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Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) appears initially to have little in common with the mini-cycle of festive storytelling that emerged in Hollywood at the end of World War II, which included It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and The Bishop’s Wife (1947). These films arguably crystallized the Hollywood conventions that would go on to govern this type of seasonally themed output for decades to come. Yet closer examination suggests that in its content, if not its form, Selick’s motion picture exists as a reworking of key tropes that have dominated this specific narrative heritage. This article comprises three sections that examine how the film navigates and amends long-established themes in Christmas storytelling. The first section addresses the concept of masquerade as it relates to Jack Skellington’s appropriation of the Santa Claus persona; the second considers the contest between narrative protagonist and greedy antagonist, and the nature of this specific conflict resolution; and the third analyzes how the film draws upon a Dickensian use of the supernatural to echo the literary tradition from which many Christmas stories originally emerged.

Henry Selicks The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) appears initially to have little in common with the mini-cycle of festive storytelling that emerged in Hollywood at the end of World War II, which included Its a Wonderful Life (1946), Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and The Bishops Wife (1947). These films arguably crystallized the Hollywood conventions that would go on to govern this type of seasonally themed output for decades to come. Yet closer examination suggests that in its content, if not its form, Selicks motion picture exists as a reworking of key tropes that have dominated this specific narrative heritage. This article comprises three sections that examine how the film navigates and amends long-established themes in Christmas storytelling. The first section addresses the concept of masquerade as it relates to Jack Skellingtons appropriation of the Santa Claus persona; the second considers the contest between narrative protagonist and greedy antagonist, and the nature of this specific conflict resolution; and the third analyzes how the film draws upon a Dickensian use of the supernatural to echo the literary tradition from which many Christmas stories originally emerged.

The construction industry is currently tackling a serious concern with the everincreasing use of Portland cement and associated carbon emissions due to urban development expansion worldwide. Hence, extensive research has been undertaken into ‘’’cement-free’’ alternative concrete has emerged in the academic and commercial space also known as alkali-activated concrete, bringing CO2reductions of up to 85%. AAC has been elevated as a viable solution detrimental to the ‘sustainable toolkit’ for low-carbon concrete solutions through the use of various industrial and agricultural waste, chemically activated using an alkali source. Nevertheless, sodium silicate is an attractive ‘alkali activator’ but has been reported to contribute up to 75% of the total embodied carbon in AAC. This research reports on the development of an eco-friendly alternative (sodium silicate) activator derived from industrial waste (Silica Fume) and sodium hydroxide, with a key focus on providing comparison analysis with commercial sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide solutions. In doing so, various pulverised fuel ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag blends were investigated as a replacement binder to Portland cement among number activator dosages, w/b ratios, workability retaining admixture dosages on the short (compressive strength, workability, setting time) and long term (compressive strength, workability retention (2 hours), tensile splitting strength, flexural strength and elastic modulus) properties of concrete and mortar, adopting an experimental based optimum performance testing procedure. The innovative silica fume derived activator (Regime B) chemically activating PFA: GGBS mix compositions (50PFA: 50GGBS, 40PFA: 60GGBS, 30PFA: 70GGBS, 20PFA: 80GGBS) combined with a range of water-to-binder ratio’s 0.40, and 0.42 showed promising results from a minimum performance perspective (≥ C32/40 compressive strength class under BS 8500:2019, S4 consistency slump class BS EN 12350-2 and a minimum initial setting time ≥45 minutes in accordance with PAS 8820:2016) The progressive enhancement in GGBS wt. % from 40% to 50, 60,70, and 80 % proportional to PFA demonstrated a gradual increase in strength and a reduction in workability, and initial/final setting time attributed to an accelerated rate of reaction provided by the additional Ca, supporting the formation of C-A-S-H gel and all that leads to higher strength, while being a dominating factor for reducing workability and setting time. The ever-similar short-term (up to 28 days) fresh and hardened properties of the commercial sodium silicate solution (Regime A) to that of Regime B on display in this report, demonstrate that the silica fume activator is a strong candidate for replacing the commercial alternative. Although, various factors such as mineralogical properties, alkali concentration, processing time, and temperature were established as important factors to determine like-for-like properties in promoting eco-friendly activators. With respect to workability retention (up to 2 hours), all PFA: GGBS blends investigated were below the minimum target slump class S4 in accordance with BS EN 12350-2. Influentially, the additional use of the polycarboxylate-based admixture in various dosages showed overwhelming improvements in slump at 2 hours, showing 114.3 and 121.4% corresponding with admixture dosages 1% and 1.5% of the total binder wt. and both exceeding the S4 target.

When it comes to policymaking, public servants have traditionally learned 'on the job', with practical experience and tacit knowledge valued over theory-based learning and academic analysis. Yet increasing numbers of public servants are undertaking policy training through postgraduate qualifications and/or through short courses in policy training. Learning Policy, Doing Policy explores how policy theory is understood by practitioners and how it influences their practice. The book brings together insights from research, teaching and practice on an issue that has so far been understudied. Contributors include Australian and international policy scholars, and current and former practitioners from government agencies. The first part of the book focuses on theorising, teaching and learning about the policymaking process; the second part outlines how current and former practitioners have employed policy process theory in the form of models or frameworks to guide and analyse policymaking in practice; and the final part examines how policy theory insights can assist policy practitioners. In exploring how policy process theory is developed, taught and taken into policymaking practice, Learning Policy, Doing Policy draws on the expertise of academics and practitioners, and also ‘pracademics’ who often serve as a bridge between the academy and government. It draws on a range of both conceptual and applied examples. Its themes are highly relevant for both individuals and institutions, and reflect trends towards a stronger professional ethos in the Australian Public Service. This book is a timely resource for policy scholars, teaching academics, students and policy practitioners.

This invaluable volume, the third in the series Air Pollution Reviews, addresses particular questions relating to air pollution and its effect on health. It deals with the impact of nasal disease on lung exposure, how pollutants are distributed within the lung, and the uncertainties with regard to defining the dose to the lung. It takes a tangential look at the lung dose by exploring the possibility of obtaining clues from occupational medicine. Toxicologically, the book examines the possible methodology for exploring how particles and their toxicity can be investigated, and looks into the cardio-toxic effects of air pollution. The effects of pollutant mixtures are compared with those of individual pollutants. In addition, the question of the importance of acid aerosols is tackled. Epidemiologically, the book deals with the problems associated with point sources as opposed to diffuse sources of air pollution, and considers whether the health effects of air pollution can be adequately quantified. These areas, though difficult, need to be addressed, in order to develop our knowledge of the health effects of air pollution. In this volume, a strong panel of authors treat the issues. They have raised questions but at the same time succeeded in solving a number of problems.

The reasons for this vary and can range from a wish to experience working in a setting where achievement and attainment-based learning share equal status, through to teachers developing a passion for special educational needs and disability in their mainstream schools and having a desire to extend their knowledge and skills in a more specialist environment. Teachers who have made the transition often comment on the professional development opportunities that special schools offer them, particularly when it comes to working within a multi-professional team and in developing a more holistic approach to meeting a wide range of children's needs. Get used to working with other professions Many pupils in special schools will need input from a whole host of other professionals - including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, creative therapists, healthcare workers, specialist teachers and psychologists.

This thesis examines navvy communities and families at the very end of the nineteenth century against the backdrop of the construction of a specific railway line running through the centre of England: the Great Central Railway London Extension. Although navvies have been subjected to a number of previous studies, this thesis seeks to situate their experiences within the context of late nineteenth century working-class society. It analyses the concept of community in relation to the mainly itinerant workers and their dependents, and explores the role of difference in terms of lifestyle and culture, together with shared experiences, and how these may have helped to define identity. Navvies were still considered by many contemporaries to be somewhat disreputable, isolated and neglected, and thus, at the margins of society. This notion is assessed by reference to their encounters with the various agencies of the Victorian state and voluntary and religious sectors including the police and judiciary, the poor law, the education system, health services and Christian home missionary endeavour. A central theme of the thesis is the importance attached to perceptions of the navvy community. Attention is devoted to the manner in which such perceptions were created, and in particular on the role of literary representations of the navvy. These perceptions often shaped the initial response of local residents to the influx of the workforce, but they were challenged and frequently amended as a result of direct contact. An argument is also advanced that a crucial pointer to the way in which the incomers were regarded and treated was the degree to which they conformed to accepted social norms, not least being that related to respectability.