North Campus Open Space Restoration Project As-Built Grading and Hydrology Report

This report describes the as-built geomorphology and hydrology of the North Campus Open Space (NCOS) restoration project at the completion of the grading phase of the project. Topics covered include: a comparison of the predicted and as-built grading elevations, as-built cross-sections and thalwegs of the two main channels, and a comparison of the hydrology of the project site before and after the completion of the grading phase. A selection of photos of the project site taken before and after the completion of grading are provided at the end of the report. Ongoing project work not covered in this report includes: trail and bridge construction, planting and site maintenance, and the planned construction of a visitor interpretative plaza and maintenance equipment shed

North Campus Open Space Restoration Project Annual Monitoring Report: Year 2 (2019)

Born out of a vision shared by the local community, students, faculty, researchers and state and federal agencies, the North Campus Open Space (NCOS) restoration project is recreating more than 40 acres of estuarine and palustrine wetlands that historically comprised the upper portion of Devereux Slough that was filled in the mid-1960s to create the Ocean Meadows golf course. Led by the UC Santa Barbara Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) in collaboration with other UCSB departments, faculty, student and local community groups, contractors and government agencies, the project is also restoring more than 60 acres of upland habitats that include native grassland, coastal sage scrub, riparian, oak chaparral woodland, vernal pools and patches of annual wildflowers in clay and sandy soils. In addition to wetland and upland habitat restoration, the goals of the NCOS project include flood reduction, support for threatened and endangered species, public access and the provision of educational opportunities. Ancillary benefits of the project include carbon sequestration, preservation of local genotypes, and protection of adjacent ecological values and infrastructure through a design that integrates sea level rise considerations.Currently in its third year of implementation, the main planting phase of the project is approximately 90% complete, and the focus is now turning towards maintenance, continued monitoring, new research projects, and supplemental planting to add diversity, including special status species such as the Ventura marsh milk-vetch (Astragalus pycnostachys var. lanosissimus). This report describes the methods and results of monitoring for the first two years of the project, from vegetation and wildlife to wetland geomorphology, hydrology and water quality, carbon sequestration studies, community use and a detailed record of restoration efforts by type of worker, task and site location. This work documents the progress of the project and supports longer-term research and monitoring programs. Results from the second year of monitoring show substantial progress towards the project’s restoration goals, with many being met or exceeded

Run, Jump, Throw and Catch: How proficient are children attending English schools at the Fundamental Motor Skills identified as key within the school curriculum?

This study examined proficiency levels in fundamental motor skills (FMS) in children within Key Stage 1 and 2 of the English school system. Four hundred and ninety-two children aged 6–9 Years old (245 boys, 247 girls) from school Years Two (n = 130), Three (n = 154) and Four (n = 208) participated in this study. FMS for the run, jump, throw and catch were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development – 2. The proportion of children who achieved mastery or near mastery of the skills was determined. For the whole sample, 18.5% (n = 91) did not achieve mastery in any of the four skills. A similar proportion (18.7%, n = 92) achieved mastery in all four of the FMS examined in this study. The proportion of children achieving mastery of all four skills was lower for Year Two children (0%) compared to children in years Three (24%) and Four (25%). More boys (25.7%) achieved mastery in all four of the FMS compared to girls (11.7%). Individual behavioural components in skill performance were also examined. The results of the present study highlight that less than one-fifth of children aged 6–9 years old have mastered the four key FMS identified by the physical education (PE) curriculum despite having the developmental potential to become fundamentally competent by six years of age. Fostering positive trajectories of FMS development presents a challenge for PE specialists given the association between FMS mastery in childhood and physical activity, weight status and health.N/

Worsening renal function and outcome in heart failure patients with reduced and preserved ejection fraction and the impact of angiotensin receptor blocker treatment: data from the CHARM-study programme

Aims We investigated the association between worsening renal function (WRF) that occurs during renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibition initation and outcome in heart failure (HF) patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) and compared this with HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF). Methods and results We examined changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and the relationship between WRF (defined as ≥26.5 µmol/L and ≥25% increase in serum creatinine from baseline to 6 weeks) and outcome, according to randomized treatment, in patients with HFREF (EF <45%; n = 1569) and HFPEF (EF ≥45%; n = 836) in the CHARM programme. The primary outcome was cardiovascular death or HF hospitalization. Estimated GFR decreased 9.0 ± 21 vs. 4.0 ± 21 mL/min/1.73 m2 with candesartan and placebo, respectively, and this was similar in HFREF and HFPEF. WRF developed more frequently with candesartan, 16% vs. 7%, P < 0.001, with similar findings in patients with HFREF and HFPEF. WRF was associated with a higher risk of the primary outcome: multivariable hazard ratio (HR) 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.54, P = 0.022, in both treatment groups, and in both HFREF and HFPEF (P for interaction 0.98). In HFREF, WRF was mostly related to HF hospitalization, while in HFPEF, WRF seemed more associated with mortality. Conclusions GFR decreased more and WRF was more common with candesartan compared with placebo, and this was similar in HFREF and HFPEF. WRF was associated with worse outcomes in HFREF and HFPEF. Although no formal interaction was present, the association between candesartan treatment, WRF, and type of clinical outcome was slightly different between HFREF and HFPEF

Via Architecture: Post-Conflict Infrastructure and its Discursive Curve

Post-conflict economy, rapid urbanization and the ever influential impact of global flows often drive very particular systems of post-conflict infrastructure, ignoring nuances of culture, politics and community. While a large number of analysts today contend that this is a growing symptom of the post-conflict economy, there has arguably always been a fundamental relationship between political articulation and architectural futures. The purpose of this paper is not to provide another planning parallax but to provoke the reader to reconsider habitat intervention within reconciliatory platforms and political developments today. Using the case of Kigali, Rwanda this paper seeks to pose both analytical and ethical questions. Firstly, can international development mediate with politics to engage with post-conflict habitats, considering complex backgrounds? Secondly, how does this challenge conventional thinking in planning and organization schemes that have largely driven habitat response and development in post-conflict spaces

Scenario-led modelling of broadleaf forest expansion in Wales

Context Significant changes in the composition and extent of the UK forest cover are likely to take place in the coming decades. Current policy targets an increase in forest area, for example the Welsh Government aims for forest expansion by 2030, and a purposeful shift from non-native conifers to broadleaved tree species, as identified by the UK Forestry Standard Guidelines on Biodiversity. Objectives Using the example of Wales, we aim to generate evidence-based projection of impact of contrasting policy scenarios on the state of forests in the near future, with the view of stimulating debate and aiding decisions concerning plausible outcomes of different policies. Methods We quantified changes in different land use and land cover (LULC) classes in Wales between 2007 and 2015 and used a Multi-layer perceptron-Markov chain ensemble modelling approach to project the state of Welsh forests in 2030 under the current and an alternate policy scenario. Results The current level of expansion and restoration of broadleaf forest in Wales is sufficient to deliver on existing policy goals. We also show effects of a more ambitious afforestation policy on the Welsh landscape. In a key finding, the highest intensity of broadleaf expansion is likely to shift from south-eastern to a more central areas of Wales. Conclusion The study identifies the key predictors of LULC change in Wales. High resolution future land cover simulation maps using these predictors offers an evidence-based tool for forest managers and government officials to test effects of existing and alternative policy scenarios

Sen and the art of educational maintenance: evidencing a capability, as opposed to an effectiveness, approach to schooling

There are few more widely applied terms in common parlance than ‘capability’. It is used (inaccurately) to represent everything from the aspiration to provide opportunity to notions of innate academic ability, with everything in between claiming apostolic succession to Amartya Sen, who (with apologies to Aristotle) first developed the concept. This paper attempts to warrant an adaptation of Sen’s capability theory to schooling and schooling policy, and to proof his concepts in the new setting using research involving 100 pupils from 5 English secondary schools and a schedule of questions derived from the capability literature. The findings suggest that a capability approach can provide an alternative to the dominant Benthamite school effectiveness paradigm, and can offer a sound theoretical framework for understanding better the assumed relationship between schooling and well-being