Devolution and the New Zealand Resource Management Act

Many past and potential New Zealand reforms involve significant devolution, i.e. the transfer of authority to make decisions on behalf of society from a higher to a lower level of government. In particular the Resource Management Act (RMA), the health and education reforms, and decisions about the institutions for addressing Maori issues have led to significant devolution of authority. Employment policy and social welfare are areas where devolution is an important policy option. The role and function of local government also is inherently an issue of the appropriate level of devolution. Many of these reforms have now been in place for a number of years, so it is appropriate to review our experience of devolution, identify the successes, and attempt to address the problems that have arisen. Two papers address issues of when and how we should devolve authority from central to local government. This paper looks at devolution both from a general theoretical standpoint and from the perspective of the New Zealand Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), with residential land use as an illustration. Although the RMA is discussed throughout both papers, the framework developed applies to any area of policy for which devolution decisions are being considered. The second paper, Treasury Working Paper 98/7a, applies the framework to the optimal pattern of devolution for policies relating to kiwi protection.

Homogeneous Einstein Metrics and Butterflies

M.~M.~Graev associated in \cite{Gr} to a compact homogeneous space $G/H$ a nerve \XGH, whose non-contractibility implies the existence of a $G$-invariant Einstein metric on $G/H$. The nerve \XGH is a compact semi-algebraic set, defined purely Lie theoretically by intermediate subgroups. In this paper we present a detailed description of the work of Graev and the curvature estimates of \cite{Bo}

Understanding values associated with stormwater remediation options in marine coastal ecosystems: A case study from Auckland, New Zealand

This paper describes the design and implementation of a choice experiment to understand Aucklanders’ preferences for environmental qualities associated with the effects of urban run-off on marine coastal environments. Auckland’s coastal environments are affected by a range of ecological and human factors. While much research has been undertaken in the area of ecology, little is understood of human preferences for coastal environments and their management. An unlabelled choice experiment was developed with three environmental quality attributes specified at three broad coastal categories. The environmental qualities are ecological health, water clarity, and underfoot conditions. Willingness to pay estimates for these attributes indicates that respondents show a strong preference for improved environmental quality at outer coastal beach locations over middle and upper harbour locations. Water quality leads ecological health, then underfoot conditions in importance at beach locations. An application is discussed in which a hypothetical project consisting of policy and engineering components delivers changes in water quality and underfoot conditions in the Auckland upper harbour areas. A 95% confidence estimate of the money value of that change ranges from $783 m. to$ 1,122 b. The key outcome is demonstration of the choice experiment as a statistically robust and flexible approach to making sense of Aucklanders’ complex preferences for coastal ecosystem management.Environmental Economics and Policy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Disruption of the Unique ABCG-Family NBD:NBD Interface Impacts Both Drug Transport and ATP Hydrolysis

ABCG2 is one of a triumvirate of human multidrug ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters that are implicated in defense of cells and tissues against cytotoxic chemicals, but which can confer chemotherapy resistance states in oncology. Understanding the mechanism of ABCG2 is thus imperative if we are to be able to counter its deleterious activity. The structure of ABCG2 and related family members (ABCG5/G8) demonstrated that there were two interfaces between the nucleotide binding domains. In addition to the canonical ATP “sandwich-dimer” interface, there was a second contact region between residues at the C-terminus of the NBD. We mutated this second interface by making mutations to a series of residues which are in close interaction with the opposite NBD. Mutated ABCG2 isoforms were expressed in HEK293T cells and analyzed for targeting to the membrane, drug transport and ATPase activity. Mutations to this second interface had a number of effects on ABCG2 including altered drug specificity, altered drug transport and, in two mutants, a loss of ATPase activity. The results demonstrate that this region is particularly sensitive to mutation and can impact upon both direct, local NBD events (i.e. ATP hydrolysis) but also on the allosteric communication to the transmembrane domains and drug transport

Nonnegatively curved homogeneous metrics obtained by scaling fibers of submersions

We consider invariant Riemannian metrics on compact homogeneous spaces G/H where an intermediate subgroup K between G and H exists, so that the homogeneous space G/H is the total space of a Riemannian submersion. We study the question as to whether enlarging the fibers of the submersion by a constant scaling factor retains the nonnegative curvature in the case that the deformation starts at a normal homogeneous metric. We classify triples of groups (H,K,G) where nonnegative curvature is maintained for small deformations, using a criterion proved by Schwachh\"ofer and Tapp. We obtain a complete classification in case the subgroup H has full rank and an almost complete classification in the case of regular subgroups.Comment: 23 pages; minor revisions, to appear in Geometriae Dedicat

Nonnegatively curved homogeneous metrics in low dimensions

We consider invariant Riemannian metrics on compact homogeneous spaces $G/H$ where an intermediate subgroup $K$ between $G$ and $H$ exists. In this case, the homogeneous space $G/H$ is the total space of a Riemannian submersion. The metrics constructed by shrinking the fibers in this way can be interpreted as metrics obtained from a Cheeger deformation and are thus well known to be nonnegatively curved. On the other hand, if the fibers are homothetically enlarged, it depends on the triple of groups $(H,K,G)$ whether nonnegative curvature is maintained for small deformations. Building on the work of L. Schwachh\"ofer and K. Tapp \cite{ST}, we examine all $G$-invariant fibration metrics on $G/H$ for $G$ a compact simple Lie group of dimension up to 15. An analysis of the low dimensional examples provides insight into the algebraic criteria that yield continuous families of nonnegative sectional curvature.Comment: 14 pages, to appear in Annals of Global Analysis and Geometr

MicroRNA Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases: From Basic Research to Biosensing

In the pursuit of improved diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, several classes of molecules have been scrutinized as prospective biomarkers. Small (18–22 nucleotide), non-coding RNA transcripts called microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising candidates with extensive diagnostic potential, due to their role in numerous diseases, previously established methods for quantitation and their stability within biofluids. Despite efforts to identify, characterize and apply miRNA signatures as diagnostic markers in a range of non-infectious diseases, their application in infectious disease has advanced relatively slowly. Here, we outline the benefits that miRNA biomarkers offer to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of infectious diseases. Investigation of these novel biomarkers could advance the use of personalized medicine in infectious disease treatment, which raises important considerations for validating their use as diagnostic or prognostic markers. Finally, we discuss new and emerging miRNA detection platforms, with a focus on rapid, point-of-care testing, to evaluate the benefits and obstacles of miRNA biomarkers for infectious disease