Translational research as an integral part of work–based learning

Shelagh Keogh, Northumbria University, UK This paper explores the concept of translational research as an appropriate strategy for work based learning. Translational research as the name suggests it is about the translation of research findings into practice. Practice and practice development are integral to the learning in the work place and translational research is therefore an excellent mechanism for work based learning. Medicine is its main exponent but it is becoming increasingly commoner in other areas. Traditionally translational research refers to the translating of laboratory based findings to clinical practice as such is a highly prescriptive and regulated approach. More recently, Public Health has explored ways of translating findings of epidemiological studies into clinical practice and education has also explored strategies which can be used in the translation of research into both curriculum design and classroom practice. Although clearly it is applicable to a range of practices and disciplines There are two main issues which need to be considered in translational research, the nature of knowledge and the roles involved in the translation of research findings into practice: The knowledge valued in different disciplinary areas can differ for example in medicine and the health professions application of research is highly regulated and controlled, novel and innovative ideas go through a rigorous testing process. Whereas in many business settings and in the creative industries novel and innovative ideas are the starting point. Having determined the knowledge which is valued the tensions which are inherent in the work place need to be explored. Traditional ways of doing things can be challenged and this can draw on skills The roles played are important and central to the translation. In work based learning much will depend on the programme and the stage involved, for instance in doctoral programme the students may take the lead whereas in undergraduate programmes the student will be part of a highly supervised and supported team It is an approach which if planned and correctly executed develops practice and it can be a very powerful tool for learning to demonstrate this the paper will conclude with a case study of a translational research project. Involved the translation of research study into practice in a care environment. The stages involved will be discussed and outlined in some detail. The benefits and drawbacks of the approach, as a learning tool will also be outlined and considere

User's manual for the ALS base heating prediction code, volume 2

The Advanced Launch System (ALS) Base Heating Prediction Code is based on a generalization of first principles in the prediction of plume induced base convective heating and plume radiation. It should be considered to be an approximate method for evaluating trends as a function of configuration variables because the processes being modeled are too complex to allow an accurate generalization. The convective methodology is based upon generalizing trends from four nozzle configurations, so an extension to use the code with strap-on boosters, multiple nozzle sizes, and variations in the propellants and chamber pressure histories cannot be precisely treated. The plume radiation is more amenable to precise computer prediction, but simplified assumptions are required to model the various aspects of the candidate configurations. Perhaps the most difficult area to characterize is the variation of radiation with altitude. The theory in the radiation predictions is described in more detail. This report is intended to familiarize a user with the interface operation and options, to summarize the limitations and restrictions of the code, and to provide information to assist in installing the code

What is a model, why people don't trust them, and why they should

It is easier to make one�s way in the world if one has some sort of expectation of the world�s future behaviour. Even when facing a very complex problem, we are rarely in a state of full ignorance: some expectations of system behaviour and the level of risk arising from uncertainty are usually available and it is on the basis of these expectations that most decisions are taken. Humans use models, which are mental or formal representations of reality, to generate these expectations, employing an ability that is shared more or less by all forms of life. Whether it is a tree responding to shortening day length by dropping its leaves and preparing its metabolism for the winter ahead or a naked Pleistocene ape storing food in advance of winter for the same reasons, both are using models. This view leads to two outcomes. The first is that predictions, seen as an expectation of ranges of future behaviours, are not just desirable, but necessary for decision-making. The often-asked question �do models provide reliable predictions?� then shifts to �given a certain problem, what type of models provide the most useful and reliable prediction?� The second outcome is that modelling is no longer a scientist�s activity but is instead a social process. Different types of models can be employed to ensure that all available information is included in model building and that model results are understood, trusted and acted upon

Notes for now: The place of Art in the reorganised Education of Teachers

In a symposium (1) published recently the question discussed is ";Is it necessary to make art in order to teach art?"; In whatever way one may be tempted to answer, there can be no doubt that the teacher who practices as an artist has knowledge of a kind which is denied to the non-practioner. At the most obvious level, he knows what he feels when making art. The experience is familiar to him. The non-practising artist who teaches must draw upon other experiences, which may be of comparable value. Indeed the very lack of direct personal experience of art-making may be a strong factor in the teacher's motivation, a dete'rmination, perhaps, to ensure that his pupils are not in their turn deprived. One has met teachers, eager to disclaim any knowledge of art, who were able nevertheless to provide for children the materials, the circumstances and the understanding which enabled them to make art. Whether they could be said to be teaching art is a question I shall not attempt to consider here

IMPACT OF LOCALIZED CUTBACKS IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ON A STATE ECONOMY

This study examines the effects that a cutback in production by Texas agricultural producers would have on the economic well-being of all producers and consumers in the stateÂ’s economy. To do this, a quadratic input-output model incorporating econometric estimates of final demand was developed for the Texas economy. The output of the agricultural production sectors was constrained to reflect the cutback in production. The results show that agricultural producers would be economically worse off than before only if the producers of raw agricultural products in Texas imported their input needs from other geographical areas.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Production Economics,

Energetic Extremes in Aquatic Locomotion by Coral Reef Fishes

Underwater locomotion is challenging due to the high friction and resistance imposed on a body moving through water and energy lost in the wake during undulatory propulsion. While aquatic organisms have evolved streamlined shapes to overcome such resistance, underwater locomotion has long been considered a costly exercise. Recent evidence for a range of swimming vertebrates, however, has suggested that flapping paired appendages around a rigid body may be an extremely efficient means of aquatic locomotion. Using intermittent flow-through respirometry, we found exceptional energetic performance in the Bluelined wrasse Stethojulis bandanensis, which maintains tuna-like optimum cruising speeds (up to 1 metre s(-1)) while using 40% less energy than expected for their body size. Displaying an exceptional aerobic scope (22-fold above resting), streamlined rigid-body posture, and wing-like fins that generate lift-based thrust, S. bandanensis literally flies underwater to efficiently maintain high optimum swimming speeds. Extreme energetic performance may be key to the colonization of highly variable environments, such as the wave-swept habitats where S. bandanensis and other wing-finned species tend to occur. Challenging preconceived notions of how best to power aquatic locomotion, biomimicry of such lift-based fin movements could yield dramatic reductions in the power needed to propel underwater vehicles at high speed.Funding was provided by the Australian Research Council (to CJF) and the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation (to JFS). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Generalized inverses of matrices over a finite field

AbstractFor a given m × n matrix A of rank r over a finite field F, the number of generalized inverses, of reflexive generalized inverses, of normalized generalized inverses, and of pseudoinverses of A are determined by elementary methods. The more difficult problem of determining which m × n matrices A of rank r over F have normalized generalized inverses and which have pseudoinverses is solved. Moreover, the number of such matrices which possess normalized generalized inverses and the number which possess pseudoinverses are found

Tertullian’s Adversus Judaeos: a Tale of Two Treatises

Tertullian’s Adversus Judaeos is a controversial text of disputed origins. Until recently, it was not given much scholarly attention, because it was unclear whether or not Tertullian wrote it as an integral, finished work, intended for publication. Two aspects of the text are especially problematic. Sections of chapters 9-14 appear to be taken whole cloth from Tertullian’s Adversus Mariconem, suggesting that Adversus Judaeos, as preserved, may be a composite of two works. Also, the work is disjointed, digressive, and repetitious, unlike Tertullian’s usual standards of authorship. Nonetheless, the most recent scholarly assessment of Adversus Judaeos, based on a comprehensive rhetorical analysis, argues strongly for the work’s authenticity and integrality. My thesis, a rebuttal of this most recent position, is that Adversus Judaeos is indeed a poorly collated composite of two of Tertullian’s works: 1/ an original, rhetorically-complete, two-book Christian apology, and 2/ passages ripped (later) from Book III of Adversus Marcionem. I argue further that the original apology is grounded in issues which arose in Carthage when Septimius Severus assumed power as undisputed Emperor of Rome in 197 c.e. A comprehensive analysis of Adversus Judaeos is presented to demonstrate: 1/ that Parts I and II were written for different (although related) purposes; 2/ that the argument of Part I is not dependent upon the argument of Part II and vice versa; 3/ that a recent proposal for the rhetorical structure of Adversus Judaeos – advanced in defense of the work’s unity – omits many observable rhetorical elements; 4/ that Parts I and II have independent rhetorical structures; and 5/ that Parts of Adversus Marcionem, Book III were redacted to form a significant part of Adversus Judaeos, Part II, and not vice versa. As a whole, the results of analysis make a strong case for the composite nature of the treatise as preserved, and facilitate a proposed reconstruction of the work as originally written, most likely as part of Tertullian’s apologetic program. The original text addresses the “charge” of Christian novelty by grounding the Church securely in ancient Jewish tradition. The unfortunate redaction came later, when someone – not Tertullian – collated the original treatise with sections of Adversus Marcionem, Book III. The result adds little in the way of argument to the original treatise, and therefore the purpose of the composite, as preserved, remains a mystery

John Mercer Langston, United States Minister to Haiti, 1877-1885

John Mercer Langston succeeded Ebenezer Bon Carlos Bassett as United States Minister to Haiti. Robert Plante Submitted a Master of Arts Thesis, Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett, United States Minister to Haiti, 1869-1877, to the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Agust 1969, and the subject of this thesis was chosen with the view of continuing research in the same historical period