622 research outputs found
Beings in their own right? Exploring Children and young people's sibling and twin relationships in the Minority World
This paper examines the contributions that the sociological study of sibship and twinship in the Minority World can make to childhood studies. It argues that, in providing one forum within which to explore children and young people's social relationships, we can add to our understanding of children and young people's interdependence and develop a more nuanced understanding of agency. As emergent subjects, children, young people and adults are in a process of ‘becoming’. However, this does not mean that they can ‘become’ anything they choose to. The notion of negotiated interdependence (Punch 2002) is useful in helping us to grasp the contingent nature of children and young people's agency
Young people today: news media, policy and youth justice
The new sociology of childhood sees children as competent social agents with important contributions to make. And yet the phase of childhood is fraught with tensions and contradictions. Public policies are required, not only to protect children, but also to control them and regulate their behaviour. For children and young people in the UK, youth justice has become increasingly punitive. At the same time, social policies have focused more on children's inclusion and participation. In this interplay of conflict and contradictions, the role the media play is critical in contributing to the moral panic about childhood and youth. In this article, we consider media representations of “antisocial” children and young people and how this belies a moral response to the nature of contemporary childhood. We conclude by considering how a rights-based approach might help redress the moralised politics of childhood representations in the media
Understanding children’s constructions of meanings about other children: implications for inclusiveeducation
This paper explores the factors that influence the way children construct meanings about other children, and especially those who seem to experience marginalisation, within school contexts. The research involved an ethnographic study in a primary school in Cyprus over a period of 5 months. Qualitative methods were used, particularly participant observations and interviews with children. Interpretation of the data suggests that children's perceptions about other children, and especially those who come to experience marginalisation, are influenced by the following factors: other children and the interactions between them; adults’ way of behaving in the school; the existing structures within the school; and the cultures of the school and the wider educational context. Even though the most powerful factor was viewed to be the adults’ influence, it was rather the interweaving between different factors that seemed to lead to the creation of particular meanings for other children. In the end, it is argued that children's voices should be seen as an essential element within the process of developing inclusive practices.<br/
Investigating child participation in the everyday talk of a teacher and children in a preparatory year
In early years research, policy and education, a democratic perspective that positions children as participants and citizens is increasingly emphasized. These ideas take seriously listening to children’s opinions and respecting children’s influence over their everyday affairs. While much political and social investment has been paid to the inclusion of participatory approaches little has been reported on the practical achievement of such an approach in the day to day of early childhood education within school settings. This paper investigates talk and interaction in the everyday activities of a teacher and children in an Australian preparatory class (for children age 4-6 years) to see how ideas of child participation are experienced. We use an interactional analytic approach to demonstrate how participatory methods are employed in practical ways to manage routine interactions. Analysis shows that whilst the teacher seeks the children’s opinion and involves them in decision-making, child participation is at times constrained by the context and institutional categories of “teacher” and “student” that are jointly produced in their talk. The paper highlights tensions that arise for teachers as they balance a pedagogical intent of “teaching” and the associated institutional expectations, with efforts to engage children in decision-making. Recommendations include adopting a variety of conversational styles when engaging with children; consideration of temporal concerns and the need to acknowledge the culture of the school
Light Hadron Masses from Lattice QCD
This article reviews lattice QCD results for the light hadron spectrum. We
give an overview of different formulations of lattice QCD, with discussions on
the fermion doubling problem and improvement programs. We summarize recent
developments in algorithms and analysis techniques, that render calculations
with light, dynamical quarks feasible on present day computer resources.
Finally, we summarize spectrum results for ground state hadrons and resonances
using various actions.Comment: 53 pages, 24 figures, one table; Rev.Mod.Phys. (published version);
v2: corrected typ
Measurement of the Generalized Forward Spin Polarizabilities of the Neutron
The generalized forward spin polarizabilities and of
the neutron have been extracted for the first time in a range from 0.1 to
0.9 GeV. Since is sensitive to nucleon resonances and
is insensitive to the resonance, it is expected that the
pair of forward spin polarizabilities should provide benchmark tests of the
current understanding of the chiral dynamics of QCD. The new results on
show significant disagreement with Chiral Perturbation Theory
calculations, while the data for at low are in good agreement
with a next-to-lead order Relativistic Baryon Chiral Perturbation theory
calculation. The data show good agreement with the phenomenological MAID model.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, corrected typo in author name, published in PR
Q^2 Evolution of the Neutron Spin Structure Moments using a He-3 Target
We have measured the spin structure functions and of He in a
double-spin experiment by inclusively scattering polarized electrons at
energies ranging from 0.862 to 5.07 GeV off a polarized He target at a
15.5 scattering angle. Excitation energies covered the resonance and
the onset of the deep inelastic regions. We have determined for the first time
the evolution of ,
and for the neutron in the range 0.1 GeV 0.9 GeV with good precision. displays a smooth
variation from high to low . The Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule holds
within uncertainties and is non-zero over the measured range.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.. Updated Hermes
data in Fig. 2 (top panel) and their corresponding reference. Updated the low
x extrapolation error Fig. 2 (middle panel). Corrected references to ChiPT
calculation
The Q^2 evolution of the generalized Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the neutron using a He-3 target
We present data on the inclusive scattering of polarized electrons from a
polarized He-3 target at energies from 0.862 to 5.06 GeV, obtained at a
scattering angle of 15.5 degrees. Our data include measurements from the
quasielastic peak, through the resonance region, to the beginning of the deep
inelastic regime, and were used to determine the spin difference in the virtual
photoabsorption cross section. We extract the extended Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn
integral for the neutron in the range of 4-momentum transfer squared Q^2 of
0.1-0.9 GeV.Comment: 14 pages of text when TeXed in preprint format with figures embedded.
RevTeX format. Three eps figure
The Impact of Intermittent Umbilical Cord Occlusions on the Inflammatory Response in Pre-Term Fetal Sheep
Fetal hypoxic episodes may occur antepartum with the potential to induce systemic and cerebral inflammatory responses thereby contributing to brain injury. We hypothesized that intermittent umbilical cord occlusions (UCOs) of sufficient severity but without cumulative acidosis will lead to a fetal inflammatory response. Thirty-one chronically instrumented fetal sheep at ∼0.85 of gestation underwent four consecutive days of hourly UCOs from one to three minutes duration for six hours each day. Maternal and fetal blood samples were taken for blood gases/pH and plasma interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 levels. Animals were euthanized at the end of experimental study with brain tissue processed for subsequent counting of microglia and mast cells. Intermittent UCOs resulted in transitory fetal hypoxemia with associated acidemia which progressively worsened the longer umbilical blood flow was occluded, but with no cumulative blood gas or pH changes over the four days of study. Fetal arterial IL-1β and IL-6 values showed no significant change regardless of the severity of the UCOs, nor was there any evident impact on the microglia and mast cell counts for any of the brain regions studied. Accordingly, intermittent UCOs of up to three minutes duration with severe, but limited fetal hypoxemia and no cumulative acidemia, do not result in either a systemic or brain inflammatory response in the pre-term ovine fetus. However, fetal IL-1B and IL-6 values were found to be well correlated with corresponding maternal values supporting the placenta as a primary source for these cytokines with related secretion into both circulations. Female fetuses were also found to have higher IL-1β levels than males, indicating that gender may impact on the fetal inflammatory response to various stimuli
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