SOR models and Ethnicity data in LIS and LES : country by country report

This research considers the idea that a single metric expressing distance between social groups may be an adequate tool for investigating the relationship between ethnic/nationality minority group membership and social stratification. A Stereotyped Ordered Regression (SOR) model is proposed as a methodology for deriving this metric 1, and this paper considers the role of SOR models for the variety of countries with appropriate data made available by the Luxembourg Income and Employment studies (LIS and LES). In particular, by making the referents of this metric relatively consistent between different countries, it is suggested that a cross-nationally comparable representation of ethnic/nationality group membership can be derived which reduces the difficulties of international comparative research on ethnicity. Section one of this paper deals with three introductory issues: the clarification of the proposed methodology; the possibilities for ethnicity analyses as available from the LIS/LES datasets; and the theoretical framework used to draw substantive cross-national comparisons. Section two comprises a summary of the descriptive patterns observed for selected indicators of social stratification by ethnic/nationality groups for each country, and the presentation of the SOR orderings derived from them. In section three, the possibilities for using those SOR orderings in analytical human capital style models of social stratification are considered. Lastly in section four some of the more prominent conclusions are drawn together.

Multiple Methods in Action: Association Football, the Military and Invisible Nationalism

This case study takes the reader through the multiple methods I deployed in the research into “Association Football, the Military and Invisible Nationalism.” These methods included observation, interviews, case studies, focus groups, literature reviews, discourse analysis, historical research, and the collection and deployment of visual data into the argument. This case study explores how these various elements coalesced into the final interpretation incorporated in the published article. It also details the process involved in transforming the initial first draft of the paper into the final published version and outlines both the time it took and its complexity. The case emphasizes the synthesis of different conceptual schemes into a novel hermeneutic approach

Football Talk: Sociological Reflections on the Dialectics of Language and Football

The paper examines the relationship between football and language from a sociological point of view. This has often been couched in negative terms but the paper argues that such a view distorts the majority of ‘Football Talk’. The discourse surrounding football within everyday interactions is often positive and integrative. ‘Football Talk’ acts as a lingua franca amongst football supporters. This language code is therefore both inclusive and exclusive

Rethinking class analysis: some reflections on current issues and possible new forms of empirical research

This paper examines the current state of social stratification research. Its focus is mainly upon the British tradition of research, but its reflections also apply more broadly to wider European and North American literature. The paper explores the classical tradition of class analysis in Britain and probes how this became superseded by newer forms of sociological analysis which are rooted primarily in occupational differences. The paper argues that there is a need for a double shift in approach. This would involve a renewal of interest in class-based relations of structured inequality and also a shift of focus away from highly quantitative approaches in favour of different styles of empirical research

SOR models and ethnicity data in LIS and LES : a country by country report.

This research considers the idea that a single metric expressing distance between social groups may be an adequate tool for investigating the relationship between ethnic / nationality minority group membership and social stratification. A Stereotyped Ordered Regression (SOR) model is proposed as a methodology for deriving this metric1, and this paper considers the role of SOR models for the variety of countries with appropriate data made available by the Luxembourg Income and Employment studies (LIS and LES). In particular, by making the referents of this metric relatively consistent between different countries, it is suggested that a cross-nationally comparable representation of ethnic / nationality group membership can be derived which reduces the difficulties of international comparative research on ethnicity. Section one of this paper deals with three introductory issues : the clarification of the proposed methodology; the possibilities for ethnicity analyses as available from the LIS / LES datasets; and the theoretical framework used to draw substantive cross-national comparisons. Section two comprises a summary of the descriptive patterns observed for selected indicators of social stratification by ethnic / nationality groups for each country, and the presentation of the SOR orderings derived from them. In section three, the possibilities for using those SOR orderings in analytical human capital style models of social stratification are considered. Lastly in section four some of the more prominent conclusions are drawn together

SOR Models and Ethnicity Data in LIS and LES: Country by Country Report

This research considers the idea that a single metric expressing distance between social groups may be an adequate tool for investigating the relationship between ethnic/nationality minority group membership and social stratification. A Stereotyped Ordered Regression (SOR) model is proposed as a methodology for deriving this metric, and this paper considers the role of SOR models for the variety of countries with appropriate data made available by the Luxembourg Income and Employment studies (LIS and LES). In particular, by making the referents of this metric relatively consistent between different countries, it is suggested that a cross-nationally comparable representation of ethnic/nationality group membership can be derived which reduces the difficulties of international comparative research on ethnicity. Section one of this paper deals with three introductory issues: the clarification of the proposed methodology; the possibilities for ethnicity analyses as available from the LIS/LES datasets; and the theoretical framework used to draw substantive cross-national comparisons. Section two comprises a summary of the descriptive patterns observed for selected indicators of social stratification by ethnic / nationality groups for each country, and the presentation of the SOR orderings derived from them. In section three, the possibilities for using those SOR orderings in analytical human capital style models of social stratification are considered. Lastly in section four some of the more prominent conclusions are drawn together

Titania-doped tantala/silica coatings for gravitational-wave detection

Reducing thermal noise from optical coatings is crucial to reaching the required sensitivity in next generation interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Here we show that adding TiO2 to Ta2O5 in Ta2O5/SiO2 coatings reduces the internal friction and in addition present data confirming it reduces thermal noise. We also show that TiO2-doped Ta2O5/SiO2 coatings are close to satisfying the optical absorption requirements of second generation gravitational-wave detectors

Akt kinase C-terminal modifications control activation loop dephosphorylation and enhance insulin response.

The Akt protein kinase, also known as protein kinase B, plays key roles in insulin receptor signalling and regulates cell growth, survival and metabolism. Recently, we described a mechanism to enhance Akt phosphorylation that restricts access of cellular phosphatases to the Akt activation loop (Thr(308) in Akt1 or protein kinase B isoform alpha) in an ATP-dependent manner. In the present paper, we describe a distinct mechanism to control Thr(308) dephosphorylation and thus Akt deactivation that depends on intramolecular interactions of Akt C-terminal sequences with its kinase domain. Modifications of amino acids surrounding the Akt1 C-terminal mTORC2 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2) phosphorylation site (Ser(473)) increased phosphatase resistance of the phosphorylated activation loop (pThr(308)) and amplified Akt phosphorylation. Furthermore, the phosphatase-resistant Akt was refractory to ceramide-dependent dephosphorylation and amplified insulin-dependent Thr(308) phosphorylation in a regulated fashion. Collectively, these results suggest that the Akt C-terminal hydrophobic groove is a target for the development of agents that enhance Akt phosphorylation by insulin