An experimental study of interceptors for drag reduction on high-performance sailing yachts

Interceptors have been widely used in recent years in fast ferries and small high-speed leisure and commercial craft for ride and trim control, and steering. In the context of high-performance sailing yachts, they first appeared in 2008 on the yacht Ecover 3 which was dismasted while leading the Vendee Globe Challenge race. However, in spite of their popularity in power craft, few studies have been published investigating the impact of interceptors on vessel performance, and apparently none in the case of sailing yachts. In the current study, interceptors are compared with an aerodynamic device known as a Gurney flap. It is shown that interceptors are generally substantially smaller than Gurney flaps. A comprehensive experiment programme is presented exploring the impact of interceptors on the performance of an Open 60 yacht hull. Results show a marked reduction in calm-water resistance over a wide speed range, with benefits of 10–18% in the speed range between 8 and 20 knots, accompanied by reduced sinkage and trim. The gains observed are much larger than those observed in powercraft, and also substantially greater than those achievable through trim changes by moving ballast longitudinally. The benefits appear to be largely sustained in small waves

Sustaining the turnaround: what capacity building means in practice

The purpose of this paper is to show how successful, sustained school improvement in schools in urban settings which serve highly disadvantaged communities relies upon the qualities and skills of their principals to engage, simultaneously, in capacity building at individual, collective and community levels. Definitions of capacity building as, ‘the interplay between personal abilities, interpersonal relationships, and organisational structures (Mitchell and Sackney, 2000:11) are limited in their application for they often fail to acknowledge that over the course of the time needed to build stable and successful learning and achievement environments, principals are likely to have to move through a number of ‘layered’ development phases, each one of which will contain priorities; and that during this change process, principals will likely also need to maintain, articulate and communicate a clear set of values upon which their strategies will be based

Influences on the capacities for emotional resilience of teachers in schools serving disadvantaged urban communities: challenges of living on the edge

This paper investigates how teachers in one school in a socio-economically disadvantaged urban setting draw upon their capacities for resilience to maintain a sense of positive professional identity, commitment and moral purpose. It identifies the dynamic influences of individual, school environment, relational, leadership and external personal and policy contexts. The findings show that the capacity for ‘emotional resilience’ is essential for teachers who constantly “live on the edge,” as they seek to manage everyday, intensive pupil motivational and behavioural challenges whilst responding to demands for raising standards of teaching, learning and attainment

Sostener el cambio de rumbo: qué significa la construcción de capacidades en la práctica

The purpose of this paper is to show how successful, sustained school improvement in schools in urban settings which serve highly disadvantaged communities relies upon the qualities and skills of their principals to engage, simultaneously, in capacity building at individual, collective and community levels. Definitions of capacity building as, ‘the interplay between personal abilities, interpersonal relationships, and organisational structures’ (Mitchell and Sackney, 2000:11) are limited in their application for they often fail to acknowledge that over the course of the time needed to build stable and successful learning and achievement environments, principals are likely to have to move through a number of ‘layered’ development phases, each one of which will contain priorities; and that during this change process, principals will likely also need to maintain, articulate and communicate a clear set of values upon which their strategies will be basedEl propósito de este artículo es mostrar cómo centros en contextos urbanos de comunidades altamente desfavorecidas, logran y mantienen la mejora escolar, apoyándose en las cualidades y competencias de sus directores para implicarse simultáneamente en la construcción de las capacidades individuales, colectivas y de la comunidad. Las definiciones de la construcción de capacidades como “la interacción entre las habilidades personales, las relaciones interpersonales y las estructuras organizativas” (Mitchell y Sackney 2009:11) son limitadas en la puesta en práctica dado que frecuentemente fallan en el reconocimiento de que a lo largo del paso del tiempo se necesita construir entornos estables de aprendizaje y de rendimiento; los directores probablemente han de atravesar diferentes capas en las fases de desarrollo, cada una ellas tienen sus propias prioridades; y durante estos procesos de cambio, los directores probablemente también necesitan mantener, articular y comunicar una serie de valores claros en los que se basan sus estrategia

Sustaining the turnaround: what capacity building means in practice

The purpose of this paper is to show how successful, sustained school improvement in schools in urban settings which serve highly disadvantaged communities relies upon the qualities and skills of their principals to engage, simultaneously, in capacity building at individual, collective and community levels. Definitions of capacity building as, ‘the interplay between personal abilities, interpersonal relationships, and organisational structures (Mitchell and Sackney, 2000:11) are limited in their application for they often fail to acknowledge that over the course of the time needed to build stable and successful learning and achievement environments, principals are likely to have to move through a number of ‘layered’ development phases, each one of which will contain priorities; and that during this change process, principals will likely also need to maintain, articulate and communicate a clear set of values upon which their strategies will be based

El liderazgo escolar como factor influyente en la calidad docente

In this paper I will suggest that discussions of teacher quality in and beyond initial or pre-service teacher education will always be incomplete without a consideration of the role played by school leaders in influencing, in particular, three key components of teacher quality: i) professional autonomy; ii) professional capital; and iii) teacher commitment, well-being and expertise. Although ensuring that they teach to their best and well is an individual teacher responsibility and, arguably, their moral duty, it is also a government responsibility, in order to enable the development of a just society and economic progress, and an individual school responsibility through the daily presence and actions of principals and other school leaders.En este trabajo quiero sugerir que las discusiones sobre la calidad de los docentes, en la formación inicial docente y más allá de ella, siempre estarán incompletas sin tener en cuenta el papel desempeñado por los líderes escolares para influir, particularmente, en tres componentes clave de la calidad de los docentes: i) Autonomía profesional; ii) capital profesional; y iii) el compromiso, bienestar y la experiencia de los docentes. Aunque asegurar que enseñen bien es una responsabilidad individual del maestro y, posiblemente, su deber moral; es también una responsabilidad del gobierno, para posibilitar el desarrollo de una sociedad justa y el progreso económico, y una responsabilidad individual de la escuela a través de la presencia diaria y las acciones de los directores y otros líderes escolares.Universidad de Granada. Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar. Grupo FORCE (HUM386

Corridor Ranking with Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measurers

Automated traffic signal performance measures (ATSPMs) are being deployed with increasing frequency. This session presents a method of evaluating corridor performance at the system level using high-resolution data. This method develops five subscores for the areas of communication, detection, safety, capacity allocation, and progression; these are given a letter grade based on quantitative performance measures, with context-appropriate scales. An aggregate score for each corridor is determined using the lowest subscore of each of the five areas

Partnerships for education, well-being and work : models of university service in the community

"This five month multi-perspective study, commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), investigated the nature, forms and practices of three partnership enterprises between the University of Nottingham and its local schools and communities" -- page vii