scholarly journals Colin James Pennycuick. 11 June 1933—9 December 2019

Author(s):  
Geoffrey Spedding ◽  
Anders Hedenström

Colin Pennycuick was almost single-handedly responsible for the successful, and continuing, merger of the engineering and mathematical sciences of aerodynamics and flight mechanics with ornithology, ecology and bird flight behaviour. He developed a mathematical/ aerodynamical/ecological model of bird flight that could explain and predict bird body and wing shapes and sizes, and hence flight behaviour over a broad range of length- and time-scales, for real birds. He sought to bring rigorous quantitative methods to the people, and insisted that no matter how complex and sophisticated a theoretical model may be, unless it showed some improvement and advance in its practical utility, then it was of questionable value. He similarly insisted that model predictions be testable, and that results be openly and quantifiably given. His approach was marked by two distinct characteristics: first he pioneered the use of small aircraft and powered and unpowered gliders to follow soaring and migrating birds in their natural environment, exploiting his top-level pilot skills; second, he invented, designed and built novel instrumentation for making hitherto unheard-of laboratory and field measurements. The most well-known were his tilting wind tunnels, in which birds and bats could be trained to perform steady gliding flight. His intellectually and geographically-broad range of interests and contacts led to his being a giant influence in theoretical and practical bird flight mechanics and behaviour, one that is likely to stay with us for many decades.

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1723) ◽  
pp. 3380-3386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nir Sapir ◽  
Nir Horvitz ◽  
Martin Wikelski ◽  
Roni Avissar ◽  
Yitzhak Mahrer ◽  
...  

Aerial migrants commonly face atmospheric dynamics that may affect their movement and behaviour. Specifically, bird flight mode has been suggested to depend on convective updraught availability and tailwind assistance. However, this has not been tested thus far since both bird tracks and meteorological conditions are difficult to measure in detail throughout extended migratory flyways. Here, we applied, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive numerical atmospheric simulations by mean of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) to study how meteorological processes affect the flight behaviour of migrating birds. We followed European bee-eaters ( Merops apiaster ) over southern Israel using radio telemetry and contrasted bird flight mode (flapping, soaring–gliding or mixed flight) against explanatory meteorological variables estimated by RAMS simulations at a spatial grid resolution of 250 × 250 m 2 . We found that temperature and especially turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) determine bee-eater flight mode, whereas, unexpectedly, no effect of tailwind assistance was found. TKE during soaring–gliding was significantly higher and distinct from TKE during flapping. We propose that applying detailed atmospheric simulations over extended migratory flyways can elucidate the highly dynamic behaviour of air-borne organisms, help predict the abundance and distribution of migrating birds, and aid in mitigating hazardous implications of bird migration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Mirza Irwansyah ◽  
Cut Nursaniah ◽  
Laila Qadri

Meureudu Riparian in the past was a place of a collective settlements; it was then developed  to become a Meureudu City in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Initially, it was formed as traditional fishermen settlements but now has shifted into semi-modern settlements. However, the settlements developed sporadically to form an unplanned pattern of settlements. This condition resulted in low maintaining river and non-adaptive existence of the dwellings with the environment. Floods occur repeatedly in the river that affected great lost to the community. This study aimed to propose residential pattern design and adaptive settlements with Meureudu River riparian. Easy access roads to markets will facilitate economy growth to the people. This will also cause large numbers of unbridled migrants to enter and build settlements. In this study the a combination of quantitative methods based on interview data and questionnaires and qualitative exploratory methods based on field observation were used. The data were collected through observation, field measurement and secondary data sources. The results show that the condition of settlements along the river basin do not reflect the culture of the river. In order not to further aggravate the condition of the settlement and its impact on the occupants, we recommended two types of houses, namely in the form of stage and non-stage. The stage houses are located on the riverfront with an orientation overlooking the river. Additionally, undersea area can be used as security from the puddle of river water runoff during the flood and as a garden area and public while dry­­, while at a distance of 100 meters from the river non-stage houses form would be built because the runoff of flood water no longer affects the occupancy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Becciu ◽  
Michele Panuccio ◽  
Giacomo Dell'Omo ◽  
Nir Sapir

Atmospheric conditions are known to affect flight propensity, behaviour during flight, and migration route in birds. Yet, the effects of fog have only been rarely studied, although they could disrupt orientation and hamper the accomplishment of the journey. Soaring migrants modulate their flight speed and direction in relation to the wind vector to optimize the cost of transport. Fog could limit the visibility of migrating birds such that they might not be able to detect landmarks that guide them during their journey. Consequently, landmark-based orientation, as well as adjustments of flight speed and direction in relation to wind conditions, could be jeopardized when flying in fog. Using a radar system that operated in a migration bottleneck (Strait of Messina, Italy), we studied the behaviour of soaring birds under variable wind and fog conditions over two consecutive springs (2016 and 2017), discovering that migrating birds exhibited a wider scatter of flight directions and responded differently to wind conditions under fog conditions. Birds flying through fog deviated more from the mean migration direction and increased their speed with increasing crosswinds. In addition, airspeed and groundspeed increased in the direction of the crosswind, causing a lateral drift of the individuals. Furthermore, the response to tailwind was opposite to that predicted by optimal migration theory. Our findings represent the first quantitative empirical evidence of flight behaviour changes when birds migrate through fog and explain why low visibility conditions could risk their migration journey.


2009 ◽  
Vol 09 (04) ◽  
pp. 711-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. CAI ◽  
M. ARAUJO ◽  
A. NAIR ◽  
X. SHI

This paper presents field tests performed on a slab-on-girder pre-stressed concrete bridge. The bridge was tested under static loading, crawling loading, and dynamic loading. A full three-dimensional finite element prediction under both static and dynamic loadings was carried out and the results were compared with the field measurements. While acoustic emission (AE) monitoring of bridge structures is not a new vista, the method has not been fully exploited in bridge monitoring. Though numerous quantitative methods have been proposed, they have not yet developed to be useful for actual field tests of bridges. Therefore, in this study, an attempt was made to use the intensity analysis technique for damage quantification using the AE method.


Author(s):  
Dennis T. Kennedy ◽  
Dennis M. Crossen ◽  
Kathryn A. Szabat

Big Data Analytics has changed the way organizations make decisions, manage business processes, and create new products and services. Business analytics is the use of data, information technology, statistical analysis, and quantitative methods and models to support organizational decision making and problem solving. The main categories of business analytics are descriptive analytics, predictive analytics, and prescriptive analytics. Big Data is data that exceeds the processing capacity of conventional database systems and is typically defined by three dimensions known as the Three V's: Volume, Variety, and Velocity. Big Data brings big challenges. Big Data not only has influenced the analytics that are utilized but also has affected technologies and the people who use them. At the same time Big Data brings challenges, it presents opportunities. Those who embrace Big Data and effective Big Data Analytics as a business imperative can gain competitive advantage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1025-1035
Author(s):  
Christopher J Clark ◽  
Justin W Jaworski

Synopsis Animal wings produce an acoustic signature in flight. Many owls are able to suppress this noise to fly quietly relative to other birds. Instead of silent flight, certain birds have conversely evolved to produce extra sound with their wings for communication. The papers in this symposium synthesize ongoing research in “animal aeroacoustics”: the study of how animal flight produces an acoustic signature, its biological context, and possible bio-inspired engineering applications. Three papers present research on flycatchers and doves, highlighting work that continues to uncover new physical mechanisms by which bird wings can make communication sounds. Quiet flight evolves in the context of a predator–prey interaction, either to help predators such as owls hear its prey better, or to prevent the prey from hearing the approaching predator. Two papers present work on hearing in owls and insect prey. Additional papers focus on the sounds produced by wings during flight, and on the fluid mechanics of force production by flapping wings. For instance, there is evidence that birds such as nightbirds, hawks, or falcons may also have quiet flight. Bat flight appears to be quieter than bird flight, for reasons that are not fully explored. Several research avenues remain open, including the role of flapping versus gliding flight or the physical acoustic mechanisms by which flight sounds are reduced. The convergent interest of the biology and engineering communities on quiet owl flight comes at a time of nascent developments in the energy and transportation sectors, where noise and its perception are formidable obstacles.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemangi Kadlak ◽  
Pradeep S. Salve ◽  
Payal Karwade

The issues of women safai karamcharis are less discussed in academic sphere compared to male safai karamcharis and given minimum importance. These women face multiple problems at the family level, at the working places and in the society; their problems are largely unheard. In the light of this limitation, the present study aimed to give visibility to their problems and their coping mechanisms. It is a collaborative work of three different surveys conducted with 115 safai karamcharis women in Nagpur (60), Kalyan (30) and Mumbai (25) cities applying qualitative and quantitative methods in Maharashtra. The results revealed that women aged 19 years to 46 years are engaged in safai kam and majority of them are widowed or currently married. Almost three-fourths of women resumed this occupation through preferential treatment (PT) case and those of direct recruitment are because of their Scheduled Caste background. Health problems and discrimination at the workplace are common and most of the time neglected. There is a need to establish a strong bridge between workers and academicians who form the policies and welfare programmes for safai karamcharis in order to realize their real conditions and needs. In social sciences, theories of knowledge production have to be utilized for the upliftment or betterment of the people irrespective of the caste and gender.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thidima Umpawan

Objective:The design of OTOP exhibition centre was aimed to study the background and local lifestyle of people in Kra Isthmus, Ranong Province and OTOP exhibition centre design for Kra Isthmus to increase the value of community shop’s appearance in accordance with Thailand 4.0 policy which aims to promote Thailand’s economy to be an innovation-driven economy. Methodology:Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to conduct this study. The background and local lifestyle of the people at Kra Isthmus were studied by using the conceptual framework of ThidimaUmpawan.The survey was conducted with the participation between researcher and people from the community. Three models were created. 1st Prototype was Fon Pad Dad Si (eight months of rain and four months of sunshine) is interior design keyword. 2nd Prototype was Thammadha (normal) and 3rd Prototype was Tuk-mai (wooded shophouses). The design detail of each model consisted of location, organization management, behavior analysis of service provider and service consumer, correlation analysis, image, color schematic, material management, floor plan and other related plans, and perspective. Main Findings:The results from expert’s opinions on the all models showed that the appropriateness of the location was at the high level ( = 3.80 , SD = 0.60) as well as the organization management ( = 3.70 , SD = 0.65). The third model had the highest score among the three models in floor planning and merchandising ( = 3.45 ,SD = 0.62).Moreover, the third model could well represent lifestyle of Kra Isthmus( = 3.50, SD=0.60) and use appropriate material ( = 3.70 , SD = 0.52). The color schematic of the second and third models was at the average level( = 2.80 , SD = 0.60). The first model had the highest score in lighting design ( =3.20 , SD =0.50) at the average level. For the overall design, the third model had the highest score ( = 3.30 , SD = 0.62). Implications: As modern agriculture focuses on the management, interior design and technology, modern community shops are established. People in the community become the entrepreneurs who plant, process and sell their own products. Having unique style shop is one way to develop Kra Isthmus area to be Ranong’s cultural tourism area.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zulkarnain Zulkarnain

Food crops sector as producers of staple food for the people of Indonesia, so that this role can not be substituted fully by other sectors except food imports.Soybean crop is one of the staple food for the people of Indonesia that demand is increasing, therefore the government held a movement program Implementation of Integrated Crop Management (GP-PTT) to increase soybean production. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the relationship Movement Implementation of Integrated Crop Management (GP-PTT) in the increased production of soybeans in Rejo village Binangun Raman District of North East Lampung district. The method used is a qualitative and quantitative methods. The sample was 27 farmers were taken by systematic random sampling technic. Data analysis method used is the analysis method validity, reliability, and Spearman rank test. This research was conducted in the village of Rejo Binangun Raman District of North East Lampung district in April 2016. The results showed that the the factors related to business assistance in relation Movement Application Processing Integrated Plant (GP-PTT) with an increase in the production of soybean on variable business assistance, PPT technology component, group participation. The third variable business assistance, the variable component PPT technology, variable group participation are of marked meaning if the higher aid farming, technology components, and group participation, the interest of farmers for the higher soybean. Keyword: Integrated Crop Management, Production, Soybean Plant


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document