My cautious optimism for Zimbabwe’s 2012 elections

In this Opinion, prominent Zimbabwean civil society activist Briggs Bomba argues that 2012 could to be a decisive year in Zimbabwe’s recent history. A number of domestic and international factors could come together to force the regime to hold democratic elections, and the transformed international scene – with the influence of the Arab spring and the NATO-led Libyan intervention – could create an auspicious environment for the country’s long-awaited transition. Bomba also insists that the continued pressure from Zimbabwe’s vibrant civil society organisations is vital for the real democratisation of Zimbabwe’s institutions. For any transition to become truly meaningful it ‘must be completed in the hard years after democratic election’

Psychodynamic groups as used to work through collective trauma memory

The Israeli-Polish Mental Health Association is a bi-national society of mental health professionals. Presentation of its twelve years’ experience in working through memories of traumatic past was rationale of the text. The traumatic past had been extermination of Jews, by Germans on Polish territory with witnessing Poles. Dynamic group technique had been employed in debate stimulated by theoretical lectures and research results presentations concerning background of anti-Semitism, hatred, Shoah, collective trauma consequences and intergenerational transmission of trauma. Obstacles in the process and suggested measures aiming to overcome these difficulties as described by participants were discussed. Author’s assessment of results of using therapeutic methods to solve mass trauma consequences in next generation of victims and witnesses conclude the essa

On axial vibration of a web-idle roller system

A typical continuous web-processing machine consists of hundreds of idle rollers and web spans. A web span is formed by tensioning a thin film (the web) over at least two idle rollers. Machine drive controls, bearing friction, and air impingement on the web surface represent some of the factors that can influence web tension and web speed. A significant effort is devoted to maintaining uniform web tension and web speed in these machines. The uniformity of these parameters is a requirement to consistently manufacture web products within rigorous quality specifications. In support of this effort to control web tension and web speed, reports have been published to investigate the vibration response of the web-idle roller system. The machine is modeled as a multidegree-of-freedom system consisting of numerous springs and masses connected in series. The equivalent spring and mass elements are represented by the web span and roller inertia respectively. The scope of this investigation is limited to the analysis of the axial vibration of a single web span and idle roller interface. The two main objectives of this work are to characterize the axial vibration response of a single web span and numerically determine axial displacements of the web. A correlation is made between the axial displacement (less than 0.05 inch) of the web relative to the surface of an idle roller and small scratches (0.005-0.010 inch long) formed on the surface of the web. The web is assumed to be an elastic member subject to tensile forces only. The one-dimensional wave equation is shown to be the governing equation of motion for the web-idle roller system. Boundary conditions are developed to accommodate the web-idle roller interface at one end of the web and the input tension force at the opposite end. A simplifying assumption of the model is that the average web speed is zero. The effect of zero average web speed is assumed to be small because the wave speed is nearly 1000 times greater than the typical average web conveyance speed of 250 feet per minute. Three solution methods have been presented for the wave equation (Separation of Variables, Laplace Transform combined with Inverse Fast Fourier Transform, and Galerkin Finite Element). The Finite Element method, written in a spreadsheet software format, was found to be the best method of solution for this partial differential equation

Perceptions of Adolescents Suspended for School Drug Abuse

School drug use has been attributed to the annual suspension of thousands of secondary adolescents, subsequently contributing to poor academics, low graduation rates, and continued school drug use. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of former adolescents who engaged in school drug use. Social learning theory suggests that behaviors observed from within the environment may later be modeled. Using Bandura\u27s social learning theory, 10 participants, 18 years old and older responded to open-ended questions about how they processed school drug use. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the responses to the open-ended questions were coded and analyzed. Bandura\u27s social learning theory supports the key findings. Findings indicated that former students reported being influenced by their environment and others around them, such as friends. Additional findings from the study suggest that boredom was another reason students engaged in school drug use. While a few students enrolled in a new school after being suspended for school drug use, the findings suggest that out-of-school suspensions are not meaningful to students. After returning to school from their suspension, students felt behind in their school work. Implications for social change include understanding potential influences of school drug use on students and their environment. This understanding can benefit schools, parents, and the community through interventions and proactive measures that target school drug use among adolescents

The Medieval Settlement in the Western Sierra Morena (Spain-Portugal)

We analyze the medieval settlement in a rural and peripheral territory that was part of Garb- al-Andalus Sierra Morena Occidental The study is carried out on the basis of the archaeological record and covers from the late Roman period to the Christian conquest but especially the Andalusian period A historical stage that had little knowledg

Distribution of Resuscitative Measures in Lamoille County, Vermont Schools

This study evaluates the availability of resuscitative measures within the public schools of Lamoille County, Vermont. This includes primarily access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), naloxone (Narcan), and epinephrine auto injectors (Epi-pens) subsequent to recent introduction of naloxone into schools in response to widespread opioid addiction in the region.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1640/thumbnail.jp