Analytical performance assessment of a novel active mooring system for load reduction in marine energy converters

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Reliability and storm survival of Marine Energy Converters are critical to their commercial development and deployment. The Intelligent Active Mooring System (IAMS) is a novel device intended to minimise extreme and fatigue loading in mooring lines through a non-linear load–extension curve that is variable in operation to adjust to the prevailing metocean conditions. An analytical model of IAMS, validated by physical model tests at the Dynamic Marine Component test facility at the University of Exeter, is used in a numerical simulation of the performance of IAMS as part of the mooring system of the South West Mooring Test Facility buoy. A 10 m length of IAMS can reduce the rms line tension in normal operating conditions by up to 21% and the peak line tension in storm conditions by up to 21% when compared to braided nylon mooring lines. Peak line tension reductions of over 50% can be achieved if a longer IAMS unit is used. The resulting mooring system can be optimised to give load reductions in a wide range of metocean conditions; while variable pre-tension could be used for tidal range compensation or to ease access for installation and maintenance.The work reported here is part of a joint project between AWS Ocean Ltd., Teqniqa Systems Ltd. and the University of Exeter. The project was funded in part by the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) grant number 101970

Editorial: Academic advising and tutoring for student success in higher education: international approaches

Editorial on the Research Topic Academic Advising and Tutoring for Student Success in Higher Education: International Approache

Performance and reliability testing of an active mooring system for peak load reduction

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this recordOffshore renewable energy systems are generally required to operate in exposed offshore locations for long deployment periods at low cost. This requires innovative new mooring system solutions to go beyond the existing offshore industry designs. A number of novel mooring systems have recently been proposed which decouple mooring line compliance and minimum breaking load, offering multiple benefits to designers. Demonstrating reliability for such highly novel systems where standards do not yet exist is a common problem both for mooring systems specifically and in offshore renewable applications generally. A performance and reliability test method is proposed here and is applied to a novel mooring system, the Intelligent Active Mooring System. The line stiffness and damping properties of Intelligent Active Mooring System can be optimised to the prevailing metocean conditions without compromising minimum breaking load; the pre-tension is also adjustable for tidal range compensation or for service access. The article presents the results of a feasibility study for Intelligent Active Mooring System including detailed, large-scale physical performance tests that demonstrate load reductions under normal operating and extreme sea state conditions. The rationale and findings for an accelerated reliability test regime that quantifies the ultimate load capacity of the component and gives insight into the governing failure modes are also presented. The presented test approach provides assurance for the overall system integrity.The project was funded in part by the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) grant number 101970

The application of mHealth to mental health: opportunities and challenges

Recent advances in smartphones and wearable biosensors enable the gathering of ‘real-time’ psychological, behavioural and physiological data, in increasingly precise and unobtrusive ways. It is therefore now possible to collect moment-to-moment information about an individuals’ moods, cognitions and activities, as well as automated data about their whereabouts, behaviour and physiological states. In this paper, we discuss the potential of these new mobile digital technologies for transforming mental health research and clinical practice. By drawing on a recent research project, we illustrate how traditional boundaries between research and clinical practice are becoming increasingly blurred and how in turn, this is leading to exciting new developments in the assessment and management of common mental disorders. The potential risks and key challenges associated with applying mobile technology to mental health are also discussed

Comparative International Testing of Early Childhood Education: the Democratic Deficit and the Case of Portugal

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has a key role in driving educational discourse and global educational governance. Its comparative ‘Programme of International School Assessment’ (PISA) has explicitly linked the knowledge and skills of young people with the economic potential of countries. Through the International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study (IELS), the OECD plans to extend its reach to Early Childhood Education (ECE) by developing metrics to measure ‘quality’ in ECE. This focus gives weight to discourses centred around ideas of ‘what works’. The rhetoric derives from the principles that standards of learning and well-being can be improved by emulating notions of ‘best practice’ identified through comparative data. This article uses the case of Portugal to illustrate the significant disconnect between the aims and pedagogies of ECE and the increasingly influential de-contextualised discourses concerning ranking, performance and outcomes, as espoused by the OECD IELS project. Using evidence from three diverse Portuguese ECE settings, we illustrate how conceptual understandings of democracy in each school closely reflected the individual school philosophies. We discuss how the dampening of localised realities, for example through standardisation and de-contextualisation, could lead to a democratic deficit enabled by discourses which displace the purpose, complexity and subjectivity of ECE policy and practice

Interviewer: 'Are women and girls ever responsible for the domestic violence they encounter?' Student: 'No, well, unless they did something really, really bad …'

Research shows the ‘gendered nature’ of domestic violence, with Women’s Aid (a UK-based charity) estimating that 1 in 4 women are affected (2014). This paper reports on a project - funded by Comic Relief, completed by Nottinghamshire Domestic Violence Forum (now known as Equation) and evaluated by Nottingham Trent University. The project adopts a Whole School Approach in seeking to prevent domestic violence. Students at three secondary schools attended between one and five blocks of work, and special events. There is evidence of positive developments - with young people showing understanding of domestic violence as well as the margins between healthy and unhealthy relationships. However, not all students could reply ‘never’ to the question of ‘are women and girls to blame for the domestic violence they experience?’, remarking that if the woman had done something ‘really, really bad’ then violence might be justified. We argue that young people’s uncertainties need to be situated within the gender-unequal socio-contexts of contemporary society, and further call for a WSA to domestic violence prevention to be a compulsory part of the UK national curriculum

Performance assessment of a novel active mooring system for load reduction in marine energy converters

The full text of this paper is available via the ICOE Library link in this record.Mooring systems affect extreme and fatigue loading in moored wave and tidal stream energy converters driving reliability, device survival and energy extraction efficiency. A novel mooring system referred to as the Intelligent Active Mooring System (IAMS) combines a load-extension curve which can be actively varied in response to the prevailing met-ocean conditions with a high minimum breaking load. Prototype test results demonstrate the working principle and validate the performance characteristics. The tests have established the component behaviour for different design settings and load profiles show that the system allows a wide range of response characteristics and reliable operation under single system failure mode. Numerical model studies comparing IAMS performance against existing solutions show potential for significant overall system cost reduction.This project was co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK), grant number 10197

Evaluation of a Brief Marriage Intervention for Internal Behavioral Health Consultants in Military Primary Care

Military couples face significant challenges to their relationships including demanding schedules, multiple deployments, and frequent moves. Despite the high costs of chronic marital distress, very few military (or civilian) couples seek marriage therapy. The military services and the VA system have implemented collaborative care models in primary care where internal behavioral health consultants are integrated into primary care. Integrated primary care can reduce the stigma of behavioral health services and may increase the odds that couples would seek help earlier. There are no established couple interventions designed for use in primary care. The purpose of this presentation is to describe a program of research focused on adapting and validating The Marriage Checkup (MC) for use in an integrated primary care clinic.https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/urop_celebration/1019/thumbnail.jp