An evaluation of the 'new deal' in further education colleges in England

The article starts by providing a brief historical context for the introduction of the New Deal and then describes the aims and structure of the New Deal in FE colleges. Base on a small-scale research project on FE colleges in London and south east England, the article analyses issues and challenges arising from the experience of the New Deal. This article argues that the New Deal did represent something different from past schemes for the unemployed and did demonstrate a commitment on the part of New Labour to social inclusion. From our research, good practice was found when the top management in colleges was committed to New Deal and was supported by a dedicated team of New Deal tutors. Finally the paper speculates on the future shape and direction of the New Deal in the context of FE colleges

First fringes with an integrated-optics beam combiner at 10 um - A new step towards instrument miniaturization for mid-infrared interferometry

Observations at mas-resolution scales and high dynamic range hold a central place in achieving, for instance, the spectroscopic characterization of exo-Earths or the detailed mapping of their protoplanetary disc birthplace. Ground or space-based multi-aperture infrared interferometry is a promising technique to tackle these goals. But significant efforts still need to be undertaken to achieve a simplification of these instruments if we want to combine the light from a large number of telescopes. Integrated-optics appears as an alternative to the current conventional designs, especially if its use can be extended to a higher number of astronomical bands. This article reports for the first time the experimental demonstration of the feasibility of an integrated-optics approach to mid-infrared beam combination for single-mode stellar interferometry. We have fabricated a 2-telescope beam combiner prototype integrated on a substrate of chalcogenide glasses, a material transparent from 1 to 14 um. We have developed laboratory tools to characterize the modal properties and the interferometric capabilities of our device. We obtain fringes at 10 um and measure a mean contrast V=0.981 \pm 0.001 with high repeatability over one week and high stability over 5h. We show experimentally - as well as on the basis of modeling considerations - that the component has a single-mode behavior at this wavelength, which is essential to achieve high-accuracy interferometry. From previous studies, the propagation losses are estimated to 0.5 dB/cm for such components. We also discuss possible issues that may impact the interferometric contrast. The IO beam combiner performs well at 10. We also anticipate the requirement of a better matching between the numerical apertures of the component and the (de)coupling optics to optimize the total throughput. The next step foreseen is the achievement of wide-band interferograms.Comment: Accepted in A&A; 7 pages; 7 figure

Sustained exocytosis after action potential-like stimulation at low frequencies in mouse chromaffin cells depends on a dynamin-dependent fast endocytotic process

Under basal conditions the action potential firing rate of adrenal chromaffin cells is lower than 0.5 Hz. The maintenance of the secretory response at such frequencies requires a continuous replenishment of releasable vesicles. However, the mechanism that allows such vesicle replenishment remains unclear. Here, using membrane capacitance measurements on mouse chromaffin cells, we studied the mechanism of replenishment of a group of vesicles released by a single action potential-like stimulus (APls). The exocytosis triggered by APls (ETAP) represents a fraction (40%) of the immediately releasable pool, a group of vesicles highly coupled to voltage dependent calcium channels. ETAP was replenished with a time constant of 0.73 � 0.11 s, fast enough to maintain synchronous exocytosis at 0.2-0.5 Hz stimulation. Regarding the mechanism involved in rapid ETAP replenishment, we found that it depends on the ready releasable pool; indeed depletion of this vesicle pool significantly delays ETAP replenishment. On the other hand, ETAP replenishment also correlates with a dynamin-dependent fast endocytosis process (τ = 0.53 � 0.01 s). In this regard, disruption of dynamin function markedly inhibits the fast endocytosis and delays ETAP replenishment, but also significantly decreases the synchronous exocytosis during repetitive APls stimulation at low frequencies (0.2 and 0.5 Hz). Considering these findings, we propose a model in where both the transfer of vesicles from ready releasable pool and fast endocytosis allow rapid ETAP replenishment during low stimulation frequencies.Fil: Moya Diaz, José Abelino. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Yanina Daniela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Montenegro, Mauricio Norman. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Bayonés, Lucas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Belingheri, Ana Verónica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: González-Jamett, Arlek M.. Universidad de Valparaiso; ChileFil: Cárdenas, Ana M.. Universidad de Valparaiso; ChileFil: Marengo, Fernando Diego. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentin

European mtDNA Variants Are Associated With Differential Responses to Cisplatin, an Anticancer Drug: Implications for Drug Resistance and Side Effects.

Background: Cisplatin, a powerful antitumor agent, causes formation of DNA adducts, and activation of apoptotic pathways. Presently, cisplatin resistance develops in up to 70% of patients but the underlying molecular mechanism(s) are unclear and there are no markers to determine which patients will become resistant. Mitochondria play a significant role not only in energy metabolism but also retrograde signaling (mitochondria to nucleus) that modulates inflammation, complement, and apoptosis pathways. Maternally inherited mitochondrial (mt) DNA can be classified into haplogroups representing different ethnic populations that have diverse susceptibilities to diseases and medications. Methods: Transmitochondrial cybrids, where all cell lines possess identical nuclear genomes but either the H (Southern European) or J (Northern European) mtDNA haplogroups, were treated with cisplatin and analyzed for differential responses related to viability, oxidative stress, and expression levels of genes associated with cancer, cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and resistance, apoptosis and signaling pathways. Results: The cisplatin-treated-J cybrids showed greater loss of cell viability along with lower levels of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential compared to cisplatin-treated-H cybrids. After cisplatin treatment, J cybrids showed increased gene expression of BAX, CASP3, and CYP51A, but lower levels of SFRP1 compared to untreated-J cybrids. The cisplatin-treated-H cybrids had elevated expression of CDKN1A/P21, which has a role in cisplatin toxicity, compared to untreated-H cybrids. The cisplatin-treated H had higher transcription levels of ABCC1, DHRS2/HEP27, and EFEMP1 compared to cisplatin-treated-J cybrids. Conclusions: Cybrid cell lines that contain identical nuclei but either H mtDNA mitochondria or J mtDNA mitochondria respond differently to cisplatin treatments suggesting involvement of the retrograde signaling (from mitochondria to nucleus) in the drug-induced cell death. Varying toxicities and transcription levels of the H vs. J cybrids after cisplatin treatment support the hypothesis that mtDNA variants play a role in the expression of genes affecting resistance and side effects of cisplatin

Reflecting on non-reflective action: An exploratory think-aloud study of self-report habit measures

Objectives. Within health psychology, habit – the tendency to enact action automatically as a learned response to contextual cues – is most commonly quantified using the ‘Self-Report Habit Index’, which assesses behavioural automaticity, or measures combining self-reported behaviour frequency and context stability. Yet, the use of self-report to capture habit has proven controversial. This study used ‘think aloud’ methods to investigate problems experienced when completing these two measures. Design. Cross-sectional survey with think-aloud study. Methods. Twenty student participants narrated their thoughts while completing habit measures applied to four health-related behaviours (active commuting, unhealthy snacking, and one context-free and one context-specific variant of alcohol consumption). Data were coded using thematic analysis procedures. Results. Problems were found in 10% of responses. Notable findings included participants lacking confidence in reporting automaticity, struggling to recall behaviour or cues, differing in interpretations of ‘commuting’, and misinterpreting items. Conclusions. While most responses were unproblematic, and further work is needed to investigate habit self-reports among larger and more diverse samples, findings nonetheless question the sensitivity of the measures, and the conceptualisation of habit underpinning common applications of them. We offer suggestions to minimise these problems

Bluetooth Smartphone Apps: Are they the most private and effective solution for COVID-19 contact tracing?

Many digital solutions mainly involving Bluetooth technology are being proposed for Contact Tracing Apps (CTA) to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Concerns have been raised regarding privacy, consent, uptake required in a given population, and the degree to which use of CTAs can impact individual behaviours. However, very few groups have taken a holistic approach and presented a combined solution. None has presented their CTA in such a way as to ensure that even the most suggestible member of our community does not become complacent and assume that CTA operates as an invisible shield, making us and our families impenetrable or immune to the disease. We propose to build on some of the digital solutions already under development that, with addition of a Bayesian model that predicts likelihood for infection supplemented by traditional symptom and contact tracing, that can enable us to reach 90% of a population. When combined with an effective communication strategy and social distancing, we believe solutions like the one proposed here can have a very beneficial effect on containing the spread of this pandemic