Analysis of a Model Biological Switch

A model mechanism proposed by Murray [Phil. Traps. Roy. Soc. London B, 295 (1981), pp. 473–496] for generating wing patterns and eyespots on butterflies and moths is based on a morphogen (S) activated biological switch for a gene product (g). We analyse one of the resulting partial differential equation systems, namely S_t = DΔS - kS, g_t = k_tS + αg (g-k_2) (g_c-g ), where D,k,k_1 ,k_2 ,g_c > k_2 and α are positive constants. We determine analytically the size of the spatial domain where g → g_c as t → ∞ after an influx of S at the origin. This gives the size of the eyespot in terms of the mechanism parameters. The analytical problem is a nontrivial singular perturbation expansion which we discuss in detail

Understanding and Preventing Youth Crime survey (UPYC) Early Findings: Stop and search in Glasgow and Edinburgh

SCCJR academics at the University of Edinburgh were commissioned to provide the SPA with an analysis of the results associated with a wider research programme called UPYC (Understanding and Preventing Youth Crime). The UPYC is an international project, and in a UK context, young people in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham and Sheffield are completing questionnaire surveys on a range of crime and policing matters, including stop and search. Participants are aged 12-15 years, and the Scottish sample was expected to exceed 1,000

Partygate raises important questions about rules, guidance and compliance during COVID

Drawing on research in Scotland on the use of Fixed Penalty Notices and patterns of enforcement, Vicky Gorton, Susan McVie and Kath Murray (University of Edinburgh) consider whether in legislating so extensively, governments created the conditions for non-compliance and an attendant loss of moral authority

Stop and search in Scotland: An evaluation of police practice

This report sets out selected findings from a doctoral project on the use of stop and search in Scotland. The report sets out a body of evidence on the use of stop and search between 2005 and 2010. The aims are to provide relevant data which may be used to inform public and policy debate, to identify issues and concerns which policing stakeholders may wish to engage with, and to set out a series of recommendations for police practice. Kath Murray is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, studying the development and uses of stop and search in Scotland