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New neurons in the adult hippocampus: Hope or hype?
Get PDFStem-cell research has caused a paradigm shift in our understanding of brain function and regeneration. Discovery of the production of func- tional neurons in the adult hippocampus, a neurogenic niche of the cen- tral nervous system (CNS), has refuted the long held theory proposed by Ramon y Cajal that in the CNS “everything may die, nothing may be regenerated”. Neurotrophic factors, activity-dependent neurogenesis, downregulation factors and post-translational regulatory mechanisms seem to interact in a complex and still ill-explored fashion to control this endogenous regenerative process. Moreover, in animal models, upregu- lation of neurogenesis is achieved with fluoxetine and other antidepres- sant therapies such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), demonstrating the clinical relevance of this mechanism. In fact, recent studies suggest that the upregulation of neurogenesis might also provide treatments for conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke
TOWARDS REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTS FOR IRELAND
Get PDFExisting environmental accounts for the Republic of Ireland are at the national level. This is fine for continental and global environmental problems, but information at a finer spatial scale is needed for local environmental problems. Furthermore, the impact of environmental policy may differ across space. We therefore construct regional estimates of the environmental pressures posed by Irish households and the environmental problems faced by them. The basic unit of analysis is the electoral district, and the prime data source is the CSO‘s Small Area Statistics, a product of the Census. We use the results of classifying regressions of the Household Budget Survey to impute domestic energy use. We use engineering relations to impute transport fuel use, and secondary data on household behaviour to impute waste arisings. We use EPA data on drinking water use and quality by county. The results show marked regional differences. Electricity use and waste arisings are higher in the East and in the cities and towns. Transport fuel use is highest in the commuter belts around the cities and towns. Other energy is relatively uniform. There is no clear pattern in estimated drinking water use, which may be due to data quality. Drinking water quality is poor across much of the country, but different counties suffer from different problems. The regional estimates are constructed using data in the public domain. However, various government agencies hold data that would allow for the construction of more detailed, more accurate, and more extensive regional environmental accounts
Structural Economic Change in Ireland 1957-2006: Statistics, Context and Analysis
Get PDFThe fifty years since the publication of Economic Development has been a time of change and growth for Ireland. Analysis of the development of the structural composition of the economy in this period requires a consistent and comprehensive dataset from the late 1950s onwards. The national income and expenditure tables have changed over time and a consistent set of historical tables is only available from 1970 onwards. Gross value added by sector in the official historical series is given for only a small number of sectors. In this paper the tables of gross value added by sector in current and in constant prices, are extended backwards to 1957 and expanded to include fifteen industry groupings. A new comprehensive and consistent dataset spanning fifty years of the Irish economy is thus constructed. Details of the methods and sources used to develop these series are presented. A context for analysis is set out based on the framework or model developed by Professor Carlota Perez in a series of publications since 1983 and most notably in her 2002 book Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital. Structural changes of the economy over the period are analysed. The analysis shows how different sectors have contributed to the economy over time. It also reveals, in the Irish case, that structural change can be independent of economic growth. The Irish economy is set in the context of the Perez model of technological revolutions and Ireland.s place in current and past technological revolutions is evaluated
