The experiences of partners of people transitioning to a different gender : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Science in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Previous research has shown that gender transition of one partner in a relationship impacts the non-transitioning partner’s sense of identity, emotional wellbeing and their relationship with their transgender partner. This topic is under-researched and very little of this research has examined the wider social implications of being a partner of a person making a gender transition. To date no published research of this kind has been conducted in New Zealand. This project explored the experiences of the former and current cisgender (non-transgender) partners of people transitioning from one gender to another. In particular the project explored how cisgender partners felt their partners’ transition impacted on them and their relationships, as well as how they experienced the disclosure of their partners’ transgender identity. Six participants (four were separated from their partners, five women, one man, aged 21 to 39 years, all identified as non-heterosexual except one) were recruited through advertising via social media and support groups. Participants took part in in-depth semi-structured one-on-one interviews; these were transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three superordinate themes and ten subthemes were found. They were: “Coming Out as a Process”; “Support”; and “Changes to the Relationship and Self”. Many of the participants experienced their partners’ disclosure as transgender as a gradual and shared process. Participants felt that their partners’ transition shaped their relationships and themselves in different ways and responded to their partners’ transition with a range of emotions and cognitions. Participants generally felt supported by others but felt there was a lack of understanding, support and resources that were specific to their needs. There is clear need for good sources of support for cis partners. Future research efforts could usefully explore the support needs of partners of transitioning people and the best ways to distribute this support

Admiralty Litigation In Perpetuum: The Continuing Saga of Package Litigation and Third World Delivery Problems

Certain admiralty cargo issues are litigated frequently, often in search of a magical test which will preclude all further litigation. Three such issues are package limitations, the burden of proving the condition and quantity of cargo stowed within containers, and the point at which the ocean carrier delivers cargo at discharge and thus completes its duties under the contract of carriage. Despite the frequency with which these issues have been litigated, significant disagreement remains among the circuit courts as to their proper resolution. This article will examine the current state of judicial uncertainty in these areas and the indications given by the courts as the positions most likely to be adopted in the future

A comparison of the physical and chemical composition of UK waste streams based on hypothetical compound structure

The suitability and effectiveness of a waste treatment process or strategy depends upon a waste stream’s physical and chemical composition. Chemical properties of UK waste streams, particularly MSW, are limited while physical properties are better documented. Consequently this presents a degree of uncertainty with the waste’s properties, manifesting itself as financial risk in the investment of new treatment or disposal plant. To mitigate this uncertainty, a number of UK waste surveys have been reviewed to determine if there is significant difference in the calorific value between waste streams. Ultimate and proximate analysis data from a number of sources have been collected and used to approximate the chemical composition of each waste fraction. To facilitate the comparison of each waste stream, a hypothetical compound of the form C6HaOb has been determined for each. Based on this analysis, all UK waste streams share the hypothetical formula C6H10O3, indicating that on a dry basis, the composition of waste in the UK is fairly consistent. Monte Carlo analysis of the hypothetical compound structure revealed that for both household and civic amenity waste streams, the hydrogen and oxygen content only deviate slightly from the mean values. Since MSW is predominantly comprised of household and civic amenity waste, the hypothetical compound C6H10O3 can be used to approximate UK MSW

Effects of lender decisions on farm financial planning : some solutions to problems arising from credit limitations set by commercial lenders

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Urban heat stress vulnerability in the U.S. Southwest: The role of sociotechnical systems

Heat vulnerability of urban populations is becoming a major issue of concern with climate change, particularly in the cities of the Southwest United States. In this article we discuss the importance of understanding coupled social and technical systems, how they constitute one another, and how they form the conditions and circumstances in which people experience heat. We discuss the particular situation of Los Angeles and Maricopa Counties, their urban form and the electric grid. We show how vulnerable populations are created by virtue of the age and construction of buildings, the morphology of roads and distribution of buildings on the landscape. Further, the regulatory infrastructure of electricity generation and distribution also contributes to creating differential vulnerability. We contribute to a better understanding of the importance of sociotechnical systems. Social infrastructure includes codes, conventions, rules and regulations; technical systems are the hard systems of pipes, wires, buildings, roads, and power plants. These interact to create lock-in that is an obstacle to addressing issues such as urban heat stress in a novel and equitable manner

Building thermal performance, extreme heat, and climate change

The leading source of weather-related deaths in the United States is heat, and future projections show that the frequency, duration, and intensity of heat events will increase in the Southwest. Presently, there is a dearth of knowledge about how infrastructure may perform during heat waves or could contribute to social vulnerability. To understand how buildings perform in heat and potentially stress people, indoor air temperature changes when air conditioning is inaccessible are modeled for building archetypes in Los Angeles, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, when air conditioning is inaccessible is estimated. An energy simulation model is used to estimate how quickly indoor air temperature changes when building archetypes are exposed to extreme heat. Building age and geometry (which together determine the building envelope material composition) are found to be the strongest indicators of thermal envelope performance. Older neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Phoenix (often more centrally located in the metropolitan areas) are found to contain the buildings whose interiors warm the fastest, raising particular concern because these regions are also forecast to experience temperature increases. To combat infrastructure vulnerability and provide heat refuge for residents, incentives should be adopted to strategically retrofit buildings where both socially vulnerable populations reside and increasing temperatures are forecast

Towards Explainability of UAV-Based Convolutional Neural Networks for Object Classification

f autonomous systems using trust and trustworthiness is the focus of Autonomy Teaming and TRAjectories for Complex Trusted Operational Reliability (ATTRACTOR), a new NASA Convergent Aeronautical Solutions (CAS) Project. One critical research element of ATTRACTOR is explainability of the decision-making across relevant subsystems of an autonomous system. The ability to explain why an autonomous system makes a decision is needed to establish a basis of trustworthiness to safely complete a mission. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are popular visual object classifiers that have achieved high levels of classification performances without clear insight into the mechanisms of the internal layers and features. To explore the explainability of the internal components of CNNs, we reviewed three feature visualization methods in a layer-by-layer approach using aviation related images as inputs. Our approach to this is to analyze the key components of a classification event in order to generate component labels for features of the classified image at different layers of depths. For example, an airplane has wings, engines, and landing gear. These could possibly be identified somewhere in the hidden layers from the classification and these descriptive labels could be provided to a human or machine teammate while conducting a shared mission and to engender trust. Each descriptive feature may also be decomposed to a combination of primitives such as shapes and lines. We expect that knowing the combination of shapes and parts that create a classification will enable trust in the system and insight into creating better structures for the CNN