Total Abandonment Research Articles

The Downturn of Egypt’s Eastern Desert in the Middle Roman Imperial Period

Roman activity in Egypt’s Eastern Desert fluctuated significantly, ranging from intense exploitation of its resources and desert routes that facilitated Indo-Mediterranean trade, to the Roman Empire’s near total abandonment of the region. In those areas crucial to the Roman state – stone quarries, Red Sea ports, desert road stations and mining settlements – a nadir in occupation occurs near the mid-third century CE. But archaeological evidence indicates that significant reductions in activity occurred between the late second and early third centuries CE – i.e., in the Antonine and Severan Periods. The downturn was probably a result of distant geopolitical engagements, outbreaks of disease and/or shifting patterns of trade, which led to the Empire’s neglect of and gradual withdrawal from the area. This article reviews the archaeology of the Eastern Desert and considers the reason(s) this once-important region fell into decline. [Formula: see text]

Moniliophthora perniciosa in Angola, Africa-the First Record in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Moniliophthora perniciosa causes a destructive disease known as witches' broom disease of cacao (WBDC). WBDC has been responsible for major reductions in production or even total abandonment of cacao plantations in most countries that it has invaded. To date, however, the disease is known only from the cacao-producing regions of South America and a few Central American and Caribbean countries. It is not known from the Eastern Hemisphere and remains a major threat should it invade West Africa or Southeast Asia, where the majority of the world's chocolate production now occurs. In 2019, a pink pigmented mushroom was found fruiting from unidentified twigs in the Serra Vamba of Angola. The specimen was identified as M. perniciosa based on morphological and molecular analyses. Although Angola is not a major cacao-producing country, the presence of the fungus in the Eastern Hemisphere could be of global concern and may indicate the need for quarantine in Angola and vigilance in neighboring countries.

Critical success factors for cost overrun minimization in public construction projects in developing countries: the case of Ghana

Purpose It is widely accepted that one criterion for determining if a construction project is successful is whether it is completed within the expected budget. There have been advancements in the management of building projects throughout time but cost overruns remain a key concern in the construction sector internationally, particularly in emerging economies such as Ghana. This study aims to answer the question, “What are the critical success factors (CSFs) that can assist reduce cost overruns in public sector infrastructure projects in the Ghanaian construction industry?” Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative survey method. The questionnaire was pre-tested by interviewing 15 contractors to ascertain the validity of the content. Factor analysis and multiple regression were adopted to analyze the data. Findings This study discovered that the critical factors that can reduce cost overruns in construction projects in Ghana are directly linked to five themes: early contractor involvement in the project planning stage, adequate funding, good project team relations, competent managers/supervisors and project participant incentives/bonuses. This study identifies indestructible, empirically measurable important success criteria for reducing cost overruns in public building projects in Ghana. Practical implications When well thought through from the project initiation stage to completion, these critical successes can also be used to deal with damaging economic effects such as allocative inefficiency of scarce resources, further delays, contractual disputes, claims and litigation, project failure and total abandonment. Originality/value The uniqueness of this research resides in the fact that it is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, a first-of-its-kind investigation of the CSFs for reducing cost overruns in public building projects in developing countries.

Application of machine learning methods to analyze customer migration risk in terms of corporate financial security

Effective prediction of customer migration is only possible through knowledge of the customer life cycle, which is characterized by the length of the relationship between buyer and provider, i.e. customer retention. A concept of opposite importance is customer migration, defined as the partial or total abandonment of the products or services offered by a company. Its knowledge and ability to predict it is crucial in terms of ensuring the continued financial security of target companies. The primary objective of this article was to present a method for assessing the risk of telecom industry customer migration using machine learning methods. The objective was achieved through the use of research methods, theoretical deductions such as and induction, system analysis and synthesis, and mathematical modelling, which additionally allowed for a practical analysis of the migration of customers of the telecommunications industry. Predictors with the greatest impact on the phenomenon under study were selected. It should be noted that the gain chart indicates that, in the case of contacting the 20% of customers selected by the models, the target coverage would be at the following levels, respectively: 70% for the boosted tree model and the decision tree based on the CART algorithm, and 75% for the random forest model. The research niche addressed in the article is the development of methods for assessing migration risk using machine learning techniques. The tool developed in the article can support decision-making in the creation of marketing campaigns aimed at retaining the largest number of customers.

Understanding the roles of Alternative Rites of Passage and Public Declarations in FGM/C abandonment: An ethnographic study among the Loita Maasai, Kenya

This article reports on ethnographic research on ongoing changes in FGM/C among the Maasai community of the Loita Hills, southwest Kenya. The study identified the individual, social, material, and institutional factors that sustain FGM/C in Loita. It then examined how these factors changed under the influence interventions by the nongovernmental organisation S.A.F.E., national anti-FGM/C legislation, school-based education, and religion. S.A.F.E.‘s song performances weakened the social taboo that prevented people from discussing FGM/C; their alternative rite of passage (ARP) made it possible to abandon FGM/C while continuing other elements of the initiation ceremony; the blessing of the ARP by the cultural leadership made not-cutting culturally acceptable; and the public declaration addressed some concerns around the social consequences of not-cutting. Anti-FGM/C legislation drove the practice underground and reinforced its meanings as an ethnic identity marker. School-based education changed people's socio-economic circumstances, facilitating the abandonment of FGM/C without the need to replace it with an LRP. Protestant Loitai initiated their daughters through a religious initiation rite. Together, these influence contributed to the incremental decline of FGM/C in Loita. However, half of the community seems to continue practising FGM/C, because of its meanings that go beyond initiation into adulthood and/or because of continued concerns around the social consequences of not-cutting. Sustained efforts that dynamically adapt to the ever-changing social realities, including potential resurgences in prevalence, can support the community on its path towards total abandonment.

Demonstration of a Response Time Based Remaining Useful Life (RUL) Prediction for Software Systems

Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) has been widely applied to hardware systems in the electronics and non-electronics domains but has not been explored for software. While software does not decay over time, it can degrade over release cycles. Software health management is confined to diagnostic assessments that identify problems, whereas prognostic assessment potentially indicates when in the future a problem will become detrimental. Relevant research areas such as software defect prediction, software reliability prediction, predictive maintenance of software, software degradation, and software performance prediction, exist, but all of these represent diagnostic models built upon historical data – none of which can predict an RUL for software. This paper addresses the application of PHM concepts to software systems for fault predictions and RUL estimation. Specifically, this paper addresses how PHM can be used to make decisions for software systems such as version update/upgrade, module changes, system re-engineering, rejuvenation, maintenance scheduling, budgeting, and total abandonment. This paper presents a method to prognostically and continuously predict the RUL of a software system based on usage parameters (e.g., the numbers and categories of releases) and performance parameters (e.g., response time). The model developed has been validated by comparing actual data, with the results that were generated by predictive models. Statistical validation (regression validation, and k-fold cross validation) has also been carried out. A case study, based on publicly available data for the Bugzilla application is presented. This case study demonstrates that PHM concepts can be applied to software systems and RUL can be calculated to make system management decisions.

Deprescribing the Kt/V Target for Peritoneal Dialysis in the United States: The Path Toward Adopting International Standards for Dialysis Adequacy.

Deprescribing the Kt/V Target for Peritoneal Dialysis in the United States: The Path Toward Adopting International Standards for Dialysis Adequacy.

Effect of repeated intakes of a neonicotinoid insecticide on the foraging behaviours of Apis mellifera in field trials

Evaluating the effects of neonicotinoids on forager bees in conditions as near as possible to those in nature presents a considerable challenge. Tackling this challenge is, however, necessary to establish their negative side effects on these pollinators. For instance, it is still under debate the mechanism by which bees seem to recognize low-level contaminations of neonicotinoid insecticides in nectar and pollen of the flowers they visit and limit collection to protect themselves and their hive from a possible intoxication. In this study, we propose an experimental system that involves the use of foragers in free flight foraging repeatedly on artificial feeders containing a sucrose solution contaminated with clothianidin, as well as foragers feeding at adjacent control feeders, allowing us to observe changes in their foraging activity. The progressive disappearance of foragers from the contaminated feeders became increasingly clear and rapid with the increase in clothianidin concentration. The lowest concentration at which we observed an effect was around 10 µg/L, which corresponds to the maximum residual concentration (10 ng/g) observed in pollen and nectar of flowers close to open fields sown with seeds coated with insecticides. At the highest concentrations tested (80 µg/L), there was an almost total abandonment of the feeders. The estimated quantity of contaminated sucrose solution collected by foragers showed an almost linear relationship inversely proportional to clothianidin concentration, whilst the estimated quantity of insecticide collected by a forager increased and then stabilised at the highest concentrations tested of 40 and 80 µg/L. Irregular mortality was not observed in front of the hives, furthermore, foragers did not show evident memory of the position of the treated units in the trials on the 2 consecutive days. The decrease in foraging activity in the presence of a few µg/L of insecticide in the sucrose solution appears to limit the introduction of elevated amounts of toxic substances into the hives, which would have serious consequences for the young bees and the brood. At the same time, in the absence of an alternative energy source, even reduced feeding of the hive can compromise colony health.

Mapping urban limit conditions in the perspective of disaster risk prevention and land management

The destructive effects of earthquakes on the built environment have highlighted the structural fragilities of cities, especially in their old historic centres. In Italy, such effects have caused high social and economic losses, as well as the complete or partial loss of functionality of cities in the medium and long term and, in the worst cases, their total abandonment. In order to prevent and avoid these dramatic situations and outline policies for enhancing resilience and preparedness within communities, policy makers need predictive tools and models able to estimate damage scenarios, economic losses, deaths, injuries, homeless, as well as the corresponding beneficial impacts of retrofit interventions at the urban, regional and national scale. This paper presents a framework to map urban limit conditions for different earthquake scenarios and performance goals according to the expected percentage of residents in usable buildings as a proxy to measure resilience. The results are aggregated by municipality and by territorial context based on the population in usable and unusable residential buildings in the short and long time span due to their structural damages, which are evaluated by means of probabilistic risk assessments and census data. The proposed framework is applied to all municipalities in five regions of southern Italy and the results are discussed to understand the consequences of housing functionality losses from a resilience perspective understood as the capacity of an urban system to respond to seismic events and recover from them.

Superimposing Sex-Politics in Melvin Van Peebles’s Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song

Literature centering on Melvin Van Peebles's influential, and controversial, independent film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) has focused on the hermeneutics of reception, the timeliness and appropriateness of a talkback by an oppressed race, and the role of the sexual numbers within a film advertised as more of a politically charged product than of a pornographic one. None of the scholarship research incorporates the three crucial parts of the film, showcased visibly in the title itself, into the issues of reception, of critical race strategism, and of sexual politics—what is missing is precisely a productive mode of reading into being and meaning the sweet back, the bad ass, and the background songs. This essay attempts to insert the back side of sex, including the back itself and the ass, both of which I will subsume under the term "back," into the matrix of sex and politics. I argue that back sex directs the audience toward an inescapable engagement between sexual politics and racial politics, that sex serves—is made to serve—within not just the consciousness formation of the individual but also the consciousness formation of the individual within the community. Back sex therefore is revolutionary and constantly in crisis because it changes instead of repeating itself: unlike penile sex characterized by frontal/confrontational penetration, the back gestures a communitarian plurality of sex that escapes classic understanding of monogamous sex within the neoliberal family structure, and the ass emphasizes constant movement, sidewise, back and forth, that oscillates between a vulnerable position that requires backing and a determined democratic demand to be allowed to move counter-progressively. I emphasize the need to read the back as an instance of sex-politics into a more immediate consciousness of the audience, who in turn will benefit not from a total abandonment of penile sexual politics but rather from a novel engagement with the politically charged sexuality of a new zone named the back.

Investigating critical failure drivers of construction project at planning stage in Saudi Arabia

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to identify the constraints and restrictions and their impact on the construction projects in Saudi Arabia from three key participants' perspectives for the planning stage.Design/methodology/approachUsing a descriptive-analytical approach, this research described and analyzed the frequency and severity of failure factors in construction projects in the planning stage using a five-Likert scale questionnaire in Saudi Arabia construction between 2019 and 2020. A total of 100 experts from contractors, consultants and owners were included in the study.FindingsThe findings have shown that time dispute was the major factor affecting the projects to be failed. Similarly, cost overrun and total abandonment have an impact on project failures. The findings have indicated that government officials were involved in delaying the projects while contractors also failed in the project deliveries.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed to investigate the relationship between failure characteristics and project success measures in the same stage, in addition to, factors of failure for construction projects' life-cycle stages.Originality/valueThe findings have indicated that government officials were involved in delaying the projects while contractors also failed in the project deliveries.

Effect of Cooperative Housing Societies Accommodation on International Students in India

International students studying in India are being confronted by enormous challenge associated with getting accommodation in India. The current trends emanating from cooperative housing societies rules and regulations change are impacting International students’ comfort in inconvenience ways. The objectives of this research paper are: to identify the causes of the stringent and draconian rules and regulations that are being enforced by cooperative housing societies, and to identify the effects impacted on the international students’ wellbeing. The research strategy uses Primary quantitative research approach. It consists of primary data from two questionnaires gathered from respondents of both landlords(Flat Owners) and International students respectively in Pune, India. The data gathered was used to analyse the causes and effects of accommodation in cooperative housing societies on International Students in India. The sample data consists of 50 Landlords(Flat owners) in cooperative housing societies and 185 International Students respectively in India. The questionnaires were circulated online through Google Form to 100 and 200 respondents respectively and received 50 and 185 responses respectively from them. The survey data indicate that the most accommodation challenges confronting International Students in India were influenced by, first, Constant Rent Increment by landlords(Flat Owners); second, the Cooperative Housing Society's rules and regulations for foreign nationals; and lastly total abandonment by both institution(college) and Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) in getting an apartment. Keywords: cooperative housing societies, accommodation, International students.

The Place of Women in African Culture: The Literary View of Mariama Bâ’s So Long a Letter and Regina Yaou’s Aihui Anka Défi Aux Sorciers

African women have been degraded and relegated to the background of nothingness as a result of undue African cultural patriarchy. They have suffered untold trauma and hardship when it comes to childbearing and rearing. African woman is best known for caring pregnancy, delivery, caring for the child anyhow with or without the father and at adulthood she is denied exercising authority or control over the decision of such children. This paper, as a way of introduction, clarifies the relationship between the child and the extent of damage patriarchy in the African culture has caused. While theorizing Marxism in the works of Mariama Bâ, so long a letter and Régina Yaou’s Aihui Anka défi aux sorciers with a view to advocating a ‘restructuring’ of African culture and tradition to disallow total abandonment of women’s ideas concerning her constituency (The home) thereby oppressing and underrating her opinions. The paper concludes that while women’s contribution in the home should be that of partner in progress and disagree that the kitchen is her constituency. They should be encouraged, patriarchal over-bearing dominance discouraged; a compromise should be reached to achieve a peaceful and blissful home. Though, African cultural values must be defended and upheld.

Stakeholders Opinion on Selected Effects of Road Construction Delay in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Many variables are involved in the construction of road projects. These variables changes with project types and sizes, thus challenging management of these projects to uncertainties. The resulting effects of schedule overrun may be reduced but cannot be completely depleted or eliminated. At these times of scarce and competing resources, critical effects of construction delay are prompted for effective resource deployment in making investment decisions. Eleven important effects of construction delay of road projects awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) derived from literature and desk file review were identified. These factors which can be linked with stakeholders in the NDDC’s road construction industry i.e., client, contractor, consultant and estate valuer were evaluated by utilising quantitative analysis to get the stakeholder’s opinions on the critical effects from the selected array. Analysis of the questionnaire was also done to assess its statistical significance. To achieve this objectives, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) which includes; Cronbach Alpha Coefficient (CAC) calculation, reliability analysis, multivariate and inferential statistics were employed. The most critical effects of construction delay of road projects awarded by NDDC in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria are: time overrun, cost overrun, litigation and Disruption to traffic movement. The next critical effects are obstruction of economical and urban movement, total abandonment, dispute, delay of other projects related to the main one, and breach of contract.

Causes of Delay for Construction Projects

Delay can be delay can be defined as the extra time required or incurred either beyond the stipulated completion date or beyond the date that the project stakeholders agreed upon for the completion of the project. The various effects of delay include time overrun, cost overrun, dispute, Total abandonment, Litigation, Arbitration. The objective this study is to review various journals on causes of delay for construction projects. Hence in this paper a number journals are summarized and suggestion for reducing delay in construction is given.

Golf: Is It a New Form of Sustainable Tourism or a Violation of Traditional Rural Vocations? Italy and Brazil: Comparison between Two Case Studies

The present research work analyzes the path of territorial reconfiguration that has led to the new uses of agricultural land. In particular, the analysis focuses on the conflict of use between agriculture and sport. Is the sporting practice of golf a new form of sustainable tourism or a violation of traditional rural vocations? The paper compares two case studies in Italy and Brazil to try to answer the aforementioned research question. The two cases under study represent a conflict of land use between the hypothesis of persevering solely agricultural activity and the possibility of introducing new activities. Often, however, agriculture as the only activity practiced by a population is not enough to ensure a sufficient income; it is therefore necessary to diversify economic activities. As will be seen in the text, this does not mean a total abandonment of the primary activity in favor of other land uses apparently in contrast with it.

Developing a preliminary cost estimation model for tall buildings based on machine learning

ABSTRACT The last half-century has witnessed an astronomical rise in the number of tall building projects in urban centers globally. These projects however frequently experience delays and total abandonment due to economic reasons. This study presents the application of Machine Learning techniques in the systematic development of a model to estimate the preliminary cost of tall building projects. The techniques considered include Multi-Linear Regression Analysis (MLRA), k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Multi Classifier Systems. Twelve models were developed and compared using standard performance metrics. The results revealed that the best performing model was based on a Multi Classifier System using KNN as the combining classifier, with a Correlation Coefficient (R2) of 0.81, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 6.09, and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 80.95%. This research showed the potential of modern digital technologies such as machine learning to solve problems of the construction industry. The procedure described in this study is of significant value to research and practice in the development of preliminary cost estimation models. The developed model can function as a decision support tool in the preliminary cost estimation stage of tall building projects.

Marcas de cantería en la iglesia Matriz de Moquegua, Perú

La práctica de “firmar” los sillares mediante signos identificadores es muy antigua; fue muy común, sobre todo en la Europa medieval, de donde se trasplantó a América. El muro superviviente de la iglesia matriz de Moquegua —muchas veces destruida por sismos y erupciones hasta su abandono total en 1868— contiene la mayor concentración conocida de signos de cantero del Perú. Se han reconocido 107 tipos de signos alfabéticos, geométricos y figurativos grabados posiblemente entre 1784 y 1792 y que se caracterizan por su gran talla y la tosquedad de su trazo. Existen por lo menos dos tipos de ejemplares singulares de carácter figurativo que quizá no correspondan a marcas lapicidas, sino que podrían considerarse como litograbados. El artículo contiene, además, un repaso sobre el origen de las marcas de cantero y los estudios precursores sobre ellas.

Evaluating changes in the prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting among 0-14 years old girls in Nigeria using data from multiple surveys: A novel Bayesian hierarchical spatio-temporal model.

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is considered a public health and human rights concern, mainly concentrated in Africa, and has been targeted for elimination under the sustainable development goals. Interventions aimed at ending the practice often rely on data from household surveys which employ complex designs leading to outcomes that are not totally independent, thus requiring advanced statistical techniques. Combining data from multiple surveys within robust statistical framework holds promise to provide more precise estimates due to increased sample size, and accurately identify 'hotspots' and allow for assessment of changes over time. In this study, rich datasets from six (6) successive waves of the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys undertaken between 2003 and 2016/17, were combined and analyzed in order to better assess changes in the likelihood and prevalence of FGM/C among 0-14-year old girls in Nigeria. We used Bayesian hierarchical regression models which explicitly accounted for the inherent spatial and temporal autocorrelations within the data while simultaneously adjusting for variations due to different survey methods and the effects of linear and non-linear covariates. Parameters were estimated using Markov chain Mote Carlo techniques and model fit assessments were based on Deviance Information Criterion. Results show that prevalence of FGM/C among 0-14 years old girls in Nigeria varied over time and across geographical locations and peaked in 2008 with a shift from South to North. A girl was more likely to be cut if her mother was cut, supported FGM/C continuation, or had no higher education. The effects of mother's age, wealth and type of residence (urban-rural) were no longer significant in 2016. These results reflect the gains of interventions over the years, but also echo the belief that FGM/C is a social norm thus requiring tailored all-inclusive interventions for the total abandonment of FGM/C in Nigeria.

A Multi-decadal Comparative Analysis of a Set of Physicochemical and Nutrient Parameters in the Tropical Tidal Creeks of Indian Sundarban Mangrove Biosphere Reserve

Salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved inorganic nitrate (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP), and reactive silicate (DSi) concentrations were measured in three tidal creeks in the Sagar Island (situated within the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, India) during 2016–17, once in a month throughout an annual cycle. The present observations were compared with a study carried out three-decade ago in the same locations during 1988–89. There was no significant difference in salinity between the years 1988-89 and 2016-17. Compared to the 1988–89 scenario, pH reduced considerably during 2016–17, indicating the dominance of heterotrophic activities over autotrophic processes. The comparative analysis shows that DO varied between 3.8 mg l− 1 and 5.4 mg l− 1 during 1988–89, which went to hypoxic levels (< 2 mg l− 1) during 2016–17. Such hypoxic conditions can lead to direct mortality of several marine biotas that thrives in these creeks. DIN and DSi concentrations reduced significantly. Compared to the 1988–89 scenario, DIN and DSi concentrations reduced by three times and ten times, respectively, in the year 2016-17. DIP concentration showed an increase in annual mean concentration, which was statistically not significant. Despite that DIN:DIP ratio reduced significantly during 2016–17 compared to that of 1988–89, which can lead to changes in the primary productivity potential of the phytoplankton community. Such changes in concentrations of the physicochemical and nutrient parameters can adversely affect the sustenance of several aquatic life forms and lead to changes in species composition or total abandonment.