Exploring the hidden potential of sugar beet industry brownfields (case study of the Czech Republic).

The paper focuses on spatial analyses of sugar beet industry brownfields in the Czech Republic. In the first part of the paper history of sugar beet industry on the area of the Czech Republic is briefly presented, then links between location of these sites and its transport potential are discussed. Benefits of brownfields regeneration for regional development are also evaluated. In the empirical part of the paper 49 brownfield sites within the Czech Republic, where the sugar beet industry was abandoned during the transition period after 1989, are evaluated and classified based on field research and aerial picture analyses. Three examples of reuse of former sugar beet factories are finally presented. It was found that development potential of studied sites is highly depended on their geographical location and some inspiration might be derived from presented examples. More targeted supportive policy in the Czech Republic to support regeneration of brownfields is needed. In the concluding part of the paper further development possibilities of sugar beet industry brownfields and their railway connection are considered

Statutory Comment

International audienc

Visitors' preferences of renewable energy options in 'green' hotels.

Tourism belongs to the industries with significant energy consumption. Visitors as well as hotel managers have, however, a positive attitude towards the responsible use of energy resources. The level of research on visitors’ preferences of using different types of renewable energy is low, unlike findings on factual characteristics of conventional and renewable energies. That is why our aim was to assess visitors’ preferences of environmentally friendly energy sources in hotels. Preferences of six types of renewable energy - “green” tariff energy, solar panels on the rooftops, solar panels on the ground, heat pumps, AD, wind turbine, were measured at four tourist destinations in the Czech Republic. The positive attitude of tourists towards the selected types of energy sources was confirmed. The highest preferences were found for solar panels installed on the rooftops. A typology of preferences was revealed by cluster analysis and differences between clusters were tested for independent variables. Clusters of visitors with a high and low interest in any type of renewable energy were identified as well as a cluster of visitors with interest in all types apart from solar panels installed on the ground - the visitor’s origin was found as the main differentiation factor

Perinatal Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Brain Development, Role in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential fatty acids that are provided by dietary intake. Growing evidence suggests that n-3 and n-6 PUFAs are paramount for brain functions. They constitute crucial elements of cellular membranes, especially in the brain. They are the precursors of several metabolites with different effects on inflammation and neuron outgrowth. Overall, long-chain PUFAs accumulate in the offspring brain during the embryonic and post-natal periods. In this review, we discuss how they accumulate in the developing brain, considering the maternal dietary supply, the polymorphisms of genes involved in their metabolism, and the differences linked to gender. We also report the mechanisms linking their bioavailability in the developing brain, their transfer from the mother to the embryo through the placenta, and their role in brain development. In addition, data on the potential role of altered bioavailability of long-chain n-3 PUFAs in the etiologies of neurodevelopmental diseases, such as autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia, are reviewed

Systemic restoration of UBA1 ameliorates disease in spinal muscular atrophy

Acknowledgments Blood biochemistry analysis and serum analysis were performed by the Easter Bush Pathology Department, University of Edinburgh. Animal husbandry was performed by Centre for Integrative Physiology bio-research restructure technical staff, University of Edinburgh. Assistance with intravenous injections was provided by Ian Coldicott (University of Sheffield) and Hannah Shorrock (University of Edinburgh). Human blood cDNA was a gift to GH from Kathy Evans, University of Edinburgh. Imaging was performed at the IMPACT imaging facility, University of Edinburgh, with technical assistance from Anisha Kubasik-Thayil. The authors would also like to thank Lyndsay Murray for technical discussions relating to qRT-PCR analysis. This work was supported by funding from the SMA Trust and the Anatomical Society (via grants to THG); the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research (via grants to THG and SHP); the Wellcome Trust (via grants to EJNG and THG); Muscular Dystrophy UK (via grants to THG and CGB); a Elphinstone Scholarship from the University of Aberdeen (to SHP); and The French Muscular Dystrophy Association (via grants to CM and JC).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Regional variation in public acceptance of wind energy development in Europe: what are the roles of planning procedures and participation?

The successful transition towards renewable energy (RE) technologies is closely intertwined with various societal aspects. Wind energy (WE) is one of the most controversial RE-types, possibly due to the multiplicity of related public concerns. Although some European country-comparisons exist, research concerning acceptance factors in different political and cultural planning contexts is scarce, especially in Eastern and Southern Europe. This paper explores the variation of (1) acceptance issues across Europe, and (2) patterns of strategic and local planning in affecting WE acceptance. We conducted an expert survey among the members of the COST Action ‘Renewable Energy and Landscape Quality’ and the association Wind Energy Europe. We found that acceptance issues – as perceived by the experts – across different regions in Europe share certain similarities, such as concerns about landscape impacts. The priority-levels of acceptance issues are specific to each region and link to the planning quality in that context. Planners’ and decision-makers’ increased awareness about the diversity of acceptance issues would allow them to design more appropriate strategic and local planning processes

GPR, a ground‐penetrating radar for the Netlander mission

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95485/1/jgre1563.pd

Dietary Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation Alters Electrophysiological Properties in the Nucleus Accumbens and Emotional Behavior in Naïve and Chronically Stressed Mice

Long-chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have drawn attention in the field of neuropsychiatric disorders, in particular depression. However, whether dietary supplementation with LC n-3 PUFA protects from the development of mood disorders is still a matter of debate. In the present study, we studied the effect of a two-month exposure to isocaloric diets containing n-3 PUFAs in the form of relatively short-chain (SC) (6% of rapeseed oil, enriched in α-linolenic acid (ALA)) or LC (6% of tuna oil, enriched in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) PUFAs on behavior and synaptic plasticity of mice submitted or not to a chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), previously reported to alter emotional and social behavior, as well as synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). First, fatty acid content and lipid metabolism gene expression were measured in the NAc of mice fed a SC (control) or LC n-3 (supplemented) PUFA diet. Our results indicate that LC n-3 supplementation significantly increased some n-3 PUFAs, while decreasing some n-6 PUFAs. Then, in another cohort, control and n-3 PUFA-supplemented mice were subjected to CSDS, and social and emotional behaviors were assessed, together with long-term depression plasticity in accumbal medium spiny neurons. Overall, mice fed with n-3 PUFA supplementation displayed an emotional behavior profile and electrophysiological properties of medium spiny neurons which was distinct from the ones displayed by mice fed with the control diet, and this, independently of CSDS. Using the social interaction index to discriminate resilient and susceptible mice in the CSDS groups, n-3 supplementation promoted resiliency. Altogether, our results pinpoint that exposure to a diet rich in LC n-3 PUFA, as compared to a diet rich in SC n-3 PUFA, influences the NAc fatty acid profile. In addition, electrophysiological properties and emotional behavior were altered in LC n-3 PUFA mice, independently of CSDS. Our results bring new insights about the effect of LC n-3 PUFA on emotional behavior and synaptic plasticity

Good governance as a strategic choice in brownfield regeneration: Regional dynamics from the Czech Republic

The application of principles of good governance in brownfield regeneration, for instance through improved transparency and participation of various groups of stakeholders, varies between regions and cities. In this article, we approach good governance as a strategic response of actors in the struggle for creating development opportunities on brownfield land. Good governance has been mostly seen as a normative consideration, but it is not clear why regions with lower development prospects would employ it more than better developed regions, as it recently happened in the Czech Republic. We assume that the public administration at the regional and municipal level plays an active role in divising strategies to attract investors for brownfield redevelopment. This process brings public administrations in interaction with each other and with investors, regulators and civil society groups within a society-wide brownfield redevelopment field. This field is an arena where all these different actors struggle for redeveloping their brownfield land. Regional and municipal administrations from developed regions stand to benefit from their higher economic growth potential and hence have a dominant position within the field. We identify the latter as the incumbents or “power-holders” of the national brownfield regeneration field. Less developed regions have lower attractiveness for brownfield redevelopment, which places them in a subordinate position in the field. They are so-called challengers that are likely to favor alternative strategies for their brownfields, going beyond mere economic attractiveness. By comparing differently developed regions and regional capitals in the Czech Republic, we show how some challengers use good governance, such as responsiveness, participation and transparency, as an alternative strategy to attract investors despite their economic predicament. For regional capitals, however, good governance is practiced both by highly developed and less developed cities. We draw evidence from interviews with key stakeholders and socio-economic data at the regional and municipal level in the Czech Republic. In the conclusion, we show some of the identified limitations in good governace, such as obstacles to participation, responsiveness or transparency, and how they can be recognized and overcome