Community? What do you mean? An investigation into how differing understandings of the term ‘community’ shapes care-leavers’ move to independence

We explored the ways in which a performance-led approach to community formation and personal development can inform care-leavers’ move to independence. We adopted a case study approach, working with two groups of participants: young people leaving care and their support workers in Devon County Council’s Children in Care team (DCCCCS). The project was co-designed and co-developed with participants from both groups and our colleagues from Exstream Theatre Company. In this action–research project all researchers acted as participant-observers. It had two key objectives: first, to better understand how the term ‘community’ shaped the processes that the participating young people engaged with, and second, to take a practice-led approach to explore if, and how, performance-based methods and principles could be used to support the participants as they left care. A number of findings challenged our early assumptions, in particular the complexity of working with people with unstable and unpredictable lives. By working with the young people and DCCCCS managers and support workers, we developed a new way of using the creation of a theatrical performance, a deeply-supportive, peer-enabled environment and a theatre company, to enable a space in which participants could reimagine both their sense of self and community. The development and implementation of this model raises further research questions relating to how new communities might be formed, as well as suggesting a number of uses that may inform the future development of the Connected Communities community engagement strategy

Feasibility study of full-reactor gas core demonstration test

Separate studies of nuclear criticality, flow patterns, and thermodynamics for the gas core reactor concept have all given positive indications of its feasibility. However, before serious design for a full scale gas core application can be made, feasibility must be shown for operation with full interaction of the nuclear, thermal, and hydraulic effects. A minimum sized, and hence minimum expense, test arrangement is considered for a full gas core configuration. It is shown that the hydrogen coolant scattering effects dominate the nuclear considerations at elevated temperatures. A cavity diameter of somewhat larger than 4 ft (122 cm) will be needed if temperatures high enough to vaporize uranium are to be achieved

Modeling the Impact of Operator Trust on Performance in Multiple Robot Control,

We developed a system dynamics model to simulate the impact of operator trust on performance in multiple robot control. Analysis of a simulated urban search and rescue experiment showed that operators decided to manually control the robots when they lost trust in the autonomous planner that was directing the robots. Operators who rarely used manual control performed the worst. However, the operators who most frequently used manual control reported higher workload and did not perform any better than operators with moderate manual control usage. Based on these findings, we implemented a model where trust and performance form a feedback loop, in which operators perceive the performance of the system, calibrate their trust, and adjust their control of the robots. A second feedback loop incorporates the impact of trust on cognitive workload and system performance. The model was able to replicate the quantitative performance of three groups of operators within 2.3%. This model could help us gain a greater understanding of how operators build and lose trust in automation and the impact of those changes in trust on performance and workload, which is crucial to the development of future systems involving humanautomation collaboration.This research is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Interface Design for Unmanned Vehicle Supervision through Hybrid Cognitive Task Analysis

While there is currently significant interest in developing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) that can be supervised by a single operator, the majority of these systems focus on Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) domains. One domain that has received significantly less attention is the use of multiple UASs to insert or extract supplies or people. To this end, MAVIES (Multi-Autonomous Vehicle Insertion-Extraction System) was developed to allow a single operator the ability to supervise a primary cargo Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) along with multiple scouting UAVs. This paper will detail the development of the design requirements generated through a Hybrid Cognitive Task Analysis (hCTA) and the display that resulted from these efforts. A major innovation in the hCTA process in this effort was the alteration of the traditional decision ladder process to specifically identify decision-making tasks that must be augmented with automation

The Coordination Chemistry of “[BP_3]NiX” Platforms: Targeting Low-Valent Nickel Sources as Promising Candidates to L_3Ni=E and L_3Ni≡E Linkages

A series of divalent, monovalent, and zerovalent nickel complexes supported by the electron-releasing, monoanionic tris(phosphino)borate ligands [PhBP_3] and [PhBP^(iPr)_3] ([PhBP_3] = [PhB(CH_2PPh_2)_3]-, [PhBP^(iPr)_3] = [PhB(CH_2PiPr_2)_3]-) have been synthesized to explore fundamental aspects of their coordination chemistry. The pseudotetrahedral, divalent halide complexes [PhBP_3]NiCl (1), [PhBP_3]NiI (2), and [PhBP^(iPr)_3]NiCl (3) were prepared by the metalation of [PhBP_3]Tl or [PhBP^(iPr)_3]Tl with (Ph_3P)_2NiCl_2, NiI_2, and (DME)NiCl_2 (DME = 1,2-dimethoxyethane), respectively. Complex 1 is a versatile precursor to a series of complexes accessible via substitution reactions including [PhBP_3]Ni(N_3) (4), [PhBP_3]Ni(OSiPh_3) (5), [PhBP_3]Ni(O-p-tBu-Ph) (6), and [PhBP_3]Ni(S-p-tBu-Ph) (7). Complexes 2−5 and 7 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and are pseudotetrahedral monomers in the solid state. Complex 1 reacts readily with oxygen to form the four-electron-oxidation product, {[PhB(CH_2P(O)Ph_2)_2(CH_2PPh_2)]NiCl} (8A or 8B), which features a solid-state structure that is dependent on its method of crystallization. Chemical reduction of 1 using Na/Hg or other potential 1-electron reductants generates a product that arises from partial ligand degradation, [PhBP_3]Ni(η^2-CH_2PPh_2) (9). The more sterically hindered chloride 3 reacts with Li(dbabh) (Hdbabh = 2,3:5,6-dibenzo-7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene) to provide the three-coordinate complex [κ^2-PhBP^(iPr)_3]Ni(dbabh) (11), also characterized by XRD. Chemical reduction of complex 1 in the presence of L-type donors produces the tetrahedral Ni(I) complexes [PhBP_3]Ni(PPh_3) (12) and [PhBP3]Ni(CNtBu) (13). Reduction of 3 following the addition of PMe_3 or tert-butyl isocyanide affords the Ni(I) complexes [PhBP^(iPr)_3]Ni(PMe_3) (14) and [PhBP^(iPr)_3]Ni(CN^tBu) (15), respectively. The reactivity of these [PhBP_3]Ni^IL and [PhBP^(iPr)_3]NiI^L complexes with respect to oxidative group transfer reactions from organic azides and diazoalkanes is discussed. The zerovalent nitrosyl complex [PhBP_3]Ni(NO) (16) is prepared by the reaction of 1 with excess NO or by treating 12 with stoichiometric NO. The anionic Ni(0) complexes [[κ^2-PhBP_3]Ni(CO)_2][^nBu_4N] (17) and [[κ^2-PhBP^(iPr)_3]Ni(CO)_2][ASN] (18) (ASN = 5-azoniaspiro[4.4]nonane) have been prepared by reacting [PhBP_3]Tl or [PhBP^(iPr)_3]Tl with (Ph_3P)_2Ni(CO)_2 in the presence of R_4NBr. The photolysis of 17 appears to generate a new species consistent with a zerovalent monocarbonyl complex which we tentatively assign as {[PhBP_3]Ni(CO)}{^nBu_4N}, although complete characterization of this complex has been difficult. Finally, theoretical DFT calculations are presented for the hypothetical low spin complexes [PhBP_3]Ni(N^tBu), [PhBP^(iPr)_3]Ni(N^tBu), [PhBP^(iPr)_3]Ni(NMe), and [PhBP^(iPr)_3]Ni(N) to consider what role electronic structure factors might play with respect to the relative stability of these species

Policy, Performativity and Partnership: an Ethical Leadership Perspective

This article identifies the need to think differently about educational partnerships in a changing and turbulent post compulsory policy environment in England. The policy and institutional contexts in which universities and colleges currently operate seem to be fuelling performativity at the expense of educational values. There appears to be a sharp interruption in the steady increase in educational partnerships as a vehicle for increasing and widening participation in higher education. We are witnessing a marked change in university / college relationships that appears to be a consequence of government calling a halt to increased participation in higher education, creating an increasingly competitive market for a more limited pool of student places. The implication that educational policy at the national level determines a particular pattern or mode of leadership decision making throughout an institution should however be resisted. Policy developments that challenge the moral precepts of education should not be allowed to determine how a leader acts, rather they should prompt actions that are truly educational, rooted in morality, and atached to identifiable educational values. Educational leaders have agency to resist restricted discourses in favour of ethical and principled change strategies that are a precondition for sustainable transformative partnerships in post compulsory education. University leaders in particular are called upon to use their considerable influence to resist narrow policy or managerial instrumentalism or performativity and embrace alternatives that are both educationally worthwhile and can enhance institutional resilience

Conceptual Primitive Decomposition for Knowledge Sharing via Natural Language

Natural language is an ideal mode of interaction and knowledge sharing between intelligent computer systems and their human users. But a major problem that natural language interaction poses is linguistic variation, or the paraphrase problem : there are a variety of ways of referring to the same idea. This is a special problem for intelligent systems in domains such as information retrieval, where a query presented in natural language is matched against an ontology or knowledge base, particularly when its representation uses a vocabulary based in natural language. This paper proposes solutions to these problems in primitive decomposition methods that represent concepts in terms of structures reflecting low-level, embodied human cognition. We argue that this type of representation system engenders richer relations between natural language expressions and knowledge structures, enabling more effective interactive knowledge sharing

Establishing and Prioritising Research Questions for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata: The Alopecia Areata Priority Setting Partnership

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata is a common hair loss disorder that results in patchy to complete hair loss. Many uncertainties exist around the most effective treatments for this condition. OBJECTIVES: To identify uncertainties in alopecia areata management and treatment that are important to both service users (people with hair loss, carers and relatives) and healthcare professionals. METHODS: An alopecia areata priority setting partnership was established between patients, their carers and relatives, and healthcare professionals to identify the most important uncertainties in alopecia areata. The methodology of the James Lind Alliance was followed to ensure a balanced, inclusive and transparent process. RESULTS: In total 2747 treatment uncertainties were submitted by 912 participants, of which 1012 uncertainties relating to alopecia areata (and variants) were analyzed. Questions were combined into "indicative uncertainties" following a structured format. A series of ranking exercises further reduced this list to a top 25 that were taken to a final prioritization workshop where the top 10 priorities were agreed. CONCLUSIONS: We present the top 10 research priorities for alopecia areata to guide researchers and funding bodies to support studies important to both patients and clinicians. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Towards Modeling Conceptual Dependency Primitives with Image Schema Logic

Conceptual Dependency (CD) primitives and Image Schemas (IS) share a common goal of grounding symbols of natural language in a representation that allows for automated semantic interpretation. Both seek to establish a connection between high-level conceptualizations in natural language and abstract cognitive building blocks. Some previous approaches have established a CD-IS correspondence. In this paper, we build on this correspondence in order to apply a logic designed for image schemas to selected CD primitives with the goal of formally taking account of the CD inventory. The logic draws from Region Connection Calculus (RCC-8), Qualitative Trajectory Calculus (QTC), Cardinal Directions and Linear Temporal Logic (LTL). One of the primary premises of CD is a minimalist approach to its inventory of primitives, that is, it seeks to express natural language contents in an abstract manner with as few primitives as possible. In a formal analysis of physical primitives of CD we found a potential reduction since some primitives can be expressed as special cases of others

Exploring Connections Between Primitive Decomposition of Natural Language and Hierarchical Planning

While recent research has shown that “classical” automated planning systems are effective tools for story generation, the success of automated story understanding systems may require integration between commonsense reasoning and more sophisticated forms of planning to make inferences and deductions about the plans and goals of story actors. Methods that decompose abstractions (i.e., tasks or language expressions) into primitives have played an important role for both automated planning systems and automated story understanding systems, but the two areas have remained largely isolated from each other with few overlaps. We argue that this little-explored connection can benefit both areas of research, and this position paper explores the connections between these systems through the common use of primitive decomposition and its variants. Specifically, we present a prototype of a Hierarchical Task Network planner that decomposes natural language input into primitive structures of Conceptual Dependency, a meaning representation designed for in-depth story understanding. We discuss the important challenges, implications, and applications enabled by the establishment of this unique, direct link between planning and story understanding systems