5,978 research outputs found
An organization overview of pedagogical practice in work-integrated education
Tertiary curriculum design has increasingly emphasized work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities. This qualitative study provides an overview of a variety of WIL activities at Massey University, New Zealand. Descriptive comments, provided through interviews with fifteen academic supervisors from disciplines ranging from the applied sciences through social sciences to business, education and creative arts, highlight the following six factors to be considered in the resourcing of WIL programs. Themes related to set-up include placement requirements, support, selection, location, and risk management issues. Student preparation involves pre-requisite theoretical knowledge, general career preparation (CV & interview skills) and readiness for practice. With respect to supervision, an on-campus academic mentor and a work-place supervisor are both important to the student. Competencies linked to team work and professional standards include self-confidence, communication and people skills. The teaching pedagogies used include lectures and labs, oral presentations, scenario-based-learning and project work. Assessment involved a learning contract, reflective journal, oral presentation, and final report
The influence of process gas type on the enamel surface condition of a high power diode laser generated single-stage ceramic tile grout seal
Almost all laser materials processing operations require the simultaneous use of an process or assist gas. This paper examines the use of O2, Ar, N2 and He as process gasses during the firing of a vitreous enamel to form a single-stage ceramic tile grout seal with a high power diode laser (HPDL) and the effects thereof on the surface condition of the glaze. The findings revealed marked differences in the surface condition of the HPDL generated enamel glaze depending upon the process gas used. The use of O2 as the process gas was seen to result in glazes with far fewer microcracks and porosities than those generated with any of the other three gasses, particularly He. Such differences were found to be due to the ability of the smaller O2 gas molecules to dissolve molecularly into the open structure of the HPDL generated enamel glaze and also, the inherent reactiveness of O2 which consequently effects exothermic reactions when it is used as a process gas. Both occurrences were seen, in turn, to affect the cooling rate and therefore the tendency of the molten glaze to generate microcracks when cooled
A comparative investigation of the wear characteristics of a high power diode laser generated single-stage tile grout and commercial epoxy tile grout
A comparative study of a single-stage ceramic tile grout, generated using a 60 W high power diode laser (HPDL), and a commercially available tile grout has determined the wear characteristics of the two materials. Within both normal and corrosive environmental conditions, the single-stage ceramic tile grout proved to have a superior wear rate over the epoxy tile grout, 0.9 mg/cm2/h compared with 125 mg/cm2/h when in an HNO3 environment respectively. Likewise, life assessment testing revealed that the single-stage ceramic tile grout gave an increase in wear life of 4 to 42 times over the commercially available epoxy tile grout, depending upon the corrosive environment. It is believed that the economic and material benefits to be gained from the deployment of such an effective and efficient means of sealing ceramic tiles could be significant
The N170 event-related potential differentiates congruent and incongruent gaze responses in gaze leading
To facilitate social interactions, humans need to process the responses that other people make to their actions, including eye movements that could establish joint attention. Here, we investigated the neurophysiological correlates of the processing of observed gaze responses following the participants’ own eye movement. These observed gaze responses could either establish, or fail to establish, joint attention. We implemented a gaze leading paradigm in which participants made a saccade from an on-screen face to an object, followed by the on-screen face either making a congruent or incongruent gaze shift. An N170 event-related potential was elicited by the peripherally located gaze shift stimulus. Critically, the N170 was greater for joint attention than non-joint gaze both when task-irrelevant (Experiment 1) and task-relevant (Experiment 2). These data suggest for the first time that the neurocognitive system responsible for structural encoding of face stimuli is affected by the establishment of participant-initiated joint attention
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: CO2 Cap and Trade in New Hampshire
Our greatest challenge in confronting climate change will be the transition away from fossil fuel combustion as our primary source of electricity. The market-based policy of cap and trade is a preferable solution to this problem that forces electric generators to compete for the right to emit CO2 while minimizing damage to the economy. This policy is studied from the perspective of a state legislator deciding whether to adopt it, and evaluated in the context of a proposed federal policy
The role of farmyard manure in the maintenance of botanical diversity in the traditionally managed hay meadows of the Pennines
PhD ThesisTraditionally managed hay meadows of the Pennines are highly prized for their
botanical diversity. In recent decades there has been a drastic reduction in these
meadows because of the negative effects on botanical diversity of widespread
management changes, such as the application of inorganic fertiliser and the switch
from hay to silage production. The consequences of changes in grazing regime, cut
date and inorganic fertiliser application have been well documented. However,
although farmyard manure application is an integral part of long term meadow
management it has as yet received less scientific attention.
The application of farmyard manure provides a possible mechanism by which seed
contained within hay cut from the meadows can subsequently be returned to the
meadow. The dispersal of seed and establishment of plants within traditionally
managed hay meadows is an important area of study because of the problems
associated with attempts to re-create meadows in the Pennines and throughout the
UK, an important goal of agri-environment schemes.
Field, glasshouse and laboratory experiments are described which attempt to
establish the viable seed content in samples of hay from botanically diverse
meadows and how subsequent feeding to livestock affects the viable seed content of
the farmyard manure produced. The experiments also explored the extent to which
seed remained viable during the time that manure was stored prior to spreading, thus
affecting its capacity to germinate once spread or to become incorporated into the
soil seed bank. The spreading of farmyard manure has often been observed to create
bare patches within the meadow vegetation. It was therefore hypothesised that these
patches may be suitable niches for the germination of seeds from within the manure
itself or from the soil seed bank, and this was investigated using field
experimentation.
Comparison of the original vegetation with the viable seed content of hay, manure
and dung from cattle fed exclusively on meadow hay from two traditionally
managed sources produced some interesting results. The meadow vegetation
contained a range of prominent perennial herbs such as Geranium sylvaticum,
Sanguisorba officinalis and Filipendula ulmaria which are considered to be
important from a conservation management viewpoint. However, germination of the
seed within the hay cut from these meadows failed to provide any evidence for the
occurrence of such species within the hay. Either the typical mid July hay cut
comes before these species produce ripe seed or the seed was lost from the hay
during the turning and baling operations. Viable seeds of the early flowering annual
herb Rhinanthus minor, which is also considered by ecologists to be desirable, were
also absent from the hay. The most abundant species in the hay were generally
grasses, with Poa trivialis especially prominent, and less important, often annual,
herb species.
The feeding of this hay to cattle and subsequent germination of seed within the dung
showed that the digestive system of the cattle was extremely damaging to seed
viability. Proportionally P. trivialis became even more dominant within the dung
samples with many of the less common species in the hay failing to have any viable
seed within the dung. In contrast to the dung, the fresh manure collected from the
two farms contained a larger quantity of seed, and more species than the dung.
These samples were in fact more comparable to the hay samples in terms of species
composition although not quantity. This suggests that the majority of the viable seed
which is incorporated into manure does not pass through the digestive tract of the
livestock, but rather falls directly from feed racks onto the barn floor.
Confirmation of the negative effect of the digestive processes of cattle on seed
viability was achieved in a laboratory experiment. A three stage process was used to
mimic the effects of chewing, rumen digestion and post ruminal digestion. Five
species were tested; two grasses P. trivlalis and Anthoxanthum odoratum which
occurred within the hay samples, the annual herb Myosotis arvensis which was
found within hay samples and two perennial herbs F. ulmaria and S. officinalis
which were absent from the hay samples. Whilst the effects of chewing and ruminal
digestion varied between the five species tested the post ruminal digestion was
extremely damaging in all five species. These results suggested that the prominence
of P. trivialis in dung samples was due more to the high quantity of seed within the
hay rather than to any increased ability to survive digestion. The perennial herbs, F.
ulmaria and S. officinalis were able to survive digestion at least as well as P.
trivialis and so given appropriate management of hay cut timing could become
incorporated into manure for subsequent dispersal via this route.
By comparing the viable seed content of fresh" manure with that in samples stored
for 3 months, 6 months and 12 months it was clear that the seed content of the
manure did not reduce until it had been stored for a period longer than 6 months.
Once again those species with the greatest quantity of seed in fresh manure were the
ones which were able to survive within the older manure samples. The burial in
manure of known quantities of the same seeds as used in the laboratory digestion
experiment confirmed this result, and also showed that herb species absent from the
hay and manure are at least as capable of survival within manure heaps as species
such as P. trivialis which dominated the manure samples collected from farms.
In order to assess the role that manure application to meadows may have in
supplying seed to the soil seed bank, soil cores were extracted from the meadows at
the two farms used in the study and the seed content estimated by seed germination.
The soil seed bank contained all of the species found within the manure samples as
well as a range of earlier flowering species including the annual herb R. minor.
Again the longer lived perennial herb species valued from a bio-diversity
perspective were largely absent from the soil seed bank or only present in very low
quantities. The species make up of the seed bank within these diverse hay meadow
communities was found to be more akin to the species make up of species poor
pasture communities. This suggests that seed set by many of the ecologically
desirable species is not a regular occurrence within Pennine meadows. The large
quantity of seed of certain species found within manure applied to the meadows
means that it could play a significant role in the build up of seed within the soil seed
bank, although these species may be expected to be recruited to the soil seed bank
via other routes such as seed rain during the period of crop growth and the hay
making operations.
Field experimentation with observation of the colonisation of gaps created by
farmyard manure application showed that vegetation colonising these gaps did not
compare to the seed content of the manure or the soil seed bank, but rather the
surrounding vegetation. Colonisation of these gaps did not give rise to vegetation
containing a higher quantity of species indicative of the manure or soil seed content.
Perennial herb species absent from both the manure and the soil seed bank were
amongst the colonisers of the these gaps suggesting that vegetative re-growth is an
important process in the maintenance of long term botanical diversity within such
meadows. Whilst it remains possible that during years when the hay cut is later than
usual, seed production and subsequent incorporation into the hay of more desirable
later flowering herbs could occur, the overwhelming weight of evidence suggests
that the farmyard manure from cattle fed meadow hay is not a significant
contributor to the dispersal of ecologically valuable components of meadow
vegetation. Indeed, the results suggest that seed production may be less important
than the vegetative propagation of many species
Solar Energy for the City of Worcester
This project was conducted at the request of Worcester\u27s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program to evaluate proposed solar energy projects for public facilities and explore other issues related to their development. Research focused on the economic feasibility and overall desirability of such projects undertaken by local governments based on the current market conditions, regulatory constraints, and policy incentives for solar energy. An analysis of these factors supports the conclusion that public investment in solar energy at this time is a fiscally and socially responsible way for the City of Worcester to act on its commitment to renewable energy and sustainable government
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