Pedagogical work and the 'cult of the body': Considering the role of HPE in the context of the 'new public health'

Physical education, now often explicitly identified with health in contemporary school curricula, continues to be implicated in the (re)production of the 'cult of the body'. We argue that HPE is a form of health promotion that attempts to 'make' healthy citizens of young people in the context of the 'risk society'. In our view there is still work to be done in understanding how and why physical education (as HPE) continues to be implicated in the reproduction of values associated with the cult of body. We are keen to understand why HPE continues to be ineffective in helping young people gain some measure of analytic and embodied 'distance' from the problematic aspects of the cult of the body. This paper offers an analysis of this enduring issue by using some contemporary analytic discourses including 'governmentality', 'risk society' and the 'new public health'.

Clifford Geertz, 1926-2006: Meaning, method, and Indonesian economic history

Clifford Geertz was best known for his pioneering excursions into symbolic or interpretive anthropology, especially in relation to Indonesia. Less well recognised are his stimulating explorations of the modern economic history of Indonesia. His thinking on the interplay of economics and culture was most fully and vigorously expounded in Agricultural Involution. That book deployed a succinctly packaged past in order to solve a pressing contemporary puzzle, Java's enduring rural poverty and apparent social immobility. Initially greeted with acclaim, later and ironically the book stimulated the deep and multi-layered research that in fact led to the eventual rejection of Geertz's central contentions. But the veracity or otherwise of Geertz's inventive characterisation of Indonesian economic development now seems irrelevant; what is profoundly important is the extraordinary stimulus he gave to a generation of scholars to explore Indonesia's modern economic history with a depth and intensity previously unimaginable.

Review of 'Interpreting the Renaissance' by Manfredo Tafuri, translated by Daniel Sherer

Review of the English edition of Manfredo Tafuri's Ricerca del rinascimento (1992), translated by Daniel Sherer and published in 2006 as Interpreting the Renaissance.

Spectral properties of the tandem Jackson network, seen as a quasi-birth-and-death process

Quasi-birth-and-death (QBD) processes with infinite “phase spaces” can exhibit unusual and interesting behavior. One of the simplest examples of such a process is the two-node tandem Jackson network, with the “phase” giving the state of the first queue and the “level” giving the state of the second queue. In this paper, we undertake an extensive analysis of the properties of this QBD. In particular, we investigate the spectral properties of Neuts’s R-matrix and show that the decay rate of the stationary distribution of the “level” process is not always equal to the convergence norm of R. In fact, we show that we can obtain any decay rate from a certain range by controlling only the transition structure at level zero, which is independent of R. We also consider the sequence of tandem queues that is constructed by restricting the waiting room of the first queue to some finite capacity, and then allowing this capacity to increase to infinity. We show that the decay rates for the finite truncations converge to a value, which is not necessarily the decay rate in the infinite waiting room case. Finally, we show that the probability that the process hits level n before level 0 given that it starts in level 1 decays at a rate which is not necessarily the same as the decay rate for the stationary distribution.

Impact of Commercial Search Engines and International Databases on Engineering Teaching and Research

For the last three decades, the engineering higher education and professional environments have been completely transformed by the "electronic/digital information revolution" that has included the introduction of personal computer, the development of email and world wide web, and broadband Internet connections at home. Herein the writer compares the performances of several digital tools with traditional library resources. While new specialised search engines and open access digital repositories may fill a gap between conventional search engines and traditional references, these should be not be confused with real libraries and international scientific databases that encompass textbooks and peer-reviewed scholarly works. An absence of listing in some Internet search listings, databases and repositories is not an indication of standing. Researchers, engineers and academics should remember these key differences in assessing the quality of bibliographic "research" based solely upon Internet searches.

Turbulence in Hydraulic Jumps: Experimental Measurements

A hydraulic jump is the transition from a supercritical open channel flow to a subcritical regime. It is characterised by a highly turbulent flow with macro-scale vortices, some kinetic energy dissipation and a bubbly two-phase flow structure. New air-water flow measurements were performed in hydraulic jump flows for a range of inflow Froude numbers. The experiments were conducted in a large-size facility using two types of phase-detection intrusive probes: i.e., single-tip and double-tip conductivity probes. These were complemented by some measurements of free-surface fluctuations using ultrasonic displacement meters. The present study was focused on the turbulence characteristics of hydraulic jumps with partially-developed inflow conditions. The void fraction measurements showed the presence of an advective diffusion shear layer in which the void fractions profiles matched closely an analytical solution of the advective diffusion equation for air bubbles. The present results highlighted some influence of the inflow Froude number onto the air bubble entrainment process. At the largest Froude numbers, the advected air bubbles were more thoroughly dispersed vertically, and larger amount of air bubbles were detected in the turbulent shear layer. In the air-water mixing layer, the maximum void fraction and bubble count rate data showed some longitudinal decay function in the flow direction. Such trends were previously reported in the literature. The measurements of interfacial velocity and turbulence level distributions provided new information on the turbulent velocity field in the highly-aerated shear region. The present data suggested some longitudinal decay of the turbulence intensity. The velocity profiles tended to follow a wall jet flow pattern. The air–water turbulent time and length scales were deduced from some auto- and cross-correlation analyses based upon the method of CHANSON (2006,2007). The results provided the integral turbulent time and length scales of the eddy structures advecting the air bubbles in the developing shear layer. The experimental data showed that the auto-correlation time scale Txx was larger than the transverse cross-correlation time scale Txz. The integral turbulence length scale Lxz was a function of the inflow conditions, of the streamwise position (x-x1)/d1 and vertical elevation y/d1. Herein the dimensionless integral turbulent length scale Lxz/d1 was closely related to the inflow depth: i.e., Lxz/d1 = 0.2 to 0.8, with Lxz increasing towards the free-surface. The free-surface fluctuations measurements showed large turbulent fluctuations that reflected the dynamic, unsteady structure of the hydraulic jumps. A linear relationship was found between the normalized maximum free-surface fluctuation and the inflow Froude number.

Experimental Analysis of Froude Number Effect on Air Entrainment in the Hydraulic Jump

A hydraulic jump is characterized by strong energy dissipation and mixing, large-scale turbulence, air entrainment, waves and spray. Despite recent pertinent studies, the interaction between air bubbles diffusion and momentum transfer is not completely understood. The objective of this paper is to present experimental results from new measurements performed in rectangular horizontal flume with partially-developed inflow conditions. The vertical distributions of void fraction and air bubbles count rate were recorded for inflow Froude number Fr1 in the range from 5.2 to 14.3. Rapid detrainment process was observed near the jump toe, whereas the structure of the air diffusion layer was clearly observed over longer distances. These new data were compared with previous data generally collected at lower Froude numbers. The comparison demonstrated that, at a fixed distance from the jump toe, the maximum void fraction Cmax increases with the increasing Fr1. The vertical locations of the maximum void fraction and bubble count rate were consistent with previous studies. Finally, an empirical correlation between the upper boundary of the air diffusion layer and the distance from the impingement point was provided.

Surface Waves and Roughness in Self-Aerated Supercritical Flow

In high-velocity open channel flows, free-surface aeration is commonly observed. The effects of surface waves on the air-water flow properties are tested herein. The study simulates the air-water flow past a fixed-location phase-detection probe by introducing random fluctuations of the flow depth. The present model yields results that are close to experimental observations in terms of void fraction, bubble count rate and bubble/droplet chord size distributions. The results show that the surface waves have relatively little impact on the void fraction profiles, but that the bubble count rate profiles and the distributions of bubble and chord sizes are affected by the presence of surface waves.

Evaluating Flexible Transport Solutions

Flexible transport services (FTS) have been of increasing interest in developed countries as a bridge between the use of personal car travel and fixed route transit services. This paper reports on findings from a recent study in Queensland Australia, which identified lessons from an international review and implications for Australia. Potential strategic directions, including a vision, mission, key result areas, strategies, and identified means of measuring performance are described. Evaluation criteria for assessing flexible transport proposals were developed, and approaches to identifying and assessing needs and demands outlined. The use of emerging technologies is also a key element of successful flexible transport services.

Self-Similarity of Air-Water Flows in Skimming Flows on Stepped Spillways

Skimming flows on stepped spillways are characterised by a significant rate of turbulent dissipation on the chute. Herein an advanced signal processing of traditional conductivity probe signals is developed to provide further details on the turbulent time and length scales. The technique is applied to a 22° stepped chute operating with flow Reynolds numbers between 3.8 and 7.1 E+5. The new correlation analyses yielded a characterisation of large eddies advecting the bubbles. The turbulent length scales were related to the characteristic depth Y90. Some self-similar relationships were observed systematically at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. These included the distributions of void fraction, bubble count rate, interfacial velocity and turbulence level, and turbulence time and length scales. The self-similarity results were significant because they provided a picture general enough to be used to characterise the air-water flow field in prototype spillways.

Clustering Process Analysis in a Large-Size Dropshaft and in a Hydraulic Jump

Recent efforts in the characterization of air-water flows properties have included some clustering process analysis. A cluster of bubbles is defined as a group of two or more bubbles, with a distinct separation from other bubbles before and after the cluster. The present paper compares the results of clustering processes two hydraulic structures. That is, a large-size dropshaft and a hydraulic jump in a rectangular horizontal channel. The comparison highlighted some significant differences in clustering production and structures. Both dropshaft and hydraulic jump flows are complex turbulent shear flows, and some clustering index may provide some measure of the bubble-turbulence interactions and associated energy dissipation.

Knowing your allies: Medical education and interprofessional exposure

Collaborative, team-based, interprofessional approaches to patient management are becoming increasingly recognized as beneficial to health outcomes. This project aimed to develop interprofessional skills among 134 third year medical students that were of clinical educational value to the students, and through activities that directly benefited the rural health professionals in their daily work. Placements were undertaken during a six week rural clinical attachment, mainly throughout South-West Queensland. Pre- and post-placement self-report questionnaires completed by both students and health professionals were used to evaluate the project. Results showed that over 80% of the health professional group reported the medical student placements were useful. Similarly, almost 80% of medical students reported positive changes in their attitude to other health professionals from the placement, and 91% indicated they had derived clinical educational benefit from their interprofessional activity. Despite difficulties due to poor communication between the various parties involved, the project proved successful in improving medical students' skills, knowledge and perceptions concerning interprofessional practice, through a placement and educational project which delivered practical benefits to rural health professionals and rural communities.

Using the level set method to model endogenous lava dome growth

Modeling volcanic phenomena is complicated by free-surfaces often supporting large rheological gradients. Analytical solutions and analogue models provide explanations for fundamental characteristics of lava flows. But more sophisticated models are needed, incorporating improved physics and rheology to capture realistic events. To advance our understanding of the flow dynamics of highly viscous lava in Peléean lava dome formation, axi-symmetrical Finite Element Method (FEM) models of generic endogenous dome growth have been developed. We use a novel technique, the level-set method, which tracks a moving interface, leaving the mesh unaltered. The model equations are formulated in an Eulerian framework. In this paper we test the quality of this technique in our numerical scheme by considering existing analytical and experimental models of lava dome growth which assume a constant Newtonian viscosity. We then compare our model against analytical solutions for real lava domes extruded on Soufrière, St. Vincent, W.I. in 1979 and Mount St. Helens, USA in October 1980 using an effective viscosity. The level-set method is found to be computationally light and robust enough to model the free-surface of a growing lava dome. Also, by modeling the extruded lava with a constant pressure head this naturally results in a drop in extrusion rate with increasing dome height, which can explain lava dome growth observables more appropriately than when using a fixed extrusion rate. From the modeling point of view, the level-set method will ultimately provide an opportunity to capture more of the physics while benefiting from the numerical robustness of regular grids.

Examination into the accuracy of exchangeable cation measurement in saline soils

Despite the increasing prevalence of salinity world-wide, the measurement of exchangeable cation concentrations in saline soils remains problematic. Two soil types (Mollisol and Vertisol) were equilibrated with a range of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) solutions at various ionic strengths. The concentrations of exchangeable cations were then determined using several different types of methods, and the measured exchangeable cation concentrations compared to reference values. At low ionic strength (low salinity), the concentration of exchangeable cations can be accurately estimated from the total soil extractable cations. In saline soils, however, the presence of soluble salts in the soil solution precludes the use of this method. Leaching of the soil with a pre-wash solution (such as alcohol) was found to effectively remove the soluble salts from the soil, thus allowing the accurate measurement of the effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC). However, the dilution associated with this pre-washing increased the exchangeable Ca concentrations while simultaneously decreasing exchangeable Na. In contrast, when calculated as the difference between the total extractable cations and the soil solution cations, good correlations were found between the calculated exchangeable cation concentrations and the reference values for both Na (Mollisol: y=0.873x and Vertisol: y=0.960x) and Ca (Mollisol: y=0.901x and Vertisol: y=1.05x). Therefore, for soils with a soil solution ionic strength greater than 50 mM (electrical conductivity of 4 dS/m) (in which exchangeable cation concentrations are overestimated by the assumption they can be estimated as the total extractable cations), concentrations can be calculated as the difference between total extractable cations and soluble cations.