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Segregation in a male-dominated industry: women working in the computer games industry
No full textThis paper focuses on occupational segregation within the games industry in terms of gender role identity and differences between female game workers in relation to their attitudes towards women’s career barriers and their own career progression and promotion. Women are both underrepresented in the games industry workforce as a whole and in certain roles within the industry. Women in the industry tend to be concentrated in more traditionally ‘feminine’ roles such as marketing and administration. Women are underrepresented in core creation and development roles, such as coders, designers and artists; roles that tend to require technical skill and knowledge. Using data extracted from a large study of female game workers, this study adds to the scarcity of research into the area of women working in the computer games industry. It would appear that occupational segregation still persists in this relatively new, male dominated industry. Findings suggest gender role identity and attitudes are important issues when looking at segregation within the industry. Implications for future research on the games industry are discussed
Strengthening Physiotherapy Practice for Back Pain Patients. The Development of ‘Red Flags: A Guide to Identifying Serious Pathology of the Spine’
No full textSerious spinal pathology cases are difficult to recognise in the early stages of thedisease process and have become notorious amongst physiotherapists andthose from the wider medical professions. Delayed diagnosis can lead tocatastrophic patient consequences and create needless anxiety for the clinician.In an evolving health economy, physiotherapists have expanding roles in the fieldof musculoskeletal medicine, and are commonly the first practitioner to examinea back pain sufferer. These clinicians are increasingly likely to encounter complexpatients presenting with previously undiagnosed serious pathology of the spine.Using a range of evidence, this thesis summarises three main areas in which mywork has made a significant contribution to physiotherapy knowledge andpractice: 1. Enhancing practitioners’ awareness of clinical indicators and theirrecognition of patterns within serious spinal cases presenting for physiotherapytreatment. 2. Strengthening the clinical physiotherapy and musculoskeletalevidence-base, specifically relating to improved diagnostic effectiveness inresponses to serious pathology of the spine. 3. Identifying demonstrable benefitsto both patients and funders from the systematic application of specific,identifiable indicators to the logic of clinical management and pathways. In presenting the chronology of my work, the thesis refers to a variety of researchbased evidence that I have used to equip clinicians with the skills and knowledgenecessary to identify and manage this complex group of patients. My approaches9include innovations such as the development of a weighting system for indicatorsof serious spinal pathology to inform physiotherapists’ clinical reasoning, and aqualitative study in Palliative Care which explored clinicians’ knowledge of vital,identifiable indicators for serous pathology of the spine. I will present theunderpinning development process for the first ever alert system for MetastaticSpinal Cord Compression. Aligned with this, I will also provide evidence of howdissemination of this new knowledge resulted in improved patient outcomes bothnationally and internationally. In summary, this thesis outlines the contribution to physiotherapy and widermedical practice that my work has made in informing clinical reasoning toeffectively consider the possibility of something serious causing the presentingback problem
TRAILER project overview: Tagging, recognition and acknowledgment of informal learning experiences
No full textThe evolution of new technology and its increasing use, have for some years been making the existence of informal learning more and more transparent, especially among young and older adults in both Higher Education and workplace contexts. However, the nature of formal and non-formal, course-based, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily, and although technology bring us near to the solution, it has not yet achieved. TRAILER project aims to address this problem by developing a tool for the management of competences and skills acquired through informal learning experiences, both from the perspective of the user and the institution or company. This paper describes the research and development main lines of this project
Control Strategy for Three-/Four-Wire-Inverter-Based Distributed Generation
No full textFuture power distribution requires advanced expandability and flexibility in the integration of distributed energy resources which normally require interfacing units to provide the necessary crossing point to the grid. The core of these interfacing units is power-electronics grid front end, namely, inverters. The inverter is the primary interface that provides not only their principal interfacing control function but also various utility functions. This paper presents the flexible control methodology of inverters as grid front end using an isochronous control function which is used by synchronous generators in conventional power systems to provide load sharing and control
Microfluidics based on ZnO/nanocrystalline diamond surface acoustic wave devices
No full textSurface acoustic wave (SAW) devices with 64
μ
m wavelength were fabricated on a zinc oxide (ZnO) film deposited on top of an ultra-smooth nanocrystalline diamond (UNCD) layer. The smooth surface of the UNCD film allowed the growth of the ZnO film with excellent
c
-axis orientation and low surface roughness, suitable for SAW fabrication, and could restrain the wave from significantly dissipating into the substrate. The frequency response of the fabricated devices was characterized and a Rayleigh mode was observed at ∼65.4 MHz. This mode was utilised to demonstrate that the ZnO/UNCD SAW device can be successfully used for microfluidic applications. Streaming, pumping, and jetting using microdroplets of 0.5 and 20
μ
l were achieved and characterized under different powers applied to the SAW device, focusing more on the jetting behaviors induced by the ZnO SAW
A critical analysis of the Maltese mediascape from a psycho-cultural, sociological and Catholic theological perspective
No full textThis commentary presents my thirty-year involvement with Malta's mediasacpe during which I constructed a theoretical framework which helped me analyse critically Malta's mediascape in an original way, influence the formulation of policies governing it, and contribute practically to its building (particularly in the public service broadcasting and Church media sectors).This commentary details the way I critically mapped and evaluated this mediascape, contributing to both theory and practice through an extensive number of academic publications, reports and public lectures. It discerns the paradigmatic changes that this mediascape has undergone. In particular, this commentary explains the following: I combined psycho-cultural and sociological approaches in order to appreciate the complexity of the Maltese mediascape, including its specific way of evolving from one stage of media/culture relation to another; the paradigmatic shift from monopolistic to pluralized broadcasting; the impact of the presence of various institutions, particularly political parties, that own different media organisation; and finally the role of the media in the secularisation of the Maltese Islands. The important position of the Catholic Church in this mediascape is analysed by means of a pastoral/theological model I put forward. In its final section, this commentary reflects on the media education programme which was developed as a tool to empower the readers, listeners and viewers that populate Malta's mediascape
Band gap tuning and structural engineering of TIO₂ for photocatalysis and solar cells.
No full textTo tackle with the energetic and environmental problems for sustainable development, titanium dioxide ( TIO₂) has attracted extensive scientific interests for its outstanding performances in photocatalytic decomposition of organic molecules and its application in solar cells.This work aims at a fundamental break through towards significant reduction of TIO₂ band gap via doping, since the functionality for pure TIO₂can be excited only by ultraviolet (UV) light that only accounts for less than 5% of solar irradiance because of the wide band gaps (3.2 eV for anatase and 3.0 eV for rutile), as well as structural engineering of TIO₂ thin films, in order to pave a technological basis for truly sustainable technologies for visible light photocatalytic applications for cleaner environment and novel photovoltaic (PV) cells.By using the technique of pulse laser deposition, pure and ions doped TIO₂ thin films were successfully synthesized. The microstructure and optical absorption properties of doped thin films were systematically characterized and compared with pure one.Through involving Fe, Mn, V-Ga, the band gap of TIO₂ thin films were extensively narrowed, amazingly making the absorption edges shift well into visible region or even infrared region. Contrarily, rare earth dopants Gd, Er, Sm could hardly address the band gap of TIO₂thin film.Fe doped TIO₂ nanocatalysts were prepared using a hydrothermal method at low temperature. Fe doping induces significant red shift in the optical absorption edge of TIO₂ by introducing secondary absorption edges, extending the optical absorption edge well into the visible light region. Accordingly the visible light photocatalytic activity of TIO₂ increased on account of visible light absorption by Fe doped TIO₂, resulting in improved degradation rate of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiance.Mn doped TIO₂ nanocatalysts were successfully prepared by means of a sol–gel method using ethanol–water as a solvent. A remarkable red shift of the absorption edge was achievable through Mn doping, giving rise to gigantically narrowed energy gap to permit absorption well into the infrared spectral region. The Mn doped anatase powders exhibited considerable high visible light photocatalytic activity, leading to greatly enhanced degradation rate of MB under visible light irradiance.Single rutile TIO₂ nanorod and nanofibre thin films with preferred [002] orientation were successfully synthesized on fluoride doped tin dioxide (FTO) coated substrate.Through adjusting the reaction duration, alcohol substitution of water as solvent, reaction temperature and tetrabutyl titanate (Ti(OBu)4) concentration, TIO₂ thin films of different packing density and thickness were well controlled for various potential applications. By employing the nanorod TIO₂thin film in hybrid solar cell, considerable efficiencies were obtained and expected to improve furthermore
Palliative and end-of-life care: Bolton's AP foundation course.
No full textThere is nothing more certain in life than death. How we as individuals approach this challenging event will be influenced by personal experiences of the care we receive from health and social care providers. To ensure those experiencing the end of life receive a high-quality service, a fully trained and competent workforce is essential to turn the policy rhetoric into practice. Provision of excellence by the workforce is clearly linked to continuing professional development (CPD) and the education of frontline workers. As assistant practitioners (APs) have an important role to play in the provision of end-of-life care, accessing education and training in this aspect of their role is essential.The University of Bolton Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care Programme currently has a cohort of students who are undertaking a two-year foundation degree programme. This cohort of students works in 4 distinct areas—hospice inpatient services; hospice at home; day care services; and nursing homes in the north-west—and these students will specialise in palliative and end-of-life care in their second year.In this article, the first of four, the aim is to discuss provision of palliative and end-of-life care and how the AP will be enabled to access the knowledge and skills required to ensure the diverse and holistic needs of palliative and end-of-life patients are met