Suchergebnisse

AbstractThe redevelopment of Frankley water‐treatment works (maximum flow 450 Ml/d), which supplies soft upland‐derived water to the Birmingham area, will enable iron, manganese, colour, turbidity and natural aluminium levels to be significantly reduced below the EC drinking water quality Directive.This paper describes the pilot studies which led to the decision to build what is presently believed to be the largest dissolved‐air flotation plant in the world.The studies demonstrated, amongst other things, the effectiveness of ferric sulphate for treating coloured upland waters; the viability of stablization using carbon dioxide and lime to prevent pH variation in the distribution system; that a membrane press was the most appropriate dewatering process, and that the treated water would reduce the particulate lead concentrations in properties containing lead service pipes.Costing £0.5 million and equating to approximately 1% of redevelopment cost, the pilot study was considered to be excellent value.

Democracy manifests itself in a range of ways and is an imperfect, dynamic struggle for collective decision-making. This article dis cusses the multifaceted processes of deliberative democratic praxis found in traditional Māori society. Central to decision-making in te ao Māori, hui provide formal and informal structures for deliberative democracy, precedent setting, learning, and transformation through consensus mak ing, inclusive debate, and discussion across all levels of society. Rather than coercion and voting, rangatira relied on a complex mix of custom ary values and accomplished oratory skills to explore issues in family and community meetings and in public assemblies. Decisions made through in clusive deliberative processes practiced in hui established evident reason ing and responsibility for all community members to uphold the reached consensus. This article claims that practicing deliberative democracy as a fundamental way of life, learned through ongoing active and meaningful participation throughout childhood, improves the integrity of democratic decision-making. ; false

Objectives: This study investigated how adults in the UK perceived their arts and cultural engagement to facilitate social connectedness at two time points in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study design: The study used the HEartS Survey, a newly designed online survey tool to capture arts engagement in the UK and its associations with social and mental wellbeing, over two phases in 2020: March-May (Phase 1) and October (Phase 2). Methods: Qualitative data were provided at both phases by 581 respondents, who identified which arts and cultural activity they felt most connected them to others and how during the last month. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that, at both phases, arts and cultural engagement was perceived to facilitate social connectedness through four pathways that were also identified pre-pandemic: social opportunities; sharing; feelings of commonality and belonging; and collective understanding. The sub-themes shed light on specific ways that respondents used the arts during the pandemic to connect with others, including using the arts: as a catalyst for conversations, to maintain, reinstate, or strengthen relationships during social distancing, and to facilitate social interactions (Theme 1); to bring people together through shared experiences and sharing of art (Theme 2); to elicit feelings of direct and indirect proximity to others, to connect people with common interests, to feel a sense of belonging to something, and to feel part of a collective 'COVID-19 experience' or to feel collectively distracted from the pandemic (Theme 3); to learn from and about other people and to relate to others (Theme 4). The activity most frequently cited as connecting was watching a film or drama, followed by listening to music. Conclusions: Engagement in arts and cultural activities supported feelings of social connection among adults in the UK at two time points in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of access to the arts and culture to support social connectedness.