Sculptors and architects: can they facilitate the design process?

Methods or tools that designers use can originate from potentially anywhere. The aim in this research was to explore sculpture and architecture with the intention of uncovering new methods or ways of working that could facilitate the design process. A study was devised to compare the working processes of sculptors and architects with those of designers. Professionals from each of the three disciplines were asked to solve a design brief in their spare time, over a period of a few weeks. Data collected from diaries, interviews and design sheets, enabled their design processes to be identified and consequently, similarities and differences were revealed. The architects’ way of working was too similar to the designers to offer any new methods, however the sculptors’ processes were found to be the most different, especially with regard to how they approached and explored the design brief. They focused on intangible and more abstract aspects and did not allow existing products to inform their design. They were also more self-expressive and more concerned with the general experience of use than about solving precise problems with existing products or methods of mass manufacture. This approach resembled that of the architects, who participated in Alessandro Mendini’s Tea and Coffee Towers project in 2003. This demonstrates the potential use of a sculptural process when designing products in order to produce interesting solutions

Predictors of Participant Perceptions of Facilitated Individualized Education Program Meeting Success

Facilitated Individualized Education Program (FIEP) meetings present one option for early, alternative dispute resolution in special education. Although it has been suggested that this process may be useful in resolving disputes and improving relationships, these hypotheses have not been directly addressed. In this study, we used individual participant feedback data collected by a northwestern state over a 2-year period to answer the following research questions: (a) What are the perceived outcomes of FIEP meetings in terms of agreement, reduced future use of procedural safeguards, and improved relationships between school staff and family? and (b) What are the predictors of these positive participant perceptions of the outcomes of FIEP meetings? We found that respondents perceived FIEP meetings to be successful, with more than half of respondents reporting an outcome of full agreement by all team members, 44% reporting reduced future use of procedural safeguards, and 42% reporting an improved relationship between school staff and family following the meeting. Using multilevel models, we found that perceived facilitator quality was a significant predictor of all three positive outcomes, even after controlling for significant meeting characteristics such as region and year. Given these initial findings, we also provide implications for research, practice, and policy

Facilitated Individualized Education Planning: The State of Implementation and Evaluation

Facilitated individualized education planning (FIEP) presents an alternative to formalized dispute resolution procedures, which can have damaging financial and relational consequences for families and schools. Although recommended as an alternative dispute resolution practice, minimal research has examined its implementation and evaluation. In this study, we described where and how FIEP was being implemented and what types of data state educational agencies (SEAs) implementing FIEP were collecting. In two phases, we contacted representatives of each SEA in the United States, asking them to complete a survey on their state’s use of FIEP, and then to share outcome and participant feedback data and data collection forms. From 43 responses in the first phase, we found that almost half of SEAs are using FIEPs (n = 24), and of those not currently using FIEP, 12 were considering implementing the practice in the future. In the second phase of the study, we found that six states that responded to the request for data captured similar content on meeting outcomes and participant feedback. Outcome data provided preliminary, initial evidence for the potential effectiveness of FIEP in achieving positive outcomes in the form of agreement or consensus regarding IEPs. Implications for practice, research, and policy are discussed

Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drug abuse is the use of a prescription medication in a way that is not intended by the prescribing doctor and can include taking medication that belongs to someone else, taking a medication in a way other than prescribed, or taking a medication to get high.https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/public_health_posters/1002/thumbnail.jp

ECG Assessment of Cardiac Function Before, During, and After a 1km Swim Performed in Normal and Cold-Water

Cold‐water swimming is a recreational activity that may become a future Winter Olympic event. However, unintentional cold‐water exposure can lead to arrhythmias, changes in electrocardiogram (ECG) appearance, and death. This study sought to characterize cardiac responses to recreational one‐kilometer swims performed in normal and cold‐water. Competitive swimmers (2 male 2 female; age 44±17 years; BMI 24±2) completed a one kilometer swim (22 laps × 75‐foot lengths) under free‐living indoor (25.5°C water and 25.0°C air) and cold outdoor (10.9°C water and 6.5°C) conditions. Continuous ECGs were obtained with a waterproof recording system (Actiwave, CamNtech Inc., Boerne, TX). ECG PR‐, QT‐, and RR‐intervals (sec), ventricular diastole (sec), and heart rate (beats/minute) were measured 8.7±1.7 minutes before the swim, then 0.6±0.2, 3.0±0.0 and 6.4±2.1 minutes after the swim. Data (mean±SD) was analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA with significance if P\u3c0.05. Swimmers completed the indoor and outdoor swim events in 20.7±1.7 and 21.8±1.1 minutes, respectively. For the indoor swim, PR‐interval (sec) at −8.7, +0.6, +3, and +6.4 minutes was 0.12±0.01, 0.12±0.01, 0.11±0.01, and 0.12±0.01, and PR‐interval for the outdoor swim at −8.7, +0.6, +3.0 and +6.4 minutes was 0.13±0.01, 0.13±0.01, 0.13±0.01, and 0.14±0.01 (sec). PR‐interval was significantly longer at +6.4 minutes post cold‐water swim. For the indoor swim, ventricular diastole (sec) at −8.7, +0.6, +3, and +6.4 minutes was 0.37±0.06, 0.22±0.04, 0.30±0.01, and 0.32±0.05 (sec), and for the outdoor swim at −8.7, +0.6, +3.0 and +6.4 minutes ventricular diastole was 0.35±0.08, 0.19±0.02, 0.30±0.04, and 0.24±0.06 (sec). Ventricular diastole was significantly shorter at +6.4 minutes post coldwater swim. No significant changes were observed for QT‐interval, RR‐interval, and heart rate between swim conditions. These parameters were also assessed for the ECG recordings collected during the 20.7±1.7‐minute normal and 21.8±1.1‐minute cold‐water swims to characterize the physiological response during swim exercise. This study of normal and cold‐water one‐kilometer recreational swimmers determined that a waterproof ECG could generate a continuous record of changes in cardiac function. During cold‐water swim recovery (+6.4 minutes) PR interval was lengthened and ventricular diastole was shortened suggesting an influence of temperature on cardiac function

Images of the Other: Race, Gender, and the Imperial Relationship in Heart of Darkness, a Passage to India, and Burmese Days

This thesis explores themes of race, gender, and the imperial relationship found in three anti-imperial novels and additional related works. In Joseph Conrad\u27s novella Heart of Darkness the narrator Marlow and, by extension Conrad himself, systematically silences all African and female voices throughout the novel, effectively making Marlow, a white man, the only person capable of speaking about the horrors of imperialism. Marlow abhors the exploitation of imperialism, but admires the civilizing idea behind it, making him a problematic representative for anti-imperial sentiment. In E.M. Forster\u27s novel A Passage to India, the main perspective shifts to that of an Indian man, Dr. Aziz, allowing the readers to experience empire from the people who feel it most acutely. Though limited in its depiction of Indian women, Forster\u27s novel makes the strongest anti-imperial statement of the three, with Aziz completely disavowing his friendship with Fielding until the British have left India. George Orwell\u27s Burmese Days, the final novel examined in this paper, creates a gritty image of an empire in decline, where only those who work within empire\u27s corrupt framework can achieve even marginal success. Orwell\u27s protagonist Flory inverts Marlow\u27s sentiments, saying that it is not the exploitation but the imperial idea inherent in empire with which he takes issue. Though each of these works offer flawed depictions of race and gender and qualified anti-imperial stances, all three anticipate the collapse of the British Empire that was to come

Using linked administrative data for monitoring and evaluating the Family Nurse Partnership in England: A scoping report

This report, commissioned by the FNP National Unit and undertaken by researchers at UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, presents a scoping review of how population-based linkage between data from the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) in England and administrative datasets from other services could be used to generate evidence for commissioning, service evaluation and research. It addresses the methodological considerations, permission pathways and technical challenges of using data from the FNP linked with routinely collected, administrative data from other public services for population-based analyses, at a national and local authority level. Our ambition, when commissioning this work, was to explore whether linking data from FNP with administrative datasets might help provide a richer view about how the FNP intervention is affecting different cohorts of clients and their child after they have graduated. The report suggests that the potential for data linkage to support ongoing evaluation of a wide range of interventions including FNP at a national level is promising and an important area to explore. It makes a significant contribution to understanding the possibilities and constraints for doing this, which include barriers to data linkage at a local level (which we know is crucial for local commissioners) and the significant investment required to realise the potential of this project. We believe this report offers valuable insights other organisations interested in the delivery of evidence based policy may want to pursue

Policy Recommendations for Meeting the Grand Challenge to Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs