Operation of adoptive green building assessment tools-case study

Purpose– The rising interest in the use of green building assessment tools (GBATs) as means of promoting sustainable construction has heightened the adoption of some well-established tools for use in other contexts. The role of the adoptive tools in minimising the hassle of developing GBATs in countries that are not able to develop their own cannot be overemphasised. However, more recently, the literature has emerged that offers contradictory findings about the contribution of these adoptive tools in addressing sustainability in the new contexts. However, the research to date has tended to focus on improving the performance rather than the way they are operated. Design/methodology/approach–This paper examines the operating criteria of the Green Star (GS) tool in its original and adoptive countries (Australia and South Africa (SA) respectively to identify any implications caused in the South Africa context. The focus however, is on the facilitation, accreditation and implementation cost criteria based on the online resources. Findings–One of the key findings in this synopsis is that, the GS-SA operating criteria tend to marginalise building projects and practitioners in the informal sector particularly with regard to the accreditation system employed. Originality/value –Besides the recommendations on how to address the issues, the study provides a conceptual framework on which future empirical studies on improving the operating criteria by the GBCSA and its next generation tools, such as the GBC Ghana, could be based

Humans, Robots, or Avatars? Which do children and young people prefer disclosing forensic information to?

Virtual characters (VCs), such as agents and avatars, are becoming increasingly common across professional fields including medicine and education. However, research into their application as child forensic interviewers is limited. VCs would allow disclosure recipients to become tailored to individual preferences. Such technologies may generate new interviewing tools that are attractive to children who are reluctant to disclose information. The aim of this survey was to gage children’s preferred disclosure recipient characteristics (i.e., age, gender, presentation mode) when revealing forensic information. This study was a Qualtrics online survey, recruiting children aged between 8 and 16. All participants read fictional witness and victim scenarios perpetrated by either a “stranger” or “family member”. For each scenario, participants stated their preferred disclosure recipients’ characteristics, and whether these recipients should appear as human or non-human VCs. Preliminary findings suggest children prefer disclosing forensic information to adult gender-matching humans. Males felt better about disclosing crimes than females, and participants under 12 felt best about disclosing crimes. Children preferred disclosing to adult humans congruent with their own gender more than VCs. However, in practice, gender-matched interviewers might not always be available. The benefits of gender-congruent VCs will be explored in future work

Applicability of inventory methods for embodied energy assessment of buildings in Sub-Sahara Africa

As the knowledge and understanding of environmental impacts associated with buildings increase, methods of assessing the impacts are also improving in building research. This paper attempts to analyse how applicable the conventional and improved process and input-output inventory methods are in assessing the environmental attributes in the construction industry in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The paper presents preliminary findings based on an extensive literature review of an ongoing PhD research to analyse embodied energy of buildings in SSA. A basic outline on how the process and input-output inventory techniques operate is presented first followed by a discussion on factors considered to limit the application of the techniques in the region. It is noted that despite the limitations the methods have, they are still sufficient for use in the absence of other alternatives. While enhancement of data for this purpose is essential for appropriate results, further improvement on the methods to suit the local needs is highly recommended

Environmental monitoring and evaluation in Sub-Sahara Africa – a state of the art review

The knowledge and understanding of the environmental related problems associated with development activities has increased rapidly in recent years. Consequently, arise in adoption of appraisal tools for monitoring environmental performance is also evidenced in a number of countries. In Sub-Sahara African (SSA) region, for instance, policy and regulation reform has been intensified over the past two decades demonstrating governments’ initiatives in addressing environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability. This paper reviews the extent of contribution the policy instruments make in monitoring and evaluating environmental impacts related to the building industry in the SSA. Basing on the reviewed literature of an ongoing PhD research, it is noted that there is need for appropriate information and data on which the proposed policies are to be based. Also different building stakeholders, researchers and the public sector need to participate not only in the policy formulation but also in defining sustainability in the local context and be considered as the basis for policy formulation

Breakthrough moments and failed experiments - The students' view of research led education and what they mean to our institutions

THE ISSUE: What learning behaviours and specific pedagogical strategies do students value most in learning to research? Do undergraduate students value the opportunity to experience original research and to have an experiment fail? This project is based on the premise that a university education includes research experience whatever career paths graduates intend to undertake. It examines specific practices that prompt breakthrough learning experiences in students as they engage in research. THE APPROACH: This will be a student panel discussion and presentation facilitated by Professor Aidan Byrne. Research led education and providing research experiences for undergraduate students are longstanding hallmarks of ANU Science education. Willison and O’Regan’s Research Skills Development Framework and Healey & Jenkins (2009) model of the nature of undergraduate research and enquiry have significant currency amongst staff and students in the Colleges of Science. This student panel will discuss their experiences of learning to research and present data on ANU undergraduate students understandings of research and views on Science education from across the disciplines. As the former Dean of the Colleges of Science, Professor Aidan Byrne has been an important leader of ANU Science education and will help provide context in facilitating the discussion. During this session the panel will discuss their views on the value of experiencing a failed experiment and on what learning experiences lead to breakthrough moments. They will also present data capturing how a wide range of students across science disciplines at the ANU experience these processes and how it impacts on their decisions to pursue science, research or an academic career. Through this combination of qualitative discussion and quantitative analysis, we hope to give a snapshot of the ways in which students perceive and experience involvement in the research process and what impact this has on their studies and outcomes. This study will be followed by a corresponding study of staff values and experiences. It aims to promote increased alignment of student and staff perceptions and behaviours as a means to improving tertiary learning experiences

Attribution of neuropsychiatric symptoms and prioritisation of evidence in the diagnosis of neuropsychiatric lupus:a mixed method study

OBJECTIVE: Neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) is challenging to diagnose. Many neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as headache and hallucinations, cannot be verified by tests or clinician assessment. We investigated prioritisations of methods for diagnosing NPSLE and attributional views.METHODS: Thematic and comparative analyses were used to investigate how clinicians prioritise sources of evidence from a 13-item list, and explore discordances in clinician and patient perspectives on attribution.RESULTS: We identified high levels of variability and uncertainty in clinicians' assessments of neuropsychiatric symptoms in SLE patients. In attributional decisions, clinicians (surveys n = 400, interviews n = 50) ranked clinicians' assessments above diagnostic tests (many of which they reported were often unenlightening in NPSLE). Clinicians ranked patient opinion of disease activity last, and 46% of patients reported never/rarely having been asked if their SLE was flaring, despite experienced patients often having "attributional insight". SLE Patients (surveys n = 676, interviews n = 27) estimated higher attributability of neuropsychiatric symptoms to the direct effects of SLE on the nervous system than clinicians (p &lt; 0.001 for all symptoms excluding mania), and 24% reported that their self-assessment of disease activity was never/rarely concordant with their clinicians. Reports of misattributions were common, particularly of non-verifiable diffuse symptoms. Terminology differed between clinicians and influenced attribution estimates.CONCLUSION: NPSLE diagnostic tests and clinician assessments have numerous limitations, particularly in detecting diffuse neuropsychiatric symptoms that can be directly attributable and benefit from immunosuppression. Our findings suggest that incorporating patient attributional insights-although also subject to limitations-may improve attribution decision-making. Consensus regarding terminology and interpretations of "direct attributability" is required.</p

Enhanced lifetime of methane bubble streams within the deep ocean

We have made direct comparisons of the dissolution and rise rates of methane and argon bubbles experimentally released in the ocean at depths from 440 to 830 m. The bubbles were injected from the ROV Ventana into a box open at the top and the bottom, and imaged by HDTV while in free motion. The vehicle was piloted upwards at the rise rate of the bubbles. Methane and argon show closely similar behavior at depths above the methane hydrate stability field. Below that boundary (∼520 m) markedly enhanced methane bubble lifetimes are observed, and are attributed to the formation of a hydrate skin. This effect greatly increases the ease with which methane gas released at depth, either by natural or industrial events, can penetrate the shallow ocean layers

Human papillomavirus (HPV) related Oropharynx Cancer in the United Kingdom – An evolution in the understanding of disease aetiology

A rising incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) incidence has occurred throughout the developed world, where it has been attributed to an increasing impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) on disease etiology. This report presents the findings of a multicenter cross-sectional retrospective study aimed at determining the proportion of HPV-positive and HPV-negative OPSCC within the United Kingdom. Archival tumor tissue blocks from 1,602 patients previously diagnosed with OPSCC (2002-2011) were collated from 11 centers. HPV status was determined with three validated commercial tests to provide valid data for 1,474 cases in total. Corresponding national incidence data from the same decade were obtained from UK Cancer registries. The overall proportion of HPV+ OPSCC between 2002 and 2011 was 51.8% [95% confidence interval (CI), 49.3-54.4], and this remained unchanged throughout the decade [unadjusted RR = 1.00 (95% CI, 0.99-1.02)]. However, over the same period, the incidence of OPSCC in the broader UK population underwent a 2-fold increase [age-standardized rate 2002: 2.1 (95% CI, 1.9-2.2); 2011: 4.1 (95% CI, 4.0-4.3)]. Although the number of OPSCCs diagnosed within the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2011 nearly doubled, the proportion of HPV+ cases remained static at approximately 50%. Our results argue that the rapidly increasing incidence of OPSCC in the United Kingdom cannot be solely attributable to the influence of HPV. The parallel increase in HPV+ and HPV- cases we documented warrants further investigation, so that appropriate future prevention strategies for both types of disease can be implemented.</p