Mobilising Urban Policies: The Policy Transfer of US Business Improvement Districts to England and Wales

This paper examines the ways in which policies are transferred between places: how they are disembedded from, and re-embedded into, new political, economic and social contexts. To do this, the paper will draw upon a case study of the transfer of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) from the US to England and Wales. Within this, the paper demonstrates how they were a response to fiscal problems facing city-centre management in England and Wales; how US BIDs were socially constructed as `successful' and `transferable'; and how the BID `model' was reshaped prior to and following its rolling-out in England and Wales. The paper concludes by stressing six wider conceptual points about the nature of urban policy transfer

Modulatory effects of orexin on the functional maturation of central vestibular system in motor coordination and spatial recognition

Conference Theme: Nature and Nurture in Brain FunctionsOrexin is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that is known to be involved in animals’ balance and motor coordination. To test whether neonatal perturbation of orexinergic synapses in the vestibular nucleus (VN) exerts any effect on the maturation of vestibular-related behaviors, we blocked/activated orexin receptors in the VN of postnatal day (P) 1 rats by implanting polymer (Elvax) slices loaded with orexin receptor antagonist (SB334867) or agonist ([Ala11, D-Leu 15]-orexin-B) onto the dorsal surface of VN for slow release of the drug to the underlying VN. Specific behavioral tests including negative geotaxis (a graviceptive response), surface righting (ability to correct body orientation to erect position) and air righting were performed on these rats at different stages of postnatal development until adulthood. Neonatal treatment with antagonist accelerated acquisition of negative geotaxis and surface righting from P7 to P6, as well as air righting from P21 to P16. In contrast, neonatal treatment with agonist delayed acquisition of negative geotaxis by 4 days and surface righting by 1 day. These findings reveal the unique role of orexin on functional maturation of the vestibular system. Moreover, neonatal treatment of the VN with agonist impaired the performance of both motor coordination (as revealed by rotarod test and balanced beam test) and spatial navigation (as indicated by dead reckoning/ path integration) at the adult stage. On the contrary, antagonist treatment enhanced the performance in spatial navigation. These findings suggest that neonatal modulation of orexinergic transmission in the neonatal VN perturbs the maturation of spatial recognition. [Supported by NSFC/RGC N_HKU 735/14

Developmental roles of orexin in the central vestibular system on acquisition of motor coordination and spatial recognition

Conference Theme: Science and Aging: An Era of Discover

Developmental roles of orexin in the central vestibular system on acquisition of motor coordination and spatial recognition

Conference Theme: Science and Aging: An Era of Discover

Young people, antisocial behaviour and public space: The role of Community Wardens in policing the ‘ASBO-generation’

The potential benefits of public space frequently translate into inequitable social and spatial outcomes for specific groups. Young people in particular are being excluded from public spaces through a range of explicit and implicit measures. In the UK, one significant trend constraining their ability to access such space is the extent to which they are commonly perceived as perpetrators of antisocial behaviour. The perceived levels of antisocial behaviour associated with the ‘ASBO-generation’ are exacerbating concerns over youths’ presence in, as opposed to absence from, public space. Synthesising new ethnographic research with existing debates about the relationship between young people, antisocial behaviour and public space, this paper argues that we need to address the multifarious discursive processes and material practices influencing young people’s use of public space. The paper demonstrates how, as opposed to eradicating young people from public space, Community Wardens in Dundee often provide them with the opportunity for positive and meaningful encounters with places (and people) in their local communities