Land-use history and topographic gradients as driving factors of subalpine Larix decidua forests

none6restrictedMatteo Garbarino;Emanuele Lingua;Peter J. Weisberg;Alessandra Bottero;Fabio Meloni;Renzo MottaMatteo, Garbarino; Lingua, Emanuele; Peter J., Weisberg; Alessandra, Bottero; Fabio, Meloni; Renzo, Mott

A level playing ‘field’? A Bourdieusian analysis of the career aspirations of further education students on sports courses

There is currently a distinct dearth of research into how sports students’ career aspirations are formed during their post-compulsory education. This article, based on an ethnographic study of sport students in tertiary education, draws on data collected from two first-year cohorts (n = 34) on two different courses at a further education college in England. The study draws on ethnographic observations, and semi-structured group interviews, to examine in-depth the contrasting occupational perspectives emergent within these two groups of mainly working-class students, and how specific cultural practices affect students’ career aspirations. Utilising a Bourdieusian framework, the paper analyses the internalised, often latent cultural practices that impact upon these students’ diverse career aspirations. The hitherto under-researched dimension of inter-habitus interaction and also the application of doxa are outlined. The article reveals how the two student cohorts are situated within a complex field of relations, where struggles for legitimisation, academic accomplishment and numerous forms of lucrative capital become habituated. The study offers salient Bourdieusian-inspired insights into the career aspirations of these predominantly working-class students and the ways in which certain educational practices contribute to the production and reproduction of class inequalities

Observations of current rings in the Antarctic Zone at Drake Passage

Time series of current velocity and temperature from several depths at a site near the center of Drake Passage show features that can plausibly be interpreted as current rings. Between June 1975 and January 1976, five cyclonic rings from the Continental Water Boundary and one anticyclonic ring from the Polar Front passed over the site. The diameters of the rings varied from 30 km to 130 km, and all of them extended vertically to a depth of at least 2500 m. The rings exhibited maximum spin velocities of about 20 cm sec−1 at 1000 m depth and 10 cm sec−1 at 2500 m. Their translatory motion, which was toward the north at about 4 cm sec−1, contained a westward component relative to the ambient flow. The magnitude of the westward component suggests that it may have resulted from an interaction between rings and the sea floor, which slopes downward to the northeast at the mooring site. The total available mechanical energy of the rings (kinetic plus potential) varied from 6.2 × 1013 j in the smallest ring to 9.9 × 1014 in the largest. The available heat, relative to the Antarctic Zone, was several orders of magnitude larger: −3.0 × 1017 j for the smallest ring and −3.6 × 1018 j for the largest. The numbers indicate that current rings may play an important role in dissipating the kinetic energy of the circumpolar fronts and that they may be responsible for a significant poleward flux of heat in the Southern Ocean

Modelling and visualizing sustainability assessment in urban environments

Major urban development projects extend over prolonged timescales (up to 25 years in the case of major regeneration projects), involve a large number of stakeholders, and necessitate complex decision making. Comprehensive assessment of critical information will involve a number of domains, such as social, economic and environmental, and input from a wide a range of stakeholders. This makes rigorous and holistic decision making, with respect to sustainability, exceptionally difficult without access to appropriate decision support tools. Assessing and communicating the key aspects of sustainability and often conflicting information remains a major hurdle to be overcome if sustainable development is to be achieved. We investigate the use of an integrated simulation and visualization engine and will test if it is effective in: 1) presenting a physical representation of the urban environment, 2) modelling sustainability of the urban development using a subset of indicators, here the modelling and the visualization need to be integrated seamlessly in order to achieve real time updates of the sustainability models in the 3D urban representation, 3) conveying the sustainability information to a range of stakeholders making the assessment of sustainability more accessible. In this paper we explore the first two objectives. The prototype interactive simulation and visualization platform (S-City VT) integrates and communicates complex multivariate information to diverse stakeholder groups. This platform uses the latest 3D graphical rendering techniques to generate a realistic urban development and novel visualization techniques to present sustainability data that emerge from the underlying computational model. The underlying computational model consists of two parts: traditional multicriteria evaluation methods and indicator models that represent the temporal changes of indicators. These models are informed from collected data and/or existing literature. The platform is interactive and allows real time movements of buildings and/or material properties and the sustainability assessment is updated immediately. This allows relative comparisons of contrasting planning and urban layouts. Preliminary usability results show that the tool provides a realistic representation of a real development and is effective at conveying the sustainability assessment information to a range of stakeholders. S-City VT is a novel tool for calculating and communicating sustainability assessment. It therefore begins to open up the decision making process to more stakeholders, reducing the reliance on expert decision makers

Enhancing urban sustainability using 3D visualisation

This paper presents the results of an initial application of a prototype simulation and visualisation tool (S-City VT) thatwas developed to enable all stakeholders, regardless of background or experience, to understand, interact with and influence decisions made on the sustainability of urban design. The tool takes the unique approach of combining three-dimensional (3D) interactive and immersive technologies with computer modelling to present stakeholders with an interactive virtual development. Use of outputs from the model and a 3D visualisation of the development can help decision-makers judge the relative sustainability of different aspects of a development. The tool employs a number of different methods to present sustainability results to stakeholders. Initial tests on the effectiveness of the different visualisation methods are described and discussed. The paper then presents some conclusions on further development and application of the tool to model and visualise possible results of decisions made at different stages of the project

Later life, inequality and sociological theory

A central concern of many theorists of later life has been to elucidate the processes which shape the marginalisation and relative disadvantage of older people in contemporary society. This concern parallels a current argument within sociological theorising: that life course stage and generational location constitute increasingly important dimensions of social difference and inequality. It is an argument of the paper that many current approaches operate with metaphors of society which ultimately locate those in later life at the margins by virtue of the theoretical terms being used. Too much has been claimed for life course-based divisions and too little has been claimed in respect of life course-related processes. The paper develops an alternative, moral economy, perspective with the aim of furthering analysis of the social organisation of life course-related rights, claims and obligations and their relationship to lifetime inequalities across the population. Such an approach offers a resourceful framework both for interrogating the diverse circumstances and experiences of those in later life, and for conceptualising social inequality and its reproduction

The social geography of childcare: 'making up' the middle class child

Childcare is a condensate of disparate social forces and social processes. It is gendered and classed. It is subject to an excess of policy and political discourse. It is increasingly a focus for commercial exploitation. This is a paper reporting on work in progress in an ESRC funded research project (R000239232) on the choice and provision of pre-school childcare by middle class (service class) families in two contrasting London locations. Drawing on recent work in class analysis the paper examines the relationships between childcare choice, middle class fractions and locality. It suggests that on the evidence of the findings to date, there is some evidence of systematic differences between fractions in terms of values, perspectives and preferences for childcare, but a more powerful case for intra-class similarities, particularly when it comes to putting preferences into practice in the 'making up of a middle class child' through care and education

“Wandering and Wondering”: Theory and Representation in Feminist Physical Cultural Studies

In this paper we explore the potential of physical cultural studies for collaborative, interdisciplinary, theoretically-informed, reflexive research on the physically active female body. We use the metaphors of "wandering and wondering" to interrogate our experiences of movement within and across physical cultural fields and academic borders. Grounded in an ethnographic narrative approach, we revisit the ways in which different aspects of our identities were highlighted during our waka ama, snowboarding and basketball experiences. Drawing upon feminist readings of Bourdieu’s work, we challenged each other to reflect critically upon previously unquestioned or unexplored aspects of our subjectivities. While the paper focuses on the results of these discussions, we also offer insights into the collaborative process. Ultimately we argue that sharing narratives of our experiences and exploring them further with theory offers a good place to begin new interdisciplinary conversations that may push physical cultural studies research in new directions

Ireland - A Man’s World?

This article starts from the position that gender is crucial in understanding Irish society. Using Connell’s concept of the patriarchal dividend, and drawing on a variety of relevant literature, it explores its existence in the area of paid employment, the family and the state. It suggests that although such privileging is perceived as being under pressure, it is embedded in the practises and processes of state organisations. It concludes by suggesting that although such structures can appear inevitable, they ultimately reflect the choices of powerful men, and hence are amenable to change.