Increasing the efficiency of a solar oven

The objective of this experiment was to design, build and evaluate a solar oven that was both economically viable and thermally efficient. In addition to the economic objective, I sought to determine the best reflector angle for the solar cooker, by measuring the following parameters: cooking power, efficiency, and effectiveness. Halogen lamps were used to simulate natural  unlight, as the outdoor condition was too variable in the UK to guarantee continued sunlight for 120 minutes in a controlled fashion. The most effective reflector angle i.e. the reflector angle with the greatest ability to convert the solar insolation into thermal energy is the 60°C. However, the data shows that the 70°C reflector angle produces the highest temperature consistently. Over the series of different methods for evaluating the best reflector and angle, it would seem that a 70°C angle is consistently highest in most of the test. With a reflector angle of 70°C, by 120 minutes, the solar oven was able t

Reflexiones sobre el refinamiento modular y el aprendizaje interprofesional en la educación clínica

El refinamiento modular de los cursos en educación clínica es esencial para mejorar la calidad de la matrícula que reciben los estudiantes. Este estudio analiza los puntajes de los comentarios de los estudiantes para determinar si los cambios en el trabajo en grupo y la introducción del personal docente interprofesional mejoraron la calidad de la experiencia del estudiante. Un grupo mixto de profesionales enseñó tres cohortes diferentes de estudiantes clínicos de posgrado. Antes de esto, el personal no clínico, en lugar de una combinación de educadores médicos y profesionales clínicos, enseñaba el mismo curso. Los comentarios de los estudiantes sobre la clase utilizaron cuatro categorías, por relevancia, estilo/modo de entrega, organización y disfrute. Comparamos los puntajes antes de la intervención. Los comentarios de los estudiantes variaron de 9 a 14 participantes para cada categoría. Tras el rediseño del módulo, los puntajes de los comentarios de los estudiantes aumentaron en cada categoría, y los mayores aumentos se volvieron relevantes. La coincidencia de las características profesionales de los profesores con los alumnos puede tener un efecto beneficioso en términos de la relevancia de los cursos clínicos, así como del estilo, modo de entrega y organización. Los comentarios de los estudiantes se pueden utilizar para determinar el éxito de las reformas modulares si se utilizan las medidas psicométricas correctas en los documentos de retroalimentación

Bourdieu's Theory of Economic Practice and Organisational Modelling

This book is unique because it is the first single-author monograph which applies Bourdieu’s theory to management studies. It takes a theory-driven approach to develop models to describe service innovation. This will give the reader a full understanding of the variety of different theoretical concepts that Bourdieu created and used and how they can be applied to the study of management and innovation. Moreover, it is also the only book that links Bourdieu’s theory to his methodological approach, providing the reader with a toolkit of methods to perform business ethnographies according to Bourdieu’s approach. The book acts as a primer for anyone wanting to learn how to model an organisational system from a Bourdieusian perspective. It contains all the information someone might need to begin to go out in the field and collect data. Consequently, the people that might want to read this publication include post-graduate students looking to learn business anthropology, as well as post-doctoral and other early career researchers

The implementation of medical revalidation: an assessment using normalisation process theory

Abstract Background Medical revalidation is the process by which all licensed doctors are legally required to demonstrate that they are up to date and fit to practise in order to maintain their licence. Revalidation was introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2012, constituting significant change in the regulation of doctors. The governing body, the General Medical Council (GMC), envisages that revalidation will improve patient care and safety. This potential however is, in part, dependent upon how successfully revalidation is embedded into routine practice. The aim of this study was to use Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) to explore issues contributing to or impeding the implementation of revalidation in practice. Methods We conducted seventy-one interviews with sixty UK policymakers and senior leaders at different points during the development and implementation of revalidation: in 2011 (n = 31), 2013 (n = 26) and 2015 (n = 14). We selected interviewees using purposeful sampling. NPT was used as a framework to enable systematic analysis across the interview sets. Results Initial lack of consensus over revalidation’s purpose, and scepticism about its value, decreased over time as participants recognised the benefits it brought to their practice (coherence category of NPT). Though acceptance increased across time, revalidation was not seen as a legitimate part of their role by all doctors. Key individuals, notably the Responsible Officer (RO), were vital for the successful implementation of revalidation in organisations (cognitive participation category). The ease with which revalidation could be integrated into working practices varied greatly depending on the type of role a doctor held and the organisation they work for and the provision of resources was a significant variable in this (collective action category). Formal evaluation of revalidation in organisations was lacking but informal evaluation was taking place. Revalidation had not yet reached the stage where feedback was being used for improvement (reflexive monitoring category). Conclusions Requiring all organisations to use the same revalidation model made revalidation easy to integrate into existing work for some but problematic for others. In order for revalidation to be fully embedded and successful, impeding factors, such as a lack of resources, need to be addressed

How healthy is my design? How to measure the psychological and physical benefits of engineering?

La obesidad y la salud mental son cada vez más problema para niños y adultos en muchos países. Este trabajo investiga el potencial de la ingeniería y arquitectura para jugar un papel en el aumento del bienestar de la población mediante el diseño de infraestructura y edificios más saludables. Exploramos el tema en relación con el equipo de juegos para niños, específicamente diseñando un juego valor métrico (PVM) que permite una clasificación tanto de los efectos en la salud psicológica y física de su estructura. Los valores físicos y mentales usados en la evaluación médica de un diseño provienen de una variedad de métodos de probada eficacia, incluida la observación cualitativa, cuantitativa o base de datos de la encuesta. El trabajo concluye con un ejemplo de cómo puede crearse una métrica de valor juego para el equipo de juego y cómo esto podría ofrecer una nueva dirección de mercado para las empresas que deseen promover que los diseños sean beneficiosos para la salud

How healthy is my design? How to measure the psychological and physical benefits of engineering?

La obesidad y la salud mental son cada vez más problema para niños y adultos en muchos países. Este trabajo investiga el potencial de la ingeniería y arquitectura para jugar un papel en el aumento del bienestar de la población mediante el diseño de infraestructura y edificios más saludables. Exploramos el tema en relación con el equipo de juegos para niños, específicamente diseñando un juego valor métrico (PVM) que permite una clasificación tanto de los efectos en la salud psicológica y física de su estructura. Los valores físicos y mentales usados en la evaluación médica de un diseño provienen de una variedad de métodos de probada eficacia, incluida la observación cualitativa, cuantitativa o base de datos de la encuesta. El trabajo concluye con un ejemplo de cómo puede crearse una métrica de valor juego para el equipo de juego y cómo esto podría ofrecer una nueva dirección de mercado para las empresas que deseen promover que los diseños sean beneficiosos para la salud.ABSTRACT: Obesity and mental health are increasingly becoming issues for both children and adults in many countries. This paper investigates the potential for engineering and architecture to play a role in increasing people’s well-being by designing healthier buildings and infrastructure. We explore the issue in relation to children’s play equipment, specifically designing a Play Value Metric (PVM) that allows for a rating of both the psychological and physical health effects of their structure. The physical and mental values used in the medical assessments of a design are drawn from an array of tried and tested methods including qualitative, quantitative, observation or survey based data. The paper concludes with an example of how a Play Value Metric can be created for play equipment and how this might offer new market direction for companies wishing to promotes the designs as being beneficial to health

The implementation of medical revalidation: an assessment using normalisation process theory

Abstract Background Medical revalidation is the process by which all licensed doctors are legally required to demonstrate that they are up to date and fit to practise in order to maintain their licence. Revalidation was introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2012, constituting significant change in the regulation of doctors. The governing body, the General Medical Council (GMC), envisages that revalidation will improve patient care and safety. This potential however is, in part, dependent upon how successfully revalidation is embedded into routine practice. The aim of this study was to use Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) to explore issues contributing to or impeding the implementation of revalidation in practice. Methods We conducted seventy-one interviews with sixty UK policymakers and senior leaders at different points during the development and implementation of revalidation: in 2011 (n = 31), 2013 (n = 26) and 2015 (n = 14). We selected interviewees using purposeful sampling. NPT was used as a framework to enable systematic analysis across the interview sets. Results Initial lack of consensus over revalidation’s purpose, and scepticism about its value, decreased over time as participants recognised the benefits it brought to their practice (coherence category of NPT). Though acceptance increased across time, revalidation was not seen as a legitimate part of their role by all doctors. Key individuals, notably the Responsible Officer (RO), were vital for the successful implementation of revalidation in organisations (cognitive participation category). The ease with which revalidation could be integrated into working practices varied greatly depending on the type of role a doctor held and the organisation they work for and the provision of resources was a significant variable in this (collective action category). Formal evaluation of revalidation in organisations was lacking but informal evaluation was taking place. Revalidation had not yet reached the stage where feedback was being used for improvement (reflexive monitoring category). Conclusions Requiring all organisations to use the same revalidation model made revalidation easy to integrate into existing work for some but problematic for others. In order for revalidation to be fully embedded and successful, impeding factors, such as a lack of resources, need to be addressed