Teaching, research and practice - establishing a productive balance (Raising the game)

The current debates on teaching standards, on research assessment and on the condition of the profession tend to be carried on in isolation from each other. In this article Gordon Murray, a practitioner and teacher, draws a connection between all three topics and underlines the importance and potential of research for both teaching and the profession. His brief review of teaching and professional formation in Japan provides a thought-provoking comparison with architectural education in the UK and the US

A Comprehensive Evaluation Model for Cumputer Based Educaton

As opportunities to use computers in learning laboratory settings increase,directors will be faced with the problem of assisting faculty to select and evaluate themost appropriate courseware for their needs. This article presents a comprehensiveevaluation model that could be applied for computer based education programs in avariety of arts and sciences areas. The model includes a pre-implementation stage.This stage determines program compatibility, content evaluation and hardwareconsiderations. A second stage considers formative evaluation, continued availabilityof equipment and the recording of time records. Finally, the last phase, summativeevaluation, includes collecting student attitudes, assessing cost effectiveness,determining external influences and finally, suggesting ways of reaching a decision ofworth. The implementation of this model should provide a system where studentscould work with computer programs of a proven quality. Also, learning laboratorydirectors and faculty could show a certain level of accountability towards spendingmoney on computer software or courseware

Dispersion Interactions and Vibrational Effects in Ice as a Function of Pressure: A First Principles Study

We present a first principles theoretical framework that accurately accounts for several properties of ice, over a wide pressure range. In particular, we show that, by using a recently developed nonlocal van der Waals functional and by taking into account hydrogen zero point motion, one can properly describe the zero temperature equation of state, the vibrational spectra, and the dielectric properties of ice at low pressure and of ice VIII, a stable phase between 2 and 60 GPa. While semilocal density functionals yield a transition pressure from ice XI to VIII that is overestimated by almost an order of magnitude, we find good agreement with experiments when dispersion forces are taken into account. Zero point energy contributions do not alter the computed transition pressure, but they affect structural properties, including equilibrium volumes and bulk moduli

A qualitative study of adjustment to caring for an older spouse with psychiatric illness

An understanding of ways in which older carers' perceptions of their marital relationship and duty to their spouse underlie adjustment to care-giving is required for the development of acceptable and efficacious services for spouse carers. With this aim we conducted qualitative interviews with 20 spouses Of older people with a mental illness identified in a representative community study. While carers acknowledged distressing changes in their spouse, a history of reciprocity and intimacy emerged, comprising positive themes and perceived continuity which favourably influenced adjustment to care-giving. Those who still experience closeness in the relationship see themselves as coping and are reluctant to accept formal help. Others describe long-term unhappiness in marriage and experience feelings of entrapment in the role of carer. They require early and comprehensive services. Hypotheses regarding these themes are proposed

POLICIES AND ISSUES OF TAX ASSESSMENT IMPROVEMENT

Public Economics,

Network power flow analysis for a high penetration of distributed generation

Increasing numbers of very small generators are being connected to electricity distribution systems around the world. Examples include photovoltaics (PV) and gas-fired domestic-scale combined heat and power (micro-CHP) systems, with electrical outputs in the region of 1 to 2 kW. These generators are normally installed within consumers' premises and connected to the domestic electricity supply network (230 V single-phase in Europe, 120 V in North America). There is a growing need to understand and quantify the technical impact that high penetrations of such generators may have on the operation of distribution systems. This paper presents an approach to analyzing this impact together with results indicating that considerable penetrations of micro-generation can be accommodated in a typical distribution system

Selecting Optimal Combinations of Transcription Factors to Promote Axon Regeneration: Why Mechanisms Matter

Recovery from injuries to the central nervous system, including spinal cord injury, is constrained in part by the intrinsically low ability of many CNS neurons to mount an effective regenerative growth response. To improve outcomes, it is essential to understand and ultimately reverse these neuron-intrinsic constraints. Genetic manipulation of key transcription factors (TFs), which act to orchestrate production of multiple regeneration-associated genes, has emerged as a promising strategy. It is likely that no single TF will be sufficient to fully restore neuron-intrinsic growth potential, and that multiple, functionally interacting factors will be needed. An extensive literature, mostly from non-neural cell types, has identified potential mechanisms by which TFs can functionally synergize. Here we examine four potential mechanisms of TF/TF interaction; physical interaction, transcriptional cross-regulation, signaling-based cross regulation, and co-occupancy of regulatory DNA. For each mechanism, we consider how existing knowledge can be used to guide the discovery and effective use of TF combinations in the context of regenerative neuroscience. This mechanistic insight into TF interactions is needed to accelerate the design of effective TF-based interventions to relieve neuron-intrinsic constraints to regeneration and to foster recovery from CNS injury

Workplace design

Purpose: Although both the job and its broader context are likely to drive motivation, little is known about the specific workplace characteristics that are important for motivation. We present the Workplace Characteristics Model, which describes the workplace characteristics that can foster motivation, and the corresponding multilevel Workplace Design Questionnaire. Design/methodology/approach: The model is configured as nine workplace attributes describing climate for motivation at two levels, psychological and organizational. The multilevel multi-time questionnaire was validated with data from 4287 individuals and 212 workplaces and integrated regulation as the criterion outcome. Findings: Multilevel factor analysis and regression indicated good internal reliability, construct validity, and stability over time, and excellent concurrent and predictive validity of the questionnaire. Research/Practical implications: The model could help to optimize job and workplace design by contextualizing motivation. The questionnaire offers advancement over single-level climate measures as it is validated simultaneously at two levels. Further research should focus on overcoming the low response rate typical for online surveys, on need fulfillment as the mediating variable, and on the joint influence of job and workplace characteristics on organizational behavior. Originality/value: This work responds to calls to incorporate context in research into organizational behavior and job design. An understanding of the workplace is a first step in this direction. The questionnaire is the first to be validated at multiple levels of analysis. Ultimately, workplace design could support job design and the development of inherently motivating workplaces