Post-conflict Belfast sliced and diced:the case of the Gaeltacht Quarter

This paper considers the recent proliferation of Belfast‘s =Quarters‘ as part of global trends towards the theming of city space, and as a response to the particular situation of Belfast at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It focuses on the Gaeltacht Quarter, a site that exemplifies the difficulty of applying the internationally popular model of cultural difference as a resource for the production of tourist revenue to the context of contested cities. The =quartering‘ of Belfast is represented as a response to post-industrial and post-conflict predicaments this city shares with many others. I consider how the urban context is sometimes exploited, as in exhortations to investors and tourists to contribute to Belfast‘s transformation from =a city of two halves‘ to =a city of seven quarters‘, and sometimes obscured, as in the recent re-invention of the Quarters as remnants of the city‘s distant past.

An Ethical Production of Place:A Case for Economy in Architectural Design

Architects typically interpret Heidegger to mean that dwelling in the Black Forest, was more authentic than living in an industrialised society however we cannot turn back the clock so we are confronted with the reality of modernisation. Since the Second World War production has shifted from material to immaterial assets. Increasingly place is believed to offer resistance to this fluidity, but this belief can conversely be viewed as expressing a sublimated anxiety about our role in the world – the need to create buildings that are self-consciously contextual suggests that we may no longer be rooted in material places, but in immaterial relations.
This issue has been pondered by David Harvey in his paper From Place to Space and Back Again where he argues that the role of place in legitimising identity is ultimately a political process, as the interpretation of its meaning is dependent on whose interpretation it is. Doreen Massey has found that different classes of people are more or less mobile and that mobility is related to class and education rather than to nationality or geography. These thinkers point to a different set of questions than the usual space/place divide – how can we begin to address the economic mediation of spatial production to develop an ethical production of place? Part of the answer is provided by the French architectural practice Lacaton Vassal in their book Plus. They ask themselves how to produce more space for the same cost so that people can enjoy a better quality of life. Another French practitioner, Patrick Bouchain, has argued that architect’s fees should be inversely proportional to the amount of material resources that they consume. These approaches use economics as a starting point for generating architectural form and point to more ethical possibilities for architectural practice

The neoliberalisation of the Cathedral Quarter and its contestations

Over time Belfast has been well researched as a site of ethnosectarian conflict, segregation and fear see (Boal et al 1976) and (Gaffiken and Morrisey 2011). The study of socio-spatial patterns of ‘ethnocracy’ is useful, but this article will argue how it is equally important to understand local forms of urban restructuring in terms of global processes that are linked to neoliberalism. To better understand the neoliberal urbanisation of Belfast this article is organised into two parts. The first part will demonstrate how the Northern Ireland State has sought legitimacy in the free market as ‘therapy’ for the production of neutral socio-spatial formations such as the Cathedral Quarter. Secondly it will examine this performance of neoliberal urbanism, as it ‘actually exists’ and demonstrate how market-led renewal has been extended through the clustering and non-sectarian interests, ‘soft’ arrangements of urban governance, cultural re-branding strategies, economic development incentives, and the development of various flagship projects. Critically this place-based grounding of neoliberalism is useful, as it also allows for the contestations of neoliberal urbanism to become real rather than just theoretical. The second part of the article will draw attention to the responses of local, and sometimes marginal, interests that have looked to challenge, adapt and, at times, divert the extension of market-led renewal. To be clear, this article does not want to overstate the performance of such interests. Nor does it want to claim that they significantly impact or obstruct the wider neoliberal urbanisation of Belfast. Instead it is interested in their behaviours and their different methods of working to explore what may be constituted as ‘alternative’, at least in the locality of the Cathedral Quarter. By studying how and why these interests have responded to the extension of neoliberal urbanism over time, it may just be possible to provide a better platform to articulate what more progressive forms of urban resistance might look like.

Carbon/Nitrogen Ratio Optimization and Periphyton Development on the Production and Sustainability of Penaeus Monodon(Fabricius)in Extensive Culture System

Controlling the inorganic nitrogen by manipulating carbon / nitrogen ratio is a method gaining importance in aquaculture systems. Nitrogen control is induced by feeding bacteria with carbohydrates and through the subsequent uptake of nitrogen from the water for the synthesis of microbial proteins. The relationship between addition of carbohydrates, reduction of ammonium and the production of microbial protein depends on the microbial conversion coefficient. The carbon / nitrogen ratio in the microbial biomass is related to the carbon contents of the added material. The addition of carbonaceous substrate was found to reduce inorganic nitrogen in shrimp culture ponds and the resultant microbial proteins are taken up by shrimps. Thus, part of the feed protein is replaced and feeding costs are reduced in culture systems.The use of various locally available substrates for periphyton based aquaculture practices increases production and profitability .However, these techniques for extensive shrimp farming have not so far been evaluated. Moreover, an evaluation of artificial substrates together with carbohydrate source based farming system in reducing inorganic nitrogen production in culture systems has not yet been carried-out. Furthermore, variations in water and soil quality, periphyton production and shrimp production of the whole system have also not been determined so-far.This thesis starts with a general introduction , a brief review of the most relevant literature, results of various experiments and concludes with a summary (Chapter — 9). The chapters are organised conforming to the objectives of the present study. The major objectives of this thesis are, to improve the sustainability of shrimp farming by carbohydrate addition and periphyton substrate based shrimp production and to improve the nutrient utilisation in aquaculture systems.

Studies on the Production, Properties and Processability of Low Protein Latex

Latex protein allergy is a serious problem faced by users of natural rubber latex products. This is severe in health care workers, who are constantly using latex products like examination gloves, surgical gloves etc. Out of the total proteins only a small fraction is extractable and only these proteins cause allergic reactions in sensitized people. Enzymic deproteinisation of latex and leaching and chlorination of latex products are the common methods used to reduce the severity of the problem.Enzyme deproteinisation is a cubersome process involving high cost and process loss.Physical properties of such films are poor. Leaching is a lengthy process and in leached latex products presence of extractable proteins is observed on further storing. Chlorination causes yellowing of latex products and reduction in tensile properties.In this context a more simple process of removal of extractable proteins from latex itself was investigated. This thesis reports the application of poly propylene glycol (PPG) to displace extractable proteins from natural latex. PPG is added to 60 % centrifuged natural latex to the extent of 0.2 % m/rn, subssequently diluted to 30 % dry rubber content and again concentrated to obtain a low protein latex.Dilution of concentrated latex and subsequent concentration lead to a total reduction in non - rubber solids in the concentrate, especially proteins and reduction in the ionic concentration in the aqueous phase of the latex. It has been reported that proteins in natural rubber / latex affect its behaviour in the vulcanisation process. Ionic concentration in the aqueous phase of latex influence the stability, viscosity and flow behaviour of natural latex. Hence, a detailed technological evaluation was carried out on this low protein latex. In this study, low protein latex was compared with single centrifuged latex ( the raw material to almost every latex product), double centrifuged latex ( because dilution and second concentration of latex is accompanied by protein removal to some extent and reduction in the ionic concentration of the aqueous phase of latex.). Studies were conducted on Sulphur cure in conventional and EV systems under conditions of post ~ cure and prevulcanisation of latex. Studies were conducted on radiation cure in latex stage. Extractable protein content in vulcanised low protein latex films are observed to be very low. lt is observed that this low protein latex is some what slower curing than single centrifuged latex, but faster than double centrifuged latex. Modulus of low protein latex films were slightly low. In general physical properties of vulcanised low protein latex films are only siightly lower than single centrifuged latex. Ageing properties of the low protein latex films were satisfactory. Viscosity and flow behaviour of low protein latex is much better than double centrifuged latex and almost comparable to single centrifuged latex. On observing that the physical properties and flow behaviour of low protein latex was satisfactory, it was used for the preparation of examination gloves and the gloves were evaluated. It is observed that the properties are conforming to the Indian Standard Specifications. It is thus observed that PPG treatment of natural latex is a simple process of preparing low protein latex. Extractable protein content in these films are very low.The physical properties of the films are comparable to ordinary centrifuged latex and better than conventionally deprotenized latex films. This latex can be used for the production of examination gloves.

Studies on The Ecology And Production of Algae in Prawn Culture Systems

Existing method of culture were largely based on empirical knowledge. Lacking a scientific basis as such methods did, they were often wasteful and suffered severe limitation. Modern methods of fish and prawn culture based on scientific research, have revolutioned the industry in recent years and not only extended its scope to cover the whole country but led to increased fish and prawn production. An understanding of the biological capability of the water in the perennial and seasonal culture ponds, and the nature and extent of the influence of the abiotic factors on the production of organisms in the primary level of food chain would contribute to effectively implement management measures in the stocking strategies and in the evaluation of economics of production of prawns. It is against this background that the present topic of investigation "Studies on the ecology and production of algae in prawn culture systems” was selected.

Assessment of the strategies of organic fruit production and fruit drying in Uganda

Organic agriculture in Uganda is developing at a fast pace and despite this trend Uganda is still unable to produce enough fresh and dry organic fruits mainly pineapple to meet the exporters demand. This current research investigated the strategies of farmers at production level by assessing the pros and cons of fruit growing, organic agriculture and fruit drying in order to understand the underlying causal factor for the low production of organic dry fruits in a major fruit producing district of Uganda. The study was carried out in two separate and distinctive areas; one which only produces and export fresh organic pineapple and the other which exports dried fruits (mainly pineapple and papaya). About 10% of the farmers in the two study areas were surveyed using questionnaires which were further followed by semi-structured interviews and participatory rural appraisals activities with various types of farmers in order to understand the different decisions and strategies of farmers. 82% and 74% of farmers in the two study areas grew fruits as it gave better economic returns and for 77% and 90% respectively in the two study areas, the reasons for growing fruit was the ease of selling compared to other crops. All the farmers were relying on coffee husk for growing organic pineapples. However, 50% of the farmers want to grow pineapples (either organic or conventional) but couldn't afford to buy coffee husk. Fruit drying was mainly a strategy to utilize cheap fruits during harvesting seasons for value addition. 71% and 42% of farmers in the two study areas wanted to dry fruits but it was beyond their economic capacity to buy the driers. Decision of the farmers whether to grow fruits or cereals, organic or conventional agriculture and selling the fruits as fresh or dry were dependent mainly on the economic, knowledge and resource availability of each type of practices. It is concluded that the main barrier for an increase in the production of organic dried fruits is at the processing level, and the limited capacity for investments in drying facilities.

Biofuel as the solution of alternative energy production?

There have being increasing debate on the prospects of biofuel becoming the next best alternative to solving the problem of CO2 emission and the escalating fuel prices, but the question is whether this assertion is true and also if it comes without any cost to pay. This paper seeks to find out whether this much praised alternative to solving these problems is a better option or another way for the developed countries to find more areas where they could get cheap land, labour and raw materials for the production of biofuel. This will focus mainly on some effects the growing biofuel production has on food security, livelihood of people, the environment and some land conflicts developing as a result of land grabbing for biofuel production in the developing countries.

The use of life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impact of production and feeding of conventional and genetically modified maize for broiler production in Argentina

The paper presents the methods and results of a life-cycle assessment (LCA) applied to the production of maize grain from a conventional variety compared with maize grain from a variety genetically modified to be herbicide tolerant and insect protected and to contain an enhanced oil and lysine content, and its impact when fed to broiler chickens. The findings show that there are both environmental and human health benefits of growing GM maize including lower impacts on global warming, ozone depletion, freshwater ecotoxicity and human toxicity. However, when considered in terms of the use of maize as a feed input to broiler chicken production, the benefits of the GM alternative become negligible compared to the use of conventional maize.

Production of angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity in milk fermented with probiotic strains: Effects of calcium, pH and peptides on the ACE-inhibitory activity

Recently, probiotic fermented milk products have raised interest regarding their potential anti-hypertensive activity mainly due to the production of angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides. Ionic calcium released upon milk acidification during fermentation is also known to exert hypotensive activity. Thus, the main aim of this study was to screen probiotic strains for their ability to induce ACE-inhibitory activity upon fermentation of milk. The relationship of ACE-inhibitory activity percentage (ACEi%) with cell growth, pH, degree of hydrolysis and the concentration of ionic calcium released during the fermentation was also investigated. Compared with other lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus casei YIT 9029 and Bifidobacterium bifidum MF 20/5 were able to induce strong ACE-inhibitory activity. Furthermore, it was found that the ionic calcium released during milk fermentation could contribute to the ACE-inhibitory activity. These findings will contribute to the development of new probiotic dairy products with anti-hypertensive activity.

Models, moulds and mass production: the mechanics of stylistic influence form the Mediterranean to Bactria

Classical Greek and Roman influence on the material culture of Central Asia and northwestern India is often considered in the abstract. This article attempts to examine the mechanisms of craft production and movement of artisans and objects which made such influence possible, through four case studies: (1) Mould-made ceramics in Hellenistic eastern Bactria; (2) Plaster casts used in the production of metalware from Begram; (3) Terracotta figurines and the moulds used to produce them, from various archaeological sites; and (4) Mass production of identical gold adornments in the nomadic tombs from Tillya Tepe. The implications of such techniques for our understanding of the development of Gandhāran art are also discussed.

Nutrient-limited toxin production and the dynamics of two phytoplankton in culture media: a mathematical model

In this paper we have proposed and analyzed a simple mathematical model consisting of four variables, viz., nutrient concentration, toxin producing phytoplankton (TPP), non-toxic phytoplankton (NTP), and toxin concentration. Limitation in the concentration of the extracellular nutrient has been incorporated as an environmental stress condition for the plankton population, and the liberation of toxic chemicals has been described by a monotonic function of extracellular nutrient. The model is analyzed and simulated to reproduce the experimental findings of Graneli and Johansson [Graneli, E., Johansson, N., 2003. Increase in the production of allelopathic Prymnesium parvum cells grown under N- or P-deficient conditions. Harmful Algae 2, 135–145]. The robustness of the numerical experiments are tested by a formal parameter sensitivity analysis. As the first theoretical model consistent with the experiment of Graneli and Johansson (2003), our results demonstrate that, when nutrient-deficient conditions are favorable for the TPP population to release toxic chemicals, the TPP species control the bloom of other phytoplankton species which are non-toxic. Consistent with the observations made by Graneli and Johansson (2003), our model overcomes the limitation of not incorporating the effect of nutrient-limited toxic production in several other models developed on plankton dynamics.

Heme Impairs Prostaglandin E(2) and TGF-beta Production by Human Mononuclear Cells via Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase: Insight into the Pathogenesis of Severe Malaria

In many hemolytic disorders, such as malaria, the release of free heme has been involved in the triggering of oxidative stress and tissue damage. Patients presenting with severe forms of malaria commonly have impaired regulatory responses. Although intriguing, there is scarce data about the involvement of heme on the regulation of immune responses. In this study, we investigated the relation of free heme and the suppression of anti-inflammatory mediators such as PGE(2) and TGF-beta in human vivax malaria. Patients with severe disease presented higher hemolysis and higher plasma concentrations of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) and lower concentrations of PGE(2) and TGF-beta than those with mild disease. In addition, there was a positive correlation between SOD-1 concentrations and plasma levels of TNF-alpha. During antimalaria treatment, the concentrations of plasma SOD-1 reduced whereas PGE(2) and TGF-beta increased in the individuals severely ill. Using an in vitro model with human mononuclear cells, we demonstrated that the heme effect on the impairment of the production of PGE(2) and TGF-beta partially involves heme binding to CD14 and depends on the production of SOD-1. Aside from furthering the current knowledge about the pathogenesis of vivax malaria, the present results may represent a general mechanism for hemolytic diseases and could be useful for future studies of therapeutic approaches. The Journal of Immunology, 2010, 185: 1196-1204.

Myostatin gene knockdown through lentiviral-mediated delivery of shRNA for in vitro production of transgenic bovine embryos

Myostatin is described as a negative regulator of the skeletal muscle growth. Genetic engineering, in order to produce animals with double the muscle mass and that can transmit the characteristic to future progeny, may be useful. In this context, the present study aimed to analyse the feasibility of lentiviral-mediated delivery of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting of myostatin into in vitro produced transgenic bovine embryos. Lentiviral vectors were used to deliver a transgene that expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) and an shRNA that targeted myostatin. Vector efficiency was verified through in vitro murine myoblast (C2C12) cell morphology after inductive differentiation and by means of real-time PCR. The lentiviral vector was microinjected into the perivitellinic space of in vitro matured oocytes. Non-microinjected oocytes were used as the control. After injection, oocytes were fertilized and cultured in vitro. Blastocysts were evaluated by epifluorescence microscopy. Results demonstrated that the vector was able to inhibit myostatin mRNA in C2C12 cells, as the transducted group had a less amount of myostatin mRNA after 72 h of differentiation (p < 0.05) and had less myotube formation than the non-transduced group (p < 0.05). There was no difference in cleavage and blastocyst rates between the microinjected and control groups. After hatching, 3.07% of the embryos exhibited GFP expression, indicating that they expressed shRNA targeting myostatin. In conclusion, we demonstrate that a lentiviral vector effectively performed shRNA myostatin gene knockdown and gene delivery into in vitro produced bovine embryos. Thus, this technique can be considered a novel option for the production of transgenic embryos and double muscle mass animals.

Cassava wastewater as a substrate for the simultaneous production of rhamnolipids and polyhydroxyalkanoates by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Glycerol, cassava wastewater (CW), waste cooking oil and CW with waste frying oils were evaluated as alternative low-cost carbon substrates for the production of rhamnolipids and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by various Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. The polymers and surfactants produced were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (MS) and by high-performance liquid chromatography-MS, and their composition was found to vary with the carbon source and the strain used in the fermentation. The best overall production of rhamnolipids and PHAs was obtained with CW with frying oil as the carbon source, with PHA production corresponding to 39% of the cell dry weight and rhamnolipid production being 660 mg l(-1). Under these conditions, the surface tension of the culture decreased to 30 mN m(-1), and the critical micelle concentration was 26.5 mg l(-1). It would appear that CW with frying oil has the highest potential as an alternative substrate, and its use may contribute to a reduction in the overall environmental impact generated by discarding such residues.