Income Inequality Comparisons with Dirty Data: The UK and Spain during the 1980s

Inequality comparisons between countries and over time should take into account problems of data imperfection. We examine the contrasting experience of the UK and spain during the 1980s in terms of the distribution of disposable income. We consider whether the apparent divergence of inequality could be attributed to deficiencies in income data including under-reporting.Lorenz dominance, data contamination, cross-country comparisons.

Income inequality comparisons with dirty data: the UK and Spain during the 1980s

Inequality comparisons between countries and over time should take into account problems of data imperfection. We examine the contrasting experience of the UK and Spain during the 1980s in terms of the distribution of disposable income. We consider whether the apparent divergence in inequality could be attributable to deficiencies in income data including under-reporting

The Effects of Using Math Talks to Improve Instruction in a Kindergarten Classroom

The action research study was conducted in four kindergarten classrooms, involving seventy-seven students and four classroom teachers. This investigation was intended to examine the effects of using math talks to improve the quality of math instruction. In order to implement math talks the teachers participated in fifteen hours of math talks coursework. Teachers were surveyed to gather baseline data to rate current math instruction experience. Teachers also completed weekly reflection surveys and were asked to communicate thoughts in relation to math instruction. Ten random students were surveyed to determine response to math. Four math talks lessons were video recorded and a daily observation journal was completed. After the research was completed, the teachers were surveyed again and data was reviewed to track changes. The results showed that math talks improved teacher perception of math instruction and curriculum, and that it encouraged positive student behaviors including engagement and articulation of thinking and reasoning. The results have shown that math talks have positively affected the math instruction of kindergarten learners

Formation and Function of the Rbl2p-beta-Tubulin Complex

The yeast protein Rbl2p suppresses the deleterious effects of excess beta-tubulin as efficiently as does alpha-tubulin. Both in vivo and in vitro, Rbl2p forms a complex with beta-tubulin that does not contain alpha-tubulin, thus defining a second pool of beta-tubulin in the cell. Formation of the complex depends upon the conformation of beta-tubulin. Newly synthesized beta-tubulin can bind to Rbl2p before it binds to alpha-tubulin. Rbl2p can also bind beta-tubulin from the alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimer, apparently by competing with alpha-tubulin. The Rbl2p-beta-tubulin complex has a half-life of ~2.5 h and is less stable than the alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimer. The results of our experiments explain both how excess Rbl2p can rescue cells overexpressing beta-tubulin and how it can be deleterious in a wild-type background. They also suggest that the Rbl2p-beta-tubulin complex is part of a cellular mechanism for regulating the levels and dimerization of tubulin chains

MAP as a conservation method for contemporary art with foodstuffs : three case studies

This article examines the use of Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), a widely applied preservation method in the food packing industry, for preserving contemporary artworks with foodstuffs. Three case studies are presented for which guidelines to preserve those works are proposed, taking into account the temporal, ephemeral character of these artworks on the one hand and their material preservation on the other hand and to explore whether and how they can be presented and preserved for future generations

The experiences and perceptions of 6 NGO leaders on the role and value of formal and informal learning in leadership continuity in the NGO sector across 3 historical periods in South Africa

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-92).In this research study I explore the role and value of formal and informal learning in leadership continuity in South Africa. In order to do this I look at the experiences and perceptions of 6 NGO leaders in South Africa whom I locate within three historical periods. Within this context, I also explore the shifts in leadership and modes of learning, which I argue and based on my data analysis, were accompanied by broader shifts in the power relations in South Africa post 1994. I highlight three informal modes of learning that were dominant in the first historical period namely, experiential learning, popular education and situated learning which became eroded in the second and third historical periods and substituted by more formal learning processes. My study found that in the latter part of the third historical period there was a resurgence of more informal learning processes in line with an emergent and developing social movement that questioned the continued power imbalances in society. In conducting this study my research methodology was informed by an interpretive and qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews with the 6 NGO leaders employed as the primary means of data collection. Based on my findings, I discovered that the NGO sector has experienced a leadership discontinuity further exacerbated by a disruption of learning processes with serious implications for transfer of knowledge, skills and experiences In answering my main research question I found that effective leadership continuity to enhance sustainable organizations can best be facilitated through informal learning processes where, within a community of practice, these processes are more respected and valorised. I also found that formal learning processes will best be effective if it can be complementary to but not a substitute for these informal learning processes. I also found that the conflation of training with learning and the dualism between formal and informal learning are not very helpful in understanding leadership development and continuity in the NGO sector. Another important finding that this research study highlights is the importance of appreciating the dynamic interrelationship between the macro power alignments represented by the state and the economy and the micro power relationships represented by leadership and learning within a community of practice

The effect of dietary fiber on the physio-chemical and sensorial properties of frozen yogurt

Dietary fiber is currently added to a wide range of commercial food products including dairy, baked goods, and some frozen desserts. Different types of dietary fiber have different properties and functions when used in food. The most basic categories of dietary fiber are soluble and insoluble. Our objective was to determine if an acceptable frozen yogurt product supplemented with dietary fiber could be produced. Three different types of dietary fiber were used: Frutafit TEX! (inulin), Glucagel� (betaglucan), and Vitacel SMOOV 240 (cellulose). These three were used at the 3%, 5% and 7% levels in the frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt base was manufactured using nonfat milk, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup solids, nonfat dry milk, stabilizer, water, and vanilla. The base was mixed with yogurt (ratio of 80 : 20) that had been cultured from nonfat milk, and a yogurt culture containing Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Fiber was weighed and blended with the base before the yogurt was added. Vanilla flavoring was added, and the treatments were frozen using a batch ice cream freezer. Microbiological enumeration was conducted on the treatments before being frozen. Titratable acidity and pH were also measured on the treatments before and after being frozen. A descriptive sensory analysis, hedonic sensory study, viscosity, texture analysis, and melt rate test were conducted during storage. Lactic acid bacteria counts were found to be around 7.9 x107 CFU/ml. Titratable acidity and pH did not change when measured before and after freezing, and did not show a difference between types, or levels of fiber. The types and levels of fiber used had a significant effect on the flavor and texture of the frozen yogurt products, as well the overall liking. The results suggest that a frozen yogurt product could be successfully manufactured when fortified with 7% Frutafit TEX!

Helping learners engage with L2 words: the form-meaning fit

The pace at which new words are acquired is influenced by the degree of engagement with them on the part of the learner. Insights from Cognitive Linguistics into the non-arbitrary aspects of vocabulary can be turned into stimuli for such engagement. The majority of Cognitive Linguists’ proposals for vocabulary teaching aim at helping learners appreciate the way a single word form can develop different meanings. This, however, presupposes knowledge of the ‘basic’ meaning of that word. We report an experiment in which learners under an experimental treatment were stimulated to consider the possibility that the form-meaning link in target words might not be fully arbitrary. The mnemonic effect of this task-induced engagement was assessed in relation to comparison treatments in immediate and delayed post-tests measuring both receptive and productive knowledge. Results show that simply prompting learners to evaluate the form-meaning match of words can foster vocabulary acquisition, although not all target words lends themselves equally well to this type of engagement

IgM and IgD B cell receptors differentially respond to endogenous antigens and control B cell fate.

Naive B cells co-express two BCR isotypes, IgM and IgD, with identical antigen-binding domains but distinct constant regions. IgM but not IgD is downregulated on autoreactive B cells. Because these isotypes are presumed to be redundant, it is unknown how this could impose tolerance. We introduced the Nur77-eGFP reporter of BCR signaling into mice that express each BCR isotype alone. Despite signaling strongly in vitro, IgD is less sensitive than IgM to endogenous antigen in vivo and developmental fate decisions are skewed accordingly. IgD-only Lyn-/- B cells cannot generate autoantibodies and short-lived plasma cells (SLPCs) in vivo, a fate thought to be driven by intense BCR signaling induced by endogenous antigens. Similarly, IgD-only B cells generate normal germinal center, but impaired IgG1+ SLPC responses to T-dependent immunization. We propose a role for IgD in maintaining the quiescence of autoreactive B cells and restricting their differentiation into autoantibody secreting cells