Cities for or against citizens?

Urban renewal has evolved into an ambitious and sophisticated urban strategy, recognised as urban revitalisation in America and urban regeneration in Western Europe. This new urban strategy, which tends to be area-based and state-sponsored, claims for the most part to coordinate a wide range of resources, partners and public agencies to bring about social, economic and spatial improvements in underdeveloped and impoverished city areas while improving the livelihoods of the local residents. However, as this study asserts, the objectives behind this new urban strategy have considered, for the most part, the interests of those formulating and implementing such efforts rather than local residents and stakeholders, and produced in turn ‘attractive’ neighbourhoods increasing city revenues, boosting real estate prices, attracting new investments and alluring new residents. Most importantly, citizen participation and gentrification have been concurrently promoted in urban restructuring policy and programmes bringing about a paradox. Citizens have been devised as both subjects and objects of governance (Uitermark, 2014). Urban restructuring programmes have called for residents’ involvement in decision making frameworks while imposing urban revitalisation and regeneration approaches guiding the fate of their neighbourhoods and putting communities at risk of displacement. This study uses comparative research to investigate the way that urban renewal targeting low-income neighbourhoods has evolved into a new urban strategy involving principles and tactics ingrained in neoliberal economic principles. The study shows that this applies in cities led by market-driven development where governments facilitate more than regulate urban growth, and in cities partially exposed to market-driven development and led by interventionist governments which regulate and guide urban restructuring transformations. New York City and The Randstad Holland have been selected as study areas. Above all, the role public policy, instruments and institutional frameworks have played in facilitating citizens’ involvement in decision making in these contrasting contexts is particularly scrutinised looking at two neighbourhoods in the municipalities of Brooklyn and Rotterdam; Bushwick and Tarwewijk, respectively. The study exposes the motives, successes and drawbacks of public programmes and instruments fostering citizen participation and community-led change, in an effort to both create awareness of potential risks in the case of unsuccessful initiatives, and envision the exchange and adaptation of some of those successful schemes for the production of more equitable neighbourhoods. This thesis asks to what extent urban restructuring trends converge in the two contrasting geographical areas since both territories have been exposed to the same global agents and influences that have impacted urban restructuring policy and interventions (i.e. neoliberal economic policies, global financing, interurban competition, etc). However, it recognizes that the outcomes may manifest differently due to differences in welfare programmes, urban policy, implementation frameworks, local and global housing markets at the neighbourhood level, as well as variations in local governance structures and instruments facilitating civic participation in urban and housing restructuring programmes. Citizen participation in urban restructuring in America and Western Europe Citizen participation was widely recognised in urban and housing public programmes in America and Western Europe during the 1960s and 1970s. In a time of political and economic shifts and as a result of citizen struggles and social movements, the democratisation of decision making in planning became a political act. Feeling alienated from the urban transformations taking place in their own neighbourhoods, citizens organised and demanded to be part of the production of cities. Citizen demands were gradually adopted and institutionalised by public policies and programmes. However, such progressive approaches did not last for long. Citizen participation in urban renewal and housing programmes lost agency as liberal urban policy was gradually overthrown beginning with the recessions of the late 1970s and the conservative governments that followed in the 1980s and beyond. National states and municipalities began withdrawing from those endeavours while coordinating efforts to attract private partners and investment to pursue larger and more ambitious urban restructuring interventions in cities. Certainly, the community-driven scope of a number of public programmes shifted to a more ambitious one that sought to achieve economic growth and profitable urban development bringing about shifts in urban restructuring policy, programmes, funds and leadership over the following decades. Evidently, as neoliberal economic agendas became more and more ingrained in urban policy and programmes guiding urban restructuring, uneven development and segregation became more stark bringing new urban challenges across cities. What is interesting is that in a context of increasing decentralisation, privatisation, and deregulation of urban restructuring interventions that have impacted directly citizens and particularly low-income communities, national states began once again promoting citizen participation. As national states have increasingly devolved decision-making and resources to lower government levels, municipalities and their partners, from the private and not-profit sectors, have been more involved in making and implementing local policies and addressing citizens and community needs. However, the motive, scope, impact and outcome of current local policies and programmes fostering the involvement of low-income and minority groups in urban restructuring programmes have left many questions unresolved. A number of studies assert that the deliberate activation of specific community groups by national states and their partners in urban restructuring programmes has been promoted: (1) to deal with the unprecedented economic and social consequences that emerged out of the neoliberal project through socially interventionist and ameliorative public policies and programmes (Peck & Tickle, 2002; Uitermark, 2014); (2) to control and discipline vulnerable and deprived groups who have been victims of the byproducts of the current neoliberal urbanisation and who should be ‘integrated’ through highly engineered measures (Albers & van Beckhoven, 2010; Brenner, Peck & Theodor 2009; Schickel & van der Berg, 2011; Uitermark, 2014; Uitermark & Duyendak, 2008); and (3) to build coalition politics by assembling strategic alliances in areas undergoing political and socio-spatial restructuring while seeing themselves as symbols of the community to legitimise their powers and in turn assert control and gain support to fulfil ongoing plans without opposition (Harvey, 1989). This study delves into these claims by scrutinising recent urban restructuring approaches in two different geographical contexts and investigating policies and programmes advocating for citizen participation. Research content and questions This study is structured in five sections: (1) introduction (2) theoretical framework; (3) politico-institutional historical context; (4) case study research; and (5) final analysis of comparative research. The first section, Introduction, outlines the research framework of this study including problem statement, aim, methodological approach and selection of case studies as well as the design and structure of this research. The second section, Cities for or against Citizens, includes Chapter 2 which provides a theoretical understanding of the way urban restructuring discourses, objectives and strategies have evolved in America and Western Europe. It introduces the right to the city as one of the main demands citizens, academics, activists, advocate planners, civic and grassroots groups have called for, and mobilised around, to fight the injustices produced by contemporary neoliberal urbanisation. It then explains the way that economic restructuring has led to new socio-spatial configurations and politicoeconomic relations in cities with impactful outcomes, such as uneven development and segregation and new institutional policy and governance frameworks. In relation to such new developments, the shift of urban renewal into a more ambitious and coordinated global and economic strategy is presented in conclusion to section two, enquiring about the state’s continuous promotion of participation and integration of citizens in urban restructuring policies and programmes targeting low-income neighbourhoods in both geographical areas. The third section, The Evolution of Urban Restructuring, provides the politicoinstitutional historical context of urban restructuring in New York City and the Randstad Holland. It encompasses Chapter 3 and 4 which carefully explain public policy, programmes and instruments involving or facilitating citizen participation in urban restructuring and housing programmes in low-income neighbourhoods from the postwar years until today. Chapter 3 focuses on policies and programmes bringing about urban restructuring in New York City, from the urban renewal programmes calling for 'citizen participation ’for the first time and the War on Poverty programmes which institutionalised the 'widespread participation of the poor' for the improvement of deprived inner city areas, to the tenant-led sweat equity housing management programmes that emerged after the city’s nadir of the 1970s, and the public policies and instruments of devolution which gave way to the professionalisation of grassroots movements, and in turn, the growth of the non-profit sector currently in charge of community and housing development. On the other hand, Chapter 4 explains the evolution of social oriented policies and participatory programmes promoted for the restructuring of low-income neighbourhoods in the Randstad Holland, from community work [opbouwwerk] with specific goals and targets and Building for the Neighbourhood [Bouwen voor de Buurt ], a collective and politicised urban renewal effort bringing about political and social change, to more recent policy programmes promoting the integration and participation of low-income and marginalised communities. The historical account of these two chapters provides an overview of the endeavours national states have undertaken at different levels facilitating citizen participation and community-led initiatives, as well as their successes and shortcomings. Both chapters offer a policy context useful for the analysis of the most recent urban restructuring frameworks and trends, which are examined in the following chapters. The ultimate objective of this section is to answer the following question: How have public policy and programmes targeting low-income and minority districts evolved with the decentralisation of national state’s power and resources? The fourth section, Socio-spatial Restructuring in Low Income Neighbourhoods in New York City and the Randstad Holland, involves case study research. Composed of Chapter 5 and 6, it delves into the socio-spatial restructuring of two lowincome neighbourhoods in New York City and the Randstad Holland; Bushwick and Tarwewijk, respectively. The way urban restructuring policies and programmes depicted in the previous two chapters have evolved and transformed socio-spatial configurations through shifts in housing provision —including planning, funding and development schemes— and local urban governance are illustrated in detail. Above all, policies, programmes and local initiatives promoting the involvement of citizens in decision making processes are particularly examined. Additionally, the role of local stakeholders in the implementation of those policy frameworks is presented considering decentralisation, privatisation and deregulation trends in housing and urban restructuring. Lastly, a critical analysis of the purpose, evolution and outcomes of public policies, planning strategies, participatory endeavours and trends facilitating the restructuring of low-income income neighbourhoods is offered. The central questions in this section are the following: How have changes in public policy and programmes played out in cities with liberal governments and unregulated market-driven development and in cities with interventionist governments and regulated market driven developments? How and why have national states promoted the integration and participation of residents of low-income and minority groups throughout the evolution of urban restructuring processes? The last section, The New State-Led Urban Restructuring Strategy: Analysis and Alternatives, offers a final analysis and a reflection on the comparative research. It is composed of Chapter 7 and 8. Chapter 7 provides a summative analysis of the previous chapters by delving into the way urban revitalisation and regeneration in low-income neighbourhoods in America and Western Europe, respectively, have evolved into a new urban restructuring strategy with clear objectives, locations, and approaches. The urban restructuring trends outlined in this section depict current state-sponsored policies, strategies, tools and measures promoted in disinvested areas to integrate these segregated sites into the new economic functions of cities. Additionally, it lays out the way citizens have been concurrently perceived by policy and public programmes as part of the new urban restructuring strategy. This section concludes with Chapter 8 which reflects on the rise of urban mobilisations and counteracting urban practices responding to the increasing disability of citizens to be part of the transformation of their own living environments. This last section aims to answer the main question of this investigation: Are cities being restructured for the welfare of citizens or are they being reshaped against the will, needs and interests of their own citizens? Urban restructuring trends and alternatives The final analysis of the study, as it was mentioned above, lays out the current directions of urban restructuring that are identified, while examining the evolution of urban restructuring policies, programmes, and strategies of implementation targeting low-income neighbourhoods in New York City and the Randstad Holland. As part of the findings of this study, the following urban restructuring trends were identified: (1) urban restructuring being used by national states as an instrument for speculation, competitiveness and economic growth; (2) an increasing outward diffusion of urban restructuring from urban centres to peripheral areas; (3) a rise of area-base policies, investments and urban interventions; (4) ‘social mixing’ as urban policy to diversify housing opportunities and in turn promote socially and economic diverse neighbourhoods; (5) a generalisation of state-led gentrification in urban restructuring policy and programmes; (6) new regulatory policy and institutional configurations; (7) the waning of housing provision for the poor and the working-class; and lastly, and most importantly for this study, (8) citizen participation being devised as a state instrument for the pacification, control and bargaining of low-income neighbourhoods in transformation. These trends certainly bring to light the fate of low-income communities and neighbourhoods, but also underscore the fields and spaces— from policy, programmes and governance frameworks to urban and housing planning approaches —where intervention is needed to generate more equitable neighbourhoods. Against this background, and concluding the final analysis, this study also highlights successful approaches and practices facilitating citizen- and community-lead urban restructuring processes in New York City and the Randstad Holland. Historically, as this study shows, progressive policies have promoted and, in many cases, managed to create democratic tools and processes of planning and development, particularly in times of crisis and when the private sector is not willing nor able to intervene. Such policies and their outcomes have proven, even with their shortcomings, that cities for citizens can be produced with a fair distribution of political power, resources and benefits. Alternative forms and models of housing development which have been devised, for the most part, by common citizens responding to the urgency of both creating housing according to their own needs and priorities and producing less alienated dwelling environments are underscored including housing cooperatives, community land trusts, self-management housing programs and other nonspeculative and regulated housing development schemes. Interestingly, just as the policy and planning approaches of the two case studies tend to converge, so do the principles and purpose of the urban restructuring models in many ways. But the effects manifest themselves differently due to the differences in institutional policy and government frameworks in each context. These schemes have been presented throughout this study but are particularly emphasised at the end of this study since they offer a valuable insight into alternative ways of restructuring low-income neighbourhoods, and urban districts in general, so as to produce more equitable cities, in other words—cities for citizens

Construcción de un prototipo de contador Geiger Müller como apoyo dosimétrico en la vigilancia de radiaciones ionizantes

In radiological protection, it is important to measure the entry dose to the skin as a direct dosimetric indicator or as a base data for a subsequent calculation of the effective dose or equivalent dose. Geiger Counters are particle and ionizing radiation detectors that emit different radiation sources. They are used as environmental dosimeters, measuring the equivalent dose rate in air at key points in exposed and unexposed areas in radiology services. This article shows the construction of a Geiger Müller counter from the use of open source technologies such as the Arduino, these systems allow the integration of different applications at very affordable costs, easy programming and assembly, the device not only allows measurement radiation dose perceived in conventional radiology areas, but also has a thermo-hygrometer capturing two extra fundamental variables for monitoring temperature and relative humidity of the equipment operating environment, in its configuration the prototype performs measurements remotely and in real time, without exposing the professional who performs the monitoring; With the location of the device in the right place, said measurement is transmitted to be viewed from any computer or mobile device, also through sending to viewing platforms, having the freedom to carry out continuous monitoring, storing said information to keep track strict in the management of emissions in the rooms where the different radiological equipment operates.En la protección radiológica es importante medir la dosis de entrada en piel como indicador dosimétrico directo o como dato base para un cálculo posterior de la dosis efectiva o equivalente. Los Contadores Geiger son detectores de partículas y de radiación ionizante que emiten las diferentes fuentes de radiación, se emplean como dosímetros ambientales, midiendo la tasa de dosis equivalente en aire en puntos claves de las áreas expuestas y no expuestas en los servicios de radiología. El presente artículo muestra la construcción de un contador Geiger Müller a partir del aprovechamiento de tecnologías de código abierto como el Arduino, dichos sistemas permiten la integración de diferentes aplicaciones a costos muy asequibles, fácil programación y ensamble, el dispositivo no solo permite la medición de las dosis de radiación percibida en el áreas de radiología convencional, sino que además posee un termohigrómetro captando dos variables extra fundamentales para monitoreo de temperatura y la humedad relativa del entorno donde se esté operando el equipo, en su configuración el prototipo realiza mediciones de manera remota y en tiempo real, sin exponer al profesional que realice el monitoreo; con la ubicación del dispositivo en el sitio adecuado se transmite dicha medida para ser visualizada desde cualquier dispositivo de computo o móvil, además a través del envío a plataformas de visualización, teniendo la libertad de realizar seguimiento continuo, almacenando dicha información para llevar un control estricto en el manejo de las emisiones en las salas donde los diferentes equipos radiológicos operen

Construcción de un prototipo de contador Geiger Müller como apoyo dosimétrico en la vigilancia de radiaciones ionizantes

In radiological protection, it is important to measure the entry dose to the skin as a direct dosimetric indicator or as a base data for a subsequent calculation of the effective dose or equivalent dose. Geiger Counters are particle and ionizing radiation detectors that emit different radiation sources. They are used as environmental dosimeters, measuring the equivalent dose rate in air at key points in exposed and unexposed areas in radiology services. This article shows the construction of a Geiger Müller counter from the use of open source technologies such as the Arduino, these systems allow the integration of different applications at very affordable costs, easy programming and assembly, the device not only allows measurement radiation dose perceived in conventional radiology areas, but also has a thermo-hygrometer capturing two extra fundamental variables for monitoring temperature and relative humidity of the equipment operating environment, in its configuration the prototype performs measurements remotely and in real time, without exposing the professional who performs the monitoring; With the location of the device in the right place, said measurement is transmitted to be viewed from any computer or mobile device, also through sending to viewing platforms, having the freedom to carry out continuous monitoring, storing said information to keep track strict in the management of emissions in the rooms where the different radiological equipment operates.En la protección radiológica es importante medir la dosis de entrada en piel como indicador dosimétrico directo o como dato base para un cálculo posterior de la dosis efectiva o equivalente. Los Contadores Geiger son detectores de partículas y de radiación ionizante que emiten las diferentes fuentes de radiación, se emplean como dosímetros ambientales, midiendo la tasa de dosis equivalente en aire en puntos claves de las áreas expuestas y no expuestas en los servicios de radiología. El presente artículo muestra la construcción de un contador Geiger Müller a partir del aprovechamiento de tecnologías de código abierto como el Arduino, dichos sistemas permiten la integración de diferentes aplicaciones a costos muy asequibles, fácil programación y ensamble, el dispositivo no solo permite la medición de las dosis de radiación percibida en el áreas de radiología convencional, sino que además posee un termohigrómetro captando dos variables extra fundamentales para monitoreo de temperatura y la humedad relativa del entorno donde se esté operando el equipo, en su configuración el prototipo realiza mediciones de manera remota y en tiempo real, sin exponer al profesional que realice el monitoreo; con la ubicación del dispositivo en el sitio adecuado se transmite dicha medida para ser visualizada desde cualquier dispositivo de computo o móvil, además a través del envío a plataformas de visualización, teniendo la libertad de realizar seguimiento continuo, almacenando dicha información para llevar un control estricto en el manejo de las emisiones en las salas donde los diferentes equipos radiológicos operen

Intranet Prasad

Adaptar la intranet genérica de Netfactorial de forma tal que cumpla los requisitos marcados para la gestión de toda información que se genera dentro de la empresa Prasad.Los objetivos que se esperaban cumplir con el desarrollo del proyecto eran : Adaptar tres de los módulos de la aplicación de tal forma que se genere/cree/desarrolle una intranet específica para satisfacer las necesidades de la empresa Prasad: - Gestión de proyectos - Módulo de costes y tesorería - Módulo decisional Usar todo el conocimiento y experiencia de los diferentes responsables de las diferentes áreas para crear un flujo de procesos adecuado para la gestión de una agencia de comunicación. Recoger y automatizar dicho flujo de procesos mediante una herramienta informática sencilla y comprensible.Crear una plataforma atractiva y segura que permita unificar en un solo punto todas las aplicaciones necesarias para realizar el trabajo diario de una agencia de publicidad. Garantizar la unificación de criterios para todos los trabajadores de la agencia así como facilitar su trabajo diario. Mejorar el sistema de comunicación tanto a nivel interno como, y muy especialmente, a nivel externo creando una plataforma abierta para clientes desde la que estos puedan tanto solicitar nuevos proyectos como controlar el desarrollo de los mismos. Adaptar una estructura hardware que permita el correcto funcionamiento de la plataforma a desarrollar. Dejar el sistema abierto para, en un futuro y si se desea, permitir ampliar el aplicativo. Implicar a todos los miembros de la empresa en la nueva plataforma de comunicación de la que dispondrán

Tannerella forsythia is associated with increased levels of atherogenic low density lipoprotein and total cholesterol in chronic periodontitis

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that acute and chronic infections with periodontopathogens are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to assess whether Tannerella forsythia and Porphyromonas gingivalis are associated with increased levels of atherogenic low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides and body mass index (BMI) in chronic periodontitis patients. Material and Methods: Medical history and clinical and radiographic examination were conducted in 80 chronic periodontitis patients and 28 healthy individuals. Fasting blood samples were drawn for the measurement of the parameters of dyslipidemia. Anthropometric measurements such as height in meters and weight in kilograms were recorded. Both periodontitis and control subjects were asked to answer a questionnaire with regard to their socio- demographic and smoking status. The presence of T. forsythia , and P. gingivalis was detected using primers designed to target the respective 16S rRNA gene sequences. Results: The occurrence of T. forsythia and P. gingivalis was higher in the group of subjects with periodontitis. Superior levels of triglycerides were observed in chronic periodontitis patients compared to healthy individuals. High levels of TC in periodontitis persons were significantly associated with increased bleeding on probing. Greater mean levels of TC and LDL were shown in the presence of T. forsythia ( P <0.05). Likewise, higher proportions of patients with BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 related with T. forsythia ( P <0.05). T. forsythia was a significant discriminating factor in the multivariate linear regression model emerging as significant explanatory of increased levels of TC (β=17,879, 95% CI = 4,357-31,401; p =0.01) and LDL (β=17,162, 95% CI= 4,009-30,316; p =0.01). Conclusions: Higher levels of serum total cholesterol and LDL were observed in the occurrence of T. forsythia and the presence of this periodontopathogen may increase the atherogenic potency of low-density lipoprotein that may augment the risk for atherosclerosis in periodontal disease patients

Detection and analysis of COVID-19 in medical images using deep learning techniques

The main purpose of this work is to investigate and compare several deep learning enhanced techniques applied to X-ray and CT-scan medical images for the detection of COVID-19. In this paper, we used four powerful pre-trained CNN models, VGG16, DenseNet121, ResNet50,and ResNet152, for the COVID-19 CT-scan binary classification task. The proposed Fast.AI ResNet framework was designed to find out the best architecture, pre-processing, and training parameters for the models largely automatically. The accuracy and F1-score were both above 96% in the diagnosis of COVID-19 using CT-scan images. In addition, we applied transfer learning techniques to overcome the insufficient data and to improve the training time. The binary and multi-class classification of X-ray images tasks were performed by utilizing enhanced VGG16 deep transfer learning architecture. High accuracy of 99% was achieved by enhanced VGG16 in the detection of X-ray images from COVID-19 and pneumonia. The accuracy and validity of the algorithms were assessed on X-ray and CT-scan well-known public datasets. The proposed methods have better results for COVID-19 diagnosis than other related in literature. In our opinion, our work can help virologists and radiologists to make a better and faster diagnosis in the struggle against the outbreak of COVID-19.The research leading to these results received funding from the Innovative Medicines Innitiative 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 853989. The JU receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA and Global Alliance for TB Drug Development non profit organisation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and University of Dundee

The State of the Circumstellar Medium Surrounding Gamma-Ray Burst Sources and its Effect on the Afterglow Appearance

We present a numerical investigation of the contribution of the presupernova ejecta of Wolf-Rayet stars to the environment surrounding gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and describe how this external matter can affect the observable afterglow characteristics. An implicit hydrodynamic calculation for massive stellar evolution is used here to provide the inner boundary conditions for an explicit hydrodynamical code to model the circumstellar gas dynamics. The resulting properties of the circumstellar medium are then used to calculate the deceleration of a relativistic, gas-dynamic jet and the corresponding afterglow light curve produced as the shock wave propagates through the shocked-wind medium. We find that variations in the stellar wind drive instabilities that may produce radial filaments in the shocked-wind region. These comet-like tails of clumps could give rise to strong temporal variations in the early afterglow lightcurve. Afterglows may be expected to differ widely among themselves, depending on the angular anisotropy of the jet and the properties of the stellar progenitor; a wide diversity of behaviors may be the rule, rather than the exception.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, ApJ in pres

Freshly Formed Dust in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant as Revealed by the Spitzer Space Telescope

We performed Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph mapping observations covering nearly the entire extent of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant (SNR), producing mid-infrared (5.5-35 micron) spectra every 5-10". Gas lines of Ar, Ne, O, Si, S and Fe, and dust continua were strong for most positions. We identify three distinct ejecta dust populations based on their continuum shapes. The dominant dust continuum shape exhibits a strong peak at 21 micron. A line-free map of 21 micron-peak dust made from the 19-23 micron range closely resembles the [Ar II], [O IV], and [Ne II] ejecta-line maps implying that dust is freshly formed in the ejecta. Spectral fitting implies the presence of SiO2, Mg protosilicates, and FeO grains in these regions. The second dust type exhibits a rising continuum up to 21 micron and then flattens thereafter. This ``weak 21 micron'' dust is likely composed of Al2O3 and C grains. The third dust continuum shape is featureless with a gently rising spectrum and is likely composed of MgSiO3 and either Al2O3 or Fe grains. Using the least massive composition for each of the three dust classes yields a total mass of 0.02 Msun. Using the most-massive composition yields a total mass of 0.054 Msun. The primary uncertainty in the total dust mass stems from the selection of the dust composition necessary for fitting the featureless dust as well as 70 micron flux. The freshly formed dust mass derived from Cas A is sufficient from SNe to explain the lower limit on the dust masses in high redshift galaxies.Comment: 8 figures: Accepted for the publication in Ap