Review of: Annmarie Drury, Translation as Transformation in Victorian Poetry (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Hardback. Pp. viii + 293

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Ecocriticism

This chapter reviews publications in the field of ecocriticism published in 2016. The material considered takes varied approaches to the shared endeavour to assert the place of thinking ecologically in, about, and through, cultural forms as a contribution to wider debate regarding environmental crisis now and in the future. These works effectively describe and advocate for the work of ecocriticism itself as a discipline. The review covers single-author and edited volumes, including one journal special issue. Focusing on relationships between ecocriticism and literary production, cinema, philosophy and theology, the publications discussed pose questions not only about how we appraise cultural representations of ‘the environment’, but also about how we recognize ecology as paradigmatically staged in culture

Evaluating the effectiveness of rangeland resting initiatives in communal grazing systems in South Africa

In South Africa, rangeland environments provide ecosystem services upon which many broader natural processes and millions of livelihoods depend. Against a background of environmental degradation and widespread poverty, trade-offs between different services must be carefully managed. 17% of South African rangeland is held under communal tenure, bringing unique management challenges. This thesis investigates the efficacy of Conservation Agreements (CAs) - an example of a Payments for Ecosystems Services approach - in achieving positive environmental and social outcomes within three communities in the Mvenyane region of Eastern Cape, South Africa. It seeks to establish whether areas of rangeland in these communities were successfully rested, a key tenet of these agreements. Biomass sampled from designated rested areas was compared against samples from exclosures within these rested areas. Focus groups (FG) were also conducted with local signatory institutions known as Grazing Associations (GAs) to identify factors contributing to in/effective resting. The findings show that rangeland was not effectively rested in any of the communities studied. Insights from the New Institutionalist paradigm and the broader literature were used to analyse data from focus groups and a household survey. This indicated inadequate institutional capacity to deliver management strategies required to satisfy the terms of the CAs, and limitations in the pro-social outcomes the CAs were designed to provide. In particular, the design of CAs contributed to the exclusion of marginalised groups from GAs. More broadly, a dichotomy was revealed between the market-based approach underpinning the CA arrangements, and the priorities of many rangeland users. Further research into reasons for non-participation in GAs, and into other local institutions of power, is suggested, alongside key policy recommendations. <br/

An exploration of bilingual (Welsh-English) counsellors' experiences of counselling in a mother tongue and in a non-mother tongue language

This research investigates the experiences of bilingual (Welsh-English) counsellors providing therapy in their mother tongue (Welsh) and in their non-mother tongue (English). The data was gathered from an in-depth semi-structured interview with five participants from North and West Wales who described Welsh as their mother tongue and it was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings demonstrated that the therapists recognised differences when counselling in Welsh and in English. The participants experienced a different sense of self depending on the language spoken and described a pre-existing understanding and sense of ease that emerged when they counselled clients who shared the same mother tongue as themselves. Consequently, this facilitated the development of safety and trust that arose when they provided therapy to clients in their first language. The results highlighted how the familiarity of the language of training and the passage of time benefits how the therapists conceptualise their counselling abilities. The study found that aspects such as the therapists’ lack of linguistic proficiency and a need to make an extra effort in their less familiar and/or less confident languages can hinder the counselling relationship. However the research demonstrated that their bilingualism enhanced the therapy by offering more flexibility and choice to clients. These findings support existing literature on the topic and also provide new insights into Welsh first language therapists’ experiences of working bilingually.Swinton, ValdaMintz, RitaGubi, Peter M.Le'Surf, Ann

Anti-terrorism legislation in the United Kingdom and the United States: A comparative analysis.

The threat posed by terrorism and the need to counter it tends to produce a cycle of action and reaction in which democracies often find themselves. The on-going threat perpetuates this cycle with the effect that more legislation is enacted, often without achieving increased security. Instead what tends to occur is the normalisation of emergency measures, the erosion of rights and liberties and ultimately the risk of the country becoming less democratic. This cycle can be said to be in existence in the United Kingdom and the United States in seeking to deal with the current terrorist threat. This thesis examines, in a comparative context, the extent to which the side effects of this cycle have occurred in both countries. This is done through examination of the extent to which the rights and liberties of the individual are restricted by the response to terrorism, namely the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 in the UK and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act 1996 and the USA PATRIOT Act 2001 in the US. In so doing, it examines the hypothesis that with regard to the legislation in question, interference with the rights and liberties examined in the UK is greater than in the US due to the profusion of legislation enacted in response to the protracted domestic terrorist struggle and the subsequent erosion of these values. Consideration is given to the previous terrorist threat and the response of each country in examining the condition of democratic values prior to the period under examination. This allows comparison with the impact of the current legislation on these values, whereby it can be seen that whilst some amount of restriction of fundamental rights and liberties has occurred in both countries, this cannot be said to be greater in the UK. The democratic foundation of each country remains intact, thereby providing the best form of protection against terrorism

The assessment of physical frailty and physical activity in end-stage liver disease

Physical frailty in end-stage liver disease (ESLD) is prevalent across North America and has a negative impact on clinical outcomes, yet little is known about the prevalence of physical frailty in ESLD within the United Kingdom (UK). Physical activity and exercise-based interventions seem a plausible option to improve physical frailty, yet there is limited understanding of current habitual physical activity levels in ESLD. Consequently, research studies to date have based interventions around well recognised National guidelines designed for healthy individuals or those with other chronic diseases. Effectiveness of, and adherence to, these interventions have been varied, limiting the translation of research findings into clinical practice. Through a prospective UK-based observational cohort study, I identified high prevalence (80%) of, and the clinical characteristics (i.e. age and hyponatraemia) that predict, physical frailty in ESLD. Furthermore, the quick and simple to use outcome measures, Liver Frailty Index (LFI) and Duke Activity Status Index, were validated for overall and waiting list mortality in patients assessed for liver transplantation (LT). Understanding the volume and intensity distribution of physical activity in those with ESLD will help guide future study interventions. As part of our wider observational case-control sarcopenia study, I highlighted the negative discrepancy between volume, and distribution of activity intensity, by using remotely-monitored wrist-worn accelerometery of patients with well-characterised ESLD compared to age/sex matched healthy controls. In particular, those with ESLD did not sustain activity at a moderate intensity for longer than one minute indicating that current exercise advice for those with ESLD (5-10min bouts of moderate intensity physical activity) may be too ambitious. To enable targeted exercise therapy to those most in need, I investigated the clinical predictors of low physical activity levels. Older age and the presence of refractory ascites were independent predictors of low physical activity, with the LFI being the most robust and clinically useful physical frailty measure to predict low physical activity. Intensity, rather than volume of physical activity was associated with lower physical frailty levels indicating a message of “when you move, move with intensity” may be most beneficial to patients with ESLD. Further research studies should focus on delivering short bursts of higher intensity activity within their exercise interventions to evaluate impact of physical activity on reducing physical frailty in ESLD

The visual language of kingship, 1640-1653

This thesis seeks to offer a re-evaluation of the nature of political culture in England during the years of civil war through the use of visual material. There exists a rich body of pictorial evidence and yet it is frequently overlooked completely or used very selectively to illustrate conclusions reached through close studies of other source material, particularly popular print. However, this thesis takes as its starting point the intensely visual nature of early modern political and popular culture and utilises material as wide-ranging as court portraiture, satirical woodcuts and objects such as coins and medallions. By focusing in particular on the visual language of idealised kingship which developed under Charles l, this thesis will question the existence of the bi-polar model of political participation so frequently depicted in the historiography of the period by demonstrating the conservative and consensual nature of much of the imagery. Therefore, this study explores the manner in which a broad and popular audience responded to the pictorial depiction of their king as divine and as the fulcrum of social order. This makes it necessary to consider the manner in which the imagery of idealised kingship was disseminated outside the court, therefore placing it within the context of an increasingly politicised populace. Through this, the extent to which models of conflict and consensus could co-exist will be demonstrated, leading to an evaluation of the intrinsically conservative self-identification of the parliamentarian cause and of popular allegiance, particularly through the polemical constructs of 'cavalier' and 'roundhead '. It will be suggested that propagandist images of kingship became embedded in political culture because they reflected broadly accepted norms of social behaviour. This proves to be essential in understanding the influence of and the extent to which Charles I became the personification of the body politic, ultimately enabling his aura of sanctity to deepen during the wars and after the regicide, whilst hindering the possibility of the Rump establishing its own distinctive imagery of political authority. By offering an alternative body of evidence, this thesis seeks to demonstrate that the visual language of king ship became the language of social normality and authority

Integrating Sustainable Development and Children’s Rights: A Case Study on Wales

The global disconnect between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has been described as ‘a missed opportunity’. Since devolution, the Welsh Government has actively pursued a ‘sustainable development’ and a ‘children’s rights’ agenda. However, until recently, these separate agendas also did not contribute to each other, although they culminated in two radical and innovative pieces of legislation; the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure (2013) and the Well-being and Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015). This article offers a case study that draws upon the SDGs and the CRC and considers how recent guidance to Welsh public bodies for implementation attempts to contribute to a more integrated approach. It suggests that successful integration requires recognition of the importance of including children in deliberative processes, using both formal mechanisms, such as local authority youth forums, pupil councils and a national youth parliament, and informal mechanisms, such as child-led research, that enable children to initiate and influence sustainable change

Exposing pharmacy students to challenges surrounding care of young children via a novel role-emerging placement

Embedding opportunities for undergraduate pharmacy students to move between academic and practiceenvironments is key to transform their perception of patient care and to facilitate learning of the skills required forthe changing profession (Smith and Darracott, 2011). An approach adopted by many health care professions toprepare students for diversity with their field, is exposure to non-workplace environments in the form ofrole-emerging placements (REPs) (Whiteford and Wright St-Clair, 2002).The study presented is part of an ongoing action research project; this cycle focusses on exposing students tochallenges surrounding care of young children. Barriers and facilitators arising from an earlier pilot of REPs in theCardiff School of Pharmacy were considered when designing and implementing innovative placements for entrylevel pharmacy undergraduates in venues where mother and toddler groups were running. Students participated in apre-placement workshop where they explored a flexible list of questions to facilitate their interactions. Placementswere supervised by members of staff, who supported students throughout their experience and during a group debriefat the end of each session. Students were called to reflect further during a post-placement workshop with the rest oftheir colleagues.The full cohort of students submitted a copy of their overall reflections. Entries were analysed via thematic analysisto provide an overview. The sessions raised awareness of issues when providing pharmaceutical care to children andcontributed to students’ professional development. Challenges to their interactions were identified and suggestionsfor improvement were made. Results will inform structure and content of future REPs