Estimation and projection of costs and margins in crop enterprises in the Republic of Ireland

End of project reportThis project reports on the farm level crop economics research conducted in the Rural Economy Research Centre (RERC), Teagasc during the period 2003-2006. The research conducted made current estimates and one year ahead forecasts for margins in each of the major crop enterprises in the Republic of Ireland. The enterprise specific information was based on information from the Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS), supplemented by projections of price, cost and policy information from a variety of other sources. Yield projections were based on past trends and incorporate estimates of expected variability. In addition, the distribution of profitability amongst the population of crop farms has been examined to gain further insights into the farm level situation and outlook for tillage farms based on the results from the NFS data

Conference Reports: Session 6: Virtual learning: Can the drawings of students identified as dyslexic or dyspraxic reveal visual indicators that might inform future teaching strategies in the studio? Quona Rankin, Dyslexia Coordinator/Tutor, Royal College of Art

Summary of a presentation at the 2012 ARLIS conference held in Londo

Embryo donation parents' attitudes towards donors : comparison with adoption

BACKGROUND: Embryo donation produces a family structure where neither rearing parent is genetically related to the child, as in adoption. It is not known how embryo donation parents view the donors compared with how adoptive parents view the birth parents. METHODS: 21 couples with an embryo donation child aged 2–5 years were compared with 28 couples with an adopted child. Parents were administered a semi-structured interview, assessing knowledge of the donors/birth parents, frequency of thoughts and discussions about the donors/birth parents and disclosure of the donor conception/adoption to the child. Comparisons were made between mothers and fathers to examine gender differences. RESULTS: Embryo donation parents generally knew only the donors’ physical characteristics, and thought about and talked about the donors less frequently than adoptive parents thought about and talked about the birth parents. Embryo donation fathers tended to think about the donors less often than did mothers. Disclosure of the child's origins in embryo donation families was far less common than in adoptive families (P < 0.001 for mothers and fathers), and was associated with the level of donor information (P < 0.05 for mothers, P < 0.025 for fathers). CONCLUSIONS: Embryo donation parents’ views on the donors differ from adoptive parents’ views on the birth parents, with donors having little significance in family life once treatment is successful

Our teachers: Collected memories of primary education in Derbyshire schools from 1944 - 2009

This paper presents findings from narrative interviews undertaken with 24 narrators who attended primary school in the decades from 1944 - 2009. Deductive themes were first selected by examining the quantity of content and relevance to the study. Four deductive themes were drawn from the narrators’ recollections: Our Teachers; The Lessons We Learned; Our Friendships and the Games We Played and finally The Books we Read. The focus of this paper is on the findings from one of the deductive themes: Our Teachers. Once the stories had been transcribed, they were analysed for inductive themes. These were identified as: Pupil-teacher relationship, noted across each of the decades. A gendered workforce, reflected in each decade, except 1999-2009. Teacher personality was common across all decades. Corporal punishment was common in the decades from 1944-1987, but not present after 1987. Finally, Teacher professionalism was a prevalent theme in most decades except 1999-2009. Key findings related to the connections that come with the relationship the teacher forms with their pupils. Teachers who break the mould are well remembered by pupils. The nature of the primary school workforce has changed since 1944, and is now perceived as being female dominated. Because of changes to legislation, the role of the teacher has evolved, the changes in professional behaviour are noted in the narrators’ stories, from decade to decade.N/

Maternity care and 'Every Child Matters'

The first part of the chapter will provide an introduction to maternity services in the UK and why it is the foundation of ‘Every Child Matters’. It is the earliest healthcare intervention of all for the child and it is essential to get it right for babies and parents. The role of the key professionals involved with care provision will be explained as they may be unfamiliar to some readers. By using case studies as examples, the chapter will then explore how each of them contributes to addressing the key recommendations of Every Child Matters including the Common Assessment framework (CAF) and the strategic challenges of the Children’s Workforce. The final part of the chapter will focus on discussing future trends in maternity care with relation to Every Child Matters

Book review: Reading Groups, Libraries and Social Inclusion: Experiences of Blind and Partially Sighted People, by Eileen Hyder

Farnham: Ashgate, 2013. 102 pages. ISBN-13 1 978 14094 4798 6. £60.00

Recognising and supporting self in dementia: a new way to facilitate a person-centred approach to dementia care

This paper reports findings from a three-year study which integrated Kitwood's (1997) person-centred and Sabat's (2001) selfhood approaches in the design, fieldwork and analysis of a multi-method observational study that explored the social worlds of 14 people with dementia in continuing-care. The types of interactions that participants experienced in everyday ward life and during creative sessions were identified by observing, video-recording and engaging with them and by Dementia Care Mapping. The participants' responses to such interactions in terms of their well- or ill-being and expressions of self were identified and documented. The findings indicate that in the wards, staff interactions were often limited and sometimes abusive and that participants experienced ill-being, whereas during creative sessions, interactions were generally facilitatory and celebratory with the participants experiencing wellbeing. By developing the selfhood approach and integrating it with the person-centred approach, I argue that recognising and supporting selfhood (or not) during interactions can lead to qualitatively different staff behaviours, with consequences for the well- or ill-being of people with dementia. There is scope for incorporating this developed selfhood framework into staff training, for it has the potential to transform practice and the experiences of people with dementia in receipt of care