Computer‐based laboratory simulation: Evaluations of student perceptions

Providing resources to meet the needs of oil workers who miss blocks of an engineering course was the motivation for producing computer‐based simulations of laboratory equipment. This paper reports on student perceptions of various aspects of the package. The factors are grouped into (i) motivation and support, and (ii) presentations and interaction. A schematic representation of the controls and instrumentation was used. Two classes, engineers and non‐engineers, were the pilot groups. The engineers clearly preferred laboratories, whereas the non‐engineers were just as happy with the simulation. The results of the survey suggest that while computer‐based simulation may be an alternative to laboratories, even the best alternative, much is lost as a result. Practical appreciation and team‐working skills are not well developed The schematic presentation is easy to use, but gives the student little ‘feel’ for the operation of a real plant

Marriage and civil partnerships for same-sex couples : the international imperative

Within the single month of November 2004, Saskatchewan became the latest Canadian province to accept same-sex marriage,1 South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal held the limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples to be unconstitutional,2 the United Kingdom became the latest European country to introduce civil partnerships as an institution for same-sex couples analogous to marriage,3 and the government of New Zealand presented a Bill to the New Zealand Parliament to do the same thing in that country.4 In the 15 years since Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce such an institution5 most jurisdictions in Western Europe and in Canada, and a handful of states in the United States of America, have followed Denmark’s innovation and some6 have opened up the institution of marriage itself to same-sex couples. The peculiarly North American debate whether civil partnership is a second-rate alternative to marriage as a means of achieving gay and lesbian equality has not been engaged with elsewhere in the world, and it will not be engaged with here. This article intends, rather, to explore the remarkable phenomenon that such a debate is today one of practical reality rather than hypothetical aspiration

Two by two, by two

Examines whether marriage should be opened to same sex couples in Scotland and legislatively how easy it would be to achieve. Notes the countries that have adopted same sex marriages, and highlights the European Court of Human Rights decision in Schalk v Austria (30141/04) on the right to marry. Considers whether adultery as a ground for divorce should be limited to heterosexual couples, and addresses the conducting of same sex marriage by religious officiants which may be contrary to their faith

Incest and the forbidden degrees of marriage in Scots law

Sexual intercourse between a person and certain close relatives will, in some circumstances, constitute the crime of incest in Scots law (The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 1976, s 2A, as inserted by the Incest and Related Offences (Scotland) Act 1986); a purported marriage between a person and certain other close relatives will have no effect and will be void (The Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977, s 2, Sched 1, as amended by the Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act 1986). This article aims to examine the rules of law contained in these two provisions and, in particular, to analyse the justification for these rules. It is not to be questioned that all rules of law demand justification, and it is submitted that if a statutory rule has no justification it demands repeal. This article will argue that there is no justification for criminalising incest, and no justification for prohibiting marriage between parties within certain degrees of relationship

Sexual orientation and family law

On 29th March 2000 the Scottish Parliament passed its fifth piece of legislation, the Adults with Incapacities (Scotland) Act 2000. One small provision tucked away in this important legislation amends the definition of "nearest relative" in the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984, in order to include within that phrase members of conjugal same-sex couples1. The relative obscurity of this provision must not hide its import, for this is the first time that legislation anywhere in the United Kingdom has expressly and intentionally given recognition, for civil law purposes, to the existence of same-sex family relationships

Association between illegal drugs and weapon carrying in young people in Scotland: schools' survey

OBJECTIVES: To identify the type and extent of weapons being carried among young people in Scotland, and to determine the relation between use of illegal drugs and weapon carrying. DESIGN: Questionnaire school survey. SETTING: Independent schools in central Scotland and schools in Lanarkshire and Perth and Kinross. PARTICIPANTS: 3121 students aged 11 to 16 in 20 schools. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self completion questionnaire reporting history of drug use and weapon carrying. RESULTS: Overall, 34.1% of males and 8. 6% of females reported having carried a weapon (P<0.0001), ranging from 29.2% of boys aged 11-13 (classes S1 to S2) to 39.3% of boys aged 13-15 (S3 to S4). These values are higher than those in a recent survey of young people in England. Weapon carrying in Lanarkshire was 70% higher for males than in the rural area of Perth and Kinross. Both males and females who had taken drugs were more likely to carry weapons (63.5% of male drug users versus 20.5% of non-users and 22.8% of female drug users versus 3.7% of non-users; both P<0.0001). The proportions of males carrying weapons who used none, one, two, three or four, or five or more illegal drugs were 21%, 52%, 68%, 74%, and 92% respectively. A similar trend was found among females. CONCLUSIONS: Better information is needed on the nature and extent of weapon carrying by young people in the United Kingdom, and better educational campaigns are needed warning of the dangers of carrying weapon

Pragmatic trials

No abstract available

Streamlining the study start up process

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cast together: inclusive and unobtrusive mobile interactions with a situated display

We describe our Cast Together prototype that demonstrates inclusive and unobtrusive mobile interactions with a situated display. The prototype consists of a mobile and web application, and a Google Chromecast connected to a situated display. An inclusive and unobtrusive experience is encouraged for co-located persons by sharing notifications on the display, allowing users to decide at a glance if an alert requires further attention, and sharing app launches provides others with insight into private smartphone interactions. Music and photo collections generated from social media profiles can project personalities without active engagement with a personal device. Profiles can be linked to physical objects with NFC tags, and the act of exploring collections can become a visible performance by explicitly scanning objects with the smartphone. Shared information can also be managed implicitly by hiding details when a user steps out of the room, or by reacting to a change of place. A user study with two colleagues in an office setting leads to initial insights with our Cast Together probe

Impact of smartphone notification display choice in a typing task

External displays have the potential to make smartphone notifications less obtrusive when a user has committed their attention to a primary task. We compare six notification displays, and evaluate the impact that negotiating smartphone interruptions has on a typing task when the number of notifications to ignore and act on are equal. A lab experiment with 30 participants is conducted, and initial results show that desktop pop-ups are preferred significantly more, where they require the fewest actions to read. Managing notifications via the notification bar is least preferred, despite requiring fewer actions to respond. This work is a well-controlled pre-cursor to the application of notification displays in social scenarios. The results motivate the use of external displays to manage attention around smartphone interruptions