Better Off Working? Work, Poverty And Benefit Cycling

A study of the work experiences of a group of low-skilled workers over five years. Concern has been growing about the extent to which paid work is an effective route out of poverty and the extent of churning between work and benefits that can result in recurrent poverty. Using both interview and survey data, this report examines work pathways, experiences of retention and progression, and feelings of financial strain among a group of lone parents and former long-term unemployed people who have entered work. The report covers: • people’s perceptions of poverty and financial strain and how this relates to their movements in and out of work; • people’s trajectories in work and the factors facilitating or constraining work retention; • the relationship between work trajectories and moving into ‘better work’; • what enables or constrains people in their attempts to progress in work; and • tensions and trade-offs between retention and progression

Analysis of Two-Year College Presidents\u27 Ranking of the American Association of Community Colleges\u27 Leadership Competencies

Two-year colleges face a leadership shortage in the next decade. Those who lead two-year colleges need to be prepared to meet challenges of the 21st century and demands of the institution internally and externally, of new technology, and of curriculum. Research led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has resulted in the identification of six leadership competencies needed for the two-year college presidency: organizational strategy; resource management; communication, collaboration, advocacy, and professionalism. To determine sitting two-year college presidents\u27 ranking of those competencies, the researcher adapted an AACC survey that was sent to 425 two-year college presidents in the Southern Regional Educational Board service area. Using the Freidman two-way analysis of variance by ranks led the researcher to reject the hypothesis that the competencies were equal; thus the researcher used the Wilcoxon signed ranks test to determine where the differences were located. The major finding indicated that organizational strategy is relatively more important than resource management, communication, collaboration, and professionalism in the current role of leading two-year institutions. 2 To determine if institutional or individual factors affected those rankings, the researcher used the Mann-Whitney test and the Kruskall-Wallis test to detect group differences in the rankings. When considering how the factors of gender, institution size by Carnegie classification, or length of tenure affected the relative importance of the competencies, female two-year college presidents consider organizational strategy and communication relatively more important than male two-year presidents. Regardless of institution size, the six competencies were equal. Resource management is relatively more important to two-year presidents who have served 4-10 years. Further investigation needs to be done on how the competencies are being used by two-year institutions of higher education, non-degree leadership programs, and staff development trainers

Adsorption and Reduction of Actinides on Iron and Aluminum (oxyhydr)oxides.

Mineral-water interface geochemistry plays a critical role in the understanding the integrity of underground geologic repositories where nuclear waste will be disposed of. This dissertation seeks to provide a fundamental understanding of how sorption and/or redox processes at mineral surfaces influence the mobility of actinides, specifically plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U). Unique and novel approaches combining experiments and atomistic modeling were utilized to make detailed studies on the structure, thermodynamics, kinetics, and reaction mechanisms between actinide/metal complexes and mineral surfaces. In Chapter 1, a series of computational simulations are used to explain the how substrates can strain the lattice of fcc PuO2, in turn leading to the formation of non-fcc Pu nanocolloids on the surface of goethite. The remainder of the dissertation (Chapters 2-5) investigates synergistic effects between sorption and/or redox processes and mineral surfaces in controlling the mobility of U. First, the reduction U(VI)aq by Fe(II)aq is not observed in the absence of a solid substrate (at neutral pH, anoxic conditions) using batch experiments. Ab initio calculations coupled with Marcus Theory (MT) complement experimental observations, showing that electron transfer (ET) from Fe(II)aq to U(VI)aq is inhibited by high energetics associated with the dehydration and inner-sphere complexation of Fe and U. Heterogeneous catalysis of U(VI) reduction by Fe(II) in the presence of Fe and Al (oxyhydr)oxide minerals is also studied using batch experiments and ab initio models. These experiments specifically probe how a mineral’s electronic properties affect the redox rate. U(VI) reduction by Fe(II) is measured to be ten times faster in the presence of semiconducting Fe(oxyhydr)oxides compared to their insulating Al isostructures using batch experiments. Models demonstrate that the enhanced catalytic abilities on semiconducting mineral surfaces are potentially heavily influenced by the proximity effect, where a semiconducting surface transports electrons between adsorbed electron donors and acceptors. MT was applied to describe the kinetics of mineral-catalyzed redox reactions in ternary, coadsorbed systems for the first time. In particular, it is found that interfacial and surficial ET reactions in hematite may possibly be energetically limiting steps for ET through a semiconducting surface to occur via the proximity effect.PhDGeologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113413/1/sfernan_1.pd

The Logic of Equity Practice in Queensland State Education - 2010

This paper reports on an interview based study which explored the implementation of a major policy initiative in Queensland, Australia, with particular attention to social justice issues. Interviews were conducted with key policy actors in three sections of the bureaucracy: strategic directions, performance and measurement; curriculum and assessment; and workforce and professional development. We were interested in the ways in which the tensions between redistributive and recognitive approaches to social justice were being managed in the bureaucracy. We drew on Bourdieu’s concepts of field, logic of practice, political discourse, habitus, capital, and symbolic power struggles to theorise the politics of discourse associated with such policy implementation processes within bureaucracies. The interview data revealed differences in approaches to equity issues and in the language used in the three sections of the bureaucracy. We argue that these differences, associated with the different priorities of the three sections and their differing roles in the implementation processes, reflect the different logics of practice operating within the different sections. The final section of the paper discusses the implications of the analysis for theorising equity and difference in education policy in new times, and considers the value of Bourdieu’s concepts for theorising policy implementation processes

Special Needs Adoption: Characteristics of Children Who Wait

Children who have been removed from their birth parent(s)\u27 care, due to abuse, neglect, or other maltreatment are generally placed in one of several out-of home placement arrangements. The birth parents of many of these children subsequently have their parental rights terminated, and these children then become wards of the State. For this thesis, case records of seventy children who are wards of the State of Minnesota receiving services from the Hennepin County Children and Family Services Department Adoption Program\u27 were reviewed for the purpose of gathering descriptive information about this population. This study found that number of placements, Iength of time waiting for an adoptive resource, and numbers of diagnoses, labels, and services were greater for the older children in this population. The findings suggest a need for minimizing the number of placement transitions which children must maker as well as a need for targeted, specialized recruitment of potential adoptive parents

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards: Jeopardizing Efforts Toward Educational Equity?

This study evaluated the academic performance of financial aid recipients at the Southern College of Technology over a two year period after the U.S. Department of Education required that a satisfactory academic progress policy be imposed as a condition for receiving further financial aid. Based on the findings of this study, the author argues that the students who are academically disadvantaged are not served equitably by the satisfactory academic progress policy

A Dose of Selenium That Goes a Long Way

In western parts of the United States where some rugged ranges can only be reached by horseback, ranchers often find themselves saddling up weekly to deliver mineral supplements to livestock grazing in nutrient-deficient regions, especially areas scarce in selenium. The routine is not only time-consuming but also costly, and in some leased-land arrangements, such supplementation practices are prohibited. Selenium, a trace mineral and component of important selenoprotein antioxidants, is essential for good health in livestock and humans. If the body cannot form these important antioxidant proteins, it predisposes the animal to sickness and eventually death at a young age. Selenium deficiency in livestock affects more than 35 states and costs sheep, beef, and dairy producers an estimated $545 million in losses each year. Lack of adequate selenium in sheep reduces conception rates, increases neonatal mortality, and in some instances, causes white muscle disease—nutritional muscular dystrophy. Lambs that do survive suffer from increased disease, reduced weight gain, and impaired performance

Short-Interval Cortical Inhibition and Intracortical Facilitation during Submaximal Voluntary Contractions Changes with Fatigue

This study determined whether short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) change during a sustained submaximal isometric contraction. On 2 days, 12 participants (6 men, 6 women) performed brief (7-s) elbow flexor contractions before and after a 10-min fatiguing contraction; all contractions were performed at the level of integrated electromyographic activity (EMG) which produced 25 % maximal unfatigued torque. During the brief 7-s and 10-min submaximal contractions, single (test) and paired (conditioning–test) transcranial magnetic stimuli were applied over the motor cortex (5 s apart) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in biceps brachii. SICI and ICF were elicited on separate days, with a conditioning–test interstimulus interval of 2.5 and 15 ms, respectively. On both days, integrated EMG remained constant while torque fell during the sustained contraction by ~51.5 % from control contractions, perceived effort increased threefold, and MVC declined by 21–22 %. For SICI, the conditioned MEP during control contractions (74.1 ± 2.5 % of unconditioned MEP) increased (less inhibition) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 86.0 ± 5.1 %; P \u3c 0.05). It remained elevated in recovery contractions at 2 min (82.0 ± 3.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and returned toward control at 7-min recovery (76.3 ± 3.2 %). ICF during control contractions (conditioned MEP 129.7 ± 4.8 % of unconditioned MEP) decreased (less facilitation) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 107.6 ± 6.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and recovered to 122.8 ± 4.3 % during contractions after 2 min of recovery. Both intracortical inhibitory and facilitatory circuits become less excitable with fatigue when assessed during voluntary activity, but their different time courses of recovery suggest different mechanisms for the fatigue-related changes of SICI and ICF