Medieval property investors, ca. 1300-1500

This paper utilises a dataset of freehold land and property transactions from medieval England to highlight the growing commercialisation of the economy. By drawing on the legal records we are able to demonstrate that the medieval real estate market provided the opportunity for investors to profit. Careful analysis of the data provides evidence of group purchases, multiple transactions and investors buying outside of their own locality. The identification of these ‘investors’ and their buying behaviours, set within the context of the English medieval economy, contributes to the early commercialisation debate

Becoming a successful student in pre-registration nurse education: A qualitative multiple case study

Student success in pre-registration nurse education is becoming increasingly important in order to reduce student attrition and meet workforce needs in the United Kingdom (UK). Extensive quantitative research exists on student attrition and the predictive power of factors such as entry qualifications, age and gender, however there are few studies that have explored students’ accounts of their own success. The aim of this study was to identify and explain the significance of factors that enable high-achieving student nurses to become successful on their programme and to develop a model of student success in pre-registration nurse education. Traditionally, success has been defined as programme completion however this study has considered success in terms of high academic achievement i.e. those students attaining the highest average academic marks in the 2nd year of a pre-registration nursing programme. A qualitative multiple case study was designed involving three cases of high-achieving students located in two UK universities. Transcripts from in-depth interviews with 37 third-year student nurses (adult field) and 23 lecturers were analysed using thematic analysis. Key educational documents were analysed to explore contextual factors influencing the learning environment. Adult learning and social learning theories were used as a theoretical framework for this study. High-achieving nursing students identified that the most significant factors contributing to their success were: being highly motivated to become a good nurse, being actively engaged in learning and having effective support systems. High-achieving students have the attributes of adult learners: they are self-directed, independent and actively engaged in learning. Lecturers identified motivation and attitudes to learning as important factors in success but also considered high entry qualifications to be significant although this was not supported by the data in this study. Adult learning attributes contribute positively to success but experiences in the learning environment also influence student achievement. A model of student success in pre-registration nurse education has been developed that can be utilised by students, education providers and clinical mentors to understand and promote student success

One Easy Way to Iron a Shirt

Men take pride in wearing well-ironed shirts, and usually like them done a certain way. To continue to please the men in your family, yet use less time and energy, here\u27s an easy way to iron shirts. With practice, you\u27ll find you can iron a shirt in 4 to 5 minutes

A Comparison of Actual and Hypothetical Willingness to Pay of Parents and Non-Parents for Protecting Infant Health: The Case of Nitrates in Drinking Water

We estimate adults’ willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce health risks to their own or other families’ infants to test for altruism. A conjoint analysis of adults paying for bottled water found marginal WTP for reduction in risk of shock, brain damage, and mortality in the cash treatment of $2,$3.70, and $9.43, respectively. In the hypothetical market these amounts were$14, $26, and$66, indicating substantial hypothetical bias, although not unexpected due to the topic of infant health. Statistical tests confirm a high degree of altruism in our WTP results, and altruism held even when real money was involved.altruism, conjoint, drinking water, nitrates, validity, willingness to pay, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, I10, Q53,

Value and effectiveness of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups in low- and middle-income countries : A qualitative study of global and national perspectives

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.The Global Vaccine Action Plan proposes that every country establish or have access to a National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) by 2020. The NITAG role is to produce evidence-informed recommendations that incorporate local context, to guide national immunization policies and practice. This study aimed to explore the value and effectiveness of NITAGs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), identifying areas in which NITAGs may require further support to improve their functionality and potential barriers to global investment. A multi-methods study design was used, comprising 134 semi-structured interviews and 82 literature review sources that included 38 countries. Interviews were conducted with 53 global/regional and 81 country-level participants able to provide insight into NITAG effectiveness, including NITAG members, national immunization programme staff, and global agency representatives (e.g. the World Health Organisation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance). The review, including published and unpublished sources on NITAGs in LMICs, was conducted to supplement and corroborate interview findings. Data were analysed thematically. NITAGs were described as valuable in promoting evidence-informed vaccination decision-making, with NITAG involvement enhancing national immunization programme strength and sustainability. Challenges to NITAG effectiveness included: (1) unreliable funding; (2) insufficient diversity of member expertise; (3) inadequate conflicts of interest management procedures; (4) insufficient capacity to access and use evidence; (5) lack of transparency; and (6) limited integration with national decision-making processes that reduced the recognition and incorporation of NITAG recommendations. LMIC NITAGs have developed significantly in the past decade. Well-functioning NITAGs were trusted national resources that enhanced country ownership of immunization provision. However, many LMIC NITAGs require additional technical and funding support to strengthen quality and effectiveness, while maintaining impartiality and ensuring sufficient integration with national decision-making processes. Barriers to sustainable global support need to be addressed for LMIC NITAGs to both continue and develop further.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

All gates lead to smoking: The ‘gateway theory’, e-cigarettes and the remaking of nicotine

The idea that drug use in 'softer' forms leads to 'harder' drug use lies at the heart of the gateway theory, one of the most influential models of drug use of the twentieth century. Although hotly contested, the notion of the 'gateway drug' continues to rear its head in discussions of drug use-most recently in the context of electronic cigarettes. Based on a critical reading of a range of texts, including scholarly literature and media reports, we explore the history and gestation of the gateway theory, highlighting the ways in which intersections between academic, media and popular accounts actively produced the concept. Arguing that the theory has been critical in maintaining the distinction between 'soft' and 'hard' drugs, we turn to its distinctive iteration in the context of debates about e-cigarettes. We show that the notion of the 'gateway' has been transformed from a descriptive to a predictive model, one in which nicotine is constituted as simultaneously 'soft' and 'hard'-as both relatively innocuous and incontrovertibly harmful

Activities of organic farmers succeeding in reducing lameness in dairy cows

Sixty-seven organic producers were among 189 dairy farmers completing the “Healthy Feet Project” in the UK. This aimed to reduce lameness in dairy herds by implementing existing knowledge. Participants received input at two levels: monitoring alone, or monitoring with extra support through a single veterinary advisory visit, annual visits from a trained non-veterinary facilitator and materials and contacts to encourage change. On average lameness on organic farms reduced by 12 percentage points over the three year period. On the farms achieving the greatest reduction,the most common changes were improvements to tracks and cubicle comfort, and more frequent footbathing or foot trimming. Practices to improve foot cleanliness, such as more frequent removal of slurry, were less often adopted. Further progress might be achieved by improvements of foot hygiene. Several farms with low lameness that reduced prevalence further improved their handling facilities and treated cows more promptly

Personality Trait Differences Between Traditional and Social Entrepreneurs

Purpose This research seeks to identify personality trait differences between social and traditional entrepreneurs. Design/Methodology The Durham Business School’s General Enterprise Tendencies (GET) test was chosen to measure an individual’s entrepreneurial personality. The choice was based on the test’s established use within industry and its ability to measure traits most commonly considered ‘entrepreneurial’ by the extant literature. The test was adapted for this study and distributed to both social and traditional entrepreneurs. The results were then statistically analysed to test for significant differences between the two groups. Findings It was found that social entrepreneurs exhibited statistically significantly higher levels of creativity, risk taking, and need for autonomy than traditional entrepreneurs. The results were then discussed critically in light of the literature. Limitations The modest sample size was the main limitation of the research. In addition, the sample set was fairly culturally homogeneous. It has been recommended that an additional test be carried out with a larger sample size, consisting of a more culturally diverse range of participants, in order to improve the generalisation of the findings. Originality/Value This research provides new insights into personality trait differences between social and traditional entrepreneurs and is particularly useful to those with an interest in entrepreneurial orientation and those interested in the identification and development of social entrepreneurs