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Zinc stannates as alternative synergists in selected flame retardant systems
No full textZinc stannates, including zinc hydroxystannate, are used components within synergistic fire retardant systems usually in conjunction with halogenated species in a number of polymers. Their behavior is similar to antimony III oxide (ATO) in that they enhance the effectiveness of the halogenated and, principally brominated retardant (Br-FR), present. Unlike antimony III oxide, they are non-toxic but are specific in their synergistic activity. Furthermore, they are effective smoke suppressants. This article reviews the published literature with regard to this synergistic specificity as well as the role of zinc stannates as synergists and smoke suppressants in halogenated polymers exemplified by poly(vinyl chloride), polyolefins exemplified by polypropylene, polyamides, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and polyester and epoxy resins
Perfume consumption in India
No full textPerfumes have been important in India for millennia and so have the stories connected with them. The perfume business in India is worth billions. A background from which the Indian perfume industry can be understood in terms of the Berger's STEPP model, the consumers' cognitive schemas, consumers' behaviors, and the story of the product, brand, and their customers' stories. Three sets of themes—product perceptions, concerns, and consumers' lifestyle—are identified, each with their own sub-themes that are antecedents to perfume purchasing behavior. Segments in the Indian perfume market are also identified. Each consumer segment has their own behavioral nuances and they consider different aspects of the perfume product taking into account their own income and aspects of the three themes and 19 sub-themes. It is important for perfume marketing managers to consider each aspect of the STEPPs modeland for the Indian government to locate and develop a “Place of Perfume” within India that will eventually challenge the region of Grasse in France as the global perfume marketplace
Super-wide impedance bandwidth planar antenna for microwave and millimetre-wave applications
No full textA feasibility study of a novel configuration for a super-wide impedance planar antenna is presented based on a 2 × 2 microstrip patch antenna (MPA) using CST Microwave Studio. The antenna comprises a symmetrical arrangement of four-square patches that are interconnected to each other with cross-shaped high impedance microstrip lines. The antenna array is excited through a single feedline connected to one of the patches. The proposed antenna array configuration overcomes the main drawback of conventional MPA with a narrow bandwidth that is typically 5%. The antenna exhibits a super-wide frequency bandwidth from 20 GHz to 120 GHz for S11 −15 dB, which corresponds to a fractional bandwidth of 142.85%. The antenna’s performance of bandwidth, impedance match, and radiation gain were enhanced by etching slots on the patches. With the inclusion of the slot, the maximum radiation gain and efficiency of the MPA increased to 15.11 dBi and 85.79% at 80 GHz, which showed an improvement of 2.58 dBi and 12.54%, respectively. The dimension of each patch antenna was 4.3 × 5.3 mm2. The results showed that the proposed MPA is useful for various existing and emerging communication systems such as ultra-wideband (UWB) communications, RFID systems, massive multiple-output multiple-input (MIMO) for 5G, and radar systems
The wanderer’s promise: Nietzsche’s philosophy of the "nearest things"
No full textIn this essay I explore what might be meant by the “nearest things” in Nietzsche’s philosophy. In the first part of the essay I contextualise Nietzsche’s concerns with “the closest things of all” in the “free spirit” period (1878-1882) and raise the question of how knowledge of them is possible. This idea is developed in the second part of the paper in relation to the claim that dominant (Platonic/Christian) habits of thought impede our understanding of the body. In the third section, I suggest that Nietzsche’s interest in Epicurean thinking in this period enables us to situate the nearest things within the political aesthetics of a transfigured physis. In the final section, I examine how Nietzsche’s 1881 notes on eternal return provide a less-well known locus for his philosophy of the nearest things, one which suggests that to “incorporate” eternal return we need to become “good neighbours” to what is close
Anti-gay ‘honor’ abuse: A multinational attitudinal study of collectivist vs. individualist orientated populations in Asia and England
No full textObjective: Cultural collectivism, a core feature of honor cultures, is associated with the acceptance of aggression if it is used in the name of so called ‘honor’. Currently overlooked in the research literature, this study explored perceptions of anti-gay ‘honor’ abuse in collectivist orientated honor cultures, where homosexuality, in particular, is considered to be dishonorable.Method: To conduct exploratory and comparative analysis, this study recruited 922 students in four Asian countries (India, Iran, Malaysia and Pakistan), as well as Asian British and White British students in England. All participants read a brief vignette depicting a man whose relatives verbally abuse him and threaten him with life-threatening violence, after suspecting that he is gay and has joined an online dating website to meet men. Participants then completed a short questionnaire that assessed the extent to which they thought the man’s actions had damaged his family’s honor and their approval of the anti-gay ‘honor’ abuse depicted in the scenario. Results: Broadly in line with predictions, data analyses revealed attitudes more supportive of anti-gay ‘honor’ abuse in all five collectivist-orientated populations than the sample of individualistic-orientated counterparts in England. Notably, however, a series of one-way ANOVAs demonstrated that these results varied depending on country of residence, gender, religious denomination, educational status and age.Conclusions: The findings show that individual and demographic differences influence perceptions towards homophobic ‘honor’ abuse in collectivist cultures. These differences are a useful indices of the psychosocial factors that underpin hostile attitudes towards gay males in cultures where homosexuality is denounced
Remarkable Lives : Shelley Seaton in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Shelley Seaton.Shelley gives a short background to her life story and is then interviewed by Jerome.Shelley tells us about a number of life events that impacted on her mental health issues, starting with childhood bullying and also abusive relationships.The Case Study approach privileges the person’s lived experience. It also lets us see the unique complexity of each person’s story.Shelley received little help in the form of counselling either at school or when she experienced post-natal depression.When mental health problems start in childhood, schools have a vital role to play. While the bullying stopped when Shelley’s Mum went to the school, the damage was already done. She was given no support to help her through this.Patricia Deegan has asked, “Could you have survived what this person has survived?”(Deegan, 1996, p.95). Shelley’s story is a tale of surviva
Children and young people’s goals in online counselling: who achieves what, and how can the data impact on practice?
No full textAim/Purpose: There is a growing awareness of the mental health difficulties that children and young people (CYP) encounter. Given the acknowledgement that large numbers of CYP will benefit from additional support, there is increased emphasis on creating accessible services. One area of growth in the UK has been the provision of online therapeutic services. Further, in attempting to make CYP services more youth friendly, goal-based outcome measures are commonly integrated into therapeutic work. This study investigates the types of therapeutic goals set by CYP online and considers how they develop.Design/Methodology: It makes use of a year of practice-based data generated from April 2016 to March 2017 on the Kooth.com service – a web-based platform that offers synchronous and asynchronous counselling, peer-to-peer support and self-help tools. 3403 goals were reported during this period by 1425 CYP and scored from 0-10. The demographic information of the clients using the online service is reflected upon before this information is considered alongside the change that is reported in goal scores.Ethical Approval: This study received a favourable ethical review at the institution of the third author.Results/Findings: It is notable that the online service was primarily used by female users during the reporting period (71%), and a majority of the service users were aged 13-16 years (62%).46.5% of these goals were fully achieved by the cohort, with an average goal movement overall of 6.69.Conclusions/Implications: The findings contribute to the body of literature that reflect a similar demographic of CYP access online counselling as they do face-to-face counselling. When considering the level achievement of the commonest therapeutic goals, online services can provide an important role in aiding CYP in accessing additional support. Such a view highlights the importance of online services working in conjunction with face-to-face services
An investigation of how healthcare organisations use Social Media as marketing tools in the UK-the case of private and social care Organisations.
No full textThe Researcher has been employed as a manager in a private healthcare firm for many years. The advancement of technologies and abundance of social media platforms have led to innovative marketing methods for businesses in an era of continuous pressure to cut cost for long term sustainability. However, healthcare organisations still rely heavily on traditional and costly marketing methods for their businesses. The research seeks to investigate how private Healthcare Organisations are using social media and its platforms as marketing tools in the UK.The research objectives are:• To critically evaluate how organisations are utilising SM as marketing tools. • To critically examine the use of SM platforms as potential marketing tools across healthcare organisations. • To evaluate the effective use of Social Media as marketing tools in healthcare organisations. • To explore the challenges and barriers of using SM and its platforms as a potential marketing tool across healthcare organisations in the UK. • To make recommendations for formulating a Social Media Marketing Strategy that managers and marketers could use to market their organisations in the healthcare industry effectively.Through literature reviews and empirical methods; an extensive search was performed to establish and understand the main subject areas within healthcare marketing and social media. The research uncovered the gaps in the subject area to answer the research question and objectives. A conceptual framework was created using combined elements from the literature review: preferred SM platforms, effective use of SM and challenges and barriers need to be considered when using SM for Healthcare Organisations.By identifying the philosophical positions for the research objectives, the research design was developed and decided to use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data. Having looked at the various methods to collect data, it was agreed that a case study strategy approach would be most suited to address the research objectives. The researcher uses a case study strategy and through Observation, and Semi-structured interviews to collect the research data.As a result of the findings, the recommendations that have been made are:1) Use Linked In, Twitter and Facebook for SM marketing in healthcare organisations.2) Determine resource needs, focus on 2 or 3 platforms if new to SM marketing.3) Know their audiences and target them accordingly.4) Design SM activities for long term strategies to include content strategy and frequency of post.5) Determine and agree on company policy for content clearance.6) Participate in and listen to customers’ online conversation.7) Encourage and use sponsor adverts to reach their target customers.8) Encourage posts with a combination of texts and photographs.The combined results from the research methods are: Linked In, Twitter and Facebook are the most used and preferred platforms in Healthcare Organisations. The effective use of SM and its platforms are: share and communicate healthcare-related information, marketing, monitoring and creating brand awareness, recruitment activities, Building trust, customer relationship, viability, creating good brand identity, good images and communicate better with customers, interactive communication and monitor their competitors. The challenges and barriers identified for using SM marketing practices during this study were : Negative comments, Lack of knowledge and understanding, Budget/cost, Lack of focus, lack of time and resource, Lack of engagement, culture and age, personal preference, return on investment, Privacy, confidentiality and ethical and target. Finally, a new conceptual framework was developed to reflect the research findings.The research contributed to the development of UK based research and literature within the field of promoting the use of social media for marketing healthcare organisations. It would allow the marketing strategies for healthcare Organisations to be up-to-date, efficient and cost-effective; similar to the USA and other advanced nations
Hans Kelsen and the Natural Law Tradition
No full textHans Kelsen and the Natural Law Tradition provides the first sustained examination of Hans Kelsen’s critical engagement, itself founded upon a distinctive theory of legal positivism, with the Natural Law Tradition. This edited collection commences with a comprehensive introduction which establishes the character of Kelsen’s critical engagement as a general critique of natural law combined with a more specific critique of representative thinkers of the Natural Law Tradition. The subsequent chapters are then devoted to a detailed analysis of Kelsen’s engagement with prominent theorists from the Natural Law Tradition. The volume concludes with an exploration, focusing upon the delineation of a non-positivist legal theory in the debate between Robert Alexy and Joseph Raz, of the continued presence of Kelsenian legal positivism in contemporary legal theory