Men and boys selling sex in the Bradford district

This report provides a summary of key findings from a study commissioned by Yorkshire MESMAC exploring the experiences and needs of men and boys who are involved in selling sex in the Bradford district. This study consisted of three related projects outlined below. Project A: Survey of Agencies in the Bradford Area The first author conducted an interviewbased survey of 31 representatives from 21 local statutory and voluntary sector agencies exploring their perceptions of the issue of men and boys involved in selling sex, and considering ways in which local services could best respond to their needs. Responses indicated that: ● 78% of agency representatives believed that young men selling sex in the Bradford area was an issue that needed to be addressed. ● 52% of agency representatives had direct evidence of young men who were involved in selling sex in the Bradford area. ● 87% felt that action should be taken to address the issue of young men involved in selling sex in the Bradford area. Suggestions offered are outlined on page 9. Project B: Local Awareness of Men Selling Sex Thirty-seven men under the age of 40 completed a short questionnaire (Appendix 2) exploring their levels of awareness and possible involvement in selling/purchasing sexual services. Results indicated that: ● Adverts for men selling sex had been observed by gay/bisexual and heterosexual men in the Bradford district. ● One-third of gay/bisexual men and one young heterosexual man had been approached by a man and offered sex for money on more than one occasion. ● 10% of the gay/bisexual men surveyed reported having sold sex. Executive Summary ● Reasons for offering sexual services or receiving payment for sex included being pressurized to perform in pornographic videos or pictures, or receiving shelter/accommodation for the night. Project C: Men Selling Sex Seven men who sell or have sold sex in the Bradford area were interviewed by the first author using a structured interview schedule (see Appendix 3). Responses suggested that: ● Sex with young men under the age of 16 is sought by men in the Bradford area. ● Men who sell sex on the streets have less control over the types of sex for which payment is offered than those who are house/flat/hotel-based. ● Men who sell sex on the streets face much more violence than those who sell sex from a house/flat/hotel. ● Selling sex on the streets often follows a chance encounter with an exploitative older man during teenage years. ● Selling sex from a house/flat tends to be a deliberate decision by older men. Recommendations ● Provision of a local support service responding to the needs of men and boys who are involved in selling sex. ● Commission further research exploring the issues highlighted in the report

Converting rain into drinking water: Quality issues and technological advances

With growing pressures on water supplies worldwide, rainwater harvesting is increasingly seen as a viable option to provide drinking water to an ever expanding population, particularly in developing countries. However, rooftop runoff is not without quality issues. Microbiological and chemical contamination have been detected in several studies, well above local and international guidelines, posing a health risk for consumers. Our research explores the use of silver ions, combined with conventional filtration and settling mechanisms, as a safe and affordable model for purification that can be applied on a small scale. The complete systems were installed and tested in rural communities in a Mexican semi-arid region. Efficiencies up to 99.9% were achieved in the removal of indicator microorganisms, with a marked exception where cross-contamination from external seepage occurs. Sites without overhanging branches or with relatively clean surfaces show an absence of total coliforms in the untreated runoff, compared with others where values as high as 1,650 CFU/100 ml were recorded. Thus, given adequate maintenance, the system can successfully deliver high quality drinking water, even when storage is required for long periods of time. © IWA Publishing 2011

Millet agriculture dispersed from Northeast China to the Russian Far East: integrating archaeology, genetics, and linguistics

Broomcorn and foxtail millets were being cultivated in the West Liao River basin in Northeast China by at least the sixth millennium BCE. However, when and how millet agriculture spread from there to the north and east remains poorly understood. Here, we trace the dispersal of millet agriculture from Northeast China to the Russian Far East and weigh demic against cultural diffusion as mechanisms for that dispersal. We compare two routes for the spread of millet into the Russian Far East discussed in previous research—an inland route across Manchuria, and a coastal/inland route initially following the Liaodong Peninsula and Yalu River—using an archaeological dataset including millet remains, pottery, stone tools, spindle whorls, jade and figurines. We then integrate the archaeological evidence with linguistic and genetic findings in an approach we term ‘triangulation’. We conclude that an expansion of agricultural societies in Northeast China during the Middle to Late Hongshan (4000–3000 BCE) coincided with the arrival of millet cultivation in eastern Heilongjiang and the Primorye province of the Russian Far East. Our findings support the inland, Manchuria route for the dispersal of millet to the Primorye and suggest that, as well as long-distance cultural exchange, demic diffusion was also involved. Our results are broadly compatible with the farming/language dispersal hypothesis and consistent with a link between the spread of millet farming and proto-Tungusic, the language ancestral to the contemporary Tungusic languages, in late Neolithic Northeast Asia. © 2020 The Author

Swept-wavelength mid-infrared fiber laser for real-time ammonia gas sensing

The mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral region holds great promise for new laser-based sensing technologies, based on measuring strong mid-IR molecular absorption features. Practical applications have been limited to date, however, by current low-brightness broadband mid-IR light sources and slow acquisition-time detection systems. Here, we report a new approach by developing a swept-wavelength mid-infrared fiber laser, exploiting the broad emission of dysprosium and using an acousto-optic tunable filter to achieve electronically controlled swept-wavelength operation from 2.89 to 3.25 {\mu}m (3070-3460 cm^-1). Ammonia (NH3) absorption spectroscopy is demonstrated using this swept source with a simple room-temperature single-pixel detector, with 0.3 nm resolution and 40 ms acquisition time. This creates new opportunities for real-time high-sensitivity remote sensing using simple, compact mid-IR fiber-based technologies.Comment: Invited article for APL Photonic

The Place of Widening Participation

This chapter reports on a small-scale study to explore the learning careers of mature, non-traditionally qualified students. It reveals how they (re)engage with learning, and their transition from studying on a bespoke access course delivered in a university to study at undergraduate level. The study highlights the barriers and challenges students overcome and identifies their motivations and dispositions to learning. Whilst the majority of access courses are delivered in further education colleges, a small number of universities deliver bespoke access courses. These courses, which are usually designed to facilitate progression within the institution, enable students to experience teaching and learning in a university setting, facilities and support services. The research adopted a qualitative approach, using interviews as the main method of data collection. Emerging findings reveal that (re)engaging with education and the transition from ‘access student’ to undergraduate student is not seamless and without challenges. Such students ‘often undergo a unique and profound experience’ (Burnell, 2015:6) as they enter this new space which provides an opportunity to create new social and class-related identities. The transition to undergraduate study is easier when learners are familiar with the routines and rhythms of higher education in general and the facilities and services of a particular institution

Alien Registration- Ellis, Maude I. (Bath, Sagadahoc County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/9518/thumbnail.jp

SOYBEANS QUALITY PRICE DIFFERENTIALS FROM AN ELEVATOR'S PERSPECTIVE

Soybean prices are determined by interaction between various factors. At an elevator, discount prices for unique characteristics can range from 0.02 cents per bushel to 7.71 cents per bushel of soybeans. This variation suggests that producers of soybeans need quality-characteristic specific information concerning soybeans pricing at the market. This study uses a hedonic model to evaluate price differentials associated with soybean quality based on grain elevator data during the 1998 production period. Foreign material, moisture, bean damage, and net weight were found to significantly influence the cash price of soybeans.hedonic, quality, discount, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis,