The COVID-19 Crisis and Universal Credit in Glasgow

Policy Scotland researchers Dr Sarah Weakley and Dr David Waite today publish a new working paper on the ways that the COVID-19 crisis has impacted unemployment and the labour market in Glasgow, with a focus on how this crisis is illustrated by Universal Credit data. In this paper they begin to chart the interactions between shifts in the labour market and Universal Credit. Within the context of sharp ruptures to the labour market brought about by the closing of large swathes of the economy, this paper hinges, in the main, on reporting the emerging trends that can be observed for Universal Credit in Glasgow. The paper provides a glimpse of the labour market-Universal Credit challenge at a point in time – a point where great uncertainty still prevails – so much further research will necessarily follow this contribution. This paper, nevertheless, raises issues to look out for as further data emerges [1] and we begin to understand the shape of labour market recovery in Glasgow. Key findings: Sharp ruptures to the labour market are already apparent, yet future policy transitions – including businesses resuming activity safely and furloughing schemes ending – may have pronounced effects on employment and unemployment in Glasgow. We consider how these ruptures are illustrated in data for Universal Credit, the primary working age benefit in the UK. In just one month (early March – early April) nearly 18,000 new people came on to the Universal Credit caseload in Glasgow. They had to wait until at least May in order to receive their first payment. The majority of new UC recipients are young workers and families (aged 25-39), who make up the bulk of the UC caseload in Glasgow (nearly 25,000 people). We are beginning to see an emergence of young people who have had to claim UC (under age 25) – these young people are likely facing much more severe hardship than peers who have their families to fall back on in an economic crisis. Given the nature of this crisis future reports may likely see a larger spike in UC for this group. Most of the new UC recipients are those disconnected from the labour market and are now required to work as a condition of their UC payment. However, vacancies are down in the Glasgow local authority by 65%. It is unclear how this context can complement a welfare state predicated on a buoyant labour market for recipients to easily reengage with work or else be sanctioned. Although the initial spike of UC claims passed relatively quickly, there is a distinct concern of a comparable spike in October when the furlough scheme ends. It is therefore valuable for policymakers to consider programmes that will stimulate employment quickly now, before this spike occurs

National Citizen Service: A Geographical Approach

This three year project examined the state’s motivations behind, the voluntary sector’s engagement with, and young people’s experiences of, National Citizen Service. National Citizen Service (NCS) is a UK government funded voluntary scheme for 15-17 year olds in England and Northern Ireland delivered through a range of social enterprises, charities and private sector partnerships. Since 2011, over 300,000 young people have completed NCS – a short-term programme with two residential experiences and 30 hours of a social action project (further details on page 6). Using NCS as a case-study, and positioning this new scheme within the historical context of youth citizenship development, this research project addresses timely and policy-relevant debates on the state and civil society, and contributes to academic debates on youth citizenship, volunteering and informal education

Regulation of Myometrial Contractility: Defining the Contribution of the MaxiK Potassium Channel and the L- and T-type Calcium Channels

This thesis describes a comprehensive study investigating the roles of the MaxiK potassium channel (KCNMA1), L-Type calcium channel (CACNA1C) and T-Type calcium channel (CACNA1G) in the maintenance of quiescence (relaxed myometrium), the preparation for parturition (non-contracting myometrium) and the regulation of the co-ordinated contractions characteristic of parturition itself (contracting myometrium). The role of these channels was investigated using primary human myometrial cell cultures under relaxed, non-contracting and contracting conditions. Protein studies revealed changes in both the amount and channel isoforms expressed between the different conditions. Protein-protein interaction studies revealed that the KCNMA1 and CACNA1C associated with Caveolin-1, Gαs and β2-Adrenergic Receptor. RNA studies revealed that the different incubation conditions modified expression of total channel mRNA and that of various splice variants. Previous research has demonstrated that the CACNA1C channel C-terminus can function as a transcription factor termed CCAT. Within this thesis inmmunohistochemistry staining and protein localisation studies revealed nuclear localisation of both the CACNA1C and KCNMA1 C-terminii. Therefore, genomic studies were undertaken utilising the ChIP assay, coupled with ChIP sequencing, to study the role of the KCNMA1 channel as a transcription factor. Chip-sequencing data files were then analysed using Galaxy, an open access web-based platform. Peak calling generated 47 peaks, 21 were successfully mapped to known genes, including RB1, JPH2 and MAP3K7. Motif discovery was then undertaken for both the KCNMA1 protein utilising GYM and the successfully mapped peaks using the Panoptic Motif Search Tool. A helix-turn-helix motif was discovered in the C-terminal region of the KCNMA1 protein and ten putative transcription factor binding motifs were discovered within the peak regions. The significance of these findings is discussed

Una revisión del liderazgo educativo

Los equipos directivos están sometidos a fuertes presiones políticas y contextuales que dificultan el ejercicio de un liderazgo instructivo y los abocan, por el contrario, a un desarrollo burocrático, gerencialista y perpetuador de su función. Se revisa la situación a partir de fuentes y expertos significativos de ámbitos tan dispares como Estados Unidos, Finlandia, Rusia o Sudáfrica. El trabajo deja también en evidencia el papel que están jugando las principales revistas internacionales de este campo, una de las cuales dirige uno de los autores de este artículo

Brands of youth citizenship and the politics of scale: National Citizen Service in the United Kingdom

This paper explores the politics of scale in the context of youth citizenship. We propose the concept of ‘brands of youth citizenship’ to understand recent shifts in the state promotion of citizenship formations for young people, and demonstrate how scale is crucial to that agenda. As such, we push forward debates on the scaling of citizenship more broadly through an examination of the imaginative and institutional geographies of learning to be a citizen. The paper's empirical focus is a state-funded youth programme in the UK – National Citizen Service – launched in 2011 and now reaching tens of thousands of 15–17 year olds. We demonstrate the ‘branding’ of youth citizenship, cast here in terms of social action and designed to create a particular type of citizen-subject. Original research with key architects, delivery providers and young people demonstrates two key points of interest. First, that the scales of youth citizenship embedded in NCS promote engagement at the local scale, as part of a national collective, whilst the global scale is curiously absent. Second, that discourses of youth citizenship are increasingly mobilised alongside ideas of Britishness yet fractured by the geographies of devolution. Overall, the paper explores the scalar politics and performance of youth citizenship, the tensions therein, and the wider implications of this study for both political geographers and society more broadly at a time of heated debate about youthful politics in the United Kingdom and beyond

Dissociation of Cross-Sectional Trajectories for Verbal and Visuo Spatial Working Memory Development in Rubinstein Taybi syndrome.

Background. Impairments in working memory (WM) might amplify behavioural difference in genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability (ID) and account for variability in behavioural phenotypes. Murine models of the genetic disorder Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) evidence memory impairments but there is limited research on memory in this syndrome. We examine the cross-sectional trajectory of domains of WM development in RTS. Methods. Individuals with RTS (N = 32) and typically developing (TD) children (N = 89) completed a battery of WM tasks. Participants with RTS also completed an IQ assessment and parent/carers completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). A crosssectional trajectory analysis was conducted. Results. The RTS group showed significant WM deficits relative to mental age on measures of WM span in both verbal and visuo-spatial domains. However, whilst better performance on verbal WM span tasks was positively correlated with higher mental age in RTS, this association was not observed on the visuo-spatial span task despite being evident in the TD comparison group. Conclusions. Individuals with RTS are likely to have difficulties with tasks that rely on WM, above and beyond difficulties predicted by overall ability. In addition, there is a dissociation between the cross-sectional trajectories for verbal and visuo-spatial skills in RTS. Interventions and education strategies for individuals with RTS may need to be tailored to reduce or accommodate these difficulties

Installment Three of "Creating a Sustainable Food Future": Achieving Replacement Level Fertility

How can the world adequately feed more than 9 billion people by 2050 in a manner that advances economic development and reduces pressure on the environment? This is one of the paramount questions the world faces over the next four decades. Answering it requires a "great balancing act" of three needs -- each of which must be simultaneously met. First, the world needs to close the gap between the food available today and that needed by 2050. Second, the world needs agriculture to contribute to inclusive economic and social development. Third, the world needs to reduce agriculture's impact on the environment. The forthcoming 2013-14 World Resources Report, Creating a Sustainable Food Future, seeks to answer this question by proposing a menu of solutions that can achieve the great balancing act. "Achieving Replacement Level Fertility" profiles one of these solutions or "menu items," and is an installment in a series of working papers leading up to the World Resources Report. Since the 1980s, the World Resources Report has provided decisionmakers from government, business, and civil society with analyses and insights on major issues at the nexus of development and the environment. For more information about the World Resources Report and to access previous installments and editions, visit www.worldresourcesreport.or

Psycho-Education and Group Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Clinical Perfectionism: A Case-Series Evaluation

Background: Research indicates that psycho-education and cognitive behavioural interventions can reduce perfectionism but to date no group treatments have been examined. Aims: The current study utilized a case series design to compare psycho-education materials and subsequent eight-week group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to a baseline waitlist in an outpatient community psychiatry sample (n = 21). Method: Participants were assessed on five occasions: baseline, 4 weeks later (waitlist), 4 weeks after receiving psycho-education material, post-treatment (8 weeks after receiving the group intervention), and 3-month follow-up. Results: There was a main effect of time for perfectionism and negative affect from baseline to post-group (effect sizes ranging from 1.46 to 1.91) that were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: These results suggested that group CBT for clinical perfectionism may be beneficial, but that psycho-education alone is not effective for reducing perfectionism or negative affect

Acetylation of PAMAM dendrimers for cellular delivery of siRNA

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The advancement of gene silencing via RNA interference is limited by the lack of effective short interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery vectors. Rational design of polymeric carriers has been complicated by the fact that most chemical modifications affect multiple aspects of the delivery process. In this work, the extent of primary amine acetylation of generation 5 poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers was studied as a modification for the delivery of siRNA to U87 malignant glioma cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PAMAM dendrimers were reacted with acetic anhydride to obtain controlled extents of primary amine acetylation. Acetylated dendrimers were complexed with siRNA, and physical properties of the complexes were studied. Dendrimers with up to 60% of primary amines acetylated formed ~200 nm complexes with siRNA. Increasing amine acetylation resulted in reduced polymer cytotoxicity to U87 cells, as well as enhanced dissociation of dendrimer/siRNA complexes. Acetylation of dendrimers reduced the cellular delivery of siRNA which correlated with a reduction in the buffering capacity of dendrimers upon amine acetylation. Confocal microscopy confirmed that escape from endosomes is a major barrier to siRNA delivery in this system.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Primary amine acetylation of PAMAM dendrimers reduced their cytotoxicity to U87 cells, and promoted the release of siRNA from dendrimer/siRNA complexes. A modest fraction (approximately 20%) of primary amines of PAMAM can be modified while maintaining the siRNA delivery efficiency of unmodified PAMAM, but higher degrees of amine neutralization reduced the gene silencing efficiency of PAMAM/siRNA delivery vectors.</p

Binding loci of RelA-containing nuclear factor-kappaB dimers in promoter regions of PHM1-31 myometrial smooth muscle cells.

Human parturition is associated with many pro-inflammatory mediators which are regulated by the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) family of transcription factors. In the present study, we employed a ChIP-on-chip approach to define genomic loci within chromatin of PHM1-31 myometrial cells that were occupied by RelA-containing NF-κB dimers in response to a TNF stimulation of 1 h. In TNF-stimulated PHM1-31 cells, anti-RelA serum enriched 13 300 chromatin regions; importantly, 11 110 regions were also enriched by anti-RelA antibodies in the absence of TNF. DNA sequences in these regions, from both unstimulated or TNF-stimulated PHM1-31 cultures, were associated with genic regions including IκBα, COX-2, IL6RN, Jun and KCNMB3. TNF-induced binding events at a consensus κB site numbered 1667; these were represented by 112 different instances of the consensus κB motif. Of the 1667 consensus κB motif occurrences, 770 (46.2%) were identified within intronic regions. In unstimulated PHM1-31 cells, anti-RelA-serum-enriched regions were associated with sequences corresponding to open reading frames of ion channel subunit genes including CACNB3 and KCNB1. Moreover, in unstimulated cells, the consensus κB site was identified 2116 times, being defined by 103 different sequence instances of this motif. Of these 2116 consensus κB motifs, 1089 (51.5%) were identified within intronic regions. Parallel expression array analyses in PHM1-31 cultures demonstrated that TNF stimulated a >2-fold induction in 51 genes and a fold repression of >1.5 in 18 others. We identified 14 anti-RelA-serum-enriched genomic regions that correlated with 17 TNF-inducible genes, such as COX2, Egr-1, Jun, IκBα and IL6, as well as five regions associated with TNF-mediated gene repression, including Col1A2