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Aim: To evaluate the output of scientific publications in obstetrics and gynecology journals from Mainland China and six other countries, to compare the difference of research situation between Mainland China and the developed countries in order to measure the trend of number of publication in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Methods: Information on article amounts, impact factors (IF), citation and publication in high‐impact obstetrics and gynecology journals by seven top‐ranking countries between January 1, 2007 and August 31, 2017, was extracted from Web of Science databases. Results: A total of 137 661 articles were published between 2007 and 2017 in the 98 obstetrics and gynecology journals. The cumulative IF and citations of articles from USA were the highest. The highest average citation was France and Mainland China ranked fourth. There were 52 631 papers published in the top 10 obstetrics and gynecology journals and the USA accounted for the majority of these papers (33 978, 64.6%), followed by England (8347, 15.9%). Articles from the USA were most often published in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (10658) and those from Mainland China were mostly published in Fertility and Sterility (809). Conclusion: The USA published the most articles having high IF, making the greatest contribution to the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Although the number of scientific publications from Mainland China has rapidly increased from 2007 to 2017, the quality of these publications has not been as satisfactory. It implys that Chinese current academic evaluation system should pay special attention to the quality of academic papers, instead of the number of papers published by scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the pricing behaviour of cross channel ferry companies in the eight year period between awarding the Channel Tunnel franchise and the completion of the construction of the Tunnel. The ferry companies appear to have ‘made hay’ by significantly increasing some published prices for car ferry journeys in real terms over the period. The paper presents a model of regulatory intervention which can account for increasing prices. [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]

The paper examines conversations in the 18th-century London and Paris financial marketplaces. The aim is to highlight the place of conversations as the key form of interaction in the marketplace, and to evaluate financial conversations against the broader cultural background of literary and scientific dialogues of the time. The relevance of this enterprise is that it leads to a better understanding of how the verbal interactions of the marketplace shape transaction outcomes and contribute to forms of rationality specific for financial markets. Grounded in the analysis of empirical material, the paper distinguishes between conversations-qua-transactions and conversations-about-the-world. It shows how they produce and require specific forms of knowledge from the participants; at the same time, they shape the transactions' outcomes. On this basis, the paper argues that the phenomenon of sudden mood swings in the marketplace cannot be entirely explained in irrational, psychological terms, but must be seen as the outcome of a particular conversational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper draws on research into child welfare services in France, Germany and England which compares the subjective experience of mothers who have been in contact with family support and child protection agencies in the three countries. The mothers' stories suggest that successful help-achieving strategies differ according to the nature of the child welfare regime, and that behaviour which is effective in getting a good response in one country may work less well elsewhere. The stories of two mothers in each of the countries have been chosen to demonstrate how the structures of different social welfare regimes affect the efforts of welfare users to get the help they need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an Anglo-French project comparing parental experiences of child welfare interventions in both countries; it does not aim to discuss policy implications but to raise questions about the basis on which policies are decided. We explored differences and similarities in the two countries' systems and practices by asking what it is like to be on the receiving end of professional decisions and actions in order to highlight those aspects of our own system that might otherwise be taken for granted. Considerable overlap was found in English and French parental concerns and in the type of professional assistance offered. However, differences in access to this assistance suggest that parents in England are often thrown into relations with social services that may be counterproductive to child and family welfare. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the question: can the variation that have been observed in class mobility rates in England, France and Sweden be in fact attributed entirely to differences in the evolution of the class structures of these societies - or in other factors affecting the demand and supply conditions attending mobility; or is it rather the case that there are, in addition to such structural sources of variation, differences also among the three societies in the pattern of what we would term their social fluidity or, in other words, in mobility considered independently of structural influences? To use the conceptual language that has been conventional in mobility research- but from which we would wish to depart -- the issue could then be alternatively posed as that of whether the cross-national variation that we have demonstrated is confined simply to structural mobility, or whether it extends to exchange mobility as well. The source of mobility data in England, France and Sweden have been fully described in previous paper of these authors. Here it will be sufficient to say that the data derive from nationally-based sample survey inquiries undertaken in the three countries during the early 1970s.

Coastal flood maps covering the whole European continent have become available in recent years. However, their ability to complement or replace high‐resolution local flood maps was not investigated so far. In this paper we compare pan‐European estimates of extreme sea levels and coastal flood extents at given return periods with observations and high‐resolution reference maps. The analysis is done for two pan‐European assessments and one global study. We find that whereas the models have good accuracy in estimating storm surge heights, large disparities exist between the large‐scale flood maps and four local maps of flood extents from England, the Netherlands, Poland, and France. Moreover, the accuracy of the underlying digital elevation model and assumptions about flood protection existing in a given area influence significantly the results. In addition, the first pan‐European projection of temporal trends in the size of flood zones is presented, with and without assuming flood protection levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim In France, following a long-term decline in smoking prevalence, an increase in smoking was observed between 2005 and 2010, an unusual occurrence in countries in the 'mature' stage of the smoking epidemic. By contrast, smoking prevalence in England, the neighbouring country, continued its long-term decline. Methods We identified and translated recent reports on smoking and tobacco control in France and using these assessed the main data sources on smoking and compared them with similar sources in England, in order to explore possible explanations. In France, national smoking prevalence data are collected 5-yearly, minimizing opportunities for fine-grained analysis; the comparable study in England is implemented annually. Results We identified several probable causes of the recent increased prevalence of smoking in France, the primary one being the absence of sufficient price rises between 2005 and 2010, due probably to the lack of a robust tobacco control strategy, which also appeared to have empowered tobacco industry influence. Funding to compensate tobacconists appears to incentivize tobacco sales and is significantly higher than tobacco control funding. Conclusions Mindful of the limitations of a case-study approach, the absence of sufficient price rises in the context of a weak tobacco control strategy seems the most likely explanation for the recent increase in smoking prevalence in France. A new cancer control plan and a national smoking reduction programme have been proposed by the French government in 2014 which, depending on implementation, may reverse the trend. In both countries, the higher levels of smoking among the more disadvantaged groups are of great concern and require greater political leadership for effective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When foster care is discussed in research, emotions are mostly kept out of the scope. This article explores emotions narrated by young people in foster care and by their foster carers. It brings together findings from two studies: The first used biographical interviews conducted with 100 young people from Germany, while the second draws on ethnographic interviews with 12 young people from France and England. The analysis, in line with relevant literature, shows that although emotions are hardly mentioned directly, they seem to be highly relevant in understanding the experience of foster care. Therefore, we suggest, professionalism and emotions need to be understood as complementary elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the weakness in labour demand which appeared in 1973-78 in France, Germany, and the U.K. and attempts a comprehensive assessment of it. Hitherto, the situation in labour markets has usually been measured by official figures of the registered unemployed which tend to understate unemployment itself and neglect other dimensions of labour slack, such as reversal of previous migration flows or declines in labour force participation or in working hours which may contain highly significant cyclical movements cushioning unemployment. The report proposes the adoption of a more comprehensive concept for labour market monitoring, along lines already used in the annual reports of the German Institute of Employment Research. Such an approach presents advantages in economic and labour market policy analysis. A simplified form of the proposed monitoring tables is presented in Annex Tables F-1 to F-4, G-1 to G-4 and U-1 to U-4. They can be considered as a potential satellite to existing national accounts. It is also suggested that analysis of the degree to which labour potential is used be conducted on a regular basis. The possibilities of this approach are outlined in considerable detail in Section V and in the annex. The different dimensions of the use-of-potential account are summarised in Table 3. The report contains a review of the literature on the full employment rate of unemployment and its components. This is one of the major issues on which a judgement must be made in use-of-potential analysis. This review is presented in Section VI of the report. It emerges from the analysis that Germany had the biggest labour slack (8.6 percent of potential) in 1978 though its unemployment rate (3.8 percent of the labour force) was the lowest of the three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been written about the impact of the Channel Tunnel but the attention has been primarily on the gross economic implications of the investment which ignore questions of additionality and spatial effects. The completion of the Channel Tunnel will create a new transport infrastructure but this will be at the cost of lost opportunities for investing these resources elsewhere. Net national gains are, therefore, likely to be somewhat less than many anticipate. Equally, the importance of the tunnel for the South East's economy is uncertain both in terms of the overall long-term impact and the detailed implications for areas within the region. This paper attempts to examine the short and long-term implications for the South East. It attempts to do this by taking cognizance of environmental and social factors as well as reviewing the more standard 'economic' factors. The nature of available data coupled with inadequacies in our understanding of many key links in interacting spatial economic systems inevitably means that calculations are far from precise. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a comparative study of the development and influence of large urban populations on social structure and politics in Birmingham, England and Lyons, France. Birmingham and Lyons were two of the most important towns in Europe in the period between the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the Revolutions of 1848. Before discussing the obvious differences, it is important to stress three points which the towns had in common: Neither town was distinguished by big enterprises. The second point that the towns had in common has been less frequently-stressed. The workers in Birmingham and Lyons were relatively well off--when in employments-compared with workers in other parts of England and France. The voice of the Birmingham and Lyons working classes was more than the voice of hunger. It was frequently, however, the voice of unemployment. The important difference between the social structure of Birmingham and Lyons should be stressed. While the social structure of Birmingham made for middle-class cooperation with the working clashes, the social structure of Lyons made for social antagonism and conflict. While the tendency in Birmingham was to try to build up political organizations based on cooperation between the classes, the tendency in Lyons was for fabricants, chefs d'ateliers and compagnons to meet and organize separately.

The article presents the author's insights on various studies from France, England, South Africa, and Australia regarding test validation. The author says that Denis McMahon's study on existing research needs in vocational guidance showed how validation is considered a root problem in such context. The author mentions that in the study of B. G. R. Moore and E. A. Peel, it was found that dental school's success can be predicted on the accuracy order represented by .60 correlation. The author adds that the report made by P. F. C. Castle and F. I. de la P. Garforth focused on supervisors' selection and training by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology of Great Britain.

Rationale, aims, and objectives: The article looks at how, during consultations, pregnant women identified as presenting an increased risk of giving birth to a child with an impairment, and practitioners in the field of prenatal diagnosis, decide whether or not to accept the risk of a miscarriage and proceed with a diagnostic examination. Methods: We conducted 63 observations of consultations in France and 22 in England. Participants were women for whom an elevated risk of abnormality had been identified and the practitioners involved in their care. Our analytical approach consisted in suspending the normative concepts of nondirectiveness and autonomy, and in drawing on Goffman's (1974) notion of "frame" to take account of the experiential and structural aspects that the protagonists bring into the (inter)actions. Results: We identified four frames: medico‐scientific expertise, medical authority, religious authority, and compassion. Observation of the ways in which the frames intertwine during consultations revealed configurations that facilitate or hinder the fluidity of the interactions and the decision‐making process. The medico‐scientific expertise frame, imposed by the guidelines, heavily dominated our observations, but frequently caused distress and misunderstanding. Temporary or sustained use of the compassion and/or medical authority frames could help to repair the discussion and create the conditions that enable women/couples to reach a decision. Variations in configuration highlighted the differences between practitioners in the two countries. Conclusions: Combining frames allows protagonists to exert reflective abilities and to maintain/restore interactions. The frame analysis promotes a vision of autonomy that is sociological, relational, and processual. The frames are anchored in different structural conditions in England and France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The European RHAPSODY project sought to develop and test an online information and support programme for caregivers of individuals diagnosed with young onset dementia. The objectives were to assess user acceptability and satisfaction with the programme and to test outcome measures for a larger effectiveness study.Design: A pilot randomised controlled trial in England, France, and Germany was conducted with 61 caregivers for adults with young onset Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal degeneration. Evaluations at baseline, week 6, and week 12 assessed user acceptability and satisfaction. Use of the programme was measured from online back-end data. Qualitative feedback on user experiences was collected via semi-structured interviews. Measures of caregiver well-being (self-efficacy, stress, burden, frequency of patient symptoms, and caregiver reactions) were explored for use in a subsequent trial.Results: Participants logged in online on average once a week over a 6-week period, consulting approximately 31% of programme content. Seventy percent of participants described the programme as useful and easy to use. Eighty-five percent expressed intent to use the resource in the future. Reductions in reported levels of stress and caregivers' negative reactions to memory symptoms were observed following use of the programme.Conclusions: Results indicated that the RHAPSODY programme was acceptable and useful to caregivers. The programme may be complementary to existing services in responding to the specific needs of families affected by young onset dementia. Distribution of the programme is underway in England, France, Germany, and Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A BSTRACT This article provides an iterative fitting algorithm to generate maximum likelihood estimates under the Cox regression model and employs non-Gaussian distributions-the jump diffusion (JD), variance gamma (VG), and normal inverse Gaussian (NIG) distributions-to model the error terms of the Renshaw and Haberman () (RH) model. In terms of mean absolute percentage error, the RH model with non-Gaussian innovations provides better mortality projections, using 1900-2009 mortality data from England and Wales, France, and Italy. Finally, the lower hedge costs of longevity swaps according to the RH model with non-Gaussian innovations are not only based on the lower swap curves implied by the best prediction model, but also in terms of the fatter tails of the unexpected losses it generates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk sampling of phosphate-rich horizons within the Late Cretaceous of the Anglo-Paris Basin yielded numerous teeth of members of the Squatiniformes. Along with isolated tooth remains, two museum specimens comprising partial articulated encoskeletal remains including the holotype of the species Squatina cranei Woodward, 1888 a are described, and a new subgenus Cretascyllium is proposed for species of the genus Squatina with high degree of heterodonty and triangular anterior teeth. The species Squatina (Cretascyllium) cranei comb. nov. and Squatina (Cretascyllium) hassei comb. nov. are referred to this subgenus. The genus Parasquatina Herman, 1982 previously erected on a single tooth is valid, and two new species P. justinensis sp. nov. and P. jarvisi sp. nov. are described along with a third taxon Parasquatina sp. An enigmatic tooth referred to ?Neoselachii incertae sedis is also reported. The palaeoecology of these taxa is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overweight and obese people appear to be at greater risk of suboptimal vitamin and mineral status compared with people of a healthy weight. Nutrients most affected include vitamin D, vitamin B, carotenoids, folate, vitamin C and iron. The reasons are unknown but may be caused by poor diets, increased requirements or obesity-related changes to nutrient absorption, excretion or metabolism, or a combination of these. Sequestration of fat-soluble vitamins by adipose tissues is also a major factor. Although dietary assessment in obese populations is hampered by under-reporting, there is evidence that dietary patterns characterised by energy-dense, processed foods are more common in groups with a higher body mass index. Dieting practices, bariatric surgery and the use of anti-obesity drugs may compound the risk of nutrient inadequacy, although sustained weight loss helps to improve vitamin D status. A poor nutrient status could accentuate the risk of chronic diseases already experienced by overweight people on account of their excessive fat mass. There is evidence that the use of dietary supplements can improve nutrient status and have a favourable impact on disease risk markers such as lipid profiles and insulin resistance. Whether currently dieting or not, overweight people may benefit from safeguarding vitamin and mineral adequacy by taking a multi-nutrient supplement alongside an increased intake of nutrient-rich foods. [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.

This article aims to show how the governments of two industrial cities in France and the UK have now come to the view that middle-class reinvestment in the city centre offers a solution to urban economic decline, and so have encouraged the middle class to move in by implementing ‘symbolic policies’. Their objective is to transform the image of the post-industrial city through cultural and urban planning policy, in order to adapt it to the supposed taste of potential gentrifiers. This development in strategy results from both external constraints and internal political changes in these cities. The failure of earlier redevelopment strategies is also a factor in explaining this paradoxical phenomenon, in which a social group that is, in fact, almost absent from the central spaces of these cities has now been accorded the status of ‘systematic winners’. Résumé Cet article a pour objectif de montrer comment les gouvernements de deux villes industrielles, en France et en Grande-Bretagne, considèrent désormais que le réinvestissement du centre-ville par les classes moyennes constitue une solution au déclin économique urbain, et en viennent ainsi à favoriser leur arrivée par la mise en oeuvre de «politiques symboliques»: par des actions sur la culture et l'urbanisme, l'objectif est de transformer l'image de la ville postindustrielle pour l'adapter au goût supposé des gentrifieurs potentiels. Cette évolution stratégique est tout à la fois le résultat de contraintes externes et de transformations politiques internes aux villes. L'échec des précédentes stratégies de re-développement est également un facteur explicatif de ce phénomène paradoxal qui rend «systématiquement gagnant» depuis peu un groupe social pourtant quasiment absent de l'espace central de ces villes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article constitutes a response to the article by Fabien Jobard (in this issue) concerning the recent riots in France. It explores differences and commonalities between the events in France in 2005 and the urban disorders that occurred in England and Wales from the 1980s to 2001, placing the latter into three distinct categorical and temporal waves. Initially, it revisits the essence of Jobard's piece before providing an overview of the UK riots. It then analyses the overarching contexts of each of the three periods, and those of the French riots, as a basis for identifying the main causal similarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riots that occurred in October and November 2005 in France, as a result of a police chase resulting in the death of two young boys from a deprived area of the Parisian outskirts, force us to shed new light on the political dimension of breakdowns labelled as ‘riots’. To achieve this aim, we examine the accuracy of the notion of ‘race riots’ often used, in England and in the United States, to characterise such violent outbursts. And, with the help of actual political data, we examine how far the riots have led to changes in the politics of France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The English and the French are both former imperial peoples, and to that extent they share certain features of national identity common to peoples who have had empires. That includes a ‘missionary’ sense of themselves, a feeling that they have, or have had, a purpose in the world wider than the concerns of non-imperial nations. I argue that nevertheless the English and the French have diverged substantially in their self-conceptions. This I put down to a differing experience of empire, the sense especially among the French that the British were more successful in their imperial ventures. I also argue that contrasting domestic histories – evolutionary in the English case, revolutionary in that of the French – have also significantly coloured national identities in the two countries. These factors taken together, I argue, have produced a more intense sense of nationhood and a stronger national consciousness among the French than among the English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines differentiation by task as it is used and perceived in French and English primary schools. It highlights the influence of national context on teaching and learning. The study rests on classroom observations in 12 Key Stage 1 classes located in socially disadvantaged areas. The first section sets the mission of schooling in a historical and political perspective. It is followed by an analysis of the field research, which shows systematic ability grouping and differentiation by task in the English sample, as opposed to the French approach based on equal entitlement. These contrasts are then related to culturally situated conceptions of learning, of self-esteem and the notion of failure. These notions convey subtly different meanings either side of the Channel. Ultimately, pedagogical practice corresponds to contrasting social constructions of the pupil and conceptions of learner identity related to broader educational and social values in both cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines the main assessment traditions in four countries – England, France, Germany and the United States – in order to explore the prospects for the integration of summative and formative functions of assessment during compulsory schooling. In England, teachers' judgments do feed into national assessments, at 7, 11, 14 and 16, but concerns for reliability and accountability mean that such judgments are made in a way that has little impact on learning. In France, teachers have no involvement in the formal assessment of students, and, possibly as a result, have been free to concentrate on the use of assessment to serve learning. In Germany, faith in the education system has been considerably undermined by recent unfavourable international comparisons, although faith in the ability of tests both to measure learning accurately and to allocate students to different educational pathways appears to be unshaken. In the United States, multiple demands for accountability at different levels of the system have resulted in multiple assessment systems, but these tend to be focused on measuring the amount of learning that has taken place, providing little insight into how it might be improved. It is concluded that the effective integration of formative and summative functions of assessment will need to take different forms in different countries, and is likely to be extremely difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I set out to explain cross-national variations between styles of ethnic minority incorporation in the conventional political systems of British and French cities. To this aim, I draw inspiration from, and refine, institutionalist approaches to minority participation. I focus on a comparison of two cases, Birmingham (England) and Lille (France). I construct a parsimonious explanatory framework focused on three institutional factors: central-local relations in each country and local party politics and styles of local government in each city. I argue that these elements combine in different ways in each country to produce different local political environments for the politics of ethnic minorities, thereby shaping patterns of participation and conditioning their success, or absence thereof, in the electoral process of cities. Because of local specificities, my two cases are not entirely representative of other cities, but they provide an illustration of the political processes at work in most cities. In Birmingham, minorities participate successfully in Labour party politics, while in Lille, they are submitted to persistent political exclusion at the hands of a powerful Socialist party machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Sport promotes integration': this idea seems to be commonly accepted both in France and in the UK, even though the authorities in each country see the issue of 'ethnic minorities' very differently. This article draws on research based on interviews with the main actors of 'socio-sports' policies in the cities of Lyon and Birmingham and on analysis of consultation procedures and official documents, to show that sport provides a set of symbolic markers that helps the authorities, professionals and 'ethnic minorities' to get their bearings in an uncertain multicultural situation. Although 'ethnic minorities' try to control the direction of sports policies in pursuit of their own objectives, their strategies tend to be 'routinized' around markers legitimized by the authorities in response to the success of certain sporting practices. Sports policies, therefore, promote 'security' of identity for these 'minorities' by 'mapping' their environment using the values and principles of sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on meetings related to allergies. It states that a symposium on Recent Advances in Eosinophils, Allergy and Asthma will be held on December 7 and December 8, 1938 at Royal Society of Medicine in London, England. The article also presents the information that the International Symposium: Industrial Toxicology will be held from December 13-16, 1988 in Bordeaux, France. The International Federation of Associations of Specialists will organize the symposium in Safety, Hygiene and Conditions of Work. The Federation's objective is to provide means to develop international contacts and co-operation between all specialists in health, safety and hygiene in the working environment, which includes areas of knowledge as wide as medicine engineering, technology, toxicology, ergonomics, behavioral and social sciences and the law.

Failure of regeneration of Tilia cordata in north-west England is associated with almost complete sterility of the seeds. Between 1964 and 1979 significant numbers of fertile seeds were recorded only after the exceptionally warm summer of 1976. In contrast, large or moderate crops of fertile seed were produced at sites in central and southern England in at least 8 of these years. Comparative studies of pollination, fertilization and seed development at sites in north-west England, central England and northern France show relatively small differences in the proportions of flowers which are pollinated but significant differences in the rates of extension of pollen-tubes. In samples collected in 1977 from north-west England germinated pollen was present on most receptive stigmas but many pollen-tubes extended only a short distance down the style and the few which reached the base appeared to be arrested in the ovary wall. In French samples pollen had germinated on all receptive stigmas and numerous pollen-tubes had reached the ovary within 2 days of pollination. These differences cannot be attributed to variation in the incidence of self-pollination, as at least some trees of T. cordata in northern populations are almost certainly self-fertile. The differences are correlated with temperatures at the time when the samples were collected. When pollen-tubes are growing in sucrose solutions, their rate of extension shows a large response to temperature over the same range (15 to 25 °C). Analysis of records shows that temperatures in north-west England at the time of flowering are frequently too low to permit fertilization. This is confirmed by studies of the development of ovules. Although a high proportion of ovules in T. cordata lack embryo sacs, normally at least one is functional in each ovary. In over 90% of fruit formed in north-west England, embryos are contained in none of the 10 ovules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tajfel-Turner Theory of Social Identity was used as a framework from which it was predicted that pupils of low attainment in secondary school should come to define themselves as indifferent to or opposed to the values of their schools. This hypothesis was examined in France and England, on self report measures covering values, aspirations, perceptions, evaluations, beliefs and motivations. While results show numerous differences between low and high attainers common to both countries, the differences are more pronounced in England. National differences are such that the French pupils are more like high attainers. Results are interpreted as being more consistent with low attaining pupils being victims of boredom rather than failure, with the French school culture providing greater insulation against such reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the continental origins of ironworkers and the status of the iron industry in the Weald, England from 1451 to 1544. These workers have migrated from Bray, France. Bray has been regarded as of little account in the development of the industry, but is focused, in this article, as the birthplace of British iron industry. Although nothing is so far known about the actual process of recruitment of ironworkers for the Weald, the social and economic trends which caused difficulties for the industry in Bray are examined and their relationship is shown to the course followed by the migration in quantitative terms. From statements previously made on the subject, it has been inferred that the numbers involved were quite small, but economist David Crossley has recently suggested that they were probably significant and it has been calculated that not less than 500 male immigrants were involved. The vital contribution of this migration to the industrial development of Britain is beyond doubt.

This article explains the reasons behind the failure of French revenue farms from 1600 to 1660. The experience of the first half of the seventeenth century in France tended to show that separate, smaller leases on the indirect taxes were more profitable and carried fewer risks for the lessees. The concept of a revenue farm, the leasing by the crown of a tax to a private contractor for a set number of years in return for a fixed annual rent, any additional profits of the farm accruing to the contractor, is immediately familiar to students of English financial history in the seventeenth century. The customs were leased as the great farm between 1604 and 1643 and again between 1662 and 1671. The great wine-producing area of south-west France had its own levy on the transportation of wines which formed part of the farm. The taxes levied together within the farm consisted chiefly of customs duties, both on exports and imports between France and abroad, and between the area of the farm and the rest of the kingdom. The indirect taxes were thus heavier in France than in England and also covered a wider range of commodities.

The economic assessment shows that, as a means of meeting the rapidly growing demand for transport across the Channel, the Tunnel is superior to continued reliance on ships and aircraft. Another way of putting this to say that a Tunnel offers a substantial economic benefit to the community. This, of course, is benefit at large and over a long period: the British and French Governments also have to look very closely at the short-term priorities, the commitment of resources and claims on finance. These questions are outside the scope of this lecture. But as is now known, the two Ministers responsible announced in Paris on 28 October that they hope, subject to the satisfactory completion of negotiations for its construction, to see the Tunnel in operation by 1975. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stunting, a consequence of suboptimal complementary feeding practices, continues to be a significant public health problem in West Africa. This paper aimed to compare rates of complementary feeding indicators among children aged 6-23 months between four Anglophone and seven Francophone West African countries. The data used for this study were the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of the various countries, namely Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone (Anglophone countries), Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal (Francophone countries) conducted between 2006 and 2013. The analyses were limited to last-born children aged 6-23 months and covered 34 999 children: 12 623 in the Anglophone countries and 22 376 children in the Francophone countries. Complementary feeding indicators were examined using the method proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008. Introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods among children aged 6-23 months in the Anglophone countries ranged from 55.3% (Liberia) to 72.6% (Ghana). The corresponding rates for the Francophone countries ranged from 29.7% (Mali) to 65.9% (Senegal). The average rate of minimum dietary diversity for the Anglophone countries was 32.0% while that of the Francophone countries was only 10.6%. While the minimum meal frequency rates ranged between 42.0% (Sierra Leone) and 55.3% (Nigeria) for the Anglophone countries, the corresponding rates for the Francophone countries ranged between 25.1% (Mali) and 52.4% (Niger). Both the Anglophone and the Francophone countries reported alarmingly low rates of minimum acceptable diet, with the two groups of countries averaging rates of 19.9% (Anglophone) and 5.5% (Francophone). The rates of all four complementary feeding indicators across all the 11 countries fell short of the WHO's requirement for optimal complementary feeding practices. Intervention studies using cluster-randomised controlled trials are needed in order to improve the nutritional status of young children in West Africa., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The objective of this paper was to review the policy implications of inadequate complementary feeding among children aged 6-23 months in West Africa. The review was undertaken from the initial results and findings from a series of studies on the comparison of complementary feeding indicators among children aged 6-23 months in four anglophone and seven francophone West African countries. It also examined a study of the determinants of suboptimal complementary feeding practices among children aged 6-23 months in those countries. Among the four complementary feeding indicators, it was only the introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods that was adequate among children in all the West African countries surveyed. The rates of the other complementary feeding indicators were found to be inadequate in all countries surveyed, although relatively better among children in the anglophone countries. Alarmingly, low rates of minimum acceptable diet were reported among children from both the anglophone and the francophone countries. Infants 6-11 months of age, children living in poor households, administrative/geographical regional differences and mothers' access to the media were some of the common risk factors for optimal complementary feeding practices in these countries. Assessing complementary feeding indicators and determinants of suboptimal complementary feeding practices in these West African countries is crucial to improving infant and young child feeding practices. It is recommended that governments and stakeholders of the West African countries studied make greater efforts to improve these critical practices in order to reduce child morbidity and mortality in the West Africa sub-region. Intervention studies on complementary feeding should target those socio-demographic factors that pose risks to optimal complementary feeding., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)