Revealing the level of tension between cultural heritage and development in World Heritage cities

In theory, cultural heritage is regarded as a useful catalyst for sustainable development. However, in reality it is also regarded as an obstacle. Although cultural heritage is widely recognized as a unique and valuable resource of economic development, local governments often favor development over the protection of cultural heritage. World Heritage cities (i.e. all urban settlements with properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, located in or at the outskirts of their urban areas) contain cultural heritage that is not only of local importance, but is also of outstanding universal value (OUV) – that is, of global importance. Such heritage can enrich cultural diversity of urban settlements, but can also provide a source of tension for the comprehensive management of varied urban landscapes. Three international organizations have been found periodically and systematically inventorying endangered cultural heritage properties throughout the world: UNESCO with the List of World Heritage in Danger, ICO-MOS with Heritage at Risk, and the World Monuments Fund with the World Monuments Watch. Properties identified by these organizations are considered to be at risk as a result of varied threats, including development. However, the processes and criteria used by these organizations to determine such dangers were found to be very distinctive and inconsistent. The goal of this paper is to propose systematic and comprehensive criteria with which to categorize the endan-gered level of World Heritage cities – specifically those threatened by development – and to present the resultant ranking of these cities by such criteria. All official documents publishing the decisions adopted during the Ses-sions of the WH Committee, from 1977 to 2009, shall be used as a data source. This quantitative analysis will help evidence the evolution of World Heritage cities threatened by development, as well as the related trends of threats, causes and impacts. Initial analysis of the data has shown that many more WH cities (as defined above) have been endangered than have been represented on the List of World Heritage in Danger. While only 21 of the 476 WH properties includ-ing or included in WH cities have been included on the List in Danger, 193 have been discussed as endangered (to varying degrees) during WH Committee Sessions. Most frequently, the threats discussed had the potential to – but did not yet – cause irreversible damage to the OUV. However, many of the threats did cause damage to the OUV, though not to the extent necessary to warrant inclusion on the List in Danger. The primary threats mentioned in Committee Sessions have been new development (mostly commercial and residential) and infrastructure construction (such as roads, airports, ports and sewage systems). The primary causes of these threats have been insufficient implementation of regulatory frameworks (such as management plans, zoning laws and conservation plans), insufficient buffer zones, and insufficient coordination of stakehold-ers. While other threats, such as looting, flawed restoration work and general neglect have been mentioned; new development and construction are by far the most cited threats to OUV. This initial analysis illustrates the alarming tensions between heritage preservation, modernization and growth in WH cities throughout the world. This data is only the tip of the iceberg. Based mainly on official documents from World Heritage Committee Meeting Sessions, the data reflects only those cities and threats that capture the attention of the Committee. There are likely many more WH cities endangered than the Committee has the time to consider during its annual Sessions. Furthermore, the lack of specific references to development-related threats in all cities does not mean that they do not exist. Just as the operational guidelines have evolved, it is expected that the detail of information concerning threats, causes and impacts, will also increase in time. This research is considered to be a step forward in understanding development as a danger to World Heritage cities, including its threats, causes and impact. Moreover, as part of a broader international research entitled, Outstanding Universal Value, World Heritage Cities and Sustainability, the results will also help to determine best practices among the OUV assessment practices followed to protect World Heritage cities

Controlled Deposition and Alignment of Carbon Nanotubes

A carbon nanotube (CNT) attraction material is deposited on a substrate in the gap region between two electrodes on the substrate. An electric potential is applied to the two electrodes. The CNT attraction material is wetted with a solution defined by a carrier liquid having carbon nanotubes (CNTs) suspended therein. A portion of the CNTs align with the electric field and adhere to the CNT attraction material. The carrier liquid and any CNTs not adhered to the CNT attraction material are then removed

Visualization of a Capsule Entry Vehicle Reaction-Control System (RCS) Thruster

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) was used to visualize the reaction control system (RCS) jet flow emanating from the aft-body of an Apollo-geometry capsule test article in the NASA Langley Research Center 31-Inch Mach 10 Air wind tunnel. The RCS jet was oriented normal to the aft surface of the model and had a nominal Mach number of 2.94. The composition of the jet gas by mass was 95% nitrogen (N2) and 5% nitric oxide (NO). The RCS jet flowrate varied between zero and 0.5 standard liters per minute and the angle of attack and tunnel stagnation pressure were also varied. PLIF was used to excite the NO molecules for flow visualization. These flow visualization images were processed to determine the trajectory and to quantify the flapping of the RCS jet. The spatial resolution of the jet trajectory measurement was about 1 mm and the single-shot precision of the measurement was estimated to be 0.02 mm in the far field of the jet plume. The jet flapping, measured by the standard deviation of the jet centerline position was as large as 0.9 mm, while the jet was 1.5-4 mm in diameter (full width at half maximum). Schlieren flow visualization images were obtained for comparison with the PLIF. Surface pressures were also measured and presented. Virtual Diagnostics Interface (VIDI) technology developed at NASA Langley was used to superimpose and visualize the data sets. The measurements demonstrate some of the capabilities of the PLIF method while providing a test case for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) validation

Accounting for genomic pre-selection in national BLUP evaluations in dairy cattle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In future Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) evaluations of dairy cattle, genomic selection of young sires will cause evaluation biases and loss of accuracy once the selected ones get progeny.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To avoid such bias in the estimation of breeding values, we propose to include information on all genotyped bulls, including the culled ones, in BLUP evaluations. Estimated breeding values based on genomic information were converted into genomic pseudo-performances and then analyzed simultaneously with actual performances. Using simulations based on actual data from the French Holstein population, bias and accuracy of BLUP evaluations were computed for young sires undergoing progeny testing or genomic pre-selection. For bulls pre-selected based on their genomic profile, three different types of information can be included in the BLUP evaluations: (1) data from pre-selected genotyped candidate bulls with actual performances on their daughters, (2) data from bulls with both actual and genomic pseudo-performances, or (3) data from all the genotyped candidates with genomic pseudo-performances. The effects of different levels of heritability, genomic pre-selection intensity and accuracy of genomic evaluation were considered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Including information from all the genotyped candidates, i.e. genomic pseudo-performances for both selected and culled candidates, removed bias from genetic evaluation and increased accuracy. This approach was effective regardless of the magnitude of the initial bias and as long as the accuracy of the genomic evaluations was sufficiently high.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The proposed method can be easily and quickly implemented in BLUP evaluations at the national level, although some improvement is necessary to more accurately propagate genomic information from genotyped to non-genotyped animals. In addition, it is a convenient method to combine direct genomic, phenotypic and pedigree-based information in a multiple-step procedure.</p

Establishing the validity of the Personality Assessment Inventory drug and alcohol scales in a corrections sample

Abstract Although not originally designed for implementation in correctional settings, researchers and clinicians have begun to use the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) to assess offenders. A relatively small number of studies have made attempts to validate the alcohol and drug abuse scales of the PAI, and only a very few studies have validated those scales in nonclinical correctional samples. The current study examined evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the substance abuse scales on the PAI in a large, nonclinical sample of offenders. The net sample for the current study consisted of 1,120 federal inmates. Both the drug abuse and alcohol scales showed good convergent validity through high correlations with relevant proximal and distal indicators of substance use across multiple measures from several data sources. Discriminant validity was established as neither scale showed any &quot;erroneous&quot; correlations after controlling for the other scale. Implications for future research and practice are discussed

Diabetic foot complications among Indigenous peoples in Canada: A scoping review through the PROGRESS-PLUS equity lens

Introduction Indigenous peoples in Canada face a disproportionate burden of diabetes-related foot complications (DRFC), such as foot ulcers, lower extremity amputations (LEA), and peripheral arterial disease. This scoping review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of DRFC among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Canada, incorporating an equity lens Methods A scoping review was conducted based on Arksey and O’Malley refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The PROGRESS-Plus framework was utilized to extract data and incorporate an equity lens. A critical appraisal was performed, and Indigenous stakeholders were consulted for feedback. We identified the incorporation of patient-oriented/centered research (POR). Results Of 5,323 records identified, 40 studies were included in the review. The majority of studies focused on First Nations (92%), while representation of the Inuit population was very limited populations (< 3% of studies). LEA was the most studied outcome (76%). Age, gender, ethnicity, and place of residence were the most commonly included variables. Patient-oriented/centered research was mainly included in recent studies (16%). The overall quality of the studies was average. Data synthesis showed a high burden of DRFC among Indigenous populations compared to non-Indigenous populations. Indigenous identity and rural/remote communities were associated with the worse outcomes, particularly major LEA. Discussion This study provides a comprehensive understanding of DRFC in Indigenous peoples in Canada of published studies in database. It not only incorporates an equity lens and patient-oriented/centered research but also demonstrates that we need to change our approach. More data is needed to fully understand the burden of DRFC among Indigenous peoples, particularly in the Northern region in Canada where no data are previously available. Western research methods are insufficient to understand the unique situation of Indigenous peoples and it is essential to promote culturally safe and quality healthcare. Conclusion Efforts have been made to manage DRFC, but continued attention and support are necessary to address this population’s needs and ensure equitable prevention, access and care that embraces their ways of knowing, being and acting

Defining authorship in user-generated content : copyright struggles in The Game of Thrones

The notion of authorship is a core element in antipiracy campaigns accompanying an emerging copyright regime, worldwide. These campaigns are built on discourses that aim to ‘problematize’ the issues of ‘legality’ of content downloading practices, ‘protection’ for content creators and the alleged damage caused to creators’ livelihood by piracy. Under these tensions, fandom both subverts such discourses, through sharing and production practices, and legitimizes industry’s mythology of an ‘original’ author. However, how is the notion of authorship constructed in the cooperative spaces of fandom? The article explores the most popular fandom sites of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series that inspires the TV-show Game of Thrones and argues that the notion of authorship is not one-dimensional, but rather consists of attributes that develop across three processes: community building, the creative and the industrial/production process. Here, fandom constructs a figure of the ‘author’ which, although more complex than the one presented by the industry in its copyright/anti-piracy campaigns, maintains the status quo of regulatory frameworks based on the idea of a ‘primary’ creator

R&D Paths of Pixel Detectors for Vertex Tracking and Radiation Imaging

This report reviews current trends in the R&D of semiconductor pixellated sensors for vertex tracking and radiation imaging. It identifies requirements of future HEP experiments at colliders, needed technological breakthroughs and highlights the relation to radiation detection and imaging applications in other fields of science.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, submitted to the European Strategy Preparatory Grou

Elucidation of the mode of interaction in the UP1–telomerase RNA–telomeric DNA ternary complex which serves to recruit telomerase to telomeric DNA and to enhance the telomerase activity

We found that UP1, a proteolytic product of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1), both enhances and represses the telomerase activity. The formation of the UP1–telomerase RNA–telomeric DNA ternary complex was revealed by a gel retardation experiment. The interactions in the ternary and binary complexes were elucidated by NMR. UP1 has two nucleic acid-binding domains, BD1 and BD2. In the UP1–telomerase RNA binary complex, both BD1 and BD2 interact with telomerase RNA. Interestingly, when telomeric DNA was added to the binary complex, telomeric DNA bound to BD1 in place of telomerase RNA. Thus, BD1 basically binds to telomeric DNA, while BD2 mainly binds to telomerase RNA, which resulted in the formation of the ternary complex. Here, UP1 bridges telomerase and telomeric DNA. It is supposed that UP1/hnRNP A1 serves to recruit telomerase to telomeric DNA through the formation of the ternary complex. A model has been proposed for how hnRNP A1/UP1 contributes to enhancement of the telomerase activity through recruitment and unfolding of the quadruplex of telomeric DNA