Social Work Students Learn about Social Work Values from Service Users and Carers

Teaching on social work values is centrally important in social work education as a core aspect of underpinning knowledge in preparing students for practice. This paper describes an innovative project occurring within the first year of the degree in social work, where service users and carers have assisted students with their understanding of social work values. The positive contribution of service users and carers in facilitating students to make links between theory and practice is now well documented. Applying this user perspective to the educational domain of values, however, is relatively uncharted territory given the challenges that have traditionally accompanied the teaching of values. Importantly, this paper describes the ‘value talk’ which occurred when first-year students sought further meaning from service-user and carer groups in their community settings following classroom teaching on values. The paper not only discusses the detailed preparations involved in the project but also the learning which resulted, drawing on the evaluation findings from the students and participating groups. Whilst the findings show that the students' understanding of social work values has been most significantly influenced by the contributions from service users and carers, it is recognized that further research is needed to monitor the longer term impact on social work students' practice after they qualify.

Habitat effects on the spatial ecology of the European badger (Meles meles)

This study investigates how habitat variation affects sett density, the number of animals per social group and group territory size in the badger (Meles meles). Identical methods were applied in three habitat types: lowland parkland with mixed woodland, pastoral farmland and upland rough pasture with moorland, representing areas of presumed good, medium and poor badger habitat, respectively. Contiguous main setts were identified and bait-marking was used to estimate territory size. Group size was estimated by direct enumeration. Variation in sett density, group size and territory size supported the hypothesis that badger group and territory size are influenced by habitat type. This was further supported by analyses of data from other studies in the British Isles. The implications for badger spatial ecology, badger survey techniques and the badger's role in the epidemiology of TB are discussed.

Assessment of groundwater quality recovery strategies using nitrate transport modelling. Application to the Saône alluvial formations (Tournus, Saône-et-Loire)

To assess the efficiency of different agro-environmental strategies used to reduce groundwater pollution by nitrates, transport modelling in soils and groundwater has been carried out on two withdrawal areas in an alluvial plain. In a first time, the agro-environmental model AgriFlux allowed the simulation of water and nitrates fluxes flowing to groundwater. This model was calibrated for each agro-pedological unit of the studied territory. In a second time, the application of the hydrogeological model MODFLOW-MT3D allowed the simulation of nitrate transport in groundwater for the 1980-2004 period. This soil-groundwater coupled modelling has shown that soil nature is the first factor that conditions the vulnerability to nitrates. Thus, nitrate leaching occurs preferentially under sandy soils. Efficiency of different agro-environmental operations for groundwater quality recovery was quantified. The best results are obtained by combination of (1) grassland re-installation on sandy agricultural lots located in near well protection perimeter and (2) fertilization reduction on sandy agricultural lots located in the well alimentation area upstream the near protection perimeter. On other soils, the effect of grassland on groundwater quality improvement is more limited. Nevertheless, the control of nitrate fertilisation remains essential and is justified in both near and far well protection perimeters. Modelling thus allows optimising and priorizing agro-environmental actions in alluvial agricultural zones. [Comte J.-C., Banton O., Kockmann F., Villard A., Creuzot G. (2006), Assessment of groundwater quality recovery strategies using nitrate transport modelling. Application to the Saône alluvial formations (Tournus, Saône-et-Loire), Ingénieries Eau-Agriculture-Territoires, 45, 15-28]

Montserrat Place and Monsrat neaga:An Example of Impressionistic Autoethnography

This is an impressionistic tale from the field. It is a composite of fieldwork days, the dramatic recall of ethnographic work on Montserrat, a British Dependent Territory in the Eastern Caribbean. At the tail-end of my fieldwork research period, I was evacuated from the island as a volcano erupted, eventually destroying almost all of where this piece is set - where the ethnography was practised. Though this is not salvage ethnography, there is thus an element of reconstruction to this piece, of paradise regained. On Montserrat, neaga is a term with derogatory connotations, but it is also an inclusive term referring to folk. This experimental insight into doing ethnography, autoethnography in this case, is dedicated to Pippa and those who have been killed and displaced by the volcano.

Opening the Frontier: The Gubbio-Perugia Frontier in the Course of History.

The frontier between Gubbio (ancient Umbria) and Perugia (ancient Etruria), in the northeast part of the modern region of Umbria, was founded in the late sixth century BC. The frontier endured in different forms, most notably in the late antique and medieval periods, as well as fleetingly in 1944, and is fossilized today in the local government boundaries. Archaeological, documentary and
philological evidence are brought together to investigate different scales of time that vary from millennia to single days in the representation of a frontier that captured a watershed of geological origins. The foundation of the frontier appears to have been a product of the active agency of the Etruscans, who projected new settlements across the Tiber in the course of the sixth century BC,
protected at the outer limit of their territory by the naturally defended farmstead of Col di Marzo. The immediate environs of the ancient abbey of Montelabate have been studied intensively by targeted, systematic and geophysical survey in conjunction with excavation, work that is still in progress. An overview of the development of the frontier is presented here, employing the data currently available.

“Boundary-setting as a core activity in complex public systems”

Title: Boundary-setting as a core activity in complex public systems
Authors: Joanne Murphy & Mary Lee Rhodes

The definition of the boundary of a system is at the core of any systems approach (Midgley 2000; 2003). By defining boundaries we enable – and delimit – the range of outcomes sought and the actions and resources that can be brought to bear. In complex adaptive systems (CAS) analysis, the conceptualisaion and definition of boundaries is particularly challenging as they are constantly undergoing redefinition through agent action, interaction and entry/exit. (Rhodes et al 2011). The concept of ‘boundaries’ appears regularly in a wide range of literature around public management, administration, geopolitics, regeneration and organisational development. Discussions around boundaries focus on many things from concrete physical manifestations and barriers, to virtual interfaces between one organisational unit and another, or even entirely theoretical demarcations between different schools of thought (Kaboolian, 1998, Levi-Faur, 2004, Agranoff & McGuire, 2004).

However, managing ‘beyond’ such boundaries is a routinely recurring aspiration that transcends sectors and local concerns. Unsurprisingly then, there is an increasing understanding of the need to acknowledge and manage such boundaries (whether they be physical, social or organisational) within public management as a discipline (Currie et al 2007, Fitzsimmons and White, 1997, Murtagh, 2002). This paper explores the impact of boundaries on public management strategic decision-making in the sectors of urban regeneration and healthcare. In particular, it focuses on demarcations to physical space, communal identity and within professional relationships in these sectors.

The first section describes the research that gave rise to the paper and the cases examined. Next we briefly define what we mean by boundaries. We explore issues that have emerged from our analysis of urban regeneration and health care singularly, before looking at how the concept of boundaries is a recurrent concern across the sectors. The main contribution of the paper is an exploration of how a CAS lens can bring a new insight into the concept of boundaries and decision-making in the two sets of case studies. This discussion will concentrate on initial conditions, bifurcation and adaptation as key CAS factors in relation to boundaries. We conclude with a brief discussion on the benefits of a CAS lens to an analysis of boundaries in public management decision-making.
References:

Agranoff, R. and McGuire, M. (2003) Collaborative Public Management: Strategies for Local Government. Washington, DC: Georgetown Univ. Press.

Currie, G., Lockett, A. (2007) “A critique of transformational leadership: moral, professional & contingent dimensions of leadership within public services organizations”. Human Relations 60: 341-370.

Fitzsimmons and White, (1997) "Crossing boundaries: communication between professional groups", Journal of Management in Medicine, Vol. 11 Iss: 2, pp.96 – 101

Kaboolian, L. (1998) “The New Public Management: Challenging the Boundaries of the Management vs. Administration Debate” Public Administration Review Vol. 58, No. 3 pp.189-193

Levi-Faur D. and Vigoda-Gadot Eran (eds) (2004) International Public Policy and Management: Policy Learning Beyond Regional, Cultural and Political Boundaries, Marcel Dekker,
Midgley, G. (ed) (2003) Systems Thinking. London: Sage Publications

Midgley, G. (2000) Systemic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology and Practice. New York, NY: Kluwer.

Murtagh, B. (2002). The Politics of Territory: Policy and Segregation in Northern Ireland. Basingstoke, Palgrave.

Rhodes, ML, Joanne Murphy, Jenny Muir, John Murray (2011) Public Management & Complexity Theory: Richer Decision Making in Irish Public Services, UK: Routledge

Escaping From The Past? The Falkland Islands in the Twenty-First Century

This paper discusses the competing claims for the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, which led to a war in 1982 between the United Kingdom and Argentina, which given that it was over competing claims for sovereignty over a non-independent territory seemed to be redolent of the nineteenth rather than the late-twentieth century. Post-war developments are outlined whilst the paper considers whether or not the Falkland Islands can ever escape from the Conflict, now more than thirty years ago.

Early Cinema and Oklahoma

This article provides the first history of early cinema in the territory and (from 1907) US state of Oklahoma. It covers the origins and proliferation of fiction and nonfiction filmmaking, paying particular attention to the various films produced at the 101 Ranch and the Pawnee Bill Ranch. It also covers the beginnings of newsreel footage in the state. The article also delves into the issues of film exhibition in Oklahoma, ranging from the earliest film screenings to the nickelodeon era, and also provides a history of efforts towards censorship in the pre-1915 era.

'All Good Things Must Come to an End': Terminating Co-Ownership Under the 'Old' Partition and Sale Rules

Despite its benefits, co-ownership of land creates problems where relations between the parties
have soured, or one person simply wants to extricate themselves from this arrangement. The
remedies of compulsory partition and sale allow one joint tenant or tenant in common to terminate
co-ownership against the wishes of the others, by seeking a court order to this effect. Throughout
parts of the common law world, this has be en based on nineteenth century English legislation namely
the Partition Act 1868, the key elements of which remain in force in Western Australia,
South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. This article provides an up-to-date
analysis of the law on compulsory partition and sale as derived from the 1868 Act and analogous
provisions, drawing not only on Australian cases, but on frequently overlooked decisions from
courts in both parts of Ireland and in parts of Canada, as well as ‘old’ English judgments on the
1868 Act.

Functional outcomes of decompressive hemicraniectomy following malignant middle cerebral artery infarctions: a systematic review

Decompressive hemicraniectomy has been used increasingly in recent years to treat malignant middle cerebral artery territory infarction. This review examines functional outcome data, with the novel analysis of outcomes according to temporal periods post-surgery. Case series data were pooled to determine significant correlates of outcome. Severe disability was frequently the outcome among survivors within one month post-surgery. Time and rehabilitation were later reflected, with fewer deaths and the emergence of mild to moderate disability increasing in prevalence. Mortality and severe disability were consistently more probable with increasing age. Presurgical clinical status in the form of additional cerebral artery involvement and midline shift also correlated with mortality within the 30-day period post-stroke.

Long-term neuropsychological and psychosocial outcomes of decompressive hemicraniectomy following malignant middle cerebral artery infarctions

Purpose: This study examines long-term neuropsychological and psychosocial outcomes of survivors of malignant middle cerebral artery infarction treated via decompressive hemicraniectomy. Method: A case series design facilitated a detailed analysis of the outcomes among five participants. Neuropsychological domains assessed included premorbid and current IQ, sustained, selective and divided attention, visual and auditory memory, executive functioning and visuo-spatial ability. Psychosocial domains assessed included self-rated depression, anxiety and quality of life. Participants and their main carer were asked about their retrospective view of surgery. Results: All participants showed neuropsychological impairments in multiple cognitive domains, with preserved ability in others. Effects of laterality of brain function were evident in some domains. Clinically significant depression was evident in two participants. Overall quality of life was within average limits in three of four assessed participants. Four participants retrospectively considered surgery as having been a favourable course of action. Conclusion: While neuropsychological impairments are highly likely post-surgery, preserved abilities and social support may serve a protective function against depression and an unacceptably poor quality of life. Results do not support the suggestion that decompressive hemicraniectomy following malignant middle cerebral artery infarction necessarily leads to unacceptable neuropsychological or psychosocial outcomes.

The transition to agriculture

Malone, C.A.T.,, in, C. Malone and S. Stoddart, (eds.). 1994, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. p. 67-

Introduction

C.A.T. Malone and S.K.F. Stoddart, (eds.). 1994,

The meaning and function of the middens on Monte Ingino and Monte Ansciano119-0

Malone, C.A.T. and S.K.F. Stoddart, in, C. Malone and S. Stoddart, Editors. 1994, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. p. 119-127.