Migrant and Minority Learning Needs in the Communications Industry : Final report

This research was commissioned to examine the trade union learning needs of migrant workers in the communications industry. The key research questions focus on how far this learning meets the needs of migrant workers, whether there are structural or discriminatory disincentives to taking up union learning and how far inclusion and cohesion in the workplace and wider community can be promoted by union learning activities. There were two key findings: firstly, although some barriers to accessing union learning existed primarily associated with migrant workers disproportionately working unsociable shifts, the type of union learning activities demanded by workers cut across diversities. Experiences related to union learning were common to all workers who were unified by lack of access to, or utilisation of, formal educational resources. The second key finding was that a culture of learning for learning’s sake is valuable in fostering the social integration of workers generally and of migrant workers more specifically

Mesenchymal stem cells as trophic mediators of neural differentiation

Intense excitement and optimism surrounds the rapidly-expanding field of stem cell research, owing to their high capacity for self-renewal and intrinsic ability to differentiate into mature cell lineages. Although it may be envisioned that embryonic stem cells will be of significantly greater therapeutic value than their adult stem cell counterparts, the use of embryonic stem cells is fraught with both technical and ethical challenges and, as such, significant impetus has been placed on adult stem cell-based research. In particular, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) present as exciting candidates for potential use in cellular therapies and tissue engineering strategies. MSCs are defined at the functional level in terms of their ability to differentiate into mesodermal derivatives such as bone and fat. However, this functional definition is evolving, and there is considerable evidence to suggest that MSCs have a key role within their niche involving the release and/or uptake of soluble factors and cytokines, significantly influencing the behaviour of other cell types within the niche. Both facets of MSC behaviour are valuable from a clinical perspective, and have been examined in the present thesis. The most obvious and realistically-achievable clinical application of MSCs at present is in the treatment of osseous and adipose tissue defects. However, before the use of MSCs in the clinic becomes more commonplace, it is crucial to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complex molecular and cellular mechanism(s) by which MSCs commit to a given fate and undergo differentiation to produce mature, fully-functional derivatives. Much of our present knowledge is derived from studies performed on the highly unnatural, 2D environment of tissue culture plastic. The present study assessed the behaviour of MSCs cultured on AlvetexTM, a novel, 3D scaffold manufactured by ReInnervate, with particular emphasis on the ability of MSCs to undergo osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Results obtained suggest that AlvetexTM may provide a more realistic and physiologically-relevant system in which to study osteogenesis and adipogenesis, in a manner more pertinent to that which occurs in vivo. Furthermore, the ability of MSCs to influence the behaviour of other cell types via the release of trophic factors and cytokines was examined, with particular emphasis on the nervous system. An in vitro conditioned media model was developed in order to investigate the influence(s) of MSC-derived soluble factors/cytokines on neural development and plasticity, using the adult rat hippocampal progenitor cell (AHPC) line as a model system. Results obtained suggest that, under defined conditions, MSCs secreted a complement of soluble factors/cytokines that induce AHPCs to commit to and undergo astrogenesis. This effect was characterised at both the cellular and molecular level. The specific complement of bioactive factors secreted by MSCs has been investigated using a combination of targeted transcriptional profiling and shotgun proteomics, and several putative candidate factors have been identified for further investigation

Funding, reputation and targets: the discursive logics of high-stakes testing

This paper provides insights into teacher and school-based administrators’ responses to policy demands for improved outcomes on high-stakes, standardised literacy and numeracy tests in Australia. Specifically, the research reveals the effects of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), and associated policies, in the state of Queensland. Drawing suggestively across Michel Foucault’s notions of disciplinary power and subjectivity, and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of social fields, the research utilises interviews with teachers and school-based administrators to reveal how high-stakes, standardised testing practices served to discursively constitute performative teacher subjectivities around issues of funding, teacher and school reputation and target-setting within what is described as the ‘field of schooling practices’. The paper argues that the contestation evident within this field is also reflective and constitutive of more educative schooling discourses and practices, even as performative logics dominate

Does the lack of heritability of human sex ratios require a rethink of sex ratio theory? No : a Comment on Zietsch et al. 2020

Non peer reviewe

Docent Manual Development for the Oahu Urban Garden Center

The staff at the University of Hawaii\u27s Urban Garden Center on Oahu had become overburdened with the recent opening of the Children\u27s Garden for tours. In the first 8 months, over 1,700 children participated in tours of the garden. To release pressure on the staff, volunteers need to be trained to lead the tours. A docent manual was developed for these volunteers (docents) as a training guide. It was developed with materials and ideas from the Urban Garden Center, US Forest Service publications, Ranger Rick\u27s Trees are Terrific!, and several other publications

Exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol during rat pregnancy leads to impaired cardiac dysfunction in postnatal life

Background: Cannabis use in pregnancy leads to fetal growth restriction (FGR), but the long-term effects on cardiac function in the offspring are unknown, despite the fact that fetal growth deficits are associated with an increased risk of developing postnatal cardiovascular disease. We hypothesize that maternal exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) during pregnancy will impair fetal development, leading to cardiac dysfunction in the offspring. Methods: Pregnant Wistar rats were randomly selected and administered 3 mg/kg of Δ9-THC or saline as a vehicle daily via intraperitoneal injection from gestational days 6 to 22, followed by echocardiogram analysis of cardiac function on offspring at postnatal days 1 and 21. Heart tissue was harvested from the offspring at 3 weeks for molecular analysis of cardiac remodelling. Results: Exposure to Δ9-THC during pregnancy led to FGR with a significant decrease in heart-to-body weight ratios at birth. By 3 weeks, pups exhibited catch-up growth associated with significantly greater left ventricle anterior wall thickness with a decrease in cardiac output. Moreover, these Δ9-THC-exposed offsprings exhibited increased expression of collagen I and III, decreased matrix metallopeptidase-2 expression, and increased inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β, all associated with cardiac remodelling. Conclusions: Collectively, these data suggest that Δ9-THC-exposed FGR offspring undergo postnatal catch-up growth concomitant with cardiac remodelling and impaired cardiac function early in life. Impact: To date, the long-term effects of perinatal Δ9-THC (the main psychoactive component) exposure on the cardiac function in the offspring remain unknown.We demonstrated, for the first time, that exposure to Δ9-THC alone during rat pregnancy results in significantly smaller hearts relative to body weight.These Δ9-THC-exposed offsprings exhibited postnatal catch-up growth concomitant with cardiac remodelling and impaired cardiac function.Given the increased popularity of cannabis use in pregnancy along with rising Δ9-THC concentrations, this study, for the first time, identifies the risk of perinatal Δ9-THC exposure on early postnatal cardiovascular health

Ants and Spices: The Potential of Spices to Repel Pest Ants (Formicidae)

We examined the spices nutmeg, cinnamon, Ngo Hiang Spice Mix (anise, galangale, cinnamon and star anise) and turmeric for repellent activity against foraging ants. Control baits consisting of a cracker substrate topped with granulated sugar were presented next to treatment baits (cracker, granulated sugar and spice spread over the sugar) to ants in natural habitats. After an hour, the numbers of ants recruiting to the control and treatment baits were recorded. Jenny Vu first tested nutmeg and then cinnamon; Hritam Mitra tested turmeric; Joe Steven Hardy tested Ngo Hiang Spice Mix and Nirupama Chauhan tested turmeric. Data were analyzed with the sign test. Nutmeg was ineffective in repelling ants, but cinnamon, Ngo Hiang Spice Mix and turmeric all showed promise as ant repellents

Study of hyperpolarised 3He MRI diffusion on asthma and cystic fibrosis, and development of hyperpolarised 129Xe MRI lung imaging

Hyperpolarised gas Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive method developed to provide images of the void spaces of the lungs, and evaluate the distal airways via diffusion weighted techniques. The work in this thesis covers the use of both hyperpolarised 3He and hyperpolarised 129Xe gas MRI, for both diffusion measurement studies and ventilation imaging, on healthy, asthmatic and cystic fibrosis volunteers. The first study covered in this thesis aimed to determine the nature of the acinar airway involvement in asthma sufferers via the use of Computed Tomography densitometry and hyperpolarised 3He diffusion MRI at multiple timescales alongside standard lung function tests such as spirometry and multiple breath washout (MBW). It was hypothesised that Asthma patients with an elevated MBW parameter 'Sacin' would manifest altered long-range diffusion, as suggestive of intra-acinar airway disease. It was found that there appeared to be an association between the MBW 'Sacin' parameter and subtle alterations in diffusion within the acinar airways for participants with asthma, suggesting a structural abnormality in the pulmonary acinus. However, further longitudinal studies are required before the long-term prognostic significance of acinar airway disease in asthma can be determined. The second study aimed to determine if a relationship exists between measurements from standard lung function test, spirometry and body plethysmography, and the measurements of hyperpolarised 3He diffusion MRI. 18 Cystic Fibrosis patients were recruited, alongside 27 age-matched healthy subjects. It was found that the short timescale diffusion values were lower in patients with Cystic Fibrosis, although not substantial enough to use an indicator to distinguish between a healthy volunteer and a Cystic Fibrosis patient. No strong correlations were found between the lung function measurements and the hyperpolarised 3He diffusion MRI measurements. The final section of this thesis looks at the preliminary results of a pilot study to develop scan sequences, protocols and gas delivery of hyperpolarised 129Xe MRI, in preparation for future clinical studies at the University of Nottingham. The main focus was on the development of in vivo ventilation images of the human lungs, to a high standard of quality and repeatability. Good progress was demonstrated, with lung images achieved down to 2.5 cm thick slices, with initial images of both dynamic ventilation and dissolved-phase 129Xe lung images. However the pilot study was not yet complete, and more development on the techniques discussed was still required