What constitutes 'peer support' within peer supported development?

Purpose: Peer supported schemes are replacing traditional Peer Observation of Teaching (PoT) programmes within some Higher Education Institutions. Peer supported schemes, whilst similar in philosophy to PoT, enable academic and academic related staff to support each other in non-teaching related activities. The purpose of this paper is to explore, therefore, the role of peer support in comparison with that of coaching and mentoring to clearly differentiate the activity. Design/methodology/approach: In 2010, one UK HEI appointed two Academic Fellows to implement and embed a 'Peer supported Development Scheme' (PSDS) within the institution. Through analysing the implementation process and drawing on activity conducted under such a scheme, this article examines the notion of 'peer support' in comparison to mentoring and coaching. The purpose of this will enable Academic Fellows to be able to better advise 'Supporters' how to work with colleagues and engage in structured dialogue to improve teaching and learning practice. Findings: The findings highlight that Peer support schemes are tangentially different to mentoring and coaching, however some activity undertaken as part of our peer supported scheme was actually mentoring and coaching. Therefore clearer guidance needs to be given to colleagues in order to steer the process towards 'peer support'. Originality/value: The PSDS discussed within this paper is only one of a few established within the UK and therefore findings from such schemes and how they are established are still emerging and will benefit other HEIs moving from PoT towards peer supported development

Method of forming a multiple layer dielectric and a hot film sensor therewith

The invention is a method of forming a multiple layer dielectric for use in a hot-film laminar separation sensor. The multiple layer dielectric substrate is formed by depositing a first layer of a thermoelastic polymer such as on an electrically conductive substrate such as the metal surface of a model to be tested under cryogenic conditions and high Reynolds numbers. Next, a second dielectric layer of fused silica is formed on the first dielectric layer of thermoplastic polymer. A resistive metal film is deposited on selected areas of the multiple layer dielectric substrate to form one or more hot-film sensor elements to which aluminum electrical circuits deposited upon the multiple layered dielectric substrate are connected

Analysis of glass fiber reinforced cement (GRC) fracture surfaces

Glass fiber reinforced cement (GRC) is a composite material produced by the union of a cement mortar matrix and chopped glass fibers. Its good mechanical properties deteriorate with time. This phenomenon has been studied performing a tensile test program on both young and aged samples of GRC produced by using different chemical additives. Once the tests were carried out, a microstructural analysis of fracture surfaces was performed using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Pictures taken showed that the addition of metakaolin enables more fibers to be pulled out from the matrix instead of being broken in aged GRC samples. However, the increase in the number of such fibers pulled out did not prevent the embrittlement of GRC. Also, all the other chemical additions used did not show any improvement in the mechanical properties of GRC

Case study: The Community Development Trust taps Wall Street investors

Community development ; Housing - Finance ; Real estate investment trusts

Development of a 100 watt S-band traveling- wave tube Quarterly progress report

Development of 100 watt S band traveling wave tube for space application

Osborn Retrospective of the Community Planning Process

[Original publication date is uncertain.]http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108554/1/Osborn_Planning_Retro.pd

Assessing the critical material constraints on low carbon infrastructure transitions

We present an assessment method to analyze whether the disruption in supply of a group of materials endangers the transition to low-carbon infrastructure. We define criticality as the combination of the potential for supply disruption and the exposure of the system of interest to that disruption. Low-carbon energy depends on multiple technologies comprised of a multitude of materials of varying criticality. Our methodology allows us to assess the simultaneous potential for supply disruption of a range of materials. Generating a specific target level of low-carbon energy implies a dynamic roll-out of technology at a specific scale. Our approach is correspondingly dynamic, and monitors the change in criticality during the transition towards a low-carbon energy goal. It is thus not limited to the quantification of criticality of a particular material at a particular point in time. We apply our method to criticality in the proposed UK energy transition as a demonstration, with a focus on neodymium use in electric vehicles. Although we anticipate that the supply disruption of neodymium will decrease, our results show the criticality of low carbon energy generation increases, as a result of increasing exposure to neodymium-reliant technologies. We present a number of potential responses to reduce the criticality through a reduction in supply disruption potential of the exposure of the UK to that disruption