Development of Performance Properties of Ternary Mixes: Scoping Study, June 2005

Pozzolans and slag extend the market for concrete products by improving specific properties of the products, which allows the products to be constructed with materials or placed in environments that would have precluded the use of portland cement alone. In properly formulated concrete mixes, pozzolans and slag have been shown to enhance long-term strength, decrease permeability, increase durability, reduce thermal cracking of mass concrete, minimize or eliminate cracking related to alkali-silica reaction (ASR), and minimize or eliminate cracking related to sulfate attack. The purpose of this research project was to conduct a scoping study that could be used to evaluate the need for additional research in the area of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that are used in concrete for highway applications. Special emphasis was given to the concept of using two or more SCMs in a single concrete mixture. The scope of the study was limited to a literature survey and panel discussions concerning issues relevant to the project. No laboratory work was conducted for this project. A problem statement with research plan was created that could be used to guide a pooled fund project.

Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience (SHEAR) scoping study: Annex 3 - Early warning system and risk assessment case studies

This report provides case studies of Early Warning Systems (EWSs) and risk assessments encompassing three main hazard types: drought; flood and cyclone. The case studies are taken from ten countries across three continents (focusing on Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean). The case studies have been developed to assist the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to prioritise areas for Early Warning System (EWS) related research under their ‘Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience’ (SHEAR) programme. The aim of these case studies is to ensure that DFID SHEAR research is informed by the views of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and communities engaged with Early Warning Systems and risk assessments (including community-based Early Warning Systems). The case studies highlight a number of challenges facing Early Warning Systems (EWSs). These challenges relate to financing; integration; responsibilities; community interpretation; politics; dissemination; accuracy; capacity and focus. The case studies summarise a number of priority areas for EWS related research: • Priority 1: Contextualising and localising early warning information • Priority 2: Climate proofing current EWSs • Priority 3: How best to sustain effective EWSs between hazard events? • Priority 4: Optimising the dissemination of risk and warning information • Priority 5: Governance and financing of EWSs • Priority 6: How to support EWSs under challenging circumstances • Priority 7: Improving EWSs through monitoring and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of those systems

Landscape and well-being: a scoping study on the health-promoting impact of outdoor environments

OBJECTIVES: The present literature review conceptualises landscape as a health resource that promotes physical, mental, and social well-being. Different health-promoting landscape characteristics are discussed. METHODS: This article is based on a scoping study which represents a special kind of qualitative literature review. Over 120 studies have been reviewed in a five-step-procedure, resulting in a heuristic device. RESULTS: A set of meaningful pathways that link landscape and health have been identified. Landscapes have the potential to promote mental well-being through attention restoration, stress reduction, and the evocation of positive emotions; physical well-being through the promotion of physical activity in daily life as well as leisure time and through walkable environments; and social well-being through social integration, social engagement and participation, and through social support and security. CONCLUSION: This scoping study allows us to systematically describe the potential of landscape as a resource for physical, mental and social well-being. A heuristic framework is presented that can be applied in future studies, facilitating systematic and focused research approaches and informing practical public health interventions.

MSc Thesis - Discoverability Strategies for Open Educational Resources: A Scoping Study

With an early focus on achieving a critical mass of released open educational content, challenges of how resources can be found by beneficiaries has been highlighted as a major issue. As we move forward further research and investigation is required to understand the most effective approaches of reaching out to and engaging a globally dispersed population of education users. In 2014 I conducted a small scale scoping study into the discoverability strategies identified as being used by higher education institutions releasing OERs in the UK. This was mapped against a body of literature on our understanding of user behaviour for online resource discovery and the technologies available to support this to identify trends and gaps as opportunities for improvements. Please note this report was not originally written for publication. I hope however it is of value to the open education community and will act as a starting point for further research in this area.

Enough is Enough - Food Poverty Scoping Exercise

In March 2015, over 80 people, representing food banks, churches, advice services, community organisations, statutory agencies and universities attended the ‘Enough is Enough’  launch event in City Church, Belfast to examine the rising demand for emergency food across the city.The ‘Enough is Enough’ project aims to harness the expertise of health and social care professionals, city councillors, advice workers, food banks, community and faith based organisations and strategic bodies across Belfast to collectively address the issue of food poverty. This scoping study lays the foundation for developing an action plan to tackle food poverty in Belfast in collaboration with the community, voluntary and statutory sectors.The Belfast Food Network (BFN) commissioned the project with funding from the Public Health Agency. The research was carried out by Jenny McCurry, who also wrote the report, on behalf of Advice NI.  The project was initiated and developed by Dr Elizabeth Mitchell, Institute of Public Health in Ireland, in her role as convener of the BFN Food Poverty Working Group (BFN/FPWG). Thanks are due to Kevin Higgins, Head of Policy, Advice NI, and Kerry Melville, Co-ordinator, BFN, for their involvement in the project.The BFN is a founding member of the pioneering Sustainable Food Cities Network (SFC). Therapidly growing BFN was established in March 2014 to work with partners to establish a successful Sustainable Food City in Belfast.ACCESS AUDIO AND VIDEO FROM THE EVENT