Living with contradictions: the dynamics of senior managers in relation to sustainability

In this article, we investigate how senior managers located in Northern Europe in the energy and power industry coordinate their recognition of sustainability challenges with other things they say and do. Identity theory is used to examine the fine-grained work through which the managers navigate identities and potentially competing narratives. In contrast with other studies we find that pursuing cohering identities and resolving potential tensions and contradictions does not appear to matter for most of the managers. We explore the dynamics of how managers live with apparent contradictions and tensions without threat to their narrative coherence. We extend existing research into managerial identities and sustainability by: showing how managers combine different potentially contrasting identity types; identifying nine discursive processes through which the majority of managers distance and deflect sustainability issues away from themselves and their companies; and, showing the contrasting identity dynamics in the case of one manager to whom narrative coherence becomes important and prompts alternative action

Fostering Transformative Learning, Self-reflexivity and Medical Citizenship Through Guided Tours of Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Background and objectives: Medical school curricula increasingly seek to promote medical students’ commitment to redressing health disparities, but traditional pedagogical approaches have fallen short of this goal. The objective of this work was to assess the value of using community-based guided tours of disadvantaged neighborhoods to fill this gap. Methods: A total of 50 second-year medical students participated in a guided tour of disadvantaged public housing neighborhoods in Richmond, Virginia. Students completed self-reflexive writing exercises during a post-tour debriefing session. Student writings were analyzed to assess the tour’s effect on their awareness of poverty’s impact on vulnerable populations’ health and wellbeing, and their personal reactions to the tour. Results: Student writings indicated that the activity fostered transformative learning experiences around the issue of poverty and its effects on health and stimulated a personal commitment to working with underserved populations. Themes from qualitative analysis included: increased awareness of the extent of poverty, enhanced self-reflexive attitude towards personal feelings, biases and misperceptions concerning the poor, increased intentional awareness of the effects of poverty on patient health and well-being, and, encouragement to pursue careers of medical service. Conclusions: This pilot demonstrated that incorporating self-reflexive learning exercises into a brief community-based guided tour can enhance the social consciousness of medical students by deepening understandings of health disparities and promoting transformative learning experiences

Interacting with heritage: On the use and potential of IoT within the cultural heritage sector

This paper discusses the potential for the use of IoT technologies within cultural heritage, including the creation of new interactive experiences, visit personalisation, visitor data analysis, connected and distributed museum visits and the provision of pre- and post-visit experiences. We argue that cultural heritage offers a key opportunity for the development and deployment of new IoT systems, with potential benefits both for the cultural heritage domain and the IoT community. We present a number of areas of potential work for IoT researchers that are applicable to the heritage domain and to the broader IoT context, including challenges around poor connectivity, identifying and tracking visitors, and providing systems that are easily installed configured and maintained in environments with minimal infrastructure and poor technical support

Evidence for partial quenching of orbital angular momentum upon complex formation in the infrared spectrum of OH-acetylene

The entrance channel leading to the addition reaction between the hydroxyl radical and acetylene has been examined by spectroscopic characterization of the asymmetric CH stretching band of the π-hydrogen bonded OH-acetylene reactant complex. The infrared action spectrum observed at 3278.6 cm−1 (origin) consists of seven peaks of various intensities and widths, and is very different from those previously reported for closed-shell HF/HCl-acetylene complexes. The unusual spectrum arises from a partial quenching of the OH orbital angular momentum in the complex, which in turn is caused by a significant splitting of the OH monomer orbital degeneracy into 2A′ and 2A″ electronic states. The magnitude of the 2A′−2A″ splitting as well as the A rotational constant for the OH-acetylene complex are determined from the analysis of this b-type infrared band. The most populated OH product rotational state, jOH = 9/2, is consistent with intramolecular vibrational energy transfer to the ν2 C≡C stretching mode of the departing acetylene fragment. The lifting of the OH orbital degeneracy and partial quenching of its electronic orbital angular momentum indicate that the electronic changes accompanying the evolution of reactants into products have begun to occur in the reactant complex

Atomic spectrometry update. Clinical and biological materials, foods and beverages

This review discusses developments in elemental mass spectrometry, atomic absorption, emission and fluorescence, XRF and LIBS, as applied to the analysis of specimens of clinical interest, foods and beverages. Sample preparation procedures and quality assurance are also included.</p

Overview of the Flathead Lake Voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy (VNRS)

If you ask Montanans which five Montana lakes are the most important or valuable, invariably Flathead Lake is in the top three picks. The lake\u27s size, beauty, recreation benefits, and excellent water quality increase local real estate values and make it a popular destination. However, few Montanans know that Flathead Lake currently does not meet State water quality standards (ARM 17.30.637 (1)(e)General Prohibitions), and is undergoing the eutrophication process at an accelerated rate. Excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) stimulate algal blooms and serious oxygen depletion of the deep waters. Extensive lake and stream water quality monitoring document that nonpoint source pollution is degrading water quality, interfering with beneficial uses, and causing violation of water quality standards. As a result, Flathead Lake is included on the Clean Water Act’s Section 303(d) list of water-quality-impaired waterbodies, and is a high priority for developing a water quality restoration plan (called a Total Maximum Daily Load or TMDL). Such a plan is close to completion. Probable sources of water quality impairment include atmospheric deposition, domestic wastewater lagoons, flow regulation/modification, municipal point sources, on-site wastewater treatment systems (septic tanks), urban sprawl, overland runoff, agriculture, silvaculture, and an upstream impoundment. Only 2 percent of the nutrient load in Flathead Lake is estimated to come from point sources. The vast majority of nutrients come from natural sources or human-caused nonpoint source pollution. To address nonpoint source pollution, the Flathead Basin Commission (FBC) developed the Voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy (VNRS), and linked it to the TMDL process. The goal of the VNRS is to achieve the 1978 lake primary productivity level of 80 grams carbon/m2/year. This level is expected to yield water quality that meets water quality standards and supports beneficial uses (including swimming and aquatic life support). To meet the target primary productivity, the FBC determined that nitrogen (including nitrate plus nitrite) and phosphorus loading must be reduced by 15 percent basin wide. Six principal components for successful implementation of the ongoing VNRS/TMDL program include: (1) coordination and planning, (2) grant funding & contributions (3) partnerships and public outreach, (4) participation of watershed groups, (5) identification of opportunities, and (6) monitoring. History, implementation and achievements of the Flathead Basin VNRS/TMDL are described in this paper