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The British Middle Palaeolithic is divided into two discrete periods of occupation: the Early Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 9–7, ~330–180 ka BP) and the Late Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 3, ~59–36 ka BP), separated by a long hiatus. Owing to the relative poverty of the record and historical difficulties in dating and correlating archaeological sites, the British Late Middle Palaeolithic has, until recently, received scant attention, and has largely been regarded as the poor man of Europe, especially by British archaeologists. Indeed, there has been more discussion of the absence of humans from Britain than of what they did when they were present. We aim here to redress that situation. Following from recent considerations of the Early Middle Palaeolithic (White et al. in J. Quat. Sci. 21:525–542, 2006; Scott, Becoming Neanderthal, Oxbow, Oxford, 2010), we offer an interpretative synthesis of the British Late Middle Palaeolithic, situating ‘British’ Neanderthals in their chronological, environmental and landscape contexts. We discuss the character of the British record, and offer an account of Neanderthal behaviour, settlement systems and technological practices at the northwestern edge of their known Upper Pleistocene range. We also examine the relationship of the enigmatic Early Upper Palaeolithic leafpoint assemblages to Neanderthals.

Causes of blind and partial sight certifications in England and Wales: April 2007–March 2008

Glaucoma is a significant health problem, with associated inequalities. Equity profiles are an established public health tool to examine the scale of health inequalities and to imbed action into the commissioning cycle. This is the first equity profile conducted in the United Kingdom for an ophthalmic condition. This methodology also provides a model for use in other localities and for other eye conditions.Existing services were mapped and need identified. A wide variety of data sources were analysed. Mapping was undertaken using Mapinfo Professional Geographical Information Systems software. Statistical analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel 2003.No single data source provided a fully informed perspective. A clear mismatch between areas of deprivation and location of optometry was observed. Secondary analysis of electronic patient records revealed a significant association between 'late presentation' and older age (mean age of late presenters=76.4 years, 95% CI=75.1-77.6 compared with earlier presenters, 72.4 years, 95% CI=71.7-73.1). Late presentation was also associated with living in an area of high deprivation (chi(2)=7.1, df, P0.05). Ethnicity data was poorly recorded. Qualitative data provided invaluable insights.Increasing access to services involves collaboration with optometrists, ophthalmologists, public health, and commissioners. It is no longer acceptable to rely on private high street optometry to provide primary eye care services in areas of high need. Outreach services must be developed and evaluated in areas of relative deprivation if world class eye services are to be achieved.

British summers are known to have become warmer and drier in recent decades, but has there also been a change in the timing of this season’s beginning, as has occurred for spring? This paper addresses this question by examining records of the first blooming date of early summer flowering plants (phenology) and the timing of first occurrences of warm ‘summer’ temperatures, both events that we associate with the onset of summer. This has revealed that the onset of summer in England has been advancing since the mid 1950s. The occurrence of ‘summer’ temperatures has advanced more than early summer flowering, by eleven and three days respectively in the 1990s compared to the period 1954–1963. This may have encouraged drought or heat wave conditions by prolonging the period of warm temperatures and lower rainfall in which these events occur.

Cold related mortality among people aged over 50 in England and Wales has decreased at a rate of 85 deaths per million population per year over the period 1976–2005. This trend is two orders of magnitude higher than the increase in heat-related mortality observed after 1976. Long term changes in temperature-related mortality may be linked to human activity, natural climatic forcings, or to adaptation of the population to a wider range of temperatures. Here we employ optimal detection, a formal statistical methodology, to carry out an end to end attribution analysis. We find that adaptation is a major influence on changing mortality rates. We also find that adaptation has prevented a significant increase in heat-related mortality and considerably enhanced a significant decrease in cold-related mortality. Our analysis suggests that in the absence of adaptation, the human influence on climate would have been the main contributor to increases in heat-related mortality and decreases in cold-related mortality.

Material from the Malaise trap operated by D. Baldock in 2002 continues to be identified and records of beetles omitted in previous supplements are listed here. Other casual records from various sources are also given. Tom Cope has continued his studies on the Wild Flora of the Gardens. Diego Fontaneto and Tim Barraclough collected rotifers in the gardens in November 2004. Members of the British Arachnological Society visited Kew on 10th September 2004 and a complete list of spiders and harvestmen found in the gardens is attempted.

The radial growth (RG) of 120 lobes from 35 thalli of the foliose lichen Parmelia conspersa (Ehrh. ex Ach.) Ach. was studied monthly over 22 months in south Gwynedd, Wales, UK. Autocorrelation analysis of each lobe identified three patterns of fluctuation: 1) random fluctuations (58% of lobes), 2) a cyclic pattern of growth (23% of lobes), and 3) fluctuating growth interrupted by longer periods of very low or zero growth (19% of lobes). In 80% of thalli, two or three patterns of fluctuation were present within the same thallus. Growth fluctuations were correlated with climatic variables in 31% of lobes, most commonly with either total rainfall or number of rain days per month. Lobes correlated with climate were not associated with a particular type of growth fluctuation. RG of a lobe was positively correlated with the degree of bifurcation of the lobe tip. It is hypothesised that lobes of P. conspersa exhibit a cyclic pattern of growth due in part to lobe division. The effects of climate, periods of zero growth, and microvariations in the environment of a lobe are superimposed on this cyclic pattern resulting in the random growth of many lobes. Random growth fluctuations may contribute to the maintenance of thallus symmetry in P. conspersa.

The paper discusses the scope and influence of eugenics in defining the scientific programme of statistics and the impact of the evolution of biology on social scientists. It argues that eugenics was instrumental in providing a bridge between sciences, and therefore created both the impulse and the institutions necessary for the birth of modern statistics in its applications first to biology and then to the social sciences. Looking at the question from the point of view of the history of statistics and the social sciences, and mostly concentrating on evidence from the British debates, the paper discusses how these disciplines became emancipated from eugenics precisely because of the inspiration of biology. It also relates how social scientists were fascinated and perplexed by the innovations taking place in statistical theory and practice. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This paper reviews the current status of the Anglophone (Anglo-American) publishing business and draws some comparisons with publishing in other languages. It then critically reviews the impact of the Harry Potter phenomenon and the questionable progress of e-books in the trade sector, using the example of Stephen King’s Riding the Bullet. It also comments on Amazon’s introduction of the Kindle e-book reader.

The structure and stability of axially elongated carbon tori obtained by connecting the adjacent walls of an armchair DWCNT is studied. Two types of junctions are considered, convertible by Stone-Wales isomerisation. The energy of the structure with respect to the length difference of the tubes is investigated with PM3 semiempirical method.

A comparison of analyses of the Scottish publishing industry carried out in 1992, 2002 and 2007 underscores the fragility of the sector within a small country within the English-language community. A number of indices reveal either stability or stagnation and the picture emerges of the remarkable tenacity of publishing in Scotland. Although there is already a significant and vital element of state support for publishing in Scotland, further intervention will be necessary to ensure fulfilment of its potential.

A new pay-for-performance scheme for primary care physicians was introduced in England in 2004 as part of an initiative to link the quality of primary care with physician pay.To investigate the association between the quality of primary care and rates of hospital admissions for coronary heart disease.Ecological cross-sectional study using data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework for family practice, hospital admissions, and census data.All 303 primary care trusts in England, covering approximately 50 million people.Rates of elective and unplanned hospital admissions for coronary heart disease and rates of coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting were regressed against quality-of-care measures from the Quality and Outcomes Framework, area socioeconomic scores, and disease prevalence.Correlations between prevalence, area socioeconomic scores, and admission rates were generally weak. The strongest relations were seen between area socioeconomic scores and elective and unplanned hospital admissions and revascularization procedures among the age group 45-74 years. Among those aged 75 years and over, the only positive association observed was between area socioeconomic scores and unplanned hospital admissions.The lack of an association between quality scores and admission rates suggests that improving the quality of primary care may not reduce demands on the hospital sector and that other factors are much better predictors of hospitalization for coronary heart disease.

The study of a granary excavated at the medieval site of l’Esquerda has increased our knowledge of agricultural practices and economy. To deepen this knowledge, an experimental project was started with the late P.J. Reynolds (Butser Ancient Farm, England). Since the start of the experiment, 15 years of harvests have been collected from four fields near the archaeological site, which were cultivated with the cereals of medieval times and with a simulation of medieval farming practices. Meteorological conditions are measured by an automatic weather station, and the results are compared with those obtained in England. The research, initially started to provide more insight into crop yields, was extended towards medieval crop storage practices. The granary excavated at l’Esquerda has now been rebuilt using medieval techniques. This has allowed us to answer many questions about medieval architecture, tools and Blacksmith’s technology. Some underground pits were also dug. Experiments in crop storage using both systems are continuing.

This paper presents the impact of road user charging (RUC) on vehicle emissions through application of traffic assignment and pollutant emission models. It presents results of an analysis of five RUC schemes on vehicle emissions in Leeds, UK for 2005. The schemes were: a 3 pound sterling inner ring road cordon charge; a double cordon with a 2 pound sterling inner ring road and a 1 pound sterling outer ring road charge; and distance charges of 2, 10 and 20 p/km levied for travel within the outer cordon. Schemes were compared to a no charge option and results presented here. Emissions are significantly reduced within the inner cordon, whilst beyond the cordon, localised increases and decreases occur. The double cordon exhibits a similar but less marked pattern. Distance charging reduces city-wide emissions by 10% under a 2 p/km charge, 42-49% under a 10 p/km charge and 52-59% under a 20 p/km charge. The higher distance charges reduce emissions within the charge zone, and are also associated with elevated emissions outside the zone, but to a lesser extent than that observed for cordon charging.

Scottish Melanoma Group (SMG) data on 2790 melanoma (MM) cases in South East Scotland over a 24-year time period were analysed in four periods each of 6 years duration grouped into frequently exposed, intermittently exposed, and always covered sites. Incidence increased significantly over time with females having a higher incidence rate than males. In both sexes, the proportion of cases seen on the posterior trunk and arm increased significantly (P

We consider the contribution of changes in mortality and fertility to availability of living mothers and living children among older people in Britain, Finland and France. The proportion of people aged around 60 with a mother alive will more than double between those born in 1911 and 1970 before starting to decline slightly. Conversely, a higher proportion of elderly people are likely to have a surviving child than for any generation ever born in all three countries in the next quarter century or so, with about 85% of 80-year-old women having at least one surviving child, and about two-thirds having two or more.

The paper compares the results of two studies of salt damage at the Wakefield Tower, Tower of London. The first, in 1993, was based on semi-quantitative salt analysis and hygroscopicity measurements. The second was based on quantitative analysis and a thermodynamic model, ECOS. Both studies aimed to predict environmental conditions that would minimise salt damage to the interior stonework. Their predictions are markedly different, and this paper examines the reasons for the differences. It is shown that hygroscopicity alone is not a reliable indicator of crystallisation from mixed salt solutions.

Late medieval soot-coated thatch includes a number of very well preserved weeds as well as cereals or reeds. This paper investigates the weeds from the thatch roofs of 13 cottages from the south of England. It describes the exceptional preservation of the weeds which include plant parts rarely recorded in archaeological contexts and the information they can give about late medieval ecology and agronomy. One of the main implications of this study is the relation of this material to the usual archaeological samples and the possibility that remains of thatch may have been missed in past archaeobotanical investigations.

Patterning in the carbonized seed assemblages from Iron Age sites in Britain has led to the development of several explanatory models. The most influential of these, by Martin Jones, proposed that grain-rich assemblages represent producer sites and weed-/chaff-rich assemblages consumer sites. The assumptions underlying this model and the method of constructing the diagrams are discussed and a new approach is put forward, stressing the need for appropriate levels of analysis and interpretation. It is concluded that a predominance of grain-rich samples is far more likely to be an indicator of the scale of production and consumption, than a means of distinguishing between the two. A review of the evidence from Iron Age Britain indicates that grain-rich site assemblages primarily occur in the south of the country, and frequently co-occur with pits, used for the storage of surplus grain. Moreover, such pits are concentrated in hillforts. It is proposed that the grain stored in such pits may have been used in large communal feasts and that the hillforts functioned as locations for feasting.

The Society for the Protection of Science and Learning was begun in London in 1933, and became a key agency in the international effort to rescue refugee scholars. The SPSL also raised political awareness among British scientists, uniting many voices in the struggle against the Nazi assault on academic freedom. This paper traces the evolution of the Society from 1933 to 1939.

Dans cet article, l'A se penche sur les consequences des politiques de controle des finances dans la lutte contre le terrorisme en Grande-Bretagne. L'A analyse ici la legislation mise en place et en etudie l'impact social sur la societe civile. L'A constate l'augmentation de l'exclusion financiere, notamment aupres des populations musulmanes qui optent pour le transfert monetaire. L'A s'interroge des lors sur la validite de telles pratiques qui presentent des consequences fortement negatives sur l'ensemble de la societe civile

Dans cet article, l'A se penche sur la politique gouvernementale de lutte anti-terroriste en Grande-Bretagne. L'A analyse ici les mesures prises par le Labour depuis 1997, ainsi que les efforts pour lier le travail et encourager la cooperation entre les differentes agences de securite interieure et de lutte anti-terroriste

Dans cet article, l'A se penche sur les nouvelles mesures anti-terroristes prises en Grande-Bretagne depuis les evenements du 11 septembre 2001. L'A revient sur la legislation et les nouveaux pouvoirs de la police, en examinant en details deux mesures, l'exclusion et la detention sans proces. L'A s'interroge sur la validite du Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 et la qualite du renseignement dans l'exercice des nouveaux pouvoirs policiers

Cet article Fait part des echecs de la politique anti-terroriste qui n'a pu empecher les evenements du 7 juillet 2005 a Londres. l'A se base sur le rapport du ISC, Intelligence Security Committee, pour s'interroger sur les fondements et le fonctionnement des mesures preventives delutte anti-terroriste en Grande-Bretagne

Dans cet article, l'A se penche sur les mesuresanti-terroristes prises en Grande-Bretagne et aux Etats-Unis. L'A analyse la pratique des interrogatoires coercitifs avec autorisation de torture, et examine les reponses des juristes et des organismes de securite. Des pratiques qui posent un certain nombre de problemes, outre ethiques, tels que la validite et la fiabilite des aveux, et la limite de la legalite dans certains cas

Meteorological observations made on board ships prior to 1854 have until now been overlooked in climatological research largely as a result of the lack of rigorous abstraction and treatment criteria. However, the CLIWOC project has shown that millions of potentially valuable observations have been preserved throughout Europe in the many logbooks that were prepared by officers in the navies of the great powers. Moreover these data can be used and treated in a fashion similar to today's ship-based instrumental observations. The most significant logbook collections are from Spain, the UK, the Netherlands and France. This paper describes the main archives where the logbooks can be found and provides an account of their contents and of the manner in which they were set out. The potential of this source is emphasised by the fact that whilst the CLIWOC project abstracted data for 300,000 days, nearly 90% of the European logbook collections have yet to be examined. This paper concludes with a discussion as to the direction of future studies in this important field.

To study dietary intake and serum concentrations of isoflavones in order to provide relative validation of isoflavone intake estimates from the Scottish Collaborative Group - Food-Frequency Questionnaire (SCG-FFQ).Validation study.Southern Scotland.Dietary intake of isoflavones was estimated using the semiquantitative SCG-FFQ and rank correlation and Kappa statistics were used for the relative validation of intakes against serum isoflavone concentrations in 203 male participants who were population controls in a case-control study of diet and prostate cancer.The median intake of isoflavones (daidzein and genistein) was 1.0mg/day (l-QR 0.6-1.8). The median serum concentration of genistein was 33.79 nmol/l (I-QR 14.12-64.93), nearly twice that of daidzein (18.00 nmol/l, I-QR 8.26-29.45). Equol was detected in 49% of subjects; in these subjects the median was 0.67 nmol/l (I-QR 0.34-1.51). Isoflavone intake was significantly correlated with serum concentrations of daidzein (p = 0.24, P = 0.001), genistein (p = 0.26, P0.001) and total isoflavonoids (sum of daidzein, genistein and equol) ( p = 0.27, P0.001). Whereas values for weighted Kappa ranged from 0.16 (P = 0.002) for daidzein and equol combined to 0.22 (P0.001) for genistein.These results demonstrate the suitability of the SCG-FFQ to rank usual isoflavone intakes in older Scottish men, a population observed to have low consumption of soy foods.

Photochemical box modelling was undertaken to investigate OH and HO2 radical chemistry during summer and winter field campaigns in the urban city-centre of Birmingham in the UK. The model employed the most recent version of the Master Chemical Mechanism (v3.1) and was constrained to 15-minute average measurements of long-lived species determined in situ at the site. The model was used to predict OH and HO2 concentrations for comparison with measurements made by the fluorescence assay by gas expansion technique. Whilst there was generally good agreement between the modelled and measured OH concentrations, particularly during summer, there was sometimes a significant model under-prediction during daylight hours, which significantly skews the overall model: measured agreement. There were less measured data available for HO2, but the agreement between model and measurement for the days where measurements existed were less good than for OH, with one or two exceptions. The modelled:measured ratios between the hours of 11:00–15:00 h for OH were 0.58 and 0.50 for summer and winter respectively. For HO2, the same ratios were 0.56 in the summer and 0.49 in the winter. Sensitivity studies were conducted to attempt to understand the model-measurement discrepancy. The predicted radical concentrations were particularly sensitive to changes in NOX concentrations. Constraining the model to the observed HO2 concentrations made the OH predictions worse. These results highlight the fact that there are many complexities in urban areas and that more highly-instrumented campaigns are required in the future to further our understanding.

A numerical model has been developed to calculate the total number of transits in each worker foraging category for the 170 days of development of a successful colony. Seven categories of workers are considered: two of outgoers (earth carriers and non-earth outgoers), and five of incomers (pulp, flesh, full fluid, and partial fluid carriers, and empty incomers). The model allows for variation in the length of the foraging day and for hypothetical smaller and larger colonies. Estimates of each category are given for the queen, smaller and larger worker colony. Estimates of 1.3–4.5 million, for smaller and larger colonies, each of incomer and outgoer transits are calculated from the model. The slight excess of outgoer over incomer transits could be accounted for, in part, by the mortality of workers away from the nest. Percentages of each worker category are given for the pre-exponential small-cell, exponential small-cell and large-cell colonies. It is hypothesized that there is a balance between fluid and solid transits for efficient brood rearing. There may be restraints in the social wasp system that restrict brood rearing. Estimates which are independent of the foraging model are calculated for the number of loads to create the nest cavity and build the pulp nest which broadly agree with the model outputs.

Sudden subsidence problems, caused by gypsum karst developed in the Permian sequence of Northern England, have caused difficult conditions for road construction. This paper presents the design strategy, mathematical modelling and parameters used to construct roads to cope with such difficult ground conditions. Because it is impossible to locate all the subsidence features along a route, the road design has to cope with potential future problems. This is achieved by using reinforcement-comprising layers of tensile membrane material within the earth embankment. This will prevent dangerous catastrophic collapse and maintain serviceability, but will allow sagging to show where major problems exist. The modelling showed that for the situation at Ripon, two layers of tensile membrane material within the earth embankment fulfilled the design brief for the road.

Cultural and biological data suggests the Polynesian origin of the Rapanui population, although the presence of foreign genes in the native population, as a result of admixture with Europeans in the last two centuries has also to be considered. In order to estimate the genetic affinities of the present-day inhabitants of Easter Island and the nearby populations, we used seven polymorphisms of the Y chromosome. However we want to estimate the grade of admixture on the genetic structure that was brought from foreigners within the last two centuries upon the more geographically isolated populations in the world.

Magistrates’ records from the English town of Portsmouth show the town’s women to have been exceptionally violent. Women accounted, on average, for just over 31% of all assaults on record for the years 1653 to 1781. We used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to compare the fighting styles of men and women and to examine the extent to which these were gendered. Particular attention was paid to levels of violence between pairs of brawlers. The most common form of violence was male-on-male (2,666 cases), followed by female-on-female (1,690), male-on-female (1,675), and female-on-male (299). Of these pairings, female-on-male assaults were the most violent, as measured by the types of weapons used by the aggressors, and female-on-female pairings were the least violent.

To determine the usage of surgery in the management of obesity.Analysis of routine statistics.Hospital Episode Statistics extract held by Public Health Observatories. GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS: Two Government Office Regions in England with a population of 7.6 million. TIME PERIOD: Data analysed in the study covered the 6 y 1996/1997-2001/2002.The availability and uptake of surgery for obesity in the two regions was hugely variable. The overall utilisation of the procedures examined (OPCS operation codes: G30.1, G30.2, G32.10, G61.00) was 5.6 per million per annum, but ranged by Primary Care Trust from zero (the case in eight of the 50 PCTs in the two regions) to 24.0 operations per million per year. The rates of access to this surgery differed over six-fold between the two regions (1.4 operations per year per million population to 7.9 operations per year per million population). The PCTs with the highest rates of surgery, were those closest to the large providers of service.Access to this intervention is highly variable. Primary Care Trusts in England and service providers need to ensure that there is appropriate access to this effective procedure in carefully selected cases. The surgical expertise required for these operations could be concentrated in fewer centres.

Plumatella geimermassardi is a newly recognized species of phylactolaemate bryozoan. Its known range extends from Ireland east through southern Norway and south into Italy. Colonies grow close to the substrate with little free branching; the body wall is mostly transparent and without an obvious raphe. Floatoblasts are broadly oval and relatively small, with distinctively large dorsal fenestra and uniformly narrow ventral annulus. The sessoblast basal valve is low and dish-shaped; the annulus bears tubercles which vary in their prominence. This species brings to 14 the number of phylactolaemate bryozoans known in the region.

Resources in nursery areas can be important determinants of recruitment for juvenile fishes. Most young-of-the-year English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) appear to rely on estuaries on the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast as nursery areas. Trawl surveys were conducted in four nursery estuaries, and the results show consistent densities were found across all estuaries in August. In June densities were higher and more variable. Application of the average August density to estuaries along the entire Oregon and Washington coasts resulted in an estimated total estuarine abundance of 45.8 million age 0+ English sole. Estimated coast-wide recruitment of age 4+ female English sole based on age 0+ abundance ranged from 3.7 to 4.9 million individuals from 1998–2000, with an average value of 4.3 million. A simple population model was constructed to determine if production from the combined Oregon and Washington estuaries was consistent with the estimates of the adult stock, and the observed catch from 1956–1997. The observed commercial catch has declined over this time period, and the trend could be fit using an availability-gear efficiency of 21% and an exploitation rate of 0.094. The results suggest that the English sole population on the Oregon-Washington shelf could potentially be supported solely by estuarine production, and this production appears to be stabilized by the size of available nursery areas.

Time trends and social factors in detection, treatment and control of hypertension in the community were examined in four independent Scottish MONICA cross-sectional surveys in 1986, 1989, 1992 and 1995. Residents aged 25-64 years were recruited randomly from general practice lists in north Glasgow, Scotland with stratification by sex and 10-year age groups. A total of 1262 participated in the first survey, 1397 in the second, 1516 in the third and 1836 in the fourth. Differences and trends in proportions of hypertension undetected, detected but untreated, treated but uncontrolled and controlled across the four surveys were tested by chi(2), and the associations of the poor control of hypertension with social factors were estimated by multivariate logistic regression model to derive odds ratios. Using the cut point of/=160/95 mmHg, proportion of hypertension undetected across the four surveys was 56.3, 44.6, 32.0 and 38.2%, and of treated controlled hypertension was 15.2, 26.4, 32.0 and 32.8% (both trends P0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that poor control of hypertension was not related to social deprivation, but significantly related to being male, young, of low body mass index and heavy alcohol drinking. Undetected hypertension was significantly related to full-time employment, and untreated hypertension to high social class and possibly education level. These findings suggest that in this part of Scotland the management of hypertension has improved, so the 'rule of halves' no longer applies. Control of blood pressure is not positively associated with social deprivation, but people at a high risk of poor control of hypertension should be targeted.

Several different techniques have been used to study the diet composition of skuas and gulls in polar regions. In this study, we assessed the diet of great skuas using five techniques (pellets, prey remains, spontaneous regurgitates, observed feeds and water off-loading). The estimates of diet derived from each sampling technique during a single breeding season were generally similar. Although it is easy to collect large samples of pellets and remains, these over-estimate the amount of indigestible material in the diet. Prey remains provide a high degree of taxonomic accuracy, but may under-estimate prey swallowed whole. Water off-loading provides unbiased estimates of chick diet but only during a short period in the breeding season. It may also stress birds, and is labour-intensive. Spontaneous regurgitates are useful for assessing chick and adult diet but are difficult to collect systematically, and differing prey digestibility may bias results. Observed feeds are time consuming to record and over-represent easily identifiable prey. Technique-dependent biases highlight that sampling methods should be selected on the basis of sample sizes, time, taxonomic detail and age of study birds. Biomass may be estimated using pellets with correction factors, and also spontaneous regurgitates and water off-loading, but prey remains and observed feeds may be more inaccurate.

Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis werecarried out on beach litter found primarily along theBristol Channel, U.K., together with beaches located aroundthe Principality of Wales. Both techniques indicated threebeach survey sites as outliers, with distinctive beachlitter profiles. PCA distinguished between riverine, sewagerelated, fishing and shipping sourced items, but did notproduce a coherent grouping for beach user litter. This wasattributed to a difference in modes of transport. Beachesfrom mid and north Wales, which had small litter amounts,were not differentiated from the central grouping. Thewestern edge of the Channel was more heavily influenced byshipping and fishing inputs than was the eastern portion.Cluster analysis showed a discrete group of beaches locatedmainly on the southern side of the Bristol Channel.

The increased support of science andtechnology were fundamental factors in theexpansion of university education in post-warBritain. American technical assistance toWestern Europe, exemplified by the MarshallPlan, also focused upon the role of appliedscience and technology as a means of boostingproductivity and competitiveness. This commonconcern for science and technology led Britainto consider the adoption of American models,specifically a British version of MIT, in thesearch for an effective higher education policyfor applied science and technology. However,this paper argues that, whilst America offeredimportant models for change, British policieswere ultimately shaped by British traditions.

During the 1840s and 1850s the Britishembryologist and histologist Martin Barry(1802–1855) propounded a bold and originalthesis about the microscopic structure ofanimal and vegetable tissue. He maintainedthat minute double spirals were virtuallyubiquitous in the makeup of a wide range ofstructures. This paper considers how a claimof this kind was consonant with a romanticimage of scientific creativity with which Barryidentified. It describes his partiallysuccessful strategies to convincecontemporaries of the veracity of his claims. Major figures in the field, such as RichardOwen and Jan Evangelista Purkyně, affirmed thatBarry's spirals were real objects in nature. Others, notably William Sharpey, becameconvinced that the spirals were mere artefactsand that Barry was deeply flawed as ascientific investigator. The ultimaterejection of his hypothesis had much to do withthe moral repugnance that Barry's attempts togain credit for a major discovery evoked amonginfluential medical scientists. This negativeassessment of Barry as an investigator revealsthe lineaments of an alternative ethic ofscientific practice.

A sample of marriage registers from the parish of Liverpool St. Nicholas Church in England between 1839–1927 is used to examine changing characteristics of grooms who signed with a mark over this period. The proportion of illiterate grooms in the parish fell from about a third to under 5%. Age at marriage and likelihood of being a widower rose markedly for illiterates over the period relative to literate grooms. The percentage of illiterate grooms marrying literate brides rose markedly as well; however, in contrast with national tendencies, there was less evidence of assortative mating by literacy or of any downward trend in this for the Liverpool sample. There was no evident rise in literacy requirements for employment in the transport sector which dominated the Liverpool economy throughout the period under consideration. This implied that even in the first three decades of the 20th century with signature ability almost universal, most illiterate grooms in Liverpool were not in unskilled occupations. However, illiterate grooms were increasingly less likely over time to be in skilled manual occupations.

Cronstedtite from Lostwithiel, Cornwall, England, in which two polytypic groups (A and C) are present within the same crystal, has been investigated using various techniques to reveal the distribution of the two groups and the relationship between polytypic structure and chemical composition. X-ray precession photographs from cleaved fragments of pyramidal crystals revealed the variable proportions of the two groups from the top to the base. Near the top, the crystal consists entirely of group C, with 1T as the dominant polytype. Near the base, both groups A and C are present. Back-scattered electron images from cross-sections parallel to the pyramidal axis showed mosaic contrast near the base, suggesting that two compositionally-different domains of several tens of microns in size are present, whereas the contrast was uniform near the top. Electron microprobe chemical analysis indicated the compositions $\left( {{\rm{Fe}}_{2.31}^{2 + }{\rm{Fe}}_{0.69}^{3 + }} \right)\left( {{\rm{S}}{{\rm{i}}_{1.31}}{\rm{Fe}}_{0.69}^{3 + }} \right){{\rm{O}}_5}{\left( {{\rm{OH}}} \right)_4}$ and $\left( {{\rm{Fe}}_{2.16}^{2 + }{\rm{Fe}}_{0.84}^{3 + }} \right)\left( {{\rm{S}}{{\rm{i}}_{1.16}}{\rm{Fe}}_{0.84}^{3 + }} \right){{\rm{O}}_5}{\left( {{\rm{OH}}} \right)_4}$ . Electron back-scattered patterns (EBSPs) confirmed that the domain with Si-rich composition belongs to group C and that with Si-poor composition to group A. This is the first evidence that specific chemical compositions are related to the polytypic structures in cronstedtite. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that intergrowth of groups A and C at the monolayer level is also present as stacking disorder in both domains near the base, whereas such intergrowth was not observed in the region near the top.

Die Kontamination chirurgischer Instrumente mit PrPSc, dem Erreger der neuen Variante der Creutzfeldt-Jakob-Krankheit (vCJK) kann auch nach Reinigung und Sterilisation nach herkommlichen Standards nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Chirurgische Routineeingriffe mit kontaminierten Instrumenten konnten somit potentiell zur iatrogenen Verbreitung der vCJK beitragen. Von zentralem Interesse in der HNO-Heilkunde sind hier Tonsillektomien und Adenotomien, da PrPSc noch vor Befall des ZNS in lymphoretikularem Gewebe nachgewiesen werden konnte und somit bei diesen haufig durchgefuhrten Eingriffen das Risiko der Ubertragung besonders hoch ist. In Grosbritannien wurde nun reagiert: Alle elektiven Tonsillektomien werden bis zur Verfugbarkeit ausreichender Stuckzahlen an Einmalinstrumenten zuruckgestellt.

Populations of red deer that are limited by food, like those of many other ungulates1,2,3, commonly include more females than males4,5,6,7. We assessed the contribution of variation in sex- and age-specific rates of mortality and emigration to density-dependent changes in the adult sex ratio, using long-term observations and demographic experiments involving the red deer population on Rum, Scotland4,5. We incorporated these effects in a stochastic model of local populations under different management regimes to show here that, when female numbers are allowed to increase to more than 60% of the ecological carrying capacity, the sustainable annual harvest of males from local deer populations will fall. Because males are typically culled by fee-paying hunters and generate more income than females5,8,9, income will decrease as the male harvest falls. Because numbers of female deer throughout much of the Highlands probably exceed the threshold at which male density starts to be affected5, many managers might be able to raise income from local deer populations by reducing female numbers, with potential benefits to the vegetation of Scottish Highland environments10.

The paper outlines the marketization of further education in England and Wales in 1993 and the scandals which followed these market reforms. The case study supports theories that predict market societies provide a cultural and structural context for crime.

In 19th century Oxford and Cambridge, university learning, with itsemphasis on the Classics, is often thought to have been at odds with thetendencies of the modern world. Sometimes its influence is even seen aspernicious, bearing an anti-entrepreneurial bias that stifled Britain'seconomic development. This article argues that, on the contrary, anindeterminate body of learning in the universities cooperated withindeterminate social values in the professions to produce a new,deliberative liberalism: a kind of cultural capital that embraced a newmodernity, and gave a new authority to British administration andgovernment in the 20th century.

Relatively little is currently known about thecoverage of ethical issues in the accountingcurriculum. This paper reports on the resultsof a questionnaire survey of universityacademics in the British Isles which found thata significant minority of management accountinglecturers do claim to address ethical issues intheir teaching. In addition to reporting theextent of such provision, the paper exploresthe reasons for the coverage of ethics. Bothpersonal interest and a belief in theimportance of ethics are found to besignificant, and lecturers who do addressethical issues tend to express stronger beliefsin the responsibility and ability ofuniversities to improve the ethical attitudesand behaviour of their students. Some evidenceis found that personal interest is positivelyrelated to number of years of practicalexperience, which would appear to be a topicworthy of future research in accounting andbusiness ethics.

Despite its difficulties and inconsistencies in framing those practices andconducts recently unveiled by the press and judicial investigations whichhave caused considerable public discontent, the penal definition ofcorruption still highlights an interesting conceptual diversity across spaceand time that should not be overlooked. Most official discussions about andreferences to corruption and its volume are still framed within these hardparameters. It is, therefore, important to look at the intricacies ofcorruption as a crime in order to understand the virtues and failures ofnational repressive efforts. While crime statistics are of limited use for itsmeasurement, they can nevertheless help to interpret the way corruptionhas been treated through repressive instruments cross-nationally over aperiod of time.The aim of this paper is to assess the dynamics of the various processes ofsetting and revising penal standards to the conduct of office holders and theresults observable from the application of corruption and related offencesacross countries with different legal traditions.

Airborne particulate matter has been collected from within,and proximal to, an opencast coal mine in south Wales. Thiswork forms the first part of a three year project to collectand characterise, then determine the possible toxicology ofairborne particles in the south Wales region. High-resolutionField Emission SEM has shown that the coal mine dusts consistlargely of an assemblage of mineral grains and vehicle exhaustparticles. SEM-EDX has shown that the mineralogical make-up ofthe PM10 is complex, heterogeneous, and constantly changing.These findings are supported by analytical TEM-EPXMA.However, patterns can be determined relating the mineralogicalcomposition of the airborne particles to collection locationsand mining activities within the opencast. At our studyopencast, Park Slip West, quartz, which has known healtheffects, never exceeded 30% of the total collection mass, andaverage levels were much less. Vehicle exhaust emissions wasthe largest source in terms of particle numbers. The mass ofairborne particulate matter within the pit averagedapproximately twice that of outside the pit: importantlyhowever, this higher mass was due to relatively large, andnon-respirable, mineral grains. This study demonstrates that the physicochemical andmineralogical characterisation of airborne particles frommining and quarrying is essential to quantify the respirablefraction, and to identify potentially hazardous componentswithin the PM10.