Who Mediates Employment Relationship Problems?

Assuming that mediation is a successful way of resolving employment rights disputes, it is interesting to establish the reasons why this is the case. Factors for mediation being a successful way of resolving disputes mentioned in the literature are numerous and can be found not only in the unique approach to resolving disputes but also in the personal qualities of the neutral third party. This paper is based on a recently conducted study, which consists of 30 structured interviews with mediators involved in the resolution of employment relationship problems, and provides data on the person of the mediators, their training and previous work experience. It surveys not only the mediators of the Department of Labour’s Mediation Services that provide most of the mediation in this field but also private employment mediators. It also reports on the findings of an online­survey on the private employment mediation market in New Zealand

Glide Effects on Low Speed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Ice Formation

This paper builds on the research that was previously presented and defended at a conference and adds to the depth of glide characteristics and aerodynamics. The basic assumed theory of low speed flight is used as the starting point and determined if this holds true for low speed. Traditionally, flight has always been about achieving faster and high flight operations. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are not typically designed to fly fast, the construction and power units are limiting, added to the lack of complexity in propulsion systems prevents high speeds in most cases. Here, aerodynamic data for Ice on leading edge and top surfaces were analysed, the characteristics obtained and thus the limitations. Furthermore, the influences of this to for unmanned aerial vehicles when subjected to surface environmental conditions such as ice on the leading edge and upper surface. Tested in a wind tunnel to see how theory compares with practice at various speed including take-off, landing and operational applications where head winds substantially alter parameters and this is data used to determine glide paths for landing. It also recommends design and operational changes to limited situations

High electrical conductance enhancement in Au-nanoparticle decorated sparse single-wall carbon nanotube networks

The authors thank the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council for funding through the Imperial College London/Queen Mary Unive

Myocardial creatine levels do not influence response to acute oxidative stress in isolated perfused heart

Background: Multiple studies suggest creatine mediates anti-oxidant activity in addition to its established role in cellular energy metabolism. The functional significance for the heart has yet to be established, but antioxidant activity could contribute to the cardioprotective effect of creatine in ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Objectives: To determine whether intracellular creatine levels influence responses to acute reactive oxygen species (ROS) exposure in the intact beating heart. We hypothesised that mice with elevated creatine due to over-expression of the creatine transporter (CrT-OE) would be relatively protected, while mice with creatine-deficiency (GAMT KO) would fare worse. Methods and Results: CrT-OE mice were pre-selected for creatine levels 20–100% above wild-type using in vivo 1 H– MRS. Hearts were perfused in isovolumic Langendorff mode and cardiac function monitored throughout. After 20 min equilibration, hearts were perfused with either H2O2 0.5 mM (30 min), or the anti-neoplastic drug doxorubicin 15 mM (100 min). Protein carbonylation, creatine kinase isoenzyme activities and phospho-PKCd expression were quantified in perfused hearts as markers of oxidative damage and apoptotic signalling. Wild-type hearts responded to ROS challenge with a profound decline in contractile function that was ameliorated by co-administration of catalase or dexrazoxane as positive controls. In contrast, the functional deterioration in CrT-OE and GAMT KO hearts was indistinguishable from wildtype controls, as was the extent of oxidative damage and apoptosis. Exogenous creatine supplementation also failed to protect hearts from doxorubicin-induced dysfunction. Conclusions: Intracellular creatine levels do not influence the response to acute ROS challenge in the intact beating heart, arguing against creatine exerting (patho-)physiologically relevant anti-oxidant activity

Are open educational resources the future of e-learning?

Increased interest in more open approaches to learning, in particular Open Educational Resources is reflected in the programmes of international organisations, national initiatives and the actions of individual institutions. However, while some see OER as an indicator of the future of learning, others are much more sceptical and doubt their long-term success. This paper considers the vision of OER as part of future learning solutions in the society driven by technology and knowledge. Supported by an examination of specific national contexts and linked to research from relevant initiatives arguments in favour of using OER are outlined. These include their value in both developing and developed countries, and flexible ways of use in structured courses and in informal, learner-driven environments. This is balanced by highlighting concerns that relate mainly to current issues of certification, quality and intellectual property rights, but also potential problems such as the lack of instructor-learner interaction and the dominance of OER initiatives from English-speaking universities. The paper concludes that OER have an immense potential as long as the elements that contribute to their success are identified and harnessed, and barriers effectively dealt with

Refinement of analgesia following thoracotomy and experimental myocardial infarction using the Mouse Grimace Scale

New Findings What is the central question of this study? There is an ethical imperative to optimize analgesia protocols for laboratory animals, but this is impeded by our inability to recognize pain reliably. We examined whether the Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS) provides benefits over a standard welfare scoring system for identifying a low level of pain in the frequently used murine surgical model of myocardial infarction. What is the main finding and its importance? Low-level pain, responsive to analgesia, was detected by MGS but not standard methods. In this model, most of the pain is attributable to the thoracotomy, excepted in mice with very large infarcts. This approach represents a model for assessing postsurgical analgesia in rodents. The Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS) was developed for assessing pain severity, but the general applicability to complex postsurgical pain has not been established. We sought to determine whether the MGS provides benefits over and above a standard welfare scoring system for identifying pain in mice following experimental myocardial infarction. Female C57BL/6J mice (n = 60), anaesthetized with isoflurane, were subjected to thoracotomy with ligation of a coronary artery or sham procedure. A single s.c. dose of buprenorphine (1.1 mg kg−1) was given at the time of surgery and pain assessed at 24 h by MGS and a procedure-specific welfare scoring system. In some animals, a second dose of 0.6 mg kg−1 buprenorphine was given and pain assessment repeated after 30 min. The MGS was scored from multiple photographs by two independent blinded observers with good correlation (r = 0.98). Using the average MGS score of both observers, we identified a subset of mice with low scores that were not considered to be in pain by the welfare scoring system or by single observer MGS. These mice showed a significant improvement with additional analgesia, suggesting that this low-level pain is real. Pain attributable to the myocardial injury, as opposed to thoracotomy, persisted at 24 h only in mice with large infarcts >40%. In conclusion, the use of a multi-observer, post hoc version of the MGS is a sensitive tool to assess the efficacy of postsurgical analgesic protocols. Following surgical induction of myocardial infarction, we identified a significant proportion of mice that were in low-level pain at 24 h that were not identified by other assessment methods

An evaluation of the Support Our Sisters programme : introduced across Greater Manchester

This report presents an evaluation of a number of projects that have been developed under theauspices of the ‘Support Our Sisters’ (SOS) programme, initially funded in 2012 by the Henry SmithCharity and hosted by New Steps for African Communities (NESTAC), a third sector organisation basedin Rochdale, Greater Manchester. While the initial SOS project was funded by the Henry Smith Charity,subsequent funding was secured from Comic Relief, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)and Manchester City Council to continue and expand the initial work. This work continues to date. Theevaluation has been carried out by two researchers at the University of Salford; Professor SueMcAndrew and Dr Eunice Ayodeji. The evaluation takes account of six projects; (1) The SOS Clinic (adult service); (2) The Guardian Project(a service aimed at children and young girls); (3) Peer Mentoring Project; (4) Youth Peer MentoringProject; (5) FGM Education; (6) FGM Community Engagement Initiatives; a Health Advocacy Project.The evaluation provides statistical information and qualitative data regarding the experiences of anumber of people involved in the projects: women who have received counselling for FGM and itsimplications; female peer support workers (peer mentors), male peer support workers (peer mentors)and those staff who have been managing the various projects. This evaluative report is divided into eight sections; section 1 offers the reader an overview of FGM;section 2 gives a brief outline of how the evaluation was conducted; section 3 reports on the statisticalevidence emerging from the six projects; section 4 presents vignettes of four of the women who,through the project, have received counselling; section 5 focuses on the experiences of two male peermentors; section 6 reports the experiences of a groups of female peer mentors, and section 7 offersthe lived experience of staff managing the projects. The final section, 8, offers a summary of thestrengths of the projects, makes recommendations based on the evidence presented and considerswhat the future holds in terms of building on what has already been achieved

Enhanced Phagocytic Activity of HIV-Specific Antibodies Correlates with Natural Production of Immunoglobulins with Skewed Affinity for FcγR2a and FcγR2b

While development of an HIV vaccine that can induce neutralizing antibodies remains a priority, decades of research have proven that this is a daunting task. However, accumulating evidence suggests that antibodies with the capacity to harness innate immunity may provide some protection. While significant research has focused on the cytolytic properties of antibodies in acquisition and control, less is known about the role of additional effector functions. In this study, we investigated antibody-dependent phagocytosis of HIV immune complexes, and we observed significant differences in the ability of antibodies from infected subjects to mediate this critical effector function. We observed both quantitative differences in the capacity of antibodies to drive phagocytosis and qualitative differences in their FcγR usage profile. We demonstrate that antibodies from controllers and untreated progressors exhibit increased phagocytic activity, altered Fc domain glycosylation, and skewed interactions with FcγR2a and FcγR2b in both bulk plasma and HIV-specific IgG. While increased phagocytic activity may directly influence immune activation via clearance of inflammatory immune complexes, it is also plausible that Fc receptor usage patterns may regulate the immune response by modulating downstream signals following phagocytosis—driving passive degradation of internalized virus, release of immune modulating cytokines and chemokines, or priming of a more effective adaptive immune response