Greenspaces and Human Well-Being : Perspectives from a Rapidly Urbanising Low-Income Country

Compelling evidence demonstrates links between greenspaces and human well-being. However, the existing evidence has a strong bias towards high-income countries. Rapidly urbanising cities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain largely unexplored. The rising prevalence of mental disorders in LMICs highlights the need to better understand the role greenspaces can play in mitigating mental ill-health. We carried out a cross-sectional household survey to investigate links between measures of greenspace exposure and human well-being, and tested pathways that could underpin any such interactions in Kathmandu, a rapidly urbanising low-income city in Nepal. While we found no consistent relationship between measures of greenspace exposure and human well-being outcomes, we provide evidence that greenspaces in a rapidly urbanising low-income setting could be important for encouraging physical activity and fostering social cohesion. Further, we revealed that a medium perceived variety of biodiversity attributes of greenspaces was associated with the highest levels of physical activity and social cohesion. Our findings support the view that greenspaces in LMICs may be less likely to provide well-being benefits. Moreover, medium levels of biodiversity may best promote well-being in LMICs. More research is needed to understand how greenspaces can support human well-being in LMICs

Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems

Robotics and autonomous systems are reshaping the world, changing healthcare, food production and biodiversity management. While they will play a fundamental role in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals, associated opportunities and threats are yet to be considered systematically. We report on a horizon scan evaluating robotics and autonomous systems impact on all Sustainable Development Goals, involving 102 experts from around the world. Robotics and autonomous systems are likely to transform how the Sustainable Development Goals are achieved, through replacing and supporting human activities, fostering innovation, enhancing remote access and improving monitoring. Emerging threats relate to reinforcing inequalities, exacerbating environmental change, diverting resources from tried-and-tested solutions and reducing freedom and privacy through inadequate governance. Although predicting future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on the Sustainable Development Goals is difficult, thoroughly examining technological developments early is essential to prevent unintended detrimental consequences. Additionally, robotics and autonomous systems should be considered explicitly when developing future iterations of the Sustainable Development Goals to avoid reversing progress or exacerbating inequalities

Rockmagnetic Characterization of the Setana and Chiraigawa Formations in SW Hokkaido (Soebetsu River, Kuromatsunai)

Rockmagnetic investigations were conducted on sediments constituting the upper part of the Setana Formation and the Chiraigawa Formation, of Plio-Pleistocene age, exposed along the Soebetsu River in the vicinity of Kuromatsunai town, Hokkaido. Average mass-specific low-field magnetic susceptibility (χ) had the lowest value (15.2 x 10^[-8] m^3kg^[-1]) at one site in the Kuromatsunai Formation, but higher values represented by wide ranges of (26.1-132.2) x 10^[-8] m^3kg^[-1] and (135.6-870.1) x 10^[-8] m^3kg^[-1] characterized the Chiraigawa and Setana Formations, respectively. Magnetomineralogical analyses by isothermal remanence (IRM) acquisition, Curie temperature determinations, and electron microscopy aided with energy dispersive X-ray analysis suggest the presence of several types of magnetic minerals: (i) one of a soft coercivity phase, probably a Ti-poor magnetite, with a Curie temperature of ca. 535-555℃, occurring throughout the section; (ii) one of intermediate coercivity, relatively rich in Ti (ca. 10% by weight), with a Curie temperature of ca. 460-475℃, restricted to two relatively thin layers of the Chiraigawa Formation, each several tens of cm thick; and (iii) a hard-coercivity hematite-like and/or a very-hard-coercivity goethite-like phase contributing up to 0.5-5% of the saturation IRM acquired at 2.5 T. Combined use of susceptibility and several ratios or differences derived from IRM acquisition data, bi-plots of IRM vs. χ, and magnetomineralogical inferences were used to discriminate rockmagnetic zones within the Soebetsu River Section. Similar rockmagnetic analyses have proven to be effecive for mapping as well as for lithostratigraphical correlations of geological sections. Combined use of these rockmagnetic zones with other environment/climate proxy data may prove effective in paleoenvironmental reconstruction.International Symposium, "The Origin and Evolution of Natural Diversity". 1–5 October 2007. Sapporo, Japan

Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems

Robotics and autonomous systems are reshaping the world, changing healthcare, food production and biodiversity management. While they will play a fundamental role in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals, associated opportunities and threats are yet to be considered systematically. We report on a horizon scan evaluating robotics and autonomous systems impact on all Sustainable Development Goals, involving 102 experts from around the world. Robotics and autonomous systems are likely to transform how the Sustainable Development Goals are achieved, through replacing and supporting human activities, fostering innovation, enhancing remote access and improving monitoring. Emerging threats relate to reinforcing inequalities, exacerbating environmental change, diverting resources from tried-and-tested solutions and reducing freedom and privacy through inadequate governance. Although predicting future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on the Sustainable Development Goals is difficult, thoroughly examining technological developments early is essential to prevent unintended detrimental consequences. Additionally, robotics and autonomous systems should be considered explicitly when developing future iterations of the Sustainable Development Goals to avoid reversing progress or exacerbating inequalities