Labour Relations in the Academy: A Case Study at the University of Saskatchewan

In the wake of a protracted period of faculty unrest at the University of Saskatchewan, two decisions of the province\u27s Labour Relations Board, and an award of a sole arbitrator will have more enduring significance than the dispute that engendered them. In this paper I propose to consider this trilogy and comment on its importance in an assessment of labour relations in an academic setting

Relationship quality and levels of depression and anxiety in a large population-based survey

PURPOSE: There is substantial literature suggesting that the mental health benefits of marriage (compared to being single) are greater for those in 'good quality' relationships in comparison to those in 'poor quality' relationships. However, little of this research utilises large population-based surveys. Large surveys in psychiatric epidemiology have focused almost exclusively on the association between marital status and mental health. The current study explores some of the reasons for this gap in the literature, and adopts a large, representative community-based sample to investigate whether associations between relationship status and levels of depression and anxiety are moderated by relationship quality. METHODS: Participants were from Wave 3 of the PATH Survey, a longitudinal community survey assessing the health and well-being of residents of the Canberra region, Australia (n=3820). Relationship quality was measured using the 7 item Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS-7), and levels of depression and anxiety were measured using the Goldberg Scales. RESULTS: Both cross-sectional and prospective analyses showed that associations between relationship status and mental health were moderated by relationship quality for both men and women, such that only good quality relationships bestowed mental health benefits over remaining single. For women, being in a poor quality relationship was associated with greater levels of anxiety than being single. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiological studies need to measure relationship quality to qualify the effect of relationship status on mental health.NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia

R squared effect-size measures and overlap between direct and indirect effect in mediation analysis

In a recent article in this journal (Fairchild, MacKinnon, Taborga & Taylor, 2009), a method was described for computing the variance accounted for by the direct effect and the indirect effect in mediation analysis. However, application of this method leads to counterintuitive results, most notably that in some situations in which the direct effect is much stronger than the indirect effect, the latter appears to explain much more variance than the former. The explanation for this is that the Fairchild et al. method handles the strong interdependence of the direct and indirect effect in a way that assigns all overlap variance to the indirect effect. Two approaches for handling this overlap are discussed, but none of them is without disadvantages

Keeping It Classy: Classification of Live Fish and Ghost PIT Tags Detected With a Mobile PIT Tag Interrogation System Using an Innovative Analytical Approach

The ability of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag data to improve demographic parameter estimates has led to the rapid advancement of PIT tag systems. However, ghost tags create uncertainty about detected tag status (i.e., live fish or ghost tag) when using mobile interrogation systems. We developed a method to differentiate between live fish and ghost tags using a random forest classification model with a novel data input structure based on known fate PIT tag detections in the San Juan River (New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, USA). We used our model to classify detected tags with an overall error rate of 6.8% (1.6% ghost tags error rate and 21.8% live fish error rate). The important variables for classification were related to distance moved and response to monsoonal flood flows; however, habitat variables did not appear to influence model accuracy. Our results and approach allow the use of mobile detection data with confidence and allow for greater accuracy in movement, distribution, and habitat use studies, potentially helping identify influential management actions that would improve our ability to conserve and recover endangered fish

Nanopore direct RNA sequencing maps the complexity of Arabidopsis mRNA processing and m6A modification

Understanding genome organization and gene regulation requires insight into RNA transcription, processing and modification. We adapted nanopore direct RNA sequencing to examine RNA from a wild-type accession of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and a mutant defective in mRNA methylation (m6A). Here we show that m6A can be mapped in full-length mRNAs transcriptome-wide and reveal the combinatorial diversity of cap-associated transcription start sites, splicing events, poly(A) site choice and poly(A) tail length. Loss of m6A from 3’ untranslated regions is associated with decreased relative transcript abundance and defective RNA 30 end formation. A functional consequence of disrupted m6A is a lengthening of the circadian period. We conclude that nanopore direct RNA sequencing can reveal the complexity of mRNA processing and modification in full-length single molecule reads. These findings can refine Arabidopsis genome annotation. Further, applying this approach to less well-studied species could transform our understanding of what their genomes encode

Reframing urban and regional 'development' for 'left behind' places

The recent wave of populism has focused attention on ‘left behind’ places as hotspots of discontent. Seeking to remedy their neglect in urban and regional studies, the aim of this paper is to engage with the problems of ‘left behind’ places and to stimulate fresh thinking about alternative approaches. Reflecting the complex and inter-connected issues facing such places, it argues that a new conception is required to address issues of belonging and attachment. The paper outlines the basis of an expanded neo-endogenous development approach, identifying the foundational economy, income and livelihoods, social infrastructures and social innovation as key policy concerns

Advanced characterization and simulation of SONNE: a fast neutron spectrometer for Solar Probe Plus

SONNE, the SOlar NeutroN Experiment proposed for Solar Probe Plus, is designed to measure solar neutrons from 1-20 MeV and solar gammas from 0.5-10 MeV. SONNE is a double scatter instrument that employs imaging to maximize its signal-to-noise ratio by rejecting neutral particles from non-solar directions. Under the assumption of quiescent or episodic small-flare activity, one can constrain the energy content and power dissipation by fast ions in the low corona. Although the spectrum of protons and ions produced by nanoflaring activity is unknown, we estimate the signal in neutrons and γ−rays that would be present within thirty solar radii, constrained by earlier measurements at 1 AU. Laboratory results and simulations will be presented illustrating the instrument sensitivity and resolving power

Electronic transport in strongly anisotropic disordered systems: model for the random matrix theory with non-integer beta

We study numerically an electronic transport in strongly anisotropic weakly disorderd two-dimensional systems. We find that the conductance distribution is gaussian but the conductance fluctuations increase when anisotropy becomes stronger. We interpret this result by random matrix theory with non-integer symmetry parameter beta, in accordance with recent theoretical work of K.A.Muttalib and J.R.Klauder [Phys.Rev.Lett. 82 (1999) 4272]. Analysis of the statistics of transport paramateres supports this hypothesis.Comment: 8 pages, 7 *.eps figure