8383 research outputs found
Sort by
Enacting Remote Working in an Era of (Un)certainty: Care of Personal and Professional Self
Get PDFThis research explores the experiences of US based professional workers engaged in enforced remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a Critical Ethnographic methodology (Clair, 2003; Denzin & Lincoln, 2018; Given, 2008) underpinned by Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022; Byrne, 2022), it examines how employees in a large, US multinational company called OmniSat navigated the shifting boundaries between home and work life from March to September 2021. Data was collected through virtual semistructured interviews and digital instant chat messages, allowing opportunity for insights into
key themes such as corporate expectations, self-care, self-perception, and certainty/uncertainty. Reflexive practice (Bazeley, 2007; Behar, 1997; Denzin & Lincoln, 2018) was concurrently engaged with throughout the entire research process, with researcher
reflexive commentaries embedded in each chapter. The theoretical framework used draws from Foucault’s (1997; 1984; 1982; 1979) post-structuralist theory and Ball’s (2003; Ball & Olmedo, 2012) neoliberal performativity to explore how workers self-regulate under a corporate gaze, balancing autonomy with pressures to perform. The findings suggest that remote working reshaped the concept of the professional ‘self’, highlighting both opportunities for greater flexibility and autonomy and challenges such as isolation and the reallocation of domestic space for work. These experiences reflect broader uncertainties in a neoliberal employment landscape. This research contributes to an understanding of how professional and personal ‘self’ is continuously redefined in response to changing work practices, offering a critical perspective on the dynamics of power, performativity, and
resistance in contemporary work environments
Interwar Women: The Psychogeographic Nature of Detection in Golden Age Detective Fiction
No full textThis thesis theorises female detection psychogeographically. Through an examination into the very mechanics of spatiality, the overall argument unearths an inherently psychogeographic nature of detection within specific figures of female detectives within Golden Age Detective Fiction. A psychogeographic perspective unearths the influential nature of space, and its impact on the construction of gendered and social identity. Moreover, specifically female detectives as psychogeographers voice the shifting social and cultural position of women during the period. Engaging with the cultural, social and political influences of the time, the thesis analyses the spatially imbued nature of space, and the ways in which it effects the spatial, temporal and cultural performance of femininity throughout the period of 1918 to 1954. Examining individual decades, the thesis analyses the transformations of imposed femininity, and the ways in which hegemonic gendered behaviour embedded in physical space, influence and impose the formation and enactment of identity. Within these reformed notions of the feminine, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers’s female detectives directly exploit and manipulate the process of spatial influence. This process of feminine manipulation of imposed identity is encapsulated through the process of subversive detection methods embedded in psychogeographic means of expression. Overall, the literature voices a shift in female psychogeography as well as voicing the transformation in a woman’s place in society and culture during the first half of the twentieth century through the metaphor of detection
Validating the underpinnings of water corticosterone measurement for aquatic amphibians
No full textRaw data for the project: Establishment of consensual husbandry protocols for laboratory Xenopus laevis using novel physiological and behavioural techniques.National Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Researc
Revisiting Robert Louis Stevenson in the Pacific
Get PDFIn this Archive Case display, artists Simon Grennan and Soloman Enos re-examine the work of nineteenth century author Robert Louis Stevenson through dynamic graphic storytelling. Stevenson travelled to several Pacific islands before settling in Sāmoa in 1890. Referencing this time in Sāmoa, as well as Hawai’i and Europe, related items are brought together from the Museum's Pacific collections and displayed alongside historical publications of Stevenson's Pacific stories, set within new graphic remediations of these stories as comics by British and Hawaiian artists. The illustration-led display explores the journey of ideas across media (remediation) in the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, Robert Louis Stevenson’s fascination with ‘the foreign', and post-colonialism in the Pacific, including new poetry focused on Hawaiian, Samoan and European post-colonialism.
The display at the Pitt Rivers Museum celebrates work that is part of a wider research project 'Remediating Stevenson', led by a UK research team (Michelle Keown, Shari Sabeti and Alice Kelly, Edinburgh University; and Simon Grennan, Chester University), in partnership with the National University of Sāmoa. The project explores Robert Louise Stevenson's Pacific fiction, travels, and friendship with Indigenous Pacific communities. The Remediating Robert Louis Stevenson project is producing the first ever multilingual graphic adaptation of the three stories from Robert Louis Stevenson's Island Nights' Entertainments (1893). The project is also commissioning new poetry by indigenous Pacific authors, and developing a set of accompanying teaching resources for use in Sāmoa, Hawai’i and Scotland through participatory arts workshops and film-making.Remediating Stevenson: Decolonising Robert Louis Stevenson's Pacific Fiction through Graphic Adaptation, Arts Education and Community Engagement | Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council | Grant ID: AH/W007010/
WAT’s up? Exploring the impact of wearable activity trackers on physical activity and wellbeing: A systematic research review
Get PDFThe version of record of this article, first published in [Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science], is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41347-024-00442-6Wearable activity trackers (WATs) can facilitate engagement in physical activity. Yet, there may be an additional psychological impact, which can influence their effectiveness. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the impact of wrist-based WATs on physical activity and subsequent psychological wellbeing in healthy adults. The review was carried out using PRISMA guidelines and registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF). An initial search was conducted in December 2022 with a follow-up in October 2023. Databases included PsychInfo, PsycArticles, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus. Nine studies were selected for inclusion and reviewed. Most studies comprised white adults with an average age of 21.5 to 49 years. Participants were employed or students with a mostly normal BMI. Changes in self-efficacy for exercise, depressive symptoms, mental health and general wellbeing, quality of life and burnout were evaluated. Half the studies reported a WAT-related increase in physical activity engagement. Four studies assessed self-efficacy for exercise, with half observing an improvement post-intervention. Three studies assessed mental health and depressive symptoms with one observing improvement and two observing no change. The remaining studies included measures of burnout and quality of life, where only burnout scores improved one-month post-intervention. Although the quality of the studies reviewed was acceptable, only 4 included a suitable control/comparison group. Further, the measurement of psychological wellbeing varied considerably. In sum, the results indicate that the effect of WATs on physical activity and subsequent psychological wellbeing is understudied. Further research is required to fully elucidate these relationships.Unfunde
Rethinking concepts of special educational needs and disability in the primary classroom
Get PDF© 2024 The Author(s). Children & Society published by National Children's Bureau and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.This paper examines the outcomes of a disability awareness programme aimed at rethinking concepts of special educational needs and disability (SEND) with children aged eight to nine years old. Designed specifically for this research study, the work was undertaken in a mainstream primary classroom in England. Although research has been undertaken in this area, it is limited and often focused on children’s friendships. Drawing upon a disability studies in education lens, the study contributes to the literature through its use of interactive methods to elicit and deconstruct children’s thinking. The findings suggest that many children continue to hold deficit perceptions about SEND, rooted in medical model perspectives. However, carefully designed programmes which enable children to consider first-person experiences, and encourage the deconstruction of ableist discourses, can promote more flexible understanding and progressive attitudes towards SEND in childhood.UnfundedAAM archived and VoR upl to CR 24/10/202
Safeguarding care home residents and staff against infectious disease outbreaks: Development of a new toolkit
Get PDFThis document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in [Nursing and Residential Care], copyright © MA Healthcare, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/full/10.12968/nrec.2024.0038?checkFormatAccess=trueThis commentary introduces the PROTECToolkit (referred to as the “Toolkit”) which aims to address the relevant factors associated with infectious disease outbreaks and infection prevention and control (IPC) in nursing and residential care homes.Burdett Nursing Trus
The Routledge Handbook of Service User Involvement in Human Services Research and Education
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in [The Routledge Handbook of Service User Involvement in Human Services Research and Education] on [11/08/2020], available online: http://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Service-User-Involvement-in-Human-Services-Research-and-Education/McLaughlin-Beresford-Cameron-Casey-Duffy/p/book/9780367523565Criminalised people play varied roles in the development and delivery of criminal justice services and advocacy around the world, yet rarely feature in texts on service user involvement. The chapter explores how people with lived experiences of the criminal justice system are involved with, and too often excluded from, formal criminal justice knowledge production. We reflect on ‘leaders’ with lived experiences and how they produce, contribute to and constitute criminal justice knowledges. These reflections highlight the importance of being sensitive to the needs of people sharing their shame/trauma-invoking life experiences, offering substantial opportunities beyond volunteering or insecure contracts and real commitments to power sharing. As a single ‘user voice’ is not possible, it is also important that a range of perspectives are represented from activist/practitioner to managerial levels. Importantly, this should include black and minority ethnic men and women, who are overrepresented as recipients of punishment and underrepresented as leaders and influencers, with or without lived experience.UnfundedChapter uploaded to CR late. 18-month embargo had expired when chapter was uploaded. FOA date - 18/11/2024 as this is when the chapter was first made OA on C
Vitamin B12 status in health and disease: a critical review. Diagnosis of deficiency and insufficiency – clinical and laboratory pitfalls
Get PDFVoR added to record 23/01/2024
Optimization of nonstandard Tripping Protection Scheme for radial and meshed power networks with distributed generation systems
Get PDFThe operation of modern distribution networks (DNs) tackles serious challenges due to the integration of distributed generations (DGs). The protection scheme is one of these challenges. Particularly, the occurrence of bi-directional short-circuit current flow that affects the reliability, sensitivity and selectivity of traditional overcurrent relays (OCRs). In addition, the future distribution system with DGs is expected that will be occupied by the meshed networks alongside the classical radial design and alternating between the grid-connected and islanded mode, for enhancing their reliability.
The purpose of the present thesis is to introduce practicable protection proposals for such implementations and address pertinent protection issues. In this context, a comprehensive literature review has been introduced in the present thesis critically. The main contribution of this thesis is the introduction of advanced non-standard methods for addressing the coordination problem of OCRs in DNs with a growing integration of DGs in the power system.
Firstly, this thesis presents a novel optimal OCR coordination scheme developed using the non-standard current characteristics (NSTCCs) approach. This approach is specifically designed to adjust OCRs. The proposed equation is contingent on a variable dynamic coefficient based on a logarithmic function curve for improving the flexibility of the curve, thus the optimal coordination between OCRs has been obtained throughout different fault modes. For enhancing the performance of the proposed approach on the OCRs coordination in the DNs, two optimization techniques, namely, the genetic algorithm (GA) and hybrid gravitational search algorithm–sequential quadratic programming (GSA-SQP) have been employed. Moreover, Due to the proposed equation including only one variable coefficient, the NSTCCs has efficaciously contributed to reducing the number of constraints to eliminate significant constraints numbers in the coordination between the overcurrent protective relays. Radial networks, including IEEE 9-bus and IEC MG systems as benchmark as well as meshed networks, namely, IEEE 9 and 30-bus systems have been used to test the proposed protection scheme. The results of the proposed optimal OCRs coordination scheme have been compared to standard and nonstandard characteristics reported in the literature. The results showed a significant improvement in terms of the protection system selectivity and reliability by minimizing the operating time (OT) of OCRs, ensuring the coordination between primary and backup relays and demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method throughout minimum and maximum fault modes.
For radial networks based on GA, the reduction percentages of tripping time by using NSTCCs for IEC MG benchmark without DGs (mode 1), DN with DGs (mode 2) and islanded mode (mode 3) compared to the lowest OT value obtained from literature are 42.24%, 60% and 54.74%, respectively. In addition, for the IEEE9-bus radial network, the comparison is between the proposed NSTCCs, standard current characteristics (STCCs) and nonstandard scheme (NSS) recorded in the literature. The overall OT of proposed NSTCCs on mod 1, mode 2 and mode 3 is reduced by 12.06%, 17.33% and 13.55%, respectively compared to STCCs, while it is reduced by 7.05%, 9.91% and 11.42%, respectively compared to NSS. For meshed networks based on the hybrid GSA–SQP algorithm, the NSTCC approach improves the coordination interval time (CTI) between the primary and backup relays. For IEEE 9-bus system meshed network, the sum of CTI values is reduced compared to the sum of CTI values in ref from literature by 16.87%. The OT of proposed NSTCCs is reduced by 78.97% compared to STCC and 21.33% compared to NSS. Furthermore, the NSTCC decreased the total OT in the meshed 30-bus test system by 54.4% and 37.9% compared to the literature methods STCC and NSS, respectively. The suggested NSTCC technique is an important development that could greatly enhance the reliability and selectivity of power systems.
Secondly, this thesis investigates the impact of immoderate fault current owing to the presence of DGs on traditional IEC characteristics. The shape of these characteristics has been adjusted to obtain such characteristics. The non-standard characteristics approach (N-SCA) has been proposed for optimal coordination of OCRs installed in DNs by extending the IEC normal inverse characteristics to fifty plug setting multiplier (PSM). Furthermore, an artificial intelligence hybrid algorithm based on water cycle moth flame optimization (HWCMFO) has been proposed as a new optimization technique in OCRs coordination protection to optimize the maximum PSM limits. Several modes have been implemented and tested with an IEC MG benchmark and carried out in MATLAB and NEPLAN software, the obtained results have illustrated the effectiveness and applicability of N-SCA based on the HWCMFO technique considering the limitation of IEC characteristics. The N-SCA outperforms the conventional approach for various fault locations in the several operational modes.
For mode 1, mode 2 and mode 3, the total OT is reduced by 6.32%, 5.61% and only 0.35%, respectively. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique is used for comparative purposes. Using the HWCMFO technique reduced the computing speed compared to PSO by 86.59% for mode 1, 29.69% for mode 2 and 89.18% for islanded mode. Moreover, the best cost function values of the proposed HWCMFO technique is reached at less than the PSO technique for all operational modes. For mode1, mode 2 and mode 3, it is reduced by 74.26%, 63.39% and 65%, respectively. Therefore, it is demonstrated that the presented HWCMFO algorithm is suitable for identifying the global minimum objective function value in the OCR coordination
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage ChesterRep? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!