14 research outputs found
If local authorities are to succeed in increasing voter registration amongst young people, they must make use of direct recruitment
We are seeing increasing attention given to the issue of young people’s electoral participation. Electoral registration, the first step in the voting process, is one area in which activities to encourage a more electorally active youth might be targeted. Using data and feedback from a Cabinet Office evaluation of local authority activities aimed at maximising registration, Charlotte Snelling, explores how the lessons learnt might be applied to young people. She argues that while it is important to continue developing innovative methods of engagement, direct recruitment remains a significant factor in determining whether an individual becomes active or not
“School’s out!” A Test of Education’s Turnout Raising Potential
Youth turnout in the UK is falling despite young people representing arguably the most educated generation. This article examines education’s role in social sorting, contending that the positive impact of educational expansion on electoral participation is tempered by relative education concerns. Using the 2011 UK Citizens in Transition Survey, it argues that education affects turnout by determining young people’s positioning within social networks. Some of these networks are more politicised than others. Individuals with relatively lower educational status continue to be excluded from more politically engaged networks – irrespective of their educational attainment – and as such lack the mobilisation and greater sense of political efficacy required to vote
Puzzling participants or disaffected citizenry? Re-examining education’s impacts on the electoral mobilisation of Britain’s youth
This thesis extends our understanding of a ‘puzzle of participation’ (Brody 1978). Across
established Western democracies, turnout in elections has been steadily falling - at the
same time, society is modernising. Central to this latter phenomenon is educational
expansion, a process in which there is increased higher education (HE) enrolment, rising
attainment levels, and even wider citizenship education. Under classic civic education
hypotheses, such factors are anticipated to increase political literacy, raise electoral
interest, and provide encouraging environments for political participation. Hence, the
patterns we observe in turnout present as paradoxical. This is especially evident among
the very youngest electors, who comprise arguably the most educated generation yet but
are also the least likely to vote. The thesis thus poses the question: Why is the
comparatively higher level of education enjoyed by young people today not associated with
a higher level of voter turnout?
My response takes inspiration from Norris’s ‘critical citizens’ (1999, 2011) and combines
this with repertoire replacement (Dalton 2008; Norris 2003) and sorting model (Nie et
al 1996) theories to develop an argument based on a multiplicity of education effects on
turnout. Specifically, I present a thesis which contends that higher levels of education
today encourage the emergence of a non-voting disaffected citizenry, characterised by
two distinct dimensions. The first, a dissatisfied-disaffection is thought to be present
among growing student populations. It is this demographic group which, in response to
its members’ HE experiences, is challenging established political processes, becoming
more demanding of an active role in politics, and turning to alternative participation
activities when opportunities arise. Within this I posit two non-voter types: (a)
frustrated electors, committed to voting yet exasperated by the responsiveness of
political actors and their policy offers at elections, and (b) engaged activists, pointedly
rejecting voting in favour of more direct and ongoing influencing activities. The second
dimension reflects alienated-disaffection. Here, individuals who lack HE experience are
seeing their status and position decline in line with educational inflation, and, as a
consequence, experience limited political network mobilisation, find their confidence for
participation falling, and so withdraw from politics altogether. They are marginalised
citizens. Meanwhile, a number of young people will continue to vote, receiving
encouragement from their social networks and partisan attachments; mobilised voters.
This thesis makes its contributions in testing and refining these propositions in the case
of the British electorate using data from the British Election Study, British Participation
Survey, and the Citizens in Transition Survey. Through a range of statistical techniques
(including logistic regression, latent class analysis, and structural equation modelling) I
devise new ways of operationalising disaffection, and assess its varied impact on turnout.
This thesis progresses to explore typologies of participation repertoires, within which
combinations of disaffection attitudes and turnout behaviours exist. It then examines in
more detail the educational mechanisms through which these occur
Think Small, Build Big:Lessons from SME Housebuilding in Germany
There has been a catastrophic decline in the size of England’s SME housebuilding sector. This is not the case in Germany, where the SME sector dominates the housebuilding market. We diagnose a ‘toxic triangle’ of problems facing English SME builders, with mutually reinforcing problems stemming from the planning system, the land market, and insufficient access to finance. Drawing on experience from Germany, we recommend to government a seven-point plan to give England the greatest prospect of revitalising its SME building sector, thus making a substantially greater contribution to housing output
Characterization of complex polysorbate formulations by means of shape-selective mass spectrometry
Complex synthetic formulations based on polysorbates can be challenging to characterize. They may be composed of many similar products including those of the same molecular weight, which cannot be readily separated by separation science approaches. Carbon number variation and ethylene oxide distribution add to the complexity. The properties of these formulations will be dependent on the chemical structure and relative concentration of formulation components. Here we describe the use of two experimental approaches based on mass spectrometry to provide enhanced characterization of these formulations. The first utilizes an atmospheric pressure solids analysis probe to rapidly determine the percentage content of individual esters in a formulation. These are shown to be in good agreement with product specification sheets. In a second approach, mobility separation has been integrated into a MALDI-MS/MS experiment to categorize major, minor, and trace ingredients. Components of identical molecular mass in the polysorbate formulations have been separated by ion mobility and then fragmented for additional characterization. The rapidity and level of structural detail provided by these experiments offers a significant opportunity to develop practical screening methods for complex formulations
Characterization of Complex Polysorbate Formulations by Means of Shape-Selective Mass Spectrometry
Complex synthetic formulations based on polysorbates
can be challenging
to characterize. They may be composed of many similar products including
those of the same molecular weight, which cannot be readily separated
by separation science approaches. Carbon number variation and ethylene
oxide distribution add to the complexity. The properties of these
formulations will be dependent on the chemical structure and relative
concentration of formulation components. Here we describe the use
of two experimental approaches based on mass spectrometry to provide
enhanced characterization of these formulations. The first utilizes
an atmospheric pressure solids analysis probe to rapidly determine
the percentage content of individual esters in a formulation. These
are shown to be in good agreement with product specification sheets.
In a second approach, mobility separation has been integrated into
a MALDI-MS/MS experiment to categorize major, minor, and trace ingredients.
Components of identical molecular mass in the polysorbate formulations
have been separated by ion mobility and then fragmented for additional
characterization. The rapidity and level of structural detail provided
by these experiments offers a significant opportunity to develop practical
screening methods for complex formulations
New Structural Insights into Mechanically Interlocked Polymers Revealed by Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry
Mechanically interlocked polymers can possess significant
additional physical properties, in comparison to those associated
with their constituent parts. Their unique properties make them attractive
for a range of potential applications, such as as biomaterials and
molecular machines. Their efficient and reproducible synthesis is
therefore of much interest. Both their synthesis and subsequent characterization
are intriguing yet demanding. The properties of mechanically interlocked
polymeric systems depend not only on the properties of their individual
components but also on the topology of the subsequent product. Here
traveling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry has been used to investigate
the structural properties of a polyrotaxane system. Ion mobility studies
reveal that this system remains linear in form with increase in size.
Both ion mobility studies and tandem mass spectrometry studies indicate
that the macrocycle preferentially remains associated with the ammonium
moiety of the polymeric repeat unit and is impeded from moving freely
along the axle. This is consistent with NMR observations of the average
structure. Analysis of mechanically interlocked polymers by ion mobility
mass spectrometry provides additional structural insights into these
systems relating to dynamics, heterogeneity, and topology. This molecule-specific
information is vital in order to understand the origin of a system’s
functional properties
The Incidence of Erosive Esophagitis as a Complication of Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Introduction. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms commonly occur during diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and typically resolve with treatment. However, GI complications can persist after DKA resolves. The incidence of upper GI bleeding during DKA in adults has been described, with erosive esophagitis one of the most common lesions. The incidence of GI bleeding or erosive esophagitis in children with DKA has not been previously reported. We performed a retrospective chart review of DKA admissions in children 0 to <18 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) at a pediatric hospital between January 2009 and July 2016. Among 395 episodes of DKA over 7.5 years, erosive esophagitis occurred during two DKA admissions (0.5%) and there were no episodes of GI bleeding. Case presentations. Both episodes of erosive esophagitis occurred in adolescent males with known T1DM who presented with severe DKA. Both developed odynophagia after resolution of DKA and were readmitted for DKA recurrence. Upper endoscopy for both patients showed erosive esophagitis. Biopsies were negative for infection, though candida was found during one patient’s endoscopy. Both had resolution of their esophagitis symptoms with medication management; neither has had recurrence. Conclusion. Erosive esophagitis, a rare complication of pediatric DKA, can manifest with odynophagia or substernal chest pain. This complication can lead to DKA recurrence, likely due to increased insulin resistance from inflammation and pain and from reduced oral intake and insulin administration. Patients with odynophagia associated with DKA should be monitored closely to allow timely evaluation and treatment of esophagitis