Developing an independent anti-racist model for asylum rights organizing in England

Since the mid 1990s third sector professionals and organizations have come under increasing pressure to help enforce restrictive and punitive policies toward refugees and asylum seekers. This paper presents one response, using an empirical case study to develop an ‘Independent Anti-Racist Model’ for asylum rights organising. This combines data from a three-year study comparing four organizations in a major city in England and reflections on the author’s experience as a member of the case study organization, contextualized in the literature. The paper identifies a related set of features distinguishing this model from other types of organization and the conditions making it possible and concludes that it offers wider lessons for work with groups in a conflictual relationship with the state

WISDOM: history and early demise - was it inevitable?

In 1989, the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) agreed that, if feasible, a randomized controlled trial to assess the long-term risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was a priority. Feasibility work began in 1990 and demonstrated that a large-scale multicenter trial was possible. An application for funding for a main trial was submitted to MRC in 1993 and, after extensive review, funding was released in late 1996. Set-up work for the trial - the Women's International Study of long Duration Oestrogen after Menopause (WISDOM) - began in 1997 with recruitment in 1999. In October 2002, following the early discontinuation of one arm of the US Women's Health Initiative HRT trial, the MRC decided to stop the WISDOM trial. This article, by the principal UK investigators of WISDOM, sets out the background and history of the trial

Activist conceptualisations at the migration-welfare nexus: racial capitalism, austerity and the hostile environment

In recent years British welfare policy and immigration policy have intertwined in new ways, with widespread cuts alongside increasing conditionality, rationing, and differentiation of rights. This article explores perspectives among activists attempting to resist these developments, with a focus on those that go beyond narrow reactions and engage in systemic critiques. It draws on in-depth qualitative interviews with activists from a variety of campaigns in England. The article presents a conceptual framework, synthesising these activists' ideas and comprising three elements: racialised profit-seeking as a driver of policy; 'situated universalism' as a counter-hegemonic basis for unity; and a theory of change through grassroots campaigns

Effects of corn plant maturity at ensiling on the performance of feeder heifers

The three objectives in this investigation were to (1) determine the effects of the four stages of maturity on silage yields and losses; (2) to evaluate both a visual method of silage scoring and chemical analysis; and (3) to determine the effects of corn silage harvested at four stages of maturity (late milk, early dough, late dough, and mealy endosperm) on the performance of feeder heifers. Theoretical green chop yield had a tendency to decrease as matu-rity increased. The tonnage of green chop ensiled was similar for the first three stages of maturity and higher than for the fourth stage. Expressed either as a percent of the theoretical yield or as dry matter per acre, the quantity of green chop ensiled increased through the third stage. Edible silage expressed as tons of dry matter per acre, increased through the third cutting. Losses between the theoretical values and the quantity ensiled were lower for the two middle stages of maturity as were the unaccountable losses between the time of en-siling and the actual quantity fed. Total visual score was closely associated with animal perform-ance with the second and third stages of maturity, but was not as good an indicator for the first and fourth stages of maturity. It was a good indicator of the daily air dry intake of silage by the animals. Individual components of the chemical analysis, on an as fed basis, had a tendency to increase with increasing maturity in the three year summary. Chemical analysis was not closely associated with animal performance. Animal performance showed yearly differences in silages which were not indicated by (1) chemical analysis, (2) by consumption on either an as fed or dry matter basis, or (3) the silage scores. Neither could the differences be explained by the digestibility studies conducted on the same silages by Prigge (1968). Average daily silage intake as fed decreased with increasing maturity, with the fourth stage of maturity being significantly less (P \u3c .05) than the other three. However, in the three year summary expressed on an air dry basis, it was significantly higher (P \u3c .05) for the middle stages of maturity than for the first and fourth stages. Average daily gains of the heifers during the silage phase for the late milk, early dough, and late dough stages were similar, but significantly higher (P \u3c .05) than the gains obtained with the mealy endosperm stage. Pounds of feed required per pound of gain on an as fed basis had a tendency to decrease with increasing maturity. However, expressed on an air dry basis the trend reversed. No significant (P \u3c .05) differences were found in (1) the live condition grades taken at the end of the silage phase, (2) the final live condition grades, and (3) the carcass characteristics obtained at the end of the full fed phase. Pounds of beef produced per acre of silage was highest for the late dough stage, and followed in decreasing order by the early dough, mealy endosperm, and late milk stages. In the full fed phase no significant (P \u3c .05) differences were found in average daily gain or air dry matter intake indicating no carry over effects from the silage phase to the full fed phase

Non-local dispersal

We consider a model of spatial spread that has applications in both material science and biology. The classical models are based upon partial differential equations, in particular reaction-diffusion equations. Here the dispersal term is given in terms of an integral operator and we restrict ourselves to the scalar case