Characterizing water quality and hydrologic properties of urban streams in central Virginia

The objective of this study was to characterize water quality and hydrologic properties of urban streams in the Richmond metropolitan area. Water quality data were analyzed for six urban sites and two non-urban sites. Geomorphological surveys and conservative tracer studies were performed at four urban sites and one non-urban site to describe intra- and inter- site variability in transient storage, channel geomorphology, and related hydrologic parameters. Urban sites showed elevated concentrations of nitrogen and more variable TSS concentrations relative to reference sites. Urban channels were deeply incised with unstable banks and low sinuosity. Little Westham Creek exhibited the greatest transient storage. This site was characterized by large, deep pools and therefore it is likely that transient storage was associated with surface water storage. Transient storage was low at all other sites, particularly for the study reach at Reedy Creek, which flowed through a concrete channel. Lowest transient storage was observed at this site in spring, though higher values were measured in summer corresponding to the presence of biofilms, A lower, more naturalized section of the concrete channel was found to have greater transient storage suggesting the possibility of passive restoration of concrete channels in urban environments. This study documents variability in the structure and function of urban streams. Restoration projects should work to improve impairments that are specific to each site at both the reach and watershed scale to maximize the efficacy of restoration

Close encounters? The intersection of faith and ethnicity in mixed-faith families

The encounter and intersection between faiths, cultures, and ethnicities in families where parents have different faith backgrounds are areas of social interaction about which we know little, although the number of such families is growing in the UK and globally. Mixed-faith families reflect the multi-cultural and multi-faith character of society and are thus spaces where individuals develop and negotiate multiple identities in relation to faith, ethnicity, gender, education - among other factors. Based on ethnographic data gathered during a recent study at the University of Warwick, this article presents a case study to examine what kind of cultural repertoire young people could draw on and whether this fostered 'multiple cultural competence' in them. The study also seeks to show how parents negotiated the practice and belief of their respective traditions and how children in such families perceived and formed their own religious and social identities

Katodimateriaalit litium-rikki-akuissa

Tiivistelmä. Litium-rikki-akut ovat potentiaalinen korvaaja nykyisin käytössä oleville litium-ioni-akuille. Litium-rikki-akut tarjoavat äärimmäisen korkean teoreettisen kapasiteetin ja hyödynnettävissä olevan energiatiheyden ja voivat siten mahdollistaa esimerkiksi verkkotason energian varastoin-nin ja yli 500 km ajoetäisyyden sähköautoille. Rikki on myös halvempi ja ympäristöystävällisempi raaka-aine verrattuna moniin litium-ioni-akuissa käytettyihin raaka-aineisiin. Vaikka litium-rikki-akut tarjoavat erinomaista potentiaalia akkujen kehityksen kannalta, niissä on huomattavasti haasteita jäljellä. Merkittävimmät haasteet liittyvät rikin heikkoon sähkökemialliseen suorituskykyyn, polysulfidien sukkulailmiöön (engl. shuttle effect) ja rikin tilavuuden muutokseen sähkökemiallisen reaktion aikana. Näiden rikin tuomien haasteiden ratkaiseminen on ollut viime vuosikymmenenä keskeisin litium-rikki-akkujen kehityksen kohde. Tutkielmassa käydään läpi litium-rikki-akkujen rakenne ja toimintaperiaate sekä perehdytään erilaisiin rikkikatodiratkaisuihin, joita on kehitetty vastaamaan rikin sähkökemiasta aiheutuviin haasteisiin. Yleisimmät valmistetut katodit ovat rikki-komposiittikatodeja, joissa on johtokykyisenä substraattina useasti joko hiili- tai polymeeripohjainen materiaali. Komposiittikatodit tarjoavat runsaasti erilaisia rakennevaihtoehtoja ja ominaisuuksia. Tutkielmassa käydään läpi myös alkuaine rikin vaihtoehtona toimivaa litiumsulfidikatodia ja sen haasteita sekä erilaisia sulfidikatodirakenteita. Katodimateriaalit vaativat monesti myös erilaisia muokkausmenetelmiä niiden toiminnan parantamiseksi. Näistä pinnoittaminen, rikkilataus ja kemiallinen muokkaaminen erilaisten heteroatomien ja metalliyhdisteiden avulla ovat merkittävimpiä. Tässä työssä tarkastellaan erilaisten pinnoitusmenetelmien ja materiaalien vaikutusta, rikin määrän säätelyyn katodilla vaikuttavia tekijöitä ja kemiallisen muokkaamisen vaikutusta ja mekanismeja

Religious education in the experience of young people from mixed-faith families

On the basis of recent ethnographic study at the University of Warwick of the religious identity formation of young people in ‘mixed-faith’ families, this article focuses on their (and their parents’) experiences and perceptions of religious education (RE) and of religious nurture in the community. The young people’s experience of RE differed between primary and secondary school and only a few were engaged in supplementary classes. We highlight the complementarity between school and home in young people’s religious learning and draw out implications for RE

Religious education and pupils from ‘mixed-faith’ families

The world of religion "as it is lived", so to speak, is much more complex than that presented often in text books and classrooms. As such, a recent major piece of research – into British "mixed faith" families – has some important implications for those who want to provide a form of RE that is both accurate and sensitive to the needs of today‟s children and the communities to which they belong

Stereotypes and human rights law

The scope of the book includes different stereotyping grounds – such as race, gender, and disability. Moreover, this book examines stereotyping approaches across a broad range of supranational human rights monitoring bodies, including the United Nations human rights treaty system as well as the regional systems that are most developed when it comes to addressing stereotypes: the Council of Europe and the inter-American system