Impact of construction activities on the environment of cities

Methods of reducing damage to the environment during construction, territorial planning, as well as measures for the improvement of territories aimed at its restoration are considered. The environmental problems of a large city and the assessment of the impact of urban planning objects on the environment have been studied in detail. The paper shows the need to revise the traditional principles of the formation of the urban framework. The paper rightly notes that if earlier much attention was paid to the formation of a technogenic framework of the city – a life support system consisting of transport and engineering infrastructures of the city, today the formation of the ecological framework of the city is becoming increasingly important. The high importance of the ecological (water-green) frame of the city as a system is determined by the fact that water bodies and adjacent territories, “green open” spaces can significantly affect the quality and state of the urban environment, and with careful thought-out, the formation of the ecological frame will help to ensure the integrity of the entire natural and technical urban system.

“Data is the new oil”: citizen science and informed consent in an era of researchers handling of an economically valuable resource

As with other areas of the social world, academic research in the contemporary healthcare setting has undergone adaptation and change. For example, research methods are increasingly incorporating citizen participation in the research process, and there has been an increase in collaborative research that brings academic and industry partners together. There have been numerous positive outcomes associated with both of these growing methodological and collaborative processes; nonetheless, both bring with them ethical considerations that require careful thought and attention. This paper addresses the ethical considerations that research teams must consider when using participatory methods and/or when working with industry and outlines a novel informed consent matrix designed to maintain the high ethical standard to which academic research in the healthcare arena has traditionally adhered.

Management of Healthcare Waste in Healthcare Emergencies

Proper management of waste in healthcare emergencies is key to preventing spread of infections within an emergency. The risks of poor waste management are varied with the risks of spreading infectious diseases being the most important to consider. Chemical pollution should also be considered as water sources can easily be polluted. Careful thought and planning including a risk assessment should be carried out and the results should be publicized to create a common understanding of the problem at hand. This will also inform the methods to be used for the management of waste. Training of healthcare workers is key to creating common understanding of the problem at hand. The different types of waste to be generated should be well understood and methods to manage it should be well thought out before implementation. The decision on the different methods used to manage waste should be informed by the risk assessment and the available resources. However effectiveness to deal with the waste produced should be considered above all factors. Proper healthcare waste management is imperative to preventing further infections that might not be part of the original healthcare emergency. Planning to manage waste is a process that requires information before implementation.

Shared Patron-Driven Acquisition Within a Consortium: the OCUL PDA Pilot

In September 2010 members of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) participated in a patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) pilot to determine how this purchasing model might be adapted to a consortium. OCUL understood that developing a model that would allow patrons to purchase titles for different collections would be complicated. Careful thought went into balancing the needs of individual members with the needs of the consortium. This paper describes the project and examines the results from three distinct perspectives in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of PDA at a consortial level.

Shared Patron-Driven Acquisition Within a Consortium: the OCUL PDA Pilot

In September 2010 members of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) participated in a patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) pilot to determine how this purchasing model might be adapted to a consortium. OCUL understood that developing a model that would allow patrons to purchase titles for different collections would be complicated. Careful thought went into balancing the needs of individual members with the needs of the consortium. This paper describes the project and examines the results from three distinct perspectives in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of PDA at a consortial level.

Welfare effects of limiting bank loans

Purpose This paper examines the effects of limiting the number of loans a bank can issue, reflecting a policy recently implemented by the US Federal Reserve. Design/methodology/approach This paper does so in a streamlined model of the banking sector. Findings This paper finds that a binding limit on loans can enhance welfare by motivating the bank to reduce the number of socially unproductive loans it makes. However, the limit can sometimes reduce welfare by inducing a reduction in the number of socially productive loans the bank issues, the quality of the bank’s loan portfolio, and/or the accuracy with which the bank screens loan opportunities. Practical implications The research demonstrates that limits on the loans a bank issues can have subtle and unintended consequences. Consequently, careful thought is warranted before such limits are imposed. Originality/value To our knowledge, the existing literature does not provide guidance on the merits of such loan restrictions.

Theology in lockdown

The starting point for this paper is to reflect on Karl Barth’s assertion that that, when faced with a major crisis, the most appropriate response for Christian theology is to carry on as if nothing has happened. David Fergusson emphasises the need for humility and very careful thought in a situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic, however this does not mean that we must remain silent. Three points for reflection are offered: (1) an examination of how ideas about God’s providence, and our ability to give meaning to calamitous events, have changed over time; (2) consideration of what lessons might be learned from the experience of living through a pandemic in terms of what it means to be human; and (3) thoughts on the theme of hope in the teaching and life of Jesus, and implications and opportunities for the church.

Personalized Approach to the Management of Barrett’s Esophagus, Perspectives from Gastroenterology

Despite the rich literature and large number of guideline and consensus statements the management of patients with Barrett’s Esophagus (BE) remains controversial and demands careful thought when face-to-face with a patient. The approach to screening, individualized risk assessment and treatment depends on the scope of your practice, your access to technology, pathology and a multidisciplinary team. I am an interventional endoscopist with a specialized referral practice in foregut disease. In this article I discuss how I approach a patient with suspected or known Barrett’s Esophagus.

LORI LAITMAN (b. 1955)Men with Small Heads (2000)

This chapter studies Lori Laitman’s Men with Small Heads (2000). From a large and tempting selection of song cycles, this one is especially to be prized, since the counter-tenor repertoire is in need of a boost. The piece, though, lies just as well for mezzo or baritone. It fizzes with confidence and verve from start to finish, with words always audible, as long as the singer has the requisite verbal panache and slickness. The texts are a delight too—their bracing ironies aptly captured throughout. The composer has given careful thought to phrasing, and her markings throughout demonstrate her innate understanding of the voice. The words do, of course, suit an American accent, and this should be borne in mind. The musical idiom is neatly poised on the edge of tonality, identifiably ‘American’ yet entirely personal and cohesive, with an inbuilt rhythmic flexibility tailored to the flow of the texts. The piano writing also has flair and vitality and is clear-textured enough for the voice to come through.

From Coral to Coal

From coral to coal. A course from life to decay; from fluid plasticity to sedimentary rigidity; from tropical reef polyps expansion to combustible oxidative free radicals reaction; from expression to suppression; from flourish to perish. All these contrasting dynamics, this vivid antithesis of an integer ecosystem to a compressed peat bog, this endless colorful miracle of delight to a blackish stratum shell of scorn, get to be defined by a single letter; an “r”. The reflection that stands in between and makes all the difference; the reflection that stands in between and as a pivotal criterion reverberates opposed conditions and qualities; the reflection that stands in between and as a sword decides and divides. Which way it will be: light or darkness, real or unreal, allostasis or allostatic load, neuroinflammation or neuroprotection, progressive neurodegeneration or cell control and communication, gamma synchrony or hyperexcitability, well-being or mind-body infirmity, is determined by a serious consideration and careful thought. The conceptual operation of inverting a system or event with respect to a plane. A level of existence and cogitation, or development in accordance with a vectoring, a direction, orientation and attention. And for all the above, the mind-eye mirror connection which perceives and interprets, and creates a neuronal abstract substrate of bound distinct circuits that form as a whole memory, undoubtedly holds the key.