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The evaluation comprised the excavation of two trial trenches over proposed building footprints at the north of the Site, avoiding known underground services, in the locations shown in Figure 1. Each evaluation trench measured 15m by 10m at the existing ground level and was excavated in stepped fashion to a depth of c. 5m, with an area of c. 2.5m by 1.5m exposed at the base. All machine excavation continued in spits down to the surface of the river gravels, organic mud or fine-grained alluvium. Trial trenches were stepped in by 1m at 1m depth, 2m at 2m depth etc. to the base of Holocene alluvium/surface of Pleistocene gravel at a maximum depth of c. 4.95m, giving a basal surface area of c. 2.5m x 1.5m for each trench. Spoil was stored in bunds adjacent to the trial trenches, with a space of at least 1m being maintained between the edge of the trench and the base of the bund. Previous geotechnical investigations on the site indicated standing water levels between 1.25m and 2.2m. It was therefore necessary to extract water from the evaluation trenches using submersible electric pumps powered by portable petrol-driven generators and discharged to a live drain located at the south-east of the site. An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in November 2017 on land south of Merrielands Crescent, Dagenham. The evaluation comprised the excavation of two evaluation trenches to a depth of c. 5m, each measuring 15m by 10m at the surface and stepped down to expose an area measuring c. 2.5m by 1.5m at the base. Pleistocene Terrace gravel was exposed at the base of the westernmost trench and was overlain by significant, fine-grained alluvial deposits, which were also recorded in the eastern trench, though the gravel was not exposed there. Comparable alluvium had previously been recorded during borehole surveys of the site and represented early Holocene development of the Thames Floodplain. The alluvium was overlain in both trenches by an intermittent peat deposit, representing a cessation of alluviation at the edge of the floodplain and development of a marginal carr environment. Comparable material was recorded during the earlier surveys; radiocarbon dating indicating a period of accumulation between the Middle Neolithic and Middle Bronze Age periods. The peat was overlain by further extensive alluvial deposits in both trenches, comparable with material exposed during the earlier surveys that saw accumulation over a prolonged period between the Middle Bronze Age and early 19th century. In both trenches it was observable that alluvial accumulation was not continuous, as cut features were present between alluvial units. The stratigraphic sequence in each trench was capped by made ground deposited during the 19th and 20th centuries.

BACKGROUND: Communication delays are the most common impairment in early childhood and have a negative effect on long-term academic, psychological and social development. Baseline prevalence of communication delays or disorders enables adequate planning of service delivery and successful implementation of intervention strategies, to reduce disorder prevalence. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and describe the nature of communication delays in infants aged 6 - 12 months in underserved communities in South Africa (SA). METHOD: A parent interview and the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale (RITLS) were used to collect data from the caregivers of 201 infants aged 6 - 12 months by means of convenience sampling at primary healthcare facilities in the Tshwane district, SA. RESULTS: Thirteen percent (n=26) of infants were diagnosed with communication delay. Associations affecting language delays were established for three risk factors (i.e. housing status, age of mother and number of siblings). The effect of combined risk factors on language development revealed that an infant was at greatest risk (27% probability) of developing a language delay when: (i) mothers were between the ages of 19 and 34 years; (ii) parents owned their own home; and (in) there were three or more children in the household. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of communication delays in the sample population was high, possibly because the majority of infants were exposed to risk factors. The implementation of preventive measures such as awareness campaigns and developmental screening and surveillance should be considered in the SA primary healthcare context.

Construction projects are inherently risky undertakings. They are exposed to uncertainties that can either result in failures or the impediment of the project to achieve some of its objectives. This is particularly true in the case of geotechnical engineering. Uncertainties of ground conditions can adversely affect project time, costs as well as safety on any construction project. Conventional techniques used by project management are in many cases insufficient to deal with these uncertainties. This paper describes a PhD project in its very early stages, with the objectives of dealing with the issues of geotechnical engineering and in particular ground related uncertainties. The paper defines the research problem and provides a comprehensive review of literature available on the subject. A main objective of this research project is to identify principal drivers and sources of uncertainties in ground related construction and to develop a framework to support decision-making in managing these uncertainties. The development of the framework will be based on the information collected from the literature review and which will be complemented by data elicited from cases and during interviews with experts. The paper discusses elements that will be required to be included in the framework and how it will be used in supporting decision making.