The architecture of community: some new proposals on the social consequences of architectural and planning decisions

Summary: "Territorial" theories argue that spatial design can only play an important role in society by virtue of there being a "correspondence" between spatial zones and social identities. In this paper it is argued that "structured non-correspondence" can also play a positive social role, with quite different consequences for spatial design. To the extent that a system works on non-correspondences it functions more probabilistically. It relies on numbers and frequencies of events which take place to reproduce a statistically stable global system, rather than on the formal clarity of its structure. This gives non-correspondence systems a robustness which highly structured systems do not possess. They can thus tolerate much more local disorder and yet be reproducible

A Multiscale Model of Biofilm as a Senescence-Structured Fluid

We derive a physiologically structured multiscale model for biofilm development. The model has components on two spatial scales, which induce different time scales into the problem. The macroscopic behavior of the system is modeled using growth-induced flow in a domain with a moving boundary. Cell-level processes are incorporated into the model using a so-called physiologically structured variable to represent cell senescence, which in turn affects cell division and mortality. We present computational results for our models which shed light on modeling the combined role senescence and the biofilm state play in the defense strategy of bacteria

Games & Theory

‘Games & Theory’ was an international exhibition of the work of contemporary artists who share interests in play, sports and gaming. It was curated by Hammonds for the South London Art Gallery (SLG) in summer 2008. Conventionally, play is understood as unfettered creative freedom, while gaming addresses competition and strategy. The exhibition’s originality lay in the way it brought these two distinct theories into dialogue. Hammonds’s exhibition explored the proposition that, as a social practice, play can also be understood as a form of political negotiation. Taking its cue from Situationist thinking, the exhibition explored the radical potential of play as a form of resistance and expression of freedom. The exhibition was structured as a playground to test the extent to which the conventional spaces of the gallery and its immediate environment could be modified and extended. ‘Games & Theory’ also engaged with the challenge of examining the ways in which conventional art practices and objects – such as painting – could be modified by participatory practices associated with play. This was one of a series of projects curated by Hammonds at the SLG that transformed the gallery into an alternative social space. The exhibition marked the starting point of a three-year programme of ‘play’ within the SLG’s programme. Hammonds set these curatorial ideas in a critical and artistic context in an essay entitled ‘Games people play’ in the accompanying book, The Cat Came as a Tomato: Conversations on Contemporary Art and Play (2011). In it, Hammonds reflected on the ways in which art has been conventionally grouped with play to contain it outside the public/political space. The exhibition was reviewed in Frieze, Art Monthly, Time Out and Art Review (all 2008)

The Future of Europe

The major challenges facing the Europeans – such as terrorism, the migratory crisis, and differently "Brexit" as well as the rise of anti-European populism – call for the redesign and revival of the integration of a united Europe. These various challenges should not be treated separately, in a fragmented manner but rather put in perspective and addressed in a structured way. They all bring into play the Europeans' ability to rise together to overcome the series of crises they are facing. However unity cannot be taken for granted. Indeed extremely strong political tension is threatening the cohesion and stability of the European Union

Effect of maternal panic disorder on mother-child interaction and relation to child anxiety and child self-efficacy

To determine whether mothers with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia interacted differently with their children than normal control mothers, 86 mothers and their adolescents (aged between 13 and 23 years) were observed during a structured play situation. Maternal as well as adolescent anxiety status was assessed according to a structured diagnostic interview. Results showed that mothers with panic disorder/agoraphobia showed more verbal control, were more criticizing and less sensitive during mother-child interaction than mothers without current mental disorders. Moreover, more conflicts were observed between mother and child dyadic interactions when the mother suffered from panic disorder. The comparison of parenting behaviors among anxious and non-anxious children did not reveal any significant differences. These findings support an association between parental over-control and rejection and maternal but not child anxiety and suggest that particularly mother anxiety status is an important determinant of parenting behavior. Finally, an association was found between children’s perceived self-efficacy, parental control and child anxiety symptoms

Hungarian International Development Cooperation: Context, Stakeholders and Performance

This paper explores the domestic and international context of Hungary's emerging international development policy. Specifically, it looks at three factors that may influence how this policy operates: membership in the European Union (EU) and potential ‘Europeanization’, Hungary's wider foreign policy strategy, and the influence of domestic stakeholders. In order to uncover how these factors affect the country's international development policy, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the main stakeholders. The main conclusions are: (1) While accession to the EU did play a crucial role in restarting Hungary's international development policy, the integration has had little effect since then; (2) international development policy seems to serve mainly Hungary's regional strategic foreign policy and economic interests, and not its global development goals; and (3) although all the domestic development stakeholders are rather weak, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) still seems to play a dominating role. Convergence with European requirements and best practices is, therefore, clearly hindered by foreign policy interests and also by the weakness of non- governmental stakeholders

The Modified-Classroom Observation Schedule to Measure Intentional Communication (M-COSMIC): Evaluation of reliability and validity

The Modified – Classroom Observation Schedule to Measure Intentional Communication (M-COSMIC) was developed as an ecologically valid measure of social-communication behaviour, delineating forms, functions, and intended partners of children’s spontaneous communication acts. Forty one children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 48 to 73 months were filmed within small-group settings at school. Communication behaviours during a five-minute teacher-led activity and a 10-minute free play session were coded from video-tape. Inter-rater reliability was high. Many M-COSMIC codes were significantly associated as predicted with Social and Communication domain scores on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and with scores on standardised language assessments. Agreement was more variable, however, at the level of individual M-COSMIC codes and ADOS items. Higher rates of responding, compliance behaviours and following pointing gestures and gaze occurred during the more structured teacher-led activity, compared to the free play. Results demonstrate preliminary construct validity of the M-COSMIC, showing its potential to describe and evaluate spontaneous social-communication skills in young children with ASD for research and applied purposes

The Role of Mutual Funds and Non- Banking Financial Companies in Corporate Governance in Pakistan

This paper advances the argument that institutional investors, particularly mutual funds can play a vital role in enhancing corporate governance in emerging economies. Accordingly, regulatory framework need to be structured in a manner that would encourage the growth of the mutual fund industry and enable it to play a proactive role in corporate governance. The paper reviews and evaluates the regulation of mutual funds in Pakistan in the light of the above propositions. The Role of Mutual Funds and Non-Banking Financial Companies in Corporate Governance in Pakistan.Corporate governance, mutual fund, Non-Banking Financial Companies, Pakistan

Current Status of Defensins and Their Role in Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Naturally occurring antimicrobial cationic polypeptides play a major role in innate and adaptive immunity. These polypeptides are found to be either linear and unstructured or structured through disulfide bonds. Among the structured antimicrobial polypeptides, defensins comprise a family of cysteine-rich cationic polypeptides that contribute significantly to host defense against the invasion of microorganisms in animals, humans, insects and plants. Their wide-spread occurrence in various tissues of these diverse organisms, and their importance in innate and adaptive immunity have led to their identification, isolation and characterization. A large volume of literature is available on defensins’ occurrence, structural characterization, gene expression and regulation under normal and pathological conditions. Much has also been published regarding their antimicrobial, antiviral and chemoattractive properties, and their molecular and cellular interactions. In this review, we describe the current status of our knowledge of defensins with respect to their molecular, cellular and structural biology, their role in host defense, future research paradigms and the possibility of their utilization as a new class of non-toxic antimicrobial agents and immuno-modulators