Evaluating Electronic Local Government in the Uk

An array of UK government initiatives have been launched since 1997, collectively being known as the local government modernization agenda. This can be seen as an attempt to transform the structures and performance of local authorities in the UK. A parallel set of initiatives, the electronic government agenda, were launched in 2000 and have attempted to extend the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within local government. This paper describes the context for and themes within both agendas, the aim being to describe the existing and likely dynamics of the relationship between innovations in ICTs within local government and the modernization of local government. The paper presents an analysis of the electronic government strategies of 22 Welsh unitary authorities and uses this analysis for highlighting a number of issues relating to the progress of the electronic local government agenda within the UK. The paper concludes with a call for longitudinal investigation in this area

The Application of Teaching Quality indicators in Saudi Higher Education by the perspective of academics

This paper investigated the level of application of teaching quality indicators (TQIs) in Saudi higher education by the perspective of academics. Data were collected through an online survey of 467 academics in 21 Faculties of Education (SFEs). The online survey consisted of (20) items. Participants were asked to indicate the level of application of TQIs in SFEs. The study is important as it deals with the sensitive issue of teaching quality in higher education and its indicator, which is reflected upon in a positive way to enhance the teaching and learning quality in Saudi universities, and particular SFEs. Findings reveal the overall mean scores of the level of application of TQIs was an ‘Occasionally level’. The results also showed that there were statistically significant differences attribute to the age, level of education and years of teaching experience in higher education. Based on these findings, this paper provides recommendations to planning for achieving TQ in Saudi higher education, taking into consideration the perspectives of academics, their involvement in the processes of planning and improving TQ, and the policies and procedures developed to guide the application of TQIs in Saudi higher education, particular in SFEs. Keywords: teaching quality; indicators; planning, faculties of education; Saudi higher educatio

The Effect of Different Training Loads on the Lung Health of Competitive Youth Swimmers

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(6): 999-1018, 2018. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation, and respiratory symptoms are common in competitive swimmers, however it is unclear how volume and intensity of training exacerbate these problems. Thus, our purpose was to measure AHR, inflammation, and respiratory symptoms after low, moderate, and high training loads in swimmers. Competitive youth swimmers (n=8) completed nine weeks of training split into three blocks (Low, Moderate, and High intensity). Spirometry at rest and post-bronchial provocation [Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperpnea (EVH)] and Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) were completed at the end of each training block. A weekly self-report questionnaire determined respiratory symptoms. Session Rating of Perceived Exertion (sRPE) quantified internal training loads. Internal load was significantly lower after Moderate training (4840 ± 971 AU) than after High training (5852 ± 737 AU) (p= 0.02, d= 1.17). Pre-EVH FEV1was significantly decreased after Moderate (4.52 ± 0.69 L) compared to Low (4.74 ± 0.63 L) (p= 0.025, d= 0.326), but not different from High load. Post-EVH FeNO after Moderate training was significantly decreased (9.4 ± 4.9 ppb) compared to Low training (15.4 ± 3.6 ppb) (p= 0.012, r= 0.884).Respiratory symptom frequency was significantly correlated with percent decrease in FEV120 minutes post-EVH after Low and Moderate loads (both ρ= -0.71, sig = 0.05), and after High load was significantly correlated with percent decrease in FEV1at 10 (ρ= -0.74, sig = 0.03), 15 (ρ= -0.91, sig = 0.00), and 20 minutes post (ρ= -0.75, sig = 0.03). In conclusion, Moderate load training resulted in the worst lung health results, suggesting there may be factors other than the total amount of stress within training blocks that influence lung health. Further research is needed to determine the effect of manipulating specific acute training load variables on the lung health of swimmers

The Effect of Different Training Loads on the Lung Health of Competitive Youth Swimmers

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(6): 999-1018, 2018. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation, and respiratory symptoms are common in competitive swimmers, however it is unclear how volume and intensity of training exacerbate these problems. Thus, our purpose was to measure AHR, inflammation, and respiratory symptoms after low, moderate, and high training loads in swimmers. Competitive youth swimmers (n=8) completed nine weeks of training split into three blocks (Low, Moderate, and High intensity). Spirometry at rest and post-bronchial provocation [Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperpnea (EVH)] and Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) were completed at the end of each training block. A weekly self-report questionnaire determined respiratory symptoms. Session Rating of Perceived Exertion (sRPE) quantified internal training loads. Internal load was significantly lower after Moderate training (4840 ± 971 AU) than after High training (5852 ± 737 AU) (p= 0.02, d= 1.17). Pre-EVH FEV1was significantly decreased after Moderate (4.52 ± 0.69 L) compared to Low (4.74 ± 0.63 L) (p= 0.025, d= 0.326), but not different from High load. Post-EVH FeNO after Moderate training was significantly decreased (9.4 ± 4.9 ppb) compared to Low training (15.4 ± 3.6 ppb) (p= 0.012, r= 0.884).Respiratory symptom frequency was significantly correlated with percent decrease in FEV120 minutes post-EVH after Low and Moderate loads (both ρ= -0.71, sig = 0.05), and after High load was significantly correlated with percent decrease in FEV1at 10 (ρ= -0.74, sig = 0.03), 15 (ρ= -0.91, sig = 0.00), and 20 minutes post (ρ= -0.75, sig = 0.03). In conclusion, Moderate load training resulted in the worst lung health results, suggesting there may be factors other than the total amount of stress within training blocks that influence lung health. Further research is needed to determine the effect of manipulating specific acute training load variables on the lung health of swimmers

The Fornax Spectroscopic Survey: The Number of Unresolved Compact Galaxies

We describe a sample of thirteen bright (18.5<Bj<20.1) compact galaxies at low redshift (0.05<z<0.21) behind the Fornax Cluster. These galaxies are unresolved on UK Schmidt sky survey plates, so would be missing from most galaxy catalogs compiled from this material. The objects were found during initial observations of The Fornax Spectroscopic Survey. This project is using the Two-degree Field spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope to obtain spectra for a complete sample of all 14000 objects, stellar and non-stellar, with 16.5<Bj<19.7, in a 12 square degree area centered on the Fornax cluster of galaxies. The surface density of compact galaxies with magnitudes 16.5<Bj<19.7 is 7+/-3 /sq.deg., representing 2.8+/-1.6% of all local (z<0.2) galaxies to this limit. There are 12+/-3 /sq.deg. with 16.5<Bj<20.2. They are luminous (-21.5<Mb<-18.0, for H0=50 km/s/mpc) and most have strong emission lines (H alpha equivalent widths of 40-200 A) and small sizes typical of luminous HII galaxies and compact narrow emission line galaxies. Four out of thirteen have red colors and early-type spectra, so are unlikely to have been detected in any previous surveys.Comment: LaTeX source; 5 pages including 3 figures; uses emulateapj.st

Superoxide radicals can act synergistically with hypochlorite to induce damage to proteins

AbstractActivated phagocytes generate both superoxide radicals via a respiratory burst, and HOCl via the concurrent release of the haem enzyme myeloperoxidase. Amine and amide functions on proteins and carbohydrates are major targets for HOCl, generating chloramines (RNHCl) and chloramides (RC(O)NClR′), which can accumulate to high concentrations (>100 μM). Here we show that superoxide radicals catalyse the decomposition of chloramines and chloramides to reactive nitrogen-centred radicals, and increase the extent of protein fragmentation compared to that observed with either superoxide radicals or HOCl, alone. This synergistic action may be of significance at sites of inflammation, where both superoxide radicals and chloramines/chloramides are formed simultaneously

Electronic Consultation at the National Assembly for Wales

Significant developments are occurring in the domain of electronic government within the UK – the use of ICT to enable re-structuring of governmental processes. In this paper we look at that subset of e-Government known as electronic democracy. In particular, we describe how electronic consultation, an important facet of electronic democracy, is being used to procure ideas from partnership organisations and citizenry in relation to the policy formulation processes at a devolved regional assembly in the UK – the National Assembly for Wales (NAfW). We utilise a process model of governance focused around the concept of the policy cycle. This process is currently being enabled at the NAfW through the development of a series of bespoke ICT systems. Such forms of ICT innovation are seen by many to be significant ways in which government may re-engage with its populace, address issues of social exclusion in the area of democratic participation and generally re-energise the democratic process

A kinetic and theoretical study of the borate catalysed reactions of hydrogen peroxide: the role of dioxaborirane as the catalytic intermediate for a wide range of substrates

Our recent work has provided new insights into the equilibria and species that exist in aqueous solution at different pHs for the boric acid – hydrogen peroxide system, and the role of these species in oxidation reactions. Most recently, (M. C. Durrant, D. M. Davies and M. E. Deary, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2011, 9,7249–7254), we have produced strong theoretical and experimental evidence for the existence of a previously unreported monocyclic three membered peroxide species, dioxaborirane, that is the likely catalytic species in borate mediated electrophilic reactions of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline solution. In the present paper, we extend our study of the borate–peroxide system to look at a wide range of substrates that include substituted dimethyl anilines, methyl-p-tolyl sulfoxide, halides, hydrogen sulfide anion, thiosulfate ,thiocyanate, and hydrazine. The unusual selectivity–reactivity pattern of borate catalysed reactions compared with hydrogen peroxide and inorganic or organic peracids previously observed for theorganic sulfides (D. M. Davies, M. E. Deary, K. Quill and R. A. Smith, Chem.–Eur. J., 2005, 11, 3552–3558) is also seen with substituted dimethyl aniline nucleophiles. This provides evidence that the pattern is not due to any latent electrophilic tendency of the organic sulfides and further supports dioxaborirane being the likely reactive intermediate, thus broadening the applicability of this catalytic system. Moreover, density functional theory calculations on our proposed mechanism involving dioxaborirane are consistent with the experimental results for these substrates. Results obtained at high concentrations of both borate and hydrogen peroxide require the inclusion the diperoxodiborate dianion in the kinetic analysis .A scheme detailing our current understanding of the borate–peroxide system is presented

Beyond Access: Bridging the Digital Divide

This paper describes the theoretical underpinnings of an ongoing research project that is examining the relationship between e-Democracy and the ‘digital divide’. The literature surrounding the Digital Divide is reviewed, and the importance of equitable physical access to ICTs in the drive to bridge the issue of social exclusion examined. It is argued that any discussion of the phenomenon of the digital divide must look beyond equitable physical access and take into consideration issues mentioned separately in the literature – ‘real access’, ‘reach’ and ‘socially responsible connectivity’