What’s the middle ground? Institutionalized vs. emerging water-related stakeholder engagement processes

Abstract

In this day and age, it is widely argued that stakeholder engagement in water-related decision-making processes yields many benefits, including legitimacy, acceptance and trust. Key legal frameworks, such as the European Water Framework Directive and the Aarhus Convention, have spurred the emergence of formal forms of stakeholder engagement. On the other hand, many engagement processes are spontaneous and self-organized. This article investigates the strategies used in formal (government-led) and informal (bottom-up) engagement processes in search of a middle ground. To this end, case studies in the Netherlands, the United States, Uganda and Ethiopia are analyzed using the OECD’s stakeholder engagement checklist. We conclude with reflection on the ways forward to make formal and informal stakeholder engagement complementary.     

Elucidation of Phosphatidylcholine Composition in Krill Oil Extracted from <Emphasis Type=Italic>Euphausia superba</Emphasis>

High performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry was used to elucidate the phospholipids in krill oil extracted from Euphausia superba, an emerging source for human nutritional supplements. The study was carried out in order to map the species of the choline-containing phospholipid classes: phosphatidylcholine and lyso-phosphatidylcholine. In addition, the prevalent phosphatidylcholine class was quantified and the results compared with prior analysis. The qualification was performed with separation on a reverse phase chromatography column, while the quantification was obtained with class separation on a normal phase chromatography column. An Orbitrap system was used for the detection, and pulsed-Q dissociation fragmentation was utilized for the identification of the species. An asymmetrical exclusion list was applied for detection of phospholipid species of lower concentration, significantly improving the number of species observed. A total of 69 choline-containing phospholipids were detected, whereof 60 phosphatidylcholine substances, among others seven with probable omega-3 fatty acids in both sn-1 and sn-2. The phosphatidylcholine concentration was estimated to be 34 ± 5 g/100 g oil (n = 5). These results confirm the complexity of the phospholipid composition of krill oil, and the presence of long chained, heavily unsaturated fatty acids.     

Assessment of existing H2/O2 chemical reaction mechanisms at reheat gas turbine conditions

This paper provides detailed comparisons of chemical reaction mechanisms of H₂ applicable at high preheat temperatures and pressures relevant to gas turbine and particularly Alstom’s reheat gas turbine conditions. It is shown that the available reaction mechanisms exhibit large differences in several important elementary reaction coefficients. The reaction mechanisms are assessed by comparing ignition delay and laminar flame speed results obtained from CHEMKIN with available data, however, the amount of data at these conditions is scarce and a recommended candidate among the mechanisms can presently not be selected. Generally, the results with the GRI-Mech and Leeds mechanisms deviate from the Davis, Li, Ó Conaire, Konnov and San Diego mechanisms, but there are also significant deviations between the latter five mechanisms that altogether are better adapted to hydrogen. The differences in ignition delay times between the dedicated hydrogen mechanisms (Ó Conaire, Li and Konnov) range from approximately a maximum factor of 2 for the H₂-air cases, to more than a factor 5 for the H₂/O₂/AR cases. The application of the computed ignition delay time to reheat burner development is briefly discussed.     

The predictive capability of an automatically generated combustion chemistry mechanism: Chemical structures of premixed iso-butanol flames

The chemical compositions of four low-pressure premixed flames of iso-butanol are investigated with an emphasis on assessing the predictive capabilities of an automatically generated combustion chemistry model. This kinetic model had been extensively tested against earlier experimental data [S.S. Merchant, E.F. Zanoelo, R.L. Speth, M.R. Harper, K.M. Van Geem, W.H. Green, Combust. Flame (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2013.04.023.] and also shows impressive capabilities for predicting the new flame data presented here. The new set of data consists of isomer-resolved mole fraction profiles for more than 40 species in each of the four flames and provides a comprehensive benchmark for testing of any combustion chemistry model for iso-butanol. Isomer-specificity is achieved by analyzing flames, which are burner-stabilized at equivalence ratios of ? = 1.0–1.5 and at pressures between 15 and 30 Torr, with molecular-beam mass spectrometry and single-photon ionization by tunable vacuum-ultraviolet synchrotron radiation. Predictions of the C₂H₄O, C₃H₆O, and C₄H₈O enol–aldehyde–ketone isomers are improved compared to the earlier work by Hansen et al. [N. Hansen, M. R. Harper, W. H. Green, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 13 (2011) 20262-20274] on similar n-butanol flames. A reaction path analysis identifies prominent fuel-consumption and oxidation sequences. Almost all of the species mole fraction data reported here are predicted within the measurement uncertainties of a factor of two to three. Some significant differences with previous published models are highlighted.     

Neighborhood network governance, ethnic organization, and the prospects for political integration

How may ethnic organizations work as mechanisms for political integration in suburban multicultural contexts with participative and network modes of governance? The overall argument of the paper is that a shift from vertical to more horizontal modes of governance affects the prospects for ethnic associations to fulfil different democratic functions. It does so in a complex, multidimensional and somewhat contradictory way. Although network modes of governance are often argued for in terms of openness and inclusion, it should not be taken for granted that such governance structures do promote democratic functions of ethnic associations. Drawing on an in-depth case study of ethnic associations and network politics in Botkyrka, Sweden, the purpose of the article is to provide theoretically informed arguments on how the political integration potential of ethnic organization is affected when they participate in local network-like arrangements and institutions. In brief, the article outlines three arguments: (1) There are different mechanisms of ethnic organization that might contribute to a more politically integrated society. (2) More horizontal network modes of governance generate new conditions for these integrative mechanisms to emerge out of ethnic organization. (3) In such a context of network governance, the different integrative mechanisms of ethnic organizations are not always supplementary, but sometimes contradictory, causing genuine dilemmas to be dealt with by local actors.