A contra-rotating marine current turbine on a flexible mooring : development of a scaled prototype

The contra-rotating marine current turbine concept developed by the Energy Systems Research Unit at the University of Strathclyde is aimed at extracting energy in a wide range of water depths by 'flying' a neutrally-buoyant device from a flexible, tensioned mooring. After successful proof of concept turbine trials, the development programme has moved on to investigate the performance of a scaled prototype of the complete system incorporating the turbine, submersible contra-rotating generator and mooring. The turbine/generator assembly has been tested in a towing tank, and the entire system is now undergoing sea trials. An investigation into turbine wake development (an area in which it is hoped that the contra-rotating turbine will have uniquely beneficial properties) has recently begun. Small single-rotor model turbines have been deployed in a flume. Trends observed so far are in accordance with those observed by other researchers

“French Teachers Can Figure It Out”: Understanding French as a Second Language (FSL) Teachers’ Work in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

In 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced teachers in Ontario to move online. Since then, teaching online or in hybrid models has been common across the province. To understand how French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers navigated these spaces, four Ontario French teachers were interviewed about their experience using educational technology and teaching online. Findings were analyzed in light of Hargreaves and Fullan’s (2020) reframing of classic understandings of teachers’ work in the context of the global pandemic. Findings show that factors influencing these teachers’ professional capital reflect common concerns among Canadian educators, alongside those specific to the FSL context. Participants' professional marginalization and seclusion demonstrates the importance of both the psychic rewards of teaching and cultures of collaboration. Ongoing efforts to capture ways in which teaching FSL has been shaped by the pandemic experience, therefore, require looking beyond individual classrooms to connected systems and systematic efforts of reform.En 2020, la pandémie (COVID-19) a forcé les enseignants de l'Ontario à se déplacer en ligne. Depuis lors, l'enseignement en ligne ou dans des modèles hybrides est devenu courant dans la province. Pour comprendre comment les enseignants de français langue seconde (FLS) naviguent dans ces espaces, quatre enseignants de français de l'Ontario ont été interrogés sur leur expérience de l'utilisation des technologies éducatives et de l'enseignement en ligne. Les résultats ont été analysés à la lumière du recadrage par Hargreaves et Fullan (2020) des conceptions classiques du travail des enseignants dans le contexte de la pandémie mondiale. Les résultats montrent que les facteurs influençant le capital professionnel de ces enseignants reflètent des préoccupations communes aux éducateurs canadiens, ainsi que des préoccupations spécifiques au contexte du FLS. La marginalisation et l'isolement professionnels des participants démontrent l'importance des récompenses psychiques de l'enseignement et des cultures de collaboration. Les efforts continus pour saisir les façons dont l'enseignement du FLS a été façonné par l'expérience de la pandémie exigent donc de regarder au-delà des salles de classe individuelles, vers les systèmes connectés et les efforts systématiques de réforme

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Confidentiality Boot Camp

[Excerpt]: INTRODUCTION: The Health Law and Policy Programs at UNH School of Law, Institute for Health Policy and Practice, and the NH Citizens Health Initiative have contracted with several of the New Hampshire Building Capacity for Transformation Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Integrated Delivery Networks (IDN) to provide technical assistance to the IDNs as they develop confidentiality tools related to substance use disorder services projects. A UNH Team assisted the IDNs by providing an educational summary of federal and state confidentiality requirements, focusing on 42 CFR Part 2, and hosting IDN interdisciplinary teams in three Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Confidentiality Boot Camp sessions providing technical assistance to assist each IDN partner with their SUD confidentiality project goals. The “boot camp” consisted of several guided meetings with assigned homework to follow, leading to the ultimate development of processes, plans, and draft forms and policies to implement Part 2 confidentiality. The process incorporated learning from the Citizens Health Initiative’s existing New Hampshire Behavioral Health Integration Learning Collaborative. The Project was implemented during half-day working sessions between May 15 – July 30, based upon the availability of IDN interdisciplinary teams and as arranged in collaboration with the IDNs. The IDNs committed to including project leaders with knowledge about and authority to investigate issues regarding projects, patient flow, and privacy. The project teams were multi-disciplinary. IDN participants were encouraged to review issues, forms, and ideas with their individual legal counsel at any point. The technical assistance provided as part of this project is not and does not take the place of legal advice

Contra-rotating marine current turbines : performance in field trials and power train developments

Development of a novel contra-rotating marine current turbine has been continuing at the University of Strathclyde. Continuous monitoring of blade bending loads during trials has enabled an investigation of blade-blade and blade-structure interactions. The former are a particular concern with a contra-rotating turbine, but there is now evidence to suggest that in normal operation these are relatively small. By contrast, blade-structure effects are clearly visible. A turbine complete with single-point mooring and submersible contra-rotating generator is presently being prepared for sea trials. Details of the machine and the test programme are described

Contra-rotating marine current turbines : single point tethered floating system - stabilty and performance

The Energy Systems Research Unit within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde has developed a novel contra-rotating tidal turbine (CoRMaT). A series of tank and sea tests have led to the development and deployment of a small stand-alone next generation tidal turbine. Novel aspects of this turbine include its single point compliant mooring system, direct drive open to sea permanent magnet generator, and two contra-rotating sets of rotor blades. The sea testing of the turbine off the west coast of Scotland in the Sound of Islay is described; the resulting stability of a single-point tethered device and power quality from the direct drive generator is reported and evaluated. It is noted that reasonably good moored turbine stability within a real tidal stream can be achieved with careful design; however even quite small instabilities have an effect on the output electrical power quality. Finally, the power take-off and delivery options for a 250kW production prototype are described and assessed

A Study of Nurses\u27 Attitudes Toward Medical Ageism

Medical ageism in the United States affects senior citizens\u27 activities of daily living (ADL) and the quality of their medical care. Medical ageism refers to discrimination against, abuse of, stereotyping of, contempt for, and avoidance of older people. Nurses who take care of the elderly are responsible for ensuring that older patients are treated fairly and in a timely manner, so it is important to know whether or not nurses have any bias regarding the elderly. The research questions addressed in this quantitative study explored whether or not there were differences in nurses\u27 perceptions of ageism as moderated by the nurses\u27 own gender, ethnicity, age, or years of experience. This study used a researcher-developed demographic survey and the Age Based Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ-Age). The theoretical framework for this study included the theory of emotional labor. A quantitative, causal-comparative design was used to test the hypotheses. Sixty one nurses were purposively sampled via snowballing sampling. Analysis of variance was used to determine mean differences in ageism between the specified independent variables. Findings from this study revealed that caregivers with less than, or equal to, 5 years of nursing experience had significantly lower ageism scores than nurses with more than 5 years of experience. Gender, ethnicity, or age did not significantly affect ageism scores. This study may contribute to social change by determining how nurses can recognize their own potential fallibilities in the field of gerontology, thereby having the potential to promote positive health outcomes for the elderly

Development of an experimental methodology for appraising the dynamic response of tethered tidal turbines

This thesis makes a comparison of different station keeping structures to support tidal energy converters. It was observed that the use of flexibly tethered turbines would be beneficial due to low material costs and the capability to permit the turbine’s self alignment to the flow regime. However, because of the uncertainties over their dynamic behaviour, it was considered that an analysis of response in a range of conditions was essential before they could be considered as practical station keeping system. Firstly, a static analysis was carried out for both rigid and flexible foundations. Thereafter, the thesis presents the development of an experimental methodology to study the dynamic response of tethered tidal energy converters. In this methodology, the alignment and oscillations of the three main rotational angles (i.e. roll, pitch and yaw), estimated over a period of time, were taken as the fundamental metrics of system behaviour. The analysis was extended into the frequency domain in order to estimate the intensity of the parameters that affect the turbine and its condition (e.g. blade failure, excessive backlash or misalignment, vortex shedding, etc.) Within the methodology development a series of steps were specified, based on established protocols related to similar concepts (for example EquiMar) where parameters such as the selection of test facilities, blockage ratio limits or safety factors in applied loads were discussed. Instruments to measure the dynamic motion of turbines were specified, along with other instruments to measure power, thrust, angular velocity and flow speed. The final steps in the methodology denoted methods to analyse the acquired signals. In order to verify the feasibility of the methodology, a series of experiments were carried out at various turbine models scales. Firstly, small turbine models were installed on a zero turbulence tow tank and a flume tank with significant levels of turbulence, under controlled conditions and at similar flow velocities. To compare the dynamic responses, studies were undertaken for a larger turbine deployed in the natural turbulence of an open tidal site and in a turbulent river stream affected by marine traffic. This thesis concludes that the methodology proposed is suitable to characterise the dynamic response of tethered devices at various model scales. The results presented showed the advantages and disadvantages of using various turbine configurations. Therefore, this methodology can be used develop and validate analytical models that predict the dynamic response of flexibly moored turbines