7 research outputs found
A gazetteer and summary of French pottery imported into Scotland c. 1150 to c. 1650 a ceramic contribution to Scotland's economic history Ceramic Resource Disc 3
No full textThe proposal for a series of published inventories, by countries, of all the imported medieval and post medieval pottery recovered from excavations and field walking in Scotland, was advanced on the final day of the Medieval Pottery Research Group’s conference held in Edinburgh in May 2001. Taking on the roll of creating a gazetteer and catalogue of French pottery in Scotland, it was the authors aim to build on the pioneering work of John Hurst and other medieval ceramicists and in the process make a contribution to the ongoing research on identifiable medieval and post-medieval ceramics traded around the North and Irish Sea
In vitro and in vivo vein assessment of a novel vein visualizing device to improve first-time peripheral venous access
No full textObjective: Inserting needles into veins is fundamental to medical care with up to 90% of inpatients requiring a peripheral intravenous catheter/cannula (PIVC) during their stay. Yet 40%–50% of PIVC insertions fail on the first attempt. Here, we present an easy-to-use novel vein visualizing ultrasound prototype device and data from in vitro and in vivo performance. Methods: Locational accuracy was determined through phantom simulated forearm veins, across variations of vein diameter (3–5 mm), depth (10–20 mm), and velocity (10–100 mm/s). Usability studies were conducted on nine clinicians to establish effectiveness and ease of use of the proposed prototype assisted cannulation workflow. Sensitivity of the prototype was demonstrated by scanning 80 forearm veins across 40 healthy volunteers. Results: Our prototype's locational accuracy in simulated forearm veins is 0.21 mm ± 1.71 mm (s.d.) (97.7% agreement to the ground truth, p < .001). Usability studies found that 100% of users were able to handle the prototype in a sterile manner with minimal assistance. The sensitivity was excellent at finding veins (94%). In comparison, sensitivity of vein finding using landmark technique with torniquet (visible 46% and palpable 74%) were far inferior. Conclusion: Initial performance verification and validation studies presented suggest that the proposed ultrasound visualization method can simply and reliably help clinicians detect well-perfused veins at depth and visualize in the coronal view onboard the probe in alignment with the transducers. With improved ergonomics, the device has the potential to be an easy to use device for clinicians performing vascular access
Author Correction: Population genomics of the Viking world
No full textIn Supplementary Table 1 of this Article, there were typos in the dating estimates of two samples, VK201 and VK203. In the ‘Age’ and ‘Finer_ age’ columns both samples were listed as ‘Viking’ and ‘10th century CE’, respectively, whereas they should be listed as ‘Iron Age’, with finer estimates of ‘5–6th century CE’ (VK201) and ‘1–7th century CE’ (VK203). The Supplementary Information of the original Article has been corrected online.</p
Architecture in tension: an examination of the position of the architect in the private and public sectors, focusing on the training and careers of Sir Basil Spence (1907-1976) and Sir Donald Gibson (1908-1991)
No full textIn the early 1900s tensions began to appear within the architectural profession,
as private practitioners struggled to deal with the implications of professional
colleagues moving into public sector employment. Sir Basil Spence and Sir
Donald Gibson began their architectural training in the mid-1920s and, as
tensions between the sectors intensified, Spence entered private practice and
Gibson chose to enter the public sector. Each became an exemplar of his
chosen sector of the profession and yet both have, until recently, escaped
critical attention. The tensions between the public and private sectors of the
profession have been acknowledged within the historiography, but not received
detailed analysis.
This thesis advances the current historiography by presenting an examination
of the division between the sectors, focusing on the relationship between the
RIBA and the public sector union AASTA and assessing the influence of
AASTA on Gibson's Coventry City Architect's Department.
Through an examination of archival material, contemporary published material,
and buildings, this thesis builds on the work of the Sir Basil Spence Archive
Project, adding detailed accounts of his early life, architectural training, and
RIBA presidency, presenting new information and correcting certain aspects of
the accepted historiography. It likewise presents new information on Gibson's
early life and training and his central role in achieving improved status and
representation for the public sector. An analysis of selected projects provides a
comparative study of their contrasting approaches to architecture: the
technically informed, collaborative team-work of Gibson and the individual
artistry of Spence.
Both men played pivotal roles in reforming the RIBA and in changing public and
professional perceptions of the architect, nevertheless, the long lineage and
complex nature of tensions within the profession meant that the public/private
division was never be bridged and issues of status and representation
remained essentially immutable
The Archaeology of Pewter Vessels in England 1200-1700: A Study of Form and Usage
No full textThe first aim is to study the main types of pewter vessels surviving for the period, and to show how they were suited to their domestic purpose, especially the serving of food, and as eating and drinking implements.
The second aim is to attempt to further investigate the alloy ‘trifle’ by having a sample of typical objects analysed by ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry). This alloy was introduced by the Pewterers’ Company (WCP) by the 16th century for the purpose of providing an extended range of wares in a more durable metal than ‘lay’ metal, but less expensive than ‘fine’ metal, as specified by the Company.
The third aim is to explore the occupations of the differing types of ‘potter’ who worked within the Company during the second half of the 17th century. The growth of this separate capitalist group of middle men ‘potters’ or retailers of ceramics and glassware has not previously been noted. The differing levels of wealth and work of other, mainstream, Pewterers is explored by comparison.
The majority of the finds came from anaerobic marine rather than traditional land sites and consisted chiefly of medieval to 17th century tablewares – dishes, saucers, plates, porringers, salts, beakers and other smaller drinking vessels, together with a few larger flagons. Such smaller drinking vessels were frequently listed as ‘trifles’ from the early 17th century in the Company records.
Individuals described as potters were sometimes identified amongst the Company’s membership. It was decided to try to determine their actual occupations by further examining the Court Minutes and wills and inventories of likely individuals.
It was found that the various dishes, saucers and platters were component parts of the ‘garnish’ the chief serving vessels used between the 14th to 18th century to serve food to the middling sort of people, and that this played a central role not only as utilitarian wares but as objects of decoration and status as well. The Pewterers’ Company members were highly innovative and also produced the country’s first plate (apart from in silver) by the mid-16th century and which remained in use unaltered until the 1670s. Linear dimensions were correlated with the more usual sizes by weight for the first time from the remains of the garnish on the Mary Rose, lost 1545.
Analysis of a sample of the smaller drinking vessels by Sheffield Assay Office detected an alloy of some 4-6% lead and this was likely to qualify as trifle alloy.
While some individuals did indeed make drinking wares, it was discovered that the term potter usually applied to retailers of glassware and ceramics – a new occupational label. A number of such individuals within the Pewterers’ Company played formative roles in setting up a new Glass Sellers Company in 1664. The business activities of this group – typical of individualist ventures during the 17th century – had not previously been noted by historians of the Company and indicated the Pewterers’ heterogeneous and commercial make up from this time
'Shadow' and paradoxes of darkness in Old English and Old Norse poetic language
No full textThis thesis confronts, explores, and attempts to meaningfully interpret a surprising nexus of stimulating cruces and paradoxes in Old English poetry and prose and Old Norse skaldic and Eddic poetry. The study focuses on the complex linguistic and literary manifestations of darkness, a complex and long-underestimated phenomenon for which the most appropriate term is ‘shadow’. Rather than operating with modern categories and traditional dichotomies (light/darkness), I attempt to approach the evidence on its own terms, working from the words, their collocations, and narrow contexts up to larger literary assessments. Furthermore, the comparative Old English/Old Norse approach can provide both contextualisation for the findings and control over what we can and cannot infer from them.
Reflecting these methodologies (presented in Chapter 1), the core part of the thesis (Chapters 2-5) unfolds from semantics and style to texts and literary traditions, alternating at both stages between Old English and Old Norse. Chapters 2-3 provide an in-depth examination of the formal and stylistic features and the immediate textual environments of ‘shadow’, enabling the reconstruction of semantic values and associations. In Chapters 4-5, I conduct close readings of the most relevant and revealing Old English and Old Norse texts. My case studies are further contextualised by enlarging the focus of enquiry and correlating the deployment of ‘shadow’ with questions of manuscript context, medium (prose/verse), form (skaldic/Eddic), genre (mythological/heroic/religious), and wider literary-historical links.
Chapter 6 brings together the evidence for the existence, nature, and function of a ‘shadow’ theme, or themes, in Old English and Old Norse poetic language. Evaluating the significance of the parallels between the two traditions as well as within them, I recontextualise ‘shadow’ in relation to chronology, history, inheritance, contact and influence, and society and culture. The findings also afford new perspectives that can reshape our understanding of the underlying poetics
Neither Scotland nor England : Middle Britain, c.850–1150
No full textIn and around the 870s, Britain was transformed dramatically by the campaigns and settlements of the Great Army and its allies. Some pre-existing political communities suffered less than others, and in hindsight the process helped Scotland and England achieve their later positions. By the twelfth century, the rulers of these countries had partitioned the former kingdom of Northumbria.
This thesis is about what happened in the intervening period, the fate of Northumbria’s political structures, and how the settlement that defined Britain for the remainder of the Middle Ages came about. Modern reconstructions of the era have tended to be limited in scope and based on unreliable post-1100 sources. The aim is to use contemporary material to overcome such limitations, and reach positive conclusions that will make more sense of the evidence and make the region easier to understand for a wider audience, particularly in regard to its shadowy polities and ecclesiastical structures.
After an overview of the most important evidence, two chapters will review Northumbria’s alleged dissolution, testing existing historiographic beliefs (based largely on Anglo-Norman-era evidence) about the fate of the monarchy, political community, and episcopate. The impact and nature of ‘Southenglish’ hegemony on the region’s political communities will be the focus of the fourth chapter, while the fifth will look at evidence for the expansion of Scottish political power. The sixth chapter will try to draw positive conclusions about the episcopate, leaving the final chapter to look in more detail at the institutions that produced the final settlement
