On the Speed of an Excited Asymmetric Random Walk

An excited random walk is a non-Markovian extension of the simple random walk, in which the walk's behavior at time $n$ is impacted by the path it has taken up to time $n$. The properties of an excited random walk are more difficult to investigate than those of a simple random walk. For example, the limiting speed of an excited random walk is either zero or unknown depending on its initial conditions. While its limiting speed is unknown in most cases, the qualitative behavior of an excited random walk is largely determined by a parameter $\delta$ which can be computed explicitly. Despite this, it is known that the limiting speed cannot be written as a function of $\delta$. We offer a new proof of this fact, and use techniques from this proof to further investigate the relationship between $\delta$ and speed. We also generalize the standard excited random walk by introducing a "bias" to the right, and call this generalization an excited asymmetric random walk. Under certain initial conditions we are able to compute an explicit formula for the limiting speed of an excited asymmetric random walk.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, presented at 2017 MAA MathFes

Evaluation of a project giving boarding school places to young people living in difficult situations: A summary of findings for young people

In November 2006 the government began a project in 10 local areas in England to see if boarding school might be a possible option for children and young people who could no longer stay all the time with their parents or carers or who were facing difficulties such as not attending school and not getting on with their families. The evaluation took place to find out more about: - The things that worked well about the project; - In what ways some young people could benefit from going to boarding school; - The things that could make the project work better. The evaluation also aimed to help the government decide whether to extend the project to other parts of England

Improving organisational performance in Australian primary care: The Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC-PIT) and online supporting resource suite

regional governance and e-health, effective multidisciplinary teamwork, and primary care performance and accountability. Flowing on from the initial CRE funding, the 2015 funding will enable extension work to be conducted in each of the following four areas: Expand and embed the Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC-PIT) into existing quality improvement frameworks. Trial developed governance framework with Medicare locals/new Primary Health Networks and other health organisations. Extend research on postpartum Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) care. Expand co-creation methodology across national stakeholders and health services research organisations Creating health care together - A means to an important end Embracing value co-creation in primary services research - A frame work for success On the road to value co-creation in health care - The role of consumers Trail of primary Care Practice Improvement Tool Quality tools and resources to support organisational improvement integral to high-quality primary care A Delphi study assessing the utility of quality improvement tools and resources in Australian primary care The Partners in Recovery program - mental health commissioning using value co-creation Amultifaceted intervention to reduce inappropriate polypharmacy in primary care Value co-creation driving Australian primary care reformThe research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy

Writing program administration at public liberal arts colleges.

This study provides a focused look at the possibilities of WPA work at public liberal arts colleges. Through surveys of and interviews with WPAs and critical discourse analysis of public documents, I identify common structures of writing programs at public liberal arts colleges (PLACs), explore WPAs’ perceptions of what distinguishes writing program administration and writing instruction at these institutions, and distill the common values of public liberal arts colleges. I analyze the ways these values are articulated in mission statements and writing program websites and examine how WPAs draw on and, in some cases, resist institutional values as they develop or redesign writing programs. Survey data identifies some key differences between PLACs and private SLACS, which I speculate arises from their public status. Despite these differences, WPAs at PLACs felt a similar commitment to writing on their campuses and interview data provides insights into how WPAs worked to further formalize that commitment to writing. Furthermore, WPAs were relatively successful in advocating for programmatic efforts by appealing to the institution’s commitment to a public liberal arts identity. However, these commitments were rarely articulated in public-facing documents. Thus, I argue that WPAs should better articulate the importance of their writing programs and their contributions to fulfilling the university’s larger goals. This argument has implications for WPAs pursuing institutional change, as it demonstrates how the revision of public-facing documents can shape dominant discourses on campus

APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR THE OPTICAL EXAMINATION OF BIREFRINGENT SPECIMIENS

A method for optically examining a birefringent specimen, the method comprising the steps of collecting a specimen using a substantially non-birefringent polymer film having an adhesive surface, such that the specimen is attached to the adhesive surface; and examining, between crossed polars, the specimen attached to the said film. Also provided is a sub stantially non-birefringent laminate film comprising: a first birefringent polymer layer and a second birefringent polymer layer, the first and second layers being mutually oriented such that the birefringent properties of the two layers cancel each other out; and an adhesive surface; wherein the adhesive surface is an outer surface of the film, and/or is an exposable surface between the first and second layers. A method of manufacturing such a film is also provided

Easylift: A novel tape lifting system

This article describes a new adhesive-coated tape system for the recovery of trace evidence that is compatible with polarised light microscopy

Diving into Assessment & Data with 1:1 Technology as Media Specialists

How do we prove the worth of Information Literacy classes? Where is the data? Learn to use a variety of formative assessments with 1:1 technology in the school library media center. We will explain our use of Socrative, Schoology, Google Apps, and more. Then we will detail a nationally-normed summative tool, TRAILS. Add your voice to help create Minnesota’s TRAILS Benchmarks, while providing individualized feedback to your students and administration. Links for presentation: Today’s Meet: https://todaysmeet.com/ITL Slideshow presentation: http://goo.gl/NqLVfB Biblionasium: https://www.biblionasium.com Schoology: https://www.schoology.com/ Book Trailer Tips: http://www.booktrailersforreaders.com/How+to+make+a+book+trailer TRAILS: http://www.trails-9.org/ TRAILS Wiki: http://goo.gl/KxWmt

Adolescent parent perceptions on sustainable career opportunities and building employability capitals for future work

As primary career influencers, parents must support adolescent children in navigating evolving and increasingly challenging employment landscapes. Using a capitals lens, this study explores secondary school parents’ capacity to provide informed career advice and their perceptions on factors known to enhance youth employability and employment prospects. Survey data were collected from 301 Australian secondary school parents to examine their understanding of sustainable youth career opportunities, what can aid youth’s employment prospects, and their utilisation of available resources to support career advice for adolescents. While parents’ perceptions of opportunities by sector and industry aligned with wider thinking, many lacked awareness of contemporary trends impacting on youth career progression, did not engage with external career resources, and were not confident in their understanding of youth labour markets. Some recognised the importance of cultural and psychological capital for securing and sustaining employment, yet undervalued aspects of human capital (work experience) and social capital (networks). Variations in parent perspectives by education level and their own career experiences highlights the need for targeted strategies to better support parents in providing informed career advice for future adolescents’ success