The strange death of number controls in England : paradoxical adventures in higher education market making

The paper analyses the impact of a higher education funding mechanism, the 'High Grades' policy, introduced as part of a student number control regime in England that was introduced in 2012/13 and withdrawn after only two years. This marked the end of an experiment in market making based on quality and price within a fixed student number cap. The paper analyses the impact of policy in key areas of institutional behaviour which taken together illustrate why the specific higher education market mechanism failed. The focus will be on two key areas of institutional behaviour which taken together illustrate why the specific higher education market mechanism failed, and how longer term marketisation is affecting the different institution types in the sector in ways inimical to equity and social justice. The two areas are: 1) strategic responses by selective universities (pre-1992s ) to the 'high grades' policy reform and its impact on attempts to protect subject breadth and widening participation (WP); 2) the market pressure felt by post-1992 universities to differentiate themselves from their competitors due to the demands of institutional league tables. These in turn illustrate the ways that longer term marketisation is affecting the different institution types in the sector in ways inimical to autonomy, equity and social justice

Data Visualization: Tips & Tricks

Data visualization has quickly become a fixture in daily life, from presentations of charts and graphs by media organizations to presentations of data analytics and case relationships by legal database providers. This program will walk participants through the four conceptualizations of data presentation, as well as an exploration on using data visualization to persuade your audience. We will present law library examples for each concept, using free and low cost data visualization tools

The Bile Response Repressor BreR Regulates Expression of the Vibrio cholerae breAB Efflux System Operon

Enteric pathogens have developed several resistance mechanisms to survive the antimicrobial action of bile. We investigated the transcriptional profile of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strain C6706 under virulence gene-inducing conditions in the presence and absence of bile. Microarray analysis revealed that the expression of 119 genes was affected by bile. The mRNA levels of genes encoding proteins involved in transport were increased in the presence of bile, whereas the mRNA levels of genes encoding proteins involved in pathogenesis and chemotaxis were decreased. This study identified genes encoding transcriptional regulators from the TetR family (vexR and breR) and multidrug efflux pumps from the resistance-nodulation-cell division superfamily (vexB and vexD [herein renamed breB]) that were induced in response to bile. Further analysis regarding vexAB and breABexpression in the presence of various antimicrobial compounds established that vexAB was induced in the presence of bile, sodium dodecyl sulfate, or novobiocin and that the induction of breAB was specific to bile. BreR is a direct repressor of the breAB promoter and is able to regulate its own expression, as demonstrated by transcriptional and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). The expression of breR and breAB is induced in the presence of the bile salts cholate, deoxycholate, and chenodeoxycholate, and EMSA showed that deoxycholate is able to abolish the formation of BreR-PbreR complexes. We propose that deoxycholate is able to interact with BreR and induce a conformational change that interferes with the DNA binding ability of BreR, resulting in breAB and breR expression. These results provide new insight into a transcriptional regulator and a transport system that likely play essential roles in the ability of V. cholerae to resist the action of bile in the host

The experiences of older people who live with a long-term condition

AIM: The aim of this study was to gain insight into the experiences of people aged 65 and older who have learned to live with a pre-existing long-term condition. METHOD: A qualitative approach and the principles of narrative research were used to learn as much as possible about the individuals' stories. A focus group of five men was interviewed and two women were interviewed as a pair. FINDINGS: Existing skills in condition management and interactions with professionals are transferable to new health needs that older people develop, but additional, age-related problems can affect management of long-term conditions. Progressive long-term conditions may become more difficult to manage with age, and it is difficult to distinguish between ageing processes and deterioration of pre-existing long-term conditions. Age-related social and financial changes and society's perception of older people may also present challenges to condition management. CONCLUSION: Nurses who care for older people should take into account the effects of the person's long-term condition and the ageing process when assessing their needs; understand that people may be reluctant to ask for practical assistance; explore existing support mechanisms that people have in place and their sustainability; and advocate with people to secure appropriate choices related to their health needs

What e-patients want from the doctor-patient relationship: content analysis of posts on discussion boards.

People with long-term conditions are encouraged to take control and ownership of managing their condition. Interactions between health care staff and patients become partnerships with sharing of expertise. This has changed the doctor-patient relationship and the division of roles and responsibilities that traditionally existed, but what each party expects from the other may not always be clear. Information that people with long-term conditions share on Internet discussion boards can provide useful insights into their expectations of health care staff. This paper reports on a small study about the expectations that people with a long-term condition (diabetes) have of their doctors using information gleaned from Internet discussion boards

Rotavirus NSP4 is secreted from infected cells as an oligomeric lipoprotein and binds to glycosaminoglycans on the surface of non-infected cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nonstructural glycoprotein 4 (NSP4) encoded by rotavirus is the only viral protein currently believed to function as an enterotoxin. NSP4 is synthesized as an intracellular transmembrane glycoprotein and as such is essential for virus assembly. Infection of polarized Caco-2 cells with rotavirus also results in the secretion of glycosylated NSP4 apparently in a soluble form despite retention of its transmembrane domain. We have examined the structure, solubility and cell-binding properties of this secreted form of NSP4 to further understand the biochemical basis for its enterotoxic function. We show here that NSP4 is secreted as discrete detergent-sensitive oligomers in a complex with phospholipids and demonstrate that this secreted form of NSP4 can bind to glycosaminoglycans present on the surface of a range of different cell types.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>NSP4 was purified from the medium of infected cells after ultracentrifugation and ultrafiltration by successive lectin-affinity and ion exchange chromatography. Oligomerisation of NSP4 was examined by density gradient centrifugation and chemical crosslinking and the lipid content was assessed by analytical thin layer chromatography and flame ionization detection. Binding of NSP4 to various cell lines was measured using a flow cytometric-based assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Secreted NSP4 formed oligomers that contained phospholipid but dissociated to a dimeric species in the presence of non-ionic detergent. The purified glycoprotein binds to the surface of various non-infected cells of distinct lineage. Binding of NSP4 to HT-29, a cell line of intestinal origin, is saturable and independent of divalent cations. Complementary biochemical approaches reveal that NSP4 binds to sulfated glycosaminoglycans on the plasma membrane.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study is the first to analyze an authentic (i.e. non-recombinant) form of NSP4 that is secreted from virus-infected cells. Despite retention of the transmembrane domain, secreted NSP4 remains soluble in an aqueous environment as an oligomeric lipoprotein that can bind to various cell types via an interaction with glycosaminoglycans. This broad cellular tropism exhibited by NSP4 may have implications for the pathophysiology of rotavirus disease.</p