Material choices for fibre in the Neolithic: an approach through the measurement of mechanical properties

Studies of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Europe have focused on plants and animals exploited for food. However, the exploitation of plants for fibres underwent a significant change with the addition of domestic flax as a fibre crop. While the technology of flax fibre processing is increasingly understood by archaeologists, its material value as a fibre crop in comparison to indigenous fibre is less well explored. We examine the mechanical properties of flax and two indigenous fibres (lime bast, willow bast), by testing fibre strips for tensile properties and discuss the results in the light of material choices in these periods

Reestruturação de um distrito escolar no nível do condado: uma análise crítica do desenvolvimento de políticas e políticas para a descentralização

Policymakers and educational leaders continue to use school district decentralization as a reform effort that attempts to shift power and authority from central office administration to school-level leadership. In 2015, the Nevada Legislature passed legislation to restructure the Clark County School District (CCSD), the state’s largest school district, with the intent of breaking it up into smaller districts but instead evolving to decentralization. In this article, we use case study methods to explore the events leading up to the reorganization of CCSD. We take a critical perspective on Kingdon’s multiple streams framework to analyze the reorganization efforts, focusing specifically on how Nevada’s political context provided a window of opportunity for the reorganization to occur. We also examine the extent to which equitable educational opportunity was a factor in these efforts. Our analysis of the reorganization of CCSD contributes to a wider understanding of state-level policy development and politics within contemporary educational contexts. In this case, we find that state-level policymakers successfully leveraged the opportunity to enact the power and authority necessary to significantly and rapidly impact the structure of one of the largest school districts in the United States.  Los formuladores de póliticas y los líderes educativos continúan con el uso de la descentralización del distrito escolar como un esfuerzo de reforma que intenta cambiar el poder y la autoridad de la administración de la oficina central al liderazgo a nivel escolar. Durante 2015, la Legislatura de Nevada aprobó una ley para reestructurar el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Clark (CCSD), el distrito escolar más grande del estado, con la intención de dividirlo en distritos más pequeños, pero se desarrolló hacia la descentralización. En este artículo, usamos métodos de estudio de caso para explorar los eventos que causaron la reorganización de CCSD. Tomamos una perspectiva crítica sobre el multiple streams framework de Kingdon para analizar los esfuerzos de reorganización, centrándonos específicamente en como el contexto político de Nevada creo oportunidades para que se produzca la reorganización. También examinamos el punto en cual la oportunidad educativa equitativa fue un factor en estos esfuerzos. Nuestro análisis de la reorganización de CCSD contribuye a una comprensión más amplia del desarrollo de la política y las pólizas a nivel estatal dentro de contextos educativos contemporáneos. En este caso, encontramos que los legisladores a nivel estatal exitosamente aprovecharon la oportunidad de representar el poder y la autoridad necesaria para tener un impacto significativo y rápido en la estructura de uno de los distritos escolares más grandes de los Estados Unidos.Os formuladores de políticas e os líderes educacionais continuam a usar a descentralização do distrito escolar como um esforço de reforma que tenta mudar o poder e a autoridade da administração do escritório central para a liderança do nível escolar. Em 2015, o Legislativo de Nevada aprovou uma lei para reestruturar o Distrito Escolar do Condado de Clark (CCSD), o maior distrito escolar do estado, com a intenção de dividi-lo em distritos menores, mas desenvolvido para a descentralização. Neste artigo, utilizamos métodos de estudo de caso para explorar os eventos que causaram a reorganização do CCSD. Nós tomamos uma perspectiva crítica sobre o quadro de múltiplos fluxos de Kingdon para analisar os esforços de reorganização, enfocando especificamente sobre como o contexto político em Nevada cria oportunidades de reorganização. Nós também examinamos o ponto em que a igualdade de oportunidades educacionais foi um fator nesses esforços. Nossa análise da reorganização do CCSD contribui para uma compreensão mais ampla do desenvolvimento de políticas e políticas a nível estadual no contexto educacional contemporâneo. Nesse caso, descobrimos que os legisladores estaduais conquistaram com sucesso a oportunidade de representar o poder e a autoridade necessários para ter um impacto significativo e rápido na estrutura de um dos maiores distritos escolares nos Estados Unidos

Low-stakes, VLE intensive, formative approach to maths teaching as a pedagogic strategy for improving assessment outcomes

Functional numeracy skills in the UK workforce have been an issue for at least 20 years and are of mounting concern due to the increasing use of technology in the workplace and the need for mathematical problem solving skills. Surveys reveal anxiety related to maths (MA) has a negative impact on Higher Education (HE) subject choices and subsequent career options. This at a time when Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, requiring maths and data handling skills, are in high demand globally.This case study relates the journey from discovering the need for maths support in science students to the use of low-stakes, VLE intensive, formative maths support as a means of overcoming MA and improving student outcomes

Psychological Resilience after Hurricane Sandy: the Influence of Individual- and Community-level Factors on Mental Health after a Llarge-scale Natural Disaster.

Several individual-level factors are known to promote psychological resilience in the aftermath of disasters. Far less is known about the role of community-level factors in shaping postdisaster mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of both individual- and community-level factors on resilience after Hurricane Sandy. A representative sample of household residents (N = 418) from 293 New York City census tracts that were most heavily affected by the storm completed telephone interviews approximately 13–16 months postdisaster. Multilevel multivariable models explored the independent and interactive contributions of individual- and community-level factors to posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms. At the individual-level, having experienced or witnessed any lifetime traumatic event was significantly associated with higher depression and posttraumatic stress, whereas demographic characteristics (e.g., older age, non-Hispanic Black race) and more disaster-related stressors were significantly associated with higher posttraumatic stress only. At the community-level, living in an area with higher social capital was significantly associated with higher posttraumatic stress. Additionally, higher community economic development was associated with lower risk of depression only among participants who did not experience any disaster-related stressors. These results provide evidence that individual- and community-level resources and exposure operate in tandem to shape postdisaster resilience

The geography of post-disaster mental health: spatial patterning of psychological vulnerability and resilience factors in New York City after Hurricane Sandy

Background: Only very few studies have investigated the geographic distribution of psychological resilience and associated mental health outcomes after natural or man made disasters. Such information is crucial for location-based interventions that aim to promote recovery in the aftermath of disasters. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate geographic variability of (1) posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depression in a Hurricane Sandy affected population in NYC and (2) psychological vulnerability and resilience factors among affected areas in NYC boroughs. Methods: Cross-sectional telephone survey data were collected 13 to 16 months post-disaster from household residents (N = 418 adults) in NYC communities that were most heavily affected by the hurricane. The Posttraumatic Stress Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was applied for measuring posttraumatic stress and the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used for measuring depression. We applied spatial autocorrelation and spatial regimes regression analyses, to test for spatial clusters of mental health outcomes and to explore whether associations between vulnerability and resilience factors and mental health differed among New York City\u27s five boroughs . Results: Mental health problems clustered predominantly in neighborhoods that are geographically more exposed towards the ocean indicating a spatial variation of risk within and across the boroughs. We further found significant variation in associations between vulnerability and resilience factors and mental health. Race/ethnicity (being Asian or non-Hispanic black) and disaster-related stressors were vulnerability factors for mental health symptoms in Queens, and being employed and married were resilience factors for these symptoms in Manhattan and Staten Island. In addition, parental status was a vulnerability factor in Brooklyn and a resilience factor in the Bronx. Conclusions: We conclude that explanatory characteristics may manifest as psychological vulnerability and resilience factors differently across different regional contexts. Our spatial epidemiological approach is transferable to other regions around the globe and, in the light of a changing climate, could be used to strengthen the psychosocial resources of demographic groups at greatest risk of adverse outcomes pre-disaster. In the aftermath of a disaster, the approach can be used to identify survivors at greatest risk and to plan for targeted interventions to reach them

Effective regulatory frameworks for constructive journalism: a study of China’s media systems

Journalism practice in China is unique and different from the rest of the other countries in the world. Many scholars have attributed this to the effective regulatory systems and the structure of the media system thus the six forces controlling media space in China. This study adopted a qualitative condensed thematic analysis technique through in-depth interviews to examine how the regulatory framework in China affects the media ecosystem and constructive journalism practice. Through the snowball technique of sampling, the researchers collected data from fifteen (N=15) senior media professionals working within private and state-owned news outlets in China, to find answers to the nature of the media system in China and how this system has influenced and shaped constructive journalism practice during the COVID-19 pandemic between November and December 2021. One of the key findings of this study indicates that the robust media regulatory system practice in China has resulted in effective interactions among stakeholders, media houses, and journalists within the Chinese media system, which has significantly contributed to attaining effective constructive journalism practices. Again, our findings suggest that the effectiveness and constant interactions of the six forces of the Chinese media system have also helped enforce professionalism, dedication to duty, and patriotism among journalists and different media outlets in China. Finally, our study reveals that the Chinese Media giants such as China Global Television Network (CGTN), China Central Television (CCTV), and China Radio International (CRI) which serve millions of global audiences are very factual in their reportage. To avoid fake news in their reportage, CGTN and China Radio International, for instance, have designed specialized fact-checking programs for their news stories before airing them for public consumption

A systematic review and critical appraisal of quality indicators to assess optimal palliative care for older people with dementia

© The Author(s) 2019Background: A challenge for commissioners and providers of end-of-life care in dementia is to translate recommendations for good or effective care into quality indicators that inform service development and evaluation. Aim: To identify and critically evaluate quality indicators for end-of-life care in dementia. Results: We found 8657 references, after de-duplication. In all, 19 publications describing 10 new and 3 updated sets of indicators were included in this review. Ultimately, 246 individual indicators were identified as being relevant to dementia end-of-life care and mapped against EAPC guidelines. Conclusions: We systematically derived and assessed a set of quality indicators using a robust framework that provides clear definitions of aspects of palliative care, which are dementia specific, and strengthens the theoretical underpinning of new complex interventions in end-of-life care in dementia.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

NEPC Review: The Third Way: A Guide to Implementing Innovation Schools (Progressive Policy Institute, October 2020)

A report from The Progressive Policy Institute is a &ldquo;how-to&rdquo; guide for entities seeking to develop innovation schools in urban communities. The guide highlights case examples of states and localities that have &ldquo;successfully&rdquo; implemented innovation schools, with a focus on test score data and student demographics. It argues that equitable educational opportunity is achievable when schools have complete autonomy and strong accountability to increase academic performance, adopt diverse learning models, and expand school choice. However, many of this convoluted guide&rsquo;s long list of 53 detailed recommendations are improbable and overlook potential disadvantages of innovation schools. These recommendations are highly complicated, largely unexamined, and likely infeasible, especially if a district&rsquo;s goal is to serve all students and their families equitably.</p

Effects of Mental Health First Aid Course: Knowledge, Confidence, and Stigma Among Occupational Therapy Students

In the United States, one in five adults are impacted by some form of mental illness in any given year, but only about 40% of individuals seek professional mental health support. While occupational therapists (OT) may work with individuals with mental illness to improve social skills, activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADLs, and neurocognitive interventions, research suggests there is not enough emphasis on this content in professional OT education. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training is designed to educate individuals on mental illness, including how to recognize signs and symptoms and how to support individuals experiencing a concern or crisis. This study examined changes in stigma, knowledge, and confidence among OT students following MHFA training, and compared to a control group. Results demonstrated improved knowledge and confidence within the experimental group, highlighting the impact of MHFA training in this population