Showing papers by "Margaret Bell published in 2018"

Runx1 Deficiency Protects Against Adverse Cardiac Remodeling After Myocardial Infarction.

Abstract: Background:Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of heart failure and death worldwide Preservation of contractile function and protection against adverse changes in ventricular architectur

Combined use of a backcast scenario and cross-impact matrix analysis to identify causes of uncertainty in a nascent transport infrastructure project

Abstract: The transport planning decision process is, in theory, underpinned by rational analysis of travel behaviour and application of transport economics but project outcomes do not always follow the results of that analysis. Uncertainty is evident at all stages of the project development, as the concept emerges and as it moves through the subsequent assessment and decision processes. This research has investigated and demonstrated a method that quantifies the factors contributing to uncertainty, focussing on the early stages of the project lifecycle. The method used a back-cast scenario to describe a future view of a transport project. The causal relationships between elements of the planning and decision processes that led to the scenarios were discussed in structured interviews with stakeholders, and each conversation was coded using qualitative analysis techniques to identify the active elements of the process. Causality between the elements was explored to evaluate their influences and dependencies with those elements found to be simultaneously both highly influential and highly dependent were identified as those driving uncertainty. The sensitivity of the analytical element of this process to its parameters was also examined to quantify their contribution to the uncertainty in the analysis and to establish robust values for these parameters. The specific scenario presented here was based on a disused railway where several studies evaluating its re-opening have resulted in contradictory views on its mode of use and on the achievable benefits. In the scenario, the rail service is re-instated for light rail use in conjunction with a new sustainable urban area anchored on an existing small village. In this case, the results showed that local politics and leadership were the most influential factors in the project while the economic environment, the utility of the proposal, and planning policy contributed most to the uncertainties in the project. Although these results emerged from a specific scenario, the methodology was demonstrated to be a powerful generic tool to identify the elements that create criticalities in the planning and decision process. Therefore, the integrated method has application in other areas of project inception and planning, much wider than in the transport application demonstrated here.

Air pollution in Delhi: A review of past and current policy approaches

Abstract: Delhi National Capital Region (Delhi NCR) is facing serious challenges linked to worrying levels of air pollution (mainly NO2, PM10 and PM2.5). The CADTIME prject (Clean Air in Delhi through Implementation, Mitigation and Engagement) aims to understand what is required to deliver significant reductions in levels of air pollution. This paper presents the results of the first stage of the project: it firstly contextualises the challenges of air quality management in Delhi within the broader evolution of environmental policies and governance in India, with particular consideration to the tensions between environmental protection and the country’s development objectives. Secondly, it sets out how CADTIME will combine multiple source qualitative and quantitative data to develop an air quality action plan and an implementation strategy. In particular, through two workshops with local and national experts and stakeholders, and two rounds of focus groups with citizens of Delhi we will contrast stakeholders’ priorities and preferences for existing and potential solutions to air pollution with citizens’ lived experiences, thus assessing the political/technical feasibility and public acceptability of current and proposed measures. Furthermore, we will complement the primary qualitative data with a critical review examining the successes and failures of UK and European policies to draw lessons that can be relevant for Delhi and to avoid ineffective policies and achieve cost-effective solutions for the city in the shortest possible time.