The festivalization of the creative city: A study of two creative quarters in Barcelona and Berlin

In recent decades, the concepts of 'creative city', 'creative class' and 'experience economy' have gained growing attention by scholars and city administrations, bringing fundamental changes to the character of urban space in contemporary cities. These concepts and strategies emphasize the importance of 'soft' location factors and the experiential and cultural characteristics of a place to create prerequisites for culture-led regeneration. In this sense, one of the most popular instruments of cultural planning implementation is focusing cultural development on art festivals, to build continuity of 'happening' and thus attract creative individuals. These factors turn urban space into a constant festival; a phenomenon called festivalization. Considering festivalization and creative city development as tightly coupled processes, the research aims to bridge a gap between the two by addressing how festivalization is being produced within the experience economy paradigm. In order to do so, the research aims to analyze the organizational issues of festivalization in the case studies of El Raval in Barcelona and northern Neukölln in Berlin, two quarters facing a process of economic and social regeneration based on the experience economy and cultural activities.En las últimas décadas, los conceptos de ciudad creativa, clase creativa y economía de la experiencia han ganado una creciente atención por parte de académicos y administraciones municipales, lo que ha generado cambios fundamentales en el carácter del espacio urbano en las ciudades contemporáneas. Estos conceptos y estrategias enfatizan la importancia de los factores de ubicación "blandos" y las características experienciales y culturales de un lugar para crear prerrequisitos para la regeneración dirigida por la cultura. En este sentido, uno de los instrumentos más populares de la implementación de la planificación cultural es centrar el desarrollo cultural en los festivales de arte para construir la continuidad del 'happening' y así atraer a individuos creativos. Estos factores convierten el espacio urbano en un festival constante, fenómeno llamado festivalización. Considerando la festivalización y el desarrollo creativo de la ciudad como procesos estrechamente relacionados, la investigación tiene como objetivo superar la brecha entre ambos al abordar cómo se está produciendo la festivalización dentro del paradigma de la economía de la experiencia. Para ello, la investigación pretende analizar las cuestiones organizativas de la festivalización en los casos de estudio del Raval en Barcelona y Neukölln-Nord en Berlín, dos barrios que se enfrentan a un proceso de regeneración económica y social basado en la economía de la experiencia y las actividades culturales.En les últimes dècades, els conceptes de ciutat creativa, classe creativa i economia de l'experiència han guanyat una atenció creixent per part d'acadèmics i administracions municipals, la qual cosa ha generat canvis fonamentals en el caràcter de l'espai urbà a les ciutats contemporànies. Aquests conceptes i estratègies emfatitzen la importància dels factors d'ubicació "tous" i les característiques experiencials i culturals d'un lloc per crear prerequisits per a la regeneració dirigida per la cultura. En aquest sentit, un dels instruments més populars de la implementació de la planificació cultural és centrar el desenvolupament cultural en els festivals d'art per construir la continuïtat del 'happening' i així atraure individus creatius. Aquests factors converteixen l'espai urbà en un festival constant, fenomen anomenat festivalització. Considerant la festivalització i el desenvolupament creatiu de la ciutat com a processos estretament relacionats, la investigació té com a objectiu superar la bretxa entre tots dos abordant com s'està produint la festivalització dins del paradigma de l'economia de l'experiència. Per fer-ho, la recerca vol analitzar les qüestions organitzatives de la festivalització en els casos d'estudi del Raval a Barcelona i Neukölln-Nord a Berlín, dos barris que fan front a un procés de regeneració econòmica i social basat en l'economia de l'experiència i les activitats culturals.Societat de la informació i el coneixemen

Ways to Reach Lower Detection Limits of Lateral Flow Immunoassays

This chapter considers factors influencing sensitivity of lateral flow immunoassay and modern developments that are focused on reaching lower detection limits. The existing variety of proposed approaches is classified in accordance with the “big five rules” for these assays, including proper sample, receptor, interaction, response, and output. The solutions for rapid extraction of target analytes and preventing negative influence of extractants are considered. Role to antibodies affinity and specificity is characterized. Potential of alternate bioreceptor molecules is discussed. Immunoreactants’ compositions, concentrations, and locations on the test strip are characterized as factors determining assay parameters. The existing variety of labels is compared in terms of their optical and alternate registration. Tools to modulate a sequence of analytical reactions and to form aggregates of the detected labels are considered. The discussed approaches are illustrated through developments of test strips for detection of mycotoxins, veterinary drugs, and other analytes

Socio-cultural Aspects of Informatization in the Context of the Effective General (Secondary) Education Formation

This article is devoted to the preparation of an information base for the formation of criteria for assessing the process of general (secondary) education informatization. The situation in education can be considered as unstable, lacking a clear understanding of the social, psychological and technological prospects for the Russian and world communities’ development, which excludes the possibility of correct strategic planning and making correct management decisions. The development source of uncertainty is the very transitional nature of the current situation in ICT — equally in the technological, economic, sociocultural and psychological aspects. The research problematizes the well-established idea of the modern relations of education and ICT, emphasize the lack of empirical data and the bias towards a normative approach in the field of managerial decisions, which in the face of uncertainty leads to the adoption of erroneous decisions (a tactics and strategy contradiction). The research has determined the prospects for a monitoring research system designed to obtain the necessary empirical data in the system, taking into account the change in the technological and sociocultural paradigm over the past decade. Keywords: information society, digitalization of education, efficiency in education, digital divide, resistance to innovatio

The Role of White-rot Fungi in Herbicide Transformation

Understanding herbicide transformation is necessary for pesticide development for their safe and efficient use, as well as for developing pesticide bioremediation strategies for contaminated soil and water. Recent studies persuasively demonstrated the key role of soil white-rot fungi in biotransformation of various anthropogenic environmental contaminants. However, often this common knowledge is not associated with specific metabolic processes of fungi and therefore cannot be transformed into specific recommendations for agricultural practice. The given review offers a systematic collection and analysis of the current knowledge about herbicide transformation by white-rot fungi at the cellular and molecular levels. Special attention is given to the role of oxidative enzymes such as laccases, lignin peroxidases, and manganese peroxidases in the biotransformation processes

Ultrastructure of Mauthner Cells in Fish Adapted to Long-Duration Vestibular Stimulation and the Effect of Ethanol

Adaptation or resistance of fish Mauthner cells (M-cells) to long duration (2 h) vestibular stimulation (LDS)was produced by daily brief and gradually increasing vestibular stimulation (training). The LDS resistance was accompanied by an increase in the number of desmosome-like junctions in the afferent axosomatic synapses. F-actin, the main component of desmosome-like contacts, has been suggested to be responsible for the increased resistance of M-cells to LDS. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the capacity of M-cells to adapt to LDS under the influence of ethanol, which alters the content of F-actin in cells. The experiments were carried out in goldfish fry. Vestibular stimulation (training and LDS) was performed in special drums that were rotated in two planes. The training time was increased from 1 min on day 1 to 30 min on day 30. For ethanol exposure, fish were immersed daily in a 2% ethanol solution for 20 min. To assess the level of resistance to LDS, motor activity indicating the functional state of M-cells was evaluated before and after LDS. The results show that exposure to ethanol reduces the resistance to LDS in both untrained and trained fish. Electron microscopic data demonstrated some structural changes in the synaptic endings located on M-cell soma in ethanol-exposed fish. Wrapping of boutons by cytoplasmic out- growths and myelin- like structures was observed. Morphometric analysis revealed that exposure to ethanol without training decreases the number of desmosome-like contacts, probably due to ethanol-induced depolymerization of cytoskeletal actin. Ethanol exposure also partly suppressed the increase in the number of desmosome-like contacts that occurs as a result of training. In ethanol-treated trained fish, however, a concomitant increase in the length of desmosome-like contacts was observed. As training alone leads to the formation of additional desmosome-like contacts of standard length, it is possible that although a sufficient amount of such structures cannot be formed in the M-cells of ethanol-exposed trained fish, the existing contacts can be elongated. Thus, possibly changes of the actin state are involved in the adaptation of M-cells to LDS

Value range of solutions to the chordal Loewner equation with restriction on the driving function

We consider a value range {g(i,T)} of solutions to the chordal Loewner equation with the restriction |λ(t)| <= c on the driving function. We use reachable set methods and the Pontryagin maximum principle