Information literacy at the Service Desk: the role of circulations staff in promoting information literacy

The topic of information literacy seems dominated by themes at the formal end of the spectrum, such as academic collaboration and defining information literacy. In practice however, teaching and promoting information literacy happens at a number of levels. In particular, frontline paraprofessional staff often provide ad-hoc information literacy training within the context of functional interactions with library customers, although this aspect of information literacy is largely absent from the literature. Taking examples from the author’s workplace experiences within a UK higher education library, it is argued that paraprofessionals can play a valuable role in promoting information literacy, bridging the gap between formal teaching sessions and the learning needs of individual students. Day-to-day encounters between customers and library staff can provide opportunities to embed information literacy within the library experience

Tackling climate change through community: the politics and practice of the low carbon communities challenge

Despite claims by academics and policymakers that community may offer a potentially useful context through which to tackle climate change, there is limited empirical evidence to support such an assertion. This thesis sets out to address that gap. Drawing on theories of the governance of environmental change, community, social interaction, and governmentality, it presents a qualitative case-study of the Low Carbon Communities Challenge (LCCC). The LCCC was a United Kingdom government funded policy experiment intended to develop understandings of how to deliver the transition to low carbon living at the community level. The thesis highlights a conflict between the instrumental understanding of community as a delivery-mechanism for government policy on environmental change, and the normative understanding of community based on social relations and identification with place held by residents in the communities studied. Applied instrumentally, community offered participants a largely ineffective mechanism by which to alter the social dynamics and patterns of normal behaviour within their households towards low(er) carbon lifestyles. Viewed narrowly through the stated purpose of the LCCC, it could be interpreted as a failed experiment as a result of the resistance of community members to adopting the carbon-conscious subjectivity imposed on them. However the thesis suggests that from a governmentality perspective, an alternative interpretation is that the LCCC served to reinforce neoliberal rationality which contends that community is not capable of tackling climate change and that the market, which may in turn appropriate community, is the only way forward. The thesis concludes by setting out a number of practical and conceptual implications for future research, and outlines the beginnings of a new, critical research agenda into the role of community in tackling climate change

Grazing by manatees excludes both new and established wild celery transplants: Implications for restoration in Kings Bay, FL, USA

We conducted a field experiment between August 2001 and February 2002 in Kings Bay, FL, USA, designed to determine whether the amount of time allowed for wild celery (Vallisneria americana Michx) transplants to establish altered the effect of herbivorous manatees (Trichechus manatus L.)on their survival

Identifying the time profile of everyday activities in the home using smart meter data

Activities are a descriptive term for the common ways households spend their time. Examples include cooking, doing laundry, or socialising. Smart meter data can be used to generate time profiles of activities that are meaningful to households’ own lived experience. Activities are therefore a lens through which energy feedback to households can be made salient and understandable. This paper demonstrates a multi-step methodology for inferring hourly time profiles of ten household activities using smart meter data, supplemented by individual appliance plug monitors and environmental sensors. First, household interviews, video ethnography, and technology surveys are used to identify appliances and devices in the home, and their roles in specific activities. Second, ‘ontologies’ are developed to map out the relationships between activities and technologies in the home. One or more technologies may indicate the occurrence of certain activities. Third, data from smart meters, plug monitors and sensor data are collected. Smart meter data measuring aggregate electricity use are disaggregated and processed together with the plug monitor and sensor data to identify when and for how long different activities are occurring. Sensor data are particularly useful for activities that are not always associated with an energy-using device. Fourth, the ontologies are applied to the disaggregated data to make inferences on hourly time profiles of ten everyday activities. These include washing, doing laundry, watching TV (reliably inferred), and cleaning, socialising, working (inferred with uncertainties). Fifth, activity time diaries and structured interviews are used to validate both the ontologies and the inferred activity time profiles. Two case study homes are used to illustrate the methodology using data collected as part of a UK trial of smart home technologies. The methodology is demonstrated to produce reliable time profiles of a range of domestic activities that are meaningful to households. The methodology also emphasises the value of integrating coded interview and video ethnography data into both the development of the activity inference process

Smart homes, control and energy management:How do smart home technologies influence control over energy use and domestic life?

By introducing new ways of automatically and remotely controlling domestic environments smart technologies have the potential to significantly improve domestic energy management. It is argued that they will simplify users’ lives by allowing them to delegate aspects of decision-making and control - relating to energy management, security, leisure and entertainment etc. - to automated smart home systems. Whilst such technologically-optimistic visions are seductive to many, less research attention has so far been paid to how users interact with and make use of the advanced control functionality that smart homes provide within already complex everyday lives. What literature there is on domestic technology use and control, shows that control is a complex and contested concept. Far from merely controlling appliances, householders are also concerned about a wide range of broader understandings of control relating, for example, to control over security, independence, hectic schedules and even over other household members such as through parenting or care relationships. This paper draws on new quantitative and qualitative data from 4 homes involved in a smart home field trial that have been equipped with smart home systems that provide advanced control functionality over appliances and space heating. Quantitative data examines how householders have used the systems both to try and improve their energy efficiency but also for purposes such as enhanced security or scheduling appliances to align with lifestyles. Qualitative data (from in-depth interviews) explores how smart technologies have impacted upon, and were impacted by, broader understandings of control within the home. The paper concludes by proposing an analytical framework for future research on control in the smart home

Pool absorption of gas entrained by a plunging liquid jet

A mathematical model was developed to predict the absorption rate of a slightly soluble gas entrained by a plunging liquid jet. The single parameter of the model, the transfer factor, TF, was defined as the summation of the product of the mass transfer coefficient and interfacial area over all the entrained bubbles. The concept of transfer factor reduced the mathematical description of the process to a tractable as well as representative form. The model was successfully applied to experimental data from present and previous studies of the entrainment of a gas in aqueous systems. Values of TF as a function of the jet stream characteristics were determined for three gases. The transfer factor was found to be proportional to the product of jet Weber number and. Reynolds number. The magnitude of TF was determined to be inversely proportional to the gas solubility as predicted by interphase mass transfer theory. Results suggested that the entrainment process exceeds the performance of most commercial absorbers when compared on the basis of gas absorbed/unit energy. The results of the present study indicate 3.77 mg 0₂ absorbed/joule when absorbing pure oxygen gas in oxygen-free water from bubbles entrained by a plunging liquid jet. Specifically, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide were entrained by a plunging water jet and absorbed in a pool of water. Circular, coherent jet streams varying from 1.4 to 6.8 mm OD at flow rates equivalent to a jet Reynolds number varying from 4,000 to 20,000 were used. The rate of gas absorption was calculated from the time rate of change of the pool concentration determined from gas chromatographic analyses of pool samples at various time periods. The experimentally determined absorption rates were used to calculate the values of the single parameter of the mathematical model, TF

The (Mis)understanding of Scientific Uncertainty? How Experts View Policy-Makers, the Media and Publics

Frequent claims that publics ‘misunderstand’ science ignore the contested definition of scientific uncertainty itself. Scientific uncertainty means different things in the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities, while public controversies show that these interpretations of scientific uncertainty have different implications for policy and decision-making. This prompts analysis of the ways that experts view scientific uncertainty and how they characterise the (mis)understandings of this uncertainty by policy-makers, media and publics. Experts from diverse academic fields define scientific uncertainty differently depending on their disciplinary background. For example, mathematics provides experts from the natural sciences with a practice language that facilitates communication with those sharing this cultural competence, but it does not suffice for engaging with wider audiences. Further, experts’ views of diverse publics come across as folk theories, in Arie Rip’s terms, which, compiled from disparate pieces of information, can be used to fill a gap in the knowledge about publics

Understanding domestic appliance use through their linkages to common activities

Activities are a descriptive term for the common ways households spend their time. Examples include daily routines such as cooking, doing laundry, and Computing. Smart energy meter data can be used to generate time profiles of activities that are meaningful to households’ own lived experience. Activities are therefore a lens through which energy feedback to households can be made salient and understandable. This paper demonstrates how hourly time profiles of household activities can be inferred from smart energy meter data, supplemented by appliance monitors and environmental sensors. In-depth interviews and home surveys are used to identify appliances and devices used for a range of activities. These relationships between te chnologies and activities are captured in an ‘activity ontology’ that can be applied to smart meter data to make inferences on hourly time profiles of up to nine everyday activities. Results are presented from six homes participating in a UK trial of smart home technologies. The duration of activities and when they are carried out is examined within households. The time profile of domestic activities has routine characteristics but these tend to vary widely between households with different socio-demo graphic characteristics. Analysing the energy consumption associated with different activities leads to a useful means of providing activity-itemised energy feedback, and also reveals certain households to be high energy-using across a range of activities

REARING OF FIELD COLLECTED LARVAE OF THE MAHOGANY SHOOT BORER, Hypsipyla robusta (MOORE) ON AN ARTIFICIAL DIET A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Hypsipyla robusta (Morre) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an important pest of mahogany,Swietenia macrophylla (King) in Sri Lanka and world over. Larval attack at an earlystage of growth, leads to branching which reduces the quality and value of timber,significantly. Work is in progress to study the effect of shade on the growth anddevelopment of mahogany and attack by the shoot borer. This paper presents aspects ofdevelopment of shoot borer larvae reared on an artificial diet, as well as field informationrelated to damage and parasitism. Larvae collected from two field sites at fortnightintervals were reared in the laboratory on an artificial diet at 27-32° C. Development offield collected larvae were followed until the emergence of adults, during which duration ofthe developmental stages, adult sex ratio, parasitism level and mortality were recorded.Measurement of head capsule widths of larvae collected and their location on the shoot,was also made. A total of 774 larvae were collected and reared during the study, out ofwhich 120 Hypsipyla adults emerged giving a male: female sex ratio of 1:8. Nearly 40%of the field collected larvae were parasitized by Cotesia app. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).Head capsule measurements indicated five larval instars that were found to infest differentparts of the growing shoot. Duration of development of larvae differed depending onwhether they were parasitized or not. Several problems encountered during rearing arediscussed

EFFECT OF SHADE ON LlMONOID AND NITROGEN COMPOSITION IN SHOOTS OF Swietenia macrophlla.(KING)

The main factor limiting cultivation of mahogany, Swletenia macrophylla King(Meliaceae), in plantations is damage by shoot borers (Hypsloyla spp.). Shade hasbeen repeatedly cited as reducing shoot borer attack but the responsiblemechanisms have not been determined by experimentation. Shade may altereither secondary compounds such as limonoids or nitrogen concentrations or bothin the plants making them unsuitable for insect survival and development.Previous studies have not examined whether shade influences Iimonoid andnitrogen content of S.marcrophylla and thereby alter shoot-borer attack.Therefore, these studies were designed to identify the variation in incidence ofshoot borer attack under three levels of shade treatments in the field conditionsand the variation in plant chemistry of Ssmarcrophylla shoots grown under threedifferent artificial shade treatments. The hypotheses tested were under high lightavailability (i) incidence of shoot borer attack increases (ii) the concentration oflimonoids present in the shoots of S. macrophylla decreases ind(iii) total nitrogencontent of shoots increases.This study was done from 1997-99 in Sri Lanka and UK. Attack by the shootborer was assessed 54 weeks after planting. The Limonoid content wasinvestigated by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and the total nitrogen byKjeldhl method using freeze-dried ppowdered shoots. The incidence of shootborer attack was significantly higher under low shaade (dJ.=2, F=8.6, p=O.0003).The intensity of the green-blue fluerescence under UV seen in the TLC plates wasgreater using the extracts from the high shade treatment compared to that from thelow shade treatment. The total nitgrogent content was satistically lower in thehigh shade (1.l14± 0.22%, n=33) compared to that in full light (1.36± 0.22%;n=31). These results suggest that light environment may have a significant effecton the concentrations of limonoids and nitrogen in S.macrophylla which in turninfluences the shoot borer attack.The study forms part of a larger project on 'Silvicultural prescription formahogany plantation establishment; Research grant funded by DFlD, UK isgreatfullyacknowledged.