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Further Education Provision for 16-18 Year Old NEET Young People: Policies and practices within the Coalition Government’s education reforms
Get PDFThe annual rate for 16-18 year olds categorised as not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England fluctuated at 7-10% annually from 2000-2014 (DfE, 2017). Whilst Governments have maintained policy commitments to implementing NEET reduction strategies, in practice, there has been slow progress in reducing this rate. Further Education (FE) colleges are the major providers of NEET provision in England, but future viability of this provision is uncertain, given the increased marketisation and education for the economy agenda of recent governments, in particular, the Coalition Government. There is a dearth of research about the effectiveness of a series of Coalition Government NEET initiatives. This study, therefore, makes an original contribution to knowledge by investigating the Coalition’s policy reforms, and their impact and legacy for the FE sector. It examines the implications of these for various groups of stakeholders: FE providers, learners, organisations such as FE colleges and wider policy initiatives. The research provides crucial perspectives to address gaps in knowledge at the cutting edge of policy change.
This study, based on mixed-method research, involved interviews to gain insights from FE managers and policymakers, and focus group discussions with FE learners. The research makes an original contribution to knowledge through its findings which reveal tensions concerning the targeting of Government resources for NEET provision and the challenges many new initiatives present. Disconnection was evident in the emergence of an ‘industry’ of changing NEET initiatives based more on ideological preferences or Government assumptions than evidence-based policy. The rationale for policymaking was not always clear and local infrastructure change, combined with resources diverted to the private and third sector, questioned the viability of the FE provision. A key recommendation of the study is to extend the involvement of providers and learners in NEET policy development through shared knowledge. The findings of the study have significance for improvements to FE practice and policy, which may lead to reductions in the 16-18 NEET rate in England
New cloud offloading algorithm for better energy consumption and process time
Get PDFAbstract. Offloading in cloud computing is a way to execute big files in short times due to the available processing resources on core computers. However in some cases it is vital to execute the file locally on the node if the file size is less than a threshold size. There is a trade off in this issue due to the limited power of the node, therefore, in this paper a novel algorithm is proposed where the file size in each case is measured and then a decision is taken to either execute the file on the node or to send the file to be processed in the core cloud. The main reason is to save time of the execution of the file. However, the second and important reason is to save the limited node energy in some large file, where the power consumption of the node will be very high. The measurement of the file size and the execution time and the power consumption for the local node and the core cloud is measured to represent an input to the execution decision
Yousef, S., Yaghi, M., Tapaswi, S., Pattanaik, K. K. and Col
Active sensorimotor control for tactile exploration
Get PDFIn this paper, we present a novel and robust Bayesian approach for autonomous active exploration of unknown objects using tactile perception and sensorimotor control. Despite recent advances in tactile sensing, robust active exploration remains a challenging problem, which is a major hurdle to the practical deployment of tactile sensors in robots. Our proposed approach is based on a Bayesian perception method that actively controls the sensor with local small repositioning movements to reduce perception uncertainty, followed by explorative movements based on the outcome of each perceptual decision making step. Two sensorimotor control strategies are proposed for improving the accuracy and speed of the active exploration that weight the evidence from previous exploratory steps through either a weighted prior or weighted posterior. The methods are validated both off-line and in real-time on a contour following exploratory procedure. Results clearly demonstrate improvements in both accuracy and exploration time when using the proposed active methods compared to passive perception. Our work demonstrates that active perception has the potential to enable robots to perform robust autonomous tactile exploration in natural environments
Determining geophysical responses from burials in graveyards and cemeteries
Get PDFGraveyards and cemeteries around the world are increasingly designated as full. Therefore, there is a requirement to identify vacant spaces for new burials or to identify existing ones to exhume and then reinter if necessary. Geophysical methods offer a potentially noninvasive target detection solution; however, there has been limited research to identify optimal geophysical detection methods against burial age. We have collected multifrequency (225–900 MHz) ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity, and magnetic susceptibility surface data over known graves with different burial ages and soil types in three UK church graveyards. Results indicate that progressively older burials are more difficult to detect, but this decrease is not linear and is site specific. Medium- to high-frequency GPR and magnetic susceptibility was optimal in clay-rich soils, medium- to high-frequency GPR and electrical resistivity in sandy soils, and electrical resistivity and low-frequency GPR in coarse sand and pebbly soils, respectively. A multigeophysical technique approach should be used by survey practitioners where grave locations are not known to maximize target detection success. Grave soil and grave cuts are important grave position indicators. Grave headstones were not always located where burials were located. We have determined the value of these techniques in grave detection and could potentially date burials from their geophysical responses
Integrated Framework of Knowledge Discovery and Knowledge Management for E-health In Saudi Arabia: Supporting Citizens with Diabetes Mellitus
No full textSaudi Arabia experiences insufficient effort in terms of patients’ education in relation to a
number of prevalent diseases, including diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal disorders and
upper respiratory tract infections. In addition, the number of studies related to e-health
initiatives to support patients in the Kingdom are limited and only benefit patients of a few
hospitals. This situation leads to deficient application of self-management and education
strategies to empower patients to manage their diseases. Unfortunately, such a deficiency can affect the health status in the Kingdom negatively as diabetes mellitus is reported as the first cause of death in the Kingdom among all other prevalent diseases.
Although knowledge management has been proven to be a valuable approach to sharing
knowledge and educating users to manage their illnesses, it has not been implemented
appropriately to support the increasing number of diabetic citizens in Saudi Arabia. In this
research, knowledge management is integrated with knowledge discovery to support specific
needs of the diabetic community in the Kingdom. Such an integration constitutes an e-health
initiative to support diabetic citizens and healthcare professionals to manage this expanding
illness in Saudi Arabia. Knowledge discovery is implemented through data mining to elicit
useful knowledge related to specific diabetes complications encountered by diabetic citizens
in the Kingdom. The integrated framework applies the SECI model to capture and
disseminate useful diabetes self-management and educational expertise to support the
management of diabetes complications.
This integrated approach to knowledge management and knowledge discovery has provided
a valuable tool implemented in terms of a web portal. This has facilitated the exchange and
dissemination of tacit and explicit knowledge of the diabetic community in the forms of
strategies, guidelines and best practices. It has also overcome the issues faced by the
organisational and national cultures affecting knowledge management practice in Saudi
Arabia
Narrative collisions, sociocultural pressures and dementia: the relational basis of personhood reconsidered
Get PDFThe concept of personhood developed by Tom Kitwood highlights that the experience of dementia has relational dimensions that transcend the neurodegenerative impacts of the condition. This relational focus, however, has been narrowly conceptualised, with the impact of broader sociocultural factors on experience underplayed. The empirical exploration of interaction also requires reinforcement: a tendency for dyadic studies to portray findings in an individualised format hinders the interrogation of interpersonal negotiations. This article draws upon qualitative research that employed a joint interview approach, interviewing
men with dementia and their spousal carers together. The focus on a dyadic case study from this research enables methodical exploration of the experience of living with dementia. This is realised by considering the socially-framed perspective of each person, and then how their perspectives are interwoven within interactional exchanges. This provides a platform for the evaluation of the current decontextualised notion of personhood and its implications. It is concluded that a sociologically informed perspective can help to reinforce the academic understanding of personhood
Handbook on Missing Persons
No full textThis ambitious multidisciplinary volume surveys the science, forensics, politics, and
ethics involved in responding to missing persons cases. International experts across the
physical and social sciences offer data, case examples, and insights on best practices,
new methods, and emerging specialties that may be employed in investigations. Topics
such as secondary victimization, privacy issues, DNA identification, and the challenges
of finding victims of war and genocide highlight the uncertainties and complexities
surrounding these cases as well as possibilities for location and recovery. This diverse
presentation will assist professionals in accessing new ideas, collaborating with
colleagues, and handling missing persons cases with greater efficiency—and potentially
greater certainty.
Among the Handbook’s topics:
• A profile of missing persons: some key findings for police officers.
• Missing persons investigations and identification: issues of scale, infrastructure,
and political will.
• Pregnancy and parenting among runaway and homeless young women.
• Estimating the appearance of the missing: forensic age progression in the search
for missing persons.
• The use of trace evidence in missing persons investigations.
• The Investigation of historic missing persons cases: genocide and “conflict time”
human rights abuses.
The depth and scope of its expertise make the Handbook of Missing Persons useful for
criminal justice and forensic professionals, health care and mental health professionals,
social scientists, legal professionals, policy leaders, community leaders, and military
personnel, as well as for the general public
Developing performance using rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT): A case study with an elite archer
No full textRational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT; Ellis, 1957) is a psychotherapeutic approach receiving increasing interest within sport. REBT is focused on identifying, disputing and replacing Irrational Beliefs (IBs) with Rational Beliefs (RBs) to promote emotional well-being and goal achievement. This study provides a detailed case outlining the application and effect of seven one-to-one REBT sessions with an elite level archer who was experiencing performance-related anxiety, prior to and during competition. The case also offers an insight into common misconceptions, challenges and guidance for those who may consider applying REBT within their practice. Data revealed meaningful short and long –term (6-months) reductions in IBs and improvements in RBs, self-efficacy, perception of control and archery performance. The case supports the effective application of REBT as an intervention with athletic performers, promoting lasting changes in an athlete’s ability to manage their cognitions, emotions and behaviors in the pursuit of performance excellence
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