bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between household food security and infant feeding practices among women with children aged 6–23 months in rural Zambia
Authors: Bwalya Richard , Chama-Chiliba Chitalu Miriam , Malinga Steven , Chirwa Thomas
Published: October 2023

Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices directly affect the nutritional status of children under two years of age, ultimately impacting their survival. However, ensuring that newborns and young children are fed according to the WHO-recommended practice has proven to be a challenge in many developing nations, especially in households that face food insecurity. This study aims to determine the association between IYCF practices and household food security’s availability and access dimensions in rural Zambia. The study uses data from a cross-sectional survey of 2,127 mother-child pairs drawn from 28 rural districts in 8 out of the 10 Zambian provinces. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, and minimum acceptable diet with measures of household food security such as household dietary diversity score, and food insecurity experience scale, while controlling for confounding variables. The results show that children living in households classified as being food-secure based on the household dietary diversity score were significantly more likely to achieve appropriate feeding practices on all three IYCF measures, even after controlling for confounding factors. Notably, poor IYCF practices exist even in food-secure households, as most children in these households still need to receive a minimum acceptable diet. Although living in a household classified as food secure based on the access dimensions of household dietary diversity score and food insecurity experience scale is significantly associated with improvements in all three IYCF indicators even after controlling for confounding factors, the relationship does not hold for the availability measure of months of adequate household food provisioning. These findings highlight the need for targeting specific dimensions of household food security to solve child malnutrition, especially in rural areas. The focus should go beyond basic food availability, ensuring adequate diversity, and enhancing knowledge of appropriate feeding practices.
Adaptation and preliminary validation of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) using the Structured Interview Guide (SIGMA) for European Portuguese
Authors: Guiomar Raquel , Samarra Sara , Rodrigues Mariana , Martins Andreia , Martins Vera , Jesus Mariana , Fernandes Filipe , Alves Inês , Silva Tânia , Ganho-Ávila Ana
Published: October 2023

The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is considered one of the gold-standard measures to assess depression severity. To standardise the MADRS administration, a structured interview was developed (SIGMA). This study aims to translate and validate the SIGMA for European Portuguese. Twenty patients (80% women) were interviewed by ten dyads of raters (trained clinical psychologists and psychiatrists) using the European Portuguese version of the MADRS and its structured interview SIGMA. There was no significant difference in the total MADRS score between raters (interviewers and observers). The intraclass correlation for the total score between raters using the SIGMA was excellent (r = .98; p < .001). All items had excellent to good item-level intraclass correlation, and the internal consistency by rater role was good. The European Portuguese version of the SIGMA showed good preliminary psychometric properties (reliability and internal consistency). Our results suggest that the SIGMA is a useful and robust interview guide for assessing the ten depression symptoms in the MADRS, regardless of the rater clinical background.
Tratamiento quirúrgico de la apnea obstructiva del sueño: cirugía del paladar
Authors: Rodríguez-Alcalá Laura , O’Connor-Reina Carlos , Plaza-Mayor Guillermo , Carrasco-Llatas Marina , Baptista-Jardín Peter Michael , Martínez-Ruiz de Apodaca Paula , Marco-Garrido Alfonso
Published: October 2023

Introducción: La cirugía de la vía aérea superior (VAS) es una opción terapéutica para los pacientes con trastornos respiratorios del sueño (TRS), que se basa en modificar la anatomía de la VAS para mejorar el flujo de aire y reducir las apneas e hipopneas.
Objetivo: Revisar los últimos procedimientos de faringoplastia publicados en la literatura, que se caracterizan por ser técnicas funcionales sin resección de tejidos.
Síntesis: Se describen los avances que han marcado un cambio en la cirugía de la VAS en las últimas dos décadas, como el uso de la endoscopia inducida del sueño (DISE) para evaluar la anatomía de la VAS del paciente dormido, y el interés de los otorrinolaringólogos por adquirir formación en medicina del sueño. Se presentan las principales técnicas de faringoplastia, como la expansión lateral de la faringe (ELP), la suspensión del paladar blando (SPB), la suspensión del músculo hiogloso (SMH) y la suspensión del músculo geniogloso (SMG).
Conclusiones: La cirugía de la VAS ha evolucionado hacia procedimientos menos invasivos y más personalizados, que se adaptan a las características anatómicas y funcionales de cada paciente. La faringoplastia es una técnica eficaz y segura para mejorar la calidad de vida y el sueño de los pacientes con TRS.
Students’ Social Initiatives as A Prerequisite for Sustainable Development of Social Entrepreneurship: A Case Study in Bulgaria
Authors: Kyurova Vyara , Koyundzhiyska-Davidkova Blagovesta
Published: October 2023

Social entrepreneurship is an important source of economic growth and a driver of the social economy. An important condition for its development and the creation of a business in this sphere is the participation of the individual in social initiatives. Summarizing the scientific ideas shows that the issue of social entrepreneurship is relatively well understood, while that of social initiatives is very poorly addressed. Considering this fact, the authors seek to obtain more information regarding the essence of social initiatives and the readiness of students to participate in its. The aim of the present study is to determine the desire and opportunities among students for their involvement in social initiatives and their attitudes towards starting a social entrepreneurial business. To achieve the goal, students from Bulgarian higher education institutions were surveyed using the respondent method. The application of this method is appropriate because of its adequacy in terms of the specificity of both the subjects studied and the data to be obtained. The survey used in the study contains close-ended questions aimed at ascertaining students' participation in social initiatives, as well as their views on starting a social entrepreneurial business. The findings of the study show that there are certain problems related to the organization of social initiatives and in terms of starting a social entrepreneurial business. A significant result of the study is that the enabling environment for the development of social entrepreneurship significantly influences the possibility of creating student social initiatives at the university. The study can be used as a model for analysis of the relationship between social entrepreneurship and students’ social initiatives.

Keywords: social entrepreneurship, social initiatives, students, Bulgaria
The Role of Tax Policies in Sustainable Economic Growth. Evidence From Dynamic Panel Data Analysis
Authors: Liko Elida , Shahini Ledjon
Published: October 2023

This paper analyses the role of tax policies in supporting economic growth, based on the dynamic panel data model, for twenty-four Eastern European and Asian countries, divided in EU countries and non-EU countries, for the period from 2008 to 2022. Both, global financial crisis and Covid -19 Pandemic, imposed challenges for optimal tax policies that countries applied. The paper examines the main tax policies changes undertaken to support economic activity and estimates the expected effect on growth.

The study has found evidence of a positive effect of total taxes and indirect taxes on economic growth, strong and significant. Our results do not support the theory that direct taxes are harmful to growth. The impact of direct taxes is positive bot not statistically significant in most of the estimated regressions.

Keywords: Tax structure, sustainable development, panel data
Evaluation of Physico-Chemical Properties Influence on Drug Product in vitro Profiles and Solubility Profile of Fourth Generation Antibacterial Drug
Authors: DESHPANDE GIRISH K. , AKSHINTHALA PARAMESWARI , KATARI NARESH KUMAR , DESHMUKH BALASAHEB , KOWTHARAPU LEELA PRASAD , BATTULA SREENIVAS RAO , GUNDLA RAMBABU
Published: September 2023

Moxifloxacin hydrochloride drug substance used to treat bacterial infections in many different parts of the body and most widely used worldwide. In this study, various high-end physico-chemical techniques are used like PXRD, DSC, TGA, BET SSA and PSD analysis to check the relative differences on the product behaviour. The present work reports an impact of alteration in particle size due to compaction process where increase in particle size has been observed from 15.912 μm to 751.001 μm, decrease in specific surface area from 1.89 m2/g to 0.861 m2/g, decrease in crystallinity from 91.65% to 59.15% and impact of dehydration or loss of water from 3.776% to 1.866%, which were observed during study. All the alterations in the physico-chemical properties impacting the drug manufacturing process and on the bioperformance of the finished product. This research attempt aims to investigate the effects of these modifications on in vitro experiments conducted in the office of generic drugs (OGD) media and the equilibrium solubility profile. The in vitro studies resulted about 35% release difference observed in the initial time points, whereas solubility in water observed about 17 mg/mL difference. This research work helps to demonstrate the optimization of finished product development process to meet the biofriendly formulation.
Synthesis and in vitro Antimicrobial Screening of Benzofuran-3(2H)-one Linked Geminal bis 1,2,3-Triazole Hybrid Derivatives
Authors: MUPPARAPU PRAVEEN KUMAR , VADDIRAJU NAMRATHA , KURRA MOHAN
Published: September 2023

A series of novel hybrid derivatives, 2,2-di(1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)benzofuran-3(2H)-ones, were synthesized from o-hydroxyacetophenones via a two-step process involving sodium azide, iodine and sodium bicarbonate, followed by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) in aqueous conditions. These compounds were characterized using 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectra and analyzed in vitro against bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and fungi (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger). Compounds 3f, 3h and 3n showed notable antibacterial activity (MIC = 50 μg/mL), comparable to streptomycin, while compounds 3b, 3f and 3h exhibited similar antifungal activity (MIC = 50 μg/mL), comparable to standard clotrimazole. Compound 3f displayed superior antimicrobial efficacy among the tested compounds.
Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Some Novel Pyrrolopyrimidine Analogues
Authors: TAJANE SANJAY P. , RAGHAVA SHARMA GANAPAVARAPU VEERA , DHANMANE SUSHILKUMAR , GORE GANGA
Published: September 2023

The evidences over drug resistance, narrow spectrum and side effects of commercially available antimicrobials intended present study to carry out synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of some novel pyrrolopyrimidine analogues. Current study involved synthesis of some novel 4-[2-(substituted benzylidene)hydrazinyl]-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines (2a-j) followed by evaluation of their antimicrobial potential against bacterial and fungal strains. The synthesis of new pyrrolopyrimidine analogues 2a-j, was carried out in two distinct stages. In first step, azo compound 4-hydrazinyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine was synthesized by reacting hydrazine hydrate with 4-chloropyrrolopyrimidine, whereas in second step, novel imino analogues of 4-hydrazinyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines (2a-j) were synthesized by treating with various substituted benzaldehydes. All the synthesized compounds were subjected to characterization based on IR, 1H NMR and CHN analysis data. The synthesized compounds were also evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal potential using disc diffusion method. Results of present study revealed that tested compounds possess significant inhibitory potential against tested bacterial and fungal strains. Present study concludes that novel compounds 2a-j possess high antibacterial and antifungal potential, however they must be further evaluated preclinically and clinically for their therapeutic significance.
A Validated Stability Indicating LC-MS/MS Bio-analytical Method for Analysis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Drug (Mobocertinib) in Human Plasma
Authors: Yedlapalli Govindarao , Y Ganesh Kumar
Published: September 2023

An anticancer drug mobocertinib was prescribed for the patients suffering with non-small cell lung cancer. The literature reveals that no analytical method reported for evaluation of mobocertinib in biological samples and hence this study planned to propose a simple and sensitive LCMS/MS method for quantification of mobocertinib in spiked plasma using similar action drug ribociclib as internal standard. The extraction of mobocertinib along with ribociclib was performed using a simple protein precipitation and liquid–liquid extraction with dichloromethane. The Synergi, RP 80A (100 × 4.6 mm; 4 μ) column with 0.05 M ammonium acetate at pH 4.1 with 1 % formic acid, methanol and acetonitrile at 45:25:30 (v/v) at 0.5 mL/min isocratic flow was optimized and finalized for resolution of mobocertinib and internal standard. The resolved analytes were monitored with mass analyzer operated in multiple reaction monitoring positive ion mode. The characteristic mass transition at m/z 586 → 202 and m/z 435 → 199 was observed for mobocertinib and ribociclib, respectively. The method produces calibration curve linear in the level of 0.25 ng/mL to 300 ng/mL with a sensitive detection limit of 0.075 ng/mL. The % RSD in intraday precision was calculated to be 0.64, 0.36, 0.55 and 0.68 whereas in inter-day precision was obtained as 0.95, 1.07, 0.56 and 0.28 in HQC, MQC, LQC and LLOQ, respectively. The stability during handling, extraction and as well as analyzing the mobocertinib solution was evaluated by performing various stability studies. The analytes were confirmed to be acceptable in every studied stability studies. The validation study produces acceptable results in all parameters and can successfully utilized for evaluation of mobocertinib in the biological samples.
Facile Synthesis of Substituted 2-Styrylnaphthyridine and its Derivatives via sp3 C-H Functionalization under Mild Conditions and their Antimicrobial Activity
Authors: KOTHULA DEVENDER , THUMMA VISHNU , DHANAVATH RAMULU , PUCHAKAYALA MURALIDHAR REDDY , ATCHA KRISHNAM RAJU
Published: September 2023

A simple, metal free strategy is described for the synthesis of substituted 2-styryl-1,8-naphthyridines and pyrazole, imidazopyridine based styryl conjugates under basic mild conditions (piperidine in ethanol) at 70 ºC. The reaction progressed via sp3 C-H functionalization of substituted methyl-1,8-naphthyridines with various aromatic, heteroaromatic aldehyde substrates by Knoevenagel condensation to provides functionalized pyrazole, imidazopyridine based styryl-1,8-naphthyridines in good to excellent yields (85-95%) at impressive reaction time. This approach involves a common organocatalyst, cheap starting materials and shorter reaction times. An extensive variability of substrates was tolerated well to afford the desired products. Furtherly, all the synthesized derivatives were tested for their biological activity, i.e., antibacterial and antifungal. In tested series, compounds 3c, 3d, 3e, 3i, 3k, 3l, 4c, 4d and 4f established excellent inhibition zone of activity against standard drugs.
Abu Hureyra, Syria, Part 2: Additional evidence supporting the catastrophic destruction of this prehistoric village by a cosmic airburst ~12,800 years ago
Authors: Moore Andrew M.T. , Kennett James P. , Napier William M. , Bunch Ted E. , Weaver James C. , LeCompte Malcolm A. , Adedeji A. Victor , Kletetschka Gunther , Hermes Robert E. , Wittke James H. , Razink Joshua J. , Langworthy Kurt , Gaultois Michael W. , Moore Christopher R. , Mitra Siddhartha , Maiorana-Boutilier Abigail , Wolbach Wendy S. , Witwer Timothy , West Allen
Published: October 2023

At Abu Hureyra, a well-studied archeological site in Syria, the onset boundary of the Younger Dryas climatic episode ~12,800 years ago has previously been proposed to contain evidence supporting a near-surface cosmic airburst impact that generated temperatures >2000°C. Here, we present a wide range of potential impact-related proxies representing the catastrophic effects of this cosmic impact that destroyed the village. These proxies include nanodiamonds (cubic diamonds,n-diamonds,i-carbon, and lonsdaleite-like crystals); silica-rich and iron-rich micro-spherules; and melted chromite, quartz, and zircon grains. Another proxy, meltglass, at a concentration of 1.6 wt% of bulk sediment, appears to have formed from terrestrial sediments and was found to partially coat toolmaking debitage, bones, and clay building plaster, suggesting that village life was adversely affected. Abundant meltglass fragments examined display remarkably detailed imprints of plant structures, including those of reeds. The nanodiamonds are proposed to have formed under anoxic conditions from the incineration of plant materials during high-temperature, impact-related fires, while geochemical evidence indicates that the micro-spherules formed from the melting of terrestrial sediments. Broad archeological and geochemical evidence supports the hypothesis that Abu Hureyra is the oldest known archeological site catastrophically destroyed by cosmic impact, thus revealing the potential dangers of such events.
Língua da Tabatinga
Authors: Gê-Acaiaba Roberta , Novodvorski Ariel
Published: October 2023

O presente estudo, guiado por corpus (corpus-driven) e amparado pela Sociolinguística Variacionista, apresenta a Língua da Tabatinga (doravante LT), uma realidade linguística que se presentifica na cidade de Bom Despacho - MG. As origens dessa língua remontam ao passado escravocrata do Brasil, que levou aos mais diversos cantos da nação a barbárie dos homens brancos contra pessoas negras, e resultou na formação de uma língua verdadeiramente “mestiça”, formada a partir de contribuições linguístico-culturais africanas de origem bantu e de variedades da língua portuguesa brasileira falada no interior de Minas Gerais. Assim, parte-se de uma descrição do processo histórico de formação da LT; segue-se com a identificação de sua presença nas manifestações linguísticas da sociedade bondespachense; e almejam-se a identificação e descrição do processo de formação lexical e morfossintática e da abrangência semântico-pragmática da LT, com subsídios da Linguística de Corpus.
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SNOW DRIFTING AROUND SNOW FENCES
Authors: Saha Prattasha , Yang Mijia
Published: October 2023

The turbulent flow of wind and snow creates a complicated interaction during snow-drifting. To study snowdrift distribution patterns around a snow fence, a two-dimensional model is developed using ANSYS fluent (a commercially available CFD software). K-epsilon and discrete phase model are applied for this multiphase simulation. The model can simulate the dynamic changes as well as snow distribution patterns around a porous snow fence under no concurrent snowfall condition. It also works for different bottom gaps, porosities, and fence surfaces. The numerical result shows that snowdrift accumulation increases on the leeward side of the snow-fence and the snow-phase volume fraction decreases behind the snow fence for a certain time. Results obtained from the numerical model are in good agreement with the experimental measurements. A comparison is also made between the performance of a solar snow fence and a traditional snow fence. Higher snow drifting on the leeward side of the fence is observed for the traditional snow fence; whereas the maximum height of drifting is closer to the fence for the solar snow fence than those of traditional snow fences do. Therefore, the proposed model could be a useful guide for any snow fence design and implementation.
INFRASTRUCTURAL FEASIBILITY INVESTIGATION FOR IMPLEMENTING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
Authors: Pillala Soujanya , Korkmaz Kasim Armagan
Published: October 2023

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have been in high demand over the last few years, and this demand is expected to continue growing. With this growth, infrastructure systems should be updated accordingly. Michigan is one of the AV-friendly states where the infrastructural systems are prepared to be ready for AVs. This research investigates infrastructure system enhancement for Michigan. Future infrastructure would not benefit significantly from AVs on their own, so it's still crucial to implement the proper policy interventions. Smart transportation addressing infrastructural management, sustainability, and development will include AVs as an additional component. Rather than analyzing AVs in isolation, it is necessary to incorporate the new technology context in which implementation occurs. The development of an engagement plan should include key personnel from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and AV technology firms. The engagement plan should aid in the identification of deployed and planned AV technologies and the investigation of technical infrastructure modification requirements. As a result of a detailed analysis of the existing research work and implementations on the effects of automation on infrastructure, this paper presents potential challenges to constructing the infrastructure required for automation. The research investigates the state of Michigan, its current applications in infrastructure investigation. The paper reviews the strategic framework in Michigan. As a result of all investigations carried out, the paper gives a feasibility investigation for Michigan’s infrastructure, considering existing challenges. The feasibility investigation mainly gives ideas to researchers and investors about infrastructural adaptation and readiness for autonomous vehicles in Michigan.
PIONEERING SUSTAINABLE GROWTH THROUGH HERITAGE CONSERVATION
Authors: Mazzetto Silvia
Published: October 2023

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently reached a new growth phase to target a sustainable future in the post-oil area. The Saudi National Vision 2030, with the governmental institutions' commitment, aspires to reach the highest levels of national development through sustainable approaches that target the valorization of national resources and culture, together with local, sustainable traditions for a global excellence example of growth. Many recent conservation projects have been launched to preserve national heritage, targeting diverse interventions to enhance the local culture as part of the country's history. The paper presents some comparisons and assessments conducted on recently completed interventions to discuss the country's approach to requalifying national heritage, enhancing national identity, and targeting sustainable growth. The aim is not only the enhancement of hospitality services and tourism offers but also the involvement of the local communities and culture. The research aims at demonstrating how national heritage conservation can be a powerful tool to promote sustainable national growth by embedding the country's future into the local traditions and pioneering healthy, sustainable growth.
A CASE STUDY ON ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE CHANGE TO SUPPORT BIM IMPLEMENTATION IN DESIGN FIRM
Authors: Vu Thi Kim Dung , Hsieh Shang-Hsien
Published: October 2023

This study empirically investigates organizational structure change (OSC) to support the implementation of building information modeling (BIM) in design firms. Unlike previous BIM implementation studies that focused primarily on changes in organizational configuration, this study provides a comprehensive view of changes in multiple organizational structure (OS) dimensions, including configuration, standardization and formalization, specialization, centralization, and integration. Based on Pettigrew’s contextual approach and empirical data from a case study, this study discusses and explains the processes and factors that underpin OSC. The finding shows that OSC to support BIM is a process that is directly tied to changes in the external BIM market context as well as the vision and strategy of the company’s internal BIM implementation. The outcomes of OSC result from dynamics among change context, change content, change process, and change leadership. Changes in different OS dimensions are also linked and can support one another. This study is helpful in developing an OSC framework for BIM implementation.
COLORED ROOFS: A SOLUTION TO MITIGATION UHI AND REDUCING URBAN SURFACE HEATING
Authors: Khalid Zainab
Published: October 2023

The city is a built-up urban space and multifunctional structures that ensure safety, health and the best shelter for humans. All its built structures had various urban roofs influenced by different climate circumstances. That creates peculiarities and changes within the urban local climate and an increase in the impact of urban heat islands (UHI) with wastage of energy. The research question is less information dealing with the renovation of existing urban roofs using color as a strategy to mitigate the impact of UHI. In order to achieve local urban sustainability; the research focused on solutions using different materials and treatments to reduce urban surface heating emissions. The results showed that the new and old technologies, products, and the materials are complying with the principles of urban sustainability and have the local possibility of reducing urban roof heating, mitigating UHI and creating a sustainable urban environment at a low cost.
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING MATURITY LEVEL: A LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: Abumoeilak Lama S.M , Beheiry Salwa Mamoun
Published: October 2023

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has undergone a profound transition and achieved significant progress in embracing technological improvements and transforming the current system. Building information modeling (BIM) is one of the leading forces behind Construction 4.0. The adoption of BIM in the UAE AEC industry has gained significant attention in recent years, with major projects increasingly using BIM due to directives from the Dubai Municipality and Abu Dhabi Municipality. Yet, the effective implementation of fully integrated BIM requires meeting specific criteria and has proven to be a challenge in the sector context. This study analyzes the existing BIM maturity models that could be applied within the UAE AEC industry. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the current BIM maturity model, challenges, and barriers. It was followed by analyzing the selected international BIM maturity models to identify the gap. The main finding showed that the main obstacles to the effective implementation of BIM in the UAE AEC industry identified through the literature review were the need for a clear and comprehensive legal framework and a maturity model, more standardization, and the need for trained professionals. However, despite all the initiatives undertaken by the Emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to support digital transformation in the AEC sector, implementation remains to be confined to BIM Level 2 in the case of Dubai and BIM Level 3 in the case of Abu Dhabi infrastructure projects.
IMPACT FACTORS ON TIME AND COST IN PILE CONSTRUCTION
Authors: Al-Gahtani Khalid S. , Alsanabani Naif M
Published: October 2023

Construction activities have increased due to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 programs, accelerating change across all sectors. However, the pile construction sector has already experienced significant time and expense overruns that have had a negative impact on all parties. This study aims to identify and investigate the significant risk influencing the timing and cost of pile construction projects in Saudi Arabia. The most risks were gathered and found in the literature. Two questionnaire-based surveys were undertaken to establish the perspectives of the construction experts on the degree of probability of occurrence of each risk. To collect the qualitative and quantitative experts’ responses, the data questionnaire was analyzed using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to identify the significant risks in terms of cost and time of pile construction. The main finding showed that the significant risks are DR1 (improper and insufficient assessment of soil), CR1 (labor mistakes, rework, and idle times), OGR5 (Delay or inability of the owner to provide full possession of site), ECR1 (lack of funds: the lack of cash flow by the contractor), ECR6 (foreign exchange risks: unstable exchange rates, transfer restrictions, and supply and demand balance), ECR5 (economic crisis), PGR1 (failure to obtain approvals or permits), CR3 (low credibility), SCR1 (lack of management skills). This study assists the decision makers in a deeper understanding of the influencing factors, allowing them to make effective scheduling and comprehensive control over pile foundation projects.
CHALLENGES TO THE ADOPTION OF BOT CONTRACTS SYSTEM FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Bakr Ghanim Abdulrahman
Published: October 2023

The purpose of the study was to investigate the obstacles to the use of BOT contract systems for the construction of infrastructure projects in Jordan. This is achieved by adopting a professional empirical questionnaire. The respondents were asked to rank their perceptions of the obstacles to the implementation of the BOT contracts systems by specialists in the field of construction. According to the study, the main obstacles, as groups to the adoption of the BOT contract system are legal, economic, technical, political, social, and environmental groups. As far as the obstacles are concern, the most significant are regulations and changes of law, delays in permits and approvals, shortage of experts in BOT projects, stakeholders – conflict of interest, and regulatory framework – weak/poor. The study recommends that it is necessary to investigate this idea by utilizing appropriate policy initiatives, appropriate procedures, and government support to enhance the proper implementation of the BOT contracts in construction projects in Jordan.
WORKFORCE MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Authors: Amoah Christopher , Van Niekerk Lukas
Published: October 2023

Workers in every industry are motivated in various ways to enhance their performance. This study sought to determine what the South African construction industry workforce perceives as motivational factors. A quantitative research approach was adopted, where questionnaires were randomly distributed to 85 different construction companies. A total of 43 completed questionnaires were received. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The data analysis proved that the topmost factors that the workforce regards as the most effective motivational factors are the nature of the work, job satisfaction, achievement of potential, job security, self-growth and development, responsibility assignment, and recognition. This means the expected factors, such as monetary motivations, might be less significant. The general view of monetary incentives as the prevalent motivation factor may not be effective. Thus, employers must examine individual needs before implementing the motivational strategy to effectively impact productivity in the construction industry. This study identifies and evaluates the motivational factors of the South African construction workforce, thus serving as a guideline for employers to motivate their workforce to increase productivity.
TOWARDS THE INTEGRATED ADOPTION OF BLM AND DT IN AECO-FM SECTOR: A SCIENTOMETRIC APPROACH
Authors: Meschini Silvia , Pellegrini Laura , Di Leo Vincenzo , Paleari Francesco , Di Giuda Giuseppe Martino
Published: October 2023

The Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operation and Facility Management (AECO-FM) industry presents a well-known discrepancy in terms of productivity and digitalization compared with other sectors. The introduction of building lifecycle management (BLM) could lead to several benefits covering all the phases of the building lifecycle (BLC) and enabling the implementation of a model-based integrated management system. Nevertheless, its adoption is far from being spread across the construction field and the case studies in the existing literature present several criticalities related to the adopted technologies and policies which hinder the complete development of a BLM system. To overcome these obstacles, digital twins (DTs) could be exploited to enhance the collaboration among actors, preserving the integrity of data, and offering a multidisciplinary environment to carry out realistic simulations. The purpose of this research is to conduct a scientometric analysis to evaluate the relationships between the topics of BLM and DT in the AECO-FM sector. The most common key studies and patterns are identified by processing bibliometric metadata. The most investigated topics related to BLM and DT are system design, system management, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications. The analysis reveals a gap regarding the connection between BLM and DT, identifying a potential research area that is currently unexplored in the academic field. The integrated adoption of these topics could contribute to promoting a holistic approach in the built environment by preserving data consistency, reducing information loss between design and construction phases, and strengthening connectivity among the actors involved in the process.
REALITY-ENHANCED SYNTHETIC IMAGE TRAINING DATASET FOR COMPUTER VISION CONSTRUCTION MONITORING
Authors: Nunez-Morales Juan Diego , Hsu Shun-Hsiang , Ibrahim Amir , Golparvar-Fard Mani
Published: October 2023

Recent growth in the availability of aerial and ground-level images from construction sites has created a surge in computer vision-based techniques for construction monitoring applications. To address the need for large volumes of visual data with ground truth for training the underlying machine learning models, the application of synthetic data, particularly from 3D/4D BIM, has gained traction in the research community. However, the existing domain gap between real and synthetic images, such as rendering noise from repeated material texture patterns, randomized positional camera parameters that collect the ground truth of BIM elements, and the poorly visibility of BIM elements to the camera viewpoints within these environments, has negatively impacted the potential use of these synthetic datasets as scale. To address these limitations, this paper presents a new synthetic image generation pipeline that optimizes and integrates camera extrinsic parameters with a novel synthetic image appearance enhancement technique to generate high volume of quality synthetic data with respective ground-truth. The use of synthetic datasets for training progress monitoring models is validated through several real-data segmentation cases that incorporate: 1) the automatic collection of synthetic images and ground-truth annotations from high-LoD BIM model disciplines, 2) optimization of positional camera parameters using element visibility metrics, and 3) the enhancement of realism of synthetic images using a patch-based generative approach. The benefits and the current limitations to automated progress monitoring, as well as robotic path automation and optimization for progress motoring real data collection are discussed.
EVALUATION THE RISK LEVEL OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO MATERIAL WASTAGE GENERATION IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Authors: Bakr Ghanim Abdulrahman
Published: October 2023

The waste generation in construction takes place because of many factors. Every factor has various grade of risk which may affect the performance of the project. This is substantial to locate for efficient management of waste. This study is carried out to define and locate the level of risk of different factors participate to the generation of waste in the implementation phase. A total of 28 factors were identified and inspected through a survey. This survey utilized Delphi technique with two rounds. The first round was directed to locate the level of risk associated with each factor while the second round concentrated on supporting the outcome of the first round. Eighteen experts contributed to the survey at the first round, while 15 experts contributed to the second round. The analysis revealed the most important factors are client’s changes, mistakes by workers causing rework, and errors during ordering of materials. Further analysis showed that there more than half of the factors included in the survey have significant level of risk. Analysis for risk level in the first round of Delphi indicated three factors have “Most Significant” risk level, five factors have “High Significant” risk level, and seven factors have “Significant” risk level. The other 13 factors included in the study showed they are “Not Significant”. The Delphi round two showed that 10 factors are with “High” consensus, 13 factors with “Fair” consensus, 3 factors with “Low” consensus, and 2 factors only with “No” consensus.
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM OF PAVEMENT SELECTION IN EMERGING ECONOMIES
Authors: Hoang Hiep T. , Chau Anh D. , Nguyen Long D. , Le-Hoai Long
Published: October 2023

Choosing rigid or flexible pavement is an important decision in infrastructure development projects and can improve public investment efficiency. Various studies have been conducted over the past few decades to compare between rigid and flexible pavement. Studies indicate that rigid pavement can have longer service life and require less maintenance costs, while others indicate that flexible pavement can have lower initial investment costs. Previous discussion tended to favor rigid pavement through the lens of its life cycle cost. Regardless, no consensus is established since life cycle costs can greatly vary from different project site conditions (e.g., soil conditions), discount rate, and requirements (i.e., costs and frequency) of maintenance and repair of different transportation agencies. Few studies discuss the practical decision-making processes to choose between the pavement types. This study developed a web-based decision support system to design alternative pavements and compare their life-cycle costs under various project conditions and requirements. The system’s functions are demonstrated using two example calculations based on Vietnamese design standards, and subsequent validation has demonstrated its capability in supporting decision-making in roadway pavement. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating a possible decision support system to improve public investment efficiency in selecting appropriate rigid or flexible pavement design.
MODELING TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AT A TOLL PLAZA USING DISCRETE-EVENT SIMULATION
Authors: Srisurin Punyaanek , Surangsrirout Nattakarn
Published: October 2023

The objective of this study is to develop a discrete-event simulation model of traffic operations at a toll plaza to compare the performance measures between the manual and electronic toll collection (ETC) systems. This study also attempts to simulate the scenarios where the number of servers in these systems is reallocated to improve the overall operational performance. The field data were collected at a toll plaza on an expressway on-ramp during a PM peak period via video recording. The collected data were summarized to determine the characteristics of parameters as inputs for the simulation model. The simulation model was developed in EZStrobe, while the results were carried out via STROBOSCOPE. The simulation model was calibrated with the field data prior to making modifications and simulating various scenarios. The results show that, under the existing conditions, switching an electronic tollgate to a manual tollgate reduces the average overall queue delay and queue length by 71% and 78%, respectively. After reallocation, the average queue delays in these systems equalize as the proportion of ETC users reaches 72%. The additional throughput time of 0.4 s/veh in the ETC system is small compensation for the 6.8-second deduction in the average overall throughput time. In conclusion, shortening the queue lengths at the toll plaza by efficiently utilizing the existing tollgates is possible for improving the overall operational performance of the toll plaza without the additional tollgate installation.
EMPLOYEES’ RESPONSES TO WORKPLACE CHANGE DURING COVID-19
Authors: Riratanaphong Chaiwat
Published: October 2023

This study aims to explore employees’ perceptions on workplace management practices (i.e., planning before workplace change, implementation process, management after workplace change) of PTT headquarters building in Thailand. Another purpose is to examine workplace change development during COVID-19 to understand its plan and process, which serves as a means to contribute to FM and CREM theory. A case study of five departments implementing workplace adaptation at PTT headquarters, a company in oil and gas business, was conducted. The research methods include document analysis, employee satisfaction survey and interview. Employees’ responses to workplace management practices in different stages (i.e., before, during, and after workplace change) were affected by the company’s strategic direction and management approach in terms of the planning and implementation of workplace change development. This study shows that employee engagement and involvement process are important during and after workplace change. The lacking of this process causes negative impacts as shown in the low satisfaction percentages in several aspects including improving workplace according to suggestions from employees and allowing employees to train and practice on workplace occupancy. No existing research has appraised of employees’ responses in terms of the preparation and implementation of workplace change. This study provides new insights into workplace change development during COVID-19 from the planning, implementation and management after the change and their impacts on employees’ perceptions.
ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES OF DEGRADATION PRESTRESSED REINFORCED CONCRETE RAILWAY SLEEPERS
Authors: Lubej Samo , IVANIČ Andrej , KRAVANJA Gregor , TOPLAK Sebastian , LEP Marjan
Published: October 2023

Railway sleepers are a very important component of the transport infrastructure, they are dynamically loaded and subject to many stresses that can cause degradation, shorten their service life and also reduce the safety of rail transport. The subject of the study was damaged-highly cracked prestressed concrete railway sleepers, 10 years old, sampled on the railway line route. The results of the investigations carried out to determine the characteristics of the concrete are presented. In order to determine the cause of the damage, low-frequency fatigue tests were also carried out in the laboratory to measure vibrations and to check for cracks. By checking the microstructure of the concrete with SEM-SEI and EDS electron microscopy, we found that the cracks were caused by chemical reactions in the hydrated concrete. The results of the analyses carried out can improve the criteria for the inspection and assessment of the serviceability of degraded railway sleepers during their service life.
STRENGTHENING OF CORROSION-DAMAGED RC BEAMS USING UHPFC LAYERS
Authors: Ahmad Shamsad , Al-Huri Mohammed A. , Alosta Mohammed A.
Published: October 2023

In the present work, experimental and numerical investigations were carried out to examine the flexural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams after undergoing different degrees of accelerated reinforcement corrosion and strengthened using ultra-high-performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFC) layers. The strengthened RC beams were tested under flexure to evaluate the effect of the UHPFC layers (with combinations of three UHPFC layer thicknesses for both options of one-sided and three-sided strengthening) on the failure mode, flexural strength, and stiffness. The flexural strength of the RC beams was significantly enhanced by increasing the thickness of the UHPFC layer. Three-sided strengthening resulted in a higher load-carrying capacity of the RC beams as compared to that of one-sided strengthening. Minimum layer thicknesses required to fully restore the load-carrying capacity of the corroded RC beams were found to be 20 mm and 40 mm for three-sided and one-sided strengthening, respectively. At ultimate load, the mid-span deflections for the strengthened beams were about half of that of the un-strengthened beams due to an increase in the stiffness of the strengthened beams. Finally, the experiment results matched the 3D-FEM predictions, indicating the simulation's accuracy in evaluating corroded-strengthened RC beam flexural performance.
FLEXURAL PERFORMANCE OF RC BEAMS BONDED WITH UV-GFRPR SHEETS
Authors: Higashiyama Hiroshi , Mitsukuchi Haruki , Mitsukawa Nobuhiro , Takahashi Osamu , Ishikawa Toshiyuki
Published: October 2023

This study presents the flexural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams externally bonded with UV-curable glass fiber reinforced polyester resin (UV-GFRPR) sheets onto their soffit surface. UV-GFRPR sheets can be cured by UV irradiation. The UV-GFRPR sheets after hardening have about one-seventh of the yield strength of normal steel (SS400), which is lower than FRP sheets such as carbon, aramid, and glass fibers. However, the UV-GFRPR sheets are easily attached to the surfaces of substrates for repair and preventive maintenance and have excellent durability with impermeability of moisture and corrosion factors. The aims of this study are to assess the flexural performance and the strengthening effect of RC beams bonded with two and three laminated layers of the UV-GFRPR sheets in four-point bending tests. The test results showed that the ultimate load-carrying capacities of the specimens with two and three laminated layers were 1.13 and 1.37 times higher than that of the control beam. The RC beams with the UV-GFRPR sheets failed in bending due to rupture of the UV-GFRPR sheets. The load-carrying capacity and the flexural performance were also predicted using the cross-sectional analysis.
EFFECT OF CHORD PRELOADING AND BRACE INCLINATION ON AXIAL RESISTANCE OF FULL-WIDTH RHS X-JOINT
Authors: Park Sihyeong , Lee Cheolho , Kim Seonhu
Published: October 2023

According to current representative design standards, the influence of brace angle on the axial resistance of rectangular hollow section (RHS) X-joints is assumed to be independent of the chord preloading state. To investigate the appropriateness of this assumption, extensive test-validated finite element (FE) analyses are performed on full-width RHS X-joints with varying brace angles and chord preloads. The analyses showed that an appreciable coupling effect between the brace angle and chord preload exists on the joint resistances. The most adverse coupling effect occurs under the condition of high brace inclination and large compressive chord preload, leading to the concern that the current design resistance formula may overestimate the ultimate joint strength. Consequently, a revised chord stress function is sought for inclined full-width RHS X-joints that accounts for the coupling effect between chord preload and brace angle. In the FE analyses, high strength steel joints are included as well as conventional mild steel joints. The chord stress effect in high strength steel joints is found to be more detrimental compared to geometrically identical mild steel joints, implying that the chord stress effect may be influenced by the class (slenderness) of the chord cross-section. Therefore, a proper limitation on the chord section slenderness, such as the Class 2 requirement in design codes, appears essential.