Families and relationships e-Special issue introduction

This Families and Relationships e-Special Issue contains a selection of ten papers previously published in Sociology. In this Introduction, we first outline the broader sub-disciplinary context in which the paper contained herein can be located and explain the criteria we used to select them. The increased popularity of families and relationships as a focus of sociological study is reflected in the dominance of papers published in the 1990s and later. Our selection highlights the following developments within the field: the shift from the sociology of the family to a sociology of families; the debates surrounding late modern changes and the individualisation thesis; increased diversity regarding types of family and kinds of issue that have been researched; and continued theoretical development by extending the family practices approach and by widening the scope of study. We include reflections of how the papers in this e-Special Issue speak to developments in the discipline at large and in the field of families and relationships, as well as what the future might hold for the field

A new species of Noblella (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from the humid montane forests of Cusco, Peru.

A new species of Noblella is described from the humid montane forest of the Región Cusco in Peru. Specimens were collected at 2330-2370 m elevation in Madre Selva, near Santa Ana, in the province of La Convención. The new species is readily distinguished from all other species of Noblella by having a broad, irregularly shaped, white mark on black background on chest and belly. The new species further differs from known Peruvian species of Noblella by the combination of the following characters: tympanic membrane absent, small tubercles on the upper eyelid and on dorsum, tarsal tubercles or folds absent, tips of digits not expanded, no circumferential grooves on digits, dark brown facial mask and lateral band extending from the tip of the snout to the inguinal region. The new species has a snout-to-vent length of 15.6 mm in one adult male and 17.6 mm in one adult female. Like other recently described species in the genus, this new Noblella inhabits high-elevation forests in the Andes and likely has a restricted geographic distribution

AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE COLONIZATION OF RECLAIMED COAL SPOIL GRASSLANDS

While habitat loss is a major driver of amphibian and reptile declines globally, a subset of post-industrial landscapes, reclaimed and restored, are creating habitat for these animals. In a previous work, we showed that amphibians and reptiles use reclaimed and restored grasslands. In the present work we quantify captures at drift-fence/pitfall trap arrays over two consecutive years and show that several species of amphibians are not only successfully reproducing but that juveniles are being recruited into the population. In particular, 15,844 amphibians and 334 reptiles representing 25 species (14 amphibians, 11 reptiles) were captured at drift fences in 2009 and 2010. Nine additional reptile species were found opportunistically while conducting other research activities at the study site. Out of a total of 8,064 metamorphosing juveniles we detected 126 malformations, a 1.6% rate. The major malformation types were limbs missing (amelia) or foreshortened (ectromely), eye discolorations, and digits foreshortened (ectrodactyly) or small (brachydactyly). Our data show that reclaimed, restored, and properly managed landscapes can support reproducing populations of amphibians and reptiles with low malformation rates, including species in decline across other portions of their range

Belonging across the lifetime: Time and self in Mass Observation accounts

Our sense of belonging rarely stands still, yet the research literature has hitherto paid little attention to the temporal nature of belonging. Based on an analysis of 62 Mass Observation Project (MOP) accounts written by people living in the UK aged from their 20s to their 90s, this paper argues that as people age, how they locate belonging in time shifts. This has to do with changing concerns related to belonging, but also to metaphysical issues of temporality and mortality, namely how people experience their own finite lifetime. The paper thus offers an illustrative example of how time can be empirically researched in sociology, with a particular focus on the important role that the future plays in how people construct their ‘functional present’ (Mead, 1932). The central argument put forward is that time itself can be an important source of belonging, but one that is unequally accessible to people of different ages because of contemporary cultural scripts that present life as a linear progression into the future and construct the future as a more meaningful temporal horizon than the past

Meanings of lone motherhood within a broader family context

In this paper, the theoretical approach to the concept of lone motherhood is adopted from 'new' family sociology where families are understood to be dynamic processes constituted by webs of relationships. I analyse life stories written by lone mothers in order to examine the meanings that they give to their lone motherhood in relation to their larger family context. This approach reveals that, along with the concept 'family', the category 'lone motherhood' can be questioned. The life stories show that as with all families, the representations of 'the lone mother family' vary. Lone motherhood emerges less as a distinct family form and more as an experience coloured by the lone mother's position in a web of family relationships, as well as her place in her broader personal, social and historical context

When Recognition Fails: Mass Observation Project Accounts of Not Belonging

This article examines British Mass Observation Project (MOP) accounts written by people who say that they have struggled with belonging. The main focus lies on acts of misrecognition that occur within everyday relationships, and the impact that the ensuing relational non-belonging has had on the MOP writers’ sense of self. The concept of ‘invisible strangers’ is developed to account for experiences of misrecognition that are perceived to be the result of individualised characteristics such as personality rather than categorical membership such as ethnicity. The process does not, however, end with the self; being misrecognised engenders feelings about others, which play an important role in how people experience relational non-belonging. I therefore propose extending social interactionist accounts of the relational self by exploring self– other feelings that involve not only how a person believes s/he is viewed and judged by others, but also how that person evaluates the selves of others. </jats:p

Divorce in Finnish women's life stories: Defining 'moral' behaviour

The aim of this article is to examine how women with children define 'moral' behaviour in relation to the issue of divorce. The data consist of life stories written by married Finnish mothers who say that they have contemplated divorce or separation. The analytical focus is on how the decision process is narratively constructed. The theories around a feminist ethic of care provide the theoretical framework for the discussion, and I examine how concrete individuals in specific situations negotiate morality. The narrators present their decision to divorce or stay married as a moral dilemma and argue for their own solutions in moral terms. I also consider the consequences of using an ethic of care in the study of divorce. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Geoarchaeological Approaches to Pictish Settlement Sites: Assessing Heritage at Risk

Due to the poor preservation of Pictish period buildings and the occupation deposits within them, very little is known of daily life in early medieval Scotland. In lowland and coastal areas, Pictish buildings are generally truncated by deep ploughing, coastal erosion, or urban development, while those uncovered in upland areas seem to have no preserved floor deposits for reasons that remain poorly understood. Geoarchaeological techniques are particularly effective in clarifying site formation processes and understanding post-depositional transformations. They are also a powerful research tool for identifying floor deposits, distinguishing their composition, and linking this to daily activities. However, archaeologists are often reluctant to apply geoarchaeological methods if they suspect preservation is poor or stratigraphy is not visible in the field. This study therefore employs an innovative suite of geoarchaeological techniques to evaluate the preservation of Pictish period buildings and the potential that fragmentary buildings have to reconstruct daily life in early medieval Scotland. Alongside literature analysis and a desk-based comparison with national soil datasets, over 400 sediment samples from three key settlement sites were subjected to integrated soil micromorphology, x-ray fluorescence, magnetic susceptibility, loss-on-ignition, pH, electrical conductivity and microrefuse analysis. The combined data were successful in generating new information about the depositional and post-depositional history of the sites, preservation conditions of the occupation deposits, and activity areas within domestic dwellings. Most significantly, the integrated approach demonstrated that ephemeral and fragmented occupation surfaces retain surviving characteristics of the use of space, even if floors are not preserved well enough to be clearly defined in the field or in thin-section. A partnership with Historic Environment Scotland has channelled this work into research-led guidelines aimed at communicating geoarchaeological methods and principles to a wider audience

Hybrid approach for jet fires simulation

Els dolls de foc són un tipus d’incidents que poden ocórrer a les instal·lacions industrials. És essencial predir la distància d'elevació i la longitud total de la flama per avaluar les possibles conseqüències d’aquest tipus de focs. La simulació de dolls de foc mitjançant models semi-empírics o a partir d’eines de dinàmica de fluids computacional (CFD) representa un repte important per la complexitat de les variacions en el flux dels fluids presents, i per les limitacions dels models existents. En aquest treball s’ha investigat un nou enfoc per a la simulació dels dolls de foc mitjançant dues eines CFD (i.e., FLACS i FDS). Per avaluar els resultats de les simulacions s’ha utilitzat un experiment realitzat per V. Foroughi (Tesi Doctoral, 2023) amb un doll de foc horitzontal, sònic i de propà. La descàrrega i la dispersió inicial del doll s’han simulat utilitzant FLACS, i s’ha determinat la velocitat en diferents punts de la regió sense flama on el nombre de Mach és vàlid per a l’aplicació d’FDS. El doll de foc s’ha simulat com una pulverització de partícules en FDS i s’ha avaluat l’efecte de l'angle de polvorització, el diàmetre de les partícules i el nombre de partícules injectades per segon sobre la longitud total, l'alçada, l'àrea i la temperatura de la flama. Els resultats de les simulacións s’han comparat amb els resultats experimentals utilitzant el factor de predicció FAC2. S’han obtingut resultats acceptables per a les diferents característiques geomètriques i la temperatura de la flama en les diferents simulacions executades. Tanmateix, no s’ha obtingut un resultat òptim per a totes les variables d'interès en una única simulació. Com a treball futur, es proposa seguir treballant per avaluar la combinació de variables que pot donar lloc a un millor ajust amb els resultats experimentals.Los dardos de fuego son un tipo de incidentes que pueden ocurrir en las instalaciones industriales. Es esencial predecir la distancia de elevación y la longitud total de la llama para evaluar las posibles consecuencias de este tipo de fuegos. La simulación de dardos de fuego mediante modelos semi-empíricos o a partir de herramientas basadas en la dinámica de fluidos computacional (CFD) representa un reto importante debido a la complejidad de las variaciones en el flujo de los fluidos presentes, y a las limitaciones de los modelos existentes. En este trabajo se investigó un nuevo enfoque para la simulación de los dardos de fuego mediante el uso de dos herramientas CFD (i.e., FLACS y FDS). Para evaluar los resultados de las simulaciones se utilizó un experimento realizado por V. Foroughi (Tesis Doctoral, 2023) con un dardo de fuego de propano, horizontal y sónico. La descarga y la dispersión inicial del chorro se simularon utilizando FLACS, y se determinó la velocidad en distintos puntos de la región sin llama donde el número de Mach es válido para la aplicación de FDS. El dardo de fuego se simuló como una pulverización de partículas en FDS y se evaluó el efecto del ángulo de pulverización, el diámetro de las partículas y el número de partículas inyectadas por segundo sobre la longitud total, la altura, el área y la temperatura de la llama. Los resultados de las simulaciones se compararon con los resultados experimentales utilizando el factor de predicción FAC2. Se obtuvieron resultados aceptables para las distintas características geométricas y la temperatura de la llama en las diferentes simulaciones ejecutadas. Sin embargo, no se obtuvo un resultado óptimo para todas las variables de interés en una única simulación. Como trabajo futuro, se propone seguir trabajando para evaluar la combinación de variables que puede dar lugar a un mejor ajuste con los resultados experimentales.Jet fires are one of the common incidents that can potentially damage personnel, structures or equipment in industrial facilities. It is essential to predict lift-off distance and total flame length to assess the consequences. Simulation of jet fires using semi-empirical models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools has been a challenge due to the variations in the fluid flow, and the limitations of the existing models. The results from a horizontal, sonic, propane jet fire experiment conducted by Foroughi (PhD Thesis, 2023) were used to compare the simulation results. The release was simulated as leak using FLACS to determine velocity within the flameless region. The jet fire was then simulated considering release at two different locations along the nozzle axis, where the Mach number is valid for FDS application. The jet fire was simulated as a particle spray and the effects of spray angle, particles diameter and number of injected particles per second to the total flame length, flame height, flame area and flame temperature were assessed. The simulation results were compared to the experimental results using the FAC2 metric. It was observed that acceptable results of the flame geometry properties and temperature were obtained in the various simulations. However, an optimal result for all variables of interest was not obtained in a single simulation. Further work can be done to assess which combination of input variables can result to a better agreement with experimental values