A meeting concerned with UK science and technology investment was held at Chatham House, London, in November 2010. The UK science and technology research budget has been preserved at a fixed cash level whereas other areas of government face significant reductions in their financial support. This is in marked contrast to some East Asian countries, such as China, where investment in science and technology is increasing. The UK needs to change many aspects of education at school level and beyond to preserve its status as a first rate scientific country. It also has to solve the long-term problem, with some notable exceptions, of being unable to translate basic research discoveries into manufactured products. This article discusses the impact of these issues along with some tentative suggestions on how to improve these, with particular reference to the radiological sciences.
The significant energy consumption of non-domestic buildings has led to renewed interest in natural ventilation strategies that utilise the action of the wind, and the buoyancy of hot air. One natural ventilation element is the Windcatcher, a roof mounted device that works by channelling air into a room under the action of wind pressure, whilst simultaneously drawing air out of the room by virtue of a low pressure region created downstream of the element. A significant number of Windcatchers are fitted in UK schools where good indoor air quality is essential for the health and performance of children. The performance of a ventilation system in a school classroom is determined by its ability to provide ventilation in accordance with UK government ventilation, air quality, and acoustic requirements. However, there is only limited performance data available for a Windcatcher, particularly when operating in-situ. Accordingly, this thesis investigates the performance of a Windcatcher in three ways: First, a semi-empirical model is developed that combines an envelope flow model with existing experimental data. Second, measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, and noise levels in school classrooms are assessed over summer and winter months and the results compared against UK Government requirements. Finally, air flow rates are measured in twenty four classrooms and compared against the semi-empirical predictions. The monitoring reveals that air quality in classrooms ventilated by a Windcatcher has the potential to be better than that reported for conventional natural ventilation strategies such as windows. Furthermore, an autonomous Windcatcher is shown to deliver the minimum ventilation rates specified by the UK Government, and when combined with open windows a Windcatcher is also capable of providing the required mean and purge ventilation rates. These findings are then used to develop an algorithm that will size a Windcatcher for a particular application, as well as helping to improve the ventilation strategy for a building that employs a Windcatcher.
MOST MODELS OF CHOICE THREAT DECISIONS AS IF THEY OCCUR BUT ONCE. BUT PEOPLE ARE CONTINUALLY MAKING CHOICES, AND OFTEN THEY ARE ASKED TO MAKE SIMILAR CHOICES AT DIFFERENT TIMES. IT IS NOT UNUSUAL TO FIND CHOICE REVERSALS, IN WHICH A CHOICE MADE AT ONE TIME IS REVERSED AT ANOTHER. EVEN IF CHOICE REVERSALS DO NOT OCCUR, BECAUSE EXACTLY SIMILAR CHOICES SELDOM RECUR, GREAT INCONSISTENCIES IN CHOICE ACROSS TIME ARE READILY OBSERVABLE. TO EXPLAIN SUCH INCONSISTENCIES, IT SEEMS THAT ONE MUST POSTULATE EITHER A RAPID CHANGE IN PREFERENCES OR IRRATIONALITY (NOT MAKING A CHOICE BASED ON ONE'S PREFERENCES). THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES A ATTENTIVENESS TO PREFERENCES CAN SHIFT ABRUPTLY AS THE DECISIONAL CONTEXT CHANGES. SHIFTS IN ATTENTIVENESS, OFTEN ACCOUNT FOR CHOICE INCONSISTENCIES.
THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS TWO BOOKS--JUDGES AND THE CITIES BY G. L. CLARK, AND RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION, THE STATE AND CONSTITUTIONAL CONFLICT AMERICAN URBAN AREAS BY R.J. JOHNSTON--TO EXEMPLIFY THE DEVELOPMENT OF GEOGRAPHICAL ANALUSIS OF THE LOCAL STATE BY FOCUSING ON THE ROLE OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN THE STRUCTURING OF CITIES IN THE US. BOTH SUGGEST THAT PROGRESS IS POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY HINGES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEORIES OF HUMAN DECISION MAKING IN INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES.
