Developing a supportive culture for teaching and learning : a university, faculty and school perspective

In the early 1990's the University of Salford was typical of most pre-1992 Universities in that whilst students provided much of it's income, little attention was paid to pedagogy. As Warren Piper (1994) observed, University teachers were professional in their subject areas but generally did not seek to acquire a pedagogy of HE. This was the case in Alsford. Courses were efficiently run but only a minority of staff were engaged in actively considering learning and teaching issues. Instead staff time was spent on research and commercial activity.----- In the mid-1990's the teaching environment began to change significantly. As well as Dearing, the advent of QAA and teaching quality reviews, Salford was already experiencing changes in the characteristics of its student body. Wideing access was on our agenda before it was so predominant nationally. With increasing numbers and heterogeneity of students as well as these external factors, new challenges were facing the University and teaching domain.----- This paper describes how a culture which values teaching, learning and pedagogic inquiry is being created in the university. It then focuses on parts of this process specific to the Faculty of Business and Informatics, namely the Faculty's Learning and Teaching Research Network and the establishment of the Centre for Construction Education in the School of Construction and Property Management.----- The Faculty of Business and Informatics' Learning and Teaching Research Network aims to raise the profile, quality and volume of pedagogic research across the five schools in the faculty. The initiative is targeted at all academics regardless of previous research experience. We hope to grow and nurture research potential where it exists and to acknowledge and use the existing expertise of subject-based researchers in collaborative ventures. We work on the principle that people are deliged to share what they know but need appreciation and feedback for doing so. A further ain is to surface and celebrate the significant amount of tacit knowledge in the area of pedagogy evidenced by the strength of student and employer feedback in many areas of the faculty's teaching.----- The Faculty embraces generic and core management expertise but also includes applied management disciplines in information systems and construction and property management where internationally leading research activities and networked centres of excellence have been established. Drawing from this experience, and within the context of the Faculty network, a Centre for Construction Education is being established with key international external partners to develop a sustainable business model of an enterprising pedagogic centre that can undertake useful research to underpin teaching in the Faculty whilst offering sustainable business services to allow it to benefit from pump-priming grant funding.----- Internal and external networking are important elements in our plans and ongoing work. Key to this are our links with the LTSN subject centres (BEST and CEBE) and the LTSN generic centre. The paper discusses networking as a concept and gives examples of practices which have proved useful in this context.----- The academic influences on our approach are also examined. Dixon’s (2000) work examining how a range of companies succeed through internal knowledge sharing has provided a range of transferable practices. We also examine the notion of dialogue in this context, defined by Ballantyne (1999) as ‘The interactive human process of reasoning together which comes into being through interactions based on spontaneity or need and is enabled by trust’ Social constructionist principles of Practical Authorship (Shotter, 1993, Pavlica, Holman and Thorpe, 1998)) have also proved useful in developing our perspective on learning and knowledge creation within our community of practice.

Exchange relationships in building services maintenance activity : a test of transaction cost economics and the resource dependency view

The firm is faced with a decision concerning the nature of intra-organizational exchange relationships with internal human resources and the nature or inter-organizational exchange relationships with market firms. In both situations, the firm can develop an exchange that ranges from a discrete exchange to a relational exchange. Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) and the Resource Dependency View (RDV) represent alternative efficiency-based explanations fo the nature of the exchange relationship. The aim of the paper is to test these two theories in respect of air conditioning maintenance in retail centres. Multiple sources of information are genereated from case studies of Australian retail centres to test these theories in respoect of internalized operations management (concerning strategic aspects of air conditioning maintenance) and externalized planned routine air conditioning maintenance. The analysis of the data centres on pattern matching. It is concluded that the data supports TCE - on the basis of a development in TCE's contractual schema. Further research is suggested towards taking a pluralistic stance and developing a combined efficiency and power hypothesis - upon which Williamson has speculated. For practice, the conclusions also offer a timely cautionary note concerning the adoption of one approach in all exchange relationships.

Market Structures in Air Conditioning Maintenance Activity

It is questionable whether activities like construction, including maintenance and repair, can be considered a single entity or industry - on the basis that different sectors of construction/maintenance use fundamentally distinct resource and skill bases. This creates a number of issues including the development of competition and reform policy. de Valance deployed the Structure-Conduct-Performance model (SCP) to delineate sectors of new/installation construction activity and, in doing so, proposes that there exists multiple market structures in a given project. The purpose of this paper is to apply the SCP model to a different sector of construction activity, that is air conditioning maintenance and test de Valance's proposition concerning the existence of multiple market structures in a supply chain but this time to a built facility. The research method combines secondary data concerning the "Structure" component of the SCP model and primary data with regard to the "Conduct" and "Performance" parts of the SCP model. The results provide further support (beyond de Valance's analysis of new/installation activity) that a sector system approach using the SCP model is a more effective way to analyse market structures in construction activity. This paper also supports de Valance's proposition concerning the existence of multiple market structures in a supply chain to a project/facility.

Aging, retirement, and changes in physical activity : prospective cohort findings from the globe study

There is increased recognition that determinants of health should be investigated in a life-course perspective. Retirement is a major transition in the life course and offers opportunities for changes in physical activity that may improve health in the aging population. The authors examined the effect of retirement on changes in physical activity in the GLOBE Study, a prospective cohort study known by the Dutch acronym for "Health and Living Conditions of the Population of Eindhoven and surroundings," 1991–2004. They followed respondents (n = 971) by postal questionnaire who were employed and aged 40–65 years in 1991 for 13 years, after which they were still employed (n = 287) or had retired (n = 684). Physical activity included 1) work-related transportation, 2) sports participation, and 3) nonsports leisure-time physical activity. Multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that retirement was associated with a significantly higher odds for a decline in physical activity from work-related transportation (odds ratio (OR) = 3.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.97, 4.65), adjusted for sex, age, marital status, chronic diseases, and education, compared with remaining employed. Retirement was not associated with an increase in sports participation (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.71, 1.75) or nonsports leisure-time physical activity (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.54, 1.19). In conclusion, retirement introduces a reduction in physical activity from work-related transportation that is not compensated for by an increase in sports participation or an increase in nonsports leisure-time physical activity.

A quasi stationary approach to drying kinetics of cylindrical food particulates in a heat pump asisted fluid bed dryer

Experiments were undertaken to study drying kinetics of moist cylindrical shaped food particulates during fluidised bed drying. Cylindrical particles were prepared from Green beans with three different length:diameter ratios, 3:1, 2:1 and 1:1. A batch fluidised bed dryer connected to a heat pump system was used for the experimentation. A Heat pump and fluid bed combination was used to increase overall energy efficiency and achieve higher drying rates. Drying kinetics, were evaluated with non-dimensional moisture at three different drying temperatures of 30, 40 and 50o C. Numerous mathematical models can be used to calculate drying kinetics ranging from analytical models with simplified assumptions to empirical models built by regression using experimental data. Empirical models are commonly used for various food materials due to their simpler approach. However problems in accuracy, limits the applications of empirical models. Some limitations of empirical models could be reduced by using semi-empirical models based on heat and mass transfer of the drying operation. One such method is the quasi-stationary approach. In this study, a modified quasi-stationary approach was used to model drying kinetics of the cylindrical food particles at three drying temperatures.

Washout hole for bi-ventricular assist device (BVAD) centrifugal blood pump

The shortage of donor hearts for patients with end stage heart failure has accelerated the development of ventricular assist devices (VAD) that act as a replacement heart. Mechanical devices involving pulsatile, axial and centrifugal devices have been proposed. Recent clinical developments indicate that centrifugal devices are not only beneficial for bridge to transplantation applications, but may also aid myocardial recovery. The results of a recent study have shown that patients who received a VAD have extended lives and improved quality of life compared to recipients of drug therapy. Unfortunately 25% of these patients develop right heart failure syndrome, sepsis and multi-organ failure. It was reported that 17% of patients initially receiving an LVAD later required a right ventricular assist device (RVAD). Hence, current research focus is in the development of a bi-ventricular assist device (BVAD). Current BVAD technology is either too bulky or necessitates having to implant two pumps working independently. The latter requires two different controllers for each pump leading to the potential complication of uneven flow dynamics and the requirements for a large amount of body space. This paper illustrates the combination of the LVAD and RVAD as one complete device to augment the function of both the left and right cardiac chambers with double impellers. The proposed device has two impellers rotating in counter directions, hence eliminating the necessity of the body muscles and tubing/heart connection to restrain the pump. The device will also have two separate chambers with independent rotating impeller for the left and right chambers. A problem with centrifugal impellers is the fluid stagnation underneath the impeller. This leads to thrombosis and blood clots.This paper presents the design, construction and location of washout hole to prevent thrombus for a Bi-VAD centrifugal pump. Results using CFD will be used to illustrate the superiority of our design concept in terms of preventing thrombus formation and hemolysis.

Computational fluid dynamics of a centrifugal heart pump as biventricular assist device(BVAD)

The results of a recent study have shown that there is a severe shortage of donor hearts to meet the demand of patients suffering from acute heart failures, and patients who received a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) have extended lives. However, some of them develop right heart failure syndrome, and these patients required a right ventricular assist device (RVAD). Hence, current research focus is in the development of a bi-ventricular assist device (Bi-VAD). Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is useful for estimating blood damage for design of a Bi-VAD centrifugal heart pump to meet the demand of the left and right ventricles of a normal hearts with a flow rate of 5 lit/min and the supply pressure of 100 mmHg for the left ventricle and 20 mmHg for the right ventricle. Numerical studies have been conducted to predict pressure, flow rate, the velocity profiles, and streamlines in a continuous flow Bi-VAD using. Based on the predictions of numerical simulations, only few flow regions in the Bi-VAD exhibited signs of velocity profiles and stagnation points, thereby signifying potentially low levels of thrombogenesis.

An activity theory framework for industrial design

Ethnography has gained wide acceptance in the industrial design profession and curriculum as a means of understanding the user. However, there is considerable confusion about the particularities of its practice accompanied by the absence of an interoperable vocabulary. The consequent interdisciplinary effort is a power play between disciplines whereby the methodological view of ethnography marginalises its theoretical and analytical components. In doing so, it restricts the potential of ethnography suggesting the need for alternative methods of informing the design process. This article suggests that activity theory, with an emphasis on human activity as the fundamental unit of study, is an appropriate methodology for the generation of user requirements. The process is illustrated through the adaptation of an ethnographic case study, for the design of classroom furniture in India.

Sodium 2-nitrocinnamate dihydrate: a one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded coordination polymer

The title compound catena-poly[aqua-mu3-2-nitrocinnamato], [Na(C9H6NO4)(H2O)2]n, the sodium salt of trans-2-nitrocinnamic acid, is a one-dimensional coordination polymer based on six-coordinate octahedral NaO6 centres comprising three facially-related monodentate carboxylate O-atom donors from separate ligands (all bridging)[Na-O, 2.4370(13)-2.5046(13)A] and three water molecules (two bridging, one monodentate) [Na-O, 2.3782(13)-2.4404(17)A]. The structure is also stabilized by intra-chain water-O-H...O(carboxylate) and O-H...O(nitro) hydrogen bonds.

Development of a colorimetric assay for heparanase activity suitable for kinetic analysis and inhibitor screening

The role that heparanase plays during metastasis and angiogenesis in tumors makes it an attractive target for cancer therapeutics. Despite this enzyme’s significance, most of the assays developed to measure its activity are complex. Moreover, they usually rely on labeling variable preparations of the natural substrate heparan sulfate, making comparisons across studies precarious. To overcome these problems, we have developed a convenient assay based on the cleavage of the synthetic heparin oligosaccharide fondaparinux. The assay measures the appearance of the disaccharide product of heparanase-catalyzed fondaparinux cleavage colorimetrically using the tetrazolium salt WST-1. Because this assay has a homogeneous substrate with a single point of cleavage, the kinetics of the enzyme can be reliably characterized, giving a Km of 46 μM and a kcat of 3.5 s−1 with fondaparinux as substrate. The inhibition of heparanase by the published inhibitor, PI-88, was also studied, and a Ki of 7.9 nM was determined. The simplicity and robustness of this method, should, not only greatly assist routine assay of heparanase activity but also could be adapted for high-throughput screening of compound libraries, with the data generated being directly comparable across studies.

My place through my eyes : a social constructionist approach to researching the relationships between socioeconomic living contexts and physical activity

There is a growing evidence-base in the epidemiological literature that demonstrates significant associations between people’s living circumstances – including their place of residence – and their health-related practices and outcomes (Leslie, 2005; Karpati, Bassett, & McCord, 2006; Monden, Van Lenthe, & Mackenbach, 2006; Parkes & Kearns, 2006; Cummins, Curtis, Diez-Roux, & Macintyre, 2007; Turrell, Kavanagh, Draper, & Subramanian, 2007). However, these findings raise questions about the ways in which living places, such as households and neighbourhoods, figure in the pathways connecting people and health (Frolich, Potvin, Chabot, & Corin, 2002; Giles-Corti, 2006; Brown et al, 2006; Diez Roux, 2007). This thesis addressed these questions via a mixed methods investigation of the patterns and processes connecting people, place, and their propensity to be physically active. Specifically, the research in this thesis examines a group of lower-socioeconomic residents who had recently relocated from poorer suburbs to a new urban village with a range of health-related resources. Importantly, the study contrasts their historical relationship with physical activity with their reactions to, and everyday practices in, a new urban setting designed to encourage pedestrian mobility and autonomy. The study applies a phenomenological approach to understanding living contexts based on Berger and Luckman’s (1966) conceptual framework in The Social Construction of Reality. This framework enables a questioning of the concept of context itself, and a treatment of it beyond environmental factors to the processes via which experiences and interactions are made meaningful. This approach makes reference to people’s histories, habituations, and dispositions in an exploration between social contexts and human behaviour. This framework for thinking about context is used to generate an empirical focus on the ways in which this residential group interacts with various living contexts over time to create a particular construction of physical activity in their lives. A methodological approach suited to this thinking was found in Charmaz’s (1996; 2001; 2006) adoption of a social constructionist approach to grounded theory. This approach enabled a focus on people’s own constructions and versions of their experiences through a rigorous inductive method, which provided a systematic strategy for identifying patterns in the data. The findings of the study point to factors such as ‘childhood abuse and neglect’, ‘early homelessness’, ‘fear and mistrust’, ‘staying indoors and keeping to yourself’, ‘conflict and violence’, and ‘feeling fat and ugly’ as contributors to an ongoing core category of ‘identity management’, which mediates the relationship between participants’ living contexts and their physical activity levels. It identifies barriers at the individual, neighbourhood, and broader ecological levels that prevent this residential group from being more physically active, and which contribute to the ways in which they think about, or conceptualise, this health-related behaviour in relationship to their identity and sense of place – both geographic and societal. The challenges of living well and staying active in poorer neighbourhoods and in places where poverty is concentrated were highlighted in detail by participants. Participants’ reactions to the new urban neighbourhood, and the depth of their engagement with the resources present, are revealed in the context of their previous life-experiences with both living places and physical activity. Moreover, an understanding of context as participants’ psychological constructions of various social and living situations based on prior experience, attitudes, and beliefs was formulated with implications for how the relationship between socioeconomic contextual effects on health are studied in the future. More detailed findings are presented in three published papers with implications for health promotion, urban design, and health inequalities research. This thesis makes a substantive, conceptual, and methodological contribution to future research efforts interested in how physical activity is conceptualised and constructed within lower socioeconomic living contexts, and why this is. The data that was collected and analysed for this PhD generates knowledge about the psychosocial processes and mechanisms behind the patterns observed in epidemiological research regarding socioeconomic health inequalities. Further, it highlights the ways in which lower socioeconomic living contexts tend to shape dispositions, attitudes, and lifestyles, ultimately resulting in worse health and life chances for those who occupy them.