What is a Just Wage? The Fight for $15 and the Limits of Philosophical Ethics

The Fight for $15 movement has reinvigorated the push for every worker in the U.S. to be paid a living wage. In order to be more widely accepted, the movement requires a convincing argument for at least three claims: (1) Every worker deserves a living wage that provides for the worker’s flourishing beyond mere survival, (2) The living wage must be enough for the worker to provide for his or her family because the worker is not a mere individual, (3) This wage must be paid by the direct employer, at least to some extent, because the wage communicates value to the worker and is a sign of appreciation for the dignity and value of the work done by the employee. I will argue that the typical consequentialist and deontological ethical justifications offered for the living wage do not provide a sufficient basis for all three claims the movement wants to make. While some support may be found in these arguments for the first claim, none of the standard ethical approaches can ground the second and third claims. It is time for the movement to look elsewhere for ethical support in their call for paying workers a living wage. The movement should look to the concept of the family wage, a principle defended in Catholic social teaching and clearly articulated in Pope John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical, Laborem Exercens (On Human Work)

Facilitating Communication for Aviation Training and Maintenance

Maintenance errors are the primary cause of approximately 8% of commercial aircraft accidents worldwide. One factor that contributes to human errors is miscommunication. Clear communication is critical in aviation education and in aviation maintenance operations. A fundamental concept for clear communication is both the transmission and receipt of a common message. This research explores the miscommunication and misinterpretation of instructions used in maintenance training. Miscommunicationmay be due to ambiguity, use of jargon, and differentindividual interpretations and methods for standard practices. First, an example of a commonly misunderstood process is identified. Next, enhanced training tools are developed to reduce the likelihood of miscommunication. These enhanced training tools include detailed illustrations and the addition of descriptive text to provide more information, including additional physical characteristics and technical context. Finally, the proposed training aids are assessed in a controlled study to determine theireffectiveness

Suitability of Commercial Transport Media for Biological Pathogens under Nonideal Conditions

There is extensive data to support the use of commercial transport media as a stabilizer for known clinical samples; however, there is little information to support their use outside of controlled conditions specified by the manufacturer. Furthermore, there is no data to determine the suitability of said media for biological pathogens, specifically those of interest to the US military. This study evaluates commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) transport media based on sample recovery, viability, and quality of nucleic acids and peptides for nonpathogenic strains of Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, in addition to ricin toxin. Samples were stored in COTS, PBST, or no media at various temperatures over an extended test period. The results demonstrate that COTS media, although sufficient for the preservation of nucleic acid and proteinaceous material, are not capable of maintaining an accurate representation of biothreat agents at the time of collection

Knockdown of TFIIS by RNA silencing inhibits cancer cell proliferation and induces apoptosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A common element among cancer cells is the presence of improperly controlled transcription. In these cells, the degree of specific activation of some genes is abnormal, and altering the aberrant transcription may therefore directly target cancer. TFIIS is a transcription elongation factor, which directly binds the transcription motor, RNA Polymerase II and allows it to read through various transcription arrest sites. We report on RNA interference of TFIIS, a transcription elongation factor, and its affect on proliferation of cancer cells in culture.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>RNA interference was performed by transfecting siRNA to specifically knock down TFIIS expression in MCF7, MCF10A, PL45 and A549 cells. Levels of TFIIS expression were determined by the Quantigene method, and relative protein levels of TFIIS, c-myc and p53 were determined by C-ELISA. Induction of apoptosis was determined by an enzymatic Caspase 3/7 assay, as well as a non-enzymatic assay detecting cytoplasmic mono- and oligonucleosomes. A gene array analysis was conducted for effects of TFIIS siRNA on MCF7 and MCF10A cell lines.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Knockdown of TFIIS reduced cancer cell proliferation in breast, lung and pancreatic cancer cell lines. More specifically, TFIIS knockdown in the MCF7 breast cancer cell line induced cancer cell death and increased c-myc and p53 expression whereas TFIIS knockdown in the non-cancerous breast cell line MCF10A was less affected. Differential effects of TFIIS knockdown in MCF7 and MCF10A cells included the estrogenic, c-myc and p53 pathways, as observed by C-ELISA and gene array, and were likely involved in MCF7 cell-death.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although transcription is a fundamental process, targeting select core transcription factors may provide for a new and potent avenue for cancer therapeutics. In the present study, knockdown of TFIIS inhibited cancer cell proliferation, suggesting that TFIIS could be studied as a potential cancer target within the transcription machinery.</p

Walnut Creek watershed restoration and water quality monitoring project : final report

https://ir.uiowa.edu/igs_tis/1048/thumbnail.jp

Reports on the Walnut Creek Watershed monitoring project, Jasper County, Iowa : water years 1995-2000

https://ir.uiowa.edu/igs_tis/1045/thumbnail.jp

Exploring Student Persistence in STEM Programs: A Motivational Model

To address continually decreasing enrollment and rising attrition in post-secondary STEM degree (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs, particularly for women, the present study examines the utility of motivation and emotion variables to account for persistence and achievement in science in male and female students transitioning from high school to junior college. Consistent with self-determination theory (Deci &amp; Ryan, 2012) and achievement-goal theory (Senko, Hulleman, &amp; Harackiewicz, 2011),structural equation modelling based on data from 1,309 students from four English-language CEGEPs showed students’ achievement goals, self-efficacy, and perceived autonomy support to impact intrinsic motivation, emotions, and achievement that, in turn, predicted persistence in the science domain

Cancer awareness among adolescents in Britain: a cross-sectional study

Background: Little is known about adolescents' cancer awareness and help-seeking behaviour in Britain. This study assessed adolescents': awareness of cancer symptoms, common cancers, and the relationship between cancer and age; anticipated delay and perceived barriers to seeking medical advice; and examined variation by age, gender, ethnicity and whether individuals knew someone with cancer. Methods: A survey was conducted using a modified paper version of the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM). The sample included 478 adolescents (male: n = 250, 52.3%) aged 11-17 years old (mean = 13.8, SD = 1.24) recruited from four British schools between August and October 2011. Results: Adolescents' cancer awareness was low. Half of all adolescents did not know the most common childhood (51%) or teenage (49%) cancers and most (69%) believed cancer was unrelated to age. Awareness of cancer symptoms was significantly higher among older adolescents (aged 13-17 years) (p = 0.003) and those who knew someone with cancer (p less than 0.001). Three-quarters (74%) of adolescents indicated they would seek help for a symptom they thought might be cancer within 3 days, and half (48%) within 24 hours. The most endorsed barriers to help-seeking were 'worry about what the doctor might find' (72%), being 'too embarrassed' (56%), 'too scared' (54%) and 'not feeling confident to talk about symptoms' (53%). Endorsement of these emotional barriers was significantly higher among females (p ? 0.001). Conclusion: There are certain groups of adolescents with poor cancer awareness. Cancer messages need to be targeted and tailored to particular groups to prevent the emergence of health inequalities in adulthood. Interventions to raise adolescents' cancer awareness have the potential for a life-long impact on encouraging early diagnosis and survival

Patterns of referral and waiting times for specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

BackgroundDuring 12 month period (2012/13) around 21,480 children and young people (CYP) were referred to CAMHS in Scotland (NHS Scotland 2013). At the end of September 2012 there were 3,602 CYP still waiting for ‘start of treatment’ or ‘removal from the waiting list’, 375 (10%) CYP had waited over 26 weeks and 1,204 (33%) CYP had waited over 18 weeks (NHS Scotland 2013). Referral source, referral reason, and the socio-demographic characteristics of CYP, are not routinely collected and therefore associations between these factors and wait times for ‘start of treatment’ or ‘removal from the waiting list’ (i.e. the referral outcome) are unknown.MethodIn this exploratory study, a retrospective analysis of referral data was conducted in one CAMHS. Data for 476 referrals between 1st May 2013 and 31st May 2014 were initially analysed to define categories for each of the following key variables: referral source, referral reason and referral outcome. Data on CYP socio-demographic characteristics were extracted from referral records, including age, gender and postcode, from which Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile of residence was derived. Descriptive statistics were calculated for referral source, referral reason and CYP socio-demographic characteristics. Regression models were then built to determine predictors of a referral being rejected by CAMHS and waiting time for referrals accepted by CAMHS. Data were analysed in SPSS (Version 20).ResultsOf the 476 referrals, 72 % (n=342) were accepted and 12% (n=59) were rejected. Most referrals were made by general practitioners (GPs). Just under a third of referrals to CAMHS (31%) were for CYP with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The odds of being rejected by CAMHS were significantly higher if referred by teachers and for CYP with emotional and behavioural difficulties.Age and referral reason were significant independent predictors of waiting time after referral to CAMHS, with CYP referred for hyperactivity/inattention waiting significantly longerConclusionsPolicymakers should consider ways to foster dialogue and collaboration between different groups of professionals making and accepting referrals to CAMHS in order to improve timely access to appropriate mental health support services for CYP. Research is urgently needed to investigate the experiences of CYP who are either rejected by CAMHS or wait lengthy periods of time before starting their treatment with CAMHS