scholarly journals Reconstruction of Metagenome-Assembled Genomes from Aquaria

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (31) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra L. Ettinger ◽  
Jordan Bryan ◽  
Sima Tokajian ◽  
Guillaume Jospin ◽  
David Coil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Candidate Phyla Radiation

Here, we report 11 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) reconstructed from freshwater and saltwater aquaria, including representatives of Polynucleobacter , Anaerolinea , Roseobacter , Flavobacteriia , Octadecabacter , Mycobacterium , and Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) members. These MAGs can serve as a resource for aquatic research and elucidating the role of CPR taxa in the built environment.

Role of BIM and energy simulation tools in designing zero-net energy homes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahryar Habibi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Energy Simulation ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Zero Net Energy

Purpose The purpose of this study is to design a zero-energy home, which is known to be capable of balancing its own energy production and consumption close to zero. Development of low-energy homes and zero-net energy houses (ZEHs) is vital to move toward energy efficiency and sustainability in the built environment. To achieve zero or low energy targets in homes, it is essential to use the design process that minimizes the need for active mechanical systems. Design/methodology/approach The methodology discussed in this paper consists of an interfacing building information modeling (BIM) tool and a simulation software to determine the potential influence of phase change materials on designing zero-net energy homes. Findings BIM plays a key role in advancing methods for architects and designers to communicate through a common software platform, analyze energy performance through all stages of the design and construction process and make decisions for improving energy efficiency in the built environment. Originality/value This paper reviews the literature relevant to the role of BIM in helping energy simulation for the performance of residential homes to more advanced levels and in modeling the integrated design process of ZEHs.

The role of facilities management in green retrofit of existing buildings in the United Arab Emirates

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Mawed ◽  
Vinay Tilani ◽  
Karima Hamani
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Green retrofitting is acknowledged as an essential strategy toward achieving long-term sustainability in the built environment. To implement this strategy successfully, the role of facility managers cannot be ignored. The purpose of this paper is to investigate present practices that are used in managing the existing facilities, to highlight the elements that govern the process of green retrofitting, and discuss the efforts and contribution of facility managers in enhancing the environmental performance of the existing facilities stock in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach This study suggests that an adequate level of awareness of the benefits of green retrofit amongst owners and decision-makers is mostly dependent on facilities management (FM) professionals, who must establish effective communication channel with senior management. FM professionals in the UAE are well equipped and competent in greening existing buildings and can simultaneously lead a building to the path of achieving green building certification. Findings To examine the role of FM in a green retrofit and its current status in the UAE built environment, a two-step qualitative method was adopted. The study started by conducting semi-structured interviews with FM professionals and then assessing the insights obtained from the interviews against an actual case study of a LEED Existing Building certified facility. Research limitations/implications Interviews were limited to FM professionals in the private sector and the results from one case study should be considered cautiously. Originality/value This paper emphasizes the primordial role of FM professionals in promoting green retrofit in the UAE.

Hospital disaster management’s understanding of built environment impacts on healthcare services during extreme weather events

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anumitra Mirti Chand ◽  
Martin Loosemore
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Weather Events

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which hospital disaster planners and managers understand the role of built infrastructure in delivering effective healthcare services during extreme weather events (EWEs). There is substantial evidence to indicate that many hospitals are vulnerable to EWEs. This is alarming given community reliance on hospitals during times of natural disaster and the predicted increase in the frequency and intensity of EWEs. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, resilience and learning theories are combined to produce a new conceptual model which illustrates how hospital disaster managers learn about the relationship between health outcomes and built infrastructure during EWEs to build future hospital resilience. In this paper, the first part of the conceptual model, concerning the development of disaster management plans is explored and refined using a thematic content analysis of 14 Australian hospitals’ disaster plans and supplementary plans. Findings – The findings indicate high variability of understanding about the role of built facilities in health outcomes during an EWE. There appears to be a widespread and highly questionable assumption in the health disaster planning community that hospital built infrastructure is highly resilient to EWEs. This means that many hospitals will not be unaware of the risks that their buildings pose in the delivery of healthcare services to the community during an EWE and how to manage those risks effectively. Research limitations/implications – The theoretical framework presented in this paper provides new insights which will enable hospital infrastructure resilience to be better integrated into health service disaster risk planning and preparedness. The findings can help hospital disaster managers learn about and adapt their built environment to changing healthcare needs during EWEs. Originality/value – By integrating learning and resilience theories in a built environment context, this paper provides new insights, both theoretical and practical, into the important role of hospital infrastructure in planning for EWEs.

Reframing construction within the built environment sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 740-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard de Valence
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Special Role ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Official statistics on the output of the construction industry capture on-site activities of contractors and sub-contractors; however, the role of the industry linking suppliers of materials, machinery, products, services and other inputs is also widely recognised. These two views have been called broad and narrow, with the narrow industry defined as on-site work and the broad industry as the supply chain of materials, products and assemblies, and professional services. An argument is made for using the term “built environment sector” (BES) for the broad industry definition of construction. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Construction industry statistics capture the on-site activities of contractors and sub-contractors. This paper reviews research that adds to construction output the contributions of suppliers of materials, machinery and equipment, products and components, professional services and other inputs required to deliver the buildings and structures that make up the built environment. Findings The same term, “construction”, has been used in a number of ways in different definitional studies of the narrow and broad industry. The term that best encompasses the large number and range of participants in the creation and maintenance of the built environment, from suppliers to end users, is the BES. Research limitations/implications Construction economics makes an important contribution to researching the macroeconomic role of the BES. There is also a special role for construction economics in researching both the boundaries of the BES and the data available on the industries that contribute to the BES. Practical implications Measuring the BES would improve the understanding of its macroeconomic role and significance. Social implications Measuring the BES would contribute to city policies and urban planning. Originality/value The paper proposes a new approach to defining and measuring the industries that contribute to the production, maintenance and management of the built environment. It introduces a new name for the combination of those industries.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of metagenome-assembled genomes from aquaria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra L Ettinger ◽  
Jordan Bryan ◽  
Sima T Tokajian ◽  
Guillaume Jospin ◽  
David A Coil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Candidate Phyla Radiation

We report 11 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) reconstructed from freshwater and saltwater aquaria including representatives of Polynucleobacter, Anaerolinae, Roseobacter, Flavobacteriia, Octadecabacter, Mycobacterium and Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) members. These MAGs can serve as a resource for aquatic research and elucidating the role of CPR taxa in the built environment.

Disaster risk reduction and empowering local government – a case comparison between Sri Lanka and New Zealand

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen MacAskill ◽  
Peter Guthrie
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Comparison

Purpose This paper examines the role of government in New Zealand in facilitating the development of resilience in the built environment, with reference to the post-earthquake recovery of Christchurch. A cross-case comparison of the institutional structures and arrangements for disaster risk management (DRM) between Sri Lanka and New Zealand provides a useful basis to consider the broader implications of the findings from both countries. Particular consideration is given to the role of community participation in DRM decisions. Design/methodology/approach Malalgoda and Amaratunga (2015) recently published an article on empowering local governments to develop resilience in the built environment in Sri Lanka. This paper provides a response to their discussion in conjunction with a New Zealand case study. Findings Despite being one of the most advanced countries in the world with regards to DRM, New Zealand faces significant challenges in implementation, chief amongst which is that local governments have yet to truly prioritize DRM in urban development. While community consultation is embedded in the legislative framework, requirements for consultation were somewhat misjudged by the local government in Christchurch’s recovery. A lesson to be learnt from Christchurch’s experience is that even if the Sri Lankan authorities follow Malalgoda and Amaratunga’s recommendations for greater devolution of powers to local government, there will be tensions if community expectations over consultation are not met. Originality/value The cross-case analysis offers a helpful lens through which it is possible to examine DRM. It is useful for informing governments and other stakeholders, helping them to understand the challenges their institutions may face in facilitating DRM and building resilience.

The mediating role of sense of belonging in the relationship between the built environment and victimisation: a case of Penang, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldrin Abdullah ◽  
Mina Safizadeh ◽  
Massoomeh Hedayati Marzbali ◽  
Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The current direction of urban planning and development is plagued with a number of issues related to crime and safety in neighbourhood areas. Undoubtedly, the physical characteristics of the surrounding environment play a vital role in residents’ social interactions and crime rate. This study aims to examine the role of the environmental features of the built environment, in particular house maintenance, on residents’ sense of belonging and victimisation. Although past research has relied on police victimisation rates, the current research has measured the actual victimisation rate through a questionnaire survey. Design/methodology/approach The study is quantitative in nature and consists of 255 residents from an urban neighbourhood in Penang, Malaysia. Findings The results of structural equation modelling indicate that house maintenance has a significant and positive impact on the sense of belonging, while there is a negative impact on victimisation rate. However, the study findings do not support the mediation role of the sense of belonging in the relationship between house maintenance and victimisation rate. Originality/value The study suggests that physical characteristics of the environment play a significant role in reducing opportunities for property victimisation and a building sense of belongings amongst neighbours. This study can also be considered as a further step for obtaining insight into the understanding of the impact of physical characteristics of the neighbourhood environment on victimisation.

Illustrated Media, the Built Environment and Identity Politics in Fin-de-siècle Catalonia: Printing Images, Making the Nation

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-135
Author(s):  
Lucila Mallart
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Constitutive Relationship ◽  
Fin De Siecle ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Fin De Siècle ◽  
Late Nineteenth

This article explores the role of visuality in the identity politics of fin-de-siècle Catalonia. It engages with the recent reevaluation of the visual, both as a source for the history of modern nation-building, and as a constitutive element in the emergence of civic identities in the liberal urban environment. In doing so, it offers a reading of the mutually constitutive relationship of the built environment and the print media in late-nineteenth century Catalonia, and explores the role of this relation as the mechanism by which the so-called ‘imagined communities’ come to exist. Engaging with debates on urban planning and educational policies, it challenges established views on the interplay between tradition and modernity in modern nation-building, and reveals long-term connections between late-nineteenth-century imaginaries and early-twentieth-century beliefs and practices.

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