Reclaiming public space: The economic, environmental, and social impacts of Bogotá's transformation

Over the course of a few short years, the city of Bogotá (Colombia) has dramatically transformed the quality of its public space. This session presents primary and secondary data documenting the economic, environmental, and social benefits of improved public space and urban mobility. Bogotá has benefited from a series of political leaders with a highly progressive view on the importance of urban space. This high degree of political will contributed to dramatic changes in several areas, including: 1. Reclamation of public space; 2. Improvement of public transport; 3. Promotion of non-motorised transport; and, 4. Implementation of auto restriction measures. The near simultaneous application of these policies has produced quantifiable benefits to the quality of life of city residents. The research shows that property values in areas with urban upgrades have appreciated considerably when compared to a control group of similar properties. Additionally, the research shows employment benefits from the city’s Sunday “ciclovía” (closing of streets to motorised vehicles) is significantly greater than week-day auto-related employment along the same corridors. Air quality monitoring shows emission reductions by as much as 40 per cent for some pollutants. Social indicators related to accidents, crime levels, and equity are also quite positive. Traffic deaths have been reduced from over 1,300 in 1995 to less than 700 in 2002. Bogotá’s transformation has attracted visits by city officials from over 50 nations. The replicability of Bogotá’s successes will depend upon local circumstances, and especially upon levels of local political will. Further documentation of the economic, environmental, and social benefits stemming from Bogotá’s efforts will help instil the confidence of city officials to move ahead with urban transformations of their own

Piecewise smooth chebfuns

Algorithms are described that make it possible to manipulate piecewise-smooth functions on real intervals numerically with close to machine precision. Breakpoints are introduced in some such calculations at points determined by numerical rootfinding, and in others by recursive subdivision or automatic edge detection. Functions are represented on each smooth subinterval by Chebyshev series or interpolants. The algorithms are implemented in object-oriented MATLAB in an extension of the chebfun system, which was previously limited to smooth functions on [-1, 1]

Friendship Bench trial: lay worker training in problem-solving therapy to reduce symptoms of common mental disorders

The Friendship Bench trial is a cluster-randomised trial of the effect of problem-solving therapy training for lay workers on symptoms of common mental disorders among clinic attenders in Harare, Zimbabwe. This dataset enables replication of analysis for a paper on suicidal ideation, but has undergone anonymisation process to protect study participants. 12 primary care clinics in Harare were randomised 1:1 to intervention or control. In each clinic, 24 participants were enrolled who were: visiting the clinic (either for their own health needs or accompanying someone else); aged 18 or over; living locally; and screened positive for common mental disorder symptoms. Outcomes were measured after 6 months. 86% of participants were women, 42% were HIV positive and 91% completed follow-up

Regulation of dopamine receptors in the MtT/W15 transplantable pituitary tumor by estrogen

We investigated the effects of estrogens on the regulation of dopamine receptors in the MtT/W15 transplantable rat pituitary tumor. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) and 17[beta]-estradiol treatment in female rats significantly decreased the number of dopamine binding sites (Bmax) from 85 +/- 3.9 fmol/mg protein in untreated rats to 9.2 +/- 1.2 and 8.2 +/- 2.8 fmol/mg protein in DES and 17[beta]-estradiol-treated rats, respectively, while the binding affinities (Kd) did not change significantly. Testosterone treatment did not change the Bmax, while ovariectomy resulted in a significant increase in the Bmax (146.3 +/- 6.7 fmol/mg protein). The effects of DES on the Bmax were reversible, since removal of the DES for one week before sacrificing the animals led to a marked increase in the Bmax (54.9 +/- 3.1 fmol/mg protein).Pituitaries from normal female rats treated with DES for 6 and 9 weeks had a significant decrease in the Bmax.These results show that the number of dopamine binding sites in the membranes of MtT/W15 tumors is decreased by estrogen treatment and that this effect is reversible after removal of the estrogenic stimulus.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26273/1/0000358.pd

Crazy heart: kinematics of the "star pile" in Abell 545

We study the structure and internal kinematics of the "star pile" in Abell 545 - a low surface brightness structure lying in the center of the cluster.We have obtained deep long-slit spectroscopy of the star pile using VLT/FORS2 and Gemini/GMOS, which is analyzed in conjunction with deep multiband CFHT/MEGACAM imaging. As presented in a previous study the star pile has a flat luminosity profile and its color is consistent with the outer parts of elliptical galaxies. Its velocity map is irregular, with parts being seemingly associated with an embedded nucleus, and others which have significant velocity offsets to the cluster systemic velocity with no clear kinematical connection to any of the surrounding galaxies. This would make the star pile a dynamically defined stellar intra-cluster component. The complicated pattern in velocity and velocity dispersions casts doubts on the adequacy of using the whole star pile as a dynamical test for the innermost dark matter profile of the cluster. This status is fulfilled only by the nucleus and its nearest surroundings which lie at the center of the cluster velocity distribution.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 10 pages & 6 figure

Tendency to Maximum Complexity in a Non-Equilibrium Isolated System

The time evolution equations of a simplified isolated ideal gas, the "tetrahe- dral" gas, are derived. The dynamical behavior of the LMC complexity [R. Lopez-Ruiz, H. L. Mancini, and X. Calbet, Phys. Lett. A 209, 321 (1995)] is studied in this system. In general, it is shown that the complexity remains within the bounds of minimum and maximum complexity. We find that there are certain restrictions when the isolated "tetrahedral" gas evolves towards equilibrium. In addition to the well-known increase in entropy, the quantity called disequilibrium decreases monotonically with time. Furthermore, the trajectories of the system in phase space approach the maximum complexity.Comment: 22 pages, 0 figures. Published in Phys. Rev. E 63, 066116(9) (2001

A method to discern complexity in two-dimensional patterns generated by coupled map lattices

Complex patterns generated by the time evolution of a one-dimensional digitalized coupled map lattice are quantitatively analyzed. A method for discerning complexity among the different patterns is implemented. The quantitative results indicate two zones in parameter space where the dynamics shows the most complex patterns. These zones are located on the two edges of an absorbent region where the system displays spatio-temporal intermittency.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures; some information about the authors: http://add.unizar.es/public/100_16613/index.htm

Metastatic carcinoma to the sphenoid sinus case report and review of the literature

Metastatic carcinoma to the sphenoid sinus is a rare event. A case of metastatic adenocarcinoma from the prostate gland to the sphenoid sinus and diagnosed with the aid of immunoperoxidase staining is presented. A concurrent review of the literature uncovered only 17 previously reported cases of carcinoma metastatic to the sphenoid sinus. Among these cases, adenocarcinoma from the large bowel and prostate gland predominated.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47269/1/405_2004_Article_BF00453691.pd

Features of the Extension of a Statistical Measure of Complexity to Continuous Systems

We discuss some aspects of the extension to continuous systems of a statistical measure of complexity introduced by Lopez-Ruiz, Mancini and Calbet (LMC) [Phys. Lett. A 209 (1995) 321]. In general, the extension of a magnitude from the discrete to the continuous case is not a trivial process and requires some choice. In the present study, several possibilities appear available. One of them is examined in detail. Some interesting properties desirable for any magnitude of complexity are discovered on this particular extension.Comment: 22 pages, 0 figure

MALIGNANT SOMATOSTATINOMA PRESENTING WITH DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS

High circulating levels of somatostatin (SRIF) were detected in a patient with a metastatic tumour after development of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Fasting insulin and C-peptide levels were markedly suppressed, but plasma glucagon was not suppressed below normal. Progressive cachexia ensued; at autopsy a poorly differentiated non-small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma metastatic to liver was found. Small gallstones were noted. Electron microscopy of tumour tissue showed neurosecretory granules and tonofilament bundles. Immunohis-tochemical staining of tumour cells was diffusely positive for carcinoembryonic antigen, bombesin-like immunoreactivity, and calcitonin with focal immuno-reactivity for SRIF, serotonin, neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin, and epithelial membrane antigen. Column chromatography of plasma and tumour extract revealed five or more peaks of material with SRIF-like immunoreactivity (SRIF-LI): predominantly SRIF-28 and intermediates in tumour extract, and SRIF-14 and an intermediate between SRIF-28 and SRIF-14 in plasma. DKA in this case of somatostatinoma syndrome may reflect differential effects of tumour production of larger molecular weight SRIF forms on insulin and glucagon secretion.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75579/1/j.1365-2265.1987.tb00817.x.pd