Developing Typologies of City-Regional Growth

The economic performance of city-regions is closely linked to the performance of the national economy. However, the performance of the national economy can also depend on the performance of one or more major city-regions, that act as growth poles. Because of their sectoral structure and other characteristics, some cities are better equipped to become growth poles than others. This paper studies 46 major city-regions across Europe. The sectoral structure and changes in the sectoral structure of city-regions are studied using data from CE’s European Regional Database, itself based on Eurostat’s Regio database. The data analysis attempts to explain city-region performance by drawing parallels between sectoral structure and economic performance. The data analysis is supplemented by local anecdotal evidence provided by CE’s annual European reporting system ‘European Regional Prospects’, for example the historical importance of river and seafront activities. The paper goes on to discuss the extent to which the sectoral structure of cities can explain why some city-regions grow faster than others. The data analysis will be used to group cities in ‘hard’ typologies according to sectoral specialisation. These sectoral typologies are then compared with typologies according to the local, ‘softer’, evidence provided by CE’s regional consultants. This evidence will also be used to draw out the more subtle influences on city-region growth and these will be used to group cities in ‘soft’ typologies.

Psychosocial care for people with dementia in long-term care : the use of dementia care mapping

A substantial proportion of people with dementia is cared for within long-term care settings. There is currently a greater recognition of the importance of providing for these individuals’ psychosocial needs, and “person-centred care” has emerged as an important approach. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is a useful tool to evaluate and inform the provision of person-centred care. The aim of this work was to investigate the usefulness of DCM to improve the individual care provided to this group. The first paper provides an overview of psychosocial care for people with dementia in long-term care from a person-centred perspective. A review of the definitions of this type of care is provided and the models and approaches that attempt to guide psychosocial care provision are examined. The challenges of putting this care into practice and evaluating its effectiveness are also discussed. The second paper involves conducting a multiple baseline experimental design in order to investigate the effectiveness of DCM to inform the care plans for individuals with dementia in long-term care. The results from the study were inconclusive with regards to improvements in the patients. However, it is concluded that further investigations are warranted and recommendations are made. The aim of the third paper is to explore care staff's experience of DCM, as this method is very reliant on care staff accepting the changes to care delivery yet there is a paucity of research in this area. The results indicate that care staff perceive it to be a useful tool to inform their care practice but the method could be improved by including staff in this process. Finally, the process of carrying out this research, including the difficulties encountered, is reflected upon and the author's learning is discussed

Representation Homology, Lie Algebra Cohomology and Derived Harish-Chandra Homomorphism

We study the derived representation scheme DRep_n(A) parametrizing the n-dimensional representations of an associative algebra A over a field of characteristic zero. We show that the homology of DRep_n(A) is isomorphic to the Chevalley-Eilenberg homology of the current Lie coalgebra gl_n^*(C) defined over a Koszul dual coalgebra of A. We extend this isomorphism to representation schemes of Lie algebras: for a finite-dimensional reductive Lie algebra g, we define the derived affine scheme DRep_g(a) parametrizing the representations (in g) of a Lie algebra a; we show that the homology of DRep_g(a) is isomorphic to the Chevalley-Eilenberg homology of the Lie coalgebra g^*(C), where C is a cocommutative DG coalgebra Koszul dual to the Lie algebra a. We construct a canonical DG algebra map \Phi_g(a) : DRep_g(a)^G -> DRep_h(a)^W, which is a homological extension of the classical restriction homomorphism. We call \Phi_g(a) a derived Harish-Chandra homomorphism. We conjecture that, for a two-dimensional abelian Lie algebra a, the derived Harish-Chandra homomorphism is a quasi-isomorphism, and provide some evidence for this conjecture. For any complex Lie algebra g, we compute the Euler characteristic of DRep_g(a)^G in terms of matrix integrals over G and compare it to the Euler characteristic of DRep_h(a)^W.This yields an interesting combinatorial identity, which we prove for gl_n and sl_n (for all n). Our identity is analogous to the classical Macdonald identity, and our quasi-isomorphism conjecture is analogous to the strong Macdonald conjecture proved by S.Fishel, I.Grojnowski and C.Teleman. We explain this analogy by giving a new homological interpretation of Macdonald's conjectures in terms of derived representation schemes, parallel to our Harish-Chandra quasi-isomorphism conjecture.Comment: 61 pages; minor correction

Recreational Rights to the Dry Sand Beach in Florida: Property, Custom and Controversy

At the close of the 2018 legislative session Florida Governor Rick Scott signed HB 631 into law. The new law converted local dustups between beachgoers and beachfront landowners into a statewide sandstorm that pitted public rights to access to the dry sand beach against landowners’ private property rights. This article seeks to address the widespread confusion about the scope of and relationship between these respective rights and to rebut confused and exaggerated narratives about the impacts of the new law that have fueled further conflict. The resolution of these issues will have broad policy implications, with significant impact on recreational, property, dignity, economic, and conservation values. Moreover, in an era of ongoing sea-level rise, the pressures on our coastal resources and the conflicts among these values will only increase. The article begins by briefly describing the history of the current controversy and of the legal principle at the heart of the conflict: the doctrine of customary use of Florida’s beaches. After offering a detailed review of the Florida Supreme Court’s landmark case on the customary use doctrine along with subsequent lower court cases interpreting it, it identifies the legal issues that have created widespread confusion regarding the interplay among the common law property rights at issue, local ordinances that recognize and regulate those rights, and the recent state legislation now codified in Fla. Stat. §163.035 (2019). The article concludes by discussing some of the options available to the Florida legislature to resolve the controversy that HB 631 engendered and to address related issues contributing to conflict at the water’s edge along the state’s coastline

Islamist Violent Extremism: A New Form of Conflict or Business as Usual?

Islamist violent extremist (IVE) groups are frequently involved in civil conflicts. Indeed, some groups owe their origins to conflict, and tens of thousands of Islamists have chosen to participate in conflicts taking place in foreign countries in the past 35 years. Increasingly, IVE groups appear to have the capacity to influence the conflicts they are involved in, and are influenced in turn by their experiences. As a result, for those working on conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction, the involvement of IVE groups raises questions of whether traditional responses remain adequate. Drawing on three country case studies – Nigeria, Kenya and Iraq/Syria, this article examines the similarities and differences between IVE groups and other conflict actors, and what this means for development, state-building and peacebuilding responses

A novel mechanism of RNase L inhibition: Theiler\u27s virus L* protein prevents 2-5A from binding to RNase L

<div><p>The OAS/RNase L pathway is one of the best-characterized effector pathways of the IFN antiviral response. It inhibits the replication of many viruses and ultimately promotes apoptosis of infected cells, contributing to the control of virus spread. However, viruses have evolved a range of escape strategies that act against different steps in the pathway. Here we unraveled a novel escape strategy involving Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) L* protein. Previously we found that L* was the first viral protein binding directly RNase L. Our current data show that L* binds the ankyrin repeats R1 and R2 of RNase L and inhibits 2’-5’ oligoadenylates (2-5A) binding to RNase L. Thereby, L* prevents dimerization and oligomerization of RNase L in response to 2-5A. Using chimeric mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) expressing TMEV L*, we showed that L* efficiently inhibits RNase L <i>in vivo</i>. Interestingly, those data show that L* can functionally substitute for the MHV-encoded phosphodiesterase ns2, which acts upstream of L* in the OAS/RNase L pathway, by degrading 2-5A.</p></div

Transglutaminases, involucrin, and loricrin as markers of epidermal differentiation in skin substitutes derived from human sweat gland cells

Background/Purpose: In a multi-project research line, we are currently testing whether a morphologically and functionally near normal epidermis can be cultured from human sweat gland (SG) cells and be used as a skin substitute. The present study focuses on the stratum corneum of the epidermis that assumes a vital barrier function for the skin. The main process in the formation of the cornified cell envelope in human epidermis, i.e. crosslinking of proteins and lipids, is catalyzed by several transglutaminases (TG). Therefore, we compared the expression patterns of various TG and their substrates in SG-derived versus keratinocyte-derived epidermal substitutes. Methods: Sweat gland cells, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts were isolated from human skin samples and cultivated separately to generate epidermal substitutes. These were transplanted onto the back of athymic rats. After 2weeks, the transplants were excised and analyzed histologically as well as by indirect immunofluorescence. We looked at the expression of TG1, 3, 5, and their substrates involucrin and loricrin (=markers of epidermal differentiation) in SG-derived and keratinocyte-derived skin substitutes as well as in normal skin. Results: The SG cell-derived epidermis was near normal anatomically, formed a cornified cell envelope and demonstrated TG1, 3, and 5 as well as involucrin and loricrin expression patterns similar to those found in keratinocyte-derived epidermis and normal control skin. Conclusion: These findings support the thesis that SG cells have the potential to form a near normal stratified epidermal analog that might be used as a skin substitute. The expression of TG1 and 3, not normally expressed in human SG, suggests the presence of re-programmed SG cells and/or stem cells capable of both de novo generating and maintaining an epidermi