Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Community Building in Apartment Complexes

Although a large portion of American society is housed in rental units, much of the literature on sense of community has focused on homeowners and their role in community development activities within neighborhoods.  Much less attention has been paid to the circumstances under which renters become engaged in local communities. In particular, the potential for rental apartment complexes to serve as locations for engagement and the promotion of sense of community has not been examined.  As an initial step, this study explored the factors associated with apartment complex managers facilitating community building activities within their complexes.  This exploratory study found that managers do have a role to play in building a sense of community among residents, are currently facilitating engagement, and place importance on such activities. Results also indicated that the support provided by the management company may be a key variable in whether such interest is turned into action. Thus, property managers represent a stakeholder that could be involved in efforts to promote sense of community within rental apartment complexes. This study provides a glimpse into community engagement of renters and examines the possibilities for practitioners to work with apartment complexes, managers, and management companies in promoting sense of community among renters

Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Community Building in Apartment Complexes

Although a large portion of American society is housed in rental units, much of the literature on sense of community has focused on homeowners and their role in community development activities within neighborhoods.  Much less attention has been paid to the circumstances under which renters become engaged in local communities. In particular, the potential for rental apartment complexes to serve as locations for engagement and the promotion of sense of community has not been examined.  As an initial step, this study explored the factors associated with apartment complex managers facilitating community building activities within their complexes.  This exploratory study found that managers do have a role to play in building a sense of community among residents, are currently facilitating engagement, and place importance on such activities. Results also indicated that the support provided by the management company may be a key variable in whether such interest is turned into action. Thus, property managers represent a stakeholder that could be involved in efforts to promote sense of community within rental apartment complexes. This study provides a glimpse into community engagement of renters and examines the possibilities for practitioners to work with apartment complexes, managers, and management companies in promoting sense of community among renters

Educational change and ICT: an exploration of priorities 2 and 3 of the DfES e-strategy in schools and colleges: the current landscape and implementation issues

Landscape review of integrated online support for learners and collaborative approaches to personalised learning activities

Double skin façade: Modelling technique and influence of venetian blinds on the airflow and heat transfer

The demand to reduce building cooling load and annual energy consumption can be optimised with the use of Double Skin Facade (DSF). Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods are frequently used for the analysis of heat transfer through DSF. However, considerable uncertainty exists regarding few key parameters, such as modelling strategies and the solar heat transmitted to the indoor space as a function of the blind tilt angles and positioning within the façade channel. In this paper we have investigated four modelling strategies and the influence of blind tilt angle and their proximity to the façade walls. The DSF system used in this investigation is equipped with venetian blinds and facades that absorb and reflect the incident solar radiation and transfer the direct solar heat gain into the building. A finite volume dis- cretization method with the SIMPLE solution algorithm of the velocity-pressure coupling involving the low-turbulence keε model is used. A ray-traced solar model is coupled with long wave radiation model to solve the complete solar and radiation fields along with convection and conduction fields. On the modelling strategies, three dimensional domains were cast over three computational zones; external zone with solar radiation entering the outer skin of glass; buoyancy-driven air cavity zone with convection and transmitted solar radiation; and an internal zone. Also investigated is the thermal behaviour of the DSF due to the blind tilt angles (30o , 45o , 60o , and 75o ) and its position from the facade walls (104 mm, 195 mm, 287 mm and 379 mm). Validations of the results are based on experimental data from the literature and the predicted trends compared very well with the experimental measurements. The heat gain due to direct solar radiation and convection through the facades to the internal space are presented. Comparative analysis of the four modelling strategies shows little variation of the results. The implication is a reduction in complexity and cost of modelling, since the additional effort requires in the CFD modelling is not justified by a significant improvement of the results. The variations of the blinds tilt angles as well as its proximity to façade walls significantly influences the convective flow within the façade cavity and the heat gains to the indoor spac

Raising a Small Flock of Sheep in Ohio

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Educational change and ICT: an exploration of priorities 2 & 3 of the DfES eStrategy in schools and colleges

An analysis of the issues surrounding the implementation of the DfES eStrategy (Harnessing Technology) in schools and colleges. Examines issues linked with learning platforms (VLEs) and Management Information Systems (MIS), collaboration, support for learners, mobile devices, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment (including e-portfolios), digital resources, access, complexity and change, people, buy in, leadership, shared understandings (vision), procurement

Comparing Scanpaths During Scene Encoding and Recognition: A Multi-Dimensional Approach

Complex stimuli and tasks elicit particular eye movement sequences. Previous research has focused on comparing between these scanpaths, particularly in memory and imagery research where it has been proposed that observers reproduce their eye movements when recognizing or imagining a stimulus. However, it is not clear whether scanpath similarity is related to memory performance and which particular aspects of the eye movements recur. We therefore compared eye movements in a picture memory task, using a recently proposed comparison method, MultiMatch, which quantifies scanpath similarity across multiple dimensions including shape and fixation duration. Scanpaths were more similar when the same participant?s eye movements were compared from two viewings of the same image than between different images or different participants viewing the same image. In addition, fixation durations were similar within a participant and this similarity was associated with memory performance

AMTEC vapor-vapor series connected cells

An alkali metal thermoelectric converter (AMTEC) having a plurality of cells structurally connected in series to form a septum dividing a plenum into two chambers, and electrically connected in series, is provided with porous metal anodes and porous metal cathodes in the cells. The cells may be planar or annular, and in either case a metal alkali vapor at a high temperature is provided to the plenum through one chamber on one side of the wall and returned to a vapor boiler after condensation at a chamber on the other side of the wall in the plenum. If the cells are annular, a heating core may be placed along the axis of the stacked cells. This arrangement of series-connected cells allows efficient generation of power at high voltage and low current

Integration of genomic and other epidemiologic data to investigate and control a cross-institutional outbreak of Streptococcus pyogenes outbrea

Single-strain outbreaks of Streptococcus pyogenes infections are common and often go undetected. In 2013, two clusters of invasive group A Streptococcus (iGAS) infection were identified in independent but closely located care homes in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. Investigation included visits to each home, chart review, staff survey, microbiologic sampling, and genome sequencing. S. pyogenes emm type 1.0, the most common circulating type nationally, was identified from all cases yielding GAS isolates. A tailored whole-genome reference population comprising epidemiologically relevant contemporaneous isolates and published isolates was assembled. Data were analyzed independently using whole-genome multilocus sequencing and single-nucleotide polymorphism analyses. Six isolates from staff and residents of the homes formed a single cluster that was separated from the reference population by both analytical approaches. No further cases occurred after mass chemoprophylaxis and enhanced infection control. Our findings demonstrate the ability of 2 independent analytical approaches to enable robust conclusions from nonstandardized whole-genome analysis to support public health practice

Probing deeper into the risks of slips, trips and falls for an ageing rail passenger population: applying a systems approach

In this study, the authors report the findings from a study of the contributory factors leading to slips, trips and falls (STFs) amongst elderly passengers at train stations and how these are likely to change in the future over the medium to long term (the period 2035–2050). Their data draws on: stakeholder interviews with rail personnel and elderly passengers; a set of station observations carried out across the UK; and, a survey of the views of station managers. The findings point to a set of 22 contributory factors covering aspects of organisational, station environment and passenger (individual) influence on STFs. Amongst the factors which most concern station managers at the present and over the next few decades are: rushing behaviour on train platforms; the consumption of alcohol by passengers; aspects of station design (e.g. flooring); and, training for station staff as regard the risks of STFs. The authors summarise their findings in the form of a systems model which highlights priorities with regard to STFs in terms of all of the stakeholders taking part in the study. A final section discusses a set of issues which might form the basis for a future agenda for research and practice in this area