Language policy and governmentality in businesses in Wales:a continuum of empowerment and regulation

In this paper, I examine how language policy acts as a means of both empowering the Welsh language and theminority language worker and as a means of exerting power over them. For this purpose, the study focuses on a particular site: private sector businesses in Wales. Therein, I trace two major discursive processes: first, the Welsh Government’s national language policy documents that promote corporate bilingualism and bilingual employees as value-added resources; second, the practice and discourse of company managers who sustain or appropriate such promotional discourses for creating and promoting their own organisational values. By drawing on concepts from governmentality, critical language policy and discourse studies, I show that promoting bilingualism in business is characterised by local and global governmentalities. These not only bring about critical shifts in valuing language as symbolic entities attached to ethnonational concerns or as promotional objects that bring material gain. Language governmentalities also appear to shape new forms of ‘languaging’ the minority language worker as selfgoverning, and yet, governed subjects who are ultimately made responsible for ‘owning’ Welsh.

A Public-Private Partnership strukturális modelljeinek összevetése = Comparison of Public-Private Partnership models

A tanulmány a PPP különböző strukturális modelljeinek csoportosítását mutatja be, az egyes típusok rövid rendszerező áttekintésével. A tipológiák vizsgálata hasznos ahhoz, hogy a PPP projektek struktúrájának kialakításakor a különböző lehetőségeket mérlegelni tudjuk. Többféle megközelítésben lehet a modelleket tipizálni. Az együttműködés célja alapján a hatékonyság-, a minőség- és a finanszírozás-orientált modellek a legelterjedtebbek, a kockázatmegosztás módja alapján BOT, DBFO és koncessziós változatok, a haszonmegosztás szabályozása alapján árplafon-szabályozású, közvetlen haszonszabályozású, fixdíjas és árnyékáras megoldások a leginkább bevettek. A tanulmány ezek elemző bemutatása alapján arra a következtetésre jut, hogy a gyakorlati megoldások a legtöbb esetben az elméleti típusok valamilyen kombinációját tartalmazzák, a konkrét eset feltételeinek megfelelően. Így a gyakorlatban a fix tipológiák helyett alkalmasabb úgy megközelítenünk a PPP-t, mint egy folyamatosan változó, a helyi igényekhez idomuló jelenséget. A haszonszabályozó tipológia kapcsán a tanulmány melléklete rövid áttekintést nyújt a PPP esetében kritikus méltányos haszon becslésének lehetséges megoldásairól is. = This study shows a categorization of the different structural models of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. The typologies are useful to assess the available options when decisions on PPP project structures are made. There are different categorizing aspects. Based ont he key purpose of the partnership there are efficiency, quality and financing focused models. From a risk sharing point of view, BOT, DBFO and concession models are most typical. Regarding the regulation of returns price-cap models, ’open book’ models, fixed price and shadow pricing models are most common. Based on the analytical assessment of these, they study concludes that actual projects are mostly a combination of theoretical types, as required by the given case. Therefore in practice, it is more appropriate to approach PPP projects as a constantly shaping concept, adjustable to particular conditions. Supporting the approaches to the regulation of returns, an appendix of the study summarizes the different methods to estimate fair returns, a critical issue in PPP projects.

β-Arrestin-mediated Regulation of the Human Ether-a-go-go-Related Gene (hERG) Potassium Channel

The human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) encodes the voltage-gated K+ channel, hERG (Kv11.1). This channel passes the rapidly-activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr), which is important for cardiac repolarization. A reduction in IKr due to loss-of-function mutations or drug interactions causes long QT syndrome (LQTS), which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The density of hERG channels in the plasma membrane is a key determinant of normal physiological function, and is balanced by trafficking to and from the cell surface. Many LQTS-associated hERG mutations result in a trafficking deficiency of otherwise functional channels. Thus, elucidating mechanisms of hERG regulation at the plasma membrane is useful for the prevention and treatment of LQTS. We previously demonstrated that M3 muscarinic receptor activation increases mature hERG expression through a Gq protein-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) pathway. In addition to conventional Gq protein-coupling, M3 receptors recruit β-arrestins upon agonist binding. Traditionally known for their role in receptor desensitization and internalization, β-arrestins also act as adaptor proteins to facilitate G protein-independent signaling. In the present work, I investigated the exclusive effect of β-arrestin signaling on hERG expression by utilizing an arrestin-biased M3 designer receptor (M3D-arr) exclusively activated by clozapine-N-oxide (CNO). By expressing M3D-arr in hERG-HEK cells and treating with CNO under various conditions, I found that M3D-arr activation increased mature hERG expression and current. Within this paradigm, M3D-arr recruited β-arrestin to the plasma membrane, and promoted the PI3K-dependent activation of Akt. I further found that the activated Akt acted through phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate 5-kinase (PIKfyve) and Rab11 to facilitate endosomal recycling of hERG channels to the plasma membrane.

The Regulation of Competition and Innovation in the European Union and Spain: Opportunities for the Philippines and the ASEAN

The Philippines are currently facing a process of regional economic integration inside the ASEAN, in some way similar to the process undertaken by Spain and the European Union decades ago. Since January 2016, the ASEAN has become a Common Market, for whose effective achievement Competition and Innovation Law and Policies may play a crucial role. The scope of these pages is to overview the importance of the regulation in these issues and the promotion of competition within the member States throughout the process of regional economic integration. Then, we will consider the role that Competition and Intellectual Property Law and Policies have played in the construction of the European Union, and we will point out some current challenges that are still to be faced. Finally, we will offer some comparative conclusions considering the importance that these norms and policies will have in the construction of the ASEAN as an economic integrated area, and the way the ASEAN might follow the footsteps set by the European Union in its integration process.

Regulation of electrical transmission by protein kinase C in Aplysia bag cell neurons

Electrical synapses are composed of gap junctions, made from paired hemi-channels that allow for the transfer of current from one neuron to another. Gap junctions mediate electrical transmission in neurons, where they synchronize spiking and promote rapid transmission, thereby influencing the coordination, pattern, and frequency of firing. In the marine snail, Aplysia calfornica, two clusters of neuroendocrine bag cell neurons use electrical synapses to synchronize a 30-min burst of action potentials, known as the afterdischarge, which releases egg-laying hormone and induces reproduction. In culture, paired bag cell neurons present a junctional conductance that is non-rectifying and largely voltage-independent. During the afterdischarge, PKC is activated, which is known to increase voltage-gated Ca2+ current; yet, little is understood as to how this pathway impacts electrical transmission. The transfer of presynaptic spike-like waveforms (generated in voltage-clamp) to the postsynaptic cell (measured in current-clamp) was monitored with or without PKC activation. It was found that pretreatment with the PKC activator, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), enhanced junctional conductance between bag cell neurons. Furthermore, in control, presynaptic action potential waveforms mainly evoked postsynaptic electrotonic potentials at both -60 and -40 mV. However, with PKC activation the presynaptic stimulus consistently elicited postsynaptic action potentials from resting potentials of -40 mV, and would occasionally result in firing from repetitive input at -60 mV. Moreover, to assess whether this enhanced electrical transmission genuinely reflects a greater junctional conductance or a change in postsynaptic responsiveness, a fast-phase junctional-like current was applied to single bag cell neurons. Neurons in PMA always fired action potentials in response to current injection as opposed to control, which were less likely to spike. This outcome did not change when the junctional-like current was artificially enhanced in control conditions. Also, in response to fast- and slow-phase electrotonic potential (ETP) waveforms, Ca2+ current was markedly larger in single PMA-treated neurons. These findings suggest that PKC activation may contribute to afterdischarge fidelity by recruiting postsynaptic Ca2+ current to promote synchronous network firing. Finally, Aplysia gap junction genes (innexins) were transfected into mouse N2A cells and characterized. This revealed a biophysical and pharmacological profile similar to native gap junctions.

Equity management strategies in the Australian private sector

This paper outlines the methods and outcomes of a study into equity management strategies in Australian private sector organisations reporting to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency. Reports from 1976 organisations indicate eleven key factors characterising equity management in Australia. The study highlights differences within previously identified social structural policies, temperamental and opportunity policies and identifies a further policy type, categorised as “support policies”. Differences have also been identified in relation to distribution structures, suggesting that gender is not the sole consideration in determining equity management strategies. The principle of distribution also figures strongly in equity management implementation.