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This article looks at the concept of Black History Month and its implications for teaching and learning in art and design education. It argues that the concept of Black History Month should be discarded because it tends to promote a separatist notion of culture and that it deflects from an understanding of culture as a plural and intermeshing process. The paper interrogates history as a discourse, problematising our use of the word. The article then looks through the eyes of two groups of African Caribbean young people at Black History Month, as a curriculum initiative. The first group was interviewed at a south London gallery and the second at a conference for African Caribbean learners in Oxford. Two art and design educationalists who participated in the research project that included the south London young people make a significant contribution to the paper. It concludes with a personal interpretation of movements in art and the practice of a contemporary artist whose work endorse the key philosophical position posited in the text that culture is always a process on interweaving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes a multiproject practice development programme undertaken over a period of 1 year. The background and development of the programme are outlined, whilst attention is paid to the innovatory nature of the work, particularly the use of inductive, deductive and integrated approaches to both change implementation and project supervision. The programme was monitored throughout using different data sources and the paper uses evaluative material retrospectively to provide answers to organizational and professional difficulties which arose during the course of the programme. The authors conclude that the use of combinations of different models for practice development has potential, but requires careful supervision. They also recommend that those involved in practice development are made fully aware of its local or micropolitics, and develop strategies to deal with change before it occurs, not after it has taken place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This methodological paper discusses and critiques the 'insider' and 'outsider' models of action research described in the nursing literature. It highlights tensions and problems with these models and demonstrates how the models developed by the authors -- the 'double-act' and 'collaborative group' partnerships -- overcome these difficulties. The success of this approach suggests that such partnerships of nurse practitioners and a researcher should be considered when practitioners want to introduce innovation and facilitate change in practice and generate and test theory which is relevant to practice. The paper is presented in the form of a commentary, interspersed with reflective conversations in which the authors illustrate and reflect upon their attempts to make the methodology described a reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information the joint spring meeting of the British Society for Matrix Biology and the German Connective Tissue Society (DGBF) which was held on April 2-4, 2012 at Oxford, England. The meeting was held in several sessions focusing on nanotechnology and cell adhesion and fibrosis. It includes several papers presented at the meeting on several topics including heparan sulphate, callus differentiation and glucocorticoids.

Question: What are the impacts of factors controlling patterns of change in woodland field-layer vegetation, through time? Location: Wytham Woods, Oxford, UK (51°41′ N, 1°19′ W). Methods: Species occurrence was monitored in 163 permanent plots three times between 1973 and 2002 and related to management compartment and history. The dataset was analysed using a combination of ordination methods, univariate and multivariate analysis of variance and HOF modelling. Results: The two key findings of this paper are: (1) that the species composition of ancient woodlands (often cited as a conservation goal), may be moving along an `undesirable' trajectory, from a conservation viewpoint; and (2) that the impact of a synergistic effect of changing canopy dynamics, nitrogen deposition and a rising deer population has resulted in an increase in grass species, at the expense of woodland herbs. These findings have significant implications for the practical conservation of similar habitats across Europe. Conclusions: The analytical methodology presented here allowed detailed assessment of the potential roles of a range of environmental factors controlling change. The methodology may be applicable to other long-term studies of vegetation, and is particularly appropriate for identification of cross-site drivers, such as pollutant load and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on Kadry et al.'s paper presenting views of anaesthetists in the Oxford region regarding combined regional and general anesthetics, published in the 2001 issue of the journal 'Anaesthesia.' Importance of standard care in anaesthetic administration; Risk factors of anesthetics.

Background: The Nutrition Checklist screening tool was developed by dietitians for the trauma nursing staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. Its purpose was to identify those at nutritional risk so that dietetic assessment and intervention could be implemented. This paper focuses on a single day audit that was devised 5 months post-initiation of the Nutrition Checklist. Method: Data from 48 nursing care plans was used to measure compliance of recording a nutrition score (and re-scoring where applicable) alongside the timing of dietetic referral and intervention. Results: Sixty-seven per cent (32/48) of trauma patients had a nutrition score recorded, however only 75% (24/32) of these patients were scored within 24 h of admission. Of those due for reassessment, only 38% (11/29) were rescored. Eighty-eight per cent (23/26) of the patients who scored ≥ 3 (automatic referrals) were referred to the dietitian; the dietitian documented 100% (23/23) of referrals. Conclusion: The audit suggests limited use of the screening tool by nurses. Collaboration between the nursing team, dietitian, consultant team, catering and clinical auditors could improve compliance in the use of the Nutrition Checklist and ultimately lead to improved clinical practice in nutritional care delivery. Despite its limitations, the audit exercise was a valuable learning experience in the maintenance of a nursing Nutrition Checklist. Further research is needed to assess whether the introduction of such a screening tool improves patient outcomes by minimizing nutrition-related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a framework used by the National Institute for Nursing in Oxford to integrate research, development and practice. With the increasing attention given to the topic of how research findings are implemented into clinical practice, it was felt important to share the challenges that have arisen in attempting to combine traditional research activities with more practice-based development work. The emerging conceptual framework, structures and functions are described, highlighting the variety of partnerships to be established in order to achieve the goal of integrating research into practice. While the underpinning principles of the framework -- generating knowledge, implementing research into practice and evaluating the effectiveness of programmes -- are not new, it is the way they have been combined within an organizational structure that could be helpful to others considering such a strategy. Both the strengths and weaknesses of the framework are discussed, a number of conclusions drawn as to its robustness and consideration given to its replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a talk given at a joint meeting of the London Mathematical Society and the British Society for the History of Mathematics held in Oxford on 13 May 1995. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification 01A60, 46-03, 47-03. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a symposium about human evolution at the winter meeting of The British Anatomical Society, which was held on January 3 to 5, 2007 in Oxford, England is presented. Speaker Brenda Bradley gave a historical account of how molecular advances have helped resolve hominoid relationships. Furthermore, professor Bernard Wood followed with an overview of what the fossilized remains may tell about evolutionary pathways.

This article focuses on author's reply on comments by optometrists B.C. Reeves and A.R. Hill at the Oxford Eye Hospital in Oxford, England, regarding his research paper on optometry. He says that Reeves is misled in believing that the coefficient of repeatability directly gives a value for a significant change in score. This is only strictly true when used with continuous data. When used with quasi-continuous data, the value for a significant change in score is more accurately recorded as one increment above the coefficient of repeatability.

The article discusses the highlights of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), held in Wolfson College, Oxford, England in September 2008. Topics covered included a global health perspective and occupational therapy. A number of questions were devised by the chairperson of each session for the groups to address. The report of the conference "Recent Developments in Healthcare for Cerebral Palsy: Implications and Opportunities for Orthotics" contains manuscripts of all the papers presented at the event.

Information about several papers discussed at the conference entitled "21st-Century Anthropology: Global Process and Power," held at Rhodes House in Oxford, England on June 28-29, 2007. The conference has focused on the aspects of anthropology. Among the speakers include Thomas Eriksen, Gerhard Anders, and David Gellner.

European conference on fieldwork for graduate students and junior researchers, will be held at the University of Oxford, from December 17-19, 2003. This conference on anthropological fieldwork organized by the Oxford University Anthropological Society and Anthropology Matters, drew over 70 postgraduate students from more than 25 British and European universities. There were 36 papers addressing a variety of issues and methodological problems, dominant among which were questions of place and ethical issues. Ethical issues were also raised in accounts of research in conflict situations. In her keynote lecture Judith Okely argued that textbooks and methodology courses often leave the people underprepared for the complexity of life and learning "in the field."

This paper explores the interplay of factors that produce specific local patterns of interaction between firms and universities, using survey evidence from a comparative study of two e´lite locations, the Oxford and Cambridge regions. It uses these examples to examine why innovating firms have external links, why they have them with universities, which spatial mechanisms are significant in the place-specific technology transfer links universities have with firms in their immediate hinterlands, and what kinds of institutional factors influence the form links take. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the development of the Royal Microscopical Society in Oxford, England. Topics of research papers; Introduction of phase contrast microscope; Occurrence of genetic disabilities.