cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.85
title: ICONIC STRUCTURES: CASE STUDY OF A HISTORIC MUSEUM WITH NOTABLE SPANS DESIGNED IN CONCRETE

description: The emergence of iconic structures around the world increased tourism and economic status of the of host cities. Iconic structures stand out and attract the attention of the general public due to their daring structural limits and aesthetic forms. Hence, the design idea of an iconic historic museum is conceptualized in this research. This paper models an art center, analyses and designs the critical elements according to BS 8110, trying to determine the feasibility of a large-cantilevering structure with numerous curves being achieved. The activities carried out in this research involved a systematic modeling of the structure with Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools, analysis and design in reinforced concrete with particular emphasis on the cantilevered wing of about 37.5m. Numerous load combinations were applied, and various member section properties were experimented. The results obtained from the analysis of the designed reinforced concrete model identified the structural efficiency of certain critical members in the west wing of the building and how they were made to adhere to structural limits in the code of practice by ensuring deflections of critical cantilevered members did not exceed the limit. A unique arrangement of structural systems has been combined to solve the problem of deflection of the seemingly impossible cantilever of 37.5m.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.86
title: IDENTIFICATION OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE USING DATA MINING TECHNIQUES

description: Critical Infrastructure (CI) is a term used to describe important national assets for producing or distributing a continuous flow of essential goods or services. They are marked by immense complexity, characterized predominantly by strong intra and interdependencies as well as hierarchies. These interconnections take many forms, including flows of information, shared security, physical flows of commodities, and others. Previous research has illustrated the relationship between the physical impacts of natural disasters and the social and economic factors on CI. Some research emphasized more the role of CI interdependencies and their importance and influence over the functioning of industries while others have looked the impacts due to disruption of CI after disasters. Nowadays comprehensive identification of all interdependency relationships of CI remains a challenge. As the complexity and interconnectedness of a country's CI evolve, threats and vulnerabilities increase. Thus, investigating how a set of CI interacts and identification of criticality of CI becomes an important topic. This research has made utilization of data mining techniques and proposes a method to identify the criticality of Critical Infrastructure so that to develop better disaster protection and prevention management.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.87
title: IMPACT OF CONCRETE MATERIAL INPUTS ON PERFORMANCE OF CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENT

description: Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is increasingly being used in the United States based on its longer service life with minimal maintenance. CRCP provides excellent performance for heavily loaded traffic volume, if designed and constructed properly. The performance of CRCP is evaluated based on punch-outs and pavement roughness according to the Pavement ME (mechanistic-empirical) Design procedure which is the state-of-the-art pavement design tool. Design of CRCP is dependent on various factors including traffic, climate, material inputs and pavement geometry. This study focuses on evaluating the effects of concrete mechanical and thermal properties and traffic volume on CRCP performance. CRCP design simulations were conducted using Pavement ME Design software version 2.3 to evaluate the effects of material input data on CRCP performance and it was observed that there is significant difference between the performance predictions with time series data in comparison to the default data. The impact of material inputs is more significant on punch-outs distress as compared to the pavement roughness. This necessitates the importance of lab tested material inputs for accurate design of CRCP. The impact of traffic volume on CRCP performance was also evaluated and it was found that with increase in traffic volume, the pavement distresses increases and the performance decreases
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.88
title: IMPACT OF INTRODUCING SEMI-RIGID MOMENT FRAMES ON SEISMIC RESPONSE OF BRACED FRAMES

description: Maximum seismic inelastic drift demand in a steel building with braced frames as primary seismic-force-resisting (SFR) system tends to concentrate in few stories without considering inherent participation of designed gravity-force-resisting (GFR) system in actual structural stiffness and strength. The influence of GFR system on stiffness and strength can be taken into account by considering the composite action in beam-to-column shear connections that exist in modern steel building construction to form actual semi-rigid moment-resisting frames. Therefore, modeling semi-rigid moment frames as an equivalent to the GFR system in braced frame buildings could be utilized as a representative to the strength provided by gravity frames. This paper presents a seismic evaluation of a six-story chevron braced frame, with and without semi-rigid moment frame. Four different cases are investigated under a set of ground motions and results are discussed in terms of story drift distribution along the height. The results pointed out that the current findings lay a foundation to conduct further investigation on the seismic performance of braced frames as designed SFR system together with GFR system.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.89
title: IMPLEMENTING CONTRACTOR KNOW-HOW IN EARLY PHASES OF COMPLEX INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

description: The importance of bringing contractor know-how into early construction project phases has long been recognized by the construction industry. Although experts and practitioners have considered new forms of procurement and management for construction projects, no significant solutions have been identified until now. It should be mentioned in this context that the Austrian government initiated the implementation of a new procurement approach in 2015 by reducing the opportunity for public clients to award the contract to the bid with the lowest price in conformity with the European guidelines. Austriaดs infrastructure industry is thus seeking new approaches that are able to implement the know-how of all parties involved in a project. The aim of this paper is to identify possibilities for early contractor involvement and its potential for optimizing the project management in the Austrian infrastructure industry.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.90
title: IMPROVEMENT OF REINFORCEMENT METHOD OF R/C CYLINDRICAL SHELL WITH OPENING

description: Reinforced concrete (R/C) chimney with a hole is prone to decrease the strength. Therefore, the particular reinforcements have been placed around the hole. Both meridional and hoop reinforcements have been placed additionally equivalent to the loss amount of reinforcements at the hole and the diagonal reinforcements have been placed to prevent the corner failures as well. Diagonal reinforcements in the shell were curved shape. It is the laborious work to place them. In this analysis, the improved reinforcement method was proposed instead of placing the conventional diagonal reinforcements. In the proposed methods, only the hoop and the meridional reinforcements were arranged around the corners instead of diagonal reinforcements. FEM analyses were done to evaluate the proposed reinforcing method. Numerical model was the cylindrical panel with a rectangular opening. From the numerical analyses, it was concluded that the R/C panel with proposed reinforcement method showed the same behavior as that with conventional reinforcement method.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.91
title: IMPROVING MARKETING FUNCTIONS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE AMONG CONSTRUCTION SMEs

description: With over 3.5 billion people connected to the internet, small and medium-scale (SME) construction businesses have the opportunity to enhance their customer base. The study assessed ways by which marketing functions of SME construction businesses can be improved through social media presence of the firms. The study used a quotapurposive sampling of construction businesses in Nigeria's mega city, Lagos State. The small and medium scale construction businesses comprised of consulting and contracting firms. Using a questionnaire instrument, the social media arm of the marketing unit of SME construction businesses was measured. Presentation of the data was carried out using pie charts and principal component analysis. The study identified two main critical success factors (CSFs) Firm/Social Media characteristics and Security/Investment factor enabling the Social Media infrastructure for SME construction businesses. A focus on these entities would ensure the successful integration of social media marketing strategies in the traditional marketing functions of construction SMEs. The survival of SME construction business is hinged on the availability of customers which social media exposure helps attract and interact with potential customers. SME Construction businesses of the 21st century must align with the 'global village' trend of incorporating social media applications in their traditional marketing functions.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.92
title: IMPROVING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY BY USING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AND BIM

description: Despite a slight decrease in the number of accidents at work on German construction sites, a large number of accidents on construction sites occurred as a result of the collision of different trades. An important potential is in the optimization of the safety and health by making available predefined information about work safety for all involved trades. The aim of the project is the application of the BIM-method and the use of RFID-technology and Augmented Reality to improve work safety in the real estate and construction industry. It has to identify, define, and standardize information relevant to work safety so that they can be used for prevention-measures with Building Information Modeling (BIM). To do so, a process map was developed to map all relevant occupational health and safety processes during the lifecycle phases of a building. Therefore, all work safety-relevant processes have to be identified and defined. Furthermore, a demonstrator was developed in order to show possibilities like the usage of Augmented Reality (AR) and a commercially available tablet with a web app, in combination with Bluetooth beacons and RFID technology, based on a common data base. This will lead to the possibility of cross-company planning regarding work safety-relevant processes with BIM as well as the optimization of work safety in additional use of AutoID-Technologies.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.93
title: INCREASING THE HEIGHT OF A GUYED STEEL STACK WHICH IS SUPPORTED ON AN INDUTRIAL BUILDING

description: The paper studied the rehabilitation and increase in height of an existing 30 ft tall, industrial, guyed steel stack, which was built around 1977. The stack is supported on an industrial building. Stacks are an essential part of the industrial facilities. They allow the discharge of chemical waste gases from industries to the atmosphere, under stringent pollution control guidelines. The height of the stack is increased by 40 ft to comply with the new guidelines. Analytical and numerical simulations were performed using MecaStack software (local model) and SAP2000 V.20 software (global model). Analysis and design are based on the ASME STS-1-2016 standard code. Discontinuity around the manhole at the bottom of the stack is investigated with SAP2000 V.20 finite element software. Results in terms of principle stresses, and Von-Mises stress, were used to prepare recommendations, repair and construction documents for the project.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.94
title: INFLUENCE OF CURVED WEB CLOSED STEEL SECTIONS IN BRIDGE DESIGN

description: A bridge is nowadays more than a structure that connects people over an obstacle. When a bridge has to be built in an urban area, either it has to be a landmark or it should blend away in the environment. The use of curved steel panels is one option to obtain these requirements. However, due to a lack of knowledge, engineers end up with a conservative design to implement these structural elements. For that reason, a Finite Element Model is made of a railway bridge, where the outer webs of the main girders have a varying web curvature. Six different models are made and compared. The most important parameters that are compared are the deformations and the stresses in the webs. The study finds that curved webs have an equal or even better behavior than flat webs, even with smaller web thickness. This makes that designers can use curved webs in their design, without needing extra steel to make their design safe
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.95
title: INFLUENCE OF PROJECT PREPARATION QUALITY ON THE PROJECT OUTCOME: A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

description: To achieve the targets of all project key stakeholders, construction projects, in particular, require sufficiently long preparation and execution periods that go beyond ensuring project break-even. Assessing the break-even, or commercial viability, of a project directly depends on its complexity and underlying conditions. Time and funds are necessary to achieve a sufficiently high quality in construction project management, planning, and specification. At the project planning stage, the budget associated with specific use requirements should be calculated whilst also determining the quantities and quality standards achievable within a pre-defined budget. To successfully plan and execute construction projects, it is crucial to identify available resources in terms of funds and time in advance, thus making it possible, at a very early stage, to strike a realistic balance between the (financial) project targets and the available budget. If these targets exceed the budget, works are often specified incompletely, or specified quality standards are lowered with a view to arrive at lower costs in early project phases in order to ensure that the required permit is issued. This paper adopts a qualitative approach to highlight the influence of project preparation (i.e. project lead time and project preparation budget) on achieving the client's/owner's project targets.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.96
title: INFLUENCE OF RAILING STIFFNESS ON WHEEL LOAD DISTRIBUTION IN TWO-SPAN CONCRETE SLAB BRIDGES

description: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard Specifications or LRFD do not account for the presence of railings in the analysis and design of concrete slab bridges. This paper presents a parametric investigation of the influence of railing stiffness on the wheel load distribution in simply-supported, two-equal-span, and one- and two-lane reinforced concrete slab bridges using the finite-element analysis (FEA). A total of 160 bridge cases were modeled and bridge parameters such as span lengths and slab widths were varied within practical ranges. Various railing stiffness were investigated by assuming railings built integrally with the bridge deck and placed on both edges of the bridge. The FEA wheel load distribution and longitudinal bending moments were compared with reference bridge slabs without railings as well as to the AASHTO design procedures. Accordingly, the presence of railings reduced the FEA negative moments by a range of 54% to 72% and the FEA positive moments by a range of 40% to 61% depending on the railing stiffness. This reduction in slab moments due to the presence of railings could be considered an increase in the bridges load carrying capacity. The results of this investigation will assist bridge engineers in better designing and/or evaluating concrete slab bridges in the presence of railings. This could also be considered an alternative for strengthening existing concrete slab bridges.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.97
title: INNOVATION OF USING WASTE MATERIALS AS A REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT IN PCC

description: Portland cement (PC) is used in the production of Portland cement concrete (PCC) to construct many infrastructure components such as rigid pavements. This research aims at studying the effect of using common waste materials in Egypt as a replacement of PC in the production of PCC. Using waste materials in concrete production could be an effective measure in maintaining the environment, improving the properties of PCC, and reducing cost of production. Nowadays, pavement technologist and researchers had put their interests on nanotechnology. This paper outlines the innovation of using Nanotechnology-based waste materials as a replacement of PC to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of PCC. The experimental work, using waste materials such as ceramic waste (CW) and ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), was conducted in five phases. In phase-1, CW was used with 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40% and 45%
description: while in phase-2, GGBFS was used with 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% by weight of cement. In phase-3, the best three ratios of CW were used in conjunction with the best ratio of GGBFS. In phase-4, different ratios of CW and GGBFS were used in conjunction with a standard ratio of Un-Hydrated lime (UHL). In phase-5, various mix of CW, GGBFS and UHL were suggested based on previous results. Modified PCC mixtures were produced, tested and compared to the conventional concrete in terms of Index Tests and Advanced Tests (e.g., X-ray diffraction and SEM Microscopy). Results showed that the cost of PCC production is reduced by 34% in average comparing to the control mix.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4913872
title: National Grid daily demand data for years 2015-2019, for natural gas at the Great Britain local distribution zone level, and estimated amount used for heat and hot water

description: 5 years worth of daily data for Great Britain from National Grid, and an estimate of how much of this was used for heat and hot water, comma separated values in utf-8 format <strong>Columns include:</strong> <strong>column_name: </strong>date<strong> description: </strong>gas day in ISO8601 format <strong>column_name: </strong>GB_ldz_natural_gas_kWh <strong>description: </strong>daily value for Local Distribution Zone (LDZ) natural gas energy in kWh. From National Grid's data item explorer (https://mip-prd-web.azurewebsites.net/DataItemExplorer), check boxes Demand &gt; Exit Point Actuals &gt; <em>NTS Energy Offtaken, LDZ Offtake Total. </em>Use radiobuttions 'Latest Values' and 'Applicable For', and add values for dates to then download. Note: data from National Grid is on a rolling basis approximate 5-year window- with data from approximately 5 years prior to the download date being unavailable. Units are in kWh <strong>column_name: </strong>heat_as_an_estimated_fraction_of_GB_ldz_natural_gas_demand <strong>description: </strong>An estimated fraction of the amount of local gas demand that is used for heating and hot water <strong>column_name: </strong>GB_ldz_heat_from_natural_gas_kWh <strong>description: </strong>The column 'GB_ldz_natural_gas_kWh' multiplied by the column 'heat_as_an_estimated_fraction_of_GB_ldz_natural_gas_demand'. Units are in kWh
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.98
title: INTEGRATING BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING AND VISUAL PROGRAMMING FOR BUILDING LIFE-CYCLE COST ANALYSIS

description: In recent years, the fierce competition in worldwide real-estate market has pushed the stakeholders towards the sustainability for buildings. Life-cycle cost (LCC) is an effective economic evaluation tool that provides a detailed account for all costs related to constructing, operating, maintaining, and disposing a construction project over a defined period of time. Awareness of better value of money throughout the LCC is beyond the initial price. Governments and Contracting authorities add the LCC as a key provision in the context of National Codes and Council Directives to promote the growth of sustainability concept. Current LCC analytical methods are costly, laborious, and time-consuming due to the difficulties of obtaining information and implementing many single LCC analyses for all building elements, which may be attributed to the inaccuracy of results. Building information modeling (BIM) is a modern technology that can potentially overcome the asperities that obstruct practical LCC implementation. This paper develops a new automated system for performing LCC analyses for new building projects by integrating BIM authoring programming with visual programming. The proposed system consists of two main modules. The BIM module is designed to retrieve 3D geometric and physical parameters of building element types. The life-cycle cost calculation module can perform automatic estimating and report results. This system provides an economic evaluation tool for the owner to manage the total life-cycle budget of their projects
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4913871
title: National Grid daily demand data for years 2015-2019, for natural gas at the Great Britain local distribution zone level, and estimated amount used for heat and hot water

description: 5 years worth of daily data for Great Britain from National Grid, and an estimate of how much of this was used for heat and hot water, comma separated values in utf-8 format <strong>Columns include:</strong> <strong>column_name: </strong>date<strong> description: </strong>gas day in ISO8601 format <strong>column_name: </strong>GB_ldz_natural_gas_kWh <strong>description: </strong>daily value for Local Distribution Zone (LDZ) natural gas energy in kWh. From National Grid's data item explorer (https://mip-prd-web.azurewebsites.net/DataItemExplorer), check boxes Demand &gt; Exit Point Actuals &gt; <em>NTS Energy Offtaken, LDZ Offtake Total. </em>Use radiobuttions 'Latest Values' and 'Applicable For', and add values for dates to then download. Note: data from National Grid is on a rolling basis approximate 5-year window- with data from approximately 5 years prior to the download date being unavailable. Units are in kWh <strong>column_name: </strong>heat_as_an_estimated_fraction_of_GB_ldz_natural_gas_demand <strong>description: </strong>An estimated fraction of the amount of local gas demand that is used for heating and hot water <strong>column_name: </strong>GB_ldz_heat_from_natural_gas_kWh <strong>description: </strong>The column 'GB_ldz_natural_gas_kWh' multiplied by the column 'heat_as_an_estimated_fraction_of_GB_ldz_natural_gas_demand'. Units are in kWh
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2019.99
title: INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECT OF COUNTERMEASURES FOR SUBSIDENCE AT THE APPROACHING AREAS OF ABUTMENTS

description: The purpose of this study is to confirm the effect of soil improvement methods on preventing ground subsidence at the back of abutments. Earthquake seismic analysis is performed for three models. One is a model with no ground improvement. Next is a model with deep mixing method. The third is the model with lightweight banking method. As a result, from the perspective of the passage possibility of the emergency vehicles, both the deep mixing method and lightweight banking method are effective in preventing ground subsidence at the approaching area of abutments. However, in the case of the deep mixing method, it is found that the maximum bending moment of the pile under the liquefaction layer increases because a lump of improved rigid soil that falls down toward the piles.
DOI: 10.5066/p99rfmm5
title: Morphometric, Age, Visible Abnormalities, Skin and Liver Neoplasms, and Stable Isotopes in White Sucker Collected in the St. Louis River and Estuary, Minnesota/Wisconsin, 2011-2015

description: The dataset provides length, weight, age, observations of visible external abnormalities, liver and skin histopathology and stable isotopes of white sucker captured within the St. Louis river and associated bays.