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Young People, Youth Organizations and Leisure
No full textMuch voluntary work with young people in the inter-war years focused on those aged between fourteen and twenty years old who had left school but were not yet fully equipped to enter the world of adult leisure. Its overall aim was to intervene in the transition to adulthood to encourage a preference for active leisure and to develop the skills of social citizenship. In this context character became important in sociological rather than moral terms; its improvement, as the National Conference on the Leisure of the People noted, was the foundation of intelligent employment and citizenship. Central to social service with young people was the self-managed club; as B.A. Campbell, the leader of a London boys’ club remarked, in a time of democracy and democratic government, the boys had to be allowed to govern themselves. The juvenile, or adolescent, was, as Mike Brake has argued, a cultural construct, variously identified as respectable, delinquent or culturally rebellious. Much intervention in the leisure of young people reflected not idealism but a perceived need for control and regulation; Pearl Jephcott, a senior organizer in the National Association of Girls’ Clubs, conceded that inter-war voluntary social service for youth never transcended the idea of a social ambulance. Nevertheless, through experimentation, social research and state-voluntary partnership, a modern twentieth-century approach to provision for young people emerged that led to the publication in 1942 of The Service of Youth and its recommendation of the establishment of youth committees by local authorities
A mobile app and VR game to enhance learning and teaching: collaborative research with students
No full textThis presentation will reflect on, and discuss, a HEFCE Catalyst Fund project to engage students in student-led research to enhance learning and teaching through technology.The research had four main objectives. Firstly, to engage undergraduate students in an initiative to understand utilisation of technology in learning and teaching. Secondly, facilitate students in the research process to design and develop learning and teaching initiatives. Thirdly, to empower students in the delivery of training for staff. Finally, to employ students in the reverse mentoring of staff to enhance the learning and teaching environment.The presentation will discuss the research undertaken by the research team, a team that included academic staff and student researchers, in terms of the technological interventions (a university-wide mobile app- uBolt and a VR based resource) that were developed to enhance learning and teaching, as well as the evaluation of the interventions. Both interventions were co-created and designed with, and for, students.The App was a pilot of a university-wide mobile app (uBolt) aimed to be used by all students across the university. The app included an interactive map and games based on learning and students interacting with each other and the university campus. This mobile app developed by the students was then featured in the development process for university-wide implementation of the Campus M app. The second intervention was a VR therapeutic game for use with the counselling students at the university. Both interventions were designed by the research team, and input was sought from the wider student population at the university. Both resources were also developed by games students at the university. The interventions were then evaluated by the research team and this presentation will discuss and reflect on the whole research process with a particular focus on students as partners and the dynamics of change
Performance analysis of FPGA based maximum power point tracking algorithms for photovoltaic applications
No full textThis paper investigates design and implementation of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm for Photo Voltaic (PV) applications on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform. The algorithm is developed by means of Hardware Description Language (Verilog). Algorithms were simulated on MODELSIM software and synthesized using ALTERA Quartus II software. Furthermore, hardware implementation is done using ALTERA Cyclone II FPGA starter board to verify the performance of the designed algorithms. The paper will investigate whether FPGA is a suitable hardware platform for real time MPPT controller
Understanding Organizational Values Through Experiential Learning
No full textThe Organizational Values Matrix (OVM) can be used in experiential workshops to align the process of leaders and employees and reveal how alignment supports organizational values initiatives. The OVM was developed from research that was carried out in two voluntary and community sector (VCS) organizations in the north-west of the United Kingdom. The OVM incorporates values-based themes and organizational areas which underpin values ideas within an organizational context. The OVM is a framework which enables leaders to take a planned approach to experiential learning, appreciating the internal capacity of understanding values, linking components within the organization whilst recognizing the impact on actions and experiences. The matrix consists of connectors, altruistic, controllers and auxiliary quadrants. The quadrants form the basis of four experiential developmental workshops
Associational Leisure and the Formation of Community in the Mid-Nineteenth Century
No full textThe historical development of leisure and voluntary action corresponds with thematic approaches and periods in the historiography of social policy. Pat Thane adopted the sub-periods of 1870–1914, the First World War, and the inter-war decades; Derek Fraser deployed a similar framework of an age of laissez faire from c.1780 to c.1885 and the emergence of a social service state c.1885 to 1939. Although no single model of voluntary action, or indeed leisure, was absolute at any given point, these temporal frameworks reflect broad phases of social, economic and cultural change and mark shifts of emphasis in voluntarism from paternalism and charitable philanthropy to social service and organized voluntary action
Fully biodegradable triboelectric nanogenerators based on electrospun polylactic acid and nanostructured gelatin films
No full textHere, we present a fully biodegradable triboelectric nanogenerator (BD-TENG) based on gelatin film and electrospun polylactic acid nanofiber membrane. By optimizing the material properties of the gelatin and PLA polymer films, an output voltage up to 500 V, a short circuit current density of 10.6 mA/m2 and a maximum power density over 5 W/m2 are achieved with a device dimension of 4 × 4 cm2. Performance of the BD-TENGs using different material combinations under various test conditions are investigated and analyzed. The BD-TENGs show excellent mechanical stability and reliability upon cyclical contact for up to 15,000 times. Biodegradation experiments show that all the materials of the TENG could be degraded completely into water in about 40 days. The BD-TENGs provide a promising green micro-power source for environment monitoring, biomedical implants through harvesting energy from wind, heart motion et al., yet they can dissolve with no adverse effect to environment or human body
Investigation of the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of needle punched nonwoven fabrics produced from stainless steel and carbon fibres
No full textThe electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) of needle punched, nonwoven fabrics produced using staple stainless steel and carbon fibres was investigated. Utilising carding and large scale industrial type needle punching machines, webs of staple stainless steel and carbon fibres were produced, which were subsequently bonded on the needle punching machine at approximately 132 punches/cm2 and 13.5 mm needle penetration depth. The effect of varying the carbon fibre content was studied by varying the blend ratio of stainless steel and carbon fibres between 5-20%. EMSE measurements of as-produced needle punched nonwoven fabrics were carried out using the coaxial transmission line method (ASTM D4935-10) in the frequency range of 15-3000 MHz. Within the range, the EMSE values were enhanced from 22.3 dB (95/5, stainless steel/carbon) to 44.7 dB (80/20, stainless steel/carbon), which was attributed to the enhanced conductivity of the fabrics. In fact, the surface resistivity of the samples decreased from 5.80E + 3 Ω to 2.43E + 2 Ω, enhanced for 95:5 and 80:20 stainless steel/carbon blends
Carbon Dioxide-Derived Poly(propylene carbonate) as a Matrix for Composites and Nanocomposites: Performances and Applications
No full textThe conversion of CO2 into polymers such as poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) can contribute to the reduction of dependence on fossil fuel resourced polymers. PPC is a polymer synthesized from the catalyzed copolymerization between CO2 and propylene oxide. The global demand for renewable and biodegradable polymers coupled with the recent success in catalysis for the copolymerization of CO2 with epoxides has paved the way for an increased interest and growth in PPC polymers. On the contrary, the extensive utilization of PPC in many applications is still challenging due to its poor thermal stability, mechanical strength, and dimensional stability. Thus, many research efforts currently focus on improving these limitations. On the other hand, polymer processing and application development efforts have continued to utilize the existing PPC. This article presents a comprehensive review of PPC polymer as a matrix component of polymer composites and nanocomposites. Progress in current research on PPC-based material applications, including industrial packaging, electromagnetic shielding, energy storage, and biomedical applications are included. A critical review of the biodegradability, compostability, and overall sustainability of PPC is also conducted. Finally, challenges that limit the extensive use of such materials, and future research and development directions are highlighted
Adoption of additive manufacturing approaches: The case of manufacturing SMEs
No full textThe paper examines the use of case study analysis of additive manufacturing implementation within small and medium enterprises (SME). Many of the manufacturing enterprises are subjected to lot of disruptive and changing landscape over the years. The current expectations of the new changing markets are shorter product cycles and fulfilling better customization within the produce lines. This allows the entry of Additive Manufacturing (AM) application within many of the product based manufacturing enterprises. AM adopts the process of joining materials through layers to produce objects through 3D digital data technology that enables it to innovate the traditional manufacturing processes. The paper aims to present an overview of additive manufacturing technology through small and medium enterprise adoption by conducting three mini case studies within manufacturing businesses. The paper aims to investigate how additive manufacturing drives innovation within these manufacturing SMEs and while understanding the adoption of these technological advances, proposes an appropriate implementation framework. The study also aims to evaluate any tactical patterns of innovation and growth towards the adoption and advantages of additive manufacturing, while recommending solutions to address certain challenges, especially within the supply chain transformation within the environment. Finally, through this paper the authors aim to address that use of additive manufacturing technology may or may not be applicable to all manufacturing SMEs
Using identity structural analysis to mentor trainee teachers
No full textThis presentation considers the potential that a combination of Identity Structure Analysis (Weinreich and Saunderson 2003) and mentoring sessions hold for exploring teacher identity. The research argues for a combined approach as a way to augment current approaches to teacher professional development. This research also argues that Identity Structure Analysis (ISA) leads to more targeted mentoring sessions which supports individual transition and ultimately leads to an increase in trainee teacher retentio