Christer BENGS - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Christer BENGS

International journal of biometeorology, Jan 10, 2017

The thermal environment outdoors affects human comfort and health. Mental and physical performanc... more The thermal environment outdoors affects human comfort and health. Mental and physical performance is reduced at high levels of air temperature being a problem especially in tropical climates. This paper deals with human comfort in the warm-humid city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The main aim was to examine the influence of urban micrometeorological conditions on people's subjective thermal perception and to compare it with two thermal comfort indices: the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and the standard effective temperature (SET*). The outdoor thermal comfort was assessed through micrometeorological measurements of air temperature, humidity, mean radiant temperature and wind speed together with a questionnaire survey consisting of 544 interviews conducted in five public places of the city during both the dry and rainy seasons. The neutral and preferred values as well as the upper comfort limits of PET and SET* were determined. For both indices, the neutral values and up...

Sustainable development can be defined in contradicting ways. Either development (accumulation) i... more Sustainable development can be defined in contradicting ways. Either development (accumulation) is to be safeguarded or nature is to be preserved. The two cannot be combined. The issue of sustainable development is related to the expansion of the industrialized North at the cost of the subsistence economies of the South. The South is being deprived of its most valuable resource, i.e. time. The basic division in ethics, the utilitarian and Kantian perspectives, are related to the contradicting subjects of sustainability.

... 5 (cultural assets) as well as the text (excluding appendices). Malin Hansen has written the ... more ... 5 (cultural assets) as well as the text (excluding appendices). Malin Hansen has written the appendix on public administration of cultural heritage. She has also compiled data regarding the Nordic countries for other chapters. ...

Riksantikvarieämbetet, 2004

Bollettino della Società geografica italiana, 2006

Urban-rural relations in Europe: ESPON 1.1.2: Final Report, 2004

In this chapter1 is presented and discussed the national definitions of urban and rural. Factors ... more In this chapter1 is presented and discussed the national definitions of urban and rural. Factors of urban-rural relations are presented based on statistical analyses and land cover data as well as their interrelations and correlations with economic indicators, population changes and typology of development prospects. The harmonised urbanrural typology is presented and analysed according to a set of factors including population, economic factors, accessibility, tourism and land use efficiency. The national definitions are compared to the harmonised typology, and the potential of the harmonised typology is tested on two national cases, that is, on Belgium and Austria. The chapter ends with a summary and a brief discussion on policy implications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lecture notes in networks and systems, 2022

The Society of Service Science, Mar 1, 2015

Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu, 2021

Crescentic glomerulonephritis is a devastating autoimmune disease that without early and properly... more Crescentic glomerulonephritis is a devastating autoimmune disease that without early and properly treatment may rapidly progress to end-stage renal disease and death. Current immunosuppressive treatment provided limited efficacy and an important burden of adverse events. Epigenetic drugs are a source of novel therapeutic tools. Among them, bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) inhibitors (iBETs) block the interaction between bromodomains and acetylated proteins, including histones and transcription factors. iBETs have demonstrated protective effects on malignancy, inflammatory conditions and experimental kidney disease. Recently, Gremlin-1 was proposed as an urinary biomarker of disease progression in human anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis. We have now evaluated whether iBETs regulate Gremlin-1 in experimental anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis induced by nephrotoxic serum (NTS) in mice, a model of human crescentic glomerulonephritis. In NTS-injected mice, the iBET JQ1 inhibited renal Gremlin-1 overexpression and diminished glomerular damage, including podocyte loss. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated BRD4 enrichment of the Grem-1 gene promoter in injured kidneys, consistent with Gremlin-1 epigenetic regulation. Moreover, JQ1 blocked BRD4 binding and inhibited Grem-1 gene transcription. The beneficial effect of iBETs was also mediated by targeting NOTCH signaling pathway. JQ1 inhibited the gene expression of the NOTCH effectors Hes-1 and Hey-1 in NTS-injured kidneys. Our results further support the role for epigenetic drugs, such as iBETs, in the treatment of rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis.

Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, o... more Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, or rather, sustainable development (to be politically

Globalisation implies the establishment of a neo-liberal society to match the neo-liberal economy... more Globalisation implies the establishment of a neo-liberal society to match the neo-liberal economy. In this context planning theory seems to be reduced to pure ideology. The question thus follows, is planning theory then essentially useless for all theoretical or practical purposes? Moreover, can planning theory solve the moral dilemmas faced by planning professionals? And what does the communicative turn in planning theory stand for? Who need it: only the naïve? These are just some of the questions raised in the following introductory discussion on planning theory. The global context In the historical process of expanding capitalism, trade was organised through single city-states or leagues of cities in partnership, and later through centralised nation states or empires.1 The preconditions for the free flow of money and assets has traditionally been organised within states and by agreements between states, but this state-based practice is increasingly being superseded by internation...

Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, o... more Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, or rather, sustainable development (to be politically correct)? Are there no sidings or optional routes? Is the speed of this train accelerating? Is the engine driver however facing squarely ahead, concentrating solely on the future within the narrow scope of his floodlights, and thus ignoring the passing present vanishing into an obscure past? When reviewing public discussion on European integration and spatial development one may be inclined to answer these questions with a nod approval. Even academic reviews tend to build up a picture of European spatial planning as one of unequivocal progress. Actually this very report probably adds some credibility to this picture. Being a passenger on the train together with my fellow colleagues, one of course shares the responsibility for the safety and success of this (never-ending) journey. It may, however, be a good idea to keep in mind alternat...

International journal of biometeorology, Jan 10, 2017

The thermal environment outdoors affects human comfort and health. Mental and physical performanc... more The thermal environment outdoors affects human comfort and health. Mental and physical performance is reduced at high levels of air temperature being a problem especially in tropical climates. This paper deals with human comfort in the warm-humid city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The main aim was to examine the influence of urban micrometeorological conditions on people's subjective thermal perception and to compare it with two thermal comfort indices: the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and the standard effective temperature (SET*). The outdoor thermal comfort was assessed through micrometeorological measurements of air temperature, humidity, mean radiant temperature and wind speed together with a questionnaire survey consisting of 544 interviews conducted in five public places of the city during both the dry and rainy seasons. The neutral and preferred values as well as the upper comfort limits of PET and SET* were determined. For both indices, the neutral values and up...

Sustainable development can be defined in contradicting ways. Either development (accumulation) i... more Sustainable development can be defined in contradicting ways. Either development (accumulation) is to be safeguarded or nature is to be preserved. The two cannot be combined. The issue of sustainable development is related to the expansion of the industrialized North at the cost of the subsistence economies of the South. The South is being deprived of its most valuable resource, i.e. time. The basic division in ethics, the utilitarian and Kantian perspectives, are related to the contradicting subjects of sustainability.

... 5 (cultural assets) as well as the text (excluding appendices). Malin Hansen has written the ... more ... 5 (cultural assets) as well as the text (excluding appendices). Malin Hansen has written the appendix on public administration of cultural heritage. She has also compiled data regarding the Nordic countries for other chapters. ...

Riksantikvarieämbetet, 2004

Bollettino della Società geografica italiana, 2006

Urban-rural relations in Europe: ESPON 1.1.2: Final Report, 2004

In this chapter1 is presented and discussed the national definitions of urban and rural. Factors ... more In this chapter1 is presented and discussed the national definitions of urban and rural. Factors of urban-rural relations are presented based on statistical analyses and land cover data as well as their interrelations and correlations with economic indicators, population changes and typology of development prospects. The harmonised urbanrural typology is presented and analysed according to a set of factors including population, economic factors, accessibility, tourism and land use efficiency. The national definitions are compared to the harmonised typology, and the potential of the harmonised typology is tested on two national cases, that is, on Belgium and Austria. The chapter ends with a summary and a brief discussion on policy implications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lecture notes in networks and systems, 2022

The Society of Service Science, Mar 1, 2015

Yhdyskuntasuunnittelu, 2021

Crescentic glomerulonephritis is a devastating autoimmune disease that without early and properly... more Crescentic glomerulonephritis is a devastating autoimmune disease that without early and properly treatment may rapidly progress to end-stage renal disease and death. Current immunosuppressive treatment provided limited efficacy and an important burden of adverse events. Epigenetic drugs are a source of novel therapeutic tools. Among them, bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) inhibitors (iBETs) block the interaction between bromodomains and acetylated proteins, including histones and transcription factors. iBETs have demonstrated protective effects on malignancy, inflammatory conditions and experimental kidney disease. Recently, Gremlin-1 was proposed as an urinary biomarker of disease progression in human anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis. We have now evaluated whether iBETs regulate Gremlin-1 in experimental anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis induced by nephrotoxic serum (NTS) in mice, a model of human crescentic glomerulonephritis. In NTS-injected mice, the iBET JQ1 inhibited renal Gremlin-1 overexpression and diminished glomerular damage, including podocyte loss. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated BRD4 enrichment of the Grem-1 gene promoter in injured kidneys, consistent with Gremlin-1 epigenetic regulation. Moreover, JQ1 blocked BRD4 binding and inhibited Grem-1 gene transcription. The beneficial effect of iBETs was also mediated by targeting NOTCH signaling pathway. JQ1 inhibited the gene expression of the NOTCH effectors Hes-1 and Hey-1 in NTS-injured kidneys. Our results further support the role for epigenetic drugs, such as iBETs, in the treatment of rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis.

Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, o... more Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, or rather, sustainable development (to be politically

Globalisation implies the establishment of a neo-liberal society to match the neo-liberal economy... more Globalisation implies the establishment of a neo-liberal society to match the neo-liberal economy. In this context planning theory seems to be reduced to pure ideology. The question thus follows, is planning theory then essentially useless for all theoretical or practical purposes? Moreover, can planning theory solve the moral dilemmas faced by planning professionals? And what does the communicative turn in planning theory stand for? Who need it: only the naïve? These are just some of the questions raised in the following introductory discussion on planning theory. The global context In the historical process of expanding capitalism, trade was organised through single city-states or leagues of cities in partnership, and later through centralised nation states or empires.1 The preconditions for the free flow of money and assets has traditionally been organised within states and by agreements between states, but this state-based practice is increasingly being superseded by internation...

Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, o... more Is Europe a train on track, moving from past to future, pulled by an engine called development, or rather, sustainable development (to be politically correct)? Are there no sidings or optional routes? Is the speed of this train accelerating? Is the engine driver however facing squarely ahead, concentrating solely on the future within the narrow scope of his floodlights, and thus ignoring the passing present vanishing into an obscure past? When reviewing public discussion on European integration and spatial development one may be inclined to answer these questions with a nod approval. Even academic reviews tend to build up a picture of European spatial planning as one of unequivocal progress. Actually this very report probably adds some credibility to this picture. Being a passenger on the train together with my fellow colleagues, one of course shares the responsibility for the safety and success of this (never-ending) journey. It may, however, be a good idea to keep in mind alternat...