Education and Politics in Scotland, 1900-1930

At the start of the twentieth century Scotland had a nation-wide network of publicly-controlled schools. Although these schools were managed locally, generally by elected boards, the educational system itself lay under the direction of central government, with authority exercised through the Committee of the Privy Council and the Scotch (later Scottish) Education Department (S. E. D. ). The aim of this investigation is to examine the system of education as it developed between 1900 and 1930, paying particular attention to political and cultural pressures while, at the same time, considering how these pressures influenced the processes of policy making and management, and shaped the character and quality of schooling. Much of the study is based upon a scrutiny of the records of the S. E. D. and the Treasury, parliamentary papers and debates, and archival material from the private papers of individuals; with additional data taken from autobiographical and other printed sources, contemporary both the period in question and more recent. The first chapter provides a brief survey of the main trends and characteristics in the Scottish environment up to the outbreak of the first world war. Between 1872 and 1914 some of the marked changes in that environment included a movement of population from rural to urban areas and a significant expansion in heavy industry. Nonetheless, it is suggested, the outward appearance of success disguised a spirit of conservatism which failed to respond to new discoveries in science and technology. Failure to tackle problems was also evident in the scale of social deprivation and bad housing. Education, however, was provided in a clearly-defined pattern of institutions, consisting of parish schools for the majority of children, burgh grammar schools and academies for a selected few. Throughout, emphasis was placed on meritocracy and scholastic achievement. All were part of a strong bureaucratic structure of educational management which, in essentials, had remained largely static since 1872. In Chapters 2 and 3 the political context within which this system of education operated until 1918 is outlined. Up to 1906, parliamentary control lay in the hands of the Unionists. Thereafter, despite controversy over legislation on social issues and a constitutional crisis, the Liberals remained in office until the advent of a coalition government in 1916. Dissension over questions about home rule, tariff and trade, land reform and a programme on welfare, together with the hesitant early growth of the Labour party, coloured the background against which education in Scotland was to develop. But this development was also determined by the personalities of the legislators at Westminster. Many shared similar educational backgrounds. Their career patterns were often interlocked; while their family ties and social environment reinforced their professional and business relationships. Following this general discussion in the first three chapters, the inquiry goes on to examine in detail a number of themes forming an integral part of any account of the relationship between education and politics in Scotland. In Chapter 4 it is argued that the partnership governing the conduct of Scottish public education depended upon the maintenance of an efficient administrative framework; a framework containing a reasonably equitable balance between the powers of the central authority and the responsibilities of local bodies. As analysed in Chapter 5, the key objective in the attacks on the existing pattern of administration and organization was a need to modernize the structure and replace the parish-based method of management with a more efficient one built upon a county or district base. The impact of the Treasury, it is noted in Chapter 6, was equally important. As noted in Chapter 7, boards and schools had often to exist on inadequate equipment and staffing. Comparisons with data used in the Conclusion reveal that such problems were not unique to the Highlands. Nonetheless, the degrees of the difficulty, especially in the counties of Inverness and Ross and Cromarty, were sufficient to provide a constant source of concern to local managers and centralized administrators alike. Chapter 9 surveys the main trends in Scottish educational development between 1918 and 1929

Magnetism and transport in nanostructured domain wall systems

The precise control of ferromagnetic domain wall formation opens up exciting avenues of research and potential application in spintronics ? the manipulation of charge carriers via their spin properties. Recent experiments on Cobalt-Platinum multilayers containing artificially created domains provide the motivation for this work. In this thesis the electronic structure of CoPt multilayers are calculated by an ab initio multiple scattering method, and attempts are made at replicating the systems used in experiments, including lattice relaxations and the effects of substitutional alloying. The magnetic reversal process in Pt/Co/Pt trilayer systems is studied in the framework of micromagnetics, in which effects such as exchange, magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the demagnetising field are treated phenomenologically. The results are compared to recent experiments and the switching mechanism can be understood in terms of domain growth and domain wall nucleation. A ballistic transport framework is outlined in terms of a tight binding Green function method. The domain wall is modelled as a change in the local spin reference frame. The method is applied to Cobalt Platinum trilayers, and it is found that the resulting domain wall resistances are sensitive to the details of the Fermi energy bands. Subsequently, the angular dependence of domain wall resistivity in Pt/Co/Pt systems is studied by a model based on the anisotropic resistivity tensor that is expected in a domain wall. The results are used to extract resistivity parameters from experimental data, and a positive domain wall resistivity is identified, whilst resulting arguments provide supporting evidence for the Levy-Zhang theory of domain wall resistance. Finally, recent experiments on the dilute magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As have provided evidence for a negative intrinsic domain wall resistance in this material. By applying a similar model to that used on the CoPt systems, it is shown that the anomalous magnetoresistance effect can also provide a significant negative contribution to the measured resistance via induced eddy current at the domain wall boundary.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Searching for an Anthropo(s)cene in the uplands of mid Wales

This essay presents the responses of four creative writers to the highly modified landscapes of the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales. Through a tour of the historic mine site of Cwmystwyth and the dams of Cwm Elan, our aims were to engage with the concept of the Anthropocene in a landscape that could be emblematic of the proposed new geological interval. Through poems and prose inspired by these landscapes, the physical, social, cultural, and political processes shaping them are explored. The pieces have a strong sense of place, and touch on themes of pollution of the environment by heavy metals, geomorphological impacts of dams, and the human stories associated with those places. We demonstrate the great potential of such places and landscapes as sites where artistic creativity and science can engage and collaborate to find ways of communicating concepts such as the Anthropocene and the anthroposcenic

How parents and children evaluate emollients for childhood eczema: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Eczema affects one in five children in the UK. Regular application of emollients is routinely recommended for children with eczema. There are four main emollient types, but no clear evidence of which is best. The current ‘trial and error’ approach to find suitable emollients can be frustrating for parents, children, and clinicians. AIM: To identify how parents and children experience and evaluate emollients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Qualitative interview study, nested within a primary care trial of emollients (Best Emollients for Eczema [BEE] trial). METHOD: Semi-structured interviews with children with eczema and their parents were conducted. Participants were purposively sampled on emollient type (lotion, cream, gel, or ointment), age, and eczema severity. RESULTS: Forty-four parents were interviewed, with children participating in 24 of those interviews. There was no clear preference for any one emollient type. The strongest theme was the variation of experience in each of the four types. Participants focused on thickness and absorbency, both positively and negatively, to frame their evaluations. Effectiveness and acceptability were both considered when evaluating an emollient but effectiveness was the primary driver for continued use. For some, participating in the trial had changed their knowledge and behaviour of emollients, resulting in use that was more regular and for a longer duration. CONCLUSION: There is no one emollient that is suitable for everyone, and parents/children prioritise different aspects of emollients. Future research could evaluate decision aids and/or tester pots of different types, which could enable clinicians and parents/children to work collaboratively to identify the best emollient for them

Is HELICS the right way? Lack of chest radiography limits ventilator-associated pneumonia surveillance in Wales

Introduction: The reported incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in Wales is low compared with surveillance data from other European regions. It is unclear whether this reflects success of the Welsh healthcare-associated infection prevention measures or limitations in the application of European VAP surveillance methods. Our primary aim was to investigate episodes of ventilator-associated respiratory tract infection (VARTI), to identify episodes that met established criteria for VAP, and to explore reasons why others did not, according to the Hospitals in Europe Link for Infection Control through Surveillance (HELICS) definitions. Materials and Methods: During two 14-day study periods 2012–2014, investigators reviewed all invasively ventilated patients in all 14 Welsh Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Episodes were identified in which the clinical team had commenced antibiotic therapy because of suspected VARTI. Probability of pneumonia was estimated using a modified Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (mCPIS). Episodes meeting HELICS definitions of VAP were identified, and reasons for other episodes not meeting definitions examined. In the second period, each patient was also assessed with regards to the development of a ventilator-associated event (VAE), according to recent US definitions. Results: The study included 306 invasively ventilated patients; 282 were admitted to ICU for 48 h or more. 32 (11.3%) patients were commenced on antibiotics for suspected VARTI. Ten of these episodes met HELICS definitions of VAP, an incidence of 4.2 per 1000 intubation days. In 48% VARTI episodes, concurrent chest radiography was not performed, precluding the diagnosis of VAP. Mechanical ventilation (16.0 vs. 8.0 days; p = 0.01) and ICU stay (25.0 vs. 11.0 days; p = 0.01) were significantly longer in patients treated for VARTI compared to those not treated. There was no overlap between episodes of VARTI and of VAE. Discussion: HELICS VAP surveillance definitions identified less than one-third of cases in which antibiotics were commenced for suspected ventilator-associated RTI. Lack of chest radiography precluded nearly 50% cases from meeting the surveillance definition of VAP, and as a consequence we are almost certainly underestimating the incidence of VAP in Wales

Research techniques made simple: workflow for searching databases to reduce evidence selection bias in systematic reviews

Clinical trials and basic science studies without statistically significant results are less likely to be published than studies with statistically significant results. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that omit unpublished data are at high risk of distorted conclusions. Here, we describe methods to search beyond bibliographical databases to reduce evidence selection bias in systematic reviews. Unpublished studies may be identified by searching conference proceedings. Moreover, clinical trial registries—databases of planned and ongoing trials—and regulatory agency websites such as the European Medicine Agency (EMA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may provide summaries of efficacy and safety data. Primary and secondary outcomes are prespecified in trial registries, thus allowing the assessment of outcome reporting bias by comparison with the trial report. The sources of trial data and documents are still evolving, with ongoing initiatives promoting broader access to clinical study reports and individual patient data. There is currently no established methodology to ensure that the multiple sources of information are incorporated. Nonetheless, systematic reviews must adapt to these improvements and cover the new sources in their search strategies

Safety of topical corticosteroids in atopic eczema:an umbrella review

Objective: An umbrella review summarising all safety data from systematic reviews of topical corticosteroids (TCS) in adults and children with atopic eczema .Methods: Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology map of eczema systematic reviews searched until 7th November 2018 and Epistemonikos until 2nd March 2021. Reviews were included if they assessed safety of TCS in atopic eczema and searched >1 database using a reproducible search strategy. Review quality assessed using AMSTAR-2. PROSPERO registration: CRD42018079409. Results: 38 systematic reviews included, 34 low/critically low quality. Treatment and follow-up usually short (2-4 weeks). Key findings: TCS versus emollient/vehicle: No meta-analyses identified for skin-thinning. Two 2-week randomised controlled trials (RCTs) found no significant increased risk with very potent TCS (0/196 TCS vs 0/33 vehicle in children and 6/109 TCS vs 2/50 vehicle, age unknown). Biochemical adrenal suppression (cortisol) was 3.8% (95% CI 2.4%-5.8%) in a meta-analysis of 11 uncontrolled observational studies (any potency TCS, 522 children). Effects reversed when treatment ceased. TCS versus topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs): Meta-analysis showed higher relative risk of skin-thinning with TCS (RR 4.86, 95% CI 1.06-22.28, n=4128, four RCTs, including one 5-year RCT). Eight cases in 2068 participants, 7 using potent TCS. No evidence of growth suppression.Once daily versus more frequent TCS: No meta-analyses identified. No skin-thinning in one RCT (3 weeks potent TCS, n=94) or biochemical adrenal suppression in two RCTs (up to 2 weeks very potent/moderate TCS, n=129).TCS twice/week to prevent flares (‘weekend therapy’) versus vehicle: No meta-analyses identified. No evidence of skin-thinning in five RCTs. One RCT found biochemical adrenal suppression (2/44 children, potent TCS).Conclusions: We found no evidence of harm when TCS used intermittently “as required” to treat flares or “weekend therapy” to prevent flares. However, long-term safety data was limited

Effects of gluteal kinesio-taping on performance with respect to fatigue in rugby players

Kinesio-tape® has been suggested to increase blood circulation and lymph flow and might influence the muscle's ability to maintain strength during fatigue. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of gluteal Kinesio-tape® on lower limb muscle strength in non-fatigued and fatigued conditions. A total of 10 male rugby union players performed 20-m sprint and vertical jump tests before and after a rugby-specific fatigue protocol. The 20-m sprint time was collected using light gates (SMARTSPEED). A 9-camera motion analysis system (VICON, 100 Hz) and a force plate (Kistler, 1000 Hz) measured the kinematics and kinetics during a counter movement jump and drop-jump. The effect of tape and fatigue on jump height, maximal vertical ground reaction force, reactivity strength index as well as lower limb joint work were analysed via a two-way analysis of variance. The fatigue protocol resulted in significantly decreased performance of sprint time, jump heights and alterations in joint work. No statistical differences were found between the taped and un-taped conditions in non-fatigued and fatigued situation as well as in the interaction with fatigue. Therefore, taping the gluteal muscle does not influence the leg explosive strength after fatiguing in healthy rugby players

Different strategies for using topical corticosteroids in people with eczema

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To establish the effectiveness and safety of different ways of using topical corticosteroids in people with eczema