bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
DS-HECK: double-lasso estimation of Heckman selection model
Authors: Hirukawa Masayuki , Liu Di , Murtazashvili Irina , Prokhorov Artem 
Published: January 2025

AbstractWe extend the Heckman (1979) sample selection model by allowing for a large number of controls that are selected using lasso under a sparsity scenario. The standard lasso estimation is known to under-select causing an omitted variable bias in addition to the sample selection bias. We outline the required adjustments needed to restore consistency of lasso-based estimation and inference for vector-valued parameters of interest in such models. The adjustments include double lasso for both the selection equation and main equation and a correction of the variance matrix. We also connect the estimator with results on redundancy of moment conditions. We demonstrate the effect of the adjustments using simulations and we investigate the determinants of female labor market participation and earnings in the US using the new approach. The paper comes with , a dedicated Stata command for estimating double-selection Heckman models.
Identification and estimation of categorical random coefficient models
Authors: Gao Zhan , Pesaran M. Hashem 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThis paper proposes a linear categorical random coefficient model, in which the random coefficients follow parametric categorical distributions. The distributional parameters are identified based on a linear recurrence structure of moments of the random coefficients. A generalized method of moments estimation procedure is proposed, also employed by Peter Schmidt and his coauthors to address heterogeneity in time effects in panel data models. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we find that moments of the random coefficients can be estimated reasonably accurately, but large samples are required for the estimation of the parameters of the underlying categorical distribution. The utility of the proposed estimator is illustrated by estimating the distribution of returns to education in the USA by gender and educational levels. We find that rising heterogeneity between educational groups is mainly due to the increasing returns to education for those with postsecondary education, whereas within-group heterogeneity has been rising mostly in the case of individuals with high school or less education.
Testing for correlation between the regressors and factor loadings in heterogeneous panels with interactive effects
Authors: Kapetanios George , Serlenga Laura , Shin Yongcheol 
Published: January 2025

AbstractA large literature on modelling cross-section dependence in panels has been developed through interactive effects. However, there are areas where research has not really caught on yet. One such area is the one concerned with whether the regressors are correlated with factor loadings or not. This is an important issue because if the regressors are uncorrelated with loadings, we can simply use the consistent two-way fixed effects (FE) estimator without employing any more sophisticated econometric methods such as the principal component (PC) or the common correlated effects estimators. We explore this issue, which has received surprisingly little attention and propose a Hausman-type test to address the matter. Further, we develop two nonparametric variance estimators for the FE and PC estimators as well as their difference, that are robust to the presence of heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation and slope heterogeneity. Under the null hypothesis of no correlation between the regressors and loadings the proposed test follows the $$ {\chi}^2 $$

χ
2

distribution asymptotically. Monte Carlo simulation results confirm satisfactory size and power performance of the test even in small samples. Finally, we provide extensive empirical evidence in favour of uncorrelated factor loadings. In this situation, the FE estimator would provide a simple and robust estimation strategy which is invariant to nontrivial computational issues associated with the PC estimator.
Circular Bio-based Walls: Applications and Challenges
Authors: Cascione Valeria , Dams Barrie , Roberts Matt , Shea Andrew , Maskell Dan , Allen Stephen , Walker Pete , Emmitt Stephen 
Published: January 2025

AbstractCircular economy principles can be applied to the construction sector to reduce use of resources, energy consumption and wastes. Bio-based construction materials are particularly suitable to circular building design. Advantages of bio-based materials include: (1) a renewable supply chain, (2) often fast-growing, (3) recyclable or used as fertilisers/compost and (4) can sequester carbon. In this paper, the design of three circular bio-based wall panels is presented. The three panels were designed to be disassembled, and innovative bio-based materials, such as mycelium, sheep’s wool and cellulose were implemented in the walls. The wall assemblies were tested in a large environmental chamber to assess whether the panels achieved high insulating performances. Monitoring results showed that the three panels have excellent thermal properties. In parallel, life cycle assessment (LCA) of the bio-based construction materials applied in the three panels was undertaken to assess the sustainability and circularity of the selected materials. LCA results showed that some of the materials, such as sheep’s wool and flax, do have a low carbon footprint. However, there are uncertainties around the carbon footprint of other bio-based materials (e.g. fungi-based products), as information on the manufacturing process and associated emissions are not always available. This paper provides an overview of the applicability, advantages and challenges of innovative and sustainable technologies in buildings to achieve net-zero targets and to apply circular economy model of construction in buildings.
Structural Response of CLT Bridge Decks to Heavy Vehicle Loads: A Serviceability Evaluation
Authors: Lindersson Emil , Askari Mohammed , Vakili Amirhosein , Dahlberg Justin , Kioumarsi Mahdi , Shafei Behrouz 
Published: January 2025

AbstractTimber is widely recognized as a construction material of choice, owing to its numerous advantages, including its sustainability and abundance in large parts of the world. Although timber is frequently employed by the construction industry for buildings, its usage in modern bridge structures has remained limited. This research investigates the structural performance of cross-laminated timber (CLT) decks for bridge applications. For this purpose, CLT deck made of Douglas Fir North was fabricated to full-scale but with some reduced width dimensions. The deck was then tested under static and fatigue loading conditions. The experiments evaluated various structural response features, including the bending stiffness, interlaminar properties between the panels, and elongation characteristics from the applied vertical forces, representing heavy vehicular loads equivalent to the design loads expected on a typical short-span bridge. The results demonstrate the promising performance of CLT decks, exhibiting excellent structural performance compared to design standards. Overall, this research addresses a knowledge gap by providing valuable information for CLT bridge deck design and optimization, addressing the lack of modeling guides, and offering recommendations to meet standard requirements. Moreover, it emphasizes the environmental benefits of using timber sourced from sustainable sources, which is feasible in areas that have an abundance of such resources.
Exploring the Predictive Performance of Simple Regression Models and ANN in 2D Truss Analysis
Authors: Plevris Vagelis , Rios Alejandro Jiménez , Ebead Usama A. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThis research investigates the performance of various regression models in predicting critical structural parameters within a plane truss model. The study encompasses linear, second- and third-degree polynomial, and artificial neural network (ANN) regression models, which are evaluated for their accuracy in estimating the maximum displacement, maximum (tensile) stress, and minimum (compressive) stress of the truss under specific loading conditions. The findings unequivocally establish the superiority of the ANN model, showcasing its ability to capture complex nonlinear relationships within the data. Moreover, the research explores the influence of model complexity, demonstrating that the transition from simpler to more intricate models enhances predictive performance. The implications of this study extend to diverse engineering applications, offering insights into the selection of appropriate regression models for structural analysis and design. Beyond improved predictive accuracy, the ANN’s predictions provide potential for reducing computational demands, making them valuable tools in structural optimization and similar contexts. However, the study underscores the importance of cautious interpretation, as certain scenarios may yield outlier predictions. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of regression modeling in engineering and provides a foundation for informed decision-making in structural analysis and design.
Data-Driven Decision-Making for Road Maintenance in Norway
Authors: Giudici Henri 
Published: January 2025

AbstractRapid increase in urbanization and mobility demand are rising concerns for the development of sustainable urban areas. Transport infrastructures play a major role in this regard by promoting well-being, social inclusivity, and economic growth. This is true also for road infrastructure. Over the life cycle of a road infrastructure, the operational stage is the longest one and requires continuous maintenance and/or rehabilitation activities to keep the road operating at a satisfactory level of service. Data-driven decisions are essential to assess and evaluate the status of the road network. However, the data-driven decision-making process is not trivial but rather challenging due to the need of balancing multiple road qualities simultaneously. This chapter presents an overview of the road maintenance decision-making process using the Norwegian case as a case study. After presenting a background on monitoring systems and pavement management systems, this chapter focuses on the data-driven decision-making process of the Norwegian national road network. Finally, this chapter discusses the opportunities to better align this decision-making process with the Norwegian transport plan.
Sustainability Potentials of the Precast Industry in Kenya
Authors: Marangu Joseph Mwiti , Nyabuto Andrew Onderi , Pfeiffer Thomas , Kruschwitz Sabine , Völker Christoph , Schmidt Wolfram 
Published: January 2025

AbstractKenya is overly affected by the consequences of climate change and struggling to find ways to balance mitigation with the urgent need to meet the country’s infrastructure and housing needs. Traditional concreting methods, such as onsite mixing and manual compaction, are slow, material, water, and labor-intensive. The precast industry therefore offers a competitive alternative in terms of cost and environmental impact. When ordinary Portland cement is used, it is responsible for 80–90% of the carbon footprint of concrete. Hence, there is urgent need to minimize carbon emissions by using supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in concrete construction. Since cement factories are mostly located around the city of Nairobi, in other regions, the price of cement increases with transport distance. Precast concrete construction could become a lever for both lower prices and carbon emissions. Clinker reduction can take place at the cement plant or concrete mixing plant. Blending in the cement factory can produce more robust binder qualities but is limited to large SCM supply streams. Blending at the precast plant allows for tailored, smaller, local supply streams from industrial and agricultural by-products. The paper discusses the potential of using artificial intelligence to merge multiple small heterogeneous feed streams from renewable and recyclable resources into large homogeneous feed streams, with a particular focus on the use in precast concrete processing.
Construction Industry and the Circular Economy: A Systems Analysis
Authors: Sheen Raymond L. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThe building construction industry is an old industry with entrenched behaviors and interaction patterns. The European Union (EU) published a study analyzing these behaviors and measuring the application of circular economy to the construction industry in June 2023. This study included a diagram describing the construction industry as a system, but it did not include all elements or fully analyze the system. The discipline of systems thinking is a dynamic analysis that integrates societal forces with industry dynamics to provide a comprehensive description of behaviors within an industry. This study builds on the EU report and creates a causal loop diagram for the construction industry that includes societal and industrial environmental elements. This diagram is analyzed to identify the reinforcing and balancing loops that explain dynamic system behavior and sources of resistance to change. In addition, potentially dysfunctional elements of the system are identified. The study also assesses the recommended changes from the EU report to determine their likely impact on system performance and identifies additional leverage points that should be considered.
Preliminary Environmental Assessment of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Mixtures
Authors: Farahzadi Leila , Bozorgmehr Nia Saeed , Shafei Behrouz , Kioumarsi Mahdi 
Published: January 2025

AbstractUltra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is well known for its exceptional strength and durability in modern construction and bridges. Despite its advantages, traditional UHPC mixes with high cement content can negatively affect the environment through CO2 emissions. This study aims to investigate using low-impact supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as ground granulated blast furnace (GGBF) slag, fly ash, and silica fume as replacements for cement in different ratios in UHPC compositions. A life cycle assessment (LCA) has been conducted to evaluate the environmental impact of these innovative UHPC compositions. The evaluation considers critical variables, including resource allocation, energy sources, raw material procurement distances, and manufacturing processes. Using SCMs in UHPC formulas helps lessen the impact of global warming and aids in mitigating climate change. These results highlight the importance of using new material combinations to promote sustainability in construction, showing ways to adopt more environment-friendly solutions and creating a path toward a more sustainable future in concrete production.
Marine-Based Photocatalytic Protection of Building Envelopes on Behalf of Climate Change
Authors: Bersch Jéssica Deise , Dias Ana Paula Soares , Dal Molin Denise , Masuero Angela Borges , Flores-Colen Inês 
Published: January 2025

AbstractPhotocatalysis in building envelopes can reduce air pollution, further providing surfaces with antimicrobial and self-cleaning effects. However, conventional photocatalysts have drawbacks, like environmentally unfriendly industrial production processes, UV-restricted light absorption, and human health concerns. So, this chapter reviewed photocatalysts synthesized following a green route in several research fields, relying on the wide availability of sea waste. The final goal was to assess if the construction sector already encompasses the topic and provide experimental paths to preserve renders with marine-based photocatalysts and enhance their resilience under climate change. The final sample had 64 papers, in which algae, shells, fish waste, and other marine materials were bio-sources. Indoor air pollution was the closest topic to buildings, addressed by three papers but without direct applications, and no papers have tested bio-photocatalysts in façades. Titanium, zinc, and silver were the most common metals combined with the biomaterials. A lack of toxicity and life cycle assessments prevented a comprehensive environmental discussion.
Importance of Optimally Combining Binder Types and Rebar Cover in Reducing Lifetime CO2 Emissions in RC Structures
Authors: Hasnat Sakib , Manzur Tanvir 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThe global imperative to transition towards sustainable and energy-efficient practices has brought to the forefront the need for innovative solutions and strategies within the construction industry, a major contributor to energy-related emissions. With over a third of global emissions stemming from the built environment, the construction sector, particularly in extreme exposures, faces unique challenges. Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures in chloride-laden environments are especially vulnerable to rapid deterioration. The integration of binders such as fly ash and slag, as well as blended cements, has been suggested in international and local codes as a relief to this problem. Despite these preventive strategies, insufficient concrete cover often undermines these efforts, resulting in severe degradation of RC structures in regions like Bangladesh where performance-based rebar cover design is not available in local codes. Once an RC structure reaches a limit state of spalling due to rebar corrosion, it often necessitates concrete patchworks to ensure continued service. However, such patchworks are often not only expensive but also energy intensive due to further utilization of concrete, resulting higher-than-anticipated lifetime CO2 emissions. This study shows the effectiveness of concrete cover as a strategy in reducing the carbon footprint of marine RC construction from the perspective of Bangladesh. Few commonly practiced concrete mixes in Bangladesh have been investigated for durability parameters, exploring the integration of environmentally friendly supplementary binders such as fly ash and slag. To assess the impact of various rebar covers in combination with binder types on the lifecycle CO2 emission of RC structures, a probabilistic approach utilizing Monte Carlo Simulation is employed. This allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the service life of structures built with different mixes, emphasizing the critical role of concrete cover practices in reducing the frequency of repair works and associated energy-intensive CO2 emissions.
Misconceptions Around Strength Requirements for Concrete Repair Materials and Related Sustainability Issues
Authors: Jarratt Nicholas , Beushausen Hans 
Published: January 2025

AbstractConcrete repair and rehabilitation are vital disciplines in structural and civil engineering, given the age of concrete infrastructure and the need to extend its service life. Most repair projects involve removing deteriorated or damaged concrete, followed by applying a patch repair mortar or bonded overlay. These repairs are typically done with proprietary repair materials of very high strength exceeding 40 MPa, which is related to the general misconception that the high strength of cementitious materials correlates with high quality and structural contribution. However, the performance of concrete repairs deteriorates with the increasing strength of the repair material, which is related to an increasing tendency to crack and debond. Furthermore, repair patches commonly do not contribute to the load-bearing behaviour of the structure, mainly because of creep and shrinkage of the repair mortar. This paper discusses common misconceptions around the ‘structural repair’ of concrete members and the related adverse effects regarding sustainability costs. Recommendations for rational and more sustainable repair approaches are presented.
Review of South African Waste Management Practices and Their Integration into the Construction Industry
Authors: Gamieldien Areej , Beushausen Hans , Alexander Mark 
Published: January 2025

AbstractConstruction and demolition waste (CDW) is defined as non-hazardous waste produced during the construction, repair and rehabilitation, or demolition of infrastructure. While only 19% of the CDW produced in South Africa has been reported to be diverted annually, during the same period, up to 40% of the CDW produced in the Western Cape province of South Africa was beneficiated to be reused or recycled. This discrepancy is due to a shift in local government legislation and implementation thereof which, in turn, has encouraged a change in the behaviours of waste management and built environment professionals. This paper aims to review and contrast the waste management legislation and policies of South African local and national governments, as well as the waste management practices used at landfills and recycling facilities, and the quality and uses of materials produced at these facilities from CDW in various parts of the country.
Energy Efficiency Through Building Renovation: A Study of Challenges and Solutions
Authors: Moradi Sina , Hirvonen Janne , Lastovets Natalia , Sormunen Piia 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThe realization of energy efficiency targets in Europe requires renovation of 30 million buildings by 2050. Compared to new building constructions, there is currently very limited research-based knowledge concerning the challenges and solutions of achieving energy efficiency in renovation through the lens of the project delivery process. Hence, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap through a qualitative study, involving project professionals representing clients, designers, general contractors, building services contractors, and maintenance experts. To do so, 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the extracted data were analyzed through thematic and content analysis methods. The findings reveal that high investment cost and an uncertain payback period for replacing the old energy system together with insufficient space for new building services systems and building protection issues for façade renovation seem to be the most critical challenges. Regarding the enablers, the interviewees frequently mentioned a competent maintenance workforce, practice-oriented training and education for maintenance and operation staff, and detailed as well as purposeful measurement/metering of energy consumption for achieving energy efficiency in building renovation projects. The findings highlight the significance of investing in people and technological solutions for realizing energy efficiency through building renovation.