A mineral reconnaissance survey of the Abington-Biggar-Moffat-area, south-central Scotland

Panned heavy mineral concentrates, mostly obtained from stream sediments, were collected from 195 sites in the Abington-Biggar-Moffat area. The project area, which lies immediately east of the formerly important mining district of Wanlockhead-Leadhills, covers approximately 500 km2 of the north-central sector of the Southern Uplands. It incorporates the Hart Fell range of hills, the headwaters catchment for the River Tweed and River Annan, some tributaries of the River Clyde, and, to the east, the Culter Water, Talla Reservoir, Megget Water and the head of the Ettrick valley. Numerous new occurrences of lead, zinc, copper and barium minerals were found and nine areas are recommended for further investigation. Minor amounts of baryte and traces of cupriferous pyrite were identified in the basal breccia of the-New Red Sandstone deposits in Annandale. The mercury mineral, cinnabar, was identified for the first time in Scotland, occurring in trace amounts in stream sediment concentrates in the Coulter area close to the Southern Upland Fault. Chromiferous spine1 was recognised as a major constituent in the majority of panned samples. It is present as a detrital mineral in greywackes but must have been originally derived from ultrabasic rocks. An unusual mineral widely dispersed in trace amounts is corundum (including some gem-quality sapphire). Historical references (Lauder Lindsay, 1868-9, 1871) to a wide distribution for particle gold were confirmed and many new occurrences found. A local provenance for the element is now considered certain. Some placer concentration of gold and chromiferous spine1 is likely in the alluvium of the valleys of the River Tweed and the Megget Water. Six greywacke formations, previously defined in other parts of the Southern Uplands, were mapped in the project area, each distinguished by a characteristic lithology and heavy mineral content

Attachment goes to court: child protection and custody issues

Attachment theory and research are drawn upon in many applied settings, including family courts, but misunderstandings are widespread and sometimes result in misapplications. The aim of this consensus statement is, therefore, to enhance understanding, counter misinformation, and steer family-court utilisation of attachment theory in a supportive, evidence-based direction, especially with regard to child protection and child custody decision-making. The article is divided into two parts. In the first, we address problems related to the use of attachment theory and research in family courts, and discuss reasons for these problems. To this end, we examine family court applications of attachment theory in the current context of the best-interest-of-the-child standard, discuss misunderstandings regarding attachment theory, and identify factors that have hindered accurate implementation. In the second part, we provide recommendations for the application of attachment theory and research. To this end, we set out three attachment principles: the child’s need for familiar, non-abusive caregivers; the value of continuity of good-enough care; and the benefits of networks of attachment relationships. We also discuss the suitability of assessments of attachment quality and caregiving behaviour to inform family court decision-making. We conclude that assessments of caregiver behaviour should take center stage. Although there is dissensus among us regarding the use of assessments of attachment quality to inform child custody and child-protection decisions, such assessments are currently most suitable for targeting and directing supportive interventions. Finally, we provide directions to guide future interdisciplinary research collaboration

Simulation of chain folding in polyethylene: A comparison of united atom and explicit hydrogen atom models

We performed a systematic study to show that the nicely folded lamellar structure of polyethylene chains derived from previous molecular simulations is a consequence of the use of the united atom model, which treats the CH2 groups as a hard sphere. Simulations presented here with explicit hydrogen atoms show that the fold is not uniform, and that regularly aligned stems do not result. While it is known that polyethylene crystallizes with chain folded morphology, the irregular folding seen here is due to the neglect of the interactions between the hydrogen atoms attached to a carbon atom Ci and the atom Ci+2 in the united atom model. We present this paper to point out how the choice of force fields is important for polymers with a high degree of crystallinity. We hope that this paper stimulates further work on developing united atom models that take into account terms that we show to dictate the polymer conformations, such as the interactions between atoms attached to carbon atom Ci and the atom Ci+2 in polyethylene

Skill webs and international human resource management: lessons from a study of the global skill strategies of transnational companies

This paper examines the development of global skill webs in transnational companies (TNCs). Based on research in seven countries, it argues that skill webs are becoming more strategic in character as companies seek competitive advantage by relocating high-skilled work to low-cost locations. The paper explores the implications of these findings for both the ‘conventional’ approach to international human resource management and that influenced by the ‘varieties of capitalism’ School