Social aspect implementation in sustainable construction

The concept of sustainable development integrates social, economic and environmental dimensions. There are various models that have been developed to monitor and ensure the sustainability concept are adapted in the construction process applicably. However, most sustainability studies that discussed in construction projects are more focus on environmental aspects rather than economics aspects and social aspects. Meanwhile, only a few studies are discussed on social aspects. Therefore, this study tries to investigate the perception of industry on the implementation. This study is conducted to identify the level of agreement to the implementation of social aspects in sustainable construction and the barriers faced. The social factors (accessibility, health, safety, human rights, education, equity, occupancy design requirement, culture, integrity and stakeholder's involvement) and the barriers (government enforcement, awareness, knowledge and experience, skills, involvement and cost factors) have been identified through literature review. The methodology used was quantitative methods through the formulation of questionnaires distributed to respondents with experience and experts in sustainable construction industry such as Green Manager (Architect, Engineer, and Quantity Surveyor), Town and Regional Planner and academician. The findings obtained through the mean score analysis have found that, the highest three (3) social factors on the agreement of the implementation of social aspects in sustainable construction which are the factors of occupancy design requirement, education and factor of involvement. Whereas the highest three barriers to the implementation were weaknesses of government enforcement, cost factors and stakeholder engagement in sustainable construction. However, there is no association between the numbers of years of respondent's experience with the selection of social factors measured by using gamma test. Thus, it can be concluded that not all aspects agreed by the respondents will influence the actual execution that they will perform in the actual situation on site

A situational study on sustainable housing features in Johor

Sustainable housing brings an innovation in Malaysia housing industry scene. The trend has witnessed a surge in the demand for this offering by house buyers which in return has encouraged housing developers to incorporate it's features in their products. The features offered by the housing developers varies while customers are encouraged by the noble causes that their purchased will make. As demand for the products increase, errant and irresponsible developers are unreasonably taking the advantage by charging exorbitantly for the product that they market. In this instance, the words "Eco" and "Green" have been used as the gimmick for marketing purposes while there are no evidences that show whether the features have been truly incorporated in the housing products sold to the customers. The situation thus called for a situational study to be carried out, which aim to clarify the situation happening in the housing industry. Accordingly, the objectives of the study are: (1) To identify the sustainable housing features provided by developers to the buyers; and (2) To identify the house occupant's satisfaction with the sustainable features available to them. The research is an exploratory research which seeks to provide data in respond to the situation facing the industry. Therefore, both quantitative and qualitative research strategies will be employed by way of a checklist together with a satisfaction survey focusing on housing projects in Johor. Data for the study will be analyzed by employing descriptive analysis as well as thematic coding analysis. A comprehensive discussion will be offered as the possible outcome of the study. This includes the contentment of house buyers towards the sustainable features that are offered by housing developer and how it can be classified as sustainable housing in virtue of the three pillars of sustainable development

Single channel magnetic induction spectroscopy technique for fetal acidosis detection

Current fetal acidosis diagnosis needs an invasive measurement which required a doctor to puncture fetal scalp to acquire blood pH. This method introduced risk to the fetal which fetal scalp may bruise and infected. This paper discusses a noninvasive method employing a single channel magnetic induction spectroscopy technique as an alternative method to diagnose acidosis in fetal without puncturing the fetal scalp. The studies are based on numerical simulation models to investigate the most feasible sensor coil that is sensitive and effective to be implemented in hardware setup as the shape of coil influences directly the sensing performance of the magnetic induction spectroscopy system. The study has found that the circular coil is more sensitive than linear coil. The system tested with different pH samples to mimic the blood pH value. The result is very promising with good correlation approaching 1 has been achieved. Therefore, magnetic induction spectroscopy technique has good opportunity to be applied as an alternative method to detect acidosis in the fetal with circular coil is performed as the best sensing coils for MIS hardware

Down from the treetops: Red langur (Presbytis rubicunda) terrestrial behaviour

Using direct observations and camera traps at eight sites across Indonesian Borneo we show how red langurs (Presbytis rubicunda) are more terrestrial than previously believed, regularly coming to the ground. This unusual behavior has been found at six of the eight sites surveyed. We find that red langurs come to the ground more frequently in disturbed forests, specifically ones which have been impacted by logging, fire, and hunting, though more data are needed to confirm this as a direct correlation. We also found a trend towards decreased ground use with increased elevation of the habitat. When on the ground, red langurs are predominantly engaged in feeding (50% direct observations, 61% camera traps) and traveling (29% direct observations, 13% camera traps). Red langurs are found on the ground throughout the day, at similar times to activity periods of the apex predator, the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi). We suggest that ground use by red langurs could be an adaptation to disturbed forest to exploit additional food sources and to facilitate travel

Impacts of fire and prospects for recovery in a tropical peat forest ecosystem

Uncontrolled fires place considerable burdens on forest ecosystems, compromising our ability to meet conservation and restoration goals. A poor understanding of the impacts of fire on ecosystems and their biodiversity exacerbates this challenge, particularly in tropical regions where few studies have applied consistent analytical techniques to examine a broad range of ecological impacts over multiyear time frames. We compiled 16 y of data on ecosystem properties (17 variables) and biodiversity (21 variables) from a tropical peatland in Indonesia to assess fire impacts and infer the potential for recovery. Burned forest experienced altered structural and microclimatic conditions, resulting in a proliferation of nonforest vegetation and erosion of forest ecosystem properties and biodiversity. Compared to unburned forest, habitat structure, tree density, and canopy cover deteriorated by 58 to 98%, while declines in species diversity and abundance were most pronounced for trees, damselflies, and butterflies, particularly for forest specialist species. Tracking ecosystem property and biodiversity datasets over time revealed most to be sensitive to recurrent high-intensity fires within the wider landscape. These megafires immediately compromised water quality and tree reproductive phenology, crashing commercially valuable fish populations within 3 mo and driving a gradual decline in threatened vertebrates over 9 mo. Burned forest remained structurally compromised long after a burn event, but vegetation showed some signs of recovery over a 12-y period. Our findings demonstrate that, if left uncontrolled, fire may be a pervasive threat to the ecological functioning of tropical forests, underscoring the importance of fire prevention and long-term restoration efforts, as exemplified in Indonesia

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Thesis writing experiences among 4th year radiologic technology students of De La Salle Health Sciences Institute Academic Year 2015-2016

The study used a descriptive type of research. The demographic variables used are gender, annual family income and type of residency. One hundred thirty-nine (139) fourth year radiologic technology students were chosen using purposive sampling. The researchers adapted a questionnaire about the thesis writing experience of the student from the Institute of Teaching and Learning, University of Sydney with some modifications. The study used a 5-point scale where the highest value was interpreted as poor and the lowest value was interpreted as excellent. The data was computed statistically using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, median, Mann Whitney Z value and Kruskall Wallis test. Based on the findings, the following conclusions are drawn: 1) most of the respondents were female, had an annual family income of 250,000 pesos and above and resided at home during thesis writing; 2) the experiences of the respondents on supervision, infrastructure and generic skills scale were all good. The overall experience of the respondents were all good; 3) the study showed that there were no significant differences in the thesis writing experiences of the respondents when grouped according to gender, annual family income and type of residency