Filler surface characterisation and its relation to the mechanical properties of polymer composites

The formation of stearate on precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and magnesium hydroxide has been examined. The object of coating the filler surface is to achieve improved mechanical properties in the resulting composite material. The coating of a filler with stearate allows the modification of the energies of interaction so as to improve dispersion and alter the mechanical properties of the interphase region. In this work the use of Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen adsorption isotherm analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and carbon–hydrogen–nitrogen combustion analysis (CHN) have been used to characterise the stearate on the surface of the calcium carbonate filler. New methods for the estimation of fractional coverage and coating thickness calculation have been developed. Using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) the effects of the coating on the interphase region of the composite have been demonstrated

Development of automated tools based on electronic identification for the improvement of organic livestock production systems

Technical constraints of livestock production in organic farming systems are numerous and require more attention than in conventional systems. The implementation of individual electronic identification that is planned in Europe offers the possibility of developing automated devices that may be well adapted to the practices of organic breeders. We developed an automated mounting detector, carried by a male, which makes it possible to detect any female in oestrus. Hence, this device is the unique solution for inseminating females when they are fertile, thus ensuring links with selection programmes. The second device developed is a dynamic sorting door based on respect for animal behaviour, preventing stress by allowing animals not to be unnecessarily confined. When associated with an electronic weighing device, it offers the possibility of adapting health treatments to the appropriate animals, in agreement with organic breeding specifications. Finally, electronic identification combined with GPS offers the breeder the possibility of simplifying the certification of animals in areas converted to organic farming. We believe that these technologies may greatly reduce the workload of breeders while improving animal welfare

Conceptualising knowledge for access in the sciences: academic development from a social realist perspective

Whilst arguing from a social realist perspective that knowledge matters in academic development (AD) curricula, this paper addresses the question of what knowledge types and practices are necessary for enabling epistemological access. It presents a single, in-depth, qualitative case study in which the curriculum of a science AD course is characterised using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT). Analysis of the course curriculum reveals legitimation of four main categories of knowledge types along a continuum of stronger to weaker epistemic relations: disciplinary knowledge, scientific literacies knowledge, general academic practices knowledge and everyday knowledge. These categories are ‘mapped’ onto an LCT(Semantics)(how meaning relates to both context and empirical referents) topological plane to reveal a curriculum that operates in three distinct but interrelated spaces by facing towards both the field of science and the practice of academia. It is argued that this empirically derived differentiated curriculum framework offers a conceptual means for considering the notion of access to ‘powerful’ knowledge in a range of AD and mainstream contexts

Group interventions to improve health outcomes : a framework for their design and delivery

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A Learning Management System-Based Early Warning System for Academic Advising in Undergraduate Engineering

This chapter describes a design-based research project that developed an early warning system for an undergraduate engineering mentoring program. Using near real-time data from a university’s learning management system, we provided academic advisors with timely and targeted data on students’ academic progress. We discuss the development of the early warning system and detail how academic advisors used it. Our findings point to the value of providing academic advisors with performance data that can be used to direct students to appropriate sources of support.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107974/1/Krumm_etal_2014_LA.pd

Participatory analysis for adaptation to climate change in Mediterranean agricultural systems: possible choices in process design (versão Pre Print)

There is an increasing call for local measures to adapt to climate change, based on foresight analyses in collaboration with actors. However, such analyses involve many challenges, particularly because the actors concerned may not consider climate change to be an urgent concern. This paper examines the methodological choices made by three research teams in the design and implementation of participatory foresight analyses to explore agricultural and water management options for adaptation to climate change. Case studies were conducted in coastal areas of France, Morocco, and Portugal where the groundwater is intensively used for irrigation, the aquifers are at risk or are currently overexploited, and a serious agricultural crisis is underway. When designing the participatory processes, the researchers had to address four main issues: whether to avoid or prepare dialogue between actors whose relations may be limited or tense; how to select participants and get them involved; how to facilitate discussion of issues that the actors may not initially consider to be of great concern; and finally, how to design and use scenarios. In each case, most of the invited actors responded and met to discuss and evaluate a series of scenarios. Strategies were discussed at different levels, from farming practices to aquifer management. It was shown that such participatory analyses can be implemented in situations which may initially appear to be unfavourable. This was made possible by the flexibility in the methodological choices, in particular the possibility of framing the climate change issue in a broader agenda for discussion with the actors

Myopia and misrecognition : the impact of managerialism on the management of compliance

This article explores the construction of a particular form of compliance in probation practice during a period in which policy shifted from enforcement towards compliance. The article uses four concepts from Bourdieu's field theory (habitus, field, misrecognition and symbolic violence) to highlight the way in which the shift in policy was attuned to the subjective structure of probation practitioners' habitus but resulted in a form of compliance which was myopic in nature and thus did not adhere to what we know about habitus in probation from other research. The article explores this phenomenon through Bourdieu's notion of misrecognition suggesting that whilst the policy change was regarded generally positively, it is an example of 'symbolic violence'. In turn, this tells us about practitioners' position in the field which is useful in terms of future analyses of how changes to the delivery of community sanctions will manifest in the coming years

Unplugged Computing and Semantic Waves: Analysing Crazy Characters

We explore how Legitimation Code Theory, and, in particular, semantic waves, provides a useful way to understand what makes unplugged computing activities eff ective (or not) in the classroom. We overview the theory, discuss how it applies to unplugged activities, and describe a case study where we apply it to a specific widely used, unplugged activity. In particular, we show that the published lesson plan follows a semantic wave. We suggest that semantic waves are useful both in developing and reviewing lesson plans around unplugged (and other) computing activities. They also have great potential in teacher training and continuous professional development of computing teachers

The Health Belief Model and Factors Relating to Potential Use of a Vaccine for Shigellosis in Kaeng Koi District, Saraburi Province, Thailand

Shigellosis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Approximately, 1.1 million deaths occur a year due to this disease, making it the fourth leading cause of mortality worldwide. This paper explores local interest in and potential use of a vaccine for shigellosis in Thailand where Shigella poses an important public-health concern. Data for this study were collected during June-November 2002 from 522 subjects surveyed using a sociobehavioural questionnaire in Kaeng Koi district in central Thailand. The community demand and likely use of a vaccine were examined in relation to the Health Belief Model, which provides analytical constructs for investigating the multiple issues of local readiness to accept and access a new vaccine. As the key outcome variable, most respondents showed interest in receiving a vaccine against dysentery which they thought would provide useful protection against the disease. However, there was only a moderate number who perceived dysentery as serious and themselves as susceptible to it, although it was perceived to cause some burden to and additional expense for families. Most people identified a number of groups who were thought to be especially vulnerable to dysentery, such as the elderly, pre-school, and school-age children, and poor labourers. Other outcomes of the study included the identification of acceptable and convenient sites for its delivery, such as government health clinics and private clinics, and respected sources for information about the vaccine, such as health clinic personnel and community health volunteers. This information suggests that components of the Health Belief Model may be useful in identifying community acceptance of a vaccine and the means of introducing it. This health information is important for planning and implementing vaccine programmes