Exchange of information about physical education to support the transition of pupils from primary and secondary school

The purpose of this study was to identify how information about physical education is exchanged between secondary schools and their respective feeder primary schools, what information is exchanged and how this information is used. A secondary purpose was to look at whether there is any relationship between schools engaging in liaison activities and exchanging information about physical education, and between exchanging information and the number of associated secondary schools to which pupils are sent or feeder primary schools from which pupils are received. Questionnaires were sent to 177 secondary and 538 feeder primary schools. Responses from 80 secondary schools and 299 primary schools showed that the highest percentage of teachers exchanged information through written documentation, followed by discussion at cross phase liaison meetings. The type of information exchanged by the highest percentage of teachers was identified as generic information about key stage 2 and 3 of the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) areas of activity and schemes of work, rather than information about the specific physical education content covered or information about individual pupils, such as levels of attainment or ability. Further, results suggest that information may be used for pastoral purposes and that only a small percentage of teachers used the information exchanged to plan for continuity and progression in the physical education curriculum. There was a significant positive relationship between engagement in liaison activities and information received about the physical education curriculum followed by pupils, but a significant negative relationship for primary teachers between the number of different secondary schools to which pupils' progress and knowledge about the key stage 3 schemes of work that Year 6 pupils will follow in their associated secondary schools. These results are discussed in relation to continuity and progression in physical education in the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary schools

A study of current practice in liaison between primary and secondary schools in physical education

The purpose of this study was to investigate current practice in liaison between primary and secondary schools to promote continuity and progression in physical education during the transfer of pupils from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 and to identify constraints to engaging in liaison activities. A questionnaire was completed by the head of the physical education department in secondary schools in five local education authorities in England that received pupils from primary schools in year 7 (n = 80) and by the physical education coordinator of the primary feeder schools of those secondary schools that responded to the questionnaire (n = 299). Results showed that 32 (43.8%) secondary teachers and 157 (53.4%) primary teachers identified that they had established contacts with their primary feeder schools or associated secondary schools respectively; and 49 (64.5%) secondary teachers but 114 (39.6%) primary teachers identified that currently they were engaged in liaison activities. There was a discrepancy between the percentages of teachers who indicated they had contacts with their primary feeder schools or associated secondary schools respectively, and who indicated they were engaged in liaison activities with them. These results suggested that contacts with and/or engagement in liaison activities between primary and secondary schools were not consistent across schools. A range of constraints for developing effective contacts/liaison activities were identified, with time being identified as the major constraint by both primary and secondary teachers. A range of suggestions for overcoming the constraints were also identified. These results are discussed in relation to findings from studies looking at liaison in other subjects and also in relation to the implications for schools

The transfer of pupils from primary to secondary school: A case study of a foundation subject - physical education

A series of transitions, from class to class, year to year and school to school, are integral to the education system in England. The transfer of pupils from primary to secondary education is an important stage of transition. Models for managing this transfer highlight different aspects of the experience, including social/pastoral integration and curriculum continuity and progression of individual pupils. The purpose of this study was to investigate the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary school in relation to physical education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 secondary school physical education heads of department. Results showed that although all of the heads of department reported the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary school to be very important in relation to physical education, this was not translated into practice. There was limited involvement in activities supporting the transfer from primary to secondary school, and what involvement there was placed greater emphasis on activities to support social/pastoral integration than to support continuity and progression of individual pupils during transfer. Some possible reasons for these results are considered, along with some suggestions for further research

Asymptotic normalization of mirror states and the effect of couplings

Assuming that the ratio between asymptotic normalization coefficients of mirror states is model independent, charge symmetry can be used to indirectly extract astrophysically relevant proton capture reactions on proton-rich nuclei based on information on stable isotopes. The assumption has been tested for light nuclei within the microscopic cluster model. In this work we explore the Hamiltonian independence of the ratio between asymptotic normalization coefficients of mirror states when deformation and core excitation is introduced in the system. For this purpose we consider a phenomenological rotor + N model where the valence nucleon is subject to a deformed mean field and the core is allowed to excite. We apply the model to 8Li/8B, 13C/13N, 17O/17F, 23Ne/23Al, and 27Mg/27P. Our results show that for most studied cases, the ratio between asymptotic normalization coefficients of mirror states is independent of the strength and multipolarity of the couplings induced. The exception is for cases in which there is an s-wave coupled to the ground state of the core, the proton system is loosely bound, and the states have large admixture with other configurations. We discuss the implications of our results for novae.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PR

Design and additive manufacture for flow chemistry

This thesis aims to investigate the use of additive manufacturing (AM) as a novel manufacturing process for the production of milli-scale chemical reaction systems. Five well developed additive manufacturing techniques; stereolithography (SL), selective laser melting (SLM), fused deposition modelling (FDM), ultrasonic additive manufacture (UAM) and selective laser sintering (SLS) were used to manufacture a number of miniaturised flow devices which were tested using a range of organic and inorganic reactions. SL was used to manufacture a range of functioning milli-scale flow devices from Accura 60 photoresin, with both simple and complex internal channel networks. These devices were used to perform a range of organic and inorganic reactions, including aldehyde and ketone functional group interconversions. Conversion of products within these reactors, were shown to be comparable to commercially available milli-scale coil reactors. More complex designs, which allowed SL parts to be integrated to existing flow and analytical instrumentation, allowed us to develop an automated reaction analysis and optimisation platform. This platform allowed precise control over the reaction conditions, including flow rate, temperature and reagent composition. We also designed a simplex type reaction optimisation software package that could input data in the form of reaction conversions, peak intensities, and thermocouple data, and generate a new set of optimal reaction conditions. SL parts which incorporated embedded analytical components were also manufactured, which allowed us to perform inline reaction analysis as a feedback method for input into the optimisation platform. Stereolithography was shown to be a highly versatile manufacturing method for designing and producing these flow devices, however the process was shown to be still limited by the range of processable materials currently commercially available. SLM was also used to manufacture a number of functioning milli-scale flow devices from stainless steel and titanium, which had simplistic internal channel designs of diameters ranging from 1 to 3 mm. Again, SLM parts were manufactured which incorporated embedded analytical components, which could be integrated into an automated reaction platform. These devices, unlike parts produced via SL, could be attached to heating platforms to allow us to perform high temperature reactions. This control over the reaction temperature formed an essential part of the reaction optimisation platform. These parts were again used to perform a ketone functional group interconversion. Internal structures of these SLM parts were also visualised via micro computed tomography (µCT or microCT) scanning as well as optical microscopy. FDM was used throughout the project as an inexpensive method of prototyping parts which were to be manufactured via more expensive manufacturing processes. This prototyping allowed the optimisation of intricate design features, such as the manufacture of an inline spectroscopic flow cell for integration with a commercially available LC system. FDM was also proposed as a customisable approach to designing and manufacturing flow devices with embedded components, however the current limitations in build resolution and materials choices severely limited the use of FDM for this application. UAM was also proposed as a novel manufacturing process whereby the build process would allow discrete components to be embedded directly into a flow channel. This was demonstrated by embedding a type-k thermocouple across a 2 mm channel. The data from this thermocouple was monitored during a heated reaction, and used as a method of determining the exact reaction conditions the reaction medium was being exposed to. SLS was also proposed as a possible manufacturing method for milli-scale flow devices, however it proved difficult to remove un-sintered powder from parts with internal channel diameters as high as 5 mm. It was shown that this powder was forming a dense semi solid, due to the large degree of shrinkage upon cooling of the SLS parts, which was compressing the powder. More research into optimum processing conditions is required before SLS could be used for the production of intricate channel networks

Systematic analysis of the peripherality of the 10^{10}Be(d,p)(d,p)11^{11}Be transfer reaction and extraction of the asymptotic normalization coefficient of 11^{11}Be bound states

We reanalyze the experiment of Schmitt $\textit{et al.}$ on the $^{10}$Be$(d,p)^{11}$Be transfer reaction [Phys. Rev. Lett. $\textbf{108}$, 192701 (2012)] by exploring the beam-energy and angular ranges at which the reaction is strictly peripheral. We consider the adiabatic distorted wave approximation (ADWA) to model the reaction and use a Halo-EFT description of $^{11}$Be to systematically explore the sensitivity of our calculations to the short-range physics of the $^{10}$Be-$n$ wave function. We find that by selecting the data at low beam energy and forward scattering angle the calculated cross sections scale nearly perfectly with the asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC) of the $^{11}$Be bound states. Following these results, a comparison of our calculations with the experimental data gives a value of $C_{1s1/2}=0.785\pm0.03$ fm$^{-1/2}$ for the $\frac{1}{2}^+$ ground-state ANC and $C_{0p1/2}=0.135\pm0.005$ fm$^{-1/2}$ for the $\frac{1}{2}^-$ excited-state, which are in perfect agreement with the $\textit{ab initio}$ calculations of Calci $\textit{et al.}$, who obtain $C^{\textit{ab initio}}_{1/2^+}=0.786$ fm$^{-1/2}$ and $C^{\textit{ab initio}}_{1/2^-}=0.129$ fm$^{-1/2}$ [Phys. Rev. Lett. $\textbf{117}$, 242501 (2016)].Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. This paper has been accepted for publication within Phys. Rev.

Energy dependence of non-local potentials

Recently a variety of studies have shown the importance of including non-locality in the description of reactions. The goal of this work is to revisit the phenomenological approach to determining non-local optical potentials from elastic scattering. We perform a $\chi^2$ analysis of neutron elastic scattering data off $^{40}$Ca, $^{90}$Zr and $^{208}$Pb at energies $E \approx 5-40$ MeV, assuming a Perey and Buck or Tian, Pang, and Ma non-local form for the optical potential. We introduce energy and asymmetry dependencies in the imaginary part of the potential and refit the data to obtain a global parameterization. Independently of the starting point in the minimization procedure, an energy dependence in the imaginary depth is required for a good description of the data across the included energy range. We present two parameterizations, both of which represent an improvement over the original potentials for the fitted nuclei as well as for other nuclei not included in our fit. Our results show that, even when including the standard Gaussian non-locality in optical potentials, a significant energy dependence is required to describe elastic-scattering data.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. C Rapid Communicatio

Readability, presentation and quality of allergy-related patient information leaflets: a cross sectional and longitudinal study

Objective: Patient information leaflets (PILs) are widely used to reinforce or illustrate health information and to complement verbal consultation. The objectives of the study were to assess the readability and presentation of PILs published by Allergy UK, and to conduct a longitudinal assessment to evaluate the impact of leaflet amendment and revision on readability. Methods: Readability of Allergy UK leaflets available in 2013 was assessed using Simple Measure of Gobbledegook (SMOG) and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Formula. Leaflet presentation was evaluated using the Clear Print Guidelines of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Patient Information Appraisal System developed by the British Medical Association (BMA). Changes in the leaflets’ readability scores over five years were investigated. Results: 108 leaflets, covering a wide range of allergic conditions and treatment options, were assessed. The leaflets had average SMOG and Flesch-Kincaid scores of 13.9 (range 11-18, SD 1.2) and 10.9 (range 5-17, SD 2.1) respectively. All leaflets met the RNIB Clear Print guidelines, with the exception of font size which was universally inadequate. The leaflets scored on average 10 (median 10, range 7-15) out of a maximum of 27 on the BMA checklist. The overall average SMOG score of 31 leaflets available in both 2008 and 2013 had not changed significantly. The process of leaflet revision resulted in 1% change in readability scores overall, with a predominantly upward trend with six leaflets increasing their readability score by >10% and only three decreasing by >10%. Conclusion: Allergy-related patient information leaflets are well presented but have readability levels that are higher than those recommended for health information. Involving service users in the process of leaflet design, together with systematic pre-publication screening of readability would enhance the accessibility and comprehensibility of written information for people with allergy and their careers