19684 research outputs found
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Digging in their Heels:Understanding the Eco System for Women Entrepreneurs in Ghana and India
No full textEntrepreneurship and innovation have been key drivers in the assurance of economic prosperity for developing countries. Since the publication of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 there has been a real push to create a more sustainable world and drive up economic and social equalities. However, one of the tensions in the recent past has been around the discouragement of women from the developing world engaging with entrepreneurship. The authors of this chapter provide a historical discussion on how women from India and Ghana have enhanced themselves as entrepreneurs in the post Covid world from a Portuguese perspective
Electronic structure calculations on gallium-vacancy defects in Si<sub>1-x</sub>Ge<sub>x</sub>
No full textSilicon germanium (Si1 − xGex) has emerged as a mainstream nanoelectronic material and as such its defect processes and energetics are technologically important. In semiconductor alloys the interaction of intrinsic point defects such as vacancies with dopant atoms are critical for the physical properties of the material and impact nanoelectronic device performance. Gallium (Ga) is a p-type dopant in elemental and alloys group IV semiconductors and its interaction with vacancies can impact its diffusion and electronic properties. The gallium-vacancy (GaV) defect pairs are not thoroughly investigated in Si1 − xGex random semiconductor alloys. Here we employ hybrid density functional theory (DFT) to study the electronic properties and binding energies in seven compositions of Si1 − xGex. The prediction of the prevalent GaV pair in each composition is hindered by the large number of local environments that impact in turn the energetics of the defect pairs. To overcome this, we applied the special quasirandom structures (SQS) method and considered the lowest binding energy GaV pairs to the favourable one for every respective composition.</p
The Routledge Handbook to Rethinking the History of Technology-Based Music
No full textThis Handbook explores and critiques a new sonic reality – one which unearths new narratives that chart embryonic practices from the early twentieth century that have developed in parallel with accepted narratives of electronic music.Today’s musical and artistic practices within technology-based music represent radical changes in production, engagement and dissemination of all sonic arts for composers, musicians, listeners, media content creators and casual music users. Constant everyday exposure to electronic or processed sounds influences our listening skills and listening intentionality, and our ideas of what constitutes valuable sound experiences have expanded radically. What are we listening to? How and why? This new reality is also more inclusive, and technology-borne music now appears as the new folk music – unwritten, improvised and finding its own relevance unfettered by the traditional hierarchies of taste. It is also where black and Asian technology-based experimental music is emerging with its own sonic genealogy, where music is no longer limited to sound only but can be more fruitfully seen as a branch of media arts, combining diverse materials, techniques and tools into more holistic experiences
Intelligent Modelling Techniques for Enhanced Thermal Comfort and Energy Optimisation in Residential Buildings
No full textThis study examines the utilisation of sophisticated predictive methodologies to enhance the energy efficiency and comfort of residential structures. The ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II was employed to construct and evaluate machine learning models that were designed to predict thermal comfort levels while optimising energy consumption. Air temperature, garment insulation, metabolic rate, air velocity, and humidity were identified as critical comfort determinants. Numerous predictive models were assessed, and XGBoost demonstrated improved performance as a result of hyperparameter optimisation (R2 = 0.9394, MSE = 0.0224). The study underscores the ability of sophisticated algorithms to clarify the complex relationships between environmental factors and occupant comfort. This sophisticated modelling methodology provides a practical approach to enhancing the efficiency of residential energy consumption while simultaneously ensuring the comfort of the occupants, thereby promoting more sustainable and comfortable living environments.</p
Facilitating engagement:Individual meaning-making and relationship-based trust in women’s experiences of cervical screening
No full textCervical screening rates in the UK are declining. While previous research has identified barriers to screening uptake, less is known about why many women attend cervical screening despite these barriers. This qualitative study explores factors influencing cervical screening decision-making. Through reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n=44), two overall themes were developed: Perceived purpose of Screening and Experience of Screening. The analysis indicates that beliefs are central to decision-making and relate to individual meaning-making in relation to knowledge and information. The same information may be interpreted differently by different women and therefore impact cervical screening decision-making in different ways. Women associate cervical screening with pain, embarrassment and potential violation, but many choose to attend despite this. Trust, person-centred care and continuity of care are important for mitigating these negative perceptions and experiences. Implications of findings are discussed and include moving beyond knowledge-based public health interventions for enhancing cervical screening uptake
What Evidence Exists on the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy for Trauma-Related Distress? A Scoping Review
No full textBackground/Objectives: Trauma-related distress poses significant mental health challenges, with psychotherapy serving as a primary intervention. The Walters Method is a promising new alternative that may help where traditional methods fall short (i.e., in complex, or violent cases), but before it can be implemented widely, the existing evidence on the effectiveness of other psychotherapies for trauma-related distress must be mapped to see how and where it relates to other techniques. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of existing evidence on the effectiveness of psychotherapy for trauma-related distress. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to better understand the effectiveness of psychotherapies for trauma-related distress (including PTSD, acute stress disorder, or other serious mental health issues). Results: Thirty-three articles were analysed. Included articles included adults with PTSD, incarcerated women, childbirth trauma survivors, female survivors of sexual abuse, hospitalised COVID-19 patients, adults with serious mental illness, veterans and active soldiers, firefighters, and refugees. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy were most the studied and effective treatments. Prolonged Exposure and Narrative Exposure Therapy were less common but noteworthy. Other therapies, including psychodynamic approaches, are seldom studied but have proven effective when explored, highlighting knowledge gaps and potential missed opportunities. Success with these alternative approaches -- especially in complex trauma cases like intimate partner violence or child loss where EMDR and CBT may be less effective -- suggests they have potential, but further research is needed for validation. Conclusions: This review offers novel contributions to the field by emphasising innovative therapeutic perspectives that extend beyond traditional, more studied, evidence-based approaches such as CBT and EMDR, thereby expanding treatment options for diverse clinical presentations. Alternative therapies show promise, particularly for complex trauma cases like intimate partner violence or child loss where established approaches may be less effective; however, further research is needed to validate their efficacy across diverse populations. Selection of psychotherapy should be based on clients’ goals, comfort, cultural and contextual compatibility between the person and intervention. Future research should prioritise underexplored therapies to address current knowledge gaps and improve treatment accessibility for varied clinical needs
Highly Efficient Asymmetric Power Division and System-Level Integration for Millimeter-Wave SWIPT:Theory, Design, and Experiment
No full textTraditionally, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) has employed equal power division between the communication and rectification paths. However, this symmetric approach is suboptimal, as the power requirements for information decoding and energy harvesting are inherently different, leading to energy inefficiencies. To overcome this limitation, we propose and experimentally validate an asymmetric power divider and system-integrated design for millimeter wave (mmWave) SWIPT. The proposed system integrates an asymmetrically allocated power divider, a 4 × 4 circularly polarized (CP) receiving antenna array with a 36.1% impedance bandwidth, a 30.2% axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW), and a 19.6 dBic peak gain, together with a wideband, highefficiency rectifier circuit. The measurement results demonstrate that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of both the 28 GHz modulated signal and continuous wave (CW) signal at the communication port exceeds 56 dB. At the rectifier port, a maximum RF-to-DC conversion efficiency of 60.5% is achieved when the input power is 18 dBm. This work presents the first system-level experimental verification of a SWIPT system with asymmetric power division operating in the mmWave band. The proposed design offers several advantages, including an adjustable power ratio, broad bandwidth, high gain, high RF-toDC conversion efficiency, and ease of integration. Therefore, it holds significant potential for future mmWave Internet of Things
Brief Report:Local–Global Processing and Co-occurrence of Anxiety, Autistic and Obsessive–Compulsive Traits in a Non-clinical Sample
Get PDFPurpose: Increased local-to-global interference has been found in those with ASD, AD and OCD, and as such, may represent a transdiagnostic marker. As a first step to investigating this, we aimed to assess the overlap in traits of these disorders in a non-clinical sample, and whether local–global processing relates to the traits of the three conditions. Methods: Participants (n = 149) completed questionnaires including the Autism Quotient (AQ), the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory (OCI-R) and the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and an online version of the Navon task. Behavioural metrics of interference and precedence were extracted from the task and correlated with trait scores. Results: We found moderate to strong correlations between the total scores for ASD, anxiety and OCD. Most local–global processing indices did not relate to traits. Conclusion: The study found evidence for an overlap in autism, anxiety and obsessive–compulsive traits in a non-clinical sample. However, local–global processing, as measured by the Navon task, did not appear to underpin symptomatology in the sample and could not be considered a transdiagnostic marker. Future research should investigate the value of alternate metrics.</p
Raising the value of VET through qualification reform:the Case of English T levels
No full textPoor quality VET is perceived to contribute to a lack of skilled workers, low productivity, and poor outcomes for individuals and society. Such economic failings are often attributed to the low value of VET, ignoring the equally low standing of many of the occupations VET serves. Raising the value of VET through qualification reform is thus problematic, as it fails to address this wider economic context. The introduction of new post-16 technical qualifications in England provides a pertinent and highly current lens through which to view such attempts at reform. T Levels were conceived as a ‘high-quality technical option’, designed to offer a pathway to employment in specific vocational areas alongside apprenticeships and to rival academic A Levels. This paper offers a critically discursive analysis of key policy documents associated with their implementation, and shows how the claims made for the qualifications’ inherent value exist in tension with their relational status within the English education system. Marx’s concepts of ‘use value’ and ‘exchange value’ illuminate this tension and suggest that without reform to other elements of the system, T Levels are unlikely to have an impact on the value of VET.</p
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