2,374 research outputs found

    Design hazard identification and the link to site experience

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    The training, development and routes to charteredship of building design engineers have undergone a major transformation in recent years. Additionally, the duration and quality of site experience being gained by designers is reducing. While accident causation is often complex, previous research shows a potential link between design and construction accidents. The effectiveness of the UK’s Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations is being questioned, and designers regularly do not recognise the impact they can make on site safety. A newly developed hazard perception test was used to determine if students and design practitioners are able to identify hazards in designs and to establish if site experience impacts hazard identification. The results of the tests show an association between the ability to identify and mitigate hazards and possession of site experience. The results provide empirical evidence that supports previous anecdotal evidence. The results also question if the design engineers of today are suitably equipped to fulfil the designer’s responsibilities under the CDM Regulations

    Interview with Barbara M. Boulware - OH 779

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    This interview was conducted by Jackson Martin with Barbarba M. Boulware as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Mrs. Boulware discusses the challenges she faced as an educator during the Civil Rights Era and shares her experiences as a Black woman in the South, notably her triumphs in the face of racism and adversity. Boulware underscores the influence of the Civil Rights Movement on historically Black sororities and fraternities like her own, Delta Sigma Theta, and how each collaborated to advance social change. She also highlights the crucial role of Black women in society, especially politics, and goes on to give her perspective on the modern-day efforts to ensure the civil rights of all Americans. Notable topics of conversation include race, racism, race relations, civil rights, police brutality, political and social activism, Black women, Greek life, the Divine 9, education, urban renewal, and the city of Rock Hill. Barbara Ann Murray Boulware (b. 1940) is a former educator and administrator in the Rock Hill School District. A 1958 graduate of Emmett Scott High School, Ms. Boulware went on to earn degrees from Hampton University (B.S., 1962) and Winthrop College (M.A.T., 1973). She first taught math and science at Castle Heights Elementary School (1963-70) and later moved to Northwestern High School where she served as both a science instructor (1970-81) and assistant principal (1981-1995). After retiring, she temporarily served as interim personnel director for Rock Hill School District in 1997. She is also a longtime chair and trustee of the York County Public Library. Spearheaded by Dr. O. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight, an Assistant Professor of History & African American Studies at Winthrop University, Project 2020 is best summarized in her words: “The goal was to conduct interviews that explored the various ways in which Americans were experiencing and being impacted by the various watershed moments that emerged during 2020 (the global pandemic, social unrest, financial challenges, issues with healthcare, etc.).”https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/1695/thumbnail.jp

    Parental cultural models and resources for understanding mathematical achievement in culturally diverse school settings

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    This paper proposes that the theoretical concept of cultural models can offer useful insights into parental involvement in their child’s mathematical achievement and the resources they use to go about gaining information in culturally diverse learning settings. This examination takes place within a cultural-developmental framework and draws on the notion of cultural models to explicate parental understandings of their child’s mathematics achievement and what resources are used to make sense of this. Three parental resources are scrutinized: (a) the teacher, (b) examination test results, and (c) constructions of child development. The interviews with 22 parents revealed some ambiguity around the interpretation of these resources by the parent, which was often the result of incongruent cultural models held between the home and the school. The resources mentioned are often perceived as being unambiguous but show themselves instead to be highly interpretive because of the diversity of cultural models in existence in culturally diverse settings. Parents who are in minority or marginalized positions tend to have difficulties in interpreting cultural models held by school, thereby disempowering them to be parentally involved in the way the school would like

    On the side of the angels: community involvement in the governance of neighbourhood renewal.

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    This article draws upon the authors’ experiences of community-led regeneration developed while members of the National Evaluation Team for the NDC Programme. The article continues the focus on urban regeneration adopted in a range of outputs from two of the authors over the last decade. In assessing how the term community has been defined by policy-makers and the challenges involved in empowering communities, the output was aimed at both academic and user communities. For its direct relevance to communities involved in regeneration, the article was awarded the 2006 Sam Aaronovitch Prize, awarded annually by the journal Local Economy

    Monte-Carlo Simulations of Radiation-Induced Activation in a Fast-Neutron and Gamma- Based Cargo Inspection System

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    An air cargo inspection system combining two nuclear reaction based techniques, namely Fast-Neutron Resonance Radiography and Dual-Discrete-Energy Gamma Radiography is currently being developed. This system is expected to allow detection of standard and improvised explosives as well as special nuclear materials. An important aspect for the applicability of nuclear techniques in an airport inspection facility is the inventory and lifetimes of radioactive isotopes produced by the neutron and gamma radiation inside the cargo, as well as the dose delivered by these isotopes to people in contact with the cargo during and following the interrogation procedure. Using MCNPX and CINDER90 we have calculated the activation levels for several typical inspection scenarios. One example is the activation of various metal samples embedded in a cotton-filled container. To validate the simulation results, a benchmark experiment was performed, in which metal samples were activated by fast-neutrons in a water-filled glass jar. The induced activity was determined by analyzing the gamma spectra. Based on the calculated radioactive inventory in the container, the dose levels due to the induced gamma radiation were calculated at several distances from the container and in relevant time windows after the irradiation, in order to evaluate the radiation exposure of the cargo handling staff, air crew and passengers during flight. The possibility of remanent long-lived radioactive inventory after cargo is delivered to the client is also of concern and was evaluated.Comment: Proceedings of FNDA 201
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