The construction of an integrated remedial program for use in teaching shorthand transcription.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Reflections on a changing Madagascar

When I was asked to write the foreword for this important journal I was honored. Honored and troubled. What could a conservation ecologist say about development that was particularly relevant at such a critical time in Madagascar’s history? During such a distinct period of uncertainty and change, what reflection might I offer that would be helpful, hopeful, and reasonable? Over the weeks, I have witnessed the turmoil of a country searching for inner peace while dedicated individuals continue to work towards improving lives and safeguarding the future of this wonderfully unique island. And in struggling with what to say in the face of inevitable change, three concepts keep coming to mind. The first two concepts come from my ecology training; the last emerges from my experiences as a development professional. These concepts are neither new nor ground-breaking. They certainly won’t solve all the challenges of Madagascar conservation and development today. Yet together, these three concepts may offer some orientation for continued integrated conservation and development work in a changing Madagascar. The first concept is connectedness. Connections are the key to ecology. Species and ecological processes linked in one complex system. Natural elements connected to people and culture through a complex web of relationships, desires and values. At this critical juncture in Madagascar’s history, it seems imperative to both understand and exploit these connections. Healthy people cannot exist in an unhealthy environment. Political decisions are intimately connected to the well-being of people and the survival of their natural resource base. As choices are made, it is imperative that decisions not be taken in short-term haste to meet the pressing needs of today at the expense of the longer term needs of both today and tomorrow.A thoughtful process that embraces the connectedness of all Malagasy people to each other and their natural world is a difficult one. But by keeping these connections intact, by ensuring that each part of the system is understood and valued, a more rewarding, equitable and sustainable future can be secured. The second concept is resiliency. Resiliency relates to the ability to withstand and recover from shocks and perturbances while maintaining functionality and equilibrium. It is clear that Madagascar is experiencing shocks. More frequent and intense cyclones, changing climatic patterns, severe periods of drought and unprecedented pressure for natural resources tax the recovery abilities of humans and the natural world alike. Recent socio-political changes are undoubtedly testing the resiliency of Malagasy society. New pathways for development in Madagascar must offer resilient options for the Malagasy people.The sharing of development dividends amongst a larger number of citizens across Malagasy society will enhance the resiliency of Madagascar as a whole. Safeguarding natural assets, including soil, water, forests, fisheries and biological diversity, creates a social safety net that will allow Madagascar to cope in the short-term, and thrive in the long-term. The last concept is reconciliation. Of all the concepts, this is probably the most difficult one. In the financial world, we reconcile our accounts. Inputs and outputs, income and expenses are scrutinized to ensure that the ledger adds up at the end of the day. But such reconciliation demands an honest and clear accounting system where incomes are transparent and real costs are understood. In Madagascar, this means making development decisions that incorporate the real costs of leaving marginalized and vulnerable members of society behind, real costs of irrevocable and detrimental changes to the functioning of natural systems, real costs of losing species, and the real cost of not being able to adapt and cope with climatic changes. It means internalizing and making rationale decisions about these costs now, so that Malagasy children will be able to ensure that the ledger adds up at the end of the century. But there is another definition of reconciliation, the coming together of opposing parties to r esolve conflict and find peace. Undoubtedly, this is the hardest part. It involves open and participatory dialogue that teases out seemingly intractable issues to find balanced solutions that everyone can live with. Reconciliation cannot be forced – people must want to engage, must be willing to expose truths and be open to exploring other perspectives. With a commitment to compromise and dignity, reconciliation brings healing and harmony. It is incumbent upon us, the conservation and development community, to support the Malagasy people in efforts to come together and embrace the linkages between people and their natural world through a process of reconciliation and thoughtful weighing of trade-offs to ensure a resilient Madagascar. The lessons and articles we share through this journal offer important insights and lessons to move us in that direction.Réflexions sur Madagascar, pays en évolution Je me suis sentie en même temps honorée et troublée quand ce grand journal m’a fait honneur en m’invitant à écrire une préface. Quel sujet pertinent sur le développement pourrait donc écrire une éco-conservationniste à un moment si critique de l’histoire de Madagascar ? Que pourrais-je proposer comme réflexion qui soit à la fois utile, empreinte d’espoir et raisonnable pendant cette période marquée par l’incertitude et le changement ? Pendant des semaines, j’ai été le témoin de l’agitation d’un pays à la recherche de paix intérieure pendant que des gens dévoués poursuivaient leurs efforts afin d’améliorer les conditions de vie et préserver le futur de ce pays merveilleux et unique. Alors que ces pensées me taraudaient face à un changement inévitable, trois concepts me sont venus à l’esprit. Les deux premiers me viennent directement de ma formation en écologie alors que le dernier a été façonné par mon expérience professionnelle acquise dans le développement. Ces concepts ne sont ni nouveaux ni révolutionnaires et ils ne vont vraisemblablement pas constituer la solution à tous les problèmes du développement et de la conservation de Madagascar actuels. Cependant, ils pourront conjointement tracer une voie dans la poursuite des travaux de conservation et de développement intégré pour ce pays en pleine évolution qu’est Madagascar. Le premier concept porte sur la connexité. Les connexions sont les clefs de l’écologie avec les espèces et les processus écologiques qui sont liés dans un système complexe. Nous avons ici des éléments naturels reliés à des gens, à leur culture au sein d’un réseau complexe de rapports, de désirs et de valeurs. À ce moment délicat de l’histoire de Madagascar, ces connexions doivent être à la fois comprises et exploitées. Des gens sains ne peuvent vivre dans un environnement malsain. Les décisions politiques sont intimement liées au bien-être des gens et à la survie de leurs ressources naturelles de base. Lorsque des choix sont faits, il est impératif que les décisions ne soient pas prises dans la hâte du cours terme pour satisfaire des besoins immédiats au détriment des besoins à plus long terme actuels et futurs. Un processus réfléchi qui englobe l’ensemble des rapports connexes régissant tous les habitants de Madagascar entre eux mais aussi avec leur patrimoine naturel n’est pas aisé. Cependant c’est en maintenant ces liens, en assurant que chaque élément du système est compris et mis en valeur, qu’un avenir plus prometteur, plus équitable et plus durable peut être assuré. Le deuxième concept porte sur la résilience. La résilience se réfère à la capacité de résister et de se ressaisir des chocs et perturbations tout en maintenant fonctionnalité et équilibre. Il est clair que Madagascar est en train de subir des chocs. Des cyclones plus fréquents et plus intenses, des changements climatiques, de graves épisodes de sécheresse et une pression sans précédent sur les ressources naturelles mettent en péril les capacités de se recomposer, qu’il s’agisse des gens ou de la nature. Les changements socio-politiques récents mettent assurément à l’épreuve la résilience de la société malgache. Les nouvelles voies pour le développement de Madagascar doivent fournir des options résilientes pour les gens de Madagascar. Le partage des acquis du développement entre un plus grand nombre de citoyens de la société malgache améliorera la résilience de Madagascar dans l’ensemble. Sauvegarder le patrimoine naturel, y compris la terre, l’eau, les forêts, la pêche et la diversité biologique crée un filet de sécurité social qui permettra à Madagascar de composer à court terme et de prospérer à long terme. Le dernier concept, qui est sans doute le plus ardu des trois, est le rapprochement. Dans le monde financier, nous procédons à des états de rapprochement de nos comptes. Des entrées et des sorties, des revenus et des dépenses qui sont contrôlés pour s’assurer que les soldes dans les livres s’équilibrent en fin de journée. Mais un tel rapprochement requiert un livre comptable honnête et clair dans lequel les revenus sont transparents et les charges réelles sont comprises. À Madagascar, cela signifie de prendre des décisions en matière de développement en incorporant les coûts réels liés au fait que certaines personnes marginalisées ou vulnérables de la société soient écartées du processus, les coûts réels des changements irrévocables et préjudiciables apportés au fonctionnement des systèmes naturels, les coûts réels de la perte d’espèces naturelles et les coûts réels liés au fait de ne pas être capable de s’adapter et de faire face aux changements climatiques. Il s’agit d’absorber ces coûts et de prendre dès à présent des décisions raisonnables à leur propos de sorte que les enfants de Madagascar seront capables d’assurer que les soldes dans les livres s’équilibrent à la fin du siècle. Il existe aussi une autre définition du rapprochement, celle de la rencontre de parties en opposition pour résoudre un conflit et trouver la paix. Il s’agit sans nul doute de l’acte le plus difficile à jouer car il repose sur un dialogue ouvert et participatif jusqu’à la limite des situations inextricables afin d’aboutir à des consensus équilibrés où chacun peut se retrouver. Le rapprochement ne peut être forcé – les gens doivent vouloir s’engager, doivent être disposés à exposer des vérités et s’ouvrir pour rechercher des alternatives. Avec la dignité et la volonté réelle de dialoguer, le rapprochement peut panser les plaies et apporter l’harmonie. Il nous incombe, à nous membres de la communauté de la conservation et du développement, de soutenir les Malgaches dans leurs efforts pour se rassembler et renforcer les liens entre les gens et la nature dans un processus de rapprochement avec des compromis soigneusement réfléchis pour assurer la résilience de Madagascar. Les leçons et les articles que nous partageons dans ce journal constituent ainsi des aperçus importants pour nous mener sur cette voie

An exploratory study of art therapy intervention in the primary school: Perspectives of children and art therapists

An exploratory study was carried out to elicit the views of primary school children from the ages of eight to ten years. The aim of the study was to learn what the children thought about art therapy intervention in the school setting and to obtain their perspectives about any skills they learned and continue to use after attending art therapy. Promoting children’s mental health has become increasingly in focus and many schools have employed art therapists to support children to help maintain their mental health wellbeing. The method used to gather the data for the research was semi-structured interviews with ten children. During the interview, the children used the “draw write and tell” approach to support their recall. Three art therapists participated in a focus group and provided another perspective about the children’s views. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data from both the therapists and the children. Overall the findings of the study revealed that the children enjoyed therapy sessions and developed skills that they had utilised after they attended therapy. The therapists indicated that they valued working in the school environment because it was an enjoyable experience and there were advantages to working in the school setting such as the opportunity to communicate with school staff as well as link with parents. There were some constraints connected with art therapy sessions in the school setting which included sharing resources and waiting list of children that required art therapy intervention. The outcome from the study indicated that there were areas that may benefit from further exploration which may have implications for EP practice. These include carrying out research into innovative approaches for supporting children to make informed decisions as specified in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Article 13 (1989). In addition, the perceived reduction of art in the curriculum and its impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing which links to UNCRC Article 31

Compression force behaviours: An exploration of the beliefs and values influencing the application of breast compression during screening mammography

This research project investigated the compression behaviours of practitioners during screening mammography. The study sought to provide a qualitative understanding of ‘how’ and ‘why’ practitioners apply compression force. With a clear conflict in the existing literature and little scientific evidence base to support the reasoning behind the application of compression force, this research project investigated the application of compression using a phenomenological approach. Following ethical approval, six focus group interviews were conducted at six different breast screening centres in England. A sample of 41 practitioners were interviewed within the focus groups together with six one-to-one interviews of mammography educators or clinical placement co-ordinators. The findings revealed two broad humanistic and technological categories consisting of 10 themes. The themes included client empowerment, white-lies, time for interactions, uncertainty of own practice, culture, power, compression controls, digital technology, dose audit-safety nets, numerical scales. All of these themes were derived from 28 units of significant meaning (USM). The results demonstrate a wide variation in the application of compression force, thus offering a possible explanation for the difference between practitioner compression forces found in quantitative studies. Compression force was applied in many different ways due to individual practitioner experiences and behaviour. Furthermore, the culture and the practice of the units themselves influenced beliefs and attitudes of practitioners in compression force application. The strongest recommendation to emerge from this study was the need for peer observation to enable practitioners to observe and compare their own compression force practice to that of their colleagues. The findings are significant for clinical practice in order to understand how and why compression force is applied

Predicting residential building age from map data

The age of a building influences its form and fabric composition and this in turn is critical to inferring its energy performance. However, often this data is unknown. In this paper, we present a methodology to automatically identify the construction period of houses, for the purpose of urban energy modelling and simulation. We describe two major stages to achieving this – a per-building classification model and post-classification analysis to improve the accuracy of the class inferences. In the first stage, we extract measures of the morphology and neighbourhood characteristics from readily available topographic mapping, a high-resolution Digital Surface Model and statistical boundary data. These measures are then used as features within a random forest classifier to infer an age category for each building. We evaluate various predictive model combinations based on scenarios of available data, evaluating these using 5-fold cross-validation to train and tune the classifier hyper-parameters based on a sample of city properties. A separate sample estimated the best performing cross-validated model as achieving 77% accuracy. In the second stage, we improve the inferred per-building age classification (for a spatially contiguous neighbourhood test sample) through aggregating prediction probabilities using different methods of spatial reasoning. We report on three methods for achieving this based on adjacency relations, near neighbour graph analysis and graph-cuts label optimisation. We show that post-processing can improve the accuracy by up to 8 percentage points

Automated classification metrics for energy modelling of residential buildings in the UK with open algorithms

Estimating residential building energy use across large spatial extents is vital for identifying and testing effective strategies to reduce carbon emissions and improve urban sustainability. This task is underpinned by the availability of accurate models of building stock from which appropriate parameters may be extracted. For example, the form of a building, such as whether it is detached, semi-detached, terraced etc and its shape may be used as part of a typology for defining its likely energy use. When these details are combined with information on building construction materials or glazing ratio, it can be used to infer the heat transfer characteristics of different properties. However, these data are not readily available for energy modelling or urban simulation. Although this is not a problem when the geographic scope corresponds to a small area and can be hand-collected, such manual approaches cannot be easily applied at the city or national scale. In this paper, we demonstrate an approach that can automatically extract this information at the city scale using off-the-shelf products supplied by a National Mapping Agency. We present two novel techniques to create this knowledge directly from input geometry. The first technique is used to identify built form based upon the physical relationships between buildings. The second technique is used to determine a more refined internal/external wall measurement and ratio. The second technique has greater metric accuracy and can also be used to address problems identified in extracting the built form. A case study is presented for the City of Nottingham in the United Kingdom using two data products provided by the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain (OSGB): MasterMap and AddressBase. This is followed by a discussion of a new categorisation approach for housing form for urban energy assessment

Exploring the dynamics of compliance with community penalties

In this paper, we examine how compliance with community penalties has been theorized hitherto and seek to develop a new dynamic model of compliance with community penalties. This new model is developed by exploring some of the interfaces between existing criminological and socio-legal work on compliance. The first part of the paper examines the possible definitions and dimensions of compliance with community supervision. Secondly, we examine existing work on explanations of compliance with community penalties, supplementing this by drawing on recent socio-legal scholarship on private individuals’ compliance with tax regimes. In the third part of the paper, we propose a dynamic model of compliance, based on the integration of these two related analyses. Finally, we consider some of the implications of our model for policy and practice concerning community penalties, suggesting the need to move beyond approaches which, we argue, suffer from compliance myopia; that is, a short-sighted and narrowly focused view of the issues

1-Year outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement with balloon-expandable versus self-expandable valves

BACKGROUND The use of a balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve previously resulted in a greater rate of device success compared with a self-expandable transcatheter heart valve. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and echocardiographic outcome data at longer term follow-up. METHODS The investigator-initiated trial randomized 241 high-risk patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and anatomy suitable for treatment with both balloon- and self-expandable transcatheter heart valves to transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement with either device. Patients were followed-up for 1 year, with assessment of clinical outcomes and echocardiographic evaluation of valve function. RESULTS At 1 year, the rates of death of any cause (17.4% vs. 12.8%; relative risk [RR]: 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73 to 2.50; p ¼ 0.37) and of cardiovascular causes (12.4% vs. 9.4%; RR: 1.32; 95% CI: 0.63 to 2.75; p ¼ 0.54) were not statistically significantly different in the balloon- and self-expandable groups, respectively. The frequencies of all strokes (9.1% vs. 3.4%; RR: 2.66; 95% CI: 0.87 to 8.12; p ¼ 0.11) and repeat hospitalization for heart failure (7.4% vs. 12.8%; RR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.26 to 1.27; p ¼ 0.19) did not statistically significantly differ between the 2 groups. Elevated transvalvular gradients during follow-up were observed in 4 patients in the balloon-expandable group (3.4% vs. 0%; p ¼ 0.12); all were resolved with anticoagulant therapy, suggesting a thrombotic etiology. More than mild paravalvular regurgitation was more frequent in the self-expandable group (1.1% vs. 12.1%; p ¼ 0.005). CONCLUSIONS Despite the higher device success rate with the balloon-expandable valve, 1-year follow-up of patients in CHOICE (Randomized Comparison of Transcatheter Heart Valves in High Risk Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis: Medtronic CoreValve Versus Edwards SAPIEN XT Trial), with limited statistical power, revealed clinical outcomes after transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement with both balloon- and self-expandable prostheses that were not statistically significantly different. (A Comparison of Transcatheter Heart Valves in High Risk Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis: The CHOICE Trial; NCT01645202) (J Am Coll Cardiol 2015;66:791–800) © 2015 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation

Between Big City and Authentic Village: Branding the Small Chinese City

While recent academic research has already produced an impressive corpus on big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, the small Chinese city has been mostly ignored. In this article, I suggest that consideration of the small city can bring a new perspective on the wider urban fabric of which it is an element. Although small city governments have embraced urban entrepreneurialism with the same enthusiasm as China’s big cities, different configurations of space, branding and the everyday have nevertheless resulted. My case study of Kaili in Guizhou province indicates that the small city exists in a complex relationship with the big city and the village; it is pulled towards large-scale urbanization while simultaneously attempting to construct a unique city image based upon the evocation of rural cultural practices. The perspective from the small city thus suggests the need to consider the rural-urban divide – long a dominant geographical imagination of China – alongside other geographies, including a triad of the small city, the village and the big city