A Pedagogy of Hope: Levers of Change in Transformative Place-based Learning Systems

In response to mounting wicked environmental problems and an outdated U.S. educational system, this dissertation investigates transformative place-based education as an adaptive boundary system that connects individual learning to positive social-ecological change. The research approaches learning through a systems lens through a novel framework of Social-ecological Systems, Place-based Education, and Transformative Learning Theories. A three-part mixed methods approach, including content analysis of the literature, phenomenological interviews with experts in place-based education, and fuzzy-logic cognitive mapping with educators at three schools practicing the principles of place-based education, is used to examine transformative place-based education from the perspectives of current U.S. place-based educators. Twenty-four components of a transformative place-based learning system are identified in the research and used in constructing fuzzy-logic cognitive maps. Four essential themes emerge from the data that are discussed as levers that link individual learning to positive social-ecological change: active engagement, context and connection to place, collaborative real-world problem solving, and courageous leadership. The research indicates that most central to transformative place-based learning experiences is real-world problem solving. The causal relationships between real-world problem solving and almost every other learning system component, including agency, change, and place, creates the strongest link in this study between individual learning and positive social-ecological change

Optimized Effective Potentials in Finite Basis Sets

The finite basis optimized effective potential (OEP) method within density functional theory is examined as an ill-posed problem. It is shown that the generation of nonphysical potentials is a controllable manifestation of the use of unbalanced, and thus unsuitable, basis sets. A modified functional incorporating a regularizing smoothness measure of the OEP is introduced. This provides a condition on balanced basis sets for the potential, as well as a method to determine the most appropriate OEP potential and energy from calculations performed with any finite basis set.Comment: 23 pages, 28 figure

Aftershock Accelerograms Recorded on a Temporary Array

We recovered 52 timed analog accelerograms from 25 aftershocks of the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake, between 3:33p.m. P.d.t. October 16 and 5:43 a.m. October 31. The largest aftershock that we recorded (M_L =4.9) occurred at 4:16p.m. October 16. This aftershock triggered eight accelerographs; preliminary estimates of epicentral distance range from 7 to 35 km. The data from this aftershock may be useful for study of both source and wave-propagation phenomena in the Imperial Valley

'Continuity of care': a critical interpretive synthesis of how the concept was elaborated by a national research programme.

This is the final version of the article. Available from Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals via the link in this record.INTRODUCTION: A Continuity of Care Research Programme was undertaken in England in 2000-9. The Programme was informed by a conceptual framework proposed by Freeman and colleagues in an earlier scoping study. At the end of the Programme, a conceptual synthesis was carried out in order to confirm or refine the 'Freeman model' of continuity of care. METHODS: A conceptual synthesis of the outputs of the Programme, using Critical Interpretive Synthesis. RESULTS: The conceptual framework underpinning the Freeman model of continuity of care, which prioritises the perspectives of service users and carers, was variously utilised in the Programme. Analysis revealed indications of an emerging shift from the patient and carer 'perspectivist' paradigm of the Freeman model towards a new 'partnership' paradigm where continuity is recognised to be co-constructed by patients, families and professionals, all of whom have an active part to play in its accomplishment. CONCLUSIONS: The projects in the Programme have advanced understanding of patients' perspectives on continuity of care and on the complex nature of this concept. At the same time, they have raised issues and reported findings which may be indicative of an emergent paradigm shift in this area of research, towards a more dynamic partnership model.This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Service Delivery and Organisation Programme (project number 08/1813/248). We thank researchers from the original projects, our project advisor, Mrs Marilyn Ekers, and the anonymous referees of the final report, and the anonymous reviewers of this paper, for their help and suggestions. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NIHR SDO programme or the Department of Healt

The Downstream Consequences of Misdemeanor Pretrial Detention

In misdemeanor cases, pretrial detention poses a particular problem because it may induce innocent defendants to plead guilty in order to exit jail, potentially creating widespread error in case adjudication. While practitioners have long recognized this possibility, empirical evidence on the downstream impacts of pretrial detention on misdemeanor defendants and their cases remains limited. This Article uses detailed data on hundreds of thousands of misdemeanor cases resolved in Harris County, Texas—the thirdlargest county in the United States—to measure the effects of pretrial detention on case outcomes and future crime. We find that detained defendants are 25% more likely than similarly situated releasees to plead guilty, are 43% more likely to be sentenced to jail, and receive jail sentences that are more than twice as long on average. Furthermore, those detained pretrial are more likely to commit future crimes, which suggests that detention may have a criminogenic effect. These differences persist even after fully controlling for the initial bail amount, offense, demographic information, and criminal history characteristics. Use of more limited sets of controls, as in prior research, overstates the adverse impacts of detention. A quasi-experimental analysis based on case timing confirms that these differences likely reflect the causal effect of detention. These results raise important constitutional questions and suggest that Harris County could save millions of dollars per year, increase public safety, and reduce wrongful convictions with better pretrial release polic

Ground failure along the New River caused by the October 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake sequence

We recognized a number of ground failures along the south bank of the New River north of Brawley, California, following the 15 October 1979 Imperial Valley, California, earthquake sequence. The zone includes a large pond and numerous sand boils, apparently caused by liquefaction, near the Del Rio Country Club. These ground failures, together with failures at the New River bridge west of Brawley and at Wiest Lake, form a discontinuous zone 10 km long. While this zone appears to coincide with the aftershocks following the 16 October 1979, M_L 5.8, Brawley earthquake (the largest aftershock of the Imperial Valley earthquake), a cause and effect relationship cannot be demonstrated. No evidence of tectonic surface faulting could be found

Back to the tubule: microtubule dynamics in Parkinson's disease

Cytoskeletal homeostasis is essential for the development, survival and maintenance of an efficient nervous system. Microtubules are highly dynamic polymers important for neuronal growth, morphology, migration and polarity. In cooperation with several classes of binding proteins, microtubules regulate long-distance intracellular cargo trafficking along axons and dendrites. The importance of a delicate interplay between cytoskeletal components is reflected in several human neurodegenerative disorders linked to abnormal microtubule dynamics, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Mounting evidence now suggests PD pathogenesis might be underlined by early cytoskeletal dysfunction. Advances in genetics have identified PD-associated mutations and variants in genes encoding various proteins affecting microtubule function including the microtubule-associated protein tau. In this review, we highlight the role of microtubules, their major posttranslational modifications and microtubule associated proteins in neuronal function. We then present key evidence on the contribution of microtubule dysfunction to PD. Finally, we discuss how regulation of microtubule dynamics with microtubule-targeting agents and deacetylase inhibitors represents a promising strategy for innovative therapeutic development