A mechanism for lean and sustainability : the case of infrastructure projects in South Africa

Published ArticleStakeholders in the construction sector are placing a much stronger emphasis on the importance of attaining sustainability within the industry. While much efforts has been deployed towards attaining sustainable development through infrastructural projects, the methods used by most stakeholders for projects procurement hinders the attainment of criteria for sustainability. The proposed research will thus explore how to evolve a mechanism for promoting lean sustainable construction with infrastructure projects in South Africa. The study is primarily to assess the components of the framework required for the integrative implementation of lean and sustainability concepts in an infrastructure project. The study is qualitative in nature, based on interpretative theoretical framework that is grounded in literatures in the field of built-environment. Emergent findings indicate that a case study approach and specifically, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) research approach provide answers to the research questions, which are domiciled in a complex socio-technical environment. The evolution of the mechanism shall focus on lean construction and sustainability methods / tools that support the elimination of wastes in work processes, work methods, work culture and materials issues, thereby promoting energy and resource efficiency. It is expected that the framework that will leads to continuous improvement in the areas of energy and resource efficiency, minimization of emission (Co2) from the built environment, improvement in stakeholders working relationships and social benefits to the community, among others

Suitabilty of Palm Kernel Shell As Coarse Aggregate In Lightweight Concrete Production

Palm kernel shell(PKS) is an agricultural waste which is environmental friendly. This research was focused on the assessment of characteristic strength of palm kernel shell concrete, with the view to be used as lightweight aggregate. This research is carried out to help in reducing construction cost in areas where lightweight concrete canbe considered. Various tests were carried out  in order to ascertain its use as lightweight aggregate. The aim was achieved by casting the beam and cubes with total replacement of granite with PKS and also casting an equivalent control to give a basis for comparison and a water cement ratio of 0.65 at a mix ratio of 1:2:4. A total of 24 beams and cubes each were cast  respectively . They were cured for 7, 14, 21 and 28days. Crushing of 3 each for the Palm Kernel Shell Concrete (PKSC) and Normal Weight Concrete (NWC) for each curing day upto the age of 28 days was carried out. The results of crushing values are as follows for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days; 14.47N/mm2, 18.49N/mm2, 20.33N/mm2 , 23.00N/mm2 and 7.40N/mm2, 9.20N/mm2; 11.30N/mm2 , 13.10 N/mm2, for NWC and PKSC respectively. The value for the flexural strength is as follow; 1.87, 0.91, 1.36, 1.81 and 0.34, 0.34, 0.40, 0.34 for NWC and PKSC respectively. The results showed that the compressive and flexural strength improved with age of curing, though the compressive and flexural strength of PKSC is low as compared to that of the NWC. It was concluded that the compressive and flexural strength of NWC is higher than that of PKSC. Therefore PKSC canbe used as lightweight concrete which should be designed with the corresponding design for NWC. It can therefore be concluded that palm kernel shell is a lightweight aggregate and can be used to produce lightweight concrete. Keywords: Palm kernel shell, lightweight aggregate, compressive strength, flexural strengt

THE RATE OF BINARY BLACK HOLE MERGERS INFERRED FROM ADVANCED LIGO OBSERVATIONS SURROUNDING GW150914

A transient gravitational-wave signal, GW150914, was identi fi ed in the twin Advanced LIGO detectors on 2015 September 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC. To asse ss the implications of this discovery, the detectors remained in operation with unchanged con fi gurations over a period of 39 days around the time of t he signal. At the detection statistic threshold corresponding to that observed for GW150914, our search of the 16 days of simultaneous two-detector observational data is estimated to have a false-alarm rate ( FAR ) of < ́ -- 4.9 10 yr 61 , yielding a p -value for GW150914 of < ́ - 210 7 . Parameter estimation follo w-up on this trigger identi fi es its source as a binary black hole ( BBH ) merger with component masses ( )( ) = - + - + mm M ,36,29 12 4 5 4 4 at redshift = - + z 0.09 0.04 0.03 ( median and 90% credible range ) . Here, we report on the constraints these observations place on the rate of BBH coalescences. Considering only GW150914, assuming that all BBHs in the universe have the same masses and spins as this event, imposing a search FAR threshold of 1 per 100 years, and assuming that the BBH merger rate is constant in the comoving frame, we infer a 90% credible range of merger rates between – -- 2 53 Gpc yr 31 ( comoving frame ) . Incorporating all search triggers that pass a much lower threshold while accounting for the uncerta inty in the astrophysical origin of each trigger, we estimate a higher rate, ranging from – -- 13 600 Gpc yr 31 depending on assumptions about the BBH mass distribution. All together, our various rate estimat es fall in the conservative range – -- 2 600 Gpc yr 31

t~ROS1ON ET DEPO'I'S PRODUITS PAR UN EVI~NEMENT CONVULSIF, SAN CARLOS, COLOMBIE, LE 21 SEPTEMBRE 1990

Le bassin supdricur de la riviC:re San Carlos, situd sur le flanc est de la Cordill~re Centrale de Colombie, a dtd aft'ectd par un << ~vdnemertt convulsif ,, le 2I septembre 1990. Une averse de 208 ram. ~,ans 6.quiva/enl historique dans ia zone, a cau.,,6 lu mort de 20 personnes et d'importants ddgfits. Plus de cent couldcs boueuses se sont produites sur les versants les plus 61evds et les plus inclinds, quelle que soil la nature du sol. Dans les zones moyennes du bassin Its lits des torrents ont did dlurgis et approfondis p~u" le creusement d'anciens ddp6ts torrentiels et de versants et de la granodiorite mdtdorisde. Une grande quantit6, de matdriau a dt~. drod~e, y compris des blocs d'un diametre atteignant 8 m. Les d@6ts montrent une diffdrenciation classique : les blocs accumules sur la pattie haute, les sables sur le cours moyen, et les argiles ont dr6. transport6es jusqu'au rdservoir de Punchin'a, environ 20 km en aval. Une couche de cendres volcaniques qui recouvre les ddp6ts torrentiels anciens montre des associations mindralogiques qui pet, vent etre corrdldes avec d'autres cendres trouvdes plus 5, I'est, dont I'&ge radiomdtrique cst de I0.500 ans BP enviro

Arab West Report 2009, Weeks 02-52: Investigative Reporting into Muslim-Christian Relations and Monastic Life

This dataset contains the Arab-West Report special reports that were published in 2009. This dataset mainly contains the writings of Cornelis Hulsman, Drs., among other authors on topics related to Muslim- Christian relations and interfaith dialogue Notably, this dataset contains certain reports related to the Christian faith in Egypt, Monastic life and Coptic Traditions. Some of the articles addressed Muslim-Christian incidents and sectarian tensions that took place in 2009 in Upper Egypt. Articles also address the situation of civil society organizations in Egypt. Additionally, reports document field visits by the Arab-West Report interns and interviews conducted with intellectuals and clergymen. Furthermore, it contained commentary on published material from other sources (reviews / critique of articles)

Implementation of a Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional (BALANCE) Program for improvement on quality of diet and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events: A randomized, multicenter trial

Background: Appropriate dietary recommendations represent a key part of secondary prevention in cardiovascular disease (CVD). We evaluated the effectiveness of the implementation of a nutritional program on quality of diet, cardiovascular events, and death in patients with established CVD. Methods: In this open-label, multicenter trial conducted in 35 sites in Brazil, we randomly assigned (1:1) patients aged 45 years or older to receive either the BALANCE Program (experimental group) or conventional nutrition advice (control group). The BALANCE Program included a unique nutritional education strategy to implement recommendations from guidelines, adapted to the use of affordable and regional foods. Adherence to diet was evaluated by the modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index. The primary end point was a composite of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, stroke, myocardial revascularization, amputation, or hospitalization for unstable angina. Secondary end points included biochemical and anthropometric data, and blood pressure levels. Results: From March 5, 2013, to Abril 7, 2015, a total of 2534 eligible patients were randomly assigned to either the BALANCE Program group (n = 1,266) or the control group (n = 1,268) and were followed up for a median of 3.5 years. In total, 235 (9.3%) participants had been lost to follow-up. After 3 years of follow-up, mean modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index (scale 0-70) was only slightly higher in the BALANCE group versus the control group (26.2 ± 8.4 vs 24.7 ± 8.6, P <.01), mainly due to a 0.5-serving/d greater intake of fruits and of vegetables in the BALANCE group. Primary end point events occurred in 236 participants (18.8%) in the BALANCE group and in 207 participants (16.4%) in the control group (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% CI 0.95-1.38; P =.15). Secondary end points did not differ between groups after follow-up. Conclusions: The BALANCE Program only slightly improved adherence to a healthy diet in patients with established CVD and had no significant effect on the incidence of cardiovascular events or death. © 2019 The Author