7,664 research outputs found

    Industrial conflict in the development of technical education in England , 1850-1910, with special reference to the mechanical engineering industry.

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    This, study seeks to offer a sociological account of the emergence of non university technical education and its development In England in the period 1850-1910. The aim is to show that an explanation of the origin of the form and content of technical education needs to extend beyond changes In 19th century educational policies. An attempt is made therefore to trace the relationship between changes in control of the labour process as exemplified In one of the leading manufacturing industries, mechanical engineering, and developments in technical education. The argument is twofold: The forces underlying the substitution of unskilled for skilled workers and the implementation of new kinds of machines, were also those at work in the demise of the apprenticeship system and the development of a certain form of technical education. The skilled engineering workers' struggles to maintain the apprenticeship system against the employers' reluctance to support it, may be seen as also part of an explanation of the origin and development of technical education The importance of employers and skilled workers in these processes is acknowledged thereby, and a case Is argued, which existing sociological and historical accounts neglect, that the conflictual nature of the social relations of the industry represented an industrial struggle against which plans for a technical education system were being formulated. A key element is the analysis of the Great Strike and Lock-Out of 1897/1898, which is seen as the culmination of a series of conflicts originating in the 1850s. The outcome of the strike confirmed the economic 'short-termism' of employers, deriving from the dominant laissez faire doctrines of the period. Contradictions Inherent In short-term profit seeking at the level of individual employers and expectations from long term projections for a system of technical education at a national level, not only crucially influenced educational legislation, but fostered a neglect of technical education provision

    Designing algorithms to aid discovery by chemical robots

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    Recently, automated robotic systems have become very efficient, thanks to improved coupling between sensor systems and algorithms, of which the latter have been gaining significance thanks to the increase in computing power over the past few decades. However, intelligent automated chemistry platforms for discovery orientated tasks need to be able to cope with the unknown, which is a profoundly hard problem. In this Outlook, we describe how recent advances in the design and application of algorithms, coupled with the increased amount of chemical data available, and automation and control systems may allow more productive chemical research and the development of chemical robots able to target discovery. This is shown through examples of workflow and data processing with automation and control, and through the use of both well-used and cutting-edge algorithms illustrated using recent studies in chemistry. Finally, several algorithms are presented in relation to chemical robots and chemical intelligence for knowledge discovery

    The effect of fluorine on viscosities in the system Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2: implications for phonolites, trachytes and rhyolites

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    The effect of fluorine on melt viscosities of five compositions in the system Na2O-Al2O3- SiO2h as been investigateda t one atmospherea nd 1000-1600'Cb y concentric-cylinder viscometry. The compositions chosen were albite, jadeite and nepheline on the join NaAlOlSiO2 and two others of the join at 75 mole percent SiO2, one peralkaline and one peraluminous. All melt viscosities were independent of shear rate over two orders of magnitude, indicating Newtonian behavior. All viscosity-temperature relationships were Arrhenian within error. Fluorine reduces the viscosities and activation energies of all melts investigated. The viscosity-reducing power of fluorine increases with the SiO2 content of melts on the join NaAlO2-SiO2 and is a maximum at Na/Al (molar) = I for melts containing 75 mole percent SiO2. Fluorine and water have similar effects on aluminosilicate melt viscosities, probably due to depolymerization of these melts by replacement of Si-O-(Si, Al) bridges with Si-OH and Si-F bonds, respectively. Evidence from slag systems shows that fluorine also reduces the viscosity of depolymerized silicate melts. The viscous flow of phonolites, trachytes and rhyolites will be strongly afected by fluorine. It appears that fluorine contents of igneous rocks may be combined with water in calculation schemes for determining the viscosity of natural melts

    A biomechanical analysis of the heavy sprint-style sled pull and comparison with the back squat

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    This study compared the biomechanical characteristics of the heavy sprint-style sled pull and squat. Six experienced male strongman athletes performed sled pulls and squats at 70% of their 1RM squat. Significant kinematic and kinetic differences were observed between the sled pull start and squat at the start of the concentric phase and at maximum knee extension. The first stride of the heavy sled pull demonstrated significantly (

    Bistable perception in normal aging: perceptual reversibility and its relation to cognition

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    The effects of age on the ability to resolve perceptual ambiguity are unknown, though it depends on fronto-parietal attentional networks known to change with age. We presented the bistable Necker cube to 24 middle-aged and older adults (OA; 56–78 years) and 20 younger adults (YA; 18–24 years) under passive-viewing and volitional control conditions: Hold one cube percept and Switch between cube percepts. During passive viewing, OA had longer dominance durations (time spent on each percept) than YA. In the Hold condition, OA were less able than YA to increase dominance durations. In the Switch condition, OA and YA did not differ in performance. Dominance durations in either condition correlated with performance on tests of executive function mediated by the frontal lobes. Eye movements (fixation deviations) did not differ between groups. These results suggest that OA’s reduced ability to hold a percept may arise from reduced selective attention. The lack of correlation of performance between Hold and executive-function measures suggests at least a partial segregation of underlying mechanisms.Published versionAccepted manuscrip

    Gate Voltage Controllable Non-Equilibrium and Non-Ohmic Behavior in Suspended Carbon Nanotubes

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    In this work, we measure the electrical conductance and temperature of individual, suspended quasi-metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes under high voltage biases using Raman spectroscopy, while varying the doping conditions with an applied gate voltage. By applying a gate voltage, the high-bias conductance can be switched dramatically between linear (Ohmic) behavior and nonlinear behavior exhibiting negative differential conductance (NDC). Phonon populations are observed to be in thermal equilibrium under Ohmic conditions but switch to nonequilibrium under NDC conditions. A typical Landauer transport model assuming zero bandgap is found to be inadequate to describe the experimental data. A more detailed model is presented, which incorporates the doping dependence in order to fit this data

    Untangling the socio-political knots: A systems view on Indonesia's inclusive energy transitions

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    National energy transitions face complex socio-political challenges, ranging from inertia to exacerbated inequalities. There are limited studies investigating these dimensions, especially in developing economies. This paper presents Indonesia, a country with high fossil fuel dependency, as a valuable case study to investigate the societal interplay affecting transitions. Interviews and literature analyses were conducted to assess barriers and levers to success. The findings are further analysed with systems thinking (ST), highlighting dynamic patterns and interdependencies. It is found that conflicting interests, inconsistent regulation, and low capability at the implementation level are among the most persistent barriers creating disparities between intentions and reality. These leave some groups disproportionately disadvantaged; notably, regions with fossil fuel-dependent income, informal sectors, and indigenous and local communities. Recommendations include the creation of an independent agency for the energy transition, and empowering regional participation. Addressing inclusion is imperative for social justice as well as to ensure adoptability and acceptance from all
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