Introduction to the Special Issue on Inequality in the Digital Environment

The purpose of this special issue is to explore social inequalities in the digital environment. The motivation for this issue is derived from the disproportionate focus on technological and economic aspects of the Information Society to the detriment of sociological and cultural aspects. The research presented here falls along three dimensions of inequality. Two papers explore the ways that race orders interaction online. A second pair of papers explores the experiences of technology users with physical and mental disabilities. A final paper looks at gender, and the higher rates of intimate partner violence experienced by women online. Taken as a whole, these five papers highlight some of the ways that the digital environment can reproduce or mitigate inequalities that have been molded and routinized in the physical environment

Spectroscopic studies of some heterocyclic hydrazones and their metal complexes

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University.The PMR spectra of the two isomers of pyridine-2-aldehyde=2'-pyridyl hydrazone in carbon tetrachloride, dimethyl sulphoxide, and benzene solutions have been studied. Specific associations between PAPHY molecules and solvent molecules have been proposed to account for the observed solvent shifts. Dilution studies have shown that there are PAPHY-PAPHY molecular associations in solution. In the E-isomer these are of the n-donor type involving the lone pair electrons of the ring nitrogen atoms, whereas the Z-isomer association is a dipole-dipole interaction involving the aldehyde ring of different PAPHY molecules. Evidence from long range coupling shows that the uncomplexed E and Z-PAPHY molecules possess a different configuration to the complexed molecules. The chemical shift changes on isomerisation of the E to Z-isomer have been measured and those for the aldehyde ring are consistent with the withdrawal of charge from this ring via the nitrogen atom. Metal complexes of the two isomers of PAPHY have been prepared and their PMR spectra studied. The chemical shifts changes on complex formation have been interpreted in terms of the variation in magnetic anistropy of the ring nitrogen atoms in the ligand molecule and the degree of back donation of d-electrons from the metal atom

A critical study of 'Daniel Deronda': its relation to George Eliot's fiction and to its time

This thesis is a critical examination of Daniel Deronda, together with an attempt to relate it to George Eliot's fiction, to its fictional time, and to some selected fiction of its time.The Introduction defines the scope of this study, and Chapter I traces briefly, through correspondence, the writing of Daniel Deronda, passing on to consider certain selected criticisms of it since its publication in 1876. Chapter II is an investigation of the widespread nature of its unity, and demonstrates that it possesses a principle of manifold association. Chapters III and IV trace comparisons in usage, plot, situation, character and ethical direction, between George Eliot's fiction and Daniel Doronda, indicating development or mutation in the author's creative art where appropriate.Chapter V displays the retrospective technique which has so large a part in Daniel Deronda, and considers in detail the two basic methods of presenting character in that novel. Chapter VI examines the direct and indirect inodes of commentary in Daniel Deronda, indicating at the same time the extent of the author's moral preoccupation. Chapter VII further underlines this preoccupation by placing Daniel Deronda against its period (1864-6) and examining its Judaism and the nature of George Eliot's humanism for man and community. Chapter VIII takes the qualities of some selected fiction of the 1870's,which appears to have some bases for comparison with Daniel Deronda , and seeks to establish the latter's superiority to these novels.In the Conclusion a revaluation of Daniel Deronda is attempted, and the qualities which make it a great novel are indicated.<p

Impact of CO2 fertilization on maximum foliage cover across the globe's warm, arid environments

Satellite observations reveal a greening of the globe over recent decades. The role in this greening of the "CO2 fertilization" effect-the enhancement of photosynthesis due to rising CO2 levels-is yet to be established. The direct CO2 effect on vegetatio

Internet as Digital Practice: Examining Differences in African American Internet Usage

This study assesses differences within the African American population with respect to internet activity. Using survey data, we find wide variations within the population. While some segments of African Americans are indeed less likely to perform certain activities on the internet, we note that certain segments of the African American population are reporting more internet activity than other racial groups. These ‘haves’ score high not just in comparison to their African American peers, but to the US American population as a whole. We suggest a move away from the digital divide/digital inequality models and a move towards thinking of greater or lesser Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage as conditioned by the instrumental needs of population groups. We term this a digital practice model

The impact of bushfires on water yield from south-east Australia's ash forests

Widespread disturbance within forested catchments typically increases runoff. However, following widespread fire in 1939 throughout south-east Australia, Kuczera (1987) reported persistent reductions in runoff that were attributed to increased evapotrans

Changes in the variability of global land precipitation

In our warming climate there is a general expectation that the variability of precipitation (P) will increase at daily, monthly and inter-annual timescales. Here we analyse observations of monthly P (1940-2009) over the global land surface using a new theoretical framework that can distinguish changes in global P variance between space and time. We report a near-zero temporal trend in global mean P. Unexpectedly we found a reduction in global land P variance over space and time that was due to a redistribution, where, on average, the dry became wetter while wet became drier. Changes in the P variance were not related to variations in temperature. Instead, the largest changes in P variance were generally found in regions having the largest aerosol emissions. Our results combined with recent modelling studies lead us to speculate that aerosol loading has played a key role in changing the variability of P

Revisiting the parameterization of potential evaporation as a driver of long-term water balance trends

We examine the effects of two different parameterizations of potential evaporation on long-term trends in soil moisture, evaporative flux and runoff simulated by the water balance model underlying the Palmer Drought Severity Index. The first, traditiona

Ontwikkeling van eksamineringspraktyke in die skole van Suidwes-Afrika / Namibië : 'n histories-opvoedkundige ondersoek en evaluering

Eksamineringspraktyke in skole in Namibie is die fokuspunt van hierdie studie. 'n Historiese ondersoek is ingestel na die bree, algemene eksamenstelsels van die verlede. Op grond van die tekortkominge en gebreke van die Kaaplandse Onderwysdepartement-eksamenstelsel, is die noodsaaklikheid en wenslikheid van die herbeplanning en verbetering van die eksamenstelsel uitgelig. Daar is gefokus op die HIGHERIINl'ERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION-eksamenstelsel, ten einde vas te stel of algemene erkende opvoedkundige beginsels, prosedures en werkswyses tot op datum in die eksamenstelsel vergestalt is. 'n Uitvloeisel van die bevindings in hierdie studie is dat die huidige eksamenstelsel tekortkominge weerspieel, maar dat die historiese beperkinge oorbrug kan word Die afleiding word gemaak dat alle onderwysbelanghebbendes moet saamwerk aan verbeteringstrategiee ten opsigte van die huidige eksamenstelsel. Die hoop word uitgespreek dat die hele eksamenstelsel so spoedig moontlik, maar na deeglike beplanning, volledig sal verinheems.Examination practices in schools in Namibia is the focal point of this study. An historical research has been done into the general examination systems of the past On account of the shortcomings and constraints of the Cape Education Deparbnent examination system, the necessity and desirability of the restructuring and betterment of the examination system is highlighted. The emphasis is put on the HIGHER/ INI'ERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION to determine whether generally accepted educational principles, procedures and methods have been embodied in the examination system. The present Namibian examination system is still insufficient. However, much can be done to overcome the historical constraints. The conclusion was reached that each and every stakeholder should work together to devise strategies for the betterment of the examination system. The author trusts that the whole examination system will, as soon as possible but after thorough planning, become totally indigenous.Educational StudiesM. Ed. (Historiese Opvoedkunde

A general framework for understanding the response of the water cycle to global warming over land and ocean

Climate models project increases in globally averaged atmospheric specific humidity that are close to the Clausius"Clapeyron (CC) value of around 7%K-1 whilst projections for mean annual global precipitation (P) and evaporation (E) are somewhat muted at around 2%K-1. Such global projections are useful summaries but do not provide guidance at local (grid box) scales where impacts occur. To bridge that gap in spatial scale, previous research has shown that the "wet get wetter and dry get drier" relation, Δ(P -E)αP -E, follows CC scaling when the projected changes are averaged over latitudinal zones. Much of the research on projected climate impacts has been based on an implicit assumption that this CC relation also holds at local (grid box) scales but this has not previously been examined. In this paper we find that the simple latitudinal average CC scaling relation does not hold at local (grid box) scales over either ocean or land. This means that in terms of P -E, the climate models do not project that the "wet get wetter and dry get drier" at the local scales that are relevant for agricultural, ecological and hydrologic impacts. In an attempt to develop a simple framework for local-scale analysis we found that the climate model output shows a remarkably close relation to the long-standing Budyko framework of catchment hydrology. We subsequently use the Budyko curve and find that the local-scale changes in P -E projected by climate models are dominated by changes in P while the changes in net irradiance at the surface due to greenhouse forcing are small and only play a minor role in changing the mean annual P -E in the climate model projections. To further understand the apparently small changes in net irradiance we also examine projections of key surface energy balance terms. In terms of global averages, we find that the climate model projections are dominated by changes in only three terms of the surface energy balance: (1) an increase in the incoming long-wave irradiance, and the respective responses (2) in outgoing longwave irradiance and (3) in the evaporative flux, with the latter change being much smaller than the former two terms and mostly restricted to the oceans. The small fraction of the realised surface forcing that is partitioned into E explains why the hydrologic sensitivity (2%K-1) is so much smaller than CC scaling (7%K -1). Much public and scientific perception about changes in the water cycle has been based on the notion that temperature enhances E. That notion is partly true but has proved an unfortunate starting point because it has led to misleading conclusions about the impacts of climate change on the water cycle. A better general understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on water availability that are projected by climate models will surely be gained by starting with the notion that the greater the enhancement of E, the less the surface temperature increase (and vice versa). That latter notion is based on the conservation of energy and is an underlying basis of climate model projections