18 research outputs found
Struggles with empathy and optimal responsiveness : an intersubjective view
No full textIncludes bibliography.This dissertation reviews the psychotherapeutic techniques of empathy and optimal responsiveness from within a Self Psychology framework. Self Psychologists view these techniques as essential for the activation of the selfobject experience, the core requirement for the restoration of a cohesive sense of self. However, numerous factors arising in the therapeutic situation mitigate against empathic listening, and there is no real consensus amongst Self Psychologists about what constitutes an optimal response. This presents a particular difficulty for trainee therapists who seek guidelines in how to use these techniques. This dissertation aims to demonstrate that empathy and optimal responsiveness are inextricably bound up with the intersubjective field, an inclusive system of which each individual is a part. A psychoanalytically informed clinical study of the intersubjective field is used to illustrate this notion. Through analysis of the patient's responses and the therapist's countertransference responses, it is shown that empathy and optimal responsiveness arise from the interface between the subjective experiences of both therapist and patient and thus include the dynamics of both. Retrospective analysis which has enabled the author to grow as a psychotherapist, is highlighted, with the hope that this may be useful to future trainee therapists
Hourly Matching of renewable electricity production with demand of large-scale electricity consumers
No full textThis research aims to provide a method for large-scale commercial electricity consumers to procure towards 100% hourly matched renewable electricity. A problem with the current electricity balancing system is that the energy produced by Variable Renewable Energy sources (VRES), such as wind and solar PV, has a weather-dependent production profile and is thus non-controllable and intermittent. The balance between the total energy demand of the large-scale electricity (LSE) consumer and the production of electricity from VRES in their contract is only based on a yearly scale and not on an hourly scale. At moments when there is little wind, mainly coal & gas- powered plants need to be dispatched to secure uninterrupted power supply. Procurement of renewable energy is realized with the use of Guarantees of origin (GOs). GOs are an instrument that tracks the origin of electricity generated from renewable resources on a yearly basis but does not differentiate in hourly production profile. Therefore, this system will not be able to address the challenge of balancing VRES and demand on an hourly scale. In the future, with the ambition of moving towards substantially higher proportion of RES, the balancing on hourly base is needed to decrease the dependency on the conventional plants as backup. Therefore, with the current setup with yearly tracked RES, companies are limited in their role in the energy transition. This research aims to provide a novel method for large-scale commercial electricity consumers to procure towards 100% hourly matched renewable electricity. In this thesis, a techno-economic analysis was conducted to examine possible hourly-matched renewable energy portfolio for Dutch LSE consumers. First, an analysis was conducted of the production and storage technologies that could potentially be used for the application of hourly matching. Secondly, a methodology was developed to analyse the match between an LSE consumer’s demand and the production profile. The degree to which these profiles are matched was defined as the green score. The higher the green score, the higher the percentage of the demand that is covered by the portfolio on an hourly base. The demand profile is kept consistent, and a comparison is made of scenarios of different portfolios containing production and storage technologies. Third, using a Levelised Cost of Portfolio (LCOP) the cost per MWh for the whole portfolio is compared for different scenario’s. This study shows that the hourly match measured using the percentage green score can be significantly increased by adapting the LSE consumer portfolio, however a 100% hourly match is not shown. Much of the research to date has focused on national-scale scenarios, but only provides limited incentives and insights into the role that large companies can play. This study provides a tool which is suitable to perform a techno-economic analysis to increase the hourly match of LSE consumers using various electricity production and electrical energy storage technologies. The insights found on the impact of different combinations of technologies in a portfolio can be used to understand a further possible role of these companies in the energy transition.Industrial Ecolog
The shared pleasure paradigm: A study in an observational birth cohort in South Africa
No full textMother–infant dyads in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) may be exposed to a range of factors associated with
suboptimal development. Optimal infant development is likely supported by synchronicity in the early mother–infant relationship, but limited corroborative research is available in LMICs. The Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS) provided an
opportunity to study this synchronicity and its associations in South Africa. A South African birth cohort study investigating
early-life determinants of child health in a LMIC context provided participants. The Shared Pleasure (SP) paradigm helped
assess early mother–infant synchronicity in videos of a sub-set of 291 mother–infant dyads at their 14-week well baby visit.
General linear regression models investigated the relationship between selected maternal and infant characteristics and the
presence of Shared Pleasure moments. Out of a possible 291 dyads, 82% (n=239) yielded Shared Pleasure moments. The
mean age of mothers was 27 years, while infant sex distribution comprised 54% females and 46% males. The shortest single
Shared Pleasure moment lasted at least 0.5 s and the longest 28 s. Shared Pleasure moments were associated with higher
gestation age at delivery (p=0.008) and higher infant birth weight (p=0.006), but were not related to mother's mental health
and infant health outcomes at 14 weeks. The high frequency of positive Shared Pleasure moments in reciprocal dyadic
interactions in this sample suggests that signifcant disruption in shared pleasure may be present only in extreme cases (e.g.
mothers with severe mental disorders). Further work is needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the associations
between early mother–infant synchronicity and better
Mindfulness training for smoking cessation in adults participating in Alcoholics Anonymous
No full textPurpose: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease. Smokers die an average of ten years earlier than individuals who do not smoke. Over 34 million adults in the United States smoke. The goal of this study is to use mindfulness training to increase smoking cessation rates.
Methods: This quality improvement study examined the effectiveness of mindfulness training exercises and smoking cessation rates in adults who attended an alcoholics anonymous meeting in Central New Jersey. Participants completed a pre-test and were then taught how to use mindfulness training exercises when the urge to smoke a cigarette arises. After four weeks of using mindfulness training, the same participants completed a post-test to examine whether mindfulness training exercises aided in smoking cessation.
Results: This study showed that the mean number of cigarettes smoked in a day decreased from 17.5 to 14.77 (n=44, p=<0.001, 95% CI) after mindfulness training exercises were used. There was a 15.58% change in the number of cigarettes smoked after using the mindfulness training exercises. 70.4% of participants in this study found mindfulness training helpful in smoking cessation.
Implications: This study showed a statistically significant reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked after mindfulness training exercises. Mindfulness training was more effective with individuals who have smoked for five years or less. Habit and stress were shown to be the main reasons why individuals in this study smoked. There was no correlation between living with a smoker and cessation rates.D.N.P.Includes bibliographical reference
Bubbles and Machines
No full textAre financial crises embedded in IT? Can gender studies offer insights into financial reporting? Feminist theories and Science and Technology Studies (STS) can enrich a critique of financial crises in capitalism as the author argues their critical, political economic approaches to communication can help in understanding because they historicize technology and economy and how these are materially embedded. Current literature has neglected finance and capital’s gendered aspect – even – the ideology of a ‘crisis’. This book develops four themes: women as resources in financial markets and as producers of values; gender ideology and unequal distribution; machine production and distribution of financial information and the varied actuality of markets. Working with case histories of tulipmania, microcredit, Wall Street reporting and the role of ‘screens’, Bubbles and Machines argues that rather than calling financial crises human-made or inevitable they should be recognized as technological
Shock Safe Nepal: Validation of the model house and a long-term plan for sustainable upscaling of earthquake resistant housing in rural areas in Nepal
No full textShock Safe Nepal was founded as a response to the 2015 Nepal earthquakes to function as a platform to contribute to the development of knowledge on earthquake safe housing. The goal of the report of team 5 is to validate and optimise the design of the pilot house that was created based on the work of previous teams, and the development on implementation plans for a validated and optimised house. Literature study, field work and interviews have been performed resulting in main findings of this report.Primarily, the used materials were analysed in the report, including bamboo, CSEB bricks and concrete. They were analysed consulting literature, conducting laboratory tests in cooperation with the University of Tribhuvan. Bamboo was mainly analysed consulting literature sources, since laboratory tests were not feasible. It was found that its material properties are immensely difficult to determine and can vary from one column to another. However, it remains a strong and cheap building material. CSEB bricks were used due to its availability, strength and price. The material properties were derived from tests done by Build Up Nepal and from literature sources. Its mechanical performance is like that of concrete. It’s an easy material to build with and incorporate steel rebar’s. However, its durability and consistency is something which was not thoroughly investigated and remains debatable. The concrete used, was thoroughly tested, conducting slump cone, compression and Schmidt Hammer tests. It was found that the concrete used in the pilot house is of acceptable quality, but there is room for improvement by following clear guidelines and technical assistance. Subsequently, static calculations were executed, regarding the roof, the load bearing structure and the foundation. It was found that these different components, perform safely under static conditions, with the applied loads, separately and combined. The load bearing structure has turned out to be a wall-bearing structure. This was not assumed at first. Furthermore, after calculations, it was found that the roof and foundation were largely over dimensioned. This is, however, determined considering many assumptions, such as the soil properties.Regarding an earthquake situation, the walls and bearing capacity were researched and calculated following quasi-static conditions. The earthquake conditions were derived from the Peak Ground Acceleration. Primarily the walls were researched. Two scenarios were considered, a 3-point collapse failure mechanism and punctual overturning collapse failure mechanism. Both mechanisms were tested for different wall compartments. These calculations give a small insight in the actual situation, because dynamic loads are applied statically, non-linear or dynamic calculations should be conducted as well as FEM modelling, for more thorough understanding. It must be said that the rebar and resonance effects were not considered. Regarding the bearing capacity, a PGA of 0.6 was used and from calculations, partly considering the soil and superstructure inertial effects, the bearing capacity would not fail. However, superstructure resonance was not considered. Larger PGA’s were not investigated, which means that it is not determined under which conditions failure would occur. From these analyses the Structural optimisations are made to the design. This includes improving the joints between different elements of the house. Regarding the materials used the optimisations include 5 protecting the CSEB bricks from weather as they are load-bearing. Guidelines are given on the placement of the house regarding the foundation and the slope. According to the calculations the foundation is over- dimensioned.For the stakeholder analysis, extensive research was done through interviews which was combined with literary information available. This was then used to create a power interest grid and a network analysis, which shows the links between different categories of stakeholders and different specific stakeholders. This analysis also gave insight in the sheer number of stakeholders involved in rebuilding Nepal and the importance of defining the role of SSN further. The external factors that are important in working in Nepal were analysed, this was done regarding social, technical, economic, environmental, political, legal and ethical aspects and based on literature research, field research and interviews. Implementation methods of different types of organisations in Nepal were analysed. These findings were concluded in a SWOT analysis of the organisations. Defining the strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities and threats of other organisation help to define the direction that SSN should move in and those aspects of building in Nepal that can also be defined as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to SSN or make SSN different to other organisations. The risks of building in Nepal must be considered to create a realistic and feasible long-term plan and need to be mitigated a risk analysis is done. The findings in the risk assessment are found in external risks, design risks and construction risks. A plan is then set up to mitigate external risks and construction risks are the. The findings of the long-term plan are organised into a strategy for SSN, an engagement plan and an implementation pathway. The strategy is concluded in a SWOT analysis which is then used to create a TOWS analysis. This TOWS analysis combined the internal and external strengths and weaknesses to bring new creative ways of maximising strengths and opportunities and minimising the weaknesses and threats. The Implementation pathway contains long- term goals for SSN, that are structured into regulatory, implementation, technical and organisational goals and that can be added onto by future teams.This research is to be a logical step in a series of research projects which will contribute to the reconstruction of an earthquake safe environment in Nepal. It can be used as consultation advice, guideline or as a base for in-depth follow up research on one of the included topics.Shock Safe NepalCIE4061-09 Multidisciplinary Projec
A Future Vision For The Engineering Design Environment: A Future Sociotechnical Scenario
No full textThis paper presents a future vision for the working practices of designers within a manufacturing organisation. By its very nature the engineering design environment is highly distributed in nature and is characterised by a large number of information sources, which together with the designers forms a complex sociotechnical system. In discussions with designers it is apparent that changes are required to this environment to reflect the changes in the design process and organisations. We have developed a scenario that incorporates many of the features requested by designers and managers to improve the design environment. The scenario sets out a route map for the development of technical and social tools that aid the designer
Recommended from our members
UNT Special Collections Artifact Photography
No full textPhotographs of "The Making of Micky Mcghee" by R.W. Campbell, held by UNT Special Collections. The third image shows the book opened up to pages 64-5. On the left page are the words "Carry On" next to a drawing of a soldier kneeling with a long rifle, followed by a bit of text. On the right page are the words "Miners and Miners" next to a drawing of a man holding a shovel followed by a few paragraphs of text. Image 1, pale brown book cover with the title at the top in an illustration of a man standing in front of a sign, and buildings behind it, the author in the bottom right corner. Image 2, inscription written on the inside of the cover in pencil. Robert Walter Campbell, born 1876, served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in the Boer War (1899 to 1902), and then again with the 5th battalion in Gallipoli (1914) in the Great War. This second tour gave him the material for his poems in support of the war effort. Campbell wrote 25 lively poems and songs in Standard English for The Making of Micky McGhee. Some 20th century Scottish slang is sprinkled throughout
Industrial Symbiosis : towards a design process for eco-industrial clusters by integrating Circular Economy and Industrial Ecology perspectives
No full textIndustrial Symbiosis (IS) is a collective approach to competitive advantage in which separate industries create a cooperative network to exchange materials, energy, water and/or by-products. By addressing issues related to resource depletion, waste management and pollution, IS plays an important role in the transition towards sustainable development. In the literature, two conceptual perspectives on IS can be identified: the Industrial Ecology (IE) and the Circular Economy (CE) perspective. Despite the recognition of these two perspectives, their relationship remains unclear and explicit attempts to develop an integrated perspective have not been made yet. Consequently, the goal of this research is to highlight and start addressing this critical gap of knowledge in order to support future research and practice geared towards the design of new IS clusters. We pose the following research question: How can the IE and CE perspectives on IS be combined in order to support the design of IS clusters? To this end, we first investigate the two perspectives more in depth and compare them in terms of nature, features and relevance for the study of IS. This is done by applying them as conceptual lenses for the analysis of the same case study, an existing IS cluster. The comparative analysis provides insights into how the two perspectives differ, ultimately demonstrating that they are complimentary and both necessary to fully describe an IS cluster. While the CE perspective is more suitable to explain how a cluster functions from a business standpoint in the operating phase, the IE perspective is more suitable to explain its development over time and its impacts on the environment, the economy and society. Building upon the outcomes of the comparative analysis, we leverage on the discipline of Strategic Design and integrate the two perspectives into a process for designing new IS clusters. We suggest two directions for future research. First, improving our comparative analysis of the two perspectives by looking at a wider sample of IS clusters of different sizes and in different contexts. Second, focusing with more specificity on the issue of how IS clusters can be designed, potentially by trying to apply the process we propose on a real case aimed at designing a new IS cluster
A Comic Approach to Politics? Political Education via Comics
No full textThis article examines juvenile comics that deal with politics as a main topic. These comics introduce and develop politicised themes and topics in varying ways and their individual approaches to politics will be discussed and analysed. The first example, the German Micky Maus-Magazin series, occasionally uses political matters to create new comical stories. In the issues discussed here, democratic processes in the fictional city of Duckburg are described. The second example, Andi, published by the Interior Ministry of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, aims at civic education. This comic explores the very real issues of rightwing extremism and rightwing propaganda within a fictional framework. The third example, Persepolis treats political issues in a serious, but not primarily pedagogical, way. It offers a personal viewpoint on the Iranian revolution in 1979. By reflecting on Iranian society, the Iranian author puts forward new perspectives on the country which are quite opposite to those that are typically represented in Western countries’ daily news. All three comics provide varying degrees of understanding on politics and political processes. Since each example combines elements of entertainment with political information, they will be analysed within the theoretical framework of what Dörner defines as politainment
