Feasibility study of an Integrated Program for Aerospace vehicle Design (IPAD) Volume 7: IPAD benefits and impact

The potential benefits, impact and spinoff of IPAD technology are described. The benefits are projected from a flowtime and labor cost analysis of the design process and a study of the flowtime and labor cost savings being experienced with existing integrated systems. Benefits in terms of designer productivity, company effectiveness, and IPAD as a national resource are developed. A description is given of the potential impact of information handling as an IPAD technology, upon task and organization structure and people who use IPAD. Spinoff of IPAD technology to nonaerospace industries is discussed. The results of a personal survey made of aerospace, nonaerospace, government and university sources are given

Meat: A Novel

An English-language translation of a Russian novel that appeared in the Soviet thick journal Novyi Mir in three installments during February, March, and April of 1936

Forced labor and the origin of an African working class: Lourenço Marques, 1870-1962

African Studies Center Working Paper No. 1

Perceptions of patient-centered care among veterans with gastroesophageal reflux disease on proton pump inhibitor therapy

The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of patient-centered care (PCC) among Veterans with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy using patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. We used three validated surveys to measure PCC concepts in a national sample of Veterans with GERD on PPI therapy. The Combined Outcome Measure for Risk Communication and Treatment Decision Making Effectiveness (COMRADE) measures patient experiences with risk communication and decision-making. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) evaluates confidence and knowledge needed for self-management. The Patient Assessment of Care for Chronic Conditions (PACIC) assesses views of chronic care received. We used descriptive statistics to describe patient characteristics and PCC outcomes. Respondents (n=444) were mostly male (95.1%) with a mean age of 67.7 years. The mean COMRADE score measuring patient experiences with risk communication was 55.3 (SD=19.0). The mean PAM score was 56.1 (SD=19.2); 47.8% of respondents were considered disengaged patients lacking confidence and knowledge for self-management. The mean PACIC summary score was 3.03 (SD=1.2), with highest scores in the Delivery System Design/Decision Support (3.38, SD=1.2) subscale, and lowest scores in the Follow-up/Coordination subscale (2.58, SD=1.3). Veterans with GERD reported that care was well-organized and supportive in enhancing decision-making. Potential gaps in patient experiences may exist in delivering follow-up care, enhancing patient activation, and informing patients about risks of available GERD treatments. This is the first study to evaluate patient perceptions of PCC in a national sample of Veterans with GERD on PPI therapy. Findings can inform further investigation and development of targeted interventions to enhance the experience of PCC for individuals with GERD

The ambivalence of comradeship in the appointment of principals: A threat to the provision of quality education

In this article, we problematise the practice of appointing principals on the basis of comradeship instead of excellence, qualifications and competency. The appointment of principals in South Africa has, over the years, become politicised and unionised to the extent that it is contextualised within comradeship narratives, thereby negating the competency and qualifications that are required to champion quality education – education that is essential to empower people. To cement its arguments, the article is couched in decoloniality, a framework that evokes the need to challenge coloniality, which has displaced professionalism and competency as criteria for appointing principals. The data for the study were generated through questionnaires completed by, and interviews with, 19 participants in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. The article reports that most schools with comrade principals face challenges related to competency, learner performance and indiscipline. The article recommends that the Department of Basic Education revisit its   appointment policy for principals to ensure that competent principals are appointed, regardless of whether they are comrades or not. Keywords: comradeship; politics of belonging and othering; principalship; unionis

TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF FISH AND MACROINVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES ON MILITARY LAND IN WESTERN LOUISIANA

Headwater streams are known to have an impact on higher order river systems downstream; therefore, it is important to monitor their water quality. The United States Army is mandated to ensure their training activities do not have a negative impact on freshwater biotic communities and the overall water chemistry. The goals of this study include: (1) to quantify the long-term effects of military land management practices on headwater stream biodiversity in western Louisiana using biological indices and (2) to measure changes in fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages over time using multivariate techniques. Because the natural disturbance regime in these streams is more ‘harsh,’ it was expected that anthropogenic disturbances would have less of an impact on the fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages. Also, because insects at different life history stages can choose breeding sites based on environmental conditions at a stream locality and have the potential to cross drainage basin boundaries, it was anticipated that macroinvertebrate assemblages would not vary statistically between drainages. In contrast, most fish species are constrained to their historically defined drainage basins; therefore, it was predicted that environmental factors relating to both year and drainage would affect fish assemblage composition. From 2001 to 2016, 19 streams from the Calcasieu, Red, and Sabine River drainages were sampled to determine the structure of fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages. Over 15,000 macroinvertebrates and 3,000 fish were collected and analyzed. As predicted, macroinvertebrate water quality scores did not differ across drainage basins, and multivariate analysis confirmed this pattern. In contrast, fish water quality scores did differ across drainage basins; again, this pattern was confirmed by multivariate analysis, also supporting the original hypothesis. Overall, when the trends across years are examined, community structure of fish and macroinvertebrates in these streams are quite stable. These long-term datasets are important from a conservation perspective to understand how humans are impacting aquatic ecosystems