Voices from the Field: Welfare Policy and Well-being of Child Protection Social Workers in UK

This paper examines two approaches to Child Protection Policy and Practise in UK. Governmental policy is examined first, followed by an overview of alternative approach suggested by its critics. Efficacy of policy reforms is examined from the perspective of the front liners, i.e., the child protection social workers who are the main agents responsible for translating policy into practise. The “reality” of the social workers is mapped through empirical analysis and used as a measure to indicate which ideology, one currently adopted by the State or the one being advocated by its critics, is better suited to improving well-being of workers as well as recipients of welfare. The importance of taking their contextual reality into account when formulating policy is highlighted as crucial to determining the fate of the policy as well quality of life of social workers. The findings are strongly in favour of the critics and highlight severe shortcomings in current State ideology of child and family welfare.Social Policy; Child Welfare; New Public Management; Child Protection Social Workers

Heterogeneities in the solar nebula

Oxygen isotopic compositions of the high-temperatue phases in carbonaceous chondrites define a mixing line with an O-16 rich component and show little superimposed chemical isotope fractionation. Within a single inclusion in Allende, variations of delta O-18 and delta O-17 of 39% are found. The ordinary chondrites are slightly displaced from the terrestrial fractionation trend, implying that at least 0.2% of the oxygen in terrestrial rocks was derived from the O-16 rich component

The Action of Antihistamines on the Lymph Formation and Its Effect on the Action of Some Lymphagogues

Increase of capillary permeability is the chief symptomatic reaction of various pathologic states, especially that of localized inflammation, and this is the characteristic pharmacological properties of histamine at a far smaller concentration than that of any other chemical substances (Lewis, 1927; Crammer and Hele, 1944). There are numerous observations as to the diminishing effect of antihistamines on the flare and wheal caused by histamine and the inhibition by antihistamines of localized accumulation of intravenously injected dyes, such as trypan blue, referable to intradermal injection of histamine (for refs. cf. Loew, 1947; Fe£nberg et al., 1950). As for the inhibition of capillary permeability by antihistamines, some maintain that this action is limited to the case where such permeability has been increased by histamine (Wells, Morris and Dragstedt, 1946; Netter, 1947; Rigdon, 1949), but no single and decisive conclusion can yet be given.</p

Carbon isotopes in bulk carbonaceous chondrites

The chemical and physical processes involved in the formation of the solar system are examined. Primitive matter has been found on a microscopic scale in a variety of meteorites: fragments of small solar system bodies that were never part of a large planet. This primitive matter has, in most cases, been identified by the presence of anomalous abundances of some isotopes of the chemical elements. Of particular interest for carbon isotope studies are the primitive meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites. Using a selective oxidation technique to sort out the carbon contained in different chemical forms (graphite, carbonates, and organic matter), four carbonaceous chondrites are analyzed. The presence of the (13) C-rich component was confirmed and additional carbon components with different, but characteristic, isotopic signatures were resolved

Oxygen isotope fractionation in Apollo 12 rocks and soils

Oxygen isotopic compositions and fractionations between coexisting minerals found in lunar samples from Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 flight

ISAAC: Inflatable Satellite of an Antenna Array for Communications, volume 6

The results of a study to design an antenna array satellite using rigid inflatable structure (RIS) technology are presented. An inflatable satellite allows for a very large structure to be compacted for transportation in the Space Shuttle to the Space Station where it is assembled. The proposed structure resulting from this study is a communications satellite for two-way communications with many low-power stations on the ground. Total weight is 15,438 kilograms which is within the capabilities of the Space Shuttle. The satellite will have an equivalent aperture greater than 100 meters in diameter and will be operable in K and C band frequencies, with a total power requirement of 10,720 watts

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with an increased rate of diabetes.

ObjectiveChronic infections could be contributing to the socioeconomic gradient in chronic diseases. Although chronic infections have been associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and cardiovascular disease, there is limited evidence on how infections affect risk of diabetes.Research design and methodsWe examined the association between serological evidence of chronic viral and bacterial infections and incident diabetes in a prospective cohort of Latino elderly. We analyzed data on 782 individuals aged &gt;60 years and diabetes-free in 1998-1999, whose blood was tested for antibodies to herpes simplex virus 1, varicella virus, cytomegalovirus, Helicobacter pylori, and Toxoplasma gondii and who were followed until June 2008. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate the relative incidence rate of diabetes by serostatus, with adjustment for age, sex, education, cardiovascular disease, smoking, and cholesterol levels.ResultsIndividuals seropositive for herpes simplex virus 1, varicella virus, cytomegalovirus, and T. gondii did not show an increased rate of diabetes, whereas those who were seropositive for H. pylori at enrollment were 2.7 times more likely at any given time to develop diabetes than seronegative individuals (hazard ratio 2.69 [95% CI 1.10-6.60]). Controlling for insulin resistance, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 did not attenuate the effect of H. pylori infection.ConclusionsWe demonstrated for the first time that H. pylori infection leads to an increased rate of incident diabetes in a prospective cohort study. Our findings implicate a potential role for antibiotic and gastrointestinal treatment in preventing diabetes