938 research outputs found
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Assessing Impact of COVID-19 and the Early Impact of Minimum Pricing for Alcohol on the Wider Population of Drinkers
Get PDFThis report represents one of four on going studies commissioned by Welsh Government to evaluate Minimum Pricing of Alcohol legislation introduced into Wales in Mar 2020. This report focuses on the assessment of impact on the wider population of drinkers and presents findings from research conducted nine months post-implementation of MPA in Wales (the second wave of the evaluation). The findings provide an important account of the early impact of MPA on drinkers in the wider population as well as the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown
Stakeholder Pressure Engaged with Circular Economy Principles and Economic and Environmental Performance
Get PDFThe study aims to investigate the impacts of internal and external stakeholder pressures on the adoption of circular economy (CE) principles. The study explores the primary barriers to and causes (external or internal stakeholder pressures) of CE’s transition across Mexico and explores the effects of stakeholder pressures (internal and external) on the adoption of CE principles on economic and environmental performance. For this, data were collected from 433 respondents using a structured questionnaire. For analysis, the study used the PLS-SEM technique to examine internal and external stakeholders as barriers and motivators of economic and environmental performance through CE principles. Both the structural model and the measurement model were assessed. As well as mediation analysis, the direct and indirect effects were determined. The study found that economic (β = 0.178, p = 0.000) and environmental performance (β = 0.233, p = 0.000) is affected by most external stakeholders through the adoption of circular economy principles. Although the internal stakeholders don’t affect the environmental performance (β = 0.040, p = 0.492), with the adoption of circular economy principles mediating the relationship, internal stakeholders encourage environmental performance (β = 0.201, p = 0.000). The study motivates the public, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the government to adopt CE principles for the achievement of economic and environmental performance and participation in the sustainable development agenda
Drug consumption rooms and public health policy: perspectives of Scottish strategic decision-makers
Get PDFThere is widespread support for the introduction of Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs) in Scotland as part of a policy response to record levels of drug-related harm. However, existing legal barriers are made more complex by the division of relevant powers between the UK and Scottish Governments. This paper reports on a national, qualitative study of key decision-makers in both local and national roles across Scotland. It explores views on the political barriers and enablers to the adoption of Drug Consumption Rooms and the potential role of these facilities in the wider treatment system. It also considers approaches to evidence, especially the types of evidence that are considered valuable in supporting decision-making in this area. The study found that Scottish decision-makers are strongly supportive of DCR adoption; however, they remain unclear as to the legal and political mechanisms that would make this possible. They view DCRs as part of a complex treatment and support system rather than a uniquely transformative intervention. They see the case for introduction as sufficient, on the basis of need and available evidence, thus adopting a pragmatic and iterative approach to evidence, in contrast to an appeal to traditional evidence hierarchies more commonly adopted by the UK Government
Domestic demand-side management: Analysis of microgrid with renewable energy sources using historical load data
Get PDFThis paper provides a high-accuracy assessment of domestic demand-side management (DSM) approach in the context of distributed renewable energy sources (RES). To determine the potential of domestic DSM for households, a microgrid model of a typical UK residential estate was developed to simulate the impact of RES. The microgrid model comprises 15 UK households with appropriate allocation of washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers in accordance with the statistical data. In order to obtain a high-accuracy result, the power consumption of the microgrid model utilises real historical high-resolution data of household energy consumption and RES generation. Thereafter, 40% of distributed wind and solar energy is implemented in the model to produce two individual scenarios. The operation of the white appliances in the model is controlled using a domestic DSM based on a load shifting algorithm. The primary criterion of the DSM considered in this paper is the reduction in energy feedback to the grid in order to decrease the utilisation of the grid and to reduce the transmission losses. The results obtained from the model simulation are compared to the baseline model and discussed with respect to the possible benefits of implementation of domestic DSM under the impact of RES. It has been shown that the self-consumption ratio of the microgrid operating under the DSM is increased by 3% for both scenarios. The model analysis provides highly realistic results which can be used for efficiency assessment of various load shifting methods
Energy efficiency in extrusion-related polymer processing: A review of state of the art and potential efficiency improvements
Get PDFEnergy saving and industrial pollution have become increasingly important issues, therefore the identification
and adoption of more energy efficient machines and industrial processes are now industrial priorities, and
worthy topics for further development through academic research. Polymeric materials are a major raw
material, finding widespread application to a range of current industrial machine components as well as
multiple products and packaging found in our daily life. Polymer extrusion serves as a particular example of
polymer processing techniques, representative of others in as much as there are analogous intermediate stages
in the processing. Processing techniques which require such intermediate stages include the manufacture of
blown film, blow moulding, thermo-forming, and injection moulding. Hence, the study of polymer extrusion is
a representative paradigm for a wider range of processing techniques. Since polymer processing is an energy
intensive process and accounts for a huge share (maybe more than 1/3) of the materials processing sector,
any improvement to the process would contribute significantly to global energy savings. This work presents
a review of studies, which focus on, or appertain to, the energy consumption of extrusion related polymer
processing applications. Typical energy demand and losses during processing are considered, and possible
approaches for improving the process energy efficiency while maintaining the required end product quality
are considered. Overall, this work provides a detailed discussion about how and where energy is utilised; how,
where and why energy losses occur; and sets out approaches for optimising the process energy efficiency
Conformational transition and gelation of κ-carrageenan in electrostatic complexation with β-lactoglobulin aggregates
Get PDFThe goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of electrostatic complexation with three different β-lactoglobulin aggregates on the conformational transition and gelation of κ-carrageenan (κ-car). We prepared native granular β-lactoglobulin (NGBLG), nanoparticle β-lactoglobulin (NPBLG), and fibrillary β-lactoglobulin (FBLG), and then assessed their electrostatic complexation with κ-car and the resultant impact on κ-car conformational transition, gelation, and microstructural changes. A quantitative model based on the McGhee-Hippel theory was adopted as a means of describing the impact of electrostatic complexation on the κ-car conformational transition in the presence of these protein aggregates. FBLG resulted in the most significant inhibition of κ-car conformational transition and gelation, whereas NPBLG had the least significant impact on this process. This was attributed to the fact that NPBLG imposed the least steric hindrance of these three aggregates. Together, these data highlight promising approaches to regulating polysaccharide gelation, viscoelasticity, rheological behavior, and conformational transition for use in a range of industrial applications
Analysis and experiential verification of power loss in joint area of laminated transformer core
Get PDFThis paper discusses the processes of power loss development in the joint area of the laminated transformer core due to eddy currents produced by the normal magnetic flux. Normal magnetic flux is directed in perpendicular to the plane of the laminations and the dominating factor in the power loss formation in the joint area. The analytical approach was verified by a set of tests where two experimental setups have been employed to investigate power loss in the laminations under various conditions. The tests provided data on the power loss produced by the normal flux in relation to the lamination width and lamination overlap length. It was shown that the power loss in the joint area significantly depends on the lamination width and is independent of lamination overlap
Remanufacturing using End-of-Life Vehicles and Electrical and Electronic Equipment Polymer Recyclates - A Paradigm for Assessing the Value Proposition
Get PDFOver 400 million tonnes of plastics are produced on earth every year and are the most used materials on the globe. As a result, polymeric material-based waste has been accumulating, and now can be found not only in designated waste tips on land, but also as pollution all over the world. Therefore, it is timely to accelerate global recycling plans to minimize the use of natural resources. At present, end-of-life vehicles (EOLV) and electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) are two major sources of waste. Such waste includes a combination of polymers, which are hard to separate. Because the properties of blends of polymer are not well-understood, the recycling opportunities for such wastes are hindered. Hence, this paper aims to extend the knowledge concerning the re-processing of such recycled polymers, as a first step towards developing a more effective circular manufacturing economy. Three types of recycled polymers were tested under various processing conditions, and the effects of six different process parameters were investigated, including chip size and morphology. The results confirm that properties and processing behaviour of recycled materials can be highly variable, and hence difficult to predict. This highlights the importance of better selection and screening of scrap polymers, to remove undesirable content from the material batch. Knowing the exact constituents of each batch of material to be recycled means that appropriate process settings can be selected, to achieve better material properties in the recycled end product. In addition, energy and materials costs can be reduced by optimizing process parameters such as the set temperatures, pressures, and product dimensions. Tests carried out with different recycled polymer chip sizes indicate that size grading would be worthwhile, as would the reforming of chips to flattened discs or strings. Such additional processing could represent considerable value proposition to the recycled material preparation industry
Composite Oleogels Formed by Cellulose Particles and Sorbitan Acid Esters
Get PDFDeveloping a facile method to prepare edible oleogels under moderate conditions would be of great interest. In this research, oleogels were obtained directly from the mixtures of cellulose particles (average particle size ≈ 25μm), sorbitan fatty acid esters (Span60 and Span40) and medium chain triglycerides (MCT). Results showed that 6% (w/w) cellulose particles combined with 9% (w/w) sorbitan fatty acid esters
could form a strong network to trap the oil phase through ultra-sonic treating. The strength of the oleogels could be regulated by the cellulose particles content and its ratio to surfactant. XRD, DSC and SEM data revealed that there was synergetic effect between the cellulose particles and fatty acid esters during the gelation. The cellulose particles covered with Span60 could associate with each other to form a network in the oil phase, in the similar way to the Span60 micelles. These findings would be significant for the development and application of food grade oleogels
International Journal of Lightweight Materials and Manufacture
Get PDFThis paper examines the perceptions of staff within a university in the UK, of the role of teaching assistants and centrally located disability services. Staff were generally positive about support available although when communication had broken down this led to a lack of trust with centrally organised support. Staff were happy for support staff to be available within the classroom although this role was misunderstood. At times tensions arose around adjustments to classroom practices which were recommended by centrally located staff. Paradoxically, centrally organised support may have acted as a barrier to more inclusive teaching practice: whilst teaching staff often disagreed with recommendations for adjustments to teaching practice made by central staff they were nonetheless reluctant to take on the role of acting as the expert in these situations. Implications for practice and service delivery are discussed alongside suggestions for future research