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Innovative building techniques: the cost performance of panelised and modular construction systems in a home development research project.
Get PDFModern methods of construction (MMC) have been received by states as opportunities to stimulate economies and meet demands for new homes, largely due to conjectures that MMC are economically effective and efficient. Although many studies have commented on the implications of using specific MMC, arguing their economic performance, and contending areas of cost efficiencies and inefficiencies, the published studies lack robust substantiation. This paper offers an evaluation of the detailed cost performance of five MMC, namely steel-based and timber-frame modular construction, light-gauge modular and panelised light-gauge steel frame construction, and aerated concrete panelised construction systems, in a live house construction experiment. Unlike previous studies where the data required adjustments for, inter alia, time and location, the context in this live research experiment is a construction project that was managed by a single contractor on one construction site. The research method includes (i) an investigation of the site conditions, management team, and residential building design; (ii) interviews with relevant construction personnel, and (iii) analysis of project data. The actual cost performance of these five MMC was, in some instances, significantly poorer than estimated in the published literature. This is mainly attributable to the greater building superstructure costs. The actual preliminary costs and minor repair costs of MMC were also larger than argued in the available literature. This paper identifies areas of improvement in the cost performance of the aforementioned five MMC, in the stated context, enlightens governments, employers, contractors, and end users, and offers valuable research data and evaluation
Bridging Togo's energy gap: renewable energy potentials, policy challenges, and strategic pathways for sustainable development.
Get PDFThis work investigates the potential of renewable energy to significantly reduce Togo’s energy deficit, offering a critical analysis of the country’s current energy landscape. It evaluates the availability and viability of renewable energy sources—particularly solar and small-scale hydropower—and examines the mismatch between energy supply and growing demand. The study highlights Togo’s heavy reliance on biomass and energy imports from neighbouring countries such as Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria, which exacerbates energy insecurity and economic vulnerability, especially in rural and remote areas. Drawing on global trends and successful policy models from comparable contexts, this study identifies key barriers to renewable energy adoption in Togo. These include the absence of coherent regulatory frameworks, limited financial incentives, and a lack of private sector engagement. The findings underscore the urgent need for policy reform, investment in local energy production, and the creation of enabling environments for innovation and private participation. Based on these insights, the study recommends: (1) simplifying and clarifying energy policies and licensing procedures; (2) introducing fair tax incentives and standardised power purchase agreements; (3) developing inclusive financial models such as micro-financing and crop-based repayment schemes; and (4) investing in public awareness, capacity building, and knowledge transfer. These measures are essential to support Togo’s transition toward a sustainable, secure, and inclusive energy future
A ascensão do parto desassistido: percepções globais acerca do parto fisiológico.
No full textIn this pre-recorded presentation, the author discusses what freebirth is, why it is increasingly common globally, and what this tells us about midwives' ability to support physiological birth in maternity services. The introduction to the presentation is in Portuguese and the rest of the presentation is in English
Protection of the rights of minorities within the African human rights system: the dilemma of the Kenyan Nubian community.
Get PDFNubians are an ethnic minority group in Kenya consisting of over 100,000 people living in the 2.5 square-kilometers Kibera slum in Nairobi. Originally from Sudan, the community was forcefully conscripted into the British army by the British Colonialists in the early 1900s but were not repatriated at the end of the war. A century and several generations later, Nubians are yet to be recognized as Kenyans and are subjected to many restrictions of their right to national identity including enduring a complex and humiliating vetting processes. Consequently, many Nubians have been deprived of national identity and essential services. The community initiated legal action against the Government of Kenya (GOK) on several occasions in domestic courts; but despite receiving favorable rulings, the GOK failed to implement the decisions. The community therefore approached the African Committee and African Commission respectively in the Nubian Community in Kenya v The Republic of Kenya and IHRDA and OSJI (on behalf of children of Nubian descent in Kenya) v Kenya. The cases subjected the African Charter's effectiveness as a normative human rights framework to the test. It is against this backdrop that this article evaluates the extent to which the African Human Rights mechanisms have advanced minorities rights. It explores whether African mechanisms can be perceived to have a meaningful contribution to the protection of minority rights, particularly considering State Parties' persistent trend of noncompliance with decisions. Arguing that noncompliance with decisions is not necessarily an indictment of the African Union mechanisms, it offers among other recommendations the strengthening of implementation mechanisms of AU both domestically and regionally
Battery lumped fractional-order hysteresis thermoelectric coupling model for state of charge estimation adaptive to time-varying core temperature conditions.
Get PDFAs electric vehicles become more common, there is increasing concern regarding their battery reliability and safety. The estimation accuracy is strongly correlated with the performance of the battery model. The lumped fractional-order hysteresis thermoelectric coupling model (LFHTCM), considering temperature and hysteresis effects, is established in this paper. Firstly, the fractional-order hysteresis sub-model is established based on the Grunwald-Letnikov (G-L) fractional calculus principle and the recursive model of hysteresis voltage. Then, the thermal sub-model is established by integrating the Bernardi heating mechanism and the heat transfer model. The fractional-order sub-model provides voltage to the thermal sub-model for heat generation calculation. The thermal sub-model provides temperature to the fractional-order model for parameter correction. Finally, the fractional-order unscented Kalman filtering (FOUKF) algorithm was developed to estimate the state of charge (SOC) of the battery. Experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the model, with its estimation enhancing the utilization, operational optimization, and calibration of batteries in practical applications
Modeling the impact of pH and reservoir temperature on the dissolution of quartz mineral due to oilfield chemical treatment.
Get PDFThe petroleum industry frequently uses oilfield chemicals, such as corrosion inhibitors, scavengers, drilling fluid, and chemical enhanced oil recovery methods, to improve oil recovery. However, these chemicals can negatively impact the geochemical characteristics of the formation, potentially leading to facility failure and reservoir formation damage. A study using PHREEQC was conducted to predict the impact of reservoir temperature and pH on quartz rock dissolution under different temperatures and pH levels. The results showed consistent dissolving rates for quartz at different pH levels. The solubility of quartz minerals was slightly affected by the solution pH, suggesting that the process variable pH has little effect on the equilibrium rate. However, precipitation caused quartz to dissolve at a rate of 0.04 mmol.L−1.s−1 at 45°C but increased to 0.07 mmol.L−1.s−1 at 65°C in 0.8 s. As temperature increased, quartz and NaNO3 solution interaction reached equilibrium concentrations in 0.8 and 2.7 s. The study concluded that temperature significantly impacts quartz dissolution during interaction with sodium nitrate oilfield chemicals compared to pH. The PHREEQ software is a useful research tool for simulating rock-fluid interactions resulting in reservoir formation dissolution and precipitation, which can cause formation damage and sand production
Alienation and/or anomie in pharmacists: a narrative systematic review. [Protocol]
Get PDFThe aim of this systematic review is to deliver a narrative synthesis of primary peer-reviewed published research accounts of alienation and/or anomie in pharmacists. The authors intend to identify all published primary peer-reviewed research accounts describing alienation and/or anomie in pharmacists and produce a descriptive and critical analysis of the studies. They will also explore relationships within and between studies, looking at the focuses, causes, associated factors, and/or consequences of alienation and/or anomie in pharmacists and assess the robustness and confidence of the narrative synthesis. The population they will study is international pharmacists. They will study all types of methodological designs, published in peer-reviewed journals. All primary qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed method research studies that study (by design), describe (in the results), or discuss (based on the results) aspects of alienation and/or anomie in pharmacists will be studied. Studies that describe alienation and/or anomie in multiple different professional groups will be allowed, as long as pharmacists are included in the cohort. Where studies are unclear whether pharmacists were included, the corresponding author of such studies will be contacted to clarify, before inclusion
Hyperspectral imagery quality assessment and band reconstruction using the prophet model.
Get PDFIn Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI), the detrimental influence of noise and distortions on data quality is profound, which has severely affected the following-on analytics and decision-making such as land mapping. This study presents an innovative framework for assessing HSI band quality and reconstructing the low-quality bands, based on the Prophet model. By introducing a comprehensive quality metric to start, our approach factors in both spatial and spectral characteristics across local and global scales. This metric effectively captures the intricate noise and distortions inherent in the HSI data. Subsequently, we employ the Prophet model to forecast information within the low-quality bands, leveraging insights from neighboring high-quality bands. To validate the effectiveness of our proposed model, we conducted extensive experiments on three publicly available uncorrected datasets. In a head-to-head comparison, we benchmarked our framework against six state-of-the-art band reconstruction algorithms including three spectral methods, two spatial-spectral methods and one deep-learning method. Our experiments also delve into strategies for band selection based on quality metrics and the quality evaluation of the reconstructed bands. In addition, we assess the classification accuracy utilizing these reconstructed bands. In various experiments, our results consistently affirm the efficacy of our method in HSI quality assessment and band reconstruction. Notably, our approach obviates the need for manual prefiltering of noisy bands. This comprehensive framework holds promise in addressing HSI data quality concerns whilst enhancing the overall utility of HSI
Investigating health professionals' perspectives and experiences of food security-related conversations in diabetes care.
Get PDFHousehold food insecurity (FI) is a serious public health concern and disproportionately affects people living with chronic health conditions, undermining diabetes self-management. Little is known about healthcare professionals' (HCPs) experiences of supporting people affected by diabetes and FI, and no national guidelines incorporate consideration of FI within UK diabetes care. A qualitative study of NHS HCPs' consideration of FI within diabetes care, and the extent to which it informs their clinical practice, was undertaken. Fifteen HCPs providing self-management support to people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes in a Scottish Health Board took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using a thematic framework approach informed by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model of behaviour change. Although the potential impact of FI on diabetes self-management was recognised, this important consideration was not currently core to their clinical practice. Enablers and barriers identified included: personal feelings about raising the issue, lack of knowledge of available resources, the patient-practitioner relationship, and the wider socioeconomic environment. Practical suggestions to support HCPs included: specific training on communication, access to patient support information, use of a screening tool to assess FI, and building NHS-third sector links. Our findings provide insight into cognitive factors, emotional processes and environmental systems impacting on HCPs' practice supporting individuals with diabetes and FI. Research with affected patients is needed to gain a better understanding of how to provide support within NHS settings
Even though I’m not an incel, I’m still an involuntary celibate: a journey in and out of inceldom.
Get PDFIncels, or involuntary celibates, represent a sub-section of the manosphere: an informal confederacy of digital communities where men construct and strengthen anti-feminist/male hegemonic narratives. Inceldom represents a beta masculine identity, with members placing themselves at the bottom of a natural hierarchy. Bonded by a shared belief in their genetic inferiority and ensuing sexual marginalization, they are depressed and angered by the perceived permanence of their circumstances. In extreme cases, this outlook has been linked to acts of mass murder. The present study investigated how these digital communities attract young men, why they stay, and how they can be supported to leave. Online interviews were conducted with ex-incels to study why they joined incel communities, stayed in them, and later left. Thematic analysis identified six key themes, representing key stages across their journey in and out of inceldom: i) involuntary celibacy before inceldom; ii) "fucked by the world;" iii) failing with women = failing at life; iv) a safe space; vi) online de-radicalization; and vi) residue. Combined, they demonstrate how insular online spaces further isolate and radicalize socially inhibited young men
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