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One of the most visually striking features of granular materials is their heterogeneous pattern of force transmission, commonly known as force chains. In this paper and its associated talk, we will review several experiments on two-dimensional photoelastic granular materials which highlight methods for making quantitative interparticle forces measurements, theoretical frameworks for interpreting such data, and the specific findings which result from these methods.

This paper reports on an analysis of patterns of children's bodily movements in an Early Years classroom. I illustrate two prevalent patterns identified during close observations of children's walking movements as they as they followed their interests while accessing continuous provision in an Early Years setting in England. I termed the patterned pathways movement/ interest formations and draw a relationship between these formations and affective atmospheres, suggesting that these atmospheres were created by the dynamics and flows of children's ongoing bodily movements. I propose that affective atmospheres and movement/interest formations are intricately connected to child-produced meanings as children re-imagine, re-shape and re-purpose classroom spaces and materials. In this way I contribute to conceptual understandings role of children's whole bodily movements and the accompanying affective atmospheres in the emergence of young children's literacy practices. My findings substantiate viewpoints that children should be provided with the opportunity to engage in exploratory play and move freely in education settings. Furthermore, I suggest that practitioners be attuned to the the affective dimensions of young children's emerging literacy practices in Early Years classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agency and its role in the early literacy classroom has long been a topic for debate. While sociocultural accounts often portray the child as a cultural agent who negotiates their own participation in classroom culture and literacy learning, more recent framings draw attention from the individual subject, instead seeing agency as dispersed across people and materials. In this article, I draw on my experiences of following children as they followed their interests in an early literacy classroom, drawing on the concepts of assemblage and people yet to come, as defined by Deleuze and Guattari and Spinoza's common notion. I provide one illustrative account of moment-by-moment activity and suggest that in education settings it is useful to see activity as a direct and ongoing interplay of three dimensions: children's moving bodies; the classroom; and its materials. I propose that children's ongoing movements create possibilities for 'doing' and 'being' that flow across and between children. I argue that thinking with assemblages can draw attention to both the potentiality and the power dynamics inherent in the ongoing present and also counter preconceived notions of individual child agency and linear trajectories of literacy development, and the inequalities that these concepts can perpetuate within early education settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Over the past half decade South Africa has been developing, implementing and redeveloping its Lay Health Worker (LHW) policies. Research during this period has highlighted challenges with LHW programme implementation. These challenges have included an increased burden of care for female LHWs. The aim of this study was to explore contemporary LHW policy development processes and the extent to which issues of gender are taken up within this process. Methods The study adopted a qualitative approach to exploring policy development from the perspective of policy actors. Eleven policy actors (policy makers and policy commentators) were interviewed individually. Data from the interviews were analysed thematically. Results Considerations of LHW working conditions drove policy redevelopment. From the interviews it seems that gender as an issue never reached the policy making agenda. Although there was strong recognition that the working conditions of LHWs needed to be improved, poor working conditions were not necessarily seen as a gender concern. Our data suggests that in the process of defining the problem which the redeveloped policy had to address, gender was not included. There was no group or body who brought the issue of gender to the attention of policy developers. As such the issue of gender never entered the policy debates. These debates focused on whether it was appropriate to have LHWs, what LHW programme model should be adopted and whether or not LHWs should be incorporated into the formal health system. Conclusion LHW policy redevelopment focused on resolving issues of LHW working conditions through an active process involving many actors and strong debates. Within this process the issue of gender had no champion and never reached the LHW policy agenda. Future research may consider how to incorporate the voices of ordinary women into the policy making process.