Evaluating Pillar 2 Employment Impacts: Case Study Methodology and Results for East Wales

This case study evaluation aims to explore employment impacts of the reformed East Wales RDP in East Wales, a UK region which is highly spatially differentiated. It concentrates on analysis of documentary evidence and representative in-depth interviews which support an evaluative interpretation of mechanisms of rural change. Issues explored relate to problems of the rural economy requiring policy intervention, and CAP rural development reform impacts on rural employment of farm households and workers in other sectors. Major concerns relate to youth out-migration, inadequate childcare provision, age structure, lack of affordable housing, pockets of deprivation, deteriorating service provision, labour supply, spatial diversity, and predominance of small businesses. Dual market failures appear to occur in employment and housing, requiring action to improve productivity, and spatial planning policies sensitive to rural requirements. The reformed RDP has had minor impacts on economic development, on the development of competitive premium agricultural products, professionalisation of the agricultural service sector, farm business adaptation, agri-environment support, and development of the food supply chain. However, the evidence indicates that Axis 2 should be strengthened to mitigate adverse impacts of decoupling. Also, future RDP spending should concentrate on Axes 3 and 4, its budget should be allocated on evidence-based criteria, and compulsory modulation should be increased. It should include provision of childcare services and other elements favouring female participation, and LEADER groups should be strengthened within a framework Rural Action Plans.Wales, rural development, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Edge-Driven Mechanical Microplate Models of Strike-Slip Faulting in the Tibetan Plateau

The India-Asia collision zone accommodates the relative motion between India and Eurasia through both shortening and pervasive strike-slip faulting. To gain a mechanical understanding of how fault slip rates are driven across the Tibetan plateau, we develop a two-dimensional, linear elastic, two-stage, deformable microplate model for the upper crust based on the behavior of an idealized earthquake cycle. We use this approach to develop a suite of simple India-Asia collision zone models, differing only in boundary conditions, to determine which combination of edge forces and displacements are consistent with both the slip rate measurements along major Tibetan faults as well as the geodetically observed extrusion of crustal material toward Southeast Asia. Model predictions for the Altyn Tagh (1–14 mm/yr), Kunlun (3–10 mm/yr), Karakorum (5–12 mm/yr), and Haiyuan (3–5 mm/yr) faults are in agreement with geologically and geodetically inferred slip rates. Further, models that accurately reproduce observed slip rate gradients along the Altyn Tagh and Kunlun faults feature two critical boundary conditions: (1) oblique compressive displacement along the Himalayan range front west of the Shillong plateau, and (2) forcing in Southeast Asia. Additionally, the ratio of internal-block potency rate to the total potency rate for each microplate ranges from 28% to 79%, suggesting a hybrid view of deformation in Tibet as simultaneously localized on major faults and distributed at length scales <500 km.Earth and Planetary Science

Qualitative evaluation of European Rural Development Policy: Evidence from Comparative Case Studies

Complexity and variable uptake of CAP (Pillar 2) measures and rural diversity of the EU provide significant challenges for evaluation. The rationale of indepth case study analysis as an essential complement to formal evaluation techniques is illustrated with comparative studies of employment impacts of Pillar Two policies in 6 rural areas in different EU member states. Recommendations arising include accelerated shifts from commodity support to measures strengthening non-farm sectors of the rural economy, whilst retaining support for farming adaptation; use of clear structural indicators and local expertise to determine priorities; and integration of Pillar Two policies with other measures in consistent, spatially nested Action Plans for Rural Development which set targets for improvement in economic and demographic performance.rural policies, evaluation, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Constraints on developing organic poultry production OF0128T

This study aimed to provide MAFF with an assessment of the potential for organic poultry production in England and Wales and, in particular, to identify likely constraints on the development of organic poultry production enterprises, including physical, financial and market factors. The study will e composed of 3 specific objectives outlines as follows, together with ways in which they might be achieved: 1. Definition of the physical production parameters for alternative poultry production to organic standards, with particular emphasis on free range and perchery systems and their respective input requirements and output potential. A detailed literature review will be conducted and consultations will be made with existing organic poultry producers. Direct experience with conventional free range and perchery production systems at the National Institute of Poultry Husbandry and other published information will be utilised to identify potential areas for improvement and/or future research; 2. Investigation of market opportunities for organic poulry meat and egg production in England and Wales, through an examination of the existing market structure and an appraisal of existing and potential marketing strategies. The market for organic poultry meat and eggs will be analysed for shape, size and future potential. Alternative marketing approaches for this sector will be considered and a desk study will be conducted involving a review of trade journals and poultry sector business reports, together with consultation with key players in the sector; and 3.Formulation of an appropriate farm business plan to illustrate the relative profitability of alternative systems of organic poultry production, including the projection of cash flows under given assumptions and the application of sensitivity analyses to key variables influencing profitability. The business plan will cover a wide range of areas, including: industry and market size; producer strategy; capital requirements,; marketing strategy; projected funds; and building, labour and statutory requirements

A novel method for pair-matching using three-dimensional digital models of bone:mesh-to-mesh value comparison

The commingling of human remains often hinders forensic/physical anthropologists during the identification process, as there are limited methods to accurately sort these remains. This study investigates a new method for pair-matching, a common individualization technique, which uses digital three-dimensional models of bone: mesh-to-mesh value comparison (MVC). The MVC method digitally compares the entire three-dimensional geometry of two bones at once to produce a single value to indicate their similarity. Two different versions of this method, one manual and the other automated, were created and then tested for how well they accurately pair-matched humeri. Each version was assessed using sensitivity and specificity. The manual mesh-to-mesh value comparison method was 100 % sensitive and 100 % specific. The automated mesh-to-mesh value comparison method was 95 % sensitive and 60 % specific. Our results indicate that the mesh-to-mesh value comparison method overall is a powerful new tool for accurately pair-matching commingled skeletal elements, although the automated version still needs improvement. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00414-016-1334-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Irish migrant identity in Yorkshire and Lancashire, 1815-1845

This thesis is a study of Irish immigrants in Yorkshire and Lancashire in the period 1815 to 1845. It examines the experience of these migrants in order to discover who they were, where they came from, to what extent their pre-migration experience was reflected in their lives in their new homes and whether or not they possessed an awareness of themselves as a community. Research has involved extensive use of convict transportation and court records, local newspapers, colonial and home office records and folklore material.Documentary evidence on the Irish diaspora for the first half of the nineteenth-century is scarce and as a result historical literature tends to focus on the second half of the century. As a consequence of the limited availability of historical evidence, the literature which does exist for the earlier period has relied too heavily on conclusions reached about Famine migrants and on negative images with less specific origins. This thesis uses records of transportation which provide full and reliable data on age, birthplace, occupations, marital and family status, literacy and religion, to provide a new and vivid profile of the Irish in Britain. The conclusions drawn from this data challenge many previous assumptions and are presented in Chapter One.Chapters Two and Three consider the way in which the Irish saw themselves and were seen by the English. The existing literature concentrates almost exclusively on English attitudes towards the Irish, thus confirming the strength of the anti-Irish stereotype in denying the Irish their prejudices. It is argued here that identities are mutually constituting and that both parties played an important creative role in the self image of the other. Relations between Irish immigrants and their English hosts could not but be affected by their long history of opposition and mutual misrepresentation.Chapters Four to Six focus on the ways in which Irish identity manifested itself in Yorkshire and Lancashire, that is, in politics, in their secret societies and in religion. Chapter Four demonstrates the commitment of large numbers of Irish immigrants to the interests of their native home and the way in which they remained under the influence of political leaders such as Daniel O'Connell. Chapter Five shows the way in which the introduction of Ribbon Societies to Britain helped to maintain and reinforce ethnic identity. Finally Chapter Six argues that the Irish, far from being indifferent to matters of religion, had very particular ideas regarding the organisation of their Church and were adept at asserting their opinions