Edinburgh Napier University

About: Edinburgh Napier University is a education organization based out in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 2665 authors who have published 6859 publications receiving 175272 citations.

Characteristics of grass pollen seasons in areas of southern Spain and the United Kingdom

Abstract: Spatial and temporal variations in daily grasspollen counts and weather variables aredescribed for two regions with differentbio-geographical and climatic regimes, southernSpain and the United Kingdom. Daily averagegrass pollen counts are considered from sixpollen-monitoring sites, three in southernSpain (Ciudad Real, Cordoba and Priego) andthree in the United Kingdom (Edinburgh,Worcester and Cambridge). Analysis shows thatrainfall and maximum temperatures are importantfactors controlling the magnitude of the grasspollen season in both southern Spain and theUnited Kingdom, and that the strength anddirection of the influence exerted by thesevariables varies with geographical location andtime.

The ‘employability gap’: long-term unemployment and barriers to work in buoyant labour markets

Abstract: We analyse the main barriers limiting the employability of long-term unemployed job seekers within a local labour market characterised by generally high levels of demand. We use four key elements of employability (employability assets, the deployment of assets, the presentation of assets, and context) as an analytical framework in order to analyse the manner in which job seekers' personal characteristics, social and family circumstances, and perceptions of the labour market affect their ability to pursue employment opportunities. The results of interviews carried out with 115 long-term unemployed job seekers show that individual and family circumstances and attitudes towards work and job seeking are likely to be increasingly important barriers given the context of a relative lack of demand-side problems and the availability of lower-skilled jobs in expanding industries. In particular, many long-term unemployed job seekers were reluctant to seek jobs in the expanding service sectors of the local economy. Although the concept of employability provides a useful theoretical and policy framework for analysing long-term unemployment issues, models based upon an employability framework should be expanded to incorporate the role of employers and so integrate supply-side and demand-side perspectives.

Development of the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire for Sport

Abstract: As sporting challenge at the elite level becomes ever harder, maximizing effectiveness of the talent development pathway is crucial. Reflecting this need, this paper describes the development of the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire, which has been designed to facilitate the development of sporting potential to world-class standard. The questionnaire measures the experiences of developing athletes in relation to empirically identified "key features" of effective talent development environments. The first phase involved the generation of questionnaire items with clear content and face validity. The second phase explored the factor structure and reliability. This was carried out with 590 developing athletes through application of exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation, principal axis factoring extraction and cronbach alpha tests. This yielded a 59-item, seven-factor structure with good internal consistency (0.616-0.978). The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire appears to be a promising psychometric instrument that can potentially be useful for education and formative review in applied settings, and as a measurement tool in talent development research.

Bioremediation of Contaminated Soils and Aquifers

Abstract: This chapter provides a review of the various in situ and ex situ bioremediation technologies and the situations to which they are applicable. As many as 2 billion people rely directly on aquifers for drinking water, and 40% of the world’s food is produced by irrigated agriculture that relies largely on groundwater. Two technologies - biopiles and windrow composting - currently dominate the ex situ bioremediation market for treatment of contaminated soils. Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) have traditionally been designed as chemical and physical intervention techniques, with incidental biodegradation taking place, and it is only recently that deliberately turning PRBs into bioremediation technology has arisen. Even materials such as garden waste provide extra microbial communities, even though that is not the primary function in the bioremediation, which is normally to provide heat-generating materials during composting. A variety of genetically modified organism (GMO) that have been designed for bioremediation are still at the laboratory or early field test stage, but there is optimism that in the future, GMOs will be used for bioremediation, targeting most recalcitrant pollutants in inhospitable environments at relatively low cost. Delivery of bioaugmentation cultures in an immobilized form may offer more complete and/or more rapid degradation. The longer-term success of bioremediation may well depend upon developing in situ treatments that can greatly accelerate the rates of degradation of contaminants, especially in groundwater, in a predictable and cost-effective manner.

Properties of New and Recycled Clay Brick Aggregates for Use in Concrete

Abstract: The testing described in this paper was performed to establish the physical and mechanical properties of new and recycled crushed clay brick aggregates for use in portland cement concrete (PCC). Various physical and mechanical properties of eight different types of aggregates were determined and compared with the limits set out in the British Standards for aggregate from natural sources used in concrete. The results were also compared with granite aggregate that has been proved to be a good natural aggregate for producing PCC. The results showed that most of the crushed clay-brick aggregates tested can be used in producing PCC for low-level civil engineering applications and that some kinds of brick aggregate possess good physical and mechanical properties that qualify them for producing high-quality concrete.