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The Hummingbird Project: A Positive Psychology Intervention for Secondary School Students
No full textMental health in schools has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) in secondary schools have been shown to improve mental health outcomes for students. Previous PPIs have tended to be delivered by trained Psychology specialists or have tended to focus on a single aspect of Positive Psychology such as Mindfulness. The current study involved 2 phases. Phase 1 was a pilot PPI, delivered by current university students in Psychology, which educated secondary school students (N = 90) in a variety of Positive Psychology concepts. Phase 2 involved delivering the PPI to secondary school students (N = 1,054). This PPI, the Hummingbird Project, led to improvements in student well-being, as measured by the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The intervention also led to improvements in student resilience, as measured by the Bolton Uni-Stride Scale (BUSS), and hope, as measured by the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS). Results are discussed in the context of their implications for the future of psychological intervention in secondary school settings
Effects of Culture on Women Entrepreneurs’ Success: A Cross-Country Study
No full textMost entrepreneurs define success as business growth. However, for women entrepreneurs, success incorporates various aspects and meanings. Thus, success is by far one of the most complex concepts in the field of entrepreneurship. Because women entrepreneurs’ success is a multifaceted concept, it has, therefore, multiple interpretations. Moreover, researchers across the world provided various definitions correlated to qualitative or quantitative approaches to this phenomenon. In the meantime, cross-country studies revealed multiple factors affecting women entrepreneurs’ success. A crucial factor affecting the success of women entrepreneurs across the world is the culture. Thus, studies conducted across the globe revealed various types and dimensions of culture and indicated different effects of culture on women entrepreneurs’ success. The authors discovered the significance of gender for interpretation of success and culture. The purpose of the study is to examine various effects of culture on women entrepreneurs’ success in a cross-country context and to design an integrative, holistic theoretical framework that enhances our understanding of success for women entrepreneurs from a gender perspective and explains the effects of culture. The value of designing such theoretical framework is the increase in knowledge with regard to cultural impact on women entrepreneurs’ success and the request for viable solutions to be designed by policy makers, which can help women entrepreneurship to grow
Asymmetrical grid control with power electronic regulator in distribution level
No full textAs the amount of decentralised generation is continuously increasing, the control and maintenance of grid stability become more complex. This is mainly caused by a change of production capacities from the high-voltage area to the distribution network. As most renewable energy sources in the distribution network are nowadays connected to power electronic converters, harmonic distortion as well as asymmetries (electric vehicle chargers, household photovoltaic systems) are increased. To ensure stability, reliability, and efficiency of the energy distribution network, a grid regulator including asymmetrical and harmonic control is introduced. This grid regulator consists of two inverter systems, where one is connected by a series booster transformer in line, while the other is connected in parallel to the line, capable of decoupling network segments from each other. After a successful verification in simulation, the control structure is implemented in a real hardware setup. The results show that the introduced system is able to decouple network elements in case of an unbalanced situation as well as harmonic current and voltage distortion. To simplify inverter hardware a silicon carbide hardware topology is introduced with a reduced number of switches. Lower switching losses result in higher overall system efficiency
Evaluating the use of Shariah compliance and the use of Islamic financial products in promoting financial inclusion : a case study of Nigeria
No full textFinancial inclusion is considered a driver for inclusive economic development, through promoting investment, entrepreneurship, employment, education and healthcare. Therefore, it can reduce income inequality and poverty, and empower women in order to achieve inclusive economic development. Yet, 31%, or 1.7 billion, of the global adult population are financially excluded, six percent of which cited religious reasons for their exclusion. However, Islamic finance, which has recently gained prominent acceptance across the globe, is considered a viable method to promote financial inclusion, especially amongst developing economies, such as Nigeria. Despite this development, the impact of compliance with Islamic finance principles and the use of Islamic finance products on enhancing access to formal financial services remains unexplored in the Nigerian context.Therefore, this study seeks to investigate compliance with Islamic finance principles, the use of Islamic finance products, and its impact on promoting financial inclusion in Nigeria. To do so, the study explored the theoretical background of Islamic finance and its relationship with financial inclusion; the determinants of financial inclusion, the influence of individual perceptions on the use of Islamic finance products, and the impact of Islamic finance in enhancing financial inclusion in Nigeria. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods and used both primary and secondary data. Statistical analysis was employed using STATA and EViews to examine the determinants of financial inclusion, the influence of individual perceptions on using Islamic finance products, and the impact of Islamic finance on promoting financial inclusion. The perceptions of experts, regulators and operators are measured through the qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews.Findings of the study suggested that Islamic finance has a positive relationship with financial inclusion, which was noted through both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The empirical investigations conducted in the study revealed that the determinants of financial inclusion (gender, age, income and educational attainment) influence financial inclusion. This means the greater the age, income, and educational attainment alongside being a male increases the likelihood of financial inclusion. In the use of Islamic finance products (IFPs) three of the variables suggested similar influences, except for educational attainment, which indicated that the higher the educational attainment of an individual, the lower their likelihood of using Islamic finance products. In accordance with the conceptual model of the study, the perceptions amongst adults generally indicated an influence on their use of Islamic finance products. The exception was perceived government benefits, which have a negative influence on the use of Islamic finance products, whilst the result revealed that there is substantial compliance to Shariah principles by both regulators and operators. The findings further revealed that Islamic finance products have no significant impact on financial inclusion in Nigeria.This thesis has contributed both theoretically and empirically to the literature of financial inclusion by examining the determinants for using Islamic finance products and the impact of Islamic finance on promoting financial inclusion in Nigeria. This was achieved by quantitatively measuring and qualitatively considering the impact of Islamic finance on financial inclusion through the perceptions of individuals and stakeholders and their use of Islamic finance, as proxied by Islamic banking deposits in Nigeria. Therefore, the study contributed to the policy direction on financial inclusion and Islamic finance in Nigeria
The effectiveness of fatigue monitoring in professional football
No full textPlayer monitoring is common practice in elite sporting environments for practitioners to gain an advantageous insight into the general fatigue and recovery status of athletes and has previously been investigated. However, the application and sensitivity of fatigue markers for elite football players are yet to be fully established. The physical demands of football have changed over time, with increases in both physical and technical parameters observed in recent years (Barnes et al., 2014; Bush et al., 2015). Higher physical demands, coupled with periods of fixture congestion require players to compete in up to three games per-week, and has resulted in an increased need to monitor the associated fatigue response to avoid performance decrements and the inherent risk of injury (Nedelec et al., 2012; Zouhal et al., 2013).Monitoring the impact of training and games on players’ physiological and physical responses can allow practitioners to make informed decisions to ensure athletes are at peak physical performance prior to the next fixture through training modification and/or adjustment of individual player’s recovery strategies. These markers of fatigue should be sensitive to both acute and chronic fluctuations in training/match load. Nevertheless, most research in elite football has been conducted over a short period in-season with limited observation of cumulative and chronic fatigue. Therefore, the primary aim of this thesis was to evaluate the sensitivity of conventional measures of fatigue (countermovement jump indices, creatine kinase concentrations and urine osmolality) on elite senior first team football players (now referred to as elite football players). The second aim was to assess whether these measures are sensitive to the stresses of an elite competitive football season.iii The aim of the first study (Chapter 4) was to examine the acute changes from 90-minutes (min) of competitive match-play in countermovement jump (CMJ), creatine kinase (CK) and urine osmolality (Uosm) scores as part of routine testing and monitoring of elite football players over the course of a season. The results indicated that CMJ height derived from a ‘Just Jump System’ (Just Jump System, Perform Better Limited, Southam, Warwickshire, UK) could detect significant impairments at 48-hours (h) post-match in physical performance after performing 90-min of competitive match play (-3.9 %, P = 0.014, ES = 0.37). However, the question was raised whether the impairment was a meaningful change in performance and/or of clinical significance. There were marked increases in CK concentration, measured via capillary blood, 24-h pre to 48-h post-match (41 %, P = 0.005, ES = -0.91), however post-match concentrations were low in comparison to the large reference range reported in literature and would suggest minimal muscular or fatigue related stress was present. Urine osmolality measured using a handheld urinary refractometer (Osmocheck pocket pal OSMO, Vitech Scientific Ltd, Japan) displayed no significant change 24-h pre to 48-h post-match reflecting that elite football players are able to achieve rehydration by 48-h post-game, or the equipment employed within the limitations of the research environment was not sensitive to changes.Chapter 5 mirrored that of Chapter 4 and used a more advanced assessment technique for physical performance via a force platform (HUR Labs Force Platform 3.8.0.2, Kokkola, Finland). Additional measures of physical performance (contraction time [CT], flight time [FT], the ratio between flight time and contraction time [FT:CT], peak power [PP], max force [MF], take-off velocity [TV], average power [AP], average force [AF]) were taken. This was due to research suggesting that concentric focused outputs from the ‘push-off’ phase of the jump, such as CMJ height, lacks the resolution to detect neuromuscular fatigue (NF) in elite athletes. The findings from this study demonstrated CMJ FT and AP (concentric based outputs) to be most sensitive to fatigue 48-h postmatch (-2.4 %, ES = -0.45 and -7.3 %, ES = -0.63, respectively) and moderately associated with external load parameters completed during 90-min of competitive matchplay (r = -0.40 to -0.50). Decrements were also noted in FT:CT (-7.4 %, ES = -0.39) reflecting changes to concentric push-off (FT) and altered movement strategy (CT), but was not sensitive to match external load. The output measures of CMJ height and TV also demonstrated sensitivity to detect signs of NF but CT, PP and MF did not. Creatine kinase concentrations at 48-h post-match showed no association to match external load but were sensitive to the overall demands of 90-min of competitive football (P = 0.001, ES = 0.66). Similar to the findings of Chapter 4, Uosm did not reveal any significant difference at 48-h post-match (P < 0.05). The position specific changes in these markers were as expected, showing the positon of central midfielder to display the greatest changes in CK and CMJ outputs likely attributable to their position covering the greatest total distance, high intensity running distance and number of high intensity actions. The studies comprising Chapter 4 and 5 show that CMJ testing and CK concentrations display particular promise as acute, simple, non-invasive assessments for monitoring the recovery-fatigue status of elite football players’ 48-h post-match.The aim of the third study (Chapter 6) was to examine the longitudinal fluctuations in the physiological and physical performance markers from Chapter 4 and 5 across a competitive season. To the author’s knowledge, this was the first study to address weekly variations in these measures over a competitive season. The results demonstrated large increases in CK concentration but minimal fluctuation over a competitive season [62 to 159 %, P < 0.05], and indicated that CMJ MF can be increased (5.1 to 7.0 %, P < 0.05) despite fluctuations in movement strategy focused outputs (TV, FT:CT and AP) possibly indicating low-level NF. Therefore, the results from this chapter support the idea that skilled performers’ are thought to exhibit greater movement variability to help achieve consistent performance outcomes. Hydration status measured via Uosm demonstrated significant increases to baseline over the season (30 to 84 %, P < 0.05), although the findings indicated that players were able to maintain a euhydrated state that would be unlikely to negatively affect performance output. Chapter 6 additionally provided 95 % reference ranges and normative values for the recovery-fatigue variables in this subgroup of elite football players to aid the interpretation of clinically meaningful changes from baseline.The aim of the last experimental Chapter (Chapter 7) was to observe the association between markers of training/match load and the conventional markers of recoveryfatigue over a competitive season, to determine the sensitivity of these markers to preceding and cumulative load. The high inter-individual variability in the recoveryfatigue variables was addressed by transforming raw scores into ‘Z-scores’ for the analysis. The results from regression analysis showed that the models used explained low proportions of variance in the physiological and physical performance parameters used (6 to 18 %). Creatine kinase had a weak positive association to cumulative match-time over the season and Uosm to the time-trend variable ‘match-week’ (week number of the season; P < 0.05). Match-week also demonstrated significant associations to increases in CMJ AF. Further, the results displayed weak, marginally significant, associations between CMJ CT and FT:CT to preceding match-load. All recovery-fatigue variables used demonstrated poor sensitivity to training load outputs measured via GPS over a season. The findings suggest that elite football players, who play regularly, demonstrate the capability to maintain physical output and be sufficiently recover by 24-h pre-match (for a Saturday fixture) despite a congested match schedule.The overall findings of this thesis have shown that simple output measures from a CMJ are able to detect impairments in physical performance and signs of NF 48-h post competitive match-play in elite football players. Further, concentric derived output measures from the ‘push-off’ phase previously criticised in research have displayed sensitivity to match external load. Across a competitive season, players are able to maintain MF and PP outputs despite signs of low-level NF via changes in ‘jump-strategy’ (e.g. TV, FT:CT and AP). Creatine kinase, although sensitive to overall match-play, displays changes of minimal clinical significance 48-h post-match. However, CK did demonstrate sensitivity to cumulative match-min played across the season. Therefore, if interpreted correctly CK concentrations may provide practitioners with insights into cumulative fatigue/muscular stress. Incorporating additional biomarkers may further enhance detection of physiological and physical stress related changes to match and training demands. Lastly, the monitoring of hydration status via Uosm reflects that players are able to maintain a state of euhydration across a season but shows no associations to preceding match or training demands, perhaps a limitation of the equipment employed in the research environment was not sensitive to changes.Therefore, monitoring for spikes in CK concentrations and impairments in CMJ performance, when interpreted correctly, may provide clinically relevant insights of individual players prior to the next training session and/or fixture, ultimately equipping practitioners with an advantageous knowledge concerning recovery-fatigue status
The ethical issues of learning analytics in their historical context
No full textThe ethical context of Learning Analytics is framed by two related processes. Firstly, the amount of personal data available to organisations has been transformed by the computerisation and the subsequent development of the Internet. Secondly, the methods and ethical assumptions of Operations Research have been extended into new areas. Learning Analytics can be conceptualised as the extension of Operations Research methods to educational institutions, in a process facilitated by technological and social changes in the early twenty-first century. It is argued that the ethical discourse has viewed Learning Analytics as a discrete field, and focused on its internal processes, at the expense of its connections with the wider social context. As a result, contradictions arise in the practice of research ethics, and a number of urgent issues are not given due consideration. These include the partial erosion of the consensus around the Nuremberg code; the use of ethical waivers for quality improvement; the coercive extraction of data; the use of analytics as an enabling technology for management; and the educational implications of the relationship between surveillance and trust
The origins of a Global Political Economy of Education
No full textThis Chapters outlines the development of a Global Political Economy of Education from the recognition political economies in the early 19th Century and the formation of The Political Economy Club by John Mill. It examines the development of the political economy as it begins to impact on education from 1850 onward and enters the debate on the purpose of education as it was supported by the political economy
Sustainability Assessment in Manufacturing from Industry 4.0 Perspective for SMEs: A Case Study in Abrasive Waterjet Machining for Hard-To-Cut Materials
No full textThe 4th Industrial Revolution incorporates the digital revolution in several fields, including artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, IoT, manufacturing, etc. Due to the advancement in difficult-to-cut materials, technology like abrasive waterjet machine (AWJM) in non-traditional manufacturing has been a benefit to the industry, and it can almost cut any material and is also considered environmentally friendly. The machine uses water, abrasives and electricity which are natural resources, and the purpose of the study is to optimize these resources for the AWJM which are relatively very complex considering the different varying parameters and material properties. The methodology is discussed with a case study of NC 3015S AWJ machine for studying sustainability using different method/tools like SCLM, ABCD and TSPDs approach which will illustrate the combined technical and sustainability assessment. An approach for working with abrasive waterjet machine on reducing cost and machining time which focusses on the four pillars of sustainability (social, economic, environmental and technology) has been presented. The discussions are demonstrated by cost/hour calculations, i.e., 45$/h for machining Ti6AL4V material, and how different machine and cutting parameters affect the total process economy was understood with abrasives contributed almost 65% of the total cost. Furthermore, a cloud-based knowledge sharing model is proposed by linking the sustainability with technology and how it can benefit the current SMEs to improve their productivity with abrasive waterjet machines
Fullerene (C-60) Nanowires: The Preparation, Characterization, and Potential Applications
No full textFullerene (C-60) nanowires have attracted significant attention in the past two decades due to their outstanding chemical and physical properties, which render the material a wide range of potential applications. Much effort has been devoted to exploring the growth methods, structural and compositional characterizations, and application-related investigations of this novel carbon nanomaterial. Here, we present a review of C-60 nanowires in which we will first describe the recent development in the material preparations, analytical techniques, crystal structures, chemical compositions, and the investigations of polymerization processes. Afterward, we will discuss the mechanistic studies on the nanowires' growth as the mechanism research is of great importance for their size control, large-scale preparation, and for the exploration of applications in a wide range of fields. Finally, we will discuss the potential applications in several directions, including optical, electrical, mechanical, and biological fields, as well as our perspectives to future developments