Estimating the environmental impact of home energy visits and extent of behaviour change

The objective of this study was to estimate the environmental impact of a home energy visit programme, known as RE:NEW, that was delivered in London, in the United Kingdom. These home energy visits intended to encourage reductions in household carbon emissions and water consumption through the installation of small energy saving measures (such as radiator panels, in-home energy displays and low-flow shower heads), further significant energy saving measures (loft and cavity wall insulation) and behaviour change advice. The environmental impact of the programme was estimated in terms of carbon emissions abated and on average, for each household in the study, a visit led to an average carbon abatement of 146 kgCO2. The majority of this was achieved through the installation of small energy saving measures. The impact of the visits on the installation of significant measures was negligible, as was the impact on behaviour change. Therefore, these visits did not overcome the barriers required to generate behaviour change or the barriers to the installation of more significant energy saving measures. Given this, a number of recommendations are proposed in this paper, which could increase the efficacy of these home energy visits

Memory transfer optimization for a lattice Boltzmann solver on Kepler architecture nVidia GPUs

The Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for solving fluid flow is naturally well suited to an efficient implementation for massively parallel computing, due to the prevalence of local operations in the algorithm. This paper presents and analyses the performance of a 3D lattice Boltzmann solver, optimized for third generation nVidia GPU hardware, also known as `Kepler'. We provide a review of previous optimisation strategies and analyse data read/write times for different memory types. In LBM, the time propagation step (known as streaming), involves shifting data to adjacent locations and is central to parallel performance; here we examine three approaches which make use of different hardware options. Two of which make use of `performance enhancing' features of the GPU; shared memory and the new shuffle instruction found in Kepler based GPUs. These are compared to a standard transfer of data which relies instead on optimised storage to increase coalesced access. It is shown that the more simple approach is most efficient; since the need for large numbers of registers per thread in LBM limits the block size and thus the efficiency of these special features is reduced. Detailed results are obtained for a D3Q19 LBM solver, which is benchmarked on nVidia K5000M and K20C GPUs. In the latter case the use of a read-only data cache is explored, and peak performance of over 1036 Million Lattice Updates Per Second (MLUPS) is achieved. The appearance of a periodic bottleneck in the solver performance is also reported, believed to be hardware related; spikes in iteration-time occur with a frequency of around 11Hz for both GPUs, independent of the size of the problem.Comment: 12 page

Supervision and the dynamics of collusion : a rule of optimism?

In the UK, Serious Case Reviews and Inquiries undertaken over the last five decades continue to evidence that children are both silenced and rendered invisible as a result of parental behaviour and professional inaction. There have been recent calls for practitioners to enact greater professional curiosity in child protection practice, whilst simultaneously acknowledging that practitioners have less opportunity to be curious in overly bureaucratic and unsupportive environments. Good-quality supervision may provide one mechanism to encourage professional curiosity, but supervision and the supervisory processes therein have received scant attention or scrutiny within such inquiries. Whilst supervision can act as a conduit to encourage good practice, ensuring compliance with standards and promoting the positive well-being of individual practitioners (the core conditions under which professional curiosity may flourish), we hypothesise that complex relational dynamics have the potential to disrupt such endeavours. In the discussion that follows, we shall first seek to explore the tenets of good supervision, before scrutinising the potential pitfalls, with a focus on how one specific factor, the rule of optimism, may be transposed onto the supervisory relationship and, as in front line practice, how it may stifle professional curiosity in the supervisory relationship

Case studies of mental models in home heat control: searching for feedback, valve, timer and switch theories

An intergroup case study was undertaken to determine if: 1) There exist distinct mental models of home heating function, that differ significantly from the actual functioning of UK heating systems; and 2) Mental models of thermostat function can be categorized according to Kempton’s (1986) valve and feedback shared theories, and others from the literature. Distinct, inaccurate mental models of the heating system, as well as thermostat devices in isolation, were described. It was possible to categorise thermostat models by Kempton’s (1986) feedback shared theory, but other theories proved ambiguous. Alternate control devices could be categorized by Timer (Norman, 2002) and Switch (Peffer et al., 2011) theories. The need to consider the mental models of the heating system in terms of an integrated set of control devices, and to consider user’s goals and expectations of the system benefit, was highlighted. The value of discovering shared theories, and understanding user mental models, of home heating, are discussed with reference to their present day relevance for reducing energy consumption

The 1953 coup in Iran: U.S. and British foreign policy in Iran, 1951-1953 and the covert operation to overthrow the elected government of Mohammad Mosaddeq

The 1953 coup in Iran that overthrew the elected government of Mohammad Mosaddeq had a profound effect on Iranian history and U.S.-Iranian relations. The covert operation by the U.S. and British intelligence agencies abruptly ended a period of Iranian democracy and with it, efforts to nationalise the Iranian oil industry. This thesis analyses recently released primary source material to re-examine how the U.S. was drawn into Iranian affairs and contended with often conflicting considerations of maintaining stability in Iran, supporting Britain, its primary Cold War ally and protecting its own economic self-interests. It considers why the U.S. abandoned its attempts to mediate a negotiated settlement to the oil dispute and supported British calls for the removal of Mosaddeq. It also examines the domestic political situation in Iran to evaluate the role of internal opposition forces in the success of the coup but also the long term legacy of the foreign intervention. This thesis argues that the clarion protestations by the U.S. that Iran was in imminent danger of being lost to Communism were a smokescreen for the primary objective of maintaining control of the Iranian oil supply to protect U.S. economic and strategic interests. It challenges existing scholarship by demonstrating that far from being passive, the Truman administration established a pattern of intervention that set the course for U.S. policy in Iran

Walk and talk therapy: a pluralistic inquiry into practice, perceptions and client experiences in the UK

There has been increasing interest in recent years in the possibilities arising from conducting psychotherapy in outdoor settings. Walk and talk is a therapeutic activity that utilises the interactional effects of physical movement within in outdoor settings from the context of an intentional therapeutic relationship (Doucette, 2004; McKinney, 2011; Revell & McLeod, 2016, 2017). Research exploring the benefits and utility of walk and talk therapy is in its infancy, despite the growing number of therapists choosing to integrate this activity into their professional practice. The main aim of this research, is to explore the practice of walk and talk therapy from three different perspectives within a UK context. First, to explore experiences of therapists who integrate walk and talk into their professional practice. Second, to explore the perceptions of walk and talk held by potential clients of therapy. Third, to explore a client’s experience of participating in walk and talk. Methodological pluralism is employed to explore these multiple perspectives. Findings from therapists who participate in walk and talk with their clients, highlight some of the interactional mechanisms that are present within this therapeutic activity. Findings from the study of potential clients, contributes valuable understanding of potential barriers that may prevent individuals taking part in walk and talk therapy. Furthermore, findings indicate that individuals who have a strong environmental identity or who hold positive beliefs and attitudes about walking in outdoor environments, may be more likely to consider walk and talk as a useful therapeutic activity. Findings from a client’s experience shows how walk and talk can offer an opportunity for different types of therapeutic exploration that may be suited to individuals who respond to engaging in psychological processes through bodily movement or who prefer to be in outdoor settings. Recommendations for future research that would build upon these findings are suggested

Teacher practice and the pre-crime space: prevent, safeguarding and teacher engagement with extremism and radicalisation

School involvement in government initiatives to combat radicalisation is an international phenomena, in the UK government has focused on the role of the teacher in detecting radicalisation through the Teachers’ Standards of 2012, the Counter Terrorism Act 2015 and the activation of Prevent in 2011. The Prevent Duty has been described as a geographical pre-crime space characterised by surveillance, risk, fear and the notion of the pre-criminal. This article explores the way teachers understand their practice in this pre-crime space. The data discussed in this study is part of a larger study that interrogates the way teachers approach the teaching of Islam in schools. This article reports on a series of dialogical interviews and analyses the way 57 teachers with a particular responsibility for Religious Education have negotiated this new role. It argues that teachers commonly situate their practice in relation to Prevent in the context of a safeguarding agenda and that most legitimise their role through the employment of a discourse of vulnerability. The research suggests that the ways teachers approach issues of extremism in the classroom is in part informed by their existing views on racism, social class and political ideologies

A study of reactive sputter etching by directed ion beams and R.F. plasmas.

This work compares the alternative methods of etching silicon semiconductor materials. Conventional methods of pattern delineation using aqueous etchants are being replaced for some applications by dry processing. The reasons for the move towards plasma and ion beam etching are examined particularly in relation to very large scale integration (VLSI) technology and the required reduction in feature size. A review of the published information on the use of reactive gas plasmas shows that this etching process is capable of producing vertical profiles without loss of pattern definition in lum. features. Noble gas ion beam sputtering, another alternative dry etching process, has some advantages over plasma etching but does not compare favourably in terms of material etch-rate selectivity and profile replication. Reactive ion beams produced by heated filament sources etch silicon compounds more rapidly than argon beams, but undesirable topographical features such as "facets" and "trenches" may be observed after beam energies greater than about 1 keV have been used. The total beam current and current distribution have been determined for a medium sized (B93) Saddle-Field source. The etch rates of several materials were greater with a fluorocarbon beam than with an argon beam produced by this source. Examination of profiles produced by etching silicon dioxide with beams from the B93 source injected with either CHF3 or CF4 showed no evidence of sputtering induced artefacts or lateral attack due to the diffusion of chemically reactive fragments. The results of reactive ion beam etching (RIEB) with a Saddle-Field source suggest that chemical attack predominates over sputtering. A two stage mechanism is proposed in which the incident particles cause bond cleavage at the surface followed by addition and abstraction reactions, leading ultimately to the formation of volatile products. The possible commercial applications of RIBE with Saddle-Field sources are discussed, and suggestions are advanced for further work in this area

China: A Tiger only in the East or a World Player in High Quality Fresh Produce Exports?

This paper examines patterns of recent change in Chinas international export trade in high quality fresh-vegetables between 2002 and 2005 since its WTO membership and some of the underlying determinants that will determine its future export opportunities. Concepts of product quality are first reviewed and the key characteristics of Chinas international trade in fresh produce are outlined based on a detailed analysis from the UN Comtrade international trade data at the 2, 4 digit and finally 6 digit levels. High quality fresh and chilled vegetables are identified through their average unit export values. In 2005, China was the 4th largest exporter of vegetables in the world with a 9.8 percent share of world trade, and almost a 6 percent share in fresh and chilled vegetables. The competitiveness of China in world trade in high value fresh produce is assessed through a trade-shares accounting and decomposition approach which enables both structural and performance effects on Chinas exports to be isolated, and the contributions its major trading partners have made to changes its share of world trade. Chinas aggregate market share rose by over 1.5 percentage points over the period, and there is evidence of an emerging orientation in its trade shares from E Asia to SE Asia, and to further progress in the Russian Federation and US markets. Chinas underlying comparative advantage in such labour-intensive products is reflected in the positive performance effect on the increase in its market share.China, vegetables, international trade., International Relations/Trade,

Assessment of a common nonlinear eddy-viscosity turbulence model in capturing laminarization in mixed convection flows

Laminarization is an important topic in heat transfer and turbulence modeling. Recent studies have demonstrated that several well-known turbulence models failed to provide accurate prediction when applied to mixed convection flows with significant re-laminarization effects. One of those models, a well-validated cubic nonlinear eddy-viscosity model, was observed to miss this feature entirely. This paper studies the reasons behind this failure by providing a detailed comparison with the baseline Launder–Sharma model. The difference is attributed to the method of near-wall damping. A range of tests have been conducted and two noteworthy findings are reported for the case of flow re-laminarization