Economic Interplay Among Households And States

This Forum has made progress on both its stated research themes: control of craft production and the newer topic of markets. My comments take up the issues of household economy, state control, and markets. First, I discuss developments at the second-order center of Nichoria, which show both independent activity and the effect of incorporation into the state of Pylos. Excavation of another such settlement at Iklaina promises to support and expand on the findings from Nichoria. State control is another subject for discussion; the evidence suggests some differences between prestige goods and ordinary pottery, concerning both production and consumption. Finally, I argue that the existence of markets is well supported by both archaeological and textual data.Classic

Researching the Linkages Between Social Protection and Children's Care in Rwanda: The VUP and its Effects on Child Well-Being, Care, and Family Reunification

This research investigates the links between the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), child well-being, children's care and family reunification. It is part of a wider study on the linkages between social protection and children's care in Rwanda, Ghana and South Africa.The research is a joint initiative by Family for Every Child and the Centre for Social Protection (CSP) at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) in the UK. Uyisenga Ni Imanzi, a Rwandan NGO and member of Family for Every Child, led the research in Rwanda.This qualitative study addresses three overarching questions:What are the linkages between social protection and the quality of children's care?What is the link between social protection and the loss of parental care or family separation?How does social protection influence decisions about foster or kinship care?The sample for this study includes more than 120 adults and 90 children from Rwabicuma and Kibilizi sectors in Nyanza district, Southern Province. Participants included programme staff, programme participants and community members.This series will also include reports from Ghana and South Africa by Spring 201

Mentoring relationships : patterns of interaction in mentorships in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Africa programme

Bibliography: leaves 108-112.The purpose of this study was therefore an in-depth exploration of relationship processes in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Africa programme, attempting to link these with some of the qualities identified by previous research as associated with strong relationships or positive outcomes. The sample for the study consisted of the mentors and mentees in eight relationships, established approximately a year before the research was conducted

The downstream wake response of marine current energy converters operating in shallow tidal flows

This paper presents findings from an experimental study investigating the downstream wake response from marine current energy convertors operating in various degrees of vertical flow constraint. The paper investigates deep vertically unconstrained sites, mid-depth sites and there is a particular emphasis on shallow tidal stream sites. Shallow tidal resources could be utilised for the deployment of first generation farms. The nature of the downstream wake flow will be a critical factor when determining the farm layout and the wake length is heavily influenced by the flow depth or ratio of rotor diameter to flow depth. A porous actuator disk is used to model the marine current energy convertor and an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter is used to map the downstream wake. Linear scaling of length ratios suggests mid depth sites of 30-50m will produce the shortest wake lengths and for deeper and shallower sites the wake length increases. It is hoped that these relationships between vertical flow constraint and wake length will help with the layout design of tidal stream farm

Relationships between adolescents and adults: the significance of narrative and context

A substantial body of research links the developmental outcomes of young people to the relationships they have with adults. However, very little research provides insight into the mechanisms whereby relationships achieve their outcomes or the specific qualities of those relationships. This paper explores the construction of relationships between young people and adults in three different socio-cultural settings in Cape Town. Four young people in each setting, namely Ocean View, Fish Hoek and Masiphumelele were interviewed about their relationships with the most important adults in their lives. Where possible, the adults they identified were interviewed also. Interviews were unstructured and analysed thematically. Fundamentally, constructions of the relationships in all three settings were found to be similar. All adults encouraged young people to succeed and sought to protect them against risk. However, the nature of the opportunities and risks, and of the material context in general, differ between the three different study sites and have considerable import for the narratives of the relationships from each. The paper argues that the differences between the three sites indicate the responsiveness and adaptation of ideals and discourses to environmental demands, rather than fundamental ideological discrepancies

Mentoring relationships : patterns of interaction in mentorships in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Africa programme

Bibliography: leaves 108-112.The purpose of this study was therefore an in-depth exploration of relationship processes in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Africa programme, attempting to link these with some of the qualities identified by previous research as associated with strong relationships or positive outcomes. The sample for the study consisted of the mentors and mentees in eight relationships, established approximately a year before the research was conducted

Large-scale forcing of coastal communities.

Two contrasting areas of pelagic primary productivity (PPP) were noted in western Scotland, the Clyde (high PPP) and the west coast (low PPP). It was hypothesised that increased PPP would have a direct bottom-up influence on intertidal community structure with the Clyde expected to be dominated by filter feeders with potentially greater larval recruitment, increased density, faster growth and larger maximum sizes. The study was divided into five sections examining community structure, growth rates, predation and grazing pressures, effects of wave exposure, and stable isotope analysis. Individual species tended to vary between sites within lochs rather than between the two regions. Growth rates of the predator Nucella were found to follow peaks in Semibalanus size, rather than Mytilus, with increased growth on the west coast. An increased density of the grazer, Littorina, at a site had an increased effect on their growth rate although dense localised patches within sites were observed where growth rates were lowest. Mussel size classes were found to have different growth rates, most probably due to differing factors such as predation, food availability, and reproduction. Predation and grazing effects differed between regions. Barnacle cover was shown to be affected by both Nucella and Littorina although the latter may have been an indirect affect due to the biofilm cover which was greater in the Clyde. Predation rates of mussels were found to be greater on the west coast which was most probably due to a change in diet from barnacles to mussels. Mussel shell length and biomass declined with increasing wave exposure throughout western Scotland with the potential for factors varying on small scales to be more important in structuring mussel populations. This was evident when testing for differences in stable isotopes of mussels which suggested site specific variation due to increased freshwater input. The results of this study showed that small scale, local factors are as important, if not more, as regional differences in structuring communities. PPP is important, but only for a subset of the community

Novel Applications and Refinements of Ultrasound Techniques in Perinatal and Infant Death Investigation

The decline in parental consent for perinatal autopsies has led to the development of less invasive autopsy techniques, primarily using imaging and in some cases acquiring tissue samples through laparoscopic techniques via small incisions. Whilst post-mortem MRI (PMMR) has been extensively tested, and shown to be a suitable modality for determining the cause of death/demise in the perinatal cohort, it is not widely available. This thesis explores the utility of a poorly explored, yet more accessible, cheaper, dynamic imaging modality widely used in ‘live’ paediatric imaging for the purposes of a less invasive autopsy – the perinatal post-mortem ultrasound (PMUS). I present a systematic review of the limited literature of PMUS diagnostic accuracy for perinatal death investigation encompassing 4 publications with 455 cases in total. This reveals an overall pooled whole body sensitivity rate of 73.3% [95% CI 59.9, 83.5] and specificity rate of 96.6% [95% CI 92.6, 98.4] . A comprehensive imaging protocol for whole body PMUS is also presented based on my own experience in scanning 272 perinatal deaths. An analysis in 130 of these cases with autopsy as a reference standard, showed that brain and abdominal diagnoses yielded the highest sensitivity rates (90.9% and 92.3% respectively), with spinal, cardiac and thoracic diagnoses yielding the lowest sensitivity rates (50%, 50% and 57.1% respectively). Imaging of the brain and heart however were the least likely to be of diagnostic quality (76.8% and 78.3% diagnostic cases respectively), particularly in macerated fetuses. In a subset of cases where PMUS and 1.5T PMMR were performed, there was no significant difference in whole body diagnostic accuracy rates (concordance rates for PMUS versus PMMR of 86.4% [95%CI 77.7, 92.0] versus 88.6% [95% CI 80.3, 93.7]), although PMMR yielded fewer non-diagnostic brain and cardiac examinations (2.9% and 2.9% non-diagnostic brain and cardiac PMMR cases versus 22.8% and 14.7% non-diagnostic PMUS cases). In the second part of my thesis, I describe the development of an ‘incisionless’ ultrasound guided biopsy method using a single entry site for the biopsy needle – the umbilical vein. This ‘INTACT’ biopsy method allowed for a ‘non-invasive’ autopsy with tissue sampling, with a biopsy success rate of 76.1% overall for all organs, with highest individual organ success rates >90% for heart and lungs. I conclude by discussing how best to incorporate PMUS into clinical practice and suggest areas for future researc

British perceptions of Spain during the 1930s,and their use in the interpretation of the events of the Spanish Civil War

On 11 September 1936 a Times editorial made reference to the 'clamourous partisanship' that had been brought about by the civil war in Spain. In literature since the war this polarisation of opinion has been central to representations of British responses to the conflict. Much attention has focused on the divergent British political responses, and particularly on those of the left, responses which became increasingly bitter as Spain became a 'distorting mirror in which Europe[could] see an exaggerated reflection of her own divisions'. Yet, as The Times editorial continued at the time, in spite of all 'incitements the great mass of public opinion (remained) firmly opposed to any taking of sides. This public resistance to the 'clamourous' efforts of supporters of the Republic or advocates of the Nationalists has been noted in subsequent literature but has not been explored in any depth, explanation generally centring around the policy of appeasement. While not ignoring such explanations, this study argues that the imagery and language employed in the various contemporary interpretations of events played a significant part in distancing events. The study, then, aims to add a cultural perspective to the more widely examined political understanding of British responses to Spain during the 1930s. Through an analysis of representations in mass culture, and through an examination of the experiences of the growing numbers of British visitors to the Peninsula, the study first seeks to identify the expectations of Spain and the Spanish people most commonly held in Britain of the 1930s. It then goes on to examine how, during the life of the Republic and especially throughout the Civil War, supporters of both sides, in every form of mass media available, repeatedly referred to this framework of preconceived notions as they endeavoured to interpret issues and events for their British audiences. Particular attention is given to differing portrayals of the Spanish political scene and the Catholic Church, to the representations of the two sides and what they reportedly stood for. Finally, by looking at reactions to events in the Basque provinces, examining responses to humanitarian aid appeals and once again assessing the attitudes found in fictional representations of the war the study offers some measure of the impact of the war on the wider British public