Institutional issues in planning for more uncertain futures

Future travel demand has always been difficult to estimate. Recent trends of a slow down or stagnation in traffic growth combined with substantial demographic, economic, and technological shifts further complicate that task. This poses a significant planning challenge given that decision-making is often based on the benefits of infrastructure investments which accrue over periods as long as 60 years. In contrast to the changing ideas around what mobility in the future will look like and the types of demand it may need to service, the practice of forecasting future travel demand remains largely unchanged as do the decision-making processes which flow from this. Alternative approaches to thinking about futures such as scenario planning exist but have had more limited deployment in the transport sector. This paper explores the institutional issues surrounding the purpose, practice and barriers to changing the approaches of forecasting and decision-making through an exploration of the state of practice in the UK drawing on interviews with 23 practitioners. Drawing on Hall’s work on policy change, the research finds that there is a strong policy paradigm built around the relationships between transport investment and traffic growth. This has strengthened since the recession with an increased focus on the relationship between transport and job creation. The forecasting approaches in use today are an important part of a complex decision-making apparatus reflective of specialized policy arenas like transport. Challenges in acknowledging, representing and communicating uncertainty are identified leaving a growing tension between planning visions and planning practice. We conclude by reflecting on events which may stimulate a broader reframing of how we plan for transport futures whilst embracing key uncertainties

It's my party and I'll cry

It’s my party and I’ll cry is a party-like installation centered around ideas of celebration, home and feminine identity. The title, taken from the 1963 song ‘it’s my party’ is meant to be a play on words. The work of this thesis exhibition intends to highlight the feeling of simultaneous joy and sadness by exploring the idea of a self-aware party. A collection of 365 hand written and painted poems or 'drawings' is the centerpiece of the show. They account for the entirety of my 29th year ending on my 30th birthday. Ritual is presented as a meaningful example of self reflection and linked to the personal achievement of surviving another year which is often synonymous with a reason for celebration. All together the poems serve as a dairy of formal, conceptual, and banal patterns revealing biases, daily concerns, celebrations, and lamentations.These drawings are shown alongside paintings and sculptures referencing party decorations, crafts, and household decor, intentionally blurring the line between art and decor. The daily poems address ideas about how we present our lives to one another, what is important, what is personal, what is hidden, and what is available for viewing. The paintings and assorted assemblages also address ideas of pleasure, priority, and the passage of time. As one year comes to a close and another begins, the marker or climax (in this case an installation as party) is imbued with a sense of anticipation, fear of the unknown, and remembrance

The Anti-Social Network

Original short stor

The study of 8-Hydroxyquinoline-2-Carboxyllic acid and its metal ion complexing properties

The metal ion coordinating properties of the ligand HQC (8-hydroxyquinoline-2- carboxylic acid) were studied by UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The protonation constants of HQC were determined by monitoring absorbance of 5 x 10-5 M HQC at five different wavelengths in the range 210-300 nm as a function of pH. The protonation constants pK1 and pK2 were determined to be 10.14 and 3.92 at 25 oC in 0.1 M NaClO4. The experiments were repeated with 5 x 10-5 M HQC and 5 x 10-5 M metal ion solutions. These experiments produced two apparent protonation constants (pK’1 and pK’2) that were shifted to lower pH by competition with the metal ion as compared with pK1 and pK2. These were used to calculate equilibrium constants for the metal ions (M) as: M(HQC) + H+ ?? M(HQC)H (pK’1) [1] M + HQC ?? M(HQC) (log[M] + pK1 + pK2 – pK’1 – pK’2) [2] The HQC complexes also gave hydrolysis constants at higher pH according to: M(HQC) + OH- ?? M(HQC)OH [3] Log K1 (eq. 2) was obtained in 0.1 M NaClO4 at 25 oC for a selection of metal ions: Mg(II), 4.93; Ca(II), 6.16; Sr(II), 4.82; Ba(II), 4.10; La(III), 10.13; Gd(III), 9.89; Cu(II), 12.00; Zn(II), 9.10; Cd(II), 8.57; Pb(II), 11.35. The constants were remarkably high for a tridentate ligand with a donor set consisting of a pyridine nitrogen, and a phenolic and a carboxylic oxygen. These were discussed in terms of the high levels of preorganization of HQC, and contrasted with other similar ligands such as 8-hydroxyquinoline and dipicolinic acid. The high stability of HQC complexes is discussed in relation to its possible use in biomedical applications, such as the use of its Gd(III) complex as an MRI imaging agent. The attachment of a proton to the HQC complexes as in equation 1 was of some interest. Accordingly, crystals of [Zn((HQC)H)2] .2H2O (1) and [Cd((HQC)H)2] .2H2O (2) were grown and the structures determined by X-ray crystallography. Crystals of 1 were triclinic, Pi, a = 7.152(3), b = 9.227(4), c = 15.629(7) Å, a = 103.978(7), ß = 94.896(7), ? = 108.033(8)°, Z = 2, R = 0.0499. Crystals of 2 were triclinic, Pi, a = 7.0897(5), b = 9.1674(7), c = 16.0672(11) Å, a = 105.0240(10), ß = 93.9910(10), ? = 107.1270(10)°, Z = 3, R = 0.033. The crystal structures showed that the protons present were indeed attached to the phenolic oxygens, which were coordinated to the metal ions. Of considerable interest was the very short O---O distance of 2.4- 2.5 Å found for water molecules H-bonded to these protons, which is in the range for a very strong H-bond. The structures suggested that in the case of the Cd(II) complex (2) the proton was in one case actually attached to the water molecule to give a hydronium ion H-bonded to the non-protonated phenolic oxygen, while in the Zn(II) complex (1) the H-bond was actually symmetrical with the proton midway between the two oxygens. The significance of these short H-bonds is discussed in relation to their significance in biochemical processes

Counselors' Experiences with Race and Ethnicity in Their Professional Practices

The ability to understand and empathize on a cultural level can lead to better dialogue between clients and therapists. This will enhance the chances for conversations and connections within the therapeutic relationship. Counselors should have an understanding specific cultural competences regarding the ethnicity of local clients. Cultural processes in counseling are positively correlated with the positive outcome of the therapeutic process.When counselors are working with culturally diverse child clients, a lack of awareness and knowledge of cultural issues can cause negative influences on the bond between counselor, families, and child clients

“Had I a right to inflict this curse upon everlasting generations?”: Mary Shelley’s subversion of primogeniture inheritance in Frankenstein and Matilda AND “Do ghosts remember long?”: Elizabeth Barstow Stoddard’s neglected poetic past

While Mary Shelley’s literary works are collectively impressive, it is Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus (1818) that has steadily received critical acclaim and popularity in recent decades. The scholarly discussion surrounding this novel is as lively as ever and scholars are continually searching for new analytical avenues to understand Frankenstein and his creature. In contrast, Shelley’s Matilda is understudied and many classify the novel as purely autobiographical. While interesting, such views are reductive and discourage further analysis. In response, this thesis analyzes Shelley’s novels consecutively and expands Terry W. Thompson’s interpretation that Robert Walton is a figure of reanimation for Victor Frankenstein. Matilda is a figure of reanimation for Frankenstein; close analysis of the texts reveals intertextualities that comment on nineteenth-century primogeniture laws. Shelley’s novels critique nineteenth-century primogeniture laws through the construction of female characters who subvert traditional lines of familial inheritance and suggest that strict patriarchal traditions are destructive to feminine life and social progress. AND Scholars began assessing Elizabeth Stoddard’s literature shortly after her death in 1902. A few contemporary scholars have explored Stoddard, believing that her popularity today depends principally on renewed recognition. Jennifer Putzi’s recovery efforts expanded the author’s body of work with the discovery of 700 “Lady Correspondent” articles Stoddard wrote during the Civil War. These articles establish her as a political analyst and war correspondent, thus interesting wider audiences in her writings and dismissing earlier beliefs that Stoddard’s main concerns with the war were wholly personal and not political. My thesis will analyze Stoddard’s poetry and reorient previous scholarship to present her as a Civil War poet. The “Lady Correspondent” pieces will provide necessary historical and cultural contextualization, and I will use other Civil War poems for further comparative analysis. This essay may attempt to answer the question “is it any good?,” but will, more importantly, move Stoddard beyond analyses embedded only in sentimentalism, revealing her poetry as a feminine lens through which to understand the Civil War, a viewpoint scholars have often overlooked

A Case Study of Second-Career Alternatively Certified Science Teachers: What Research and Educational Experiences and Understanding of Nature of Science Do They Bring to Classroom Practices?

This multiple case study examined second-career lateral entry middle school science teachers to see what research and educational experiences and understanding of nature of science they bring to their classroom practices. I examined four alternatively certified, second-career middle school science teachers in a large urban southeastern school district. I found in this study that these teachers understanding of nature of science as displayed through their classroom practices was impacted by their scientific research experiences and exposure to direct instruction of nature of science (NOS). This study determined each participants understanding of nature of science through the Views of Nature of Science (VNOS) B Test and found out how they acquired their NOS through a background questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. I observed each classroom to determine if these teachers were implementing NOS classroom practices. This study had mixed results and found that two of the four teachers were more informed about the NOS and demonstrated these practices in their classrooms. This study explains how these teachers acquired their NOS and what practices they demonstrated in their classroom

Use of screened and glassed porches

A comparative study of the use of twenty screened and of twenty glassed porches in a selected area of Greensboro, North Carolina, was made to determine the amount of time spent and the kind of activities for which such porches are used. All of the glassed and ten of the screened porch owners preferred glassed porches. Fourteen of the glassed porches had at one time been screened. The main advantages of glassed porches over the screened were year-round use, cleanliness, all weather use, weather control, and lack of pollen problems. Limited ventilation was the main disadvantage. Screened porch owners indicated that the smell of fresh air and the feeling of air circulation were their main advantages. Disadvantages of screened porches were lack of year-round use, lack of protection from blowing rain, and the necessity of taking plants inside in winter. According to estimation of owners, glassed and screened porches were used daily an average of 3.28 and 2.24 hours, respectively. June was the month of greatest use with May, July, August, September, and October following closely for both kinds of porches. Screened porches were rarely used in December, January, and February. Most popular activities on both kinds of porches were relaxing, reading, entertaining, and eating

From Childhood Sexual Abuse to Adult Risky Sexual Behavior

This study attempted to establish that the depressive effect of childhood sexual abuse on self-esteem mediates the established relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult abuse victims' engagement in risky sexual behavior. Overall self-esteem did not significantly mediate this relationship. However, one factor of self-esteem, interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, significantly mediated the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and one factor of risky sexual behavior, engaging in sex acts with unknown partners

Sidney Homer, song composer

Sidney Homer, in his autobiography, stated that it is not the amount of art America has produced which is the phenomenon but the amount of art that it has left unnoticed.1 In a land as creatively energetic as America, perhaps the quantity of contemporary music makes it all too easy for us to forget the art of our immediate past. At any rate, much of our heritage of fine music has been forgotten