Careers 2020: options for future careers work in English schools.

Careers work in English schools has endured much turbulence recently. The government has now established a statutory duty on schools to secure provision, placing commissioning of careers advice and guidance in the hands of schools rather than local authorities or central government. But the duty is framed very loosely, comes with no funding and offers no clear model of provision. The previous funding for face-to-face guidance from qualified careers advisers has been removed, as has the duty for schools to provide careers education. So what should schools’ careers offers look like in future? How can schools ensure the quality of the career development support that is so vital for young people, and particularly so for those who cannot rely on their existing networks for advice and opportunities?Pearson Think Tan

Rythme d’activité de la tique Ixodes ricinus : une synchronisation avec l’activité du chevreuil ?

L’activité d’Ixodes ricinus est liée à la température ainsi qu’à l’humidité relative. L’objectif est de chercher les facteurs modulant cette activité ainsi que d’obtenir un patron d’activité quotidien des tiques Ixodes ricinus en France. Notre hypothèse est qu’il existe d’autres facteurs influençant cette activité notamment l’activité de son hôte principal qu’est le chevreuil. L'activité des tiques a été estimée toutes les trois heures pendant 24h à différentes saisons. L'activité des chevreuils a été évaluée grâce à des capteurs d’activité inclus dans des collier GPS. L’activité d’Ixodes ricinus annuelle est bimodale avec un pic au printemps et en automne. A l’échelle de la journée, il semble qu’il y ait un pic en fin de journée. Durant la nuit, l’activité est non nulle. Les facteurs principaux conditionnant l’activité des tiques sont la température, l’humidité relative et la pluie. L’activité des chevreuils n’intervient apparemment pas sur l’activité d’Ixodes ricinu

Investigating the movements of migratory thrushes Turdus merula and T. iliacus using intrinsic markers and morphology

Stable isotopes of carbon (813C ), nitrogen (615N) and hydrogen (62H ) and microsatellite markers were used in conjunction with morphological data, to test whether breeding origins of two migratory passerines the Blackbird Turdus merula, and Redwing T iliacus, overwintering in the UK & Ireland could be predicted, based on data collected at European breeding sites. Geographical trends of feather 62H and 613C values of birds sampleda t Europeanb reeding sites were useful for determining breeding origins of Blackbirds at a broad geographical scale. Genetic markers were useful for discriminating between the two Redwing races iliacus and coburni. Conversely, no genetic structure was found within the nominate race iliacus and there was only weak genetic structure in Blackbird populations, suggesting relatively high gene flow. These results indicate that genetic markers are of limited value for population assigm-nenot f either species. Mean wing length of breeding Blackbirds differed significantly between breeding regions, and was positively correlated with latitude, suggesting that wing length is potentially a useful variable for discriminating between Blackbirds of different breeding origin. It was predicted that combining techniques would prove substantially more useful for assigning individuals to their most likely origin, than any one technique used in isolation. For Blackbirds, the combination of 62H and 813C values with wing length proved to be the most effective combination of variables (and was more effective than using either stable isotopes or wing length alone), allowing 72.2% to 76.3% of breeding Blackbirds to be correctly and consistently assigned to one of three broad geographic regions (UK, Fennoscandia and Continent). For Redwings, using DNA markers alone, 94.5% of birds were correctly assigned to either the coburni or iliacus; the addition of stable isotopes produced only a marginal improvement. Useful insights into the contrasting migratory strategies of Blackbirds and Redwings were revealed. The lack of genetic variation within the nominate Redwing race indicates a lack of migratory connectivity. In contrast, weak genetic population structure in the Blackbird, and differences in stable isotope i ratios and wing length between birds sampled at different wintering sites, suggests that different parts of the UK & Ireland may receive differing proportions of migrant Blackbirds originating from different breeding sites. This suggestst hat migratory connectivity might be strongeri n this species. The approach of using multiple techniques may prove useful for other species about which less is known regarding breeding origins, which may be particularly relevant for species of conservati on concern. However, the most useful variable/combination of different variables for a study of migratory connectivity will vary, both according to the species, its geographical range, and the scale of resolution required, and a clear understanding of the ecology and physiology of the study species is essential.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceNERCGBUnited Kingdo

Welcome to 'blogademia': Daniel Jolley, Fleur-Michelle Coiffait, and Emma L. Davies on purpose, positives and pitfalls

The British Psychological Society’s Public Engagement and Media Award in 2015 went to Mindhacks, a blog led by psychologists Dr Vaughan Bell and Dr Tom Stafford that has featured over 5000 posts across the past decade. Example posts include descriptions of visual illusions, a self-test for synaesthesia, and tips on the best way to win an argument. Accepting the award at the Society’s Annual Conference, the pair urged: ‘Each one of you has probably got those 5000 posts inside you. Make use of the resources on the internet, but put your own thoughts online too.’ We share their passion for ‘blogademia’ (a term coined by Saper, 2006), and here we aim to reflect on its purpose, positives and pitfalls, moving on to some general tips and guidance on blogging specifically for psychologists

Reflection and connection: UK Psychologists’ views and experiences of blogging

The value of using social media is being increasingly recognised among the academic community. Blogging has been identified by some researchers as a means of reaching a non-academic audience and in order to increase research citations. However, there is little research exploring this method of communication within specific disciplines. This study, therefore, explored UK psychologists’ views and experiences of blogging using an online survey, of both blog writers and non-blog writers. In addition, the study sought to determine whether those who identified as blog writers when they completed the survey, and who consented to a content analysis of their posts, were still posting regularly 12 months later. The majority of the blog writers said that they wrote blogs as a means of expressing themselves and their research. Content analysis reflected the survey findings, with research as the most common category for posts, but we identified that the intended audience for such posts appeared to be other academics. Interestingly, 37% of blog writers had stopped regularly posting at the point where posts were analysed, 12 months after the survey. Moreover, despite positive attitudes and subjective norms about blogging across the sample, we also identified that for respondents who were non-blog writers were reluctant to blog because they worried that their contribution may not be valued, or that they did not have the time. These findings highlight that there is work to do in order to convince psychologists to engage – and to continue doing so - with this medium of communication

What does the future hold for the Higher Education system in England?

In the last post of our higher education special, Louis Coiffait asks what the future holds for the first cohort of students under the new fees regime, as well as for the Higher Education system as a whole. While there are many things we can’t know, there is nonetheless a basis upon which to predict general trends

Une remarquable relique des Pyrénées centrales [Col. Staphylinidae]

Coiffait H. Une remarquable relique des Pyrénées centrales [Col. Staphylinidae]. In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 60 (5-6), Mai-juin 1955. pp. 82-84

Staphylinides anophtalmes nouveaux du Mus\ue9um de Gen\ue8ve

Volume: 84Start Page: 659End Page: 66