Governing calculative practices: An investigation of development viability modelling in the English planning system

Over the last decade the English planning system has placed greater emphasis on the financial viability of development. ‘Calculative’ practices have been used to quantify and capture land value uplifts. Development viability appraisal (DVA) has become a key part of the evidence base used in planning decision-making and informs both ‘site-specific’ negotiations about the level of land value capture for individual schemes and ‘area-wide’ planning policy formation. This paper investigates how implementation of DVA is governed in planning policy formation. It is argued that the increased use of DVA raises important questions about how planning decisions are made and operationalised, not least because DVA is often poorly understood by some key stakeholders. The paper uses the concept of governance to thematically analyse semi-structured interviews conducted with the producers of DVAs and considers key procedural issues including (in)consistencies in appraisal practices, levels of stakeholder consultation and the potential for client and producer bias. Whilst stakeholder consultation is shown to be integral to the appraisal process in order to improve the quality of the appraisals and to legitimise the outputs, participation is restricted to industry experts and excludes some interest groups, including local communities. It is concluded that, largely because of its recent adoption and knowledge asymmetries between local planning authorities and appraisers, DVA is a weakly governed process characterised by emerging and contested guidance and is therefore ‘up for grabs’.

Understanding 2H/1H systematics of leaf wax n-alkanes in coastal plants at Stiffkey saltmarsh, Norfolk, UK

Interpretation of sedimentary n-alkyl lipid d2H data is complicated by a limited understanding of factors controlling interspecies variation in biomarker 2H/1H composition. To distinguish between the effects of interrelated environmental, physical and biochemical controls on the hydrogen isotope composition of n-alkyl lipids, we conducted linked d2H analyses of soil water, xylem water, leaf water and n-alkanes from a range of C3 and C4 plants growing at a UK saltmarsh (i) across multiple sampling sites, (ii) throughout the 2012 growing season, and (iii) at different times of the day. Soil waters varied isotopically by up to 35& depending on marsh sub-environment, and exhibited site-specific seasonal shifts in d2H up to a maximum of 31 per mil. Maximum interspecies variation in xylem water was 38 per mil, while leaf waters differed seasonally by a maximum of 29 per mil. Leaf wax n-alkane 2H/1H, however, consistently varied by over 100 per mil throughout the 2012 growing season, resulting in an interspecies range in the ewax/leaf water values of -79 per mil to –227 per mil. From the discrepancy in the magnitude of these isotopic differences, we conclude that mechanisms driving variation in the 2H/1H composition of leaf water, including (i) spatial changes in soil water 2H/1H, (ii) temporal changes in soil water 2H/1H, (iii) differences in xylem water 2H/1H, and (iv) differences in leaf water evaporative 2H-enrichment due to varied plant life forms, cannot explain the range of n-alkane d2H values we observed. Results from this study suggests that accurate reconstructions of palaeoclimate regimes from sedimentary n-alkane d2H require further research to constrain those biological mechanisms influencing species-specific differences in 2H/1H fractionation during lipid biosynthesis, in particular where plants have developed biochemical adaptations to water-stressed conditions. Understanding how these mechanisms interact with environmental conditions will be crucial to ensure accurate interpretation of hydrogen isotope signals from the geological record.

Collabowrighting the hyper(play)text: a postdramatic digital poetics

The aim of this research is to exhibit how literary playtexts can evoke multisensory trends prevalent in 21st century theatre. In order to do so, it explores a range of practical forms and theoretical contexts for creating participatory, site-specific and immersive theatre. With reference to literary theory, specifically to semiotics, reader-response theory, postmodernism and deconstruction, it attempts to revise dramatic theory established by Aristotle’s Poetics. Considering Gertrude Stein’s essay, Plays (1935), and relevant trends in theatre and performance, shaped by space, technology and the everchanging role of the audience member, a postdramatic poetics emerges from which to analyze the plays of Mac Wellman and Suzan-Lori Parks. Distinguishing the two textual lives of a play as the performance playtext and the literary playtext, it examines the conventions of the printed literary playtext, with reference to models of practice that radicalize the play form, including works by Mabou Mines, The Living Theatre and Fiona Templeton. The arguments of this practice-led Ph.D. developed out of direct engagement with the practice project, which explores the multisensory potential of written language when combined with hypermedia. The written thesis traces the development process of a new play, Rumi High, which is presented digitally as a ‘hyper(play)text,’ accessible through the Internet at www.RumiHigh.org. Here, ‘playwrighting’ practice is expanded spatially, collaboratively and textually. Plays are built, designed and crafted with many layers of meaning that explore both linguistic and graphic modes of poetic expression. The hyper(play)text of Rumi High establishes playwrighting practice as curatorial, where performance and literary playtexts are in a reciprocal relationship. This thesis argues that digital writing and reading spaces enable new approaches to expressing the many languages of performance, while expanding the collaborative network that produces the work. It questions how participatory forms of immersive and site-specific theatre can be presented as interactive literary playtexts, which enable the reader to have a multisensory experience. Through a reflection on process and an evaluation of the practice project, this thesis problematizes notions of authorship and text.

Decomposition in tropical forests: a pan-tropical study of the effects of litter type, litter placement and mesofaunal exclusion across a precipitation gradient

1. Litter decomposition recycles nutrients and causes large fluxes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is typically assumed that climate, litter quality and decomposer communities determine litter decay rates, yet few comparative studies have examined their relative contributions in tropical forests. 2. We used a short-term litterbag experiment to quantify the effects of litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion on decomposition in 23 tropical forests in 14 countries. Annual precipitation varied among sites (760-5797 mm). At each site, two standard substrates (Raphia farinifera and Laurus nobilis) were decomposed in fine- and coarse-mesh litterbags both above and below ground for approximately 1 year. 3. Decomposition was rapid, with >95% mass loss within a year at most sites. Litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion all independently affected decomposition, but the magnitude depended upon site. Both the average decomposition rate at each site and the ratio of above- to below-ground decay increased linearly with annual precipitation, explaining 60-65% of among-site variation. Excluding mesofauna had the largest impact on decomposition, reducing decomposition rates by half on average, but the magnitude of decrease was largely independent of climate. This suggests that the decomposer community might play an important role in explaining patterns of decomposition among sites. Which litter type decomposed fastest varied by site, but was not related to climate. 4. Synthesis. A key goal of ecology is to identify general patterns across ecological communities, as well as relevant site-specific details to understand local dynamics. Our pan-tropical study shows that certain aspects of decomposition, including average decomposition rates and the ratio of above- to below-ground decomposition are highly correlated with a simple climatic index: mean annual precipitation. However, we found no relationship between precipitation and effects of mesofaunal exclusion or litter type, suggesting that site-specific details may also be required to understand how these factors affect decomposition at local scales.

Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Peroxiredoxin Q beta from Xylella fastidiosa CATALYTIC MECHANISM AND HIGH REACTIVITY

The phytopathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa is the etiological agent of various plant diseases. To survive under oxidative stress imposed by the host, microorganisms express antioxidant proteins, including cysteine-based peroxidases named peroxiredoxins. This work is a comprehensive analysis of the catalysis performed by PrxQ from X. fastidiosa (XfPrxQ) that belongs to a peroxiredoxin class still poorly characterized and previously considered as moderately reactive toward hydroperoxides. Contrary to these assumptions, our competitive kinetics studies have shown that the second-order rate constants of the peroxidase reactions of XfPrxQ with hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite are in the order of 107 and 106 M(-1) s(-1), respectively, which are as fast as the most efficient peroxidases. The XfPrxQ disulfides were only slightly reducible by dithiothreitol; therefore, the identification of a thioredoxin system as the probable biological reductant of XfPrxQ was a relevant finding. We also showed by site-specific mutagenesis and mass spectrometry that an intramolecular disulfide bond between Cys-47 and Cys-83 is generated during the catalytic cycle. Furthermore, we elucidated the crystal structure of XfPrxQ C47S in which Ser-47 and Cys-83 lie similar to 12.3 angstrom apart. Therefore, significant conformational changes are required for disulfide bond formation. In fact, circular dichroism data indicated that there was a significant redox-dependent unfolding of alpha-helices, which is probably triggered by the peroxidatic cysteine oxidation. Finally, we proposed a model that takes data from this work as well data as from the literature into account.

Direct Observation of Millisecond to Second Motions in Proteins by Dipolar CODEX NMR Spectroscopy

We present a site-resolved study of stow (ms to s) motions in a protein in the solid (microcrystalline) state performed with the use of a modified version of the centerband-only detection of exchange (CODEX) NMR experiment. CODEX was originally based on measuring changes in molecular orientation by means of the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensor, and in our modification, angular reorientations of internuclear vectors are observed. The experiment was applied to the study of stow (15)N-(1)H motions of the SH3 domain of chicken a-spectrin. The protein was perdeuterated with partial back-exchange of protons at labile sites. This allowed indirect (proton) detection of (15)N nuclei and thus a significant enhancement of sensitivity. The diluted proton system also made negligible proton-driven spin diffusion between (15)N nuclei, which interferes with the molecular exchange (motion) and hampers the acquisition of dynamic parameters. The experiment has shown that approximately half of the peaks in the 2D (15)N-(1)H correlation spectrum exhibit exchange in a different extent. The correlation time of the slow motion for most peaks is 1 to 3 s. This is the first NMR study of the internal dynamics of proteins in the solid state on the millisecond to second time scale with site-specific spectral resolution that provides both time-scale and geometry information about molecular motions.

Factors influencing tourism sustainability : The case of the World Heritage Falun Great Copper Mountain

This thesis focuses on identifying hindrances of achieving a sustainable tourism development on a base of a World Heritage Site. Using a case study of the World Heritage Site Falun Great Copper Mountain, the thesis assesses the situational context by using qualitative methods. Five semi- structured interviews with influential stakeholders were conducted to get an inside view of the current situation and to identify site-specific issues. The thesis identifies a number of factors that determine the successful implementation of measures leading towards sustainable tourism in the long-run; the most important being the lack of clear guidelines for the whole destination and no holistic planning approach within the municipality. The thesis concludes that despite the increased pressures towards establishment of sustainable tourism, the concept remains challenging to operationalize for the World Heritage Site without frameworks and tools from UNESCO.

The effect of mechanical loading on the size and shape of bone in pre-, peri-, and postpubertal girls: a study in tennis players

Exercise during growth results in biologically important increases in bone mineral content (BMC). The aim of this study was to determine whether the effects of loading were site specific and depended on the maturational stage of the region. BMC and humeral dimensions were determined using DXA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the loaded and nonloaded arms in 47 competitive female tennis players aged 8-17 years. Periosteal (external) cross-sectional area (CSA), cortical area, medullary area, and the polar second moments of area (I_p, mm⁴) were calculated at the mid and distal sites in the loaded and nonloaded arms. BMC and I _p of the humerus were 11-14% greater in the loaded arm than in the nonloaded arm in prepubertal players and did not increase further in peri- or postpubertal players despite longer duration of loading (both, _p < 0.01). The higher BMC was the result of a 7-11% greater cortical area in the prepubertal players due to greater periosteal than medullary expansion at the midhumerus and a greater periosteal expansion alone at the distal humerus. Loading late in puberty resulted in medullary contraction. Growth and the effects of loading are region and surface specific, with periosteal apposition before puberty accounting for the increase in the bone's resistance to torsion and endocortical contraction contributing late in puberty conferring little increase in resistance to torsion. Increasing the bone's rt.osistance to torsion is achieved hy modifying bone shape and mass, not necessarily bone density.

The diet of powerful owls (Ninox strenua) and prey availability in a continuum of habitats from disturbed urban fringe to protected forest environments in south-eastern Australia

This study investigates the diet of six breeding pairs of powerful owls in the Yarra Valley Corridor in Victoria, Australia, and compares prey consumption with prey availability. The six sites represent a continuum of habitats, ranging from urban Melbourne, through the urban fringe interface to a more forested landscape. We found that powerful owls in the Yarra Valley Corridor are reliant almost exclusively on arboreal marsupial prey as their preferred diet, with 99% of their overall diet comprising four arboreal marsupial species. These four species (the common ringtail possum, common brushtail possum, sugar glider and greater glider) were also the most abundant species observed while spotlighting; however, their abundance varied along the continuum. There was a strong positive relationship with the presence of these species in the diet and their site-specific availability, indicating that the powerful owl is a generalist hunter, preying on the most available prey at a given site and in a given season. This study suggests that food resources are high in these disturbed urban fringe sites and it is unlikely that food availability in urban environments will limit the potential survival of urban powerful owls.

Leukemia risk associated with low-level benzene exposure

Background: Men who were part of an Australian petroleum industry cohort had previously been found to have an excess of lympho-hematopoietic cancer. Occupational benzene exposure is a possible cause of this excess.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study of lympho-hematopoietic cancer nested within the existing cohort study to examine the role of benzene exposure. Cases identified between 1981 and 1999 (N = 79) were age-matched to 5 control subjects from the cohort. We estimated each subject's benzene exposure using occupational histories, local site-specific information, and an algorithm using Australian petroleum industry monitoring data.

Results: Matched analyses showed that the risk of leukemia was increased at cumulative exposures above 2 ppm-years and with intensity of exposure of highest exposed job over 0.8 ppm. Risk increased with higher exposures; for the 13 case-sets with greater than 8 ppm-years cumulative exposure, the odds ratio was 11.3 (95% confidence interval = 2.85-45.1). The risk of leukemia was not associated with start date or duration of employment. The association with type of workplace was explained by cumulative exposure. There is limited evidence that short-term high exposures carry more risk than the same amount of exposure spread over a longer period. The risks for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia were raised for the highest exposed workers. No association was found between non-Hodgkin lymphoma or multiple myeloma and benzene exposure, nor between tobacco or alcohol consumption and any of the cancers.

Conclusions: We found an excess risk of leukemia associated with cumulative benzene exposures and benzene exposure intensities that were considerably lower than reported in previous studies. No evidence was found of a threshold cumulative exposure below which there was no risk.

A life cycle inventory of aluminium die casting

As part of an ongoing project, a life cycle inventory (LCI) of aluminium high pressure die casting (HPDC) has been collected. This has been conducted from the view of an individual product and also the entire process. The objective of the study was to analyse the process and suggest changes to reduce environmental impacts. One modem aluminium high pressure die casting plant located in Victoria, Australia was evaluated and modelled. Site specific data on energy and materials was gathered and the process was modelled using a typical automotive component. The paper also presents our experience and methodology used in this inventory data collection process from the real industry for LCA purposes. The inventory data collected itself reveals that the HPDC process is energy intensive and as such the major emissions were from the use of natural gas fired furnaces and from the brown coal derived electricity. It is also found the large environmental benefits of using secondary aluminium over primary aluminium in the HPDC process. A detailed LCA is being cal1ied out based on the inventory obtained.

Identifying the drivers behind housing preferences of first time owners

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a rare insight into the motivation behind first-time buyers when looking to purchase their first home. The factors driving demand preferences for detached housing are constantly changing and difficult to measure, and often deemed to be a complex bundle of attributes.

Design/methodology/approach – The research in this paper is based on interviews with purchasers at a series of locations across Melbourne, Australia, who were actively seeking to purchase a home for the first time. The data were analysed using factor analysis to identify the core decision criteria in a new house that were most sought after.

Findings – The findings in this paper confirmed that “financial” issues accounted for approximately 30 percent of the actual decision by first-time buyers to purchase housing, where decisions relating to the timing and choice of housing are dependent on “site-specific” factors.

Research limitations/implications – The research in this paper is aimed specifically at first time buyers only and the influencing factors behind their purchasing decisions.

Practical implications – The paper shows that, if consideration is given to the characteristics that first-time owners are looking for, providers of new housing would be better equipped to meet this demand and maximise construction efficiency.

Originality/value – In the paper the emphasis was placed on identifying and analysing the decision criteria behind first-time buyers, which provided an invaluable insight into their concept of a suitable residence. Rather than analysing sales transactions after they have been completed, this research considers aspects of new houses that first-time owners are actively searching for, prior to making their purchase.

Trace metal speciation in the Pieman River catchment, western Tasmania

The Pieman River catchment has seen continuous mining of economic deposits of gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc and tin since the 1870’s. Tributaries of this river which receive mining effluent, either directly or from acid mine drainage (AMID), have total metal concentrations considerably above background levels and are of regulatory concern. The lower Pieman River is however classified as a State Reserve in which recreational fishing and tourism are the major activities. It is therefore important that water entering the lower Pieman River from upstream hydroelectric impoundments is of high quality. Metals in natural waters exist in a variety of dissolved, colloidal and particulate forms. The bioavailability and hence toxicity of heavy metal pollutants is very dependant on their physico form. Knowledge of the speciation of a metal in natural aquatic environments is therefore necessary for understanding its geochemical behaviour and biological availability. Complexation of metal ions by natural ligands in aquatic systems is believed to play a significant role in controlling their chemical speciation. This study has investigated temporal and spatial variation in complexation of metal ions in the Pieman River. The influence of pH, temperature, organic matter, salinity, ionic strength and time has been investigated in a series of field studies and in laboratory-based experiments which simulated natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Labile metals were measured using two techniques in various freshwater and estuarine environments. Diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) allowed in situ measurement of solution speciation whilst differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) was used to measure labile metal species in water samples collected from the catchment. Organic complexation was found to be a significant regulating mechanism for copper speciation and the copper-binding ligand concentration usually exceeded the total copper concentration in the river water. Complexation was highly dependent on pH and at the river-seawater interface was also regulated by salinity, probably as a result of competitive complexation by major ions in seawater (eg. Ca 2+ ions). Zinc complexation was also evident, however total zinc concentrations in the water column often far exceeded the potential binding capacity of available ligands. In addition to organic complexation, Zn speciation may also be associated with adsorption by flocculated or resuspended colloidal Mn and/or Fe oxyhydroxides. Metal ion complexation and hence speciation was found to be highly variable within the Pieman River catchment. This presents major difficulties for environmental managers, as it is therefore not possible to make catchment-wide assumptions about the bioavailability of these metals. These results emphasise the importance of site-specific sampling protocols and speciation testing, ideally incorporating continuous, in situ monitoring.

Fine-scale adaptation in a clonal sea anemone

Local adaptation in response to fine-scale spatial heterogeneity is well documented in terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast, in marine environments local adaptation has rarely been documented or rigorously explored. This may reflect real or anticipated effects of genetic homogenization, resulting from widespread dispersal in the sea. However, evolutionary theory predicts that for the many benthic species with complex life histories that include both sexual and asexual phases, each parental habitat patch should become dominated by the fittest and most competitive clones. In this study we used genotypic mapping to show that within headlands, clones of the sea anemone Actinia tenebrosa show restricted distributions to specific habitats despite the potential for more widespread dispersal. On these same shores we used reciprocal transplant experiments that revealed strikingly better performance of clones within their natal rather than foreign habitats as judged by survivorship, asexual fecundity, and growth. These findings highlight the importance of selection for fine-scale environmental adaptation in marine taxa and imply that the genotypic structure of populations reflects extensive periods of interclonal competition and site-specific selection.

AMP-activated protein kinase regulates GLUT4 transcription by phosphorylating histone deacetylase 5

Objective: Insulin resistance associated with obesity and diabetes is ameliorated by specific overexpression of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle. The molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle GLUT4 expression remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to examine these mechanisms.

Research Design and Methods and Results: Here, we report that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates GLUT4 transcription through the histone deacetylase (HDAC)5 transcriptional repressor. Overexpression of HDAC5 represses GLUT4 reporter gene expression, and HDAC inhibition in human primary myotubes increases endogenous GLUT4 gene expression. In vitro kinase assays, site-directed mutagenesis, and site-specific phospho-antibodies establish AMPK as an HDAC5 kinase that targets S259 and S498. Constitutively active but not dominant-negative AMPK and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-d-ribonucleoside (AICAR) treatment in human primary myotubes results in HDAC5 phosphorylation at S259 and S498, association with 14-3-3 isoforms, and H3 acetylation. This reduces HDAC5 association with the GLUT4 promoter, as assessed through chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and HDAC5 nuclear export, concomitant with increases in GLUT4 gene expression. Gene reporter assays also confirm that the HDAC5 S259 and S498 sites are required for AICAR induction of GLUT4 transcription.

Conclusions: These data reveal a signal transduction pathway linking cellular energy charge to gene transcription directed at restoring cellular and whole-body energy balance and provide new therapeutic targets for the treatment and management of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.