Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This study will use secondary data analysis of academic articles to study the topic under question. Much has been written on fear of crime from a quantitative and to a lesser extent qualitative approach (Burgess and Doran 2012) but little attention has been on this fear as an emotion from an interpretive sociological approach. The approach to emotions employed in this study will draw on Hochschild’s (1983) notion that emotions have signal functions and that emotions constitute a sense just like hearing and seeing, and in her estimation the most important one. Briefly stated, fear (of crime) signals to the person experiencing the emotion that something is worth being wary of; this in turn is based on expectations –and assumptions– of what a safe and orderly situation/environment or person is.

Gated communities exclude the public by presenting barriers to entry. Barriers take many forms, ranging from simple gates and fences to sophisticated electronic devices and security guards. Today, more than 20,000 communities in the United States are gated, housing a population in excess of 8 million. Those figures continue to rise, and there is no indication that current trends will slow in the immediate future. While several factors are fueling the growth of gated communities, crime tops the list. This paper evaluates the effect of gating on crime inside gated communities. To provide a context for the paper, a detailed description of gated communities is offered by way of introduction. Scholarly findings and several brief case examples are then presented in order to evaluate the impact of gating on crime. The notion that gating delivers crime prevention benefits stems from defensible space theory. This paper introduces defensible space theory, discusses the links to gated communities, and uses the findings to evaluate the contentions of defensible space theory. Several additional crime theories are also introduced, and their implications for gated communities discussed. Gated communities excite a number of concerns. Those that are relevant to planning objectives and ideals are presented in the final chapter of this paper. Areas for further research involving gated communities are also identified. Attention to these issues will further our understanding of gated communities and answer many questions that remain unresolved. Opinions, insights, and recommendations for addressing gated communities and crime are offered in conclusion. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / While most cases of epilepsy respond well to common antiepileptic drugs, many genetically-driven epilepsies are refractory to conventional antiepileptic drugs. Over 250 mutations in the Nav1.2 gene (SCN2A) have been implicated in otherwise idiopathic cases of epilepsy, many of which are refractory to traditional antiepileptic drugs. Few of these mutations have been studied in vitro to determine their biophysical effects on the channels, which could reveal why the effects of some are refractory to traditional antiepileptic drugs. The goal of this dissertation was to characterize multiple epilepsy mutations in the SCN2A gene, which I hypothesized would have distinct biophysical effects on the channel’s function. I used patch-clamp electrophysiology to determine the biophysical effects of three SCN2A epilepsy mutations (R1882Q, R853Q, and L835F). Wild-type (WT) or mutant human SCN2A cDNAs were expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells and subjected to a panel of electrophysiological assays. I predicted that the net effect of each of these mutations was enhancement of channel function; my results regarding the L835F and R1882Q mutations supported this hypothesis. Both mutations enhance persistent current, and R1882Q also impairs fast inactivation. However, examination of the same parameters for the R853Q mutation suggested a decrease of channel function. I hypothesized that the R853Q mutation creates a gating pore in the channel structure through which sodium leaks into the cell when the channel is in its resting conformation. This hypothesis was supported by electrophysiological data from Xenopus oocytes, which showed a significant voltage-dependent leak current at negative potentials when they expressed the R853Q mutant channels. This was absent in oocytes expressing WT channels. Overall, these results suggest that individual mutations in the SCN2A gene generate epilepsy via distinct biophysical effects that may require novel and/or tailored pharmacotherapies for effective management.

This dissertation focuses on the dynamics of gated communities with attention to the municipality of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Despite the growing numbers of gated communities worldwide, research on this matter remains scarce. I argue that a “gated community consensus” has emerged in Puerto Rico. The hypothesis is that in Guaynabo, the municipality facilitates the emergence of gated communities in order to change the face of the city and reap an economic windfall. Interviews demonstrate the municipality’s commitment to facilitating the construction of new communities and lending support to older communities. Most of these gated communities respond to high end income projects, thus altering the profile of Guaynabo’s residents. This has all led to the development of Guaynabo as a commodity, Guaynabo City, suitable to contractors, the municipality, and interested buyers. The gates confer prestige in the municipality.

<p> Voltage-gated potassium, sodium, and calcium channels play fundamental roles in cell physiology. They are targets for numerous drugs that are used to treat pain, cardiovascular, autoimmune, and other disorders. Atomic-resolution structures of ion channels and their complexes with ligands are necessary to understand the mechanisms of drug action of ligands. Electrophysiological and crystallographic studies have advanced our understanding of ion channels, but the binding sites, access pathways, and the mechanism of state-dependent action of medically important drugs remain unclear. During my graduate studies, I investigated the structure-function relationships of voltage-gated ion channels and their complexes with drugs by using energy calculations with experimental constraints. My work has helped resolve controversial interpretations of experiments addressing structural similarity between prokaryotic and eukaryotic K+ channels. Our model of the open Shaker K+ channel was confirmed by the later published X-ray structure of Kv1.2. Our Cav2.1 model reinterprets substituted-cysteine accessibility experiments, validates the proposed alignment between K+ and Ca2+ channels, and suggests a similar folding of voltage-gated K+ and Ca2+ channels. These results allowed me to model eukaryotic K+ and Na+ channels in the resting and open/slow-inactivated states, and to predict the binding sites of local anaesthetics, correolide, and chromanol 293B. In these studies, we proposed the involvement of metal ions in the binding of nucleophilic drugs and suggested that the deficiency of permeating ion(s) in the outer pore of the slow-inactivated channels stabilizes the ligands. Simultaneous studies of K+, Na+, and Ca2+ channels were advantageous because the information acquired from one family of ion channels was relevant to other families. My studies contributed to the growing knowledge about ion channels by offering structural information and suggesting mechanisms for the action of drugs. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地域研究) / 甲第24977号 / 地博第319号 / 新制||地||124(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院アジア・アフリカ地域研究研究科東南アジア地域研究専攻 / (主査)教授 岡本 正明, 教授 古澤 拓郎, 准教授 町北 朋洋, 特定准教授 馬塲 弘樹 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Area Studies / Kyoto University / DGAM

No description available.

No description available.

Gated Communities är en utbredd boendeform i USA och i många övriga länder. Fenomenet med inhägnade bostadsområden börjar nu även närma sig Sverige. Denna uppsats undersöker om livsstilsboendet Victoria Park, beläget i Malmö, kan klassas som ett Gated Community.Undersökningen är utav en kvalitativ metod. Sammanlagt har fyra intervjuer genomförts med personer bosatta på Victoria Park. En observation av området är också utförd. Syftet med denna uppsats är att kartlägga vilka faktorer som utmärker om Victoria Park, som i media utmålats som ett inhägnat reservat, kan klassas som ett Gated Community. Svaret fann vi genom litteraturstudier kring vad som karaktäriserar Gated Communities samt vad denna boendeform egentligen innebär. Då trygghet är primärt för Gated Communities har vi undersökt hur trygghet uppfattas på Victoria Park. Det finns inga synliga murar runt Victoria Park men området och vegetationens utformning samt bevakningen grannar emellan utgör symboliska hinder, som signalerar att Victoria Park är ett privat område och därmed slutet för allmänheten. Anläggningen kan dock beträdas men endast under särskilda villkor. Victoria Park, i likhet med ett Gated Community, lockar en viss typ av människor som lever likasinnat och passar in i den mall som råder. Denna typ av boende skulle ha svårt att fungera om människor var alltför olika och värderade olika saker i livet, då man lever väldigt nära inpå varandra. På Victoria Park råder stark sammanhållning och ”vi mot dem”-känsla och frågan är om inte dessa faktorer inhägnar ett område mer än fysiska murar? Gemenskap, sammanhållning och att alltid ha någon nära är ledord på Victoria Park vilket är definitionen på trygghet för människorna som bor där.

Light energy is converted into an electrical signal by a set of proteins in the phototransduction cascade in photoreceptors. In this work, I focus on two critical elements of the phototransduction cascade in canine, the opsin molecules and CNG channels of cone photoreceptors. Canines are dichromats possessing two types of cone photoreceptors with different opsin molecules that detect either long and medium wavelengths (L/M) or short wavelengths (S). The L/M- and S-opsin genes were cloned from an Alaskan Malamute and used to investigate key amino acids that are responsible for tuning the spectral properties of the 11-cis retinal chromophore. Cone CNG channels are composed of CNGA3 and CNGB3 subunits. I characterized antibodies to detect cone CNG channel subunits to investigate expression of mutations in CNGB3 subunit on two canine models for achromatopsia. One model contains a missense CNGB3 mutation D262N (CNGB3m/m) and the other is a complete deletion of all exons of the CNGB3 gene (CNGB3-/-). Studies presented in this thesis show CNGB3 is expressed later in cone during retinal development compared to CNGA3. It also presents evidence for the necessity of CNGB3 in cone outer segment targeting of CNGA3. / Biology