THE TECHNOLOGY MAPPING METHODOLOGY FOR BENCHMARKING THE CONSTRUCTION PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT Globalization and increased international competitiveness point at the need for on-going improvement of the effectiveness of the industries in terms of the achievement of the quality and quantity of the required production output and the efficiency of the production processes. The Technology Status and Technological Capabilities are indicated to play an important role in the production performance of industries in literature of the last decade. Adequate management and policy plans that should be formulated to enhance an improved production performance in industries require insight in the actual status of technologies and technological capabilities in the production sector. This insight forms the basis for the development of new products and production systems. Benchmarking the performance -including the state of art of technologies and technological capabilities-enables the management of firms and the policy makers in industries to compare their performance with industry norms and market expectations and improve the major factors that have an impact on this. A proper methodology to benchmark the construction performance and to map the essential elements that have an impact on this is not readily available. This paper describes the principles of the so-called Technology Mapping Methodology that was developed and the results of its application in the construction industry. The key-elements in the theoretic framework that forms the basis for this methodology includes the market requirements and expectations, the status of technological capabilities, the technology status and the production performance and the socio-economic development status of the country. The last element is useful for international comparisons of the production performance which enhances the value of the benchmarking in the perspective of the increasing international competitiveness. The studies rendered a considerable amount of valuable data that could serve to support Construction Management and Policy Making with the objective to improve the Construction Performance. It also discusses the need for further research to establish a technology database similar to the existing socioeconomic databases in the countries

Bedform characteristics and biofilm community development interact to modify hyporheic exchange

The physical and biological attributes of riverine ecosystems interact in a complex manner which can affect the hydrodynamic behaviour of the system. This can alter the mixing characteristics of a river at the sediment-water interface. Research on hyporheic exchange has increased in recent years driven by a greater appreciation for the importance of this dynamic ecotone in connecting and regulating river systems. An understanding of process-based interactions driving hyporheic exchange is still limited, specifically the feedbacks between the physical and biological controlling factors. The interplay between bed morphology and sediment size on biofilm community development and the impact on hyporheic exchange mechanisms, was experimentally considered. Purpose built recirculating flume systems were constructed and three profiles of bedform investigated: i) flat, ii) undulating λ = 1 m ii) undulating λ = 0.2 m, across two different sized sediments (0.5 mm and 5 mm). The influence of biofilm growth and bedform interaction on hyporheic exchange was explored, over time, using discrete repeat injections of fluorescent dye into the flumes. Hyporheic exchange rates were greatest in systems with larger sediment sizes (5 mm) and with more bedforms (undulating λ = 0.2). Sediment size was a dominant control in governing biofilm growth and hyporheic exchange in systems with limited bedform. In systems where bedform was prevalent, sediment size and biofilm appeared to no longer be a control on exchange due to the physical influence of advective pumping. Here, exchange rates within these environments were more consistent overtime, despite greater microbial growth. As such, bedform has the potential to overcome the rate limiting effects of biotic factors on hyporheic exchange and sediment size on microbial penetration. This has implications for pollutant and nutrient penetration; bedforms increase hydrological connectivity, generating the opportunity to support microbial communities at depth and as such, improve the self-purification ability of river systems

Spatial and temporal variability in the potential of river water biofilms to degrade p-nitrophenol

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd In order to predict the fate of chemicals in the environment, a range of regulatory tests are performed with microbial inocula collected from environmental compartments to investigate the potential for biodegradation. The abundance and distribution of microbes in the environment is affected by a range of variables, hence diversity and biomass of inocula used in biodegradation tests can be highly variable in space and time. The use of artificial or natural biofilms in regulatory tests could enable more consistent microbial communities be used as inocula, in order to increase test consistency. We investigated spatial and temporal variation in composition, biomass and chemical biodegradation potential of bacterial biofilms formed in river water. Sampling time and sampling location impacted the capacity of biofilms to degrade p-nitrophenol (PNP). Biofilm bacterial community structure varied across sampling times, but was not affected by sampling location. Degradation of PNP was associated with increased relative abundance of Pseudomonas syringae. Partitioning of the bacterial metacommunity into core and satellite taxa revealed that the P. syringae could be either a satellite or core member of the community across sampling times, but this had no impact on PNP degradation. Quantitative PCR analysis of the pnpA gene showed that it was present in all samples irrespective of their ability to degrade PNP. River biofilms showed seasonal variation in biomass, microbial community composition and PNP biodegradation potential, which resulted in inconsistent biodegradation test results. We discuss the results in the context of the mechanisms underlying variation in regulatory chemical degradation tests

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Spatially explicit river catchment modelling of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane

Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) belongs to a group of chemicals known as cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS). D5 is used in a variety of applications including personal care and household care products. EUSES has been used to estimate concentrations of D5 in effluent and river water immediately downstream of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), assuming a per capita chemical consumption (PCC) of 11.6 mg/cap/day and STP removal efficiency of 95.3% (based on SimpleTreat). Two surface water monitoring campaigns have been conducted on the rivers Nene and Great Ouse in the Anglian region of the UK on two different occasions. The surface water catchment model LF2000-WQX was used to estimate D5 concentrations in the river Nene and Great Ouse. LF2000 allows natural flow estimates to be derived for any river reach in the UK and for the impact of artificial influences on the flow regime to be modelled. LF2000-WQX (water quality extension version) incorporates the ‘Mode 0’ functionality of the GREAT-ER 1 simulator. The results of a sensitivity analysis indicate that the assumed environmental load and/or the removal rate of D5 in STP are incorrect and lead to modelled concentrations that significantly over-estimate the observed concentrations of D5 in surface water. Monitored concentrations were better estimated through the use of measured effluent concentrations, but additional samples (effluent and surface water) are needed to refine the assessment. Large variation in D5 exposure concentrations were observed in the river Nene, with higher concentrations associated with summer monitoring results. The effect of seasonal variations in effluent dilution will be explored in an attempt to explain the effect of temporal variation on observed concentrations in the two UK rivers

Modelling concentrations of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane in two UK rivers using LF2000-WQX

Current regulatory environmental exposure assessments for decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), used in a range of personal care products, are based on a number of erroneous assumptions. Using an estimated D5 flux to waste water of 11.6 mg cap_1 d_1, a 95.2% removal rate in Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) and a dilution factor of 10 results in modelled surfacewater concentrations that are up to an order of magnitude higher than concentrations observed downstream of STPs in two UK rivers. A GIS-based water quality model (LF2000-WQX) was used to predict concentrations of D5 in two UK rivers. Assuming the STP removal rate is reasonable, awastewater flux of 2.4 mg cap_1 d_1 is needed in order to obtain a reasonable match between predicted and observed in-river concentrations. This flux is consistent with measured effluent concentrations. The results highlight major uncertainties in estimating chemical emission rates for volatile chemicals used in personal care products and suggest that measured concentrations in waste water are needed to refine exposure assessment