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A piezo-actuated nanopositioning stage based on spatial parasitic motion principle
No full textThis paper presents the configuration, design, and characteristic analysis of a novel two-degree-of-freedom stick-slip nanopositioning stage based on the spatial parasitic motion principle. The planar-spatial evolution process is proposed to develop a compliant tripod mechanism by which the spatial parasitic motion can be generated for dual-axis actuation. An X-shaped hinge configuration is designed by freedom and constraint space analysis and introduced to the mechanism to improve the loading capacity of the nanopositioning stage. The actuation principle for driving along X- and Y-directions forward and backward is provided. The chain-based compliance matrix method is adopted for kinematic and static modeling of the compliant tripod mechanism. The dominant parameters are determined based on sensitivity analysis, and the performance of the stage is further studied by finite element method. The nanopositioning stage prototype is fabricated and assembled, and experimental investigations are conducted. The proposed nanopositioning stage has maximum velocities of 0.77 mm/s and 1.03 mm/s along X- and Y-direction, and a loading capacity of 5 kg can be achieved. Furthermore, the coarse-fine positioning experiments are carried out, and the positioning resolution is measured to be 18 nm
Incorporating citizen preferences into the design of effective peace settlements
No full textThis paper describes the use of conjoint survey experiments to identify citizen preferences with respect to a possible peace agreement in Cyprus and a border agreement in Northern Ireland. The recommendations offered in the conclusion emphasize the flexibility of the method and its transferability to other conflict settings. Results also suggest ways of reinvigorating stalled peace negotiations (Cyprus) or improving past deals (Good Friday Agreement/Brexit-Northern Ireland) and can help contending groups and mediators identify potential zones of agreement by revealing areas where contending groups’ preferences overlap or differ and where possible trade-offs exist that could lead to greater consensus. Conjoint experiment results can be presented in the form of visual opinion maps and incorporated into interactive software applications. Such applications allow policymakers and the public to examine the elements of peace settlement packages to assess their degree of support by different communities and to evaluate communities’ readiness for peace settlements. Conjoint survey analysis thus serves as a powerful tool for identifying citizen preferences in discrete postconflict situations
Promoting quality inclusion in early childhood care and education : inclusive practices for each and every child
Get PDFThe quality of early childhood services relies on the knowledge, expertise and skills of early childhood leaders and practitioners. However, despite this shared recognition, the shortage of a well-prepared workforce across many countries is a major barrier to ensuring quality inclusion. This challenging reality indicates that preparing and supporting a high-quality workforce to promote inclusive experiences for all young children is still a priority.
The aim of this paper is to provide a synthesis of inclusive practices that can be used in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) settings to promote equitable and inclusive learning experiences for all children. The practices are described within five areas: Learning Environments; Instructional Practices;Relationships and Supportive Interactions; Partnerships with Families; and Professional Collaboration.
These practices, strongly supported by research evidence, are essential for achieving key goals of inclusion, such as development and learning; a sense of belonging and membership; and development of social interactions and friendships for all children. This paper will describe the practices that can be used in ECCE settings to support children’s inclusive learning experiences, and the benefits of using such practices for children, families, and early childhood practitioners. Additionally, this paper will consider the conditions that need to be in place for ensuring the successful implementation of inclusive practices. The field of implementation science has provided some useful research-based frameworks for understanding the drivers that support the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based practices in early childhood. Using an implementation science framework, this paper will consider the drivers for supporting the implementation of inclusive practices in ECCE settings. Examples include building the capacity of the early childhood workforce to apply inclusive practices effectively across
various learning environments; supporting leaders and leadership implementation teams in building an inclusive culture within ECCE environments and promoting continuous quality improvement through
assessment systems that monitor the application of inclusive practices.
Developing a shared understanding around high-quality inclusive practices and the drivers that support implementation can be an important step towards building consensus around a transnational
professional development framework to support the application of quality inclusive practices in ECCE settings. This paper draws from international research evidence on quality inclusive practices at the early childhood level that are essential for ensuring quality inclusive experiences for all children and their families and will consider policy implications for building quality inclusion for all
Multiple ergodic averages along functions from a Hardy field : convergence, recurrence and combinatorial applications
No full textDo digital technologies enable firms that prioritise sustainability goals to innovate? Empirical evidence from established UK micro-businesses
No full textThis article examines the importance of sustainability within firms’ strategic goals and its links with innovation in the context of micro-businesses. Micro-businesses provide an appropriate context for investigating this relationship because, while they tend to prioritise social and environmental goals, they are also more likely to confront resource constraints that can restrict their capability to innovate. Building on goal-setting theory and the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, we explore under what conditions established micro-business that prioritise sustainability goals are more likely to innovate. Using novel survey data on 4,649 established micro-businesses in the UK, we examine the enabling role of digital technologies. Our results suggest that owner-managers that prioritise sustainability goals are significantly more likely to generate new product and process innovations. Moreover, we find that this effect is stronger when micro-businesses adopt digital technologies. Digital technologies enhance the capabilities of micro-businesses strengthening the connection between sustainability goals and product and process innovation
Component stability in low-space massively parallel computation
Get PDFIn this paper, we study the power and limitations of component-stable algorithms in the low-space model of massively parallel computation (MPC). Recently Ghaffari, Kuhn and Uitto (FOCS 2019) introduced the class of component-stable low-space MPC algorithms, which are, informally, those algorithms for which the outputs reported by the nodes in different connected components are required to be independent. This very natural notion was introduced to capture most (if not all) of the known efficient MPC algorithms to date, and it was the first general class of MPC algorithms for which one can show non-trivial conditional lower bounds. In this paper we enhance the framework of component-stable algorithms and investigate its effect on the complexity of randomized and deterministic low-space MPC. Our key contributions include: 1. We revise and formalize the lifting approach of Ghaffari, Kuhn and Uitto. This requires a very delicate amendment of the notion of component stability, which allows us to fill in gaps in the earlier arguments. 2. We also extend the framework to obtain conditional lower bounds for deterministic algorithms and fine-grained lower bounds that depend on the maximum degree
. 3. We demonstrate a collection of natural graph problems for which deterministic component-unstable algorithms break the conditional lower bound obtained for component-stable algorithms. This implies that, in the context of deterministic algorithms, component-stable algorithms are conditionally weaker than the component-unstable ones. 4. We also show that the restriction to component-stable algorithms has an impact in the randomized setting. We present a natural problem which can be solved in O(1) rounds by a component-unstable MPC algorithm, but requires
rounds for any component-stable algorithm, conditioned on the connectivity conjecture. Altogether our results imply that component-stability might limit the computational power of the low-space MPC model, at least in certain contexts, paving the way for improved upper bounds that escape the conditional lower bound setting of Ghaffari, Kuhn, and Uitto
The overlapping effect : impact of product display on price–quality judgments
No full textProduct overlapping display is widely used in high-imagery ads, shopping websites, and retail displays. However, little is known about whether and how product overlapping display influences consumers’ use of heuristics in their decisions. The research seeks to fill this gap by examining the link between product overlapping display and consumers’ tendency to use price to judge product quality. Four experiments designed to address this question revealed that an overlapping product display increases consumers’ tendency to make price–quality judgments, driven by their lower perceived uniqueness of products and higher perceived product entitativity. However, this effect is shown to be dismissed when the product is hedonic
Building hope for the poor with digital services : providing prosperity, justice, and dignity for ALL
No full textPhotocatalytic degradation of methylene blue using sunlight-powered coordination polymers constructed from a tetracarboxylate linker
No full textHere, we report the preparation of three coordination polymers - [Mn2(btec)]n, 1; [Ce2(H2btec)(btec)(H2O)2]n, 2; and [Fe(Hbtec)(H2O)2]n 3 from 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid (H4btec). Physicochemical characterization of the coordination polymers were undertaken using microanalysis, X-ray crystallography, FTIR, PXRD, TGA/DSC, and UV/visible spectrophotometry to confirm the identities of the compounds. The Mn(II) centres in 1 exhibit octahedral geometry coordinated by six oxygen atoms and crystallizes in the monoclinic space group I2/m. In 2, Ce(III) centres adopt tricapped trigonal prism geometry, coordinated by three btec4-, three from H2btec2- and the oxygen from one coordinated water molecule. It crystallizes in the triclinic space group P
. 3 is composed of an Hbtec ion and two water molecules coordinated to the Fe (III) ion. The band gaps of 1, 2, and 3 are 2.87, 3.10, and 3.61 eV, respectively, while their hydrogen peroxide-assisted efficiencies for the photodegradation of methylene blue are 91, 94, and 100 % respectively. An active species trapping experiment showed that an increase in hydroxy radicals (•OH) explains the enhanced efficiencies and provide an insight into the mechanism of the photodegradation of methylene blue by the photocatalysts. Efficiencies of mixtures of 2/H2O2 and 3/H2O2 reduced only slightly over five cycles of use and PXRD data revealed that 2 and 3 were chemically stable over the three cycles. Overall, the coordination polymers could serve as potential candidates for industrial-scale methylene blue degradation in the aqueous phase
City cathedrals resourcing rural churchgoers : a study on the impact of the Exploring the Sunday Gospel programme
Get PDFOne understanding of Anglican cathedrals is that their ministry, like the ministry of the bishop whose cathedra they house, stretches beyond the city and embraces the whole diocese. The advent of digital and online technology has brought the ministry of cathedrals much closer to homes throughout the diocese. The present study examines the impact of the Exploring the Sunday Gospel programme developed by Liverpool Cathedral on the spiritual journey of one senior rural churchgoer who turned towards Liverpool Cathedral when her own rural church ceased to offer services during the pandemic. The data support the value of a programme designed to equip churchgoers to engage in depth with the Sunday Gospel before hearing the Gospel reading proclaimed during the Sunday Eucharist, whether in-person or online