Investigate how construction waste generation rate is, different for every types of project in peninsular Malaysia, using site visit method

Malaysia is a rapid development of its urban centre, and where construction and demolition (C&D) waste generation is increasing proportionally with the new construction industry development. In Malaysia, the most crucial issue highlighted by local researchers is excessive of C&D waste generation. The transfer of construction and demolition waste at landfills has brought about major ecological concerns and government sources demonstrate that there is an intense lack of landfill space in Malaysia. The aim of this study is to investigate the construction waste generation rate in Malaysia due to different project types. To obtain the waste generation rate, construction sites visit is required. In construction site, direct and indirect approaches were utilized to collect C&D waste generation data based on data available. For the construction waste generation rate, nonresidential projects obtained smallest value such as 0.008 t/m2 while residential projects obtained highest value such as 0.016 t/m2. Social amenities obtained 0.010 t/m2 of waste generation rate. Waste generation rate is different compare to waste generation due to projects sizes. Waste generation rate shows the actual waste generation for every projects type based on gross floor area. The gross floor area is important parts need to be considered during waste generation which provide actual waste generation data. Waste generation rate plays an important role to measure waste generation for every type of projects. This study, will be very much beneficial for contractors and clients to control the construction waste in construction site and to identify efficiencies of projects using waste generation rate. Besides that, provide a generation rate on construction waste to the Government for control the waste and reduce illegal dumping in future

WELL-FUNDED: A REORIENTATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY GRANTS FOR A SAFER HOMELAND

Extraneous and even misused equipment amassed by local first response agencies has been made possible through federal grants and resources with little oversight and insufficient governing mechanisms. Acquisitions, particularly of tactical gear, have far outpaced the development of best practices and guidance for proper use of such government resources. The relative ease in purchasing these items has led to far-reaching implications for public safety leadership and the public, particularly police militarization. This thesis examines how gaps in oversight, transparency, and performance measurement in the delivery of federal grants and resources to public safety organizations have contributed to unintended uses. It analyzes original grant language, available case studies of grant misuse, and academic research, as well as peer-reviewed documents and scholarly commentary to understand the multi-level political strategies that grants-in-aid facilitate. This thesis ultimately recommends that communities should determine how public safety is serving them in ways that matter to them. This measure is vital if the grant system is to see any real regulation, structure, and oversight. This thesis finds that greater public engagement throughout the grant and acquisition process adds the missing layer of accountability at the local level—weighing in on, authorizing, and defining the parameters of use and informing future grant awards and allocations.Civilian, Los Angeles Fire DepartmentApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Reference Model for Interoperability of Autonomous Systems

This thesis proposes a reference model to describe the components of an Un-manned Air, Ground, Surface, or Underwater System (UxS), and the use of a single Interoperability Building Block to command, control, and get feedback from such vehicles. The importance and advantages of such a reference model, with a standard nomenclature and taxonomy, is shown. We overview the concepts of interoperability and some efforts to achieve common refer-ence models in other areas. We then present an overview of existing un-manned systems, their history, characteristics, classification, and missions. The concept of Interoperability Building Blocks (IBB) is introduced to describe standards, protocols, data models, and frameworks, and a large set of these are analyzed. A new and powerful reference model for UxS, named RAMP, is proposed, that describes the various components that a UxS may have. It is a hierarchical model with four levels, that describes the vehicle components, the datalink, and the ground segment. The reference model is validated by showing how it can be applied in various projects the author worked on. An example is given on how a single standard was capable of controlling a set of heterogeneous UAVs, USVs, and UGVs

Convergence of Police and Military Praxis: Pre-9/11 Training Diffusion in Post-9/11 Law Enforcement

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, changed law enforcement policy and practice forever. At a glance, one could argue that this was the seminal moment in U.S. law enforcement history where traditional police officer training and equipment quickly transitioned to training and equipment that some argue is more conducive to soldiers on a battlefield. Closer analysis of the changes in police training and equipment reveals that years earlier, the executive branch of the U.S. government initiated the transfer of military equipment to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to provide such resources in an effort to stem what has been known as the “war on drugs.” Thereafter, a number of legislative actions both prior to and since 9/11 appear to have contributed to the militarization of police in the United States. Add to these changes the phenomenon of active shooters and mass casualty incidents, and police officers are now facing previously unforeseen responsibilities and threats to their safety. They have responded by facilitating relationships with military and medical professionals to find solutions to ever-shifting challenges. Much of the literature holds that police armed with nontraditional weapons and training contribute to a sociological and governmental state-controlled force dynamic which favors those in power and threatens minority classes. Broadly speaking, the literature has focused its attention on citizen perceptions of police equipment and training. The purpose of this study was to determine police officer perceptions of the militarization of police and, more broadly, gain their insight into its place in law enforcement operations. A phenomenological qualitative approach using interviews of on-duty police officers representing three different law enforcement agencies was undertaken in an effort to capture differences and similarities in their perceptions of the militarization phenomenon and their approaches to training and equipment when addressing new and emerging threats

The Case Against Police Militarization

We usually think there is a difference between the police and the military. Recently, however, the police have become increasingly militarized – a process which is likely to intensify in coming years. Unsurprisingly, many find this process alarming and call for its reversal. However, while most of the objections to police militarization are framed as instrumental arguments, these arguments are unable to capture the core problem with militarization. This Article remedies this shortcoming by developing a novel and principled argument against police militarization. Contrary to arguments that are preoccupied with the consequences of militarization, the real problem with police militarization is not that it brings about more violence or abuse of authority – though that may very well happen – but that it is based on a presumption of the citizen as a threat, while the liberal order is based on precisely the opposite presumption. A presumption of threat, we argue, assumes that citizens, usually from marginalized communities, pose a threat of such caliber that might require the use of extreme violence. This presumption, communicated symbolically through the deployment of militarized police, marks the policed community as an enemy, and thereby excludes it from the body politic. Crucially, the pervasiveness of police militarization has led to its normalization, thus exacerbating its exclusionary effect. Indeed, whereas the domestic deployment of militaries has always been reserved for exceptional times, the process of police militarization has normalized what was once exceptional

Hybrid approaches for mobile robot navigation

The work described in this thesis contributes to the efficient solution of mobile robot navigation problems. A series of new evolutionary approaches is presented. Two novel evolutionary planners have been developed that reduce the computational overhead in generating plans of mobile robot movements. In comparison with the best-performing evolutionary scheme reported in the literature, the first of the planners significantly reduces the plan calculation time in static environments. The second planner was able to generate avoidance strategies in response to unexpected events arising from the presence of moving obstacles. To overcome limitations in responsiveness and the unrealistic assumptions regarding a priori knowledge that are inherent in planner-based and a vigation systems, subsequent work concentrated on hybrid approaches. These included a reactive component to identify rapidly and autonomously environmental features that were represented by a small number of critical waypoints. Not only is memory usage dramatically reduced by such a simplified representation, but also the calculation time to determine new plans is significantly reduced. Further significant enhancements of this work were firstly, dynamic avoidance to limit the likelihood of potential collisions with moving obstacles and secondly, exploration to identify statistically the dynamic characteristics of the environment. Finally, by retaining more extensive environmental knowledge gained during previous navigation activities, the capability of the hybrid navigation system was enhanced to allow planning to be performed for any start point and goal point

Officers\u27 Perceptions of the Ontario Provincial Police Framework for Police Preparedness for Indigenous Critical Incidents

AbstractResponding to First Nation occupations and protests is one of the most challenging duties that police officers in Canada undertake. Over the last 30 years, these types of incidents have resulted in deaths and injuries to police and protesters, and millions of dollars’ worth of damage and financial loss. After the 1995 shooting death of an unarmed Indigenous protester by police at the Ipperwash occupation, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) introduced an unconventional operational approach for protests known as the OPP Framework policy. That approach was built on the concepts of peacekeeping, patient negotiation, mutual respect, and the minimal use of force, and only as a last resort. To address a gap in academic literature pertaining to officers’ perceptions of the Framework, data for this qualitative phenomenological research study were collected using interviews of 23 participants and analysis of archival records. Despite public criticism of the Framework approach, participants overwhelmingly supported it, highlighting the OPP Provincial Liaison Team members’ work in building strong relationships and trust with First Nations as its greatest strength. Those relationships enabled police to resolve more than 700 Indigenous critical incidents without having to resort to the use of force. In order to enhance the policy’s public perception and operational effectiveness, participants suggested improvements in training and education, internal and external communication, clarifying the role of government, and addressing public concerns about two-tiered policing. The study findings have potential implications for positive social change by averting or mitigating future protests and by altering negative the public perception of the Framework’s conciliatory and rights-based approach to resolving conflict

The Whitworthian 2006-2007

The Whitworthian student newspaper, September 2006-May 2007.https://digitalcommons.whitworth.edu/whitworthian/1091/thumbnail.jp