Students’ responses to theory: An FD case study

This paper will report on a small qualitative case study which explored the professional formation of students on a work-based learning course. These students were studying part-time to become professionally qualified youth workers and were already working or volunteering in the field. Drawing on interviews with students and their employers nine months after completion of the WBL course we will map some of the ways in which they consider participation has influenced their understanding of the field and their approach to their work. Contrary to expectations, our own and those in the professional literature, we found that students placed considerable value on the contribution of theory. In some cases this had led to significant changes in perspective, leading them to question their own practices and those of colleagues. While some had encountered resistance others had the autonomy to change their practices during and after the course

New Media and Youth Political Action

To rigorously consider the impact of new media on the political and civic behavior of young people, The MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP) developed and fielded one of the first large-scale, nationally representative studies of new media and politics among young people. The two principal researchers for the survey component of the YPP, Cathy J. Cohen of the University of Chicago and Joseph Kahne of Mills College, oversaw a research team that surveyed nearly 3,000 respondents between the ages of 15 and 25 years of age. Unlike any prior study of youth and new media, this study included large numbers of black, Latino, and Asian American respondents, which allows for unique and powerful statistical comparisons across race with a focus on young people.Until now there has been limited opportunity and data available to comprehensively explore the relationship between new media and the politics of young people. One of the few entities to engage in this type of rigorous analysis has been the Pew Internet and American Life Project. The YPP study expands on this field-leading work by including an extensive battery of items addressing participatory politics and adequate numbers of participants from different racial and ethnic groups, thus allowing for analysis of how different groups of young people were engaged with new media in the political realm.The YPP study findings suggest that fundamental changes in political expectations and practices may be occurring -- especially for youth. The analysis of the data collected reveals that youth are taking advantage of an expanded set of participatory practices in the political realm in ways that amplify their voice and sometimes their influence, thus increasing the ways young people participate in political life. The YPP researchers label this expanded set of opportunities and actions participatory politics

The Value of Uncertainty

In recent years, federal courts have heard, without clear subject matter jurisdiction, contract disputes involving billions of dollars worth of securitized financial instruments (SFIs). These SFI disputes are litigated in federal court under the federal interpleader statute, which specifies that a federal court has subject matter jurisdiction over these cases only when parties deposit the disputed amount with the court. SFI litigants have ignored this requirement, so courts have, at best, uncertain jurisdiction over these cases. Why have no parties raised the jurisdictional defect, even though some would stand to gain from raising it? This Essay advances game theoretical explanations for litigants’ puzzling silence in these major post-financial crisis cases, and argues that parties may strategically value litigating in federal court under jurisdictional uncertainty over other alternatives

The Value of Uncertainty

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the federal courts have heard arguments in contract disputes involving billions of dollars worth of securitized financial products—yet it is not clear that the federal courts have subject matter jurisdiction over these cases. In this Essay, we advance possible explanations for why parties to default disputes do not raise this possible jurisdictional defect

The Value of Uncertainty

In recent years, federal courts have heard, without clear subject matter jurisdiction, contract disputes involving billions of dollars worth of securitized financial instruments (SFIs). These SFI disputes are litigated in federal court under the federal interpleader statute, which specifies that a federal court has subject matter jurisdiction over these cases only when parties deposit the disputed amount with the court. SFI litigants have ignored this requirement, so courts have, at best, uncertain jurisdiction over these cases. Why have no parties raised the jurisdictional defect, even though some would stand to gain from raising it? This Essay advances game theoretical explanations for litigants’ puzzling silence in these major post-financial crisis cases, and argues that parties may strategically value litigating in federal court under jurisdictional uncertainty over other alternatives

The Effect of Service Complexity on Performance of Franchised Outlets

The overall results of this study suggest that for low service complexity new ventures the incentive structures and contractual arrangements inherent in franchising are well suited. In service ventures with high levels of service complexity, arrangements involving two distinct parties that must work together may be more costly and difficult to manage. We find that franchisee outlets outperform independent entrepreneurs in each of the first three years of operation when the service business was low in complexity. In contrast, independent operators were able to outperform franchisees after the first year in complex service enterprises. Franchisors who operated in complex service settings were only able to outperform independents in the first year of operation, suggesting that both experienced chains who provide reliable and consistent services and independent entrepreneurs who quickly learn to adapt to the broad needs of sophisticated consumers are able to obtain performance success

Does Altered Cellular Metabolism Underpin the Normal Changes to the Maternal Immune System during Pregnancy?

Pregnancy is characterised by metabolic changes that occur to support the growth and development of the fetus over the course of gestation. These metabolic changes can be classified into two distinct phases: an initial anabolic phase to prepare an adequate store of substrates and energy which are then broken down and used during a catabolic phase to meet the energetic demands of the mother, placenta and fetus. Dynamic readjustment of immune homeostasis is also a feature of pregnancy and is likely linked to the changes in energy substrate utilisation at this time. As cellular metabolism is increasingly recognised as a key determinant of immune cell phenotype and function, we consider how changes in maternal metabolism might contribute to T cell plasticity during pregnancy

Oracy curriculum, culture and assessment toolkit

This report evaluates a developmental project designed by School 21 and the University of Cambridge to improve Year 7 students' oracy skills. The project involved developing an Oracy Skills Framework, which sets out the physical, linguistic, cognitive, and social-emotional oracy skills required by students for education and life. Other components which were informed by this framework are: • a dedicated Year 7 oracy curriculum comprising weekly oracy lessons; • oracy in every lesson; • building a whole school oracy culture; and • an Oracy Assessment Toolkit. These components were piloted and further developed with Year 7 students within School 21 from September 2013 to July 2014. During the final stages of the project the components were brought together to create an 'Oracy Curriculum, Culture and Assessment Toolkit' that can be adopted by other schools and a website was created, Voice 21 (http://voice21.org/), containing guidance and resources for schools using the Toolkit. This report focuses on an evaluation of: 1. The approaches and materials which formed the Oracy Curriculum, Culture and Assessment Toolkit, including an indicative impact finding on the impact on Year 7 pupils in School 21. 2. What further development of the Oracy Curriculum, Culture and Assessment Toolkit is needed and would enable a more robust evaluation of its impact

A role for metabolism in determining neonatal immune function

Immune responses of neonates differ markedly to those of adults, with skewed cytokine phenotypes, reduced inflammatory properties and drastically diminished memory function. Recent research efforts have started to unravel the role of cellular metabolism in determining immune cell fate and function. For studies in humans, much of the work on metabolic mechanisms underpinning innate and adaptive immune responses by different haematopoietic cell types is in adults. Studies investigating the contribution of metabolic adaptation in the unique setting of early life are just emerging, and much more work is needed to elucidate the contribution of metabolism to neonatal immune responses. Here, we discuss our current understanding of neonatal immune responses, examine some of the latest developments in neonatal immunometabolism and consider the possible role of altered metabolism to the distinctive immune phenotype of the neonate. Understanding the role of metabolism in regulating immune function at this critical stage in life has direct benefit for the child by affording opportunities to maximize immediate and long-term health. Additionally, gaining insight into the diversity of human immune function and naturally evolved immunometabolic strategies that modulate immune function could be harnessed for a wide range of opportunities including new therapeutic approaches