Process transparency on construction sites : examples from construction companies in Brazil

Process transparency is the core concept in Visual Management (VM), which is one of the founding blocks of the Toyota Production System. This paper presents the preliminary results of a collaborative research conducted between Brazil and the UK, as part of a research effort focused on the application of Visual Management in construction. How process transparency is realized on construction sites is the main research question of the paper. The use of this concept and the implementation of the transparency theory were investigated through multiple case studies, carried out in nine different construction companies. The findings are explained through six theoretical transparency increasing approaches. The affecting parameters in the application of, the management’s perception of and several methods in process transparency in construction were identified. Further work, especially exploring the functions of process transparency on construction sites and reflecting the worker perception of the issue, is necessary to elaborate the process transparency concept

A proposed model for successful implementation of e-Government in Malaysia

This paper proposes theoretical model for e-Government in Malaysia and addresses issues involved in its implementation. It presents three possible models including the Framework for Electronic Government [1], the Three Pillars Framework [2] and The Grid-Group Theory from cultural studies [3] and integrates and adapts them to the specific needs of the Malaysian environment. © 2011 IEEE

A Survey of Information Sources Used for Progress Decisions about Medical Students

Although many medical schools have adopted a variety of methods to assess student competency, the extent to which these innovations have changed how decisions about student progress are made is not clear. This paper describes a survey of 126 accredited allopathic U.S. medical schools to determine which information sources are used for decisions related to medical student progress and graduation. Respondents were asked to indicate up to three information sources used for seven specific decisions about student progress. The results indicate that multiple choice questions (MCQs) and faculty ratings remain the most frequently used information sources. Clinical skills education in the pre-clinical curriculum is the area with the broadest use of assessments for progress decisions. Several explanations are suggested for the primacy of MCQs and faculty ratings in student decisions, including familiarity for faculty and students, ease of implementation and the resources required for the adoption of other assessment strategies

On the Solutions of Generalized Bogomolny Equations

Generalized Bogomolny equations are encountered in the localization of the topological N=4 SYM theory. The boundary conditions for 't Hooft and surface operators are formulated by giving a model solution with some special singularity. In this note we consider the generalized Bogomolny equations on a half space and construct model solutions for the boundary 't Hooft and surface operators. It is shown that for the 't Hooft operator the equations reduce to the open Toda chain for arbitrary simple gauge group. For the surface operators the solutions of interest are rational solutions of a periodic non-abelian Toda system.Comment: 16 pages, no figure

Comment instaurer un dialogue efficace entre chercheurs et décideurs sur l’adaptation au changement climatique au Mali

Cette note d’information résume les principales conclusions de l’étude, faite dans le cadre de la plateforme nationale de dialogue science-politique sur le changement climatique, l’agriculture et la sécurité alimentaire, ou plateforme C-CASA créée en 2012, sur l’importance de ce dialogue chercheurs-décideurs et des pistes d’amélioration possibles. Ces conclusions proviennent de l’interview de 17 institutions clés en matière d’adaptation au changement climatique, sélectionnées de façon collective parmi les membres du Comité National Changement Climatique du Mali

Influence of strain rate and acceleration on the behaviour of reconstituted clays at small strains

This paper attempts to bridge the gap between the wellknown characteristics of strain rate-independent elastic stiffness and of the time-dependent behaviour of clays at large strains. Effects of acceleration, strain rate and ageing are examined in the very small to small strain region, using results from tests on reconstituted London Clay and kaolin. Static measurements of the shear modulus at small strains, using local instrumentation, indicate that the shear modulus is rate-independent when the soil is subjected to elastic deformations only. Most often, in practice, soil specimens are left to rest between the compression and shearing stages, until deformations associated with creep become negligible. The testing strain rate imposed upon shearing induces a temporary acceleration of strains, which results in very high measured stiffnesses. Test data show, however, that when the shearing axial strain rate is of the same order of magnitude as that measured at the end of the compression/creep stage, the remaining plastic creep strains influence the measured stiffness, which is then measured to be comparatively low. Test data also seem to show that temporary strain acceleration may hide effects of recent stress path rotation. Additionally, bender element tests were performed during isotropic compression tests with changes in stress rate and creep stages. The data indicate that the strain rate affects the value of the dynamic shear modulus of the soil. It is suggested that the increase in dynamic shear modulus during short-term creep is caused by mechanisms linked to the gradual decrease in strain rate during creep, but further investigation would be needed to clarify which physical mechanisms. A new method to account for strain rate in evaluating the dynamic shear modulus of normally consolidated reconstituted clays is finally proposed.published_or_final_versio

Status of non-cocoa tree species in cocoa multistrata systems of southern

Investigations to assess the status of non-cocoa tree species in the cocoa systems of southern Cameroon were carried out in four contrasting locations, distinguished by ecology, population density and land use intensity. One set of inventory was done in each of the 20 selected cocoa farms with an average surface area of 1.4 ha in every location. The inventory was carried out over 25% of each farmland following a gradient directed transect method. Within each cocoa farm, only indigenous tree species and shrubs with the capacity of being transformed into tree species were considered. Our findings showed that there was in total 165 different non-cocoa tree species in the 80 cocoa fields observed. The number of shared species between locations was relatively high (54% to 74%). Frequency distribution of the number of species classified by the number of farms where they were found showed that most species were fairly rare. Tree species richness varied widely between cocoa farms within locations. These findings suggest the need for the various stakeholders of the sector to take appropriate actions to protect endangered species of ecological and economical importance in order to enhance the sustainability of these systems. Keywords: Species diversity, cocoa systems, land use, sustainability. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 2 (2) 2008: pp. 207-21

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Eriobotrya japonica leaves extracts

Background: In the present work we determined phenolic and flavonoids content of Eriobotrya japonica leaves extracts and fractions and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.Objectives: To evaluate the inhibition of inflammatory PLA2 and antioxidant effects of extracts and fractions from Eriobotrya japonica leavesMethods: Antioxidant activity was evaluated with DPPH radical scavenging assay and anti-inflammatory effect of fractions was measured by their inhibition potency on the human pro-inflammatory phospholipase A2 (group IIA).Results: The EtOH/EtOAc 2:1 extract exhibited a potent inhibition of the hG-IIA with an IC50 values of 8 μg/ml. It also shows an antioxidant activity measured on DPPH with an IC50 of 42 μg/ml. Fractionation shows that CH2Cl2/MeOH 0:1 fraction was the rich one on flavonoids compounds (4.3 mg/g dry weight) and demonstrates a high antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 12 μg/ml. The anti-inflammatory evaluation demonstrates that the same fraction was the best one to inhibit the pro-inflammatory phospholipase A2 group IIA with an IC50 of 4 μg/ml.Conclusion: Study conducted on Eriobotrya japonica shows that CH2Cl2/MeOH 0:1 fraction inhibits efficiently the hGIIA phospholipase.which is considered as pro-inflammatory enzyme.Keywords: Eriobotrya japonica, extraction, flavonoids, anti-inflammatory

How can effective dialogue be established between researchers and policy makers on climate change adaptation in Mali

This briefing note summarizes the main findings of the study, conducted as part of the national platform of science-policy dialogue on climate change, agriculture and food security, or CASA C-platform created in 2012 on the importance of the researchers and decision makers dialogue and possible avenues for improvement. These findings come from the interview of 17 key institutions in adapting to climate change, collectively selected from among the members of the National Climate Change Committee of Mali