Coventry University

About: Coventry University is a education organization based out in Coventry, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Higher education. The organization has 4964 authors who have published 12700 publications receiving 255898 citations. The organization is also known as: Lanchester Polytechnic & Coventry Polytechnic.

Understanding Ethical Luxury Consumption Through Practice Theories: A Study of Fine Jewellery Purchases

Abstract: This paper builds on existing research investigating CSR and ethical consumption within luxury contexts, and makes several contributions to the literature. First, it addresses existing knowledge gaps by exploring the ways in which consumers perform ethical luxury purchases of fine jewellery through interpretive research. Second, the paper is the first to examine such issues of consumer ethics by extending the application of theories of practice to a luxury product context, and by building on Magaudda’s (J Consum Cult 11(1):15–36, 2011) circuit of practice framework. This is significant in that, to date, consumer research using practice theories has focused mainly on routine and habitual practices. Our findings and discussion provide an analysis of intentional and less intentional ethical consumer performances within the interconnected nexus of activities of consumers’ fine jewellery consumption practice, where meanings, understandings and intelligibility of social phenomena are worked through the various activities that shape such a practice. Finally, the paper concludes with significant managerial and policy-related implications, as our extended circuit of practice analysis conveys that if ethics and sustainability dimensions are to be embedded in fine jewellery consumption practice, they must first be made an intrinsic part of the nexus of the social and material environment of trading and consumption places.

Scattering by infinite one-dimensional rough surfaces

Abstract: We consider the Dirichlet boundary–value problem for the Helmholtz equation in a non–locally perturbed half–plane. This problem models time–harmonic electromagnetic scattering by a one–dimensional infinite rough perfectly conducting surface; the same problem arises in acoustic scattering by a sound–soft surface. Chandler–Wilde and Zhang have suggested a radiation condition for this problem, a generalization of the Rayleigh expansion condition for diffraction gratings, and uniqueness of solution has been established. Recently, an integral equation formulation of the problem has also been proposed and, in the special case when the whole boundary is both Lyapunov and a small perturbation of a flat boundary, the unique solvability of this integral equation has been shown by Chandler–Wilde and Ross by operator perturbation arguments. In this paper we study the general case, with no limit on surface amplitudes or slopes, and show that the same integral equation has exactly one solution in the space of bounded and continuous functions for all wavenumbers. As an important corollary we prove that, for a variety of incident fields including the incident plane wave, the Dirichlet boundary–value problem for the scattered field has a unique solution.

A review on methods of flue gas cleaning from combustion of biomass

Abstract: Application of renewable energy technology is essential for achieving zero carbon buildings within the timescale envisaged by the UK government and the EU because the carbon intensity of the grid will still be high (well above 70% of current level) by 2016 and 2019. The biomass is a key renewable energy source, but its use in buildings is often affected by the emission of particulates and other pollutants in the waste gas, resulting in significant resistant to the technology by building users. The proposed research investigated various ways of removing pollutants, from the exhaust gas of biomass boilers. The review of literature shows that low cost and low maintenance technologies e.g. cyclones are preferred choices however they come with some limitation in removal of particulates. Recent advances in flue gas cleaning came with novel hybrid solutions to overcome traditionally used technologies for flue gas cleaning. Use of electrostatic preceptors with combination of other technologies is one example. The study found that it is difficult to obtain high removal efficiency for smaller particle range and require combination of technologies and improved hybrid solutions.

Sensitivity to speech rhythm explains individual differences in reading ability independently of phonological awareness

Abstract: This study considered whether sensitivity to speech rhythm can predict concurrent variance in reading attainment after individual differences in age, vocabulary, and phonological awareness have been controlled. Five- to six-year-old English-speaking children completed a battery of phonological processing assessments and reading assessments, along with a simple word stress manipulation task. The results showed that performance on the stress manipulation measure predicted a significant amount of variance in reading attainment after age, vocabulary, and phonological processing had been taken into account. These results suggest that stress sensitivity is an important, yet neglected, aspect of English-speaking children's phonological representations, which needs to be incorporated into theoretical accounts of reading development.