Exploring Relationships with Non-human Nature in Planning: The Potential of Embodied Research Methodologies

The institutionalised land use planning system plays an important role in mediating our relationships with non-human nature. However, the dominant environmental discourses perpetuate a dualistic understanding of culture/nature, privileging scientific rationality over other ways of knowing, and humans over nature. Embodied research methodologies offer an alternative mode of knowledge production to those traditionally used within the system, allowing planning researchers a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the complexity of human relationships with non-human nature. In this paper I use examples from my honours thesis and PhD research to demonstrate the potential of embodied research methodologies for promoting more connected relationships to non-human nature

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[Review of] Richard D. Alba. Italian Americans: Into the Twilight of Ethnicity

Rejoice, students of ethnicity and Italian Americans generally! A body of scholarly literature on the Italian American experience is growing. Richard Alba\u27s book, one of the Ethnic Groups in American Life Series (Milton M. Gordon, editor) is a recent addition to the quality social science writings about this ethnic group

Embodied immersive experiences: A path to facilitating connection to non-human nature

By using ‘sensory autoethnography’ this thesis demonstrates how planners can overturn binary ways of thinking in which humans’ concerns are placed above those of non-humans, promoting new ways of planning in the Anthropocene. Planners can foster more connected relationships to non-human nature by developing a sense of self as a body-subject, engaging in and facilitating ‘embodied immersive experiences’ in ‘natural spaces’, reimagining planning practice and feeding this back into education and training, and becoming embodied practitioners

Ban the Box: Outcomes of Mandatory Disclosure and Predictors of Voluntary Disclosure of Criminal History in Job Applications

The present study was conducted in order to examine the outcomes of mandatory disclosure of criminal history on the individual during the job application process and predictors of the likelihood of voluntary disclosure. It was hypothesized that having to disclose criminal history would predict higher levels of self-identification with criminal history, higher levels of experienced discrimination, higher levels of perceived stigma, lower levels of attraction towards the organization, lower confidence in obtaining employment, and lower levels of likelihood of voluntary disclosure. It was also hypothesized that environmental support, employment self-efficacy, self-identification with criminal history, and less experienced discrimination would predict a higher likelihood of voluntary disclosure. Using linear regression analyses and data obtained by surveying 150 participants with prior convictions, results showed that only identifying with criminal history predicted the likelihood of disclosure, and that having to disclose predicted higher levels of experienced discrimination, a lower likelihood of voluntary disclosure, and lower levels of employer attractiveness. These findings provide support to past findings showing that Ban the Box policies have positive outcomes towards the reintegration of ex-offenders, and furthermore, that by not forcing applicants to disclose their criminal history, ex-offenders are more likely to voluntarily disclose and have a better perception of their potential future employers

Facebook: Where privacy concerns and social needs collide

Facebook is an integral part of today’s social landscape, but Facebook use involves compromising one’s privacy in relation to both other users and to the Facebook corporation and its affiliated businesses. This analysis explores respondents’ reasons for using Facebook together with their Facebook-related privacy concerns, and how these factors influence self-disclosures and privacy management strategies on the site. Also explored are respondents’ perceptions both of what the Facebook corporation ‘knows’ about them and with whom it shares their data. The research is based on the concepts of user-user and user-corporate privacy concerns versus the social needs of self-portrayal and belonging. Self-portrayal (inspired by Friedlander, 2011) is explored in the contexts of both strategic self-presentation and expression of the true self, and belonging is explored in the contexts of both intimacy and affiliation. These concepts have been drawn from a combination of psychological theories together with existing research on privacy concerns and social needs on social networking sites. Respondents completed an online questionnaire over a six week period from late August to early October 2014, and a focus group was held in November 2014. The questionnaire was largely quantitative but allowed for qualitative input via text boxes. There were 404 completed and valid responses, and of the demographic factors tested, gender was most strongly associated with Facebook-related privacy concerns and age was most strongly associated with reasons for using Facebook. Respondents indicated a clash between fulfilling their social needs on Facebook and their privacy concerns on the site. However, these concerns did not, for the most part, stop them using Facebook, although in certain instances respondents employed tactics to minimise their privacy concerns. This thesis argues that, when using Facebook, respondents resolved the privacy paradox to the best of their ability. It is anticipated that the findings of this thesis will contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the benefits and drawbacks of social media use

Updated results on Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos with the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world's largest cosmic- ray observatory. Updated results on the search for ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos with Auger data are presented. The search method and the detection channels are introduced and neutrino flux limits are given in the energy range 0.1− 100 EeV. Finally the sensitivity to point-like sources of ul tra-high energy neutrinos over a broad range of declinations is demonstrated

Study of the performance of the Pierre Auger Observatory and search for primary cosmic ray photons

Astroparticle physics is now entering the very exciting phase in which the efforts to enhance the detection capabilities of our instruments begin to turn out into clear answers. In this context the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) has been conceived to study the extensive air showers produced by the primary cosmic rays at energies above 1018eV in their interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere, in order to solve the mystery of the origin and nature of the highest energy particles. The PAO design combines the most advanced detection techniques and the largest exposure, to provide high data quality together with unprecedented statistics. In addition, two experimental sites, one nearly completed in the southern hemisphere and the other to be built in the northern one will achieve full sky coverage, and the largest exposure ever. The PAO collaboration benefits from the contribution of about 300 scientists from 17 countries. The Wuppertal group is highly involved in physics analysis and the study and monitoring of the detector performance. Moreover its tasks involve hardware development and testing. More than half of the 11 000 optical modules for the fluorescence detector telescopes have been qualified with a highly automatised test setup. Details on the experimental requirements and test results are presented in Section 4.3, (see [24]). The performance of the fluorescence detector (FD) reconstruction algorithm has been studied at different selection levels with dedicated simulations. In Chapter 5 the FD trigger efficiency and the geometry resolutions are calculated. A realistic estimate of the hybrid resolution of the physics observables (depth of shower maximum and energy) is also given, see [108]. This work includes the extension of the reconstruction capabilities to the highest energies covered by the FD dynamic range [136]. Discrimination of different primaries is based on their expected shower features, for instance the depth shower maximum, Xmax. In Chapter 6 the composition sensitivity of other parameters connected to the shape of the longitudinal shower profile is evaluated in order to achieve an enhancement of the separation power between photon and hadron primaries [139]. No claim for photon observation at the highest energies has been reported so far. For this work an update of the first limit to the fraction of photons in cosmic rays above 10 EeV [119], based on the measurement of Xmax has been performed, see Section 7.2, reported in [21]. Finally, limits above 2, 3.16, 5 and 10 EeV are derived using the Pierre Auger hybrid data sample Jan 2004–July 2007, see Section 7.3. The expected impact of a photon contamination of this order on the measurement of the inelastic proton-air cross section is briefly discussed in Section 7.4. Our limits confirm the ones derived by ground-based experiments at higher energies and they strongly constrain the non-acceleration models invoked to explain the origin of the ultra high energy cosmic rays, thus favoring astrophysical scenarios

Natural stone masonry characterization for the shaking-table test of a scaled building specimen

This paper discusses the material characterization tests on stone masonry specimens, and the in-plane cyclic shear-compression tests on four half-scale unreinforced stone masonry piers, which complement a shaking-table test on a half-scale building aggregate prototype. Material characterization tests allowed defining a mortar composition suitable for satisfying the similitude relationships associated with the half-scale tests. Vertical and diagonal compression tests provided a complete description of the mechanical properties of masonry assemblies, while in-plane cyclic shear-compression tests allow determining the hysteretic behavior of masonry piers with different aspect ratios and axial compression levels. Strength and displacement capacities corresponding to the observed damage mechanisms and failure modes were also identified and associated with the specimens geometric and loading conditions. These activities are part of an experimental and numerical research project jointly carried by the University of Pavia, Italy, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, which aims at assessing the seismic vulnerability of natural stone masonry building aggregates of the historical center of Basel, Switzerland

Cerebellar amyloid-β plaques: disturbed cortical circuitry in AβPP/PS1 transgenic mice as a model of familial Alzheimer's disease

Cerebellar amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition in the form of neuritic plaques and Purkinje cell loss are common in certain pedigrees of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) mainly linked to PS1 mutations. AβPP/PS1 transgenic mice, here used as a model of FAD, show a few Aβ plaques in the molecular layer of the cerebellum at 6 months, and which increase in number with age. Motor impairment is apparent in transgenic mice aged 12 months. Combined methods have shown degenerated parallel fibers as the main component of dystrophic neurites of Aβ plaques, loss of synaptic contacts between parallel fibers and dendritic spines of Purkinje cells, and degeneration of granule cells starting at 12 months and increasing in mice 18/20 months old. In addition, abnormal mitochondria and focal loss of Purkinje and basket cells, together with occasional axonal torpedoes and increased collaterals of Purkinje cells in mice aged 18/20 months, is suggested to be a concomitant defect presumably related to soluble extracellular or intracellular Aβ. These observations demonstrate serious deterioration of the neuronal circuitry in the cerebellum of AβPP/PS1 transgenic mice, and they provide support for the interpretation of similar alterations occurring in certain pedigrees with FAD