Implications of Commons Act 2006 for the registration of land as a town or village green

This paper describes the main changes of Commons Act 2006 for the registration of land as a town or village green. The purpose of the Commons Act 2006 is to protect common land and promote sustainable farming, public access to the countryside and the interests of wildlife. The changes under s15 of the Commons Act 2006 include the additional 2-year grace period for application, discounting statutory period of closure, correction of mistakes in registers, disallowing severance of rights, voluntary registration, replacement of land in exchange and some other provisions. The transitional provision contained in s15(4) Commons Act 2006 is particularly a cause for controversy as DEFRA has indicated buildings will have to be taken down where development has gone ahead and a subsequent application to register the land as a green is successful, obliging the developer to return the land to a condition consistent with the exercise by locals of recreational rights, which sums up that it would be harder in future to develop land which has the potential to be registered as a town or village green.

Land, rights and the gift: the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the negotiation of citizenship

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act came into force at the end of 2000 with,as part of its content, new provisions relating to public access to the English and Welsh countryside. In this paper we review the main elements of the Act and assess its meaning in relation to citizenship, territoriality and the place of land in English law and society. We invoke Mauss’s (1954)concept of Gift to explain the process of brokerage being made over access and rights in the countryside. In conclusion we reflect on the Act as being indicative of a wider move towards Bromley’s (1998)post-feudal scenario for land and its governance.

Preparation of films of a highly aligned lipid cubic phase

We demonstrate a method by which we can produce an oriented film of an inverse bicontinuous cubic phase (QII D) formed by the lipid monoolein (MO). By starting with the lipid as a disordered precursor (the L3 phase) in the presence of butanediol, we can obtain a film of the QII D phase showing a high degree of in-plane orientation by controlled dilution of the sample under shear within a linear flow cell. We demonstrate that the direction of orientation of the film is different from that found in the oriented bulk material that we have reported previously; therefore, we can now reproducibly form QII D samples oriented with either the [110] or the [100] axis aligned in the flow direction depending on the method of preparation. The deposition of MO as a film, via a moving fluid− air interface that leaves a coating of MO in the L3 phase on the capillary wall, leads to a sample in the [110] orientation. This contrasts with the bulk material that we have previously demonstrated to be oriented in the [100] direction, arising from flow producing an oriented bulk slug of material within the capillary tube. The bulk sample contains significant amounts of residual butanediol, which can be estimated from the lattice parameter of the QII D phase obtained. The sample orientation and lattice parameters are determined from synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering patterns and confirmed by simulations. This has potential applications in the production of template materials and the growth of protein crystals for crystallography as well as deepening our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the behavior of lyotropic liquid-crystal phases.

Rights, the environment and Part V of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994

Using figures derived from the UK Home Office, this paper analyses and reviews the impact and deployment of Part V of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 since its enactment. This is done with special reference to its impact on citizenship and the regulation of ‘the environment’ and associated rural spaces. It is argued that, notwithstanding the actual use of the public order clauses in Part V of the Act, its underlying meanings are largely of a symbolic nature. Such symbolism is, however, a powerful indication of the defence of particularist constructions of rural space. It can also open out new conditions of possibility, providing a useful ‘oppressed’ status and media spectacle for a range of protesters and activists.

Characterisation of blends based on hydroxyethylcellulose and maleic acid-alt-methyl vinyl ether

Hydrophilic polymeric films based on blends of hydroxyethylcellulose and maleic acid-co-methyl vinyl ether were produced by casting from aqueous solutions. The physicochemical properties of the blends have been assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, dielectric spectroscopy, etc. The pristine films exhibit complete miscibility due to the formation of intermacromolecular hydrogen bonding. The thermal treatment of the blend films leads to cross-linking via intermacromolecular esterification and anhydride formation. The cross-linked materials are able to swell in water and their swelling degree can be easily controlled by temperature and thermal treatment time. The formation of the crosslinks is apparent in the dynamic properties of the blends as observed through the mechanical relaxation and dielectric relaxation spectra. The dielectric characteristics of the material are influenced by the effects of change in the local structure of the blend on the ionic conduction processes and the rate of dipolar relaxation. Separation of these processes is attempted using the dielectric modulus method. Significant deviations from a simple additive rule of mixing on the activation energy are observed consistent with hydrogen bonding and crosslinking of the matrix. This paper indicates a method for the creation of films with good mechanical and physical characteristics by exposing the blends to a relatively mild thermal treatment.

Structure variation and evolution in microphase-separated grafted diblock copolymer films

The phase behavior of grafted d-polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) diblock copolymer films is examined, with particular focus on the effect of solvent and annealing time. It was observed that the films undergo a two-step transformation from an initially disordered state, through an ordered metastable state, to the final equilibrium configuration. It was also found that altering the solvent used to wash the films, or complete removal of the solvent prior to thermal annealing using supercritical CO2, could influence the structure of the films in the metastable state, though the final equilibrium state was unaffected. To aid in the understanding to these experimental results, a series of self-consistent field theory calculations were done on a model diblock copolymer brush containing solvent. Of the different models examined, those which contained a solvent selective for the grafted polymer block most accurately matched the observed experimental behavior. We hypothesize that the structure of the films in the metastable state results from solvent enrichment of the film near the film/substrate interface in the case of films washed with solvent or faster relaxation of the nongrafted block for supercritical CO2 treated (solvent free) films. The persistence of the metastable structures was attributed to the slow reorganization of the polymer chains in the absence of solvent.

Physicality, difference, and the challenge of representation: Werner Herzog in the Light of the new waves

This chapter looks into the gap between presentational realism and the representation of physical experience in Werner Herzog's work so as to retrieve the indexical trace – or the absolute materiality of death. To that end, it draws links between Herzog and other directors akin to realism in its various forms, including surrealism. In particular, it focuses on François Truffaut and Glauber Rocha, representing respectively the Nouvelle Vague and the Cinema Novo, whose works had a decisive weight on Herzog’s aesthetic choices to the point of originating distinct phases of his outputs. The analyses, though restricted to a small number of films, intends to re-evaluate Herzog’s position within, and contribution to, film history.

Global climate and ocean circulation on an aquaplanet ocean-atmosphere general circulation model

A low resolution coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model OAGCM is used to study the characteristics of the large scale ocean circulation and its climatic impacts in a series of global coupled aquaplanet experiments. Three configurations, designed to produce fundamentally different ocean circulation regimes, are considered. The first has no obstruction to zonal flow, the second contains a low barrier that blocks zonal flow in the ocean at all latitudes, creating a single enclosed basin, whilst the third contains a gap in the barrier to allow circumglobal flow at high southern latitudes. Warm greenhouse climates with a global average air surface temperature of around 27C result in all cases. Equator to pole temperature gradients are shallower than that of a current climate simulation. Whilst changes in the land configuration cause regional changes in temperature, winds and rainfall, heat transports within the system are little affected. Inhibition of all ocean transport on the aquaplanet leads to a reduction in global mean surface temperature of 8C, along with a sharpening of the meridional temperature gradient. This results from a reduction in global atmospheric water vapour content and an increase in tropical albedo, both of which act to reduce global surface temperatures. Fitting a simple radiative model to the atmospheric characteristics of the OAGCM solutions suggests that a simpler atmosphere model, with radiative parameters chosen a priori based on the changing surface configuration, would have produced qualitatively different results. This implies that studies with reduced complexity atmospheres need to be guided by more complex OAGCM results on a case by case basis.

Greenhouse whitefly (Homoptera : Aleyrodidae) dispersal under different UV-light environments

The greenhouse whitefly, Dialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), is known to respond to UV light (UV). Field studies were conducted to improve our understanding of the behavioral effects and practical implications of using UV-blocking plastic films for the control of whitefly. Adult whiteflies were released in outdoor-located choice-chamber experiments with compartments clad with a range of films that transmitted incident UV to different extents. In release-recapture experiments, a very small proportion of the whiteflies recovered had dispersed into compartments where the entire UV spectrum was blocked, whereas the major proportion preferred compartments with UV. Compartments clad with films that blocked LTV below 375 nm attracted significantly more whiteflies than films that blocked UV below 385 nm, whereas the absorption of LTV wavelengths above 385 nm did not show any further effect on whitefly numbers. A reduction in the side cladding of the compartments by > 20% significantly reduced the advantage of using LTV-blocking films. Adult whitefly did not discriminate between direct- and diffused-light environments, as long as the UV-absorbing properties of the films were equivalent. Whitefly dispersal was influenced by the time of the day when adult whitefly were released, with a higher proportion of whitelly avoiding compartments clad with LTV-blocking films, at times of the day when light intensities were higher. The future use of UV-blocking films as a potentially highly effective component of integrated pest management systems for the control of whitefly is discussed.

Flatpack revolution

The project consists of a trilogy of films and a live performance. The Future trilogy takes IKEA riot of 2005 as the starting point for a speculative history of a fictional future, culminating in a choreographed re-enactment of the original event. Shot on 16mm and 8mm film, the series explores the possibility of collective action emerging from the capitalist relations inherent in the consumer riot. The live performance No Haus Like Bau, staged at the HAU 1 theatre in Berlin for the 5th Berlin Biennale, continues this research into re-enactment and post-1989 politics by dramatizing the rise and fall of the soviet union as a neo-Constructivist mime using a stage set made of flatpack furniture. Using the aesthetics of Modernism and the avant garde, from Constructivist and Futurist constumes to biomechanics and Bauhaus theatre theory, the project transposes early twentieth century utopian ideology to a present day setting where mass uprisings are motivated by cheap commodities. These explorations of consumerism and revolution have been widely exhibited internationally and supported by Film London, Arts Council England, Collective Gallery and the Berlin Biennale. The Future Trilogy formed the basis of a solo exhibition at the Te Tuhi Art Centre in Auckland, New Zealand and was screened as part of the Signal and Noise media art festival in Vancouver, as well as other exhibitions and screenings including “Roll it to Me” at Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, and Apocatopia, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester.

Succession to farm tenancies: future imperfect?

Until the law was amended in 1984, the tenants of agricultural holdings enjoyed security of tenure for life, plus the prospect of two family successions to their tenancies, virtually guaranteeing a tenant- farming family at least three generations occupation of a holding. The orthodox view has been that any transfers of interests that took place before the passing of the Act which introduced the scheme in 1976 would not count towards the inherent 'totting-up' process. The 1993 High Court judgement in Saunders v Ralph has raised serious questions as to the validity of that assertion. This paper seeks to identify the key legal provisions involved and to highlight the problems that may result from the case.

Production around 1960

Film production in Italy 1957-66: a table of costs and receipts to producers for a selection of films; details of ways in which producers have promoted young new authors; comparison with the way formula genres function in the market.