Phosphorus concentrations in the River Dun, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Kennet, southern England

Variations in phosphorus (P) concentrations in an agriculturally impacted river draining a Chalk aquifer and an associated canal in the west of the Thames Basin, southern England are examined and linked to agricultural and sewage sources and within river/canal process controls. The study area comprises the River Dun, the adjacent River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon (K&A) Canal. Large seasonal variations are observed for soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and dissolved silicon (Si) with low concentrations in the spring and summer times when biological activity is high. The K&A Canal shows the largest SRP and Si concentration declines. This reflects high biological activity coupled with higher temperatures and higher water residence times. The extent of SRP removal is examined in relation to organic (uptake/release with phytoplankton growth/decay) and, to a lesser extent, inorganic (SRP coprecipitation with calcite) mechanisms. Boron (B) is used as a tracer of sewage sources. Agricultural inputs of both dissolved and particulate P (PP) can be important particularly under conditions where the catchment is wet and near surface/overland flow is important: sewage treatment works effluent and septic tank discharges to groundwater also probably provide a major component of the SRP occurring within the water column. The canal, and to a lesser extent the river, acts as sink for P in sewage effluent sources due to the high biological activity especially during the spring and summer. The aquifer probably acts as a major sink for agricultural and septic tank inputs of P.     

The effect of aluminium coating on elemental standards in X-ray microanalysis

The standardisation of frozen hydrated bulk biological specimens using gelatin standards is described. The relationship between corrected elemental X-ray counts and ionic concentration was found to be linear, and minimum detectable limits for each element are stated. Variations in uncorrected standard curves were found to be due to changes in aluminium coating thickness. There was an inverse relationship between coating thickness and elemental X-ray counts. The factors causing this are discussed. To avoid errors arising from inconsistent aluminium thickness, experimental material should only be compared with standards of similar aluminium net counts. This can be achieved most easily by mounting and analysing specimen and standard together.     

Project affinity: the role of emotional attachment in construction projects

Although a wide range of human and organizational factors have been found to be important in the operation of projects, those determined by cultural variables are less well defined. One such influence concerns the notion of ‘project affinity’, the commitment and attachment by stakeholders and participants to projects and their outcomes. The temporal nature and transient involvement context provided by construction projects arguably presents a climate in which many participants are less likely to display commitment to its goals. This note is concerned with the issue of whether an attachment to a project's goals or to the completed product can lead to improved commitment among those involved. The concept of project affinity was developed in the course of a case study investigation in which operatives' attitudes towards the construction of a cancer research facility were explored. Because of the contribution of the facility to the future care of cancer sufferers, the concept of project affinity proved helpful in understanding a factor that appeared to be influencing the commitment of those involved. The results suggest a complementary concept to that of ‘project chemistry’ (c.f. Nicolini, 2002 Nicolini, D. 2002. In search of ‘project chemistry’.. Construction Management and Economics, 20: 167–77.  ).     

Colonial Settlers and the Metropole: Racial discourse in the early 19th-century Cape Colony,Australia and New Zealand

The ways that British settlers in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, particularly those engaged in the extension of commercial sheep farming, constructed a certain discourse of colonialism during the first half of the 19th century are discussed. It is argued that this discourse was formulated, at least in part, in opposition to that of humanitarians within each colony and in Britain, who challenged settler capitalist practices on the fringes of Britain's expanding empire. Representations of a civilizing impact on the landscape were one component of the new racialized understandings and identities that settlers at each site constructed in their defence. Through attention to three colonial sites and their relations with each other and with the metropole, it is aimed to highlight the ways in which discourses of colonial landscapes and their inhabitants travelled across an imperial terrain.     

The broads by bicycle

Many American cities now have ordinances which stipulate minimum standards of landscaping for new developments. Nine such ordinances are reviewed, six being graphically portrayed as they affect standard developments.     

Key considerations for developing corporate and operational approaches for managing the small building works portfolio of large client organizations

Many large organizations, which act in the capacity of clients to the construction industry, own and occupy extensive, diverse and often geographically dispersed property estates. To maintain their upkeep and use, these estates often require very considerable annual expenditure on maintenance, alterations, refurbishment and small-scale new building works. Activities encompassing these types form the category of small building works, a sub-sector of the construction industry which amounts to around £9 billion, or 20%, of annual UK total construction output. The effective management of small building works in the context of any organization with large property holdings is essential, as better management of the small building works portfolio can contribute significantly to the business of the organization. This paper contributes new data and adds to the synthesis of findings from research studies into small works, supported by governmental and industry sources and conducted over a 10-year period. It aims to assist in the development of corporate and operational approaches for managing the small building works portfolio of large organizations by highlighting key considerations. These are linked to a dynamic control cycle, or system, to assist organizations in implementing practice based on the considerations made.     

Serving regional demand in facility location

Location modelling is employed in urban and regional planning to site facilities that provide services of some sort. Issues to be considered usually include the number of facilities to locate, where to site those facilities and how demand is to be served. Given the geographic nature of location problems, a key issue is how to represent facilities and demand in geographic space. Traditionally, spatial abstraction as discrete demand is assumed as it simplifies model formulation and reduces computational complexity. However, errors in derived solutions are likely not negligible, especially when demand varies continuously across a region. This paper discusses a single facility location problem that considers demand to be continuously distributed and allows a facility to be located anywhere in space, the continuous Weber problem. An approach for dealing with continuous demand is proposed that is integrated through geographical information system (GIS) functionality. Empirical results highlight the advantages of the developed approach and the importance of solution integration with GIS.     

Limits and potentials to deliberative engagement in highly regulated planning systems: Norm development within fixed rules

Planning practice requires ongoing interaction between regulatory “facts” and deliberative “norms”. Played out in local and strategic developments, “norms” are the agreed values and positions developed by advancing deliberative engagement of residents; while “facts” are the more rigid statutory procedures through which planning decisions are typically made. However, conflict arises between residents' groups and local government decision-makers when deliberative norms, now a key tenet of strategic planning processes, struggle to gain traction in the factual spaces provided by statutory planning regulations. A contentious planning process in St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia (concerning the redevelopment of a car park into a commercial and public space) highlights the challenges to deliberative engagement in highly-regulatory planning systems. Drawing on this contested case, this paper examines how the broader formal and relatively fixed framework of regulatory-based decision-making fails to support participatory principles, undermining both the desired communicative ethos and enduring collaborative outcomes and norm development. Specifically, the paper problematises tensions between residents' growing expectations for greater transparency and participation in planning, arising from a growing regard for deliberation in strategic planning, and the hegemonic nature of statutory planning that preserves planning control within the formal domain of government and the private sector.     

Adelaide: Reflections on the scope for public policy

Abstract

Metropolitan Adelaide, a crucible of urban policy innovation in the 1970s, has recently been the subject of pessimistic prognoses about its economic future. The pessimism is overstated. This article documents positive features — economic, institutional, historical — which might form the basis for greater optimism.