An Evaluation of the Celtic Hypothesis for Brythonic Celtic influence on Early English

The Celtic Hypothesis attributes some of the major linguistic changes in Old and Middle English to influence from the Brythonic languages that were spoken in Britain at the time of the Anglo-Saxon immigrations beginning in the fifth century. The hypothesis focuses on features of English that do not exist, or are not common, in the other Germanic languages but resemble features in the Celtic languages. From the evidence we have of the socio-political relationships between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons, the likely language contact situations are compatible with Thomason and Kaufman’s (1988) ‘substratum interference’ and van Coetsem’s (1988) ‘imposition’, by which morpho-syntactic features are transferred from one language (L1) to another (L2) through imperfect second-language acquisition. The fact that the social situation was compatible with Brythonic influence on English does not mean, however, that the linguistic features in early English claimed by the proponents of the Celtic Hypothesis as showing Brythonic influence were actually influenced in this way. My purpose is to evaluate the Celtic Hypothesis in the light of the evidence and modern theories of language change due to contact. This thesis focuses on three features that have played a prominent role in the Celtic Hypothesis: (1) the dual paradigm of be (bēon and wesan) in Old English, (2) the periphrastic construction do + infinitive and (3) the periphrastic progressive construction be + -ing, the last two of which began to be grammaticalised in Middle English. I collect independent evidence from a selection of Middle Welsh texts of the parallel constructions: (1) the dual paradigm of bot ‘be’, (2) the periphrastic construction gwneuthur ‘do’ + verbal noun and (3) the periphrastic construction bot ‘be’ + particle + verbal noun. While the proponents of the Celtic Hypothesis provide examples of these constructions from several Brythonic languages including Middle Welsh, they give few examples and do not discuss the variability of the evidence according to date, region or genre. My own research confirms that the dual paradigms of be and bot do form a close parallel, but it also shows that the Old English dual paradigm is unlikely to have arisen due to Brythonic influence. My findings also show that evidence for the construction of gwneuthur ‘do’ + verbal noun is problematic: while it is very common in Middle Welsh prose narratives, it is very rare in the early prose annals and the earliest poems. Evidence for the progressive construction in early Welsh is similarly problematic: while it is regularly used in Colloquial Modern Welsh as bod ‘be’ + particle + verbal noun, it is by no means common in Middle Welsh. By looking at a wider range of Middle Welsh evidence, I demonstrate the limitations of the evidence relied on by proponents of the Celtic Hypothesis. This may lead to better substantiated arguments for the hypothesis in the future

The contribution of experts in care proceedings : evaluation of independent social work reports on care proceedings

Several concerns surround the use of independent social work (ISW) assessments in care proceedings. Some result from the exclusion of this work from a review of legal aid for expert assessments in this field, a cap on ISW fees, and fears about a resulting reduction in the availability of ISWs. At the same time, submissions to the Family Justice Review (FJR) claimed that ISWs cause delay, simply duplicate existing local authority assessments, add nothing new and undermine confidence in social work assessments. It was also said that ISW reports result from parents utilising human rights claims to gain a second opinion of a local authority assessment – and to which courts too readily accede. ... But while strong views have been expressed about the use of independent social work assessments, there is little hard evidence. This evaluation, commissioned following submissions to the FJR, begins to address that lack. It is based on 65 cases concerning 121 children and 82 reports for courts in England and Wales. The sample was drawn from the records of three independent agencies providing ISWs

Women just want a job, not a career : a study of the relationship between women's domestic role and their participation in the labour force : a thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology, Massey University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

During the twentieth century, the number of women in the labour force has risen dramatically. Since World War II the increase in labour force participation among married women has been particularly noticeable. However the participation of married women has fluctuated at times over the century as a result of national crises such as the World Wars and economic booms and recessions. Two labour market theories have been used to analyse women's labour force participation. The reserve army of labour theory as developed by Marx, is based on the idea that a flexible and disposable labour force is required by capital for capital accumulation. Although Marx did not specifically describe women as a reserve labour force, recent theorists have applied his theory to women in wage labour. The dual labour market theory likewise was not developed with women in mind but has since been used to analyse their labour force participation. It has been shown that women as a group of workers display similar characteristics to those attributed to secondary sector workers in the dual labour market, such as low wages and insecure, unstable positions and poor working conditions. Neither of the labour market theories questions why women as a group of workers comprise part of a reserve army of labour or the secondary sector of the labour market. In particular, these theories take no account of women's domestic responsibilities which considerably limit women's labour force participation. Feminist theorists however maintain that a theory of women's wage labour must include women's domestic role. This thesis examines how the labour market theories have been used to analyse women's participation in the labour market and reviews feminist theories which have linked women's domestic role with their position in the labour force. Employers hold a key position in the entry of women to the labour market. A survey of employers in the Manufacturing, Insurance, Finance and Business Services industrial groups in Palmerston North was undertaken to investigate employers' perceptions of the place of women in the labour force. Evidence from the study indicates that employers prefer women in positions which have traditionally been "women's work" and are reluctant to promote women because employers think the women's domestic responsibilities will preclude them from adequately carrying out their labour market obligations. In conclusion, it is apparent that employers do not perceive women as being career oriented because they believe women's domestic responsibilities will take priority in their lives. This belief effectively limits women's participation in the labour force and contributes to the continuation of sexual divisions in the labour market

An evaluation of the online universal programme COPING parent: A feasibility study.

<em>Background</em>: COPING parent (Confident Parent Internet Guide) is an online universal parenting programme designed for parents of children aged 3-8 who are interested in learning positive parenting strategies to address everyday parenting challenges. Most people now have access to the internet and many parents seek online parenting advice, so it is important to ensure that advice is both evidence-based and freely available. The 10-week online COPING parent programme presents information and activities based on core social learning theory principles. The programme provides information and video examples of parenting skills, uses quizzes to test knowledge and suggests home practice activities. This study was undertaken to obtain feedback on the usefulness and acceptability of the programme to inform its further development. <br /><em>Design and Methods:</em> The programme was created using the LifeGuide software and participants (n=20) were asked to complete one chapter of the programme each week and provide feedback. This feasibility study was undertaken to highlight any technical issues and suggest modifications prior to a more rigorous evaluation. <br /><em>Results:</em> Both participant feedback and programme usage data are reported. Thirteen feedback forms were returned and programme usage data was downloaded for all participants. Feedback suggested modifications that included adaptations to enable the programme to be accessed by tablet users, an option to look back over previously completed chapters, the inclusion of more video examples of positive parenting and text message prompting to address attrition challenges

Web-based parenting support:Development of the COPING Confident Parenting programme

Parents have the most significant impact on children&rsquo;s development and the key parenting factors that promote child development and wellbeing are well known. Furthermore, many behavioural, social and emotional problems in children are associated with poor parenting practices. Parenting interventions that address parental skill deficits and teach positive parenting principles based on social learning theory are effective and are the recommended treatment for conduct disorder. Alongside the development of treatment programmes, universal parenting programmes have been developed; many present the same core parenting principles but their rationales vary from promoting children&rsquo;s development to addressing common behavioural challenges and the evidence for these programmes is less well established. Most parents now have internet access and are making daily use of it, including seeking advice on parenting matters but that advice is often anecdotal and lacking evidence. In the meantime, a small number of web-based programmes, including parenting programmes have been developed and evaluated. This paper summarises the rationale for web-based universal programmes to support parents and briefly describes the history, content and a summary of the initial research on the COPING (confident parent internet guide) programme developed by the authors. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research directions

Best Practices in Endangered Species Recovery Planning: Lessons for the Conservation of Maine’s Atlantic Salmon

The call for federal listing of Atlantic salmon as endangered implies that such action will result in a recovery plan for the species that is superior to Maine ’s Atlantic Salmon Conservation Plan. In this article the authors compare the Maine plan against the findings of a recent review of Endangered Species Act recovery plans. The review, conducted by the Society for Conservation Biology in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, assessed the quality of a national sample of Endangered Species Act recovery plans with the intention of identifying “best practice.” By comparing the Maine plan to the findings of this review, the authors indicate areas where Maine’s plan is strong and suggest areas where there may be room for improvement

Neither Fear Nor Favour, Affection Or Ill Will: Modernisation of care proceedings and the use and value of independent social work expertise to senior judges

This is part two of an evaluation of the work of independent social work experts (ISWs) in care proceedings (stage I was published in April 2012). It takes forward findings from stage I exploring further the evidential base for views put to the Family Justice Review about the practice of courts. It examines the views, experiences and practices of a sample of senior judges in commissioning ISW assessments, placing these in the context of the timing, format and value of local authority assessments. Finally, judges’ views about the implications of the modernisation programme for use of ISWs are explored - in the light of a need for earlier completion of cases, without loss of quality in assessments, and with regard to issues of fairness, justice and transparency in judicial decision making. In the report each section is followed by a summary of findings reflecting the key issue for policy and practice. The study is based on interviews with 23 senior judges (20 DFJs, 3 Circuit Judges) in 20/43 county courts in England and Wales. Interviews were held between February and April 2013. They include representation from all circuits, and courts with small and high volume case loads (less than 115, 251 - 900 applications in 12 months). They hear applications from just over half of authorities in England (59%) and just over one third (36%) in Wales

Characterization of transgene expression in adenoviral vector-based HIV-1 vaccine candidates

Recombinant adenovirus vectors have been extensively used in gene therapy clinical studies. More recently, the capability of inducing potent cell-mediated and humoral immunity has made these vectors equally attractive candidates for prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine applications. Merck and Co., Inc., developed HIV-1 vaccine candidates based on adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) vectors in which the E1 gene, a critical component for adenovirus replication, was replaced by the cytomegalovirus immediate/early promoter, followed by mutated versions of the HIV-1 gag, pol or nef genes (constructs referred to as MRKAd5gag, MRKAd5pol and MRKAd5nef, respectively). Vaccine performance was evaluated in vitro in a novel assay that measures the level of transgene expression in non-permissive A549 cells. Various combinations of vectors were studied. The results indicate that the vaccine induces a dose-dependent expression of the HIV-1 transgenes in vitro. Furthermore, the gag, pol, and nef transgenes are expressed differentially in A549 cells in an MOI-dependent and formulation-dependent manner, yielding an unexpected enhancement of protein expression in trivalent vs. monovalent formulations. Our data suggest that the presence of additional virus in multivalent formulations increases individual transgene expression in A549 cells, even when the amount of DNA encoding the gene of interest remains constant. This enhancement appears to be controlled at the transcriptional level and related to both the total amount of virus and the combination of transgenes present in the formulation

Palynology of some tertiary deposits from New South Wales

Microfloras from freshwater sediments from three localities in New South Wales - Nerriga, Kiandra, and Cadia, have been studied and compared with previously described Tertiary assemblages. Samples for palynological study were taken from sections with a K-Ar dated basalt to give independerit age control. For two localities, Kiandra and Cadia (dated as early and middle Miocene, respectively) there is good agreement betw2an the microfloral and radiometric ages. At Nerriga, this dating is less precise; the age indicated by the microflora is early Eocene, whereas the K-Ar age on the basalts indicate late Eocene. All three microfloral suites could be compared to those described from the Gippsland and Otway Basins, and could therefore be related to zones described from these sequences. Many characteristic species from these south coast assemblages (e.g. some species of Proteacidites) are absent, however. Suites from all three localities suggest a rainforest vegetation, and can be considered part of the widespread Tertiary Cinnamomum flora. This flora consists of Nothofagus of all three types (brassi, menziesii, and fusca), various gymnosperms, and a diversity of angiosperms and pteridophytes. Whether this was a pan-Australian flora remains to be assessed, as data become available from areas outside of southeastern Australia. Elements of this flora are also found in Tertiary deposits of other southern regions - New Zealand, Antarctica, Kerguelen, southern South America, and Ninetyeast Ridge. Most fossil taxa can be related to living groups with a temperate distribution, although some tropical elements are present. The assemblage indicates a higher rainfall in these areas in the Tertiary than at present. Indications of warmer temperatures are uncertain from the microfloras, although palaeotemperature data indicate warmer temperatures at least in the Paleogene