A Choice of Rules in Title VII Retaliation Claims for Negative Employer References

The LHC at CERN is now undergoing a set of upgrades to increase the center of mass energy for the colliding particles to be able to explore new physical processes. The focus of this thesis lies on the so called phase II upgrade which will preliminarily be completed in 2023. After the upgrade the LHC will be able to accelerate proton beams to such a velocity thateach proton has a center of mass energy of 14 TeV. One disadvantage of the upgrade is that it will be harder for the atlas detector to isolate unique particle collisions since more and more collisions will occur simultaneously, so called pile-up. For 14 TeV there does not exist a full simulation of the atlas detector. This thesis instead uses data from Monte Carlo simulations for the particle collisions and then uses so called smearing functions to emulate the detector responses. This thesis focuses on how a mono-jet analysis looking for different wimp models of dark matter will be affected by this increase in pile-up rate. The signal models which are in focus are those which try to explain dark matter without adding new theories to the standard model or QFT, such as the effective theory D5 operator and light vector mediator models. The exclusion limits set for the D5 operators mass suppression scale at 14 TeV and 1000 fb-1are 2-3 times better than previous results at 8 TeV and 10 fb-1. For the first time limits have been set on which vector mediator mass models can be excluded at 14 TeV

Digital, material and networked: some emerging themes for SET education

Boundaries between the digital and material worlds are becoming blurred as the internet increasingly connects us to things as well as people and information. This is increasingly relevant to education as initiatives which significantly combine digital and material elements in networks are becoming a reality for Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) learning. Our paper reports on the initial findings of a project to carry out a ‘state of the art’ review of literature to establish the key themes, opportunities and obstacles that are emerging from the development and use of these ‘hybrid’ systems in learning. We wanted to explore the extent to which this new domain of study is being reported in the literature and to identify work representative of this area. Our aim was to investigate the depth of research in this area by going beyond the technologically descriptive to focus on pedagogical and organisational issues raised in the literature. To identify the state of current research in the area we carried out a systematic search of databases of Science, Engineering and Technology education literature. We found 808 papers relating to the hybrid learning initiatives we are interested in, of which the majority, 81%, involved the Engineering and Technology disciplines while 6.8% related to Science. The vast majority of papers referred to remote laboratories and most of these were concerned with describing the technologies involved. In order to explore issues emerging from the research, we carried out an in-depth text review of a particular subset of the papers found that focussed on pedagogical issues. The three main themes that emerged were: the importance of real data and authenticity in learning; the importance of a sense of presence (e.g. telepresence, social presence and/or immersion) and the locus of control in, and responsiveness of, a hybrid system. We conclude that these new digital ‘hybrid’ pedagogies offer a lens with which to view both the more traditional material pedagogies, e.g. laboratory-based learning, and purely digital pedagogies, e.g. virtual labs. Finally, issues of authenticity, presence and control/responsiveness will be of increasing pedagogical importance to other ‘hybrid’ systems, such as those involving ubiquitous computing

Interact: A Mixed Reality Virtual Survivor for Holocaust Testimonies

In this paper we present Interact---a mixed reality virtual survivor for Holocaust education. It was created to preserve the powerful and engaging experience of listening to, and interacting with, Holocaust survivors, allowing future generations of audience access to their unique stories. Interact demonstrates how advanced filming techniques, 3D graphics and natural language processing can be integrated and applied to specially-recorded testimonies to enable users to ask questions and receive answers from that virtualised individuals. This provides a new and rich interactive narratives of remembrance to engage with primary testimony. We discuss the design and development of Interact, and argue that this new form of mixed reality is promising media to overcome the uncanny valley

Investigating the Role of MicroRNAs in Regeneration and Axonal Pathfinding

During both development and regeneration, axons must navigate through a complex and changing environment to reach their proper synaptic target. To do so, axons utilize a specialized structure, the growth cone, which senses and interprets guidance cues in its surrounding environment to change the direction of axonal outgrowth. MicroRNAs, which regulate mRNA translation, have recently been shown to regulate both neurite outgrowth and growth cone guidance in response to classical guidance cues during vertebrate development. However, little is known of their regulation of neuronal regeneration in an invertebrate. Thus, the main aim of this thesis was to study the role of microRNAs during CNS regeneration of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. Specifically, I determined the expression patterns and relative abundance of microRNAs in the regenerating CNS in response to retinoic acid (RA). Using miRNA-Sequencing, I identified one neuronally enriched microRNA, miR-124, that was up-regulated in RA-induced regenerating CNS. Using PCR and in situ hybridization, I characterized its distribution in the snail CNS, and discovered it shared similar expression patterns to that of vertebrates. In cell culture, I found miR-124 was abundant within regenerating motorneurons and was localized to their growth cones. I next determined that miR-124 contributed to RA-induced growth cone turning behaviour. During attractive growth cone turning to RA, the abundance and distribution of miR-124 was altered, in both a cue and context-dependent manner. Finally, I demonstrated that miR-124 targeted the Rho kinase, ROCK, during turning responses to RA, likely to promote the formation of a neurite shaft, or to maintain growth cone polarity. Together, these findings provide the first evidence for a role of microRNAs in mediating growth cone behaviours to RA in regenerating motorneurons

The psychosocial impacts of driving cessation in later life : experiences, coping, and well-being

Older adults may face multiple and often overwhelming losses when they give up driving, creating a need for adjustment (Adler & Rottunda, 2006; M. J. Bauer, Rottunda, & Adler, 2003; Bedard & Kafka, 2008; Bonnel, 1999a; Carp, 1971; Cutler, 1972; Dellinger, Sehgal, Sleet, & Barrett-Connor, 2001; J.A. Kelley-Moore, J.G. Schumacher, E. Kahana, & B. Kahana, 2006; Liddle, Turpin, Carlson, & McKenna, 2008; Shope, 2003; Whitehead, Howie, & Lovell, 2006). Furthermore, driving cessation is related to poorer psychological well-being (Fonda, Wallace, & Herzog, 2001; Marottoli et al., 1997; Ragland, Satariano, & MacLeod, 2005; Windsor, Anstey, Butterworth, Luszcz, & Andrews, 2007). This thesis focuses on the impacts of no longer driving on psychological well-being, among an Australian population aged 65 years and above. Driving cessation literature is reviewed and embedded within the general context of older adult driving research. The Stress-Coping paradigm framework is adopted to better understand poorer well-being in relation to the post-cessation phase of driving within a broad spatial and temporal context. Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000a, 2000b; Ryan, 2009) and the Assimilative and Accommodative Model of Coping (Brandtstadter & Renner, 1990a, 1992) provide the theoretical foundations from which to examine the driving status-well-being relationship. Questions addressed include: What are the experiences of older adults who give up driving? What is the impact of driving cessation stressors on well-being? Why is driving cessation experienced negatively? And, does coping buffer the effects of driving cessation on well-being? The Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) (A. T. Beck & Alford, 2009; A. T. Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979; J. S. Beck, 1995) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (Luoma, et al., 2007) approaches to the conceptualisation and treatment of depressive symptoms generally, and specifically among older ex-drivers, and implications for policy makers are discussed