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The use of area-based deprivation indices is now a firmly established means of assessing which areas ought to be the focus of government policy, with separate indices of deprivation established for each constituent part of the UK. In England, the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 has been widely used to support decision-making for key urban policies and in more local assessments of deprivation. Implicit in the development and use of these indicators is the notion that area matters and that it can be an important influence on a whole range of different activities. However, there is also a sense in which contemporary measures of deprivation are spatially short-sighted since they are not able to account formally for the spatial context of individual locations. This paper therefore offers an alternative approach to the measurement of local conditions by combining spatial statistical approaches with a much-used deprivation index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editors discuss articles on papers that were presented at the conference Narrative, Numbers and Social Change held at the University of Manchester in Great Britain in November 2007.

The emerging "diabetes epidemic" threatens to affect 366 million people worldwide by 2030. In the UK, almost 2 million people (about 3.9 percent of the population) are currently diagnosed with diabetes and it is estimated that a further 1 million people have the disease but do not realize it. The prevalence of diabetes, its complications and their effects on the lives of those living with diabetes mean that diabetes research has the potential to bring significant benefits. In this paper, we are concerned with the research involving human embryonic stem (HES) cells that sees diabetes as a potential therapeutic location. Drawing on the idea of the "certainty trough" we examine how the hopes and uncertainties associated with this complex research agenda are understood. We show that those at the research front and those most opposed to the research agenda appear to be the most aware of the uncertainties that need to be resolved. In contrast, funders, typically onestep removed from the research work, see the promise of the research as more real and more likely to be achieved. Significantly, these optimistic funders are supported in their beliefs by the research scientists as constitutive claims are reproduced within the contingent forum. The effect is a collaborative project in which the promise of a technical solution "just around the corner" is sustained whilst concerns about the future difficulties are marginalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mid 1990s, Meen set out a series of propositions concerning the relationship between housing and the macro economy during the 1980s and early 1990s. This paper provides 10 further propositions for the early years of this century, taking into account recent research and policy concerns. The first five propositions concern housing market risk, whereas the remaining issues deal with the sustainability of homeownership. The empirical evidence presented finds that there is limited evidence for bubbles over the past 10 years and models of house prices are stable. Furthermore, housing possessions are unlikely to fall to the levels observed in the early 1980s. It is also suggested that the private rental market may not expand at the same rate as in the past 10 years, but there are risks to homeowners down the income distribution. Finally, the main beneficiaries of new affordability targets may be existing rather than new households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the politics of studentification in the UK. It is argued that there is a paradox between New Labour's vision of sustainable communities and the geographical effects of the promotion of higher education—in a similar vein to policies to generate 'positive' gentrification. This contention hinges on the absence of a national policy on the supply of student housing, which dictates how enlarged student populations should be integrated into established communities, or dispersed to other parts of towns and cities. It is asserted that the lack of government policy and the incapacity of institutional actors to intervene or regulate the residential geographies of students are yielding 'unbalanced' populations. This is a factor in the rise of studentification and the fragmentation of established communities. Ironically, some activists argue these 'lost' communities signified lucid exemplars that the sustainable communities policy seeks to engender. These new geographies also obscure the positives of a student population and may foster resentment and conflict between students and established residents. More specifically, the paper illustrates how debates of planning and housing legislation are integral for addressing the challenges of studentification. The paper concludes by considering some possible lessons of studentification for mitigating the negatives of gentrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The context in which the current 'debate' about Muslim women and the veil is taking place, in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, is that of the new orthodoxy, the 'clash of civilisations'. This attempts to explain much of the world's political turmoil in terms of a clash between the ('secular modern') West and the ('traditionalist religion') Islam. The increased visibility of veiled bodies in Britain today has stirred a response that draws on long-standing orientalist oppositions and reworks them in the current climate of the 'war on terror', connecting them to parallel racist discourses about 'threats' to British culture. Sections of the British media have homogenised the variety of Muslim veiling practices and have presented the veil as an obstacle to meaningful 'communication'; an example of Islamic 'refusal' to embrace 'modernity'. Veiled women are considered to be ungrateful subjects who have failed to assimilate and are deemed to threaten the 'British' way of life. This paper reviews the debate over the veil in Britain in the context of British foreign policy, attacks on civil liberties, the further marginalisation of poor communities and the politicisation of British Muslims, where the veil is an increasingly political image of both difference and defiance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the connections between two historical lines of research: social informatics in the United States, and sociotechnical studies in the United Kingdom. The author discusses samples of work from three long established UK research sites, at Manchester, Edinburgh and the London School of Economics, to give the reader a sense of sociotechnical work at different historical periods. Though the US and UK traditions share a common interest in the production of technology, and work with complementary concepts and methods, formal links between the two have not been strong for much of the historical period under review. However, there are signs of fusion in the work of a current generation of researchers on both sides of the Atlantic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heating degree days are widely used in building energy management. For the construction of building performance lines, it is necessary to have the correct building base temperature with the meteorological station as close as possible to the building being monitored. In the UK, free degree day data is available on a monthly basis for 18 regions of the UK at a building base temperature of 15.5°C. This paper presents a new data set of degree days calculated for 77 regions, weekly and monthly, at a range of building base temperatures from 10.5°C to 20°C. The data is calculated using real hourly temperatures and is compared against degree days calculated using approximate equations. The data presented is free and is updated weekly at http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/degreedays.php Practical applications: Degree days are widely used in building energy management; however, they are often not used due to the lack of availability of data for different time intervals, for appropriate weather stations and at building base temperatures other than 15.5°C. This paper presents and discusses a data set at high spatial resolution (77 UK stations) at both weekly and monthly time intervals for building base temperatures from 10.5°C to 20°C. This resource is more accurate than traditional sources due to having been calculated from hourly Meteorological Office data rather than daily maximum and minimum temperatures. The data is available online, is updated weekly and in a form such that it can be dynamically linked in to building energy management programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on one example of knowledge transfer conducted by the ESRC Identities and Social Action Programme which involved briefing Tony Blair for his December 2006 speech on multiculturalism and extremism. Two key themes in the report prepared for Blair and his speech-writer are described - the nature of contemporary complex multicultures and the 'fragility' of white English identities. These are contrasted with themes in Blair's speech which, in general, celebrated (white) British national character and took a traditional 'divided communities' perspective on UK multiculturalism while introducing further measures to encourage 'integration'. The paper describes the dilemmas and challenges faced in formulating a report for this context, in particular issues about developing a narrative in a highly contested field, complicity with power and credentials to speak. It argues, too, that although ostensibly an exceptional opportunity, more mundane acts of knowledge transfer might be more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the efforts of a small number of ornithologists and bird surveyors to design and implement a national census for the corncrake (Crex crex), a rare migratory bird, in north-west Scotland. Drawing on concepts and methodologies from the sociology of science and the recent ethological turn in social theory, it follows corncrake scientists as they tune in to the bird's ecology and behaviour and devise and distribute a standardized set of methods for a national census. It examines how these methods were implemented in practice in the field and explores the embodied skills and emotions involved in counting corncrakes. Finally, it follows how, as the outcome of the census, the corncrake was framed for the first time as a dynamic population and given voice through a representing assemblage. The paper concludes with some more general observations about the benefits of understanding the field sciences as affective practices and draws attention to the importance of embodied skill, emotion and an ethical sensibility in the generation of scientific representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, many low-income communities have seen the withdrawal of 'mainstream', high-street-based financial service infrastructure from their local areas since the mid to late 1980s, whilst more costly sub-prime lenders have flourished, often in their place. There has been a developing search for 'alternative', welfare-oriented rather than profit driven solutions to the problem of social and spatial segregation in financial service provision. This paper explores an initiative to create such an alternative, affordable and locally embedded form of personal financial service in a socially disadvantaged urban neighbourhood in the North East of England, Financial Inclusion Newcastle (FIN). This paper reflects on FIN's successes and failures, the potential limitations of such alternative area-based solutions and the lessons that can be learnt from these, through a focus on three key issues surrounding FIN's demise—the FIN model, its internal functioning and, perhaps most important of all, its relationship with the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the reasons for the persistence in the UK of significant relative interregional variations in office property investment in the face of economic theory and empirical evidence that would support its more even spatial distribution. The argument is made from a cultural economy perspective and involves the application to property of a concept drawn from the accountancy literature: calculative practice. UK investment decision-making is distinguished by the primacy attributed to portfolio benchmarking as an influence on investment strategy. The wider logic underpinning property benchmarking is subjected to critical appraisal. Then, evidence is presented that suggests that benchmarking is a self-referential practice which results in convergence and rigidity in fund structures and in the concentration of performance around a bounded range of sub-optimal returns. It is a barrier to the greater geographical diversification of office property investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing commitment within science centres and museums to develop exhibitions that engender new forms of participation that contribute to the public's understanding of science. Information and communication systems play an important role in this regard, enabling new forms of 'interaction' with and around exhibits. In this paper we consider how visitors respond to these exhibits and explore the forms of interaction that arise within these new exhibition areas. The analysis addresses the ways in which these so-called 'interactives' create highly constrained sequences of action that prioritize the individual user while undermining the opportunities for co-participation and collaboration. It examines the ecologies of participation that arise with, around and within different types of exhibit and exhibition. The paper suggests that many 'interactive' exhibits rely upon a model of 'interaction' and the 'user' that pervades computer-based systems, a model that has been subject to sustained criticism over some years. In other words, the paper points to the ways in which 'interactivity' is conflated with social interaction and how the seemingly innovative and entertaining exhibits may fail to engender the coparticipation and collaboration that is seen as critical to learning and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public participation in technological decision-making is increasingly seen as de rigueur, but the limits and purpose of such participation remain open to debate. In this paper we explore the tension between different rationales for widening participation and examine their implications for its practice. Taking debates about medical genomics in the UK as an illustrative example, we argue that more heterogeneous participation and debate have the potential to improve the scrutiny and accountability of science within representative democracies. In doing so we also argue that it is necessary to replace the language of `lay expertise' with a more systematic and rigorous treatment of the expertise or its absence that characterizes different participants. Drawing on the theoretical work of Collins & Evans (2002), we distinguish between those processes where expert knowledge is required and debate is conducted within the public domain, rather than by the public itself, and those where the views of non-expert lay citizens are needed and valued. The effect of adopting this approach is to permit a more inclusive treatment of the `technical' while also providing a positive role for non-expert citizens in the democratic control and oversight of science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of moisture in building materials has been of importance to building professionals for many years to aid them in diagnosing the nature and cause of building defects. Likewise building researchers have developed an extensive selection of measurement approaches to aid them in more detailed studies of the fundamental physical processes that underlie moisture transport. This paper reviews current moisture measurement practices within the UK, and examines the more sophisticated techniques being utilised, including three particular techniques: dual probe heat pulse method; time domain reflectometry; and more sophisticated electrical approaches. These three are currently the focus of a study to evaluate how advanced research techniques can be applied to the in-situ measurement of moisture contents in practice. Practical application: This paper reviews the current UK application of measurement techniques to assessing the moisture content of building materials. It discusses the differences between the techniques used by building professionals and building researchers, and highlights potential areas currently in development which may yield more advanced site measurement options in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Maritime History is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Successive governments have encouraged both the marketization and the privatization of the residential and nursing care sector. This paper describes how the large corporate providers continue to increase their share of the market through a continual process of mergers, takeovers and acquisitions. Market analysis suggests that this trend is set to continue. The name given to this phenomenon in this paper is 'caretelization'. The process of caretelization is examined in the context of New Labour's public sector modernization agenda. The paper raises questions of whether continued caretelization is more or less likely to help New Labour achieve certain aims of modernization. For example, New Labour often talks of 'putting people themselves in the driving seat of the public services'. It is argued that, with caretelization, not only is public accountability diminished, but key principles such as consumer choice and user involvement are likely to be compromised by allowing ownership of residential and nursing care to be dictated by market forces. Such developments raise questions about both New Labour's desire and its capability to manage the forces of neo-liberalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The satisfactory removal of faecal and other waste by w.c. flushing and solid transport within a branch drain is a prerequisite of building drainage system design. The increasing importance of water conservation has led to renewed interest in the possibilities for reductions in overall building use through reduced w.c. flush volume operation. Current UK and international legislation has led to the 6 L flush being regarded as the upper acceptable limit, with consideration being given to further reductions to 4 L and below. Maintaining the operational integrity of the drainage system will require an understanding of both w.c. design and transport mechanisms to ensure solid clearance and the avoidance of solid deposition and the consequent disruption to the building user. It is necessary to regard the w.c. and the branch drain as a system. This paper analyses a major data set that includes a wide range of w.c. flush volumes as well as consideration of branch drain cross-sectional area and shape. Data for low flush volume operation with a parabolic cross-section branch drain is presented. Conclusions are drawn that indicate that low flush volume operation is feasible provided drain slope and cross-sectional area and shape are fully considered. The degree of slope enhancement required as flush volume is decreased is demonstrated. Practical application: Water conservation is already a major concern in terms of the provision of future accommodation, whether due to refurbishment or green field expansion of the housing stock. With the projected changes in demography indicating a 50% growth in the percentage of single occupation dwellings it is now essential to limit water usage through good appliance design and careful system specification. It is already accepted that w.c. water usage, historically running in excess of 30% of the average domestic consumption, is a prime candidate to lead the water conservation agenda. This paper illustrates the potential impact on waste solid transport of reductions in flush volume supported by reductions in drain cross-sectional area within the building envelope. The results presented confirm that much reduced flush volumes may be considered provided parallel consideration is given to the design of the system. As such the results presented are therefore relevant to both system designers as well as code definition bodies in the UK and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'User Involvement' has become the new mantra in Public Services with professionals constantly being reminded that 'user knows best'. The purpose of this paper is to ask where the preoccupation with 'the User' comes from and to pose some questions about what 'User Involvement' actually means. Within our paper we see three issues as central within this. The first is a consideration of the historical antecedents of the discourse of 'User Involvement', focusing in on the struggles over British welfare that took place around tile late 1970s--early 1980s. This forms the context from which we seek to understand and critique the New Labour project in relation to the massive expansion of regulatory frameworks. We argue that, far from enabling the delivery of high quality integrated services that truly reflect the interests of current and future users, these policies represent the further commodification of basic human needs and welfare. Finally, it has become apparent the current 'User' discourse has assumed contradictory manifestations, in particular the emergence of groupings of 'professional users' who participate in the formation of state policy as 'expert consultants'. We conclude by arguing for an approach in which user perspectives are neither privileged nor subjugated, but are situated in a process of creative critical dialogue with professionals, which is linked to the development of a concept of welfare driven by emancipatory rather than regulatory imperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst there has been a resurgence of interest in community in many fields in the UK this has been singularly missing in relation to domestic violence. Relatively little is known about informal community networks and their responsiveness to survivors of domestic violence and the intersections of these with formal agency networks. This paper argues that (mis)understandings of domestic violence, a focus on agency/state responses and the traditional association of discourses of caring with women have all been important contributory factors here. Drawing on an empirical study on the informal support of survivors in the north of England in the mid 1990s and current research with survivors in the south of England this paper reviews the evidence for arguing that, whilst community-based work against domestic violence raises particularly complex challenges, it is nevertheless essential to explore this as an additional strategy in tackling domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a user-centred design and evaluation methodology for ensuring the usability of IR interfaces. The methodology is based on sequentially performing: a competitive analysis, user task analysis, heuristic evaluation, formative evaluation and a summative comparative evaluation. These techniques are described, and their application to iteratively design a prototype IR interface, which was then evaluated, is described. After each round of testing, the prototype was modified as needed. The user- centred methodology had a major impact in improving the interface. Results from the summative comparative evaluation suggest that users' performance improved significantly in our prototype interface compared with a similar competitive system. They were also more satisfied with the prototype design. This methodology provides a starting point for techniques that let IR researchers and practitioners design better IR interfaces that are both easy to learn to use and remember. The paper concludes with some principles of interface design for IR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses primarily on New Labour's public services 'modernization' agenda, raising questions about recent shifts in governance, local government finance and the relationship between the commercial sector and the provision of welfare. It argues that this agenda is being embraced by the Scottish Executive through its commitment to Public- Private Partnerships (PPPs) and an increased role for market-based solutions to the problem of poorly performing public services. It examines PPPs in an education context by focusing principally on the experience in Glasgow and argues that PPPs in education and elsewhere in the public sector are part of a broader New Labour agenda to present itself as the 'party of business', in Scotland as well as in England, and in spite of the potential for policy divergence opened up by the devolution process. This paper locates PPPs in the context of other privatization-type reforms and explores New Labour's ideological commitment to opening up public services across Britain to market forces in the context of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues both that devolution is central to our understanding of developments in social policy in the contemporary UK and that social policy is a key means through which we can develop a critical understanding of the process of devolution itself. Much of the devolved powers available to the governments in Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff centre on social policy innovation and practice. Devolution was widely welcomed as opening up the potential for the development of radically different social policies. However, the discussion of devolution has been largely dominated by an approach that focuses on institutional and/or organizational differences marginalizing, in the process, the wider social relations of welfare around which social policy is organized. In bringing the study of devolution into the heartland of social policy analysis, it is argued that we can begin to develop a more critically informed appreciation of social policy across the entire devolved UK. Through critical social policy analysis we can both evaluate and explain the complex interrelations between devolved governance and the continuing reproduction of inequalities and social divisions throughout the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Logo’ is the name for a philosophy of education and for a continually evolving family of computer languages that aid its realization. Developed in the USA in the late 1960s, it became the material embodiment of a radical educational philosophy and a potential vehicle for the transformation of education. In the early 1980s, Logo was introduced into mainstream education in both the USA and the UK. Within an increasingly conservative social and political context with different education policy priorities, Logo was gradually stripped of its radical potential, marginalized and, where it survived, remoulded as harmless to the mainstream educational system. This paper draws on empirical research that explored the evolution of Logo between the late 1960s and the late 1990s. The paper focuses on the social processes involved in the initial development and evolution of Logo. It shows that these processes were heavily contested. Logo was the product of complex social, technical, political and economic decisions, and the product of negotiation shaped by the concerns of the social players involved. The evolution of Logo was not linear or even primarily technical. Rather, it was a seamless web in which the technical was interwoven with the social, economic and political in ways that illustrate the dialectical interaction between historical contingency and the intentions and aspirations of individuals and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent UK Government commitments' to encourage public participation in environmental decision making, those exercises conducted to date have been largely confined to 'traditional' modes of participation such as the dissemination of information and in encouraging feedback on proposals through, for example, questionnaires or surveys. It is the premise of this paper that participative approaches that use IT-based methods, based on combined geographical information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria evaluation techniques that could involve the public in the decision-making process, have the potential to build consensus and reduce disputes and conflicts such as those arising from the siting of different types of waste facilities. The potential of these techniques are documented through a review of the existing literature in order to highlight the opportunities and challenges facing decision makers in increasing the involvement of the public at different stages of the waste facility management process. It is concluded that there are important lessons to be learned by researchers, consultants, managers and decision makers if barriers hindering the wider use of such techniques are to be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares changing patterns of science news over a period of 50 years. The study analyses a biannual corpus of 2800 news articles in Britain (the Daily Telegraph) and 5800 in Bulgaria (Rabotnichesko Delo), and shows divergent and convergent trends. Britain carries considerably more science news than Bulgaria all through the period, while the coverage shows parallel swings: increasing intensity during the 1950s, a turning point in the early 1960s, declining into the 1970s, and rising again in the 1980s and 1990s. Media coverage in both countries shows similar swings in public appeal. The trends in the medicalization of science news, the reporting of controversy and the evaluation of science diverge in the two contexts. The paper concludes with speculative explanations of these results. Similarities and differences in these long-term trends point to common factors and specific differences at work on either side of the (former) 'Iron Curtain'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the author of the article "“So wide and varied": The origins and character of British information science" in the 2013 issue is presented.

This article examines evidence provided by quantitative and qualitative measurement of second language (L2) proficiency by elementary-level learners of French, following participation in a school foreign exchange visit. Based on a study consisting of a controlled analysis of test results from 68 pupils studying French at three secondary schools in England, the paper discusses the short-term impact on performance in the four language skills as well as longer-term correlations with the pupils' results in the public GCSE examination. In addition, the paper attempts to define the profile of improvers in each language skill (as four separate subgroups) through analysis of their results in the four tests and through correlation with their reports on linguistic support provided by their exchange partner and host family. The findings suggest that the exchange had greatest impact on the strengthening of proficiency in listening comprehension and in writing performance (in relation to communicative content and fluency, but not with respect to grammatical accuracy). The paper also presents a more qualitative account of the writing test data, reporting on the output in terms of variety of tenses used and instances of expressive language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The airtightness of a building envelope impacts upon uncontrolled air leakage, associated ventilation energy losses and occupant thermal comfort. The scale of these problems in large buildings would be expected to increase in relation to the potential size of possible leakage areas. Recent changes to UK Building Regulations have required new, large, nondomestic buildings (> 1000 m2 floor area) to meet a specified standard of airtightness. A building's airtightness is conventionally assessed using a steady state fan pressurization technique. There was some discussion in the airtightness testing industry that the upper practical limit of large buildings capable of being tested might be around 5000 m2 due to technical issues relating to fan size, power requirements, transportation and noise. The feasibility of testing very large buildings (over 5000 m2) with a steady state fan technique has been questioned. This paper demonstrates that such testing is feasible by describing the development, calibration and application of a 2 m diameter fan pressurisation system. The fan was tested on the largest building in the world (floor area 57 440 m2) ever to have its airtightness determined by steady state fan pressurization. Practical Application: The changes to Building Regualtions Part L2 that came into effect on 1st April 2002 raised the profile of the pressure testing of large buildings for airtightness. There were doubts raised concerning the feasibility of pressure testing very large buildings but the paper demonstrates that it is technically and practically possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy use in buildings accounts for one-third of the overall global energy consumption and total building floor area continues to increase each year as new developments are constructed and delivered. If stringent climate goals are to be met, these buildings will need to consume less energy and emit less carbon. However, design intentions for energy efficient buildings are not always met in practice. This performance gap between calculated and measured energy use in buildings threatens the progress necessary to meet these energy targets. The aim of this paper is to identify the factors that contribute to the performance gap and propose solutions for reducing the gap in practice. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of two research programmes completed in the past few years was utilized for an in-depth look at the performance of around 50 non-domestic buildings in the United Kingdom. While no direct links were found between any one variable and the performance gap, several correlations exist between contributing factors indicating a complex, entangled web of interrelated problems. The multitude of the variables involved presents a formidable challenge in finding practical solutions. However, the results indicate that the combination of the ventilation strategy of a building and the building services control strategy during partial occupancy is a key determinant of the performance gap. A more straightforward procurement approach with clearly delineated targets and responsibilities, along with advanced and seasonal commissioning instituted at the beginning of a project and implemented after building completion can also be very effective in reducing the gap. Finally, mandatory requirements or an appropriate system of incentives for monitoring and disclosure of performance data can help identify many of the underlying issues affecting performance in-use and untangle some of the web of complex issues across the building sector. Practical application: Awareness of the performance gap and knowledge of the factors contributing to its impact on the building industry is important for all stakeholders involved in the design, construction, operation and occupation of non-domestic buildings. Understanding potential solutions to mitigate these risks may help to reduce the prevalence and magnitude of the performance gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on an evaluative, ethnographic case study of an English language and cultural immersion programme for Hong Kong university students. Prior to a five-week sojourn in England, the 15 English majors completed a survey and interview to determine their expectations and concerns. While in Oxford, they took courses in an English Language Centre, investigated a cultural scene of their choice, visited cultural/literary sites, took part in informal activities with international students, and lived with a British family. They reflected on their experiences across cultures, including stressful or confusing encounters, in a diary. During the sojourn, the researcher (their ethnography teacher) observed, photographed, and recorded their behavior in field notes and gathered additional information by way of informal discussions. Post-sojourn, the students filled in a questionnaire and offered their perceptions about their experiences in interviews and a series of debriefing sessions. The analysis of the triangulated data helped to understand the sojourn better from the students' perspectives and suggested specific issues that should be addressed in future pre-departure intercultural communications seminars. The paper aims to illustrate the valuable role that ethnographic research can play in programme evaluation and enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of coniferous plantation forest on erosion and sediment yields in the UK uplands over the past three decades is reviewed by examining background or natural suspended sediment yields (SSY), bed load yields (BLY) and bank erosion and comparing with studies of 'disturbed' catchments. This paper collates all the UK studies that have monitored changes in erosion and sediment yields at the forest establishment, mature forest and timber harvesting phases of the forest cycle. A simple model based on this comprehensive examination of studies to date suggests that mean sediment yields increase at the initial ground disturbance phase, recover as the forest matures and increase again more significantly at the timber harvesting phase. The likely downstream impacts of these changes in sediment yields on channel dynamics and management is discussed, introducing sediment wave theory with particular reference to the generation of bed load waves downstream of forested catchments. Modelling of downstream changes in unit stream power has implications for the accumulation of nonpoint source sediment in sediment waves. Published studies in which channel changes have resulted from the passage of sediment waves are collated and it is concluded that the translating wave model is best supported. The paper concludes with a discussion of the broader implications for river management and presents advice for river managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review of British government policy on accommodation for people with learning disability compares two White Papers: Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped (DHSS, 1971) and Valuing People (DOH, 2002). NHS employment issues muted the influence of Better Services. Statistics show a slow transfer from the NHS to other providers, but little development of independent living alternatives since 1971, despite a policy emphasis on social inclusion themes in recent policy. Promotion of housing choice, where residential care provision dominates, inhibits inclusive housing. Valuing People does not address the potentially conflicting choices of disabled people and their families and is critical of local authorities for not supporting large-scale residential care. Supported living alternatives cannot receive sufficient support where residential care agencies' interests predominate. Better incentives are needed for local authorities to provide support for people with learning disabilities to safely live in a home of their own rather than in residential care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines British policy towards Germany in the period between the end of World War I and the resumption of full diplomatic relations between the two countries in June 1920. Relationship between the Foreign Office and the War Office in determining British policy; Pressures brought to bear on Lloyd George to comply with a common Allied policy towards the resumption of diplomatic relations with Germany; Foreign Office's attitudes towards Lord D'Abernon as ambassador to Berlin.

Natural flood management (NFM), or working with natural processes, is a growing flood risk management method in the UK, Europe and worldwide. However, unlike the current dominant technical flood management, it lacks an established evidence base of flood risk parameters. This lack of evidence base can limit the uptake of NFM as a flood management method. This paper critically evaluates examples of NFM and wider relevant literature in order to identify NFM knowledge gaps and suggest how to overcome these. The UK is used as a microcosm of different environments for diverse examples. The sections include: land cover, land management, landscape interactions and trade-offs, evaluating the wider benefits of NFM and, finally, scaling from plot to catchment. This concludes in a suggested framework for a new approach to NFM research, which encompasses spatial scales, interactions and trade-offs of NFM and consistency of reporting results. Widening the NFM empirical evidence base should be seen as an opportunity for a new approach to flood research through exploring new habitats and new flood resilience methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author aims to review the status of information science (IS) as a discipline, with particular focus on the UK. A consideration of the discipline begins by comparing definitions of IS. Two visions of the impact of IS are presented to illustrate a key problem area addressed by the discipline. Indicators of a discipline are summarized and Biglan's categorization of disciplines is explained. The author provides a critique of opinions on the nature of IS as a discipline, using Biglan's categories as a framework. The author contrasts the views of those who see the discipline as problematically fragmented and those who envision a discipline of fruitfully interlinked specialisms. This section of the paper concludes by considering disciplinary boundaries and the international scope of the discipline. The last section of the paper reviews the state of IS in the UK, drawing on evidence and on personal experience. Factors considered are: evidence of networks and communities of practice; tile name and standing of academic departments and courses; artefacts and personal identification. The author concludes by identifying particular challenges for IS in the UK and indicates areas for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the progress of daylighting in school buildings. It examines the publications that discuss daylighting design for school buildings in early 1874. It also traces the developments of the open-air school movement from 1900 up to the 1930s and describes research at the present day in the context of an emphasis on environmental factors defining healthy and comfortable buildings for education. The regulations and standards of lighting in schools in the different periods in Britain are summarized. The review reveals that there is a need to examine the relationships between the responses of school occupants and the quantity of daylighting. The conclusion of the paper gives an overall summary of daylighting in schools and identifies gaps in current knowledge. In addition, it provides the authors' opinions for future lighting research in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was undertaken to evaluate how animal pain, suffering and distress are recognized and assessed in UK scientific procedure establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. A total of 28 institutions were visited between June 1999 and April 2001, within which 137 people were interviewed including scientists, veterinarians and animal technicians. All 28 establishments use clinical observation sheets to assist the recognition of adverse effects, nine use score sheets and seven use computerized data management systems. Clinical signs used as indicators of potential pain, suffering or distress are largely subjective. The survey also addressed protocols and methods for avoiding and alleviating adverse effects, record keeping, review of policies and protocols and issues relating to team work and training. Respondents use a range of techniques for reducing suffering including analgesia, humane endpoints, ensuring competence and refining husbandry. All establishments review projects regularly but few have the time or resources formally to review adverse effects noted in practice and to compare observations with predictions made in licence applications. Training is very consistent between different establishments and most aim to achieve a 'team approach' for monitoring and assessing animals. Results are summarized in the present, abridged paper and set out in full in a report that can be downloaded at http://www.lal.org.uk/pain/(Hawkins 2002). The present paper and the full report, including its recommendations, are intended to provide a source of information, discussion topics and ideas for all establishments that need to monitor animal well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their obvious limitations as explanatory concepts, 'technological autonomy' and 'determinism' have often been associated with nuclear power. This paper reviews the persistency of notions of 'autonomy' and 'determinism' in the context of the British nuclear power programme. In the corporatist and technocratic setting of the nationalized British Electricity Supply Industry (ESl), the perceived imperatives of nuclear power technology were often allowed priority in policymaking, to the extent that an appearance of the technology's autonomy and determinism was maintained for 30 years. This had its conveniences: technical rationales disguised more contestable institutional and political interests supporting the programme. At the same time, senior politicians and scientists at times displayed a faith in the technology approximating a belief in its autonomy and deterministic power, particularly during geopolitical or industrial crises. ESl privatization was associated with the marginalization of nuclear power in Britain. Once the Government's wider mission to liberalize electricity supply was threatened by unanticipated disclosures regarding the cost of nuclear electricity, it proved willing to abandon its longstanding support for the technology. As institutional and political support for the nuclear programme was removed, the fallacy of its supposed autonomy was exposed. Whilst Langdon Winner accurately identified the preconditions necessary for the introduction of inherently political technologies such as nuclear power, in reality these were ever-present requirements, however hidden by the apparent power of the technology itself. Nevertheless, the persistence of notions of autonomy and determinism reflects a significant aspect of the sociotechnical relations of nuclear power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a retrospective analysis of the trade union block vote, a key internal institution in the decision-making bodies of the British Labour Party. The block vote is normally presented as an institution that facilitated oligarchic control of the Labour Party, a claim largely accepted in this paper. Much less attention has been given to its efficiency in safeguarding the supply of trade union resources to the party by linking financial donations to voting power. To understand both the efficient and distributional consequences of the block vote, a political exchange approach to the study of party organizations is adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the processes of curriculum and teacher development that follow an evaluation of a British University English for Academic Purposes programme. The evaluation is carried out by the teacher using a group discussion technique, as recommended by departmental policy for quality assurance purposes. It generates data that contribute to a constructive discussion in the classroom and, in the subsequent weeks, a process of rethinking core principles and teaching strategies by the teacher. The research data – ethnographic fieldnotes from the classroom and interviews with the teacher and students – document these change processes in relation to the teaching of vocabulary in the classroom. The analysis shows that evaluation is both a complex political process in the classroom and a context for teacher change and development. Thus, this micro-study of a teaching strategy within a programme underpins empirically a claim often made for evaluation and teacher development. It also suggests that such development is deeply embedded in teaching processes, and may not be evident in the reporting of evaluations for quality management purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular culture is not the endpoint for the communication of fully developed scientific discourses; rather it constitutes a set of narratives, values and practices with which scientists have to engage in the heterogeneous processes of scientific work. In this paper I explore how one group of actors, involved in the development of both postwar natural history television and the professionalization of animal behaviour studies, manage this process. I draw inspiration from sociologists and historians of science, examining the boundary work involved in the definition and legitimation of scientific fields. Specifically, I chart the institution of animal ethology and natural history film-making in Britain through developing a relational account of the co-construction of this new science and its public form within the media. Substantively, the paper discusses the relationship between three genres of early natural history television, tracing their different associations with forms of public science, the spaces of the scientific field and the role of the camera as a tool of scientific observation. Through this analysis I account for the patterns of cooperation and divergence in the broadcasting and scientific visions of nature embedded in the first formations of the Natural History Unit of the British Broadcasting Corporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the burgeoning critical literature on the history of cartography by tracking the links between maps, knowledge and power that stemmed from George Vancouver’s survey of the north-west coast of North America. Dispatched to the region by the British in 1791, Vancouver conducted an exhaustive cartographic survey and has been represented as the ‘true discoverer’ of the coast. It is argued here that he created a cartographic space (rather than simply discovered a pre-existing geography), and that his reconnaissance induced and supported a range of imperial and colonial practices. Vancouver’s work played a central role in the creation of a system of imperial inscription that primed the coast for colonial intervention. Attention is paid to the ways in which Vancouver’s project became (and remains) authoritative and influential in imperial and colonial terms: how it turned the coast into an arena of British imperial interest by occluding prior and alternative inscriptions on the land; how a variety of colonial images, projects and associations were derived from his work; and how we might now see his work in relation to the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a critical review of the community care movement in Great Britain and the U.S. and its implications for social work practice. Parallel to the developments in Great Britain, the communities care movement in the U.S. developed quickly after the Second World War and flourished in the 1970s. The National Mental Health Act of 1946 was passed in 1947. This act created the National Institute of Mental Health to provide research and training grants to develop community-based psychiatric services as well as close down mental-health hospitals. In the 1980s, the practice of community care was under critical review by professionals and policy-makers in Great Britain. In 1986, two important papers, "Making a Reality of Community Care" and "Community Care: An Agenda for Action," were published by the government. In these two reports, the gloomy picture of community care for the mentally ill and other disabled groups was critically reviewed. Similarly, in the U.S., the practice of community care was under criticism. In 1984-5, a Delphi process study found that 42 states had no consensus on the support of chronic mental patients being treated outside institutions.

This paper summarizes the innovative approach to setting environmental flows proposed by Baxter in 1961, describes its immediate impact across both engineering and fisheries disciplines and explores the reasons why his approach was not adopted in river flow regulation and management in the UK. Yet, the basic approach was to be used world-wide by the end of the century. Several barriers constrained innovation in flow regulation in England during the 1960s: the overwhelming pollution problems; serious concerns about water shortage and food security, not least in the context of the severe 1959 drought; the influence of the 1963 Water Resources Act and the legacy of previous legislation; the limited availability of both river flow data and biological data; and the lack of awareness of human impacts on the environment. The paper also provides lessons for promoting environmental science into policy and practice to advance the implementation of environmental flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have linked the high rates of traumatic events experienced by refugees to the elevated rate of mental health problems in these populations. A growing body of evidence has also highlighted the importance of considering postmigratory stressors when making sense of displaced person distress. This study explored the relationship between mental health and postmigratory stress for asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers in Britain. The study further examined if those refused asylum experienced elevated distress and postmigratory stress compared to those awaiting the outcome of asylum applications. Results indicated that participants (N = 97) had endured a range of pre- and postmigratory stressors and had high scores on measures of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. A postmigratory factor comprising items associated with isolation, restrictive policies, and stressors associated with having an insecure immigration status, was significantly associated with PTSD scores. This relationship remained when controlling for the variance accounted for by premigratory trauma predictors. Being refused asylum was the strongest predictor of depression and anxiety. Those refused asylum scored higher on a factor associated with barriers to accessing services. Social materialist theories of distress are drawn upon to contextualise the heightened vulnerability of those refused asylum. The paper concludes by emphasising the problems associated with taking an exclusively trauma-focussed approach when working with asylum seekers and argues for community orientated interventions to support displaced people to cope with the various stressors endured in exile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An hour-by-hour time-step analysis is presented of United Kingdom electricity grid balancing in low-carbon energy pathways from the DECC 2050 Calculator. The detailed modelling uses the future energy scenario assessment (FESA) tool, which uses real weather data and real electricity demand data from year 2001 to model future supply and demand profiles, suitably adjusted to reflect technology uptakes. The paper describes the linking of the DECC 2050 Calculator with FESA and many of the detailed considerations within the modelling. The calculation of net demand (total demand less intermittent renewables and inflexible portions of other electricity generation) reveals the magnitude and duration of peaks and troughs throughout the year and this allows quantification of required peaking plant, energy storage, demand response or a combination of these. The results indicate that the grid balancing challenge is much greater than is apparent from the DECC 2050 Calculator, with significant excess power from renewables and less flexible generators needing to be exported or curtailed, and, at other times of the year, a significant amount of additional conventional generation being required. FESA also indicates significantly lower capacity factors for despatchable generators than indicated in the DECC 2050 Calculator. The results underline the value of energy storage and flexible demand, particularly in the high-renewables pathways, but also that much of that storage and flexibility needs to be available for days or even weeks rather than hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to provide a conceptual framework in which to examine the social practices of contemporary austerity programmes in urban areas, including how these relate to different conceptions of crisis. Of current theoretical interest is the apparent ease with which these austerity measures have been accepted by urban governing agents. In order to advance these understandings we follow the recent post-structuralist discourse theory 'logics' approach of Glynos and Howarth (2007), focusing on the relationship between hegemony, political and social logics, and the subject whose identificatory practices are key to understanding the form, nature and stability of discursive settlements. In such thinking it is not only the formation of discourses and the mobilisation of rhetoric that are of interest, but also the manner in which the subjects of austerity identify with these. Through such an approach we examine the case of the regeneration/economic development and planning policy area in the city government of Birmingham (UK). In conclusion, we argue that the logics approach is a useful framework through which to examine how austerity has been uncontested in a city government, and the dynamics of acquiescence in relation to broader hegemonic discursive formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses street-level data on property sales and crime rates for England and Wales to investigate compensating differentials for crime risk. My identification strategy relies on the use of non-parametric regional time trends on various levels of spatial aggregation as well as various fixed effects for streets and wider areas to control for unobserved amenities and regional economic conditions. The data comes from transaction data collected by the land registry and recently published crime maps for the whole of the UK. My estimates, which are robust to a range of sensible specification changes, suggest that each case of anti-social behaviour per ten population in the same street leads to an approximately 0.6–0.8% drop in property prices, while a corresponding increase in violent crime decreases prices by roughly 0.6–1.6% and a corresponding increase in non-violent crime by about 0.2–0.4%. The majority of estimates are at the upper end of these intervals. Estimates for robbery, burglary and vehicle crime are either zero or positive, but are possibly biased because of reverse causality. Crime outside of the respective street does not appear to matter, which is consistent with earlier findings. Expressed in monetary terms each case of anti-social behaviour costs society between £5000 and £6700 and each violent crime between £5000 and £13,300. The results confirm estimates based on prior willingness-to-pay studies and other studies using smaller areas such as single cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable mortgage contracts dominate the UK mortgage market. The dominance of the variable rate mortgage contracts has important consequences for the transmission mechanism of monetary policy decisions and systemic risks. This raises an obvious concern that a mortgage market such as that in the UK, where the major proportion of mortgage debt is either at a variable or fixed for less than two years rate, is vulnerable to alterations in the interest rate regime. Theoretically, mortgage choice is determined by demand and supply factors. So far, most of the existing literature has focused on the demand side perspective, and what is limited is consideration of supply side factors in empirical investigation on mortgage choice decisions. This paper uniquely explores whether supply side factors may partially explain observed/ex-post mortgage type decisions. Empirical results detect that lenders’ profit motives and mortgage funding/pricing issues may have assisted in preferences toward variable rate contracts. Securitisation is found to positively impact upon gross mortgage lending volumes while negatively impacting upon the share of variable lending flows. This shows that an increase in securitisation not only improves liquidity in the supply of mortgage funds, but also has the potential to shift mortgage choices toward fixed mortgage debt. The policy implications may involve a number of measures, including reconsideration of the capital requirements for the fixed, as opposed to the variable rate mortgage debt, growing securitisation and optimisation of the mortgage pricing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]