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A narrative exploration of the experiences of children and young people who have returned to mainstream education following permanent exclusion
Get PDFMany children and young people experience permanent exclusion from school, for a number of reasons. The practice of permanently excluding pupils is associated with a number of negative outcomes and disproportionately affects minority groups and pupil views regarding this practice have been widely sought. Some children and young people who are permanently excluded are subsequently reintegrated to mainstream education, meaning they join a new school, usually following time spent attending an alternative provision setting. Whilst previous research has also sought to explore the views of reintegrated children and young people regarding their reintegration, there has been less focus on how children and young people experience the overall journey from permanent exclusion to reintegration.
In this study, participants who had experienced a reintegration to mainstream education following permanent exclusion from school were recruited and semi-structured interviews were used to explore their stories. Narrative inquiry was employed in order to capture the meaning that participants gave to their experiences through their educational journeys.
Key themes within each participant’s narrative were generated, highlighting the experiences they deemed to be most significant in their stories and the meaning they gave to these experiences. The study also explored how reintegrated young people construct a ‘successful’ reintegration to mainstream education and what factors they perceive to support them in achieving this, as well as how the journey from permanent exclusion to reintegration affected their perceptions of their futures.
The findings of this study provide rich insight into the unique Iens and perceptions of young people who have reintegrated to mainstream education following permanent exclusion. These findings are discussed in the context of previous literature and are used to inform a consideration of the implications for the practice of professionals who work with excluded and reintegrating children and young people, including school staff and educational psychologists
Advanced battery management system for electric vehicles with modular battery packs
Get PDFHigher voltage systems are becoming more common in electric vehicle (EV) technologies due to the convenience of quick charging. More series-connected cells in the battery pack are required due to the voltage rise. The two main issues raised by this transition are maximising power loss in the traction inverter due to higher voltage and guaranteeing that the voltage/ state of charge (SOC) remain balanced during rapid charging. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate these issues and provide recommendations for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of high-voltage EV battery packs. There are several cell balancing methods in the literature, but they don't offer flexible DC link for a traction inverter. For the purpose to provide a flexible DC connection voltage and ensure cell balancing for quick charging, this thesis offers a modular battery pack that uses a bypassed cell balancing topology. In this balancing method, the battery pack’s each module is linked to a pair of switches, typically MOSFETS. These switches enable the series or bypass connection for each module in a battery pack. The SOC estimation of a battery cell is the most challenging part of the battery management system. Thus, the voltage-based control algorithm is implemented to eliminate the need for SOC estimation, and the SOC measurement results indicate that lithium-ion (li-ion) cell voltage provides a good approximation of the SOC. The default li-ion battery cell model in MATLAB Simulink is optimised by using actual parameters of the cell. The parameters tuning of an equivalent circuit model of an induction motor is performed to develop an approximately realistic motor model.
The battery charger is designed to adjust its supply voltage because the voltage of the EV battery pack varies by using the proposed bypass cell balancing topology. Field-oriented control (FOC) is implemented to control the speed of the motor and provide the voltage amplitude required according to the speed of the motor. The controller adjusts the DC-link voltage according to the motor speed and provide adaptable DC-link voltage for the traction inverter while maintaining the voltage balance of the battery pack module.
The performance of the proposed modular battery pack is tested for voltage balancing, controller effectiveness, residual imbalance, and providing variable DC link voltage for a dynamic load condition using hardware in the loop and simulation to test the different scenarios of initial SOC or voltage imbalance. The result analyses of charging and discharging battery pack shows the proposed bypass balancing method achieved approximate zero SOC/voltage residual imbalance between series connected modules for rapid charging of 2C rate. The power loss assessments at the battery pack and traction inverter levels shows the proposed method reduce the overall system power loss and improved power efficiency
On prediction of residual stresses for additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V
Get PDFThe study of the mechanical performance of components produced via laser additive manufacturing presents several challenges. High thermal gradients lead to the formation of residual stresses, which can contribute significantly to the overall stress experienced by the components under service conditions, ultimately reducing their fatigue life. Drawing from the analogy between additive manufacturing and welding, a process model for Ti-6Al-4V based on finite element analysis has been explored. Using high-performance computing, it is possible to estimate the magnitude of residual stresses within the typical process window. The predicted residual stresses range from 300 to 1000 MPa for speeds between 200 and 1400 mm/s. The numerical studies indicate that they can be significantly reduced using a laser speed of approximately 800 mm/s, while the hatch spacing has minimal influence. Additional considerations and the experimental characterisation of the martensitic phase, a by-product of the process, are also discussed. The numerical results are validated using the Carlsson-Larsson theory, incorporating its most recent advancements, and by comparison with the existing literature. Lastly, a fatigue analysis incorporating residual stresses, surface roughness, and the width of martensitic laths is conducted, revealing a reduction in stress amplitude of approximately 200 MPa under very high load cycles
First-principles electronic structure and thermodynamic investigation on the α and β phases in Ti-O, Ti-Nb and Ti-Nb-O systems
Get PDFAs one of the most crucial metals of the 2
Development of a desiccant system for space air conditioning using metal-organic framework materials
Get PDFMetal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are very promising materials for improving the effectiveness of desiccant air conditioning systems due to their outstanding ability to adsorb moisture, adjustable features, and potential for sustainable heating and cooling applications. This study examines the incorporation of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) into desiccant systems to achieve energy-efficient control of indoor humidity and temperature, thus positively impacting occupants' health and comfort. Through a comprehensive literature review, several MOFs were identified and numerically and experimentally investigated in terms of moisture removal rate from air. MOF-303/G was identified as the best candidate adsorbent for this application. Various heat exchangers were considered, and the wire-finned heat exchanger was identified as the most efficient for coating with the identified MOF- 303/G. An advanced computational fluid dynamics model of MOF-303/G coated wire-finned tube was created using COMSOL Multiphysics software. This model accurately simulates the heat and mass transfer process between the MOF material and the air and the heat transfer between the MOF material and the metal heat exchanger under different operating scenarios. In addition, a novel heating process for the MOF-coated heat exchanger was developed utilising electrical DC to optimise the heat transfer and energy consumption. The developed DCHE's experimental testing confirmed the dynamic of the adsorption- desorption processes and validated the CFD model. The model-predicted water uptake during the adsorption process with the experimental measurements with time, showing good agreement with a maximum deviation of ±6% Use the developed MOF-303/G DCHE to construct the desiccant air conditioning system consisting of an array of DCHEs, a direct evaporative cooler, an air-to-water heat exchanger, ducting and an automatic control system. The system was tested to achieve the comfort conditions for a 2m3 room. Results showed that the developed system effectively attained the ASHRAE comfort standards by consistently maintaining a steady indoor environment with a temperature of 25-28°C and a relative humidity of 50-60% at air ambient conditions ranging from 10-35°C and 50-80% with system COP ranging 0.7-1.54. This performance illustrates the system's capability to achieve the target indoor comfort conditions with lower energy consumption. The desiccant air conditioning system significantly reduced power consumption for heating, with a decrease of 74%, and for cooling, with a decrease of 66%, compared to a 2 kW vapour compression air conditioner (split type). Such results highlight the potential of the developed system in terms of energy savings and independent control of indoor temperature and humidity for climate control in residential, commercial, and agricultural environments
Mainstream secondary school staff perceptions and experiences of working with alternative provision
Get PDFIn recent years there has been an increase in mainstream schools using dual registration with alternative provision (AP) to deliver education. There is limited research into the motivations and working relationships between these settings. The research presented here is an exploratory investigation that uses six semi-structured interviews to elicit the perceptions and experiences of mainstream secondary school staff, regarding their work with AP settings. It aims to understand staff motivations for using AP, barriers and facilitators to working with AP, and the existing perceptions held by staff. Situated within a critical realist research philosophy, Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) was utilised to complete both inductive and deductive analyses. The inductive analysis produced themes relating to the three guiding research questions. The deductive analysis uses the Reasoned Action Approach (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2011) to organise data visually under the categories of background factors, norms, beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. The data generates an understanding that school staff feel unable to support within the confines of their mainstream settings and hold a perception that AP possess components that they cannot provide. Barriers to working with AP were deemed to be the lack of regulation and guidance, the marketisation of the sector, and negative parent and pupil perceptions. Facilitators include positive parent and pupil perceptions, and regular, transparent communication. Overarching perceptions from staff developed themes such as: approach must be individualised; inconsistent experiences and lack of knowledge; and AP can be unequitable. AP was viewed largely as a hopeful alternative for students and the various factors impacting these beliefs and attitudes are displayed visually using the Reasoned Action Approach (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2011). It is highlighted that Educational Psychologists are in a unique position to foster the development of inclusive practices when considering any potential use of AP. Implications for policy, practice and future research are considered
Exploring the role, knowledge and confidence of educational psychologists in considering harmful sexual behaviours among young people in educational contexts
Get PDFIt has been highlighted that harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) and peer on peer abuse in schools occurs so frequently that it is viewed by children and young people as being commonplace, occurring in hallways, canteens, and playgrounds (Allnock & Atkinson, 2019; Ofsted, 2021). Despite this, HSB is an under-researched area within the educational psychology field, with little research seeking to explore the role of the EP within such casework, or their perceived knowledge of HSB and what it entails. This study aimed to contribute to this under-researched area by exploring the role, knowledge, and confidence of Educational Psychologists (EPs) in considering HSB among young people in educational settings across a national context.
EPs and Trainee EPs practising in England were invited to participate in a mixed methods survey. 82 responses were gained from those practising across England. Quantitative data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was utilised to explore qualitative data gained from open-response box questions.
Findings suggest a lack of consensus as to whether considering HSB is part of the EP role. A high proportion of respondents also perceive themselves to lack knowledge and confidence supporting schools with such casework. Notably, these findings emphasise the need for further training and input around HSB, its definition and constituting behaviours to aid EP practice. Further, these findings highlight the importance of multiagency working and having opportunities to learn and receive support from colleagues in differing services.
Findings, in addition to key implications for EP services/ practices, EPs and professional training courses are discussed, in addition to potential avenues for future research
Making sense of corporate communication about social and environmental impacts by listed state-owned enterprises
Get PDFThis thesis employed a case study approach to examine corporate communications of three listed state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Drawing on a study of corporate communications surrounding three crisis events in Thai listed SOEs: the oil spill, the ‘aviation safety concerns’, and the rice pledging scheme. Utilising the synthesis of sensemaking theory (Weick, 1995, p. 574) and communication constitutes organisations (CCO), a detailed case analysis of the corporate communications from four communication channels (annual reports, sustainability reports, press releases, and social media official sites), supported by interviews with organisational actors. The study identifies how organisational actors make sense of corporate communications surrounding those events, how the listed SOEs select to use reporting mechanisms in response to conflicting expectations, and examines the relationship between the corporate communications about disclosures relating to wider corporate social responsibilities and actions.
The study finds that sensemaking in the process of identity formation influences the use of corporate communication in listed SOEs. The formation of corporate identity is also shaped by organisational actors so that corporate communication can be linked with social and environmental responsibility toward significant corporate events. The results also show how the interaction and double interactions between corporate statements and stakeholders’ responses are likely to play key roles in the sensemaking process of organisational actors. Within the three cases presented, three periods surrounding the significant events were recognised. The analytical framework is used as a mechanism to analyse the change of identity-related communications in these three periods. The findings further illustrate how impression management was used as a tool in response to the issues. It is proposed that the responsibility and visibility levels of the issues, and the strength of identity are likely to play key roles in selecting impression management tactics and communication channels of these tactics.
Further, the study illustrates that the relationship between disclosures relating to wider corporate social responsibilities and actions of the three cases vary, depending on the way in which the organisations place communication as a tool to transmit or transform information. In particular, the study identifies two forms of relationships, namely organised hypocrisy and aspirational CSR communication. Such an aspirational CSR communication provides the performative potential to change organisations toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) improvements.
This study provides contributions by providing evidence on the sensemaking processes associated with disclosures relating to wider corporate social responsibilities and actions of listed SOEs. The theoretical framework on the synthesis of the sensemaking theory and the communication constitutes organisation (CCO) highlights how the inconsistencies in disclosures relating to wider corporate social responsibilities and actions can prompt organisations to develop their corporate social responsibilities. Moreover, this study offers a new perspective to explore factors influencing the performativity of communications of listed SOEs
Attitude is everything: The importance of Cyberpunk to contemporary society
Get PDFWe are living in cyberpunk times. Not just because we are reaching and surpassing the years in which notable cyberpunk texts set their futures, but because the conditions of contemporary society continue to fit those that inspired the arrival of cyberpunk fictions into the science fiction scene. However, cyberpunk analysis is still commonly rooted in the idea that the movement was an artefact of the late 20th Century, that its revolution failed and that its message can be defined entirely by the same core texts. This thesis disproves these beliefs, returning cyberpunk to the critical focus and embracing its varied nature to reveal its continued production and relevance to contemporary society. In this work I set out a new definition for cyberpunk, one which proposes an open conception of genre based on core elements to reject historicization and demonstrates this variety in a close study of early cyberpunk fiction; I then prove cyberpunk’s contemporary relevance, analysing its transmission into the real world and the damage it can do when appropriated by the tech elite; finally I analyse contemporary cyberpunk to show how it does more than imitate a dead genre, but reinvents its own style to reflect 21st Century concerns. Through this work I show how cyberpunk is still an important tool for understanding our contemporary society and how it should be returned to critical attention to best understand our relationships with cyberpunk’s technological and political interrogations of the world around it
Burials of the Byzantine Near East (Fourth-Seventh Centuries)
Get PDFResearch on burials of the Byzantine Near East has focused on a transformation from ‘pagan’ to ‘Christian’ beliefs, the simplicity of Christian burial, and exceptional examples. To date, a large-scale data study on the Byzantine burials of this region has not been undertaken. This thesis provides the first big data study on burials of the Near East between 330 CE and the Arab invasions in the seventh century. The study explores different aspects related to burial and their study: tomb types, cemetery organisation, human remains and their study, grave goods, inscriptions, and iconography. These aspects are situated in a series of case studies that show the value in careful and detailed analysis. Two chapters are also dedicated to the study of human remains, which is identified as a key weakness in the current state of Byzantine studies.
This thesis offers a systematic critique of current theories which view early Christian burials as simplified forms of burial that focused heavily on the new religion’s death beliefs and altered or opposed previous ‘pagan’ forms of burial. It stresses the need for a deeper understanding of what was fundamentally important to burial. This is carried out through a large-scale study that provides a general sense of the experience of death and burial to Byzantine people. This study demonstrates the agency of individuals related to burial decisions and allows for a discussion of societal trends in burial
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