Spatial approaches to a circular economy

Rapid urbanization has exerted unsustainable pressures on the environment, and implementing circular economy (CE) in cities has been seen by policy makers as a potential solution for resource scarcity. Scholars have therefore called for an understanding of the spatial aspects of CE that go beyond urban governance strategies, engendering the recent integration of spatial disciplines, such as urban planning and regional economics, into the study of CE. Using the Netherlands as a case study, this research asks the question, "what determines the locations and scales of closing material loops in a circular economy?”, using both quantitative and qualitative spatial analysis methods, and both present- and future-oriented perspectives. Novel data sources on locations of material stocks and flows were used, including waste statistics and material stock maps. Research results were presented in five chapters, each corresponding to an academic paper. Current locations and scales are identified by analyzing the locations of waste reuse clusters in the Netherlands, and future locations and scales are addressed by identifying the optimal locations and service areas of circular construction hubs in Amsterdam. As an overall conclusion, I identified 5 conceptual and methodological tensions that occur when determining locations and scales for closing material loops: urban manufacturing vs urban mining, clusters vs hubs, spaces vs people vs materials, present vs future, and quantitative vs qualitative

Validation of a new test that assesses functional performance of the upper extremity and neck (FIT-HaNSA) in patients with shoulder pathology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a lack of standardized tests that assess functional performance for sustained upper extremity activity. This study describes development of a new test for measuring functional performance of the upper extremity and neck and assesses reliability and concurrent validity in patients with shoulder pathology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A series of developmental tests were conducted to develop a protocol for assessing upper extremity tasks that required multi-level movement and sustained elevation. Kinematics of movement were investigated to inform subtask structure. Tasks and test composition were refined to fit clinical applicability criteria and pilot tested on 5 patients awaiting surgery for shoulder impingement and age-sex matched controls. Test-retest reliability was assessed on 10 subjects. Then a cohort of patients with mild to moderate (n = 17) shoulder pathology and 19 controls (17 were age-sex matched to patients) were tested to further validate the Functional Impairment Test-Hand, and Neck/Shoulder/Arm (FIT-HaNSA) by comparing it to self-reported function and measured strength. The FIT-HaNSA, DASH and SPADI were tested on a single occasion. Impairments in isometric strength were measured using hand-held dynamometry. Discriminative validity was determined by comparing scores to those of age-sex matched controls (n = 34), using ANOVA. Pearson correlations between outcome measures (n = 41) were examined to establish criterion and convergent validity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A test protocol based on three five-minute subtasks, each either comprised of moving objects to waist-height shelves, eye-level shelves, or sustained manipulation of overhead nuts/bolts, was developed. Test scores for the latter 2 subtasks (or total scores) were different between controls as compared to either surgical-list patients with shoulder impingement or a variety of milder shoulder pathologies (p < 0.01). Test 1 correlated the highest with the DASH (r = -0.83), whereas Test 2 correlated highest with the SPADI (r = -0.76).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Initial data suggest the FIT-HaNSA provides valid assessment of impaired functional performance in patients with shoulder pathology. It discriminates between patients and controls, is related to self-reported function, and yet provides distinct information. Longitudinal testing is warranted.</p

The 13th Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics

Ngā mihi aroha ki ngā tangata katoa and warm greetings to you all. Welcome to Herenga Delta 2021, the Thirteenth Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics. It has been ten years since the Volcanic Delta Conference in Rotorua, and we are excited to have the Delta community return to Aotearoa New Zealand, if not in person, then by virtual means. Although the limits imposed by the pandemic mean that most of this year’s 2021 participants are unable to set foot in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, this has certainly not stopped interest in this event. Participants have been invited to draw on the concept of herenga, in Te Reo Māori usually a mooring place where people from afar come to share their knowledge and experiences. Although many of the participants are still some distance away, the submissions that have been sent in will continue to stimulate discussion on mathematics and statistics undergraduate education in the Delta tradition. The conference invited papers, abstracts and posters, working within the initial themes of Values and Variables. The range of submissions is diverse, and will provide participants with many opportunities to engage, discuss, and network with colleagues across the Delta community. The publications for this thirteenth Delta Conference include publications in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, iJMEST, (available at https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/tmes20/collections/Herenga-Delta-2021), the Conference Proceedings, and the Programme (which has created some interesting challenges around time-zones), by the Local Organizing Committee. Papers in the iJMEST issue and the Proceedings were peer reviewed by at least two reviewers per paper. Of the ten submissions to the Proceedings, three were accepted. We are pleased to now be at the business end of the conference and hope that this event will carry on the special atmosphere of the many Deltas which have preceded this one. We hope that you will enjoy this conference, the virtual and social experiences that accompany it, and take the opportunity to contribute to further enhancing mathematics and statistics undergraduate education. Ngā manaakitanga, Phil Kane (The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau) on behalf of the Local Organising Committ

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

The Role of Urban Manufacturing for a Circular Economy in Cities

In recent years, implementing a circular economy in cities (or &ldquo;circular cities&rdquo;) has been proposed by policy makers as a potential solution for achieving sustainability. One strategy for circular cities is to reintroduce manufacturing into urban areas (or &ldquo;urban manufacturing&rdquo;), allowing resource flows to be localized at the city scale. However, the extent to which urban manufacturing contributes to circular cities is unclear in existing literature. The purpose of this paper is therefore twofold: to understand whether urban manufacturing could contribute to the circular economy, and to understand the drivers and barriers to circular urban manufacturing. By reviewing existing literature and interviewing experts, we identified the caveats for the contribution of urban manufacturing to circular cities, as well as the spatial, social, and material-related drivers and barriers for circular urban manufacturing

Factory for Good

This thesis explores the potential to use factories as sources of water and energy for peri-urban industrian contexts in developing countries. The project is situated in Bandung, Indonesia, on the border wall of a large textile factory surrounded by informal settlements. The project transforms the wall of the factory into a public facility that consists of a public toilet, food market, and factory worker housing. The facility produces energy in the form of biogas, and filters waste water from the toilet for it to be reused by the factory.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Intectur

aE Journal 2017/2018:

Driven by the need to think differently about resources, energy, power generation, the choice of materials, and user involvement, we see the built environment in a new perspective. The program, Architectural Engineering, seeks for innovative and inspiring architectural solutions for social and environmental issues throughout all scales. To achieve this, innovation of the architectural challenge is high on our agenda. Innovation is more than just a technical improvement. How do you implement new current issues in modern architecture? We anticipate new energy, materials, and circularity. We also use the current environment of the metropolis and the countryside. We add new buildings, strengthen existing stock, and work on new components of buildings. From high to low tech. From digital to traditional, looking carefully to the context. We like to work together. Partners have been found in Landscape Architecture in the HARVEST-BK project for the Rotterdam Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam (IABR 2020) and Parkstad Zuid Limburg (IBA 2020). We work together with Heritage &amp; Architecture and the department of Urbanism within the Shared Heritage Lab, in Bandung Indonesia. In Amsterdam, hundreds of international Master’s students from different semesters are working on the renewal of AMC, the largest 40-year-old academic hospital in the Netherlands. It is a completely covered city, with half a million square meters of indoor space. Our ideas for creative solutions for the Marineterrein as a breeding ground for slow architecture have found their way to the Future of the City debate. TU Delft partner AMS (Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan Studies) will soon be established on this location. In order to inspire the innovative strength and debate, we are hosting Paul Kalkhoven, partner at Norman Foster, as a guest professor until spring 2019. We are looking for ‘the new architect’, the role that the architect can play in the renewal of architectural issues. From large to small scale, from panorama to artefact. We like to train decisive specialists and broad generalists. We share projects and ideas with students, teachers and researchers. We are proud to present you this 8th journal

Friends or foes? Emerging insights from fungal interactions with plants

Fungi interact with plants in various ways, with each interaction giving rise to different alterations in both partners. While fungal pathogens have detrimental effects on plant physiology, mutualistic fungi augment host defence responses to pathogens and/or improve plant nutrient uptake. Tropic growth towards plant roots or stomata, mediated by chemical and topographical signals, has been described for several fungi, with evidence of species-specific signals and sensing mechanisms. Fungal partners secrete bioactive molecules such as small peptide effectors, enzymes and secondary metabolites which facilitate colonization and contribute to both symbiotic and pathogenic relationships. There has been tremendous advancement in fungal molecular biology, omics sciences and microscopy in recent years, opening up new possibilities for the identification of key molecular mechanisms in plant-fungal interactions, the power of which is often borne out in their combination. Our fragmentary knowledge on the interactions between plants and fungi must be made whole to understand the potential of fungi in preventing plant diseases, improving plant productivity and understanding ecosystem stability. Here, we review innovative methods and the associated new insights into plant-fungal interactions.The diversity of fungal-plant interactions are reviewed as a function of biochemical, physiological and evolutionary adaptation, which are interconnected at various stages.The diversity of fungal-plant interactions are reviewed as a function of biochemical, physiological and evolutionary adaptation, which are interconnected at various stages

Friends or foes? Emerging insights from fungal interactions with plants

Fungi interact with plants in various ways, with each interaction giving rise to different alterations in both partners. While fungal pathogens have detrimental effects on plant physiology, mutualistic fungi augment host defence responses to pathogens and/or improve plant nutrient uptake. Tropic growth towards plant roots or stomata, mediated by chemical and topographical signals, has been described for several fungi, with evidence of species-specific signals and sensing mechanisms. Fungal partners secrete bioactive molecules such as small peptide effectors, enzymes and secondary metabolites which facilitate colonization and contribute to both symbiotic and pathogenic relationships. There has been tremendous advancement in fungal molecular biology, omics sciences and microscopy in recent years, opening up new possibilities for the identification of key molecular mechanisms in plant-fungal interactions, the power of which is often borne out in their combination. Our fragmentary knowledge on the interactions between plants and fungi must be made whole to understand the potential of fungi in preventing plant diseases, improving plant productivity and understanding ecosystem stability. Here, we review innovative methods and the associated new insights into plant-fungal interactions.The diversity of fungal-plant interactions are reviewed as a function of biochemical, physiological and evolutionary adaptation, which are interconnected at various stages.The diversity of fungal-plant interactions are reviewed as a function of biochemical, physiological and evolutionary adaptation, which are interconnected at various stages