. Data are reported from 201 women and 182 men. MEASURE: A 17-item issues checklist was devised initially and later expanded to 19 items. The initial checklist covered three psychosocial issues: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and parental competency. The expanded checklist also included items on infant care issues. Participants rated each item as to the extent to which they had been thinking or worrying about it over the past few weeks. RESULTS: More than half of the men and women had been thinking or worrying about their ability to cope as new parents; just less than half of both men and women endorsed the item regarding the effect having a baby would have on their relationship with their partner; approximately 40% of women had thought that they might get bored or lonely when at home with the baby, and an equal rate of men reported that their partner experiencing this sense of boredom-or loneliness was an issue for them. There were few differences between the genders in the rate of endorsement on the issues checklist. CONCLUSION: That many of the issues on the checklist are prevalent in both women and men at this time in the pregnancy would suggest that these are topics that would be pertinent for inclusion at preparation for parenthood classes. Although the checklist is not exhaustive, the data reported give empirical justification for inclusion of these topics in such classes.

Psychological predictors of young adults' use of social networking sites

Young people are increasingly using social networking sites (SNSs), like Myspace and Facebook, to engage with others. The use of SNSs can have both positive and negative effects on the individual; however, few research studies identify the types of people who frequent these Internet sites. This study sought to predict young adults’ use of SNSs and addictive tendency towards the use of SNSs from their personality characteristics and levels of self-esteem. University students (N = 201), aged 17 to 24 years, reported their use of SNSs and addictive tendencies for SNSs use, and completed the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory 1 and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory.2 Multiple regression analyses revealed that, as a group, the personality and self-esteem factors significantly predicted both level of SNS use and addictive tendency but did not explain a large amount of variance in either outcome measure. The findings indicated that extraverted and unconscientious individuals reported higher levels of both SNS use and addictive tendencies. Future research should attempt to identify which other psychosocial characteristics explain young people’s level of use and propensity for addictive tendencies for these popular Internet sites.

Disclosure under the prescribed insurance contracts regime : Section 35 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 and consumer protection revisited

Section 35 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 requires insurers offering insurance policies in six prescribed areas "to clearly inform" prospective insureds of any departure their policies may constitute from the standard covers established by the Act and its accompanying Regulations. This prescribed insurance contracts regime was designed to remedy comprehension problems generated by the length and complexity of insurance documents and to alleviate misunderstanding over the terms and conditions of individual policies. This article examines the rationale underpinning s 35 and the prescribed insurance contracts regime and looks at the operation of the legislation with particular reference to home contents insurance in Australia. It is argued that the means whereby disclosure of derogation from standard cover may be effected largely negates the thrust of the prescribed insurance contract reform. Recommendations to address these operational deficiencies are made.

Infrastructure Sustainability : Damage Assessment in Multiple-Girder Composite Bridges Using Vibration Characteristics

Assessing the structural health state of urban infrastructure is crucial in terms of infrastructure sustainability. This chapter uses dynamic computer simulation techniques to apply a procedure using vibration-based methods for damage assessment in multiple-girder composite bridges. In addition to changes in natural frequencies, this multi-criteria procedure incorporates two methods, namely, the modal flexibility and the modal strain energy method. Using the numerically simulated modal data obtained through finite element analysis software, algorithms based on modal flexibility and modal strain energy change, before and after damage, are obtained and used as the indices for the assessment of structural health state. The feasibility and capability of the approach is demonstrated through numerical studies of a proposed structure with six damage scenarios. It is concluded that the modal strain energy method is capable of application to multiple-girder composite bridges, as evidenced through the example treated in this chapter.

A quite unreasonable state of affairs : corporate social responsibility and the John Lewis Partnership

On the surface the subjects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Critical Management Studies (CMS) seem to be closely related. Both are concerned with reflecting on the impact of management and organisation on employees, the wider community and the environment. Both suggest that there may be a need for organisations to take responsibility for and account of people other than shareholders and both have used the concept of accountability to suggest that organisations may need to do more than just comply with the legal framework.

An instrument to measure the approach to learning for assessment in economics

Economics education research studies conducted in the UK, USA and Australia to investigate the effects of learning inputs on academic performance have been dominated by the input-output model (Shanahan and Meyer, 2001). In the Student Experience of Learning framework, however, the link between learning inputs and outputs is mediated by students' learning approaches which in turn are influenced by their perceptions of the learning contexts (Evans, Kirby, & Fabrigar, 2003). Many learning inventories such as Biggs' Study Process Questionnaires and Entwistle and Ramsden' Approaches to Study Inventory have been designed to measure approaches to academic learning. However, there is a limitation to using generalised learning inventories in that they tend to aggregate different learning approaches utilised in different assessments. As a result, important relationships between learning approaches and learning outcomes that exist in specific assessment context(s) will be missed (Lizzio, Wilson, & Simons, 2002). This paper documents the construction of an assessment specific instrument to measure learning approaches in economics. The post-dictive validity of the instrument was evaluated by examining the association of learning approaches to students' perceived assessment demand in different assessment contexts.

Copyright, digital media literacies and preservice teacher education

This article considers copyright knowledge and skills as a new literacy that can be developed through the application of digital media literacy pedagogies. Digital media literacy is emerging from more established forms of media literacy that have existed in schools for several decades and have continued to change as the social and cultural practices around media technologies have changed. Changing requirements of copyright law present specific new challenges for media literacy education because the digitisation of media materials provides individuals with opportunities to appropriate and circulate culture in ways that were previously impossible. This article discusses a project in which a group of preservice media literacy educators were introduced to knowledge and skills required for the productive and informed use of different copyrights frameworks. The students’ written reflections and video production responses to a series of workshops about copyright are discussed, as are the opportunities and challenges provided by copyright education in preservice teacher education.

The role of the board of directors : perceptions of managerial elites

We highlight how directors and senior managers perceive the roles of a board to involve overseeing risk and compliance, strategy, governance, developing the CEO and senior management and managing stakeholders. We find that managers and directors perceive board effectiveness as linked to different combinations of these roles and that there appear to be differences in perceptions between different types of firms. We conclude that clarity around the board’s role set is critical to furthering the corporate governance research agenda, and that the relationship between board roles and perceived board effectiveness differs between managers and directors.

Mining agreements : negotiated frameworks in the Australian minerals sector

Discusses the role of negotiated frameworks as a regulatory mechanism in the development of Australia's premier industry of the 20th century.

Health promotion in palliative care : the case for conceptual congruence

This article provides a critical review of the literature relevant to the conceptual foundations of health promoting palliative care. It explores the separate emergence and evolution of palliative care and health promotion as distinct concerns in health care, and reviews the early considerations given to their potential convergence. Finally, this article examines the proposal of health promoting palliative care as a specific approach to providing end of life care through a social model of palliative care. Research is needed to explore the impact for communities, health care services and policy when such an approach is implemented within palliative care organisations.

Max Dupain and the photography of Australian architecture

This thesis considers Max Dupain (1911-1992) and his contribution to the development of architectural photography in Australia. Through his continuous and prolific output over six decades of professional photography Dupain greatly stimulated awareness of and interest in Australian architecture. Before Dupain began specialising in the field, little consistent professional architectural photography had been practised in Australia. He and some of his close associates subsequently developed architectural photography as both a specialised branch of photography and - perhaps more significantly - as a necessary adjunct to architectural practice. In achieving these dual accomplishments, Dupain and like-minded practitioners succeeded in elevating architectural photography to the status of a discipline in its own right. They also gave Australians generally a deeper understanding of the heritage represented by the nation's built environment. At the same time, some of the photographic images he created became firmly fixed in the public imagination as historical icons within the development of a distinctive Australian tradition in the visual arts. Within his chosen field Dupain was the dominant Australian figure of his time. He was instrumental in breaking the link with Pictorialism by bringing Modernist and Documentary perspectives to Australian architectural photography. He was an innovator in the earlier decades of his professional career, however, his photographic techniques and practice did not develop beyond that. By the end of the 1980s he had largely lost touch with the technology and techniques of contemporary practice. Dupain's reputation, which has continued growing since his death in 1992, therefore arises from reasons other than his photographic images alone. It reflects his accomplishment in raising his fellow citizens' awareness of a worthwhile home-grown artistic tradition.