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Whilst the link between young people's well‐being and the creative arts is strengthening, there is a lack of research which focuses on the roles that artists play to help teachers and parents engage young people in the creative arts. This paper explores the benefits of and barriers to artists working in education in six European countries (England, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Italy and Austria). Using the '5A's model of creativity' and a view of professional development taking place within 'landscapes of practice', the data were analysed in order to explain how creativity is operationalised in the different contexts. Our study highlights the need for policy at a national and transnational level to value the creative arts in order to help teachers cross boundaries and utilise the full potential of the creative arts in schools. Our study also highlights that further research is needed into how artists shape teaching and curriculum and how schools engage parents in the creative arts in order to build an evidence‐base relating to young people's positive mental health that can affect policy at these levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores practical and ethical dilemmas for professionals when securing the protection of children in the complex non‐clinical setting of individual families. It is based on a cross‐country study on cultural encounters in interventions against child physical abuse and neglect in four countries (England/Wales, Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia). Drawing on national reports of legal‐organizational frameworks and socio‐cultural backgrounds of European child protection systems, it also presents the results of a series of focus groups with professionals. Data were analysed to identify implicit and explicit discursive constructions as well as normative representations and from this deriving the key ethical issues and dilemmas. Despite a shared normative framework across Europe, intervention cultures vary across the four countries and between the different stakeholder groups. Although each child protection system faced widespread mistrust, policy approaches differ, some relying on strong and detailed guidance whereas others stress professional skill and judgement. We conclude that despite a shared commitment to the protection of children, deliberations and perceived ethical dilemmas suggest interdependency between differences in system cultures and policy approaches that inform the character of professional interventions in the four countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within Northern Europe, gendered roles and responsibilities within the family have been challenged through an emergence of different family forms, increasing cultural diversity, and progressive developments in welfare policies. To varying degrees, welfare policies in different countries support a dual‐earner model and encourage men to be more active as fathers by reinforcing statutory rights and responsibilities. In child welfare practice, there has traditionally been a strong emphasis on the mother as primary carer for the child; the father has been less visible. This paper explores, in four national welfare contexts, how child welfare social workers include fathers in practice decisions. Data were collected using focus group interviews with social workers from England, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. Similarities and differences emerge in relation to services and the focus of social work assessments. However, overall, the research suggests that despite gains in policy and legislation that promote gender equality, fathers remain largely absent in child welfare practice decisions about the parenting of their children. From the research, we raise questions for social work practice and the development of welfare policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) have become well-recognized as challenging free speech and public participation in the USA, Canada and Australia. However, in Europe SLAPPs remain largely unrecognized with little consideration of their use and impact. This paper argues that SLAPPs are used in Europe and have been neglected for a number of reasons. In order to examine the European SLAPP situation, this paper focuses on libel law in England and Wales. It considers the debate on free speech that has flowed out of libel cases and concludes by reflecting on what advantages might flow from a refocusing of that debate that includes a recognition of SLAPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is already having impacts on biodiversity within Europe, with habitats and species needing to change and adapt to rising global temperatures and shifts in bio-climatic zones. Spatial planning represents an important intervention to further European, national and local biodiversity objectives for climate change adaptation. Drawing on case-studies of plans for inland and coastal areas, and involving stakeholder workshops, this paper reports on a trans-national study examining the scope of spatial plans in the Netherlands, England and France in addressing the impact of climate change. It concludes that spatial planning is making provision for biodiversity and dynamic natural processes. However, while good practice in planning for biodiversity under conditions of climate change is developing, systematic use is not being made of available procedures. The paper examines some of the barriers to implementation of this new policy commitment to climate change adaptation. Recommendations are made covering policy development to include climate change impacts upon biodiversity, modified procedures for plan-making and the appraisal of plans and projects. Amongst the specific measures recommended are the climate-proofing of projects and plans through the use of EIA and SEA; the integration of plans through adoption of common objectives and review of time horizons and boundaries; and an ecosystem-based planning approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on periodical literature that was published during the year 1976 on economic history in England and Europe from 1700 to 1850. The prolonged decline of speculative general articles seems to have been reversed in 1976. Inspired by the bicentenary of economist Adam Smith, W.D. Grampp's paper "Scots, Jews and Subversives Among the Dismal Scientists," published in the periodical "International Economic History," assesses the opposition to free trade, and scholar R. Roehl's survey of French industrialization suggests closer parallels with England than are commonly admitted. At a further level of abstraction scholar J. Mokyr's paper "Growing up and the Industrial Revolution in Europe," considers the dualism of the cottage and modern sectors of industry and its significance in the analysis of economic growth, and in so doing has raised some interesting challenges for future empirical work, particularly on the labor market. In this field scholar H. Freudenberger and G. Cummins speculate amusingly in the paper "Health, Work and Leisure Before the Industrial Revolution" and suggest that the increased supply of effort from labor after 1750 may have been the lagged effect of earlier nutritional improvement.

Heritage tourism commonly involves displays designed to represent and commemorate a valued cultural past. Our particular focus in this paper is mining heritage, and how it has been developed in Wales and Cornwall to reflect their rather different, but culturally and nationally defining, industrial histories. From some historical and critical perspectives, heritage is still a controversial concept involving simulation and commercialisation, which is often perceived as inauthentic. Yet heritage sites like Geevor in Cornwall and Big Pit in Wales, our two empirical foci, are promoted largely in terms of their authentic value. Visitors can 'experience the past', e.g. by going underground, being guided by 'real miners' and engaging with material artefacts of mining, not merely observe it. We draw on recent critical perspectives that move beyond essentialising conceptions of (in)authenticity, to analyse the competing claims to authenticity that we see in the promotional and interpretive discourses of mining heritage. We argue that, at the two sites, such discourses are organised within four frames, which we refer to as material, cultural, performative and recreational. Each frame defines a social dimension in which authenticity can be experienced. Together, the four frames provide a productive means of discursively managing the competing priorities that lie at the heart of heritage tourism. Mewn twristiaeth treftadaeth defnyddir yn fynych arddangosion a luniwyd i gynrychioli a choffáu gorffennol diwylliannol a drysorir. Ar dreftadaeth mwyngloddio yr ydym yn canolbwyntio'n benodol yn y papur hwn, a'r modd y datblygodd yng Nghymru ac yng Nghernyw i adlewyrchu hanes diwydiannol y ddwy ardal, hanesion eithaf annhebyg, ond rhai sy'n diffinio diwylliant a chenedligrwydd y ddwy ardal. O rai safbwyntiau hanesyddol a beirniadol, mae treftadaeth yn parhau'n gysyniad dadleuol, un sy'n ymwneud ag efelychu a masnacheiddio a ystyrir yn fynych yn anawthentig. Ac eto, caiff safleoedd treftadaeth fel Geevor yng Nghernyw a'r Pwll Mawr yng Nghymru, ein dau ffocws empirig, eu hyrwyddo i raddau helaeth o safbwynt eu gwerth awthentig. Gall ymwelwyr 'fyw'r gorffennol', e.e. drwy fynd o dan y ddaear, cael eu harwain gan 'fwyngloddwyr go iawn' a thrin a thrafod arteffactau materol mwyngloddio, nid dim ond edrych arnyn nhw. Rydym yn tynnu ar safbwyntiau beirniadol diweddar sy'n mynd y tu hwnt i gysyniadau sy'n hanfodoli (an)awthentigrwydd, i ddadansoddi'r gwahanol enghreifftiau o hawlio awthentigrwydd a welwn mewn disgyrsiau hyrwyddo a dehongli yn nhreftadaeth mwyngloddio. Rydym yn dadlau y caiff disgyrsiau o'r fath, ar y ddau safle, eu trefnu yn ôl pedair ffrâm, sef beth a alwn yn ffrâm faterol, ffrâm ddiwylliannol, ffrâm berfformiadol a ffrâm hamdden. Mae pob ffrâm yn diffinio dimensiwn cymdeithasol lle gellir cael profiad o awthentigrwydd. Gyda'i gilydd, mae'r pedair ffrâm yn ffordd ddefnyddiol o drin, drwy ddisgwrs, yr amryw flaenoriaethau sydd wrth wraidd twristiaeth treftadaeth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the announcement that the fifteenth European Conference on Psychosomatic Research will be held in Congress Centre at Town Hall of Royal Borough of Kensington, England, from September 9-14, 1984. The main theme of the conference will be "Psychosomatic Medicine Today: A Scientific Concept and an Urgent Need." Information regarding submission of papers and registration may be obtained from Conference Secretariat.

Since the discovery of prehistoric flint mines across Europe during the nineteenth century, mining has been recognized as a central component of the Neolithic 'package'. In the south of Britain a small group of mines date to the early fourth millennium BC, posing a problem for traditional interpretations of the Early Neolithic, as they appear a significant period of time before other Neolithic monuments. This paper will look at evidence preserved in the mines of southern England, examining whether these sites demonstrate flint-mining techniques already practised in Continental Europe. Central to the research is a notion that complex activities, such as mining, involve long periods of trial and error before evolving into an accomplished working methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new 300-year daily series of Mean Sea-Level Pressure (MSLP) for the city of London. Daily barometer readings recorded in the vicinity of London were digitised from several sources and by joining these data with previously available data, a near-continuous series was constructed to span the period 1692-2007. The data were quality controlled and then corrected to represent daily means of MSLP at standard modern-day conditions. This series was then subjected to a statistical homogenisation procedure. The Penalized Maximal t-test was used with several reference series to identify breakpoints in the series over the period 1780-2007. In the absence of suitable reference series, the homogeneity of the earlier 1692-1779 period was tested using the Penalized Maximal F-test. Both tests were implemented through the RHtestV2 software on the monthly and annual means derived from the daily data. The majority of the identified breakpoints could be supported by meta-data and most occur at the juncture of the component series. A major feature of the homogenised series is that the long-term mean is 1.2 hPa lower than that of the previous monthly series for London created under the EU ADVICE project for the period 1774-1999. The long-term mean of 1015.2 hPa for the new series is more consistent with other long MSLP series in the UK. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From September 9th through 14th, 1984, the Fifteenth European Conference on Psychosomatic Research will be held in the Congress Centre at the Town Hall of the Royal Borough of Kensington, England. The main theme of the conference will be psychosomatic medicine today, a scientific concept and an urgent need. Information regarding submission of papers and registration may be obtained from Conference Secretariat, The Manor House, Southwick, Brighton, England.

The article discusses the economic significance of variation in the number and size of towns across Europe during the early 14th century by comparing the towns of England and of northern Italy. The paper starts by examining the towns of the two countries more closely, distinguishing between those that were very large, large, middle-sized and small. In comparison with rural communities, all towns had more people employed outside agriculture, but this was proportionally more marked in a metropolis like London or Florence than in a small town. The larger the town, the higher the proportion of non-agricultural occupations, the stronger the commitment to producing goods in restricted demand, and the greater the weight of commercial and professional activities. The fact that the contrast between northern Italy and England is so sharp at the top end of the urban scale implies that there was more employment in manufacturing and services in Italy. It also suggests that northern Italy had a wider range of specialized occupations. Studies of urbanization and urban hierarchy characteristically go beyond the statistical classification of towns to establish and explain rank-size relationships between them in different economic regions.

Aim: Nurse leaders influence workplace culture; however, little is known about ethnic cultural influences on nurse leader development. This research aims to identify personal strategies promoting effective leadership by nurse leaders from European small island countries. Design: Descriptive qualitative study. Methods: In 2017, nineteen semi‐structured interviews with nurse leaders from England, Greece, Republic of Ireland and Malta explored leadership journeys, strategies employed to support their growth and development, and how cultural identity played a role. Transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Four main themes and 12 subthemes captured the strategies and approaches of the nurse leaders: (1) Influences, (2) Communication, (3) Process and (4) Relationships. These findings reflect and validate the five transformational leadership practices of the Exemplary Leadership Model. While cultural island identity was discussed, there was a shared cultural identity within the role of "nurse leader" that spanned all islands. Patient or Public Contributions: Nineteen nurse leaders contributed to this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical signs, treatments used and spread of psoroptic mange in cattle from October 2007 until March 2011 are described. The disease was first diagnosed in South West Wales, having not been reported in Great Britain since the 1980s. The likely source was identified as a farm that had imported two animals from mainland Europe in the summer of 2006. Since that time, disease has been diagnosed on a further 22 premises, the majority in South West Wales but also in South East and Mid Wales and on one farm in England. Bought in animals harbouring the Psoroptes species mite but not showing clinical signs were considered the greatest risk of introducing the infestation into a herd. This, together with the difficulties of treatment to eliminate the parasite, means that it is unlikely that this outbreak has been controlled. There is also a continuing threat of importing the disease from abroad. The disease is not notifiable in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many European countries there is growing concern over reduced recruitment and catches of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.). Evidence of the decline, together with possible reasons for the changes as detailed by various authors, are reviewed. It is suggested that the problems need to be addressed now and on various levels. Proposals for management actions, as outlined by the Environment Agency for England and Wales, are summarized by way of example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the world, children are forced to leave their homes for far‐flung destinations. This global phenomenon has particular impact in Europe, where there are now more child refugees than since World War II. Education plays an important role for children with extraordinary experiences seeking to build meaningful lives in their new context. This article offers a new theoretical approach to underpin reforms to educational policy and practice for refugees in schools in resettlement contexts in Europe. The new conceptual framing is grounded in empirical work in England and Sweden, and brings two theories together: 'participatory parity' (Fraser) and 'resumption of an ordinary life' (Kohli). Kohli's concepts of 'safety', 'belonging' and 'success' have resonance with practitioners from Sweden and England as they work to meet the needs of their new arrivals. Fraser's conceptual lenses of redistribution, recognition and representation highlight the barriers to achieving the right to inclusive education for refugee children in each context. The interdependence of both theories shapes a new framework. The theoretical understandings offered in this article have been developed with practitioners and add to the field by offering a robust moral and operational approach to shaping pedagogical principles for policymakers and educators working in resettlement communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis of the supply of euro-currency finance to developing countries. The hypothesis is that banks exercise credit rationing based on assessments of borrower creditworthiness. The behavioral relationships are tested through cross-section regressions on actual borrowings from the London Euro-market by 25 developing countries. In a highly competitive market, such as the Euro-currency market, in the absence of the ability to perfectly discriminate among borrowers through the cost of funds, bankers allocate funds to external borrowers on the basis of quantity rationing. The amounts rationed, expressed as maximum commitment or exposure levels, are dependent upon perceptions of relative creditworthiness of borrowers. The flow of Euro-currency funds to a country is expected to be inversely related to the existing level of exposure at the banning of the period. The higher the relative exposure level, the less keen will bankers be to lend large amounts to that country in the near future, other things being equal. In general, it may be expected that the higher the external liquidity level of a country, the more willing will bankers be to lend further to that country.

Highlights the meeting of the European Weed Research Council in Oxford, England in April 1960. Excerpts from a report of the editor of the journal "Weed Research"; Activities of the committees of the European Weed Research Council.

Aim: Climatic changes throughout the Pleistocene have strongly modified species distributions. We examine how these range shifts have affected the genetic diversity of a montane butterfly species and whether the genetic diversity in the extant populations is threatened by future climate change. Location: Europe. Taxon: Erebia epiphron Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae. Methods: We analyzed mtDNA to map current genetic diversity and differentiation of E. epiphron across Europe to identify population refugia and postglacial range shifts. We used species distribution modeling (SDM) to hindcast distributions over the last 21,000 years to identify source locations of extant populations and to project distributions into the future (2070) to predict potential losses in genetic diversity. Results: We found substantial genetic diversity unique to specific regions within Europe (total number of haplotypes = 31, number of unique haplotypes = 27, Hd = 0.9). Genetic data and SDM hindcasting suggest long‐term separation and survival of discrete populations. Particularly, high rates of unique diversity in postglacially colonized sites in England (Hd = 0.64) suggest this population was colonized from a now extinct cryptic refugium. Under future climate change, SDMs predict loss of climate suitability for E. epiphron, particularly at lower elevations (<1,000 meters above sea level) equating to 1 to 12 unique haplotypes being at risk under climate scenarios projecting 1°C and 2–3°C increases respectfully in global temperature by 2070. Main conclusions: Our results suggest that historical range expansion and retraction processes by a cold‐adapted mountain species caused diversification between populations, resulting in unique genetic diversity which may be at risk if distributions of cold‐adapted species shrink in future. Assisted colonizations of individuals from at‐risk populations into climatically suitable unoccupied habitat might help conserve unique genetic diversity, and translocations into remaining populations might increase their genetic diversity and hence their ability to adapt to future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study illustrates the huge untapped potential of quantifying the impact of culture in making meaningful comparisons across groups. Our focus is on cross‐national differences in nurses' reports of their relations with physicians, and how the measurement of this complex construct and the evaluation of true differences are related to dimensions of national culture. Design: We examine across 14 European countries the association between indices of national culture from the seminal work of Hofstede and 39,435 nurses' ratings of their relations with physicians. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate strong factorial invariance across countries and to examine the influence of power distance and masculinity. Findings: There was wide variation across countries in nurses' reports of their relations with physicians. Strong factorial invariance was shown for a one‐factor model, which confirmed that across countries the seven survey items measure a common factor of physician‐nurse relations. This model showed no country bias for any of the seven survey items, which suggests that differences across countries reflect true differences. These true differences were significantly associated with variation in country values of power distance, which showed a significant negative correlation with physician–nurse relations. Conclusions: Continuously pursuing a better understanding of characteristics that impact the studied indicators, such as national culture, is elementary to better understand the construct under study. In this application, country values of power distance negatively impacted nurse‐reported relations with physicians, which strongly varied across countries. Clinical Relevance: Better nurse‐reported relations between nurses and physicians link to higher nurse job satisfaction, lower emotional exhaustion, better nurse‐perceived quality of care, and lower patient mortality. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index is an excellent instrument to characterize variation in working relations between nurses and physicians as well as physicians' professional posture towards nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) undergo rapid migrations with potential for long‐distance dispersal (LDD) of plants. We studied the frequency of endozoochory by shorebirds in different parts of Europe covering a broad latitudinal range and different seasons. We assessed whether plants dispersed conformed to morphological dispersal syndromes. A total of 409 excreta samples (271 faeces and 138 pellets) were collected from redshank Tringa totanus, black‐winged stilt Himantopus himantopus, pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus, Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata and black‐tailed godwit Limosa limosa in south‐west Spain, north‐west England, southern Ireland and Iceland in 2005 and 2016, and intact seeds were extracted and identified. Godwits were sampled just before or after migratory movements between England and Iceland. The germinability of seeds was tested. Intact diaspores were recovered from all bird species and study areas, and were present in 13% of samples overall. Thirteen plant families were represented, including Charophyceae and 26 angiosperm taxa. Only four species had an 'endozoochory syndrome'. Four alien species were recorded. Ellenberg values classified three species as aquatic and 20 as terrestrial. Overall, 89% of seeds were from terrestrial plants, and 11% from aquatic plants. Average seed length was higher in redshank pellets than in their faeces. Six species were germinated, none of which had an endozoochory syndrome. Seeds were recorded during spring and autumn migration. Plant species recorded have broad latitudinal ranges consistent with LDD via shorebirds. Crucially, morphological syndromes do not adequately predict LDD potential, and more empirical work is required to identify which plants are dispersed by shorebirds. Incorporating endozoochory by shorebirds and other migratory waterbirds into plant distribution models would allow us to better understand the natural processes that facilitated colonization of oceanic islands, or to improve predictions of how plants will respond to climate change, or how alien species spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information about various endodontic societies. It states that the British Endodontic Society's Spring Scientific Meeting will be held on March 16, 1985, at Guy's Hospital in London, England. The annual general meeting will follow it. The regional meeting of the British Endodontic Society will be held at the Grand Hotel in Torquay, England, on October 26-28, 1984. The article also states that the membership of the European Society of Endodontology is open to all registered medical or dental practitioners in unlimited numbers. General meetings of the Society will be held every 2 years in Geneva, Switzerland and in Madrid, Spain.

Studies have suggested associations between personality dimensions and body image constructs, but these have not been conclusively established. In two studies, we examined direct associations between the Big Five dimensions and two body image constructs, actual-ideal weight discrepancy and body appreciation. In Study 1, 950 women completed measures of both body image constructs and a brief measure of the Big Five dimensions. In Study 2, 339 women completed measures of the body image constructs and a more reliable measure of the Big Five. Both studies showed that Neuroticism was significantly associated with actual-ideal weight discrepancy (positively) and body appreciation (negatively) once the effects of body mass index and social status had been accounted for. These results are consistent with the suggestion that Neuroticism is a trait of public health significance requiring attention by body image scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several topics discussed at the meeting of European Nutrition Foundations in Madrid on April 2010 is presented. Topics of the meeting include the nutrition in the school curriculum and regulations on foods and drinks provided in schools. The meeting features various executives including Juan Ballasteros.

The authors reflect on European conservation practices, as well as various conservation approaches across the globe. Particular focus is given to Europe's unique approach to conservation, as conservation management at Bradfield Woods in Great Britain. Topics discussed include impact of humans on the European landscape, relationship between nature and human culture, and the trajectories of conservation in the U.S. and Europe.

Recent large declines in house sparrow Passer domesticus L. populations in many European towns and cities have generated much speculation as to possible environmental causes, although empirical insights have been lacking. We measured reproductive success in a declining house sparrow population along an urbanization gradient in Leicester, England, and used mixed models to identify correlates of nesting success. A stochastic simulation approach was developed to estimate annual reproductive success when the number of breeding attempts was unknown, and to assess the sensitivity of reproductive success to variation in different environmental factors. During 2 out of 3 years, reproductive output was lower than the predicted threshold required for population stability. Years of inadequate reproduction were characterized by lower chick survival and body mass at fledging (a predictor of post-fledging survival). Factors associated with reduced reproductive output included low ambient temperatures, extremes of rainfall, high levels of vegetable material in the diet (all affecting chick survival and body mass), low aphid densities (an important component of chick diet) and high concentrations of air pollution from traffic (affecting chick body mass). Reproductive failure linked to inadequate invertebrate availability provides a plausible demographic mechanism accounting for declines in urban–suburban house sparrow populations. Increased traffic volume and vegetation removal are candidate causal factors in these declines although the mechanism underlying the former is unclear. Increasing densities of key invertebrate prey away from major roads should be an objective of conservation management aimed at urban–suburban house sparrows. This study illustrates the utility of mixed models for the analysis of individual sibling survival and of stochastic simulation for modelling reproductive success in multi-brooded animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The admission of women into the York merchant tailors’ is a remarkable episode in the history of post-medieval guilds. Within England, the York experience was probably exceptional; across Europe more generally, it can be classified as a rare phenomenon. The article analyses male and female merchant tailors and apprentices in order to identify the gender-specific characteristics of women guild members. It argues that the decision of the York Company to admit women illustrates that guilds could be flexible in their responses to female employment, depending on local conditions, particularly the attitude of the civic corporation. In consequence, generalisations about the relationship between guild regulation and women's work need to be tested against the results of specific case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on European Feudalism from its emergence through its decline. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the outstanding feature of Europe was the feudal system. Thenceforward until the late Middle Ages, land paid virtually all the costs of government in England, and indeed throughout most of Europe. The following account focuses primarily on England as a particular case of a system that obtained quite generally, although, of course, details varied from country to country and also within countries. The land in use was overwhelmingly agricultural. Europe took refuge in a feudal system in the face of increasing barbarian invasion. Feudalism is now a term that carries connotations of privilege and oppression. It was indeed a system of unequal hereditary status. Yet it stood for a kind of justice, because no one was so high that his privileges were not conditional upon the discharge of obligations, and no one was so low that he was without certain rights. Although in practice it often fell short of this ideal, it was only when feudalism began to disintegrate, that privilege became wholly divorced from obligation, which simply disappeared. Of course, conditions under feudalism were not uniform, but taken as a whole, the number of days annually that the feudal tiller of the soil was obliged to work on his lord's demesne was certainly no greater, and may well have been considerably fewer, than the 123 that an American is obliged to work for Uncle Sam and his state and local uncles.

The article begins with some observations about the trend towards demutualization of mutual and co-operative businesses, and then presents a case study of one, rather dramatic, example: the attempted takeover of Europe's largest consumer cooperative, CWS. It draws on original research into the takeover bid to provide a summary of what happened and when, and then asks some important questions about whether consumer cooperatives are inherently less efficient than PLCs in the retail sector; whether they can make themselves safe from takeover; if they do survive, how they can justify their existence as member-owned businesses; and whether there are alternative forms such as worker or multi-stakeholder ownership that can achieve the broad aims of the co-operative sector more effectively. It concludes that if CWS and similar organizations are to survive they must integrate the two aspects of a co-operative -- the business and the association -- and take seriously the opportunities and responsibilities that being a member-owned organization implies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) The area of Calluna heathland in Britain and Europe has been markedly reduced, and changing patterns of land use have resulted in considerable changes in vegetation on many remaining heathland areas. (2) Determinations of the phosphorus adsorption characteristics of a range of heathland soils are described and related to differences in phosphorus economy as a result of heather burning, and the consequent release of phosphorus from organic matter components of the system. (3) Differences in the phosphorus adsorption capacity between sites are discussed in relation to changes in vegetation that have taken place in the absence of grazing or other management. (4) The implications of the differences in phosphorus adsorption capacity between sites are discussed in relation to requirements for the future management and conservation of heathlands in lowland Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares the levels and associated factors of the industrial revolution in England and France in the eighteenth century, based on recent literature on economic history of these countries. Some of the major issues that are emphasized here are that why did the industrial revolution occurred in the eighteenth century and why England was comparatively advanced than any other country in the revolution. The underlying view of industrialization adopted here is that economic development in general and technological progress in particular in eighteenth-century Europe should, suggestively, be regarded as stochastic processes. According to the author industrial revolution will be understood as a period of accelerated structural change in the economy, involving a rapid rise in industrial output, in the share of manufacturing in national product, and in factory-based activity, based on major technological innovations. There are two important problems which can, suggestively, be perceived in the current attempts to explain England's primacy: the danger of perpetrating post hoc ergo proper hoc fallacies and the failure to assess the relative magnitudes of the impacts of the putative causal factors.

This article surveys the development of the Colorado beetle campaign in Europe to show what has been achieved by the continued policy of extermination and what relationship exists between the Colorado beetle situation on the Continent of Europe and that in England. The protective measures are two-fold legislation and protective spraying. The Colorado Beetle Orders of 1933 and 1950 make it illegal for a person to keep in his possession a live Colorado beetle or to spray or otherwise treat any crop infested by, or suspected to be infested by, this insect.

This article presents information on various events, related to sexually-transmitted diseases, to be held in different parts of Europe as of March 1993. The seminars "Modern Aspects in Diagnosis and Surgical Therapy of Diseases Affecting the Epifascial Venous System," chaired by Prof. Dr. Rudolf Stadler, to be held during March 19-20, 1993 at Minden Hall in Germany, "The Royal Society of Medicine Emerging Patterns of Heterosexual HIV Infection and Transmission," during Monday 29 - Wednesday 31 March, 1993 at Wimpole Street in London.

Presents several developments related to the health care and nursing practices in Europe. Expansion of nursing and midwifery education by Anglia Polytechnic University in Chelmsford, England; Appointment of Ella Davenhall as nursing consultant for AMI HealthcarE Group PLC; Establishment of a new care center for head injury patients in Milton Keynes, England.

This essay engages with current debates on the character of objects as material artefacts, focusing on a genre that can be reappraised especially fruitfully from such a perspective: the small-format portrait medallion. The first part sets out how lockable portrait medallions were ‘wandering things’, artefacts of transcultural networks, and possessed ‘agency’ (to use Alfred Gell’s term). The second part is devoted to analyzing an example from England around the year 1600 by Nicholas Hilliard, the so-called Gresley Jewel, against the backdrop of European slavery at that time. It vividly exemplifies, it is argued, the active semanticization of skin colour, and in doing so repositions white, aristocratic identities. To what extent, the study centrally asks, have portrait medallions like this not only helped to establish the hegemonic pretensions of white aristocratic identity but also to undermine them as well? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new analysis of aspects of the descriptive epidemiology of multiple myeloma (MM) for parts of the U.K., 1984-1993. It provides no indication for geographical heterogeneity, nor is there evidence of a decline in rates over the decade. There is, however, evidence that cancer registration inflates MM rates in the elderly., (Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)