Academic literature on the topic 'Geo-Sourced materials'

Effective waste management is crucial; every waste component can be systematically controlled to minimize its creation. The development of geo-polymer concrete offers a pathway towards achieving this objective. Methods: Geo-polymers are inorganic materials that result from the alkali activation of aluminosilicates. The alumino-silicates are sourced from naturally occurring materials and industrial waste such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, and rice husk ash. Red mud, a by-product from an alumina refining industry practically rich in alumina content, can be used as a geo-polymer material along with other calcium and silicate-rich by-products to create an excellent binding material like cement. Findings: This paper studies the properties of red mud-based geo-polymer concrete. Red mud is known for its high alkalinity; it contains significant amounts of aluminium, silicon, and iron oxides, making it a valuable material for polymerization. Incorporating red mud in the production of geopolymer concrete is anticipated to have a significant impact in the future. Studies show red mud-based geo-polymer concrete's mechanical and durability properties, drawing insights from past literature. The chemical properties of red mud were correlated with the mechanical properties of the geo-polymer concrete block. Strength comparison of red mud and fly ash-based geo-polymer and red mud-mud-metakaolin eco-polymer was made to know the optimum percentage of replacement of red mud in the geo-polymer mix. Novelty: The findings will serve as a technical framework for future experimental endeavours and a more environment-friendly construction approach, ultimately assessing its practical feasibility.

Extrusion-based 3D Construction Printing (3DCP) involves developing novel material mixtures that incorporate local geo-materials. Given that clay minerals and silt are major causes of soil variability, this study focuses on the fine fraction of soil to facilitate purpose-oriented design, classification, and standardization. We begin with an overview of current research in the field and general information about clays. Subsequently, we establish an evaluation methodology, examining various clay–sand mix ratios, along with locally sourced material to gain general insights into the material’s clay-dependent macro-printability characteristics. The findings are then correlated and discussed in relation to the microcharacteristics of the clays, emphasizing the significance of both intraparticle and interparticle swelling for strength and cohesiveness. Factors such as swelling ability, and charge, which may be reflected by pH, are pivotal for strength; while the quantity of clay and its interparticle swelling ability, denoted by the plasticity index (PI), delineate cohesiveness, which is essential for pumpability and extrudability. Furthermore, the presence of organic material and other minerals is observed to have a significant impact on these properties.

This study examines the ways in which police authorities manage their personnel, as well as the factors militating against police authorities in managing their personnel for effective crime control and prevention in Nigeria. The study used both quantitative and qualitative designs to attempt to identify the criteria used in posting police officers. Data were obtained through questionnaires from 360 randomly selected respondents complemented by 15 in-depth interviews (IDI) undertaken in three geo-political regions in Nigeria namely: southeast, southwest and north central. The three geo-political regions were purposively chosen based on the incidences of armed robbery recorded in each. The study also used secondary data sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics and the Nigeria Police Force as reference materials. Simple percentages and chi-squared tests were employed to analyse the collected data. The qualitative data were content analysed. The findings revealed that factors such as crime rate, population size, industrial development and land mass or political interference were not clearly defined criteria used in the posting of personnel. The number of police in a region does not equate to more or less crime; effective crime control and prevention depend on proper and effective utilization, as well as management, of police personnel. Police authorities are culpable of mismanagement of police personnel for personal gain to the detriment of citizens; most states are under-policed and under-staffed. This study also found that factors militating against the effective utilization and management of police personnel include: corruption, political interference, ethno-religious consideration, lack of funds and lack of facilities. Thus, the study recommends among other things, that the distribution of police personnel should be anchored to the population size, industrialization and volume of criminality in a particular place; there should be a gross reduction in the numbers of personnel attached to political officials, whereas those attached to individuals who are not entitled to personal police protection must be withdrawn and efforts made to recruit more people into the police force.

Soil pollution due to toxic elements (TEs) has been a core environmental concern globally, particularly in areas with developed industries. In this study, we sampled 300 surface (0–0.2 m) soil samples from Yuyao City in eastern China. Initially, the geo-accumulation index, potential ecological risk index, single pollution index, and Nemerow composite pollution index were used to evaluate the soil contamination status in Yuyao City. Ordinary kriging was then deployed to map the distribution of the soil TEs. Subsequently, indicator kriging was utilized to identify regions with high risk of TE pollution. Finally, the positive matrix factorization model was used to apportion the sources of the different TEs. Our results indicated that the mean content of different TEs kept the order: Zn > Cr > Pb > Cu > Ni > As > Hg ≈ Cd. Soil pollution was mainly caused by Cd and Hg in the soil of Yuyao City, while the content of other TEs was maintained at a safe level. Regions with high TE content and high pollution risk of TEs are mainly located in the central part of Yuyao City. Four sources of soil TEs were apportioned in Yuyao City. The Pb, Hg, and Zn contents in soil were mainly derived from traffic activities, coal combustion, and smelting. Meanwhile, Cu was mainly sourced from industrial emissions and atmospheric deposition, Cr and Ni mainly originated from soil parental materials, and Cd and As were produced by industrial and agricultural activities. Our study provides important implications for improving the soil environment and contributes to the development of efficient strategies for TE pollution control and remediation.

Groundwater contamination has been a growing issue in recent times as a result of population growth, urbanization and industrialization. Groundwater is highly susceptible to impacts associated with anthropogenic activities such as the release of waste materials to the environment. The groundwater vulnerability of an area is a function of the geologic and environmental factors of the area. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of geological and environmental factors on groundwater quality in the Ndele Area of Southern Nigeria. Estimations of groundwater flow direction and overland flow direction in the study area were used to establish the likely groundwater vulnerable areas. The water quality index of groundwater sourced from hand-dug wells and boreholes in the study area was used to appraise the groundwater quality of different locations in the area. Water Quality Index is a means of summarizing and reporting water quality in a consistent manner. The mean values of water quality index parameters evaluated revealed that the WQI of water samples sourced from hand dug wells in the lower altitudes and hydraulc head areas (mini-watershed area) were found to be 101.5, which is categorised to be "unsafe for drinking," while those of the two control locations with higher altitudes and hydraulic heads were 69.0 and 67.2, respectively, and are categorised to be "poor water quality." Water samples sourced from boreholes with average depths of 40m in the lower altitudes and hydraulic head areas (mini-watershed areas) and two control areas were found to be 39.0, 44.3, and 41.2 m respectively and categorized to be "good water quality". Thus, based on some environmental ill practices such as the use of open pit toilets, discharge of suckaway to flow with surface runoffs, and improper disposal of domestic wastes in the area, this study has revealed that groundwater at the locations with lower hydraulic heads and altitudes (mini-watershed area) is highly vulnerable. This may be attributed to the fact that lower lands and hydraulic head areas are susceptible to overland and groundwater flow; hence, infiltration and water table recharge by water from higher altitudes that contaminate groundwater in such areas.

The Greater Earth Lunar Power Station (GE -LPS) is a multi-purpose concept that aims to solve several critical issues related to lunar development and terrestrial energy production. As the GE -LPS concept and its energy production functions may be scaled to any dimension, larger versions could be positioned in Earth orbit to provide clean solar energy for terrestrial purposes and thereby reduce the mass needed to be launched from Earth to build SPS units by 80% or more. The construction of the GE -LPS from mostly lunar materials requires the establishment of industrial-scale automated mining and manufacturing processes on the Moon. A key technology is a Lunar Space Elevator (LSE) deployed as a transportation system to move SPS components from an anchor point on the surface of the Moon to a docking and assembly station at Earth-Moon Lagrange point 1 (EM-L1). Significantly, a LSE could be built today with existing tether materials such as Dyneema or Zylon which are already commercially available. Additionally, lunar sourced basalt fibre may be sufficient for reinforcing and extending the LSE once it becomes operational. An Earth-pointing LSE could become a valuable cislunar infrastructure asset – “the Suez Canal of cislunar space” – linking the Earth and Moon economies. Note: The ‘O’ symbol is an ancient European symbol for planet Earth: it is used here to mean “Greater Earth”, a region defined by the Earth’s gravitational field, which includes the Moon. Keywords: Solar Power Satellite, Lunar ISRU, Lunar Space Elevator, Energy, Europe

Traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) is an ancient healing system that has been practiced for more than 2,000 years and involves the use of various medicinal plants for preventing and treating acute mountain sickness, depression, asthma, etc. Geo-authentic medicinal materials, also known as “Daodi herbs” in Chinese, have heightened efficacy and quality relative to their counterparts sourced from alternative geographic locales. In 2024, eight medicinal materials, typified by Cordyceps sinensis Sacc., were listed as geo-authentic Tibetan medicine under the administration of the local government. However, there is no comprehensive review on these geo-authentic TTMs, especially with respect to their pharmacological benefits to human health. This review aims to document the pharmacological properties, phytochemical components, safety, toxicity, and future developments of the geo-authentic TTMs that play essential roles in promoting health and wellness. Plant-derived molecules (i.e., polysaccharides, flavonoids, glycosides, terpenoids, and alkaloids) in the TTMs show therapeutic potentials for the management of both mental and physical health. Finally, the applications and prospects of TTM plants are discussed to support the use of these species in folk medicine for human wellness and to promote public health in modern societies.

The teaching and designing of modules at Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is the principal responsibility of a single body of teaching staff although some authors and content reviewers could be sourced from elsewhere if human resources are not available in ZOU. This survey, through a case study, examines the involvement of lecturers and staff in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies in instructional materials development for open and distance learning (ODL). The study inquired into the time Lecturers spent on module development and writing, their levels of satisfaction with the materials they would have produced, their preferences with regard to teaching and instructional materials development strategies, and their views on how the process of instructional materials development at the university can be improved. The study found out that there is need for more time for materials development, better coordination and planning, greater consultation among colleagues, and adequate support services in instructional materials development for ODL to improve on the quality of modules. The department should be fully involved in instructional materials design and development to be effectively familiar with the ODL mode of learning and the students for whom the materials are intended. There is need for course writers (designers), prior to developing instructional materials, to be allowed to spend time in the regional centres which are located in the ten geo-political regions of Zimbabwe so that they become familiar with the local learning context. One of the main recommendations is that there is need for course writers and content reviewers as well as editors to always undergo constant training in ODL and instructional materials development for ODL.

BackgroundPresently, a comprehensive analysis of integrin subunit genes (ITGs) in bladder cancer (BLCA) is absent. This study endeavored to thoroughly analyze the utility of ITGs in BLCA through computer algorithm-based bioinformatics.MethodsBLCA-related materials were sourced from reputable databases, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). R software-based bioinformatics analyses included limma-differential expression analysis, survival-Cox analysis, glmnet-Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), clusterProfiler-functional annotation, and gsva-estimate-immune landscape analysis. The expression difference of key genes was verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).ResultsAmong the 11 ITGs that were abnormally expressed in BLCA, ITGA7, ITGA5, and ITGB6 were categorized as the optimal variables for structuring the risk model. The high-risk subcategories were typified by brief survival, abysmal prognosis, prominent immune and stromal markers, and depressed tumor purity. The risk model was also an isolated indicator of the impact of clinical outcomes in BLCA patients. Moreover, the risk model, specifically the high-risk subcategory with inferior prognosis, became heavily interlinked with the immune-inflammatory response and smooth muscle contraction and relaxation.ConclusionThis study determined three ITGs with prognostic values (ITGA7, ITGA5, and ITGB6), composed a novel (ITG-associated) prognostic gene signature, and preliminarily probed the latent molecular mechanisms of the model.

The devastation caused by the illegal dumping and burning of tires has been staggering. In civil engineering, using tires engineering properties has become a major concern. For this investigation, the research used locally sourced tire chips and sand. Using tire chips sand as an alternative backfill material requires less pressure and has more improved properties than traditional backfill. Four specimens were utilized in this experiment: pure sand and sand mixtures containing 20%, 30%, and 40% tire chips, respectively. Both the Direct Shear and Triaxial Apparatus, two of the most important geotechnical tools, were used to compare and evaluate the shear properties of soil and sand tire chips. 50, 100, and 150 kPa Confining pressure and normal stress have been utilized to maintain a consistent stress level. Direct shear apparatus had a circular shape with an area of 16.62 cm2 and Triaxial shear apparatus had a height of 7.2 cm and a diameter of 3.2 cm. The stress-strain behavior of both apparatuses under ordinary loading and deviatoric stress was reported. The angles of internal friction (Φ′) and cohesion (c′) were measured for both equipment and specimens with and without tire chips, and the failure planes for direct shear and triaxial tests were reported. In both the direct and triaxial shear tests, 30% of the tire chips sand exhibit the best results, respectively. The addition of tire chips may significantly improve the toughness of the soil.

La pierre. À en juger par le nombre de projets réalisés, de livres et d’articles publiés, de formations suivies, d’expositions organisées et de conférences données autour de son utilisation structurelle, cet ancien matériau de construction connait manifestement un renouveau dans l’architecture contemporaine. Aux côtés d’autres matériaux bio ou géosourcés, présentés comme des alternatives écologiques à leurs homologues synthétiques (principalement le béton, l’acier etla brique), la pierre fait l’objet d’appréciations très positives de la part des professionnels de la construction et du grand public dans un certain nombre de pays d’Europe occidentale. Cet engouement pour les matériaux dits naturels coïncide avec une évolution plus large de la manière dont l’architecture est aujourd’hui présentée, discutée et évaluée, largement inspirée parle material turn dans le domaine de material studies autour de l’an 2000. Ce tournant a vu l’intérêt pour le style, la fonction ou le contenu symbolique des bâtiments largement supplanté par l’attention portée aux matériaux dont ils sont faits, leur fabrication, usage et agency. Les professionnels comme le grand public ont en effet dorénavant tendance à privilégier les considérations sociales, culturelles, économiques et environnementales autour de la construction,de l’utilisation et de l’après-vie des bâtiments, en minimisant et en mettant parfois de côté les questions de forme – l’essence physique des bâtiments.La thèse principale défendue dans Form follows material ? est que la prise en compte du material turn dans la recherche architecturale, aussi précieuse qu’elle ait été en élargissant l’horizon des préoccupations de la discipline, a également le potentiel de remettre fondamentalement en question la façon dont nous pensons la forme. Cette recherche explore donc ce que l’utilisation de la pierre en structure fait à l’architecture contemporaine, en termes d’usages et de forme. Son objectif est moins de déduire une théorie globale de la construction en pierre massive aujourd’hui que d’induire des façons utiles de l’interpréter. Chacun des neuf chapitres représente une perspective à travers laquelle nous pouvons commencer à la situer dans l’histoire récente de l’architecture et à considérer ses conséquences pour la théorie et la pratique architecturale. Ces perspectives ont émergé d’un travail ethnographique sur le terrain autour d’une série de projets de construction (dessinés par Atelier Archiplein, Atelier Architecture Perraudin, Aulets Arquitectes,Institut Balear de l’Habitatge IBAVI et Caruso St John Architects) en cours de réalisation en Suisse, en Espagne et en Angleterre — où l’intérêt pour le matériau est en train de se développer. La pierre est ainsi examinée dans le cadre de son utilisation à des fins structurelles — c’est-à-dire porteuses ou autoportantes — dans la construction aujourd’hui à travers : les raisons pour lesquelles on choisit de l’employer ; la logique de son approvisionnement ; l’expertise à laquelle elle fait appel ; ses prétendus fondements moraux ; le travail impliqué dans son extraction et sa transformation ; ses tendances brutalistes ; ses associations stylistiques ; et, enfin, sa capacité à durer
Stone. If the number of published projects, magazine features, workshops, university courses,exhibitions, and conferences articulated around its structural use is anything to go by, the age-oldbuilding material appears to be undergoing something of a revival in contemporary architecture. Alongside other bio or geo-sourced building materials, portrayed as ecological alternatives totheir synthetic counterparts (mainly concrete, steel and fired brick) stone has been the object ofgrowing enthusiasm among professionals of the built environment as well as the wider public in anumber of West European countries. This enthusiasm for so-called natural materials coincideswith a broader shift in how architecture today is presented, discussed and its quality evaluated,largely inspired by the material turn within the field of material studies around the year 2000 thatsaw a flourishing of interest in things, their agency, fabrication, exchange and raw matter. Thisshift has seen concern for the style, function or symbolic content of buildings largely supersededby an attention to the materials they are made of. It has tended to privilege social, cultural,economic and environmental considerations around the making, use and after-life of buildings, attimes minimising and sidelining questions of form — the physical essence and shape ofbuildings.The principal thesis defended in Form follows Material? is that the espousal of the material turnin architectural research, immensely valuable as it has been in expanding the discipline’s horizonof concern, also carries the potential to fundamentally challenge how we think about form, itscentral preoccupation. The research thus set out to explore what employing stone in structure isdoing to contemporary architecture, in terms of both uses and form. Its objective has been less tod educe an overarching theory of building in massive stone today than to induce useful ways ofinterpreting the trend as it continues to evolve. Each of the nine chapters represents oneperspective through which we might begin to situate it within recent architectural history and to consider its consequences for contemporary architectural theory and practice. These perspectiveshave emerged out of my ethnographic fieldwork around a series of building projects in themaking (drawn by Atelier Archiplein, Atelier Architecture Perraudin, Aulets Arquitectes, InstitutBalear de l’Habitatge IBAVI et Caruso St John Architects) in Switzerland, Spain and England —where a critical mass of interest in the material is developing. The thesis thus considers stoneused for structural — that is to say load-bearing or self-supporting — purposes in construction today in terms of: the reasons for choosing to employ it; the logic of its supply; the expertise itcalls upon; its purported moral underpinnings; the labour involved in its extraction and transformation; its brutalist tendencies; stylistic associations; and finally, its capacity to last

L'utilisation de nouveaux matériaux de construction à faible émission de carbone dans les zones sismiques nécessite l'évaluation de la ductilité de la structure afin de concevoir correctement le bâtiment. Le manque d'estimation précise de performance structurelle limite l'utilisation de matériaux de construction écologiques. Une méthodologie fiable est établie pour la conception sismique des bâtiments construits par matériaux géo-sourcés. En particulier, un projet pilote de bâtiment en blocs de terre comprimée (BTC) dans une zone sismique moyen-élevé dans le sud de la France est réalisé. Partant de la caractérisation expérimentale des paramètres mécaniques du matériau, l'approche de conception sismique se concentre sur les caractéristiques modales de la structure, la ductilité attendue du bâtiment et l'évaluation des performances sismiques en termes de déplacement et de force.Le modèle de portique équivalent adopté pour la conception structurelle de la maçonnerie porteuse est validé pour deux cas d'étude : un bâtiment en pierre naturelle et un bâtiment en BTC. Le processus de validation du modèle consiste en la comparaison des fréquences naturelles et des déformées modales obtenues par analyse modale numérique et opérationnelle. Dans ce contexte, une campagne de mesure fournit la réponse structurelle aux vibrations ambiantes. Les paramètres modaux et l'amortissement structurel sont ensuite obtenus par des outils d'identification structurelle. L'analyse modale met en évidence l'impact de la rigidité de la dalle en bois sur la réponse dynamique des bâtiments en maçonnerie. Il est montré qu'une dalle en bois plus rigide avec une couche de renforcement améliore le comportement structurel de la maçonnerie sous chargement sismique, conduisant à des déformées modales globales.La vérification de la stabilité de la structure du bâtiment à l'état limite de quasi-effondrement est réalisée en termes de rapport déplacement cible à capacité, mais il est suggéré de vérifier également en termes de force, car cela peut être plus restrictif dans certains cas et moins dépendant de la convergence des procédures numériques. Le coefficient de comportement dans les codes sismiques pour la conception des bâtiments est défini pour les matériaux de construction typiques sur la base de l'observation des dommages et des modèles numériques. Une évaluation spécifique est nécessaire lorsque de nouveaux matériaux de construction sont adoptés parce que les codes du bâtiment ne fournissent que des valeurs limites. Cette thèse propose une procédure d'estimation du coefficient de comportement appliquée aux bâtiments en maçonnerie géo-sourcés, mais elle pourrait être adoptée pour tout matériau de construction. La méthodologie proposée pour estimer le facteur de réduction de force, puis le coefficient de comportement, intègre à la fois la demande sismique et la capacité du bâtiment. Pour cette raison, cette méthodologie peut être considérée comme une approche basée sur la capacité et la demande. Une analyse quasi-statique non linéaire est couplée à des analyses dynamiques et le coefficient de comportement est obtenu sur une base statistique. Les résultats sont comparés avec les estimations obtenues en utilisant des approches basées sur la demande, la capacité et l'approche N2. L'impact de l'adoption d'un modèle de bâtiment tridimensionnel ou d'un système équivalent à un seul degré de liberté avec ces méthodologies est analysé.La méthode proposée basée sur la capacité et la demande fournit, avec un temps de calcul réduit, une estimation fiable du facteur de réduction de force, proche des valeurs obtenues en utilisant l'approche basée sur la capacité appliquée à un modèle de bâtiment tridimensionnel considéré comme référence. Par conséquent, compte tenu de leur fiabilité et de leur efficacité, la méthodologie proposée pour l'estimation du facteur de comportement est adaptée à la pratique professionnelle
The use of new low-carbon construction materials in seismic areas requires the assessment of the structure ductility in order to properly design the building. The lack of accurate structural performance estimation limits the use of green construction materials.A reliable methodology is established for the seismic design of buildings constructed using geo-sourced materials. In particular, a pilot project of compressed earth block (CEB) masonry building in a medium-high seismic hazard zone in Southern France is developed. Starting from the experimental characterization of material mechanical parameters, the seismic design approach focuses on the modal characteristics of the structure, the expected building ductility, and seismic performance assessment in terms of both displacement and force.The equivalent frame model adopted for structural design of load-bearing masonry is validated for two case studies: a rubble stone masonry building and a CEB masonry building. The model validation process consists of the comparison of natural frequencies and mode shapes obtained by both numerical and operational modal analysis. In this context, a measurement campaign provides the structural response to ambient vibrations and then, the modal parameters and structural damping are obtained by structural identification tools. The modal analysis highlights the impact of timber slab stiffness on the dynamic response of masonry buildings. It is shown that a stiffer timber slab with a reinforced topping improves the structural behavior of the masonry structure under seismic loading, yielding to global mode shapes.The stability verification of the building structure at the near collapse limit state is performed in terms of target to capacity displacement ratio, but it is suggested to verify also in terms of force, since it can be more restrictive in some instances and less dependent on the convergence of numerical procedures.The behavior factor in seismic codes for building design is defined for typical construction materials based on damage observation and numerical models. A specific assessment is needed when new construction materials are adopted because building codes provide only boundary values. This thesis proposes a procedure for estimating the behavior factor that is applied to geo-sourced masonry buildings, but it could be adopted for any construction material. The methodology proposed to estimate the force reduction factor, and then the behavior factor, integrates both the seismic demand and building capacity. For this reason, this methodology can be considered as a capacity-demand-based approach. A nonlinear quasi-static analysis is coupled with dynamic analyses and the behavior factor is obtained on a statistical basis. The results are compared with the estimations obtained using demand-based, capacity-based and N2-based approaches. The impact of adopting a three-dimensional building model or an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system with these methodologies is analyzed.The proposed capacity-demand-based-method provides, with a reduced computation time, a reliable estimation of the force reduction factor, close to the values obtained using the capacity-based-approach applied to a three-dimensional building model that is considered as a reference. Consequently, considering their reliability and efficiency, the proposed methodology for the behavior factor estimation is suitable for professional practice