In constructing her first cabinet, Nicola Sturgeon has shown a commitment to sending ‘a strong, positive message to girls and young women’

Nicola Sturgeon recently announced her new Cabinet. Following her selection as Scotland’s first female First Minister, she told the Scottish Parliament that she hoped her presence in the top job would send ‘a strong, positive message to girls and young women – indeed, to all women – across our land’. But, asks Emily Andrews, is the composition of her Cabinet, and her Party, sending the same message? And is the SNP winning the race to become the most representative party in Scotland

Kazakhstan : an ambitious pension reform

The pension reform in Kazakhstan was instituted to remove a deteriorating, and costly pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) system with limited liabilities, a relatively low worker to pensioner ratio, and accumulating pension arrears. Analysis was conducted to assess whether the economy could sustain a radical reform, which would make the implicit pension debt explicit. The first section of this report reviews the reform, and provides a synopsis of the thinking behind its development, including the events leading up to it, and the failings of the PAYGO system. In the second section, the administrative, business, and regulatory structures created by the pension reform legislation are described. In the third section, the progress of these entities in meeting the objectives of the reform is evaluated, particularly in terms of regulatory, and financial market performance.Pensions&Retirement Systems,Economic Stabilization,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies

Body Weight as a Motivating Operation: The Effect of Body Weight on Demand for Food in Hens.

Demand for wheat and puffed wheat was examined in six hens, using an ascending geometric progression of fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. Hens responded by pecking a key for 2-s access to food in 40-min sessions. The body weight criterion used to decide if a hen was to be placed in an experimental session differed across conditions, to determine if this would affect performance, using wheat and puffed wheat as reinforcers in different conditions. In the first experiment the hens were maintained by post-session feeding at 80 ± 5% of their free-feeding body weights. In Conditions 1 and 2 the hens were placed in a session even when they were more than 5 % above the target weight. In Conditions 3 and 4 they were placed in a session if their body weight was within the specified range, meaning there could be several days between sessions. There were clear differences resulting from food type, both in behaviour under the fixed ratio schedules, and in the resulting demand functions (with consumption measured as either number of reinforcers or weight of food obtained). Wheat resulted in lower overall response rates than puffed wheat at low fixed ratio values. The body weight criterion did not result in large effects on performance, however, the more relaxed body weight criterion gave a higher essential value for puffed wheat than for wheat (replicating Foster et al., 2009), whereas, the strict body weight criterion gave a lower essential value for puffed wheat than for wheat under the analysis proposed by Hursh and Silberberg (2008) and using number of reinforcers as the consumption measure. A second experiment replicated Jackson (2011), using the same two foods, strict body weight criteria and sessions which terminated after 40 reinforcers or 40-min. The resulting data were similar to Jackson (2011), who found similar performance for both foods. The difference between the demand functions for the two foods, with reinforcer rate as the consumption measure, were greatly reduced in comparison to Experiment 1. The essential value of the two foods was not consistently different across hens. These results suggest that the session termination criterion did affect demand

Frequency of preconception education for teenage patients with diabetes attending an academic Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic

Purpose: Diabetes mellitus (DM) in pregnancy produces adverse outcomes with significant human and economic costs. Potential lifetime cost savings of preventative preconception counseling for women with diabetes may reach $4.3 billion (U.S.). Preconception education has been shown in prior research to improve knowledge of reproductive risks in an adolescent diabetic population and to improve future health outcomes. This study assessed the current extent of preconception DM-related reproductive risk education at a tertiary academic medical center to better inform the opportunity for a systematic quality improvement intervention. Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical records (EMR) of females (N=70), ages 16-19, seen in the Pediatric Endocrinology clinic (2013-2016) and diagnosed with type 1 DM, type 2 DM, or insulin resistance. Any reproductive risks education documentation by providers, nursing or educators within Pediatric Endocrinology, or within consults to Nutrition or Obstetrics and Gynecology was reviewed and characterized. Results: According to EMR documentation, patient education for nonreproductive medical needs and complications of DM were consistently present in this population: 96% of patients received general diabetes education with at least 4/8 components. However, documented education regarding DM reproductive risks occurred for only 18% of the same patients while contraceptive use discussion occurred for 20%. Conclusion: The potential benefits of preconception education may include achieving recommended glucose control preceding and during pregnancy with fewer downstream maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. Although limited by the single site, retrospective design and the unknown rate of reproductive education documentation failure, our findings reveal a performance gap of potential downstream medical significance. Recognizing this deficiency provides an opportunity for a population-based intervention to create improved health outcomes

Water in the Erie Canal, Mohawk River, and Schoharie Creek?

To compare chemical composition and the ionic species of three different water samples using various analytical techniques. From these comparisons, determine the impact of pollution on each waterwayhttps://digitalworks.union.edu/waterprojectposters/1001/thumbnail.jp

Nse2, a component of the Smc5-6 complex, is a SUMO ligase required for the response to DNA damage

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe SMC proteins Rad18 (Smc6) and Spr18 (Smc5) exist in a high-M(r) complex which also contains the non-SMC proteins Nse1, Nse2, Nse3, and Rad62. The Smc5-6 complex, which is essential for viability, is required for several aspects of DNA metabolism, including recombinational repair and maintenance of the DNA damage checkpoint. We have characterized Nse2 and show here that it is a SUMO ligase. Smc6 (Rad18) and Nse3, but not Smc5 (Spr18) or Nse1, are sumoylated in vitro in an Nse2-dependent manner, and Nse2 is itself autosumoylated, predominantly on the C-terminal part of the protein. Mutations of C195 and H197 in the Nse2 RING-finger-like motif abolish Nse2-dependent sumoylation. nse2.SA mutant cells, in which nse2.C195S-H197A is integrated as the sole copy of nse2, are viable, whereas the deletion of nse2 is lethal. Smc6 (Rad18) is sumoylated in vivo: the sumoylation level is increased upon exposure to DNA damage and is drastically reduced in the nse2.SA strain. Since nse2.SA cells are sensitive to DNA-damaging agents and to exposure to hydroxyurea, this implicates the Nse2-dependent sumoylation activity in DNA damage responses but not in the essential function of the Smc5-6 complex

Curated Conferences to Strengthen Equity Leadership Capacity: A Case Study of Aspiring School Leaders

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine whether a Curated Conference Learning Experience (CCLE) could stimulate new learning or deepen existing learning around leadership for equity by engaging four andragogical theories: critical theory and praxis, new learning, guided learning, and reflective learning within a community of practice. Faculty members selected sessions focused on equity, provided journal prompts, and conducted focus groups for 13 students enrolled in a Masters of School Administration program at national educational leadership conference. Findings indicate new and strengthened learning in the areas of (1) relationship building; (2) understanding identity and co-constructing leadership for equity; (3) roadblocks and realizations; (4) connection to previous coursework; and (5) increased commitment to equity work. Our conceptual framework can be applied across disciplines for more intentional, pedagogical designs for transformative student conference learning