Project management and music in education and related fields

Project Management (PM) is a well-established field of research with the scope of inquiry now ranging far beyond the industrial and corporate sectors from which it first emerged. Starting from the premise that PM expertise is a valuable professional attribute and life skill of relevance to many if not all educational disciplines, questions emerge both as to how relevant techniques can be most effectively applied in educational contexts, and how insights might potentially be drawn from the study of different disciplines to enrich the PM profession. This paper focuses initially on higher education (specifically university level study) within the United Kingdom (UK) and other countries, and provides a contextual analysis of the discourse and practice of PM in undergraduate degree subjects. Discussion then narrows in on the discipline of music, as a specific context for consideration of PM through the educational and professional continuum. Identifying a relative absence of explicit PM theory or terminology in the vast majority of degree subjects at least in the UK, there is, nevertheless, an underlying presence of project-based activity at least implicit in all university education and music, in particular, presents a distinctive example of a creative, cultural, educational, where PM is an integral component and experience of subject and discipline. This paper concludes by identifying significant value in the development of a more explicit approach to PM in educational contexts and considerable scope for the development of professional relationships between PM organizations and the higher education sector in particular

Regional assessment of the ground-water resources in eastern Kankakee and northern Iroquois counties

"ISWS/RI-111."--Cover.Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-61).Enumeration continues through succeeding title

Conceptualization of a new product development framework for eddy current braking systems for heavy vehicles in Zimbabwe

Abstract: One of the most critical requirements for safety in vehicles is the availability of reliable braking systems. Most heavy vehicles in Zimbabwe employ the conventional hydraulic braking system. However changes and improvements in technology have seen the introduction of retarders that make use of magnets and eddy currents. The new technology is friction free but still deemed expensive and thus not yet readily acceptable to vehicle manufacturers for fears of reliability and cost. Hydraulic brakes are equally expensive in the long run owing to maintenance and frequent replacement of brake pads and rotors, particularly in Zimbabwe where the road infrastructure has deteriorated significantly over the years. A case study was carried out at a Zimbabwean company which specializes in the sales, service and backup of Scania heavy vehicles, with a special focus on the braking systems. The aim of the research was to conceptualize and compare various options and concepts of the eddy current retarders. Analysis for the chosen option were made for reliability and efficiency using an industrial engineering approach, with the objective of supplementing hydraulic brakes and recommending the sustainable use of such technology to the company and thereby dispelling any fears of reliability and cost

Molecular Hydrogen and Paschen-alpha Emission in Cooling Flow Galaxies

We present near-infrared spectra obtained to search for Pa-alpha and molecular hydrogen lines in edge-darkened (FR I-type) radio galaxies with bright Halpha emission in the redshift range 0.0535<z<0.15. We find that all three galaxies in our sample (PKS 0745-191, PKS 1346+26, & PKS2322-12) which are associated with strong cooling flows also have strong Pa-alpha and H_2 (1-0) S(1) through S(5) emission, while other radio galaxies do not. Together with earlier observations this confirms claims that cooling flow galaxies are copious emitters of molecular hydrogen with large H_2 (1-0) S(3)/Pa-alpha ratios in the range 0.5 to 2. The emission is centrally concentrated within the inner few kiloparsec and could come from warm (T ~ 1000-1500 K) molecular material which is being deposited by the cooling flow. We speculate that the H_2 emission could be related to the interaction between the jets and this molecular gas.Comment: ApJ Letters, in press, AAS LaTex, preprint also available at http://www.astro.umd.edu/~hfalcke/publications.html#nirga

Composition profiles of InAs–GaAs quantum dots determined by medium-energy ion scattering

The composition profile along the [001] growth direction of low-growth-rate InAs–GaAs quantum dots (QDs) has been determined using medium-energy ion scattering (MEIS). A linear profile of In concentration from 100% In at the top of the QDs to 20% at their base provides the best fit to MEIS energy spectra

Short-term studies underestimate 30-generation changes in a butterfly metapopulation

Most studies of rare and endangered species are based on work carried out within one generation, or over one to a few generations of the study organism. We report the results of a study that spans 30 generations (years) of the entire natural range of a butterfly race that is endemic to 35 km2 of north Wales, UK. Short-term studies (surveys in single years and dynamics over 4 years) of this system led to the prediction that the regional distribution would be quite stable, and that colonization and extinction dynamics would be relatively unimportant. However, a longer-term study revealed unexpectedly high levels of population turnover (local extinction and colonization), affecting 18 out of the 20 patches that were occupied at any time during the period. Modelling the system (using the 'incidence function model' (IFM) for metapopulations) also showed higher levels of colonization and extinction with increasing duration of the study. The longer-term dynamics observed in this system can be compared, at a metapopulation level, with the increased levels of variation observed with increasing time that have been observed in single populations. Long-term changes may arise from local changes in the environment that make individual patches more or less suitable for the butterfly, or from unusual colonization or extinction events that take metapopulations into alternative states. One implication is that metapopulation and population viability analyses based on studies that cover only a few animal or plant generations may underestimate extinction threats

Health and Historical Levels of Freedom

Background: The link between political freedom and health is unclear. We aimed to determine the association byexploring the relationship of historical and cumulative freedom levels with important health outcomes. Methods: We obtained countrywide health indicators for life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality ratio, %low birth weight babies, Gini coefficient (a measure of wealth inequality) and various markers of freedom based onpolitical rights and civil liberties. We applied multivariable logistic regression to examine the association betweenhealth indicators and within-country years of freedom as determined by Freedom House rankings. Results: The total proportion of free years from 1972-2005, the duration of current freedom level, and the Ginicoefficient show independent positive associations with health indicators, which remain after the adjustment fornational wealth, total government expenditure, and spending on health. Countries identified as having high totalproportion of free years demonstrated significantly better health outcomes than countries with low levels of freedom(life expectancy, Odds Ratio [OR] 7.2, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 2.3-22.6, infant mortality OR 19.6, 95% CI, 5.6-67.7,maternal mortality ratio, OR 24.3, 95% CI, 6.2-94.9, and % low birth weight babies OR 3.8, 95% CI, 1.4-10.8). This was alsothe case for infant mortality (OR 3.4, 95% CI, 1.0-8.4), maternal mortality ratio (OR 4.0, 95% CI, 1.2-12.8), and % low birthweight babies (OR 2.6, 95% CI, 1.0-6.6) among countries considered as having medium levels of freedom. Interpretation: We found strong associations between country-level freedom and important health outcomes. Thecumulative level of freedom over time shows stronger associations with all health indicators than the duration ofcurrent freedom level

Health and historical levels of freedom

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The link between political freedom and health is unclear. We aimed to determine the association by exploring the relationship of historical and cumulative freedom levels with important health outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We obtained countrywide health indicators for life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality ratio, % low birth weight babies, Gini coefficient (a measure of wealth inequality) and various markers of freedom based on political rights and civil liberties. We applied multivariable logistic regression to examine the association between health indicators and within-country years of freedom as determined by Freedom House rankings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The total proportion of free years from 1972-2005, the duration of current freedom level, and the Gini coefficient show independent positive associations with health indicators, which remain after the adjustment for national wealth, total government expenditure, and spending on health. Countries identified as having high total proportion of free years demonstrated significantly better health outcomes than countries with low levels of freedom (life expectancy, Odds Ratio [OR] 7.2, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 2.3-22.6, infant mortality OR 19.6, 95% CI, 5.6-67.7, maternal mortality ratio, OR 24.3, 95% CI, 6.2-94.9, and % low birth weight babies OR 3.8, 95% CI, 1.4-10.8). This was also the case for infant mortality (OR 3.4, 95% CI, 1.0-8.4), maternal mortality ratio (OR 4.0, 95% CI, 1.2-12.8), and % low birth weight babies (OR 2.6, 95% CI, 1.0-6.6) among countries considered as having medium levels of freedom.</p> <p>Interpretation</p> <p>We found strong associations between country-level freedom and important health outcomes. The cumulative level of freedom over time shows stronger associations with all health indicators than the duration of current freedom level.</p