Improving the availability of biopesticides : an interdisciplinary research project

There is a need for new, biologically-based crop protection products to serve as alternatives to or to complement synthetic chemical pesticides. An interdisciplinary research team from the natural and social sciences considered whether regulatory barriers were preventing more biopesticides reaching the market. The research coincided with a realisation by policy makers that more needed to be done to facilitate biopesticide registration, exemplified by the UK's Biopesticides Scheme. However, important differences remain between the UK and other countries such as the USA. Changes in regulatory arrangements need careful handling. The scientific work undertaken in the project provided a better understanding of the population biology of microbial control agents. Interdisciplinary work permitted a contribution to the policy debate

The Effects of Data-Driven Instructional Leadership on Student Achievement

Instructional leadership is key in reaching educational goals for students. Data-driven instructional leadership leveraged to improve teachers’ instructional practices provides opportunities for teachers to reflect, collaborate, and improve instructional practice. Data-driven leadership has been studied, but achievement results have not been a common topic. It is of value to understand the aspects of school leadership with causal nexus to student outcomes and what actions by leaders are associated with positive student outcomes. This study examined the achievement scores of four groups of schools (N= 81) in the state of New Mexico. The treatment groups leveraged data-driven practices, while the control groups did not use formalized data-driven practices. A causal-comparative design with a t-test analysis was conducted on the differences of achievement scores based on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career assessment. Results of independent samples t-tests did not reveal a statistically significant difference between data-driven groups and nondata-driven groups on neither reading nor math achievement outcomes. However, the mean averages of data-driven groups were higher than the nondata-driven groups on both academic measures

Narrative and Qualitative Analyses of Workers\u27 Compensation-Covered Injuries in Short-Haul Vs. Long-Haul Trucking Industries

ABSTRACT Problem: Trucking transportation remains one of the most dangerous industries in the US. The aims of the current study were to (1) identify and characterize differences in injury types between workers in short-haul and long-haul trucking; (2) analyze and code narrative text to identify and characterize the on-the-job activities associated with injuries within each trucking industry group; and (3) identify areas for targeted improvement of safety interventions. Method: Quantitative and narrative analyses of 2012 Kentucky short-haul and long-haul truck transportation workers’ compensation first reports of injury and narrative text data were performed. Chi-square tests assessed differences in demographics, injuries, award disposition, and award characteristics between short-haul and long-haul trucking industries. The top injury scenarios in short-haul and long-haul trucking were to illustrate primary work-related activities that resulted in injuries. Results: Primary injury activity scenarios in both short-haul and long- haul trucking involved (1) moving freight; (2) tarping the trailer; and (3) handling the trailer door. A higher proportion of long-haul drivers suffered injuries due to tarping, trailer door handling, and slipping while entering or exiting the cab compared to short-haul truck drivers. In contrast, a higher proportion of short-haul drivers suffered injuries due to the vehicle leaving the roadway and being rear-ended by other vehicles. Practical Applications: Both trucking groups may benefit from increased access to freight moving equipment and engineering control measures such as access to ladders, scaffolding and harness systems for tarping at shipping locations. Long-haul truckers specifically could benefit from the use of portable tarping systems to prevent injury. Additional injury control measures include the use of slip-resistant step covers and footwear, and the use of three points of contact to prevent falls while entering or exiting the cab

The ISCIP Analyst, Volume II, Issue 6

This repository item contains a single issue of The ISCIP Analyst, an analytical review journal published from 1996 to 2010 by the Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy

Climate Lecture 20: The Educational Global Climate Model (EdGCM)

Climate change will profoundly impact Earth's environmental health as well as the world's economic and geopolitical landscape over the coming decades. The impacts of climate change are, in fact, already beginning to be experienced and have the potential to affect every living plant and animal on Earth within decades. Given this reality, every citizen of this planet should have the right to knowledge about the Earth's climate system and have the option to adapt to, or help mitigate the profound changes that are coming. In addition, a portion of the workforce needs to be capable of interpreting and analyzing climate information because, since the impacts of climate change will be widespread, pervasive, and continue to change over time, more professions will be interacting with climate data. We are already at, or past, the point where educators and their students require access to the scientific and technological resources - computer models, data, and visualization tools - that scientists use daily in the study of climate change. Although scientists use many methods to study Earth's climate system, global climate models (GCMs) have become the primary tools for exploring the complex interactions between components of the entire system: atmosphere, oceans, and land. GCMs are used to make projections of future climate change, to simulate climates of the past, and even to help scientists look for life on other planets. Like any model, a GCM can help people evaluate actions before they are taken. Like Business Intelligence software, they are Climate Intelligence tools. Unfortunately, GCMs are black boxes to most people. A previous chapter in this book by Gary Russell, entitled Building a Climate Model, is one example of the growing body of literature aimed at the general public describing the inner workings of global climate models. This literature goes a long way toward explaining climate model fundamentals. However, it will not be enough to alleviate their black-box nature unless people are afforded hands-on, authentic learning experiences as well

The ISCIP Analyst, Volume II, Issue 5

This repository item contains a single issue of The ISCIP Analyst, an analytical review journal published from 1996 to 2010 by the Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy

Comparing men's and womens' experiences of multiple exclusion homelessness

This article explores gender as a variable in multiple exclusion homelessness in England. Much past research has taken insufficient account of the gender of homeless people, especially the predominance of men in the single homeless population and of women heading homeless households with dependent children. Drawing on qualitative data generated in a study of multiple exclusion homelessness in London and Nottingham, the article considers three ways in which gender may act as a homelessness variable: in people's susceptibility to homelessness, in their experiences of homelessness and in their encounters with accommodation services. By comparing the accounts of homeless men and women with complex support needs with evidence from staff working for support agencies, the overall aim of the article is to offer a critical examination of the gendered assumptions of homelessness policy and practice