47011 research outputs found
Sort by
Editorial Letter for the Special Issue on Power Electronics and Drive Systems for Aviation Electrification
No full textThe impact of speech rate on first- and second-stage prediction in L1 and L2 speakers
Get PDFWe investigate timing and eye-movement behavior during semantic prediction in L1 and L2 speakers of English using the Visual World Paradigm, additionally exploring speech rate. We differentiate first-stage predictions, considered to be automatic and relatively cost-free, from second-stage predictions, which are non-automatic and more cognitively demanding, with differences between L1 and L2 speakers believed to arise in second-stage predictions. We found no differences in the divergence of looks to the target in first- or second-stage predictions across groups. However, speech rate played an important role. Both L1 and L2 speakers showed similar first-stage predictions at slower speech rates, but L1 speakers showed earlier predictions as the speech rate increased. L2 speakers showed reduced and more variable second-stage predictions, suggesting they were impacted during the more demanding second-stage prediction. This may indicate a wait-and-see strategy to help reduce costs associated with second-stage prediction
Hematologies: The Political Life of Blood in India: by Jacob Copeman and Dwaipayan Banerjee, London: Cornell University Press, 2019, pp. 1–288. Price: $27.95 ISBN: 9781501745096
No full textRedeployment and changes in working patterns of healthcare workers during COVID-19 in the UK: a qualitative study
Get PDFBackgroundRedeployment was critical in addressing the increased demands of COVID-19 on the healthcare system. Previous research indicates that ethnic minority healthcare workers (HCWs), those on visas, and in junior roles, were more likely to be redeployed to COVID-19 duties compared to White UK-born HCWs. There is limited evidence on how redeployment was practically organized, preparedness of HCWs and the NHS for rapid changes, and the decision-making processes involved. This paper discusses HCWs’ redeployment experiences, their alignment with NHS policy for deploying staff safely, and potential links to staff attrition. MethodsAs part of the United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity And COVID-19 outcomes among Healthcare workers, we conducted a qualitative sub-study, between December 2020 and July 2021, consisting of interviews and focus groups with 164 HCWs from different ethnicities, genders, job roles, migration statuses, and UK regions. Sessions were conducted online or by telephone, recorded, transcribed and analysed with participants’ consent. We utilised the breadth-and-depth approach, initially identifying transcripts mentioning redeployment or changes in work patterns, followed by an in-depth thematic analysis. ResultsOf the 164 HCWs, 22 (13.4%) reported redeployment to a new role, while 42 (26.8%) reported changes in their working patterns. Redeployment experiences varied based on HCWs’ workplaces, skillsets, input into decisions, and perceived risks. Four themes were identified: 1. redeployment and the changing nature of work, 2. pandemic (un)preparedness, 3. redeployment decision-making, and 4. risk assessments in the context of redeployment. Our data revealed the practical realities of redeployment, including discrepancies between the NHS policy and actual practices, particularly early deployment without adequate training and supervision. The lack of planning and preparedness had an operational and emotional impact on HCWs, affecting their morale. Lastly, some HCWs felt disempowered and undervalued due to a lack of agency in redeployment decisions. ConclusionThis study highlights HCWs’ redeployment experiences during COVID-19, the conditions under which it occurred, and its impacts. The findings, although rooted in the pandemic, remain relevant for addressing staffing challenges in the healthcare workforce. We recommend future redeployment strategies prioritise HCWs' training and supervision, ensure strategic planning with clear communication and support for all staff, foster a sense of value among HCWs, and integrate an intersectional equity lens into workforce planning to improve staff retention and morale
Tobacco consumption, gender and caregiving: a case study in Argentina
Get PDFIntroduction This study investigates the gender-specific economic impacts of tobacco price increases, focusing on their effects on caregiving time, female labour income and total family income within Argentine households.Methods Using Argentine data, the research employs simulations to assess the potential changes in economic indicators following a hypothetical 25% increase in tobacco prices. The analysis considers specific behavioral assumptions to model household responses.Results Simulations indicate that a 25% increase in tobacco prices is associated with a potential increase in the average monthly labour income of female caregivers by up to 8.6% in the preferred scenario. This effect is attributed to an increase in the hours worked by female caregivers and a rise in female labour force participation, driven by a reduced need for caregiving hours due to improved health outcomes or changes in household dynamics related to tobacco cessation. Consequently, this also implies a 0.53% increase in the monthly per capita household income (PCHI). These positive economic effects are non-linear across the income distribution, with women in the lowest quintile experiencing a more substantial 0.64% increase in PCHI.Conclusions Tobacco price increases in Argentina may yield significant gender-specific economic benefits, particularly for female caregivers and low-income households. These findings highlight an additional economic rationale for implementing robust tobacco control policies, beyond direct health benefits, by demonstrating their potential to enhance female economic empowerment and reduce household poverty
Historia Obscura: the Philippines in 16th and 17th Century Portuguese Sources
No full textHistoria Obscura is a two-volume work published by the National Historical Comission of the Philippines in 2025. It is a compilation of 66 Portuguese documents from the 16th and 17th centuries containing information about the Philippines, including letters, excerpts from chronicles, and itineraries. It is the result of The Philippine History Retrieval Project – Portugal, a research project developed through a partnership between CHAM (Universidade Nova de Lisboa), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs
La experiencia de los empleados públicos de Hacienda, Nueva Granada, 1821-1830: méritos y representaciones
Get PDFThis article analyzes the petitions submitted by public employees in New Granada during the 1820s requesting appointments or promotions within the emerging republican bureaucracy. In these documents, the petitioners outlined the merits they believed justified their candidacies. The corpus—originating from the Ministry of Finance—represents a range of years, regions, revenues, positions, and t ypes of requests. The positions in question were mostly mind-and lower-level roles in local and regional offices. The qualitative analysis of these petitions provides insight into the political culture of the nascent republic, which blended new concepts and ideals with practices and principles inherited from the political system of the Spanish monarchy. References to recent legislation and republican ideals emerged alongside appeals grounded in patriotic service, poverty, and personal need. At the same time, traditional notions of merit linked to family background, honor, and the belief that rulers should reward loyal service remained firmly in place
Q-Learning-Based Optimal Control via Adaptive Critic Network for a Wankel Rotary Engine
No full textWe propose a new Q-learning-based air-fuel ratio (AFR) controller for a Wankel rotary engine. We first present a mean-value engine model (MVEM) that is modified based on the rotary engine dynamics. The AFR regulation problem is reformulated as an optimal proportional-integral (PI) controller for fuel tracking over the augmented error dynamics. Leveraging the generalized-Hamilton-Jacobi–Bellman (GHJB) equation, we propose a new definition of the Q-function with its arguments being the augmented error and the injected fuel flow rate. We then derive its Q-learning Bellman (QLB) equation based on the optimality principle. This allows online learning of a controller via an adaptive critic network for solving the QLB equation, of which the solution satisfies the GHJB equation. The proposed model-free Q-learning-based controller is implemented on an AIE 225CS Wankel engine, where the practical experiments validate the optimality and performance of the proposed controller
Design of a Deployable Continuum Robot (DCR) With Coiling Mechanism
No full textContinuum robots are highly suitable for interactive operations in confined spaces due to their inherent body compliance. However, traditional continuum robots with only bending degrees of freedom (DOFs) are limited in both workspace and dexterity, especially when manipulating an object near the proximal part of the arm. This article introduces a deployable continuum robot with a coiling mechanism, DCR, capable of fully stowing, or deploying, its arm into, or out of, a robot case with the help of a coiling mechanism. Deploying the continuum arm provides the robot with variable kinematics and workspace. A variable kinematics motion control framework is then established to enable the end-effector of the robot to smoothly travel through whole workspace while maintaining an optimal configuration. Based on this framework, visual servoing control methods can be applied to the robotic system, achieving high positioning precision up to 1 mm. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed DCR enlarge the workspace and improve the manipulating dexterity, which are particularly beneficial to applications in confined spaces
History Academics Working with Schools: Insights from the UK
Get PDFThis Forum piece highlights the value of collaborations between history academics and schools. It is based on recent work within History UK, an organization that promotes the interests of historians working within UK higher education, and it also highlights recent work within the Historical Association (HA). As school–university collaborations offer multiple opportunities, the article brings together different perspectives, including two case studies. The first case study summarizes experiences from an HA Teacher Fellowship that formed part of a wider project on ‘The People of 1381’, with school-focused activities complementing other forms of public engagement. The second case study discusses how research and university-based teaching on ‘Objects of Empire’ generated school sessions aimed at Year 8 students. Following on from these two specific examples, the Forum piece presents insights into how different forms of schools-related activities developed public impact, as defined by, and captured in, the UK's Research Excellence Framework (REF)
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Research Online? Become a CORE Member to access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard! 👇