Ever since Lawrence Goodwyn published The Populist Moment, social historians have been keenly aware of the power culture represents when it comes to resistance. Historically, ＂movement culture＂ has been used to crea...Ever since Lawrence Goodwyn published The Populist Moment, social historians have been keenly aware of the power culture represents when it comes to resistance. Historically, ＂movement culture＂ has been used to create a collective climate and offered political activists a springboard to discuss with the masses the benefits of joining a social movement. ＂Beyond the Dreams of Loveliness＂ uses the cultural outlet of film and the labor movement in the city of Detroit as analytical tools to examine working class community resistance throughout the 1930s. In the midst of the ＂golden age of film＂ community activists and union organizers--some of whom were well-known radicals and some of whom were mainstream unionists--used the institution of cinema to instill a level of class consciousness in the masses and mobilize the working class community against exploitation of employers, reactionary politicians, and white supremacist organizations. Movie-going had been a very popular form of recreation in Detroit since the 1920s and downtown theatres increasingly became the destination of an eclectic array of workers. Movie theaters themselves were bastions of community activity around the thirties and many were located in the heart of the city＇s working class district. Yet it was the films themselves that offered community activists and unionists a chance to converse with workers regarding the socio-economic matters of the day. Hollywood released a good number of films that dealt with working class issues and provided activists with ample opportunities to ＂instruct＂ the audience and carry on the discussion into the factory or union halls. ＂Beyond the Dreams of Loveliness＂ relies on a combination of oral histories, movie reviews, film clips, and union and/or working class organizational records to illuminate how activists in Detroit＇s working class community used film as an outlet to inspire working class resistance. In sum, film provided an accessible form of entertainment that proved to be effective on two fronts： It promoted increased group cooperation, friendship, and alliances while it also fostered a shared culture, making it easier for activists to organize workers in the coming struggles for unionism.展开更多
Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. T...Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. This study assessed the effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the completion of SMHP project in Kisumu County, Kenya. More specifically, the study addressed two research questions： What is the relative importance of delayed payment of the contractor compared to other forms of contractual delays？ What is the perceived effect of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion？ A causal-comparative design was adopted and primary data sourced in May 2011 from 39 senior management staff of contractual parties. Relative importance index （RII） was used to determine the relative importance of perceived effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion; while Kendell＇s coefficient of concordance was applied to determine the degree of agreement among participants regarding their perceived effects of delayed payment. The study found that delayed payment of the contractor affected the project by causing： loss of productivity and efficiency （71.8%）; increase in time-related costs （71.8%）; re-scheduling and re-sequencing of works （69.2%）; extension of time and acceleration （69.2%）; as well as prevention of early completion （53.8%）. The study concludes that timely payment of contractors is crucial for ensuring the continuity of works and completion of infrastructural projects within time, budget, and quality specifications. The study recommends the need for appropriate mitigative measures against potential risks, such as delayed disbursement of funds by external financiers, delayed approval of contractors＇ payment requests, as well as community participation and involvement of civil society to influence accountability in the management of project funds and expedite disbursement of funds for subsequent project phases.展开更多
Highly porous carbon, both unmodified and hexamine-coated on the pore surfaces, is tested at high working voltages in organic electrolyte for supercapacitors in order to enhance the energy density and power density.So...Highly porous carbon, both unmodified and hexamine-coated on the pore surfaces, is tested at high working voltages in organic electrolyte for supercapacitors in order to enhance the energy density and power density.Sol–gel processing allows for excellent control of the porous structure and chemical composition of carbon,resulting in a material with high surface area and a low level of impurities. This porous carbon can be modified using a simple solution-based method to enhance capacitance. Increasing the working voltage from 2.0 to 3.0 V significantly improves performance for both unmodified and hexamine-coated carbon. The energy density and power density increase at higher working voltage, and under certain conditions, the capacitance increases as well.Cyclic stability is also investigated, with hexamine-coated carbon retaining more of its initial capacitance than unmodified carbon at all working voltages.展开更多
文摘Ever since Lawrence Goodwyn published The Populist Moment, social historians have been keenly aware of the power culture represents when it comes to resistance. Historically, ＂movement culture＂ has been used to create a collective climate and offered political activists a springboard to discuss with the masses the benefits of joining a social movement. ＂Beyond the Dreams of Loveliness＂ uses the cultural outlet of film and the labor movement in the city of Detroit as analytical tools to examine working class community resistance throughout the 1930s. In the midst of the ＂golden age of film＂ community activists and union organizers--some of whom were well-known radicals and some of whom were mainstream unionists--used the institution of cinema to instill a level of class consciousness in the masses and mobilize the working class community against exploitation of employers, reactionary politicians, and white supremacist organizations. Movie-going had been a very popular form of recreation in Detroit since the 1920s and downtown theatres increasingly became the destination of an eclectic array of workers. Movie theaters themselves were bastions of community activity around the thirties and many were located in the heart of the city＇s working class district. Yet it was the films themselves that offered community activists and unionists a chance to converse with workers regarding the socio-economic matters of the day. Hollywood released a good number of films that dealt with working class issues and provided activists with ample opportunities to ＂instruct＂ the audience and carry on the discussion into the factory or union halls. ＂Beyond the Dreams of Loveliness＂ relies on a combination of oral histories, movie reviews, film clips, and union and/or working class organizational records to illuminate how activists in Detroit＇s working class community used film as an outlet to inspire working class resistance. In sum, film provided an accessible form of entertainment that proved to be effective on two fronts： It promoted increased group cooperation, friendship, and alliances while it also fostered a shared culture, making it easier for activists to organize workers in the coming struggles for unionism.
文摘Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. This study assessed the effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the completion of SMHP project in Kisumu County, Kenya. More specifically, the study addressed two research questions： What is the relative importance of delayed payment of the contractor compared to other forms of contractual delays？ What is the perceived effect of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion？ A causal-comparative design was adopted and primary data sourced in May 2011 from 39 senior management staff of contractual parties. Relative importance index （RII） was used to determine the relative importance of perceived effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion; while Kendell＇s coefficient of concordance was applied to determine the degree of agreement among participants regarding their perceived effects of delayed payment. The study found that delayed payment of the contractor affected the project by causing： loss of productivity and efficiency （71.8%）; increase in time-related costs （71.8%）; re-scheduling and re-sequencing of works （69.2%）; extension of time and acceleration （69.2%）; as well as prevention of early completion （53.8%）. The study concludes that timely payment of contractors is crucial for ensuring the continuity of works and completion of infrastructural projects within time, budget, and quality specifications. The study recommends the need for appropriate mitigative measures against potential risks, such as delayed disbursement of funds by external financiers, delayed approval of contractors＇ payment requests, as well as community participation and involvement of civil society to influence accountability in the management of project funds and expedite disbursement of funds for subsequent project phases.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation(CMMI-1030048)University of Washington’s IGERT:Bioresource-based Energy for Sustainable Societies(DGE-0654252)the Intel Corporation.Part of this work was conducted at the University of Washington Nano Tech User Facility,a member of the National Science Foundation National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network(NNIN)
文摘Highly porous carbon, both unmodified and hexamine-coated on the pore surfaces, is tested at high working voltages in organic electrolyte for supercapacitors in order to enhance the energy density and power density.Sol–gel processing allows for excellent control of the porous structure and chemical composition of carbon,resulting in a material with high surface area and a low level of impurities. This porous carbon can be modified using a simple solution-based method to enhance capacitance. Increasing the working voltage from 2.0 to 3.0 V significantly improves performance for both unmodified and hexamine-coated carbon. The energy density and power density increase at higher working voltage, and under certain conditions, the capacitance increases as well.Cyclic stability is also investigated, with hexamine-coated carbon retaining more of its initial capacitance than unmodified carbon at all working voltages.
