Reasons to be cheerful. Why teachers' beliefs could yet bring about change in schools.

Jonathan Berry, "Reasons to be cheerful. Why teachers' beliefs could yet bring about change in schools.", FORUM, Vol. 58(2): 257-266, May 2016. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 1 May 2019. Available Online at: http://www.wwwords.co.uk/rss/abstract.asp?j=forum&aid=6290&doi=1Despite a plethora of high-stakes testing, constant scrutiny and the drudgery of meaningless data-collection, teachers preserve a notion of education and learning that goes beyond this.Non peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Spousal Labor Supply as Insurance: Does Unemployment Insurance Crowd Outthe Added Worker Effect?

We consider the role of spousal labor supply as insurance against spells of unemployment. Standard theory suggests that women should work more when their husbands are out of work (the Added Worker Effect or AWE), but there has been little empirical support for this contention. We too find little evidence of an AWE over the 1984-1993 period. We suggest that one reason for the absence of the AWE may be that unemployment insurance (UI) is providing a state-contingent income stream that counteracts the negative income shock from the husband's unemployment. We in fact find that increases in the generosity of UI lower labor supply among wives of unemployed husbands. Our results suggest that UI is crowding out a sizeable fraction of offsetting spousal earnings in response to unemployment spells, although even in the absence of a UI system the spousal response would only make up a small share of the associated reduction in family income. We also find evidence that families are making labor supply decisions in a life cycle context, since there are effects of UI on the labor supply of wives of employed husbands who face high unemployment risk. Yet, couples do not appear able to smooth the labor supply response to UI income flows equally over periods of employment and unemployment, suggesting the presence of liquidity constraints. Finally, wives in families with small children are more responsive to UI benefits in their labor supply decisions, which is consistent with the notion that they have a higher opportunity cost of market work.

Strategy for Achieving Maximum Contextualization of the Church in Contemporary Missions

Never in history has there been so much evangelical activity seeking to make Jesus Christ known loved and served throughout the world. Yet the church has never been so harassed and troubled by voices calling for the reduction or elimination of these activities and for the reconceptualization of its message and mission in term of social justice, peace, racial integration and the elimination of poverty. Since there is validity to all of these activities perhaps it can be said that the Spirit is struggling within the church that they might rise to the complex challenge of world-wide mission. This paper examines how the church today is commanded to have effective mission strategies and what it is doing and could possible do to overcome the cultural barriers to bring the gospel to the entire world

From azobenzene glycosylation to multistate photoswitching: new approaches for the synthesis of photochromic glycoconjugates and glycomacrocycles

Synthesis and evaluation of novel photochromic glycoconjugates and glycomacrocycles based on the azobenzene photoswitch

Quality-controlled audio-visual depth in stereoscopic 3D media

BACKGROUND: The literature proposes several algorithms that produce “quality-controlled” stereoscopic depth in 3D films by limiting the stereoscopic depth to a defined depth budget. Like stereoscopic displays, spatial sound systems provide the listener with enhanced (auditory) depth cues, and are now commercially available in multiple forms. AIM: We investigate the implications of introducing auditory depth cues to quality-controlled 3D media, by asking: “Is it important to quality-control audio-visual depth by considering audio-visual interactions, when integrating stereoscopic display and spatial sound systems?” MOTIVATION: There are several reports in literature of such “audio-visual interactions”, in which visual and auditory perception influence each other. We seek to answer our research question by investigating whether these audio-visual interactions could extend the depth budget used in quality-controlled 3D media. METHOD/CONCLUSIONS: The related literature is reviewed before presenting four novel experiments that build upon each other’s conclusions. In the first experiment, we show that content created with a stereoscopic depth budget creates measurable positive changes in audiences’ attitude towards 3D films. These changes are repeatable for different locations, displays and content. In the second experiment we calibrate an audio-visual display system and use it to measure the minimum audible depth difference. Our data is used to formulate recommendations for content designers and systems engineers. These recommendations include the design of an auditory depth perception screening test. We then show that an auditory-visual stimulus with a nearer auditory depth is perceived as nearer. We measure the impact of this effect upon a relative depth judgement, and investigate how the impact varies with audio-visual depth separation. Finally, the size of the cross-modal bias in depth is measured, from which we conclude that sound does have the potential to extend the depth budget by a small, but perceivable, amount

Collaborative behaviours and professional culture traits in real-time interprofessional clinical simulation

Interprofessional education (IPE) has been proposed as a method of creating a collaborative practice ready workforce in healthcare. Postulated benefits of the technique include improving communication between professional groups, which in turn should help to prevent serious untoward events and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Critics of the method have cited poorly designed IPE as a method of reinforcing physician power, and argued there is a paucity of data linking undergraduate IPE to tangible benefits in a patient-facing setting. Simulation has been increasingly used as a method for delivery of IPE, with positive outcomes cited by students and educators alike. Virtual Patients and avatars have been recently used as a delivery method for healthcare education, but there is a paucity of data regarding their use in IPE. Simulation is not a panacea for IPE, many simulations focus on the acute phase of care naturally excluding healthcare professions who are not involved in those situations. Findings from acute simulations may not apply to sub-acute scenarios. Method A sub-acute real-time virtual patient simulation was designed then delivered to educators (n=6) and undergraduate students (n=33) from the professions of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy. Qualitative data was gathered according to a constructivist paradigm using unstructured observation of in-simulation behaviour, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Results Data was analysed according to Braun and Clarke’s method of thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: technology, education, collaboration, intrinsic behaviours and stereotyping. The simulation was educationally successful with participants citing improved recognition of the skills of other professional groups, and improved physiological and pharmacological knowledge. The real-time aspect of the simulation improved clinical reasoning and forced students to make prescribing decisions, which was cited as beneficial for future practice. The sub-acute nature of the simulation resulted in participants hyper-observing their VP to the detriment of patient care. Good levels of collaboration, team working and appropriate communication were facilitated but students were observed to subconsciously selfstereotype. Conclusions Sub-acute real-time virtual patient simulation appears to be a valid method of enabling students to learn with and from one another. It conveys benefit over traditional educational methods such as classroom-based, problem-based and experiential learning as students are given full responsibility for patient care with little supervision. Self-stereotyping amongst students suggests that students convey stereotypical messages about their own profession to others. This may aid team-building in the undergraduate setting, but if these stereotypical views are transferred to advanced practice, there may be detrimental consequences for team formation and patient care

Retinal thickness analyzer: An online instruction manual

Optometry has recently started using powerful computer driven diagnostic tools. The Talia Retinal Thickness Analyzer (RTA) is such a machine. This online instruction manual was created to give students easy access to information regarding the use of the RTA and interpretation of RTA reports. It provides information about the different uses of the RTA, in-depth instructions on how to perform a scan, examples of scan reports with a focus on their clinical use, and includes an abbreviated instruction guide for quick reference. The manual will offer a convenient way for student and faculty RTA users to learn about this technology. The online format will allow access to the instruction manual from school, clinic, home, or preceptorship sites

Quantum enhanced spectroscopy with entangled multi-photon states

Traditionally, spectroscopy is performed by examining the position of absorption lines. However, at frequencies near the transition frequency, additional information can be obtained from the phase shift. In this work we consider the information about the transition frequency obtained from both the absorption and the phase shift, as quantified by the Fisher information in an interferometric measurement. We examine the use of multiple single-photon states, NOON states, and numerically optimized states that are entangled and have multiple photons. We find the optimized states that improve over the standard quantum limit set by independent single photons for some atom number densities.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, comments are welcom