Breathing life into the wooden model: a participant observation study of technical change

This thesis reports the results of fifteen m onths ofparticipant observation study of a major technological research and development project. The project, in the area of advanced factory automation, was part of the British government's Alvey Programme.The findings bear upon two main bodies of theorectical literature. The first is Marxist literature on technology, the state and the labour process. Participant observation study of this project reveals technological change to be a much more chaotic process than this literature assumes. The process, for example, is not guided by clear capitalist interests. The other body ofliterature is the 'actor-network' approach of Callon, Latour andLaw. In common with them, it is found that technological change is not merely a technical process - it is 'heterogeneous engineering' of both 'technical' and the 'social' simultaneously.However, the actor network theorists overstate the possibilities for this 'heterogeneous engineering'. It is neither as thoroughgoing or as successful as these writers might be read as asserting.A further conclusion is that the significance of gender for participant observation studies of science and technology has been underestim ated. In particular, the gender of the researcher appears to have an important bearing on the research process

Assessment as a Service Not a Place: Transitioning Assessment Centers to School-Based Identification Systems

The World Health Organization and World Bank (2011) estimate that there are more than 1 billion people with disabilities in the world. To address this population’s diverse needs, the United Nations drafted their Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006. Article 24 (Education) of the CRPD requires ratifying countries to develop an inclusive education system to address the educational needs of students with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities. Despite substantive improvements and movement toward inclusive education, many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to struggle with accurately identifying and supporting students with disabilities, including knowing how to effectively screen, evaluate, and qualify students for additional services (Hayes, Dombrowski, Shefcyk, & Bulat, 2018a). These challenges stem from the lack of policies, practices, and qualified staff related to screening and identification. As a result, many students with less-apparent disabilities—such as children with learning disabilities—remain unidentified and do not receive the academic supports they need to succeed in school (Friend & Bursuck, 2012). This guide attempts to address the lack of appropriate, useful disability screening and identification systems and services as countries look to educate all students in inclusive settings. Specifically, this guide introduces viable options for screening and identification related to vision, hearing, and learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms in LMICs. It also provides guidance on how LMICs can transition from an assessment-center model toward a school-based identification model that better serves an inclusive education system

Interview with Fae Hickman Brockett

An interview with Fae Brockett regarding her experiences in a one-room school house.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/ors/1183/thumbnail.jp

The Iowa Homemaker vol.1, no.11

Table of Contents Do They Practice What They Preach? by Helen Easter, page 1 The Well Dressed Woman Considers Art Principles by Anne Prang, page 2 Tell Me a Story Mother by Mildred Elder, page 3 The House That Was Built to Fit by Beth Crowley, page 4 A Few Fine Points in Meal Planning by Beth Bailey, page 5 Choosing the Right Picture for the Right Place by Joanna Hansen, page 6 Wherein Refinishing Makes Refurnishing Easy by Glenna Hesse, page 7 What Kind of Kitchen Surfaces Have You? By Glenna Hesse, page 1

The Iowa Homemaker vol.35, no.9

Rainwear Trends, Betty Gregory, page 2 Turntable Potters-Wheel, Donna Schneider, page 7 Veishea has Changed, Martha Elder, page 8 Picnic, Marilyn Ogland, page 10 Destination - Europe, Jane Takehara, page 12 It’s Spring! Spots Must Go, page 13 “I Like Black In My Dorm Room”, Anne Parks, page 1

Association between aortic calcification, cardiovascular events, and mortality in kidney and pancreas-kidney transplant recipients

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of death in kidney and simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant recipients. Assessing abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), using lateral spine x-rays and the Kaupilla 24-point AAC (0-24) score, may identify transplant recipients at higher CV risk. METHODS: Between the years 2000 and 2015, 413 kidney and 213 SPK first transplant recipients were scored for AAC at time of transplant and then followed for CV events (coronary heart, cerebrovascular, or peripheral vascular disease), graft-loss, and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: The mean age was 44 ± 12 years (SD) with 275 (44%) having AAC (26% moderate: 1-7 and 18% high: ≥8). After a median of 65 months (IQR 29-107 months), 46 recipients experienced CV events, 59 died, and 80 suffered graft loss. For each point increase in AAC, the unadjusted hazard ratios (HR) for CV events and mortality were 1.11 (95% CI 1.07-1.15) and 1.11 (1.08-1.15). These were similar after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, transplant type, dialysis vintage, and diabetes: aHR 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.12) and 1.09 (1.04-1.13). For recipients with high versus no AAC, the unadjusted and fully-adjusted HRs for CV events were 5.90 (2.90-12.02) and 3.51 (1.54-8.00), for deaths 5.39 (3.00-9.68) and 3.38 (1.71-6.70), and for graft loss 1.30 (0.75-2.28) and 1.94 (1.04-3.27) in age and smoking history-adjusted analyses. CONCLUSION: Kidney and SPK transplant recipients with high AAC have 3-fold higher CV and mortality risk and poorer graft outcomes than recipients without AAC. AAC scoring may be useful in assessing and targeted risk-lowering strategies

Ethical implications of digital communication for the patient-clinician relationship : analysis of interviews with clinicians and young adults with long term conditions (the LYNC study)

Background: Digital communication between a patient and their clinician offers the potential for improved patient care, particularly for young people with long term conditions who are at risk of service disengagement. However, its use raises a number of ethical questions which have not been explored in empirical studies. The objective of this study was to examine, from the patient and clinician perspective, the ethical implications of the use of digital clinical communication in the context of young people living with long-term conditions. Methods: A total of 129 semi-structured interviews, 59 with young people and 70 with healthcare professionals, from 20 United Kingdom (UK)-based specialist clinics were conducted as part of the LYNC study. Transcripts from five sites (cancer, liver, renal, cystic fibrosis and mental health) were read by a core team to identify explicit and implicit ethical issues and develop descriptive ethical codes. Our subsequent thematic analysis was developed iteratively with reference to professional and ethical norms. Results: Clinician participants saw digital clinical communication as potentially increasing patient empowerment and autonomy; improving trust between patient and healthcare professional; and reducing harm because of rapid access to clinical advice. However, they also described ethical challenges, including: difficulty with defining and maintaining boundaries of confidentiality; uncertainty regarding the level of consent required; and blurring of the limits of a clinician’s duty of care when unlimited access is possible. Paradoxically, the use of digital clinical communication can create dependence rather than promote autonomy in some patients. Patient participants varied in their understanding of, and concern about, confidentiality in the context of digital communication. An overarching theme emerging from the data was a shifting of the boundaries of the patient-clinician relationship and the professional duty of care in the context of use of clinical digital communication. Conclusions: The ethical implications of clinical digital communication are complex and go beyond concerns about confidentiality and consent. Any development of this form of communication should consider its impact on the patient-clinician-relationship, and include appropriate safeguards to ensure that professional ethical obligations are adhered to

The Iowa Homemaker vol.36, no.14

Here’s to Your Job!, Marcia Wilsie, page 4 Journalism is for You, Ann Baur, page 6 Contest, Betty Gregory, page 7 “Little World of Spices”, Pat McBride, page 8 Miss Bernice Burns, Jan Anderson, page 10 Promise, Martha Elder, page 11 Choose Wisely, Cutlery, Anne Beem, page 12 Clara Inkumsah from West Africa, Margot Copeland, page 13 Good Design doesn’t have to be Expensive, Mary Vandecar, page 1