bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A interdisciplinaridade nas Licenciaturas em Educação do Campo nas Ciências da Natureza: possibilidades e desafios
Authors: Muenchen Cristiane , Sául Tamine Santos
Published: March 2020

Este trabalho objetiva responder de que forma a interdisciplinaridade é trabalhada nas Licenciaturas em Educação do Campo, na Área de Ciências da Natureza, no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil,  a partir da análise de Projetos Pedagógicos e entrevistas, sendo que a metodologia de análise utilizada foi a Análise Textual Discursiva. Como resultados, duas categorias são discutidas: “Possibilidades de interdisciplinaridade” e “Desafios para a prática da interdisciplinaridade” nas Licenciaturas em Educação do Campo. As análises permitiram identificar que os cursos analisados construíram possibilidades, como a formatação dos semestres, das disciplinas e o trabalho a partir de temas. Quanto aos desafios, destaca-se a relevância de uma formação permanente e de espaços para discussões e planejamentos coletivos.
PREDICTING PERFORMANCE IN DESIGN-BID-BUILD PROJECTS
Authors: Franz Bryan , Molenaar Keith , Sanz Amalia , Pellicer Eugenio
Published: March 2020

Design-bid-build (DBB) is the most common delivery method for public and private construction projects in Spain, and is also widely used in the United States (U.S.). While the execution of DBB projects in Spain and the U.S. is similar in many ways, owners in Spain approach the procurement of the general contractor and subcontractors differently. There is a greater emphasis on selecting firms that provide the “best value” of cost, quality and expertise. Comparatively, U.S. owners leading a DBB delivery are more concerned with achieving the lowest first cost. Using data from 67 completed DBB projects in Spain and the U.S., a best subsets regression analysis was performed to develop five models, each predicting a key performance outcome of DBB projects: cost growth, schedule growth, unit cost, delivery speed and intensity. These models separated the effects of the country of origin from other explanatory variables that effect performance. These other explanatory variables include differences in the procurement process, payment terms, the initial unit cost, size of the project, and measures of the project team’s integration and cohesion. The findings of this study show that, while owners in Spain opt for a more robust procurement process, DBB projects in the U.S. have comparable unit cost and are delivered faster and with a greater intensity when all other variables are held constant. This suggests that factors unique to the country of origin, not directly related to the execution of DBB projects, have a distinct effect on their performance.
CHALLENGES OF DESIGN-BUILD METHOD IMPLEMENTATION IN PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT DELIVERY
Authors: Marzuki Puti Farida , Tamin Rizal Zainuddin
Published: March 2020

Infrastructure, including public works, plays a very important role in supporting a nation’s effort for a better condition of life through economic growth and, in this regard, the Indonesian government is striving to accelerate the execution of a vast number of construction projects. A total budget of around USD 420 billion is made available to realize the program. Meanwhile, public works project delivery in Indonesia still have problems hampering the achievement of its ultimate objective, i.e. producing high quality facilities on time and without cost overruns. A breakthrough in project delivery is needed to ameliorate the condition. This paper describes Indonesia’s struggle to shift from a traditional Design-Bid-Build to a Design-Build delivery system for big public works construction projects. The research consists of a desk study of related existing literature and planning as well as evaluation documents to identify and analyze the challenges and strategic issues of this undertaking to create better value for money. A critical review of a recently issued Indonesian public works’ ministerial regulation on design-build project delivery system is also carried out. Finally, the paper offers important suggestions for a thrust forward to improve the quality of Indonesia’s public works’ construction project delivery and construction industry as a whole in supporting infrastructure development.
RESILIENT COMMUNITIES FOR SAFE CITIES
Authors: Ladiana Daniela , Di Sivo Michele
Published: March 2020

The increase in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters in recent years require new methods and tools to deal with this change. New approaches must be developed to ensure the safety of cities and settled communities from these events. Implementing the resilience of a territory requires an integrated approach to act simultaneously on physical, economic and social reality. The described research had investigated on possible tools to really improve physical and social dimension. Resilience is assumed as a paradigm within the project for the construction/transformation of the built environment. Is highlighted the fundamental role of the social component in determining priorities and security issues for each specific context. Physical and social environment are characterized, therefore, as an inseparable dyad for any action aimed at strengthening the resilience and safety of the environment built. In the implementation process of the resilience of an urban system, two closely interrelated areas are identified: for one, the community capability of implementing organizational-procedural adaptability; contrary, the physical space and the natural dimension, as a place of construction of the technological-spatial convertibility, and the ecological and environmental responsiveness. Among the several conditions to ensure adequate levels of connection and correlation with ecological factors, topological, social and technological developments of the built environment, in this paper are described those related to risk communication as fundamental first tool.
CORPORATE FINAL NODAL DESTINATION CHOICES IN THE EXODUS FROM JOHANNESBURG CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
Authors: Khatleli Nthatisi
Published: March 2020

The opening up of the invisible barriers after the fall of apartheid in South Africa led to massive internal migrations and relocations to bigger cities. Johannesburg as the biggest economic hub not only in South Africa but in Africa, pulled the majority of the new opportunity seekers from across the Africa continent. This uncontrolled influx led to overcrowding, increased crime and grime in the city center of Johannesburg. The loss of value of property in this part of the city led to a lot of corporate organizations relocating to budding economic nodes in and around Johannesburg. The study seeks to understand the processes that were applied in deciding the suitable new Headquarters for these blue chip companies. The new nodes that accommodated the new relocators have over time assumed identities of their own in terms of the type of companies that are mostly found in these areas. Although these identity nuances are not pronounced at first glance, they are accentuated with greater scrutiny. The study sought to see if there is a fit between the independent observation of the characteristics of these locations and the perceived attractors to the blue chip firms. This was achieved by interviewing the executives of these companies and sending emails to some in order to understand the processes and triggers affecting their decisions. It was generally observed that prestige and locational characteristics that complemented the company’s ethos were the overriding triggers in deciding on the final nodal destination.
EFFECT OF HEIGHT AND ORIENTATION OF INTERFERING BUILDINGS ON WIND LOADS ON TALL BUILDINGS
Authors: Chauhan Bharat , Ahuja Ashok
Published: March 2020

The research work presented in this paper investigates the effect of interference on wind loads on a tall building (instrumented building) having rectangular cross-sectional shape due to the presence of two interfering buildings close to the instrumented building. The effect of interference on the instrumented building is studied with the variation of height and relative orientation of the interfering buildings with respect to the instrumented building. Wind tunnel experiments are undertaken using five component force balance load cell and the results are reported in the form of X-Y plots. The effect of interference in both shielding as well as enhancing the wind load on the instrumented building, is seen to increase with the increase in the height of the interfering building. Negative drag force is also observed in few cases where shielded part of the instrumented building is large. Value of torsion on the instrumented building is observed to be as high as ten times of that in the isolated case.
BEHAVIOR OF EXPANSIVE CONCRETE-FILLED STEEL TUBULAR COLUMNS UNDER AXIAL LOADINGS
Authors: Mwafy Aman , El-Dieb Ame , Lazkani Abdulaziz
Published: March 2020

Concrete-filled steel tubes (CFSTs) have been introduced to expedite construction and increase the confinement of concrete by the steel tube. While changing the confinement level through the use of expansive additives (EAs) will have an impact on the performance of CFSTs, limited information is available on the behavior of expansive concrete-filled steel tubular (ECFST) columns. The objective of this study is thus twofold: (i) to experimentally assess the behavior of axially loaded ECFSTs, and (ii) to investigate the correlation between the test results and those obtained from prediction approaches. The experimental program of this study consists of testing four 1500 mm CFST/ECFST columns with 153.6 mm outer diameter and 3 mm thickness. The ECFST specimens are divided into two subgroups with 0% and 12% EA dosage and two concrete mixtures, 16 and 37 MPa. The results indicate that the latter is the most promising mixture since it results in a significant enhancement of 64% in the axial load capacity of ECFST columns compare with CFSTs. The study also recommends employing specific confined concrete models with the existing code prediction approaches to arrive at the best correlation with test results.
DAMAGE MODELING AND ASSESSMENT FOR BRITTLE MATERIALS
Authors: Yazdani Siamak , Salehi Amin , Saboori Ashkan , Jahani Babak , Borgersen Svenn
Published: March 2020

Observed nonlinearities in frictional and brittle solids such as concrete, rocks, ceramics, and some composites arise mainly due to the nucleation and propagation of microvoids and microcracks. Microcrack formation, propagation, and coalescence damage the material and renders it more compliant. Microdefects and cracks are also usually irreversible and cause strong anisotropy in the response to loads. This paper presents a damage mechanics model to capture material anisotropy and damage under multiaxial stress states for proportional and fatigue type loadings. The theory is cast within the generally accepted principles of thermodynamics with internal variables where the dissipation inequality is invoked to develop loading surfaces. Flow rules for the onset of inelastic deformations is provided and specific damage laws are proposed. The model extension to the cyclic and fatigue type loading is presented and numerical results are provided with comparison to the available experimental data.
ASSESSMENT OF ADDITIVE AND CONVENTIONAL MANUFACTURING: CASE STUDIES FROM THE AEC INDUSTRY
Authors: Mrazovic Nataša , Mocibob Danijel , Lepech Michael , Fischer Martin
Published: March 2020

Given the development of Additive Manufacturing (AM), popularly known as 3D Printing, the coexistence of AM and conventional manufacturing (CM) in AEC will be a reality for the foreseeable future. Case studies on two AM metallic building components demonstrated that AM for building components is technologically feasible but cost-prohibitive today, and, in some cases, has lower environmental impacts than CM. Firstly, a feasibility study was conducted to assess the applicability, time to manufacture, and manufacturing cost of AM vs. CM of specific metallic building components. Secondly, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to assess environmental impacts of AM and CM for those two cases. The case studies were the first well-documented comparative analyses of AM vs. CM for building components, and they contribute to the emerging "AM-in-AEC" knowledge base with their assessment approach, findings and documented baseline efforts for the analyses. The studies also revealed that AEC practitioners lack a systematic way to rapidly and consistently assess the applicability (A), schedule (S), environmental impacts (E), and cost (C) of AM compared with CM to produce building components. Future work includes formalization of such an ASEC multi-criteria framework and impact assessment of the formalized assessment process on the effort and the consistency of the assessment between different assessors.
ACHIEVING REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
Authors: Al-Khafaji Amir W. , Guha Seshadri , Al-Khafaji Laith
Published: March 2020

The mayor of Peoria constituted the Peoria Sustainability Commission (PSC) in late 2008 with the mission “To transform Peoria into a community that promotes social equity, green economy, and a healthy environment through policy development, incentives, and initiatives to sustain a quality way of life.” The Commission utilized a unique breakthrough model, which brought together members from diverse backgrounds, functions, expertise, and viewpoints to form a shared vision. The group started with fewer than ten leaders within the community but has now grown to more than 30 members and continues to attract the movers and shakers in the region. The PSC was divided into six subcommittees, which formulated ideas and recommendations targeted towards improving sustainability for their focus areas and enlisting the help of the business community. The Peoria model diverges from traditional models in that it deployed actionable strategy and eliminates silos inherent in most commissions. The core objective was to develop an action plan, commission structure, and seeking feedback and guidance from stakeholders to inspire new ways of thinking. The critical changes identified included moving the PSC focus from a local Peoria-centric model to a regional model and to modify the Commission structure to cross-functional teams to better adapt to future development in the social, environmental and economic areas. The action plan, structure, targets, and PSC achievements are presented in this paper.
SUSTAINABLE ULTRA-HIGH-PERFORMANCE GLASS CONCRETE FOR INFRASTRUCTURES
Authors: Tagnit-Hamou Arezki , Soliman Nancy A.
Published: March 2020

This paper presents research work on the development of a green type of ultra-high-performance concrete using ground glass powders with different degrees of fineness (UHPGC). This article presents the development of an innovative, low-cost, and sustainable UHPGC through the use of glass powder to replace cement, and quartz powder particles. An UHPGC with a compressive strength (fc) of up to 220 MPa was prepared and its fresh, and mechanical properties were investigated. The test results indicate that the fresh UHPGC properties were improved when the cement and quartz powder were replaced with non-absorptive glass powder particles. The strength improvement can be attributed to the glass powder’s pozzolanicity and to its mechanical performance (very high strength and elastic modulus of glass). A case study of using this UHPGC is presented through the design and construction of a footbridge. Erection of footbridge at University of Sherbrooke Campus using UHPGC is also presented as a full-scale application.
FACTORS INFLUENCING PRODUCTIVITY IN CONSTRUCTION
Authors: Almathami Khedher Yahya , Trigunarsyah Bambang , Coffey Vaughan
Published: March 2020

Over the past three decades, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has witnessed a significant increase in new building projects and construction industry activity. The KSA construction industry is expected to continue developing and growing at a significant rate in the coming decades. However, several serious issues currently face the construction industry, in particular low productivity, which have contributed to poor outcomes where projects have been delayed or postponed. This paper discusses the major factors influencing productivity in the KSA construction industry. A questionnaire survey using a 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the importance of these factors. It was administered to 176 respondents from Grades 1, 2 and 3 construction companies, which are registered in the Contractors Classification Agency under the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MMRA). The questionnaire included five major factors identified from the literature review: managerial, labor-related, materials, tools and equipment, financial, and project-related. Using descriptive statistical analyses, it was found that the most important factors influencing construction productivity were financial factors, including issues such as the limited financial liquidity of the company, payment delays by owners, and limited cash flow. The next main influential factor was project-related, followed by factors related to materials and equipment, labor-related factors, and administrative and managerial factors.
FEASIBILITY, VALUE ENGINEERING, AND ROCK FILL DAMS CONSTRUCTION: A CASE STUDY
Authors: Ahmadi Moghadam Hamed , Ahmadi Sahar , Neshaei Mir Ahmad
Published: March 2020

In this study details of structure of Shahr-e-Bijar concrete-faced rock-fill (CFRD) in Guilan (a province in the north of Iran) and the reasons to select CFRD are presented. To select CFRD first by investigation of 18 different types of dam based on local availability of materials and the ability of constructing by available technology (both Iranian and foreign available technology) six types of them were selected for value engineering. By attention to construction costs, execution time, durability, reliability and performance and ease of construction and operation; and also, the importance coefficient for local government were selected for value engineering. After that 3 types of dam structure (vertical clay core dam, asphalt core dam, and CFRD) had maximum scores. Finally, rock fill dam with concrete surface is selected because despite being more expensive in some cases than other options, it could be considered as a successful dam construction option in Iran because the construction needs no foreign technology and its technology of construction and materials are available. On the other hand, the necessary time for the project is 24 months. The main objective of this project is to avoid time loosing because of materials availability and local technology that needs no finance transferring and no foreign contract that may not be affected by some political condition that delays the project.
STANDARD INFORMATION FOR CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT IN A RELATIONAL DATABASE
Authors: Trani Marco L. , Cassano Manuele , Todaro Davide
Published: March 2020

In the last years, the digital evolution involved the construction sector and produced radical changes in projects elaboration and realization. The diffusion of digital models implies a particular attention on information related to the building elements. For what concerns construction planning and management, this information need to be related to the information of the elements proper of a construction site such as equipment and machines. A deep research focused on the manufacturers’ sheets showed how technical information related to construction equipment are often non-homogenous and incomplete, probably because of a lack of a precise standard. The aims of this research are then the definition of a proper standard information structure for construction equipment and its digitalization thanks to the use of relational Databases and Building Information Models. To do this the amount of information collected from a wide number of datasheets have been standardized and organized in homogenous informative sets to be related in order to gain the correct information package of an equipment. The realization of a relational database permitted to store such data in a digital format and to search them in an efficient way. The realization of a BIM library permitted to provide to designers and firms a tool able to improve and automatize design choices in terms of construction issues.
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION FOR DESIGN MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS
Authors: Silva Tássia Farssura Lima Da , Arrotéia Aline Valverde , Melhado Silvio Burrattino
Published: March 2020

Studies on developments in the Brazilian civil construction report there is still a disconnection between the design phase and implementation in addition to a lack of management and coordination of effective design. This frequent dissociation compresses time and cost of project development that usually can be understood as an isolated instrument. In this context, academic education significantly influences the practices exercised by professionals in the labor market and the fragmented form of education currently adopted does not provide a collaborative environment, affecting the integration of the various agents involved in the development of the project and during the execution of the building. Thus, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of vocational training in project management activities by applying a case study of a large project. As a result, it has been found that the company studied could better manage and coordinate the design process. Similarly, it could reduce project costs and project development time if it had applied effective risk management to avoid negative impacts and losses. The study results indicate that management concepts provide important inputs to professional training of construction agents.
GENETIC ALGORITHM OPTIMIZATION OF MULTIPLE RESOURCES FOR MULTI-PROJECTS
Authors: Fotouh Sarah , Ezeldin A. Samer
Published: March 2020

Optimization of resources is very important in all construction projects. Project managers have to face problems regarding management of cost, time and available resources for single projects. This is more challenging when managing multiple projects. Most of the recent studies focused on optimization of resources for a single project, or a single resource. This paper presents a numerical model of multiple resources optimization for multiple projects using Genetic Algorithm. Most of the companies in the construction industry optimize the resources for single projects only. However, with the presence of several mega projects in several developing countries running at the same time, there is a need for a model to enhance the efficiency of available resources, and decreases the fluctuation as much as possible and try to maximize the use of the available pool of resources. The proposed model is user friendly, and it can optimize up to nine resources in three different projects running at the same time. The model is used on the identified critical resources. It calculates the cost of each resource, minimize the cost of extra resources as much as possible and generate the schedule of each project within a selected overall program.
COMPARISON OF COOLING AND HEATING REQUIREMENTS BETWEEN BRICK VENEER AND FIBRO CEMENT WALLING SYSTEM
Authors: Saha Swapan , Hagare Dharma , Zhou Jiaqi , Hassan Md Kamrul
Published: March 2020

Space cooling and heating in residential sector is significant contributor to energy consumption in Australia. Therefore, it is important to reduce the cooling and heating requirements. The selection of a good walling system helps to save energy by homes. This research compared the thermal efficiency of a modern house (constructed using brick veneer walls with concrete floor slab) with an old house (constructed using fibro cement walls raised timber floor) using the AccuRate simulation tool. A standard house with two living rooms, one kitchen, one laundry and four bedrooms are simulated in a Sydney Suburb in Australia. It was found that modern house showed lower inside temperature variation than the old house all year around. The results also showed that the modern house has a lower energy consumption for space heating and cooling than the old house. The annual energy use for space heating and cooling in both the modern house and old house were 5197 kWh and 15,712 kWh respectively. Moreover, the annual energy costs were found to be $1,403 and $4,242 respectively for modern and old houses. The modern brick veneer house saved about 33 % of energy compared to old old house. When the net present value of the energy cost for f both houses over 50 years is computed, the energy cost of modern house was found to be $25,629 while it of old house is was $77,488 for the old house.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT IN THE SPANISH PUBLIC SECTOR
Authors: Paris Desiree Sandoica , Severino Manuel Soler
Published: March 2020

There are public entities that possess in their hands multiple property assets, that are difficult to manage, being, in many cases, buildings that are considered icons that contribute to the character of their surroundings or that take part of our historical heritage or have some kind of protection. It is difficult for the private sector to manage these assets, if in the public sector, we add the electoral cycle, the problems increase. At a public level, it is more complicated, since it should be understood that the planning of property assets and delivery do not correspond to the political cycles. In addition, policies change once established, perhaps with the development under construction, will inevitably have serious consequences on: the planning, cost and alignment of the building with the final needs of the asset. Therefore, it is important for all the stakeholders to realize that an approach is needed for the long-term management of property asset portfolios. To achieve this goal, we have developed a structured and programmed approach of Property Asset Management adapted to the public sector, in order to provide the best solutions.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING POLICY IMPLEMENTATION MUNICIPALITIES: A CASE STUDY
Authors: Sharma Neetu , Sharma Vishal
Published: March 2020

The city of Edmonton, the fifth largest municipality in Canada, passed the Affordable Housing strategy in year 2015. The strategy formalizes the City’s role in the effort to bring affordable housing to needy residents and outlines the framework to engage the stakeholders for effective implementation. The strategy’s goals include increasing the supply of affordable housing in all areas of the City. This paper focuses on a critical analysis of this goal – especially the implementation phase of the policy. Combining evidence-based implementation has performed analysis, lessons learned from best practices across the globe and presented using the NATO model. Based on the critical analysis, this paper provides recommendations for an effective implementation of affordable housing policy, which can be adapted to other municipalities in Canada.
PROBABILISTIC CALCULATION OF TOTAL LABOR CONSUMPTION RATE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE WORKS – WITH AND WITHOUT CORRELATIONS
Authors: Kummer Markus , Hofstadler Christian
Published: March 2020

Correlations between calculation parameters directly influence the results of probabilistic calculations and their interpretation. In Monte Carlo simulations carried out to systematically integrate uncertainties into the calculation process, input parameter correlations are reflected by correlation coefficients and predominantly influence the chance/risk ratio and ranges of results. Correlations are usually determined indirectly by analyzing existing data series gathered from measurements, surveys, experiments etc. and investigated with respect to their linear relationship. Another option is to directly determine correlation coefficients based on expert surveys. In 2015-16, Kummer and Hofstadler conducted a survey at Graz University of Technology in which experts provided estimates of the coefficients corresponding to the correlations between certain parameters. These considerations concentrated on the labor intensity of reinforced concrete works expressed by the total labor consumption rate, which indicates the amount of labor required for reinforced concrete works per cubic meter of concrete. The total labor consumption rate of reinforced concrete works must consider all activities carried out within the system, such as shuttering, reinforcing and concreting. This paper presents and interprets survey results shown in violin plots, and M-estimators are derived to deliver sound recommendations for considering correlations when determining the total labor consumption rate of reinforced concrete works. An example demonstrates the influence of input parameter correlations on calculating the total labor consumption rate of reinforced concrete works.
DEVELOPMENT OF PORTABLE VIBRATION EXPERIMENT DEVICE TO SUPPORT INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING
Authors: Tsujihara Osamu , Nakatani Yuichi , Okamoto Terumasa , Yamamura Takeshi
Published: March 2020

The scale of vibration is expressed by such measures as the acceleration and seismic intensity. However, it is not realistic for those who have no experiential sense for the scale of vibration. The intuitive feel of vibration helps to foster motivation to learn such the subjects as the earthquake disaster prevention, vibration and earthquake resistance in the department of civil engineering and the architecture. This paper introduces the portable shaking experiment device which is developed as a teaching material to support the intuitive understanding of the scale of vibration such as acceleration and seismic intensity as well as Fourier spectrum. The data of vibration recorded by the accelerometers installed at the shaking table and structure model are processed immediately and the wave form, maximum acceleration, seismic intensity and Fourier spectra are shown in real time. The effectiveness of the proposed experiment device is discussed by the questionnaire survey.
BEHAVIOR OF CORRODED RC BEAMS WITHOUT STIRRUPS REPAIRED WITH CFRP SHEETS
Authors: Al-Saidy Abdullah , El-Gamal Sherif , Al-Jabri Khlaifa , Waris Bilal
Published: March 2020

In reinforced concrete structures located in hot and humid areas, steel reinforcement is generally vulnerable to deterioration due to corrosion. Corrosion of reinforcement in many cases is considered the main cause of concrete structures deterioration, which in turn requires large budgets for repair and maintenance. This paper presents the experimental results of damaged/repaired reinforced concrete beams. The experimental program consisted of testing reinforced concrete rectangular beam specimen’s with/without shear reinforcement and exposed to accelerated corrosion of the longitudinal steel reinforcement on the tension side. Bonding external U-shaped CFRP sheets to restore the strength loss due to corrosion repaired corroded beams without shear reinforcement. The test results showed that corroded beams without stirrups failed in a brittle manner with drop in maximum deflection at failure of approximately 60% compared to the uncorroded beam. Corroded beams with stirrups lost some strength, but failed in ductile manner. Using externally bonded U-shaped CFRP sheets restored the ductility of corroded beams without stirrups and prevented bond failure at the steel concrete interface due to the absence of internal stirrups.
INTERFERENCES BY THE APPLICATION FOR THE CHARGES BY USE OF RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE IN EUROPEAN INTEROPERABILITY
Authors: Torres Juan
Published: March 2020

The European Union adopted a Directives destined to convert the rail sector in a way of competitive transport, giving place to the separation of activities of administration of the infrastructure of the own activities of the exploitation. The opening of the rail transport in diet of free competition and the allocation to the administrator of rail infrastructures of the necessary functions for the provision of services regarding transport of passengers as of commodities. This remained reflected in a series of charges, in which each country created some specific rules of fixation of charges and that has given place to prices very diverse, not only economically but also to the hour to define the same, resulted of the nonexistence of a guideline detailed of how would have to fix the same. This opening, forces the rail companies to fulfill a series of legal requirements, technicians and economics to be able to operate by the European rail network. The economic requirements remained reflected in a series of charges to credit to the administrators of rail infrastructure of the countries by where circulates a rail transport. These charges are established, although the corresponding European Directive regulates them, according to the rule of the country, what gives origin to a diversity of the same.
OPTIMAL BUDGET ALLOCATION MODEL FOR REHABILITATION OF SEWER SYSTEM CONSIDERING SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES
Authors: Kim Yeonsoo , Jang Woosik , Han Seung Heon
Published: March 2020

Municipalities face to challenges related to urban infrastructure, mainly related to aging infrastructure. The metropolitan area of Seoul, Korea, reported that more than half of the entire sewer systems are over 30 years old. The deteriorated sewer systems caused serious safety disaster such as sink hole and other social problems. Furthermore, these phenomena continue to accelerate because the sewer systems are seriously affected by variability of rainfall which results from the climate change and human migration from the social change. Therefore, it is necessary to do proactive rehabilitation instead of overdue maintenance considering the social and environmental change. This research presents the conceptual framework for deciding the priority for investment in the borough of Seoul which is based on the extensive evaluation for identifying the sewer pipelines which need rehabilitation work. To address the comprehensive evaluation of priority for investment, Genetic Algorithm (GA), is adopted to find optimal budget allocation for each borough which is derived from considering the technical, economic, environmental, and social aspects. The result can be used as reference to budget allocation to improve the sustainability of the sewer systems.
EFFECT OF RECYCLED MATERIALS ON THE TENSILE BEHAVIOR OF STEEL FIBER-REINFORCED CEMENT COMPOSITE
Authors: Kim Sun-Woo , Park Wan-Shin , Jang Young-Il , Nam Yi-Hyun , Kim Sun-Woong , Lee Jong-Won , Yun Hyun-Do
Published: March 2020

Conventional cement composite is generally produced with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as a binder. However, during manufacturing the cement composite, large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) are emitted. Therefore, fly ash is proposed to be replaced to OPC in order to reduce CO2 emission of cement composites. For reinforcing fibers, micro steel fibers were used. For investigating mechanical properties of steel fiber-reinforced cement composites (SFRCCs), direct tension tests were conducted. The test results showed that fly ash improves tensile strength and ductility of SFRCCs. However, tensile strength of the SFRCC decreased as replacement ratio of recycled fine aggregate increased. The use of recycled materials in FRCC helps to save natural resources and promote sustainability in civil engineering materials.
THE STUDY ON THE PROPERTIES OF Ca CONCRETE UNDER NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Shimabukuro Atsushi
Published: March 2020

The Ca-based solidification material has neutrality so that it would be expected to be new material to reduce environmental load instead of cement in the construction field. The concrete using this material, which is Ca concrete, is useful for construction material from past research. In previous researches, we showed that the compressive strength of Ca concrete and the compressive strength of AE concrete, which contains the entrained air, had nearly equal strength under same mixture condition, and the behavior under compression loading of Ca concrete showed a tendency similar to cement concrete. Also, the compressive strength of Ca concrete obtained the stable strength when it had the curing for four weeks. Therefore, Ca concrete would be used in the same way as cement concrete for construction field. This study investigates to consider further properties of Ca concrete. Particularly, it is paid attention to the water absorbability, water retentivity, and the compressive strength under natural environment. As a result, it is clear that the Ca concrete has the higher water absorbability and the water retentivity as compared with cement concrete and the compressive strength of Ca concrete under natural exposure does not decrease even if the length of natural exposure passes for 104 weeks. Hence, the Ca concrete would apply to construction material under natural environment as one of the measures against urban heat island phenomenon.
Environmentalism, Ecologism, and Basic Income
Authors: Pinto Jorge
Published: March 2020

The Greens are the political group in which the support for the implementation of a basic income is stronger. Nevertheless, the reasons for that support are not always clear and quite often not related to environmental issues. For this reason, two different approaches to a green BI – environmental and ecological – are discussed in this article. The first could be part of a green growth strategy, whereas the second would require structural changes to the economic model, in support of a post-productivist economy. Although showing some overlaps, these models are in conflict in some central aspects, such as the role of economic growth in promoting sustainability. For this reason, it might be incorrect to assume that an environmental BI is a step toward an ecological BI. We will focus on the green aspects as a consequence of implementing a BI and independently of its sources of funding – namely by looking into the amount a BI needs to be in order to support shifting activities from the market to the autonomous sphere – and on the green potential of its sources of financing.
Wilkinson Power Divider with Band-pass Filtering Response and Harmonics Suppression Using Open and Short Stubs
Authors: Lotfi Saeedeh , Roshani Saeed , Roshani Sobhan , Gilan Maryam Shirzadian
Published: March 2020

In this paper, a new Wilkinson Power Divider ‎‎(WPD) using open and short stubs is proposed. ‎Open and short stubs are utilized instead of 1/4 wave transmission lines in initial ‎structure to achieve harmonics suppression. The proposed WPD is designed for ‎operational frequency of 0.9 GHz and creates 3 transmission ‎zeros at 1.8 GHz, 2.7 GHz and 3.6 GHz, for suppressing second, third and fourth harmonics. The proposed WPD has been fabricated and the ‎measurement results are in good accordance with simulation results. The designed ‎WPD has a 22 % fractional bandwidth with 0.1 dB insertion loss.‎
The 2-pebbling property of squares of paths and Graham’s conjecture
Authors: Li Yueqing , Ye Yongsheng
Published: March 2020

A pebbling move on a graphGconsists of taking two pebbles off one vertex and placing one pebble on an adjacent vertex. The pebbling number of a connected graphG, denoted byf(G), is the leastnsuch that any distribution ofnpebbles onGallows one pebble to be moved to any specified vertex by a sequence of pebbling moves. In this paper, we determine the 2-pebbling property of squares of paths and Graham’s conjecture on$\begin{array}{} P_{2n}^2 \end{array} $.
Existence conditions for periodic solutions of second-order neutral delay differential equations with piecewise constant arguments
Authors: I. Muminov Mukhiddin , H. M. Murid Ali
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we describe a method to solve the problem of finding periodic solutions for second-order neutral delay-differential equations with piecewise constant arguments of the form x″(t) + px″(t − 1) = qx([t]) + f(t), where [⋅] denotes the greatest integer function, p and q are nonzero real or complex constants, and f(t) is complex valued periodic function. The method reduces the problem to a system of algebraic equations. We give explicit formula for the solutions of the equation. We also give counter examples to some previous findings concerning uniqueness of solution.
Relatively residuated lattices and posets
Authors: Chajda Ivan , Kühr Jan , Länger Helmut
Published: March 2020

It is known that every relatively pseudocomplemented lattice is residuated and, moreover, it is distributive. Unfortunately, non-distributive lattices with a unary operation satisfying properties similar to relative pseudocomplementation cannot be converted in residuated ones. The aim of our paper is to introduce a more general concept of a relatively residuated lattice in such a way that also non-modular sectionally pseudocomplemented lattices are included. We derive several properties of relatively residuated lattices which are similar to those known for residuated ones and extend our results to posets.
The study of piecewise pseudo almost periodic solutions for impulsive Lasota-Wazewska model with discontinuous coefficients
Authors: Song Na , Xia Zheng-De , Hou Qiang
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we study the existence and global exponential stability of positive piecewise pseudo almost periodic solutions for the impulsive Lasota-Wazewska model with multiply time-varying delays when coefficients are piecewise pseudo almost periodic. Under proper conditions, by using the Gronwall’s inequation, we establish some criteria to ensure that the solution of this model stability exponentially to a positive piecewise pseudo almost periodic solution. Moreover, an example and its numerical simulation are given to illustrate the theoretical results.
Modified Lupaş-Jain operators
Authors: Bodur Murat
Published: March 2020

The goal of this paper is to propose a modification of Lupaş-Jain operators based on a function ρ having some properties. Primarily, the convergence of given operators in weighted spaces is discussed. Then, order of approximation via weighted modulus of continuity is computed for these operators. Further, Voronovskaya type theorem in quantitative form is taken into consideration, as well. Ultimately, some graphical results that illustrate the convergence of investigated operators to f are given.
Scrutiny of some fixed point results by S-operators without triangular inequality
Authors: Khojasteh Farshid , Khandani Hassan
Published: March 2020

In this work, the discussion centers on introducing non-triangular metric as a generalization of JS-metric, which may lessen the frantic pace of working on generalizing the triangle inequality by omitting it from the original ordinary metric’s definition. Then, we present S-operators as a new sort of mappings included some properties in order to characterize some known contractions. After that, we graft non-triangular metric onto S-operators in order to make the worthwhile fixed point results facile to prove and conceive.
Agenda-setting and Public Policy in Private Foundations
Authors: Williamson Alexandra Kate , Luke Belinda
Published: March 2020

This paper examines advocacy, agenda-setting and the public policy focus of private philanthropic foundations in Australia. While concerns have been raised regarding advocacy and public policy influence of foundations in countries such as the U.S., less is understood on this issue in other contexts. Interviews were conducted with 11 managers and trustees of 10 Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs) in late 2014. Analysis of publicly available data on the participating PAFs was then undertaken comparing PAF information available at the time of the interviews with that available approximately five years later, to consider any changes in the public communication of their agendas. Findings reveal PAFs’ agendas were largely consistent with public policy but may vary in the approaches to address social causes. Further, a preference for privacy indicates the PAF sector may be characterised as ‘quiet philanthropy’ rather than having a visible public presence. As such, PAFs’ advocacy focused on promoting philanthropy, rather than altering or influencing public policy. Our main contention is that the conceptions of advocacy in structured philanthropy are dominated by the obvious, the outliers and the noisy. Our contribution to the philanthropic literature is a more nuanced and broader discussion of how advocacy and agenda-setting occurs and is understood in the mainstream.
Giving Voice beyond Her Vote: How Women Used Charitable Giving to Create Social Change after the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
Authors: Mesch Debra J. , Osili Una O. , Bergdoll Jonathan J. , Skidmore Tessa B. , Ackerman Jacqueline E. L. , Han Xiao
Published: March 2020

This study fills a gap in research on the philanthropic outcomes of political events. More specifically, it provides empirical evidence to supplement anecdotal reports that nonprofit organizations experienced a substantial increase in donations following the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Based on daily transaction data from an online giving platform, the study uses random-effect panel Ordinary Least Squares models to examine whether and how charitable giving patterns changed after Election Day 2016. Overall, our analyses show no evidence of increased giving due to the election; however, gender differences are apparent. Women donated in greater amounts than men following Election Day, and they appear to have targeted relevant progressive charities with their giving.
Histórias de Ultramar: Antecedentes e proclamação da Primeira Cruzada. O caminho e a conquista de Jerusalém.
Authors: Costalonga Jeferson Dalfior
Published: March 2020

Poucas obras na história se tornaram tão indispensáveis para a compreensão de determinados temas como Historias de Ultramar para análises acerca das cruzadas. Este trabalho se faz presente na bibliografia de qualquer livro que se propõe abordar o referido assunto.
Human Wharton’s jelly stem cells inhibit endometriosis through apoptosis induction
Authors: Hajazimian Saba , Maleki Masoud , Mehrabad Shahla Danaei , Isazadeh Alireza
Published: March 2020

Endometriosis is a relatively benign disease characterized by endometrial tumors and uterus stroma. Apoptosis suppression is one of the most important pathological processes of endometriosis. Recently, several studies reported that human Wharton’s jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) can inhibit growth and proliferation of various cancer cells through induction of apoptosis. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of hWJSCs conditioned medium (hWJSC-CM) and cell-free lysate (hWJSC-CL) on endometriosis cells in vitro. In the present study, effects of different concentrations of hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL on viability and proliferation, morphological alterations, colony formation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of endometriosis cells were evaluated. Our results showed that hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL decrease viability and proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion, as well as increase morphological alterations and apoptosis of endometriosis cells, in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Decreased migration and invasion of treated endometriosis cells with hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL may be due to decrease of MMP-2 and MMP-9 gene expression. Moreover, induction of apoptosis in treated endometriosis cells can be due to regulation of apoptosis-related genes expression, including BAX, BCL-2, SMAC, and SURVIVIN. The results of the present study suggest that hWJSC-CM and hWJSC-CL can inhibit endometriosis cells at a mild-to-moderate level through various physiological mechanisms. However, further studies on animal models are necessary to achieve more accurate results.