The Local and the Distributed in the Sonic Arts

This paper addresses the relationship between local and distributed strategies with reference to two recent participatory sound art projects in Belfast and Rio de Janeiro. The local concern for site and place is discussed and juxtaposed with distributed practices, which,by definition question and extend the very notion of site or locale. I refer to examples from ethnomusicology, anthropology and education in which participative horizontal research methodologies lead to a dynamic articulation of local conditions and allow for a reflection on how technology impacts on social interaction and relationships with place. The works of Samuel Araújo, Georgina Born and Brazilian pedagogue Paulo Freire provide a framework of reference in this context.

Social Risk of Public Spending Cuts in Scotland: Local Authority Experiences

This paper relates to work supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which examines the way Scottish Local Authorities have approached budget cuts (Asenova, et. al., 2013). Starting with a discussion of notions of social risk, we discuss the heightened challenges faced by local authorities. We note that the literature on public sector innovation predict such pressures would cause local authorities to engage in short term decision making and adopt a static coping approach to risk mitigation which is likely to stifle innovation and obstruct the creation of more coherent and resilient localities. Although we find this to have happened in some areas, we discuss two cases where these challenges have promoted innovative and inclusive approaches to service re-design and delivery.

Towards a Mourne National Park?Emergent prospects and pitfalls fromarticulating needs in a local context

This paper examines the prospects for sustainable rural tourism within a rural development paradigm. Specifically, an adaptive management approach is proposed as a means of understanding and accommodating the different goals and interests that exist within multi-functional rural areas. This model allows priorities to change in line with particular situations while remaining sensitive to economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts. The proposed Mourne National Park in Northern Ireland, also designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), forms the backdrop for this study. Through a critique of a consultation process that was undertaken with the community the question is posed: can a sustainable rural tourism approach achieve meaningful community engagement and thereby reflect the needs of the community? Central to the analysis are the power differentials between the various partners participating in this model of governance. The conclusions consider implications for rural communities, revealing how trusting and meaningful relationships are central to facilitating collaboration, cooperation and adaptation.

Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Local Transmission Patterns of Mycobacterium bovis in Sympatric Cattle and Badger Populations

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology holds great promise as a tool for the forensic epidemiology of bacterial pathogens. It is likely to be particularly useful for studying the transmission dynamics of an observed epidemic involving a largely unsampled 'reservoir' host, as for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in British and Irish cattle and badgers. BTB is caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the M. tuberculosis complex that also includes the aetiological agent for human TB. In this study, we identified a spatio-temporally linked group of 26 cattle and 4 badgers infected with the same Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) type of M. bovis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between sequences identified differences that were consistent with bacterial lineages being persistent on or near farms for several years, despite multiple clear whole herd tests in the interim. Comparing WGS data to mathematical models showed good correlations between genetic divergence and spatial distance, but poor correspondence to the network of cattle movements or within-herd contacts. Badger isolates showed between zero and four SNP differences from the nearest cattle isolate, providing evidence for recent transmissions between the two hosts. This is the first direct genetic evidence of M. bovis persistence on farms over multiple outbreaks with a continued, ongoing interaction with local badgers. However, despite unprecedented resolution, directionality of transmission cannot be inferred at this stage. Despite the often notoriously long timescales between time of infection and time of sampling for TB, our results suggest that WGS data alone can provide insights into TB epidemiology even where detailed contact data are not available, and that more extensive sampling and analysis will allow for quantification of the extent and direction of transmission between cattle and badgers. © 2012 Biek et al.

Measurement of Local Sodium Ion Levels near Micellar Surfaces with Fluorescent PET (Photoinduced Electron Transfer) Sensors

Na+ near membranes controls our nerve signals, besides several other crucial bioprocesses. We demonstrate that fluorescent PET (photoinduced electron transfer) sensor molecules target Na+ in nanospaces near micellar membranes with excellent discrimination against H+. They find that Na+ near anionic micelles is concentrated by factors of upto 160. Sensor molecules which are not held tight to the micelle surface find a Na+ amplification factor of 8 only. These findings are strengthened by the employment of control compounds whose PET processes are permanently ‘on’ or permanently ‘off’.

Local conductance: A means to extract polarization and depolarizing fields near domain walls in ferroelectrics

Conducting atomic force microscopy images of bulk semiconducting BaTiO3 surfaces show clear stripe domain contrast. High local conductance correlates with strong out-of-plane polarization (mapped independently using piezoresponse force microscopy), and current- voltage characteristics are consistent with dipole-induced alterations in Schottky barriers at the metallic tip-ferroelectric interface. Indeed, analyzing current-voltage data in terms of established Schottky barrier models allows relative variations in the surface polarization, and hence the local domain structure, to be determined. Fitting also reveals the signature of surface-related depolarizing fields concentrated near domain walls. Domain information obtained from mapping local conductance appears to be more surface-sensitive than that from piezoresponse force microscopy. In the right materials systems, local current mapping could therefore represent a useful complementary technique for evaluating polarization and local electric fields with nanoscale resolution.

Thermodynamics of trajectories and local fluctuation theorems for harmonic quantum networks

We present a general method to undertake a thorough analysis of the thermodynamics of the quantum jump trajectories followed by an arbitrary quantum harmonic network undergoing linear and bilinear dynamics. The approach is based on the phase-space representation of the state of a harmonic network. The large deviation function associated with this system encodes the full counting statistics of exchange and also allows one to deduce for fluctuation theorems obeyed by the dynamics. We illustrate the method showing the validity of a local fluctuation theorem about the exchange of excitations between a restricted part of the environment (i.e., a local bath) and a harmonic network coupled with different schemes.

A role for local mechanisms in perceived duration of brief visual events

Background: Spatially localized duration compression of a briefly presented moving stimulus following adaptation in the same location is taken as evidence for modality-specific neural timing mechanisms.

Aims: The present study used random dot motion stimuli to investigate where these mechanisms may be located.

Method: Experiment 1 measured duration compression of the test stimulus as a function of adaptor speed and revealed that duration compression is speed tuned. These data were then used to make predictions of duration compression responses for various models which were tested in experiment 2. Here a mixed-speed adaptor stimulus was used with duration compression being measured as a function of the adaptor’s ‘speed notch’ (the removal of a central band from the speed range).

Results: The results were consistent with a local-mean model.

Conclusions: Local-motion mechanisms are involved in duration perception of brief events.