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Caregivers fine-tune their speech to support children’s word learning during shared book reading
Get PDFThe current study investigated whether caregivers adapt their communication to their child’s individual lexical knowledge (fine-tuning) and whether such modulations facilitate children’s word learning during shared book reading. It also examined the influence of book format (print vs. digital) on caregivers’ communicative behaviours. English-speaking dyads (N= 78; Child Mage = 57.74 months) were videorecorded during shared reading sessions with a print and a digital storybook. Caregivers’ use of verbal and gestural scaffolds in relation to target words embedded in the storybooks was coded offline. Before the session, caregivers completed a vocabulary checklist to assess their child’s knowledge of the target words. After the session, children’s word learning was assessed using picture naming, definition, and comprehension tasks. Generalized Linear Mixed Models indicated that caregivers adjusted their verbal, but not gestural, scaffolds to their child’s reported lexical knowledge. This verbal fine-tuning predicted children’s word learning, as assessed through a definition task. Overall, caregivers provided significantly fewer scaffolds in the digital compared to the print format. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed in light of contemporary literacy practices
Refocus: The Films of Shirin Neshat
No full textThis edited volume offers the first comprehensive study of the internationally acclaimed Iranian visual artist and filmmaker whose work bridges cinema, photography and installation art. An interdisciplinary collection that brings together scholars from film, visual arts, gender studies and Middle Eastern studies to deepen understanding of Neshat’s contribution to contemporary visual culture and transnational cinema. Organised around three intersecting themes: Feminist Interventions and Cinematic Authorship, Diasporic Visions and Transnational Frames, and Sensory Histories and Poetic Bodies. Includes an extended interview with Neshat offering rare insight into her creative process and artistic evolution. Bringing together leading and emerging scholars, this volume traces Neshat’s evolution from Women of Allah to her feature films Women Without Men, Looking for Oum Kulthum and Land of Dreams, situating her within global debates on feminism, exile and transnational aesthetics. Organised around three themes: Feminist Interventions and Cinematic Authorship, Diasporic Visions and Transnational Frames, and Sensory Histories and Poetic Bodies, the collection presents diverse critical perspectives on her aesthetics of resistance and the politics of representation. Featuring an exclusive interview with Neshat, the book offers new interdisciplinary insights into her artistic and cinematic legacy, positioning her as a pivotal figure whose work transforms personal narratives of displacement into universal meditations on power, memory and identity
The Influence of Shape on Reservoir Stratification under Changing Climates
No full textReservoir morphology influences a water body’s response to temperature and corresponding effects on stratification, water quality, and ecosystem health. As local reservoirs may respond differently to the same climate forcing, understanding shape driven influences is critical for optimised reservoir management, particularly under future climate scenarios. For this study, five archetypical hypothetical reservoir morphologies (shapes) were created based on constant surface area and maximum depth from a previously modelled polymictic reservoir, Blagdon Lake in southwest England, to establish how bathymetry alters stratification regimes. The shapes were modelled with the Aquatic Ecosystem Model 3D (AEM3D) and then forced with multiple future climate scenarios based on UK Climate Projections (UKCP18). Two stratification predictors, Lake Geometry Ratio (GR) and Osgood index (OI), were used to characterise stratification in the differently shaped reservoirs. Model results show that all the reservoirs stratified with similar thermocline depths during the simulated summers, though there were variations in water-column stability and hypolimnion volume. Morphologies with larger OI values tended to have increased strength, areal extent, and duration of stratification. Results highlight the importance of taking reservoir shape into account when planning management strategies and optimising reservoir design under future climates
Vocational students' employability skills and career success : exploring the moderating impact of geographic location
Get PDFPurpose To enhance career readiness and promote equitable school-to-work transition, this study examines how the development of employability skills influences vocational school students' career success during internship, assessed through both subjective (perceived job success) and objective (job mobility and pay) indicators. The research further investigates the moderating role of geographic location (urban vs rural) in shaping these relationships. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a longitudinal survey design to examine the influence of employability skills on vocational students' career success, with a specific focus on the moderating role of geographic location. Data were collected from vocational school students in rural (Sichuan) and urban (Shanghai) China at two time points – prior to their internships (T1) and near the completion of their placements (T2). This design enables an assessment of regional differences and investigates how both the initial endowment and subsequent development of employability skills shape career success within a culturally diverse and contextually distinct setting. Findings The path modeling analysis shows that both the initial endowment and the development of employability skills significantly predict perceived job success among vocational school students. The endowment of employability skills is less important for objective criteria, while an increase in employability skills is related with greater job mobility, suggesting internships contribute to building human capital, particularly among underrepresented groups. Geographic location moderates only the relationship between employability skills and perceived success, indicating that rural students can offset contextual disadvantages through skill development. These findings offer empirical support that internships provide a relevant context for individuals to develop their employability skills and respond to calls for cross-cultural, longitudinal career research. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted across vocational schools in both rural and urban regions of China, with measurement instruments specifically designed to assess the general employability skills of vocational school students. Practical implications The findings highlight the vital role of employability skill development during internships, especially for students from rural or socially disadvantaged backgrounds. As career paths become increasingly nonlinear and mobility-driven, educators and policymakers must promote equitable access to high-quality internships that intentionally cultivate employability skills to enhance students' perceived job success and career mobility. Vocational institutions can address geographic disparities by embedding soft and technical skill-building strategies into their curricula, thereby enabling students to better navigate the school-to-work transition and ensuring that graduates are equipped with the competencies necessary for sustainable career success in an evolving and competitive labor market. Social implications This study highlights critical social implications related to educational equity and workforce accessibility. While geographic disparities in education are well-documented, the findings suggest that rural vocational students can mitigate such disadvantages by actively developing employability skills. This reinforces the role of education as a social equalizer. For policymakers, the results underscore the need to allocate resources and design targeted interventions that enhance skill-building opportunities in under-resourced rural schools. Enhancing employability through accessible, quality vocational training can support social mobility, reduce regional inequities and promote inclusive economic development by equipping youth across geographic contexts to succeed in an evolving labor market. Originality/value This paper makes an original contribution by empirically examining the dynamic interaction between individual employability skills and contextual factors through two-wave longitudinal data. It offers nuanced insights into how both the initial endowment and subsequent development of employability skills during internships predict subjective and objective career outcomes. Situated within the context of China's urban–rural divide, the findings demonstrate that students from rural areas can mitigate structural disadvantages through targeted skill cultivation. Moreover, the study underscores the role of internships as vital platforms for developing employability competencies. These insights advance career theory, inform education policy and guide the design of more equitable vocational curricula
Analysis of Smart Photovoltaic Module for Effective Use of Solar Energy
Get PDFThe main objective of this thesis is to present a comprehensive investigation of residential PV grid-connected inverters and propose novel, practical topologies to address the unbalanced power generation between PV modules. This thesis proposed a modular inverter (MI) derived from a power electronic converter topology. The suggested single-stage modular Cuk inverter (MCI) in this thesis is designed by connecting multiple low voltage (LV) MIs in series and linking the output terminals to the distribution network. The recommended topology does not require a large DC-link decoupling capacitor, which iscommon in conventional central inverters. The decentralized features of the proposed MCI enhance the controllability of the residential PV system. The suggested MCI topology is designed based on the Cuk converter. Therefore, it offers continuous input and output current features, which enable the use of small-sized filter components. MCI topology operates over a broad range of voltages, which makes it suitable for supplying local loads or charging battery storage. The control system of the proposed topology consists of two control systems. In PV-to-grid mode, the input control loop at the PV side is designed to mitigate ripples in the input current, which commonly reduces the efficiency of the MPPT algorithm. On the other hand, the outer control system at the grid side is responsible for maintaining a sinusoidal waveform matched with the grid current. The Simulink simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed MI in mitigating the unbalanced power production of residential PV systems. Also, a scaled-down prototype experiment has been developed to validate mathematical and simulation analysis. The thesis presents another distributed MPPT approach for mitigating unbalanced power production in residential PV applications. The proposed strategy aims to replace the conventional bypass diodes inside the PV module with an effective power converter to utilize the full power of the PV module under the partial shading (PS) effect. The suggested cascaded boost-based design is recommended to increase the power generation of the PV module and effectively tackle the unbalanced power production in PV residential systems. The design employs a boost converter to extract power from the three submodules (SM) of the PV model, and the outputs of the three boost converters are cascaded to step up the voltage to meet the grid side requirements. The voltage source inverter (VSI) is used at the grid side to effectively invert the DC power from the PV model side to alternating power. The proposed cascaded topology provides extra protection for the PV module by integrating a one-directional diode to prevent the reverse current from harming the PV module in faulty system scenarios. A practical experiment has been conducted to examine the effectiveness of the proposed topology. In the last part of the thesis, a module predictive control (MPC) strategy for a two-stage single-phase inverter using a single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) converter has been developed for residential PV applications. This control approach predicts the input inductor current, the DC link capacitor voltage, and the AC grid current of the double-stage inverter, comparing them with the reference values to perform the control actions. It consists of two parts: the DC MPC controller, which regulates the PV input current and decouples the double-line frequency ripples in the DC link capacitor, and the AC MPC controller, which optimally operates the single-phase VSI while synchronizing with the grid current. The cost function of the MPC approach maintains a smooth input current, which enables the efficient operation of the MPPT. The system-level PR controller ensures that the proposed cascaded output current operates at grid frequency to maintain a stable operation of the PV system. The validity of the proposed MPC method is examined through both experimental and simulation studies. The findings of this research project demonstrate that the proposed structure enhances the understanding of unbalanced irradiation levels in PV systems and their adverse impact on power production. Robust evidence is provided through the evaluation of the proposed solutions using both a simulation platform and experimental validation. The results indicate a significant improvement in power output after mitigating irregular irradiance levelsbetween PV components
Community Priorities for Preventing Suicide in Autistic People : An Approach to Guide Policy and Practice
No full textBackground: Suicide is a leading cause of death for autistic people worldwide, but there is remarkably little research addressing suicide prevention strategies in this group, and virtually none that asks autistic people what they need and want. Methods: Overall, 3962 autistic people and 627 people who supported or were bereaved by the suicide of an autistic person (>95% UK-based) participated in our online surveys. We garnered their ideas for policies and interventions to prevent suicide in autistic people (Phase 1). We thematically analyzed 2373 suggestions, distilling these into 63 ideas which an independent sample prioritized (Phase 2). We identified shared and differential priorities between participants. Results: Across two samples of autistic and non-autistic people, differences were overshadowed by consensus on necessary pathways to suicide prevention. Paramount among these were the upskilling and resourcing of healthcare services to deliver timely, autism-specific support, and the improvement of diagnostic services, ensuring autistic people not diagnosed in childhood are assessed accurately, quickly, and with sensitive post-diagnostic care. Other priorities, across phases, emphasized a social, societal response to suicide in autistic people, one where reducing stigma and providing social support were favored over crisis apps, and where support should be embedded across the life course in relation to education, employment, and social care in the community. Conclusion: While UK-centric, the findings corroborate international calls for autism-specific support for people in crisis, delivered by those with specialist knowledge. These results also highlight the relationship between suicide prevention and timely autism diagnosis, and the essential need for post-diagnostic care. Mirroring shifts in national and international suicide prevention policy, participant priorities extend the focal point of suicide prevention beyond individuals in crisis, emphasizing the need for coordinated, multisector efforts to address systemic societal determinants of suicide: a strategic and expansive perspective thus far lacking in an autism context
Decoding Reservoir Interactions and Pre-Eruptive Timescales : Olivine Insights into the Cracked Mountain Eruption, Mount Meager Volcanic Complex, Canada
Get PDFGeochemical and textural analyses of 236 olivine phenocrysts reveal the dynamic magmatic processes that shaped the Cracked Mountain eruption (401 ± 38 ka), a glaciovolcanic event within the Mount Meager Volcanic Complex (Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, British Columbia, Canada). This study characterises the magmatic reservoirs involved, their interactions, and key processes such as magma recharge, mixing, storage, and eruption triggering. Two main populations of olivine crystals (Groups 1 and 2), distinguished by their compositions, zoning patterns, and inclusions, reveal interactions between two distinct storage zones prior to the eruption. The deeper reservoir, storing an olivine–plagioclase–augite (OPA)-bearing magma at ~8 km depth (~240 MPa), hosted Group 2 olivine phenocrysts (core compositions Fo79–81) with abundant spinel inclusions and no sulphides. At shallower depths (~5 km, ~160 MPa), an olivine–plagioclase (OP) reservoir hosted Group 1 olivine phenocrysts (core compositions Fo~83), which lack spinel inclusions but contain rare sulphides. The two magmas subsequently ascended, mixed, and stalled in a shallow reservoir, where skeletal Group 3 phenocrysts (Fo77–78) crystallised. Group 1 crystals, once entrained, developed pronounced normal zoning as they equilibrated with the more evolved mixed melt, while Group 2 displayed faint normal zoning due to minimal fractional crystallisation of their host melt (both populations exhibiting overlapping rim compositions within the Fo76–79 range). Diffusion modelling of olivine zoning, conducted on 160 profiles, indicates that this mixing occurred within a year of the eruption. Lastly, a late-stage episode of mixing and/or melt oxidation, evidenced by faint Fo reverse zoning, may have destabilised the system and triggered the eruption
Egocentricity in infants’ play with familiar objects in caregiver–child interactions
No full textThe current study explored the dynamics of parent–child coordinated attention to novel and familiar objects during a play session, to examine whether parents or children are more likely to lead instances of coordinated joint attention to novel or familiar objects, and how children learn from periods of child-led or parent-led joint attention. Particularly, we investigated whether: (i) parents or children lead more instances of joint attention when playing with novel relative to familiar objects; (ii) parents preferentially label novel relative to familiar objects; and (iii) children’s learning of novel word–object associations is affected by object labelling frequency and children’s sustained attention towards the objects. We found that not only do children lead more instances of joint attention, but, relative to their caregivers, children lead more instances of joint attention to familiar objects relative to novel objects. Parents also appeared to follow their child’s attention and labelled familiar objects more often than novel objects. Furthermore, we found no evidence for children’s recognition of the novel word–object associations. Our findings highlight the contingent nature of social interactions between caregivers and infants, with children leading and parents following their child’s lead, especially with regard to more familiar objects in the child’s environment