Environmental Sustainability in libraries through green practices/services

This paper is an attempt to discuss the role of green practices/services which are incorporated within libraries towards environmentally sustainable. With continuous use and easy availability of new technologies like computer printers, faxes, and photocopiers etc. it is very important to protect the environment. Since, all these machines have an impact using paper, ink, and electricity on the environment. This paper begins with an explanation of sustainability, environmental sustainability, green printing, and copying etc. Further, demonstrates the various sustainable strategies for the libraries. And also highlights the strategies for overcoming the impact of paper use, ink use and electricity. This paper will also provide a different approach for librarians to achieve green practices/ services. The adverse impact of new technologies on the environment also increases the requirement of green practices/ services within libraries and reducing the carbon footprint, which will automatically enhance the environmentally sustainable practices, a valuable step for enhancing the lifestyle of society

Masking the Focus on English Learners: The Consequences of California’s Accountability System Dashboard Results on Year 4 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs)

California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), signed into law in 2013, centers equity as a key to increased and improved services for three targeted student subgroups, including English Learners (ELs), low-income students, and foster youth. As a component of LCFF, districts develop Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) to specify their goals and strategies for using LCFF funds for equity and continuous improvement purposes. The California Model Five by Five Grid Placement Report (Spring 2017 Dashboard) included the Five by Five Placement Grid, a key function of which is to identify the needs of diverse ELs. The Dashboard and the LCAPs are two policy mechanisms with great promise in combining school finance and accountability reform to promote equity and coherent state-wide. In this report, Lavadenz and colleagues review the EL policy context and examine the connection between the two contemporary policy mechanisms in California, namely the Year 4 LCAP and the California Department of Education’s Accountability Model (Spring 2017 Dashboard). The authors use a sample of 26 California school districts with high numbers/percentages of ELs and conclude that California’s current accountability system diminishes the urgency to respond to educational needs of the English Learner subgroup and undermines the equity intent of the LCFF. Few promising practices and assets-based approaches were identified in the LCAPs, and there is minimal mention of metrics focused on EL outcomes. The authors provide recommendations at state, county office of education and district levels.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ceelreports/1006/thumbnail.jp

Staff perceptions of primary healthcare service change: influences on staff satisfaction

Abstract. Strong primary healthcare (PHC) services are efficient, cost-effective and associated with better population health outcomes. However, little is known about the role and perspectives of PHC staff in creating a sustainable service. Staff from a single-point-of-entry primary health care service in Elmore, a small rural community in north-west Victoria, were surveyed. Qualitative methods were used to collect data to show how the key factors associated with the evolution of a once-struggling medical service into a successful and sustainable PHC service have influenced staff satisfaction. The success of the service was linked to visionary leadership, teamwork and community involvement while service sustainability was described in terms of inter-professional linkages and the role of the service in contributing to the broader community. These factors were reported to have a positive impact on staff satisfaction. The contribution of service delivery change and ongoing service sustainability to staff satisfaction in this rural setting has implications for planning service change in other primary health care settings. What is known about this topic? Integrated PHC services have an important role to play in achieving equitable population health outcomes. Many rural communities struggle to maintain viable PHC services. Innovative PHC models are needed to ensure equitable access to care and reduce the health differential between rural and metropolitan people. What does this paper add? Multidisciplinary teams, visionary leadership, strong community engagement combined with service partnerships are important factors in the building of a rural PHC service that substantially contributes to enhanced staff satisfaction and service sustainability. What are the implications for practitioners? Understanding and engaging local community members is a key driver in the success of service delivery changes in rural PHC services

The Medical Journal of Australia

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the Australian native ant species associated with ant sting anaphylaxis, geographical distribution of allergic reactions, and feasibility of diagnostic venom-specific IgE (sIgE) testing. Design, setting and participants: Descriptive clinical, entomological and immunological study of Australians with a history of ant sting anaphylaxis, recruited in 2006-2007 through media exposure and referrals from allergy practices and emergency physicians nationwide. We interviewed participants, collected entomological specimens, prepared reference venom extracts, and conducted serum sIgE testing against ant venom panels relevant to the species found in each geographical region. Main outcome measures: Reaction causation attributed using a combination of ant identification and sIgE testing. Results: 376 participants reported 735 systemic reactions. Of 299 participants for whom a cause was determined, 265 (89%; 95% CI, 84%-92%) had reacted clinically to Myrmecia species and 34 (11%; 95% CI, 8%-16%) to green-head ant (Rhytidoponera metallica). Of those with reactions to Myrmecia species, 176 reacted to jack jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula species complex), 18 to other jumper ants (15 to Myrmecia nigrocincta, three to Myrmecia ludlowi) and 56 to a variety of bulldog ants, with some participants reacting to more than one type of bulldog ant. Variable serological cross-reactivity between bulldog ant species was observed, and sera from patients with bulldog ant allergy were all positive to one or more venoms extracted from Myrmecia forficata, Myrmecia pyriformis and Myrmecia nigriceps. Conclusion: Four main groups of Australian ants cause anaphylaxis. Serum sIgE testing enhances the accuracy of diagnosis and is a prerequisite for administering species- MJA 2011; 195: 69-73 specific venom immunotherapy

Environmental Sustainability in libraries through green practices/services

This paper is an attempt to discuss the role of green practices/services which are incorporated within libraries towards environmentally sustainable. With continuous use and easy availability of new technologies like computer printers, faxes, and photocopiers etc. it is very important to protect the environment. Since, all these machines have an impact using paper, ink, and electricity on the environment. This paper begins with an explanation of sustainability, environmental sustainability, green printing, and copying etc. Further, demonstrates the various sustainable strategies for the libraries. And also highlights the strategies for overcoming the impact of paper use, ink use and electricity. This paper will also provide a different approach for librarians to achieve green practices/ services. The adverse impact of new technologies on the environment also increases the requirement of green practices/ services within libraries and reducing the carbon footprint, which will automatically enhance the environmentally sustainable practices, a valuable step for enhancing the lifestyle of society

Co-Channel Interference Mitigation Detectors for Multirate Transmission in TD-CDMA Systems

Abstract-In this paper, we address the problem of downlink detection in a mobile radio time division/code division multiple access multirate communication system employing a linear modulation. We focus on the detection of a group of intracell codes (ranging from a single one to all the active codes) rejecting both interference coming from the complementary set of undesired intracell codes and co-channel intercell interference. We investigate efficient implementations of linear nonadaptive multiuser detection realized by either joint or separate intersymbol interference and multiple access interference (MAI) mitigation using the zero-forcing or minimum mean square error criteria. The proposed detection schemes employ a tunable-complexity structured description of the MAI for the purpose of detection and interference mitigation. Specifically, the receivers always envision an intracell interference mitigation and data detection capability, while intercell interference is treated differently depending on operating environments. If a statistical description of the intercell interference is available, the receiver realizes group detection in the presence of possibly nonwhite Gaussian noise. Soft hand-over procedures are also proposed wherein direct suppression of intercell interference is possible as well as group detection of the data of the neighboring cells. A unified and finite complexity implementation of the proposed detection schemes based on a sliding window formulation is provided. The numerical results validate the proposed receiver structures showing that a structured description of the observation always leads to a detector with superior performance. Index Terms-Code division multiaccess, interference suppression, land-mobile radio cellular systems

HEAT EXCHANGE AND CONDENSATION IN REDUCED GRAVITY

ABSTRACT The present investigation was sponsored by the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunity Program and was conducted by the University of Tennessee students aboard KC-135 in parabolic flights. The goal of the experiment was to study saturated air-water mixture to simulate the dynamics of condensation and heat exchange in two-phase flows and gain a better understanding of condensation under reduced gravity condition. In the experimental apparatus saturate air/water mixture is pumped through a one-inch cooled horizontal test pipe (condenser). Sets of thermocouples record change of temperature of liquid water, temperature of saturated air across the condenser, and temperature of liquid and fog after the test section. The water temperature measurements indicate lower water temperature and larger exit fog temperature at the condenser exit under reduced gravity as compared with normal gravity results. It was also observed that for relatively small water flow rate and velocity heat exchange between air and water streams was larger for reduced gravity conditions relative to normal gravity conditions