Effect of orientation of probabtion workers and a comparison of outcome of probation in Scotland and England

In the first part of this study the development of probation work is traced. It is shown that emphases from the past influence perceptions and aims of workers today. A new analysis of these is presented suggesting that workers' aims can be expressed on a continuum between two ORIENTATIONS, the JUDICIAL and the CLINICAL. In the second part of the study, after description of characteristics of worker and probationer samples, four hypotheses are tested. Firstly changes in the behaviour of probationers subsequent to the making of a probation order are measured not only, as is usual, using reconviction rates, but also utilizing undetected offending rates, changes in the numbers of convictions, in the number of undetected offences, in the seriousness of these, in social stability, in employment stability, in attitudes (to work, law and authority, probation and self) and in social functioning. Little change in the behaviour of probationers is found. Secondly, the outcome of probation in Scotland and England is compared. No consistent differences are found. Thirdly, the existence of ORIENTATIONS and the feasibility of expressing aims of probation workers on the continuum between JUDICIAL and CLINICAL ORIENTATIONS are examined. The concept of ORIENTATIONS receives support; the measurement method devised appears workable. Lastly, there is examination of changes in the behaviour of a subsample of probationers matched with their workers who were categorised using a tripartite division of the JUDICIAL/CLINICAL scale. Those probationers whose workers had a CLINICAL ORIENTATION appear to have fewer reconvictions and to have committed fewer undetected offences. Those probationers whose workers had an INTERMEDIATE ORIENTATION, that is, who fell in the middle of the scale, appear to have made greater change in a positive direction on all the other measures

Space weather effects on drilling accuracy in the North Sea

The oil industry uses geomagnetic field information to aid directional drilling operations when drilling for oil and gas offshore. These operations involve continuous monitoring of the azimuth and inclination of the well path to ensure the target is reached and, for safety reasons, to avoid collisions with existing wells. Although the most accurate method of achieving this is through a gyroscopic survey, this can be time consuming and expensive. An alternative method is a magnetic survey, where measurements while drilling (MWD) are made along the well by magnetometers housed in a tool within the drill string. These MWD magnetic surveys require estimates of the Earth’s magnetic field at the drilling location to correct the downhole magnetometer readings. The most accurate corrections are obtained if all sources of the Earth’s magnetic field are considered. Estimates of the main field generated in the core and the local crustal field can be obtained using mathematical models derived from suitable data sets. In order to quantify the external field, an analysis of UK observatory data from 1983 to 2004 has been carried out. By accounting for the external field, the directional error associated with estimated field values at a mid-latitude oil well (55 N) in the North Sea is shown to be reduced by the order of 20%. This improvement varies with latitude, local time, season and phase of the geomagnetic activity cycle. By accounting for all sources of the field, using a technique called Interpolation In-Field Referencing (IIFR), directional drillers have access to data from a “virtual” magnetic observatory at the drill site. This leads to an error reduction in positional accuracy that is close to matching that of the gyroscopic survey method and provides a valuable independent technique for quality control purposes

Oxalates as Activating Groups for Alcohols in Visible Light Photoredox Catalysis: Formation of Quaternary Centers by Redox-Neutral Fragment Coupling.

Alkyl oxalates are new bench-stable alcohol-activating groups for radical generation under visible light photoredox conditions. Using these precursors, the first net redox-neutral coupling of tertiary and secondary alcohols with electron-deficient alkenes is achieved

A serological survey of ruminant livestock in Kazakhstan during post-Soviet transitions in farming and disease control

The results of a serological survey of livestock in Kazakhstan, carried out in 1997–1998, are reported. Serum samples from 958 animals (cattle, sheep and goats) were tested for antibodies to foot and mouth disease (FMD), bluetongue (BT), epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD), rinderpest (RP) and peste des petits ruminants (PPR) viruses, and to Brucella spp. We also investigated the vaccination status of livestock and related this to changes in veterinary provision since independence in 1991. For the 2 diseases under official surveillance (FMD and brucellosis) our results were similar to official data, although we found significantly higher brucellosis levels in 2 districts and widespread ignorance about FMD vaccination status. The seroprevalence for BT virus was 23%, and seropositive animals were widespread suggesting endemicity, despite the disease not having being previously reported. We found a few seropositives for EHDV and PPRV, which may suggest that these diseases are also present in Kazakhstan. An hierarchical model showed that seroprevalence to FMD and BT viruses were clustered at the farm/village level, rather than at a larger spatial scale. This was unexpected for FMD, which is subject to vaccination policies which vary at the raion (county) level

Agricultural Research Management Training Needs in SADCC

An AEE Working Paper.Management capabilities in agricultural research have been diagnosed as extremely weak in East and Southern Africa. Many agricultural professionals including academics are involved in management but haye not had any formal background in management training. Improving management skills of agricultural professionals is becoming widely recognized as a means of improving productivity in agriculture. For example, the International Agricultural Research Centers including IRRI and CIMMYT are now viewed as being limited in their impacts by management constraints and the thirteenth international research centre, the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) has been created to address agricultural research management issues

Evaluating Multipulse Integration as a Neural-Health Correlate in Human Cochlear-Implant Users: Relationship to Psychometric Functions for Detection

In electrical hearing, multipulse integration (MPI) describes the rate at which detection threshold decreases with increasing stimulation rate in a fixed-duration pulse train. In human subjects, MPI has been shown to be dependent on the psycho- physically estimated spread of neural excitation at a high stimulation rate, with broader spread predicting greater integration. The first aim of the present study was to replicate this finding using alternative methods for measuring MPI and spread of neural excitation. The second aim was to test the hypothesis that MPI is related to the slope of the psychometric function for detection. Specifically, a steep d’ versus stimulus level function would predict shallow MPI since the amount of current reduction necessary to compensate for an increase in stimulation rate to maintain threshold would be small. The MPI function was measured by obtaining adaptive detection thresholds at 160 and 640 pulses per second. Spread of neural excitation was measured by forward-masked psychophysical tuning curves. All psychophysical testing was performed in a monopolar stimulation mode (MP 1 þ 2). Results showed that MPI was correlated with the slopes of the tuning curves, with broader tuning predicting steeper MPI, confirming the earlier finding. However, there was no relationship between MPI and the slopes of the psychometric functions. These results suggest that a broad stimulation of the cochlea facilitates MPI. MPI however is not related to the estimated neural excitation growth with current level near the behavioral threshold, at least in monopolar stimulation

Microcomputer Ex Ante Small Farm Agricultural Research Benefit/Cost Analysis: Zimbabwe, Zambia And Tanzania

AEE Working paper on Zimbabwean Agriculture.The general purpose of the working paper is to provide a group of case studies to be used in agricultural research management workshops with the working paper. Agricultural Research Management Training Needs'-, - me'. SAiDCC2. The paper on training heeds recommends the application of ex;anfe>Muefit:/^thihd^ts as a planning and control tool, for improving the productivity of SADCC agricultural research projects. Ex ante. BC evaluation, refers to economic analysis of research project benefits! versus costs for a range of -alternatives prior to initiation of a project. Ex ante B/C evaluation. refers to the economic analysis of benefits versus costs! after completion of a research project; Historical assessments! of projects in Ex post evaluations are useful but not directly relevant for investment decisions on current and proposed projects

On the locus formed by the maximum heights of projectile motion with air resistance

We present an analysis on the geometrical place formed by the set of maxima of the trajectories of a projectile launched in a media with linear drag. Such a place, the locus of apexes, is written in term of the Lambert $W$ function in polar coordinates, confirming the special role played by this function in the problem. In order to characterize the locus, a study of its curvature is presented in two parameterizations, in terms of the launch angle and in the polar one. The angles of maximum curvature are compared with other important angles in the projectile problem. As an addendum, we find that the synchronous curve in this problem is a circle as in the drag-free case.Comment: 7 pages, 6 color eps figures. Synchronous curve added. Typos and style corrected

Gold as an inflation hedge?

This paper attempts to reconcile an apparent contradiction between short-run and long-run movements in the price of gold. The theoretical model suggests a set of conditions under which the price of gold rises over time at the general rate of inflation and hence be an effective hedge against inflation. The model also demonstrates that short-run changes in the gold lease rate, the real interest rate, convenience yield, default risk, the covariance of gold returns with other assets and the dollar/world exchange rate can disturb this equilibrium relationship and generate short-run price volatility. Using monthly gold price data (1976-1999), and cointegration regression techniques, an empirical analysis confirms the central hypotheses of the theoretical model