An Investigation into the Link between UK Credit Union Characterisitics, Location and their Success

The unique characteristics of credit unions reduces the information asymmetry that is prevalent in credit making decisions, enabling them to provide loans where other financial institutions cannot. This makes them a potential tool in the fight against financial exclusion. Yet, the UK credit union movement is not regarded as being successful, even though there is evidence of much financial exclusion. This study is cross sectional in form, and evaluates characteristics that may contribute to the success of the UK credit union movement at national and regional level, in 2000. The findings are used to consider the impact of recent regulatory changes on the movement. The key findings are that there is a significant relationship between the success of a credit union, its size and the deprivation of the ward from which it sources its members. More specifically, larger credit unions and those located in more affluent wards, are more successful. Affiliation to the Irish League of Credit Unions and having a common bond of occupation, are also found to be contributing factors to credit union success. These results are taken as providing support for the recent changes implemented by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which is likely to result in the emergence of larger credit unions (through mergers), run by appropriately qualified persons, serving a more mixed-income membership base. It is, however, noted that the history of the UK movement is one of missed opportunities and only time will tell whether credit unions have the wherewithal to accept current opportunities.

Factors affecting adherence to use of hip protectors amongst residents of nursing homes - A correlation study

Background: Hip protectors are protective pads designed to cover the greater trochanter and attenuate or disperse the force of a fall sufficiently to prevent a hip fracture. Promising results from randomised controlled trials in nursing homes have resulted in hip protectors being widely recommended in the health care literature and in national guidelines. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to identify characteristics of individual residents, and the organisational features of the homes in which they live, which may affect adherence to wearing hip protectors. Design: An observational, correlation study designed to identify factors related to adherence. Setting: Forty nursing and residential homes in the UK. Participants: 1346 residents of the homes who were not confined to bed and with no pressure sore on the hip. Methods: The introduction of an evidence-based policy to offer Safehips hip protectors to residents free of charge and with support from a nurse facilitator. Adherence to wearing the hip protectors was observed over 72 weeks. Results: Initial acceptance of the hip protectors was 37.2%. Continued adherence was 23.9% at 24 weeks; 23.2% at 48 weeks; and 19.9% at 72 weeks. Greater adherence was associated with the following individual resident characteristics: a greater degree of dependency (95% CI 1.39 - m3.78) and cognitive impairment (95% CI 1.01 - 2.98); being male rather than female (95% CI 1.06 - 2.48). Greater adherence was also associated with the following organisational characteristics of homes: fewer changes of senior manager during the study period (95% CI 1.01 - 8.51), and being resident in a home with a resident profile showing a greater proportion of residents with a higher degree of dependency (95% CI 1.04 - 1.27). There was wide a variation in the degree of success in implementation between homes (adherence of 0 - 100% at 24 weeks). Conclusions: Those implementing a policy of introducing hip protectors into nursing and residential homes should consider targeting residents with cognitive impairment. Such residents are at greater risk of hip fracture and appear to be more likely to continue wearing hip protectors. Those charged with implementing changes inpractice or policy should consider how the context for implementation can be optimised to increase the likelihood of success.

Revisión sistemática de la producción española sobre rendimiento académico entre 1980 y 2011

El bajo rendimiento académico sigue siendo un problema de investigación de gran impacto social. Sin embargo, los resultados científicos no están teniendo repercusión en la mejora, ni en las políticas educativas. En este trabajo nos propusimos identificar, ordenar, analizar y extraer conclusiones sobre la producción española sobre rendimiento académico, con el fin de visualizarla y derivar problemas futuros objeto de investigación. Para ello se llevó a cabo un estudio de revisión en seis etapas, en el que se combinaron procedimientos metodológicos de investigación de síntesis y de investigación bibliométrica. Se identificaron las publicaciones en cuatro bases de datos españolas; posteriormente se analizaron y codificaron los datos extraídos alrededor de nueve indicadores: título, año, tipo de documento, editorial, autor, número autores, institución, comunidad autónoma y tema. Los resultados muestran una producción constante y creciente (1595 referencias), pero dispersa, tanto por el inmenso número de autores que publican, la mayoría con un solo trabajo, como por los lugares donde publican. Las temáticas más tratadas se refieren en primer lugar a modelos explicativos, diagnóstico y tratamiento; en segundo lugar se abordan los factores y variables determinantes del bajo y alto rendimiento académico; en tercer lugar se desarrollan estudios sobre legislación y de otras variables psicológicas y educativas en relación con el rendimiento. Este estudio supone una aproximación sintetizada de la producción sobre rendimiento académico en España, y un primer paso para investigaciones de síntesis posteriores, que nos permitan identificar buenas prácticas para el ejercicio de “prácticas basadas en la evidencia”, y otros problemas de investigación.

Ovariole number - a predictor of differential reproductive success among worker subfamilies in queenless honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

A honeybee queen normally mates with 10-20 drones, and reproductive conflicts may arise among a colony's different worker patrilines, especially after a colony has lost its single queen and the workers commence egg laying. In this study, we employed microsatellite markers to study aspects of worker reproductive competition in two queenless Africanized honeybee colonies. First, we determined whether there was a bias among worker patrilines in their maternity of drones and, second, we asked whether this bias could be attributed to differences in the degree of ovary activation of workers. Third, we relate these behavioral and physiological factors to ontogenetic differences between workers with respect to ovariole number. Workers from each of three (colony A) and one (colony B) patrilineal genotypes represented less than 6% of the worker population, yet each produced at least 13% of the drones in a colony, and collectively they produced 73% of the drones. Workers representing these genotypes also had more developed follicles and a greater number of ovarioles per ovary. Across all workers, ovariole development and number were closely correlated. This suggests a strong effect of worker genotype on the development of the ovary already in the postembryonic stages and sets a precedent to adult fertility, so that

An elasto-plastic critical state framework for unsaturated soil.

Data from a series of controlled suction triaxial tests on samples of compacted speswhite kaolin were used in the development of an elasto–plastic critical state framework for unsaturated soil. The framework is defined in terms of four state variables: mean net stress, deviator stress, suction and specific volume. Included within the proposed framework are an isotropic normal compression hyperline, a critical state hyperline and a state boundary hypersurface. For states that lie inside the state boundary hypersurface the soil behaviour is assumed to be elastic, with movement over the state boundary hypersurface corresponding to expansion of a yield surface in stress space. The pattern of swelling and collapse observed during wetting, the elastic–plastic compression behaviour during isotropic loading and the increase of shear strength with suction were all related to the shape of the yield surface and the hardening law defined by the form of the state boundary. By assuming that constant–suction cross–sections of the yield surface were elliptical it was possible to predict test paths for different types of triaxial shear test that showed good agreement with observed behaviour. The development of shear strain was also predicted with reasonable success, by assuming an associated flow rule.

Decadence in the Forest: Smyth's Der Wald in its Critical Context

Ethel Smyth’s opera, Der Wald, met with mixed reactions at its premiere in Berlin in 1902. Many factors contributed to this, not least, as Smyth herself observed, anti-British sentiment in Germany following the second Boer War. One might have expected that the reception of the opera at its British premiere on 18 July at Covent Garden might have been more positive, but even here critical opinion was divided. Even positive reviews were not free from gender discrimination, and other reviews condemned the opera for being too German or Wagnerian. What was meant by ‘Wagnerian’? This article answers the question in three ways. Firstly, I argue that ‘Wagnerian’ meant not a leitmotif-filled, through-composed work (as distinct from a number opera), but simply a lyrical drama; for British audiences the model for this was Tannhäuser or Lohengrin, not the Ring or Tristan. Secondly, taking this definition on board, I analyse the musical language of the opera, in particular the key structure. The central duet sung by the doomed lovers, Heinrich and Röschen, is in F major, almost the furthest possible distance from the home key of the opera (E major), which characterizes the forest and ‘nature’ in general; by contrast, the next scene, where the Kundry-like Iolanthe attempts to seduce Heinrich (a crucial reversal of the more conventional power relations of the love duet), sees a return to the home key. Thirdly, I set the hermeneutical implications of this reversal in the context of the decadent movement, with which late nineteenth-century Wagnerism was associated, and which, following the conviction of Oscar Wilde in 1895, was discredited. Der Wald thus failed because of its ‘guilt by association’ with an aesthetic that had fallen into disrepute.

Incidence and risk factors for pulmonary exacerbation treatment failures in cystic fibrosis patients chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background: Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) are responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, there is a paucity of data on outcomes in CF PEx and factors influencing outcomes.

Methods: We reviewed all PEx in patients infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa treated with parenteral antibiotics over 4 years at our center. Treatment failures were categorized a priori as those PEx requiring antibiotic regimen change, prolongation of therapy > 20 days because of failure to respond, an early recurrent event within < 45 days, or failure to recover lung function to > 90% of baseline FEV1.

Results: A total of 101 patients were followed for 452 PEx. Treatment failures were observed in 125 (28%) of PEx; antibiotic regimen change was observed in 27 (6%), prolongation of therapy in 29 (6%), early recurrent events in 63 (14%), and failure to recover lung function to > 90% of baseline FEV1 in 66 (15%). Demographic factors associated with one or more treatment failures per year included advanced airways disease, use of enteric feeds, CF-related diabetes, and CF liver disease but did not include female sex or F508del homozygosity. Increased treatment failure risk was associated with lower admission FEV1 and increased markers of inflammation. At therapeutic completion, increased inflammatory markers correlated with treatment failure. Failure rates decreased with increasing number of active antimicrobial agents used based on in vitro susceptibility (zero, 28/65 [43%]; one, 38/140 [27%]; two, 59/245 [24%]; three, 0/2 [0%]; P = .02).

Conclusions: One-fourth of PEx fail to respond adequately to initial management. Patient demographic and episode-specific clinical information can be used to identify individuals at increased risk of initial management failure.

Confined Site Construction: A qualitative investigation of critical issues affecting management of Health and Safety

The construction industry is inherently risky, with a significant number of accidents and disasters occurring, particularly on confined construction sites. This research investigates and identifies the various issues affecting successful management of health and safety in confined construction sites. The rationale is that identifying the issues would assist the management of health and safety particularly in inner city centres which are mostly confined sites. Using empiricism epistemology, the methodology was based on qualitative research approach by means of multiple case studies in three different geographical locations of Ireland, UK and USA. Data on each case study were collected through individual interviews and focus group discussion with project participants. The findings suggest that three core issues are the underlying factors affecting management of health and safety on confined construction sites. It include, (i) lack of space, (ii) problem of co-ordination and management of site personnel, and (iii) overcrowding of workplace. The implication of this is that project teams and their organisations should see project processes from a holistic point of view, as a unified single system, where quick intervention in solving a particular issue should be the norm, so as not to adversely affect interrelated sequence of events in project operations. Proactive strategies should be devised to mitigate these issues and may include detail project programming, space management, effective constructability review and efficient co-ordination of personnel, plant and materials among others. The value of this research is to aid management and operation of brownfield sites by identifying issues impacting on health and safety management in project process.

Regenerative Medicine and New Labour Life Science Policy: Rhetorics of Success, Narratives of Sustainability and Survival

Advances in stem cell science and tissue engineering are being turned into applications and products through a novel medical paradigm known as regenerative medicine. This paper begins by examining the vulnerabilities and risks encountered by the regenerative medicine industry during a pivotal moment in its scientific infancy: the 2000s. Under the auspices of New Labour, British medical scientists and life science innovation firms associated with regenerative medicine, received demonstrative rhetorical pledges of support, aligned with the publication of a number of government initiated reports presaged by Bioscience 2015: Improving National Health, Increasing National Wealth. The Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry (and its successors) held industry consultations to determine the best means by which innovative bioscience cultures might be promoted and sustained in Britain. Bioscience 2015 encapsulates the first chapter of this sustainability narrative. By 2009, the tone of this storyline had changed to one of survivability. In the second part of the paper, we explore the ministerial interpretation of the ‘bioscience discussion cycle’ that embodies this narrative of expectation, using a computer-aided content analysis programme. Our analysis notes that the ministerial interpretation of these reports has continued to place key emphasis upon the distinctive and exceptional characteristics of the life science industries, such as their ability to perpetuate innovations in regenerative medicine and the optimism this portends – even though many of the economic expectations associated with this industry have remained unfulfilled.

Platinum and Palladium in Semiconductor Photocatalytic Systems FACTORS AFFECTING THE PURIFICATION OF WATER AND AIR

A wide range of organic pollutants can be destroyed by semiconductor photocatalysis using titania. The purification of water and air contaminated with organic pollutants has been investigated by semiconductor photocatalysis for many years and in attempts to improve the purification rate platinum and palladium have been deposited, usually as fine particles, on the titania surface. Such deposits are expected to improve the rate of reduction of oxygen and so reduce the probability of electron-hole recombination and increase the overall rate of the reaction. The effectiveness of the deposits is reviewed here and appears very variable with reported rate enhancement factors ranging from 8 to 0.1. Semiconductor photocatalysis can be used to purify air (at temperatures > 100 degrees C) and Pt deposits can markedly improve the overall rate of mineralisation. However, volatile organic compounds containing an heteroatom can deactivate the photocatalyst completely and irreversibly. Factors contributing to the success of the processes are considered. The use of chloro-Pt(IV)-titania and other chloro-platinum group metals-titania complexes as possible visible light sensitisers for water and air purification is briefly reviewed.

Genome-wide analysis of p63 binding sites identifies AP-2 factors as co-regulators of epidermal differentiation

The p63 transcription factor (TP63) is critical in development, growth and differentiation of stratifying epithelia. This is highlighted by the severity of congenital abnormalities caused by TP63 mutations in humans, the dramatic phenotypes in knockout mice and de-regulation of TP63 expression in neoplasia altering the tumour suppressive roles of the TP53 family. In order to define the normal role played by TP63 and provide the basis for better understanding how this network is perturbed in disease, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify >7500 high-confidence TP63-binding regions across the entire genome, in primary human neonatal foreskin keratinocytes (HFKs). Using integrative strategies, we demonstrate that only a subset of these sites are bound by TP53 in response to DNA damage. We identify a role for TP63 in transcriptional regulation of multiple genes genetically linked to cleft palate and identify AP-2alpha (TFAP2A) as a co-regulator of a subset of these genes. We further demonstrate that AP-2gamma (TFAP2C) can bind a subset of these regions and that acute depletion of either TFAP2A or TFAP2C alone is sufficient to reduce terminal differentiation of organotypic epidermal skin equivalents, indicating overlapping physiological functions with TP63.

Cancer-related fatigue:A critical appraisal

This aim of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence and pattern of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), and identify factors associated with its development. Relevant literature was identified through an electronic database search using specified keywords. Included studies investigated CRF in adult cancer patients using a multidimensional fatigue measure. The methodological quality was assessed using six published standards. CRF is apparent both during and after anti-cancer therapy, however, the prevalence of CRF varied between studies. The variables associated with the development and persistence of CRF remain to be identified. Inconsistencies were evident in the pattern of CRF and its associated factors. This is likely to have arisen from the inherent difficulties in the measurement of a subjective sensation, further complicated by the myriad of outcome measures used. More methodologically sound research; assessing CRF from the commencement of therapy, considering all pertinent variables is needed.

Deconstructing national leadership: Politicians’ accounts of electoral success and failure in the Irish Lisbon Treaty referenda

The Self Categorization approach to national leadership proposes that leaders rhetorically construct national identity as essentialized and inevitable in order to consensualize and mobilize the population. In contrast, discursive studies have demonstrated how national politicians flexibly construct the nation to manage their own accountability in local interactions, though this in turn has neglected broader leadership processes. The present paper brings both approaches together to examine how and when national politicians construct versions of national identity in order to account for their failure as well as success in mobilizing the electorate. Eight semi-structured conversational style interviews were conducted with a strategic sample of eight leading Irish politicians on the subject of the 2008/2009 Irish Lisbon Treaty referenda. Using a Critical Discourse Psychology approach, the hegemonic repertoire of the ‘settled will’
of the informed and consensualized Irish nation was identified across all interviews. Politicians either endorsed the ‘settled will’ repertoire as evidence of their successful leadership, or rejected the repertoire by denying the rationality or unity of the populace to account for their failure. Our results suggest national identity is only constructed as essentialized and inevitable to the extent that it serves a strategic political purpose.

Proteomics and phylogenetic analysis of the cathepsin L protease family of the helminth pathogen Fasciola hepatica:Expansion of a repertoire of virulence-associated factors

Cathepsin L proteases secreted by the helminth pathogen Fasciola hepatica have functions in parasite virulence including tissue invasion and suppression of host immune responses. Using proteomics methods alongside phylogenetic studies we characterized the profile of cathepsin L proteases secreted by adult F. hepatica and hence identified those involved in host-pathogen interaction. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the Fasciola cathepsin L gene family expanded by a series of gene duplications followed by divergence that gave rise to three clades associated with mature adult worms (Clades 1, 2, and 5) and two clades specific to infective juvenile stages (Clades 3 and 4). Consistent with these observations our proteomics studies identified representatives from Clades 1, 2, and 5 but not from Clades 3 and 4 in adult F. hepatica secretory products. Clades 1 and 2 account for 67.39 and 27.63% of total secreted cathepsin Ls, respectively, suggesting that their expansion was positively driven and that these proteases are most critical for parasite survival and adaptation. Sequence comparison studies revealed that the expansion of cathepsin Ls by gene duplication was followed by residue changes in the S2 pocket of the active site. Our biochemical studies showed that these changes result in alterations in substrate binding and suggested that the divergence of the cathepsin L family produced a repertoire of enzymes with overlapping and complementary substrate specificities that could cleave host macromolecules more efficiently. Although the cathepsin Ls are produced as zymogens containing a prosegment and mature domain, all secreted enzymes identified by MS were processed to mature active enzymes. The prosegment region was highly conserved between the clades except at the boundary of prosegment and mature enzyme. Despite the lack of conservation at this section, sites for exogenous cleavage by asparaginyl endopeptidases and a Leu-Ser[downward arrow]His motif for autocatalytic cleavage by cathepsin Ls were preserved.