The Labour Government, the Treasury and the £6 pay policy of July 1975

The 1974-79 Labour Government was elected in a climate of opinion that was fiercely opposed to government intervention in the wage determination process, and was committed to the principles of free collective bargaining in its manifestoes. However, by December 1974 the Treasury was advocating a formal incomes policy, and by July 1975 the government had introduced a £6 flat rate pay norm. With reference to archival sources, the paper demonstrates that TUC and Labour Party opposition to incomes policy was reconciled with the Treasury's advocacy by limiting the Bank of England‟s intervention in the foreign exchange market when sterling came under pressure. This both helped to achieve the Treasury's objective of improving the competitiveness of British industry, and acted as a catalyst for the introduction of incomes policy because the slide could be attributed to a lack of market confidence in British counter-inflation policy

An exploratory study of Muslim adolescents' views on sexuality: Implications for sex education and prevention

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper describes the results of an exploratory qualitative study on Muslim adolescents' views on sexuality in the Netherlands.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were gathered from an Internet forum on which 44 Muslim and 33 non-Muslim adolescents discussed sexuality as it relates to Islam. These discussions were subsequently analyzed for content using Nvivo 2.0.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our analysis revealed several issues that are relevant for the design of future sex education programs targeting Muslim youth. Apart from some expected outcomes regarding, for example, taboos on sexuality, sex outside marriage, abortion, homosexuality and conservative gender roles, our analyses showed that in cases of disputes 1) discussions were polarized, 2) opponents used the same Qur'anic passages to support their views, and 3) the authority of an Imam was questioned when his interpretation of Qur'anic passages was not in line with the views of participants.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings show that current approaches to sex education among Muslim youth are likely to be unsuccessful given the rigidity of sexual norms in Muslim society. In addition, we also identified new barriers to sex education among Muslim youth (e.g. lack of respect for an Imam who opposes a youth's views on sexuality).</p

Planning to innovate. Designing change or caught up in a game?

“The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Perspectives in Public Health, 131 (3) 2011, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2010: on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/”In this article I engage with some orthodox theories of the management of innovation and change, which take for granted the idea that they can be predicted and controlled. Organizations are thought to be systems with boundaries, which managers acting as engineers, or doctors, can 'diagnose' and restore to 'health', or order differently. As an alternative, and by drawing on an experience of working with health service managers, I argue instead that change and innovation arise as a result of the interweaving of everyone's intentions. Organizations are sites of intense political interaction and contestation, and exactly what emerges is unpredictable and unplannable, even by the most powerful individuals and groups.Peer reviewe

Bark Inclusions in Canes of Southern Highbush Blueberry and Their Impact on Cane Union Strength and Association with Botryosphaeria Stem Blight

Bark inclusions are an understudied structural defect in trees and shrubs. They consist of areas of bark on adjacent parts of stems or scaffolds, typically on the inner faces of a narrow fork, which become overgrown and internalized to occupy part of the wood between the stems. Here, bark inclusions are described for the first time to occur in cane unions at the crown of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids) cultivars &lsquo;Farthing&rsquo; and &lsquo;Meadowlark&rsquo;, both of which are characterized by a narrow, vase-shaped architecture at the base of the plant, leading to crowding of the canes. When affected canes were dissected at their bases, bark inclusions were visible internally as a line of compressed bark within the wood of adjoining canes, or as bark invaginations and fissures across part of or the entire cross-section of the cane. Externally, blueberry crowns with included bark were characterized by either an inward ridgeline of bark between canes of similar diameters emerging from the crown at a narrow angle from each other, or by the presence of girdling roots. Bark inclusions were observed in plants of all ages, from the nursery to mature production fields. The internal length of the bark inclusion correlated strongly with the external length of the inward stem bark ridgeline symptom as measured by destructive sampling in the field (r = 0.916, p &lt; 0.0001, n = 20). When plants with and without bark inclusions were subjected to a winch test in the field, the probability of breakage for canes without included bark was significantly lower (p &lt; 0.0002) than for those with included bark, and at the maximum applied force of 972.4 N, 95.2% of the canes with bark inclusions failed (i.e., broke at the crown), compared with only 52.6% for canes without included bark. In a survey across three fields, the number of bark inclusions per plant was significantly associated with an index of cane crowding (r = 0.286. p = 0.0267, n = 60), suggesting that plants with tight, crowded bases had more bark inclusions. In addition, there was a significant association (p &lt; 0.0001) between the presence or length of bark inclusions and the intensity of Botryosphaeria stem blight in these fields. This study showed that bark inclusions occur commonly in certain southern highbush blueberry cultivars in the production conditions of Georgia and Florida, with negative implications for cane integrity and plant health

Bark Inclusions in Canes of Southern Highbush Blueberry and Their Impact on Cane Union Strength and Association with Botryosphaeria Stem Blight

Bark inclusions are an understudied structural defect in trees and shrubs. They consist of areas of bark on adjacent parts of stems or scaffolds, typically on the inner faces of a narrow fork, which become overgrown and internalized to occupy part of the wood between the stems. Here, bark inclusions are described for the first time to occur in cane unions at the crown of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids) cultivars ‘Farthing’ and ‘Meadowlark’, both of which are characterized by a narrow, vase-shaped architecture at the base of the plant, leading to crowding of the canes. When affected canes were dissected at their bases, bark inclusions were visible internally as a line of compressed bark within the wood of adjoining canes, or as bark invaginations and fissures across part of or the entire cross-section of the cane. Externally, blueberry crowns with included bark were characterized by either an inward ridgeline of bark between canes of similar diameters emerging from the crown at a narrow angle from each other, or by the presence of girdling roots. Bark inclusions were observed in plants of all ages, from the nursery to mature production fields. The internal length of the bark inclusion correlated strongly with the external length of the inward stem bark ridgeline symptom as measured by destructive sampling in the field (r = 0.916, p n = 20). When plants with and without bark inclusions were subjected to a winch test in the field, the probability of breakage for canes without included bark was significantly lower (p r = 0.286. p = 0.0267, n = 60), suggesting that plants with tight, crowded bases had more bark inclusions. In addition, there was a significant association (p < 0.0001) between the presence or length of bark inclusions and the intensity of Botryosphaeria stem blight in these fields. This study showed that bark inclusions occur commonly in certain southern highbush blueberry cultivars in the production conditions of Georgia and Florida, with negative implications for cane integrity and plant health

Probability of Detecting Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Infection Using Pen-based Swine Oral Fluid Specimens as a Function of Within-Pen Prevalence

Pen-based oral fluid sampling has proven to be an efficient method for surveillance of infectious diseases in swine populations. To better interpret diagnostic results, the performance of oral fluid assays (antibody- and nucleic acid-based) must be established for pen-based oral fluid samples. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to determine the probability of detecting Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection in pen-based oral fluid samples from pens of known PRRSV prevalence. In 1 commercial swine barn, 25 pens were assigned to 1 of 5 levels of PRRSV prevalence (0%, 4%, 12%, 20%, or 36%) by placing a fixed number (0, 1, 3, 5, or 9) of PRRSV-positive pigs (14 days post PRRSV modified live virus vaccination) in each pen. Prior to placement of the vaccinated pigs, 1 oral fluid sample was collected from each pen. Thereafter, 5 oral fluid samples were collected from each pen, for a total of 150 samples. To confirm individual pig PRRSV status, serum samples from the PRRSV-negative pigs (n = 535) and the PRRSV vaccinated pigs (n = 90) were tested for PRRSV antibodies and PRRSV RNA. The 150 pen-based oral fluid samples were assayed for PRRSV antibody and PRRSV RNA at 6 laboratories. Among the 100 samples from pens containing ≥1 positive pig (≥4% prevalence) and tested at the 6 laboratories, the mean positivity was 62% for PRRSV RNA and 61% for PRRSV antibody. These results support the use of pen-based oral fluid sampling for PRRSV surveillance in commercial pig populations

Multimodal analgesia, current concepts, and acute pain considerations

Management of acute pain following surgery using a multimodal approach is recommended by the American Society of Anesthesiologists whenever possible. In addition to opioids, drugs with differing mechanisms of actions target pain pathways resulting in additive and/or synergistic effects. Some of these agents include alpha 2 agonists, NMDA receptor antagonists, gabapentinoids, dexamethasone, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and duloxetine.Alpha 2 agonists have been shown to have opioid-sparing effects, but can cause hypotension and bradycardia and must be taken into consideration when administered. Acetaminophen is commonly used in a multimodal approach, with recent evidence lacking for the use of IV over oral formulations in patients able to take medications by mouth. Studies involving gabapentinoids have been mixed with some showing benefit; however, future large randomized controlled trials are needed. Ketamine is known to have powerful analgesic effects and, when combined with magnesium and other agents, may have a synergistic effect. Dexamethasone reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting and has been demonstrated to be an effective adjunct in multimodal analgesia. The serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, duloxetine, is a novel agent, but studies are limited and further evidence is needed. Overall, a multimodal analgesic approach should be used when treating postoperative pain, as it can potentially reduce side effects and provide the benefit of treating pain through different cellular pathways