CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - SEPARATION OF POWERS - VALIDITY OF STATUTE REQUIRING REFERENCE OF DISPUTES TO COMMISSIONER OF LABOR

The plaintiff was conducting a private employment agency under a license issued by the commissioner of labor. The defendant, a movie actress, secured an engagement through the plaintiff\u27s influence, pursuant to a contract. A dispute arose as to the amount of compensation due the plaintiff under the terms of the contract. A statute required reference of such disputes to the commissioner of labor, who was to hear and determine the same. Within ten days a dissatisfied party could appeal to the superior court and have a hearing de novo. The plaintiff, failing to comply with the statute, commenced the action in the superior court. The defendant claimed that the action was prematurely brought since the dispute had not been referred to the commissioner of labor. The plaintiff contended that the act in that requirement was unconstitutional. The court held: (1) that the suit was prematurely brough.t since it was not in compliance with the statute; (2) that the statute was constitutional since employment agencies are within the police power of the state to regulate; and, (3) that the statute did not provide an unconstitutional delegation of judicial power to the administrative official. Collier & Wallis, Ltd. v. Astor, (Cal. 1937) 70 P. (2d) 171

The Role of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid B Receptors in Alcohol Related Behaviours in Drosophila Models of Ethanol Tolerance and Preference

2017 dissertation for MRes. Alcohol is one of the most widely used and socially accepted psychoactive substances in the world, and its misuse was accountable for 3.3 million alcohol related deaths in the world in 2015. Whilst it is known that ethanol enhances the actions of the GABAB receptor, the role of the stimulation of this receptor in inducing acute and chronic effects, remains to be fully understood. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, offers the possibility to investigate behaviours such as preference and tolerance to alcohol, and to challenge them with pharmacological agents. In this study, the GABAB receptor agonist (SKF 97451) and antagonist (CGP 54626) were used to challenge the development of tolerance and the onset of preference to alcohol in wild type flies and in mutant lines with putative disruptions of GABAB receptor 1 or 2 subunit genes. Both compounds were able to alter the onset of tolerance measured as the time needed for half of a set of flies to be sedated by alcohol. Additionally, both drugs affected the preference developed by the flies towards alcohol containing food measure in a capillary feeder assay. The GABAB receptor mutant flies provided further evidence that the receptor is involved in the behavioural process studied. Overall the results indicate that the GABAB receptors are indeed part of a complex mechanism that result in alcohol induced behavioural changes. The data supports the usefulness of the Drosophila model and the need of further investigations into the GABAB receptor and to other potential pathways and mechanisms that could be contributing to the onset of such behaviours

Emotions And Decisions In The Real World: What Can We Learn From Quasi-Field Experiments?

Researchers in the social sciences have increasingly studied how emotions influence decision-making. We argue that research on emotions arising naturally in real-world environments is critical for the generalizability of insights in this domain, and therefore to the development of this field. Given this, we argue for the increased use of the “quasi-field experiment” methodology, in which participants make decisions or complete tasks after as-if-random real-world events determine their emotional state. We begin by providing the first critical review of this emerging literature, which shows that real-world events provide emotional shocks that are at least as strong as what can ethically be induced under laboratory conditions. However, we also find that most previous quasi-field experiment studies use statistical techniques that may result in biased estimates. We propose a more statistically-robust approach, and illustrate it using an experiment on negative emotion and risk-taking, in which sports fans completed risk-elicitation tasks immediately after watching a series of NFL games. Overall, we argue that when appropriate statistical methods are used, the quasi-field experiment methodology represents a powerful approach for studying the impact of emotion on decision-making

Editorial

Welcome to the second edition of the International Journal for Researcher Development. In this issue, we are pleased to include an in-depth study on the professionality of researchers per se. In her article, ‘Developing research capacity in the social sciences: a professionality-based model’ Linda Evans draws attention to the importance of both developing a research culture and developing researchers themselves. She suggests that leadership in research is failing to achieve the development of institutional research capacity to an acceptable standard whilst researchers themselves are unaware of the necessity to develop continually. In our next article, Fowler and colleagues present evidence from a recent study as to the factors that are necessary to facilitate the building of research capacity in the UK. In their article, ‘Building research capacity across the UK: evidence from recent initiatives in England, Scotland and Wales’ they recommend more explicit institutional commitment to the professional development of research staff and suggest that this should include the facilitation of mentoring relationships between more and less experienced researchers. The paper by Pitcher and Akerlind provides an international slant by presenting results of a novel study using metaphor analysis across several Australian Universities. This enabled conceptions of research by researchers to be categorized. Finally, we include a report on discussions based around evaluating developmental activities for researchers in higher education. In the UK, Roberts funding came on-line in 2002 to support the development of skills training for post-graduate researchers – to assist their employability. That tranche of funding is nearing its end and universities across the UK are now having to evaluate the worth of the products of that funding and how to fund it, if at all, in the future. The Gough report on the discussions surrounding the development of an evaluation approach make interesting reading

The Free-movement pattern Y-maze:A cross-species measure of working memory and executive function

Numerous neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders are associated with deficits in executive functions, such as working memory and cognitive flexibility. Progress in developing effective treatments for disorders may benefit from targeting these cognitive impairments, the success of which is predicated on the development of animal models with validated behavioural assays. Zebrafish offer a promising model for studying complex brain disorders, but tasks assessing executive function are lacking. The Free movement pattern (FMP) Ymaze combines aspects of the common Y-maze assay, which exploits the inherent motivation of an organism to explore an unknown environment, with analysis based on a series of sequential two-choice discriminations. We validate the task as a measure of working memory and executive function by comparing task performance parameters in adult zebrafish treated with a range of glutamatergic, cholinergic and dopaminergic drugs known to impair working memory and cognitive flexibility. We demonstrate the cross-species validity of the task by assessing performance parameters in adapted versions of the task for mice and Drosophila, and finally a virtual version in humans, and identify remarkable commonalities between vertebrate species’ navigation of the maze. Together, our results demonstrate that the FMP Y-maze is a sensitive assay for assessing working memory and cognitive flexibility across species from invertebrates to humans, providing a simple and widely applicable behavioural assay with exceptional translational relevance

Dynamics of allosteric transitions in GroEL

The chaperonin GroEL-GroES, a machine which helps some proteins to fold, cycles through a number of allosteric states, the $T$ state, with high affinity for substrate proteins (SPs), the ATP-bound $R$ state, and the $R^{\prime\prime}$ ($GroEL-ADP-GroES$) complex. Structures are known for each of these states. Here, we use a self-organized polymer (SOP) model for the GroEL allosteric states and a general structure-based technique to simulate the dynamics of allosteric transitions in two subunits of GroEL and the heptamer. The $T \to R$ transition, in which the apical domains undergo counter-clockwise motion, is mediated by a multiple salt-bridge switch mechanism, in which a series of salt-bridges break and form. The initial event in the $R \to R^{\prime\prime}$ transition, during which GroEL rotates clockwise, involves a spectacular outside-in movement of helices K and L that results in K80-D359 salt-bridge formation. In both the transitions there is considerable heterogeneity in the transition pathways. The transition state ensembles (TSEs) connecting the $T$, $R$, and $R^{\prime\prime}$ states are broad with the the TSE for the $T \to R$ transition being more plastic than the $R\to R^{\prime\prime}$ TSE. The results suggest that GroEL functions as a force-transmitting device in which forces of about (5-30) pN may act on the SP during the reaction cycle.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures (Longer version than the one published

Do community-based health insurance schemes fulfil the promise of equity? A study from Burkina Faso

Objective: To examine whether the community-based health insurance (CBHI) scheme in Burkina Faso has been effective in providing equitable healthcare access to poor individuals, women, children and those living far from health facilities. Methods: We used the Nouna Health District Household Survey to collect panel data on 990 households during 2004?08. By applying a series of random effects regressions and using concentration curves, we first studied determinants of CBHI enrolment and then assessed differences in healthcare utilization between members and non-members. We studied differences with regard to rich and poor, men and women, children and adults and those living far vs those living close to health facilities. Findings: With regard to enrolment, we found that poor (odds ratio [OR] = 0.274) and children (OR = 0.456) were less likely to enrol while gender and distance were not significantly correlated to enrolment. In terms of utilization, poor (coefficient = 0.349), women (coefficient = 0.131) and children (coefficient = 0.190) with CBHI had higher utilization than the group without CBHI. We also found that there was no significant difference in utilization between members and non-members if they were living far from health facilities. Conclusion: The CBHI scheme in this case was only partially successful in achieving the equity objectives. This study advises policy makers in Burkina Faso and elsewhere, who see CBHI schemes as a silver bullet to achieve universal health coverage, to be mindful of the chronically low enrolment rates and more importantly the lack of equity across the various groups that this study has highlighted

The Effect of Incident Light Polarization on Vegetation Bidirectional Reflectance Factor

The Laboratory-based Bidirectional Reflectance Factor (BRF) polarization study of vegetation is presented in this paper. The BRF was measured using a short-arc Xenon lamp/monochromator assembly producing an incoherent, tunable light source with a well-defined spectral bandpass at visible and near-infrared wavelengths of interest at 470 nm and 870 nm and coherent light source at 1.656 microns. All vegetation samples were measured using P and S linearly polarized incident light over a range of incident and scatter angles. By comparing these results, we quantitatively examine how the BRF of the samples depends on the polarization of the incident light. The differences are significant, depend strongly on the incident and scatter angles, and can be as high as 120% at 67 deg incident and 470nm. The global nature of Earth's processes requires consistent long-term calibration of all instruments involved in data retrieval. The BRF defines the reflection characteristics of Earth surface. It provides the reflectance of a target in a specific direction as a function of illumination and viewing geometry. The BRF is a function of wavelength and reflects the structural and optical properties of the surface. Various space and airborne radiometric and imaging remote sensing instruments are used in the remote sensing characterization of vegetation canopies and soils, oceans, or especially large pollution sources. The satellite data is validated through comparison with airborne, ground-based and laboratory-based data in an effort to fully understand the vegetation canopy reflectance, The Sun's light is assumed to be unpolarized at the top of the atmosphere; however it becomes polarized to some degree due to atmospheric effects by the time it reaches the vegetation canopy. Although there are numerous atmospheric correction models, laboratory data is needed for model verification and improvement

RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway: genetic associations with stress fracture period prevalence in elite athletes

Context: The RANK/RANKL/OPG signalling pathway is important in the regulation of bone turnover, with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes within this pathway associated with bone phenotypic adaptations. Objective: To determine whether four SNPs associated with genes in the RANK/RANKL/OPG signalling pathway were associated with stress fracture injury in elite athletes. Design, Participants, and Methods: Radiologically confirmed stress fracture history was reported in 518 elite athletes, forming the Stress Fracture Elite Athlete (SFEA) cohort. Data were analysed for the whole group, and were sub-stratified into male and cases of multiple stress fracture group. Genotypes were determined using proprietary fluorescence-based competitive allele-specific PCR assays. Results: SNPs rs3018362 (RANK) and rs1021188 (RANKL) were associated with stress fracture injury (p<0.05). 8.1% of stress fracture group and 2.8% of the non-stress fracture group were homozygote for the rare allele of rs1021188. Allele frequency, heterozygotes and homozygotes for the rare allele of rs3018362 were associated with stress fracture period prevalence (p<0.05). Analysis of the male only group showed 8.2% of rs1021188 rare allele homozygotes to have suffered a stress fracture while 2.5% of the non-stress fracture group were homozygous. In cases of multiple stress fractures, homozygotes for the rare allele of rs1021188, and individuals possessing at least one copy of the rare allele of rs4355801 (OPG) were shown to be associated with stress fracture injury (p<0.05). Conclusions: The data support an association between SNPs in the RANK/RANKL/OPG signalling pathway and the development of stress fracture injury. The association of rs3018362 (RANK) and rs1021188 (RANKL) with stress fracture injury susceptibility supports their role in the maintenance of bone health, and offers potential targets for therapeutic interventions

Pharmacological targeting of the GABAʙ receptor alters Drosophila's behavioural responses to alcohol

When exposed to ethanol, Drosophila melanogaster display a variety of addiction‐like behaviours similar to those observed in mammals. Sensitivity to ethanol can be quantified by measuring the time at which 50% of the flies are sedated by ethanol exposure (ST50); an increase of ST50 following multiple ethanol exposures is widely interpreted as development of tolerance to ethanol. Sensitivity and tolerance to ethanol were measured after administration of the gamma‐aminobutyric acid receptor B (GABAʙ) agonist (SKF 97541) and antagonist (CGP 54626), when compared with flies treated with ethanol alone. Dose‐dependent increases and decreases in sensitivity to ethanol were observed for both the agonist and antagonist respectively. Tolerance was recorded in the presence of GABAʙ drugs, but the rate of tolerance development was increased by SKF 97451 and unaltered in presence of CGP 54626. This indicates that the GABAʙ receptor contributes to both the sensitivity to ethanol and mechanisms by which tolerance develops. The data also reinforce the usefulness of Drosophila as a model for identifying the molecular components of addictive behaviours and for testing drugs that could potentially be used for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD)