Low income dynamics in 1990s Britain

This paper analyses low income dynamics in Britain using the first four waves of the British Household Panel Survey. There is much low income turnover: although there is a small group of people who are persistently poor, more striking is the relatively large number of low income escapers and entrants from one year to the next. Simulations using estimated low income exit and re-entry rates demonstrate the importance of repeated low income spells for explaining a person’s experience of low income over a given period. We also document the characteristics of low income stayers, escapers and entrants.

What do employers want from an aligned employment and skills system?: A report of research carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Research paper number 41)

This document is related to http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/3011

What do employers want from an aligned employment and skills system? (Research report no. 743)

A report of research carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Department for Work and Pension

Evaluation of the Outpatients consultation in East Kent

CHSS undertook to support Kent and Medway Commissioning Support (KMCS: acting on behalf of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Canterbury and Coastal Clinical Commissioning Group) in undertaking an independent analysis of a consultation on Outpatient services in East Kent. The aim of the consultation was to gain opinions from the public of a proposed Outpatient Clinical Strategy that intends to improve local access to, and facilities for, Outpatient services, and to offer a wider range of services on each site. CHSS advised on the survey, evaluated the consultation process, ran focus groups and carried out quantitative and qualitative analysis of the responses gathered during the consultation period (9th December 2013 to 17th March, 2014 - originally 9th March but period was extended). Ethical approval was not required for a consultation process, but ethical principles have been adhered to regarding data confidentiality and informed consent for the focus groups

Understanding the role of P2X7 in affective disorders—are glial cells the major players?

Pathophysiology associated with several psychiatric disorders has been linked to inflammatory biomarkers. This has generated a theory of major depressive disorders as an inflammatory disease. The idea of pro-inflammatory cytokines altering behavior is now well accepted however many questions remain. Microglia can produce a plethora of inflammatory cytokines and these cells appear to be critical in the link between inflammatory changes and depressive disorders. Microglia play a known role in sickness behavior which has many components of depressive-like behavior such as social withdrawal, sleep alterations, and anorexia. Numerous candidate genes have been identified for psychiatric disorders in the last decade. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human P2X7 gene have been linked to bipolar disorder, depression, and to the severity of depressive symptoms. P2X7 is a ligand-gated cation channel expressed on microglia with lower levels found on astrocytes and on some neuronal populations. In microglia P2X7 is a major regulator of pro-inflammatory cytokines of the interleukin-1 family. Genetic deletion of P2X7 in mice is protective for depressive behavior in addition to inflammatory responses. P2X7−/− mice have been shown to demonstrate anti-depressive-like behavior in forced swim and tail suspension behavioral tests and stressor-induced behavioral responses were blunted. Both neurochemical (norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine) and inflammatory changes have been observed in the brains of P2X7−/− mice. This review will discuss the recent evidence for involvement of P2X7 in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders and propose mechanisms by which altered signaling through this ion channel may affect the inflammatory state of the brain

Spin Dynamics Simulations of Iridium Manganese Alloys

Until the late 1980's, anti-ferromagnets were thought of as theoretically interesting but with no practical application. Since then, this idea has been completely altered, and they are a key element in nearly all magnetic recording devices such as read heads in magnetic hard drives. More recently, the development of antiferromagnetic spintronics has enabled the use of the anti-ferromagnet as the active element and could lead to storage devices with THz speeds, much higher storage densities and a lower power consumption. A current problem in the development of such devices is a lack of understanding of the magnetic properties of antiferromagnets. Atomistic modelling is a powerful tool in understanding these properties as it has the ability to model the materials in atomistic detail on a scale comparable to realistic device sizes. In this thesis, I present an atomistic model of the Iridium Manganese (IrMn) that was created to model the static and dynamic magnetic properties of this complex material. The ground state magnetic structure and thermal stability are calculated including composition effects, disorder effects and finite-size effects. The magnitude and symmetry of the anisotropy in IrMn is calculated, solving a long standing debate between theory and experiment, where the calculations differ orders of magnitude. Finally, an IrMn layer is coupled to a ferromagnet to study the origin of the exchange bias effect, with realistic device sizes, including multiple grains, temperature and interface disorder. The results presented in this thesis determine the properties of IrMn in extraordinary detail, paving the way for a full understanding of this complex and interesting material and its interaction with natural magnets. The work in this thesis has been published in four peer reviewed papers in world leading journals

Public Awareness of Aphasia

Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that affects portions of the brain responsible for language processing and production. It is a disorder that occurs secondary to strokes and other traumatic brain injuries. It is estimated that almost 1 million people in the United States have aphasia. However, there has been very little research regarding public awareness of aphasia, particularly among service-industry workers. The purpose of this study was to analyze the level of public awareness of aphasia in Cleveland, Ohio. This study investigated 100 individuals\u27 knowledge of aphasia by way of a questionnaire, with a focus on respondents who were employed within the public-service sector. Participants were recruited from public areas in Cleveland, Ohio, and filled out a 6-item survey. The responses were then analyzed using quantitative procedures and compared to other existing studies on aphasia awareness. Several categorical variables and their relationship to aphasia awareness were examined to determine if any statistically significant findings existed. Out of the individuals surveyed, 19 had heard of aphasia. The results indicated there was a statistically significant relationship between the age of respondents and aphasia awareness. The education level of respondents also had an impact of aphasia awareness. Occupation, income level, and gender did not appear to have an impact on aphasia awareness. Respondents aged 36-55 years had the highest aphasia awareness rates, and adults ages 56-65 years had the lowest rates of aphasia awareness. Since stroke and aphasia are so closely linked, it is critical to improve public awareness among all age groups, particularly older populations. This can be achieved through education, advocacy and job trainin