Managing temporary workers in higher education: still at the margin?

Purpose – To evaluate whether “numerical flexibility” – specifically a form of temporary and precarious employment – hourly-paid part-time teaching in the UK higher education sector – adds strategic value and demonstrates good practice. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on new evidence drawn from five case study organisations in which a range of managers was interviewed in depth. Findings – Analysis identifies a continuum of strategies from integration into the main workforce through to “deepened differentiation”. Although integration is somewhat problematic when applied to a diverse group, differentiation seems predicated on a defensive, risk management approach designed to further marginalise this activity. Also, differentiation fails to address the aspirations of many employees, creating tensions between institutional strategy and the needs of academic heads. Research limitations/implications – The number of case studies is limited. These case studies were selected because they had the most proactive strategies on this issue, which infers that the majority of employers in HE have not been rather less strategic or proactive. Practical implications – The paper is of particular value to HR professionals considering the use of numerical flexibility approaches. It also contributes to the academic debate on the strategic value of such approaches. Originality/value – The paper explores a neglected but important area of the workforce. The paper notes that some supposed benefits of numerical flexibility might be illusory, such as the deployment of allegedly “cheap and disposable” substitute workers which may be offset by unintentional consequences including rigidities in an organisation's human resource systems

Dissociation between Cervical Mucus and Urinary Hormones during the Postpartum Return of Fertility in Breastfeeding Women

Identifying the return of fertility with cervical mucus observations is challenging during the postpartum period. Use of urinary measurements of estrogen and progesterone can assist in understanding the return to fertility during this period. The purposes of this study were to describe the postpartum return of fertility by an analysis of total estrogen (TE) and pregnanediol glucuronide (PDG) profiles and to correlate these profiles with cervical mucus observations. Twenty-six participants collected urine samples during the postpartum period and recorded mucus scores. TE and PDG hormones were analyzed and compared with mucus scores. During amenorrhea, mucus reflected TE changes in only 35 percent of women; after amenorrhea, typical mucus patterns were seen in 33 percent of cycles. We concluded that postpartum mucus and hormone profiles are significantly dissociated but that monitoring urinary hormones may assist in identifying the return of fertility. We also identified different hormonal patterns in the return to fertility. The postpartum period is a challenging time for identifying the return of fertility. The purposes of this study were to describe the hormonal patterns during the return of fertility and to correlate these patterns with cervical mucus observations. Twenty-six postpartum women collected urine samples and recorded mucus scores. Urinary estrogen and progesterone hormones were analyzed and compared with mucus scores. Before the return of menses, mucus reflected hormonal changes in only 35 percent women and after first menses in 33 percent of cycles. We found that hormone profiles do not correlate well with mucus observations during the postpartum return of fertility

Experimental Ca I oscillator strengths for the 4p-5s triplet

Context. Transition lines of neutral calcium are observed in the spectra of stellar and substellar objects. In particular, the abundance of α-elements in metal-poor stars can place important constraints on the galactic chemical evolution. Such stellar abundance analyses rely heavily on accurate values for the oscillator strength of the observable transitions. Theoretical oscillator strengths are available for most neutral calcium lines visible in stellar spectra, but there are a limited number of experimental values in the literature. Aims. We present new and improved experimental oscillator strengths for the optical Ca 

Staff development and quality enhancement in higher education

My work seeks to address the contribution of SD to enhancement of quality in HE. I have sought to explore a cluster of research questions in this area, the focus varying slightly over time as my roles have changed and developed, opening and closing opportunities for investigative work. The primary research questions have been: how may SD contribute to enhancing HE and what are the implications of those contributions for HE staff, HEIs, and the SD community itself? How are HE organisations and management changing and how may staff and SD professionals engage with and influence such changes? At the next level down, I have developed associated, more particular questions, for specific projects. Examples include: What are the prospects for successful re-alignment of enhancement bodies, including the main one for SD? What strategies have been developed to enhance the contribution of PTT? Are they well founded and influential? How far do they meet the needs of stakeholders, including PTT themselves?EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo