FE and skills – is the ‘UK laboratory’ open for expansive policy learning?

This article builds on the previous articles in this special issue to explore two related concepts – a ‘UK policy laboratory’ and ‘expansive policy learning’, with a specific focus on further education (FE) and skills. We argue that the potential for a UK policy laboratory in this area is based primarily on a new balance between the forces of convergence and divergence across the four countries of the UK. In this ‘goldilocks zone’ lie opportunities for policy learning. The methodology of the UK FE and Skills Inquiry, on which this article draws, attempted to model the conditions of the UK policy laboratory by involving a rich mix of social partners and highlighting the importance of national contexts and how these can inform differing approaches to common challenges. The Inquiry also identified ‘interesting practice’ that may form the basis of an initial ‘common project’ across the different systems. However, its pursuit will require shifts towards the more collaborative approach to FE and skills that characterises the three smaller countries of the UK. In this variegated political environment, we conclude by speculating on the wider conditions for the permanent development of a UK policy laboratory (or laboratories) and expansive forms of policy learning

FE and Skills across the four countries of the UK:New opportunities for policy learning

This report showcases research across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland concerning national specificities and shared problems and challenges. It concludes that in the area of further education and skills there is greater opportunities for policy learning involving these countries than in general education in which there are deep divisions between the three smaller countries and England

Photon-noise limited sensitivity in titanium nitride kinetic inductance detectors

We demonstrate photon-noise limited performance at sub-millimeter wavelengths in feedhorn-coupled, microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) made of a TiN/Ti/TiN trilayer superconducting film, tuned to have a transition temperature of 1.4~K. Micro-machining of the silicon-on-insulator wafer backside creates a quarter-wavelength backshort optimized for efficient coupling at 250~\micron. Using frequency read out and when viewing a variable temperature blackbody source, we measure device noise consistent with photon noise when the incident optical power is $>$~0.5~pW, corresponding to noise equivalent powers $>$~3$\times 10^{-17}$ W/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$. This sensitivity makes these devices suitable for broadband photometric applications at these wavelengths

Advanced Paramedic Delivered Finger Thoracostomy

Introduction & AimsTension pneumothorax is a potentially fatal but reversible injury encountered in major trauma and traumatic cardiac arrest. Needle decompression has been the standard treatment approach pre hospital in Ireland and internationally. However, concerns exist regarding the effectiveness of this approach due to anatomy and body habitus. We aim to describe the training, introduction and experience of finger thoracostomy by advanced paramedics within a pre hospital service in Ireland.MethodsFinger thoracostomy has been advocated as an alternative pre hospital treatment which is both diagnostic and therapeutic. Paramedic delivered thoracostomy is commonplace in pre hospital critical care services internationally. The MCI Medical Team (as part of Motorsport Rescue Services) is a PHECC-registered multidisciplinary team which provides medical cover at motorcycle road racing events in Ireland. The MCI Medical Team has significant experience of major trauma and routinely performs pre hospital anaesthesia for trauma patients. We introduced a training module on finger thoracostomy, comprising: theory, practical instruction and assessment for advanced paramedic members of the team.Results & ConclusionsAdvanced paramedic members of the team we trained to deliver finger thoracostomy in predefined circumstances when operating as part of the MCI medical team. To date, advanced paramedic delivered finger thoracostomy has been utilised on three occasions. Introduction of advanced paramedic delivered thoracostomy is a feasible and effective technique for the treatment of tension pneumothorax within a closely governed system

A Catalog of Chandra X-ray Sources in the Carina Nebula

We present a catalog of ~14,000 X-ray sources observed by the ACIS instrument on the Chandra X-ray Observatory within a 1.42 square degree survey of the Great Nebula in Carina, known as the Chandra Carina Complex Project (CCCP). This study appears in a Special Issue of the ApJS devoted to the CCCP. Here, we describe the data reduction and analysis procedures performed on the X-ray observations, including calibration and cleaning of the X-ray event data, point source detection, and source extraction. The catalog appears to be complete across most of the field to an absorption-corrected total-band luminosity of ~10^{30.7} erg/s for a typical low-mass pre-main sequence star. Counterparts to the X-ray sources are identified in a variety of visual, near-infrared, and mid-infrared surveys. The X-ray and infrared source properties presented here form the basis of many CCCP studies of the young stellar populations in Carina.Comment: Accepted for the ApJS Special Issue on the Chandra Carina Complex Project (CCCP), scheduled for publication in May 2011. All 16 CCCP Special Issue papers are available at http://cochise.astro.psu.edu/Carina_public/special_issue.html through 2011 at least. 29 pages, 11 figure