Update article: applicability of artificial neural networks to integrate socio-technical drivers of buildings recovery following extreme wind events

In a companion article, previously published in Royal Society Open Science , the authors used graph theory to evaluate artificial neural network models for potential social and building variables interactions contributing to building wind damage. The results promisingly highlighted the importance of social variables in modelling damage as opposed to the traditional approach of solely considering the physical characteristics of a building. Within this update article, the same methods are used to evaluate two different artificial neural networks for modelling building repair and/or rebuild (recovery) time. By contrast to the damage models, the recovery models (RMs) consider (A) primarily social variables and then (B) introduce structural variables. These two models are then evaluated using centrality and shortest path concepts of graph theory as well as validated against data from the 2011 Joplin tornado. The results of this analysis do not show the same distinctions as were found in the analysis of the damage models from the companion article. The overarching lack of discernible and consistent differences in the RMs suggests that social variables that drive damage are not necessarily contributors to recovery. The differences also serve to reinforce that machine learning methods are best used when the contributing variables are already well understood.

The Clothing of a Regency Poet, Lord Byron (1788–1824)

Byron was a best-selling poet and a celebrity with a notorious reputation. This article seeks to examine how his public image and private person were related, the part clothing played in the projection of his public image, and the degree of control he exerted over his body and his self-image. The article examines a number of sources relating to Lord Byron — his journals and letters, his poetry and public output, biographies, bills and accounts, paintings and illustrations, and the surviving clothing associated with the poet. From these a clothing narrative of the poet's early life, up until the time of his departure for Europe in 1816, can be constructed and examined in relation to the fashions of his era and the idiosyncrasies of the poet. Some of the surviving clothes are examined for their cut and construction and discussed in relation to others of the period. A companion article, dealing with his life abroad until the time of his death in 1824, will follow at a later date.

A Critical Review of Ground Based Observations of Earthquake Precursors

We aim at giving a short review of the seismo-associated phenomena detected on ground that in recent years have been investigated as possible earthquake precursors. The paper comes together with a companion article–published on this same volume by Picozza et al., 2021–devoted to summarize the space-based observation of earthquake–precursors by satellites missions. In the present work, we give an overview of the observations carried out on ground in order to identify earthquake precursors by distinguishing them from the large background constituted by both natural non-seismic and artificial sources. We start discussing the measurements of mechanical parameters and variations of geochemical fluids detected before earthquakes; then we review thermal and atmospheric oscillations; finally, observations of electromagnetic and ionospheric parameters possibly related to the occurrence of impeding earthquakes are discussed. In order to introduce a so large field of research, we focus only on some main case studies and statistical analyses together with the main hypotheses and models proposed in literature in order to explain the observed phenomenology.

Experimental Investigation of Gas Turbine Axial Diffuser Performance: Part II — Effect of Inlet Flow Profiles at On- and Off-Design Conditions

An experimental investigation of the effect of inlet flow conditions and improved geometries on the performance of modern axial exhaust diffusers of gas turbines has been completed. The first article in the two-part series [1] leveraged a scaled model to examine parametric variations in both diffuser geometry and inlet flow conditions with the latter having significant consequences for diffuser performance. This second article pivots on the conclusions of the companion article and offers findings and physical insight on diffuser performance for on- and off-design inlet flow conditions. Using a high-performing diffuser design from the companion article, an experimental investigation is carried out with tailored distributions of inlet Mach distribution, inlet swirl angle, and inlet radial flow angle which are designed to replicate conditions of an industry diffuser at various loads. Six different inlet distributions were investigated including a design condition and five other conditions which feature mass flows both greater than and less than the design condition. The measurements were taken at near full-scale turbine exit Reynolds number (ReH roughly 39% of the value for an H-class diffuser) and at full-scale turbine exit Mach number. The study was accomplished in a blow-down, cold-flow wind tunnel facility, and measurements included 5-hole probe traverses at planes of interest, axial pressure distributions, strut pressure distributions, and oil-flow visualization. Over the range of inlet conditions studied, pressure recovery at the exit varied by up to 68.5% from that of on-design operation. Tracking of performance coefficients along the axial direction suggested the existence of flow phenomena which were in some cases able to be confirmed with on-strut pressure measurements and flow visualization. In addition to physical insight, the results presented here offer an experimental benchmark for the sensitivity of diffuser performance to inlet flow conditions.

Recent Developments in Calibration for Archaeological and Environmental Samples

ABSTRACTThe curves recommended for calibrating radiocarbon (14C) dates into absolute dates have been updated. For calibrating atmospheric samples from the Northern Hemisphere, the new curve is called IntCal20. This is accompanied by associated curves SHCal20 for the Southern Hemisphere, and Marine20 for marine samples. In this “companion article” we discuss advances and developments that have led to improvements in the updated curves and highlight some issues of relevance for the general readership. In particular the dendrochronological based part of the curve has seen a significant increase in data, with single-year resolution for certain time ranges, extending back to 13,910 calBP. Beyond the tree rings, the new curve is based upon an updated combination of marine corals, speleothems, macrofossils, and varved sediments and now reaches back to 55,000 calBP. Alongside these data advances, we have developed a new, bespoke statistical curve construction methodology to allow better incorporation of the diverse constituent records and produce a more robust curve with uncertainties. Combined, these data and methodological advances offer the potential for significant new insight into our past. We discuss some implications for the user, such as the dating of the Santorini eruption and also some consequences of the new curve for Paleolithic archaeology.

Using Think-Alouds to Uncover Expert-Novice Gaps in AAC Intervention Planning Skills

Because few studies have explored preservice speech-language pathologists’ (SLP’s) learning outcomes in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) coursework and clinical practica, there is a need to investigate student learning in this area. This article represents a portion of a larger study that explored the expert-novice gap in planning for intervention with children who use AAC. The companion article reports clinical reasoning skills, whereas the present study revealed intervention planning skills. The methods are the consistent with those reported in the companion article. In summary, eight novice (i.e. preservice) SLPs and eight expert SLPs completed think-aloud tasks while they developed intervention plans. Verbal data were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively. Eight intervention planning skills emerged from the data: selecting treatment style, planning activities, selecting or developing materials, planning teaching strategies, selecting targets, goal setting, collecting data, and feature matching. Considerable overlap across expert and novice performance was observed in some areas, while minor differences were noted in other skills. Expert-novice gaps were identified in two areas, developing a treatment style and feature matching. Familiarity with expert-novice gaps in intervention planning has implications for preservice instruction in AAC.

Non-neoplastic pathology at the crossroads between neck imaging and cardiothoracic imaging

The thoracic inlet is located at the crossroads between imaging of the neck and chest. It represents an important anatomic landmark, serving as the central conducting pathway for many vital structures extending from the neck into the chest and vice versa. Many important body systems are located within this region, including the enteric, respiratory, vascular, lymphatic, neurologic, and endocrine systems. A detailed examination of this region is essential when reviewing neck and thoracic imaging. This article will discuss the normal anatomic boundaries of the thoracic inlet and present an image-rich systematic discussion of the non-neoplastic pathology that can occur in this region. The neoplastic pathology of the thoracic inlet will be covered in a companion article.

Exclusion Criteria as Measurements II: Effects on Utility Functions

Background. Researchers often justify excluding some responses in studies eliciting valuations of health states as not representing respondents’ true preferences. Here, we examine the effects of applying 8 common exclusion criteria on societal utility estimates. Setting. An online survey of a US nationally representative sample ( N = 1164) used the standard gamble method to elicit preferences for health states defined by 7 health domains from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®). Methods. We estimate the impacts of applying 8 commonly used exclusion criteria on mean utility values for each domain, using beta regression, a form of analysis suited to double-bounded scales, such as utility. Results. Exclusion criteria have varied effects on the utility functions for the different PROMIS health domains. As a result, applying those criteria would have varied effects on the value of treatments (and side effects) that change health status on those domains. Limitations. Although our method could be applied to any health utility judgments, the present estimates reflect the features of the study that produced them. Those features include the selected health domains, standard gamble method, and an online format that excluded some groups (e.g., visually impaired and illiterate individuals). We also examined only a subset of all possible exclusion criteria, selected to represent the space of possibilities, as characterized in a companion article. Conclusions. Exclusion criteria can affect estimates of the societal utility of health states. We use those effects, in conjunction with the results of the companion article, to make suggestions for selecting exclusion criteria in future studies.

Distantial Ways of Knowing: Doug Blomberg’s Proposal for a Reformational Epistemology

This essay explores the Reformational epistemology proposed by Australian philosopher and educator Doug Blomberg in 1978. After locating his work in a tradition of holistic pluralism with regard to knowledge, I introduce the notion of distantial knowing, Blomberg’s key innovation. Blomberg uses this notion to identify and describe multiple ways of acquiring normative insight, ways that are not theoretical but do open up concrete experience. Although in agreement with Blomberg’s emphasis on the integrality and multidimensionality of knowledge, I raise questions about the role of analytic or logical knowing, the sociocultural mediation of experience, and the contributions of cultural practices and social institutions to knowledge acquisition. I return to these questions in a companion article on the social domains of knowledge.