Grafting and Budding in the Orchard

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Grape Growing in Ohio

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Grape Growing in Ohio

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A qualitative exploration of consumers’ perceived impacts, behavioural reactions, and future reflections of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (2017) as applied to electronic cigarettes

Background: Electronic cigarette regulations included in the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), Article 20, implemented in Europe by May 2017, aimed to improve safety for e-cigarette consumers, and prevent uptake among non-smokers, particularly young people. Before implementation, there were significant concerns from consumers, industry, and some in the scientific community about the potential negative impact of the TPD on people using e-cigarettes to stay stopped from smoking. To date, there is limited evidence on how the TPD has affected consumers. This study aimed to add insight into how consumers perceived and experienced the regulations. Methods: Qualitative data, collected between March 2018 and March 2019, relating to participant views of the TPD were extracted from 160 interviews/extended surveys of e-cigarette consumers as part of a wider study into e-cigarette use trajectories (ECtra study). Data were thematically analysed. Results: Awareness of the TPD amongst consumers was not universal. Participants’ smoking behaviour did not appear to be influenced by the legislation. Participants were reassured by manufacturing regulations and requirements for ingredients labels. Participants responded negatively to changes perceived to cause inconvenience and extra plastic waste. The product restrictions prompted some participants to purchase non-compliant products illegally, potentially putting their safety at risk. Conclusions: E-cigarette regulation should focus on ensuring product safety. Raising awareness of the TPD amongst consumers and smokers could be beneficial

Islington Square housing project

This built project arose after FAT was selected unanimously by residents in a 2003 competition to design new houses for the Manchester Methodist Housing Group within Urban Splash’s New Islington development. Griffiths was FAT’s lead designer in this project. The £2.3 million scheme comprises 23 two-to-four bedroom family homes and gardens. The design’s aim is to unify the residents’ desire for traditional homes with the masterplan commitment to innovative world-class architecture, and was developed in close collaboration with the occupants. The Islington Square Housing scheme is designed to meet ambitious sustainability targets, intended as an exemplar for future UK construction. The design reduces primary energy, CO2 emissions and water consumption, ‘green’ specification of materials and reduction of construction waste, design for life-cycle adaptability, etc. and has an EcoHomes ‘excellent’ rating. Hence the key issue was to develop a model for mass housing design, achieving a high standard of ecological awareness and more sustainable approach to housing provision. Once again, the scheme has been widely covered in the architectural and national press, including BBC2’s 'Culture Show', Guardian, Times, Financial Times, Daily Mirror, Evening Standard, L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, etc. It is also reviewed in: Anglo Files (Thames & Hudson, 2005, pp. 112-27); Gritty Brits (Carnegie Museum of Art, 2007, pp. 56-59); Building Design (28 April 2006, pp. 14-20); Building (31 March 2006, pp. 54-58); Blueprint (May 2006, pp. 84-87); Architecture Today (May 2006, pp. 56-61); Architectural Design (July/August 2006, pp. 122-128); etc. The scheme has won several awards: Best Public Housing Project in 2006 Brick Development Association Awards; Daily Telegraph’s 'What House' Award; Building Magazine’s 'Best Development' Award; Regeneration Partnership of the Year Award 2006. It was however famously rejected for a RIBA Regional Award (2007), despite intensive pressure on the judges from RIBA’s headquarters and others to recognise it

Blue House

Griffiths is the main designer in Fashion-Architecture-Taste (FAT), a practice known for their investigations into the contemporary use of popular iconography in architecture, as famously pioneered by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. This innovative live/work building, affectionately known locally as the ‘Blue House’, has a cartoon-like billboard character which communicates its function as a home and office. The front has a miniature scale, but the side addressing the main street is made deliberately big in feel. Built for £300,000, the project deploys an innovative use of standard construction methods. The house contains a maisonette for family of three, an office and a separate apartment. Research issues include how to utilise the program requirements and site conditions to create a type of urban housing that play visually on everyday notions about domesticity, yet how achieve this effect within a restricted budget. The scheme aims to achieve a sustainable design that matches with its innovative cultural reading of contemporary urban lifestyles. The Blue House has been widely featured in books, including The Buildings of England – London Vol.5: East (Yale, 2005, pp. 113, 598); New Architecture in Britain (Merrell, 2003, p.165); New London Architecture (Merrell, 2005, p.163); Anglo Files: UK Architecture’s Rising Generation (Thames & Hudson, 2005, pp. 112-27); Gritty Brits: New London Architecture (Carnegie Museum of Art, 2007, pp. 54-55). The project has likewise been extensively covered in architectural and national press, including Sunday Times, Financial Times, Independent, Evening Standard, Icon, L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, Building Design, Architecture Today, etc. Furthermore, the Blue House was nominated and shortlisted for the Mies Van der Rohe / European Union Prize for Architecture (2003). FAT is also run along with Sam Jacobs and Charles Holland, but Sean Griffiths was the exclusive designer for this project – his own home

Use of IC information in Japanese financial firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of: how Japanese financial firms (JFF) acquire and use company intellectual capital (IC) information in their common routine equity investment decisions, how this activity contributes to knowledge creation in the JFFs, and how investee company knowledge creation is affected by the JFFs.<p></p> Design/methodology/approach – The research employed a multi-case design, using four JFF cases. The investigation was performed in terms of Nonaka and Toyama's “theory of the knowledge creating firm”.<p></p> Findings – IC information contributed to earnings estimates and company valuation. Emotional information contributed to JFF feelings and confidence in their information use and valuation. JFF knowledge was an important component of the key interacting and informed contexts used by JFFs. This generated opportunities to improve disclosure and accountability between JFFs and their investee companies. Common patterns of behaviour across the JFFs were counterbalanced by variety and differences noted in JFF behaviour.<p></p> Practical implications – The findings provide important insights into how JFF knowledge creating patterns could limit or progress a common language of communication between companies and markets on the subject of IC. This could impact on the quality of corporate disclosure and accountability processes.<p></p> Originality/value – The paper demonstrates that there is a need for further use of qualitative studies of financial market behavior. Especially in the area of understanding the communication of IC between firms and financial markets, the potential of using sociology of finance approaches appears to be considerable

Resonances in Ferromagnetic Gratings Detected by Microwave Photoconductivity

We investigate the impact of microwave excited spin excitations on the DC charge transport in a ferromagnetic (FM) grating. We observe both resonant and nonresonant microwave photoresistance. Resonant features are identified as the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and ferromagnetic antiresonance (FMAR). A macroscopic model based on Maxwell and Landau-Lifschitz equations reveals the macroscopic nature of the FMAR. The experimental approach and results provide new insight in the interplay between photonic, spintronic, and charge effects in FM microstructures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure