The aim of this paper is to review, briefly and selectively, some highlights of the progress made in the development of damping materials technology for vibration control, in the…
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to review, briefly and selectively, some highlights of the progress made in the development of damping materials technology for vibration control, in the past two decades, with particular emphasis on the developments sponsored by the US Air Force Materials Laboratory at Wright‐Patterson Air Force Base.
ALTHOUGH the University of Southampton has had an independent existence for ten years it has roots going back almost a century in the Hartley Institute. An early pioneer in…
Abstract
ALTHOUGH the University of Southampton has had an independent existence for ten years it has roots going back almost a century in the Hartley Institute. An early pioneer in aeronautics, F. W. Lanchester received his technical training in Southampton and the first of the new engineering buildings at the university has been called after him.
Richard A.E. North, Jim P. Duguid and Michael A. Sheard
Describes a study to measure the quality of service provided by food‐poisoning surveillance agencies in England and Wales in terms of the requirements of a representative consumer…
Abstract
Describes a study to measure the quality of service provided by food‐poisoning surveillance agencies in England and Wales in terms of the requirements of a representative consumer ‐ the egg producing industry ‐ adopting “egg associated” outbreak investigation reports as the reference output. Defines and makes use of four primary performance indicators: accessibility of information; completeness of evidence supplied in food‐poisoning outbreak investigation reports as to the sources of infection in “egg‐associated” outbreaks; timeliness of information published; and utility of information and advice aimed at preventing or controlling food poisoning. Finds that quality expectations in each parameter measured are not met. Examines reasons why surveillance agencies have not delivered the quality demanded. Makes use of detailed case studies to illustrate inadequacies of current practice. Attributes failure to deliver “accessibility” to a lack of recognition on the status or nature of “consumers”, combined with a self‐maintenance motivation of the part of the surveillance agencies. Finds that failures to deliver “completeness” and “utility” may result from the same defects which give rise to the lack of “accessibility” in that, failing to recognize the consumers of a public service for what they are, the agencies feel no need to provide them with the data they require. The research indicates that self‐maintenance by scientific epidemiologists may introduce biases which when combined with a politically inspired need to transfer responsibility for food‐poisoning outbreaks, skew the conduct of investigations and their conclusions. Contends that this is compounded by serious and multiple inadequacies in the conduct of investigations, arising at least in part from the lack of training and relative inexperience of investigators, the whole conditioned by interdisciplinary rivalry between the professional groups staffing the different agencies. Finds that in addition failures to exploit or develop epidemiological technologies has affected the ability of investigators to resolve the uncertainties identified. Makes recommendations directed at improving the performance of the surveillance agencies which, if adopted will substantially enhance food poisoning control efforts.
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Oualid Araar, Nabil Aouf and Jose Luis Vallejo Dietz
This paper aims to present a new vision-based approach for both the identification and the estimation of the relative distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and power…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a new vision-based approach for both the identification and the estimation of the relative distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and power pylon. Autonomous power line inspection using small UAVs, has been the focus of many research works over the past couple of decades. Automatic detection of power pylons is a primary requirement to achieve such autonomous systems. It is still a challenging task due to the complex geometry and cluttered background of these structures.
Design/methodology/approach
The identification solution proposed, avoids the complexity of classic object recognition techniques. Instead of searching the whole image for the pylon template, low-level geometric priors with robust colour attributes are combined to remove the pylon background. The depth estimation, on the other hand, is based on a new concept which exploits the ego-motion of the inspection UAV to estimate its distance from the pylon using just a monocular camera.
Findings
An algorithm is tested on a quadrotor UAV, using different kinds of metallic power pylons. Both simulation and real-world experiments, conducted in different backgrounds and illumination conditions, show very promising results.
Research limitations/implications
In the real tests carried out, the Inertial Navigation System (INS) of the vehicle was used to estimate its ego-motion. A more reliable solution should be considered for longer distances, by either fusing INS and global positioning system data or using visual navigation techniques such as visual odometry.
Originality/value
A simple yet efficient solution is proposed that allows the UAV to reliably identify the pylon, with still a low processing cost. Considering a monocular solution is a major advantage, given the limited payload and processing power of such small vehicles.
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Under the Defence (Sale of Food) Regulations, 1943, the Minister of Food has powers to regulate the composition of foods, to control the labelling of them, and, in some measure…
Abstract
Under the Defence (Sale of Food) Regulations, 1943, the Minister of Food has powers to regulate the composition of foods, to control the labelling of them, and, in some measure, the advertising matter, in order to protect the consumer against the sale of inferior products and against misleading claims. Enforcement is in the hands of local Food and Drugs Authorities.
This paper does not pretend to introduce anything which has not been said at greater length before, but it may prove useful to the extent that it attempts to collect together…
Abstract
This paper does not pretend to introduce anything which has not been said at greater length before, but it may prove useful to the extent that it attempts to collect together associated aspects of the utilization of foreign literature.
M. Williams, D.I. Jones and G.K. Earp
Gives an overview of a research programme that aims to apply machine vision for guiding a small, unmanned helicopter during inspection of overhead electrical distribution lines…
Abstract
Gives an overview of a research programme that aims to apply machine vision for guiding a small, unmanned helicopter during inspection of overhead electrical distribution lines. Briefly discusses the background and requirements for aerial inspection of power lines and states the advantages of using a remotely piloted vehicle (RPV). Identifies the main obstacle to the use of RPVs in this application as the ’‘see and avoid” principle, which arises from regulatory requirements; it is the underlying motivation for the work described here. Machine vision and automated path planning offer a potential solution. Gives a brief tutorial of the principles involved and describes research in image processing and rapid path planning aimed at detecting and avoiding obstacles in the airspace of a small RPV. Also presents experimental results from a laboratory test rig which was constructed to assess the methods.
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Belinda Morrissey and Kristen Davis
This paper documents the case of a young girl who went missing from a country track in 1972. It considers the function of roads in her disappearance, and the importance and terror…
Abstract
This paper documents the case of a young girl who went missing from a country track in 1972. It considers the function of roads in her disappearance, and the importance and terror of roads generally in Australia. For roads have a role in Australia that is vastly different to smaller, more populous nations. Roads in Australia are absolutely crucial to the maintenance and sustenance of society. So too are the cars and other vehicles we use upon them, but they are just as paradoxical in their effects. As Elizabeth Jacka and Susan Dermody (1988, p. 113) put it so plainly: ‘our cars kill us, and without them we would die’. The case of the girl who vanished from a road is not an unusual event in Australia. However, it has led to a conjunction of long-lasting effects, particularly on the community of Mackay, that are. The case has never been solved, not due to a desire to solve it, but ironically because of the very methods initially employed to do so.
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Maria J. Grant, Robyn R. Lotto and Ian D. Jones
The study aims to construct an understanding of professional academic writing network structures to inform organisational strategic investment in academic staff development.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to construct an understanding of professional academic writing network structures to inform organisational strategic investment in academic staff development.
Design/methodology/approach
Longitudinal social network analysis is used to examine the personal-networks evident in the publication portfolios of a purposive sample of four international academics across each quartile of the SCOPUS defined area of General Nursing's top 100 authors.
Findings
Trends in the publication portfolios of elite academics across gender, sector and geographic location are presented. In the first years of successful writing for publication, authors collaborate within a single highly connected co-author network. This network will typically expand to include new co-authors, before additional separate co-author collaborations emerge (three- to four- years). Authors experience steady growth in co-author numbers four- to seven- years from first co-authored publication. After a period of rapid expansion, these collaborations coalesce into a smaller number of highly connected groups (eight- to ten- years). Most collaborations occur within the higher education sector and across multiple disciplines including medicine, social sciences and psychology. Male co-authors are disproportionately represented in what is a predominantly female profession.
Practical implications
The development of extended co-author networks, locally, internationally and across the higher education sector, enable authors to attain the marker of achievement required by universities and government funding bodies, namely sustained output of academic publications. Identified trends support the inclusion of investment in academic time and resources in higher education institutions strategic and operational plans to enable academic staff to develop interdisciplinary professional networks. In focussing this investment on gender equality, female academics will experience parity of opportunity in achieving their organisational and personal goals relating to professional academic writing. Medium-term investment may be required before the impact of that investment becomes apparent.
Originality/value
This is the first example of social network analysis used to determine characteristics of professional academic writing portfolios over time. Findings inform the type and range of investment required to facilitate academic staff writing activities, specifically those publishing in the area of General Nursing.
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Dianne Ford, Susan E. Myrden and Tim D Jones
The purpose of this paper is using competing hypotheses (a spillover hypothesis, based on Engagement Theory, and a provisioning hypothesis, based on Adaptive Cost Theory) to help…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is using competing hypotheses (a spillover hypothesis, based on Engagement Theory, and a provisioning hypothesis, based on Adaptive Cost Theory) to help explain why employees become disengaged from knowledge sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
Employed knowledge workers completed an online questionnaire regarding their job characteristics, their general health and wellness, perceived organizational support, job engagement and disengagement from knowledge sharing.
Findings
The findings provide empirical support for Adaptive Cost Theory and illustrate the relationship between Engagement Theory and the Disengagement from Knowledge Sharing. In particular, this research illustrates the importance of health and wellness for preventing disengagement from knowledge sharing. In addition, the findings introduce a new finding of tensions between job engagement and knowledge sharing, which supports knowledge workers’ complaints of “being too busy” to share.
Research limitations/implications
This study uses cross-sectional methodology; however, the participants are employed and in the field. Given the theoretical arguments that disengagement from knowledge sharing should be either short term or transient, future research should follow-up with diary methods to capture this to confirm the study’s conclusions.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide some insight for practitioners on how to prevent disengagement from knowledge sharing. New predictors and an interesting tension between job engagement and knowledge sharing are identified.
Originality/value
This study examines an alternative explanation for the lack of knowledge sharing in organizations, and uses competing theories to identify the reasons for the disengagement from knowledge sharing.