Not a Fair Go: A History and Analysis of Social Credit's Struggle for Success in New Zealand's Electoral System

This thesis is an examination of the main issues Social Credit contended with while trying to succeed in New Zealand politics. Its historical and political analysis is in the context of the electoral system. The first section argues for and describes the changing electoral context and outlines how this created difficulties for Social Credit. It concludes that the movement faced very adverse electoral periods for third parties. The second part examines founder Major C.H. Douglas's Social Credit vision and charts Social Credit's political adaptations from its New Zealand beginnings to the time Bruce Beetham took over as leader in 1972. It challenges the myths that Social Credit could not change without ceasing to be Social Credit and that its economics were unworkable. In the third section the centrality of Beetham's leadership to Social Credit success is explored by looking at his life, personality, beliefs and vision for the movement. It concludes that he believed in Social Credit and that his drive and dedication were essential to Social Credit's revival. Then the thesis follows Social Credit's electoral progress from 1972 to 1981. It examines the impact from its own activities and other political actors and circumstances. This includes effects from organisational changes, the effect of growing and changing membership and the sources of its votes. The fifth part outlines the factors that put Social Credit into permanent decline after 1981. These include the Clyde dam issue, the emerging New Zealand party, the 1984 snap election and the failure to revitalise the party. Finally, it examines Social Credit influence on the electoral system itself, particularly in regard to the move to proportional representation. Here its existence and size mattered more than direct action. The contribution of this thesis is, firstly, in challenging the usual roles assigned to third parties. Second, it outlines the characteristics of different electoral periods. Third, it examines the nature of Social Credit in a more positive way. Fourth, it looks at the electoral elements that shaped Social Credit's successes and failures. Finally, it shows the effects of professionalisation on a typical party branch

Using Electricity in Iowa Farm Homes

When you pay your regular electric bill, have you ever wondered how much of the total energy used should be charged against the home or individual home appliances- ranges, water heater, freezer? If so, the information in this article may be helpful in making estimates for your home

Cutting Operating Costs for Automatic Stock Waterers

Results of tests on the amounts of electrical energy needed to keep water ice-free in automatic stock waterers furnish some tips on how to keep operating costs down whether your waterer uses electricity or some other fuel

Synthetic Studies Directed Towards the Sesquiterpenoid Grimaldone

An advanced intermediate in a route to the odoriferous sesquiterpenoid grimaldone has been synthesised using a formal [3+2] cycloaddition reaction as the key step. Subsequent transformation of the intermediate using ring-contraction methodology developed by House failed. Therefore, a new route to grimaldone was devised involving a modified Sharpless oxidative cleavage reaction. Again, an advanced intermediate was attained and model studies on that compound have indicated that a very late-stage precursor to grimaldone can be accessed relatively easily

A conserved lipid-binding loop in the kindlin FERM F1 domain is required for kindlin-mediated aIIbB3 integrin coactivation

The activation of heterodimeric integrin adhesion receptors from low to high affinity states occurs in response to intracellular signals that act on the short cytoplasmic tails of integrin beta subunits. Binding of the talin FERM (four-point-one, ezrin, radixin, moesin) domain to the integrin beta-tail provides one key activation signal, but recent data indicate that the kindlin family of FERM domain proteins also play a central role. Kindlins directly bind integrin beta subunit cytoplasmic domains at a site distinct from the talin-binding site, and target to focal adhesions in adherent cells. However, the mechanisms by which kindlins impact integrin activation remain largely unknown. A notable feature of kindlins is their similarity to the integrin-binding and activating talin FERM domain. Drawing on this similarity, here we report the identification of an unstructured insert in the kindlin F1 FERM domain, and provide evidence that a highly conserved polylysine motif in this loop supports binding to negatively charged phospholipid head groups. We further show that the F1 loop and its membrane-binding motif are required for kindlin-1 targeting to focal adhesions, and for the cooperation between kindlin-1 and -2 and the talin head in aIIbB3 integrin activation, but not for kindlin binding to integrin beta tails. These studies highlight the structural and functional similarities between kindlins and the talin head and indicate that as for talin, FERM domain interactions with acidic membrane phospholipids as well beta-integrin tails contribute to the ability of kindlins to activate integrins

The Talin Head Domain Reinforces Integrin-Mediated Adhesion by Promoting Adhesion Complex Stability and Clustering

Talin serves an essential function during integrin-mediated adhesion in linking integrins to actin via the intracellular adhesion complex. In addition, the N-terminal head domain of talin regulates the affinity of integrins for their ECM-ligands, a process known as inside-out activation. We previously showed that in Drosophila, mutating the integrin binding site in the talin head domain resulted in weakened adhesion to the ECM. Intriguingly, subsequent studies showed that canonical inside-out activation of integrin might not take place in flies. Consistent with this, a mutation in talin that specifically blocks its ability to activate mammalian integrins does not significantly impinge on talin function during fly development. Here, we describe results suggesting that the talin head domain reinforces and stabilizes the integrin adhesion complex by promoting integrin clustering distinct from its ability to support inside-out activation. Specifically, we show that an allele of talin containing a mutation that disrupts intramolecular interactions within the talin head attenuates the assembly and reinforcement of the integrin adhesion complex. Importantly, we provide evidence that this mutation blocks integrin clustering in vivo. We propose that the talin head domain is essential for regulating integrin avidity in Drosophila and that this is crucial for integrin-mediated adhesion during animal development

Adolescent appraisals and opinions concerning their sex education in selected institutions

The purposes of this study were: to collect information relative to the content of the sex education information adolescents have received from selected sources, to ascertain their appraisal of the value of this information and to test hypotheses concerning communication and dissemination of information on sexual topics between adults and adolescents of both sexes. Data were collected by administering a questionnaire to a non-random sample of 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade YMCA youth. Specifically, the sample consisted of 357 adolescents (166 males, 191 females) who were living with both parents in the home, were receiving passing grades in school, had a church affiliation and belonged to at least one youth organization. These subjects were asked to compare their experiences within these four institutions (home, school, church and youth organization) with respect to the amount of sex information received and the opportunities available for serious discussion with adults concerning sexual matters. An operational definition of sex education was achieved by noting 18 specific topics which youth indicated as basic components of sex education. Chi-square analyses were used to test hypotheses concerning the dissemination of sex information on the various topics as well as the reaction of the adolescents to the information. The findings indicated that the topics on which youth want more information are those on which they have had the least opportunity for discussion with adults in the past. The onset of puberty was found to be significantly related to the acceptability of the sources of information. Males and females indicated distinctly different sources of information and both sexes reported that they desired information at ages earlier than they had received it. The adolescents ranked the institutions according to their effectiveness in providing sex education in the following order: home, school, youth organizations and church. Adolescents of both sexes disagreed with the view that providing complete sex information to teenagers will encourage them to experiment with sexual behavior and, in addition, they felt that acquiring adequate sex information is closely related to their feelings of being a mature, independent person. In general, these youth indicated that parents with higher educational backgrounds were not perceived as better sex educators than were parents having lower educational backgrounds. The status of sex education in the United States was described and the recent trends and developments in sex education in home, school, church and youth organizations was outlined. An evaluation of adolescent opinions expressed in various group discussions and state policy statements on sex education are included as an appendix

Mode of delivery affected questionnaire response rates in a birth cohort study

© 2016 The Author(s) Objectives Cohort studies must collect data from their participants as economically as possible, while maintaining response rates. This randomized controlled trial investigated whether offering a choice of online or paper questionnaires resulted in improved response rates compared with offering online first. Study Design and Setting Eligible participants were young people in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) study (born April 1, 1991, to December 31, 1992, in the Avon area). After exclusions, 8,795 participants were randomized. The “online first” group were invited to complete the questionnaire online. The “choice” group were also sent a paper questionnaire and offered a choice of completion method. The trial was embedded within routine data collection. The main outcome measure was the number of questionnaires returned. Data on costs were also collected. Results Those in the “online first” arm of the trial were less likely to return a questionnaire [adjusted odds ratio: 0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82, 0.99]. The “choice” arm was more expensive (mean difference per participant £0.71; 95% CI: £0.65, £0.76). It cost an extra £47 to have one extra person to complete the questionnaire in the “choice” arm. Conclusion Offering a choice of completion methods (paper or online) for questionnaires in ALSPAC increased response rates but was more expensive than offering online first