Building Connection Against the Odds: Exploring the Relationship Between Project Workers and People Experiencing Homelessness

In the past decade homelessness has dramatically increased in the UK, against a backdrop of austerity (National Audit Office, 2017), with those working to support people experiencing homelessness (PEH) battling to build relationships with limited resources (Daly, 2017). Existing literature suggests that trusting and empathic relationships between workers and PEH forms the cornerstone for the needs of PEH to be met (Stevenson et al, 2014; Kidd et al, 2006). However, PEH also highlighted that relationships with services were often characterised by conditionality and disconnection (Westaway, Nolte & Brown, 2017). In order to better understand this context, this study aimed to explore project workers’ experiences of building relationships with PEH. A qualitative design was employed in which focus groups were carried out in six projects, using an opportunity sample of 22 project workers. Data was analysed using Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), within a Social Constructionist epistemology (Burr, 1995). Three main themes were identified: ‘Working hard to build connection,’ ‘Supporting each other within an unsupportive context’ and ‘Draining but sustaining.’ The findings of the study highlighted that project workers strove to build connection despite the odds, that connection with each other was used to counter systemic disconnection. They illustrate that project workers were driven by a strong value base, despite a challenging context. Clear clinical implications are put forward. Services supporting PEH need to be psychologically informed and project workers need to be provided with a reflective space in order to process complex relational dynamics and pressures, which can only happen with adequate funding. In deriving service provision for PEH interdependence not in/ dependence needs to be the aim (Williamson, 2018). The potential role of clinical psychologists in relation to these clinical implications is highlighted throughout. Finally, the responsibility for improving the lives of PEH needs to be placed back on society to provide a context in which PEH can thrive

Responding to climate change and the energy transition: the experience and capacity of communities in Ireland

Ireland’s 2015 White Paper on Energy acknowledges that the energy transition will require citizen and community participation in renewable energy generation, distribution and energy efficiency. While the role and capacity of communities is seen as essential, it is poorly understood and inadequately researched in Ireland. This PhD addresses this gap by: examining the potential for community action on climate change and the energy transition; identifying existing social, institutional and infrastructural barriers to such collective action; and pinpointing the supports required to develop effective capacity, in particular, in community energy groups. This interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research draws from the methodological approach of grounded theory, and has been influenced by the principles of second order transformational, participatory, and engaged research. The research has adopted an adaptive and reflexive approach throughout. The research methods were qualitative and included extensive fieldwork within both the policy and the community energy arenas. The thesis includes a literature review of the behavioural and social challenges of responding to climate change; the public response to renewable energy developments; community energy and the context of community energy in Ireland. It identifies four key concepts: energy transition; participation; social capital; and capacity, which underpin this research. The author’s multi-method approach included extensive fieldwork; 9 semi-structured exploratory interviews; two stakeholder engagement events with climate advocates; a day-long facilitated workshop with community energy practitioners and policy makers (2015); and five two-hour workshops with representatives of the six community energy groups in the study (2017/18). The key findings of the thesis are as follows: There is considerable policy and community interest in community energy; significant barriers to community-owned production of RE exist, including planning complexities, difficulties accessing the grid, lack of feed-in tariff, and financial risks; groups have difficulty engaging members of the public and local opposition can be a disabling factor; volunteers can only do so much; capacity supports are urgently required, including the removal of barriers to the community-owned production of RE, access to on-going core funding, assistance from skilled people, and the availability of a ‘one-stop shop’ where groups can go for help. Recommendations arising from the research include the following: Strong, continual and visible national leadership on climate action is critical; a range of approaches to support and encourage community energy should be developed in response to the varying capacities of different communities; mentoring in community development and community engagement is essential; reliable, multi-annual sources of core funding should be made available; and existing barriers to community energy should be addressed

After the Rain – learning the lessons from flood recovery in Hull

The report shows that it is often not so much the floods themselves, but what comes afterwards, that people find so difficult to deal with. The research on which this report is based aimed to undertake a real-time longitudinal study to document and understand the everyday experiences of individuals following the floods of June 2007 in interaction with networks of actors and organisations, strategies of institutional support and investment in the built environment and infrastructure. It had the following objectives: - To identify and document key dimensions of the longer term experience of flood impact and flood recovery, including health, economic and social aspects. - To examine how resilience and vulnerability were manifest in the interaction between everyday strategies of adaptation during the flood recovery process, and modes of institutional support and the management of infrastructure and the built environment. -To explore to what extent the recovery process entailed the development of new forms of resilience and to identify the implications for developing local level resilience for flood recovery in the future. To develop an archive that will be accessible for future research into other aspects of flood recovery. The flooding which affected the city of Kingston-upon-Hull took place in June 2007. Over 110mm of rain fell during the biggest event, overwhelming the city‟s drainage system and resulting in widespread pluvial flooding. The floods affected over 8,600 households and one person was killed. Our research used in-depth, qualitative methods where 44 people kept weekly diaries and participated in interviews and group discussions over an 18-month period

Climate Change In The Casco Bay Watershed: Past, Present, And Future

This report describes how the climate of Casco Bay watershed in Maine has changed over the past century and how the future climate of the region is likely to be affected by human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. Overall, the region has been getting warmer and wetter over the last century, and these trends have increased over the last four decades. To generate future projections for Portland, Farmington, and Lewiston, simulated temperature and precipitation from four climate models were fitted to local, long-term weather observations. Unknowns regarding fossil fuel consumption were accounted for by using two future scenarios. The scenarios describe climate in terms of temperature and precipitation for three future periods: the near-term, 2010-2039, mid-century, 2040-2069, and end-of-century, 2070-2099. All changes are relative to a historical baseline, 1970-1999. Some future changes are inevitable, so smart choices must be made to ensure our society and our environment will be able to adapt to coming change. But with prompt action, many of the most extreme consequences of climate change could be avoided or their worst impacts reduced

Nutrient composition of Australian fast-food and fast-casual children\u27s meals available in 2016 and changes in fast-food meals between 2010 and 2016

Objective:A quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese. Research conducted in 2010 found that fast-food children\u27s meals were energy-dense and nutrient-poor. Since then, menu labelling and self-regulation of marketing have been introduced in Australia. The present study aimed to: (i) investigate the nutrient composition of children\u27s meals offered at fast-food chains; (ii) compare these with children\u27s daily requirements and recommendations and the food industry\u27s own criteria for healthier children\u27s meals; and (iii) determine whether results have changed since last investigated in 2010.Design:An audit of nutrition information for fast-food children\u27s meals was conducted. Meals were compared with 30 % (recommended contribution for a meal) and 100 % of children\u27s daily recommendations and requirements. A comparative analysis was conducted to determine if the proportion of meals that exceeded meal requirements and recommendations, and compliance with the food industry\u27s own criteria, changed between 2010 and 2016.Setting:Large Australian fast-food chains.Participants:All possible children\u27s meal combinations.Results:Overall, 289 children\u27s meals were included. Most exceeded 30 % of daily recommendations and requirements for a 4-year-old\u27s energy, saturated fat, sugars and Na. Results were also substantial for 8- and 13-year-olds, particularly for Na. When compared with mean energy and nutrient contents from 2010, there were minimal changes overall.Conclusions:Children\u27s meals can provide excess energy, saturated fat, sugar and Na to children\u27s diets. Systematic reformulation of energy, saturated fat, sugars and Na would improve the nutrient composition of the meals

Robustness analysis and experimental validation of a fault detection and isolation method for the modular multilevel converter

This paper presents a fault detection and isolation (FDI) method for open-circuit faults of power semiconductor devices in a modular multilevel converter (MMC). The proposed FDI method is simple with only one sliding mode observer (SMO) equation and requires no additional transducers. The method is based on an SMO for the circulating current in an MMC. An open-circuit fault of power semiconductor device is detected when the observed circulating current diverges from the measured one. A fault is located by employing an assumption-verification process. To improve the robustness of the proposed FDI method, a new technique based on the observer injection term is introduced to estimate the value of the uncertainties and disturbances, this estimated value can be used to compensate the uncertainties and disturbances. As a result, the proposed FDI scheme can detect and locate an open-circuit fault in a power semiconductor device while ignoring parameter uncertainties, measurement error and other bounded disturbances. The FDI scheme has been implemented in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) using fixed point arithmetic and tested on a single phase MMC prototype. Experimental results under different load conditions show that an open-circuit faulty power semiconductor device in an MMC can be detected and located in less than 50ms

Control of a hybrid modular multilevel converter during grid voltage unbalance

The recently proposed parallel hybrid modular multilevel converter is considered to be a low loss, low component count converter with soft switching capability of the ‘main’ bridge. The converter has similar advantages to other emerging modular multilevel converter circuits being considered for HVDC power transmission. However, during ac network unbalance the individual ‘chain-links’ exchange unequal amounts of power with the grid which requires appropriate remedial action. This paper presents research into the performance of the converter and proposes a suitable control method that enables the converter to operate during grid voltage unbalance. The proposed control concept involves the use of asymmetric third harmonic voltage generation in the ‘chain-links’ of the converter to redistribute the power exchanged between the individual ‘chain-links’ and the grid. Mathematical analysis and simulation modelling with results are presented to support the work described

Fault detection for modular multilevel converters based on sliding mode observer

This letter presents a fault detection method for modular multilevel converters (MMC) which is capable of lo¬cating a faulty semiconductor switching device in the circuit. The proposed fault detection method is based on a sliding mode observer (SMO) and a switching model of a half-bridge, the approach taken is to conjecture the location of fault, modify the SMO accordingly and then compare the observed and measured states to verify, or otherwise, the assumption. This technique requires no additional measurement elements and can easily be implemented in a DSP or micro-controller. The operation and robustness of the fault detection technique are confirmed by simulation results for the fault condition of a semiconductor switching device appearing as an open-circuit

Design and implementation of magnetron power supply and emulator

The paper presents a novel resonant based high performance power converter solution for industrial magnetron systems. Based the characteristics of the magnetron, an emulator prototype is also proposed to represent the magnetron load behaviour in a laboratory environment. A detailed design and implementation procedure is presented, including the design and control of the resonant power converter, together with the magnetron emulator in practical aspects. Experimental results are provided in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed converter and emulator