What's next for The Moscow Times? The publication is in exile, and its founder has died. Will it lose its relevance?

When Dutch media magnate Derk Sauer died in a tragic accident in July, he left behind The Moscow Times, which was launched just three months after the Soviet collapse in March 1992. It became Russia’s first independent English-language newspaper - a vital window into post-Soviet Russia for the outside world, and a launchpad for generations of journalists, both Russian and international, including several Pulitzer Prize winners. Remarkably, it still endures - though now in exile. Driven out by the Kremlin’s relentless crackdown on independent media, it operates today from Amsterdam, along with TV Dozhd’ (Rain), the independent news channel Derk also helped to relocate. The Moscow office is shuttered, the newsroom dispersed, and Derk lives on as a black-and-white photograph on the wall. Yet The Moscow Times continues to publish from a distance, its focus unchanged. And yes - with apologies to Celine Dion - it will go on

Mature non-specialist undergraduate students and the challenges they face in learning mathematics

This research uses a case study approach to examine the learning experiences of mature non-specialist first year undergraduate university students studying mathematics as an ancillary subject. The challenges faced by such students taking mathematics as a subsidiary subject within their main degree have not been adequately addressed in the literature: this study seeks to address this gap. The research took place in a UK inner-city post-1992 university which has a very diverse student intake. A qualitative data set was generated from in-depth and focus group interviews of 22 mature students, the majority of whom were non-specialists taking mathematics as a required ancillary subject. An additional quantitative data set was derived from a questionnaire distributed to 250 students taking first year mathematics modules, either as an ancillary or as a specialism subject. A small number of mature students specialising in mathematics in both the interviews and the survey were included in order to compare the experiences and views of the both specialist and non-specialist groups. The Mixed Methods Research Design adopted combined results from the qualitative and quantitative analyses, and was accompanied by a post-structuralist theoretical framework which examines the discursive practices students were exposed to in relation to their construction of mathematics as a subject and their experiences of learning mathematics. The study shows that the major perceived factors that affect mature non-specialist students learning of mathematics include the pedagogical model that is used; the attitudes and beliefs of the learners; the support available to aid learning; and the prevalent discourses about the learning and perceptions of mathematics. These findings have a number of important implications for policy and practice for teaching mathematics to such students, for our understanding of student identities and for widening participation. The evidence from this study suggest that there should be a shift of government policy on access and financing for mature students; a review of mechanism of financial support for mature students; changes in the organisation and resourcing of small classes; a review of curriculum and pedagogy to fit the diverse background of learners; and the development of mathematics support provisions that are embedded in courses that require mathematical skills

Effects of environmental and physiological stress on the functionality of probiotic microorganisms

The aim of this project was to examine whether exposure to environmental and physiological stress conditions could affect some functional properties for the selection of probiotic microorganisms. The study was focused on two commercial strains of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis and two non-commercial Bifidobacterium strains, namely B. breve NCTC 11815 and B. longum NCTC 11818. The effects of exposure to acid, bile, osmotic and oxidative stresses on their antimicrobial activity, biofilm formation capacity and antibiotic susceptibility profiles were assessed. The conditions to generate acid stress in the organisms were chosen as pH 3 for one hour, for both B. animalis ssp. lactis strains, and pH 4 for one hour, for B. breve and B. longum. Conditions for bile stress were 1% (w/v) bile for one hour, for both B. animalis ssp. lactis strains and B. breve, and 0.5% (w/v) bile for one hour, for B. longum. Osmotic stress conditions were 3% (w/v) NaCl for one hour, for both B. animalis ssp. lactis strains and B. breve, and 2% (w/v) NaCl for one hour, for B. longum. Oxidative stress was generated for all organisms by shaking at 200 rpm for two hours. The antimicrobial activities of all four bifidobacteria against pathogenic bacteria, namely Escherichia coli NCTC 12900, Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium DT124 and S. enterica ser. Enteritidis PT4, were maintained after exposure to each stress, although there appeared to be lower inhibition after exposure to stress. This varied with strain and type of stress. The antibiotic susceptibility profiles of all four bifidobacteria for five antibiotics, namely tetracycline, erythromycin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol and vancomycin, were unchanged after exposure to each stress. The expression of tetracycline resistance gene tet(W) in one of the B. animalis ssp. lactis strains, designated as strain C, was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) after exposure to acid, bile and osmotic stresses, although this did not translate to higher resistance of B. animalis ssp. lactis (C) to tetracycline. Effects of each stress on biofilm formation in the four bifidobacteria varied with the strain. In general, more positive effects of exposure to stress were observed in both B. animalis ssp. lactis strains, while more negative effects of exposure to stress were shown by B. breve and B. longum. The expression of exopolysaccharide-synthesis gene gtf01207 in B. animalis ssp. lactis (C) was significantly higher after exposure to osmotic stress, although it also appeared to be higher after exposure to acid and bile stresses. Studying the effects of exposure to stress on in vitro probiotic selection properties could give a better reflection of what applies in vivo, since microorganisms for probiotic use would be inevitably exposed to stresses. This could give a more accurate insight on the potential to provide health benefit. The results of this study may justify the commercial use of the B. animalis ssp. lactis strains

Institutional repository notice and takedown policy

This document provides information on what to do if you are concerned that there may have been a breach of your intellectual property rights regarding a document that has been added to the London Metropolitan University's Institutional Repository

The relationship between client work and personal and professional development in Counselling Psychology training

Personal and professional development activities are a central component of Counselling Psychology training due to regulatory requirements and the high value Counselling Psychology places on the therapist’s "self". Most research on the facilitation of personal and professional development focuses on specific training activities such as personal therapy and personal development groups. However, it is widely acknowledged that personal and professional development are also facilitated by aspects of training and life that are not designed for their facilitation. This research explores the relationship between trainee Counselling Psychologists’ personal and professional development and their client work. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse semi-structured interviews with six final year trainee Counselling Psychologists. Two main findings were identified: firstly, participants were unable to discuss their personal and professional development in relation to client work specifically; personal and professional development were facilitated by the relevance of specific experiences to individuals’ needs and preferences rather than activities having a direct facilitative effect themselves. Secondly, participants did not engage in active personal development work, and this was not explicitly discussed or structured in training. These findings imply that trainees may not develop optimally: as personal and professional development are highly individualised and complex processes, research and training that focuses on specific training activities may fail to interrogate the complexity of why and how personal and professional development are facilitated. Regulatory and ethical implications are discussed alongside existing literature to suggest the beginnings of a personal development curriculum for Counselling Psychology training