Courts and Executives

William Howard Taft was both our twenty-seventh president and the tenth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court -- the only person to have ever held both high positions in our country. He once famously commented that presidents may come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever (Pringle 1998). His remark reminds us that presidents serve only four-year terms (and are now limited to two of them), but justices of the Supreme court are appointed for life and leave a legacy of precedent-setting cases after departing the High Court. Of course, presidents also leave a legacy of important decisions, not the least of which being their appointment of federal judges. [excerpt

Neoliberalism and Disability: The Possibilities and Limitations of a Foucauldian Critique

This article reflects back on the period since the publication of the first edition of Foucault and the Government of Disability, and argues that the intervening years have seen the increasing advance of neoliberal politics impacting the lives of disabled people. Beginning from an overview of Foucault’s 1978-9 lectures on neoliberalism, it seeks to demonstrate that a range of policy developments affecting disabled people can be read against the background of Foucault’s analyses of neoliberal rationalities and practices of government. The impacts of these developments have been economically harsh for many, and the article moves on to consider the potential for effective critique of these issues starting from a Foucauldian analytics. It argues that whilst useful in unsettling taken-for-granted assumptions about subjectivity and autonomy given by neoliberal governmental rationalities, Foucault’s works do not suggest in and of themselves a form of critique capable of mounting an effective challenge to the neoliberal consensus. It ends with a challenge to Foucault-inspired social scientists to ally the valuable insights available from Foucauldian analyses to a critical perspective also able to diagnose and respond to problems of economic marginalization, the concentration of wealth and the marketization of the social

Power and subjectivity : a Foucauldian discourse analysis of experiences of power in learning difficulties community care homes.

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN053713 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

The Effects of Team Leader Coaching on Team Members: An Action Research Project at DHL Thailand

All organizations have their individual strengths and weaknesses.  Keeping up with technology and finding an appropriate strategic focus is important, but the driving force to success lies with the engagement of employees. This study aimed to determine the impact of team leaders who used coaching skills with their team members, at DHL Thailand’s Supply Chain Division.  The challenge for DHL Thailand is to develop its team leaders and members to meet the corporate vision and mission through opportunities for enhanced relations between team members and leaders, and engagement in work.  The research examined how development of team leaders’ coaching skills, and subsequent coaching of team members, affected the dimensions of the team leader/team member relationship as measured through the dimensions of the Perceived Quality of the Coaching Relationship (PQCR), a tool which measures a team member’s perceptions on dimensions of the relationship that team members create and share with their team leader.  Additionally, the Gallup Q12 survey was given to team members to measure changes in team member engagement before and after the intervention.  While the PQCR measures the dimensions of the coaching relationship, the Gallup Q12 provides data regarding changes in team member engagement.   The research findings indicated that the ODI had an impact on the team leader and team member relations and on employee engagement. This conclusion was supported by both quantitative and qualitative evidence. It is proposed that team leaders coaching of team members may enhance the team leader/team member relationship and the level of engagement of team members. Recommendations for further study include investigating aspects of the development of the coaching skills of team leaders, the frequency of  use of  these skills with  their team  members, and  exploration of  other types of interventions which could affect employee engagement, as well as reinforcing the quantitative results of this study by conducting interviews with participants regarding topics related to attitudes of employee engagement

Overspeed Trip Systems

Discussion GroupSuggested Topics: Electronic overspeed detection system (speed sensors and logic devices) Number, logic Speed sensing gear Sensor type Electro-hydraulic solenoid valves De-energize to shutdown (API default) Number, location, orientation (vertical or horizontal) Built in position sensor Detection system to alarm on failure of the coil; change online Capable of on-line testing without defeating trip protectionEmergency trip valve(s)/combined trip and throttle valve(s) "Mechanical latch type" and "Oil operated/actuated type" Periodic online exercising - partial stroke test (frequency) Full instrument loop "proof" test (frequency) Valve overhaul (repair shop, overhaul frequency, etc.) Systems with duplicate trip valves arranged in parallel OEM upgrades (i.e. metallurgy, etc.) Non-return valve on extraction turbines Overspeed initiates a signal to close non-return valve Types (spring-loaded hydraulic actuated cylinder; pneumatic actuated cylinder) Valve overhaul (repair shop, overhaul frequency, etc.) Testing Mechanical overspeed system Test frequenc

Anaerobic Transformation Kinetics and Mechanism of Steroid Estrogenic Hormones in Dairy Lagoon Water

Dairy products are a staple of the American diet. The main ingredient of the dairy industry, milk, has a byproduct even before it reaches the pasteurizing factory. For cows to produce milk, they need to have given birth recently. Pregnancy and lactation hormones include estrogen compounds. These hormones are excreted through urine and feces. Liquid manure and wastewater from precipitation and washing processes of the herd end up in a series of dairy farm lagoons designed to remove solids from the water. What happens to the estrogen compounds? How can we prevent hormones from contaminating the environment and causing detrimental effects in aquatic species? One research query is to determine if the lagoons have long enough retention times for hormones to degrade. Results appear in Wei Zheng, Xiaolin Li, Scott R. Yates, and Scott A. Bradford (2012). Environmental Science & Technology 46(10), 5471-5478. DOI: 10.1021/es301551hOpe