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Three-dimensional fabric structures. Part 3 - Three-dimensional nonwoven fabrics and their applications
No full textThree-dimensional (3-D) nonwoven fabrics are high loft materials that have applications in many industries such as automotive, building, agriculture, filtration, medical, and the bedding/furniture/seating, just to name a few. One of the objectives of using 3-D nonwoven fabrics is to replace foam, neoprene, rubber, and other such compounds that lack thermo-physiological comfort and desirable properties such as recyclability, flame retordancy, and sustainability. This chapter discusses the materials, processes, properties, and the application areas of 3-D nonwoven fabrics available on the market today. A wide range of technologies are covered, which demonstrate that 3-D nonwoven fabrics markets will expand further, as their unique features and characteristics are recognised globall
From Sage on the stage to guide on the side. An action research project using a ‘flipped classroom’ model
No full textAs a full-time educator working in Higher Education it is important to keep a keen eye on innovative practices and on how I can improve my own teaching practice and in turn improve the lectures I deliver to students. When I was teaching at Edge Hill University something happened that changed how I looked at current teaching practices. I was teaching in the University’s brand new £18 million media center and I noticed as I walked through the teaching corridors and looked into the floor to ceiling clear glass classrooms that the lecturers were only using the SMARTboards to display YouTube videos and while actually instructing reverted to dry markers on the whiteboard. This practice seemed perverse in its Luddite approach to technology in a building that was meant to represent and enhance 21st Century digital technology.That thought stayed with me when I began lecturing in Bolton and when the Education Project assignment arose in the PGDE course I thought to base it learning the SMARTboard technology, adapting it to Film and TV content for lessons. I begin researching into the subject and arranged what became an intensive extended session with a specialist in SMARTboard software. I had used it before when doing my CELTA certificate but the purpose in this session was to find a way to capture the moving image of film and television in SMARTboard and use it in my classroom for specific teaching purposes. The specialist is an educator himself and not just a technician so he was motivated to adapt the educational tool to my needs. Between us that day we achieved that.My aim for the project at that point was to develop my skills in the software and continue to adapt it to my film and TV lecture content. Then I would offer to impart this knowledge and skill to my five fellow lecturers in the Media department. I mention this as a prelude into my eventual Education Project and it is connected and overlapping
Exclusive self-aligned β-phase PVDF films with abnormal piezoelectric coefficient prepared via phase inversion
No full textSelf-polarised poly(vinylidene fluoride), (PVDF), films were prepared via a facile phase-inversion technique wherein the polymorphism of the films was controlled from exclusive α- (>90%) to β-phase (>98%) by simply varying the quenching temperature from 100 °C to -20 °C, respectively. At low temperatures, the β-phase crystallites were found to be self-aligned, with the PVDF thin films possessing a high piezoelectric coefficient of up to -49.6 pm V(-1). The extraordinarily high β-phase and piezoelectric coefficient of these PVDF films make them suitable for electroactive and energy harvesting applications
Voluntary action and leisure: an historical perspective 1830-1939
No full textSince the early nineteenth century instrumental voluntary intervention in leisure has been a prominent aspect of social reform. Despite this, leisure remains relatively neglected in the historiography of voluntary action. This paper reviews the changing social meanings of leisure and voluntary action between 1830 and 1939 and argues that leisure has been crucial to the development of the voluntary movement. While much intervention was repressive, leisure was also understood as a social good that could be promoted through voluntary action. After the First World War leisure was seen by the National Council of Social Service to be a prerequisite of a progressive society. It is argued that the historical relationships between voluntary action and leisure have the capacity to inform current policy in terms of state-voluntary partnership and ideas of the common good
The Americanisation of Southern African political campaigns: a comparative study of Malawi and South Africa general elections
No full textThis paper seeks to examine the extent and rationale of Malawian and South African campaigns incorporating America -style practices and becoming Americanised. Specifically the paper explores the existence of evidence that supports the notion of Americanisation in both Malawian and South African politics. The paper adopted a mixed methods approach. Semi structured interviews were conducted with senior politicians (campaign directors, research directors and publicity secretaries) of six political parties represented in the National Assembly and media managers. Focus groups were also conducted with media practitioners and voters on the use of experts, advisers and professionals in political campaigns in Malawi. Content analysis of secondary sources (on-line publications and newspapers) for lack of primary data was conducted for evidence of Americanisation and use of political marketing professionals (in-house or otherwise) in conducting electoral campaigns in South Africa. Results show evidence of Americanisation directly or indirectly since 1994 in both Malawi and South Africa. The Alliance for Democracy of Malawi had a team of American consultants working with its campaign team as early in 1994 when the country held its first democratic elections. The other political parties had experts from either the UK or other countries like Israel who have had contacts with their American counterparts or were influenced in some way by their work. In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) hired a firm that was advised by Frank Greer and Stan Greenberg, organisers of Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaigns. Results further show that the growth in the use of marketing and campaign professionals has been largely related to democratisation, development of the media and changes in the socialeconomic factors in these study countries. Through transnational diffusion, these practices were adopted and adapted to meet local needs. In fact, Americanisation supplements country-specific situations (hybridisation). The results provide useful knowledge and insight to international political marketing consultants and advisers to design country-specific campaign strategies taking into account the media environment and other country-specific factors. Further research ideas stemming from this study include the inclusion of other countries in Southern African region to make the results of uniform application to the entire African continent. The study provides useful knowledge and insight into international political marketing. The paper's contribution is to generate knowledge about political campaign practices in Malawi and South Africa, two countries in the SADC region thereby anchoring the study of political marketing and campaigning in Africa. It is hoped that this study leads to further discussion and research on the role of political marketing and campaign professionalisation in Africa
The iTEC technical artefacts, architecture and educational cloud
No full textThis chapter introduces the technical artefacts of the iTEC project in the context of a cloud architecture. The rationale for the technology developed in the iTEC project follows from its overall aim to re-engineer the uptake of ICT in schools. To that end, iTEC focused (a) on some important barriers for the uptake of ICT such the effort that teachers must make in redesigning their teaching and fi nding the right resources for that, and (b) on enablers for the uptake of ICT, such as providing engaging experiences both for the learner and teacher. The technical innovations are centred around three themes: innovations in the support of learning design, innovations by using a-typical resources, and innovations in the integration and management of learning services and resources. Next this chapter presents the cloud architecture adopted by all technology providers, including a shared user management and control system, the shared data models and interoperability solutions.The technical artefacts and then further elaborated in the ensuing chapters
From languishing dyslexia to thriving dyslexia: developing a new conceptual approach to working with people with dyslexia
No full textThis is an account of personal narratives shared by several people with dyslexia. Most of these are presented in their original quotation format to provide personal accounts of the lives of people with dyslexia. In this paper the author shares her conversations with her participants. This paper provides an original conceptual model, which is currently been tested empirically. Dyslexia affects the learning process in areas as such reading, and spelling. Conversely abilities or strengths can be seen in other areas, such as developing coping strategies to manage and overcome challenges. This research aims to adapt positive psychology techniques to support individuals with dyslexia. To develop positive psychology interventions, individuals will be helped to discover their five signature strengths. The VIA (Values in Action) Strengths Survey has been hosted in a website which has been developed in the form of a dyslexia user friendly format, such as providing the ability for respondents to change fonts and font sizes, colors and a text to speech option. This paper introduces the theoretical model of ‘How to move from Languishing Dyslexia to Thriving Dyslexia.
Using click chemistry to dial up the modulus of doubly crosslinked microgels through precise control of microgel building block functionalisation
No full textDoubly crosslinked microgels (DX MGs) are hydrogels constructed by covalently interlinked vinyl-functionalised microgel particles. Until now it has not been possible to precisely control the extent of vinyl functionalisation of the microgel (MG) particles which act as the colloidal building blocks for hydrogel assembly. Furthermore, the range of DX MGs prepared to date has been modest. This study addresses both of these challenges by constructing a new class of DX MG using MG particles that were vinyl functionalised by copper catalysed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). Here, poly(2-vinylpyridine-co-propargyl acrylate) (PVP-PA) MG particles were prepared and vinyl functionalised by CuAAC using azidopropyl methacrylate (AZPMA) to give PVP-PAx–PMAy MGs. Values for the extent of vinyl functionalisation (y) were varied from 0 to 7.0 mol% in a precisely controlled manner. Concentrated dispersions were transformed from fluids to physical gels at pH values of less than or equal to 3.0 and covalently inter-linked to give PVP-PAx–PMAy DX MGs by free-radical coupling of the vinyl groups of neighbouring particles. The storage modulus of the DX MGs varied linearly with both MG concentration and the value for y. Not only did the new DX MGs studied here enable precise control of MG functionalisation and DX MG mechanical properties, they also showed evidence of colloidal crystallinity which may lead to future photonic gel applications. Our CuAAC-based approach should be versatile and is expected to enable a range of new DX MGs to be prepared
Examining the impact of institutional environments on the HRM practices of MNCs and their operation and the path dependency between developed and developing countries
No full textPurpose: This paper seeks to examine and understand how country institutional environments differently determine the Human Resource Management (HRM) of Multinational Companies (MNCs) from developed countries operating in developing countries, as well as MNCs from developing countries operating in more advanced market economies.Approach: It adopts a qualitative desk-based research to provide an extensive review of relevant literature. The review focuses predominantly on the following strands of literature: (1) Institutional theory and the environment; (2) HRM practices and systems; (3) Path dependency and MNCs within the context of developed and developing countries.Findings: The effort reveals that a gap exists in elucidating the impact of institutional environments on the HRM practices of MNCs, between developed and developing countries. The last few decades has seen a plethora of research on the HRM practices of MNCs which originate from developed but operate in developing countries. Most of these, however, tend not to consider in an explicit way the dynamics of the HRM practices of MNCs from developing economies operating in more developed and different institutional contexts where path dependency is also a crucial root for both groups of MNCs and its competitive edges.Research limitation: The findings are based solely of secondary data and is a theory based paper, therefore, it is limited in terms of empirical evidence.Practical Implications: A more complete understanding of the dynamic influences of institutional environments allows MNCs both contexts to orient HRM practice in a way that aligns with key institutional features in order to more effectively fulfil wider organisational objectives.Value: The paper contributes to the comparatively sparse literature in term of the impact of institutional environments on HRM practices in both developed and developing country contexts. In particular, it examines institutional influences on the HRM practices of MNCs from developing countries operating in developed contexts
Technical fabric structures - 2. Knitted fabrics
No full textThis chapter deals with the fundamentals, as well as the recent developments, in both warp and weft knitting technologies. The knitting equipment, fabric structures, their properties and areas of application have been described in detail. The other areas covered include fabric geometry, process control, and machine and fabric calculations. The recent advances in both warp and weft knitting equipment and fabric structures exhibited at ITMA 2011 in Barcelona, Spain, have been discussed in detail. It has been demonstrated in this chapter that both warp and weft knitting technologies are increasingly being developed and utilised in the manufacture of an extremely wide range of apparel, household, and technical textiles products, and are likely to expand their share of the world markets still further in the future