DOES DESIGN-BUILD (DB) OUTPERFORM CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AT RISK (CMAR)? A COST AND SCHEDULE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DB PROJECTS AND CMAR PROJECTS

Design-Build (DB) and Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) are two widely used alternative project delivery systems in the construction industry. Previous studies have found inconclusive results on which of the two has better cost and schedule performances when applied in construction projects. This study chose unit cost, change order factor, cost growth, schedule growth, and construction intensity as the metrics to measure the cost and schedule performance of both DB projects and CMAR projects. Two statistical analysis tools, Analysis of Variance and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, were applied to see if there is any difference between the two project delivery systems’ means of the five measurements. The test results were used to determine which project delivery system has better performance in the real world. The results showed that Design-Build is superior to Construction Management at Risk in construction intensity, while Construction Management at Risk has better performance on the change order, cost growth, and schedule growth. And there is no difference in unit cost

Plan de desarrollo y consolidación para el producto turístico puerto cayo

El presente trabajo busca crear la imagen de un nuevo destino turístico que se diferencie de los demás por su belleza natural y por su tranquilidad. Es por esto que el enfoque que se está haciendo a través del estudio de mercado realizado, es definir el target al que se espera llegar y en base a esto las estrategias de marketing que se van a utilizar. Las estrategias que se emplearán son: crear una frase de posicionamiento junto a un logotipo que identifique la marca Puerto Cayo, estrategia de medios para la promoción de este punto turístico, actividades complementarias que le den valor añadido al producto que se está ofreciendo, además de crear vínculos con los medios de comunicación, operadoras turísticas nacionales y patrocinadores que adoptarán la marca de Puerto Cayo para trabajar en conjunto por la mejora de este producto turístico y de la misma manera consolidar el logotipo y la frase de posicionamiento de este producto en la mente del turista nacional o extranjero de manera perecedera. Finalmente se culmina este Plan con los costos en los que se incurriría para la realización de este proyecto

Full Scale Dynamic Response of a RC Building under Weak Seismic Motions Using Earthquake Recordings, Ambient Vibrations and Modelling

In countries with a moderate seismic hazard, the classical methods developed for strong motion prone countries to estimate the seismic behaviour and subsequent vulnerability of existing buildings are often inadequate and not financially realistic. The main goals of this paper are to show how the modal analysis can contribute to the understanding of the seismic building response and the good relevancy of a modal model based on ambient vibrations for estimating the structural deformation under moderate earthquakes. We describe the application of an enhanced modal analysis technique (Frequency Domain Decomposition) to process ambient vibration recordings taken at the Grenoble City Hall building (France). The frequencies of ambient vibrations are compared with those of weak earthquakes recorded by the French permanent accelerometric network (RAP) that was installed to monitor the building. The frequency variations of the building under moderate earthquakes are shown to be slight (~2%) and therefore ambient vibration frequencies are relevant over the elastic domain of the building. The modal parameters extracted from ambient vibrations are then used to determine the 1D lumped-mass model in order to reproduce the inter-storey drift under weak earthquakes and to fix a 3D numerical model that could be used for strong earthquakes. The correlation coefficients between data and synthetic motion are close to 80% and 90% in horizontal directions, for the 1D and 3D modelling, respectively

Fishery Resource Enhancement: An Overview of the Current Situation and Issues in the Southeast Asian Region

The total global production from capture fisheries has plateaued since the mid 90s. This stagnation in production or reduced productivity of the world's coastal and marine wild fisheries is caused by overfishing and degradation of habitats through coastal development and destructive fishing methods. Reports have shown that if the current fishing trends continue, all of the commercial fisheries will have collapsed by 2050. To boost production, scientists, fisheries managers, government agencies, and NGOs have been looking at ways of enhancing fish stocks. Replenishing depleted stocks may be done by regulating fishing effort, restoring degraded nursery and spawning habitats or through resource enhancement. Resource enhancement using individuals reared in aquaculture facilities or seed stocks abundant in the wild is becoming a popular method of supplementing depleted stocks. It is one of the many strategies that could help address the decreasing fisheries production in the wild. A brief history of resource enhancement, the aquatic species released in the different countries in the region, the reasons for releasing stocks, and the issues involved, are discussed briefly in this paper. Among the main reasons for resource enhancement are to increase production or enhance stocks and increase food supply and/or family income. Other reasons include protection of endemic and maintenance of endangered species, rehabilitation of degraded natural habitats and for recreation fisheries, among others. Age or size of seeds, seed quality, genetics, governance, economics, biodiversity conservation, politics, and the introduction of exotics are among the resource enhancement issues identified in the region

SEAFDEC/AQD stock enhancement initiatives: release strategies

The Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD) started its Stock Enhancement Program more than a decade ago with the first stock enhancement initiative on the mud crab Scylla spp. funded by the European Commission. This was followed by another stock enhancement program in 2005 supported by the Government of Japan Trust Fund. In preparation for its implementation, a Regional Technical Consultation on Stock Enhancement of Species Under International Concern was convened in Iloilo City, Philippines in July 2005 to identify species for stock enhancement. During the meeting, seahorses Hippocampus spp., giant clam Tridacna gigas, abalone Haliotis asinina, and sea cucumbers Holothuria spp. were among the priority species for stock enhancement work. Stock enhancement, restocking and ranching are management approaches involving the release of wild or hatchery-bred organisms to enhance, conserve or restore fisheries. This paper reports SEAFDEC/AQD release activities and some of the release strategies that have been established for mud crabs, giant clams and abalone

Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal and cognitive function: an exploratory study

Objectives: Two independent studies were conducted to examine the effects of 28 d of beta-alanine supplementation at 6.4 g d-1 on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal in omnivores and vegetarians (Study 1) and on cognitive function before and after exercise in trained cyclists (Study 2). Methods: In Study 1, seven healthy vegetarians (3 women and 4 men) and seven age- and sex-matched omnivores undertook a brain 1H-MRS exam at baseline and after beta-alanine supplementation. In study 2, nineteen trained male cyclists completed four 20-Km cycling time trials (two pre supplementation and two post supplementation), with a battery of cognitive function tests (Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm, Rapid Visual Information Processing task) being performed before and after exercise on each occasion. Results: In Study 1, there were no within-group effects of beta-alanine supplementation on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal in either vegetarians (p = 0.99) or omnivores (p = 0.27); nor was there any effect when data from both groups were pooled (p = 0.19). Similarly, there was no group by time interaction for brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal (p = 0.27). In study 2, exercise improved cognitive function across all tests (P0.05) of beta-alanine supplementation on response times or accuracy for the Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm or RVIP task at rest or after exercise. Conclusion: 28 d of beta-alanine supplementation at 6.4g d-1 appeared not to influence brain homocarnosine/ carnosine signal in either omnivores or vegetarians; nor did it influence cognitive function before or after exercise in trained cyclists

Philippine Aquatic Wildlife Rescue and Response Manual Series: Marine Turtles

This manual addresses the lack of information materials on how to deal with marine turtle encounters in the Philippine seas to ensure that the proper treatment and intervention is provided. The manual also responds to the Comprehensive Action Plan for Threatened, Charismatic, and Migratory Species of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME), which has been identified as the first priority seascape the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI). The Tri-National Committee of the SSME developed the Comprehensive Action Plans (CAP) that identified seven Key Result Areas (KRAs) to improve the status of marine turtles in the SSME, as follows: (a) Identify best practices in minimizing threats to marine turtle populations and their habitats; (b) Develop and implement nesting habitats and management programs to maximize hatchling production and survival; (c) Provide recommendations on specific features or criteria in marine protected area (MPA) design and MPA network design in relation to the protection and management of marine turtles in SSME waters; (d) Undertake initiatives to promote reduction of incidental capture and mortality of marine turtles; (e) Conduct turtle population habitat research and monitoring protocols; (f) Develop guidelines for MPA network design for marine turtles; and (g) Publish information to promote best practices and successes for marine turtle conservation. This manual is an important step to address gaps and issues on threatened marine wildlife in the Philippines to better protect and conserve marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle.The publication of this book is made possible through the collaboration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB), Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through its Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas Project (ACCCoast). This project is part of the Internationale Klimaschutzinitiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag (http://www.international-climate-initiative.com)

Revisión sistemática sobre los beneficios psicosociales obtenidos con intervenciones para promover el desplazamietno activo al colegio

Active commuting to schools has decreased in the last few years. The main objectives of this review were to determine which interventions are being carried out to promote active commuting, to know the quality of the research, and to analyze which psycosocial parameters can be improved. The bibliographic search was carried out in the databases of Medline, Sport Discus, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar... Finally, there were selecting a total of 23 investigations. The most frequent action is to implement programs to promote active commuting (91.30%). There are few data as yet on interventions, and approximately half of the studies fail to improve active commuting data (47.83%). Psychosocial health is not just studied only 1 study tested variables of psychosocial health. It is important to increase the number of studies, to randomize them, control external contaminants, increase the duration, and increase the psychosocial health studies.El desplazamiento activo al centro educativo ha disminuido en los últimos años. Los objetivos principales de esta revisión fueron determinar qué intervenciones se están llevando a cabo para promover el desplazamiento activo, conocer la calidad de las investigaciones y analizar qué parámetros psicosociales se han estudiado. La búsqueda bibliográfica se realizó en las bases de datos de Medline, Sport Discus, Scopus, Web of Science y Google Scholar. Finalmente, se seleccionaron 23 investigaciones que desarrollaban intervenciones para fomentar el desplazamiento activo. La intervención más frecuente es implementar programas para promover el desplazamiento activo (91.30%). Existen pocos estudios con intervenciones, y aproximadamente la mitad de los estudios no logran mejorar los datos de niveles de desplazamiento activo (47.83%). La salud psicosocial no ha sido apenas estudiada, tan solo en 1 estudio se midieron las variables de salud psicosocial. Es importante aumentar el número de estudios, aleatorizarlos, controlar contaminantes externos, aumentar la duración y desarrollar estudios de salud psicosocial

On the stability of high-speed milling with spindle speed variation

Spindle speed variation is a well-known technique to suppress regenerative machine tool vibrations, but it is usually considered to be effective only for low spindle speeds. In this paper, the effect of spindle speed variation is analyzed in the high-speed domain for spindle speeds corresponding to the first flip (period doubling) and to the first Hopf lobes. The optimal amplitudes and frequencies of the speed modulations are computed using the semidiscre- tization method. It is shown that period doubling chatter can effectively be suppressed by spindle speed variation, although, the technique is not effective for the quasiperiodic chatter above the Hopf lobe. The results are verified by cutting tests. Some special cases are also discussed where the practical behavior of the system differs from the predicted one in some ways. For these cases, it is pointed out that the concept of stability is understood on the scale of the principal period of the system—that is, the speed modulation period for variable spindle speed machining and the tooth passing period for constant spindle speed machining

Monitoring Keap1-Nrf2 interactions in single live cells

AbstractThe transcription factor NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its negative regulator Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1 (Keap1) control the expression of nearly 500 genes with diverse cytoprotective functions. Keap1, a substrate adaptor protein for Cullin3/Rbx1 ubiquitin ligase, normally continuously targets Nrf2 for degradation, but loses this ability in response to electrophiles and oxidants (termed inducers). Consequently, Nrf2 accumulates and activates transcription of its downstream target genes. Many inducers are phytochemicals, and cruciferous vegetables represent one of the richest sources of inducer activity among the most commonly used edible plants. Here we summarize the discovery of the isothiocyanate sulforaphane as a potent inducer which reacts with cysteine sensors of Keap1, leading to activation of Nrf2. We then describe the development of a quantitative Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based methodology combined with multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to investigate the interactions between Keap1 and Nrf2 in single live cells, and the effect of sulforaphane, and other cysteine-reactive inducers, on the dynamics of the Keap1–Nrf2 protein complex. We present the experimental evidence for the “cyclic sequential attachment and regeneration” or “conformation cycling” model of Keap1-mediated Nrf2 degradation. Finally, we discuss the implications of this mode of regulation of Nrf2 for achieving a fine balance under normal physiological conditions, and the consequences and mechanisms of disrupting this balance for tumor biology