UK high streets during global economic crisis

The 2008-09 global economic crisis has impacted UK high streets and town centres in complex and little understood ways. In addition, the vitality of UK high streets has been differentially impacted by three other forces and has become an increasing focus of government and public anxiety: These forces include: (i) the progressive rise of online shopping, (ii) the complex consequences of the implementation of a ‘town centre first’ policy in retail development and (iii) the rise of often underestimated influence of convenience culture.This research investigates the response of UK high streets to these drivers of change, and seeks to make three main contributions. First, to provide new descriptive evidence on the differential performance of UK retail centres during and since the economic crisis. Although some of these findings parallel those suggested by specialist commercial research companies they also significantly extend available knowledge. In particular, they depict the discrepancy in the response of independent and multiple retailers to the economic and competitive shocks. Second, to identify the key drivers of town centre performance, by employing the multivariate analysis of that issue at both cross-regional and intra-urban levels. The cross-regional analysis derives seven factors associated with retail centre enhanced resilience or fragility to the economic crisis; the intra-urban analysis validates and reinforces the results of the cross-regional analysis and provides further insights into the dynamics of UK town centres performance in the post-crisis decade. Third, to conceptualise the nature of UK retail centres’ complex adjustment to the shock of economic crisis and other forces of change, by exploring alternative interpretations of the resilience of economic systems. In particular, we use the concept of adaptive resilience to understand the dynamic process through which UK high streets have gradually and constantly evolved. We suggest a conceptual framework which links the notions of adaptive capacity and adaptive resilience and indicates how a position of a centre in adaptive cycle and the role of various actors are important to performance of that centre.At a time when the economic health of high streets has generated a large amount of research, the findings of this study have the potential to contribute to the policy agenda and set a benchmark against which future research can be positioned and interpreted

Cumulants of Jack symmetric functions and b-conjecture (extended abstract)

International audienceGoulden and Jackson (1996) introduced, using Jack symmetric functions, some multivariate generating series ψ(x, y, z; t, 1 + β) that might be interpreted as a continuous deformation of the rooted hypermap generating series. They made the following conjecture: coefficients of ψ(x, y, z; t, 1+β) are polynomials in β with nonnegative integer coefficients. We prove partially this conjecture, nowadays called b-conjecture, by showing that coefficients of ψ(x, y, z; t, 1 + β) are polynomials in β with rational coefficients. Until now, it was only known that they are rational functions of β. A key step of the proof is a strong factorization property of Jack polynomials when α → 0 that may be of independent interest

Dietary intakes of Canadian women age 18 to 34 years in the 1990s

Nutrition monitoring is important for determining nutrient intakes of a population but trend evaluation requires greater than two points. This thesis provides national mean nutrient intake estimates of Canadians aged 18 to 74 based on published 1990s provincial nutrition surveys that fall between the Nutrition Canada Survey (1970/72) and Canadian Community Health Survey (2004). The focus of this thesis was on four key nutrients (calcium, iron, folate, and vitamin C) reported by childbearing age women. Objectives included examining data for temporal or geographic patterns; reviewing for similarities to 1970/72; and assessing intake adequacy using Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Estimates were derived from 24-hour recall data reported by 16,915 adults of nine provinces, excluding Manitoba. Provincial group mean nutrient intakes were population-weighted using the Canadian census appropriate to the data collection years and totaled in proportion to provincial population size. The eight adult age and gender groups were then called the Province-derived Nutrition Survey (PNS). A temporal folate trend was noted as 1998 folate fortification doubled intake for the female population. In terms of geography, calcium intake appeared higher in British Columbia compared to Newfoundland. Nutrient intake declined with age except for some micronutrients associated with fruit/vegetables. Nutrient density indicated that the quality of women’s diets improved with age. Nutrients which appeared inadequate for childbearing age women included fibre, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and calcium. Micronutrients that were below AI or RDA values suggest plant-based food intake was inadequate. Nutrient density showed that diet quality had improved since Nutrition Canada however, increased efforts are required to improve dietary intake further. This thesis provides Canada’s most recent comprehensive national nutrient intakes and a point with which to observe change. Intake in the 1990s compared to the previous Nutrition Canada Survey (NCS) showed that many nutrients had increased but education efforts did not appear to have resulted in optimum intake. Fortification and food consumption habits influenced which foods were the primary micronutrient sources, e.g., fortification with folic acid. While calcium and folate intake was higher in the 1990s compared to the NCS, these increases did not bring young women to their desired intake. When the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 2.2 (nutrition) is published, it could be compared to the PNS to confirm whether these patterns are trends

Perspectives of res development in Poland up to 2020

This paper describes selected aspects of current development of renewable energy sources in Poland. Analysis and assessment of renewable energy sources in Poland is made. Perspectives of development of renewable energy sources up to 2020 in context of the implementation of the EU’s “3 x 20%” climate package by Poland and national quantitative target for RES development by year 2020 are described. Conclusions contain analysis of perspectives of development of renewable energy sources in Poland in the future.У роботі описуються окремі аспекти сучасного розвитку відновлюваних джерел енергії у Польщі, проведено аналіз та здійснена оцінка відновлюваних джерел енергії. Описані перспективи розвитку відновлюваних джерел енергії до 2020 року у контексті реалізації кліматичного пакету “3 x 20%” ЄС Польщею та національних кількісних цільових показників. Проаналізовано перспективи розвитку відновлюваних джерел енергії у Польщі в майбутньому.В работе описываются отдельные аспекты современного развития возобновляемых источников энергии в Польше, проведен анализ и дана их оценка. Описаны перспективы развития возобновляемых источников энергии до 2020 года в контексте реализации климатического пакета “3 x 20%” ЕС Польшей и национальных качественных целевых показателей. Проанализированы перспективы развития в будущем

Wind power development in Poland

The process of current and future wind power development in Poland is analysed. Analysis and assessment of wind power market in Poland in technical, economical and environmental aspects is made. Perspectives of wind power development up to 2020 in context of the implementation of the EU’s “3 x 20%” climate package by Poland and national quantitative target for RES development by year 2020 are described

Development of electric power network infrastructure in aspect of electric energy supply security – case study Poland

In this paper, an analysis of issues related to development of national electric power network infrastructure in aspect of electric energy security is performed. Profile of network infrastructure in area of transmission and distribution is performed. Threats for electric energy supply security connected with transmission and distribution infrastructure are discussed. Both transmission and distribution electric power network are adapted for presently occurred typical conditions of electric energy demand and realization of internal tasks in normal conditions, but can create potential threat for electric energy supply security. In the context of forecasted increase of electric energy demand, inadequate power in National Electric Power System (NEPS) in domestic sources and available through intersystem connections, uneven location of sources and consumers at shortage of proper network transmission capacities, necessity of improvement of quality and electric energy supply reliability to final consumers and intensive development of renewable energy sources, present network infrastructure in area of transmission and distribution will be insufficient. Development of 400 and 220 kV transmission network, 110 kV distribution network especially in area of cities, MV distribution network especially in rural areas and realization of investments for improvement of export-import possibilities of NEPS will be necessary. Challenges for transmission and distribution system operators in area of network development are performed. They concern mainly investment sphere and area connected with preparation and construction of network investments

Geochemistry of shallow and deep water archean meta-iron formations and their post-depositional alteration in western Superior Province, Canada

One purpose for studying banded meta-iron formations is to determine the chemical composition of seawater in the Archean ocean and the oxygen content of the Archean oceanic-atmospheric system. Geologists use the geochemistry of meta-iron formations to make interpretations on the chemical conditions in the Archean. However, post-depositional alteration can affect the element geochemistry preserved in the meta-iron formations. This thesis explores the role of post-depositional mechanisms and determines element provenance in four Archean banded meta-iron formations. The four different locations hosting Archean metamorphosed meta-iron formations chosen for this study are: meta-iron formations from the Beardmore/Geraldton greenstone belt of the Eastern Wabigoon Domain, Lake St. Joseph greenstone belt of the Uchi Domain, North Caribou greenstone belt of the North Caribou Terrane and Shebandowan greenstone belt of the Wawa Subprovince. The metairon formations from the Beardmore/Geraldton and Lake St. Joseph greenstone belts are interpreted to have been deposited in a shallow water setting, while meta-iron formations from the North Caribou and Shebandowan greenstone belts are interpreted to be deposited in deeper water environments. This thesis also investigated element and oxygen ocean stratification by comparing the geochemistry of shallow and deep meta-iron formations. The main source of iron and silica to the oceans was hydrothermal venting fluids. Iron and silica precipitated out of seawater as iron oxyhydroxides and amorphous silica. Elements dissolved in the Archean ocean were adsorbed onto iron oxyhydroxides and silica during deposition. Crystallization of quartz, magnetite and hematite occurred during diagenesis and magnetite continued to grow during progressive metamorphism. The lack of cerium anomalies, absence of significant Y/Ho anomalies and deficiency of authigenic chromium supplied to the ancient suggests that the oceans were anoxic. Therefore, oxygen stratification did not occur between shallow and deeper water environments in the Archean. Significantly most of the elements were derived from multiple sources, including the siliciclastic phase, seawater or hydrothermal venting fluids, at various proportions. Al2O3, TiO2, Th, V, Nb, U, REEs and Y were determined immobile during post-depositional alteration. Mobility during diagenesis is clearly exhibited by sodium and potassium in the meta-iron formation samples from the Beardmore/Geraldton, Lake St. Joseph and North Caribou greenstone belts. Diagenetic modification mobilized sodium in the hematite-, jasper- and chert-dominated samples, while potassium was mobilized in the magnetite-dominated samples. Element stratification occurred in the Archean due to the source provenance. Deeper oceans were more enriched in Cs, Na2O, CaO, MnO, Cr and HREEs relative to shallow waters. Shallow oceans were more enriched in K2O, Rb and LREEs relative to deeper waters. This indicates that the Archean oceans were heterogeneous

Beyond retail: new ways of classifying UK shopping and consumption spaces

Early attempts to classify shopping activity often took a relatively simple approach, largely driven by the lack of reliable data beyond fascia name and retail outlet counts by centre. There seems to be a consensus amongst contemporary scholars, commercial research consultancies and retailers that more comprehensive classifications would generate better-informed debate on changes in the urban economic landscape, as well as providing the basis for a more effective comparison of retail centres across time and space, particularly given the availability of new data sources and techniques and in the context of the transformational changes presently affecting the retail sector. This paper seeks to demonstrate the interrelationship between supply and demand for retailing services by integrating newly available data sources within a rigorously specified classification methodology. This in turn provides new insight into the multidimensional and dynamic taxonomy of consumption spaces within Great Britain. Such a contribution is significant in that it moves debate within the literature past simple linear scaling of retail centre function to a more nuanced understanding of multiple functional forms; and secondly, in that it provides a nationally comparative and dynamic framework through which the evolution of retail structures can be evaluated. Using non-hierarchical clustering techniques, the results are presented in the form of a two-tier classification with five distinctive ‘coarse’ clusters and fifteen more detailed and nested sub-clusters. The paper concludes that more nuanced and dynamic classifications of this kind can help deliver more effective insights into changing role of retailing and consumer services in urban areas across space and through time and will have implications for a variety of stakeholders