Liberalization and the public sector:the pre-eminent role of governments in the ‘sale’ of higher education abroad

Much recent scholarship concerning liberalization has emphasized the role of regulatees, rather than governments, in promoting liberalization. This article examines such scholarship in the light of an important development in the British and French public sectors—the creation of new agencies (the Education Counselling Service and EduFrance) to ‘sell’ British and French higher education to potential international students. The new agencies attempted to induce two things: competition amongst higher education institutions for the recruitment of international students from developed and emerging economy countries, and the commodification of these students. This article shows that, contrary to existing theories of liberalization, governments were pre-eminent in pushing forward this liberalization, while higher education institutions attempted to hold it back.

Functional recombinant protein is present in the pre-induction phases of Pichia pastoris cultures when grown in bioreactors, but not shake-flasks

Background - Pichia pastoris is a widely-used host for recombinant protein production; expression is typically driven by methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase (AOX) promoters. Recently this system has become an important source of recombinant G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for structural biology and drug discovery. The influence of diverse culture parameters (such as pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, medium composition, antifoam concentration and culture temperature) on productivity has been investigated for a wide range of recombinant proteins in P. pastoris. In contrast, the impact of the pre-induction phases on yield has not been as closely studied. In this study, we examined the pre-induction phases of P. pastoris bioreactor cultivations producing three different recombinant proteins: the GPCR, human A2a adenosine receptor (hA2aR), green fluorescent protein (GFP) and human calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor component protein (as a GFP fusion protein; hCGRP-RCP-GFP). Results - Functional hA2aR was detected in the pre-induction phases of a 1 L bioreactor cultivation of glycerol-grown P. pastoris. In a separate experiment, a glycerol-grown P. pastoris strain secreted soluble GFP prior to methanol addition. When glucose, which has been shown to repress AOX expression, was the pre-induction carbon source, hA2aR and GFP were still produced in the pre-induction phases. Both hA2aR and GFP were also produced in methanol-free cultivations; functional protein yields were maintained or increased after depletion of the carbon source. Analysis of the pre-induction phases of 10 L pilot scale cultivations also demonstrated that pre-induction yields were at least maintained after methanol induction, even in the presence of cytotoxic concentrations of methanol. Additional bioreactor data for hCGRP-RCP-GFP and shake-flask data for GFP, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), the human tetraspanins hCD81 and CD82, and the tight-junction protein human claudin-1, demonstrated that bioreactor but not shake flask cultivations exhibit recombinant protein production in the pre-induction phases of P. pastoris cultures. Conclusions - The production of recombinant hA2aR, GFP and hCGRP-RCP-GFP can be detected in bioreactor cultivations prior to methanol induction, while this is not the case for shake-flask cultivations of GFP, HRP, hCD81, hCD82 and human claudin-1. This confirms earlier suggestions of leaky expression from AOX promoters, which we report here for both glycerol- and glucose-grown cells in bioreactor cultivations. These findings suggest that the productivity of AOX-dependent bioprocesses is not solely dependent on induction by methanol. We conclude that in order to maximize total yields, pre-induction phase cultivation conditions should be optimized, and that increased specific productivity may result in decreased biomass yields.

Mesozoic to recent evolution of the Andean forearc of northern Chile (22-24 s)

The Andean forearc of northern Chile comprises four morphotectonic units, which include from east to west: 1) The Cordillera de la Costa: composed of Jurassic granites and andesites, thought to represent a volcanic arc, the Mejillones terrane, an accreted allochthonous terrane, and the Lower Cretaceous Coloso basin, which formed through forearc extension along the suture between the Mejillones terrane and the Jurassic arc. Palaeomagnetic studies of the above units have identified approximately 29+/-11 degrees of clockwise rotation. Rotation is due to extension (caused by subduction roll back and slab pull), at an angle to the direction of absolute motion of the South American Plate. 2) The Central Depression: a large arid basin containing isolated fault-bounded blocks of pre-Mesozoic metamorphosed igneous rocks, Triassic sediments and volcanics, and Jurassic carbonates, deposited in a. back-arc basin setting. The isolated blocks formed through extension along previous thrust faults, these originated through compression of the back-arc basin due to accretion of the Jurassic volcanic arc. 3) The Precordillera.: composed of Permian-Triassic rift-related sediments and volcanics, Jurassic continental sediments synchronous with back-arc basin sedimentation, and Cretaceous and Oligo-Miocene continental sediments deposited in foreland basins. Palaeomagnetism has identified clockwise rotation in rocks ranging in age from Jurassic-Miocene. Rotation in the Precordillera. affected larger structural blocks than in the Cordillera de la Costa. 4) The Salar Depression: a. series of arid continental basins developed on continental crust. These basins nay have originated in the Triassic, when rifting of the South American craton is thought to have taken place. In conclusion, palaeomagnetic and geological evidence is consistent with the view that the north Chilean forearc was largely under an extensional stress regime. However, the presence of extensive compressional structures in Palaeocene and older rocks in the forearc together with the currently active foreland thrust belt of Argentina. indicate that throughout the evolution of the Andean Orogen, a delicate balance between compressional and extensional tectonic regimes has existed.

Mitigation of patterning effects at 40 Gbits/s by skewed channel pre-encoding

Through direct modeling, a reduction of pattern-dependent errors in a standard fiber-based transmission link at 40 Gbits/s rate is demonstrated by application of a skewed data pre-encoding. The trade-off between the improvement of the bit error rate and the loss in the data rate is examined.

Is inflammation the cause of pre-eclampsia?

It has been proposed that either excessive inflammation or an imbalance in angiogenic factors cause pre-eclampsia. In the present review, the arguments for and against the role of inflammation and/or angiogenic imbalance as the cause of pre-eclampsia are discussed on the basis of the Bradford-Hill criteria for disease causation. Although both angiogenic imbalance and systemic inflammation are implicated in pre-eclampsia, the absence of temporality of inflammatory markers with pre-eclampsia challenges the concept that excessive inflammation is the cause of pre-eclampsia. In contrast, the elevation of anti-angiogenic factors that precede the clinical signs of pre-eclampsia fulfils the criterion of temporality. The second most important criterion is the dose-response relationship. Although such a relationship has not been proven between pro-inflammatory cytokines and pre-eclampsia, high levels of anti-angiogenic factors have been shown to correlate with increased incidence and disease severity, hence satisfying this condition. Finally, as the removal of circulating sFlt-1 (soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-1) from pre-eclamptic patients significantly improves the clinical outcome, it fulfils the Hill's experiment principle, which states that removal of the cause by an appropriate experimental regimen should ameliorate the condition. In contrast, treatment with high doses of corticosteroid fails to improve maternal outcome in pre-eclampsia, despite suppressing inflammation. Inflammation may enhance the pathology induced by the imbalance in the angiogenic factors, but does not by itself cause pre-eclampsia. Development of therapies based on the angiogenic and cytoprotective mechanisms seems more promising.

Mitigation of patterning effects at 40 Gbits/s by skewed channel pre-encoding

Through direct modeling, a reduction of pattern-dependent errors in a standard fiber-based transmission link at 40 Gbits/s rate is demonstrated by application of a skewed data pre-encoding. The trade-off between the improvement of the bit error rate and the loss in the data rate is examined. © 2007 Optical Society of America.

The dynamics of organizational change : an analysis of power, professions and new managerialism in the case of CoastElectric

It is widely accepted that the Thatcher years and their immediate aftermath were associated with substantive social and organizational change. The privatisation programme, 'the rolling back of the State', prosecuted by the successive Conservative Governments from 1979-1997 was a central pillar of Governmental policy. This thesis seeks to engage with privatization through the of CoastElectric, a newly privatised Regional Electricity Company. This thesis contributes to the extant understanding of the dynamics of organizational change in four major ways. Firstly, the study into CoastElectric addresses the senior management decision making within the organization: in particular, it will attempt to make sense of 'why' particular decisions were made. The theoretical backdrop to this concern will draw on the concepts of normalization, cultural capital and corporate fashion. The argument presented in this thesis is that the decision-making broadly corresponded with that which could be considered to be at the vanguard of mangerialist thought. However, a detailed analysis suggested that at different junctures in CoastElectric's history there were differences in the approach to decision making that warranted further analysis. The most notable finding was that the relative levels of new managerialist cultural capital possessed by the decision-making elite had an important bearing upon whether the decision was formulated either endogenously or exogenously, with the assistance of cultural intermediaries such as management consultants. The thesis demonstrates the importance of the broader discourse of new managerialism in terms of shaping what is considered to be a 'commonsensical, rational' strategy. The second concern of this thesis is that of the process of organizational change. The study of CoastElectric attempts to provide a rich account of the dynamics of organizational change. This is realized through, first, examining the pre-existing context of the organization; second, through analyzing the power politics of change interventions. The master concepts utilised in this endeavour are that of: dividing practices, the establishment of violent hierarchies between competing discourses; symbolic violence; critical turning points; recursiveness; creative destruction; legitimation strategies and the reconstitution of subjects in the workplace.

The experiences of South Asian university students in the British education system and in their search for work

This research aimed to provide a comparative analysis of South Asian and White British students in their academic attainment at school and university and in their search for employment. Data were gathered by using a variety of methodological techniques. Completed postal questionnaires were received from 301 South Asian and White British undergraduates from 12 British universities, who were in their final year of study in 1985. In depth interviews were also conducted with 49 graduates who were a self selected group from the original sample. Additional information was also collected by using diary report forms and by administering a second postal questionnaire to selected South Asian and White British participants. It was found that while the pre-university qualifications of the White British and South Asian undergraduates did not differ considerably, many members in the latter group had travelled a more arduous path to academic success. For some South Asians, school experiences included the confrontation of racist attitudes and behaviour, both from teachers and peers. The South Asian respondents in this study were more likely than their White British counterparts, to have attempted some C.S.E. examinations, obtained some of their `O' levels in the Sixth Form and retaken their `A' levels. As a result the South Asians were on average older than their White British peers when entering university. A small sample of South Asians also found that the effects of racism were perpetuated in higher education where they faced difficulty both academically and socially. Overall, however, since going to university most South Asians felt further drawn towards their `cultural background', this often being their own unique view of `Asianess'. Regarding their plans after graduation, it was found that South Asians were more likely to opt for further study, believing that they needed to be better qualified than their White British counterparts. For those South Asians who were searching for work, it was noted that they were better qualified, willing to accept a lower minimum salary, had made more job applications and had started searching for work earlier than the comparable White British participants. Also, although generally they were not having difficulty in obtaining interviews, South Asian applicants were less likely to receive an offer of employment. In the final analysis examining their future plans, it was found that a large proportion of South Asian graduates were aspiring towards self employment.

A magnetoencephalographic study of low-level auditory processing in developmental dyslexia

The possibility that developmental dyslexia results from low-level sensory processing deficits has received renewed interest in recent years. Opponents of such sensory-based explanations argue that dyslexia arises primarily from phonological impairments. However, many behavioural correlates of dyslexia cannot be explained sufficiently by cognitive-level accounts and there is anatomical, psychometric and physiological evidence of sensory deficits in the dyslexic population. This thesis aims to determine whether the low-level (pre-attentive) processing of simple auditory stimuli is disrupted in compensated adult dyslexics. Using psychometric and neurophysiological measures, the nature of auditory processing abnormalities is investigated. Group comparisons are supported by analysis of individual data in order to address the issue of heterogeneity in dyslexia. The participant pool consisted of seven compensated dyslexic adults and seven age and IQ matched controls. The dyslexic group were impaired, relative to the control group, on measures of literacy, phonological awareness, working memory and processing speed. Magnetoencephalographic recordings were conducted during processing of simple, non-speech, auditory stimuli. Results confirm that low-level auditory processing deficits are present in compensated dyslexic adults. The amplitude of N1m responses to tone pair stimuli were reduced in the dyslexic group. However, there was no evidence that manipulating either the silent interval or the frequency separation between the tones had a greater detrimental effect on dyslexic participants specifically. Abnormal MMNm responses were recorded in response to frequency deviant stimuli in the dyslexic group. In addition, complete stimulus omissions, which evoked MMNm responses in all control participants, failed to elicit significant MMNm responses in all but one of the dyslexic individuals. The data indicate both a deficit of frequency resolution at a local level of auditory processing and a higher-level deficit relating to the grouping of auditory stimuli, relevant for auditory scene analysis. Implications and directions for future research are outlined.

On the mechanisms of cerebellar synaptic plasticity

Changes in the strength of signalling between neurones are thought to provide a cellular substrate for learning and memory. In the cerebellar cortex, raising the frequency and the strength of parallel fibre (PF) stimulation leads to a long-term depression (LTD) of the strength of signalling at the synapse between PFs and Purkinje cells (PCs), which spreads to distant synapses to the same cell via a nitric oxide (NO) dependent mechanism. At the same synapse, but under conditions of reduced post-synaptic calcium activity, raised frequency stimulation (RFS) of PFs triggers a long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission. The aims of the work described in this thesis were to investigate the conditions necessary for LTD and LTP at this synapse following RFS and to identify the origins and second messenger cascades involved in the induction and spread of LTP and LTD. In thin, parasagittal cerebellar slices whole cell patch clamp recordings were made from PCs and the effects of RFS of one of two, independent PF inputs to the same PC were examined under a range of experimental conditions. Under conditions designed to reduce post-synaptic calcium activity, RFS to a single PF input led to LTP and a decreases in paired pulse facilitation (PPF) in both pathways. This heterosynaptic potentiation was prevented by inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA) or by inhibition of NO synthase with either 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) or NG Nitro-L-argenine methyl ester. Inhibition of guanylate cyclase (GC) or protein kinase G (PKG) had no effect. A similar potentiation was observed upon application of the adenylyl cyclase (AC) activator forskolin or the NO donor spermine NONOate. Both of these treatments also resulted in an increase in the frequency of mEPSCs, which provides further evidence for a presynaptic origin of LTP. Forskolin induced potentiation and the increase in mEPSC frequency were blocked by 7-NI. The styryl dye FM1-43, a fluorescent reporter of endo- and exocytosis, was also used to further examine the possible pre-synaptic origins of LTP. RFS or forskolin application enhanced FM1-43 de-staining and NOS inhibitors blocked this effect. Application of NONOate also enhanced FM1-43 de-staining. When post-synaptic calcium activity was less strictly buffered, RFS to a single PF input led to a transient potentiation that was succeeded by LTD in both pathways. This LTD, which resembled previously described forms, was prevented by inhibition of the NO/cGMP/PKG cascade. Modification of the AC/cAMP/PKA cascade had no effect. In summary, the direction of synaptic plasticity at the PF-PC synapse in response to RFS depends largely on the level of post-synaptic calcium activity. LTP and LTD were non-input specific and both forms of plasticity were dependent on NOS activity. Induction of LTP was mediated by a presynaptic mechanism and depended on NO and cAMP production. LTD on the other hand was a post-synaptic process and required activity of the NO/cGMP/PKG signalling cascade.

The diagenesis and palaeomagnetism of permian and triassic sediments from central Spain

Detailed diagenetic and palaeomagnetic studies have been made of Permian and Triassic rocks from the Iberian Cordillera, Spain. Five stratigraphical units comprising the Autunian, Saxonian, Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk, and Keuper have been studied in a number of sections which have been well documented sedimentologically. Autuninan rocks have a characteristic remanence which is exclusively reversed and corresponds to the Kiaman Interval. The pole position identified is consistent with previous studies, which indicate the rotation of Iberia in post-Triassic times. The Saxonian facies show complex multicomponent magnetizations; no polarity zonation can be resolved. The Buntsandstein is remarkable in that much of it is remagnetised in a direction similar to the present-day local geomagnetic field direction. The secondary remanence is carried by fine-grained haematite which has been formed as a result of carbonate dissolution associated with structural inversion of the Iberian Cordillera. Dating of diagenetic events associated with this remagnetization is also possible. Fragments of primary remanence are preserved in some fine-grained lithologies of the Buntsandstein. These indicate that normal and reversed zones of magnetization were originally present. The magnetization of the Muschelkalk and Keuper carbonates is also complex; secondary components similar to those of the Buntsandstein are present but there is evidence that primary components were predominantly normal during Karnian times.

Public sector investment appraisal:the place of flexibility in the decision making process

This thesis reviews the main methodological developments in public sector investment appraisal and finds growing evidence that appraisal techniques are not fulfilling their earlier promise. It is suggested that an important reason for this failure lies in the inability of these techniques to handle uncertainty except in a highly circumscribed fashion. It is argued that a more fruitful approach is to strive for flexibility. Investment projects should be formulated with a view to making them responsive to a wide range of possible future events, rather than embodying a solution which is optimal for one configuration of circumstances only. The distinction drawn in economics between the short and the long run is used to examine the nature of flexibility. The concept of long run flexibility is applied to the pre-investment range of choice open to the decisionmaker. It is demonstrated that flexibility is reduced at a very early stage of decisionmaking by the conventional system of appraisal which evaluates only a small number of options. The pre-appraisal filtering process is considered further in relation to decisionmaking models. It is argued that for public sector projects the narrowing down of options is best understood in relation to an amended mixed scanning model which places importance on the process by which the 'national interest ' is determined. Short run flexibility deals with operational characteristics, the degree to which particular projects may respond to changing demands when the basic investment is already in place. The tension between flexibility and cost is noted. A short case study on the choice of electricity generating plant is presented. The thesis concludes with a brief examination of the approaches used by successive British governments to public sector investment, particularly in relation to the nationalised industries

Formulation and process engineering of freeze-dried orally disintegrating tablets

Orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) which are also referred to as orodispersible and fast disintegrating tablets, are solid oral dosage forms which upon placing on the tongue, disperse/disintegrate rapidly before being swallowed as a suspension or solution. ODTs are therefore easier and more convenient to administer than conventional tablets and are particularly beneficial for paediatric and geriatric patients, who generally have difficulty swallowing their medication. The work presented in this thesis involved the formulation and process development of ODTs, prepared using freeze-drying. Gelatin is one of the principal excipients used in the formulation of freeze-dried ODTs. One of the studies presented in this thesis investigated the potential modification of the properties of this excipient, in order to improve the performance of the tablets. As gelatin is derived from animal sources, a number of ethical issues surround its use as an excipient in pharmaceutical preparations. This was one of the motivations, Methocel™ and Kollicoat® IR were evaluated as binders as alternative materials to gelatin. Polyox™ was also evaluated as a binder together with its potential uses as a viscosity increasing and mucoadhesive agent to increase the retention of tablets in the mouth to encourage pre-gastric absorption of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The in vitro oral retention of freeze-dried ODT formulations was one property which was assessed in a design of experiments – factorial design study, which was carried out to further understand the role that formulation excipients have on the properties of the tablets. Finally, the novel approach of incorporating polymeric nanoparticles in freeze-dried ODTs was investigated, to study if the release profile of APIs could be modified, which could improve their therapeutic effect. The results from these studies demonstrated that the properties of gelatin-based formulations can be modified by adjusting pH and ionic strength. Adjustment of formulation pH has shown to significantly reduce tablet disintegration time. Evaluating Methocel™, in particular low viscosity grades, and Kollicoat® IR as binders has shown that these polymers can form tablets of satisfactory hardness and disintegration time. Investigating Polyox™ as an excipient in freeze-dried ODT formulations revealed that low viscosity grades appear suitable as binders whilst higher viscosity grades could potentially be utilised as viscosity increasing and mucoadhesive agents. The design of experiments – factorial design study revealed the influence of individual excipients in a formulation mix on resultant tablet properties and in vitro oral retention of APIs. Novel methods have been developed, which allows the incorporation of polymeric nanoparticles in situ in freeze-dried ODT formulations, which allows the modification of the release profile of APIs.

On stopwords, filtering and data sparsity for sentiment analysis of Twitter

Sentiment classification over Twitter is usually affected by the noisy nature (abbreviations, irregular forms) of tweets data. A popular procedure to reduce the noise of textual data is to remove stopwords by using pre-compiled stopword lists or more sophisticated methods for dynamic stopword identification. However, the effectiveness of removing stopwords in the context of Twitter sentiment classification has been debated in the last few years. In this paper we investigate whether removing stopwords helps or hampers the effectiveness of Twitter sentiment classification methods. To this end, we apply six different stopword identification methods to Twitter data from six different datasets and observe how removing stopwords affects two well-known supervised sentiment classification methods. We assess the impact of removing stopwords by observing fluctuations on the level of data sparsity, the size of the classifier's feature space and its classification performance. Our results show that using pre-compiled lists of stopwords negatively impacts the performance of Twitter sentiment classification approaches. On the other hand, the dynamic generation of stopword lists, by removing those infrequent terms appearing only once in the corpus, appears to be the optimal method to maintaining a high classification performance while reducing the data sparsity and substantially shrinking the feature space