older people, public libraries, social exclusion, United Kingdom

This paper considers ways in which older people can be excluded in UK society and then reviews public library provision. It begins by considering the position of older people in the light of current social and economic policy, and also individuals’ experience, and others’ perceptions, of ageing. It then briefly reviews studies of the information needs of older people. UK public library policy and provision are then considered. Drawing on research on the social impact of public libraries, it is argued that public libraries represent a broadly positive, and valued, resource for older people. At the same time, the diversity of individuals grouped together as ‘older people’ is emphasised and it is suggested that this needs to be reflected in the delivery of library services. Much existing good practice is identified as being based on local partnerships and consultation, and the paper argues for the increased usage of these (September 2000)

User guide Total Organic Carbon (TOC) data

This report describes the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) point dataset. It contains a brief summary of the methodology and guidance on how the data can be used. The data has been critically assessed and its fitness for purpose determined by BGS Energy specialists. The purpose of this user guide is to enable those licensing this dataset to have an appreciation of how the data set has been created and therefore better understand the potential applications and limitations that the dataset may have

User Guide Mining Hazard (not including coal). Version 7

This report describes the national scale Mining Hazard not including coal version 7 data. The methods used to create the dataset have been evaluated and deemed fit for purpose by specialists in BGS. This User Guide describes the data outlines why it was created; its potential uses and provides advice on using the dataset

An analysis of muscle mechanics with application to flows from muscle-walled tubes

Thesis (M.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied Mathematics, 1976

Performance criteria guideline for three explosion protection methods of electrical equipment rated up to 15,000 volts AC

The Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, is reviewing explosion protection methods for use in gassy coal mines. This performance criteria guideline is an evaluation of three explosion protection methods of machines electrically powered with voltages up to 15,000 volts ac. A sufficient amount of basic research has been accomplished to verify that the explosion proof and pressurized enclosure methods can provide adequate explosion protection with the present state of the art up to 15,000 volts ac. This routine application of the potted enclosure as a stand alone protection method requires further investigation or development in order to clarify performance criteria and verification certification requirements. An extensive literature search, a series of high voltage tests, and a design evaluation of the three explosion protection methods indicate that the explosion proof, pressurized, and potted enclosures can all be used to enclose up to 15,000 volts ac

A social-cognitive model of trait and state levels of gratitude.

Three studies tested a new model of gratitude, which specified the generative mechanisms linking individual differences (trait gratitude) and objective situations with the amount of gratitude people experience after receiving aid (state gratitude). In Study 1, all participants (N = 253) read identical vignettes describing a situation in which they received help. People higher in trait gratitude made more positive beneficial appraisals (seeing the help as more valuable, more costly to provide, and more altruistically intended), which fully mediated the relationship between trait and state levels of gratitude. Study 2 (N = 113) replicated the findings using a daily process study in which participants reported on real events each day for up to14 days. In Study 3, participants (N = 200) read vignettes experimentally manipulating objective situations to be either high or low in benefit. Benefit appraisals were shown to have a causal effect on state gratitude and to mediate the relationship between different prosocial situations and state gratitude. The 3 studies demonstrate the critical role of benefit appraisals in linking state gratitude with trait gratitude and the objective situation

HAGE, a cancer/testis antigen expressed at the protein level in a variety of cancers

The search for novel tumour antigens that are either uniquely expressed or over-expressed in a wide variety of tumours is still ongoing. Because of their expression in a broad spectrum of cancers and limited expression in normal tissues, cancer/testis antigens are considered to be potentially reliable targets for immunotherapy of cancer in general. The helicase antigen HAGE has been identified as a cancer/testis antigen. However, little is known about its expression in normal and cancer tissues. Using a newly developed antibody against HAGE, specific staining of its expression by immunohistochemistry was validated and optimised on murine tumours transfected to express the HAGE protein. The antibody was subsequently used to determine HAGE expression in normal human and cancer tissue microarrays. HAGE protein expression was confirmed in 75% (12/16) of carcinomas as compared to normal tissues, which either did not express HAGE at all or expressed HAGE at very low levels with the exception of testis. Interestingly, discrepancies were also found between mRNA analysis by real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and protein analysis by immunohistochemistry, emphasising the need to validate the expression of cancer/testis antigens at the protein level prior to the development of new vaccine strategies. HAGE is therefore proposed to be a valid candidate for designing a broad spectrum vaccine against cancer

Tackling Household Food Insecurity: The Experience of Vietnam

This paper is a systematic review of the facts and figures related to the issues of food security in Vietnam. Based on a comprehensive definition of food security as “access by all people at all times to enough, nutritionally adequate, and safe food for an active and health life†(Kennedy 2002), it describes and analyzes food security in connection with poverty or macro policies, in order to identify and understand thoroughly the problems related to food security. It shows that poor households are, per se, food-insecure, and that policies which target rapid economic growth using a socioeconomic approach help alleviate poverty and food insecurity. Its findings mainly confirm that household food security─specifically issues concerning food safety, availability, access, adequacy, and vulnerability ─ is still a vital concern in Vietnam.

Leaf heteroblasty is not an adaptation to shade: seedling anatomical and physiological responses to light

Heteroblastic plants produce markedly different leaf morphologies between juvenile and adult stages, while homoblastic plants exhibit little or gradual changes. We tested the hypothesis that the leaf morphology of the seedling stage of New Zealand heteroblastic species is advantageous in dealing with low light levels found in forest understorey. We used four independent contrasts of heteroblastic and homoblastic seedlings from the genera Aristotelia, Hoheria, Pseudopanax, and Melicope grown in full-sun (100% sunlight) and shade (5% sunlight) light environments in a glasshouse. The four heteroblastic species had consistently smaller leaves and lower specific leaf area than their paired homoblastic species both in sun and shade. In the shade, there were no consistent differences in leaf anatomy (thickness of leaf blade, cuticle, epidermis, and palisade mesophyll, and stomatal density × stomatal aperture length) or physiology (maximum photosynthetic rate, dark respiration, and light compensation point) between homoblastic and heteroblastic species. However, in the sun, heteroblastic A. fruticosa, P. crassifolius, and M. simplex had appreciably thicker leaf blades as well as higher maximum photosynthetic rates than their homoblastic congeners. These traits suggest heteroblastic seedlings possess leaf traits associated with an advantage in high-light environments. We conclude that the heteroblastic seedling leaf morphology is unlikely to be an adaptation to very low light. Alternative explanations for the functional significance of changing leaf morphology in association with life-stage should be sought

User guide for Vitrinite Reflectance data

This report describes the vitrinite reflectance point data. The method used to create the dataset has been critically assessed and its fitness for purpose determined by specialists at BGS