S.O.S. for COVID-19 (Subjective and Objective Screening): Are Asymptomatic Cases Truly Without Warning Signs?

This study investigates the usefulness of five objective signs, evaluates relationships between objective signs with symptoms of COVID-19, and assesses the accuracy of ambient forehead temperature with tympanic temperature. Data were collected at Wayne State University. Blood oxygen levels and blood pressure were measured via pulse oximeters and blood pressure cuff. Body temperature was measured with a thermometer via the temple and the forehead. Smell was tested with two scented markers. None of the 29 participants confirmed a positive COVID-19 test. Therefore, only relationships between vital sign measurements were reported. No significant correlations were revealed upon analysis. Infrared and temporal temperatures were not correlated (p=-0.252; r=0.2196). A slight correlation between the fall and winter cohort was found for heart rate (p=0.51). Three participants had an O2 saturation reading ≤ 90%, without any symptoms. Non-significant trends for three participants with low O2 saturation levels to have higher heart rate (94±25bpm vs. 79±14bpm; p=0.11) and lower systolic blood pressure (111±21 vs. 120±12mmHg; p=0.27) compared to those with O2 readings \u3e90%. Infrared thermometers are inaccurate ≥99.5ºF; thus, they are ineffective in screening for fever associated with COVID-19. Blood pressure is ineffective for screening due to a lack of research on how COVID-19 affects blood pressure. How COVID-19 affects the heart is unknown; thus, heart rate could not be evaluated. Participants with low oxygen saturation tended to have lower systolic blood pressures and higher heart rates, indicating physiological disruptions. Finally, smell may be reliable for screening due to the high prevalence of anosmia

Rape Card

Rape Card is a fifteen-minute narrative film that attempts to explore the terrifying rise of apathetic attitudes towards sexual assault that are plaguing societies and being perpetuated through the entertainment industry all over the world

Urban water management: optimal price and investment policy under uncertainty

Australian urban water utilities face a significant challenge in designing appropriate demand management and supply augmentation policies in the presence of increasing water scarcity and uncertainty over future dam inflows. This paper considers the design of optimal demand management and supply augmentation policies for urban water. In particular, scarcity pricing is considered as a potential alternative to the predominant demand management policy of water restrictions. A stochastic dynamic programming model of an urban water market is developed based on data from the Australian Capital Territory. The model involves an explicit consideration of uncertainty via a probability distribution over dam inflows. Given a specification of the demand and supply for urban water, state dependent optimal price and investment policies are estimated. The results illustrate how the optimal urban water price varies inversely with the prevailing storage level and how the optimal timing of investment differs significantly between rain dependent and rain independent augmentation options.Public Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,

Applying activity theory to the study of new public management: an exploration of the local implementation of Bail Support and Supervision

This thesis draws upon three years spent evaluating the implementation of a Bail Support and Supervision Scheme in one local authority. It describes the development of the scheme within the locality, exploring its relation to the Youth Offending Team and youth court, and their associated liaison groups. In doing so I offer an exploration of theoretical considerations that explain how managerialist policies are translated into localised practice, from which a means to learn from and develop such policy will emerge. I develop a particular strand of activity theory, primarily from within the tradition established by Yrjö Engeström, and demonstrate its usefulness to the examination and understanding of nationally determined yet locally implemented social policies. Using the notions of object trajectory and expansive transformation, I show how local context has impacted upon the idealised object formation arising out of the managerialist policy aims. By exploring activity in the boundary zones between activity systems, I describe a series of material or transitory objects emerging in order to overcome the tensions and contradictions inherent in situated practice, culminating in a reinterpretation of the purpose of the scheme. I conclude by addressing the extent to which local context has altered the intent of the policy in implementation

The radial evolution of solar wind speeds

The WSA-ENLIL model predicts significant evolution of the solar wind speed. Along a flux tube the solar wind speed at 1.0 AU and beyond is found to be significantly altered from the solar wind speed in the outer corona at 0.1 AU, with most of the change occurring within a few tenths of an AU from the Sun. The evolution of the solar wind speed is most pronounced during solar minimum for solar wind with observed speeds at 1.0 AU between 400 and 500 km/s, while the fastest and slowest solar wind experiences little acceleration or deceleration. Solar wind ionic charge state observations made near 1.0 AU during solar minimum are found to be consistent with a large fraction of the intermediate-speed solar wind having been accelerated or decelerated from slower or faster speeds. This paper sets the groundwork for understanding the evolution of wind speed with distance, which is critical for interpreting the solar wind composition observations near Earth and throughout the inner heliosphere. We show from composition observations that the intermediate-speed solar wind (400-500 km/s) represents a mix of what was originally fast and slow solar wind, which implies a more bimodal solar wind in the corona than observed at 1.0 AU

Role of coronal mass ejections in the heliospheric Hale cycle

[1] The 11-year solar cycle variation in the heliospheric magnetic field strength can be explained by the temporary buildup of closed flux released by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). If this explanation is correct, and the total open magnetic flux is conserved, then the interplanetary-CME closed flux must eventually open via reconnection with open flux close to the Sun. In this case each CME will move the reconnected open flux by at least the CME footpoint separation distance. Since the polarity of CME footpoints tends to follow a pattern similar to the Hale cycle of sunspot polarity, repeated CME eruption and subsequent reconnection will naturally result in latitudinal transport of open solar flux. We demonstrate how this process can reverse the coronal and heliospheric fields, and we calculate that the amount of flux involved is sufficient to accomplish the reversal within the 11 years of the solar cycle

Developing the Writing Skills of Social Work Students: Connecting Academic and Professional Expertise

Undergraduate social work education in England requires the completion of the necessary academic credits for an honours degree, alongside the demonstration of the necessary standards and competencies associated with a professional award. This requires a challenging and diverse programme of study. However, the skills necessary for successful academic enquiry complement those required for effective practice. In particular, academic writing skills support effective professional communication and research skills allow for evidence-based practice. This paper describes the development of academic skills within a new undergraduate social work programme at a UK university, designed to meet the needs of a diverse and atypical student cohort. Having recognised the flaws in the early delivery of the programme, a revised curriculum has placed the development of academic research and writing skills at its core

Running to Stand Still: Challenges Economists Face with Imperfect Data

Some suggest that land application of phosphorus rich poultry litter has negatively affected area waters' recreational value. However, key data are unavailable to conduct thorough economic analysis to aid in policy development. This paper examines the challenges associated with using limited economic analyses to construct policy to address this situation.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Applying activity theory to the study of new public management : an exploration of the local implementation of Bail Support and Supervision

This thesis draws upon three years spent evaluating the implementation of a Bail Support and Supervision Scheme in one local authority. It describes the development of the scheme within the locality, exploring its relation to the Youth Offending Team and youth court, and their associated liaison groups. In doing so I offer an exploration of theoretical considerations that explain how managerialist policies are translated into localised practice, from which a means to learn from and develop such policy will emerge. I develop a particular strand of activity theory, primarily from within the tradition established by Yrjö Engeström, and demonstrate its usefulness to the examination and understanding of nationally determined yet locally implemented social policies. Using the notions of object trajectory and expansive transformation, I show how local context has impacted upon the idealised object formation arising out of the managerialist policy aims. By exploring activity in the boundary zones between activity systems, I describe a series of material or transitory objects emerging in order to overcome the tensions and contradictions inherent in situated practice, culminating in a reinterpretation of the purpose of the scheme. I conclude by addressing the extent to which local context has altered the intent of the policy in implementation.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceCoventry Youth Offending Team (CYOT)GBUnited Kingdo