8,224 research outputs found
'I just want a job' : what do we really know about young people in jobs without training?
Over recent years, a central concern of policy has been to drive up post-16 participation rates in full-time education and address the needs of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). As a result, young people who enter work which is classified as 'without training' at 16/17 have largely been ignored. However, the decision to Raise the Participation Age (RPA) for continuing in learning for all 17-year olds from 2013 and for all 18-year olds from 2015 in England, together with a growing unease about the impact of the current recession on youth unemployment rates, have revived interest in the 'jobs without training' (JWT) group. This paper draws on the findings from two studies: first, a qualitative study in two contrasting local labour markets, of young people in JWT, together with their employers and parents; and second, an evaluation of the Learning Agreement Pilots (LAP), which was the first policy initiative in England targeted at the JWT group. Both studies reveal a dearth of understanding about early labour market entrants and a lack of policy intervention and infrastructure to support the needs of the JWT group throughout the UK. From this, it is concluded that questionable assumptions have been made about the composition and the aspirations of young people in JWT, and their employers, on the basis of little or no evidence. As a consequence, a policy 'quick fix' to satisfy the RPA agenda will not easily be achieved. If the decision to raise the participation age is adopted also by the Welsh and Scottish parliaments, similar challenges may have to be faced
A study of the social and physical environment in catering kitchens and the role of the chef in promoting positive health and safety behaviour
This is the account of a mixed method study of chefs and their kitchens in order to identify the nature of their workplace and how this affects their ability to manage health and safety in the kitchen. It included extended periods of observation, monitoring of physical parameters, analysis of records of reported accidents, and a series of reflexive interviews. The findings were integrated and then fed back in a smaller number of second interviews in order to test whether the findings fitted in with the chefs' understanding of their world. Major factors identified included survival in a market environment, the status of the chef (and the kitchen) within organisations, marked autocracy of chefs, and an increasing tempo building up to service time with commensurate heat, noise, and activity. In particular during the crescendo, a threshold shift in risk tolerance was identified. The factors, their interplay, and their implications for health and safety in the catering kitchen are discussed
Nebular spectroscopy of SN 2014J: Detection of stable nickel in near infrared spectra
We present near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy of the nearby supernova 2014J
obtained 450 d after explosion. We detect the [Ni II] 1.939 m line
in the spectra indicating the presence of stable Ni in the ejecta. The
stable nickel is not centrally concentrated but rather distributed as the iron.
The spectra are dominated by forbidden [Fe II] and [Co II] lines. We use lines,
in the NIR spectra, arising from the same upper energy levels to place
constraints on the extinction from host galaxy dust. We find that that our data
are in agreement with the high and low found in earlier studies
from data near maximum light. Using a Ni mass prior from near maximum
light -ray observations, we find 0.05 M of stable nickel
to be present in the ejecta. We find that the iron group features are
redshifted from the host galaxy rest frame by 600 km s.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to A&
A multi-wavelength investigation of the radio-loud supernova PTF11qcj and its circumstellar environment
We present the discovery, classification, and extensive panchromatic (from
radio to X-ray) follow-up observations of PTF11qcj, a supernova discovered by
the Palomar Transient Factory. PTF11qcj is located at a distance of dL ~ 124
Mpc. Our observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array show that this
event is radio-loud: PTF11qcj reached a radio peak luminosity comparable to
that of the famous gamma-ray-burst-associated supernova 1998bw (L_{5GHz} ~
10^{29} erg/s/Hz). PTF11qcj is also detected in X-rays with the Chandra
observatory, and in the infrared band with Spitzer. Our multi-wavelength
analysis probes the supernova interaction with circumstellar material. The
radio observations suggest a progenitor mass-loss rate of ~10^{-4} Msun/yr x
(v_w/1000 km/s), and a velocity of ~(0.3-0.5)c for the fastest moving ejecta
(at ~10d after explosion). However, these estimates are derived assuming the
simplest model of supernova ejecta interacting with a smooth circumstellar
material characterized by radial power-law density profile, and do not account
for possible inhomogeneities in the medium and asphericity of the explosion.
The radio light curve shows deviations from such a simple model, as well as a
re-brightening at late times. The X-ray flux from PTF11qcj is compatible with
the high-frequency extrapolation of the radio synchrotron emission (within the
large uncertainties). An IR light echo from pre-existing dust is in agreement
with our infrared data. Our analysis of pre-explosion data from the Palomar
Transient Factory suggests that a precursor eruption of absolute magnitude M_r
~ -13 mag may have occurred ~ 2.5 yr prior to the supernova explosion. Based on
our panchromatic follow-up campaign, we conclude that PTF11qcj fits the
expectations from the explosion of a Wolf-Rayet star. Precursor eruptions may
be a feature characterizing the final pre-explosion evolution of such stars.Comment: 43 pages, 15 figures; this version matches the one published in ApJ
(includes minor changes that address the Referee's comments.
Recommended from our members
Heat Pump Water Heater Technology Assessment Based on Laboratory Research and Energy Simulation Models: Preprint
This paper explores the laboratory performance of five integrated Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWHs) across a wide range of operating conditions representative of US climate regions. Laboratory results demonstrate the efficiency of this technology under most of the conditions tested and show that differences in control schemes and design features impact the performance of the individual units. These results were used to understand current model limitations, and then to bracket the energy savings potential for HPWH technology in various US climate regions. Simulation results show that HPWHs are expected to provide significant energy savings in many climate zones when compared to other types of water heaters (up to 64%, including impact on HVAC systems)
Observations of the GRB afterglow ATLAS17aeu and its possible association with GW170104
We report the discovery and multi-wavelength data analysis of the peculiar
optical transient, ATLAS17aeu. This transient was identified in the skymap of
the LIGO gravitational wave event GW170104 by our ATLAS and Pan-STARRS
coverage. ATLAS17aeu was discovered 23.1hrs after GW170104 and rapidly faded
over the next 3 nights, with a spectrum revealing a blue featureless continuum.
The transient was also detected as a fading x-ray source by Swift and in the
radio at 6 and 15 GHz. A gamma ray burst GRB170105A was detected by 3
satellites 19.04hrs after GW170104 and 4.10hrs before our first optical
detection. We analyse the multi-wavelength fluxes in the context of the known
GRB population and discuss the observed sky rates of GRBs and their afterglows.
We find it statistically likely that ATLAS17aeu is an afterglow associated with
GRB170105A, with a chance coincidence ruled out at the 99\% confidence or
2.6. A long, soft GRB within a redshift range of would be consistent with all the observed multi-wavelength data. The
Poisson probability of a chance occurrence of GW170104 and ATLAS17aeu is
. This is the probability of a chance coincidence in 2D sky location
and in time. These observations indicate that ATLAS17aeu is plausibly a normal
GRB afterglow at significantly higher redshift than the distance constraint for
GW170104 and therefore a chance coincidence. However if a redshift of the faint
host were to place it within the GW170104 distance range, then physical
association with GW170104 should be considered.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, accepted to Ap
Redetermination of chlorido(2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine-κ3 N,N′,N′′)gold(I) dichloride trihydrate at 173 K
The redetermined structure of the title compound, [AuCl(C15H11N3)]Cl2·3H2O, at 173 (2) K is reported. The structure displays O—H⋯Cl and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding. The distance of one of the chloride ions from the gold(I) atom [5.047 (1) Å] differs from that determined previously
Sustaining entrepreneurial business: a complexity perspective on processes that produce emergent practice
This article examines the management practices in an entrepreneurial small firm which sustain the business. Using a longitudinal qualitative case study, four general processes are identified (experimentation, reflexivity, organising and sensing), that together provide a mechanism to sustain the enterprise. The analysis draws on concepts from entrepreneurship and complexity science. We suggest that an entrepreneur’s awareness of the role of these parallel processes will facilitate their approaches to sustaining and developing enterprises. We also suggest that these processes operate in parallel at multiple levels, including the self, the business and inter-firm networks. This finding contributes to a general theory of entrepreneurship. A number of areas for further research are discussed arising from this result
Can biological quantum networks solve NP-hard problems?
There is a widespread view that the human brain is so complex that it cannot
be efficiently simulated by universal Turing machines. During the last decades
the question has therefore been raised whether we need to consider quantum
effects to explain the imagined cognitive power of a conscious mind.
This paper presents a personal view of several fields of philosophy and
computational neurobiology in an attempt to suggest a realistic picture of how
the brain might work as a basis for perception, consciousness and cognition.
The purpose is to be able to identify and evaluate instances where quantum
effects might play a significant role in cognitive processes.
Not surprisingly, the conclusion is that quantum-enhanced cognition and
intelligence are very unlikely to be found in biological brains. Quantum
effects may certainly influence the functionality of various components and
signalling pathways at the molecular level in the brain network, like ion
ports, synapses, sensors, and enzymes. This might evidently influence the
functionality of some nodes and perhaps even the overall intelligence of the
brain network, but hardly give it any dramatically enhanced functionality. So,
the conclusion is that biological quantum networks can only approximately solve
small instances of NP-hard problems.
On the other hand, artificial intelligence and machine learning implemented
in complex dynamical systems based on genuine quantum networks can certainly be
expected to show enhanced performance and quantum advantage compared with
classical networks. Nevertheless, even quantum networks can only be expected to
efficiently solve NP-hard problems approximately. In the end it is a question
of precision - Nature is approximate.Comment: 38 page
- …