Community Instruction and Vocational Learning

This meta-synthesis on community-based instruction and vocational learning in special education explores the training and skills individuals with disabilities require need to survive and thrive in employment and post-school activities designed to improve self-reliance, personal responsibility, and increase exposure to the community and all of the activities and opportunities that exist there. Substantial barriers must be addressed for all individuals with disabilities, but particularly for those individuals with moderate to more severe disabilities. Through proper trainings, and the utilization of the necessary tools and equipment, individuals with disabilities will continue to increasingly transition into meaningful employment and community-based programs intended to build self-sufficiency

Film forming and friction properties of single phase and two phase lubricants in high-speed rolling/sliding contact

Single-phase (neat oil) and two-phase (oil-in-water emulsions) lubricants are widely used in metal forming processes, where speeds as high as 20 m s-1 are reached. Most of the previous work done on both neat oil and on oil-in-water emulsions has focused on low speed behaviour (below 5 m s-1) and, as a result, the low speed behaviour of oil-in-water emulsions is well understood. Under these conditions, the lubricating oil film is composed predominantly of oil and the thickness of the film is similar to that for neat oil. However, the behaviour at high speed is entirely different. No experimental film thickness and friction results at speeds above 5 m s-1 are available for neat oil and only one study (Zhu et al., 1994) has reported the film thickness behaviour of oil-in- water emulsions above this speed whereas no friction measurements at speeds above 3.5 m s-1 have been carried out using oil-in-water emulsions. Consequently, to date, the behaviour of neat oil and the relation of emulsion composition to film forming ability at high rolling speeds could not be described. This project is aimed at investigating the mechanism of film formation and the film forming and friction properties of single-phase and two-phase lubricants in high speed rolling/sliding contacts. An EHD test rig was modified to measure film thickness and friction of oil-inwater emulsions in very high speed, rolling/sliding conditions (up to a mean rolling speed of 20 m s-1). Ultrathin film interferometry was used to investigate film thickness while infrared temperature mapping of the contact was used to obtain maps showing the rate of heat input into the surface, from which shear stresses and friction could be calculated. Light induced fluorescence was also employed using a water-soluble and an oil-soluble dye to allow visualization of the contact (at low speeds) and help in investigating the composition of the entrained lubricant at these high speeds. Results showed that, for neat oils, the major factor affecting the film formed at high speed is shear heating. For dilute emulsions at the highest speeds, the film thickness and friction are close to those obtained with pure water. More concentrated emulsions give slightly higher film thicknesses. A comparison of the results with earlier theoretical predictions was carried out. Together with the fluorescence results, this suggested that high speed leads to the entrainment of a micro-emulsion

Boiler for generating high quality vapor Patent

Vapor generating boiler system for turbine moto

Function and dysfunction of fatty acid mobilization: a review

Western populations have a growing obesity epidemic due in part to excessive nutrient intake from high-fat diets, which are increasingly common. Overindulgence of nutrients is associated with a greater incidence of metabolic dysfunction and a greater risk for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other metabolic disorders that lower quality of life. Research in humans and animal models has improved our understanding of how excess circulating free fatty acids negatively impact the ability of muscle and other tissues to regulate nutrient uptake and utilization. It is generally accepted by the scientific community that excess circulating fatty acids lead to insulin resistance, but there is little clarity regarding the underlying mechanisms. In the present review, we will outline the current understanding of the characteristics associated with fatty acid mobilization and fatty acid utilization within specific tissues. We will also discuss the potential mechanistic role of hyperlipidemia on metabolic dysfunction associated with type 2 diabetes

Automated Annotation-Based Bio-Ontology Alignment with Structural Validation

We outline the structure of an automated process to both align multiple bio-ontologies in terms of their genomic co-annotations, and then to measure the structural quality of that alignment. We illustrate the method with a genomic analysis of 70 genes implicated in lung disease against the Gene Ontology

Explaining Differences in Unemployment Rates across Iowa Counties in the Early Stages of the Great Recession

Iowa fared better than most other states in the recent recession. Yet within Iowa, there was considerable variation in how each county performed. I use a regression model to investigate the reasons for the differences. Counties that did better than average tended to have larger farm, retail trade, and real estate sectors; they also had larger percentages of both 15 to 19 year olds and Social Security recipients. Counties that fared worse than average typically relied more heavily on government employment

SHARMED training: design and practice

One of the objectives of the SHARMED project was the development of a comprehensive training programme to support the use of facilitation in educational settings. In this chapter we explain the methodological foundations that underpin SHARMED training and describe the range of training resources developed from the evidence provided by the research activities in the classrooms. The SHARMED training model was designed to promote the understanding and use of facilitation as an active form of dialogic pedagogy-promoting capability to support children’s participation. More specifically, to support the status of children as authors of narratives based on personal or cultural memories and as legitimized sources of knowledge. Crucially, this chapter illustrates how the SHARMED training model is a training programme for and with participants in all of its phases, framed around a continuous process of self-evaluation and self-reflection. By enabling continuous evaluation SHARMED training encourages teachers and practitioners to challenge themselves through reflection and experimentation. This model of training uses a practice-based format, not least because if traditional teaching practice is to be enhanced by the practice of facilitation, then training should provoke change that is understood and owned by those seeking to make that change