2,266 research outputs found
Peopling the crowded education state: Heterarchical spaces, EdTech markets and new modes of governing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Full text linkIn this paper, we examine a set of complexly related education policy issues that concern changes to the form and technologies of the state, and changing modalities of government and processes of policy and service delivery, and concomitantly, the re-agenting of education policy within extensive but exclusive policy networks. We also explore the role of the state in creating op- portunities for business and social purpose organisations within the delivery and management of state education in response to the ambitions of EdTech (Education Technology) companies seeking to sell their products within the state system. The time is that of COVID-19 and lockdown (2020-2021) and the case is the English Oak National Academy (ONA) – a national platform for remote teaching and learning resources that was conceived and created in England in April 2020, with funding from government and various philanthropists, and designed and run by a team of third sector and business policy entrepreneurs. Alongside and in relation to the ONA we consider a series of UK government policy papers on EdTech, interrogate the membership of the EdTech Leadership Group (ELG) and of the EdTech Advisory Forum
Limb ischemia prevention: an open problem explored by computational fluid dynamics
No full textLimb ischemia has a high incidence (10-30%) in patients supported by peripheral Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO), negatively impacting long-term functional outcomes and survival. In recent years, bidirectional flow cannulae have shown promise as a solution to ensure distal limb perfusion, potentially eliminating the need for additional interventions. However, concerns remain about their local effects on haemodynamics close to the cannula insertion.
We compared by numerical simulation the flow field in an idealised artery-cannula district considering three designs of cannula. All configurations are based on a standard cannula of 21Fr with three different geometries of the elbow. Cannula A has the one-directional standard configuration, while Cannula B and C include one and four secondary holes, respectively, as indicated in two published patents. To evaluate the efficacy of the new cannulae, we applied the same operative conditions. Specifically, a pressure of 0mmHg is applied at the distal and proximal extremities of the artery, and a flow condition of 1.4L/min is applied at the cannula inlet.
The results show that Cannula B and C increase the distal limb perfusion. The secondary holes provide a flow of 0.32L/min and 0.56L/min, respectively. Furthermore, the numerical simulations evidence potential risks related to shear stress distribution in design A and C, displaying extended regions with low wall shear stress, WSS<0.4Pa. This condition favours clot formation and abnormal response of the wall.
The presented numerical simulations partially confirm the efficacy of new return cannula as an alternative to the standard techniques
Automatic Selection of Arterial Input Function on Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Images
No full textDynamic susceptibility contrast-magnetic resonance imaging (DSC-MRI) data analysis requires the knowledge of the arterial input function (AIF) to quantify the cerebral blood flow (CBF), volume (CBV) and the mean transit time (MTT). AIF can be obtained either manually or using automatic algorithms. We present a method to derive the AIF on the middle cerebral artery (MCA). The algorithm draws a region of interest (ROI) where the MCA is located. Then, it uses a recursive cluster analysis on the ROI to select the arterial voxels. The algorithm had been compared on simulated data to literature state of art automatic algorithms and on clinical data to the manual procedure. On in silico data, our method allows to reconstruct the true AIF and it is less affected by partial volume effect bias than the other methods. In clinical data, automatic AIF provides CBF and MTT maps with a greater contrast level compared to manual AIF ones. Therefore, AIF obtained with the proposed method improves the estimate reliability and provides a quantitatively reliable physiological picture
Wave Height Attenuation and Flow Resistance Due to Emergent or Near-Emergent Vegetation.
Full text linkVegetation plays a pivotal role in fluvial and coastal flows, affecting their structure and turbulence, thus having a strong impact on the processes of transport and diffusion of nutrients and sediments, as well as on ecosystems and habitats. In the present experimental study, the attenuation of regular waves propagating in a channel through flexible vegetation is investigated. Specifically, artificial plants mimicking Spartina maritima are considered. Different plant densities and arrangements are tested, as well as different submergence ratios. Measurements of wave characteristics by six wave gauges, distributed all along the vegetated stretch, allow us to estimate the wave energy dissipation. The flow resistance opposed by vegetation is inferred by considering that drag and dissipation coefficients are strictly related. The submergence ratio and the stem density, rather than the wave characteristics, affect the drag coefficient the most. A comparison with the results obtained in the case when the same vegetation is placed in a uniform flow is also shown. It confirms that the drag coefficient for the canopy is lower than for an isolated cylinder, even if the reduction is not affected by the stem density, underlining that flow unsteadiness might be crucial in the process of dissipation
New public management reforms and industrial relations in the Italian education system. A cultural political economy approach
Full text linkThis article focuses on the relation between new public management (NPM) reforms and changing patterns of industrial relations (IRs) and social dialogue in the Italian education system. Drawing on data from the research project ‘Social dialogue and industrial relations in education: The challenges of multi-level governance and privatisation in Europe’ (IR-EDUREFORM), it uses cultural political economy to explore the effects of autonomy, evaluation, and management as policy technologies on teacher unions’ collective bargaining, workplace representation and industrial action. Through the Italian case, the study analyses how NPM reforms operated three distinctive transformations: decentralisation of bargaining to school level, juridification and individualisation of industrial action and a shift from collective to professional unions. Beyond critically exploring the implications of NPM reforms and the processes of decollectivation and individualisation of IRs and social dialogue in education, the study also highlights some potential for the emergence of novel sites for collective representation
Sulla prestazione sistolica in-vitro di valvole protesiche al variare del fluido di test
No full textAssessment on clinical data of nonlinear stochastic deconvolution versus SVD and block-circulant SVD methods for quantitative DSC-MRI
No full text
Automatic selection of arterial input function on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI images: comparison of different methods
No full text"The love that made hell, paradise." Ouida re-writing the Paolo and Francesca theme in Held in Bondage
No full textThe bestselling Victorian author Ouida reveals in her novels, and, in particular, Held in Bondage, an extraordinary knowledge od Dante, by using characters and themes from the Commedia. The Paolo and Francesca theme actually constitutes part of the plot of the novel and is to be found in many of her other works, short stories and non-fiction writing
- …
