Book reviews

Australian Urban Planning: New Challenges, New Agendas. Brendan Gleeson and Nicholas Low. Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2000. ISBN 1865082384 (paperback). 273 pp.; bibliography and index. RRP $35.00.

Australian Urban Planning: New Challenges, New Agendas. Review 2.

Equity, Environment, Efficiency: Ethics and Economics in Urban Australia. Patrick Troy (ed.). Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2000. ISBN 0522848923 (paperback). 255pp.; bibliography and index. RRP $43.95.

Asian New Urbanism. William S. W. Lim. Select Books, Singapore, 1998. ISBN 9814022012. 250 pp.. RRP $52.00.

Rethinking Australian Citizenship. Wayne Hudson and John Kane (eds). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 052159670 (paperback), 052159337 9 (hardback). 274pp.; bibliography and index. RRP $34.95 (paperback), $90.00 (hardback).

Community Participation Methods in Design and Planning. Henry Sanoff. John Wiley, New York, 2000. ISBN 0471355453. 306 pp.; bibliography, additional readings and index. RRP $114.95.

Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism. Sharon Beder. Scribe, Melbourne, rev. edn, 2000. ISBN 090801144 (paperback). 336 pp; bibliography and index. RRP $29.95.     

Modelling instream nitrogen variability in the Dee catchment, NE Scotland

The Integrated Nitrogen in CAtchments model (INCA) was applied to the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, NE Scotland. To a first approximation the model was able to simulate the annual mean streamwater NO3-N concentrations observed along the length of the main channel. This provided the basis for using INCA to subsequently explore the effects of N deposition and land use management on streamwater NO3-N concentrations and loads. On an annual timescale, the model predictions suggest that NO3-N concentrations will decrease by 5% following a 20% reduction in fertiliser application. Furthermore, model results also suggest that a 50% increase in N deposition will cause a 15% increase in the streamwater NO3-N concentrations. The utility of INCA as a tool for catchment management is discussed, current limitations are highlighted and possible improvements are suggested.     

Genetic Associations of Alcohol Dehydrogenase With Alcohol Use Disorders and Endophenotypes in White College Students.

Associations of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene polymorphisms (ADH1B*2 and ADH1C*1) with a lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD) were examined in White college students. Alcohol-related endophenotypes likely to be influenced by elevations in acetaldehyde were also assessed. Individuals with an ADH1B*2 allele had lower rates of AUDs, consumed a lower maximum number of drinks in a 24-hr period, reported a greater level of response to alcohol, were more likely to have experienced alcohol-induced headaches following 1 or 2 drinks, and reported more severe hangovers than those lacking this allele. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that enhanced sensitivity to alcohol and lower levels of alcohol use reflect the mechanism by which ADH1B*2 protects against developing an AUD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dislocation structures in deformed CoO and MnO

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and etch-pitting techniques have been used to examine dislocation structures of CoO and MnO single crystals deformed into steady state from 1000 to 1400° C. In this temperature range, studies have shown that there are low- and high-temperature activation energies (Q) and stress exponents (n). No change was observed in the structures of samples deformed within this temperature range. It is concluded, therefore, that any change inQ andn values is due to a change in oxygen diffusion path from the bulk at higher temperatures to along dislocation cores at lower temperatures, rather than being due to a change in the rate-controlling mechanism of deformation     

Focusing experiments in plasma coaxial railguns

The "projectile" being accelerated in a plasma coaxial railgun is a complex mixture: besides plasma, it contains solid particles of fuse, liquid and vapor metal. Materials accelerated are not limited to the fuse metal, the rail material through ablation also contributes to them. For such a situation "plasma focusing" is a simplified term, borrowed from electron beams in vacuum technology (and electron lenses) where the Busch's theorem describes the tendency of electrons to approach the axis (or to focus) in the presence of radial and axial components of magnetic fields and under the assumption that on the time scale of interest, the ions remain essentially motionless. The present work is the first in a series of papers trying to classify and to explain a larger spectrum of problems affecting a mixture of metals in different states (solid, liquid, and vapor) in which magnetic fields, transient diffusion, and other phenomena may be used to contain or focus a flowing stream under thermal expansion. The main variable used in experiments to affect the focusing was the topology of magnetic fields, temporal and spatial. Emphasis was given to the effects of penetration of magnetic field in the bulk of the "projectile" being accelerated. Experiments were conducted on a 0.5-m coaxial railgun with inner and outer coaxial radii of 0.25 and 0.31 in., respectively. The rails were constructed from stock sizes of copper pipe with a CVD tungsten coating on the inner rail surface to minimize arc damage during the shots. External magnetic fields were applied to a 3-mg metallic vapor arc accelerated with a 250 kA capacitive discharge. Plasma characteristics were measured with magnetic pick-up coils and langmuir probes. Confinement and focusing of the arc was examined with break screens and metal deposition analysis.