Report on the implementation of progress files

'Report on the Implementation of Progress Files' summarises the findings of a sector-wide survey on progress in the implementation and use of transcripts and personal development planning in higher education. The report, by John Brennan and Tarla Shah of the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI), was commissioned by the Progress File Implementation Group (consisting of policy advisers from Universities UK, SCOP, LTSN Generic Centre and QAA) following the announcement in the recent HE White Paper, 'The Future of Higher Education'

Keynote Address—Paradox of Trust in Unsettled Times: Can Scientists Speak Truth to Power ?

The phrase, “speak truth to power”, traces back at least to a pamphlet produced in the 1950s. Its central concern was international peace in an age of atomic and hydrogen weapons. In 2018, it has achieved a much broader meaning, including, but not limited to, speaking in defense of scientific theories, hypotheses, and facts that inconvenience people holding political power and authority. The recent letter sent out by members of the U.S. Academy of Sciences demonstrates the challenge of trust in an era when science and nominally democratic government, in the United States at least, are fundamentally at odds

Critical Review of the Complex Interactions between Trust and Credibility Associated with Conservation Science

The credibility enjoyed by natural science and scientists during most of the 20th Century has been challenged in the 21st Century. Philosophers of science have noted waning trust in science as an appropriate foundation for socio-political decisions (Haack, 2012). We propose a preliminary critical review of professional conservation literature that defines trust, explains its emergence, and acknowledges benefits and risks associated with trust. Second, we explore how trust and credibility interact to enhance or detract from scientific legitimacy

Dehydration of the elderly in nursing homes : from a care-giver perspective

Maintaining adequate hydration among nursing home residents is a continuous challenge. The elderly easily get dehydrated despite the constant and regular care offered to them in nursing homes. This is due to the ageing process like diminished functional ability and physiological factors such as poor thirst sensation. Emphasis must be placed more on the prevention of dehydration than its treatment. Amongst residents receiving terminal care dehydration is a common problem hence caregivers should pay special attention to it in care plan. Aim: The aim of this study is to find out how dehydration affects the wellbeing of the elderly and the remedy. Hence the research questions are to find out the risk factors of dehydration and how it can be prevented. Method: The method used is systematic litera-ture review and data collected was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The search engines used were EBSCO and Google Scholar. Results: The results were grouped into categories and sub-categories with their respective themes. It was found out risk factors of dehydration range from physiological factors such as reduced total body water, func-tional factors such as reduced mobility and environmental factors such as isolation. De-hydration can be prevented by ensuring that the elderly drink adequately and this can be done by using strategies like drinking in little portions with a mixture of variety of fluids. Conclusion: In conclusion dehydration can be avoided if the care-givers are well trained to be able to identify when the clients are at risk of dehydration

Données préliminaires sur l’exploitation des pangolins (Pholidota) autour du Parc National de Kahuzi-Biega, République Démocratique du Congo

Dans un contexte où la demande des écailles des pangolins pour la médicine traditionnelle chinoise ne cesse d’augmenter, ces animaux se trouvent de plus à plus braconner. Il est donc important que les études soient menées dans leur zone de répartition pour arriver à dégager les motivations de cette exploitation dans chaque zone. C’est dans cet angle que l’étude sur l’exploitation des pangolins et de leurs produits dérivés a été réalisée autour du parc national de Kahuzi-Biega avec pour objectif de dégager les différentes fins pour lesquelles ces animaux y sont exploités et identifier les différents acteurs intervenant dans ce domaine via l’information et les connaissances des riverains. La méthode d’enquête individuelle et collective a été conduite auprès de 116 personnes pendant une période de deux mois (mars et avril 2019) autour du Secteur Tshivanga et du Secteur Itebero. Les analyses comparatives, Khi-deux, Ficher et les analyses à correspondances multiples (ACM) ont été effectuées à l’aide du logiciel Past 3.2. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les pangolins sont principalement exploités pour l’alimentation et la médecine traditionnelles. Cependant, le trafic de leurs écailles a fait augmenter la demande dans la zone. Les demandeurs des écailles viennent principalement des grandes villes (Bukavu, Goma, Kisangani) et des certaines pays étrangers (Ouganda, Burundi, Tanzanie et les agents de la Mission des Nations-Unies pour la Stabilisation au Congo). Le commerce des écailles pour satisfaire la demande externe, bien qu’encore à ces débuts, vient menacer les pangolins dans cette zone où la chasse est strictement interdite. Ce commerce passe par des intermédiaires, dont les principaux sont les enfants du milieu.Mots clés : Étude préliminaire, exploitation, pangolins, Kahuzi-biega, RDC English Title: Preliminary data on the exploitation of Pangolins (Pholidota) about the National Park of Kahuzi-Biega, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)In a context where the demand for pangolin scales for traditional Chinese medicine continues to increase, these animals are increasingly being poached. It is therefore important that studies be carried out in their area of distribution in order to identify the motivations for this exploitation in each area. It is in this perspective that the study on the exploitation of pangolins and their by-products was carried out around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park with the aim of identifying the different purposes for which these animals are exploited there and to identify the different actors involved in this field through the information and knowledge of local residents. The individual and collective survey method was conducted among 116 people over a two-month period (March and April 2019) around the Tshivanga Sector and the Itebero Sector. Comparative, Chi-square, File and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) analyses were carried out using Past 3.2 software. The results obtained show that pangolins are mainly exploited for traditional food and medicine. However, the trafficking of their scales has increased demand in the area. The demand for the scales comes mainly from the big cities (Bukavu, Goma, Kisangani) and from some foreign countries (Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and agents of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo). The trade in scales to satisfy external demand, although still in its infancy, is threatening pangolins in this area where hunting is strictly prohibited. This trade goes through intermediaries, the main ones being local children.Keywords: Preliminary study, exploitation, pangolins, Kahuzi-biega, DRC

Development of Risk Based Treatability and Engineering Measures for Reducing Exposure to Lead Contaminated Media in the Miami Inner City, Florida

A major consequence of contamination at the local level’s population as it relates to environmental health and environmental engineering is childhood lead poisoning. Environmental contamination is one of the pressing environmental concerns facing the world today. Current approaches often focus on large contaminated industrial size sites that are designated by regulatory agencies for site remediation. Prior to this study, there were no known published studies conducted at the local and smaller scale, such as neighborhoods, where often much of the contamination is present to remediate. An environmental health study of local lead-poisoning data in Liberty City, Little Haiti and eastern Little Havana in Miami-Dade County, Florida accounted for a disproportionately high number of the county’s reported childhood lead poisoning cases. An engineering system was developed and designed for a comprehensive risk management methodology that is distinctively applicable to the geographical and environmental conditions of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Furthermore, a scientific approach for interpreting environmental health concerns, while involving detailed environmental engineering control measures and methods for site remediation in contained media was developed for implementation. Test samples were obtained from residents and sites in those specific communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida (Gasana and Chamorro 2002). Currently lead does not have an Oral Assessment, Inhalation Assessment, and Oral Slope Factor; variables that are required to run a quantitative risk assessment. However, various institutional controls from federal agencies’ standards and regulation for contaminated lead in media yield adequate maximum concentration limits (MCLs). For this study an MCL of .0015 (mg/L) was used. A risk management approach concerning contaminated media involving lead demonstrates that the linkage of environmental health and environmental engineering can yield a feasible solution