Development of a cost effective passive sampler to quantify the particulate matter depositions on building materials over time

2020 ◽  
Vol 268 ◽  
pp. 122134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina García-Florentino ◽  
Maite Maguregui ◽  
Jose Antonio Carrero ◽  
Héctor Morillas ◽  
Gorka Arana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Passive Sampler ◽  
Over Time

Growth of housing sector in India - application of Cost-effective Construction Technologies to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emission

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nilanjan Sengupta
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Construction Technology ◽  
Gas Emission ◽  
Sustainable Building ◽  
Skilled Manpower ◽  
Energy Consuming

Building construction sector can play a major role in reducing Greenhouse Gas emission through application of technologies aimed at reduction of use of building materials. Energy consumed during production of building materials and components plays a crucial role in creating environmental pollution. India is witnessing high growth in urban and rural housing, which needs more production of building materials. Permanent or semi-permanent type buildings which consume easily available conventional materials like brick, reinforced cement concrete etc. can be made Economic and Eco-friendly by lowering use of energy-consuming building materials through Cost-effective Construction Technologies. Buildings with Cost-effective Construction Technology can be designed within the parameters of the existing Indian Standards. Awareness generation among the users, proper technical and architectural guidance and easy availability of skilled manpower are of utmost importance for promotion of cost-effective technologies in India and to make them as the most acceptable case of sustainable building technologies both in terms of cost and environment.

scholarly journals Tracking red deer population size using deterministic cohort analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerio Donini ◽  
Luca Corlatti ◽  
Luca Pedrotti
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Cohort Analysis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Relative Index ◽  
Deer Population ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
Over Time

AbstractReliable and cost-effective monitoring tools to track population size over time are of key importance for wildlife management and conservation. Deterministic cohort analysis may be used to this aim, especially in hunted populations, but it requires that all mortality events are recorded and that individual age at death is known exactly. In this study, we investigated the reliability of cohort analysis as a relative index to track over-time variation in red deer (Cervus elaphus) abundance, in the absence of exact information about natural mortality and age. Visual tooth inspection was used to age 18,390 individuals found dead or hunted between 1982 and 2020 within the Trentino sector of the Stelvio National Park and the Val di Sole hunting district (Central Italian Alps). Temporal trend of reconstructed population size was checked using spring spotlight counts as a benchmark, through the Buishand range test and a linear model. Our results showed a significant and positive relationship between reconstructed population size and spring spotlight counts between 1982 and 2013, suggesting that cohort analysis could reliably track red deer population trend up to 7 years in the past. With a relative error of  +  1.1 (SD  =  1.5) years in the estimation of age, and fairly stable hunting pressure, our results support the use of deterministic cohort analysis as a relative index of abundance for monitoring red deer over time, even in the absence of exact information about natural mortality. Under violation of assumptions, however, the performance of deterministic reconstruction should be carefully inspected at the management scale.

Business Cycles and Apprenticeships

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Muehlemann ◽  
Stefan Wolter
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Business Cycle ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Skilled Labor ◽  
Market Failures ◽  
Task Forces ◽  
Apprenticeship Training ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
Over Time

The economic reasons why firms engage in apprenticeship training are twofold. First, apprenticeship training is a potentially cost-effective strategy for filling a firm’s future vacancies, particularly if skilled labor on the external labor market is scarce. Second, apprentices can be cost-effective substitutes for other types of labor in the current production process. As current and expected business and labor market conditions determine a firm’s expected work volume and thus its future demand for skilled labor, they are potentially important drivers of a firm’s training decisions. Empirical studies have found that the business cycle affects apprenticeship markets. However, while the economic magnitude of these effects is moderate on average, there is substantial heterogeneity across countries, even among those that at first sight seem very similar in terms of their apprenticeship systems. Moreover, identification of business cycle effects is a difficult task. First, statistics on apprenticeship markets are often less developed than labor market statistics, making empirical analyses of demand and supply impossible in many cases. In particular, data about unfilled apprenticeship vacancies and unsuccessful applicants are paramount for assessing potential market failures and analyzing the extent to which business cycle fluctuations may amplify imbalances in apprenticeship markets. Second, the intensity of business cycle effects on apprenticeship markets is not completely exogenous, as governments typically undertake a variety of measures, which differ across countries and may change over time, to reduce the adverse effects of economic downturns on apprenticeship markets. During the economic crisis related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, many countries took unprecedented actions to support their economies in general and reacted swiftly to introduce measures such as the provision of financial subsidies for training firms or the establishment of apprenticeship task forces. As statistics on apprenticeship markets improve over time, such heterogeneity in policy measures should be exploited to improve our understanding of the business cycle and its relationship with apprenticeships.

scholarly journals Barite-containing radiation protective building materials

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-98
Author(s):  
Nikolay V. Novikov ◽  
Svetlana V. Samchenko ◽  
Galina E. Okolnikova
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Protective Coatings ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Linear Absorption ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Operational Characteristics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Creation

Due to the active development of industries using nuclear technology, the creation of highly effective and cost-effective building materials for protection against hazardous ionizing radiation is of increasing interest. Widespread in the field of radiation-protective building materials are barite-containing concrete. The purpose of this article is to establish the prospects of their use in nuclear facilities, as well as to find ways to improve their technical and operational characteristics. For this an analysis of relevant literature and scientific research in the field of radiation-protective materials and, in particular, barite-containing concrete was carried out. The advantages of barite-containing concrete are high radiation-protective properties, environmental friendliness, high density, as well as economic indicators. The disadvantages are high susceptibility to shrinkage deformation and poor resistance to cyclic temperature effects. The addition of barite to the concrete composition allows to increase the coefficient of linear absorption of -rays of the material; also, with the proper selection of the composition, such material may have strength characteristics equal to or superior to the characteristics of concrete with standard compositions. Barite-containing materials have a wide range of applications and can be used both for the production of heavy concrete in the construction of load-bearing structures and in the creation of radiation-protective coatings for walls and floors.

scholarly journals Radiation shielding structures : Concepts, behaviour and the role of the heavy weight concrete as a shielding material - Rewiev

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 24-30
Author(s):  
Suha Ismail Ahmed Ali ◽  
Éva Lublóy
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Radiation Shielding ◽  
Radiation Emission ◽  
Neutron Shielding ◽  
Heavy Weight ◽  
Industrial Buildings

The construction of radiation shielding buildings still developed. Application of ionizing radiations became necessary for different reasons, like electricity generation, industry, medical (therapy treatment), agriculture, and scientific research. Different countries all over the world moving toward energy saving, besides growing the demand for using radiation in several aspects. Nuclear power plants, healthcare buildings, industrial buildings, and aerospace are the main neutrons and gamma shielding buildings. Special design and building materials are required to enhance safety and reduce the risk of radiation emission. Radiation shielding, strength, fire resistance, and durability are the most important properties, cost-effective and environmentally friendly are coming next. Heavy-weight concrete (HWC) is used widely in neutron shielding materials due to its cost-effectiveness and worthy physical and mechanical properties. This paper aims to give an overview of nuclear buildings, their application, and behaviour under different radiations. Also to review the heavy-weight concrete and heavy aggregate and their important role in developing the neutrons shielding materials. Conclusions showed there are still some gaps in improving the heavy-weight concrete (HWC) properties.

Rebuilding Nepal: traditional and modern approaches, building or diminishing resilience?

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Vernacular Architecture ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Masonry Construction ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of vernacular architecture and traditional knowledge to building resilience in Nepal and the impact of modernisation on that resilience and architectural diversity. Design/methodology/approach Using an action research approach, including field observations and discussions with local community members, artisans, architects, engineers and other international experts, the study examines the resilience of traditional building typologies to natural hazards in Nepal, including earthquake; the changes that have occurred over time leading to the failure and/or rejection of traditional construction; and a review of post-earthquake reconstruction options, both traditional and modern. Findings Although traditional approaches have been cyclically tested over time, this study found that changes in building materials, technologies, knowledge and skills, access to resources, maintenance practices, urban environments and societal aspirations have all contributed to the popular rejection of vernacular architecture following the earthquakes. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to traditional timber and masonry construction in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding mountain areas. Practical implications To improve resilience the study identifies the need for capacity building in both traditional and modern construction technologies; adoption of approaches that use local materials, knowledge and skills, whilst addressing local timber shortages and access issues; a transparent construction certification system; good drainage; and regular maintenance. Originality/value The study critically evaluates the impact of technological, environmental, social and economic changes over time on the resilience of vernacular housing in Nepal.

Air pollution assessment using a cost-effective device: the case study of the northern Latium coastal area.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Piazzolla ◽  
Giancarlo Della Ventura ◽  
Andrea Terribili ◽  
Alessandra Conte ◽  
Sergio Scanu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Coastal Area ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Coastal Environment ◽  
Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
Environment Monitoring ◽  
Mobile Monitoring

<p><span>The increase in urbanization requires intense energy consumption and causes an increase in emissions from transportation and industrial sources. As a result, a variety of pollutants are released into the atmosphere with negative effects on the health of organisms and ecosystems as well as on human health. In this perspective, coastal areas are considered "hot</span><span>spot</span><span>s" of environmental contamination since they often host multiple human activities. This issue is particularly dramatic close to important maritime hubs, as a matter of fact overall 25% of the world energy consumption (a major source of pollution) is employed for transport, and over 80% of world trade is carried by sea (Gobbi et al. 2020). </span><span>During 2019-2020 we carried out a continuous monitoring of particulate matter in a fixed station to understand the sources of air pollution in the northern Latium coastal area. This area has been selected for the presence of industrial activities located in a few kilometers of coast (Piazzolla et al. 2020). </span><span>The amount and typology of solid particles present in the environment have been assessed by implementing a reliable cost-effective device (Gozzi et al. 2015, 2017) which integrates an optical particle counter and a filtering set-up able to collect particulate matter with dimension > 400 nm (Della Ventura et al. 2017). Filters were periodically removed from the device and recovered microparticles were subjected to microscopic (optical and electron), spectroscopic (IR, Raman), and microchemical (SEM-EDS) characterization. Results were related to the wind speed and direction measured by</span><span> the </span>Civitavecchia Coastal Environment Monitoring System<span> (</span><span>Bonamano et al. 2015), allowing an evaluation of the contribution of anthropic (industrial and maritime) activities to the pollution in this area.</span></p><p>Bonamano S., Piermattei V., Madonia A., Mendoza F., Pierattini A., Martellucci R., ... <span>& Marcelli M. (2016). The Civitavecchia Coastal Environment Monitoring System (C-CEMS): a new tool to analyze the conflicts between coastal pressures and sensitivity areas. Ocean Science, 12(1).</span><span> DOI 10.5194/os-12-87-2016</span></p><p><span>Della Ventura G., Gozzi F., Marcelli A. (2017) The MIAMI project: design and testing of an IoT lowcost device for mobile monitoring of PM and gaseous pollutants. Superstripe Press, Science Series, 12, 41-44, ISBN 9788866830764</span></p><p>Gobbi G.P., Di Liberto L., Barnaba F. (2020). <span>Impact of port emissions on Eu-regulated and non-regulated air quality indicators: the case of Civitavecchia (Italy). Science of the Total environment, 719. DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134984 </span></p><p><span>Gozzi, F., Della Ventura, G., Marcelli, A. (2015) Mobile monitoring of particulate matter: State of art and perspectives. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 7, 228-234. DOI 10.1016/j.apr.2015.09.007.</span></p><p><span>Gozzi F., Della Ventura G., Marcelli A., Lucci F. (2017) Current status of particulate matter pollution in Europe and future perspectives: a review. Journal of Materials and Environmental Science, 8, 1901-1909. ISSN 2028-2508</span></p><p><span>Piazzolla D., Cafaro V., de Lucia G. A., Mancini E., Scanu S., Bonamano S., ... & Marcelli M. (2020). Microlitter pollution in coastal sediments of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy: microplastics and fly-ash occurrence and distribution. </span>Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 106819. DOI 10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106819</p>

Developing Environmentally Sustainable and Cost-Effective Geopolymer Concrete with Improved Characteristics

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13607
Author(s):  
Alexey N. Beskopylny ◽  
Sergey A. Stel’makh ◽  
Evgenii M. Shcherban’ ◽  
Levon R. Mailyan ◽  
Besarion Meskhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Strength Characteristics ◽  
Geopolymer Concrete ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Capital Construction

Improving the efficiency and quality of construction mainly depends on the cost of building materials, which is about 55–65% of total capital-construction costs. The study aimed to obtain geopolymer fine-grained concrete with improved quality characteristics that meet the construction field’s sustainable development criteria and that have environmental friendliness, economic efficiency, and advantages over competing analogues. The dependences of strength characteristics on various compositions of geopolymer concrete were obtained. It was found that the most effective activator is a composition of NaOH and Na2SiO3 with a ratio of 1:2. The increase in the indicators of the obtained geopolymer concrete from the developed composition (4A) in relation to the base control (1X) was 17% in terms of compressive strength and 24% in tensile strength in bending. Polynomial equations were obtained showing the dependence of the change in the strength characteristics of geopolymer concrete on the individual influence of each of the activators. A significant effect of the composition of the alkaline activator on the strength characteristics of geopolymer fine-grained concrete was noted. The optimal temperature range of heat treatment of geopolymer concrete samples, contributing to the positive kinetics of compressive strength gain at the age of 28 days, was determined. The main technological and recipe parameters for obtaining geopolymers with the desired properties, which meet the ecology requirements and are efficient from the point of view of economics, were determined.

The Environmental Impact of Coral Mining on Coral Reefs in the Maldives

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara E. Brown ◽  
Richard P. Dunne
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Mechanical Damage ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Living Coral ◽  
Biological Surveys ◽  
Concrete Blocks ◽  
Coral Rock ◽  
The Government

Demand of the construction industry for coral rock in the Maldives will soon reach the limit of supply capacity using existing collection techniques. It is estimated that, at the current rate of consumption, the supply of living coral rock from inner atoll ‘faros’ in North Malé will be exhausted within 30 years. Current mining practice has already necessitated the collection of living coral rock from outer atoll ‘faros’ which actually protect the integrity of the islands against the erosive influences of monsoon storms.Biological surveys of mined sites (compared with controls where no mining activity has taken place) indicate a dramatic reduction in coral variety and abundance and in some cases an almost total depletion of living coral after mining. At intensively-mined sites, diversity and abundance of coral-reef fishes is also markedly reduced, with some reef species commonly used as baitfish entirely absent. The time taken for reefs to recover from mechanical damage has been shown by other research work to be extremely variable, with some cases showing no recovery in some circumstances. Shallow-water reefs that have been colonized by slow-growing ‘massive’ corals, such as those which have been mined in the Maldives, may take a minimum of 50 years to recover to their former state—under optimum conditions.Observations on mined reefs in the Maldives show that recovery over the last 10 years has been minimal, and therefore suggest that recovery times may be much in excess of 50 years. Indeed many of these reefs may not recover at all unless some attempts are made to re-establish corals at these sites. It is also clear from the study of reclaimed and dredged sites and those where less-intensive mining has taken place, that regeneration of corals is occurring. It is quite probable that the rate of recovery is dependent on the intensity of the disturbance which initially took place.Alternative building materials are available in the form of concrete blocks. Use of these blocks is more cost-effective than use of coral rock; however, there is a lack of any quality control, which would be needed to promote the widespread use of concrete blocks as a substitute for coral. Recently, recommendations have been approved by the Government of Maldives for the execution of a feasibility study on mining an inner atoll faro which could potentially provide building material for as long as the next 500 years.

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