The application of systems of performance related remuneration in the UK food industry

This study investigates the relationship (or correlation) between the performance of employees and their remuneration in the United Kindgom (UK) food industry. Within the study, remuneration systems which involve a correlation between the performance of employees and their remuneration are referred to as Performance Related Remuneration (PRR). Since the early 1980's, the use of performance based remuneration within UK organisations has increased to a level never witnessed before. Such remuneration systems have generally been employed as part of a wider management strategy to improve employee and organisational performance. In the companies of the 1990's, it has become `normal' to find part of the total remuneration package tied to individual, group or organisational performance. There are many systems of PRR in use in the 1990's and these include various forms of merit pay, profit related pay, payment by results, commission, profit sharing and employee share ownership plans. This thesis is motivated by the increasing use of performance based remuneration systems and focuses on the use of such systems within one specific industry - the UK food industry. The aim of the thesis is to identify trends relating to the use of PRR within the industry and in particular examine the extent to which PRR is used, why such systems are used, the various systems in operation, and the way in which the various systems are implemented and managed. The first part of the thesis contains a substantive literature review which examines several important aspects of PRR. The remainder of the thesis is concerned with the data gathered on the use of PRR within the UK food industry

Glucocorticoid Receptor Binding Induces Rapid and Prolonged Large-Scale Chromatin Decompaction at Multiple Target Loci.

Glucocorticoids act by binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which binds to specific motifs within enhancers of target genes to activate transcription. Previous studies have suggested that GRs can promote interactions between gene promoters and distal elements within target loci. In contrast, we demonstrate here that glucocorticoid addition to mouse bone-marrow-derived macrophages produces very rapid chromatin unfolding detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) at loci associated with GR binding. Rapid chromatin decompaction was generally not dependent on transcription at those loci that are known to be inducible in both mouse and human macrophages and was sustained for up to 5 days following ligand removal. Chromatin decompaction was not dependent upon persistent GR binding, which decayed fully after 24 hr. We suggest that sustained large-scale chromatin reorganization forms an important part of the response to glucocorticoid and might contribute to glucocorticoid sensitivity and resistance

ANTHROPOMETRY AND STRENGTH PREDICTORS OF GRINDING PERFORMANCE IN AMERICA'S CLIP SAILORS

This study aimed to determine what anthropometric and strength factors could predict performance in America's Cup grinding. Eleven male America's Cup sailors were measured for 42 anthropometric dimensions, and bench pull strength, and their power output was obtained from repeated eight-second maximal bursts of high load backwards grinding. Strength and body mass had the highest relationships with grinding performance. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that strength was the major determinant in grinding ability, explaining 64% of the known variance in grinding performance. Total arm length and total leg length were the best anthropometric predictors of performance, each explaining 9% of the remaining variance

Is the perception of time pressure a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity among women?

Objectives To describe the proportion of women reporting time is a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity, the characteristics of these women and the perceived causes of time pressure, and to examine associations between perceptions of time as a barrier and consumption of fruit, vegetables and fast food, and physical activity.Design A cross-sectional survey of food intake, physical activity and perceived causes of time pressure.Setting A randomly selected community sample.Subjects A sample of 1580 women self-reported their food intake and their perceptions of the causes of time pressure in relation to healthy eating. An additional 1521 women self-reported their leisure-time physical activity and their perceptions of the causes of time pressure in relation to physical activity.Results Time pressure was reported as a barrier to healthy eating by 41 % of the women and as a barrier to physical activity by 73 %. Those who reported time pressure as a barrier to healthy eating were significantly less likely to meet fruit, vegetable and physical activity recommendations, and more likely to eat fast food more frequently.Conclusions Women reporting time pressure as a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity are less likely to meet recommendations than are women who do not see time pressure as a barrier. Further research is required to understand the perception of time pressure issues among women and devise strategies to improve women’s food and physical activity behaviours

TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF SELECTED ERGOMETER GRINDING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Reliability of grinding performance on a custom-built ergometer was assessed using 18 highly trained America’s Cup sailors. Sixteen grinding conditions varied by load, deck heel (tilt), and grinding direction (forward or backward) were examined. Performance measures were peak power (W) and external work over five seconds (kJ). Statistics were difference in mean (Mdiff), standard error of measurement (SEM) and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). External work (SEM = 1.6-6.9%; ICC = 0.91-0.99) was more reliable than peak power (SEM = 1.3-9.6%; ICC = 0.84-0.99). Performance was more consistent when varied by load than by heel condition, and was most reliable in lighter load conditions. Within heel conditions, downhill-uphill tilt was more reliable than right-left tilt. Grinding direction did not appear to affect performance reliability

AMERICA'S CUP GRINDERS' POWER OUTPUT CAN BE IMPROVED WITH A BIOMECHANICAL TECHNIQUE INTERVENTION

Grinding provides the power behind tacking and gybing, where the yacht crosses the wind to change direction. This study evaluated the effect of a technique intervention on grinding performance. Ten America's Cup grinders were assessed, via videoed joint kinematics and grinder ergometer power output, before and after a technique intervention based on biomechanical principles. Anthropometric measures were obtained from each grinder using ISAK protocols. Maximal strength was assessed using 1 RM bench pull. The intervention produced a 4.7% increase in mean power output (p = 0.012). Regression analysis indicated predictors for grinding performance were COM. position and maximal strength

Microglia deficiency accelerates prion disease but does not enhance prion accumulation in the brain: Microglia and prion disease

Prion diseases are transmissible, neurodegenerative disorders associated with misfolding of the prion protein. Previous studies show that reduction of microglia accelerates central nervous system (CNS) prion disease and increases the accumulation of prions in the brain, suggesting that microglia provide neuroprotection by phagocytosing and destroying prions. In Csf1r (ΔFIRE) mice, the deletion of an enhancer within Csf1r specifically blocks microglia development, however, their brains develop normally and show none of the deficits reported in other microglia‐deficient models. Csf1r (ΔFIRE) mice were used as a refined model in which to study the impact of microglia‐deficiency on CNS prion disease. Although Csf1r (ΔFIRE) mice succumbed to CNS prion disease much earlier than wild‐type mice, the accumulation of prions in their brains was reduced. Instead, astrocytes displayed earlier, non‐polarized reactive activation with enhanced phagocytosis of neuronal contents and unfolded protein responses. Our data suggest that rather than simply phagocytosing and destroying prions, the microglia instead provide host‐protection during CNS prion disease and restrict the harmful activities of reactive astrocytes