Reactive improvement of environmental policies: lessons from the Mariana and Brumadinho disasters

The State is not always able to proactively improve environmental policies. Eventually, policy improvements are a result of disasters that expose pre-existing problems. This situation is reflected in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil), where, after the failures of the Fundão and B1 tailings dam, in Mariana and Brumadinho, several problems in dam safety and emergency policies were exposed. This study had a twofold objective: 1) to identify the mechanisms used by the government of Minas Gerais to improve environmental policies, and 2) to understand how the Mariana and Brumadinho’s disasters affected dam safety and emergency policies. Based on semi-structured interviews and regulatory analysis, the study revealed that the state government of Minas Gerais has been predominantly reactive in controlling environmental policies. Additionally, it was observed that the disasters catalysed a learning process that culminated in potentially better dam safety policies.

Integrated genomic analysis of AgRP neurons reveals that IRF3 regulates leptin's hunger-suppressing effects

AgRP neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC) coordinate homeostatic changes in appetite associated with fluctuations in food availability and leptin signaling. Identifying the relevant transcriptional regulatory pathways in these neurons has been a priority, yet such attempts have been stymied due to their low abundance and the rich cellular diversity of the ARC. Here we generated AgRP neuron-specific transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility profiles during opposing states of fasting-induced hunger and leptin-induced hunger suppression. Cis-regulatory analysis of these integrated datasets enabled the identification of 28 putative hunger-promoting and 29 putative hunger-suppressing transcriptional regulators in AgRP neurons, 16 of which were predicted to be transcriptional effectors of leptin. Within our dataset, Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) emerged as a leading candidate mediator of leptin-induced hunger-suppression. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments in vivo confirm the role of IRF3 in mediating the acute satiety-evoking effects of leptin in AgRP neurons, while live-cell imaging in vitro indicate that leptin can activate neuronal IRF3 in a cell autonomous manner. Finally, we employ CUT&RUN to uncover direct transcriptional targets of IRF3 in AgRP neurons in vivo. Thus, our findings identify AgRP neuron-expressed IRF3 as a key transcriptional effector of the hunger-suppressing effects of leptin.

The InsurTechs in Brazil: a legal and regulatory analysis

The insurance industry is facing an unprecedented wave of disruption. While all stakeholders welcome the new insurance products and the improved consumer experience resulting from technological advances, jurists face a number of challenges. In particular, it could be asked: is the current Brazilian legal system able to regulate InsurTechs adequately? The following paper will analyze the legal and regulatory aspects of the operation of companies characterized as “InsurTechs” and how they are functioning in Brazil. To this aim, the following will be addressed: (i) the concept of InsurTech; (ii) the Brazilian regulatory authority’s Regulatory Sandbox approach and; (iii) The functioning of InsurTechs in Brazil.

Particularities of the Legal Framework for the Mexican Emissions Trading System

This paper examines the legal bases for the mandatory regulation of the emissions trading system in Mexico. They are derived from the main international instruments on climate change: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its ambitious objective, the quantifiable commitment of the Kyoto Protocol, and its tie to economic instruments. The Paris Agreement, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the market mechanisms regulated in Article 6, the implementation of which is essential to achieve the Agreement’s objectives are also part of this broad system. Legally, the international foundations of the emissions trading system are reflected at the national level. For these, the constitutional and legal bases underpin the current regulation of the mandatory market instrument. It aims to effectively reduce, in terms of costs, the greenhouse gas emissions from the most polluting economic activities, without replacing direct control measures. The core aspects of this system are highlighted from a national regulatory analysis, with special emphasis on the importance of a limited cap and its future reduction, as well as the legal nature of allowances that are allocated by the public administration to the regulated industries’ facilities.

MIRA: Joint regulatory modeling of multimodal expression and chromatin accessibility in single cells

Rigorously comparing gene expression and chromatin accessibility in the same single cells could illuminate the logic of how coupling or decoupling of these mechanisms regulates fate commitment. Here, we present MIRA: Probabilistic Multimodal Models for Integrated Regulatory Analysis, a comprehensive methodology that systematically contrasts transcription and accessibility to infer the regulatory circuitry driving cells along developmental trajectories. MIRA leverages joint topic modeling of cell states and regulatory potential modeling of individual gene loci. MIRA thereby represents cell states in an efficient and interpretable latent space, infers high fidelity lineage trees, determines key regulators of fate decisions at branch points, and exposes the variable influence of local accessibility on transcription at distinct loci. Applied to epidermal maintenance differentiation and embryonic brain development from two different multimodal platforms, MIRA revealed that early developmental genes were tightly regulated by local chromatin landscape whereas terminal fate genes were titrated without requiring extensive chromatin remodeling.

Inter- and Intrastate Variation of Mental Health Requirements for Assisted Living in Seven States

Little is known about states’ approaches to regulating mental health (MH) services in assisted living (AL) settings. Yet, one in nine AL residents are diagnosed with serious mental illness (Hua et al, 2020). This study describes the MH regulatory requirements in AL regulations within Arkansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Using health services regulatory analysis (Smith et al, 2021), we reviewed 2018 regulations for the 45 identified AL licenses within these states sourced from Nexis Uni. We summarize 16 MH requirements related to admission, care transitions, resident assessment, third-party services access, and staff training. Each state explicitly addressed at least one of the identified MH requirements, though few states have consistency across all AL types within a state. The most commonly addressed requirements related to admission limitations, assessment, and transfer to psychiatric units. Understanding these requirements promotes a holistic approach to practices that meet residents' needs.

PENGGUNAAN KONSEP RULES-IN-USE OSTROM DALAM ANALISIS PERATURAN PEMANFAATAN AIR DI KAWASAN KONSERVASI: STUDI KASUS TAMAN NASIONAL GUNUNG GEDE PANGRANGO

This study aims to analyze the substantial weaknesses of water utilization regulations in wildlife reserves, national parks, forest parks, nature tourism parks, and their effects on individual or organizational decision-making and actions. The research location is in the area of Taman Nasional Gunung Gede Pangrango (TNGGP). The analysis of this research is limited to Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulations No. P.18/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/4/2019, Law No. 17 of 2019, and Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulations No. P.6/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/1/2020. Regulatory analysis is carried out by identifying the characteristics of content of the regulations and comparing them with the conditions of water utilization in TNGGP to find out the implications of regulations on participant behavior and performance. Issues and problems are collected through interviews with participants. Furthermore, the regulations are analyzed using Ostrom's rules-in-use concept. The findin , based on the concept is that there is a discrepancy in the three regulations that all regulate water utilization permits in the conservation areas. This is mainly due to weak institutional strengthening among decision makers as well as laws and regulations made according to the interpretation of the government which often do not consider the conditions of the community.

The development of an intellectual property strategy for a biotechnology company

<p>The 2014 Masters of Advanced Technology Enterprise (MATE) programme is a multi-disciplinary course with the goal of creating teams that explore the challenges of creating successful technology enterprises. NacreTech is the result of one of the enterprises which has been developed within this course. It has found a market application for a nacre-like material as a biodegradable osteoconductive load bearing materials for orthopaedic implants and developed a target product profile to help guide further material development to out-compete existing materials on the market. In addition a proof of concept testing plan, intellectual property strategy and regulatory analysis has been conducted. This thesis is based on the author’s experience working within NacreTech while applying current knowledge and thinking surrounding protecting intellectual property for biotechnology. In particular, the author has investigated the intellectual property aspects, such as the requirements of the complete specification, filing dates and locations, and existing strategy models, required for commercialisation of the NacreTech biomaterial and examines the factors which influenced the development of the intellectual strategy.</p>

The development of an intellectual property strategy for a biotechnology company

<p>The 2014 Masters of Advanced Technology Enterprise (MATE) programme is a multi-disciplinary course with the goal of creating teams that explore the challenges of creating successful technology enterprises. NacreTech is the result of one of the enterprises which has been developed within this course. It has found a market application for a nacre-like material as a biodegradable osteoconductive load bearing materials for orthopaedic implants and developed a target product profile to help guide further material development to out-compete existing materials on the market. In addition a proof of concept testing plan, intellectual property strategy and regulatory analysis has been conducted. This thesis is based on the author’s experience working within NacreTech while applying current knowledge and thinking surrounding protecting intellectual property for biotechnology. In particular, the author has investigated the intellectual property aspects, such as the requirements of the complete specification, filing dates and locations, and existing strategy models, required for commercialisation of the NacreTech biomaterial and examines the factors which influenced the development of the intellectual strategy.</p>

Pedagogical challenges in Distance Learning during COVID-19 conditions – Experience of Latvia

Due to the global pandemic caused by the spread of coronavirus disease, the educational process has experienced very significant transformations – in the pedagogical process both pupils and parents, teachers and education policy makers have encountered essential challenges and an unprecedent experience The aim of the research, based on the theoretical study of the distance learning concept and empirical research, and finding out the teachers’ attitude towards distance learning, is to describe the Latvia experience in distance learning during COVID-19 conditions. The research's methodology is based on teacher survey, regulatory analysis, and concessional analysis. The study highlights problems in the context of distance learning and makes a significant contribution to further research. Analysing the results of the empirical study and outcomes of the survey, it has been concluded that teachers feel psycho-emotional and physiological overload due to distance education. Keywords: distance learning; education; pedagogical process; pupil; teacher