138 research outputs found

    Regulating the power shift: the state, capital and electricity privatisation in Australia

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    In 1990, British political economist Grahame Thompson observed: ā€œOne of the most remarkable features of the ā€˜conservative turnā€™ experienced in the UK since 1980 is the paradoxical emergence of extensive reregulation of economic activity in a period supposedly typified by drastic deregulationā€ (Thompson, 1990: 135). Thompsonā€™s comments point to one of the central, but least understood, contradictions of neo-liberalism: that a system which is justified on the premise o f a withdrawal of state intervention in the economy has entailed an active role for the state in its implementation and maintenance. This article examines the realities of neo-liberalism in practice through an analysis of the history and experience of electricity privatisation in Australia. Such realities are contrasted with common assumptions made about neo-liberalism by both its advocates and some of its opponents. The case of electricity privatisation, it is argued, highlights not only the failure of neo-liberalism to deliver its promised benefits, but also the centrality of the capitalist state and class conflict to the dynamics of neoliberalism in practice. We therefore reject the ā€˜withering away of the stateā€™ approach to understanding neo-liberalism. In doing this we are contributing to a critique of the role of capital and the state in neoliberalism

    Dilemmas of long-term unemployment: Talking about constraint, self-determination and the future

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    This is a paper on how young long-term unemployed people manage their identity as job seekers in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of unemployment. The paper draws on discursive psychology to highlight some of the patterns of common sense reasoning about their predicament in the context of UK's third wave neoliberalist welfare provision and philosophy of 'personalised conditionality'. In contrast to studies that tend to consider the individual psychological impact of unemployment, particularly with regard to mental health issues, or resilience, this paper shows how a discursive approach can be a fruitful avenue to understanding how people account for their experiences of unemployment. The analysis shows how the thesaurus of everyday psychological states is used as a rhetorical tool for managing accountability for actions and motivations. The situated uses of psychological states allow speakers to engage with the tension between constraint and self-determination, and that between a 'desirable' (based on institutional priorities) and individually 'desired' future (based on subjective 'choice' and 'preference'). In describing their experiences of unemployment, participants talk into being the contradictory themes lodged at the heart of neoliberal ideologies of employment

    Stable, Affordable Housing Supports Young Children's Health in Philadelphia

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    Children's HealthWatch researchers analyzed survey data collected from caregivers in Phildelphia between 2005 and 2011. In the sample of 4,500 families, Children's HealthWatch found that about 56% of families were housing insecure. Housing insecurity is associated with poor health outcomes in very young children. Short-and long term interventions that help stabilize families in affordable housing will improve the health and development of Philadelphia's youngest children

    Use of standardised outcome measures in adult mental health services - Randomised controlled trial

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    This is an author-produced electronic version of an article accepted for publication in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at http://bjp.rcpsych.or

    Nurse Researchers in Children\u27s Hospitals

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    Little is known about the role of nurse researchers (NRs) and the structure of nursing research programs in children\u27s hospitals in the United States. This descriptive study obtained survey data from 33 NRs. Data suggest that the NR role is emerging and has both commonalities and unique components when compared with the previous studies of NRs in adult hospitals. Most participants have been in their position for less than 4 years. Conducting research, having staff development related to research, and facilitating evidence-based practice or research were common responsibilities. The structure of nursing research programs impacts both the NRs and the program outcomes

    Internet Legal Research Program Materials

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    Internet Legal Research presentations include: Google and Beyond: Finding Information Using Search Engines, and Evaluating Your Results; Why Pay For It Twice? How to Access Federal Materials in the Public Domaind; All Politics are Local: State and Local Resources; L is for Lawyer: An Alphabet of Handy Web Pages; Internet Basics: The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Internet Research for Lawyers; But Can I Get it in English? Finding Foreign Law; Blawgs, Podcasts, Wikis? Deciphering the Lingo and Evaluating Current Awareness Tool

    All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-induced TFEB expression is required for myeloid differentiation in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)

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    Ā© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Objective: In acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), normal retinoid signaling is disrupted by an abnormal PML-RARĪ± fusion oncoprotein, leading to a block in cell differentiation. Therapeutic concentrations of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) can restore retinoid-induced transcription and promote degradation of the PML-RARĪ± protein. Autophagy is a catabolic pathway that utilizes lysosomal machinery to degrade intracellular material and facilitate cellular re-modeling. Recent studies have identified autophagy as an integral component of ATRA-induced myeloid differentiation. Methods: As the molecular communication between retinoid signaling and the autophagy pathway is not defined, we performed RNA sequencing of NB4 APL cells treated with ATRA and examined autophagy-related transcripts. Results: ATRA altered the expression of >80 known autophagy-related transcripts, including the key transcriptional regulator of autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis, TFEB (11.5-fold increase). Induction of TFEB and its transcriptional target, sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1, p62), is reduced in ATRA-resistant NB4R cells compared to NB4 cells. TFEB knockdown in NB4 cells alters the expression of transcriptional targets of TFEB and reduces CD11b transcript levels in response to ATRA. Conclusions: We show for the first time that TFEB plays an important role in ATRA-induced autophagy during myeloid differentiation and that autophagy induction potentiates leukemic cell differentiation (Note: this study includes data obtained from NCT00195156, https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00195156)

    All-Trans-Retinoic Acid Combined With Valproic Acid Can Promote Differentiation in Myeloid Leukemia Cells by an Autophagy Dependent Mechanism

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    Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer with an overall survival of 30%. One form of AML, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has become more than 90% curable with differentiation therapy, consisting of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO). Application of differentiation therapy to other AML subtypes would be a major treatment advance. Recent studies have indicated that autophagy plays a key role in the differentiation of ATRA-responsive APL cells. In this study, we have investigated whether differentiation could be enhanced in ATRA resistant cells by promoting autophagy induction with valproic acid (VPA). ATRA sensitive (NB4) and resistant leukemia cells (NB4R and THP-1) were co-treated with ATRA and valproic acid, followed by assessment of autophagy and differentiation. The combination of VPA and ATRA induced autophagic flux and promoted differentiation in ATRA-sensitive and -resistant cell lines. shRNA knockdown of ATG7 and TFEB autophagy regulators impaired both autophagy and differentiation, demonstrating the importance of autophagy in the combination treatment. These data suggest that ATRA combined with valproic acid can promote differentiation in myeloid leukemia cells by mechanism involving autophagy

    Anderson's ethical vulnerability: animating feminist responses to sexual violence

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    Pamela Sue Anderson argues for an ethical vulnerability which ā€œactivates an openness to becoming changedā€ that ā€œcan make possible a relational accountability to one another on ethical mattersā€. In this essay I pursue Andersonā€™s solicitation that there is a positive politics to be developed from acknowledging and affirming vulnerability. I propose that this politics is one which has a specific relevance for animating the terms of feminist responses to sexual violence, something which has proved difficult for feminist theorists and activists alike. I will demonstrate the contribution of Andersonā€™s work to such questions by examining the way in which ā€œethical vulnerabilityā€ as a framework can illuminate the intersectional feminist character of Tarana Burkeā€™s grassroots Me Too movement when compared with the mainstream, viral version of the movement. I conclude by arguing that Andersonā€™s ā€œethical vulnerabilityā€ contains ontological insights which can allay both activist and academic concerns regarding how to respond to sexual violence

    A Network of Sites and Upskilled Therapists to Deliver Best-Practice Stroke Rehabilitation of the Arm : Protocol for a Knowledge Translation Study

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    Implementation of evidence-informed rehabilitation of the upper limb is variable, and outcomes for stroke survivors are often suboptimal. We established a national partnership of clinicians, survivors of stroke, researchers, healthcare organizations, and policy makers to facilitate change. The objectives of this study are to increase access to best-evidence rehabilitation of the upper limb and improve outcomes for stroke survivors. This prospective pragmatic, knowledge translation study involves four new specialist therapy centers to deliver best-evidence upper-limb sensory rehabilitation (known as SENSe therapy) for survivors of stroke in the community. A knowledge-transfer intervention will be used to upskill therapists and guide implementation. Specialist centers will deliver SENSe therapy, an effective and recommended therapy, to stroke survivors in the community. Outcomes include number of successful deliveries of SENSe therapy by credentialled therapists; improved somatosensory function for stroke survivors; improved performance in self-selected activities, arm use, and quality of life; treatment fidelity and confidence to deliver therapy; and for future implementation, expert therapist effect and cost-effectiveness. In summary, we will determine the effect of a national partnership to increase access to evidence-based upper-limb sensory rehabilitation following stroke. If effective, this knowledge-transfer intervention could be used to optimize the delivery of other complex, evidence-based rehabilitation interventions
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