Re-forming multi-storey housing: the regeneration of urban housing estates in Britain

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, Technology and Design, University of Luton, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyEstates of multi-storey housing present some of the most intractable problems for urban policy. Socially, many are characterised by a complex of deprivation. Physically, they often suffer from serious technical problems and poor environmental quality. This study traces the development of multi-storey housing from its early beginnings in the 19th century to the period from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s when most of the contemporary legacy of estates was built. In this period, it is suggested, the concentration on 'low cost' led to the poor design of access systems, the use of untried mass-production techniques and the virtual elimination of social facilities. All these economies sowed the seeds of the social rejection and degeneration that was to follow. The central question is whether such estates can be successfully modernised -or whether the only solution is to demolish them. In seeking an answer the various responses of social landlords are analysed. It emerges that the older, smaller estates can be effectively adapted to provide good housing. The large scale, more recent estates, however, have proved more resistant to improvement. Despite the fact that government has increasingly targeted the problem estates of the 1960s and 70s, many improvement schemes have met with limited success. Drawing on an analysis of past practice, a 'model of regeneration' is defined. This concentrates on the need for tenant participation; on the importance of design solutions which are both technically and socially appropriate; and on management which is sensitive to local needs. This model was tested through case studies on recent improvement schemes. From the results, conclusions are drawn about the value of the model and the prospects for regenerating the various types of multi-storey housing Finally, a strategic approach is defined which can re-form the estates and re-integrate them into the mainstream urban environment

Molluscicidal activity of affinin and other isobutylamides from the asteraceae

Unsaturated aliphatic isobutylamides from Asteraceae, Rutaceae and Piperaceae are potential agents to control schistosomiasis. Affinin (N-isobutyl-2,6,8-decatrienamide) from Heliopsis longipes has strong molluscicidal activity against Physa occidentalis (50 ca 100 [mu]M) and the cercariae of the fluke. The amide has also been shown to be present in Wedelia parviceps flowers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24159/1/0000417.pd

Controlling collapse in Bose-Einstein condensates by temporal modulation of the scattering length

We consider, by means of the variational approximation (VA) and direct numerical simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation, the dynamics of 2D and 3D condensates with a scattering length containing constant and harmonically varying parts, which can be achieved with an ac magnetic field tuned to the Feshbach resonance. For a rapid time modulation, we develop an approach based on the direct averaging of the GP equation,without using the VA. In the 2D case, both VA and direct simulations, as well as the averaging method, reveal the existence of stable self-confined condensates without an external trap, in agreement with qualitatively similar results recently reported for spatial solitons in nonlinear optics. In the 3D case, the VA again predicts the existence of a stable self-confined condensate without a trap. In this case, direct simulations demonstrate that the stability is limited in time, eventually switching into collapse, even though the constant part of the scattering length is positive (but not too large). Thus a spatially uniform ac magnetic field, resonantly tuned to control the scattering length, may play the role of an effective trap confining the condensate, and sometimes causing its collapse.Comment: 7 figure

Mainstreaming domestic and gender-based violence into sociology and the criminology of violence

Sociological and criminological views of domestic and gender-based violencegenerally either dismiss it as not worthy of consideration, or focus on specificgroups of offenders and victims (male youth gangs, partner violence victims). Inthis paper, we take a holistic approach to violence, extending the definition fromthat commonly in use to encompass domestic violence and sexual violence. Weoperationalize that definition by using data from the latest sweep of the CrimeSurvey for England and Wales. By so doing, we identify that violence is currentlyunder-measured and ubiquitous; that it is gendered, and that other forms of violence (family violence, acquaintance violence against women) are equally ofconcern. We argue that violence studies are an important form of activity forsociologists

Identification of novel subgroup a variants with enhanced receptor binding and replicative capacity in primary isolates of anaemogenic strains of feline leukaemia virus

<b>BACKGROUND:</b> The development of anaemia in feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)-infected cats is associated with the emergence of a novel viral subgroup, FeLV-C. FeLV-C arises from the subgroup that is transmitted, FeLV-A, through alterations in the amino acid sequence of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the envelope glycoprotein that result in a shift in the receptor usage and the cell tropism of the virus. The factors that influence the transition from subgroup A to subgroup C remain unclear, one possibility is that a selective pressure in the host drives the acquisition of mutations in the RBD, creating A/C intermediates with enhanced abilities to interact with the FeLV-C receptor, FLVCR. In order to understand further the emergence of FeLV-C in the infected cat, we examined primary isolates of FeLV-C for evidence of FeLV-A variants that bore mutations consistent with a gradual evolution from FeLV-A to FeLV-C.<p></p> <b>RESULTS:</b> Within each isolate of FeLV-C, we identified variants that were ostensibly subgroup A by nucleic acid sequence comparisons, but which bore mutations in the RBD. One such mutation, N91D, was present in multiple isolates and when engineered into a molecular clone of the prototypic FeLV-A (Glasgow-1), enhanced replication was noted in feline cells. Expression of the N91D Env on murine leukaemia virus (MLV) pseudotypes enhanced viral entry mediated by the FeLV-A receptor THTR1 while soluble FeLV-A Env bearing the N91D mutation bound more efficiently to mouse or guinea pig cells bearing the FeLV-A and -C receptors. Long-term in vitro culture of variants bearing the N91D substitution in the presence of anti-FeLV gp70 antibodies did not result in the emergence of FeLV-C variants, suggesting that additional selective pressures in the infected cat may drive the subsequent evolution from subgroup A to subgroup C.<p></p> <b>CONCLUSIONS:</b> Our data support a model in which variants of FeLV-A, bearing subtle differences in the RBD of Env, may be predisposed towards enhanced replication in vivo and subsequent conversion to FeLV-C. The selection pressures in vivo that drive the emergence of FeLV-C in a proportion of infected cats remain to be established

Longitudinally Profiling Neutralizing Antibody Response to SARS Coronavirus with Pseudotypes

SARS-CoV spike protein pseudotypes are the basis of an in vitro microneutralization assay sensitive and specific for SARS-CoV neutralizing antibodies

Covariant Lagrange multiplier constrained higher derivative gravity with scalar projectors

We formulate higher derivative gravity with Lagrange multiplier constraint and scalar projectors. Its gauge-fixed formulation as well as vector fields formulation is developed and corresponding spontaneous Lorentz symmetry breaking is investigated. We show that the only propagating mode is higher derivative graviton while scalar and vector modes do not propagate. Despite to higher derivatives structure of the action, its first FRW equation is the first order differential equation which admits the inflationary universe solution.Comment: Physics Letters B published version. LaTeX 12 page

A measurement of the tau mass and the first CPT test with tau leptons

We measure the mass of the tau lepton to be 1775.1+-1.6(stat)+-1.0(syst.) MeV using tau pairs from Z0 decays. To test CPT invariance we compare the masses of the positively and negatively charged tau leptons. The relative mass difference is found to be smaller than 3.0 10^-3 at the 90% confidence level.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.