The ecology of algae in relation to river water equality surveillance

The broad objectives of the work were to develop standard methods for the routine biological surveillance of river water quality, using the non-planktonic algae. Studies on sampling methodology indicated that natural substrata should be sampled directly wherever possible, but for routine purposes, only a semi-quantitative approach was found to be feasible. Artificial substrata were considered to be useful for sample collection in deeper waters, and of three different types tested, Polythene strips were selected for further investigation essentially on grounds of practicality. These were tested in the deeper reaches of a wide range of river types and water qualities: 26 pool sites in 14 different rivers were studied over a period of 9 months. At each site, the assemblages developing on 3 strips following a 4, or less commonly, an 3 week immersion period were analysed quantitatively. Where possible, the natural substrata were also sampled semi-quantitatively at each site, and at a nearby riffle. The results of this survey were very fragmentary: many strips failed to yield useful data, and the results were often difficult to interpret, and of limited value for water quality surveillance purposes. In one river, the Churnet, the natural substrata at 14 riffle sites were sampled semi-quantitatively on 14 occasions at intervals of 4 weeks. In this survey, the results were more readily interpreted in relation to water quality, and no special data processing was found to be necessary or helpful. Further studies carried out on the filamentous green alga Cladophora showed that this alga may have some value as a bioaccumulation indicator for metals, and as a bioassay organism for the assessment of the algal growth promoting potential of natural river waters.

Equality, diversity and discrimination:a student text

This text is designed specifically for the increasing number of students taking modules in Equality andDiversity, including those taking the CIPD specialist elective Managing Diversity and Equal Opportunities module. The authors’ combined experience is used to offer a mixture of a strong practical focus and a clear academic approach to create a balance of theory and practice. This text is the only accessible, up-to-date and student-focused text in the market that specifically features this subject area. his text is designed specifically for the increasing number of students taking a module in Equality and Diversity. The text contains a range of features to aid student learning, including: - Learning objectives - at the beginning of each chapter summarising the content of the chapter - Tasks - interactive tasks to encourage students to research around the subject - Case studies - thought-provoking examples of practice - Legal cases - examples of legal practice - Key Points - at the end of each chapter, a summary of key issues raised in the chapter - Examples to work through - at the end of each chapter, mini case examples with questions to check students' understanding.

Equality Act 2010

This factsheet for CIPD members was last updated in October 2012. It covers: •Background to the Equality Act 2010 •What does the Equality Act 2010 do? •Key concepts •Other important points •Equality and Human Rights Commission •Action points for employers •CIPD viewpoint •Useful contacts •References •Further reading

Gender equality and religion:a multi-faith exploration of young adults’ narratives

This paper presents findings from research on young adults in the UK from diverse religious backgrounds. Utilizing questionnaires, interviews, and video diaries it assesses how religious young adults understood and managed the tensions in popular discourse between gender equality as an enshrined value and aspirational narrative, and religion as purportedly instituting gender inequality. We show that, despite varied understandings, and the ambivalence and tension in managing ideal and practice, participants of different religious traditions and genders were committed to gender equality. Thus, they viewed gender-unequal practices within their religious cultures as an aberration from the essence of religion. In this way, they firmly rejected the dominant discourse that religion is inherently antithetical to gender equality.

Contesting human rights through institutional reform:a case study of the reform of the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission

This article presents a case study of the recent reform of the United Kingdom Equalities and Human Rights Commission, to address a critical gap in the literature on national human rights institutions (NHRIs) concerning the power of governments to exert control over these institutions through reform processes. Through this analysis, the article demonstrates, first, that NHRIs are affected by contextual factors not only related to the popularity of the human rights agenda but also to wider policy agendas which impact on their status and functions; and second, that attempts by government to exert more administrative control can be significantly problematic for the operational independence of NHRIs.

Europeanization from below:the formation of gender equality policies in the Western Balkans

The article argues that, compared with the other countries in the Western Balkans, the Europeanization of gender equality policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina represents an interesting case of "Europeanization from below". It was not the EU, which called for the introduction of gender equality policies in the Stabilization and Association Process, but domestic policy entrepreneurs, who constructed a "shadow of membership conditionality". They framed their requests as element of the accession process tapping into the aspiration of policy-makers to joining the EU. The case illustrates that Europeanization matters in the Western Balkans, not only in terms of a direct influence of the EU but also because it provides opportunities for domestic policy entrepreneurs to further European objectives themselves.

Encouraging majority support for immigrant access to health services:multiple categorization and social identity complexity as antecedents of health equality

Health disparities between groups remain even after accounting for established causes such as structural and economic factors. The present research tested, for the first time, whether multiple social categorization processes can explain enhanced support for immigrant health (measured by respondents’ behavioral intention to support immigrants’ vaccination against A H1N1 disease by cutting regional public funds). Moreover, the mediating role of individualization and the moderating role of social identity complexity were tested. Findings showed that multiple versus single categorization of immigrants lead to support their right to health and confirmed the moderated mediation hypothesis. The potential in developing this sort of social cognitive intervention to address health disparities is discussed.

The unhappy marriage of religion and politics:problems and pitfalls for gender equality

This article explores how religion as a political force shapes and deflects the struggle for gender equality in contexts marked by different histories of nation building and challenges of ethnic diversity, different state–society relations (from the more authoritarian to the more democratic), and different relations between state power and religion (especially in the domain of marriage, family and personal laws). It shows how ‘private’ issues, related to the family, sexuality and reproduction, have become sites of intense public contestation between conservative religious actors wishing to regulate them based on some transcendent moral principle, and feminist and other human rights advocates basing their claims on pluralist and time- and context-specific solutions. Not only are claims of ‘divine truth’ justifying discriminatory practices against women hard to challenge, but the struggle for gender equality is further complicated by the manner in which it is closely tied up with, and inseparable from, struggles for social and economic justice, ethnic/racial recognition, and national self-determination vis-à-vis imperial/global domination.

Higher education, equality & ethnicity:the attainment gap – what should we be doing?

This brief paper draws upon part of the findings of a HEA Sponsored evaluation of work conducted in 8 Universities across UK aimed at addressing the attainment gap between BME and White students. Following a grounded theory approach, semi-structured interviews with staff at each of the institutions were analysed and three main themes identified: Organisational Sensitivities: Language: and, Ownership. This paper provides a brief discussion of the issues identifying two areas where positive change is needed in institutional practice. The conclusion highlights the complexities of the underlying issues impacting and shaping the Attainment Gap before reaffirming the need to identify and evaluate which interventions are most likely to be transferable across the Sector so as to address the issues and thus enhance the experiences of all students.

Navigating equality:religious young women's perceptions of gender and sexuality equality

Equality has become an important concept within secular-liberal societies (Perrons 2005), with white, secular Western women interpellated as quintessentially embodying this equality (Gill and Scharff 2011; McRobbie 2011; Nayak and Kehily 2008). For religious organizations, the interacting spaces of gender and sexuality constitute two of the most contested terrains in rights-giving, and many religions are seen as less progressive regarding equality vis-à-vis other social institutions (Plummer 2003; Tosh and Keenan 2003; Weeks2007). Young religious women have to articulate how they fit into the contours of secular-liberal equality norms as religious subjects. This chapter will focus on how young religious women living in the UK made sense of equality in the context of their religion, focusing on attitudes to gender equality and sexuality equality.