An Overview on Urban Education: A Brief History and Contemporary Issues

This paper is designed to provide insights into both the ever-shifting nature-as well as the trajectory of-urban education in the United States. We provide a brief historical synopsis, a contextualization of how education in urban settings is commonly constructed through popular discourses, and a discussion of how the definitions and perceptions of urban schools influence research and policy measures. Lastly, this paper offers a brief exploration of recent movements and complications concerning urban education reform.Educatio

Providing safe and supported accommodation for young people who are in the care system and who are at risk of, or experiencing, sexual exploitation or trafficking for sexual exploitation

This report presents the findings of a scoping study into accommodation for young people at risk of/experiencing sexual exploitation. The scoping study took place January to March 2011 and included a literature search, consultation with young people, consultation with practitioners and development of a full research proposal. The research was funded by the NSPCC

Herr Daniel Bandmann and Shakespeare vs the World

German actor Daniel Bandmann played his first Hamlet at the age of 20, and made his English language debut as Shylock in New York, 1863. In his prime, he performed extensively in America, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, amongst other countries. Though he played roles which ranged from Narcisse and the Corsican twins to Jekyll and Hyde, he was perhaps most closely identified with a handful of Shakespearean roles: Hamlet, Shylock, Macbeth, Othello, Iago. His apparently ungovernable temper led to a love/hate relationship with the critics, played out in public through the newspapers.  His responses to criticism open a window into his playing of these roles. This paper examines Bandmann’s acting in the role of Hamlet and the critical interchanges he engaged in around the world, as an exemplar of the interaction of theatre and the global media

Generic approach for deriving reliability and maintenance requirements through consideration of in-context customer objectives

Not all implementations of reliability are equally effective at providing customer and user benefit. Random system failure with no prior warning or failure accommodation will have an immediate, usually adverse impact on operation. Nevertheless, this approach to reliability, implicit in measurements such as ‘failure rate’ and ‘MTBF’, is widely assumed without consideration of potential benefits of pro-active maintenance. Similarly, it is easy to assume that improved maintainability is always a good thing. However, maintainability is only one option available to reduce cost of ownership and reduce the impact of failure. This paper discusses a process for deriving optimised reliability and maintenance requirements through consideration of in-context customer objectives rather than a product in isolation

A low cost scheme for high precision dual-wavelength laser metrology

A novel method capable of delivering relative optical path length metrology with nanometer precision is demonstrated. Unlike conventional dual-wavelength metrology which employs heterodyne detection, the method developed in this work utilizes direct detection of interference fringes of two He-Ne lasers as well as a less precise stepper motor open-loop position control system to perform its measurement. Although the method may be applicable to a variety of circumstances, the specific application where this metrology is essential is in an astrometric optical long baseline stellar interferometer dedicated to precise measurement of stellar positions. In our example application of this metrology to a narrow-angle astrometric interferometer, measurement of nanometer precision could be achieved without frequency-stabilized lasers although the use of such lasers would extend the range of optical path length the metrology can accurately measure. Implementation of the method requires very little additional optics or electronics, thus minimizing cost and effort of implementation. Furthermore, the optical path traversed by the metrology lasers is identical with that of the starlight or science beams, even down to using the same photodetectors, thereby minimizing the non-common-path between metrology and science channels.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Applied Optic

Training and education for respiratory on-call physiotherapists in the UK: a national survey

Background: Physiotherapists frequently provide emergency on-call respiratory services outside of normal working hours. The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC) has raised concerns regarding the heterogeneity of training and education across the United Kingdom, particularly given that non-respiratory physiotherapists participate in on-call respiratory treatments. The aim of this study was to explore current provision of on-call respiratory physiotherapy in the United Kingdom (UK). Methods: This study employed a survey-based approach. An online survey was developed and piloted to meet the aims of the study. Physiotherapists were recruited proactively via professional on-line noticeboards, the Council for Allied Health Professionals’ Research, other special interest groups and using social media. The survey was open to responses for 3 weeks. Results: A total of 120 responses were received, of which 13 were excluded as they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Responses indicated good representation nationally, from those who run on-call services and deliver training at their respective hospitals. There was wide variation in the processes that physiotherapists must complete prior to undertaking on-call duties. Competence was assessed via a number of means, with wide variation between the assessment methods. There was a lack of consensus regarding the purpose of on-call respiratory physiotherapy. Conclusion: The results highlight the varied nature of on-call service provision and training in the UK. Training methods have shifted from supervised sessions to more practical-based work utilising the skills and knowledge of colleagues