Use of Residential Care in Europe for Children Aged Under Three: Some Lessons from Neurobiology

This critical commentary reviews the research into the use of residential care for children aged under three years and looks at some of the explanations that can be found for this in neurobiology. There continue to be high numbers and rates of these vulnerable children in institutions not only in the former Soviet states, but also in Western Europe. The new research provides strong evidence on the negative consequences for these children, particularly for those who remain in institutional care beyond the age of six months. Explanations from neurobiology sit well beside understandings drawn from attachment theory and start to show the mechanisms for this and also the ability of the brain to compensate

An Opposition Commentary

The author, being the MP for Panmure and Labour Associate Spokesperson for Justice, provides a commentary on Rt Hon Justice Hardie Boys' paper, "Judicial Attitudes to Family Property". The author adopts the view of her predecessor Lianne Dalziel and the Labour Women's Council: that the law should recognise the changes in family patterns in New Zealand and should acknowledge the intent of the Human Rights Act 1993 to outlaw discrimination on the basis of marital status and sexual orientation.&nbsp

Shirking and Remaining Years on Players’ Contracts in Major League Baseball

This undergraduate economics thesis is meant to find statistically significant evidence for shirking behavior in Major League Baseball (MLB). Theory suggests that players shirk on effort when they have recently signed a long-term lucrative contract, since there is little incentive to compete when money is guaranteed to the player regardless of current performance. It is particularly important to understand the MLB labor market, since the firms giving out contracts not only have a copious amount of production information regarding their employees, but this data is widely available to the general public. This study will make use of modern sabermetric statistics in order to further open up the conversation regarding shirking with advanced statistics. It will also seek to control for other motivational forces at play, such as intrinsic motivation of the player based on their own self-confidence, as well as extrinsic motivation regarding the performance of the time in terms of win-loss record. Such motivational factors had not yet been discussed within the shirking conversation

Time to move on from the 'love in' with outsourcing and PFI - here's how

Although public bodies invevitably have to make supply decisions that involve third parties, the law must allow them to impose public interest conditions, write John Tizard and David Walker. They explain why outsourcing has so far failed, and what should be done about it

Immunological studies of fragments of herpes simplex virus type 2 glycoprotein B expressed in Escherichia coli

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) envelope glycoprotein gB is known to be highly immunogenic. Related glycoproteins, with conserved amino acid sequence, occur in members representative of all the herpesvirus subfamilies. In this work the immunogenicity of HSV-2 gB has been studied using molecular cloning techniques and in vivo and in vitro immuno-assays. A 4.7kbp fragment of HSV-2 representing 0.345-0.376 MU was shown to hybridise to an HSV-2 messenger RNA of 3.2kb. This translated in vitro to a polypeptide of 92kDa which comigrated on SDS PAGE with immunoprecipitated gB-2. A restriction map of the 4.7kbp DNA was subsequently shown to correspond to a published gB-2 gene sequence. Fragments of this DNA were expressed fused to β-galactosidase in E.coli by random cloning into the vector pXY460. A number of HSV-2 serologically positive clones were characterised by DNA sequencing. The gB-2 specific sequences expressed by three clones were unambiguously determined. Their respective fusion proteins were immunopurified by anti-β-galactosidase affinity chromatography. These antigens were assayed in vitro by lymphoproliferative responses and in vivo by delayed-type hypersensitivity and protection studies. Ag59, representing gB-2 codons 339-394, was the most antigenic and immunogenic of the recombinant antigens and provided 36% protection in a 10x LD50 lethal challenge

Fire risk index map based on satellite imagery and weather data

This disclosure describes techniques to determine and depict a fire risk index. Per techniques of this disclosure, historical satellite imagery data is combined with weather data to determine a fire risk index. Satellite imagery data is obtained and analyzed for regions that are historically prone to fires. The vegetation map is analyzed for vegetation data that include foliage density and the presence of live green vegetation. Weather pattern data such as wind data, rainfall data, ambient temperature, humidity, etc. are obtained. The weather data and vegetation data are used to determine a fire risk index, e.g., using machine learning techniques. The fire risk index can assist public agencies to identify areas of high risk for fires. The fire risk index can be updated periodically

Using electronics to design a controlled environment

Design using a systems approach to electronics is easily realisable in schools. It is not being carried out in many schools because of the problems teachers have encountered in manufacturing electronic circuits and the pressures of the National Curriculum. The authors believe that designing electronic systems can play a stimulating and significant part in the design and technology curriculum. They have written a SATRO project to be published this Autumn that will encourage teachers to use electronics as a design medium and support them in carrying out the work. The focus of the project is using electronics to control environments. This paper will discuss the issues raised in writing the project and in piloting the work in school

Exploring the impact of group work and mentoring for multiple heritage children's self-esteem, well-being and behaviour

Findings are reported from a study of an innovative Multiple Heritage Service in Sheffield (UK) which provides, inter alia, individual mentoring for young people and school-based group sessions on cultural heritage, dealing with racism and enhancing well-being. Groupwork, undertaken between November 2005 and December 2006, was evaluated by a before/after design with 43 children aged from eight to fifteen attending five different groups (response rate 77 per cent), using three well-established and validated measures. There were improvements on the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale from 31.415 to 33.024 (p =0.005) with more improvement among younger children and boys (p=0.004 and p=0.001); and well-being as measured by the GHQ12 improved from 1.460 to 0.8378 (p=0.111) with more improvement among older children (p=0.026). On the third measure, of problem behaviour (the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) there was an improvement from 12.4 to 12.1 (p=0.716) but there was no improvement at all for girls. Mentoring was evaluated by telephone interviews between June and October 2006 with 14 mothers whose children had just completed, or were nearing completion of, mentoring (response rate 70 per cent). Overall the mothers’ evaluations were highly positive: two-thirds commended the service on the positive impact on their children’s well-being and happiness (including all the mothers of daughters); a half reported positive impacts on identity; mothers commended the positive role model effect same-sex mentors had on their children’s behaviour; but only a third said mentoring had boosted their children’s self-esteem