Power and control: managing agents for international student recruitment in higher education

This multiple case-based study investigates the relationship between recruiting agents and the UK universities who act as their principals. The current extensive use of agents in UK higher education may be seen as an indicator of the financial impact made by international students. The study analyses the practice of agent management and explores the manner in which power and control interact. The study employed semi-structured interviews and group discussions involving up to 6 respondents from each of the 20 UK case institutions. The qualitative data reveal a considerable variation in the manner in which the universities manage their agency relationships. Through the joint consideration of control measures and use of power, five distinctive approaches have been identified. The study also reveals that over-dependence on agents reduces the power of the principal, and consequently, the principal’s ability to exercise control, particularly in highly competitive global and national markets

Evaluating the effects of nacre on human skin and scar cells in culture

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.Pearl nacre, a biomineralisation product of molluscs, has growing applications in cosmetics, as well as dental and bone restoration, yet a systematic evaluation of its biosafety is lacking. Here, we assessed the biocompatibility of nacre with two human primary dermal fibroblast cell cultures and an immortalised epidermal cell line and found no adverse effects

Ocean current observations from Nares Strait to the west of Greenland: Interannual to tidal variability and forcing

During 2003–06, as part of the Arctic Sub-Arctic Ocean Flux (ASOF) experiment, an array of oceansensing instruments was deployed at 80.5N latitude to investigate the flux of seawater from the Arctic Ocean via Nares Strait, the pathway to the west of Greenland. Three-year measurements of current from this experiment provide, for the first time at periods longer than a single season, the seawater flux and its variability via this important pathway. Below 30-m depth the average flux of volume 2003–06 was 0.57±0.09 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s–1) southward over a 38-km wide section reaching 360 m in depth. A linear trend, statistically significant at the 95% confidence level, indicates an increase in the sectionally averaged flow below 30-m depth of 20 ± 10% between 2003 and 2006. The flow is dominated by mixed diurnal and semi-diurnal tidal currents with kinetic energy an order of magnitude larger than that of the subtidal flow. The range of seasonal variation is 30–50% of the long-term mean flow. Variations in flow of daily to monthly period are comparable in magnitude to the average flow. The flow through the cross-section is the net result of a larger southward flux in the deep western two thirds of the strait and a small northward flux within about 5 km of Greenland. The latter is about 5% of the former. Spectral analyses indicates that the cross-channel pressure gradient is highly correlated with the sectionally averaged flow consistent with geostrophy. Along-channel pressure gradient explains 70% of the variance at a 33-day period with a phase lag consistent with a frictional response; at 3–7 day period the response is weaker (\u3c30%) with a phase relation suggestive of contributions by both friction and local acceleration

Spatial continuity of measured seawater and tracer fluxes through Nares Strait, a dynamically wide channel bordering the Canadian Archipelago

Freshwater delivered as precipitation and runoff to the North Pacific and Arctic oceans returns to the Atlantic principally via the Canadian polar shelf and Fram Strait. It is conveyed as ice or freshened seawater. Here we use detailed ship-based measurements to calculate a snap-shot of volume, freshwater, and tracer fluxes through Nares Strait, a 500-km long waterway separating Greenland and Ellesmere Island. We use quasi-synoptic observations of current by ship-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), of salinity and temperature by CTD probe and of dissolved nutrients by rosette bottle sampler on four cross-sections between 82 and 78N latitude. Data were collected during the first half of August 2003. We partition the fluxes into components derived from Pacific and Atlantic inflows into the Arctic Ocean. During the time of the survey, there was a net southward 0.91±0.10 Sv (106 m3 s-1) flux of volume and a net southward 31±4 10-3 Sv (977±127 km3 y-1) flux of freshwater relative to a salinity of 34.8. Much of the volume flux was carried within a strong (40 cm s-1), narrow (10 km) subsurface jet hugging the western (Ellesmere Island) side of the strait. The presence of this jet in four sections spanning the 500-km length of the strait is evidence of a buoyant boundary current through the strait. The jet was coincident with elevated concentrations of phosphate (1.0 mmol m-3) and silicate (11 mmol m-3) which both indicate a Pacific Ocean source. We interpreted the ratio of dissolved total inorganic nitrogen to phosphate in terms of fractional dilution of Atlantic by Pacific waters. About 0.43±0.10 Sv (39%) of the southward flow was of Pacific origin. These results are a snapshot during the summer of 2003 following a prolonged period of northward directed wind stress when ice cover was mobile. Although long-term mean values are likely different, we determined that the major fraction of the through-flow is carried by a jet of scale determined by the internal Rossby radius (5-10 km)

Toward quantifying the increasing role oceanic heat in sea ice loss in the new Arctic

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 96 (2015): 2079–2105, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00177.1.The loss of Arctic sea ice has emerged as a leading signal of global warming. This, together with acknowledged impacts on other components of the Earth system, has led to the term “the new Arctic.” Global coupled climate models predict that ice loss will continue through the twenty-first century, with implications for governance, economics, security, and global weather. A wide range in model projections reflects the complex, highly coupled interactions between the polar atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere, including teleconnections to lower latitudes. This paper summarizes our present understanding of how heat reaches the ice base from the original sources—inflows of Atlantic and Pacific Water, river discharge, and summer sensible heat and shortwave radiative fluxes at the ocean/ice surface—and speculates on how such processes may change in the new Arctic. The complexity of the coupled Arctic system, and the logistic and technological challenges of working in the Arctic Ocean, require a coordinated interdisciplinary and international program that will not only improve understanding of this critical component of global climate but will also provide opportunities to develop human resources with the skills required to tackle related problems in complex climate systems. We propose a research strategy with components that include 1) improved mapping of the upper- and middepth Arctic Ocean, 2) enhanced quantification of important process, 3) expanded long-term monitoring at key heat-flux locations, and 4) development of numerical capabilities that focus on parameterization of heat-flux mechanisms and their interactions.2016-06-0

The potential of a mobile group blog to support cultural learning among overseas students

We explored the use of mobile social software, in the form of a mobile group blog, to assist cultural learning. The potential of using this technology for cultural adaptation among overseas students was examined as those students adapted to the everyday life of studying abroad. Two pilot studies and a successful field study of a mobile group blog as used by UK overseas students are reported. A further study with prospective overseas students witnessing this ‘moblogging’ in China revealed the advantages of communicating through this technology as a form of peer-supported preparation for cultural adaptation. Potential advantages for learning a second language via this system, were highlighted as communication was interweaved with cultural adaptation and exercised in the blog entries. Given mobile internet, the language experience together with cultural observation impressively supported these students' growing confidence with time, space and imagination

"Life at the full": The idea of the natural in English and French theatre, 1815-1848

The study investigates the development of theatre in England and France between 1815 and 1848, concentrating on a number of attempts to create a serious and poetic dramatic experience which reflected the artistic concerns of the time. It examines the general state of theatre and drama in London and Paris, and takes particular note of the reactions of one country's critics to the productions of the other. The central issue discussed is the idea of the natural, especially in terms of acting style and mise en scene. The study analyses some of the efforts of authors and producers to reconcile the demands and potential of Romantic dramaturgy with the expectations of the audience. The crucial problem may be described, in Bulwer Lytton's terms, as the attempt to fuse the simple and the magnificent, or, alternatively, the natural and the theatrical.The study outlines the organization, repertory, mise en scene and acting style in England and France at the start of the period (Chapters 1 and 2). It discusses the difficulties confronting the English Romantics as potential dramatists, with particular attention to Marino Faliero (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 describes the 1827-28 visit to Paris of the The&acirc;tre-Anglais, specifically the impact of Shakespeare productions upon French critical consciousness. The effect of that impact is discussed with reference to selected productions of French Romantic drama (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 outlines the incidence and influence of French theatrical practice in London, emphasising the natural acting style of the comediens and the high quality of mise en scene. Chapter 7 describes the growth in England of the idea of the unified production, and assesses the importance of Macready as a producer. In Chapter 8, the difficulty of achieving a satisfactory balance between the style of acting and the increasinglyelaborate physical context is examined, and it is argued that the idea of the natural was more capable of realisation in musical drama, especially ballet.<p

Variation in Reproduction and Body Condition of the Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida) in Western Prince Albert Sound, NT, Canada, as Assessed Through a Harvest-based Sampling Program

Between 1992 and 1998, 869 ringed seals taken in the subsistence harvest in western Prince Albert Sound were sampled by two Inuvialuit seal monitors from Holman, Northwest Territories. Considering the 1992-98 data along with data from 1971-78, we found that the mean body-mass index (BMI) values for females (&gt;= 7 yr) were significantly lower in 1974 than in all other years examined. At the same time, ovulation rates fell from 100% in 1971 and 1972 to lows of 42.9% (1974) and 64.3% (1975), with a return to 93.8% in 1976. Mature females that had ovulated had significantly higher BMI values than those that had not ovulated. In eastern Amundsen Gulf, 1974 was the most severe ice year on recent record, with the latest date of clearing of the landfast ice (6 September), the earliest date of new ice formation (4 October), and the fewest number of open water days (28 days). There were no years between 1992 and 1998 that compared to 1974 in reduced ovulation rates, reduced body condition, or severity of ice conditions. Between 1992 and 1998, mean BMI values for adult females and males were lowest in 1994 and highest in 1998, and all annual mean BMI values were between the extremes of the 1970s. This variation in condition in the 1990s did not coincide with a reduction in ovulation rates of mature females, which remained high (93.5-100%) from 1992 to 1998. In 1998, the landfast ice cleared 43 days earlier than the average clearing date for the 1990-98 period, apparently interrupting the lactation period for seal pups located at the periphery of the core breeding habitat. The apparent effects on growth and condition of unweaned pups came at a time when marine food appeared to be abundant and available to all age classes of ringed seals. Entre 1992 et 1998, 869 phoques annelés pris dans le cadre de la récolte de subsistance de l'ouest de la baie Prince-Albert ont fait l'objet d'échantillonnages par deux moniteurs inuvialuits de Holman (T. N.-O.), chargés de la surveillance des phoques. En tenant compte des données de 1992 à 1998 jointes à celles de 1971 à 1978, on a trouvé que la valeur moyenne de l'index de masse corporelle (IMC) pour les femelles (&gt;= 7 ans) était sensiblement inférieure en 1974 par rapport à toutes les autres années de l'étude. En même temps, les taux d'ovulation ont chuté, de 100 p. cent qu'ils étaient en 1971 et 1972 à 42,9 p. cent en 1974 et à 64,3 p. cent en 1975, opérant une remontée à 93,8 p. cent en 1976. L'IMC des femelles adultes qui avaient ovulé était sensiblement plus élevé que celui des femelles adultes qui n'avaient pas ovulé. Dans l'est du golfe Amundsen, l'année 1974 fut celle qui connut la plus intense formation de glace enregistrée récemment, avec la date la plus tardive pour la disparition de la glace de rive (6 septembre), la date la plus précoce pour la formation de la nouvelle glace (4 octobre) et le plus petit nombre de jours de mer libre (28 jours). Entre 1992 et 1998, aucune année n'était comparable à 1974 en ce qui a trait à la réduction des taux d'ovulation, la réduction de l'état corporel ou l'intensité de la glace. Entre 1992 et 1998, les moyennes de l'IMC pour les femelles et pour les mâles adultes étaient les plus basses en 1994 et les plus élevées en 1998, et toutes les moyennes annuelles de l'IMC se situaient entre les extrêmes des années 1970. Cette variation dans l'état corporel durant les années 1990 n'a pas coïncidé avec une réduction du taux d'ovulation des femelles adultes, qui est resté élevé (de 93,5 à 100 p. cent) de 1992 à 1998. En 1998, la glace de rive a disparu 43 jours plus tôt que la date de dégagement moyenne pour la période se situant entre 1990 et 1998, ce qui semble avoir interrompu la période de lactation pour les bébés phoques qui se trouvaient à la périphérie de l'habitat de reproduction principal. Les effets apparents sur la croissance et l'état des bébés phoques se sont produits à un moment où le réseau trophique marin était abondant et à la portée de toutes les classes d'âge des phoques annelés.

Kuujjua River Arctic Char: Monitoring Stock Trends Using Catches from an Under-Ice Subsistence Fishery, Victoria Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1991 – 2009

A standardized, harvest-based monitoring program was conducted during the main under-ice subsistence fishery for Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) of the Kuujjua River for 18 winter fishing seasons between 1991 and 2009. The program was a response to the concern of Ulukhaktok residents that Arctic char were becoming fewer in number and smaller in size. Mean harvests averaged 1225 (SD 262) Arctic char annually for 1996–2002 and 568 (SD 274) in 2003–09, or roughly 40% and 20% of the harvest levels estimated for 1971–78 (2900, SD 842) and 1988–92 (2943, SD 1072). There was no statistical relationship between the size of the annual harvest (number of fish), and the corresponding mean annual catch per unit effort (CPUE) value (R2 = 0.0141, p = 0.761). Arctic char were fully recruited to the fishery at age nine, with 82.4% of the sampled catch (n = 3288) ranging between 8 and 12 years and composed almost exclusively (99%) of non-spawning adults. Over the time series, temporal trends were not detected (p &gt; 0.05) in mean annual CPUE (27.3 Arctic char/100 m/24 h, SD 14.15), mean fork length (593 mm, SD 78.1), or mean age (9.9 years, SD 2.0). Annual mortality rate showed a weak, but significant, decreasing trend over the series (R2 = 0.354), and there were no statistical trends in annual values of the Brody growth coefficient (R2 = 0.1337, p = 0.164). Variation in mean annual somatic condition indices was correlated with timing of sea ice clearance in spring (R2 = 0.474, p = 0.002), probably because prey quality, quantity, or both are higher in summers following earlier spring blooms in the marine environment. Together, the absence of temporal trends in CPUE, fork length, and age of the harvested fish and the apparent improvement in survival (lower mortality), suggest that the stock has been stable at the harvest levels observed during the monitoring period. The stock may also be realizing some improved fitness, which is due to changes in environmental productivity and appears to be linked, at least in part, to the timing of spring breakup in eastern Amundsen Gulf.Entre 1991 et 2009, pendant 18 saisons de pêche hivernale, un programme de surveillance standardisé axé sur les récoltes a été réalisé quant à la pêche de subsistance principale d’omble chevalier (Salvelinus alpinus) sur la rivière Kuujjua. Ce programme a été mis en oeuvre à la lumière des inquiétudes exprimées par les résidents d’Ulukhaktok qui affirmaient que le nombre d’ombles chevaliers diminuait, tout comme leur taille. De 1996 à 2002, la récolte moyenne d’ombles chevaliers atteignait 1 225 (SD 262) annuellement, tandis que de 2003 à 2009, la récolte moyenne annuelle s’élevait à 568 (SD de 274), soit environ 40 % et 20 % des récoltes évaluées pour les années 1971 à 1978 (2 900, SD de 842) et les années 1988 à 1992(2 943, SD de 1 072). Il n’existait pas de lien statistique entre la taille de la récolte annuelle (le nombre de poissons) et la valeur de la capture par unité d’effort (CPUE) moyenne annuelle correspondante (R2 = 0,0141, p = 0,761). L’omble chevalier était pleinement recruté à la pêche à l’âge de neuf ans, avec 82,4 % de la capture échantillonnée (n = 3288) variant entre huit et 12 ans, et composée presque exclusivement (99 %) d’adultes non encore reproducteurs. Au fil des séries, aucune tendance temporelle n’a été décelée (p &gt; 0,05) sur le plan de la CPUE moyenne annuelle (27,3 ombles chevaliers/100 m/24 h, SD 14,15), de la longueur moyenne à la fourche (593 mm, SD 78,1) ou de l’âge moyen (9,9 ans, SD 2,0). Le taux de mortalité annuel indiquait une tendance à la baisse à la fois faible mais importante au cours des séries (R2 = 0,354), et il n’y avait pas de tendances statistiques du point de vue des valeurs annuelles du coefficient de croissance de Brody (R2 = 0,1337, p = 0,164). Une corrélation a été établie entre l’écart des indices somatiques annuels moyens et le moment du dégagement de la glace de mer au printemps (R2 = 0,474, p = 0,002), probablement parce que la qualité ou la quantité de proies, ou les deux, est plus élevée au cours des étés qui suivent une prolifération printanière hâtive dans l’environnement marin. Ensemble, l’absence de tendances temporelles relatives à la CPUE, à la longueur à la fourche et à l’âge du poisson récolté et l’amélioration apparente de la survie (mortalité plus faible) suggèrent que le stock était stable aux niveaux de récolte observés pendant la période de surveillance. Par ailleurs, il se pourrait que le stock connaisse une valeur d’adaptation quelque peu améliorée, ce qui est attribuable aux changements caractérisant la productivité environnementale et semble lié, tout au moins en partie, au moment de la débâcle du printemps dans l’est du golfe Amundsen