A theoretical and methodological analysis of social support, life events and subjective well-being : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

This thesis presents a theoretical and methodological analysis of social support, life events and subjective well-being. Theoretical developments and conceptualizations are presented for each area along with an examination of the various measures available, many of which are found to be confounded with outcome measures. Particular attention is paid to the controversial 'buffering hypothesis' of social support. A life-span perspective for viewing life events and social support is highlighted. Methodology is discussed in terms of direct effects, additive effects and interactions. Among the studies examined problems which emerged as particularly relevant included confusing theoretical conceptualizations, confounded and inadequate measures and incomplete reporting of results. Strategies for future research methodology are recommended. These include the need for longitudinal studies and consensus as to appropriate analysis with more use being made of subjective well-being as an outcome measure. Studies would be improved by using both objective and subjective scales to measure all variables while clearly indentifying each as such. It is suggested that life events and social support should be examined in a life-span developmental context. The need for theoretical and conceptual clarity is emphasised, particularly in the area of social support where a new definition is presented. It is recommended that social support be further examined as a variable in its own right rather than as a buffer

The Escherichia coli RutR transcription factor binds at targets within genes as well as intergenic regions.

The Escherichia coli RutR protein is the master regulator of genes involved in pyrimidine catabolism. Here we have used chromatin immunoprecipitation in combination with DNA microarrays to measure the binding of RutR across the chromosome of exponentially growing E. coli cells. Twenty RutR-binding targets were identified and analysis of these targets generated a DNA consensus logo for RutR binding. Complementary in vitro binding assays showed high-affinity RutR binding to 16 of the 20 targets, with the four low-affinity RutR targets lacking predicted key binding determinants. Surprisingly, most of the DNA targets for RutR are located within coding segments of the genome and appear to have little or no effect on transcript levels in the conditions tested. This contrasts sharply with other E. coli transcription factors whose binding sites are primarily located in intergenic regions. We suggest that either RutR has yet undiscovered function or that evolution has been slow to eliminate non-functional DNA sites for RutR because they do not have an adverse effect on cell fitness

‘More trouble than Coventry Cathedral’: The Architectural Identity of Mortonhall Crematorium, Edinburgh 1961-67.

In 1962 architect Sir Basil Spence wrote to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh that the Mortonhall Crematorium ‘job is giving me more trouble than Coventry Cathedral’. The postwar period in Scotland witnessed Modernist architecture becoming inextricably linked with ambitious utopian visions representing a new social order based on equality and improvement, whether for the living or the dead. Glasgow and the West had set the bar high in terms of progressive crematorium building during the 1960s – its record was remarkable – Scotland’s first crematorium, Maryhill opened in 1895 and Daldowie, Craigton and The Linn all completed by 1962. Edinburgh might have been hard pressed to match this achievement had it not responded by commissioning the internationally renowned Sir Basil Spence. The result was one of the finest crematorium designs in Europe. The story of Mortonhall, illustrates very eloquently, the arguments and compromises over costs that architects often had to face to produce civic buildings of quality that identified the visions and values of an urban society and culture. This paper chronicles the architect’s quest to create not only ‘a dignified and austere crematorium for the city of Edinburgh’ but also to ‘get the best crematorium in Britain’

In Defiance of a Stylistic Stereotype: British Crematoria, Architecture, Design and Landscape

This paper presented a new critical reading of the crematorium, rendered ‘invisible’ by the taboo surrounding death and provided the first opportunity to disseminate this research to an international audience. It focussed on the ways in which architects responded to the challenges of modern secularism and relativism. The paper developed issues identified by the research for Death Redesigned (Grainger 2007), in particular it explored the social, political, economic determinants that hindered the development of an identifiable architectural canon and investigated the reasons why the architectural pluralism that followed attracted so much early criticism from architects, architectural commentators, clergy and members of the public alike. It discussed the challenges that this building type presented arising from a lack of a common understanding of what is required by a building at once functional and symbolic, secular and religious. The crematorium has to provide a stage for the ritual of all denominations and none. For many people cremation is a religious act. For those individuals, the principle determining the arrangement of a building used in any religious service needs to be the physical expression of a religious rite, whether this be for example Christian or Hindu. The building must therefore embody its ritualistic purpose in a coherent and recognisable architectural form. For those who do not belong to the dominant religious groups, their spiritual and emotional needs must also be provided for in a meaningful way. But, a crematorium as a religious space, deriving directly from liturgical imperatives – the accepted norm in ecclesiastical architecture – is problematic because there is no liturgy for cremation in Europe – no agreed order of service. The result has been the lack of a conceptual basis for these buildings, and this paper examined the variety of stylistic options that architects adopted in order to address the dilemma

"The Daily Grunt":The resurgence of the deficit model of language competence in children

It is a long-standing and commonly held belief in the UK and elsewhere that the use of elite forms of language reflects superior intellect and education. Expert opinion from sociolinguistics, however, contends that such a view is the result of middle-class bias and cannot be scientifically justified. In the 1960s and 1970s,such luminaries as Labov (1969) and Trudgill (1975) were at pains to point out to educationalists, with some success, that this 'deficit 'view of working-class children's communicative competence is not a helpful one. However, a close reading of recent think-tank reports and policy papers on language and literacy teaching in schools reveals that the linguistic deficit hypothesis has resurfaced and is likely to influence present-day educational policy and practice. In this paper I examine in detail the findings, claims and recommendations of the reports and I argue that they are biased, poorly researched and reflect the vested interests of certain specialist groups, such as speech and language therapists and companies who sell literacy materials to schools. I further argue that we need to, once again, inject the debate with the social dimensions of educational failure, and we need to move away from the pathologisation of working-class children's language patterns

Creativity in the primary curriculum

Abstract not available

Menopause and post-generative longevity: Testing the ´stopping-early´ and ´grandmother´ hypotheses

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'Playing the game called writing': children's views and voices

Collects primary pupils' views of themselves as writers and their preferences, attitudes and awareness of the source of their ideas in the context of England's National Literacy Strategy. Underlines the importance of listening to pupils' views about literacy, in order to create a more open dialogue about language and learning, and to negotiate the content of the curriculum in response to their perspectives

Junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum motility in adult mouse ventricular myocytes.

Excitation-contraction (EC) coupling is the coordinated process by which an action potential triggers cardiac myocyte contraction. EC coupling is initiated in dyads where the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (jSR) is in tight proximity to the sarcolemma of cardiac myocytes. Existing models of EC coupling critically depend on dyad stability to ensure the fidelity and strength of EC coupling, where even small variations in ryanodine receptor channel and voltage-gated calcium channel-α 1.2 subunit separation dramatically alter EC coupling. However, dyadic motility has never been studied. Here, we developed a novel strategy to track specific jSR units in dissociated adult ventricular myocytes using photoactivatable fluorescent proteins. We found that the jSR is not static. Instead, we observed dynamic formation and dissolution of multiple dyadic junctions regulated by the microtubule-associated molecular motors kinesin-1 and dynein. Our data support a model where reproducibility of EC coupling results from the activation of a temporally averaged number of SR Ca2+ release units forming and dissolving SR-sarcolemmal junctions. These findings challenge the long-held view that the jSR is an immobile structure and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying its motility