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LEAP Online : supporting learning and teaching
No full textLaunched in 2017, LEAP Online is an interactive skills portal designed to support students on their University journey, both academically and from a personal development perspective. In April 2018 LEAP Online was nationally recognised by winning the Digital Literacy Award at the LILAC Conference.This poster will focus on the value and effectiveness of LEAP Online’s approach to providing flexible, bite-sized information allowing students to take charge of their own learning. It will share the qualitative feedback undertaken since its launch and show how the learning analytics can evidence the impact of the support available in LEAP Online to student learning goals. The digital badge data also demonstrates how LEAP Online is now firmly embedded in the student journey and the University’s learning and teaching strategy
Needs of bereaved parents following the death of a child or young person from cancer
No full textParental grief is unlike any other grief and is physically and emotionally overwhelming. About 20-30 young people die each year at a treatment centre following a diagnosis of cancer. Treatment centres strive to provide individualised care to patients and families from the point of diagnosis and into bereavement. Support is often directed by the needs of families, therefore there is no standard. This article describes findings of a literature review of the needs of bereaved parents following the death of a young person between 16 and 25 years. Five themes were identified to summarise the nature of parental grief: preparedness and palliative care experience, relationships and 'telling the story', continuing bonds, parents' needs and adjusting to a new normal. Implications for practice are highlighted by the widespread acknowledgement of the need for individualised and appropriate support during grief, but the literature demonstrates a lack of information regarding this approach to support
Intumescent fire-retardant coatings for plastics based on poly(vinylphosphonic acid): improving water resistance with comonomers
No full textCoatings based on the in situ photopolymerization of vinyl phosphonic acid (VPA) with triallyl cyanurate as a crosslinking agent are shown to be effective not only for fire-protecting glass fibre-reinforced epoxy resin (GRE) composites but also poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), a typical meltable and flammable thermoplastic. Dry adhesion of polyVPA coatings to PMMA surfaces is excellent but, as with coatings on GRE, adhesion following water-soak tests is poor.Copolymerising VPA with more hydrophobic monomers improves wet adhesion, albeit with some impairment of fire performance, with copolymers of VPA and acrylonitrile giving the best result
BIM adoption and implementation: Focusing on SMEs
No full textPurpose - To reach its full potential, Building Information Modelling (BIM) should be implemented throughout the supply chain. This study explores BIM implementation and adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. The paper addresses two key issues; the slow rate and lack of homogeneity of BIM adoption in the SME sector.Design/methodology/approach - The study employs qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate BIM uptake and test for correlations between organisational features and BIM aspects. The sample includes data from SMEs, based in the South East of England, analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics.Findings - The results show that, although SMEs have some understanding of BIM related concepts, their familiarity with existing BIM software support systems is particularly low. Limited financial capacity is identified as the main barrier to BIM adoption while knowledge exchange initiatives as the most useful measure in facilitating further implementation. The variations of SMEs in the adoption and implementation of BIM are mostly affected by company size, professional discipline and offered services. The paper also demonstrates that a one-size-fits-all approach to BIM implementation in the AEC sector has limited potential.Originality/value - The heterogeneity of SMEs in the AEC sector has been considered to a very limited extent. This paper considers the nature, characteristics and core business areas of SMEs as factors affecting BIM adoption and implementation
Structure-property relationships in structural glass fibre reinforced composites from unsaturated polyester and inherently fire retardant phenolic resin matrix blends
No full textThe effects of matrices from co-cured blends of an unsaturated polyester (UP) with inherently fire-retardant and char-forming phenolic resoles (PH) on the mechanical and fire performances of resultant glass fibre-reinforced composites have been investigated. Three different phenolic resoles with increasing order of compatibility with UP have been used. These are: (i) an ethanol soluble resin, (PH-S), (ii) an epoxy-functionalized resin (PH-Ep), and (iii) an allyl-functionalized resin (PH-Al). The mechanical properties of the composites increased with increasing compatibility with two resin types as might be expected, but not previously demonstrated. However, even with the least compatible resin (PH-S), the impact properties were unaffected and the flexural/tensile properties while reduced, were still acceptable for certain applications. Fire properties were however, in reverse order as previously observed in cast resin samples from these composites. Moreover, the reduction in flammability was less compared to those of the cast resin samples, reported previously, explained here based on the insulating effect of glass fibre reinforcement
In-vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of dental ceramics’ surface characterisation.
No full textThe use of dental glaze and shades on all-ceramic materials is crucial to achieve sufficient levels of aesthetics for restorations. However, their biocompatibility and impact on the oral environment remains a topic of limited research. The purpose of this experiment is to explore any potential cytotoxicity caused by the use of extrinsic staining on dental ceramics, using an In-Vitro methodology. Surface characterisation materials for glass-ceramics and zirconia were assessed. A variety of 8 group combinations of glaze and stains were applied onto glass-ceramic specimens (Celtra, n=7, e.max, n=4) and Zirconia specimens (Katana, n=7). Following the fabrication, the treated specimens were allowed to leach potential ions into serum-free media for 72 hours. LDH assay was used to test the cytotoxicity produced using human gingival fibroblast or human dermal fibroblasts. Based on the results from the pilot study using the e.max materials, a positive correlation was found between the cytotoxicity and the application of extrinsic glazing and staining procedures. The p value of 0.005 was lower than the threshold we set at 0.05, which provided evidence for the cytotoxicity. The results for the Katana and Celtra were disregarded due to complications during the methodology.It can be concluded that cytotoxicity to cells was caused by the application of external glaze and shades. This was due to an increased amount of LDH released following contact with the media containing leached ions from the surface of the treated specimens. However, further research must be conducted to gain greater knowledge on this subject area