Fostering college and career readiness: how career development activities in schools impact on graduation rates and students' life success

This paper sets out the recent evidence around career development. This evidence is examined within the context of the college and career readiness agenda. The argument is made that in order for young people to be genuinely “ready” for both college and career they need to have attended to their academic achievement, their aspirations and plans for the future, their ability to make transitions and their ability to direct their own careers. It is argued that career development offers schools a body of practice that has been shown to have a positive impact on young people’s readiness for college and career. The report acknowledges that the provision of career development has been in decline in many North American schools despite evidence of its effectiveness. Given the current instability of the labor market, the increasing complexity of the education system and the need to grow the skills base of the workforce in a competitive global market, failing to attend to young people’s careers seems shortsighted. As this paper shows, there is a strong body of evidence which demonstrates that career development activity in schools can help young people to experience academic achievement, successfully transition to the labor market and live happier and more productive lives. It is hoped that setting out the evidence in this area of research will provide policy makers and school leaders with the resources required to make informed decisions and to support the development of the future generations of talent. The paper explores the impacts of career development in relation to four main questions: • Does career development engage young people in their schooling and help keep them attending school? • Does career development positively impact on young people’s academic achievement? • Does career development assist young people in making successful transitions to college or the labor market? • Does career development have a positive effect on people’s career and life success?Career Cruisin

Population biology of grey gurnard (Eutrigla gurnardus L.; Triglidae) in the coastal waters of Northwest Wales

The grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus (L.) has been identified by ICES as a potential commercial species in the NE Atlantic with recommendations made to derive information on population biology for stock assessment purposes. However, data on the population biology of this species is limited. In this study, data on the age, growth and maturity of grey gurnard were collected by otter trawling in the coastal waters of northwest Wales and Eastern Anglesey. Total length (TL) of fish sampled ranged between 2.1–33.0 cm (male) and 1.9–36.9 cm (female) with the majority of female (70.8%) fish between 11 and 20 cm TL and male fish (70.5%) between 11 and 18 cm TL. The percentage of fish >20 cm TL was larger for females (30.4%) compared to males (17.6%). Total weight (TW) for female and male grey gurnard in the stratified subsample ranged from 1.9 to 499.9 g for females and 2.1–390.0 g for males, with the majority of female (66.3%) and male (76.1%) fish between 10 and 60 g. TL/TW relations for male and female fish and both sexes combined were: TW = 0.006TL3.07, TW = 0.007TL3.03 and TW = 0.007TL3.05 respectively. Age structure (based on otolith reading) ranged between 0.5 and 7.5 years old for females and 0.5 to 5.5 years old for male with the majority of female (41.7%) and male (46.0%) fish aged as 1.5 years old. The age structure of female and male grey gurnards was significantly different with the majority of older fish (>2.5 years) being female. The von Bertalanffy growth functions were calculated as Lt = 32.4[1 − e−0.24(t + 1.41)] for males, Lt = 45.9[1 − e−0.16(t + 1.37)] for females and Lt = 44.0[1 − e−0.18(t + 1.20)] for both sexes combined. Instantaneous rates of total mortality were similar for males and females and the combined Z value 1.00 year−1 with the natural mortality rate estimated as 0.33 year−1. The size at 50% maturity (L50) was estimated to be 25.3 cm TL for males, females and for both sexes combined. Age at 50% maturity (A50) was 3.2 years for both males and females. The results of this study provide the first information on the population biology of E. gurnardus in the Irish Sea, the first detailed study in the NE Atlantic since 1985 and helps to address the data gap identified by ICES in knowledge of the population biology of this species

Does the process of implementing service line management affect the theatre utilisation?

Introduction: The English National Health Service (NHS) is rationalising services to ensure healthcare remains sustainable. Implementation of Service Line Management (SLM) is recommended, as it is believed to empower clinical leaders to improve resource use and make cost efficiency savings in areas such as operating theatres (OT). The aim of this study was to examine if, how and why, SLM affects theatre utilisation. Methods: A mixed methods multiphase process evaluation design was used. Three years of theatre utilisation quantitative data, 35 semi-structured interviews and focussed observations were undertaken. The study focussed on elective colorectal surgery in two English NHS hospitals. Results: OTs were found to be inefficient. SLM implementation was minimal. Theatre data was not valued or used to affect performance and interviewees felt, in part, due to organisational structures, unable to control processes. Consequently, minimal impact on the cost effectiveness and efficiency of OTs was identified. Conclusion: To improve the cost effectiveness of OT, NHS hospitals need to invest in data systems and develop organisational structures that devolve control to clinical leaders and promote staff collaboration. Without these elements, SLM cannot be implemented and its potential impact will not be established

The sintering of metallic powders

Abstract Not Provided

Using light and sound to make a house seem occupied

Presence is a stand-alone product that attaches into a light bulb fixture in between the fixture and the light bulb. Presence responds to a doorbell and door knock by playing household sounds and also turns the light on and off at random or present intervals to give the perception that the house is occupied

Effect of rate of pyrolysis on the textural properties of naturally-templated porous carbons from alginic acid

AbstractThe effect of pyrolysis rate on the properties of alginic acid-derived carbonaceous materials, termed Starbon®, was investigated. Thermal Gravimetry-IR was used to prepare porous carbons up to 800°C at several rates and highlighted increased CO2 production at higher pyrolysis rates. N2 porosimetry of the resultant carbons shows how pyrolysis rate affects both the mesopore structure and thus surface area and surface energy. Surface capacity of these carbons was analysed by methylene blue dye adsorption. In general, as the rate of pyrolysis increased, the mesopore content and adsorbent capacity decreased. It is considered here that the rapid production of volatiles at these higher rates causes structural collapse of the non-templated pore network. The work here demonstrates that pyrolysis rate is a key variable which needs to be controlled to maximise the textural properties of Starbon® required for adsorption applications

Pharmacist-Physician Communications in a Highly Computerised Hospital:Sign-Off and Action of Electronic Review Messages

<div><p>Background</p><p>Some hospital Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems support interprofessional communication. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of pharmacist-physician messages sent via a CPOE system.</p><p>Method</p><p>Data from the year 2012 were captured from a large university teaching hospital CPOE database on: 1) review messages assigned by pharmacists; 2) details of the prescription on which the messages were assigned; and 3) details of any changes made to the prescription following a review message being assigned. Data were coded for temporal, message and prescription factors. Messages were analysed to investigate: 1) whether they were signed-off; and 2) the time taken. Messages that requested a measurable action were further analysed to investigate: 1) whether they were actioned as requested; and 2) the time taken. We conducted a multivariable analysis using Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) to account for the effects of multiple factors simultaneously, and to adjust for any potential correlation between outcomes for repeated review messages on the same prescription. All analyses were performed using SPSS 22 (IBM SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), with p<0.05 considered significant.</p><p>Results</p><p>Pharmacists assigned 36,245 review messages to prescriptions over the 12 months, 34,506 of which were coded for analysis after exclusions. Nearly half of messages (46.6%) were signed-off and 65.5% of these were signed-off in ≤ 48 hours. Of the 9,991 further analysed for action, 35.8% led to an action as requested by the pharmacist and just over half of these (57.0%) were actioned in ≤ 24 hours. Factors predictive of an action were the time since the prescription was generated (p<0.001), pharmacist grade (p<0.001), presence of a high-risk medicine (p<0.001), messages relating to reconciliation (p = 0.004), theme of communication (p<0.001), speciality, (p<0.001), category of medicine (p<0.001), and regularity of the prescription (p<0.001).</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>In this study we observed a lower rate of sign-off and action than we might have expected, suggesting uni-directional communication via the CPOE system may not be optimal. An established pharmacist-physician collaborative working relationship is likely to influence the prioritisation and response to messages, since a more desirable outcome was observed in settings and with grades of pharmacists where this was more likely. Designing systems that can facilitate collaborative communication may be more effective in practice.</p></div

Opportunities to Improve Food Equity and Access in Massachusetts

This is GBFB's second annual Massachusetts statewide survey on food access.From December 2021 to February 2022, using an online survey company, GBFB surveyed more than 3,000 Massachusetts adults.The survey oversampled adults with lower incomes to ensure we heard from people most likely to need food assistance. Statistical weighting methods were used to collect estimates representative of the Massachusetts adult population.The survey was adapted from the National Food Access and COVID Research Team (NFACT) survey and modified to focus on issues related to food insecurity and food assistance use. GBFB modified the NFACT survey with input from statewide community partners including GBFB's Health and Research Advisory Council.