The place of neighbourhood in social cohesion: insights from massey,West Auckland

Within public health discourse there is growing recognition that the social structures and ecology of neighbourhoods impact on health and wellbeing. A clearer understanding of the pathways through which this influence occurs will inform locality-based interventions to tackle inequalities. In this paper we report on an interview based study with parents of young children living in Massey, a suburban neighbourhood of metropolitan Auckland. Locational access to community resources is comparatively poor in Massey as measured by a community resource accessibility index. The findings provide insights into the impact of such access to services and amenities on neighbourhood social cohesion. We conclude by suggesting planning strategies for strengthening neighbourhood identification and attachment for this population group.     

The place of neighbourhood in social cohesion: insights from massey, West Auckland

Within public health discourse there is growing recognition that the social structures and ecology of neighbourhoods impact on health and wellbeing. A clearer understanding of the pathways through which this influence occurs will inform locality-based interventions to tackle inequalities. In this paper we report on an interview based study with parents of young children living in Massey, a suburban neighbourhood of metropolitan Auckland. Locational access to community resources is comparatively poor in Massey as measured by a community resource accessibility index. The findings provide insights into the impact of such access to services and amenities on neighbourhood social cohesion. We conclude by suggesting planning strategies for strengthening neighbourhood identification and attachment for this population group.     

Whites' neighbourhood racial preferences and neighbourhood racial composition in the United States: evidence from the multi‐city study of urban inequality

Within the housing segregation literature major disagreements have developed over two fundamental issues: (1) the role that whites' aversion to racially mixed neighbourhoods plays in causing modern segregation in the US; and (2) the factors that underlie this aversion, including the effects of inter‐racial contact on whites' neighbourhood racial preferences and whether these preferences reflect neighbourhood stereotyping as opposed to pure racial prejudice. Extant evidence on these issues is either old or indirect. This paper provides direct evidence on these issues using new data from the Multi‐City Study of Urban Inequality. The results suggest that (1) whites' neighbourhood racial preferences play an important role in explaining the racial composition of their neighbourhoods; (2) inter‐racial contact in neighbourhoods and workplaces leads to a greater willingness among whites to live with blacks; and (3) although younger and more educated whites express a stronger taste for integration than other whites, the magnitude of these differences leads to only a small increase in the black percentage of the neighbourhood. In addition, the results provide no evidence in support of the hypothesis that whites stereotype black neighbourhoods rather than blacks per se.     

Perceptions of Neighbourhood Disorder and Reputation: Qualitative Findings from Two Contrasting Areas of an Australian City

Within Australian cities, social and economic inequalities manifest themselves spatially. Perceived neighbourhood disorder and neighbourhood reputation are relevant to considering the ways in which social and economic inequalities translate into place-based inequalities. This article explores the ways in which residents of two socio-economically contrasting urban areas describe and explain neighbourhood disorder and neighbourhood reputation. It draws upon qualitative data from 40 in-depth interviews, in addition to quantitative data from a postal survey. The qualitative findings highlighted how issues of neighbourhood disorder and reputation were intertwined. In both areas, participants sought to portray themselves and their neighbourhoods in positive ways, by attributing responsibility for neighbourhood disorder to people who were unlike themselves, and by highlighting places that were perceived to have worse reputations and higher levels of disorder. The findings are considered in light of Bourdieu's theory of capitals. This article indicates that both neighbourhood disorder and reputation are pathways through which social, economic and health inequities are maintained in urban areas.     

The two sides of man-induced changes in littoral marine communities: Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea as an example

Over the last two centuries, the marine life of the Eastern Mediterranean has been influenced by two major factors: one is beneficial, and concerns species migration, such as the opening of the Suez Canal, which enriched the impoverished eastern Mediterranean Sea with over 300 species of fish and invertebrates of Red Sea origin; while the other, a negative and possibly wider-reaching factor, is that of man-made pollution, which has induced unpredictable changes, destabilizing the biological world in both magnitude and duration. Initially cryptic, the effects caused by pollutants first occur at the biochemical and cellular levels of an organism, causing alterations and deviations from the normal, strongly mobilizing its defense systems. Conventional methodologies of ecological analyses, based on species and specimen numbers, cannot detect such alterations. Studying several mollusk populations from polluted and reference sites of the Red Sea and Mediterranean littoral of Israel, we used specific markers for in vivo and in vitro studies to expose the state of micronucleation; levels of defense transport systems such as membrane transport system of organic anions (SATOA) and organic cations (OCT); the state of the multi-xenobiotic resistance-mediating transporter (MXRtr). Based on fluorescent microscopy and microfluorometry, these markers offer powerful tools to expose cryptic changes in the affected populations and provide data necessary for planning and management to protect animal communities and preserve their biological diversity. Comparative analysis of general gene-expression in polluted and reference sites indicates that stress factors have differentially affected the various biological taxa and separated phenotypic sub-populations, producing a novel type of punctuated selection. Such factors, although negative in their influences, in some instances altering the qualities of organisms, and establishing alterations in their hereditary information, pre-adapt them to survive and succeed in new situations.     

The effect of market conditions on the housing outcomes of subsidized households: the case of the US voucher programme

Abstract

Since being created in the 1970s, housing vouchers have become the primary mode of federal housing support for low-income households in the US. The voucher programme was designed to provide recipients with the mobility needed to secure higher quality housing in neighbourhoods of their choice. Decades of analysis suggest that the programme has failed to produce the favourable outcomes envisioned by policymakers. To add to our understanding of the outcomes of this important federal programme, this paper seeks to underscore the importance of context-dependent policy analysis. In particular, this study analyses the impact of housing market conditions on the outcomes achieved by voucher recipients. Using neighbourhood and housing outcome data from the American Housing Survey, and median rent and rental market vacancy data, this paper demonstrates the important role that market conditions play in programme outcomes. The results from this study suggest that voucher recipients are successful at improving housing unit quality outcomes regardless of market conditions, but the ability to move to a better neighbourhood is a function of vacancy rates.     

The quest for safe drinking water: an example from Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)

While humans require water for life, one-sixth of our species lives without access to safe water. In Africa, the situation is particularly acute because of global warming, the progression of the Sahara desert, civil unrest and poor governance, population growth, migration and poverty. In rural areas, the lack of adequate safe water and sanitary infrastructures leaves millions with doubtful water quality, increasing the harshness of daily life. In this paper, a pilot study was conducted during the wet season on Bolama Island (Guinea-Bissau, West Africa), a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve. Twenty-eight shallow wells, supplying water to most of the population, were sampled for microbiological, physical and chemical water quality characteristics. A ten-parameter water quality index (WQI) adapted to tropical conditions was applied to compare the different wells. About 79% of the wells showed moderate to heavy fecal contamination. From the surveyed parameters, it was found that chemical contamination was less important, although all samples were acidic, with the pH averaging 5.12+/-0.08. The WQI was 43+/-4% (0%-worst; 100%-best quality), showing that the water from the majority of wells was polluted but should be suitable for domestic use after appropriate treatment. At the onset of the wet season, diarrhea represented 11.5% of all medical cases, 92.5% of which were children aged <15. This paper suggests inexpensive steps to reduce the fecal contamination and control the pH in order to increase the potability of the well water and, concomitantly, to raise the living standards of the population in one of the poorest countries of the world.     

城市空间增长效应评价方法——以重庆市为例

在城市空间快速增长背景下,开展城市空间增长效应评价研究,有助于解决城市空间增长中出现的问题,可为确定城市空间发展战略、制定空间发展政策提供依据。城市空间增长效应评价方法旨在定量、客观地判断城市空间增长过程中要素配置与运行是否合理、高效和公平。笔者建立了结构配置效应、经济配置效应和公平配置效应3个方面的评价体系,通过目标法对城市空间增长效应进行评价,得出空间增长效应评价函数。以重庆市为例进行实证分析,结果显示:重庆市2004—2013年间的城市空间增长效应总体呈上升发展趋势,结构性、公平性趋好;合理配置效应和经济配置效应波动显著,反映出城市建设面临的用地结构优化、用地效率提升等方面的问题。     

The utility of multivariate statistical techniques in hydrogeochemical studies: an example from Karnataka,India

Quality of groundwater is controlled by many factors amongst which the interaction of river water with adjacent groundwater and mixing/non-mixing of different types of groundwater may be important. An attempt has been made to study these processes using multivariate statistical techniques such as factor and cluster analyses. The Nethravathi catchment (India) which is a tropical river basin draining the Precambrian crystalline province of peninsular India, has been selected for this study. Hydrogeochemical data for 56 groundwater samples were subjected to Q- and R- mode factor and cluster analysis. R-mode analysis reveals the inter-relations among the variables studied and the Q-mode analysis reveals the inter-relations among the samples studied. The R-mode factor analysis shows that Na and Cl with HCO3 account for most of the electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids of the groundwater. The 'single dominance' nature of the majority of the factors in the R-mode analysis indicates non-mixing or partial mixing of different types of groundwater. Both Q-mode factor and Q-mode cluster analyses shows that there is an exchange between the river water and the adjacent groundwater.     

Surface runoff on loess: an example of a commonly overlooked hazardous process from northeast Czech Republic

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Engineering structures in the geological environment of loess sediments face a number of problems. An emphasis is placed on the surface runoff...     

地幔柱与自然铜成矿的关系——以东天山为例

地幔柱理论在成矿学中的应用使对矿质来源的研究与地球的演化联系起来,文章系统介绍了与地幔柱成矿作用有关的矿床类型,并在此基础上,重点论述了地幔柱与自然铜成矿作用之间的关系,并以东天山地区自然铜成矿带为例,阐述了自然铜成矿的机理和成矿模式。     

The impact of industrial-scale cartridge filtration on the native microbial communities from groundwater

Groundwater is a major source for bottled water, which is increasingly consumed all over the world. Some categories of bottled water can be subjected to treatments such as disinfection prior to bottling. In the current study, we present the quantitative impact of industrial-scale micro-filtration (0.22 microm pore size) on native microbial communities of groundwater and evaluate subsequent microbial growth after bottling. Two separate groundwater aquifers were tested. Flow-cytometric total cell concentration (TCC) and total adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) analysis were used to quantify microbial abundance. The TCC of the native microbial community in both aquifers was in the range of 10(3)-10(4) cells/ml. Up to 10% of the native microbial community was able to pass through the cartridge filtration units installed at both aquifers. In addition, all samples (either with or without 0.22 microm filtration) showed significant growth after bottling and storage, reaching average final concentrations of 1-3 x 10(5) cells/ml. However, less growth was observed in carbon-free glassware than in standard polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Furthermore, our results showed that filtration and bottling can alter the microbial community patterns as observed with flow cytometry. The current study established that industrial-scale micro-filtration cannot serve as an absolute barrier for the native microbial community and provided significant insight to the impact of filtration and bottling on microbial concentrations in bottled water.     

东昆仑东段化探采样方法找矿效果探讨——以青海科日南地区为例

化探作为研究地球化学元素分布规律及浓集特征的重要手段,被广泛应用找矿工作中,因采样方法、密度及介质等因素的不同,直接或间接的影响其找矿效果。通过探讨1∶25万、1∶5万和1∶2. 5万3种不同比例尺化探工作采样方法在科日南地区找矿应用中的效果对比,认为1∶25万区域化探扫面工作大致查明了研究区内成矿元素的分带特征、富集规律、指明了找矿靶区; 1∶5万化探工作有进一步浓缩和分解异常的作用,但对异常源的定位范围过去偏大; 1∶2. 5万化探工作其独特的采样方法,能够快速、准确的定位异常源,找矿效果明显优于前两种化探工作。因此,1∶2. 5万化探工作作为新的找矿手段,在成矿地质条件优越,但第四系覆盖较严重及矿化体剥蚀程度低的部分东昆仑、柴北缘等地区在找矿工作中可大力推广应用。     

高校专业基础课程思政育人效果提升方法探索——以工程力学为例

近几年,课程思政已成为课程建设的重要内容和教学改革的重要方面。高校专业基础课是普通基础课和专业课之间的纽带,课程教学质量直接关系到整个专业的教学质量。目前,思政教学实践普遍存在“表面化”“硬融入”的问题,专业基础课程也不例外。专业基础课程与其他课程相比,具有覆盖面大、受众广的特点;因此,提高专业基础课的课程思政育人效果是高校急需解决的问题。首先,要提升授课教师的思政育人能力,要让全体授课教师在理念上认同,在能力上胜任。其次,要符合专业育人特点,充分体现授课对象的差异性,深度挖掘课程本身所蕴含的思政元素,建立具有课程特色、专业特色、学校特色的课程思政案例库。根据学科、专业、教材的不同采取多种教学方式,对学生因材施教,实现价值塑造。最后,从课程质量标准、教材、教学过程三个方面全方位做好课程思政设计,通过课程思政实现价值引导、知识传授和能力培养三大育人目标,确保专业基础课程的思政育人效果。     

本科生国际化培养模式探索——以北京航空航天大学土木与机场工程专业为例

北京航空航天大学土木与机场工程专业自2012年开设本科生国际化实验班以来,突出学校航空航天基础设施建设特色,综合中英文课程体系、国际暑期学校和国际交换学习完成授课内容。在人才培养上,注重参加科技竞赛,依托科研项目,辅以名师学术报告、学术会议等全方位提高学生的国际视野,激发创新思维,培养综合型高端人才。     

基于SPOC的混合教学模式探索与实践——以钢结构课程为例

“教育信息化2.0”更加注重教育与信息技术的深度融合,强调创新教与学是提高人才培养质量的重要途径。立足“互联网+教育”新教育生态,阐述SPOC和混合教学的基本内涵、优势及特征,分析混合教学模式的基础理论依据,构建基于SPOC的混合教学模式,包括教学准备、教学过程设计、考核评价3个环节,并以钢结构课程为例开展教学实践探索与反思。结果表明,基于SPOC的混合教学模式强化学生学习的主体地位,一定程度上提高了学生的学习深度,实现了实践应用、分析决策和批判思维等培养目标,增加了学生学习的获得感。同时,基于SPOC的混合教学模式教学反思发现,对教学者的教学能力和学习能力提出了更高要求。高校、科研院所与师生的共同参与,可不断推进SPOC教学改革实践。     

黏土矿物对于储层敏感性的影响与控制作用——以庆阳合水地区长6超低渗砂岩储层为例

以鄂尔多斯盆地合水地区长6超低渗透砂岩储层为例,综合应用储层敏感性、扫描电镜、X射线衍射等实验技术方法,系统研究了储层敏感性类型及损害程度,并深入地探讨了黏土矿物对于长6储层敏感性的影响与控制作用。结果表明:①长6油层的储层敏感性整体表现为中等偏强水敏性和速敏性、弱酸敏性、强盐敏性以及中等偏弱碱敏性的五敏特征;②储层黏土矿物主要有高岭石、伊利石、绿泥石以及伊蒙混层等4种类型,且以伊利石含量最高;③储层敏感性及其程度明显受控于黏土矿物类型及其含量,并且具有黏土矿物含量越高、储层敏感性越强的特点。本研究成果将为合水地区长6油层注水开发过程中有效保护储层以及提高采收率提供重要的参考依据。     

授之以渔——以建筑学课程设计成果为例解析空间操作法

建筑学课程具有感性与理性、艺术与技术相融合的特点,导致其创意构思、过程深化、成果设计很难被度量,设计课程教学普遍无章可循、无例可依,难以用规范性方法和阶段化步骤进行把控,教学效果存在较大起伏。本文以建筑学三年级课程设计成果为例,通过对空间操作法进行解析,引导学生掌握契合任务目标及制约要素的学习方法,构建符合自身、逻辑成熟的设计语汇,由浅入深、由简入繁,实现培养和提升学生的专业素养。