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Public perception of shale gas extraction in the UK: how people's views are changing
Globalising assessment: an ethnography of literacy assessment, camels and fast food in the Mongolian Gobi
What happens when standardised literacy assessments travel globally? The paper presents an ethnographic account of adult literacy assessment events in rural Mongolia. It examines the dynamics of literacy assessment in terms of the movement and re-contextualisation of test items as they travel globally and are received locally by Mongolian respondents. The analysis of literacy assessment events is informed by Goodwin’s ‘participation framework’ on language as embodied and situated interactive phenomena and by Actor Network Theory. Actor Network Theory (ANT) is applied to examine literacy assessment events as processes of translation shaped by an ‘assemblage’ of human and non-human actors (including the assessment texts)
Foreign Direct Investments in Business Services: Transforming the Visegrád Four Region into a Knowledge-based Economy?
Foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the service sector are widely attributed an important role in bringing more skill-intensive activities into the Visegrad Four (V4). This region—comprising Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia—relied heavily on FDIs in manufacturing, which was often found to generate activities with limited skill content. This contribution deconstructs the chaotic concept of “business services” by analysing the actual nature of service sector activities outsourced and offshored to the V4. Using the knowledge-based economy (KBE) as a benchmark, the paper assesses the potential of service sector outsourcing in contributing to regional competitiveness by increasing the innovative capacity. It also discusses the role of state policies towards service sector FDI (SFDI). The analysis combines data obtained from case studies undertaken in service sector outsourcing projects in V4 countries. Moreover, it draws on interviews with senior employees of investment promotion agencies and publicly available data and statistics on activities within the service sector in the region. It argues that the recent inward investments in business services in the V4 mainly utilize existing local human capital resources, and their contribution to the development of the KBE is limited to employment creation and demand for skilled labour
A new evaluation framework for input variable selection algorithms used in environmental modelling
An evaluation framework for input variable selection algorithms for environmental data-driven models
Abstract not availableStefano Galelli, Greer B. Humphrey, Holger R. Maier, Andrea Castelletti, Graeme C. Dandy, Matthew S. Gibb
Anomalous fluctuations of active polar filaments
Using a simple model, we study the fluctuating dynamics of inextensible,
semiflexible polar filaments interacting with active and directed force
generating centres such as molecular motors. Taking into account the fact that
the activity occurs on time-scales comparable to the filament relaxation time,
we obtain some unexpected differences between both the steady-state and
dynamical behaviour of active as compared to passive filaments. For the
statics, the filaments have a {novel} length-scale dependent rigidity.
Dynamically, we find strongly enhanced anomalous diffusion.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Efficiency in nanostructured thermionic and thermoelectric devices
Advances in solid-state device design now allow the spectrum of transmitted
electrons in thermionic and thermoelectric devices to be engineered in ways
that were not previously possible. Here we show that the shape of the electron
energy spectrum in these devices has a significant impact on their performance.
We distinguish between traditional thermionic devices where electron momentum
is filtered in the direction of transport only and a second type, in which the
electron filtering occurs according to total electron momentum. Such 'total
momentum filtered' kr thermionic devices could potentially be implemented in,
for example, quantum dot superlattices. It is shown that whilst total momentum
filtered thermionic devices may achieve efficiency equal to the Carnot value,
traditional thermionic devices are limited to efficiency below this. Our second
main result is that the electronic efficiency of a device is not only improved
by reducing the width of the transmission filter as has previously been shown,
but also strongly depends on whether the transmission probability rises sharply
from zero to full transmission. The benefit of increasing efficiency through a
sharply rising transmission probability is that it can be achieved without
sacrificing device power, in contrast to the use of a narrow transmission
filter which can greatly reduce power. We show that devices which have a
sharply-rising transmission probability significantly outperform those which do
not and it is shown such transmission probabilities may be achieved with
practical single and multibarrier devices. Finally, we comment on the
implications of the effect the shape of the electron energy spectrum on the
efficiency of thermoelectric devices.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figure
Exposure to bullying among students with autism spectrum conditions: A multi-informant analysis of risk and protective factors
Research has consistently shown that children and young people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are more likely to be bullied than those with other or no special educational needs. The aim of the current study was to examine risk and protective factors that could help to explain variation in exposure to bullying within this group. A sample of 722 teachers and 119 parents reported on their child’s experience of being bullied. This response variable was regressed onto a range of explanatory variables representing individual and contextual factors. The teacher- and parent-rated regression models were statistically significant, explaining large proportions of variance in exposure to bullying. Behaviour difficulties and increased age were associated with bullying in both models. Positive relationships and attending a special school were associated with a decrease in bullying in the teacher model, with use of public/school transport predicting an increase. In the parent model, special educational needs provision at School Action Plus (as opposed to having a Statement of Special Educational Needs) was a significant risk factor, and higher levels of parental engagement and confidence were associated with reductions in bullying. These findings are discussed in relation to the ASC literature, and opportunities for intervention are considered
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