Lifetime poverty and attitudes to retirement among a cohort born in 1958

This report explores attitudes to, and plans for, retirement among a large cohort of British men and women born in 1958, with a particular focus on those who have experienced poverty during their working lives. This cohort, part of the so-called “Baby Boomer” generation, is now in its late 50s, and can expect a longer life expectancy than previous generations. There has been increasing awareness within policy and research circles that with increased longevity comes the need either to save more money over the life course or work longer in order to finance retirement. The 1958 cohort has therefore been subject to significant pension and employment policy reforms designed to encourage longer working lives. In this report, we use the uniquely rich data available in a birth cohort study to explore the lifelong and current factors that impact on retirement plans and expectations. In doing so, we focus in particular on the attitudes, experiences, plans and expectations of cohort members experiencing low family income, poverty and/or worklessness in their adult lives. This mixed methods research project draws on quantitative and qualitative data from the 1958 birth cohort study (also known as the National Child Development Study, or NCDS). Quantitative data have been collected from study members throughout their lives, most recently at the age of 55 in 2013 when 9,137 individuals took part. By using this rich longitudinal data, we are able to explore how experiences throughout the working life are associated with retirement attitudes, aspirations, plans and expectations. The qualitative interviews were conducted specifically for this research project

Using a life course perspective to understand early labor market exits for people in their late 50s living in the UK

This paper explores the reasons why people exit the UK labor market early and some of the barriers working against them returning. The specific focus is a qualitative exploration of three out of work individuals, approaching the age of 60, each of whom had experienced poverty and periods of worklessness during their lifetime. The fieldwork took place in 2016 and was part of a wider mixed methods study about retirement, which used data from the 1958 birth cohort study. Researchers used narrative interviews to uncover the lived experiences and realities of these three people’s lives, and applied a life course perspective to understand how the accumulation of advantages and disadvantages during their lives shapes their attitudes and expectations. The data also show the effects of money, health, and previous employment on their decision making, and how structures such as social class, gender, and poverty are represented in and through the stories they tell

Understanding the lived experience of Long Covid: A rapid literature review

Long-Covid (LC), as a patient-defined illness, has rapidly emerged as both a medical and social issue since 2020, drawing headlines in the public and global domain. In the UK, people experiencing ongoing symptoms of Covid after the initial infection came together online to try to make sense and gain recognition of their condition. Academic research into LC is constantly evolving and seeks to understand the illness from the perspective of those suffering from it. We conducted a rapid literature review to explores existing studies into LC (up to August 2021), capturing the narratives of people who have adapted to live with LC. The literature largely focuses on providing an initial understanding of LC, how the illness emerged, and the fluctuating symptoms managed by those with LC. Although the literature is predominantly descriptive and has a lack of focus on the ongoing experiences of LC, narratives of making sense of, managing, and living with the illness over time are brought forward. In this briefing paper, we will present such narratives to shed light on the stories of those living with LC, and further to think more theoretically to understand the lived experiences of LC and their impact on the multifaceted aspects of LC patients’ lives

The spiny spider crab Maja goltziana (Crustacea: Majidae) in the south Lebanese waters.

A total of 52 specimens (45–115 mm carapace length) of Maja goltziana d’Oliveira 1888, was collected along the Lebanese coasts (south-eastern Mediterranean Sea) in 2006–2007. This species, till now considered rare in the Mediterranean Sea, is common and abundant along the deep shelf-upper Lebanese coast where a local population is present

Photoperiodism and genetic control of the long juvenile period in soybean: a review.

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill)is a short day plant that flowers when days are shorter than the maximum critical value, and this period is specific for each genotype. Soybean sensitivity to photoperiodism determines the limits of the sowing period for a latitude and hinders adaptation to wider ranges of latitude. The long juvenile period (LJP), which delays flowering under short day condictions, has been identified in soybean cultivars. The introduction of the LJP characteristic in soybean has made its cultivation possible in regions with latitudes lower than 15 o . Knowledge of the controlling genetic mechanisms of this characteristic can help in the development of soybean genotypes for lower latitudes with greater adaptation to sowing periods within the same latitude. Some conclusions about the genetic LJP control in soybean were reached from the present review: a) plants with LJP have a lower development rate for flowering, resulting in the lengthening of the vegetative period; b) the LJP characteristic has a direct influence on plant photoreceptivity and flowering induction; c) the genetic control of flowering time in short days is determined by a different and independent genetic system from that which determines long day flowering time; d) late flowering under short day conditions is a quantitative characteristic controlled by recessive genes, and it is believed that one to five main genes control flowering. Genotypes with a single pair of recessive alleles did not have LJP

Models of radon exhalation from building structures: General and case-specific solutions.

Assessing the radon activity that exhales from building structures is crucial to identify the best strategies to prevent radon from entering a building or reducing its concentration in the inhabited spaces. The direct measurement is extremely difficult, so the common approach has consisted in developing models describing the radon migration and exhalation phenomena for building porous materials. However, due to the mathematical complexity of comprehensively modelling the radon transport phenomenon in buildings, simplified equations have been mostly adopted until now to assess the radon exhalation. A systematic analysis of the models applicable to radon transport has been carried out and it has resulted in four models differing in the migration mechanisms – only diffusive or diffusive and advective – and the presence of inner radon generation. The general solutions have been obtained for all the models. Moreover, three case-specific sets of boundary conditions have been formulated to account for all the actual scenarios occurring in buildings: both perimetral and partition walls and building structures in direct contact with soil or embankments. The corresponding case-specific solutions obtained serve as a key practical tool to improve the accuracy in assessing the contribution of building materials to indoor radon concentration according to the site-specific installation conditions in addition to the material inner properties

Involvement of DAT1 gene on internet addiction. Cross-correlations of methylation levels in 5'-utr and 3’-UTR genotypes, interact with impulsivity and attachment-driven quality of relationships

Internet influences our communication, social and work interactions, entertainment, and many other aspects of life. Even if the original purpose was to simplify our lives, an excessive and/or maladaptive use of it may have negative consequences. The dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene was studied in relation to addictions, including excessive use of the Internet. The crucial role of DAT1 was previously underlined in modulating emotional aspects, such as affiliative behaviors. The present research follows a new approach based on cross-correlation between (de)methylation levels in couples of CpG loci, as previously shown. We investigated the possible relationships between Internet addiction, impulsivity, quality of attachment, DAT1 genotypes (from the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) poly-morphism), and the dynamics of methylation within the 5’-UTR of the DAT1 gene. From a normative sample of 79 youths, we extrapolated three subgroups a posteriori, i.e., one “vulnerable” with high Internet Addiction Test (IAT) scores (and high Barrat Impulsivity Scale (BIS) scores; n = 9) and two “controls” with low BIS scores and 10/10 vs. 9/x genotype (n = 12 each). Controls also had a “secure” attachment pattern, while genotypes and attachment styles were undistinguished in the vulnerable subgroup (none showed overt Internet addiction). We found a strongly positive correlation in all groups between CpG2 and CpG3. An unsuspected relationship between the 3’-UTR genotype and a 5’-UTR intra-motif link was revealed by CpG5–CpG6 comparison. The negative correlation between the CpG3–CpG5 positions was quite significant in the control groups (both with genotype 10/10 and with genotype 9/x), whereas a tendency toward positive correlation emerged within the high IAT group. In conclusion, future attention shall be focused on the intra-and inter-motif interactions of methylation on the CpG island at the 5′-UTR of DAT1

Electrically tunable detector of THz-frequency signals based on an antiferromagnet

A concept of an electrically tunable resonance detector of THz-frequency signals based on antiferromagnetic/heavy metal (AFM/HM) hetero-structure is proposed. The conversion of a THz-frequency input signal into DC voltage is done using the inverse spin Hall effect in an (AFM/HM) bilayer. An additional bias DC current in the HM layer can be used to vary the effective anisotropy of the AFM, and, therefore, to tune the AFMR frequency. The proposed AFM/HM hetero-structure works as a resonance-type quadratic detector which can be tuned by the bias current in the range of at least 10 percent of the AFMR frequency and our estimations show that the sensitivity of this detector could be comparable to that of modern detectors based on the Schottky, Gunn or graphene-based diodes

Trigo Durum: avaliação da diversidade genética para composição de uma mini-coleção nuclear.

O trigo durum(Triticum durumDesf), chamado de ?trigo para macarrão?,é um dos ancestrais do trigo comum cultivado (T. aestivum (L.) (2n = 4x = 28)). A farinha de trigo durumé preferida na indústria de macarrão por ser pobre em proteínas que dão elasticidade à massa, resultando em maiortempo de cozimento,conferindoao produto a chamada característica de cozimento de macarrão al dente.Esta característica ocorre porque o trigo durum não possui o genoma D, que é responsável pela qualidade de panificação, expressadano trigo comum justamente devido à presença deste genoma.Adicionalmente, a farinha de trigo durumapresenta elevados níveis de caroteno, pigmentos amarelos que dispensamo uso de ovosna fabricação de macarrão(Patel et al., 2018)