Library staff and trade unionism: a study of attitudes and influences

The work context and the pattern and history of trade union representation in librarianship are explored. The literature on trade unionism and professionalism is reviewed with special reference to trade unionism and professionalism in library work. Twenty-four hypotheses are developed, concerning the reasons for library trade unionism, its character and its effects on libraries, and similar features in relation to professionalism. These hypotheses are reviewed in the light of an interview survey conducted in four polytechnic libraries. Among other conclusions, it is asserted that the high density of trade union membership and of membership of the Library Association is due mainly to environmental factors such as employer recognition rather than personal or job-related factors, that both unionism and professionalism have only modest effects on the staff and on the library, and that staff are aware of more potential incompatibility between trade union membership and professionalism than was expected. The library staff regards both their union and their professional association in much the same way: they want both bodies to be moderate and apolitical, and to concentrate on and be effective in relation to salaries, status and working conditions. (None of this work has previously been submitted for any other degree.

An Approach to Near Field Data Selection in Radio Frequency Identification

Personal identification is needed in many civil activities, and the common identification cards, such as a driver\u27s license, have become the standard document de facto. Radio frequency identification has complicated this matter. Unlike their printed predecessors, contemporary RFID cards lack a practical way for users to control access to their individual fields of data. This leaves them more available to unauthorized parties, and more prone to abuse. Here, then was undertaken a means to test a novel RFID card technology that allows overlays to be used for reliable, reversible data access settings. Similar to other proposed switching mechanisms, it offers advantages that may greatly improve outcomes. RFID use is increasing in identity documents such as drivers\u27 licenses and passports, and with it concern over the theft of personal information, which can enable unauthorized tracking or fraud. Effort put into designing a strong foundation technology now may allow for widespread development on them later

Safeguarding resettlement: global expectations and local experiences in Cambodia

Planned community relocation or “resettlement” is not new, however the contexts in which people are being relocated and the safeguards in place to protect them are changing. Multilateral development banks are under competing pressures to minimise the negative impacts of community resettlement without over-burdening the governments of borrowing countries. Intensive debates are underway about what rights should be afforded to resettled people and what safeguards are most effective. Similar concerns are being voiced by policy-makers working on climate change adaptation, who are looking to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to identify ways to safeguard communities being resettled in response to climate change. One of the most important tensions shaping these debates, is how resettlement safeguards developed at an international or “global” level can cater to the needs and aspirations of affected people in different local settings. As a contribution to this debate, this thesis explores a resettlement scheme for an ADB co-financed railway project in Cambodia in which advocacy interventions resulted in improvements in the resettlement sites over the eight years of the project from 2006 to 2014. Drawing on the railway project as a case study, the research focuses on understanding how safeguards, developed at a “headquarter level”, aligned and misaligned with community needs and aspirations at different points in time. It investigates how advocacy interventions altered the course of the project and considers the implications of relying on resettlement safeguards in a country where domestic legal protections are otherwise not well-established

A4_8 Magnetic Force Field

The aim of this paper was to determine whether a bullet or other charged particle could be deflected using a magnetic field. By considering the force on a charge due to a magnetic field it was found that very high field strength would be necessary to deflect even a single electron, let alone anything with more mass. For this reason magnetic force-fields are not viable for use in protection outside of very acute circumstances, such as from the solar wind. However if the objective is to protect an astronaut performing extra-vehicular activities near the solar wind (an unlikely prospect) it may be useful

A4_7 Falling Angels & Demons

This paper investigates the chance of survival when jumping out of a high-flying helicopter. First it is found that the related scene described by Dan Brown in ‘Angels & Demons’ is plausible, and then a different case is considered. By considering the balance of forces and drag caused by using a piece of fabric as an improvised parachute, it was found that a landing on a solid material would very likely cause a fatality whatever the case. However a landing in water may be survivable with good form and an extra-extra-extra-extra-large t-shirt

A4_6 Honey I Shrunk the Blood Vessels

The 1989 family film ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’ describes a number of children being reduced to ¼ inch high after an accident involving an ‘electromagnetic shrink ray’. This paper considers the effect this phenomenon would have on the circulatory system. By considering the blood vessels it is found that, in order to maintain adequate flow rate, the blood pressure drop throughout the body would need to increase by a factor of 200. The heart rate would also be required to increase by a factor of 200. It is not considered plausible that the body would survive this.    Â

A4_4 Getting into a flap

Mankind has strived to achieve flight for millennia. This report explores the logistics of flying using only the hands for propulsion. It is hypothesised that simply twisting of the hand and flapping is enough to achieve the necessary net movement of air. It is found that the arms would have to flap at a frequency of 447Hz in order to maintain flight. A lower limit to the required power is calculated to be 1.3kW. Â

A4_2 Walking on Sunshine

This paper investigates the solar power output necessary for someone to be supported against Earth’s gravity by radiation pressure alone. By making some estimates regarding human proportions, and calculations based on known information, it shows that it is not feasibly possible to walk on sunshine as the radiation flux from the sun is around 3 billion times too small. Further that it would require a very large increase in solar mass to come anywhere near possible - roughly 530 times the current mass

A4_5 Harvesting the Gas Giants

The four gas giants in the solar system contain more than 80% hydrogen. This report examines the possibility of using this as a fuel source in the future by harvesting it with a spacecraft descending into their atmosphere.   Â