The Road through the Rust Belt: From Preeminence to Decline to Prosperity

The chapters in this book explore reasons for the decline of Rust Belt cities and the often innovative responses of local leaders and entrepreneurs that are helping to revive these areas.https://research.upjohn.org/up_press/1242/thumbnail.jp

Economic Impact of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District on the Regional Economy, 2014-2022

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD), the largest conservancy district in Ohio, initiated a significant, multi-year capital improvement plan in 2014 in response to increasing revenues associated with Utica Shale development. This study used input-output analysis to estimate the regional economic impact of MWCD’s spending on infrastructure improvements and related operations from 2014 through 2022. Cleveland State University’s Energy Policy Center found that MWCD’s $182.1 million in capital spending during the study period resulted in$486.8 million of gross output (total economic activity of all sales/revenues), $221.9 million of value added (gross output minus intermediate inputs),$135.6 million in labor income, and 2,287 jobs throughout the conservancy district’s 18-county service area. Additionally, every 1 million spent annually by MWCD during the study period on operations and maintenance (O&M) supported approximately 3.5 million of gross output, $1.9 million of value added,$1.3 million in labor income, and 22 jobs per year on average in the local economy. Altogether, MWCD’s spending on capital improvements and O&M from 2014 through 2022 resulted in $938.3 million of total economic activity for the 18-county region served by the conservancy district

Urban Spatial Pattern as Self-Organizing System: An Empirical Evaluation of Firm Location Decisions in Cleveland–Akron PMSA, Ohio

Economic models of urban spatial patterns have largely ignored complexity as an attribute of urban systems. Complexity theorists on the other hand have not made sufficiently serious and sustained attempts to verify empirically the relevance of complex systems models for urban spatial patterns. This research bridges this gap by simulating the evolution of an urban employment pattern as a self-organizing complex system and seeking its empirical validation. It estimates the model’s parameters by using firm data aggregated to the level of municipalities in Cleveland-Akron Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area in Ohio. The interaction among four parameters, forces of attraction and dispersion and their respective rates of dissipation with distance, are modeled as a two-dimensional complex system. The research compares the states of the modeled system with empirical data to present viable methods for verification, calibration and validation of such models

Interference of coarse and fine particles of different shape in mixed porous beds and filter cakes

In solid–liquid separation the knowledge of solids packing structure is important to control permeability and dewaterability. In particular, cakes formed in filtration are often represented by the composition in coarse and fine particles. In this work cakes were modelled by mixing a bed of coarse (spheres) and fine (kieselguhr of three types and kieselgel) particles with a wide size distribution, in order to obtain beds with different proportions of plate and rod-like particles. Size ratio of glass beads to kieselguhr particles were in the range 23–30. Porosity and permeability were measured for a range of large particle fraction in the mixture from 0 up to 1.0. The fractional porosity of each particle fraction was introduced as a parameter. The approach proposed in this work was also successfully applied to different published filtration data. It was found that (1) the presence of more than 10% of fines in the coarse granular bed significantly reduces the cake permeability; (2) to improve cake permeability the volume fraction of filter aid in suspension must be at least 50–60% of total solid volume; (3) obtained data may be used to control the porosity of a mixture, if the fractional porosity of large and small particles is known or to estimate mixture tortuosity.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – POCTI/EQU/37500/2001

Role of PINCH and Its Partner Tumor Suppressor Rsu-1 in Regulating Liver Size and Tumorigenesis

Particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine-rich protein (PINCH) protein is part of the ternary complex known as the IPP (integrin linked kinase (ILK)-PINCH-Parvin-α) complex. PINCH itself binds to ILK and to another protein known as Rsu-1 (Ras suppressor 1). We generated PINCH 1 and PINCH 2 Double knockout mice (referred as PINCH DKO mice). PINCH2 elimination was systemic whereas PINCH1 elimination was targeted to hepatocytes. The genetically modified mice were born normal. The mice were sacrificed at different ages after birth. Soon after birth, they developed abnormal hepatic histology characterized by disorderly hepatic plates, increased proliferation of hepatocytes and biliary cells and increased deposition of extracellular matrix. After a sustained and prolonged proliferation of all epithelial components, proliferation subsided and final liver weight by the end of 30 weeks in livers with PINCH DKO deficient hepatocytes was 40% larger than the control mice. The livers of the PINCH DKO mice were also very stiff due to increased ECM deposition throughout the liver, with no observed nodularity. Mice developed liver cancer by one year. These mice regenerated normally when subjected to 70% partial hepatectomy and did not show any termination defect. Ras suppressor 1 (Rsu-1) protein, the binding partner of PINCH is frequently deleted in human liver cancers. Rsu-1 expression is dramatically decreased in PINCH DKO mouse livers. Increased expression of Rsu-1 suppressed cell proliferation and migration in HCC cell lines. These changes were brought about not by affecting activation of Ras (as its name suggests) but by suppression of Ras downstream signaling via RhoGTPase proteins. In conclusion, our studies suggest that removal of PINCH results in enlargement of liver and tumorigenesis. Decreased levels of Rsu-1, a partner for PINCH and a protein often deleted in human liver cancer, may play an important role in the development of the observed phenotype. © 2013 Donthamsetty et al

Update on Electricity Customer Choice In Ohio: Competition Continues to Outperform Traditional Monopoly Regulation (Executive Summary)

Key Findings at a Glance: Deregulated Markets Save Ohio Electricity Consumers Billions Since 2011, deregulation has saved Ohio consumers $23.9 billion. The Study Team anticipates that savings will continue for the near term to be around$3 billion per year. However, these savings may be lost, in whole or in part, if deregulated energy markets continue to be undermined by cross subsidies. Competition Outperforms Monopoly Regulation Competition has driven down average electricity prices in deregulated Midwestern states while their regulated peers have seen a steady increase in price of generated electricity