Re-structuring competetive metropolitan regions: on territory, institutions and governance. RheinRuhr compared with London, Paris and the Randstad Holland

Currently social and political constructed urban regions are about to approach a threefold role regarding their functional, economic and political function. At first they constitute a basis for economic and social life. What is next is their role as a vital relational asset to refine competitive advantages and thirdly they exemplify the significance of a new era of reflexive capitalism. One underlying consequence of the "new" interest concerning the de- and re-territorialisation of political economic activity is to consider the regional scale as a functional space for economic planning and political governance. Our intended contribution for the ERSA-Conference deals with the role of selected European Metropolitan Regions as "driving forces" for national and Europe`s competitiveness and the involved challenges for such urban regions to pool their resources and potentials in order to cerate some kind of "appropriate organising capacities". To do so, the authors would draw on the ongoing debate about the adequate analysis of regional political economies and on the empirical results produced within two recently finished international research projects (named as EURBANET and GEMACA II: both were executed under the umbrella of the INTERREG IIC operational programme for the North Western Metropolitan Area). Whilst GEMACA II focussed on the competitiveness of metropolitan regions, the EURBANET project took on board the possible contribution of polynuclear urban regions, such as RheinRuhr and the Delta Metropolis, in order to strengthen the regional competitiveness and quality of life. Additionally, their potential roles in transnational planning processes were under study. The planned paper would start with the observation that a great number of examinations on urban or city-regional economies reduce these "spatialities" to empirical given administrative bounded cities and simultaneously to a "container" for socio-economic processes. However, a "region" is comprehended as a historical contingent process and its emergence needs to be understood as a part of socio-spatial structure and collective consciousness of society. Questions of spatial scales, territorial shapes, institutional formations and cultural identities are thus given preference by a number of social scientists and human geographers. In order to respond to this perspective, the authors want to discuss three key factors of the economic development exemplified by four metropolitan regions (as named in the headline). 1. the territorial shape of comparable functional urban regions including the specific questions of the internal spatial shape (rather monocentric or polycentric configurations without a dominant core); 2. the present "economic performance" of the selected regions embedded in the discourse of "regional competitiveness"; 3. the importance of "appropriate" institutional and policy-making frameworks for effective metropolitan governance and governments by bringing together the mutual interests of various city-regional stakeholders.

Simulating atmospheric d13CO2 during the last 740,000 years: Model-based estimates in the context of ice core measurements

The ratio of the stable carbon isotopes of atmospheric CO2 (δ 13 CO2 ) contains valuable information on the processes which are operating on the global carbon cycle. However current δ 13 CO2 ice core records are still limited in both resolution, temporal coverage as well as precision. To make optimal use of the existing and future δ 13 CO2 ice core records an estimate of the expected temporal variability would help to constrain for the acceptable measurement uncertainty and resolution to successfully retrieve the characteristic variability in δ 13 CO2 . In this study we performed simulations with the carbon cycle box model BICYCLE with special emphasis on atmospheric δ 13 CO2, proposing how changes in δ 13 CO2 might have evolved over the last 740,000 years. The overall model dynamic is validated with reconstructions of δ 13 C in benthic foraminifera in thedeep Pacific and with atmospheric CO2 ice core data. On glacial/interglacial timescales lower surface ocean temperature is most important for lower glacial δ 13 CO2 , followed by the release of isotopically lighter terrestrial carbon. In addition, changes in the terrestrial biosphere also dominate deep ocean δ 13 CO2 but have only a limited effect on atmospheric pCO2 . All other oceanic processes lead to higher than present glacial δ 13 CO2 . Taken all processes together the effects nearly cancel each other and there are nearly no glacial/interglacial amplitudes in δ 13 CO2 in line with ice core data. However faster variations of up to 0.3 occur throughout the whole simulation period. Due to our model configuration, terrestrial carbon storage is very sensitive to temperature changes over northern hemispheric lands, which accompany the reorganization of the Atlantic meridional ocean circulation during fast climate fluctuations (Dansgaard/Oeschger events). These fast events intensify the frequency and amplitude in δ 13 CO2 . However, due to ocean uptake of additional carbon as well as the signal attenuation in ice cores, the amplitudes of such events are strongly time scale dependent

The Characterization, Assessment, and Shear Strength of Turfgrass Soil in North American Thoroughbred Racing

Minimizing catastrophic injuries to racehorses, which also protects the riders, is critical for the future of the Thoroughbred racing industry. While the causes of catastrophic injuries are multifactorial, the condition of the racing surface is one of only a few factors that affects all horses in competition. Horse racing surfaces must retain enough shear strength to support the hoof of a Thoroughbred at a gallop. Turfgrass racing surfaces also require healthy turf to reinforce the footing while also achieving a high infiltration rate to allow races to run on the turf soon after or even during rain. This research is an investigation of current and potential future turfgrass soils at North American racing surfaces. The goal is to provide a consistent surface to support the horse and to help protect the horse and rider. Laser diffraction was used to determine the particle size distribution of soils at 23 turf racing surfaces in North America. Laser diffraction was able to characterize the mean values of a racing surface’s particle size distribution and detect differences between racetracks with samples as small as 0.25g. The use of small samples minimizes safety concerns since removal of the sample causes minimal disturbance of the racing surface. This research can help select topdressing and divot mix materials. Potential problem areas in active turf racing surfaces can be investigated with samples as small as aeration cores removed as a part of normal maintenance. Baseline data has already been used to help guide profile selection for construction and renovation projects. Simple tools suitable for daily use were evaluated against the Orono Biomechanical Surface Tester (OBST). Analysis was performed on test plots which simulate current and potential future fiber reinforced North American racetracks. The study establishes correlations between simple tools and the biomechanically based OBST measurements used for pre-meet inspections. Volumetric moisture content is the most important simple tool and it is well suited for daily measurements at racetracks. The Longchamp Penetrometer, which has an established correlation to horse performance and injuries, can be used to supplement the moisture meter. The inclusion of surface data in epidemiological models has the potential to increase our understanding of the contribution of the racing surface to the risk of injury as well as guide racetrack personnel and regulator decisions on race days. Soil meeting the recommended profile for golf course greens was tested using triaxial shear. Three different types of fiber reinforcement were considered: no reinforcement, synthetic fiber reinforcement, and natural fiber reinforcement. Fiber reinforcement is the most promising method of modifying soils of this type to produce the shear strength required while maintaining a free draining racing surface. Natural fibers are a promising alternative to the synthetic fibers currently used. These materials avoid the introduction of microplastic into the environment and could reduce the need for aeration of older turf surfaces. Natural fibers are also promising for use in divot mixes in surfaces without fibers since the fibers decompose as the turf root system develops. Both synthetic polypropylene as well as jute and sisal natural fiber reinforcement increase the friction angle and reduce cohesion which makes the free draining soils more suitable for Thoroughbred racing surfaces. This dissertation provides a better understanding of current and potential future soils used in turfgrass Thoroughbred racing surfaces. Methods which can be used to monitor surfaces both with and without fiber on a daily basis have also been established. The effect of appropriate fiber reinforcement is that even free draining soils may provide sufficient shear strength for Thoroughbred racing which will allow more races to be held on turfgrass racetracks

Accounting terminology and forms in forty annual reports

This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Proving WAM compiler correctness

In this note we analyse the proof of compiler correctness of the WAM given in the paper The WAM - Definition and Compiler Correctness by Egon Boerger and Dean Rosenzweig. TR-14/92, Dipartimento di Informatica, Universita di Pisa, 1992. with regard to the question how it could be assisted by an automated theorem prover. We will give further details of the proof methodology and present the proof obligations in a form that is amenable to automated deduction systems

Who is afraid of MT?

Machine translation (MT) is experiencing a renaissance. On one hand, machine translation is becoming more common and used in ever larger scale, on the other hand many translators have an almost hostile attitude towards machine translation programs and those translators who use MT as a tool. Either it is assumed that the MT can never be as good as a human translation or machine translation is viewed as the ultimate enemy of the translator and as a job killer. The article discusses with various examples the limits and possibilities of machine translation. It demonstrates that machine translation can be better than human translations – even if they were made by experienced professional translators. The paper also reports the results of a test that showed that translation customers must expect that even well-known and expensive translation service providers deliver a quality that is on par with poor MT. Overall, it is argued that machine translation programs are no more and no less than an additional tool with which the translation industry can satisfy certain requirements. This abstract was also – as the entire article – automatically translated into English

Building a Resilient Coast: Maine Property Owner\u27s Guide to Managing Flooding, Erosion and Other Coastal Hazards

Originally designed as an online owner\u27s guide for coastal property owners and municipal officials. Describes sandy beach, hard and soft bluff, and coastal wetland habitats, vulnerabilities to erosion, and actions that property owners and communities can take to improve the resiliency of coastal lands in the face of sea-level rise, waves, flooding, hurricanes, and climate change related hazards