Reinventing Alternative Education: An Assessment of Current State Policy and How to Improve It

This report identifies seven model policy elements that states should incorporate in order to develop and improve alternative pathways for struggling students and former dropouts. Jobs for the Future performed this comprehensive 50-state policy scan to assess the extent to which state policy aligns with these model elements

Identification of the temperature dependent relation between thermo-optical properties and morphology of semi-crystalline thermoplastics for thermoforming process

International audienceHeating stage of the thermoforming of thermoplastics are critical as it has great effect on their formability under forming and therefore product quality. As radiation heat transfer is widely used for the heating of thermoplastic preforms, physical background of the radiation heating of bulk thermoplastic polymers has to be understood well for an accurate prediction on their temperature profile. In the past, many numerical approaches were developed based on thermo-optical characteristics of thermoplastics whereas little attention was given to the relation between their microstructure and thermo-optical parameters. Considering semi-crystalline thermoplastics the effect of microcrystalline structure is key to identify the thermo-optical properties and develop an accurate numerical radiative heat transfer model for optimization of thermoforming process. Previous studies in literature showed that there is a strong coupling between microstructure of semi-crystalline thermoplastics and their thermo-optical properties in the near-infrared spectral region. In the present work, the relation between thermo-optical characteristics and microstructure of polyolefin-based (PO) polymer was studied considering the change in its morphology at various temperatures. The optical characteristics of the PO were experimentally analyzed under heating conditions using an in-house developed device that is built using a Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, integrating sphere and heating plate. Thanks to the analyses, the changes in the thermo-optical properties of the PO were correlated to its varying morphology under increasing temperature. As semi-crystalline thermoplastics are heated up to melting temperature to soften enough for successful forming process, their microcrystalline structure may show variation above glass transition temperature and this temperature-dependent relation cannot be neglected for building an accurate numerical model for infrared heating assisted thermoforming

Accounting for dependencies in regionalized signatures for predictions in ungauged catchments

A recurrent problem in hydrology is the absenceof streamflow data to calibrate rainfall–runoff models.A commonly used approach in such circumstances conditionsmodel parameters on regionalized response signatures.While several different signatures are often available to beincluded in this process, an outstanding challenge is the selectionof signatures that provide useful and complementaryinformation. Different signatures do not necessarily provideindependent information and this has led to signatures beingomitted or included on a subjective basis. This paperpresents a method that accounts for the inter-signature errorcorrelation structure so that regional information is neitherneglected nor double-counted when multiple signatures areincluded. Using 84 catchments from the MOPEX database,observed signatures are regressed against physical and climaticcatchment attributes. The derived relationships are thenutilized to assess the joint probability distribution of the signatureregionalization errors that is subsequently used in aBayesian procedure to condition a rainfall–runoff model. Theresults show that the consideration of the inter-signature errorstructure may improve predictions when the error correlationsare strong. However, other uncertainties such as modelstructure and observational error may outweigh the importanceof these correlations. Further, these other uncertaintiescause some signatures to appear repeatedly to be misinformative

Unpacking changes in mangrove social-ecological systems: lessons from Brazil, Zanzibar, and Vietnam

Mangroves provide multiple benefits, from carbon storage and shoreline protection to food and energy for natural resource-dependent coastal communities. However, they are coming under increasing pressure from climate change, coastal development, and aquaculture. There is increasing need to better understand the changes mangroves face and whether these changes differ or are similar in different parts of the world. Using a multiple case study approach, focused on Vietnam, Zanzibar, and Brazil, this research analyzed the drivers, pressures, states, impacts, and responses (DPSIR) of mangrove systems. A qualitative content analysis was used on a purposively sampled document set for each country to identify and collate evidence under each of the DPSIR categories. Population growth and changing political and economic processes were key drivers across the three countries, leading to land use change and declining states of mangroves. This had an impact on the delivery of regulatory and provisioning ecosystem services from mangroves and on the welfare of coastal communities. Responses have been predominantly regulatory and aim to improve mangrove states, but without always considering ecosystem services or the consequences for welfare. The issue of scale emerged as a critical factor with drivers, pressures, impacts, and responses operating at different levels (from international to local), with consequences for response effectiveness

Users' building optimal performance manual

Occupant behaviour has a significant impact on the overall energy performance of a building. The lack of awareness, misinformation and misunderstanding of the buildings’ systems and features are some of the key elements that impact the use of energy in buildings. This paper presents the results of a workshop performed to increase the awareness of the occupants of two university buildings, in Sydney Australia. The occupants were asked to provide their opinions on their interactions with the lighting, cooling, heating, equipment, windows opening and shading. Then, the behaviours collected in the surveys were converted into energy use, through building simulations, and the results presented in a workshop. After presenting the results, a brainstorming was promoted to collect occupants’ new perceptions based on the previous results. Occupants highlighted as one of the key impacting factors to high levels of energy use the lack of awareness. To answer to the outcome from the workshop, this paper suggested then the incorporation of a users’ building performance (U-BOP) manual as a tool to be used to increase occupant’s awareness and increase the overall performance of a building. It was used as an example and baseline for the manual the building user guideline (BUG) from Green Star and BREEAM, as well as exiting O&M reports. The results of this study and workshop should not be extended to other occupant behavioural situations and patterns. The results should be maintained within the present study and context

True Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Following Hyperabduction during Sleep - A Case Report -

True neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is an uncommon disease and is difficult to diagnose at the early stage and then completely cure. We experienced a case of true neurogenic TOS with typical clinical symptoms and electrophysiologic findings as a result of repetitive habitual sleep posture. A 31-year-old woman who had complained of progressive tingling sensation on the 4th and 5th fingers with shoulder pain was diagnosed of brachial plexopathy at the lower trunk level by electrodiagnostic studies. There was no other cause of brachial plexopathy except her habit of hyperabduction of shoulder during sleep. This case demonstrated that the habitual abnormal posture can be the only major cause of neurogenic TOS. It is of importance to consider TOS with the habitual cause because simple correction of the posture could stabilize or even reverse disease progress

Possible canonical distributions for finite systems with nonadditive energy

It is shown that a small system in thermodynamic equilibrium with a finite thermostat can have a q-exponential probability distribution which closely depends on the energy nonextensivity and the particle number of the thermostat. The distribution function will reduce to the exponential one at the thermodynamic limit. However, the nonextensivity of the system should not be neglected.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Healthy ageing education across Europe: a survey of ENPHE members

Background and Purpose Healthy ageing is an optimal status that people could achieve when they currently adapt their physical and psychological evolution that allow them to participate socially with a high level of autonomy. The process of becoming older is a personal process that can be very heterogeneous. This heterogeneity generates different approaches depending on the needs, capacities of adaptation and subject possibilities. Therefore, it is important that any kind of intervention should adapt specifically to each patient. Description With the goal to develop and offer updated education in Healthy Ageing, a group of five universities: Ecole d’Assas (France), Blanquerna-Universitat Ramón Lull (Spain), Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci (Czech Republic), Kolegji Heimerer (Kosovo) and Escola de Saúde do Alcoitão (Portugal) decided to set up a joint adventure as encouraged by ENPHE. Our first step is to benchmark and characterise within Europe the tendencies, the offers and models of best practices. Material / Methods An online questionnaire was developed and sent to all the ENPHE members between January and February of 2017. The survey was composed of twenty close and open questions related to the participant identification, course description and identification of institutional projects in healthy ageing Summary of Results From a population of 136 EMPHE member's we receive 39 complete responses (27%) and the main results are: 69% of the respondents offer courses about healthy ageing; 88% Integrated in the bachelor degree ; mainly for Physiotherapists students (92%); and with the most prevalent topics (above 80%) - Assessment and intervention of clients/populations, multidisciplinary issues and Prevention; the main pedagogical approaches used are lectures (88%), clinical training/field work (77%) and casebased learning (74%); being written or oral examination (81%) the main assessment strategies used. Importance It is very important to empower the individual to become autonomous in deciding how to manage their own ageing process in a healthy way. Any curricula should take in account this reality in order to transform the role of health care professionals and provide them competences to support individuals in this process.N/