Participatory Democracy and Land Development: A Case Study of the South Downtown Waterfront Redevelopment in Saskatoon

There is growing expectation by the public for a greater degree of participatory democracy in planning and development. Governments have responded to this expectation by increasing the amount of public consultation. Still, public discontent with the efficacy of public consultations including the level of participation, accessibility, transparency and accountability remains. This thesis focuses on the importance of the quality over the quantity of public consultations to improve satisfaction with government decision making related to land use planning and development. More specifically, it focuses on the following elements: the types and levels of public consultation, accessibility of the consultations for different stakeholders, the influence of stakeholders in decision-making, and the meaning attached by stakeholders to the consultation experience in various planning and development processes. This thesis examines the degree of participatory democracy within the context of a case study of public consultation undertaken by the City of Saskatoon between 2000 and 2010 to plan and develop the South Downtown Waterfront Redevelopment. The analysis is rooted in theoretical and conceptual frameworks contained within the relevant literature on public consultation drawn from different disciplines. The case study produced several key findings; the most notable is that the stakeholder assessment of the value or efficacy of public consultations used by the City is affected by the mechanisms in which they participate. Public sector and business sector stakeholders invited by the City to participate in central participative mechanisms, such as steering committees, expressed a higher degree of confidence that the consultations had significant positive influence in shaping the project. By contrast, community stakeholders invited by the City to participate in less participative mechanisms, such as open houses, expressed a lower degree of confidence that the public consultations had significant positive influence in shaping the project. This thesis concludes by recommending that the City of Saskatoon enhance participatory democracy in land use planning and development by: expanding the 'Community Engagement Model' to encompass the full 'Public Participation Spectrum' for all stakeholders; establish a complementary evaluation framework based on normative participation principles; expand the types and levels of public consultation available; and, adopt more inclusionary, accountable and transparent public consultation practices

The politics of pointing fingers: Party identification, gender performance, and the Kavanaugh sexual assault hearing

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2018 to testify about Ford’s allegation of a previous sexual assault by Kavanaugh. This thesis asks and answers the question of what does this hearing reveal about the relationship between party identity and gender performance in male senators. Structural power and gender performativity built a theoretical context for this question, while pre-existing research on the intersection of nonverbal behavior, gender, and politics outlined a path to answering it. Fifty randomly selected clips from each testimony were coded for facial displays, gestures, and mirroring. Previous research would hypothesize that all men would employ the same behaviors, regardless of political affiliation; however, the results of this coding revealed that Republicans conformed to traditionally masculine behavior, while Democrats did not. These findings demonstrate the way in which party identity influences gender behavior

Gene transfer of RANTES elicits autoimmune renal injury in MRL-Faslpr mice

Infiltrating macrophages and T cells are instrumental in autoimmune kidney destruction of MRL-Faslpr mice. We report that the β-chemokine RANTES, a chemoattractant for macrophages and T cells, is up-regulated in the MRL-Faslpr kidney prior to injury, but not normal kidneys (MRL-++, C3H-++) and increases with progressive injury. Furthermore, we establish an association between RANTES expression in the kidney and renal damage using a gene transfer approach. Tubular epithelial cells genetically modified to secrete RANTES infused under the renal capsule incites interstitial nephritis in MRL-Faslpr, but not MRL-++ or C3H-++ mice. RANTES recruits predominantly macrophages (Mø) and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. In contrast, gene transfer of CSF-1, another molecule up-regulated simultaneously with RANTES in MRL-Faslpr kidneys, promotes the influx of Mø, CD4+ T cells and the unique double-negative (DN) T cells (CD4-,CD8-), which are prominent in diseased MRL-Faslpr kidneys. Thus, RANTES and CSF-1 recruit distinct T cell populations into the MRL-Faslpr kidney. In addition, delivery of RANTES and CSF-1 into the kidney of MRL-Faslpr mice causes an additive increase in pathology. We suggest that the complementary recruitment of T cell populations by RANTES (CD4, CD8) and CSF-1 (CD4, DN) promotes autoimmune nephritis in MRL-Faslpr mice

Dechlorination of p-chlorophenol on palladium based metal support catalyst

Disposal of chlorinated hydrocarbons is a major environmental concern due to the lack of a satisfactory means of safe remediation at all contaminated locations. Current technologies rely primarily on incineration, a process that can lead to dangerous byproducts such as dioxin. If the chlorine substituent can be removed prior to incineration, or other disposal method, the subsequent steps of disposal pose less of an environmentally risk. The catalyst developed in this study is designed to promote the dechlorination reaction. A methodology for the production of a palladium based metal support catalyst is presented. This technique allows the palladium catalyst to be deposited on a copper metal surface. The catalyst is active in the dechlorination of p-chlorophenol, which is used as model molecule representing a range of chlorinated phenolic compounds. Hydrogen is used in the concert with catalyst to affect the dechlorination. Chemical process rates of 0.3-1.0 cm³/g*s are observed

Expandable and Rapidly Differentiating Human Induced Neural Stem Cell Lines for Multiple Tissue Engineering Applications

Limited availability of human neurons poses a significant barrier to progress in biological and preclinical studies of the human nervous system. Current stem cell-based approaches of neuron generation are still hindered by prolonged culture requirements, protocol complexity, and variability in neuronal differentiation. Here we establish stable human induced neural stem cell (hiNSC) lines through the direct reprogramming of neonatal fibroblasts and adult adipose-derived stem cells. These hiNSCs can be passaged indefinitely and cryopreserved as colonies. Independently of media composition, hiNSCs robustly differentiate into TUJ1-positive neurons within 4 days, making them ideal for innervated co-cultures. In vivo, hiNSCs migrate, engraft, and contribute to both central and peripheral nervous systems. Lastly, we demonstrate utility of hiNSCs in a 3D human brain model. This method provides a valuable interdisciplinary tool that could be used to develop drug screening applications as well as patient-specific disease models related to disorders of innervation and the brain

Landings, vol. 31, no. 7

Landings content emphasizes science, history, resource sustainability, economic development, and human interest stories related to Maine\u27s lobster industry. The newsletter emphasizes lobstering as a traditional, majority-European American lifeway with an economic and social heritage unique to the coast of Maine. The publication focuses how ongoing research to engage in sustainable, non-harmful, and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices benefit both the fishery and Maine\u27s coastal legacy. For more information, please visit the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance (MLCA) website

Conservative Treatment for Patients with Suspected SLAP Tears: A Case Series

Objective: Outcome following non-operative management of superior labral anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesions has been under reported with little empirical data demonstrating the effectiveness of conservative treatment. Material and Methods: 10 patients, 5 matched pairs, presenting with symptoms consistent with a SLAP lesion performed a standardized phased rehabilitation program completing patient reported outcome (PRO) and pain measures before and following rehabilitation. Physical therapy notes and home exercise logs were reviewed and all exercises were recorded and coded using the phased rehabilitation protocol as a guide. At followup, patients were divided into two groups; responders and non-responders to treatment based on PRO. The volume of exercise and type of exercise performed for each patient were compared using frequency counts. Results: The non-responders did on average 33 more stretching exercises than the responders. The non-responders did on average 21 more scapular orientation exercises than the responders. There were few to no differences in the volume of strengthening exercises between the two groups except responders performed 38 more scapular retraction exercises at shoulder level while non-responders performed 49 more scapular retraction exercises below shoulder level. Conclusions: This case series identified few exercises that were beneficial to patients\u27 responding to conservative intervention but more often identified exercises that were performed that did not facilitate an improved patient outcome. Therapeutic exercises are often the cornerstone of a rehabilitation program, yet limited evidence exists in which specific exercises are beneficial or not beneficial in patients with symptoms consistent with a SLAP lesion

Amazonian Hydrothermal Alteration Comparing Nakhlite Secondary Mineralogy to Water Rock Reaction Experiments

We report on results from experiments with Mars analog materials under diagenetic conditions. The mineralogical results of our experiments suggest that an important type of fluid alteration in the Amazonian may be short duration (e.g. less than 1 year) events from near neutral, dilute brines, that were able to exchange CO2 either directly, or via ice reservoirs, with the atmosphere

Fractionated Martian Atmosphere – the Case of the Nakhlites, Revisited with Experiments

We report on fractionated noble gases in the Martian meterorites - a literature survey and new data