Generational Equity and the Reformulation of Retirement

Starting from an examination of the essential components of the long established 'contract' between the generations, the analysis moves on to examine public policy responses to the ageing of populations. Observing an international inclination to panic at the growth of old age and to restrict expenditure on services to older people, the paper addresses practical questions of political economy within the generational contract. On the one hand cuts to pensions and services are seen not to be economically inevitable. On the other it is argued that modern retirement breaches the compact between the generations and will need to be reformulated, enabling more people to earn income well beyond current retirement ages.retirement policy; generational equity

Marker effects and examination reliability: a comparative exploration from the perspectives of generalizability theory, Rasch modelling and multilevel modelling

This study looked at how three different analysis methods could help us to understand rater effects on exam reliability. The techniques we looked at were: generalizability theory (G-theory) item response theory (IRT): in particular the Many-Facets Partial Credit Rasch Model (MFRM) multilevel modelling (MLM) We used data from AS component papers in geography and psychology for 2009, 2010 and 2011 from Edexcel.</p

A study of the relations between the sexes in the novels of Emile Zola

This thesis, submitted for the degree of M.A. in the University of Durham, and entitled A Study of the Relations between the Sexes in the Novels of Emile Zola, is of 264 pages and approximately 75,000 words in length. The thesis is intended as a broad survey of the relationships between men and women created by Emile Zola in his novels. It comprises six chapters, the last three of which are subdivided. The first chapter gives a brief review of the author's own involvement with different women. The second chapter attempts to establish to what extent such personal experiences influenced, either directly or indirectly, his fictional portrayal of relations between the sexes. The thesis continues with a discussion on the extent of Zola's indebtedness to the Romantic theme of the Fatal Woman', and its significance in his overall depiction of relationships between men and women. Chapter Four examines relations between the sexes from the point of view of the individual, and contains discussion of many of Zola’s own attitudes towards woman and the treatment she receives from her male partner. Chapter Five examines the same relationships from the point of view of society, and seeks to; determine their sociological interest and relevance. The final chapter concludes by linking the relationships already considered to the art of the novel in an assessment of their psychological, literary, and didactic interest. The thesis also arrives at a very general conclusion that, in the particular aspect of his novels under review, Zola did not reveal the same prophetic radicalism which has often been noted of his work as a whole

Long-term Care in Turmoil

The reformulation of the regulation of long-term care seen in the recent White Paper and Royal Commission in the UK has led to topical debates on long-term care for older people. Given that there are over 500,000 people in residential nursing and dual registered homes across the country, there has, until now, been remarkably little research on the role of managers in the long-term care sector, the various tasks they undertake in the day-to-day operation of a care home, and the qualities and qualifications they bring to their work. This study investigates the range of tasks which managers of long-term care homes perform, and the skills they should possess to do their work. The opening chapter reproduced here provides a critical analysis of the current confusion which besets UK policy on long term care.long-term care; aging

A Failed Mission in Liberation: Japanese Women’s Enfranchisement and American Occupation

In this work, I survey the discourse of Japanese feminists in the early twentieth century to understand the ways in which they were working to attain full enfranchisement. I employ this brief survey to argue that their work, while altered by the chaos of total war, was most severely undermined by the American Occupation and democratization effort. Ultimately, I advocate that, though American occupation effectively granted women legislative rights, this foreign allocation meant that widespread and meaningful social change on the practical level never occurred

Exploring the effects of various growth conditions on gene expression of mechanosensitive ion channels in Escherichia coli

In rapidly changing environmental conditions, bacterial mechanosensitive ion channels are responsible for ensuring cell survival. Bacterial mechanosensitive channels gate in response to membrane tension in order to relieve intracellular pressure, prior to cell lysis. The most well-studied bacterial mechanosensitive channels include the mechanosensitive channel of large (MscL) and small (MscS) conductance from Escherichia coli (E. coli), both of which gate in response to tension. In E. coli, there are seven mechanosensitive ion channel genes: MscL, MscS, and five additional genes that are members of the MscS superfamily. Of these seven genes, six have been shown to gate directly in response to tension applied to the cellular membrane. We determine each channel’s expression in varying growth conditions like salt concentration, pH, and temperature. To determine each gene’s contribution to survival, we utilized qPCR and compared mRNA levels of each individual channel to a standard ribosomal gene, RpoB, within each growth condition. The relative expression of each channel provides insight into the specific roles that each of these channels fulfills during the survival response of the cell. Throughout our data, we see that MscL plays an active role in cell survival across various conditions. We rarely see any indication of YnaI expression, with the exception of cells cultured at lower temperatures. Apart from these channels, we observe similarities in expression levels between MscS, MscM, and YbdG as well as between MscK and YbiO across various conditions. This research shows that the expression of mechanosensitive channels fluctuates based on the growth environment

Recovery Methodologies and High Intensity Interval Training

As the implementation of high intensity interval training (HIIT) continues to grow among a variety of exercisers, as such, its optimization within a training program must be considered. As with any mode of exercise this necessitates adequate recovery to elicit optimal adaptation and understanding day-to-day recovery from HIIT will permit the greatest benefits for those who desire specific the outcomes from this training. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine day-to-day recovery from Tabata bodyweight HIIT exercise using different recovery assessment methodologies across 24- and 48-hour time intervals. METHODS: Participants (23.2 ± 3.1 years old, 163.1 ± 19.9 lbs., and 22.8 ± 9.6 % body fat) consisted of 3 females and 7 males (n=10). Individuals were recreationally trained (4+ days per week, 30+ minutes per day at moderate to vigorous intensity) and conducted both Trial A (24-hours between HIIT sessions) and Trial B (48-hours between HIIT sessions). Before and during each session, heart rate (HR), countermovement jump (CMJ), Perceived Recovery Status scale (PRS), perceived readiness (HIITRED), perceived soreness (PDOMS), Brunel Mood Scale Assessment (BRUMS), Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE), and number of repetitions. RESULTS: One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze RHR, HRavg, HRrecov, and repetitions completed. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used to analyze S-RPE, post-exercise RPE, PRS, HIIT readiness, PDOMS, and BRUMS. Significance for all analyses was set at p \u3c 0.05. Two results displayed sensitivity to assessing recovery after conducting each HIIT session. The first was the Perceived Recovery Status scale (PRS) for both trials (A, p = 0.005. B, p = 0.007) and the second was the Brunel Mood Scale assessment within Trial B (p = 0.012). DISCUSSION: Although other methodologies did not display significant sensitivity to recovery, trends across session HR, PRS, HIITRED, PDOMS, and BRUMS indicate that participants were perceptually less recovered and ready for Day 2 Trial A than Day 2 Trial B. These results support the assertion that assessment of perceptions of recovery are sensitive methodologies in measuring recovery from Tabata bodyweight HIIT exercise

Characterizing and generalizing cycle completable graphs

The family of cycle completable graphs has several cryptomorphic descriptions, the equivalence of which has heretofore been proven by a laborious implication-cycle that detours through a motivating matrix completion problem. We give a concise proof, partially by introducing a new characterization. Then we generalize this family to ``$k$-quasichordal'' graphs, with three natural characterizations.Comment: 8 page

Biofilm-forming capability of highly virulent, multidrug-resistant Candida auris

The emerging multidrug-resistant yeast pathogen Candida auris has attracted considerable attention as a source of healthcare–associated infections. We report that this highly virulent yeast has the capacity to form antifungal resistant biofilms sensitive to the disinfectant chlorhexidine in vitro