bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The nonverbal component of clinical lessons
Authors: Panagos John M. , Bobkoff Katz Karyn , Kovarsky Dana , Prelock Patricia A.
Published: November 2007

Descriptive studies of clinician-child therapy interaction suggest a tightly controlled system of verbal exchange centring around the underlying plan of the clinical lesson. Drawing upon examples from therapy lessons, this paper describes the nonverbal component of clinician-client interaction. Nonverbals are associated features of situational context, lesson organiza tion, and remedial sequences; they emphasize, parallel, or replace verbal and nonverbal elements. The clinician uses a wide variety of body mechanisms (e.g. head, face, hands, voice) to support her efforts to facilitate child responses and manage social behaviour. A full under standing of lesson discourse must include observations of nonverbal communication.
Model, Analyse, Practise (MAP): a language therapy model for learning- disabled adolescents
Authors: Hess Lucille J. , Fairchild Janice L.
Published: November 2007

This paper reports on a language intervention model addressing communi cation deficits of learning-disabled adolescents. Intervention consisted of six weekly, one-hour sessions where the subjects viewed videotaped models, analysed the models, and practised the skills of topic initiation and topic maintenance, including follow-up questions/comments and open ended questions/comments. Pre- and post-intervention assessment of the subjects' conversations demonstrated improvement in the above skills.
Adult-to-child group-addressing speech in the pre-school
Authors: Forrester Michael A.
Published: November 2007

This study examines adult-to-child group-addressing speech. Em ploying an observational approach, the speech of six adults was recorded in two pre-schools, over 10 months. Approximately 500 examples were analysed for language form and speech function. Results suggest that group-addressing speech is highly distinctive and particular ly favoured as 'management' talk. An argument is made for paying more attention to group addressing, because (a) understanding such speech could be linked to the skills necessary for interacting in groups, and (b) the pre-school and the infant reception class are the first situations where the young child will experience being spoken to as part of a group.
Meeting the needs of the parents of children with speech and language difficulties
Authors: Dockrell Julie
Published: November 2007

The parents of children with speech and language handicaps may have difficulty coming to terms with their children's problems. Such difficulties are frequently not acknowledged, and help is rarely provided. This article describes some of these problems and reports the results of a series of parents' groups which were offered to meet the parents' needs. The results indicate that even minimal input can form a basis for support, clarification, and resolution of difficulties.
Assessment of pragmatic skills
Authors: King Florence
Published: November 2007

Recent advances in the study of children's difficulties with the use of language have given rise to the development of various assessment schemes concerned with pragmatic skills. Most approaches to date have used observational methods, often guided by checklists of relevant pragmatic skills. A desirable extension of these methods is the standar dized test. This paper examines and evaluates a recently published standardized test, Shulman's Test of Pragmatic Skills. It is suggested that the test could form a useful part of an assessment battery, to be used in conjunction with other methods for assessing pragmatic skills.
The uses and abuses of phonological assessment
Authors: Butcher Andrew
Published: November 2007

A number of ready-made phonological assessment procedures have become available to the clinical and educational professions over recent years. It is suggested that the scope of most procedures is unnecessarily narrow; there is no justification for the continuing omission of vowels and prosodic systems from such assessments. The impressionistic transcription on which assessments are based is subjective, imprecise and unreliable. The usefulness of the results, particularly with regard to the measurement of intelligibility and the differential diagnosis of disorders, is much exaggerated. Concern is expressed that clinicians' disillusionment over assessment procedures failing to live up to the claims made for them might lead to a reaction against clinical linguistic procedures in general.
Acoustic amplification: does it help language impaired preschool children?
Authors: Hutchinson Kathleen M. , Johnston Elizabeth
Published: November 2007

This study investigated the effectiveness of expressive language therapy utilizing acoustic amplification on six preverbal prekindergarten chil dren with hearing-related specific language impairments. A multiple baseline single-subject design was used to compare the differences between measures of attention span and mean length of utterance (MLU) during individual language therapy under conditions of am plification and no amplification. No difference was identified for length of attention span. But increased MLUs were found under amplified therapy conditions for all the children.
First words in normal and Down syndrome children: a comparison of content and word-form categories
Authors: Gillham Bill
Published: November 2007

Data are reported for content and word-form categories in the first 50 words produced by four Down syndrome children. These data are compared with that available from studies of normal children. From the broad similarities observed it is argued that such data from normal children can reasonably be used to establish a remedial lexicon for mentally handicapped children.
The utility of phonetic versus orthographic transcription methods
Authors: Siren Kathleen A. , Wilcox Kim A.
Published: November 2007

This study compared composite orthographic and phonetic transcripts derived from the same language sample collected from a three-year-old hearing child of deaf parents. Specifically, discrepancies between the transcripts which involved the use of grammatical morphemes were selected for analysis. The largest group of these discrepancies was subjected to spectrographic analysis from which both spectral and temporal measurements were made. From these measures, an attempt was then made to determine the extent to which the phonetic transcrip tion lent additional information to the orthographic transcription. The results indicated that the information derived from the orthographic transcript for this subject was sufficient for most clinical purposes without additional phonetic documentation.
Integration from a language unit: a qualitative study
Authors: Parkes Jenny
Published: November 2007

Very little research has followed up children who have attended language units. This study used a qualitative method both to explore the process of integration for four children who transferred from a language unit to their local schools and to consider the way these children were functioning a year later. Issues arising from the research included planning of integration, sharing of information and skills, parental involvement, the role of the language unit, and some possible directions for future research.
Unestablished referent in children's conversations: an assessment procedure
Authors: Neville Anne
Published: November 2007

In the conversations of children with pragmatic difficulties, breakdown frequently occurs in the establishment of referent and in the associated area of cohesion, both of which involve organizational skills. This paper introduces a procedure for the assessment of unestablished referent in conversation, within the framework of pragmatic functioning provided by Prutting's Pragmatic Protocol. An illustration is given of the use of the procedure to trace how specific instances of failure to establish referent arise. Therapy is planned on this basis, with the close involvement of the child's conversational partners.
Exploring young children's language awareness
Authors: Bauers Anne , Pettitt Deirdre
Published: November 2007

This paper presents some of the findings of a study undertaken by the Beginning Writing Enquiry Group, the members of which were mostly classroom teachers. The project included a study both of children's language awareness and of their writing. The language awareness enquiry was conducted twice with the same group of children, once at each end of a school year. It is the findings of the first part of this enquiry which are analysed here. The children were selected from the classes of the teachers in the group, and a questionnaire designed by the teachers themselves was presented to them. It was hoped that the children's responses to the various items would help the teachers gain a deeper understanding of how certain metalinguistic terms such as SENTENCE, WORD, and LETTER were understood. The children were also asked what they thought a good writer needed to know. The way in which the questionnaire was designed and the children's responses to each item are presented here in the hope that they will be of value to other teachers and therapists interested in the relationship between children's awareness of language and their ability to use it both in speech and in writing.
A model for assessment of children for augmentative communication systems
Authors: Jones Susan , Jolleff Nicola , McConachie Helen , Wisbeach Alison
Published: November 2007

Children who are severely physically handicapped and non-speaking may be assessed for recommendation of an augmentative communica tion system. A working model of assessment, developed at the Com munication Aids Centre at The Wolfson Centre, London, is presented and illustrated with three case studies. The paper includes discussion of the prerequisite skills for use of a communication aid, and consideration of important factors in the child's environment, such as training opportunities and the expectations of communication partners, which affect the success of the outcome.
Language schools' Curriculum Swap- Shop, 1990
Authors: Hutt Ella
Published: November 2007

The second annual Curriculum Swap-Shop for language schools (here, interpreted as those for pupils with specific speech and language disorders) was held in June 1990 in Newcastle-on-Tyne. The 60 participants represented 10 schools. Broad National Curriculum sub jects addressed were English and Science. An English sub-group contributed two sessions on drama. Information Technology and Photography spanned both subjects. There was a definite cross curricular approach within most presentations.
Motoric versus contrastive approaches to phonology therapy: a case study
Authors: Masterson Julie J. , Daniels Dana L.
Published: November 2007

A child with two phonological errors was seen for four semesters of therapy. One phonological error, sibilant distortion, was determined to be primarily due to articulatory (motor) difficulties, whereas the other (/r/ simplification) was not. Simplification of /r/ responded well to a cognitive-linguistic treatment approach centred around the use of con trasts. In contrast, sibilant distortion required motoric-based treatment in order for consistent accuracy at the conversational level to occur. Possible explanations for the different responses to treatment are discussed, and clinical implications and directions for future research are suggested.
Facilitating communication development in a language-disordered child
Authors: Weintraub Angela , Lougeay-Mottinger Janice , Stillman Robert
Published: November 2007

Current methods of language therapy have offered limited success with children who exhibit difficulties in social-interaction accompanying a severe language impairment. The following case study describes the content, implementation, and use of a therapy approach integrating the acquisition of language and social-interactive skills. At 3;1, the child engaged only occasionally in interactions with others, used two words, and consistently failed to respond to verbal communications. By the end of the 3-month intervention period, the child frequently engaged in interactions with the clinician. His nonverbal communications dramati cally increased. Imitative and non-imitative verbal communications also increased. The results suggest that a non-intrusive, facilitative approach produced significant improvements in the child's social and communica tive skills.
Comparing how mothers and teachers talk to children: is it different and does it matter?
Authors: Edwards Susan
Published: November 2007

A number of studies have shown that maternal linguistic input to young mentally handicapped (MH) children and to developmentally normal (DN) children, differs. Whereas mothers of DN children may be the prime providers of the linguistic input, the situation differs for MH children. Many are still at a primitive stage of language development when they start school, and thus teachers as well as mothers are potential language teachers. Despite the suggestion that certain modes of adult input may enhance MH children's language growth, there has been no systematic comparison of mother and teacher input. In this paper, results are given from a study in which maternal and pedagogic input to three pre-school MH children is compared. The children, who were all at the one-word stage, were recorded with their mothers at home and their teachers at school. The adult utterances were examined using (1 ) an analysis based on a descriptive surface grammar and (2) a functional analysis. Results reveal that while there were many similarities between the groups, both group and individual differences exist. The implica tions for professional working with MH children and their parents are discussed.
Unexpected events and their effect on children's language
Authors: McClenny Carolyn Sipe , Roberts Joanne Erwick , Layton Thomas L.
Published: November 2007

This study examined the effects of using unexpected events on children's communicative behaviour. These events included mislabelling objects or actions (e.g. calling a cup an elephant), making objects inaccessible (e.g. placing a desired object in a closed, zip-lock bag), and violating object function (e.g. trying to pour from a closed bottle). Although many language interventionists have suggested that unexpected events increase communication behaviour, this has not been empirically studied. Ten developmentally-delayed preschool children were tested in two play sessions, one which used unexpected events, and one which did not. Results indicated that children communicated more frequently during the session that used these events. In addition, the unexpected event of withholding objects was associated with more communication attempts than the other two types of events.
A follow-up study of ex-pupils from a speech and language unit
Authors: Stone Elizabeth
Published: November 2007

Fifty-six young people who attended a speech and language unit between June 1976 and December 1987 were traced. Thirty-seven responded to a preliminary letter and were interviewed personally to gain quantitative information regarding their education and employ ment. A qualitative assessment was also attempted in order to gain insights into social adjustment. The young people were also asked whether they needed further speech therapy intervention and/or adult literacy/remedial help. Finally, they and/or their families were asked to consider the strengths and weaknesses of being placed in a Speech and Language unit at an earlier age.
Conversation skill intervention programme for adolescents with learning disabilities
Authors: Hess Lucille J. , Wagner Marsha , DeWald Barbara , Conn Pat
Published: November 2007

The FACE ( Facilitating Adolescent Conversation Experiences) in tervention programme was designed to improve conversational skills for adolescents with learning disabilities. FACE uses videotape to present both model conversations and the students' conversations for identifica tion, analysis, and practice of basic communication strategies. A total of 16 subjects divided into four gender mixed groups, aged 15;2 to 17;6, participated in a semester-length FACE intervention. Seven controls with learning disability, aged 14;9 to 17;2, participated in pre- and post-intervention conversations. Analyses of pre- and post-intervention videotaped conversations with normally achieving confederate peers indicate that, unlike the controls, the subjects improved significantly in conversation skills.
An interactive therapy group
Authors: Roe Victoria
Published: November 2007

The paper describes the formation of an interactive therapy group in an inner-city infant school in Leicester, aimed at helping withdrawn or selectively mute children. Ideas and techniques were drawn from speech, music, movement, and drama therapy. There was a noticeable improvement in the children's ability to interact with their peers in the classroom situation. The development of two individual children is briefly reviewed, and reasons for their progress discussed.
Tools from microethnography: strengthening ongoing assessment procedures of preschoolers with language delays
Authors: Haas Nancy S.
Published: November 2007

This article examines the linking of traditional language assessment procedures with microethnographic techniques for preschoolers with language delays. Ethnographic strategies such as participant observa tion, open-ended interviewing, and analysis complement traditional assessment techniques in three ways. First, they uncover existing patterns of communication within the family, secondly, they build upon existing communicative strategies for transference, and thirdly they reveal parental belief systems that influence parent decisions to imple ment intervention strategies. Examples from a case study demonstrate how teachers can employ these ethnographic methods in multiple settings. The article also provides suggestions for effectively utilizing video and audio technology as assessment tools.
Parent-child interaction: an alternative approach to the management of children's language difficulties
Authors: Kelman Elaine , Schneider Claire
Published: November 2007

A programme of intervention is described for the management of children's language difficulties focusing on parent-child interaction patterns. An assessment of interaction is presented, together with a description of a management programme. A brief summary of the outcome of this approach and clinical observations are discussed.
Teaching phonological awareness
Authors: North Clare , Parker Michelle
Published: November 2007

This article is a collection of ideas for teaching phonological awareness. It provides a range of activities which both teacher and therapist can carry out, separately or together. The activities can be carried out with language unit children or with mainstream children who are known to have poor phonological awareness skills.
Linguistic factors in reading disability: a model for assessing children who are without overt language impairment
Authors: Webster Penelope E.
Published: November 2007

Reading is now widely considered to be a language-based skill. For this reason, speech-language clinicians have begun to involve themselves, in a collaborative fashion, with two populations of reading-disabled children: the traditional population who have historical or current speech-language disorders of a clearly identifiable nature, and a new population with neither a history nor current symptoms of overt speech- language disorder. The latter group serves as the focus of this paper. A suggested cohesive system for the assessment of both lower and higher order linguistic associates of reading disability is presented, along with associated theoretical rationale.
The changing face of child language assessment: 1985-1995
Authors: Howard Sara , Hartley Jo , Müller Dave
Published: November 2007

The paper considers the theoretical and practical advances in speech and language therapy which have influenced the development of language assessment over the past ten years. It focuses on three areas: what is assessed; how it is assessed; and why it is assessed. There have been increases in the scope of what is involved in language assessment, and theoretical advances along with new methods of speech and language therapy service delivery have motivated changes in the methods by which assessment takes place.
Community language teaching in the UK: ten years on
Authors: Edwards Viv
Published: November 2007

This paper presents an overview of developments over the last ten years in the teaching of the languages spoken within the various ethnic minority communities in the UK. It considers the ways in which arguments in favour of bilingualism have been articulated with increas ing clarity during this period. It then focuses on the three sectors that deliver community language teaching: the voluntary sector, which continues to play the most important role; mainstream education, which has been responsible for many important, initiatives in the last decade, now under threat from recent educational reforms; and adult education, where the teaching of Kwéyòl may well serve as a model for community language teaching in the future.
Teachers and therapists: the evolution of a partnership
Authors: Wright Jannet A.
Published: November 2007

Collaboration between people from different professional groups is never easy, especially when they are employed by two different statutory services. In a study of teachers and speech and language therapists (Wright, 1994), the benefits of working collaboratively could be cate gorized as altruistic, personal or professional. Reciprocity between collaborating dyads was much more common around the acquisition of new knowledge, or cognitive gain, as a result of working together than of any other factor. This suggests that, whether people are conscious of it or not, collaboration can produce an important exchange of information. This has implications for professional education as well as for service delivery.
Working together for children with severe learning disabilities
Authors: Kersner Myra
Published: November 2007

It was apparent from the responses to a postal questionnaire sent to teachers and speech and language therapists working together in special schools, that, not only do they consider that it is important for them to collaborate when they work together for children with severe learning disabilities (Kersner and Wright, 1995), but that they work together more effectively when they have a shared understanding of each other's work and each other's role within that work. The respondents, who could all be considered to be specialists, either by virtue of their training, professional development, and/or years of specifically related work experience, indicated that they were involved in more joint working practice than Wright (1992) found in her study. This has implications for the future specialist training and the professional development of both teachers and speech and language therapists.
Language play and linguistic intervention
Authors: Crystal David
Published: November 2007

Language play is a normal and frequent part of adult and child behav iour. This paper characterizes the phenomenon of language play in adults, examines the ways in which children make use of it, suggests developmental stages, and discusses its relation to linguistic and meta linguistic awareness. Its importance in child development is emphasized, and points of connection with issues in language pathology and the teaching of reading are explored. The paper suggests that a focus on language play can help to bridge the gap between the world of the home/playground and that of the clinic/classroom.
Profiling the phonological abilities of 2-year-olds: a longitudinal investigation
Authors: Watson Marie May , Scukanec Gail P.
Published: November 2007

The purpose of this report is to profile the changes in phonological skills produced by a group of 12 children between the ages of 24 and 36 months. Conversational samples obtained from the subjects at 3-month intervals were analysed for phonetic content, prevalent error patterns, syllable shapes and consonant clusters produced. In addition, per cent of consonants correct (PCC) and mean length of utterance (MLU) information is also reported.
Phonological awareness in Panjabi/English children with phonological difficulties
Authors: Martin Deirdre , Colesby Charlotte , Kamaljit Kaur Jhamat
Published: November 2007

This paper reports the performance on phonological awareness tasks across both languages of four children, bilingual in Panjabi and English; three of whom have phonological difficulties and the fourth who does not. The child without difficulties accesses, retrieves and manipulates phonological represen tations across both languages, but not at ceiling level, despite being 6 years of age. The other children show difficulties in distinct ways, throwing more light on the nature of their phonological development, with implications for therapy intervention. Links between their phonological difficulties and literacy development in English are established. A wider study on bilingual phono logical awareness is recommended.
Vocabulary learning in bilingual and monolingual clinical intervention
Authors: Thordardottir Elin T. , Weismer Susan Ellis , Smith Mary E.
Published: November 2007

This study used a single-case alternating treatments design to compare the effectiveness of monolingual and bilingual clinical treatment approaches in teaching English vocabulary to a bilingual child with language impairment. In contrast to the widespread belief that regular exposure to two languages should not be recommended for children with language impairments, recent findings suggest that bilingual acquisition is a reasonable goal for these chil dren in a supportive environment. The bilingual intervention approach in this study was designed to combine the beneficial effects of a positive attitude towards both languages and the use of L1 to learn L2. Results revealed com parable learning of English in the monolingual and bilingual treatment con ditions, with a slight advantage in the latter. The results support the view that bilingual intervention does not restrict language growth compared to a mono lingual treatment, and is, therefore, desirable since it avoids important nega tive aspects that result from eliminating either language of children who live in bilingual environments.
Reproductive Technology in the Context of Reproductive Teleology
Authors: Cooper Neil J. , Hampton Simon Jonathan
Published: November 2007

This article argues that in the ordinary course of events, most parents routinely practice “reproductive teleology” in that they attempt to manipulate the physical and psychological characteristics of children, and they do so as part of the process of good parenting. Furthermore, such attempts are socially approved of and encouraged. With these two considerations in mind, it is argued that common objections to technological interventions, especially with respect to designer babies— based on the grounds that such processes would promote despotic parenting, deny children an open future, and interfere with the designed child's sense of self—should be seen in the context of reproductive teleology. The implications of this argument encourage an orientation toward the salience of social pressures that promote reproductive teleology.
Innovation Policies From the European Union: Methods for Classification
Authors: Rodriguez Victor , Montalvo Carlos
Published: November 2007

This study focuses on taxonomic and typological methods of innovation policies in the European institutional context. Although many types of policies affect innovation, no universally accepted criteria exist to classify them. As innovation policy in a myriad of thematic areas—systemic model—has become pluralized, this article offers a method for classification. Such policies are grouped and categorized according to biological and neofunctional approaches.
Simulating Planning
Authors: Gaber John
Published: November 2007

Teaching with the computer simulation game “SimCity” is one way faculty can achieve some of their decision-based learning objectives. The research on attainable (and not attainable) teaching outcomes with computer simulations is now fairly clear. SimCity provides a dynamic decision-making environment in which students can learn such teaching objectives as (1) systems thinking, (2) problem-solving skills, and (3) “craft” in the planning profession. However, SimCity has inherent weaknesses that prevent it from being a one-size-fits-all teaching tool for all students. The article concludes with a discussion on which type of students do better with SimCity.
Public Finance in Planning Education and Practice
Authors: Edwards Mary M.
Published: November 2007

Planners have significant influence on the fiscal landscape of communities through the day-to-day decisions they make and the plans they implement. To better understand how our educational system addresses fiscal issues in the training of planners, the author surveyed planning instructors from across the United States and Canada and analyzed a series of public finance course syllabi. This article presents the results of this analysis and contrasts the planning instructor survey results with the results of a national survey focused on practicing planners. In this second survey, planners were asked to provide their perspectives on the importance of public finance to effective planning. Taken together, the survey results provide an interesting picture of the significance of public finance to planning academics and practitioners. This research is intended to assist planning programs in evaluating their curricula for attention to public finance and the needs of the planning profession.
Intrametropolitan Spatial Differentiation and Decline of Inner-Ring Suburbs
Authors: Lee Sugie , Leigh Nancey Green
Published: November 2007

This article examines the impact of metropolitan growth patterns on intrametropolitan spatial differentiation and inner-ring suburban decline in the four metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Portland, using longitudinal census data from 1970 to 2000. The findings of this study show that inner-ring suburbs were increasingly vulnerable to socioeconomic decline relative to other metropolitan subareas. In contrast, the outer-ring suburbs continued to thrive, drawing most of the new population and housing development in the context of intrametropolitan spatial differentiation. The downtowns and some parts of the inner city showed a gradual recovery from the pattern of deterioration. By recognizing the interdependence of all the subareas and applying sound, holistic policies, the public policy decision-making entities can ensure the future stability of the inner-ring suburbs as well as all the surrounding areas of a metropolitan region.
Occupational benzene exposure from vehicular sources in India and its effect on hematology, lymphocyte subsets and platelet P-selectin expression
Authors: Ray M.R. , Roychoudhury S. , Mukherjee S. , Lahiri T.
Published: November 2007

Benzene exposure from vehicular sources and its health impact are relatively unexplored in India. We have investigated in this study hematology and lymphocyte subsets of 25 petrol pump attendants, 25 automobile service station workers and 35 controls matched for age, sex and socioeconomic conditions. The participants were non-smoking males of Kolkata (former Calcutta) in eastern India. Compared with controls, the workers had 3.8- times more trans,trans-muconic acid in urine, suggesting higher level of benzene exposure. The exposed subjects had decreased erythrocyte, hemoglobin, lymphocyte and platelet levels, but increased neutrophil, band cells, RBC aniso-poikilocytosis and target cells. In addition, CD4+, CD8+ and CD19+ cells were decreased by 37, 20 and 47% respectively, but CD 16+ 56+ NK cells were increased by 20%. P-selectin expression on platelet surface of the workers was significantly elevated ( P < 0.05), indicating upregulation of platelet activity. In summary, the study revealed high level of benzene exposure from vehicular sources in India, and the exposed subjects had hematological and immunological alterations. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 167—175.
Partnership and Participation: Power in Process
Authors: Gilchrist Alison
Published: November 2007

There has been an increasing emphasis on community engagement in the design and delivery of Government policies aimed at improving the conditions in Britain's most disadvantaged areas. Expecting communities to participate in decision-making and to work in partnership with statutory and private agencies has raised important issues regarding accountability: to whom and for what. This article considers these questions from the community perspective, examining some of the complexities of community representation and power differentials that need to be addressed in order to make a reality of the rhetoric. Evidence suggests that 'deprived' communities experience attempts to involve them as tokenistic and ineffective. Representative roles are taken up by voluntary sector workers or the most articulate community members. Public servants and other professionals find it difficult to adjust their procedures and to make sense of the range of views being presented. The result is often a maze of contested accountabilities, frustration and cynicism on all sides. Community development is offered as a means of building the capacity of communities and other partners to work together to tackle social exclusion and improve public services.
Regulated (Self-)Regulation: A New Paradigm for Controlling the Professions?
Authors: Kaye Robert P.
Published: November 2007

Self-regulation has long been a defining characteristic of the regulation of professional activities in the UK. In this paper, I suggest that recent developments, including increased lay participation in professional regulation, the creation of new state regulatory structures, the transformation of regulation from a series of life events to an ongoing duty to account for oneself, and the creation of a new tier of independent 'meso-regulators', constitute the emergence of a new paradigm. Prime accountability is no longer from the individual professional to the collective profession. Rather it is from the individual practitioner through the professional body to independent regulators. However, by locating the public interest in independent and unaccountable regulatory structures, this new paradigm may fail in its aim of securing public trust in professions.
The Roles of Commissions of Inquiry in the Policy Process
Authors: Rowe Mike , McAllister Laura
Published: November 2007

In their heyday, Royal Commissions played an important part in the policy-making process. By today, Royal Commissions have declined almost to the point of extinction. Nevertheless, a range of other commissions, committees and inquiries are still established. They have different status and take various forms but, in common with Royal Commissions, seek to broaden the basis of public policy-making beyond government, Parliament and interest groups, through engaging a wider range of participants in a more public arena to generate new ideas, develop consensus or to confer legitimacy upon controversial government policy plans. Commissions are thus important to both policy process and policy outcome.

The existing literature on commissions is limited, and much of it is descriptive, centring on analysis of their political origins, membership and recommendations. It explicitly avoids some other key questions, perhaps because they are not readily answered. There is little real academic evaluation of the purpose or value of commissions and what they might uniquely bring to the policy process and to policy outcomes. This article explores these issues, drawing upon research analysing contemporary experience of a range of commissions, committees and inquiries with a view to offering some generic lessons.
The palaeoecological and prehistoric context of minerogenic layers in blanket peat: a study from Loch Dee, southwest Scotland
Authors: Edwards Kevin J. , Hirons Kenneth R. , Newell Patrick J.
Published: November 2007

Exposures in blanket mire deposits in the Galloway Hills, southwest Scotland, have revealed the presence of minerogenic layers within the peat stratigraphy. These deposits are studied by a variety of methods with a view to the investigation of ecological influences upon deposition, the timing of events and aspects of their geomorphology. The layers were deposited under both wooded and unwooded conditions in the vicinity of the sites, but vegetational disturbances consistent with anthropogenic activity including agriculture, were coeval with minerogenic deposition at various times. The evidence points to a dissimilarity in the formation times of individual layers of pronounced minerogenic deposition, although deposition has been a continuous event over the last 5000 years. The greatest development of distinct layers would seem to be in peat lying at the break of slope, where mineral material came to rest following its removal by water from rotted boulder and sandy podsolic soil sources lying upslope.
Regional growth changes in ozone-stressed ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA
Authors: Peterson David L. , Arbaugh Michael J. , Robinson Lindsay J.
Published: November 2007

Basal area growth trends were determined for ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, to: (1) evaluate long term growth patterns, and (2) determine if there has been any recent change in the frequency of growth changes outside the expected range of natural variability. Ponderosa pine was sampled in 56 stands with the sample divided equally between sites with and without documentation of symptomatic ozone injury. Basal area increment growth was calculated, temporal growth patterns were evaluated for each tree using time series analysis techniques, and changes in growth trends were summarized for each site by decade. There were several regional growth trends during this century, including a large number of growth decreases in the 1920s and a large number of increases in the 1930s. Many trends were synchronous within stands but were less frequently synchronous between stands. There were significant growth reductions since 1950 in some stands in the southern Sierra. These growth reductions occurred in areas with the highest levels of ozone exposure and needle injury. There was no evidence, however, of significant numbers of recent growth reductions for the entire Sierra Nevada region. Some sites had growth changes possibly associated with stand dynamics, management practices, and pathogens.
The role of scale in the biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy of the Holocene Series in The Netherlands
Authors: Janssen C. Roel , Törnqvist Torbjörn E.
Published: November 2007

In this paper the diachronous nature of some chronostratigraphic boundaries which are derived from the standard biostratigraphic subdivision of the Holocene Series in The Netherlands is discussed. Diachroneity is illustrated with an example from the fluvial area in The Netherlands and with relevant results of recent palynological research in other parts of the country. In explaining the time-transgressive nature of pollen zones it is argued that scale should be taken into account. It is proposed to subdivide The Netherlands into landscape regions for which future palynological research may indicate that they are characterized by common pollen trends, useful for correlation in time. Biostratigraphic correlation, when applied within landscape regions, may then remain an important tool for the establishment of relative chronologies. The designation of landscape regions in the Holocene calls for a large palynological programme that will take much time to accomplish. In the meantime, the Holocene Series can be either subdivided into chronozones defined by conventional radiocarbon ages, or by the direct application of radiocarbon ages without any subdivision.
Environmental change during the Holocene in western China on a millennial timescale
Authors: Zhou S.Z. , Chen F.H. , Pan B.T. , Cao J.X. , Li J.J. , Derbyshire Edward
Published: November 2007

Recent data on the evolution of the inland lakes, loess-palaeosol sequences, and glacier variations in western China are briefly reviewed. The lake history shows three distinct stages in the Holocene, i.e., low water levels before 7500 BP, a stage of expansion during the climatic optimum between 7500 and 3500 BP, and contraction after 3500 BP. Three stages (wooded grassland, mixed woodland, wooded grassland becoming steppe) also appear indicated by the Holocene loess/palaeosol sequence in the Lanzhou region, the optimal period for soil development being between 7500 and 3500 BP. There were seven periods of glacier advance: the continental glaciers advanced at about 8300, 5700, 4000, and 400 BP in northwestern China and the maritime glaciers advanced at about 3000, 2000, 1000, and 200 BP. It is suggested that the climatic changes show two periodicities during the Holocene, namely at intervals of about 2500 and 1000 years.
The recent distribution of Pinus brutia: a reassessment based on dendroarchaeological and dendrohistorical evidence from Israel
Authors: Biger Gideon , Liphschitz Nili
Published: November 2007

The distribution area of Pinus brutia today covers mainly the eastern region of the Mediterranean. Dendrohistorical research, based on the analysis of wood remains from archaeological sites and historical buildings in Israel, indicates that during ancient times P. brutia was absent from the natural vegetation landscape of Israel and may have been much less important in the eastern Mediterranean region as a whole. However, it was very common in the vegetational landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean from the nineteenth century onwards. This points to changes which have taken place only during the last few hundred years, influenced mainly by human activities rather than by changes in climatic conditions.
The use of mineral magnetic analyses as an aid in investigating the recent volcanic disturbance history of the Krakatau Islands, Indonesia
Authors: Walden John , Whittaker Robert J. , Hill Jennifer
Published: November 2007

The recent disturbance of vegetation on islands within the Krakatau group, Indonesia, by a succession of ash falls from Anak Krakatau, has complicated studies of tropical ecosystem recovery since the major eruption of 1883 provided a 'clean slate'. Mineral magnetic analyses are applied to a series of ash/soil profiles from Sertung, Panjang and Rakata Islands to determine whether the technique can provide a means of stratigraphic correlation of horizons both between sites and between islands (and in particular, correlation and separation of ash layers).

The initial results suggest that the technique is sensitive enough to distinguish between particular horizon types (as identified in the field) such as contemporary top-soils, post-1927 ash layers and material of 1883 age. Good agreement is found between the mineral magnetic and traditional geochemical data. The former appear to hold further potential for the separation of (geologically) very close eruptive events from the same magma chamber.

The results indicate considerable potential for the approach in the Krakatau context and warrant further investigation of these mineral magnetic properties. If successful, the technique could also find application in other localities where multiple volcanic disturbance events characterize Holocene sediments.
A mineral magnetic study of Holocene sediment yields and deposition patterns in the Llyn Geirionydd catchment, north Wales
Authors: Snowball I. , Thompson R.
Published: November 2007

Mineral magnetic investigations of sediment cores and catchment materials from Llyn Geirionydd (north Wales) form the basis of a study of Holocene sediment yields and deposition patterns. Catchment soils and bedrock materials are highly variable in magnetic concentration. In contrast, the lake sediments are more homogenous in magnetic concentration. Magnetic hysteresis properties of catchment materials, bulk sediments and magnetic extracts demonstrate that the occurrence of authigenic greigite (Fe3S4) in early Holocene sediments is responsible for differences between the magnetic characteristics of sediments older than 5000 BP, and the more recent sediments and catchment materials. A whole-lake stratigraphy based on core correlation using magnetic measurements, pollen stratigraphy and 14C age determinations indicates sediment yields which increase almost threefold from the early Holocene to the period from c. AD 500-1850.
Use of the 210Pb method in studies of the development and human-impact history of some Estonian lakes
Authors: Varvas M. , Punning J.-M.
Published: November 2007

Sediment cores from six lakes of Kurtna Lake District (northeast Estonia) were investigated using 210Pb and loss-on-ignition techniques. Most of the cores were also analysed for microelement concentrations. These investigations show that since the early 1950s, when the processing of oil-shale in the study area began, the emission of fly ash to the atmosphere rapidly increased; moreover, some lakes have received waste water from mining operations. In all the cores, element concentrations have increased and organic matter content decreased. The depth at which these changes began in each core can be used as a reference level to check the reliability of the 210Pb dates. Disagreement between the 210Pb dates and the documented history of human impact is apparent in most cases and possible explanations are discussed.
Debris in tills and moraines as a source of glaciological and palaeoenvironmental information: methodology and applications in the Caucasus
Authors: Serebryanny Leonid R. , Orlov Andrei V.
Published: November 2007

In the central Caucasus, the analysis of sedimentological data has revealed reliable diagnostic criteria for the identification of debris originating from different sources and transported under different glaciodynamic environments. In particular, the sharp contrast between debris transported supraglacially and by basal transport has been recognized. Fundamentally different pathways are followed by the debris transported from the surrounding slopes and from the glacier bed. Investigation of glacial deposits, represented by terminal, lateral and medial moraines, has revealed the prevalence of rock fragments derived from the interaction of glaciers with their beds. Temperate glaciers bring about considerable erosion of their beds, a conclusion that challenges concepts that emphasize the relief- preserving influence of such glaciers. It has also proved possible to determine the location of the zone of greatest erosion beneath the recent Caucasian glaciers and to determine its dynamics during the various stages of the Holocene.