Changes in the Relationship between the Outcomes of Cohabiting Partnerships and Fertility among Young British Women: Evidence from the 1958 and 1970 Birth Cohort Studies

We investigate the effects of a range of time-varying fertility indicators, including pregnancy, and the presence and characteristics of children, on the outcomes of nonmarital unions for two cohorts of British women. We compare the effect of conceptions and births on the odds that a cohabiting partnership is dissolved or that it is converted to marriage for women born in 1958 and 1970. The analysis uses a multilevel competing risks model to allow for multiple partnerships and conceptions, and to distinguish between two outcomes of cohabiting unions (separation and marriage). We also use a multiprocess model, in which the outcomes of cohabitation are modelled simultaneously with fertility, to allow for the potential joint determination of partnership and childbearing decisions. The analysis is based on partnership and birth histories between the ages of 16 and 29, and social background, in the National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study

Resistively heated columns for liquid chromatography

Interest in temperature as a modifier in HPLC separations has increased markedly recently due to miniaturisation, new stable hybrid stationary phases and the use of superheated water as an eluent. However, for decades temperature has generally been regarded as a parameter that should be kept constant in LC separations for retention reproducibility but there is now a mountain of journal papers supporting the use of this variable. Currently, the limit of implementation usually arises from the lack of LC ovens on the market capable of high temperature applications. This led to the development of a resistively heated LC oven which allowed rapid reproducible heating/cooling patterns of RP columns thus reducing equilibration times and realising high sample throughput. The main objective was to drive temperature programming to a new extreme by rapid column heating akin to GC rather than LC, the emphasis being to produce much sharper peaks very rapidly. It was hoped that temperature gradients could replace solvent gradients and extend the applicability of temperature-programming for hyphenation to other forms of detection. New column materials were sought and tested against high speed temperature gradients. This coupled with micro-column technology should reduce analysis time and appreciably limit the amount of solvent waste currently being generated by conventional LC techniques. The column heating was achieved by two system components, the oven and the eluent pre-heater unit both based on resistive heating. Post-column cooling prior to detection minimised baseline disturbances imposed by a temperature gradient and enabled the use of detection modes such as MS, RI and ELSD as well as UV spectroscopy

A short history of the successes and failures of the international climate change negotiations

The last 35 years have been a period of intense and continuous international negotiations to deal with climate change. During the same period of time humanity has doubled the amount of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There has, however, been progress and some notable successes in the negotiations. In 2015, at COP21 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 196 countries adopted the Paris Agreement stating that they would limit global temperatures to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and would pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The first review of the Paris Agreement was at COP26 in Glasgow with many countries pledging to go to net zero emissions by the middle of the century. But currently these pledges, if fulfilled, will only limit the global average temperature to between 2.4°C and 2.8°C. At COP27 in Egypt the core agreements from the Glasgow Climate Pact were maintained and countries finally agreed to set up a loss and damage facility – although details of who will provide the finance and who can claim are still be to be worked out. This article reviews the key moments in the history of international climate change negotiations and discusses what the key objectives are for future COP meetings

Digital Decisions in UK Higher Education : How Leaders and Influencers Perceive and Manage Digital Access

Universities in the UK, where they are regulated by the Office for Students, are required to show how they support a ‘whole university approach’ to support students from widening participation backgrounds through their Access and Participation Plans (APPs) and manage any risks that they may foresee via the Equal Opportunity Risk Register (EOPP). This is in part a commitment from the sector to broaden its reach and encourage more ‘non-traditional’ students into degree level education, as well as a requirement from the regulator to be able to charge the highest-level fees. Despite the ubiquitous nature of educational technology, there seems to be little recognition of this widening participation approach across digital education teams. This qualitative study provides rich accounts from a diverse range of leaders and influencers from across the UK, who have shared their views of the implementation of digital education according to their perception of the needs of their users. It brings together the voices of senior leaders, including heads of professional services and external service providers, and explores their perceptions of the digital education needs of non-traditional students. Taking a socio-technical critical perspective, it outlines the issues that occur as a result of a lack of communication between those on the ground and those responsible for providing effective digital access, including the confusion that arises from viewing educational technology as a ‘means to an end’ (Selwyn, 2010), without acknowledging the social factors involved. It also reflects on how the lack of a common understanding of digital access results in a haphazard attention to the needs of non-traditional students

Mental and substance use disorders in sub-saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years

The world is undergoing a rapid health transition, with an ageing population and disease burden increasingly defined by disability. In Sub-Saharan Africa the next 40 years are predicted to see reduced mortality, signalling a surge in the impact of chronic diseases. We modelled these epidemiological changes and associated mental health workforce requirements. Years lived with a disability (YLD) predictions for mental and substance use disorders for each decade from 2010 to 2050 for four Sub-Saharan African regions were calculated using Global Burden of Disease 2010 study (GBD 2010) data and UN population forecasts. Predicted mental health workforce requirements for 2010 and 2050, by region and for selected countries, were modelled using GBD 2010 prevalence estimates and recommended packages of care and staffing ratios for low- and middle-income countries, and compared to current staffing from the WHO Mental Health Atlas. Significant population growth and ageing will result in an estimated 130% increase in the burden of mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050, to 45 million YLDs. As a result, the required mental health workforce will increase by 216,600 full time equivalent staff from 2010 to 2050, and far more compared to the existing workforce. The growth in mental and substance use disorders by 2050 is likely to significantly affect health and productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce this burden, packages of care for key mental disorders should be provided through increasing the mental health workforce towards targets outlined in this paper. This requires a shift from current practice in most African countries, involving substantial investment in the training of primary care practitioners, supported by district based mental health specialist teams using a task sharing model that mobilises local community resources, with the expansion of inpatient psychiatric units based in district and regional general hospitals

Genomic priming of the antisecretory response to estrogen in rat distal colon throughout the estrous cycle.

The secretion of Cl(-) across distal colonic crypt cells provides the driving force for the movement of fluid into the luminal space. 17beta-Estradiol (E2) produces a rapid and sustained reduction in secretion in females, which is dependent on the novel protein kinase C delta (PKC delta) isozyme and PKA isoform I targeting of KCNQ1 channels. This sexual dimorphism in the E2 response is associated with a higher expression level of PKC delta in female compared with the male tissue. The present study revealed the antisecretory response is regulated throughout the female reproductive (estrous) cycle and is primed by genomic regulation of the kinases. E2 (1-10 nm) decreased cAMP-dependent secretion in colonic epithelia during the estrus, metestrus, and diestrus stages. A weak inhibition of secretion was demonstrated in the proestrus stage. The expression levels of PKC delta and PKA fluctuated throughout the estrous cycle and correlated with the potency of the antisecretory effect of E2. The expression of PKC delta and PKA were up-regulated by estrogen at a transcriptional level via a PKC delta-MAPK-cAMP response element-binding protein-regulated pathway indicating a genomic priming of the antisecretory response. PK Cdelta was activated by the membrane-impermeant E2-BSA, and this response was inhibited by the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780. The 66-kDa estrogen receptor-alpha isoform was present at the plasma membrane of female colonic crypt cells with a lower abundance found in male colonic crypts. The study demonstrates estrogen regulation of intestinal secretion both at a rapid and transcriptional level, demonstrating an interdependent relationship between both nongenomic and genomic hormone responses

Does loving a group mean hating its rivals? Exploring the relationship between ingroup cohesion and outgroup hostility among soccer fans

Why does group loyalty sometimes take the form of cooperation or peaceful competition with rival groups and, at other times, violent outgroup hostility? We approached this question using online surveys and an experimental manipulation with British soccer fans. Identity fusion (a visceral sense of “oneness” with the group) is known to motivate strong forms of pro-group action, both peaceful and violent. We identified three crucial factors that influence fused supporters’ intergroup behaviours: age, gender, and exposure to out-group threat. Intergroup behaviours included ingroup altruism (e.g., giving one’s time, or emotional/financial support), barrier-crossing altruism (altruistic acts toward rival fan groups), and outgroup hostility (e.g., insulting, spitting at, or physically attacking). Overall, fused fans were more hostile towards outgroups than were weakly fused fans, but they prioritised ingroup altruism over outgroup hostility, and were most likely to report high levels of barrier-crossing altruism. Older fused fans desired future outgroup hostility only under high threat conditions. A clearer understanding of the factors that modulate these different behaviours is a crucial first step in devising more effective ways of reducing intergroup hostility and, crucially, of channelling extreme forms of group alignment into peaceful forms of prosocial action