Developing transformative schools : a resilience-focused paradigm for education

For the better part of the past century, the field of education has witnessed repeated calls and initiatives for change, reform and improvement of our schools. Yet today, the problems of improving academic achievement and social adjustment among youth continue unabated. An explanation for this ‘change without change’ phenomenon is offered which differentiates innovative change from transformative change processes. A review of the research evidence regarding resilience and positive youth development, both academically and socially, is utilized to formulate a conceptual framework for guiding educators in creating resilience-focused, transformative schools. Specific attention is addressed to the application of such concepts as mindsets, resilience, socialemotional competencies, and supportive social environments (family and school) in adopting a new, transformative paradigm for developing more effective schools and more capable youth.peer-reviewe

Experimental determination of layer cloud edge charging from cosmic ray ionisation

The cloud-air transition zone at stratiform cloud edges is an electrically active region where droplet charging has been predicted. Cloud edge droplet charging is expected from vertical flow of cosmic ray generated atmospheric ions in the global electric circuit. Experimental confirmation of stratiform cloud edge electrification is presented here, through charge and droplet measurements made within an extensive layer of supercooled stratiform cloud, using a specially designed electrostatic sensor. Negative space charge up to 35 pC m−3 was found in a thin (<100 m) layer at the lower cloud boundary associated with the clear air-cloud conductivity gradient, agreeing closely with space charge predicted from the measured droplet concentration using ion-aerosol theory. Such charge levels carried by droplets are sufficient to influence collision processes between cloud droplets

Observations of Saharan dust layer electrification

Electrification of atmospheric dust influences the coagulation, wet removal and fall speeds of dust particles. Alignment of dust particles can also occur in fair weather atmospheric electrical conditions if the particles are charged. However, very few electrical measurements made in elevated dust layers exist. Balloon-borne charge and particle instrumentation have been used to investigate the electrical properties of elevated Saharan dust layers. Soundings from the Cape Verde Islands, which experience frequent Saharan dust outbreaks, intercepted several dust layers. Two balloon soundings during summer 2009 detected dust particles in layers up to 4 km altitude. Simultaneous electrical measurements showed charge inside the dust layers, with a maximum measured charge density of 25 pC m − 3, sufficient to influence wet removal processes

Testing the Hubble Law with the IRAS 1.2 Jy Redshift Survey

We test and reject the claim of Segal et al. (1993) that the correlation of redshifts and flux densities in a complete sample of IRAS galaxies favors a quadratic redshift-distance relation over the linear Hubble law. This is done, in effect, by treating the entire galaxy luminosity function as derived from the 60 micron 1.2 Jy IRAS redshift survey of Fisher et al. (1995) as a distance indicator; equivalently, we compare the flux density distribution of galaxies as a function of redshift with predictions under different redshift-distance cosmologies, under the assumption of a universal luminosity function. This method does not assume a uniform distribution of galaxies in space. We find that this test has rather weak discriminatory power, as argued by Petrosian (1993), and the differences between models are not as stark as one might expect a priori. Even so, we find that the Hubble law is indeed more strongly supported by the analysis than is the quadratic redshift-distance relation. We identify a bias in the the Segal et al. determination of the luminosity function, which could lead one to mistakenly favor the quadratic redshift-distance law. We also present several complementary analyses of the density field of the sample; the galaxy density field is found to be close to homogeneous on large scales if the Hubble law is assumed, while this is not the case with the quadratic redshift-distance relation.Comment: 27 pages Latex (w/figures), ApJ, in press. Uses AAS macros, postscript also available at http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~library/preprints/pop682.ps.g

Space weather driven changes in lower atmosphere phenomena

During a period of heliospheric disturbance in 2007-9 associated with a co-rotating interaction region (CIR), a characteristic periodic variation becomes apparent in neutron monitor data. This variation is phase locked to periodic heliospheric current sheet crossings. Phase-locked electrical variations are also seen in the terrestrial lower atmosphere in the southern UK, including an increase in the vertical conduction current density of fair weather atmospheric electricity during increases in the neutron monitor count rate and energetic proton count rates measured by spacecraft. At the same time as the conduction current increases, changes in the cloud microphysical properties lead to an increase in the detected height of the cloud base at Lerwick Observatory, Shetland, with associated changes in surface meteorological quantities. As electrification is expected at the base of layer clouds, which can influence droplet properties, these observations of phase-locked thermodynamic, cloud, atmospheric electricity and solar sector changes are not inconsistent with a heliospheric disturbance driving lower troposphere changes

Detection of lower tropospheric responses to solar energetic particles at midlatitudes

Solar energetic particles (SEPs) occasionally contribute additional atmospheric ionization beyond that arising from the usual galactic cosmic ray background. During an SEP event associated with a solar flare on April 11, 2013, the vertical ionization rate profile obtained using a balloon-borne detector showed enhanced ionization with a 26% increase at 20 km, over Reading, United Kingdom. Fluctuations in atmospheric electrical parameters were also detected at the surface, beneath the balloon’s trajectory. As no coincident changes in geomagnetism occurred, the electrical fluctuations are very likely to be associated with increased ionization, as observed by the balloon measurements. The lack of response of surface neutron monitors during this event indicates that energetic particles that are not detected at the surface by neutron monitors can nevertheless enter and influence the atmosphere’s weather-generating regions

Fair weather criteria for atmospheric electricity measurements

The global atmospheric electric circuit, which links the space environment with terrestrial weather, has mostly been investigated using fair-weather surface atmospheric electricity measurements. Retrieving global circuit information, however, requires the selection of “fair weather” data, to avoid local meteorological disturbances. The research results presented here challenge the applicability of long-standing definitions of electrically fair weather atmospheric conditions. From detailed new measurements and theory, three improved requirements (FW1 to FW3) for fair weather atmospheric electricity conditions are described. These are: (FW1) absence of hydrometeors, aerosol and haze, as apparent through the visual range exceeding 2 km, (FW2) negligible cumuliform cloud and no extensive stratus cloud with cloud base below 1500 m, and (FW3) surface wind speed between 1 m s−1 and 8 m s−1. Automatic and manual measurement approaches to identifying these requirements are given. Through applying these criteria at the many measurements sites now operating, the noise from meteorological variability will be reduced, leading to data more representative of the global electric circuit

On the microphysical effects of observed cloud edge charging

Liquid layer clouds are abundant globally. Lacking strong convection, they do not become electrified by the usual thunderstorm mechanisms of collisional electrification between hydrometeors of different phases. Instead, the background global circuit current flow in fair weather is largely unaffected by the layer cloud’s presence, and, if the layer cloud is extensive horizontally, the vertical fair weather conduction current passes through the cloud. A consequence of the vertical current flow is that, at the cloud-air boundary where there is a conductivity transition and droplets form or evaporate, droplet charging occurs. Charge can affect both droplet evaporation and droplet-droplet collisions. Using new radiosonde instrumentation, the charge observed at layer cloud edges is evaluated for both these microphysical droplet processes. This shows that the charging is more likely to affect collision processes than activation, for small droplets. Enhancing the collection efficiency of small droplets modifies their evolution and propagates through the size distribution to shorten the autoconversion timescale to rain drops, and the cloud radiative properties. Because the conduction current density is influenced by both external (e.g. solar modulation of high energy particles) and internal (e.g. ENSO) factors, current flow leading to layer cloud edge charging provides a possible route for expressing solar influences on the climate system and a teleconnection mechanism for communicating internal climate variability

Evaluating the performance of low-energy feed forward osmosis system for desalination using impaired and saline water sources

Forward Osmosis (FO) is a natural process of treating water or wastewater due to the difference in osmotic pressures. FO is a membrane separation technology, applicable to food processing, industrial wastewater treatment and seawater or brackish water desalination. The phenomena of FO processes occur whereby water molecules are driven across a semi-permeable membrane by an osmotic pressure gradient that is generated from a higher concentrate draw solution. FO processes can recover potable water resources from wastewater streams through the flow of pure water from a lower concen-trated feed solution towards higher concentrated draw solutions leaving behind pollutants, impurities, and salts in the semi-permeable membrane. This paper assesses the design, build and testing of a laboratory scaled Feed Forward Osmosis (FFO) system for treating river water collected from the River Medway, Kent, England. The FO process was a highly effective form of river water treatment and able to treat the River Water with high rejection rates of solutes (>90%). Experimental results showed that the FFO system can achieve a better performance when the molarity of the draw solution is higher. The average solute rejection rate of the FO membrane for both inorganic and organic compounds was 94.83 %. Moreover, the operation of the forward osmosis membrane illustrated that it has a lower fouling propensity and higher solute rejection ca-pabilities. The pilot scaled FFO system has the ability for greater salt rejection and lower electronic conductivity levels which resulted from the successful desalination of river water. A sodium chloride (NaCl) or saltwater draw solution performed posi-tively in inducing higher osmotic pressures with a substantial effect of lower energy requirements for the system. Lower en-ergy consumptions of the FFO system allow similar water treatment possibilities with energy savings potential. The FFO system showed to be an environmentally viable and economically feasible river water treatment technology

Comparison of new <i>in situ </i>root-reinforcement measuring devices to existing techniques

Mechanical root-reinforcement is difficult to quantify. Existing in-situ methods are cumbersome, while modelling requires parameters which are difficult to acquire. In this paper, two new in-situ measurement devices are introduced ('cork screw' and 'pin vane') and their performance is compared to field vane and laboratory direct shear strength measurements in fallow and rooted soil. Both new methods show a close correlation with field vane readings in fallow soil. Tests in reinforced soil show that both new methods can be installed without significant root disturbance. The simplicity of both new methods allows for practical in-situ use and both can be used to study soil stress-strain behaviour, thus addressing some major limitations in existing methodologies for characterising rooted soil.</p