The interpretive approach to religious education : challenging Thompson's interpretation

In a recent book chapter, Matthew Thompson makes some criticisms of my work, including the interpretive approach to religious education and the research and activity of Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit. Against the background of a discussion of religious education in the public sphere, my response challenges Thompson’s account, commenting on his own position in relation to dialogical approaches to religious education. The article rehearses my long held view that the ideal form of religious education in fully state funded schools of a liberal democracy should be ‘secular’ but not ‘secularist’; there should be no implication of an axiomatic secular humanist interpretation of religions

Drilled Pier Load Test, Fort Collins, Colorado

A full-scale compressive load test was conducted on a drilled pier in the Pierre Shale Formation near Fort Collins, Colorado, to verify design parameters. The test pier was designed based on presumptive design criteria for both end-bearing and skin friction in the shale. The maximum test load of 6.7 MN (750 tons) resulted in a deflection of approximately 230 mm (9.0 in.). Instrumentation within the pier allowed determination of the actual end-bearing and skin friction values at various applied loads. Based on results of the test, production piers were redesigned for skin friction only and shear rings were added to enhance shaft resistance

Quantum-enhanced atomic gyroscope with tunable precision

We model a gyroscope that exploits quantum effects in an atomic Bose–Einstein condensate to gain a tunable enhancement in precision. Current inertial navigation systems rely on the Sagnac effect using unentangled photons in fibre-optic systems and there are proposals for improving how the precision scales with the number of particles by using entanglement. Here we exploit a different route based on sharp resonances associated with quantum phase transitions. By adjusting the interaction between the particles and/or the shape of their trapping potential we are able to tune the width of the resonance and hence the precision of the measurement. Here we show how we can use this method to increase the overall sensitivity of a gyroscope by adjusting the system parameters as the measurement proceeds and our knowledge of the rotation improves. We illustrate this with an example where the precision is enhanced by a factor of more than 20 over the case without tuning, after 100 repetitions. Metrology schemes with tunable precision based on quantum phase transitions could offer an important complementary method to other quantum-enhanced measurement and sensing schemes

Estuary environmental flows assessment methodology : final specification report

This report provides a consistent and systematic approach to the determination of environmental water requirements for estuaries in Victoria.Victoria&rsquo;s limited water resources are subject to competing demands. These demands, including town water supplies and irrigation requirements, often deplete the flow entering estuaries and put their environmental values at risk.The Estuary Environmental Flows Assessment Methodology (EEFAM) is a standard methodology which can be applied in a consistent manner across all Victorian estuaries, according to their priority. It is not anticipated that this method would be used for the Gippsland Lakes or Port Phillip or Western Port Bay.<br /

Practical quantum metrology with large precision gains in the low photon number regime

Quantum metrology exploits quantum correlations to make precise measurements with limited particle numbers. By utilizing inter- and intra- mode correlations in an optical interferometer, we find a state that combines entanglement and squeezing to give a 7-fold enhancement in the quantum Fisher information (QFI) - a metric related to the precision - over the shot noise limit, for low photon numbers. Motivated by practicality we then look at the squeezed cat-state, which has recently been made experimentally, and shows further precision gains over the shot noise limit and a 3-fold improvement in the QFI over the optimal Gaussian state. We present a conceptually simple measurement scheme that saturates the QFI, and we demonstrate a robustness to loss for small photon numbers. The squeezed cat-state can therefore give a significant precision enhancement in optical quantum metrology in practical and realistic conditions

Estuary environmental flows assessment methodology for Victoria

This report sets out a method to determine the environmental water requirements of estuaries in Victoria. The estuary environmental flows assessment method (EEFAM) is a standard methodology which can be applied consistently across Victorian estuaries.The primary objective of EEFAM is to define a flow regime to maintain or enhance the ecological health of an estuary. The method is used to inform Victorian water resource planning processes.The output of EEFAM is a recommended flow regime for estuaries. This recommendation is developed from the known dependence of the estuary&rsquo;s flora, fauna, biogeochemical and geomorphological features on the flow regime. EEFAM is an evidence-based methodology. This bottom-up or &lsquo;building block&rsquo; approach conforms to the asset-based approach of the Victorian River Health Strategy and regional river health strategies.EEFAM is based on and expands on FLOWS, the Victorian method for determining environmental water requirements in rivers. The list of tasks has been modified and re-ordered in EEFAM to reflect environmental and management issues specific to estuaries. EEFAM and FLOWS can be appliedsimultaneously to a river and its estuary as part of a whole-of-system approach to environmental flow requirements. Like the FLOWS method, EEFAM is modular, and additional components can be readily incorporated

Prognostic utility of magnetic resonance imaging in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: substudy of a randomized trial

Objective: To investigate the effects of hypothermia treatment on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns of brain injury in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy compared with normothermia, including the prognostic utility of MRI for death and/or disability at a postnatal age of 2 years

Religious education for spiritual bricoleurs? the perceptions of students in ten Christian-ethos secondary schools in England and Wales

Religious Education (RE) in England and Wales functions within a post-secular culture. In the last fifty years, approaches characterised by academic rigour, impartiality, and professionalism have been prioritised. In this post-secular culture, the notion of bricolage aptly describes how some young people seek meaning, explore the spiritual dimension of life, with fragmented understandings of, experiences and encounters with the religious traditions. This paper draws on data from an empirical research project involving 350 students, to explore why students in ten Christian-ethos secondary schools in England and Wales recognised Religious Education (RE) as a significant contributor to their spiritual development. The analysis is illuminated by employing Roebben's (2009) concept of a narthical learning space (NLS) as the lens with which to examine young people’s experiences. Three aspects of RE are explored: the debating of existential questions; opportunities to theologise and reflect; and encounters with the beliefs, practices, and opinions of others. This article argues that the concept of RE as a narthical learning space alongside the notion of young people as spiritual bricoleurs illuminates how the students in this study interpret the contribution of RE to their spiritual development