Conviviality by design : the socio-spatial qualities of spaces of intercultural urban encounters

This paper presents findings from a mixed-method research project which explored use of outdoor spaces and social connections in Bradford, a post-industrial city in the north of England with a highly ethnically diverse population. Data was collected through micro-scale behavioural mapping of public spaces (analysed using GIS) and both on-site and in-depth interviews. The integration of these methods allows a focus on intersectional identities and social values for everyday conviviality situated in different typologies of public open spaces (parks, squares, streets) in city centre and suburban neighbourhoods. The analysis offers nuanced insights into the socio-spatial aspects of conviviality: patterns of activity by diverse users, situations in which encounters are prompted, and the implications of negotiating differences in relation to perceptions of self, others, and the environment. We discuss the relevance of the urban public realm for shared understandings of diversity, qualities of visibility, lingering and playfulness, and the importance of threshold spaces. We explore racialised and excluding experiences and how these relate to mobility and territorial patterns of use, specifically with relation to gender. The paper highlights connections between intercultural encounters and urban design practice, with implications for well-being and integration in ethnically diverse urban areas

Paesaggi transitori e agricoltura urbana: possibilità dagli scenari di espansione urbana a Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro

Urban and periurban agricultural landscapes have been given more attention by academic literature over the past years. Acknowledgement of the importance of agricultural activities in cities has often managed to expand its establishment and maintenance in inner cities and their outskirts. This paper discusses urban agriculture on cities peripheries in a scenario of urban expansion, from the concept of multifunctional landscape. Focusing on Guaratiba neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, it argues that the process of urban expansion of the city does not invest in the inclusion of this activity within the socio-environmental dynamics of the area. The paper concludes stressing that cities fringes present experimental possibilities for new approaches in planning and development through a multifunctional perspective, where the practice of agriculture is one of the strategies that can incorporate environmental values and local traditions

Bias of arbitrators: a critical analysis on the law post-Halliburton v. Chubb and a comparative approach

The principle of independence and impartiality has been formed, over the course of time, into a well-established and simultaneously into a fundamental duty of the arbitrator. However, the question, which arises, pertains to what kind of duty it is, namely either a legal duty or one resembling professional ethics. As the case is with judges, arbitrators also shall not be biased or even give the impression of being biased. Unlike judges, however, arbitrators are nominated by the parties to the arbitration and therefore, concerns with regards to possible bias or lack of impartiality are likely to be raised to a greater extent. The principal triptych, which overrides this multifaceted subject, concerns mainly questions of disclosure, repeat appointments and apparent bias. The arbitrator’s duty to remain unbiased and impartial is stipulated as a soft law rule in the IBA Guidelines of 2014, which serves as the point of reference and according to which there has to be an equilibrium between the principle of party autonomy and the tribunal’s independence. In the present paper, a critical analysis is conducted as to the formation of the landscape regarding arbitrator’s bias, before and after the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in Halliburton Co v Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd (2020) UKSC 48. The lessons to be learned from this judgment are comparatively assessed alongside the position of arbitration laws of England, India, and China, and by illustrating how the duty has been incorporated and appeared in arbitration practice through the lenses of the arbitration laws in each of the examined legal regimes. Resultantly, the Arbitration Act 1996, the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 1996, the Chinese Arbitration Law as well as the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) Rules, which apply to foreign-related arbitrations, will be analyzed in conjunction with case-law in the above-mentioned jurisdictions

Clinical significance of tumor-associated antigen RCAS1 expression in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Receptor-binding cancer antigen expressed on SiSo cells (RCAS1) is a human tumor-associated antigen that induces cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis in RCAS1 receptor-expressing immune cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical significance of RCAS1 expression in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of RCAS1 expression was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections obtained from 76 pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients. RCAS1 positivity and overexpression and intensity of the staining were correlated with clinicopathological parameters, proliferative capacity and patient survival. Of the 76 adenocarcinoma patients, 65 (86%) tested positive for RCAS1; of these 65 RCAS1-positive cases, 36 (55%) showed RCAS1 overexpression. RCAS1 positivity was statistically significantly correlated with the histopathological grade of the tumor (P = 0.026), and it showed a trend to be correlated with tumor size (P = 0.071). RCAS1 intensity and overexpression of staining showed a trend to be correlated with the histopathological grade of the tumor (P = 0.061 and P = 0.089, respectively), whereas RCAS1 positivity and the overexpression and intensity of staining were not statistically significantly correlated with the proliferative capacity of the tumor or any other clinicopathological parameter examined nor with patients' survival. Our data provide evidence for the implication of RCAS1 in pancreatic neoplasia. However, the prediction of survival using RCAS1 expression as a marker seems uncertain for this type of cancer. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC