Spaces of Innovation: learning, proximity and the ecological turn

Contrary to the fashionable “death of distance” thesis, the socio-spatial context for innovation remains as important as ever for firms, networks and the public institutions that tend to be neglected in orthodox narratives of learning. In this article we explore the changing socio-spatial dynamics of innovation through the medium of three arguments: (i) that the “learning region” debate was worth having because it triggered a fruitful dialogue between innovation theorists and economic geographers; (ii) that geographical proximity remains central to our understanding of learning and innovation and should not be reduced to, or conflated with, physical co-location; and (iii) that “the ecological turn” challenges conventional conceptions of learning, innovation and development, posing unsettling questions about the forces of path dependency, especially in less favoured regions.Learning, regions, innovation, proximities

New York City’s Battles for Imported Water

16 pages (includes illustrations and maps)

Decline, growth and amalgamation : an emerging picture in relation to the provision of post-primary education in Ireland with specific reference to five towns in West Cork and the enrolment trends between Catholic and State-Sector schools therein

This thesis traces the origin and development of post-primary education in Ireland with specific reference to the different forms of post-primary school. It examines recent and current trends in relation to the number of, and enrolment in, these school types. This analysis, at national level, points towards a change in postprimary enrolment patterns. The implications of this change for Catholic schools is examined, as is the implications for the various Vocational Education Committees. Consequent to this changing enrolment trend, the process towards amalgamation and the consequences thereof are also investigated.Specifically, the five main towns in West Cork, that are serviced by more than one form of post-primary school. are examined and the educational provision in these towns is assessed in relation to viability and future educational provision. These towns are Bantry, Dunmanway, Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Bandon.The enrolment trends in each of these towns are examined and compared with both the national trend and the trend in the other four towns. This examination is achieved through an identification of the 'feeder' primary schools for each of these towns, the current transfer pattern of students in these schools to the various post-primary schools and an examination of current enrolment within the various year groupings of these primary schools. From this examination, a projection is made of future enrolment in each of the post-primary schools within the five towns. This, in tum, leads to an identification of future possible amalgamations and a justification of amalgamations already proposed by the Department of Education and Science.The thesis concludes by making several recommendations which would safeguard the ethos of Catholic schools in the light of a declining secondary school enrolment, a growth in amalgamations and an increasingly significant role for the VECs in the provision of post-primary education. These recommendations would also ease the process of amalgamations in schools that are not viable, either economically or in terms of curricular provision

Recuperating a Wealth of Women\u27s Weavings In the Valleys of Chuquisaca, Bolivia

Textile arts in the Andean region have long been experiencing a decline. The success of the Jalq\u27a textiles program, growing over the last ten years in southern Bolivia, however, demonstrates a possible alternative path for Andean textile arts. For various reasons, in the 1970s, the beautiful and complex textiles that were the emblem of the Jalq\u27a communities were disappearing. The fleece spun by hand was replaced by acrylic thread, much of the arts of spinning and dyeing were lost, and with those, went the chromatic harmonies as well. The beautiful animals that had defined the Jalq\u27a style (often called Potolo) were thrown out and replaced by small schematic figures, and the lIamero style from the ethnic groups located north and west of the Jalq\u27a infiltrated the designs, turning them into simply decorative. A program to support the traditional arts has been in place for the last nine years and it has instigated a renaissance. These very fine textiles, made using ancestral techniques and born from the hands of more than 1,000 weavers associated with the program, are producing a true ethonogenis-that is to say, a new creation of culture. The ethnic and spiritual content of the designs (the weaver\u27s world visions expressed through their own aesthetic) combined with the excellent craftsmanship have created a specialized market-one for true works of art

Recuperating a Wealth of Women\u27s Weavings In the Valleys of Chuquisaca, Bolivia

Textile arts in the Andean region have long been experiencing a decline. The success of the Jalq\u27a textiles program, growing over the last ten years in southern Bolivia, however, demonstrates a possible alternative path for Andean textile arts. For various reasons, in the 1970s, the beautiful and complex textiles that were the emblem of the Jalq\u27a communities were disappearing. The fleece spun by hand was replaced by acrylic thread, much of the arts of spinning and dyeing were lost, and with those, went the chromatic harmonies as well. The beautiful animals that had defined the Jalq\u27a style (often called Potolo) were thrown out and replaced by small schematic figures, and the lIamero style from the ethnic groups located north and west of the Jalq\u27a infiltrated the designs, turning them into simply decorative. A program to support the traditional arts has been in place for the last nine years and it has instigated a renaissance. These very fine textiles, made using ancestral techniques and born from the hands of more than 1,000 weavers associated with the program, are producing a true ethonogenis-that is to say, a new creation of culture. The ethnic and spiritual content of the designs (the weaver\u27s world visions expressed through their own aesthetic) combined with the excellent craftsmanship have created a specialized market-one for true works of art

Directing cell migration and organization via nanocrater-patterned cell-repellent interfaces.

Although adhesive interactions between cells and nanostructured interfaces have been studied extensively, there is a paucity of data on how nanostructured interfaces repel cells by directing cell migration and cell-colony organization. Here, by using multiphoton ablation lithography to pattern surfaces with nanoscale craters of various aspect ratios and pitches, we show that the surfaces altered the cells focal-adhesion size and distribution, thus affecting cell morphology, migration and ultimately localization. We also show that nanocrater pitch can disrupt the formation of mature focal adhesions to favour the migration of cells towards higher-pitched regions, which present increased planar area for the formation of stable focal adhesions. Moreover, by designing surfaces with variable pitch but constant nanocrater dimensions, we were able to create circular and striped cellular patterns. Our surface-patterning approach, which does not involve chemical treatments and can be applied to various materials, represents a simple method to control cell behaviour on surfaces

Using Student-Generated UV-Induced \u3cem\u3eEscherichia coli\u3c/em\u3e Mutants in a Directed Inquiry Undergraduate Genetics Laboratory

We report a thematic sequence of directed inquiry-based labs taking students from bacterial mutagenesis and phenotypic identification of their own self-created mutant, through identification of mutated genes by biochemical testing, to verification of mutant alleles by complementation, and finally to mutant allele characterization by DNA sequence analysis. The lab utilizes UV mutagenesis with wild-type Escherichia coli and a UV-sensitive isogenic derivative optimized for undergraduate use. The labs take advantage of the simplicity of E. coli in a realistic genetic investigation using safe UV irradiation methods for creation and characterization of novel mutants. Assessment data collected over three offerings of the course suggest that the labs, which combine original investigation in a scientifically realistic intellectual environment with learned techniques and concepts, were instrumental in improving students’ learning in a number of areas. These include the development of critical thinking skills and understanding of concepts and methods. Student responses also suggest the labs were helpful in improving students’understanding of the scientific process as a rational series of experimental investigations and awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of scientific inquiry

Feasibility Analysis Of Retrofitting Central Illinois Regional Airport With Solar Photovoltaic Arrays

With the current decline of fossil fuel production, there is a growing political push towards a more environmentally sustainable way to harness clean energy. To address this issue, we aim to create a construction bid, where solar photovoltaic is implemented on unused land at Central Illinois Regional Airport. Many Municipal airports, often as a consequence of the public bidding domain, where the lowest and most responsible bidder is awarded the project, properties are left with an abundance of unused land that could be utilized for profit maximization. In order to provide a more descriptive framework for a change in energy management, we decided that a bid proposal is the best option because it is implemented in actual solar construction projects. The following construction bid encompasses the elements of a bid proposal to include financial analysis, satellite mapping and array layout, estimation, fulfillment of FAA regulations, and safety mitigation procedures. This research aims to be an economic and environmentally driven framework for institutions should they be interested in proposing a photovoltaic retrofit of their own.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/urs2021tec/1004/thumbnail.jp