The dialogic city: towards a synthesis of physical and conceptual artefacts in urban community configurations

This paper addresses a question in urban research relating to definitions of the physical and conceptual artefacts that comprise local urban communities. These artefacts are, we suggest, products of complex relationships between discursive and non -discursive agencies in urban contexts. We focus on the problems of defining conceptual artefacts by considering how urban communities’ social meanings are embedded in their spatial configurations, conceptualizations and practices. Considering the relational nature of the built environment, we describe the interplays of space, society and meaning as being ‘dialogic’. By this we mean that the urban environment’s discursive and non-discursive agencies inform and transform each other through processes of their complex inter-dependencies. These dialogic processes also occur where professional and community practitioners seek to transform the built environment by exchanging their conceptualizations and definitions. Towards a refocusing upon conceptual artefacts in the built environment, we review a selection of diverse research from the fields of space syntax, actor -network theory in architecture, and urban sociologies of crime and deprivation. We sample from specific studies of urban spatial effects upon local community behaviours. We observe that processes of conceptualization are revealed in professionals’ definitions of urban environments. Moreover, we draw attention to the lack of community -membership definitions in many urban interventions. We argue that this lack persists because community conceptualizations, based upon ‘mental models’, tend to be reflected in quotidian or sub -conscious practices, which do not enter the standard professional discourse. We reflect critically on the urban research studies sampled, considering in particular their treatment of the role of conceptualizations in shaping the urban environment. Building on this critique, we argue that the notion of ‘mental models’ is overlooked in the urban research literature and warrants further investigation. Working towards a synthesis of physical and conceptual artefacts, we attempt an outline of the significance of inter -dependencies in urban formations. Hence we consider the role played by local conceptualizations in phenomena such as neighbourhood boundaries, community foci, stereotypes of others and place -specific community values. Finally, we outline the requirements for a method to examine these conceptualizations

Corporate social responsibility in a burgeoning industry: a stakeholder analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent and significance of involvement of craft brewery operators in their community through the lens of the stakeholder theory (ST). In addition, differences between forms of involvement and demographic characteristics of operators and breweries are examined. Design/methodology/approach: As many as 218 operators of predominantly micro-craft breweries across the USA participated in an online questionnaire designed to gather their perceptions. Findings: While paying taxes was participants’ main perceived form of contribution, providing an artisan-made product, the significance of the craft brewery as a community “hub”, and that of increasing the number of leisure alternatives also emerged. A further 52.8 per cent of participants indicated contributing US$100,000 or more to the community annually. Statistically significant differences were revealed, for instance, based on craft breweries’ production volume, and the level of financial contribution. Various associations between operators’ perceived contributions and the ST theses were established in regard to cooperative interests (descriptive), stakeholder management (instrumental), and moral principles (normative). Originality/value: First, by examining corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the craft brewing industry and among predominantly smaller firms, the study addresses two under-researched areas. Second, a refinement of the ST in the context of the craft brewing industry is proposed, highlighting the links between ST-based theses and the findings. Third, the study contributes to three different types of literature: micro and small business, craft brewing entrepreneurship, and CSR. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

Investigation of relationships between linears, tonal and hazy anomalies, and petroleum production in the Williston Basin: An ERTS approach

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Determination of Fluoxetine and Norfluoxetine Concentrations in Cadaveric Allograft Skin

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90146/1/j.1875-9114.1998.tb03908.x.pd

Heterojunction Hybrid Devices from Vapor Phase Grown MoS2_{2}

We investigate a vertically-stacked hybrid photodiode consisting of a thin n-type molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_{2}$) layer transferred onto p-type silicon. The fabrication is scalable as the MoS$_{2}$ is grown by a controlled and tunable vapor phase sulfurization process. The obtained large-scale p-n heterojunction diodes exhibit notable photoconductivity which can be tuned by modifying the thickness of the MoS$_{2}$ layer. The diodes have a broad spectral response due to direct and indirect band transitions of the nanoscale MoS$_{2}$. Further, we observe a blue-shift of the spectral response into the visible range. The results are a significant step towards scalable fabrication of vertical devices from two-dimensional materials and constitute a new paradigm for materials engineering.Comment: 23 pages with 4 figures. This article has been published in Scientific Reports. (26 June 2014, doi:10.1038/srep05458

Indicators of Diptera diversity in wet grassland habitats are influenced by environmental variability, scale of observation, and habitat type

In low intensity agri-ecosystems such as wet grassland habitats, the inclusion of invertebrates in conservation assessments and monitoring is usually limited to charismatic groups such as bees or butterflies. However, wet grasslands support a wide range of inveterate groups, some of which may exhibit limited movement not generally represented by more mobile groups such as those typically examined. The use of surrogate species which exemplify broader invertebrate diversity has been suggested as a possible means of including these overlooked invertebrates (such as Diptera) in conservation planning within these habitats. Based on collections made by Malaise trap, we utilized two families of Diptera (Sciomyzidae and Syrphidae) as indicators of a wider range of dipteran diversity (nine Diptera families identified to parataxonomic unit level [PUs]) in wet grassland habitats. We examined the role of environmental variability, spatial scale, and habitat type on patterns of cross-taxon congruence for all three assemblages. Both environmental correlation and community congruence were significantly stronger among assemblages when examined at low spatial scales, highlighting the need to examine dipteran groups at scales untypical of current agri-environmental assessments; namely field and farm level. Furthermore, when wet grasslands were differentiated into two habitat categories (sedge and rush dominated grasslands), the significance of the community congruence increased markedly. This correlation was particularly strong between Sciomyzidae and PUs which demonstrated similar differentiation based on habitat type, implying that assemblages which exhibit comparable ecological partitioning are more likely to be useful surrogates of one another. Correlations between richness, abundance and Shannon's diversity were highly variable among groups, suggesting compositional analysis as the most appropriate examination of dipteran diversity for surrogacy studies. The results indicate that cross-assemblage congruence of Diptera is influenced by similarity of response to environmental variability, scale of observation, and examination of assemblages differentiated into appropriate habitat categories. The results illustrate the need to investigate invertebrate biodiversity surrogates at scales appropriate to the indicator groups and examine congruence among assemblages within specific habitat categories. Such an approach has the potential to maximise gamma diversity in areas where wet grasslands are under threat of intensification or abandonment. © 2017 Elsevier Lt

A point mass in an isotropic universe: III. The region R≤2mR\leq 2m

McVittie's solution of Einstein's field equations, representing a point mass embedded into an isotropic universe, possesses a scalar curvature singularity at proper radius $R=2m$. The singularity is space-like and precedes, in the expanding case, all other events in the space-time. It is shown here that this singularity is gravitationally weak, and the possible structure of the region $R\leq 2m$ is investigated. A characterization of this solution which does not involve asymptotics is given.Comment: Revtex, 11pp. To appear in Class.Quant.Grav. Paper II appeared as Class. Quant. Grav. 16 (1999) 122

Solute Concentrations Influence Microbial Methanogenesis in Coal-bearing Strata of the Cherokee Basin, USA

Microorganisms have contributed significantly to subsurface energy resources by converting organic matter in hydrocarbon reservoirs into methane, the main component of natural gas. In this study, we consider environmental controls on microbial populations in coal-bearing strata of the Cherokee basin, an unconventional natural gas resource in southeast Kansas, USA. Pennsylvanian-age strata in the basin contain numerous thin (0.4-1.1 m) coalbeds with marginal thermal maturities (0.5-0.7% Ro) that are interbedded with shale and sandstone. We collected gas, water, and microbe samples from 16 commercial coalbed methane wells for geochemical and microbiological analysis. The water samples were Na-Cl type with total dissolved solids (TDS) content ranging from 34.9 to 91.3 g L?1. Gas dryness values [C1/(C2 + C3)] averaged 2640 and carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios of methane differed from those of carbon dioxide and water, respectively, by an average of 65 and 183%. These values are thought to be consistent with gas that formed primarily by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Results from cultivation assays and taxonomic analysis of 16S rRNA genes agree with the geochemical results. Cultivable methanogens were present in every sample tested, methanogen sequences dominate the archaeal community in each sample (avg 91%), and few archaeal sequences (avg 4.2%) were classified within Methanosarcinales, an order of methanogens known to contain methylotrophic methanogens. Although hydrogenotrophs appear dominant, geochemical and microbial analyses both indicate that the proportion of methane generated by acetoclastic methanogens increases with the solute content of formation water, a trend that is contrary to existing conceptual models. Consistent with this trend, beta diversity analyses show that archaeal diversity significantly correlates with formation water solute content. In contrast, bacterial diversity more strongly correlates with location than solute content, possibly as a result of spatial variation in the thermal maturity of the coalbeds.Citation: Kirk MF, Wilson BH, Marquart KA, Zeglin LH, Vinson DS and Flynn TM (2015) Solute Concentrations Influence Microbial Methanogenesis in Coal-bearing Strata of the Cherokee Basin, USA. Front. Microbiol. 6:1287. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.0128