To keep our urban transit systems in motion, we must load and unload our CRCPs on a daily basis. For this reason, we can make a good case for testing them to see how long they will last until we need to step in and improve their performance. This research uses finite element modeling to investigate the soil response to loading and sidewalks, as well as materials' properties, to develop, from a mechanical standpoint, a management method of gaining a better understanding of continuously reinforced concrete sidewalks. The first place to start will be the list of flooring materials. Next, we intermix this process into multi-fractional steps that resemble heavy traffic in cities. The finite element model we will create in this chapter will describe the variations that different CRCPs undergo over time under different forces and environments. The test cycle loading models see such scenarios of how CRCP breaks down over time. The collaborative finite element result will give us a better understanding of the dynamic behavioral response of fatigued performance CRCPs in our cities. These will be deliverables that enhance the sustainability of our infrastructure through optimized pavements. The developed research aims to promote resilience, focusing on addressing the needs and challenges posed by continuously reinforced pavements in urban settings through the application of multiphase integrated mechanistic Finite Element Analysis in the design of continuously reinforced pavements.

Water is an essential component for the sustenance of all living organisms. However, the quality of water is progressively deteriorating on a daily basis. A significant proportion exceeding 70

While Bangladesh is reported as doing well in food production, there is increasing concern that this essentially deltaic and highly climate-vulnerable country will face steep challenges in food governance and productivity. Anthropogenic drivers shaped by narrow economic goals and sectoral policies have deeply altered Bangladesh’s food systems since the early 1960s and partly led to adverse outcomes. By combining policy and institutional analysis and primary research in Shyamnagar Upazila in Satkhira district in the southern coastal deltas, we revisit two key transitions, poldering and commercial shrimp farming, to reveal how diverse economic, social, and political factors have reshaped the efficiency, inclusivity, and sustainability of agri-food systems. These complex interactions between agrifood systems, the broader ecology, and heterogeneity in poverty, gender, and other social identities are poorly understood and accounted for in policies and program interventions. This has resulted in unequal conflicts and contestations around critical resources, which impact most marginalized groups, also because policy incoherence encourages collusions between local elites and local decision-makers (all men) for resource appropriation and control. Conceptually, a social-ecological systems (SES) framework would identify these complexities. However, SES approaches tend to be technocratic and overlook the overtly economic framing of natural resources governance, diversity amongst local communities, and the politics of resource appropriation. This gap can be remedied by merging SES thinking with a critical political ecology lens to trace the historical, scalar, and deeply intersectional nature of socio-ecological relations.

Digital innovations can offer solutions to various food, water, and land systems challenges globally. However, there are concerns on the ethical and social inclusivity aspects of these innovations, particularly for marginalized groups of people in less industrialised countries. In this article, we describe the design and development of a digital inclusivity framework, which builds from a detailed synthesis of inclusivity in digital literature. Key insights from the review were collated into five dimensions: risk mitigation, accessibility, usability, benefits, and participation. These dimensions can be assessed by means of twenty-one concrete and measurable sub indicators. Our focus was to enable a more holistic approach to the usually technocentric design of digital innovations. The framework, including the associated indicators, lays the groundwork for the development of a digital inclusivity index, a tool for assessing and fostering the inclusivity of digital innovations in food, water, and land systems.

Research paper presents numerical analysis using ANSYS workbench finite element method to simulate the rigid pavement patch. Size of patch was 5 m length, 3 m width and 0.3 m thickness which is free from both sides for expansion and contraction. Load applied at corner, edge and interior portion of pavement patch. Purpose of this study is to compare the geopolymer concrete patch and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete patch. Deformation and stresses analysis performed in this research work using ANSYS workbench. Comparison carried out between geopolymer concrete pavement patch and OPC concrete pavement patch in terms of deformation and stresses. Results shows that geopolymer concrete develops less deformation and stresses than OPC concrete patch.

Green buildings are generally referred to as environmental friendly buildings. Globally, building is responsible for a huge share of energy, water, electricity, and material consumption. The green building concept is very popular worldwide. The adverse impact of construction on the environment significantly promotes the development of the green building concept worldwide.The growing awareness of the adverse environmental impacts of construction has led to the widespread adoption of the green building concept globally. This approach promotes sustainability and mitigates the negative effects of construction on the environment. This research project aims to perform the energy and cost saving comparison of green building over the conventional building. Green Building are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and natural environment. This study aims to investigate the cost premiums and cost performance of green building projects. After an extensive literature review and case study of G+4 residential building located at Bhusawal district, Maharashtra has been presented in detail. The land area spread over 6400 sqft and construction area is about 12000 Sqft. and it is designed as per green building design to save the cost and energy for the building. This case study shows that the average increase in the initial cost of green building is 7-10% for those with four-star rating building however 34-40% of energy can be saved by implementing the green building design and technique. This study can reduce the maintenance cost of green building over the conventional building which is very huge amount over the lifecycle of the project.

Self-Healing Smart Concrete has arisen as a promising solution to mitigate the detrimental effects of cracks and deterioration in concrete structures, enhancing their durability and longevity. It is a type of concrete that consists of substances or microbes which have the ability to self-heal fractures that may form over time as a result of a variety of circumstances including stress, weathering, or structural damage. As the laboratory experiments can be costly and time-consuming for analyzing the characteristics of Smart Concrete, machine learning algorithms can help to develop better formulations for the Self-Healing concrete. In this study, the machine learning (ML) tools are compared based on number of parameters to help determine the most suitable tool for creating predictive models. A total of 14 parameters were selected for comparison and 3 ML algorithms were identified through a detailed Literature Review viz. Random Forests Regressor, Extra Trees Regressor and Elastic Net Regressor. The results showed that the Extra Trees Regressor performed better in predictions giving 97.63% accuracy and with Standard Deviation value of about 0.005314 followed by Random Forests and Elastic Net Regressor. Therefore, Extra Trees Regressor can be applied to develop predictive model for assessing the performance of self-healing smart concrete.

EDITORIAL article Front. Hum. Dyn., 14 March 2024Sec. Environment, Politics and Society Volume 6 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2024.1359613

The environmental concerns of cement industry and waste disposal can be overcome by applying geopolymer technology. In this concept, traditional OPC-based binders replaced with geopolymer mixtures made of industrial by-products e.g., fly-ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag and alkalis, which helps to preserve natural resources, minimize waste disposal, and reduce carbon emissions. Experimental investigation was carried out to maintain workability of geopolymer concrete for rigid pavement by varying design parameters. Research work carried out on geopolymer concrete concludes that it has a very high workability and slump retention time, offering more freedom in designing geopolymer concrete suitable for rigid pavement. The mechanical and durability characteristics of geopolymer concrete required for rigid pavement gives satisfactory results.

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is a major source of CO2 emissions in the environment. Recent micro- and macro-behavioural research has focused on geopolymer concrete (GPC), an innovative alternative to traditional Portland cement concrete. Geopolymers, a cement-based alternative, can serve as a substitute for OPC composites. Geopolymer composites (GC) are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than organic polymer composites. The structural features and qualities of reinforced concrete (RC) are very relevant to the building sector. A variety of factors, including the binder material mix, curing conditions, and particle type, influence the strength of geopolymer concrete. Binders like fly ash, slag, metakaolin, and the right alkaline activator change how well the geopolymer matrix sticks together and how strong it is overall. Temperature and humidity, both factors in the curing process, determine the optimal approach for producing the appropriate mechanical properties. The geopolymerization process requires the presence of many components. The mix design has an impact on the concrete's workability, strength, aggregate type, and water-to-binder ratio. To demonstrate that geopolymer concrete is a suitable alternative for conventional concrete. Using SPSS. Identified five key elements influencing the effectiveness of construction Strength of Fiber Reinforced Self-Compacting Geopolymer Precast Concrete using factor analysis. Divide these elements into the following categories: Their classification depends on a number of factors, such as the type and amount of alkali activator used, the mix design and proportions, the geopolymer binder's composition, the presence of adjuvants or additives, and the curing conditions.

This research introduces the Extra Learning Support for Excellence (ELSE) framework, designed to address the learning gaps experienced by students struggling in STEM courses. Conducted in two phases (2019 and 2021), the study explored targeted interventions to improve academic performance. Phase I implemented a four-week pilot program for first and second-year computer science and engineering students, featuring additional subject-specific study sessions led by experts. Notably, students attending over 80% of these sessions demonstrated significant improvement (average increase of 18.83%, 16.33%, and 18.15%). Building on this success, Phase II incorporated project-based learning, assigning academically challenged students as project leads to foster collaboration and practical skills. This shift yielded encouraging results, with students recording an average growth of 17.49%, 23.08%, 15.87%, 12.19%, and 14.3% in five key STEM courses. The research further proposes enriching the ELSE framework by integrating industry-based projects and inviting industry professionals to lead sessions. This collaboration aims to expose students to real-world challenges, develop key competencies, and prepare them for the dynamic demands of the professional STEM landscape. In conclusion, the ELSE framework, through its phased approach and focus on project-based and industry-oriented learning, emerges as a promising strategy to bridge educational gaps and cultivate well-rounded, competent STEM professionals.

The enactment of a new Constitution in 2015 in Nepal marked a shift to a representative system of federal governance. Earlier in 2002, the country's Tenth Five Year Plan had committed to a core focus on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in national policies and governance. How do these two strategic shifts in policy align in the case of WASH projects in rural Nepal? Applying a feminist political lens, we review the implementation of WASH initiatives in two rural districts to show that deep-rooted intersectional complexities of caste, class, and gender prevent inclusive WASH outcomes. Our findings show that the policy framing for gender equitable and socially inclusive outcomes have not impacted the WASH sector, where interventions continue as essentially technical interventions. While there has been significant increase in the number of women representatives in local governance structures since 2017, systemic, informal power relationship by caste, ethnicity and gender entrenched across institutional structures and cultures persist and continue to shape unequal gender-power dynamics. This is yet another example that shows that transformative change requires more than just affirmative policies.

– Geopolymer concrete is an effective alternative to reduce adverse impacts of cement manufacturing on environment and achieving sustainable development. Road construction is a major sector, which utilizes concrete in large volume, having significant effect on environment. The present work is presented in two parts. In the first part, evaluation of CO2 emission for 1m3 of geopolymer and ordinary Portland cement concrete has been carried out and further compared. In the second part the results of first part are used to evaluate the CO2 emission for various types of road construction, National highway, State highway, Major District Road, Other District Road, Village Road for 1km of road. About 18 % of reduction in CO2 emission can be obtained by using geopolymer concrete instead of ordinary Portland cement concrete in road construction, just in 1km of stretch. Significant reduction in CO2 emission can be obtained in road sector by utilising geopolymer concrete leading to sustainability.

Restoration of degraded land is key to enhancing land productivity and farmers' wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence shows that the benefits of land restoration are tremendous, ranging from biophysical benefits in soil health, agricultural productivity, ecosystem services, to socio-economic dimensions such as improving farmers’ income and livelihoods. Yet one issue that is rarely considered is how the outcomes of restoration initiatives affect different social groups, specifically women, men, and the marginalized. Our study aims to understand the extent of gender and social inclusion in land restoration studies in Ethiopia. Through analyzing 314 peer-reviewed scientific articles on land restoration initiatives and studies for Ethiopia published between 1985 and 2020, we aimed to: i) develop a novel approach that would allow for the semi-automatization of analyzing gender aspects in a large set of scientific documents using machine learning techniques, ii) assessed the current evidence on gender integration in peer-reviewed studies related to RDL, and iii) identified what gender issues are discussed in RDL literature. We employed text mining techniques to analyze the literature for keywords and to classify articles into three main classes: gender blind, gender sensitive, and gender transformative, based on the extent to which gender and social inclusion keywords appeared in the studies. Our analysis showed that gender and social inclusion are rarely considered in landscape restoration studies in Ethiopia, as most studies and interventions are heavily focused on the biophysical and environmental aspects of restoration. Despite an exponential increase in the use of gender and social inclusion keywords after 2005, most of the research (58 percent of articles) remains gender blind. The most frequently used related terms remained generic, e.g. community, access, participatory, and tenure. Only 38% of the studies could be classified as gender sensitive to a certain degree, and a strikingly low number of articles (4 percent) ― which consider the systematic challenges women face ― could be defined as gender transformative. This implies that scientific evidence about how land restoration has benefited men and women, and to what extent it could transform gender and power dynamics, is lacking. Our findings demonstrate the urgent need to consider gender and social inclusion to ensure associated benefits of land restoration practices.

Despite the fact that the concrete is prone to fracture formation, it is a material that is widely utilized in the construction industry as it is affordable and easily available. Therefore, during the past two decades, there has been a surge in interest in self-healing materials, especially those that have the ability to repair themselves in environmentally friendly and sustainable concrete materials. However, because each research institute uses its own testing methods to determine how effective a treatment is, choosing the most efficient method is difficult. Self-healing concrete, also known as SHC, has the ability to heal and reduces the need to locate and repair internal damage, such as cracks, without the need for intervention from outside the structure. This helps in reducing the costs, increase durability and reduces reinforcement corrosion and concrete deterioration. This study provides a comprehensive overview of SHCs, taking into account the strategies, and effectiveness of self-healing. Based on the application, multiple self-healing concrete strategies are identified through Literature. Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making Tool (MCDM), Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), it is found that out of five factors selected, Ease of Availability Factor got maximum preference and Performance Time Factor got least preference. Among four strategies identified, Chemical based Self-Healing has maximum weight followed by Bacteria based Self-Healing. Natural Self-Healing is least preferred. Besides, limits and future possibilities of SHC, as well as the area of interest research points for future examinations, are additionally effectively featured.

Continuously reinforced concrete can be an excellent pavement solution for heavy traffic. The CRCP technique eliminates the transverse joints as it contains longitudinal reinforcement. This paper presents the details of CRCP road constructed by author, challenges faced due to steep gradient and heavy rainfall and the techniques adopted to resolve the issues. This CRCP road is being utilized for mixed type of traffic, including heavy traffic for last four years without any maintenance. The performance evaluation has been carried out recently by adopting Visual Condition Assessment Survey Technique. The measurements for various distress parameters such as longitudinal cracking, transverse cracking, punchouts, hairline cracks and joint deterioration, have been carried out. Also, the special observations noted during the Visual condition assessment survey have been discussed in detail. The performance evaluation shows that the CRCP is in 'Low Severity Level'. The case study presented in detail and the performance evaluation carried out shows that CRCP is an effective technique for pavement construction.

Today's cement concrete industry is a major polluter. Cement, used as a binder in cement concrete, is made by high-temperature combustion, which raises atmospheric CO2 levels and contributes to climate change and natural resource depletion. As raw supplies diminish, several governments begin to levy carbon taxes. Numerous research have been undertaken to produce an innovative and ecologically advantageous construction material known as Geopolymer concrete (GC) in order to minimise and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. In order to connect coarse aggregates (CA), fine aggregates (FA), and other materials in GC and improve concrete quality while using fewer natural resources, it is essential to replace cement with a byproduct substance rich in silicon and aluminium, such as red mud, fly ash (FA), rice husk ash (RHA), silica fume (SF), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), and others, activated by a high alkaline solution (AS). In this study were surveyed online and precast self-compacting geopolymer concrete's sustainability was examined. The data underwent factor analysis. Principal component analysis is used to extract factors. According to the research, there are 9 key variables to consider: Reduction in Carbon Footprint, Utilization of Waste Materials, Environmentally Friendly, Reduce Water usage during production, Low Maintenance, Augmentation of Mechanical Properties of Concrete, Natural Materials, Cost Effective, Reduction in Energy consumption during production. These are the nine primary sustainability criteria of Self-Compacting Geopolymer Concrete for Precast Construction.

As we embark on the 'fourth industrial revolution', digital innovation emerges as a promising solution to critical challenges in food production, consumption, and the supportive triad of food, land, and water systems. This potential is particularly pronounced in less industrialised, agrarian-based economies. Digital advancements promise enhanced communication, improved data management, democratic and transparent governance, accessible financial services, and decision-making support. Nevertheless, there are rising concerns about the risk of digital inno-vation bypassing individuals with scant education, scarce resources, native populations, and susceptible demographics such as women and young people, thus depriving them of its ad-vantages. Additionally, the potential harms of digital technologies to these populations and soci-ety are worth considerable attention. This article addresses the concept of digital inclusivity within food, land, and water systems, emphasising the diverse needs of various groups, particu-larly those managing smallholder land holdings. We present evidence from peer-reviewed litera-ture and other sources supporting the need for inclusive digital innovation. We introduce a comprehensive five-dimensional framework CAUSE (Consequences, Accessibility, Usefulness, Support, Enabling) with twenty-two indicators to foster digital inclusivity. Building on this framework, we propose a 'Digital Inclusivity Index' encompassing these multidimensional as-pects. The paper argues for a broader 'digital ecosystem' perspective, where collaborative knowledge and resource sharing enhance digital innovation, extending beyond mere technology adoption to include shifts in existing social structures and institutions. Thus, the CAUSE framework helps in enabling wider access to digital innovation and has the useful consequence of increased support for its practical applications, enhancing its overall usefulness to society.