Trade union managers: invisible actors in Trade union dramas

This paper is concerned with a group of people who are almost entirely absent from the literature on trade union governance, trade union managers. It looks at various governance models and seeks to make links between that literature and analogous literature in the management field, in particular between that on the polyarchal theory of trade union organisation and that on stakeholder management. It concludes that managers have become visible and that they seek to manage their organisations subject to a number of constraints arising in some cases from the fact that management remains a somewhat problematic concept in unions. Although the values of trade union managers result in their taking a positive attitude to the democratic process, the boundaries between their roles and the roles of elected activists in the governance structures are unclear and are consequently contested.School of Managemen

A study of secondary teachers\u27 attitudes toward the use of the graphing calculator to prepare for and perform on the HSPA

The purpose of this research will be to identify the effectiveness of graphing calculators as instructional tools in building the skills needed to demonstrate proficiency on the New Jersey HSPA. To research this topic, teachers from South Jersey high schools were contacted and asked to respond to a survey regarding opinions and observations about the use of the graphing calculator. The survey was created by the researcher in order to investigate how teachers feel graphing calculators influence conceptual understanding of skills tested on the HSPA. The survey will use a Likert scale to measure teacher attitudes about the effect of use of graphing calculators on students\u27 conceptual understanding of skills that are tested on the HSPA. Because of previous research, and research contained here, it is clear that the appropriate use of the graphing calculator in mathematics classrooms will be of great benefit to the growth of students by enhancing conceptual understanding of HSPA skills. It is important that all teachers are properly trained in how to use the calculator appropriately to enhance these skills. Teachers should use the calculator often and include it as part of regular assessment

IDIOSYNCRATIC RISK AND AUSTRALIAN EQUITY RETURNS

In this paper we investigate the relationship between portfolio returns and idiosyncratic risk for Australian stocks. We report that the portfolio with highest idiosyncratic volatility generates an average annual return of over 45%. We observe additionally that the outcome is consistent with an exponential growth process for stock prices. Further, consistent with Malkiel and Xu, we observe that a stock’s idiosyncratic volatility is inversely correlated with the size of the underlying firm. Thus, our model advances an interpretation of the Fama and French finding that portfolios of stocks of small firms offer superior risk-adjusted returns. Moreover, our findings challenge the portfolio theory of Markowitz (1959) and the asset-pricing model of Sharpe (1964).Idiosyncratic risk, Capital Asset Pricing Model, Size effect

Symptom profiles and rates of diagnosis in autistic and other atypically developing infants and toddlers

Although there are many assessment scales that aid in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), very few instruments are designed specifically to identify the condition in the population of infants and toddlers. The primary purpose of this study is to systematically examine the differences between scores on the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT)-Part 1 in a sample of at risk atypically developing children. Participants are children enrolled in Louisiana’s EarlySteps Program, which provides support services (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavior psychology) to infants/toddlers and their families from birth to 36 months of age. All children enrolled in EarlySteps have a medical condition that is likely to result in a developmental delay/atypical development (e.g., premature birth, seizure disorders, Down Syndrome), or are currently diagnosed with developmental delays. Using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), three groups (ASD alone, seizure disorder and ASD, and premature and ASD) were compared on BISCUIT-Part 1 total and subscale scores. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed

Automated Processing and Analysis of Galactic Neutral Hydrogen Absorption Observations

In this research project I analysed the composition and structure of the cold neutral hydrogen (H i) gas at the locations of the MAGMO (Mapping the Galactic Magnetic field through OH masers) survey observations. To enable this analysis I developed an automated pipeline and used that to produce H i absorption and emission spectra from the MAGMO observations. This pipeline was designed with the aim of being applicable to future large surveys such as GASKAP, the Galactic Australian SKA Pathfinder survey. The MAGMO observations targeted the sites of 6.7-GHz methanol masers, which are associated with star-forming regions. These very active regions have complex structures with bubbles formed by stellar winds from young, high mass stars. In these regions it is reasonable to expect there will be significant reserves of cold gas. The MAGMO H i dataset provided an excellent opportunity to examine the cold neutral medium (CNM) towards these regions and to compare it with the overall CNM population. In Chapter 2 I provide a summary of the current knowledge of the Milky Way’s cold H i gas and an introduction to other topics which will assist the reader in understanding the analysis. Chapter 3 provides a detailed description of the data, and the pipeline developed for its analysis. This is more detailed than is typical in order to explain the decisions in developing the automated processing. In Chapter 4 I provide the results from the observations. In Chapter 5 I compare the results to results from similar studies, discuss the overall findings and assess the effectiveness of the processing pipeline. Finally in Chapter 6 I summarise the main findings and discuss future potential for both this data set and the processing pipeline

Unmasking the Annexin I Interaction from the Structure of Apo-S100A11

AbstractS100A11 is a homodimeric EF-hand calcium binding protein that undergoes a calcium-induced conformational change and interacts with the phospholipid binding protein annexin I to coordinate membrane association. In this work, the solution structure of apo-S100A11 has been determined by NMR spectroscopy to uncover the details of its calcium-induced structural change. Apo-S100A11 forms a tight globular structure having a near antiparallel orientation of helices III and IV in calcium binding site II. Further, helices I and IV, and I and I′, form a more closed arrangement than observed in other apo-S100 proteins. This helix arrangement in apo-S100A11 partially buries residues in helices I (P3, E11, A15), III (V55, R58, M59), and IV (A86, C87, S90) and the linker (A45, F46), which are required for interaction with annexin I in the calcium-bound state. In apo-S100A11, this results in a “masked” binding surface that prevents annexin I binding but is uncovered upon calcium binding

Champion of two worlds : a phenomenological investigation of North Carolina early college liaisons' leadership experiences

American high school reform has gone through many configurations during the past three decades. Dual enrollment, in which high school students access college courses for credit that can be applied toward high school and college transcripts simultaneously, is one of the more prevalent types of high school reform (Community College Research Center [CCRC], 2012). During the 2010-2011 academic year, there were slightly more than 2 million dual-credit enrollments in the United States, an astounding 67% increase nationwide in such enrollments since 2002-2003 (CCRC; Collins, 2012; Thomas, Marken, Gray, Lewis, & Ralph, 2013). One form of dual enrollment is early college, a secondary institution, typically located on a college campus, which allows dual-enrolled students the opportunity to earn a college degree while still in high school. In North Carolina, early colleges are initially funded by grants that are awarded by a private-public partnership called the North Carolina New Schools Project (NCNSP) (NCNSP, 2004a). Part of the grant funding pays for the salary of an early college liaison, a community college employee who, among other things, (a) assists in the development of programs of study; (b) coordinates high school and college schedules and calendars; (c) aids in the registration of students; and (d) develops college policies and procedures related to high school students (NCNSP, 2004b). Despite a significant amount of empirical research focused on the early college model, there is a paucity – indeed, a seeming nonexistence – of literature related to the early college liaison. This qualitative phenomenological study filled a gap in the early college and educational partnership literatures by investigating the leadership experiences of early college liaisons – “boundary-spanners” who are tasked with navigating the differing cultures and curricula of K-12 and community college systems. Fourteen early college liaisons provided written reflections and documents for this study, and engaged in recorded interviews that focused on the leadership skills, social traits, and relationships that are required for maintaining student advocacy in a political educational environment. Data showed that early college liaisons (a) form professional relationships and communicate extensively with a wide variety of stakeholders; (b) collaborate closely with faculty and executive leadership on both “sides” of the partnership; (c) engage in diplomacy in a highly political environment; (d) possess knowledge of K-12 and community college cultures and academic requirements; and (e) advocate for students in times of conflict. Because dual enrollment has grown at such a rapid rate in the past decade (CCRC; Collins; Thomas et al.), and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities has recommended an increase in the amount of personnel who can bridge K-12 and higher education (Eddy, 2010), it is imperative that future research be conducted that examines the professional relationships, leadership skills, and social traits that this study unearthed, to explore how they can be applied to forthcoming educational partnerships. Such partnerships are bound to increase as state funding declines and institutions of learning create new avenues for maintaining effectiveness while decreasing financial burdens (Azinger, 2000; Eddy). Such research would lend itself to the dearth of experiential studies focusing on how educational partnerships are planned, initiated, and developed (Miller & Hafner, 2008)

Apoptosis and necrosis: Mechanisms of cell death induced by cyclosporine A in a renal proximal tubular cell line

Apoptosis and necrosis: Mechanisms of cell death induced by cyclosporine A in a renal proximal tubular cell line.BackgroundThe mechanisms of cyclosporine (CsA)-induced nephrotoxicity are not fully understood. While hemodynamic changes may be involved in vivo, there is also some evidence for tubular involvement. We previously showed direct toxicity of CsA in the LLC-PK1 renal tubular cell line. In the current study we examined mechanisms (apoptosis or necrosis) of cell death induced by CsA in the LLC-PK1 renal proximal tubular cell line. The possible role of the Fas (APO-1/CD95) antigen-Fas ligand system in the mediation of CsA-induced cell death was also investigated.MethodsCells were treated with CsA (0.42nm to 83 μm) for 24hours and alterations in DNA and protein synthesis and membrane integrity were examined. Flow cytometry was used to investigate: (i) alterations in the DNA content and cell cycle; (ii) the forward (FSC) and side (SSC) light scattering properties (indicators of cell size and granularity, respectively); (iii) the externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS) as a marker of early apoptosis using FITC-annexin V binding; and (iv) expression of the apoptotic Fas protein. DNA fragmentation in apoptotic cells was also determined by the TUNEL assay.ResultsCsA (all doses) caused a block in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle as indicated by a decrease in DNA synthesis and supported by an increase in the % of cells in the G0/G1 phase with concurrent decreases of those in the S and G2/M phases. The effect on protein synthesis appeared to be much less. Lower doses of CsA (4.2nm) caused the appearance of a “sub-G0/G1” peak, indicative of reduced DNA content, on the DNA histogram that was paralleled by a reduction in cell size and an increased cell granularity and an increase in FITC-annexin V binding. DNA fragmentation was evident in these cells as assessed using the TUNEL assay. Higher doses of CsA increased cell size and decreased cell granularity and reduced membrane integrity. Expression of Fas, the cell surface molecule that stimulates apoptosis, was increased following low dose CsA exposure.ConclusionsThese results indicate that CsA is directly toxic to LLC-PK1 cells with reduced DNA synthesis and cell cycle blockade. The mode of cell death, namely apoptosis or necrosis, is dose dependent. Fas may be an important mediator of CsA induced apoptosis in renal proximal tubular cells