Why are there still so few men within Early Years in primary schools: views from male trainee teachers and male leaders?

One of the challenges facing the Early Years (EY) sector is how to encourage more male practitioners to counterbalance a largely feminised workforce. Using case studies of male trainees at different stages of their primary undergraduate Initial Teacher Training course at one university, we attempt to consider data why there is underrepresentation of men within the leadership strata in EY settings. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted with the male sample groups and male leaders in primary schools to gain an overview regarding gender stereotyping. Our findings suggest that male trainees enjoy working in the EY sector, but they need mentoring by strong leaders to help them overcome the perceived contextual barriers of male stereotypes in that setting. In conclusion, we consider some of these barriers of stereotypes, attitudes, values, beliefs existing and the actions needed in addressing such stereotypes if a long-lasting change is to happen

Smart technologies and beyond: exploring how a smart band can assist in monitoring children’s independent mobility & well-being

The problem which is being investigated through this thesis is not having a device(s) or method(s) which are appropriate for monitoring a child’s vital and tracking a child’s location. This aspect is being explored by other researchers which are yet to find a viable solution. This work focuses on providing a solution that would consider using the Internet of Things for measuring and improving children’s health. Additionally, the focus of this research is on the use of technology for health and the needs of parents who are concerned about their child’s physical health and well-being. This work also provides an insight into how technology is used during the pandemic. This thesis will be based on a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research, which will have been used to review the following areas covering key aspects and focuses of this study which are (i) Children’s Independent Mobility (ii) Physical activity for children (iii) Emotions of a child (iv) Smart Technologies and (v) Children’s smart wearables. This will allow a review of the problem in detail and how technology can help the health sector, especially for children. The deliverable of this study is to recommend a suitable smart band device that enables location tracking of the child, activity tracking as well as monitoring the health and wellbeing of the child. The research also includes an element of practical research in the form of (i) Surveys, the use of smart technology and a perspective on the solution from parents. (ii) Focus group, in the form of a survey allowing opinions and collection of information on the child and what the parents think of smart technology and how it could potentially help with their fears. (iii) Observation, which allows the collection of data from children who were given six activities to conduct while wearing the Fitbit Charge HR. The information gained from these elements will help provide guidelines for a proposed solution. In this thesis, there are three frameworks which are about (i) Research process for this study (ii) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are findings from the literature review and (iii) Proposed framework for the solution, all three combined frameworks can help health professionals and many parents who want an efficient and reliable device, also deployment of technologies used in the health industry for children in support of independent mobility. Current frameworks have some considerations within the technology and medical field but were not up to date with the latest elements such as parents fears within today’s world and the advanced features of technology

The comic, not the comedy: effect of joke-origin-induced expectancy on cognitive humour.

Objectives: The present set of experiments examined whether humour expectancy (determined by the joke teller) impacts the humour evaluation of jokes. Design: Across four experiments, participants rated jokes purportedly delivered via celebrity comedians or celebrity non-comedians. The effect of joke-origin was further examined across variables of prior joke rating (high/low) and type of joke (incongruity/nonsense). The dependent variable was humour rating (0-100). Method: Four-hundred and thirty-four Coventry University Psychology undergraduates participated and were given a series of jokes to rate that were purportedly delivered by celebrity comedians or celebrity non-comedians. Results: Ratings of the same jokes were found to be significantly higher when purportedly delivered by comedians compared to non-comedian (Experiment 1). These effects were replicated with a repeated measures design with comedian and non-comedians matched upon prior like-ability ratings (Experiment 2). Furthermore, these effects were robust across jokes previously rated as funny/unfunny and across both incongruity/nonsense joke types (Experiment 3). However, this effect is removed if the name of the celebrity is obscured (Experiment 4). Conclusion: These experiments demonstrate that cognitive humour ratings are influenced by the origin of the joke, wherein knowledge of that celebrity determines expectancy of humour. This effect is contingent on the name of the joke-teller being presented, suggesting that a schema of that individual is activated with expectancy driven by past experiences of that individual

Chelating compounds as potential flash rust inhibitors and melamine & aziridine cure of acrylic colloidal unimolecular polymers (CUPs)

Waterborne coatings on ferrous substrates usually show flash rusting which decreases the adhesion of the coating and the corrosion products can form a stain. Chelating compounds were investigated as potential flash rust inhibitors. Compounds being evaluated include amine alcohols, diamines and sulfur containing amines. A new corrosion inhibitor 2,5-bis(thioaceticacid)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (H2ADTZ) was synthesized and its performance characteristics were evaluated. It was noted that the observed structure of 1,3,4-thiadiazolidine-2,5-dithione (also known as 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMTD or DMcT)) has been previously reported in three different tautomeric forms including -dithiol and -dithione. The relative stability of each form as well as the synthesis and characterization of the structures of mono- and dialkylated forms of 5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2(3H)-thione (MTT) were examined. The methods of X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and ab-initio electronic structure calculations were combined to understand the reactivity and structure of each compound. Polymers were synthesized with a 1:7 or 1:8 ratio of acrylic acid to acrylate monomers to produce an acid rich resin. The polymers were reduced and solvent stripped to produce Colloidal Unimolecular Polymers (CUPs). These particles are typically 3-9 nanometers in diameter depending upon the molecular weight. They were then formulated into a clear coating with either a melamine (bake) or an aziridine (ambient cure) and then cured. The melamine system was solvent free, a near zero VOC and the aziridine system was very low to near zero VOC. The coatings were evaluated for their MEK resistance, adhesion, hardness, gloss, flexibility, wet adhesion, abrasion and impact resistance properties

What does a globalized curriculum look like for diverse learners in primary schools?

Children in our classrooms today come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and some have English as an Additional Language (EAL). Haslam et al define such children as ‘learners whose preferred language/s are not English and therefore add it to their language/s’ (2005: 97). The words diversity and globalization have numerous and contested meanings. We begin this article by looking at the multiple ways in which the ideas these terms express are conceptualized, especially for primary school children with EAL. We then explore globalization as a concept to see how it links with diversity so that relevant knowledge is generated using ideas from empirical and methodological studies. Finally, we consider how primary school leaders can bring a global dimension into their curriculum

Novel Method of Measuring Electron Positron Colliding Beam Parameters

Through the simultaneous measurement of the transverse size as a function of longitudinal position, and the longitudinal distribution of luminosity, we are able to measure the $\beta_y^\ast$ (vertical envelope function at the collision point), vertical emittance, and bunch length of colliding beams at the Cornell Electron-positron Storage Ring (CESR). This measurement is possible due to the significant ``hourglass'' effect at CESR and the excellent tracking resolution of the CLEO detector.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, submitted to NIM

Literature Review: Study of Various Techniques for Beam and Polarization Splitting for mm Waves

In this paper, we present the techniques used for splitting the radiation beam and polarization of mm and sub-millimeter waves. First technique is based on H-plane section which splits the square section pipe into two rectangular.Second technique is based on a confocal quasi optical system with wire grid beam splitter. Another is based on grounded Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) array as millimeter wave beam splitter which demonstrates that the reflection phase of coherent mm-wave can be altered by using FSS array with different slot lengths. Last technique is based on Mylar beam splitters over the range of wavelength between 0.08 mm to 2 mm for angles of incidence between 450 and 80?

Study and Analysis of Power and Polarization Splitting techniques for mm waves using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2a

To test different properties of plasma radiation, different ECE instruments like Michelson interferometer and Radiometer are placed at a distance from the front end optics. To guide the radiation source from the front end optics to the measuring instruments, power/beam splitter box or power switching techniques are used. In this paper, numerical simulation of different techniques for power and polarization splitting unit is analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2a software. First technique is of rectangular waveguide power splitter unit, in which the power at the output ports are analyzed. Second technique discussed is based on wire grid polarizer having a unit cell structure. Transmission coefficient for parallel and perpendicular waves are simulated. Lastly, circular waveguide based power splitter unit is designed and analyzed for power distribution at output ports

Absorption of gamma-emitting fission products and activation products by rice under flooded and unflooded conditions from two tropical soils

The absorption of gamma-emitting fission products 106Ru,125Sb,137Cs and144Ce and activation products59Fe,58Co.54Mn and65Zn by rice plants grown on two contrasting tropical soils, namely, a blak soil (pellustert) and a laterite (oxisol), and the effects of flooding were studied under controlled conditions. Results indicated greater uptake of 106Ru and 125Sb from the black soil than from the laterite. In contrast, the uptake of 144Ce and 137Cs was greater in the laterite than in the black soil. Flooding treatment enhanced the uptake of all these fission products by rice plants in the laterite soil whereas this effect was observed only for 125Sb and 137Cs in the black soil. The plant uptake of activation products from the two soil types showed maximum accumulation of 65Zn followed by 54Mn,59Fe and 58Co in both soil types. Besides, uptake of these nuclides was greater from the laterite soil than from the black soil. Flooding treatment for rice while showing a reduction of 59Fe uptake, showed an increase in plant uptake of 58Co,54Mn and 65Zn in both soil types