Stonehenge and Middle to Late Neolithic cremation rites in mainland Britain (c. 3500-2500 BC)

This thesis examines the role of cremation in the Middle to Late Neolithic mortuary and funerary practices in mainland Britain between 3500–2500 BC. It is based on analysing osteological, contextual and chronological data to produce a comprehensive dataset of cremated human bones from mainland Britain. The funerary and mortuary rites in the Early Neolithic (c.4000-3500 BC) are characterised by their diverse variety in location and method of decomposition; however, most archaeologically visible rites contained collective male inhumations within rectangular monuments. During the Middle Neolithic (c.3500-3000 BC), this funerary rite shifted towards an emphasis on individual burials, and a rise in cremation cemeteries in association with circular monuments. By the Late Neolithic (c.3000-2500 BC), cremation was the dominant funerary rite mainly represented by token deposits within or near circular monuments (such as henges, stone/timber circles, pit circles and enclosures). Formal inhumation burials re-appeared in the Chalcolithic (c. 2200-2000 BC) and Beaker (c.2500-1850 BC) periods by continuing to construct (and often re-use) traditional forms of circular monuments. Cremation continued alongside these burials and were deposited in either specifically-made cremation cemeteries or into monuments as secondary deposits. This study found a high prevalence of female cremated remains within circular monuments throughout the Middle and Late Neolithic. This indicates that a shift in socio-political beliefs transpired at a time when paleoclimatic conditions fluctuated, the population sharply decreased, and a reliance on wild plant foods (rather than cultivated cereals) resulting in widespread cultural and funerary change. The number of recovered cremations (and indeed inhumations) accounts for only a small proportion of the Neolithic population, suggesting cremation was used for specific members of society and that the majority of the population was disposed of in some other, archaeologically invisible, way

An assessment of the marketing capabilities of trade book publishers in South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Literature, Language and Media in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A Publishing Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, 2016The purpose of this study is to investigate the current marketing capabilities of trade book publishers in South Africa. In addition, this study ascertains how these marketing capabilities impact on trade book publishers' sales and brand performance. There are currently several gaps in the literature on both marketing capabilities within the global publishing industry as well as gaps in the literature on the South African trade publishing industry. The main research problem is the lack of understanding of the marketing capabilities of trade book publishers in South Africa and how these capabilities can impact on the sales performance of these trade book publishers. This study is a qualitative, case study that examined four marketing capabilities within trade publishing houses in South Africa. Four propositions (on marketing communications, pricing, product innovation and channel management) were developed and tested in the study. The Resource-based view (RBV) theory as the main theoretical lens for this study is examined. The research was gathered through interviews over a 2 month period that were conducted at the publishers’ offices. 5 publishing companies took part in the study and a total of 15 interviews were conducted. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed. The transcriptions were loaded on to an analysis software tool called MaxQDA which allowed easy analysis by the researcher. All four propositions established were supported by the research. These marketing capabilities exist within all five trade publishing houses but that they are not being utilised as they should be. There is definite room for improvement in the publishing industr. The most significant capability for the trade publishing industry is the marketing communications capability as this is the most widely used. The originality of this research is that it is a case study in South African trade publishing houses and that it is looking at the marketing capabilities of trade publishing houses through the RBV approach. The implications for the industry are mostly in-house implication as the models generated require an organizational change within the publishing houses. Limitations of this study as well as suggestions for future research are outlined in this study.GR201

A Carnivalesque Perspective of Graham Swift's Last Orders

Graham Swift’s novel Last Orders has yet to be viewed as containing carnivalesque elements as defined by Mikhail Bakhtin in Rabelais and His World. Through the examination of Bakhtin’s theory of the carnivalesque and through a corresponding close reading of Last Orders, this article details the carnivalesque nature of the locations visited by the characters in the narrative, of the grotesque incidents that occur in these locations, and of the narrative style and structure of the novel itself

In Defence of the Doctrine of Common Purpose

The doctrine of common purpose has been subject to much criticism, especially concerning its use under apartheid. However, the doctrine predates the apartheid era and I argue that it should now be recognised as a tool to achieve justice. The constitutionality of the doctrine was confirmed in Thebus and Another v S 2003 (6) SA 505 (CC). Despite agreeing with the outcome, it is my view that the judgment would have been stronger had the Court acknowledged that, by dispensing with the requirement of causation, the doctrine must be subjected to a proportionality inquiry to determine whether there was ‘just cause' to deprive the appellants of their freedom. I argue that depriving persons who engage in joint criminal activity of their freedom is just as it is necessary to ensure crime control and safety in communities and there are no effective less restrictive means available to achieve this purpose. While misapplication of the doctrine is a legitimate concern, this does not make the doctrine itself unjust. It is incumbent upon courts to scrutinise the evidence against each accused and only convict them under the doctrine where a common purpose can be proved. The recent Constitutional Court judgment in Tshabalala v S; Ntuli v S 2020 (3) BCLR 307 (CC) expresses the importance of the doctrine in combating crimes (especially those of a sexual nature) committed by persons acting in concert. The doctrine ensures prosecution of collective criminal activity, and liability thereunder can be avoided where an accused effectively dissociates from a common purpose. It is submitted that the doctrine is a proportionate means to achieve justice and is in fact necessary in a country like South Africa, ravaged by high levels of collective criminal activity

Le développement agricole comme processus politique et transnational : le cas d'un projet de développement Canada - Sénégal

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Selective Expression of Immune-Associated Surface Antigens by Keratinocytes in Irritant Contact Dermatitis

The expression of three immunoregulatory surface antigens by epidermal keratinocytes was studied in irritant contact dermatitis (lCD), in order to assess whether keratinocytes have a modulatory role in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Biopsies were taken from 48-h patch test reactions to six structurally unrelated irritants, and frozen sections immunolabeled with monoclonal antibodies to the major histocompatibility complex class II antigen, HLA-DR, intercellular adhesion molecule-i (ICAM-1), and the 88-Kd glycoprotein CD36 (OKM5), as well as to the CD3 (T cells) and CD11a (lymphocyte function associated antigen-1, LFA-1) antigens. We found that there was very limited expression of HLA- DR by keratinocytes, with no correlation between the extent of HLA-DR positivity and the degree of T cell infiltration into the epidermis and dermis, suggesting that interferon gamma may not be a significant mediator of lCD at 48h. In contrast, keratinocytes showed extensive upregulation of ICAM-1, with an excellent spatial association between ICAM-1 expression and LFA-1 positive leucocytes in the epidermis. This indicates that keratinocyte JCAM-1 induction is not restricted to diseases in which antigen presentation is pivotal, but that it has a generalized role in cutaneous inflammatory reactions, promoting the infiltration of leucocytes into the epidermis. Immunolabeling with OKM5 revealed that CD36 is present to a variable degree on keratinocytes in normal skin. Differential changes in the pattern of keratinocyte expression occurred between irritants, in a manner that suggested that the CD36 antigen does not act as an adhesion molecule in lCD, but rather that its expression is related to the proliferative state of the epidermis. The results of this study demonstrate that immune-associated antigens are selectively expressed on the surface of keratinocytes in 48-h ICD biopsies, implying that these cells play an important regulatory role in the development of the inflammatory response to irritant chemicals

The Pressing Need to Raise the Status of the Teaching Profession: The Launch Story of the Teachers of Australia Social Media Campaign

This paper presents the start-up methodology for a project that leverages the opportunities that social media affords to give teachers voice and agency. In response to negative press about teachers in mainstream media, coupled with research that shows that teachers are working hard to meet student academic and wellbeing needs, the researchers employed the assertive technologies of social media and started a campaign to promote the work of pre-service and in-service teachers. The paper presents the theorising behind the start-up methodology for the social media campaign and outlines a response to an identified opportunity. It argues that social media provides new opportunities for professional connectedness, story sharing and collegial support

Working memory abilities in children with special educational needs

This study investigates the distinctive working memory profiles of children with learning difficulties. A sample of 64 children aged 7 to 11 years with recognised special educational needs at varying stages participated in this study. They were tested on measures of the central executive, phonological loop and visuospatial skills. The children in all three special needs subgroups performed below the expected attainment levels for their age in central executive and visuo-spatial tasks, but not in measures of the phonological loop. Very low levels of working memory performance were many times more common in the special needs sample than in a large sample of children without special educational needs. Deficits in working memory performance were more marked in children with statements of special needs than those at earlier stages of recognition of the need for educational support, particularly in measures of the central executive. These children struggle to meet the demands of complex tasks that require them to process, maintain, and store information simultaneously. It is suggested that this difficulty may underpin their failures to make normal educational progress

Working memory in children with reading disabilities

This study investigated associations between working memory (measured by complex memory tasks) and both reading and mathematics abilities, as well as the possible mediating factors of Xuid intelligence, verbal abilities, short-term memory (STM), and phonological awareness, in a sample of 46 6- to 11-year-olds with reading disabilities. As a whole, the sample was characterized by deWcits in complex memory and visuospatial STM and by low IQ scores; language, phonological STM, and phonological awareness abilities fell in the low average range. Severity of reading diYculties within the sample was signiWcantly associated with complex memory, language, and phonological awareness abilities, whereas poor mathematics abilities were linked with complex memory, phonological STM, and phonological awareness scores. These Wndings suggest that working memory skills indexed by complex memory tasks represent an important constraint on the acquisition of skill and knowledge in reading and mathematics. Possible mechanisms for the contribution of working memory to learning, and the implications for educational practice, are considered

A structural analysis of working memory and related cognitive skills in early childhood

The aim of this study was to investigate the functional organisation of working memory and related cognitive abilities in young children. A sample of 633 children aged between 4 and 6 years were tested on measures of verbal short-term memory, complex memory span, sentence repetition, phonological awareness, and nonverbal ability. The measurement model that provided the best fit of the data incorporates constructs that correspond to the central executive, phonological loop, and episodic buffer subcomponents of working memory, plus distinct but associated constructs associated with phonological awareness and nonverbal ability