A qualitative evaluation to explore the suitability, feasibility and acceptability of using a 'celebration card' intervention in primary care to improve the uptake of childhood vaccinations.

BACKGROUND: Childhood vaccination remains a primary mechanism for reducing the burden of infectious disease. In the United Kingdom, as in many countries, a sustained effort is required to ensure that vaccination targets are met to afford protection to the whole population from vaccine preventable disease. The Celebrate and Protect programme is a collaborative partnership developed to improve the uptake of childhood vaccination across a number of boroughs within London through the use of a celebration card to encourage attendance for vaccination and enhance relationships between general practices and the parents/carers of children. METHODS: This study was undertaken to assess the suitability, feasibility and acceptability of the Celebrate and Protect programme across nine boroughs in London. Data were collected either from telephone interviews (n = 24) or from focus groups (n = 31). A total of 55 key informants were included in the study, representing strategic, commissioning or policy leads, healthcare professionals and primary care teams delivering vaccinations and parents/carers of children under five. RESULTS: The analysis of data identified that whilst parents/carers saw the celebration card positively this raised the issue of 'vaccine hesitancy' and the lack of information that parents/carers have to make informed decisions about vaccination. Similarly, healthcare professionals viewed the programme positively and felt that it was deliverable within existing resources although they raised wider questions about on-going sustainability and about quantitative data collection. In relation to the collaboration between primary care and a pharmaceutical company in developing the Celebrate and Protect programme, it was generally felt that, provided appropriate governance is in place, it was a pragmatic approach in which the benefits outweighed any perceived disadvantages. DISCUSSION: The Celebrate and Protect programme was seen as an innovative collaborative programme to engage with parents and carers of children in order to improve relationships between service users and providers and subsequently increase vaccination uptake. The analysis demonstrates that that the celebration card is suitable for its purpose, acceptable to both healthcare professionals and to parents/carers of children and the Celebrate and Protect programme has been able to deliver its aims. CONCLUSION: Whilst the delivery of the 'celebration card' intervention in primary met its objectives there are some outstanding issues in terms of the sustainability of the initiative and the ability to demonstrate quantitative improvements in vaccination uptake rates

Sources and effects of catchment-derived bioavailable contaminants in Hamilton urban streams

Awareness of the consistently degraded state of urban streams, with lower biodiversity has heightened worldwide, increasing restoration initiatives to ameliorate the adverse effects. The present study examined anthropogenically-derived contaminants in water and sediments and bioaccumulation in tissues and bile of shortfin eels (Anguilla australis) in Hamilton City urban gully streams. Bioassays were also conducted with two native Crustacea; the amphipod Paracorophium lucasi and freshwater crayfish (kōura) (Paranephrops planifrons) to test endpoints of survival, reburial behaviour and growth. Results of dissolved Cu, Pb and Zn showed the industrial Waitawhiriwhiri catchment, with higher impervious surfaces, to have the greatest potential for generating contaminants in stream waters. Relationships between sediment contaminant concentrations and upstream % impervious area suggest an association with stormwater runoff and metal accumulation. Shortfin eels from Gibbons Creek and Lake Rotoroa bioaccumulated high concentrations of Pb and As respectively in livers, and PAH metabolite pyrene-1-glucuronide in bile was found in many eels, highlighting the bioavailability of these contaminants. Muscle tissues cocnentrations of Pb and Hg in some sites triggered food safety guidelines presenting a low risk for human consumption. Amphipods exposed to sediments from Lake Rotoroa had significantly reduced survival compared with those exposed to other site sediments in a 10-day sediment toxicity test. Photo-induced toxicity is not of concern for biota exposed to these sediments. Sediments did not induce any sub-lethal effect on reburial behaviour. Growth rates of kōura fed Salix fragilis leaf material incubated in Hamilton streams were not significantly different, and the short duration of the study meant conclusions could not be made on the significance of observed accumulated metals and metalloids on differences in growth rates. Results of this study highlight a number of locations in the Hamilton stream network, where contaminants are of concern, especially in streams with fully urbanised catchments with high effective imperviousness and legacies of past land use or pollution. Bioavailability of some metals, metalloids and PAHs is constraining the diversity of some species present in these streams, although not apparent for shortfin eels, as they are very common

Riding, Hailing, and Sharing: Re-configuring Transportation Through Platform Mobility in Urban China

English summary During the mid-2010s, China experienced immense growth in mobility services enabled by smartphone applications such as dockless bicycles and different ride-hailing services. This development sparked controversies related to public obstruction, resource use, work relations, and companies’ responsibilities vis-à-vis their users. Parallel to this criticism, several researchers, media outlets, governmental bodies, and companies found the same mobility services to be innovative, future-oriented, and sustainable. Amidst these opposing narratives, this doctoral thesis questions the extent to which these new technologies disrupted or reconfigured the urban mobility system in Beijing. The thesis qualitatively explores the two most extensively used application-based mobility services in China; dockless bicycles and ride-hailing, which I refer to as «platform mobility.» The main objective of this thesis is to understand the embedding of platform mobility in everyday life and the relations between platform mobility companies and regulatory bodies. The empirical material is based on secondary sources, user- and expert interviews conducted during a six-month fieldwork in Beijing in 2019. The empirical material is mainly analyzed by drawing upon concepts, perspectives, and theories from Science and Technology Studies (STS) as well as sustainability transitions studies and the mobilities turn. Drawing on domestication theory and perspectives from the mobilities turn, I seek to make clear how users ‘make technology their own’ through practices, symbolic and cognitive work, and the experienced and embodied practice of movement. These perspectives provide a comprehensive approach to various ways platform mobility has become embedded by analyzing it through sociotechnical configurations. The empirical findings of this monograph are divided into five chapters. Chapter 5 argues for the need to understand the evolvement and embedding of new transport systems, technologies, and practices in relation to older and existing ones; thus, the importance of understanding previous mobility systems to understand the contemporary situation. The chapter revolves around the reconfiguring of symbolic connotations, practices, policy approaches, and infrastructural conditions of the bicycle and the car in China over the past 70 years. Chapter 6 unpacks local and national regulatory approaches to platform mobility over time and shows how platform mobility companies build relations with governmental bodies to impact policy. In doing so, platform mobility actors position themselves to align with national technological ambitions. Chapter 7 demonstrates the fluidity of car ownership norms and sheds light on everyday practices and the role of the car in certain life events. Chapter 8 explores the embedding of ride-hailing and dockless bicycles in everyday life. While I understand domestication processes through technologies and practices that preceded these app-based mobility services, I also demonstrate that platform mobility has implications for justice and brings about new symbolical configurations, practices, and demands. Chapter 9 concentrates on the case of ride-hailing, which I understand as a gendered space. I argue that ride-hailing vehicles, users, drivers, and platforms should be understood as hybrids, shaping practices of self-protection. The thesis contributes to a novel understanding of the role of platform mobility in an urban Chinese context and questions the extent to which transport innovations such as these are positioned to challenge existing, unsustainable modes of transport. By investigating practices and meanings tied to different modes of mobility, I argue that, in the coming years, platform mobility will be an add-on rather than a challenge to car ownership. In this way, the thesis contributes to both STS and mobility scholarship by critically scrutinizing platform mobility technologies in an urban context and by demonstrating their potential adverse effect on consumption of mobility services as well as the sociotechnical processes that produce such outcomes.Norsk sammendrag Utover 2010-tallet opplevde Kina enorm vekst i transporttjenester formidla gjennom smarttelefonapplikasjoner. Dette gjaldt både ulike former for taxi- og kjøretjenester, samt stasjonsløse eller «friflytende» bysykler. Disse transporttjenestenes inntog var ikke fri for kontroverser. Blokkering av fortau og andre deler av offentlig rom, ressursbruk i forbindelse med produksjon, arbeidsforhold i bransjen og ansvarsforhold mellom tilbydere og brukere, ble heftig debattert. Men disse selskapene møtte ikke bare motbør. Flere forskere, journalister, statlige organer og – ikke minst – selskapene selv, beskreiv disse transporttjenestene med superlativer som «innovativt», «fremtidsorientert» og «bærekraftig». Det er i kontekst av disse dypt ulike virkelighetsforståelsene at denne doktorgradsavhandlinga tilnærmer seg de nye teknologiene, og spør i hvilken grad de representerer betydelige endring i det urbane transportsystemet i Beijing. Ved hjelp av kvalitative metoder utforsker avhandlinga de to mest brukte applikasjonsbaserte mobilitetstjenestene i Kina: friflytende bysykler og kjøretjenester. Samla sett referer jeg til disse som «plattformmobilitet». Denne avhandlingas hovedformål er å analysere hvordan plattformmobilitet har blitt en del av hverdagen til folk, samt hvordan tilbyderne og myndigheten forholder seg til hverandre. Det empiriske materialet er basert på sekundære kilder og bruker- og ekspertintervjuer utført under et seks måneders feltarbeid i Beijing i 2019. I hovedsak er det empiriske datamaterialet analysert gjennom begreper, perspektiver og teorier fra teknologi- og vitenskapsstudier, men også fra forskning på bærekraftig omstilling, og samfunnsvitenskapelige studier av mobilitet, eller den såkalte «mobilitetsvendingen». I så måte ser avhandlinga både på system- og brukerperspektiver. Med utgangspunkt i domestiseringsteori og perspektiver fra mobilitetsvendingen, analyserer jeg bruk av teknologi gjennom symbolske, praktiske og kognitive dimensjoner, samt hvordan mobilitet oppleves og føles. Ved å studere plattformmobilitetens sosiotekniske konfigurasjoner forsøker jeg også å forstå systemer som plattformmobilitet opptrer i og utgjør. Avhandlingen er en monografi. De empiriske funnene er delt inn i fem kapitler. Kapittel 5 fremhever at vi kan forstå bedre dagens utvikling i transportsystemet ved å se dem i lys av lengre, historiske trender. Kapittelet diskuterer hvordan politiske tilnærminger til sykkel og bil i Kina har endret seg de siste 70 årene, og hvordan symbolsk betydning og bruk har forandret seg i det samme tidsrommet. Kapittel 6 utforsker endringer i nasjonale og kommunale regulering av plattformmobilitet i løpet av de årene tjenestene har vært på markedet. Kapittelet diskuterer ulike eksempler på hvordan selskapene forsøker å bygge relasjoner med statlige organer for å påvirke reguleringen. Denne relasjonsbygginga hjelper også selskapene til å tilpasse seg Kinas ambisjoner rundt teknologiutvikling. Kapittel 7 diskuterer endringer i bileierskap i Beijing og belyser både hvordan bilen blir brukt til hverdags og betydninger i forbindelse med livshendelser. Kapittel 8 utforsker hvordan friflytende bysykler og appbaserte kjøretjenester har blitt en del av hverdagen til folk. Dette kapittelet fremhever både endringer plattformmobilitet har medført, men også hvordan bruken av disse tjenestene ikke skiller seg radikalt fra transporttjenester som eksisterte fra før. Kapittelet argumenter for at det var nettopp fordi brukerne hadde relevante kunnskaper og vaner, at disse selskapene kunne vokse så fort. Samtidig illustrere kapittelet at det er knyttet nye symbolske betydninger og praksiser til bruk av tjenestene og at appbaserte transporttjenester skaper nye former for etterspørsel og konsum. Kapitelet viser også at disse tjenestenes inntog, på ulike måter, har innvirkning på rettferdighet i transportsystemet. Til forskjell fra de foregående kapitlene, tar kapittel 9 kun for seg kjøretjenester, og jeg fokuserer her på aspekter relatert til kjønn. Jeg argumenterer for at bilene, brukerne, sjåfører og plattformer burde forstås samlet sett som hybrider, og at forståelsen av disse hybridene – som helhet – har implikasjoner for hvordan tjenestene blir brukt og i hvilken grad kvinnelige passasjerene forsøker å beskytte seg i møte med sjåførene. Avhandlinga bidrar til en ny forståelse av rolla til plattformmobilitet i en urban, kinesisk kontekst og stiller spørsmål ved i hvilken grad innovasjoner i transportsystemet, sånn som disse transportappene, har potensiale til å utfordre eksisterende, miljøskadelige transportformer. Ved å undersøke praksiser og symbolske assosiasjoner til ulike transportformer, argumenterer jeg for at plattformmobilitet i de kommende årene vil være et tillegg i stedet for en utfordrer til bileierskap. På denne måten bidrar avhandlinga til både teknologi- og vitenskapsstudier og mobilitetsvendingen ved å kritisk granske plattformtransport-teknologier i en urban kontekst og ved å vise deres mulige negative effekt på forbruk av transporttjenester så vel som de sosiotekniske prosessene som gir sånne utfall

Performance of a transpiration-regenerative cooled rocket thrust chamber

The analysis, design, fabrication, and testing of a liquid rocket engine thrust chamber which is gas transpiration cooled in the high heat flux convergent portion of the chamber and water jacket cooled (simulated regenerative) in the barrel and divergent sections of the chamber are described. The engine burns LOX-hydrogen propellants at a chamber pressure of 600 psia. Various transpiration coolant flow rates were tested with resultant local hot gas wall temperatures in the 800 F to 1400 F range. The feasibility of transpiration cooling with hydrogen and helium, and the use of photo-etched copper platelets for heat transfer and coolant metering was successfully demonstrated

Design, fabrication and delivery of a high pressure LOX-methane injector

An injector for 3000 psia chamber pressure using liquid oxygen and gaseous methane propellants is presented. The injector is intended to be evaluated during a series of pressure-fed test firings using a water-cooled calorimeter chamber and a milled-slot regenerative chamber. Combustion efficiency, combustion stability, ignition and injector face heat transfer assessments were made for candidate injector body and pattern design approaches. This evaluation resulted in baselining an oxidizer post type manifold with a 60 element platelet coaxial swirler injector pattern. An axial acoustic resonator cavity was created at the injector/chamber interface

Framing the future: On local planning cultures and legacies

This paper considers the influence of established local planning cultures and legacies on the trajectory of contemporary local development policies. Local and sub-regional planning cultures are interpreted as overall 'developmental frames' which set the context for local planning approaches both through more concrete territorial, developmental and policy forms and through cognitive structures, assumptions and values. These frames then exert significant influence on how planning policy is conceived and enacted, with potentially major implications for local development outcomes. Three illustrative case studies are presented from sub-regional growth areas in the South East of England

A representação do real e a ética no documentário Ônibus 174

Este trabalho trata sobre a representação do real e os princípios da ética no documentário Ônibus 174. Começo com um estudo sobre o surgimento do cinema e alguns documentaristas que definiram os conceitos de representação da realidade na narrativa do gênero. Também analiso os conceitos básicos da ética de verdade, justiça e amor e construo uma ligação entre os dois primeiros com as características apresentadas num roteiro de filme documentário. Por último, faço a análise do filme Ônibus 174 sob a luz das observações levantadas a respeito da representação do real e dos conceitos que formulam a ética

The use of peer-led simulation as a pedagogical approach. An action research study.

The aim of this research is to explore the effectiveness of peer-led simulation on students learning. Simulation is a common pedagogical approach within the education of health professions. Whilst there has been a wealth of literature supporting the use of simulation and peer-led learning, there has been little reviewing of the long term benefits on student behaviours. Viewed through the lens of Wenger’s Community of Practice (1998) and Vygotsky’s (1978) more capable peer and using an Action Research approach, the concept of enabling students to design and facilitate their own simulations has been explored. Through cycles of action and reflection, the process evolved from students facilitating pre-written simulations through to student centric peer-led simulations. Over a period of seven years, students from child pre-registration programme participated in developing simulations. Interviews, focus groups, module evaluation and self-reflective diaries were used to generate data. Developing and facilitating their own simulations meant that students were able to improve their theoretical and practical skills and gained increased confidence and awareness of their own learning needs. The data from each of the cycles demonstrated that students had also gained levels of understanding about their role as a nurse that they could apply to other situations and their role as a teacher had facilitated their own learning. As a result of undertaking this Action Research project it is has been possible to view this pedagogical approach as effective in supporting students to develop both practical and theoretical skills