scholarly journals The Reuse of Excavated Soils from Construction and Demolition Projects: Limitations and Possibilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6083
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Hale ◽  
Antonio José Roque ◽  
Gudny Okkenhaug ◽  
Erlend Sørmo ◽  
Thomas Lenoir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Urban Soils ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Material Quality

The construction and demolition of infrastructure can produce a surplus of excavated soils that ends up at landfills. This practice is not sustainable, and approaches are needed to reduce soil waste and minimize environmental and human health hazards. The “Reuse of urban soils and sites” Working Group in the European Large Geotechnical Institute Platform (ELGIP) works towards a safe and resource efficient use of excavated soils for construction. By considering relevant literature and practicals based on experience in the participating ELGIP countries (France, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden), this study presents current practice related to the reuse of excavated soils, and the main barriers (regulatory, organizational, logistical and material quality) to effectively reuse them. Results show that there is no consensus on the best strategies to manage excavated soils in urban areas. This paper provides suggestions of ways in which stakeholders can increase reuse of excavated soils.

Arsenic in urban soils of Prague, Czech Republic: assessing exposure and risk to human health

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Poňavič ◽  
Magdalena Zimová ◽  
Zdeňka Wittlingerová ◽  
Tereza Jandová ◽  
Ilja Knésl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Soils

scholarly journals Urban areas, human health and technosols for the green deal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Rodríguez-Espinosa ◽  
J. Navarro-Pedreño ◽  
I. Gómez-Lucas ◽  
M. M. Jordán-Vidal ◽  
J. Bech-Borras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Areas

scholarly journals Social distancing in public transport: mobilising new technologies for demand management under the Covid-19 crisis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hörcher ◽  
Ramandeep Singh ◽  
Daniel J. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
New Information ◽  
Occupancy Rates

AbstractDense urban areas are especially hardly hit by the Covid-19 crisis due to the limited availability of public transport, one of the most efficient means of mass mobility. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, public transport operators are experiencing steep declines in demand and fare revenues due to the perceived risk of infection within vehicles and other facilities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of implementing social distancing in public transport in line with epidemiological advice. Social distancing requires effective demand management to keep vehicle occupancy rates under a predefined threshold, both spatially and temporally. We review the literature of five demand management methods enabled by new information and ticketing technologies: (i) inflow control with queueing, (ii) time and space dependent pricing, (iii) capacity reservation with advance booking, (iv) slot auctioning, and (v) tradeable travel permit schemes. Thus the paper collects the relevant literature into a single point of reference, and provides interpretation from the viewpoint of practical applicability during and after the pandemic.

Comparison of Human Health and Safety Loss due to Corroded Gas Pipeline Failure in Rural and Urban Areas: A Case Study in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 227 ◽  
pp. 221-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhamimi Mohd Hanafiah ◽  
Libriati Zardasti ◽  
Yahaya Nordin ◽  
Norhazilan Md Noor ◽  
Ahmad A. Safuan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Consequence Assessment ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Pipeline Failure

Consequence assessment is an integral part of the risk assessment process. There are many types of consequences loss due to pipeline failure such as asset loss, environmental loss, production loss, and human health and safety loss (HHSL). This paper studies the comparison of HHSL between rural and urban areas due to pipeline failure subject to corrosion. The damage area of the explosion was calculated using Aloha software by considering the details of the selected sites such as atmospheric and topographical conditions. The HHSL was calculated using a mathematical equation of quantitative risk assessment in terms of the number of fatalities or injuries or both. The results of the assessments from rural and urban areas were then compared with one another to identify any significant dissimilarity. This study shows that there was a possibility to improve the decisive value of risk by implementing the proposed approach in consequence assessment in Malaysia.

Temporal patterns and trends of surface ozone concentrations over Portugal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Gama ◽  
Alexandra Monteiro ◽  
Myriam Lopes ◽  
Ana Isabel Miranda
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Ozone Concentrations ◽  
Long Term Study

<p>Tropospheric ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) is a critical pollutant over the Mediterranean countries, including Portugal, due to systematic exceedances to the thresholds for the protection of human health. Due to the location of Portugal, on the Atlantic coast at the south-west point of Europe, the observed O<sub>3</sub> concentrations are very much influenced not only by local and regional production but also by northern mid-latitudes background concentrations. Ozone trends in the Iberian Peninsula were previously analysed by Monteiro et al. (2012), based on 10-years of O<sub>3</sub> observations. Nevertheless, only two of the eleven background monitoring stations analysed in that study are located in Portugal and these two stations are located in Porto and Lisbon urban areas. Although during pollution events O<sub>3</sub> levels in urban areas may be high enough to affect human health, the highest concentrations are found in rural locations downwind from the urban and industrialized areas, rather than in cities. This happens because close to the sources (e.g., in urban areas) freshly emitted NO locally scavenges O<sub>3</sub>. A long-term study of the spatial and temporal variability and trends of the ozone concentrations over Portugal is missing, aiming to answer the following questions:</p><p>-           What is the temporal variability of ozone concentrations?</p><p>-           Which trends can we find in observations?</p><p>-           How were the ozone spring maxima concentrations affected by the COVID-19 lockdown during spring 2020?</p><p>In this presentation, these questions will be answered based on the statistical analysis of O<sub>3</sub> concentrations recorded within the national air quality monitoring network between 2005 and 2020 (16 years). The variability of the surface ozone concentrations over Portugal, on the timescales from diurnal to annual, will be presented and discussed, taking into account the physical and chemical processes that control that variability. Using the TheilSen function from the OpenAir package for R (Carslaw and Ropkins 2012), which quantifies monotonic trends and calculates the associated p-value through bootstrap simulations, O<sub>3</sub> concentration long-term trends will be estimated for the different regions and environments (e.g., rural, urban).  Moreover, taking advantage of the unique situation provided by the COVID-19 lockdown during spring 2020, when the government imposed mandatory confinement and citizens movement restriction, leading to a reduction in traffic-related atmospheric emissions, the role of these emissions on ozone levels during the spring period will be studied and presented.</p><p> </p><p>Carslaw and Ropkins, 2012. Openair—an R package for air quality data analysis. Environ. Model. Softw. 27-28,52-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2011.09.008</p><p>Monteiro et al., 2012. Trends in ozone concentrations in the Iberian Peninsula by quantile regression and clustering. Atmos. Environ. 56, 184-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.03.069</p>

scholarly journals The Pediatrics Milestones: Conceptual Framework, Guiding Principles, and Approach to Development

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia J. Hicks ◽  
Daniel J. Schumacher ◽  
Bradley J. Benson ◽  
Ann E. Burke ◽  
Robert Englander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Iterative Process ◽  
Program Effectiveness ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Performance Standards ◽  
Good Doctor ◽  
Critical Elements ◽  
Rigorous Study

Abstract Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) have partnered to initiate the Pediatrics Milestone Project to further refine the 6 ACGME competencies and to set performance standards as part of the continued commitment to document outcomes of training and program effectiveness. Intervention Members of the Pediatrics Milestone Project Working Group searched the medical literature and beyond to create a synopsis of models and evidence for a developmental ontogeny of the elements for 52 subcompetencies. For each subcompetency, we created a series of Milestones, grounded in the literature. The milestones were vetted with the entire working group, engaging in an iterative process of revisions until reaching consensus that their narrative descriptions (1) included all critical elements, (2) were behaviorally based, (3) were properly sequenced, and (4) represented the educational continuum of training and practice. Outcomes We have completed the first iteration of milestones for all subcompetencies. For each milestone, a synopsis of relevant literature provides background, references, and a conceptual framework. These milestones provide narrative descriptions of behaviors that represent the ontogeny of knowledge, skill, and attitude development across the educational continuum of training and practice. Discussion The pediatrics milestones take us a step closer to meaningful outcome assessment. Next steps include undertaking rigorous study, making appropriate modifications, and setting performance standards. Our aim is to assist program directors in making more reliable and valid judgments as to whether a resident is a “good doctor” and to provide outcome evidence regarding the program's success in developing doctors.

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