bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ground water quality near municipal solid waste dumping site at Thirupperumthurai, Batticaloa
Authors: Sugirtharan M , Rajendran M
Published: February 2015

Groundwater is a precious natural water resource considered as a readily available and safe source of water for domestic, agriculture and industrial uses. In Sri Lanka, groundwater is being polluted due to various human activities. Improper solid waste management is one of the major sources of environmental pollution deteriorating groundwater quality around landfill sites. In this view, present study was carried out to assess the impact of existing landfill site on groundwater quality at Thirupperunthurai, Batticaloa. In order to achieve this, 20 well water samples around landfill site at different distance were analyzed. Parameters analyzed are pH, EC, TDS, BOD, COD, total hardness, phosphate, nitrate, copper, lead and coliform population. Results revealed that concentration of all the parameters except for pH, are higher than acceptable limits for safe drinking water. The distance from the landfill site also influences on groundwater quality. Overall, the groundwater is highly polluted due to existing landfill site in this study area. Therefore, the relevant authority should take immediate measures to rescue this area. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jas.v10i1.8044 The Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015, vol.10, no1: p.21-28
Impacts of seasonal livestock grazing on plant community features: a case study on grazing pastures at Sonamarg area in Kashmir Himalaya
Authors: Mir FA , Bhat GA , Sheer BA , Khan AG
Published: February 2015

The main objective of the study was to describe the seasonal dynamics in some phyto-sociological attributes of dominant plant species under uncontrolled livestock grazing at three sites of Sonamarg area in Kashmir Himalaya.Vegetation was tested for A/F ratio and distribution pattern was assigned as regular (0.025), random (0.025-0.05) and contagious (> 0.05). Frequency, abundance, density andimportance value index (IVI) were also calculated to observe dominant species. Raunkaier’s law of percentage frequencies was introduced to find the composition of plant community and changes thereafter brought by seasonal livestock grazing under uncontrolled stocking density. Bothriocloa pertusa, Poa annua, Sambus whightiana, Stipa siberica, Cyanodon dactylon were the dominant plant species at all the three sites. IVI values of these species were increased after experiencing peak grazing season showing their resistance to grazing. Distribution pattern also changed from contagious to random as evident from A/F ratio. Vegetation composition also showed a tendency from homogenity to heterogenity after grazing period. Stocking density was also recorded. It was maximum for Sonamarg main site (121.50 animal units per hectare during peak seasonal grazing) followed by Baltal site (86 animal units per hectare) in the month of September and minimum for Thajiwas site (24 animal units per hectare) in October. Stocking density showed a close relationship with the change in number of palatable plant species and consequent change in ratio of palatable to non palatable plant species. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jas.v10i1.8047 The Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015, vol.10, no1: p.41-48
Congenital Prepubic Sinus Accompanied by Prevesical Abscess
Authors: Kobayashi Hideki , Nomura Teruhisa , Haneda Yaburu , Sawada Norifumi , Araki Isao , Takeda Masayuki
Published: February 2015

Congenital prepubic sinus is an extremely rare anomaly. The etiology is uncertain and the anatomical features often differ from each other. We report a 22-year-old woman with a congenital prepubic sinus accompanied by a prevesical abscess. She was admitted to our hospital with high-grade fever and low abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed a prevesical abscess. After treatment of the prevesical abscess, we completely excised the congenital prepubic sinus. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case that accompanied by prevesical abscess on a congenital prepubic sinus. Moreover, this case represents the oldest reported age of a patient with a congenital prepubic sinus.
Integral Points on Elliptic Curves and Explicit Valuations of Division Polynomials
Authors: Stange Katherine E.
Published: February 2015

Assuming Lang's conjectured lower bound on the heights of non-torsion points on an elliptic curve, we show that there exists an absolute constantCsuch that for any elliptic curveE/ℚ and non-torsion pointP∈E(ℚ), there is at most one integral multiple [n]Psuch that n >C. The proof is a modification of a proof of Ingram giving an unconditional, but not uniform, bound. The new ingredient is a collection of explicit formulæ for the sequencev(Ψn) of valuations of the division polynomials. ForPof non-singular reduction, such sequences are already well described in most cases, but forPof singular reduction, we are led to define a new class of sequences calledelliptic troublemaker sequences, which measure the failure of the Néron local height to be quadratic. As a corollary in the spirit of a conjecture of Lang and Hall, we obtain a uniform upper bound on ĥ(P)/h(E) for integer points having two large integral multiples.
The Distribution of the First Elementary Divisor of the Reductions of a Generic Drinfeld Module of Arbitrary Rank
Authors: Cojocaru Alina Carmen , Shulman Andrew Michael
Published: February 2015

Let ψ be a generic Drinfeld module of rank r ≥ 2. We study the first elementary divisor d1,℘ (ψ) of the reduction of ψ modulo a prime ℘, as ℘ varies. In particular, we prove the existence of the density of the primes ℘ for which d1,℘ (ψ) is fixed. For r = 2, we also study the second elementary divisor (the exponent) of the reduction of ψ modulo ℘ and prove that, on average, it has a large norm. Our work is motivated by J.-P. Serre's study of an elliptic curve analogue of Artin's Primitive Root Conjecture, and, moreover, by refinements to Serre's study developed by the first author and M. R. Murty.
Partial hyperbolicity and homoclinic tangencies
Authors: Crovisier Sylvain , Sambarino Martin , Yang Dawei
Published: February 2015

We show that any diffeomorphism of a compact manifold can be

C^1

approximated by diffeomorphisms exhibiting a homoclinic tangency or by diffeomorphisms having a partial hyperbolic structure.
Quantitative spectral gap for thin groups of hyperbolic isometries
Authors: Magee Michael
Published: February 2015

Let

\Lambda

be a subgroup of an arithmetic lattice in

\mathrm{SO}(n+1 , 1)

. The quotient

\mathbb{H}^{n+1} / \Lambda

has a natural family of congruence covers corresponding to ideals in a ring of integers. We establish a super-strong approximation result for Zariski-dense

\Lambda

with some additional regularity and thickness properties. Concretely, this asserts a quantitative spectral gap for the Laplacian operators on the congruence covers. This generalizes results of Sarnak and Xue (1991) and Gamburd (2002).
Exhaustion without Exasperation: Intellectual Property, Parallel Imports and Border Measures
Authors: Malaquias Pedro
Published: February 2015

On 15 March 2014, the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law held its Spring Conference devoted to ‘Exhaustion without Exasperation: Intellectual Property, Parallel Imports and Border Measures’. The event was chaired by Mr Justice Arnold and considered the current state of affairs on four main topics: to what objects does exhaustion apply; location and consent; the limits to exhaustion; and the hinterland between legal and illegal goods.
Comparison of Different Ultrasonic Tip Angulations on Time Required for Cast Post Removal
Authors: Torres Carlos Rocha Gomes , da Silva Eduardo Galera , Gomes Ana Paula Martins , Pagani Clovis , Xavier Ana Claudia Carvalho , Kamozaki Maria Beatriz Beber
Published: February 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to design, develop and compare ultrasound tips with different angulations on time required for cast post removal.

Materials and methods

To test and compare the ultrasonic tips developed, 36 metal patterns were fabricated from tin bars, on a mechanical precision lathe. Each metal pattern simulated an endodontically treated tooth, without coronal remaining, prepared to receive a cast post with 10 mm long. The cast posts were cemented with zinc phosphate cement. The metal patterns with their respective intraradicular posts cemented were stored at 37°C, at relative humidity 100%, for a period of 48 hours. After this period, the specimens were randomly divided into three groups, and each group was submitted to the action of one of the ultrasonic tips (n = 12): G1—tip with 30° angulation; G2—tip with 45° angulation and G3—tip without angulation (straight tip). Each ultrasonic tip was used on the surfaces of the cast posts (mesial, distal, buccal, lingual and incisal) for 5 seconds, at maximum power, until the cast post removal using an ultrasound device (Jet Sonic, Satelec System, Gnatus, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil). The time required for cast posts removal was recorded and the data statistically analyzed by the ANOVA and Tukey tests (p < 0.05).

Results

The means of time evaluated for cast posts removal were G1: 59.25s; G2: 119.0s and G3: 48.4s. Group 2 presented the highest mean value in seconds, differing statistically from G1 and G3. No significant differences were observed between G1 and G3.

Conclusion

It may be concluded that the ultrasonic tip angulation had a direct influence on the time required for cast posts removal by ultrasound. When the different ultrasonic tips were compared, the 30° angulation and the straight tips required a shorter ultrasonic vibration time. All cast posts luted with zinc phosphate were successfully removed in a relatively short time by the different ultrasonic tips analyzed.

How to cite this article

da Silva EG, Xavier ACC, Kamozaki MBB, Gomes APM, Torres CRG, Pagani C. Comparison of Different Ultrasonic Tip Angulations on Time Required for Cast Post Removal. World J Dent 2014;5(3):147-151.
Creating Evidence for Practice Using Data-Driven Decision Making
Authors: Schaaf Roseann C.
Published: February 2015

To realize the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Centennial Vision, occupational therapy practitioners must embrace practices that are not only evidence based but also systematic, theoretically grounded, and driven by data related to outcomes. This article presents a framework, the Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM) process, to guide clinicians’ occupational therapy practice using systematic clinical reasoning with a focus on data. Examples are provided of DDDM in pediatrics and adult rehabilitation to guide practitioners in using data-driven practices to create evidence for occupational therapy.
Comprehensive Social Skills Taxonomy: Development and Application
Authors: Kauffman Nancy A. , Kinnealey Moya
Published: February 2015

OBJECTIVE. We developed a comprehensive social skills taxonomy based on archived children’s social skill goal sheets, and we applied the taxonomy to 6,897 goals of children in 6 diagnostic categories to explore patterns related to diagnosis.

METHOD. We used a grounded theory approach to code and analyze social skill goals and develop the taxonomy. Multivariate analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc honestly significant difference test were used to analyze differences in social skill needs among diagnostic groups.

RESULTS. We developed a taxonomy of 7 social skill constructs or categories, descriptions, and behavioral indicators. The 7 social skill categories were reflected across 6 diagnostic groups, and differences in social skill needs among groups were identified.

CONCLUSION. This comprehensive taxonomy of social skills can be useful in developing research-based individual, group, or institutional programming to improve social skills.
Effectiveness of Use of Button-Operated Electronic Devices Among Persons With Bálint Syndrome
Authors: Sunagawa Kosaku , Nakagawa Yoshitaka , Funayama Michitaka
Published: February 2015

OBJECTIVE. Little is known about how visuospatial deficits affect the use of electronic devices operated by pressing spatially interspersed buttons. This study aimed to determine whether people with Bálint syndrome can effectively use such devices.

METHOD. We quantified the ability of 7 study participants with Bálint syndrome to use button-operated electronic devices by measuring the time required to input digit sequences into three different types of devices. Control groups were 8 participants with amnesia and 8 healthy participants.

RESULTS. Participants with Bálint syndrome took longer to input a digit sequence on all three devices than did those in the two control groups. Although we found no significant differences with respect to type of device, 2 of 3 participants with severe Bálint syndrome were able to input one- to five-digit sequences with the electronic calculator.

CONCLUSION. Distinctive design features might positively affect the performance of people with Bálint syndrome.
Renegotiating Community Life: Arts, agency, inclusion and wellbeing
Authors: Mulligan Martin , Scanlon Christopher , Welch Nicky
Published: February 2015

AAs part of a broader emphasis on addressing the ‘social determinants’ of health and wellbeing, health promotion agencies in Australia and elsewhere have increasingly turned to arts participation as a strategy for reducing social isolation. However, research on the relationships between arts participation and its outcomes in terms of individual and community wellbeing has been undermined by conceptual and methodological weaknesses in the studies conducted hitherto. This paper presents some of the findings emerging from a broadly conceived, four-year, multi-method study conducted across four diverse local communities in Victoria, Australia. In particular it focuses on insights gained from the use of photonarrative techniques to explore the lived experiences of people whose involvement in local communities is seen as being problematic. This is complemented by some surprising outcomes of a survey of people who participated in a range of community celebrations and events. The paper shifts the focus from specific outcomes of arts-based interventions in community life to an understanding of how arts participation can help people negotiate new forms of engagement in complex and changing local communities. It argues for a more nuanced understanding of contemporary community life in the context of globalization and a deeper understanding of the relationships between inclusion and exclusion.
Breaking Out of the Local: International dimensions of science shops
Authors: DeBok Caspar , Steinhaus Norbert
Published: February 2015

In this article we want to give an overview of the international dimension and the interest of the European Union (EU) in the concept of Science Shops. The European Commission (EC) manages the day-to-day business by initiating and implementing EU policies and spending EU funds. The EC support for Science Shops has been an important factor for the international interest and progress of the Science Shop movement. This article will not give detailed information about daily routines of a Science Shop. Detailed information about the Science Shop concept can be found at the Living Knowledge website (www.livingknowledge.org). Living Knowledge represents the international Science Shop Network. In this article international developments of the Science Shop Network, like the project TRAMS, and Science Shop backgrounds will be linked with past and new EU policies like the EU 7th Framework Programme for Research. It shows how community-based research does not only have a local dimension. The international Science Shop activities show the strengths of international cooperation to break out of the local and to bring local issues on the international agenda. Detailed information about the Science Shop concept and daily routines of a Science Shop can be found at the Living Knowledge website (www.livingknowledge.org), e.g. at the FAQ section and in the toolbox.
Understanding Social Responsiveness: Portraits of practice at the University of Cape Town
Authors: Favish Judith , Ngcelwane Sonwabo
Published: February 2015

In 2004 the University of Cape (UCT) launched its first annual report on social responsiveness at the university. As a public institution receiving considerable funding from the public purse, it was deemed appropriate that the university should report annually on how it was addressing major development challenges facing the country. The first part of this article describes the process of developing a shared definition of and conceptual clarity about social responsiveness. The second part develops this further by outlining how practices on the ground helped to inform a conceptual framework defining the links between social responsiveness and the other core processes of the university: research and teaching. The third part of the article describes ways to support and reward social responsiveness. Finally, the article assesses the extent to which UCT has been able to institutionalise social responsiveness. The article outlines progress that has been made and suggests that the participative processes employed in the policy development phase have helped lay the foundations for institutionalisation. Despite this, however, challenges remain with respect to ensuring a consistent implementation of the policy across the institution and maximising the impact of social responsiveness on addressing critical challenges facing the country.
Building Bridges: Linking universities with the manufacturing industry
Authors: Knutsen Robert , Steyn Charlene , Nicol Martin
Published: February 2015

This article explores ideas for linking university research entities with small- and medium-sized manufacturing industries. In an environment such as the Western Cape, South Africa, where well established teaching and research activities in science and engineering exist at several universities and research institutions, it is astonishing to realize that the local manufacturing industry struggles to obtain assistance with research and development in order to remain competitive locally and globally. Some of the reasons for this situation are outlined and solutions are proposed. In particular, the role of a gateway organization which aims to build networks between universities, research institutions and industry is described.
Participatory action research approaches and methods
Authors: Gibson Nancy
Published: February 2015

This book, published as part of Routledge’s Studies in Human Geography, is useful well beyond this discipline, as it provides a welcome review of Participatory Action Research (PAR). In three major sections, beginning and ending with ‘Reflections’ that bracket the ‘Action’ section, this collection provides a timely overview of the current status of this methodology, as well as many useful examples of applying PAR as a research process.
Revolutionizing education: Youth participatory action research in motion
Authors: Richards-Schuster Katie
Published: February 2015

This article reviews 'Revolutionizing education', a deeply reflective and retrospective book of scholarship on critical questions about youth participatory action research. The book contains a series of case study chapters that examine how youth participatory action research transforms young people and the social contexts in which they live as well as the learnings and implications yielded from this research. The book examines youth participatory action research both for its radical and revolutionary challenge to 'traditional research' practices but also for its active focus on research as a vehicle for increasing critical consciousness, developing knowledge for 'resistance and transformation' and for creating social change. It represents an important contribution to the field of youth participatory action research and community-based research.
The complexity of collaboration: Opportunities and challenges in contracted research
Authors: Bowl Marion , Tully Liz , Leahy Jennifer
Published: February 2015

This article explores some of the challenges of utilising collaborative research approaches when undertaking contracted research projects for government and non-government agencies in the adult and community education (ACE) sector. To discuss these challenges, the article draws on three recent examples of research projects undertaken for ACE sector organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. These challenges include managing relationships with the different parties to the research; dealing with conflicting expectations of funding agencies, commissioning organisations and practitioners; and ownership and dissemination of findings. We highlight the complexity of notions of collaboration and the importance of deliberate trust-building in establishing credibility. We also open up for discussion the thorny issues of who owns the right to disseminate research findings and how far should researchers’ and universities’ responsibilities extend to ensure that research findings are put in the public domain?
Community 21: Digital toolbox for sustainable communities
Authors: Gant Nick , Gittins Teresa
Published: February 2015

This article will describe the 'Toolbox for the 21st Century Village' action research project and outline the critical research contexts that underpin its development as an online informatics and social engagement tool aimed at facilitating understanding, sharing and planning of integrated sustainability by individual communities. This will include exposing the context of ‘mis-communication’ of sustainability issues in society by visual culture, the media and politics. The article argues that this has served to alienate, demoralise and disenfranchise many individuals and communities. Being rural does not necessarily mean being ‘green’ and the article will describe the ‘green dichotomy’ and how rural behaviours are disproportionately dependent on natural resources and as a consequence are ‘less sustainable’, despite relative autonomy and community potential to make significant gains. The article will also unpack and explore how the loaded term sustainability only serves to divide and detract as a polemic and absolute term; whereas self-sufficiency is a demonstrable concern of vulnerable rural communities; a by-product of which can be genuine and valued, measurable and meaningful sustainable development.

The above provides a contextual backdrop and rationale for the formation of a project that enables communities to frame their own concerns and envision themselves and their problems and responses as part of a larger system. The project is developed around an experimental online content management system (CMS platform) that will facilitate sustainable development through envisioning, action planning and networking – connecting the ‘knots in the net’ of an active patchwork of ‘multi-local communities’. The platform design will provide methodology, process and capacity to enable reconciliation between the manifold concerns of social, economic and environmental sustainability whilst providing community facilitators with new opportunities and roles within the context of the changing technological and environmental landscape.

Keywords: sustainability, rural communities, informatics, community-led engagement
A holistic educational paradigm: Managing coastal resources in the Philippines
Authors: Watts Paul , Macose Eduardo , Angara Eusebio , Pajaro Marivic
Published: February 2015

The world is facing a depletion of marine resources that threatens entire cultures and endangers the very life of the planet. Reports indicate that over 80 per cent of world fish stocks are heavily exploited or depleted, yet close to 200 million people continue to depend on the fishery for livelihood (FAO 2008). The vast geographical range of many marine fish populations calls for public participation, communication and coordination on a large scale. The need for public participation is particularly acute in those countries where both government services and marine management infrastructure are limited. In the Philippines, public participation has been identified as a priority strategy to promote sustainable development of coastal resources (Republic Act 8435, Akester et al. 2007). Given the lack of empowered stakeholders and a functional government body that can appropriately address the challenges of coastal resource management through public participation, catalyst institutions need to step in. This role is being undertaken by the Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT), located in Aurora Province on the northeast coast of Luzon Island, Philippines. ASCOT has adopted a holistic approach that offers a model for responsive education with a focus on participation and representative leadership. This article outlines ASCOT’s ongoing programs as an example of a ‘catalyst institution’ in action, with a focus on responsive education through the establishment of strategic partnerships and public participation. It also reports on research conducted with the local fisherfolk of Aurora Province and Pamana, a national alliance of fisherfolk Marine Protected Area (MPA) managers.

Key words: fisherfolk empowerment, participative education, catalyst, bioregional planning
Collaboration Between Universities: An effective way of sustaining community-university partnerships?
Authors: Pratt Jonathan , Matthews Steve , Nairne Bruce , Hoult Elizabeth , Ashenden Stuart
Published: February 2015

This article highlights some of the opportunities and challenges that collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs) can bring to the development of sustainable community-university partnerships. In particular, it explores the potential for universities to collaborate on building effective engagement mechanisms (such as helpdesks, ‘hub and spoke’ contact models, and research groups to review ideas for activities) that will support an ongoing flow of new projects and partnerships over time. It draws on evidence gathered from the evaluation and coordination of the South East Coastal Communities (SECC) program, an almost unique experiment in collaboration between English universities.

In an ‘age of austerity’, opportunities to reduce costs without damaging core services are of particular interest to public funding bodies. The article suggests that collaboration between universities may be an efficient and effective way of engaging with local communities, but that it is not cost-free, and high-level strategic buy-in within HEIs is required if community-university partnerships are to thrive in the current higher education funding environment.

The article also suggests that there may be a geographic dimension to effective collaboration between universities in both community-university partnership work and the mechanisms that support community engagement. Inter-university collaboration across the whole region covered by the SECC program has been much weaker than collaboration at a subregional level and within ‘city-regions’ in particular. This raises a key question: does the natural geography for effective collaboration between universities need to reflect, at least in part, the geographies of communities themselves, in terms of lived experiences and/or community representation? Such a debate has interesting and timely parallels in the United Kingdom, where the new coalition government is bringing about a fundamental shift in the geography of public administration, with the aim of both increasing democratic accountability and improving the spatial fit between policy interventions and economic and social ‘reality’.

Keywords

Community-university partnership, collaboration between universities, engagement mechanisms, sustainability, geographic communities
Collaboration, Participation and Technology: The San Joaquin Valley Cumulative Health Impacts Project
Authors: London Jonathan K. , Zagofsky Tara Mirel , Huang Ganlin , Saklar Jenny
Published: February 2015

Community-university partnerships have been shown to produce significant value for both sets of partners by providing reciprocal learning opportunities, (re)building bonds of trust, and creating unique venues to formulate and apply research that responds to community interests and informs collaborative solutions to community problems. For such partnerships to be mutually empowering, certain design characteristics are necessary. These include mutual respect for different modes and expressions of knowledge, capacity-building for all parties, and an environment that promotes honest and constructive dialogue about the inevitable tensions associated with the interplay of power/knowledge. This article explores an innovative case of community-university partnerships through participatory action research involving a coalition of environmental justice and health advocates, the San Joaquin Valley Cumulative Health Impacts Project, and researchers affiliated with the University of California, Davis. In particular, we examine how participatory GIS and community mapping can promote co-learning and interdependent science.

Keywords

Community-based participatory research, environmental justice, Public Participation Geographic Information System
Ties That Bind: Creating and sustaining community-academic partnerships
Authors: Wright Kynna N. , Williams Pluscinda , Wright Shekinah , Lieber Eli , Carrasco Steven R. , Gedjeyan Haik
Published: February 2015

Growing interest among academics and health professionals in finding new ways to study and address complex health and social problems has manifested in recent years with increasing community demands for research and program implementation that is community-based, rather than merely community placed. In the United States, community-based participatory research (CBPR), with its emphasis on the creation and use of community-university or community-academic partnerships, is the prevailing paradigm to address these complex problems, especially those concerning racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. While the need to strengthen the relationship between researchers and the community has been recognised, often from the viewpoint of the university partner, discussions on sustainability of partnerships have been few. The aim of this paper is to share reflections, through the eyes of the community members, on the core elements that tie community and academic members together and the challenges in understanding and nurturing those ties so that the community-academic partnership is sustained over time, and to offer possible recommendations for sustainability. This article speaks from the community’s perspective and reflects on the vital elements/components that tie together community-university partnerships and the challenges that may occur when trying to sustain and grow the partnership. It is based on a research CBPR study that was conducted to (1) evaluate the functioning and future sustainability of the community-university partnership of the Community Child Health Network Study Los Angeles (CCHN-LA) community-university partnership, and (2) evaluate the experience and beliefs of the current CCHN-LA community-university partnership members in their understanding of current functioning.

Keywords

Community-academic partnerships; sustainability; challenges; solutions
Impacts of Sustained Institutional Participation in Service-Learning: Perspectives from faculty, staff and administrators
Authors: Vogel Amanda L. , Seifer Sarena D.
Published: February 2015

The movement for greater civic engagement in higher education in the United States has taken hold across the core academic missions of teaching, research and service. One manifestation of this movement has been growing participation in service-learning, a teaching method grounded in community-university partnerships in which students provide services that simultaneously address community-identified concerns and meet key learning objectives. In order to assess the benefits of long-term sustained institutional involvement in service-learning, in 2007–2008 we interviewed 23 faculty members, staff and administrators from 16 academic institutions that had participated in a national demonstration program for service-learning, which ended in 1998. We found that 15 of these institutions had sustained service-learning to some degree and 12 had integrated service-learning into the curriculum, with varying degrees of institutional support. Interview participants described five main impacts of their institutions’ sustained participation in service-learning: 1) increased community engagement and community-engaged scholarship, and increased valuation of both, among participating faculty members; 2) greater capacity for community-university partnerships among academic and community partners; 3) improved community-university relations; 4) diffusion of service-learning and/or principles of community-university partnerships to other departments and schools; and 5) recruitment of students seeking community engagement opportunities. This study provides evidence that sustained institutional participation in service-learning can foster an understanding of the scholarly value of community-engaged teaching and research among participating faculty, and increase community-engaged activities at participating academic institutions. These findings suggest that funding agencies, faculty members and academic administrators can use service-learning as a strategy to foster a culture of community engagement in higher education institutions.

Keywords

Community-university partnerships, service-learning, community engagement, sustainability, impact, higher education
Finding Sustainability: University-community collaborations focused on arts in health
Authors: White Mike , Robson Mary
Published: February 2015

This article describes a number of community-based arts in health projects in schools and disadvantaged communities in Northern England that connect with the interdisciplinary research interests of the Centre for Medical Humanities at Durham University (www.dur.ac.uk/cmh). It examines issues about what makes for sustainability in both practice and research of arts in health when operating from a university base and stresses the importance of relationship-based work in health promotion interventions in communities. It attempts to set arts development work in the policy context of how community health has been addressed over the last decade. It provides both practical and metaphorical illustrations of how community cohesion and emotional literacy can be developed and recognised in schools and communities when supported by ethnographic research that is underpinned by theories of social capital, resilience and participatory arts practice. The significance that the artwork can attain as a social gift, with a special meaning for its creators, is examined from an anthropological perspective. Looking historically and comparatively at some longitudinal projects in community-based arts in health, the article assesses what makes for both success and failure in practice, and looks particularly at the significance of the arts in helping to deliver strategies for improving child health and education. In a strategic development context, explanation is given of several strands of university-community collaboration in arts in health, with interlinked project examples drawn from Tyneside and West Yorkshire. Finally, the article looks at the prospects for sustaining arts in health within the coming transfer of the public health function to local government.

Keywords

Sustainability, arts in community health, resilience, child mental health, social capital
Pre-capacity building in loosely-coupled collaborations: Setting the stage for future initiatives
Authors: Hyde Cheryl A. , Hopkins Karen , Meyer Megan
Published: February 2015

This article examines the benefits and limitations of ‘loosely-coupled’ research collaborations between university faculty and 12 grassroots community-based organisations (CBOs). The authors assert that community-based research projects that develop the knowledge base within CBOs, and can be described as ‘pre-capacity building’ work, can be an important stepping stone to the subsequent development of more formal and strategic capacity-building partnership ventures. However, such projects must be approached carefully with a clear understanding of the ‘threshold dimensions’ that must be met before proceeding with any collaboration. Written as a cautionary tale, the authors identify some of the problems that arise when the threshold stage is poorly executed, and more generally speak to the dangers of initiating even loosely-coupled collaborations in the absence of an explicit and well-established campus commitment to and support for community engagement and partnerships.

Keywords: Community capacity-building, community-university partnerships, community research, collaboration
Community–University Partnerships: Using Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR)
Authors: Kearney Judith , Wood Lesley , Zuber-Skerritt Ortrun
Published: February 2015

This article positions participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) as a preferred methodology for community-university partnerships to achieve a holistic outcome that benefits the common interest. Evidence for this claim is illustrated through case studies of two community engagement programs, one in South Africa and the other in Australia. The South African study explains how relationships, reflection and recognition (the three R’s of PALAR) are important elements that promote a truly participatory approach to knowledge creation and practical improvement in social circumstances. The Australian study then highlights what can be achieved. It does this by showing the potential for PALAR participants to learn how to design and implement a community engagement program, and how to cascade their own learning into their community to improve educational opportunities. Both studies demonstrate PALAR’s potential to disrupt traditional understandings of the research process, particularly in terms of researcher–participant relationships. At the same time, both studies identify the challenges arising from the theoretical and practical implications of PALAR as an approach to community development. This article is therefore significant for universities and funding organisations engaging in community-based research and development through partnerships, specifically in contexts of disadvantage.

Keywords: Participatory action learning and action research, PALAR, community development, community engagement, community partnerships, disadvantaged communities, higher education.
All my friends are here: Four initial case studies on student design agencies
Authors: Benz Peter
Published: February 2015

Student design agencies have not previously received much – if any – academic attention, despite their having become fairly common in the context of tertiary design / visual arts institutions since the late 1990s as a way of providing work–study experiences. This article, for the first time, outlines case studies of four international student design agencies in Germany, Malaysia and the USA, including their background, their legal set-up, their relations with their parent institutions, and their (business) activities and general operations, as well as their members’ motivations for participation. All case studies are based on interviews by email or Skype with respective agency heads conducted from November 2012 to January 2013. The information obtained from the interviews was further rounded by additional materials – where available – and turned into short comprehensive narratives that highlight the particular qualities of the respective cases.

The concluding comparison of these four narratives establishes that student design agencies are worthwhile knowledge transfer endeavours with strong indications of educational value, though more formal research would need to be done to confirm quantitative and qualitative effects. The four cases also allow for the deduction that the most important criterion for the success of a student design agency is its ability to create an intensive working experience with a strong focus on team interaction, and that the achievement of such experience is essentially based on on-campus space, staff involvement, competitive admission and non-business-related activities.

Keywords: student design agency, knowledge transfer, student entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, business innovation
Community monitoring: A strategy to watch out for
Authors: Shrivastava Saurabh RamBihariLal , Shrivastava Prateek Saurabh , Ramasamy Jegadeesh
Published: February 2015

India’s National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005 on a nationwide scale with a vision to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care. In particular, it aims to meet the health needs of the poor and vulnerable in mostly rural areas, such as women, children and the elderly. The Mission is distinguished by in-built flexible mechanisms, so that local needs and priorities can be identified and addressed and local initiatives promoted. Central to these mechanisms is the role of community ownership and participation in management, which is seen as an important prerequisite within the NRHM.

This article explores the development and use of community-based monitoring (CBM), which involves drawing in, activating, motivating and capacity building so that the community and its representatives can directly give feedback about the functioning of public health services, including input to improving planning of those services. The focus of this monitoring process is mainly on ‘fact finding’ and ‘learning lessons for improvement' rather than on ‘fault finding’. This article describes the objectives and stages of CBM and also discusses its current status and challenges. The most important reasons for the success of CBM are strong civil society engagement, the involvement of public health personnel as well as the community as principal stakeholders, adequate geographic representation and the crucial role played by the Monitoring and Planning Committees.

Community-based monitoring of health services is a key strategy of the NRHM to ensure that services reach those for whom they are intended. This framework is consistent with the ‘Right to Health Care’ approach since it places health rights of the community at the centre of the process. It also seeks to address gaps in the implementation of various programs, thereby enhancing transparency down to the grassroots level.

Keywords: Community, community mobilisation, community monitoring, community ownership and participation in management, health care, public health
Choice, power and perspective: The neglected question of who initiates engaged campus-community partnerships
Authors: Glover Robert W. , Silka Linda
Published: February 2015

To address society’s complex challenges, campus-community partnerships are increasingly being undertaken by academia. As a result, questions of how to ensure that these partnerships succeed have taken on a new urgency. This urgency has led to an emphasis on the creation of ‘how to’ guides focused on the mechanics of building effective partnerships. This article argues that this focus is premature and attention instead needs to be directed to the neglected but ultimately more fundamental question of who is ‘allowed’ to initiate the partnerships. It is argued here that the seemingly simple and straightforward issue of who initiates the partnership leads us into the complex problems of choice, power and perspective which bedevil campus-community partnerships. Until these problems are fully addressed, the partnership approach is unlikely to achieve its status as a central means by which community-university engagement can be realised in academia. Keywords: campus-community partnerships, community engagement, partnership initiation, research, knowledge creation, reciprocity.
A robust University-NGO partnership: Analysing school efficiencies in Bolivia with community-based management techniques
Authors: Neiva de Figueiredo Joao , Jursca Keffer Ann Marie , Marca Barrientos Miguel Angel , Gonzalez Silvana
Published: February 2015

Community-based management research is a collaborative effort between management, academics and communities in need with the specific goal of achieving social change to foster social justice. Because it is designed to promote and validate joint methods of discovery and community-based sources of knowledge, community-based management research has several unique characteristics, which may affect its execution. This article describes the process of a community-based management research project which is descriptive in nature and uses quantitative techniques to examine school efficiencies in low-income communities in a developing country – Bolivia. The article describes the partnership between a US-based university and a Bolivian not-for-profit organisation, the research context and the history of the research project, including its various phases. It focuses on the (yet unpublished) process of the community-based research as opposed to its content (which has been published elsewhere). The article also makes the case that the robust partnership between the US-based university and the Bolivian NGO has been a determining factor in achieving positive results. Strengths and limitations are examined in the hope that the experience may be helpful to others conducting descriptive quantitative management research using community-engaged frameworks in cross-cultural settings.

Keywords: international partnership, community-engaged scholarship, education efficiency, multicultural low-income education.
Communities of knowledge and knowledge of communities: An appreciative inquiry into rural wellbeing
Authors: Kevany Kathleen May , MacMichael Margaret
Published: February 2015

This article offers a retrospective examination of the use of appreciative inquiry (AI) in a study on rural wellbeing. It provides a reflection on the rationale for choosing AI as a suitable methodology, critiques the application of AI in rural settings and considers its suitability for this inquiry into individual and community wellbeing. The article also considers the value of AI as a participatory research approach for community-university partnerships. A review of the literature on AI is distilled to examine the limitations as well as the utility of AI. Through an effective use of AI, communities of knowledge can be fostered and the knowledge of communities can be valued and harvested to enhance the wellbeing of rural communities.Keywords: appreciative inquiry, wellbeing, rural community, community-university partnerships
Engaging evaluation research: Reflecting on the process of sexual assault/domestic violence protocol evaluation research
Authors: Morton Mavis , Bergen Anne , Horan Melissa , Crann Sara , Bader Danielle , Bonham Linzy
Published: February 2015

In keeping within the theme of CU Expo 2013, ‘Engaging Shared Worlds’, this case study examines and reflects on a complex community-university partnership which developed to conceptualise, design, conduct and communicate evaluation research on one community’s sexual assault and domestic violence protocol. As community-university partners coming together for the first time, we reflect on the purpose of our engagement, the characteristics and principles which define our partnership and our potential to teach graduate students how to undertake community-engaged scholarship.Keywords: Community-engaged research, evaluation research, complex community-university partnerships, scholarship of engagement, practice research