Rapid assessments in urban areas

The diversity of urban areas presents substantial challenges to the validity of information from rapid assessments, yet CARE's experiences in Bangladesh and Tanzania suggest a number of ways that rapid assessment procedures can be strengthened to address these concerns.Urban poor ,Bangladesh ,Tanzania ,

Rapid assessments in urban areas

The diversity of urban areas presents substantial challenges to the validity of information from rapid assessments, yet CARE's experiences in Bangladesh and Tanzania suggest a number of ways that rapid assessment procedures can be strengthened to address these concerns.Urban poor ,Bangladesh ,Tanzania ,

Medieval Chapels in Devon

The original copy of this dissertation is held in the University's Main Library and may be accessed upon requestThe work is an examination of medieval chapels in Devon which can be regarded as distinct from parish churches. The topic, which covers the period between 1044 and 1550, is set in a general historical context. A wide range of documentary sources has been used in identifying an estimated total of 1,300 medieval chapels in Devon, the principal source being the episcopal registers. Others include early charters, surveys of church property, antiquarian studies, visual sources, modern historical sources, and some evidence from archaeology and place-names. A database of identified medieval chapels in Devon has enabled analysis of the material and provides the basis of a gazetteer of chapels, included at the end of the dissertation. The origin and development of chapels is discussed in the context of canon law, which conferred upon them subordinate status in order to protect the financial interests of parish churches. A discussion of sources forms the second chapter. The categories of chapels and the range of people served by them are introduced before turning to the functions of chapels and activities in them. Worship and the liturgy were of primary importance but some chapels had additional social roles, especially chapels associated with cults or public services. A discussion of topographical factors and the location of chapels follows, in which comparison is made with Lincolnshire. In the final chapter, patrons, staff and people are considered and an increase in lay initiatives in matters relating to the Church is demonstrated, especially from the late-fourteenth century. The study shows that chapels provided a variety of religious outlets and served a wide range of people, and demonstrates their great social significance before the Reformation. The work provides the first comprehensive list and study of chapels in any English county

Implied social mobility and its effect upon late adolescent perception of parent-child personality evaluation

The general purpose of this study will be an exploration of the relationships between the self-descriptions of late adolescents, their perceptions of how they think their like-sexed parents would describe them, their social class of origin, and the degree of their implied social mobility. The present study specifically investigates the proposition that as the late adolescent implies an attempt to change his social lass of origin (as measured by Hollingshead’s Two Factor Index of Social Position by obtaining more education and aspiring to a different occupation than his parents) the tested implication is that he feels his parents’ perceptions of him become different form his own, (as measured in both cases by the Adjective Check List developed by Gough and Hielbruner (1965)). Furthermore, this difference will be greater than that perceived by those who are non-mobile. A secondary objective of the study will be to attempt to gain some insight into the nature of social classes in our society. As will be seen in the review of the literature, there are many theories regarding this issue. Two of the most prominent to be discussed will be class specific versus common values orientations. This study will attempt to see which of these two theories the type of data collected for this study will support

Nonlinearity and Noise Effects in Multi-level Signal Millimeter-Wave over Fiber Transmission using Single- and Dual-Wavelength Modulation

We transmit multilevel quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) data-IEEE 802.16 schemes-at 20 MSps and an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) 802.11 g signal (54 Mbps) with a 25 GHz millimeter-wave over fiber system, which employs a dual wavelength source, over 20 km of single mode fiber. Downlink data transmission is successfully demonstrated over both optical and wireless (up to 12 m) paths with good error vector magnitude. An analysis of two different schemes, in which data is applied to one (single) and both (dual) of the wavelengths of a dual wavelength source, is carried out. The system performance is analyzed through simulation and a good match with experimental results is obtained. The analysis investigates the impact of Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) and RF amplifier nonlinearity and various noise sources, such as laser relative intensity noise, amplified spontaneous emission, thermal, and shot noise. A comparison of single carrier QAM IEEE 802.16 and OFDM in terms of their sensitivity to the distortions from MZM and RF amplifier nonlinearity is also presented

Space and process: the organizational importance of what we leave behind

Organizational research recently advocated an attention to space (Kornberger & Clegg, 2004), examining how space both produces and is produced by complex relationships of materiality, identity and power (Dale & Burrell, 2008). This literature widely turned to the founding book The Production of Space by Henri Lefebvre (1991/1974) to show how organizational practices resist (Wasserman & Frenkel, 2011), or are enchanted by (Hancock & Spicer, 2011) particular corporate architectures. Research on the role of spatial legacies (De Vaujany & Vaast, 2013), showed how corporate spaces of the past are differently remembered over time to signify the solidity of evolving intentions (Decker, 2014). These studies well capture how practices transform previously planned and already existing spaces, charging them with different meanings after construction. Less we know about how space is produced before and during the phases of organizational planning and construction. Tracing sacrificed planned spaces and missed compromises, I inquire into what is left behind in the discursive and material testing processes that excluded alternative possibilities. A first part of this dissertation focuses on the role of history and remembering in space planning practices. I empirically analyse the narratives surrounding the planning of an important culture centre. The introduction of the concept of lost space specifies how urban planning organizes sociomaterial and spatiotemporal narratives of loss to articulate the need to regain certain spaces (and not others) and design a continuity with a selected past that should not be left behind. Lost space allows planners to narratively “remember the future”. This section contributes a processual interpretation of the interplay between Lefebvre’s (1991/1974) three moments of conceived, perceived and lived space, through a processual focus on conceiving (i.e. planning). By reviewing Lefebvre’s work on everyday temporality (2004/1992, 2014a) and history (1970, 1975), I balance an organizational analysis of space with a sensitivity towards time and remembering. A second part of this dissertation engages in a theoretical discussion and empirical illustration of the representational problem of space and time, which pervades organizational literature and practices. I review longstanding debates on the spatialization of time (Bergson, 2001/1889) and on the principle of simple location, calling for a more space-balanced approach to phenomena in process organization studies. The attention process studies devote to temporality (Helin, Hernes, Hjorth & Holt, 2014; Langley & Tsoukas, 2010, 2016) risks not accounting adequately for space. I suggest space as a processual dimension inseparable from time, and while calling for spatiotemporal representations of space’s plural simultaneity of durations (Massey, 2005), I warn on the need to address the performativity of conflicting organizational representations of space. Space-time integrated representations can account for the complex web of multiple lived organizational dimensions, and process organizational analysis is well positioned to analyze the performativity of all spatial representations. This section addresses different assumptions of time and space by illustrating, through empirical examples, how opposed (dynamic or static) representations of space performed change in construction management practices. The third paper of this dissertation addresses the topic of how values pragmatically justify spaces under construction. Coordination practices and conventions in construction management involve the skillful trade-off process of testing and compromising, with a retrospective reasoning on the sacrifices incurred to grasp how costs could have been (and could still be) avoided. By analysing the composition of values through a new methodology that traces in various data sources the abstract and pragmatic construct of what could have been, the study contributes a processual interpretation of the economies of worth (EW) framework (Boltanski & Thévenot, 2006/1987). Challenging the equilibrium assumptions of sacrifice underlying the value-based action framings of the EW, the core organizational and managerial sacrifice of compromising extends the model’s horizon of critique and uncertainty. I review the growing organizational literature on EW compromises. The analyzed interplay of tests and compromises in everyday building site controversies shows how coordination conventions act together and relationally over time, across different situations, shaping the actors’ critical awareness of the possibilities unduly left behind

Anticipatory Self-Defense and Other Stories

We argue that the specious justification for the invasion of Iraq -- a war based on a pretext of anticipatory self-defense -- necessarily exacerbates the inherent tendency of war to dehumanize and humiliate the enemy. This tendency is particularly evident in the variant of anticipatory self-defense that we have denominated as capacity preemption, a type of claim that by definition depends upon characterizations of the opponent as utterly inhuman. The Bush Doctrine tells a timeless story of self-defense. This story is shaped by an identifiable and predictable narrative structure, one that is able to transform the morally outrageous -- an unprovoked aggressive war -- into the legally reasonable. Utilizing the theoretical tools of anthropological structuralism, our analysis examines the rhetorical use of the anticipatory self-defense narrative to veil hidden agendas of domination and conquest

Opportunities, barriers, and recommendations in down syndrome research

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in medical care have increased life expectancy and improved the quality of life for people with Down syndrome (DS). These advances are the result of both pre-clinical and clinical research but much about DS is still poorly understood. In 2020, the NIH announced their plan to update their DS research plan and requested input from the scientific and advocacy community. OBJECTIVE: The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and the LuMind IDSC Foundation worked together with scientific and medical experts to develop recommendations for the NIH research plan. METHODS: NDSS and LuMind IDSC assembled over 50 experts across multiple disciplines and organized them in eleven working groups focused on specific issues for people with DS. RESULTS: This review article summarizes the research gaps and recommendations that have the potential to improve the health and quality of life for people with DS within the next decade. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights many of the scientific gaps that exist in DS research. Based on these gaps, a multidisciplinary group of DS experts has made recommendations to advance DS research. This paper may also aid policymakers and the DS community to build a comprehensive national DS research strategy