265 research outputs found
Mind the gap between research findings and policy change
This discursive article is intended as an advisory to novice scholar-researchers working in the field of policy change. It defines key policy change terms, presents a matrix of fifteen key theories of policy change, and explains the roles of policy advocate/entrepreneur and political entrepreneur in the process
Anne Weston McGowan
Anne Weston McGowan graduated with a BA in English in 1976. She moved to Bloomington-Normal when her husband James joined the English Department faculty in 1969. Anne is a former Board member of the community organization Ecology Action Center (founded in 1971 and called Operation Recycle). She remains active in that and other community organizations
Integrating Recovery within a Resilience Framework: Empirical Insights and Policy Implications from Regional Australia
"Within Australia's federal system, responsibility for preventing, preparing for, responding to and recovering from natural disasters is shared between the three tiers of government. Intergovernmental policy and funding arrangements are premised on shared responsibility and aim to foster individual, business and community resilience. These arrangements underpin Australia's international reputation for effectiveness in its management of natural disasters. The capacity of the diverse networks that comprise the disaster management system to coordinate and deliver in the preparedness and response phases of a disaster, and to provide relief in the immediate aftermath, has been developed over time and tested and refined through the experience of frequent, severe disaster events over recent decades. Less well developed is the system's ability to support economic recovery in disaster-affected communities over the longer term. This paper presents case studies of regional communities affected by two of Australia's most expensive and deadly natural disasters - the 2009 Victorian bushfires and the cyclones and floods that struck the state of Queensland in 2010-2011. It highlights significant gaps in policy and funding arrangements to support recovery and offers lessons for aligning recovery within a resilience framework." (author's abstract
Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers’ Awareness of White Privilege
Over the last several years teacher preparation programs have strived to adequately prepare pre-service teachers for more diverse populations in the classroom. However, little research has been done to examine the attitudes of pre-service teachers related to white privilege. This is the qualitative report from a mixed-methods study which examined those attitudes, the quantitative report has previously been published. The quantitative portion employed a pre/post-test survey surrounding interactive activities and found a significant change in participants’ attitudes regarding social issues of privilege, such as racism and sexism (McGowan & Kern, 2014). This paper reports the ways pre-service foreign language teachers examined their understandings of white privilege. Students in a language methods course (N=19) participated in specific activities to explore how they relate privilege and oppression to their own lives and futures as teachers. A grounded theory approach was utilized to analyze the students’ responses to questions regarding the activities. From the analysis, six major themes were discovered. Three themes indicated the affordances pre-service teachers gained from the activities regarding privilege. Whereas, the other three themes indicated possible challenges in regards to privileged thinking. Suggestions for further research include determining the long-term effects of the intervention and extending the instructional intervention length
Framework for Understanding the Relationship between Lean and Safety in Construction
Safety and lean aim at similar goals in making the construction process faster, better and safer (Main et al. 2008). This research intends to answer the basic question: “Is there a relationship between lean and safety principles to help in reduction of waste and incidents?” The primary objective of this research is to understand the relationship of lean and safety through risk and uncertainty reduction. A qualitative analysis of lean methods and safety practices in the construction industry will be derived. Relationships between lean methods and safety practices will also be studied and the impacts of safety on lean methods will be analyzed. A framework that expresses the relationship of lean and safety theories will yield an understanding of the relations. The proposed framework will provide a larger picture of the association of lean and safety will explore the common grounds used in the minimization of waste and risk.
The limitation of this research lies in qualitative findings from the data collected. A quantitative analysis involving the documentation of project processes and safety data would further strengthen the relationships identified. On the contrary, a quantitative approach would not provide a perspective on a larger scale.
The principles of lean and safety are aligned and the construction industry could benefit by their integration
A relationship has been established between lean methods and safety programs. Lean methods add value and eliminate waste, and safety helps in risk mitigation. Thus, it is widely evident that lean and safety have a synergy that can be harnessed to create a safe, productive workplace
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Conservation of C4BP-binding sequence patterns in Streptococcus pyogenes M and Enn proteins
Antigenically sequence variable M proteins of the major bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) are responsible for recruiting human C4b-binding protein (C4BP) to the bacterial surface, which enables Strep A to evade destruction by the immune system. The most sequence divergent portion of M proteins, the hypervariable region (HVR), is responsible for binding C4BP. Structural evidence points to the conservation of two C4BP-binding sequence patterns (M2 and M22) in the HVR of numerous M proteins, with this conservation applicable to vaccine immunogen design. These two patterns, however, only partially explain C4BP binding by Strep A. Here, we identified several M proteins that lack these patterns but still bind C4BP and determined the structures of two, M68 and M87 HVRs, in complex with a C4BP fragment. Mutagenesis of these M proteins led to the identification of amino acids that are crucial for C4BP binding, enabling formulation of new C4BP-binding patterns. Mutagenesis was also carried out on M2 and M22 proteins to refine or generate experimentally grounded C4BP-binding patterns. The M22 pattern was the most prevalent among M proteins, followed by the M87 and M2 patterns, while the M68 pattern was rare. These patterns, except for M68, were also evident in numerous M-like Enn proteins. Binding of C4BP via these patterns to Enn proteins was verified. We conclude that C4BP-binding patterns occur frequently in Strep A strains of differing M types, being present in their M or Enn proteins, or frequently both, providing further impetus for their use as vaccine immunogens
Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers’ Attitudes of Privilege and Oppression
Over the past several years multicultural education has seen an increased attention in teacher preparation. However, little research exists that examines the attitudes of pre-service teachers related to white privilege. This study is a quantitative exploration of the attitudes of pre-service foreign language teachers on a variety of social issues related to oppression (i.e. sexism, heterosexism, white privilege, religion). Students in a secondary foreign language methods course (N=19) completed pre- and post-instruction questionnaires to determine the effect of an intervention and intentional discussion regarding white privilege and oppression on their attitudes towards these social issues. The mean test scores were analyzed using a paired-samples t-test which resulted in a significant change in attitudes regarding white privilege. Suggestion for further research includes determining the effect for general education pre-service teachers compared to Foreign Language teachers
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