Re-envisioning the Local:Spatiality, Land and Law in Botswana

AbstractBased on an ethnographic study located in Botswana, I move beyond conceptions of the local as physically or territorially grounded to one that examines how it is constituted through links between persons and land derived from life histories extended over several generations. This not only takes account of a specific site in which social relations are bounded and locally constituted but also of how perceptions of locality are discursively and historically constructed. Viewing land as both a tangible and intangible universe constructed through social relationships, I highlight ways in which individuals, as part of a ‘local’ community, find their life courses shaped by wider transnational and global processes, including law, that have an impact on their everyday lives. For some, this provides opportunities for upward mobility and future gains, while others find scope for action severely curtailed. In documenting these uneven, diverse effects of globalisation, what emerges are processes of ‘internalisation’ and ‘relocalisation’ of global conditions, allowing for the emergence of new identities, alliances and struggles for space and power within specific populations. Thus what exists in the here and now as a form of temporality is constantly remade, drawing on the past while fashioning new prospects for the future.</jats:p

Sampling Assumptions Affect Use of Indirect Negative Evidence in Language Learning.

A classic debate in cognitive science revolves around understanding how children learn complex linguistic patterns, such as restrictions on verb alternations and contractions, without negative evidence. Recently, probabilistic models of language learning have been applied to this problem, framing it as a statistical inference from a random sample of sentences. These probabilistic models predict that learners should be sensitive to the way in which sentences are sampled. There are two main types of sampling assumptions that can operate in language learning: strong and weak sampling. Strong sampling, as assumed by probabilistic models, assumes the learning input is drawn from a distribution of grammatical samples from the underlying language and aims to learn this distribution. Thus, under strong sampling, the absence of a sentence construction from the input provides evidence that it has low or zero probability of grammaticality. Weak sampling does not make assumptions about the distribution from which the input is drawn, and thus the absence of a construction from the input as not used as evidence of its ungrammaticality. We demonstrate in a series of artificial language learning experiments that adults can produce behavior consistent with both sets of sampling assumptions, depending on how the learning problem is presented. These results suggest that people use information about the way in which linguistic input is sampled to guide their learning

Holistic assessment in design and technology: theory and practice

The Design and Technology National Curriculum is built upon the whole process of the subject and therefore must be assessed in the same holistic way. This article traces the development of such an assessment scheme for Year 7 pupils in an independent girls' school. It highlights the various difficulties involved in selecting criteria which match the age, ability and experience of the pupils when they enter the secondary school. The article concludes that teachers can assist their pupils to become capable in design and technology by developing their own assessment criteria, as long as they understand what is meant by the term 'capability'

Judicial Use of Customary Law in the Criminal Justice Process in the Northern Territory of Australia.

The Thesis sets out to examine judicial use of customary law in the criminal justice process in the Northern Territory of Australia. The broad context of the Thesis is the relationship between state law and customary law and the role of the judiciary in interpreting and developing that relationship. The Thesis concentrates on criminal law as it is the subject area where the conflicts are most acute and on the Northern Territory as it is the jurisdiction with the largest proportion of Aborigines living traditional lifestyles. The categorisation of the acquisition of Australia as by settlement has meant that customary law had been largely excluded from the state legal process. However, changes in the political climate have led to increasing demands for some recognition. The Thesis examines the legal difficulties inherent in such demands, considers the options and concludes that, on balance, the judiciary are the body best placed to resolve such difficulties. The Thesis begins with an overview of the nature of customary law and of the theoretical arguments for and against the recognition of such law. This is followed by a consideration of the various methods by which such recognition might be achieved. It is argued that the role of the judiciary in the evolution and regulation of the use of customary law in this context is crucial and that it is often the most appropriate body to decide such issues. This argument is elaborated in the following three Chapters which consider those areas of the criminal justice process where the judiciary have most frequently engaged with this dilemma. The Chapters consider procedural issues, substantive law and sentencing. The final Chapter summarises and evaluates the arguments presented and sets out the conclusion

Gender and university spinouts in the UK: Geography, governance and growth - Infographics

This summary offers an overview of the university spinouts landscape in the UK and where women feature in the geography, governance and growth of these companies. The results are part of a wider project, funded by the EPSRC’s Inclusion Matters programme, looking at the participation of women scientists, engineers and mathematicians in spinouts. This analysis is based on 789 active spinouts in the UK originating from 82 academic institutions

Gender and university spinouts in the UK: Geography, governance and growth

This report provides an overview of the UK spinouts landscape from a gender perspective. It is part of a wider project, funded by the EPSRC’s Inclusion Matters programme, looking at the participation of women scientists, engineers and mathematicians in university spinout companies. The results examine sex-disaggregated data on the geography, governance and growth of these university spinout companies. The findings of this report are timely and important since little is known about spinouts from a gender perspective. This is despite evidence that women are greatly underrepresented on patent applications (14% according to Elsevier), spinouts are overwhelmingly founded or co-founded by men (Jarboe et al), and women only make up one in three entrepreneurs more generally (Rose Review). Addressing women’s underrepresentation in spinout companies is thus not only a matter of social justice, but could also address a critical element of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, which aims to increase business and growth through research and innovation.

Evaluation of older people\u27s knowledge, awareness, motivation and perceptions about falls and falls prevention in residential aged care homes: A tale of two cities

Falls prevention strategies can only be effective in reducing falls amongst older people if they are adopted and enacted in their daily lives. There is limited evidence identifying what older people in residential aged care (RAC) homes understand about falls and falls prevention, or what may limit or enable their adoption of strategies. This study was conducted in two countries and explored older people’s knowledge and awareness of falls and their preferences, opportunities and motivation to undertake falls prevention strategies. A cross-sectional survey was administered to participants (N = 70) aged 65 years and over, living in six RAC homes in Perth, Australia and six RAC homes in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Participants had limited knowledge about intrinsic falls risk factors and strategies to address these and frequently expressed self-blame regarding falling. Almost all (N = 67, 95.7%) participants felt highly motivated to maintain their current functional mobility and independence in everyday tasks. Key preferences for receiving falls prevention messages favoured a positive approach promoting wellness and independence (N = 41, 58.6%) via pictorial posters or brochures (N = 37, 52.9%) and small group discussions preferably with demonstrations (N = 18, 25.7%). Findings from this study may assist organisations and staff to more effectively engage with older people living in RAC about falls prevention and design targeted resources to address the motivations and preferences of this population