On Holiday! Policy and provision for disabled children and their families

This summary describes some findings from the On Holiday! study, carried out by the Thomas Coram Research Unit between 2004 and 2006 and funded by DfES. The study investigated the experiences of disabled children and their families outside school time and especially during the school holidays. The study took an approach informed by a social model of disability, one which emphasises the social construction of disability, rather than impairment

Taking social pedagogy forward: Its fit with official UK statements on promoting wellbeing

This article indicates the range of government interest in wellbeing, briefly describes the emergence of social pedagogy in the UK generally and indicates the part played in it by the UK governments since 2000. This is followed by a short account of the principles of social pedagogy and the profession and education of social pedagogues. There follow descriptions of pedagogy practice, accompanied by examples of government statements (focused on England) that are compatible with these. The article goes on to consider examples where social pedagogy has been introduced into English and Scottish children’s services, drawing on Claire Cameron’s overview of evaluations of demonstration and pilot projects. These evidence some congruence between the practice reported – and its effects – and the recommendations of government on promoting wellbeing. Finally, the article considers the conditions necessary for the continuing growth of social pedagogy, and social pedagogic approaches in the UK

Incidence and outcome of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis

Background: Studies report variation in the incidence and outcomes of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS). This study reports the incidence and outcome of EPS cases in a national cohort of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods: The incident cohort of adult patients who started PD between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2007 in Scotland (n = 1238) was identified from the Scottish Renal Registry. All renal units in Scotland identified potential EPS cases diagnosed from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2014, by which point all patients had a minimum of 7 years follow-up from start of PD. Results: By 31 December 2014, 35 EPS cases were diagnosed in the 1238 patient cohort: an overall incidence of 2.8%. The incidence for subgroups with longer PD duration rises exponentially: 1.1% by 1 year, 3.4% by 3 years, 8.8% at 4 years, 9.4% at 5 years and 22.2% by 7 years. Outcomes are poor with mortality of 57.1% by 1 year after diagnosis. Survival analysis demonstrates an initial above-average survival in patients who later develop EPS, which plummets to well below average after EPS diagnosis. Conclusions: The incidence of EPS is reassuringly low provided PD exposure is not prolonged and this supports ongoing use of PD. However, continuing PD beyond 3 years results in an exponential rise in the risk of developing EPS and deciding whether this risk is acceptable should be made on an individual patient basis

Education and social pedagogy: What relationship?

This article explores possible relationships between education and social pedagogy. It begins by examining in more detail the theory and practice of social pedagogy, and the profession of social pedagogue widely known in Continental Europe but much less so in the Anglophone world. It then explores some different meanings of education, before considering in more detail the concept of Bildung and its potential for interconnecting education and social pedagogy. It is argued that the relationship between social pedagogy and education depends on the meaning attached to education; and the article ends by considering some implications – for schools, other settings for children and young people, and for their workforces – of choosing a close relationship between education and social pedagogy

Towards a social pedagogic approach for social care

The term ‘social care’ has come to be applied in England to a variety of policies and services for children and adults deemed, for a variety of reasons, in need of support and assistance. The field to which it is applied is widely recognised to be in crisis, as demand grows, funding lags and a poorly qualified, low-paid workforce shows increasing signs of strain. The article argues that a further dimension to the crisis is the very term ‘social care’. It has little substance and is of limited value in addressing the practice involved in working with children, young people and adults, while its continued use has encouraged a simplified and commodified understanding of what this work entails. The article introduces an alternative concept – social pedagogy – long established and well developed in continental Europe, which, it is argued, could provide a more substantial basis for everyday practice, and a strong foundation for future policy, including reforming the workforce. The conclusion questions whether ‘social care’ can play any useful role in the evolution of policy and practice, discussing some issues that a turn to a social pedagogic approach might raise

The “ABC model”: a non-hydrostatic toy model for use in convective-scale data assimilation investigations

In developing methods for convective-scale data assimilation (DA) it is necessary to consider the full range of motions governed by the compressible Navier-Stokes equations (including non-hydrostatic and ageostrophic flow). These equations describe motion on a wide range of time-scales with non-linear coupling. For the purpose of developing new DA techniques that suit the convective-scale problem it is helpful to use so-called ‘toy models’ that are easy to run, and contain the same types of motion as the full equation set. Such a model needs to permit hydrostatic and geostrophic balance at large-scales, but to allow imbalance at small-scales, and in particular, it needs to exhibit intermittent convection-like behaviour. Existing ‘toy models’ are not always sufficient for investigating these issues. A simplified system of intermediate complexity derived from the Euler equations is presented, which supports dispersive gravity and acoustic modes. In this system the separation of time scales can be greatly reduced by changing the physical parameters. Unlike in existing toy models, this allows the acoustic modes to be treated explicitly, and hence inexpensively. In addition, the non-linear coupling induced by the equation of state is simplified. This means that the gravity and acoustic modes are less coupled than in conventional models. A vertical slice formulation is used which contains only dry dynamics. The model is shown to give physically reasonable results, and convective behaviour is generated by localised compressible effects. This model provides an affordable and flexible framework within which some of the complex issues of convective-scale DA can later be investigated. The model is called the “ABC model” after the three tunable parameters introduced: A (the pure gravity wave frequency), B (the modulation of the divergent term in the continuity equation), and C (defining the compressibility)

Ancient Egypt 1923 Part 1

Part 1 of the 1923 Ancient Egypt books. Contents include a portrait of Menkaura, the magic skin, and customs at childbirth.https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/kweeks_coll/1022/thumbnail.jp

Ancient Egypt 1922 Part 2

Part 2 of the 1922 Ancient Egypt book. Contents include the British school in Egypt, the set rebellion, and Egyptian words in modern use.https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/kweeks_coll/1019/thumbnail.jp

Use of wireline logs to estimate strength of cap-rock lithologies

The characterization of rock strength for cap rock, low-permeability and high capillary entry pressure, lithologies is important for modeling their response to increased fluid pressures in CO2 sequestration schemes and other geo-engineering operations such as waste disposal and recovery of fluids from plays with insufficient permeability. We investigate Mesozoic fine-grained sequences to evaluate the nature of sedimentological and structural processes that may control the nature of brittle deformation observed in these sequences. To characterize these fine-grained sequences we use a combination of data obtained from outcrop, including fracture orientation and density, lithologic stacking patterns, grain-size distributions and mineralogy to predict the potential for fluid bypass. In addition we also use publically available wireline log data to estimate the rock strength of these units in the subsurface. Outcrop observations of the mixed silisiclastic carbonate sequence of the Carmel Formation shows vertically continuous fractures crossing lithologic boundaries and analysis of scan-line and fracture orientation data indicate three discontinuity sets. Sets one and two are a conjugate pair of non-mineralized discontinuities which include faults and fractures, with a mean orientations of 323°/78° and 100°/76° respectively and discontinuity spacing ranging between 0.2-0.4 per meter. Set three is a near vertical, mineralized fracture set which is cross-cut by fractures of set one and two, with a mean orientation 31°/80 and a fracture spacing of 0.2 fractures per meter. Use of publically available wireline log data allows us to estimate rock strength over larger scales than those provided by the local outcrops. The wells selected for analysis are located within a 15-km radius from the outcrop location. Gamma ray, sonic, and density logs from 7 wells were digitized from scanned originals. The inverse of the sonic log data was taken to obtain a velocity value (Vp), no dipole sonic logs are available therefore shear velocity was calculated using empirical relationships established by other workers. Having both compression and shear velocity as well as bulk density values we are able to empirically determine Poisson’s Ratio and Young’s Modulus. Poisson’s Ratio values for these wells ranges between 0.18-0.48, and Young’s Modulus results range from 7GPa-50 GPa. Most of the results obtained by this data analysis fall within the published ranges for these rock types, but the data show variability, which must be further evaluated to understand if these are related to geology or artifacts associated with the wireline

Comparison of Mechanical and Fracture Stratigraphy between Failed Seal Analouges

A cap rock, or seal, provides a barrier to the migration of fluid or gas out of intended trap due to its low permeability, high capillary-entry pressure nature. The presence of discontinuities in seal lithologies affects both their mechanical and hydrogeologic properties; migration of fluids or gas through mm- to cm-scale discontinuity networks can lead to the failure of hydrocarbon traps or waste repositories. We examine the mechanical and fracture stratigraphy of Paleozoic and Mesozoic analogues of failed seals exposed in central and south-east Utah to understand the nature and distribution of fluid flow pathways in various sealing lithologies. We use outcrop surveys of stratigraphic changes and discontinuity distributions to identify the relationships between depositional composition, diagenesis and loading history, and to describe fluid-flow pathways across four seal types. Each seal type has experienced a varied depositional and tectonic history and all show evidence for fracture propagation and fluid flow at depth. Characterizing the distribution and morphologies of open mode fractures (mode I/II), with changes in lithology (which include depositional and structural variations), provides data for accurate quantitative subsurface geomechanical and fluid flow models