EThOS: progress towards an electronic thesis service for the UK.

The EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) project is building on previous e-thesis (or EDT) initiatives, and co-ordinating the work of some of the key players in the UK to develop a service for finding, accessing and archiving digital copies of Doctoral theses produced in UK higher education institutions. Key issues for the project are the development of a sound financial basis for a successful service, the provision of advice needed by authors and university staff on handling intellectual property rights, and protecting legitimate needs for confidentiality. EThOS will also establish workable and standards-based procedures for populating e-thesis repositories with current and retrospectively-acquired digital versions of theses and associated metadata. These developments must also fit with universities’ own internal administrative arrangements and regulations. The project aims to deliver an e-thesis infrastructure that is both technically and financially sustainable, together with a full supporting toolkit of guidance, standards and procedures

From first-generation guestworkers to second-generation transnationalists: German-born Greeks engage with the 'homeland'

Few studies have been made of the 'return' of the second-generation children of migrants to their parental homeland. In this paper we examine this 'migration chronotope' for German-born children of the Greek labour migrants who moved to Germany in the early postwar decades, initially as 'guestworkers', later becoming more-or-less settled immigrant communities. We focus on two life-stages of return: as young children brought back to Greece for annual holidays or sent back for longer periods, usually to stay with grandparents; and as young adults exercising an independent return, usually leaving their parents (the first generation) behind in Germany. Our source material is twofold: a review of the limited German literature of the 1970s and 1980s on Greek migration to and from Germany; and our own recent field research in Berlin, Athens and Thessaloniki where we interviewed 50 first- and second-generation Greek-Germans, the majority of them second-generation. We find the practice of sending young children back to Greece to have been surprisingly widespread yet little documented. Often such family separations and transnational childhoods were disruptive, both for the family unit and for the individual child. Memories of holiday visits, on the other hand, were much more positive. Independent, adult return to the parental homeland takes place for five main reasons, according to our interview evidence: (i) a dream-like 'search for self' in the 'homeland'; (ii) the attraction of the Greek way of life over the German one; (iii) the actualisation of a 'family narrative of return' inculcated by the parents but carried out only by the adult children; (iv) life-stage triggers such as going to university in Greece, or marrying a Greek; and (v) return as 'escape' from a traumatic event or an oppressive family situation. Yet adapting to the Greek way of life, finding satisfactory employment and achieving a settled self-identity in the Greek homeland were, to a greater or lesser extent, challenging objectives for our research participants, some of whom had become quite disillusioned with Greece and re-identified with their 'German side'. Others, on the other hand, were comfortable with their decision to 'return' to Greece, and were able to manage and reconcile the two elements in their upbringing and residential history. Comparisons are made with other studies of second-generation 'return', notably in the Caribbean

Applying to higher education: comparisons of independent and state schools

This paper reports on research into the ways that schools engage in university application processes. Questionnaire and interview data were collected from 1400 Year 13 students from 18 independent and state schools in England and 15 in-depth interviews were carried out with school teacher higher education (HE) advisors. The analysis compares independent and state schools with respect to: the types of higher education institutions (HEIs) that students applied for; the way the HE application process was managed in their schools; and how teacher advisors explained and managed the processes and outcomes for their students. Informed by Bourdieu's relational sociology, our discussion focuses on how schools in the two sectors mobilise different forms of capital in the competitive processes of university application. We also use the notion of doxa to explore how these micro-institutional processes and teacher advice relate to observed differences between state and independent sector students' HE destinations

International student mobility literature review

To bring their understanding of patterns in students' study and work abroad up to date, HEFCE and the British Council, the UK National Agency for Erasmus, commissioned a review of international student mobility. Professor Russell King and Jill Ahrens of the University of Sussex, and Professor Allan Findlay of the University of Dundee undertook the review which includes new evidence from interviews with staff in higher education institutions (HEIs). A group of several UK stakeholders in international student mobility, including the organisations BUTEX (British Universities Transatlantic Exchange) and HEURO (the Association of UK Higher Education European Officers), and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) oversaw the work. The report brings together recent literature and data on student mobility. It looks at the trends in UK international students' mobility and compares these internationally. It also considers the causal factors for students' choice to spend time abroad, the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of mobile students, and the impact that time abroad has on their employability; and it highlights policy and practice in HEIs in respect of student mobility

Motivations of UK students to study abroad: a survey of school-leavers

No description supplie

British Students in the United States: motivations, experiences and career aspirations

Twelve years ago, the British educational press, and indeed the mainstream media, were consumed by the story of Laura Spence, a super-bright pupil from a Newcastle comprehensive school who, despite having five straight-As at ‘A level’ (the final secondary school exams), had been refused a place to read Medicine at Oxford after an interview there. General outrage at Oxford’s snobbishness ensued, with politician Gordon Brown, amongst others, weighing in with the criticism that Oxford favored applicants from the UK’s fee-paying independent schools (which include the elite but perversely named ‘public schools’), thereby excluding excellent applicants from state schools like Laura – especially if they come from deprived parts of the country with strong local accents. Laura instead went to the US to Harvard on a funded scholarship, completed her biochemistry degree there and returned to do postgraduate medical training at Cambridge – the other UK university which constitutes the top duo known collectively as ‘Oxbridge’. How typical is Laura’s story? Are there many British students who, as Oxbridge ‘rejects’, or fearful of being turned down for a place at the UK’s two most ancient and prestigious universities, apply abroad to widen their chances of success at other globally recognized institutions? Brooks and Waters (2009a) argue that there are indeed those like Laura who apply to US universities as a ‘second chance at success’; but our research suggests that there are many other explanations of the upward trend in favor of international study. Since the US is the most important destination for people from the UK studying abroad, the findings of this chapter are particularly important in producing a more robust understanding of the key drivers of international student mobility between one advanced economy and another. We suggest that there are some movers for whom study abroad is part of a carefully strategized plan of international career enhancement, while for others it is a product of their class habitus and family networks (see Bourdieu 1977). We would also argue that there are those who are looking for ‘something different’ yet, at the same time, desire a ‘knowable’ destination, familiar to them for example from film and television and without any great linguistic challenge. In the next section we describe our research project and its aims and methods. The main body of the chapter is made up of three sections which correspond to our three key research questions: about motivations for study in the US, about experiences there, and about future career plans. The conclusion emphasises the motivational and strategic nature of UK student migration to the US, targeted especially at universities perceived to be of high international standing. In terms of the link between study abroad and future career plans, fears about a putative British ‘brain drain’ are shown to be largely unfounded, since most students plan to return to the UK

Categorical and coordinate spatial judgements in face recognition

The role of the cerebral hemispheres in processing spatial relationships is outlined in Kosslyn \u27s (1987) theory that states that there are two separate subsystems for processing spatial relations: one located in the left hemisphere (LHem) that is more efficient at processing categorical information, and one in the right hemisphere (RHem) that is more efficient at processing coordinate information. To test Kosslyn\u27s theory, this study manipulated two IVs in a within-subjects design, task: categorical and coordinate; and visual field (VF): left and right Male and female face stimuli were presented in either the left visual field (LVF) to the (RHem) or the right visual field (RVF) to the (LHem), Forty-four, right-handed participants (13 males and 31 females) made 40 categorical and 48 coordinate judgements, Separate two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were performed on both judgement types in both VFs for the two DVs of mean response time (RT) and percentage correct A significant interaction was predicted between VF and judgement type with a faster mean RT for the LFV /RHem on the coordinate than on the categorical judgements and a faster mean RT for the RVF/LHem on the categorical than on the coordinate judgements, However, although there were significant main effects for task on both RTs and percent correct, no other effects were found. These results do not provide support for Kosslyn \u27s theory that categorical and coordinate spatial relations are processed differentially by each hemisphere

Conformational studies of some small biological molecules and their interactions with metal ions

The solid Cu(II) and Co(II) complexes and complex salts of some thiamine analogues have been prepared. Their electronic spectra, I.R. spectra and Magnetic Moments are presented and discussed in terms of suggested coordination geometries for the complexes. In addition the solution conformations of the Gd(III), Dy(III) and Ho (III) complexes of some 3' , 5' cyclic nucleotides were determined quantitatively using NMR line broadening and line shifting techniques. Reactions of Mn(II) with the cyclic nucleotides were used to find the preferred binding sites on the ligands also using line broadening techniques

Nutrition Support for Athletic Performance

Athletes and their support personnel are constantly seeking evidence-informed recommendations to enhance athletic performance during competition and to optimize training-induced adaptations. Accordingly, nutritional and supplementation strategies are commonplace when seeking to achieve these aims, with such practices being implemented before, during, or after competition and/or training in a periodized manner. Performance nutrition is becoming increasingly specialized and needs to consider the diversity of athletes and the nature of the competitions. This Special Issue, Nutrition Support for Athletic Performance, describes recent advances in these areas

Women in German society, 1930-1940

The aim of this thesis is to describe and discuss some aspects of the status of, and opportunities for, women in Germany in the years between the impact on Germany of the world economic crisis, which followed on the Wall Street crash in October 1929, and the early years of the Second World War, when the German army was still victorious and the Nazi regime was attempting to wage war with only a partial war economy. The significance of the year 1933, with the Nazi takeover of power, in this decade is inescapable; but it is increasingly clear that many of the political, economic and social policies pursued by the Nazis when in Government were pre -figured in developments conceived and even set in train in the last years of the Weimar Republic, often as a direct result of the depression and its effects. The most serious of these, the massive unemployment in Germany in the early 1930s, did much to condition attitudes to the position of women, particularly with regard to their employment - in manual and professional occupations alike - outside the home. Nazi ideology indeed affected policies concerning women, but it was conveniently in tune with the needs and the mood of the time; thus, for a short time Nazi ideology seemed to have practical application, in providing justification for the provision of jobs for men at the expense of women. This situation rapidly changed, as full employment was achieved, and a shortage of labour became Germany's problem in the later 1930s, particularly once war broke out in September 1939. Then, a conflict developed between the Party ideologues and the men in charge of day-to-day Government, a conflict which was resolved in favour of the former in 1941, no doubt partly because women were reluctant to provide the labour which was badly needed.The depression, Nazi ideology, and the build -up to a partial war economy affected policies towards women not only in employment of all kinds but also in the realm of higher education. The broad categories into which this work falls therefore include higher education and senior schooling, as well as employment outside the home and, particularly, the professions. Since attitudes in these areas were partly conditioned by, and partly conditioned, attitudes towards the position of women in the family, particularly as child - bearers, some discussion of marriage and morals is included. The part played by the women's organisations in the Imperial and Republican periods necessitates some brief discussion of them, while the Nazis' attempt to organise German women - with a marked lack of success - must also be considered. Naturally, many omissions remain; this work cannot claim to be a comprehensive social history of women in the 1930s.The points which are of most general interest here are the continuity of policy from about 1930 to 1935/36, in spite of - or perhaps because of - the assumption of power by the Nazis, the failure of the Nazis to institute a fully totalitarian regime largely because of their dependence on positive support from the people, and the conflict between Party and State. With regard particularly to women, it is clear that while equality of rights and equality of opportunity were not achieved in the Weimar years, enough progress was made in securing a place for women in employment generally, in the professions and in higher education, for attempts at discrimination against them - before as well as after 1933 - to fail to have significant effect. The net result of the 1930s was, in fact, to consolidate their position in these areas, once the Nazis' immediate political and foreign ambitions necessitated an increase in personnel in them in the later 1930s. This was in spite of the Nazis' overwhelming obsession with the birth rate, which led at first to attempts to remove women from activity outside the home, and then to preoccupation with providing for the welfare of employed women. Connected with this, the 1930s also witnessed a reversal of the postwar tendency to underestimate the contribution to the life of the nation of the full -time housewife and mother. For "Aryan ", "politically reliable" German women, then, the Nazi regime brought some benefit, and the disadvantages experienced by women were very often those which men, too, suffered. But benefit and disadvantage alike were conditioned not by the needs or desires of individual Germans or of groups of Germans; the needs of the State, as interpreted by the Nazi Party, and particularly by Hitler, had primacy in every area of policy