7,311 research outputs found
Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure
A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium
Protocol of a feasibility randomised controlled trial of Empowered Conversations: training family carers to enhance their relationships and communication with people living with dementia. [version 1; peer review: 3 approved]
Background: Communication difficulties can cause frustration, low mood, and stress for people living with dementia and their carer. Carers should be offered training on adapting their communication skills. However, it is not common for skills-based education to examine emotional aspects of care and the effect of dementia on relationships. The Empowered Conversations (EC) training course was developed in response to a gap in service provision and has been adapted to a virtual format (Zoom). It addresses the specific psychological, relationship, and communication needs of informal and family dementia carers. The primary aim of the study is to investigate the feasibility of conducting a multi-centre randomised controlled evaluation trial of EC. Secondary aims include exploring the acceptability of delivering the intervention online and examining the optimum way of establishing cost-effectiveness. Methods: The feasibility trial uses a pragmatic data-collector blind parallel two-group RCT design with two arms (EC intervention plus treatment as usual, and treatment as usual waitlist control). There will be a 2:1 allocation in favour of the EC-training intervention arm. 75 participants will complete baseline outcome measures exploring their role as a carer, including their physical and mental health, attitudes to caring, quality of life, and use of health and social care services. These will be repeated after six-months. Participants allocated to the treatment group who complete the course will be invited to participate in a qualitative interview discussing their experience of EC. Discussion: The study will investigate recruitment pathways (including facilitators and barriers to recruitment), estimate retention levels and response rates to questionnaires, obtain additional evidence regarding proof of concept, and consider the most appropriate primary outcome measures and methods for evaluating cost-effectiveness. The results of the feasibility study will be used to inform the development of a multicentre randomised controlled trial in the United Kingdom. Registration: ISRCTN15261686 (02/03/2022
Temporary career transition: a case study of the loan transfer process and experience in the English professional football environment
The current PhD explores loan transfers in English professional football as a
temporary transition. In sport, career termination has initially been prioritised, with
wider transitions gaining greater attention over time (see: Ivarsson et al., 2018; Taylor
and Ogilvie, 1994). However, little attention has been given to supporting and
preparing individuals for permanent and temporary transfers in football. This is
particularly important to explore given the introduction, yet lack of evaluation, of the
Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) in 2012, which intended to increase holistic
development and home grown talent development in England (Horrocks et al., 2016).
To address this research gap, this thesis adopts a qualitative case study, drawing on
interviews and document analysis, to gain in-depth insight to the experiences of an
elite, high quality sample of players and staff across a range of Premier League and
Championship clubs with regards to the loan process. The objectives of the research
were to: a) explore the role of the Loan Managers (LMs) and their responsibilities in
supporting loan players and processes; b) understand the perspectives of wider club
staff, LMs and players to explore the loan process as a novel temporary transition; and
c) develop recommendations regarding the LM role and broader loans process for
individuals, clubs and policy-makers. There were a range of significant insights and
novel contributions when addressing the objectives, including the lack of clarity for
LMs and their day to day responsibilities. Similarly, consideration of wider perspectives
allowed understanding of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) involvement as well as wider
support and decision-making processes surrounding loan processes. Additionally, the
current research recommends that professional football clubs ensure that a support
structure is provided for LMs, whereby National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and
organisations (e.g. Football Association; FA, English Premier League; EPL) could
provide more formal support networks across clubs and leagues to ensure that sharing
of best practice is in place. This may also help clubs and wider organisations place
greater value on the loan transfer process, especially in line with the EPPPâs
prioritisation of holistic development of homegrown talent, along with continued
developments implemented by FeÌdeÌration Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA, 2022) regarding loan regulations
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Credible to Whom? The Organizational Politics of Credibility in International Relations
Why do foreign policy decision makers care about the credibility of their own stateâs commitments? How does organizational identity shape policymakersâ concern for credibility, and in turn, their willingness to use force during crises? While much previous research examines how decision makers assess othersâ credibility, only recently have scholars questioned when and why leaders or their advisers prioritize their own stateâs credibility.
Building on classic scholarship in bureaucratic politics, I argue that organizational identity affects the dimensions of credibility that national security officials value, and ultimately, their policy advocacy around the use of force. Particular differences arise between military and diplomatic organizations; while military officials equate credibility with hard military capabilities, diplomats view credibility in terms of reputation, or demonstrating reliability and resolve to external parties.
During crises, military officials confine their advice on the use of force to what can be achieved given current capabilities, while diplomats exhibit higher willingness to use force as a signal of a strong commitment. I test these propositions using text analysis of archival records from two collections of U.S. national security policy documents, eight case studies of American, British, and French crisis decision making, and an original survey experiment involving more than 400 current or former U.S. national security officials. I demonstrate that credibility concerns affect the balance of hawkishness in advice that diplomats and military officials deliver to leaders as a function of organizational identity
The Characterisation and Treatment of Resistant Hypertension
Hypertension is a highly prevalent condition and, as a risk factor for vascular disease in particular, a leading contributory cause of death worldwide. Recent consensus guidelines suggest that moderate and severe (grade II and III) hypertension should be treated rapidly to achieve targets though, prior to the inception of this thesis, the evidence for the safety and efficacy of this approach, together with the physiological consequences of rapid hypertension treatment in moderate and severe disease, was limited.
This thesis explores the clinical consequences of an 18-week treatment programme for individuals with grade II and III hypertension, using guideline- recommended pharmacological treatment, delivered over an accelerated timeframe. The blood pressure response to treatment is reported, together with the tolerance and safety of the protocol, as defined by the protocol completion rate, frequency of medication side effects and clinically significant adverse events. The programme also provided an opportunity to study health-rated quality of life in patients with moderate and severe hypertension and the effect of rapid treatment on health-related quality of life. This allowed for the first validation (according to modern standards) of an English language disease-specific instrument for measuring health-related quality of life in hypertension, following translation of the original MINICHAL disease-specific instrument from the original Spanish.
In addition, the clinical treatment programme provided an opportunity to study the microvascular response to rapid treatment of moderate and severe hypertension, particularly with relevance to the rarefaction of hypertension and its reversal with treatment. Moreover, the morphological and functional myocardial consequences of treatment were determined, using cardiac MR imaging.
Accordingly, this thesis presents evidence supporting the rapid treatment of moderate and severe hypertension, providing an opportunity for this to be studied in future investigations, with the aim of exploring whether this approach is prognostically advantageous for patients
Modern Folk Devils
The devilish has long been integral to myths, legends, and folklore, firmly located in the relationships between good and evil, and selves and others. But how are ideas of evil constructed in current times and framed by contemporary social discourses? Modern Folk Devils builds on and works with Stanley Cohenâs theory on folk devils and moral panics to discuss the constructions of evil. The authors present an array of case-studies that illustrate how the notion of folk devils nowadays comes into play and animates ideas of otherness and evil throughout the world. Examining current fears and perceived threats, this volume investigates and analyzes how and why these devils are constructed. The chapters discuss how the devilish may take on many different forms: sometimes they exist only as a potential threat, other times they are a single individual or phenomenon or a visible group, such as refugees, technocrats, Roma, hipsters, LGBT groups, and rightwing politicians. Folk devils themselves are also given a voice to offer an essential complementary perspective on how panics become exaggerated, facts distorted, and problems acutely angled.;Bringing together researchers from anthropology, sociology, political studies, ethnology, and criminology, the contributions examine cases from across the world spanning from Europe to Asia and Oceania
Gender and Sport
This volume covers current issues, cutting-edge debates and new knowledge on women and sport. The range of topics extends from female coaches and women in sport to sexual harassment, from snowboarders to schoolgirls, and from physical education to football. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of the current debates on gender and sport from a womenâs perspective, to share new knowledge about important issues, in particular about gender (in)equalities, and to present insights into the causes and effects of the debates and developments in the arena of womenâs sport. A special focus in all chapters will be on the perspective of change, and backgrounds, reasons and effects of gender arrangements will be analyzed by scholars who made major contributions to the development of a new gender order in sport and society. Other authors are younger scholars with new perspectives and approaches â who represent the new generation of gender researchers
Dispositiv-Erkundungen | Exploring Dispositifs
Will man die Linien eines Dispositivs entwirren, so muss man in jedem Fall eine Karte anfertigen, man muss kartographieren, unbekannte LĂ€nder ausmessen - eben das, was er [Foucault] als 'Arbeit im GelĂ€nde' bezeichnet hat", formulierte Gilles Deleuze 1988. Mit der vorliegenden Publikation soll ein kartographierendes Aus- und Vermessen eines komplexen, verzweigten, unĂŒbersichtlichen, zum Teil auch uneinsichtigen und ĂŒbercodierten GelĂ€ndes geleistet werden. Als Effekt könn(t)en fortgesetzte KlĂ€rungen von Begriffen, Konzepten und Operationsweisen dessen stattfinden, was als Kunst bezeichnet wird. 18 Autor*innen nehmen ihre Dispositiv-Erkundungen vor, so dass eine Anthologie von ausgewĂ€hlten Stimmen entsteht. Die Autor*innen und ihre Texte erkunden multiperspektivisch, disparat, forensisch und komplexierend, in verschiedenen Sprachen, in ihren Entstehungskontexten und Entstehungszeiten, mit ihren stilistischen Mitteln und in einigen FĂ€llen eng mit ihren frĂŒheren PublikationszusammenhĂ€ngen verbunden. Sie sind damit im besten Fall in der Lage, je eigene DenkrĂ€ume aufzufalten, die ermöglichen, Einzelbestandteile der beschriebenen oder analysierten Dispositive -- und dabei kann es sich offenbar um Einzeloperationen, Prozesse, Prozeduren, Blicke, LĂŒcken, Aufspaltungen, Implikationen, Vorbedingungen etc. handeln -- zu unterscheiden und in einem nĂ€chsten Schritt strategische Formationen dieser heterogenen Ensembles zu diagnostizieren. DarĂŒber hinaus ermöglichen die zusammengestellten Texte, unterschiedliche Varianten, Ausgangs-, Ansatz- und Schwerpunkte wie auch Stile von Dispositiv-Erkundungen nachvollziehen zu können. As Gilles Deleuze has argued in 1988, â[u]ntangling these lines within a social apparatus [dispositif] is, in each case, like drawing up a map, doing cartography, surveying unknown landscapes, and this is what he [Foucault] calls âworking on the ground.ââ This publication intends to provide a cartographic mapping of a complex, multi-branched, often obscure, sometimes inaccessible and overly encoded terrain. Such a mapping could and can lead to a further clarification of terms, concepts and modes of operation of that which is called art. This volume comprises 18 authors whose explorations of the dispositif have generated an anthology of select, distinct voices. Their texts are marked by multiple perspectives, they are disparate, forensic and complex, they are written in different languages, stem from different contexts and points in time, are endowed with different styles and, in some cases, also stand in close relationship with other, earlier publication contexts. This means that they are ideally positioned to unfold diverse spaces of thought, allowing them to differentiate between individual components of the dispositifs they discuss or dissect -- this may include individual operations, processes, procedures, glances, lacunae, splits, implications, preconditions, et cetera -- and allowing them, in a next step, to diagnose the strategic formations such heterogeneous ensembles might take. Beyond that, the texts assembled here allow us to discern the different variations, starting points, approaches and emphases as well as different styles of dispositif exploration. BeitrĂ€ge von / Contributions by: Elke Bippus, Luis Camnitzer, Ibou Coulibaly Diop, Thomas Oberender, Andrea Fraser, erwin GeheimRat, Siri Hustvedt, Silvia Jonas, Birte Kleine-Benne, Michael Lingner, Lucy Lippard, Adelheid Mers, Brian OâDoherty, Julia Pelta Feldman, Adrian Piper, Stefan Römer, Thorsten Schneider, Ruth Sonderegge
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