Herreshoff Marine Museum: Historical Analysis

These methods that Herreshoff utilized can be classified as early stages of the LEAN manufacturing concept which is used today in a majority of America’s leading manufacturers. Herreshoff made sure that his entire inventory was used and nothing was wasted. By reducing/eliminating waste, Nat preserved the value of his products and increased the efficiency of operation

Urban Design of Bristol Waterfront, Lower Thames Street

The marketplace is going to be one of the highlights on Thames Street, serving as a destination for leisure, shopping and dining. The concept of the project is to have indoor space continue out to the water, providing an outdoor space for dining and leisure, but also giving the boardwalk a resting point. The building is planned as two floors, with the fish market and multipurpose area on the first and an eatery, sitting area, balcony and facilities on the second. The building will be made of a light metal frame with panels to enclose the space and is designed with a folded glass panel that can be opened up to the outside, yet decrease wind pressure in a storm

Doctrine and decision: navigating Labour’s new constitutional position in the Lords

The 2015–17 Parliament was the first time in history that the Conservatives were in government with no easily assembled majority in the House of Lords. This has fundamentally altered the role that Labour is able to play in the Lords and, conversely, that peers are able to play in the Labour party. Yet the political significance of this situation has not yet been fully appreciated by a party which remains culturally antagonistic and constitutionally wary of the Lords. In this paper, we draw on interviews with Labour peers, particularly the late Baroness Hollis of Heigham, who have been able to use the essentially conservative powers of the Lords for social democratic ends. We suggest that the Labour party needs to incorporate the second chamber into both its practical and symbolic politics, and to find ways to use this new source of constitutional power without accommodating to it

Optimising Early Childhood Educational Settings for Health Using Nature-Based Solutions:The Microbiome Aspect

Alexia Barrable - ORCID: 0000-0002-5352-8330 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5352-8330Early childhood is a time of rapid physiological, cognitive, and social development, affected by various environmental factors. The physical environment, including the environmental microbiome (the entire consortium of microorganisms and their theatre of activity in a given environment), plays an essential role in childhood development and can be shaped in ways to support health and wellbeing. In this Perspective article, we present considerations for early childhood education settings that wish to shape their outdoor and indoor environments to optimise human and ecosystem health. This is done in line with the latest evidence base on optimising health-supporting interactions between humans and environmental microbiota, but also in pedagogically and developmentally appropriate ways. Based on the Microbiome-Inspired Green Infrastructure (MIGI) principles, the considerations presented here not only support health through human–nature interactions and a healthier natural environment, but also promote a closer, reciprocal relationship between children and their natural environments.This research received no external funding.https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci1302021113pubpub

Nature-based Interventions and the Environment-Microbiome-Health Axis

This interdisciplinary PhD is an innovative socioecological investigation into two key phenomena: 1. nature-based interventions, which are structured nature-based activities that aim to facilitate behavioural changes for the benefit of health and wellbeing; and 2. the relationship between the environment, the microbiome and human health. The aims of the PhD study include: o Determining the distribution of, and socioecological constraints and opportunities associated with nature-based interventions. o Ascertaining how engagement with nature may have supported population health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether the pandemic affected nature engagement. o Investigating the environment-microbiome-health axis, including a review of potential anthropogenic disruptions to this relationship, and determining the spatio-compositional and ecological factors that affect exposure to the aerobiome (microbiome of the air) in urban green spaces. o Determining whether relationships with and knowledge of biodiversity affect attitudes towards microbes. o The development of novel conceptualisations that transcend the boundaries of current knowledge, including Microbiome-Inspired Green Infrastructure (MIG) – multifunctional green infrastructure that aims to enhance ecosystem functionality and human health through considerations for the microbiome; the Lovebug Effect – microbially-mediated nature affinity; and, the Holobiont Blindspot – a newly proposed cognitive bias that may result from the failure to recognise the microbiome’s role in behaviour and health. This is a PhD by publication comprising 9 chapters and 12 publications. Chapter 2 presents publications on nature-based interventions (Robinson and Breed, 2019; Robinson et al. 2020a), and the potential health benefits of engaging with nature are presented in Chapter 3 (Robinson et al. 2020b). This is followed by an overview of the environment-microbiome-health axis (Robinson and Jorgensen, 2020) and how nature engagement may affect our attitudes towards microbes in Chapter 4 (Robinson et al. 2021e). This is followed by the aerobiome studies in Chapter 5 (Robinson et al. 2020c; Robinson et al. 2021b) and potential disruptions to the environmental microbiome and human health in Chapter 6 (Robinson et al. 2021c). Chapter 7 presents Microbiome-Inspired Green Infrastructure (Robinson et al. 2018; Watkins and Robinson et al. 2020), and finally in Chapter 8, novel conceptualisations are presented, including the Lovebug Effect (Robinson and Breed, 2020) and the Holobiont Blindspot (Robinson and Cameron, 2020). The methods used in the nature-based intervention studies included geospatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS) and online questionnaires. The methods used in the microbiome studies included the creation of novel sampling methods to collect bacterial DNA in urban green spaces, DNA sequencing, and the application of bioinformatic tools. Although systematic reviews were not included, the reviews in this thesis did follow the preferred reporting system for systematic reviews (PRISMA) method to ensure robust data collection. This PhD makes several important contributions to knowledge. For example, constraints to nature-based interventions were identified, and these show that enhanced transdisciplinary collaborative pathways and efficient infrastructure are needed. The research also identified that people significantly changed their patterns of nature engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic and many visited nature for important wellbeing and coping benefits. This highlights the immense value of nature to health and wellbeing during unprecedented times. The research also revealed for the first time that attitudes towards microbes might be influenced by nature engagement and biodiversity literacy, and that anthropogenic pollution (light and sound) could affect the microbiome with important ecological and health implications. In the aerobiome studies, the cutting-edge discovery of ecological factors that drive aerobiome assembly and potentially affect exposure types and routes could have important implications for public health and landscape management. Nature-based interventions have the potential to enhance human and environmental health, and the environmental microbiome will likely play an important role. The novel conceptualisations developed during this PhD add new knowledge to the fields of landscape design, microbiome science, and environmental psychology and have stimulated new research agendas across the world. The work in this thesis is influenced by the emerging planetary health paradigm, the ‘interconnectedness’ and intrinsic value narrative associated with Indigenous cultures, and ‘systems thinking’ (a holistic analytical approach that focuses on the way a system’s constituent parts – – and how systems themselves –– interrelate). Fostering deep reciprocity with the natural world to enhance personal and planetary health has never been more important. We have a key opportunity to redefine our relationship with the wider biotic community by establishing a new appreciation of our ‘microbial friends’ and the profound interconnectedness between the environment, the microbiome and human health. List of publications in this PhD thesis: 1. Robinson, J.M., and Breed, M.F. (2019). Green Prescriptions and Their Co- Benefits: Integrative Strategies for Public and Planetary Health. Challenges. 10, pp. 1-14. Part of the Special Issue - The Emerging Concept of Planetary Health: Connecting People, Place, Purpose, and Planet. 2. Robinson, J.M., Jorgensen, A., Cameron, R., and Brindley, P. (2020). Let Nature Be Thy Medicine: A Socioecological Exploration of Green Prescribing in the UK. Int J Environ Public Health. 17, pp. 1-24. Part of the Special Issue "Planetary Health: From Challenges to Opportunities for People, Place, Purpose and Planet” 3. Robinson, J.M., Brindley, P, Cameron, R., MacCarthy, D., and, Jorgensen, A. (2021). Nature’s Role in Supporting Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Geospatial and Socioecological Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 18, pp. 1-21. 4. Robinson, J.M., and Jorgensen, A. (2019). Rekindling Old Friendships in New Landscapes: The Environment-Microbiome-Health Axis in the Realms of Landscape Research. People Nat. 2, pp.339-349. 5. Robinson, J.M., Cameron, R., and Jorgensen, A. (2021). Germaphobia! Does our Relationship with, and Knowledge of Biodiversity, Affect our Attitudes Towards Microbes? Front Psychol, 12, pp. 1-10. 6. Robinson, J.M., Cando-Dumancela, C., Liddicoat, C., Weinstein, P., Cameron, R. and Breed, M.F. (2020). Vertical Stratification in Urban Green Space Aerobiomes. Environ Health Persp, 128, p.117008. 7. Robinson, J.M., Cando-Dumancela, C., Antwis, R.E., Cameron, R., Liddicoat, C., Poudel, R., Weinstein, P., and Breed, M.F. (2021). Urban Green Space Aerobiomes: Exposure to Airborne Bacteria Depends Upon Vertical Stratification and Vegetation Complexity. Sci Rep, 11, pp. 1-17. 8. Robinson, J.M., and Parker, B. (2021). The Effects of Anthropogenic Sound and Artificial Light Exposure on Microbiomes: Ecological and Public Health Implications. Front Ecol Evol. 9, pp. 1-7. 9. Robinson, J.M., Mills, J.G., and Breed, M.F. (2018). Walking Ecosystems in Microbiome-Inspired Green Infrastructure: An Ecological Perspective on Enhancing Personal and Planetary Health. Challenges. 9, pp.1-15. 10. Watkins, H., Robinson, J.M., Breed, M.F., Parker, B. and Weinstein, P. (2020). Microbiome-Inspired Green Infrastructure: A Toolkit for Multidisciplinary Landscape Design. Trends in Biotech. 38, pp.1305-1308. 11. Robinson, J.M., and Breed, M.F. (2020). The Lovebug Effect: Is the Human Biophilic Drive Influenced by Interactions Between the Host, The Environment, and the Microbiome? Sci Tot Environ. 720, p.137626. 12. Robinson, J.M., and Cameron, R. (2020). The Holobiont Blindspot: Relating Host-Microbiome Interactions to Cognitive Biases and the Concept of the “Umwelt”. Front Psychol. 11, p.591071

Central Falls Welcome Sign Project Phase 2

For this design, the intent was to create a completely different identity for the City of Central Falls, as well as create a stronger connection with the state of Rhode Island. The curved shape that is created by the top portion of the design suggests a relationship with the Ocean State and the symbol of the wave that is seen throughout the State and even its license plate. It also creates a more modern approach with its abstract shape as well as creates a new and recognizable destination for tourists and locals. The use of brick for the base suggests that although new and different and for the future, it still holds true to the principles that make Central Falls the City it is today

The Need for Laboratory Measurements and Ab Initio Studies to Aid Understanding of Exoplanetary Atmospheres

We are now on a clear trajectory for improvements in exoplanet observations that will revolutionize our ability to characterize their atmospheric structure, composition, and circulation, from gas giants to rocky planets. However, exoplanet atmospheric models capable of interpreting the upcoming observations are often limited by insufficiencies in the laboratory and theoretical data that serve as critical inputs to atmospheric physical and chemical tools. Here we provide an up-to-date and condensed description of areas where laboratory and/or ab initio investigations could fill critical gaps in our ability to model exoplanet atmospheric opacities, clouds, and chemistry, building off a larger 2016 white paper, and endorsed by the NAS Exoplanet Science Strategy report. Now is the ideal time for progress in these areas, but this progress requires better access to, understanding of, and training in the production of spectroscopic data as well as a better insight into chemical reaction kinetics both thermal and radiation-induced at a broad range of temperatures. Given that most published efforts have emphasized relatively Earth-like conditions, we can expect significant and enlightening discoveries as emphasis moves to the exotic atmospheres of exoplanets.Comment: Submitted as an Astro2020 Science White Pape

2007 Texas Panhandle Forage Sorghum Silage Trial

The summer of 2007 we completed our ninth year of consecutive sorghum silage variety trials conducted at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Bush Farm, located approximately 8 miles west of Amarillo

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes