Northampton Community College

About: Northampton Community College is a education organization based out in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 3410 authors who have published 4582 publications receiving 130398 citations. The organization is also known as: Northampton County Area Community College.

BIM-based deconstruction tool: Towards essential functionalities

Abstract: This study discusses the future directions of effective Design for Deconstruction (DfD) using BIM-based approach to design coordination. After a review of extant literatures on existing DfD practices and tools, it became evident that none of the tools is BIM compliant and that BIM implementation has been ignored for end-of-life activities. To understand how BIM could be employed for DfD and to identify essential functionalities for a BIM-based deconstruction tool, Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) were conducted with professionals who have utilised BIM on their projects. The interview transcripts of the FGIs were analysed using descriptive interpretive analysis to identify common themes based on the experiences of the participants. The themes highlight functionalities of BIM in driving effective DfD process, which include improved collaboration among stakeholders, visualisation of deconstruction process, identification of recoverable materials, deconstruction plan development, performance analysis and simulation of end-of-life alternatives, improved building lifecycle management, and interoperability with existing BIM software. The results provide the needed technological support for developing tools for BIM compliant DfD tools.

The role of family formation and dissolution in shaping drinking behaviour in early adulthood.

Abstract: The role of family formation and dissolution was examined in relation to alcohol consumption in early adulthood, using longitudinal data from a large representative British sample (the 1958 cohort). In comparison with other potential influences upon drinking, including employment and financial circumstances, social position and psychological wellbeing, the family formation patterns of young adults were most strongly associated with their current drinking. Stability and change in drinking between adolescence and early adulthood were also examined. Results were generally consistent with stable partnerships and family formation exerting a moderating influence on drinking since marriage and parenthood were most prevalent among groups reducing consumption or maintaining the lighter drinking of their teens. Most importantly, partnership breakdown was associated with heavier drinking established at age 16 and increasing consumption between adolescence and early adulthood.

Design of optical polarization splitters in a single-section deeply etched MMI waveguide

Abstract: The design of a single-section polarization splitter in a deeply etched semiconductor MMI waveguide is presented. Numerically simulated results indicate that the semiconductor MMI exhibits considerable polarization dependence and, utilizing this effect, a compact 1.6-mm-long polarization splitter may be fabricated to yield more than 8-dB polarization separation and only 0.11-dB optical loss, using a very simple design-approach.

Reclaiming the Street: The Discourse of Curfew

Abstract: The 1998 Crime and Disorder Act enables local authorities to put in place local street curfews for children aged under 10 years. The Act has been fuelled by discourses which present a vision of a society escalating towards lawlessness and moral decline. Curfew orders are grounded on the exclusionary principles of control and deterrence. We argue that the case for curfews is much less clear than recent policy documents suggest. Evidence based upon a large-scale study points to a more positive role of streets in the lives of young people than is acknowledged in current discussions. We propose that curfew does not offer a way forward: for young people it reinforces a sense of power-lessness and alienation and for adults it establishes a positionality which further dislocates young people from their world. Throughout the curfew debate there has been no attempt to incorporate the views of young people. We propose that, instead of curfew, what is needed are inclusionary strategies which encourage the incorporat...