Search results for: infrastructure management

Authors: Shraddha Palikhe, Sunkuk Kim

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The construction industry is the most labor intensive in Nepal. It is obvious that construction is a major sector and any productivity enhancement activity in this sector will have a positive impact in the overall improvement of the national economy. Previous studies have stated that Nepal has poor labor productivity among other south Asian countries. Though considerable research has been done on productivity factors in other countries, no study has addressed labor productivity issues in Nepal. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to identify and hierarchy the influence factors for poor labor productivity. In this study, a questionnaire approach is chosen as a method of the survey from thirty experts involved in the construction industry, such as Architects, Civil Engineers, Project Engineers and Site Engineers. A survey was conducted in Nepal, to identify the major factors impacting construction labor productivity. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis method was used to understand the underlying relationships among the factors, categorized into five groups, namely (1) Labor-management group; (2) Material management group; (3) Human labor group; (4) Technological group and (5) External group and was divided into 33 subfactors. AHP was used to establish the relative importance of the criteria. The AHP makes pairwise comparisons of relative importance between hierarchy elements grouped by labor productivity decision criteria. Respondents were asked to answer based on their experience of construction works. On the basis of the respondent’s response, weight of all the factors were calculated and ranked it. The AHP results were tabulated based on weight and ranking of influence factors. AHP model consists of five main criteria and 33 sub-criteria. Among five main criteria, the scenario assigns a weight of highest influential factor i.e. 26.15% to human labor group followed by 23.01% to technological group, 22.97% to labor management group, 17.61% material management group and 10.25% to external group. While in 33 sub-criteria, the most influential factor for poor productivity in Nepal are lack of monetary incentive (20.53%) for human labor group, unsafe working condition (17.55%) for technological group, lack of leadership (18.43%) for labor management group, unavailability of tools at site (25.03%) for material management group and strikes (35.01%) for external group. The results show that AHP model associated criteria are helpful to predict the current situation of labor productivity. It is essential to consider these influence factors to improve the labor productivity in the construction industry of Nepal.

Keywords: construction, hierarchical analysis, influence factors, labor productivity

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Authors: Kanita Beširević

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Open-source software development activities highly rely on Internet gathering communities volunteering in software development projects. Additionally, the libraries and cultural institutions share their metadata in the form of linked metadata to enable dissemination and enrichment. The open-source software provides free alternatives to traditional software solutions. The article aims to investigate the ever-increasing options for the digital library open source software adoption. The software available is presented and compared to other software solutions as well as to their previous versions. The top three open-source digital library software solutions are presented and compared. The comparison criteria are adopted from the UNESCO study by Bankier, J., & Gleason, K. Institutional Repository Software Comparison comprising of twelve criteria to appraise software, namely: infrastructure, front-end design, content discovery, publication tools, interoperability, and preservation. This article adopts a descriptive methodology based on data and information collected through selected software websites and the literature review.

Keywords: open source software, digital library, DSpace, Fedora, Greenstone

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Authors: R. M. R. Hussein

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Sustainable urban waterfront development is one of the most interesting phenomena of urban renewal in the last decades. However, there are still many cities whose visual image is compromised due to the lack of a sustainable urban waterfront development, which consequently affects the place of those cities globally. This paper aims to reimagine the role of waterfront areas in city design, with a particular focus on Egypt, so that they provide attractive, sustainable urban environments while promoting the continued aesthetic development of the city overall. This aim will be achieved by determining the main principles of a sustainable urban waterfront and its applications. This paper concentrates on sustainability assessment rating systems. A number of international case-studies, wherein a city has applied the basic principles for a sustainable urban waterfront and have made use of sustainability assessment rating systems, have been selected as examples which can be applied to the urban waterfronts in Egypt. This paper establishes the importance of developing the design of urban environments in Egypt, as well as identifying the methods of sustainability application for urban waterfronts.

Keywords: sustainable urban waterfront, green infrastructure, energy efficient, Cairo

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Authors: José Dinis-Carvalho, Levi Guimarães, Celina Leão, Rui Sousa, Rosa Eliza Vieira, Larissa Thomaz, Kelliane Guerreiro

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This research paper investigates the efficacy of waste identification diagrams (WIDs) as a tool for waste reduction and management within the Manaus Industrial Pole. The study focuses on assessing the practical application and effectiveness of WIDs in identifying, categorizing, and mitigating various forms of waste generated across industrial processes. Employing a mixed-methods approach, including a qualitative questionnaire applied to 5 companies and quantitative data analysis with SPSS statistical software, the research evaluates the implementation and impact of WIDs on waste reduction practices in select industries within the Manaus Industrial Pole. The findings contribute to understanding the utility of WIDs as a proactive strategy for waste management, offering insights into their potential for fostering sustainable practices and promoting environmental stewardship in industrial settings. The study also discusses challenges, best practices, and recommendations for optimizing the utilization of WIDs in industrial waste management, thereby addressing the broader implications for sustainable industrial development.

Keywords: waste identification diagram, value stream mapping, overall equipment effectiveness, lean manufacturing

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Authors: Yael Dubinsky, Orit Hazzan

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There is a constant need for hi-tech innovation to be decentralized to peripheral regions. This work describes how we applied design science research (DSR) principles to define what we refer to as the Sea of Galilee (SoG) method. The goal of the SoG method is to harness existing and new technological initiatives in peripheral regions to create a socio-technological network that can initiate and maintain hi-tech activities. The SoG method consists of a set of principles, a stakeholder network, and actual hi-tech business initiatives, including their infrastructure and practices. The three cycles of DSR, the Relevance, Design, and Rigor cycles, layout a research framework to sharpen the requirements, collect data from case studies, and iteratively refine the SoG method based on the existing knowledge base. We propose that the SoG method can be deployed by regional authorities that wish to be considered smart regions (an extension of the notion of smart cities).

Keywords: design science research, socio-technological initiatives, Sea of Galilee method, periphery stakeholder network, hi-tech initiatieves

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Authors: Muizz Sanni-Anibire

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The 21st century has witnessed growing concerns for the protection of built facilities against natural and man-made disasters. Studies in earthquake resistant buildings, fire, and explosion resistant buildings now dominate the arena. To protect people and facilities from the effects of the explosion, reinforced concrete walls have been designed to be blast resistant. Understanding the performance of these walls is a key step in ensuring the safety of built facilities. Blast walls are mostly designed using simple techniques such as single degree of freedom (SDOF) method, despite the increasing use of multi-degree of freedom techniques such as the finite element method. This study is the first stage of a continuous research into the safety and reliability of blast walls. It presents the SDOF approach applied to the analysis of a concrete wall panel under three representative bomb situations. These are motorcycle 50 kg, car 400kg and also van with the capacity of 1500 kg of TNT explosive.

Keywords: blast wall, safety, protection, explosion

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Authors: Volkan Altintas, Burcu Oksuz

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Tourism industry essentially requires effective crisis management and crisis communication skills, as it is extremely vulnerable to crises. In terms of destinations, tourism crises cause dramatic decreases in the number of inbound tourists, impairment in the destination’s image, and decline in the level of preferability of the destination not only in the short but also in the long term. Therefore, any destination should be well prepared for crisis situation that may arise for various reasons. Currently, the advancement in communication technologies enables and facilitates information and experience to spread rapidly, and negative information and experiences tend to be shared to a further extent. Destinations are broadly exposed to the impacts of such communication stream. Turkey is almost continuously exposed to crises and their adverse impacts as a tourism destination, and thus requires effective crisis communication activities to be maintained. Hence, the approaches of tourism managers toward crisis communication and their proposals for addressing issues in question are important. This study intends to set forth the considerations of the managers serving in the tourism industry about crisis communication at destinations. The theoretical part of the study describes and explains crisis management and crisis communication at destinations; following which are provided the outcomes of the thorough in-depth interviews and discussions conducted for the establishment of the considerations of tourism managers. Managers indicated the role and importance of crisis communications in destinations.

Keywords: crisis communication, crisis management, destination, tourism managers

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Authors: Gagandeep Kaur, Sonal Chawla

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In a Cloud Computing environment, resource provisioning, resource allocation and resource scheduling is the most complex issues these days. Cloud User expects the best resource utilization and Cloud Provider expects revenue maximization by considering budget and time constraints. In this research paper, Resource Management Framework has been proposed to allocate the resources to Cloud Users and Cloud Providers in Cloud environment. The main aim of the proposed work is to provide the resources and services to Cloud Providers and Cloud Users in an efficient and effective manner. The proposed framework has been simulated and tested using the CloudSim simulator tool.

Keywords: cloud computing, resource allocation, auction, provisioning

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Authors: Padmini Raman

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The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is facing enormous technological and institutional changes and challenges including the information technology and appropriate application of sustainable practices. The engineer and architect must be able to handle with a rapid pace of technological change. BIM is a unique process of producing and managing a building by exploring a digital module before the actual project is constructed and later during its construction, facility operation and maintenance. BIM has been Adopted by construction contractors and architects in the western country mostly in US and UK to improve the planning and management of construction projects. In India, BIM is a basic stage of adoption only, several issues about data acquisition and management comes during the design formation and planning of a construction project due to the complexity, ambiguity, and fragmented nature of the Indian construction industry. This paper tells about the view a strategy for India’s AEC firms to successfully implement BIM in their current working processes. By surveying and collecting data about problems faced by these architectural firms, it will be analysed how to avoid those situations from rising and, thus, introducing BIM Capabilities in such firms in the most effective way. while this application is widely accepted throughout the industry in many countries for managing project information for cost control and facilities management.

Keywords: AEC industry, building information module, Indian industry, new technology, BIM implementation in India

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Authors: E. Gopi, E. Devaindran

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Objective: Non-operative management of blunt splenic trauma have started to overtake the traditional splenectomy in recent years across the grade of splenic injury. The two main non-operative methods are observation and angioembolisation. However, the post management convalescence in these groups are still being investigated. The study attempts to quantify the clinical indicators among the two in particular complications, mortalities, conversions to operative management and duration of inpatient stay. Methodology: A systematic search was done via PUBMED, MEDLINE, and EMBASE. A total of 639 articles identified and subsequently 68 articles were identified post duplicates, full text, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. Main exclusions were non-English articles without English translation, pure observational or angioembolisation articles of which no comparison data could be identified and articles looking into pure hemodynamically unstable patients. Results: 24 non randomized controlled trial, 5 clinical control trial and 39 retrospective studies analyzing a total of 23700 patients with blunt splenic trauma. Discrepancies in data were noted in the group who had observational management versus angioembolisation in particular as data was compared among the classes of splenic rupture, the protocol of management in different centers, availability of angiogram suite, and the study design. Further variability was also noted in the angioembolisation arm as the preference for treatment differs between distal versus proximal splenic artery involvement. Overall the cumulative mortality in both observational and angioembolisation group were similar, 2.78% and 5.97% respectively. The cause of death however is not directly attributed to the management itself but rather patient comorbidities, other associated injuries and conversions to splenectomy leading to post splenectomy complications. The cumulative morbidity among each group appears to be same approximately 12% in observational versus 15% in angioembolisation. However, the type of complications varies with the observational group having higher rates of inpatient stay and intrabdominal hematoma infection and angioembolisation group developing more splenic infarcts and bleeds. There were significant disparity in reporting the actual data on duration of inpatient stay and complications to allow a statistically significant quantitative analysis to be done, 15 articles however are currently being considered. Conclusions: Observational management appears to be much effective in managing lower grade splenic trauma (grade 1 and 2) where else angioembolisation appears to play a bigger role in intermediate grades (grade 3-4) in ensuring splenic function preservation. Care has to be taken however in the angioembolisation group in view of distal splenic infarct group compromising splenic function. The cumulated data of 15 articles are now being considered for a meta-analysis.

Keywords: blunt splenic trauma, conservative, non-operative, angioembolisation

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Authors: Ebru Dalgakiran

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Border and bordering studies have come to the forefront in recent years especially with parallel to increase in international migratory movements. Although conceptualizations of the border and bordering are quite contested within academia, the general point of view is that borders are politically and socially constructed. It means that borders have always their own ‘us vs. them’, and bordering process produce separate identities as well. In that case, Turkey and Greece are notable examples since these two nation-states constructed their borders upon each other’s for years although the Turkish-Greek border was drawn with the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. Nevertheless, on the other hand, The European Union (EU) has been externalized of border management policies to build a stronger area of freedom, security, and justice within the borders. Thus, Turkish-Greek border has become one of the significant external borders of the EU. In this context, this study aims to understand whether the EU’s bordering process through externalizing border management policies can affect Turkey’s and Greece’s bordering processes. By examining official documents of the EU and conducting in-depth interviews with local actors of the border management policies of the EU in Edirne, where is the border city of Turkey with Greece, this study’s main finding is that the EU’s bordering process to control migration at the external borders affects Turkey’s and Greece’s bordering processes. It seems that Turkey and Greece construct their borders upon a common Other, ‘irregular migrants’ now.

Keywords: border, bordering, the European Union, externalization

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Authors: Abdallah A. Hlayel

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Operations research science (OR) deals with good success in developing and applying scientific methods for problem solving and decision-making. However, by using OR techniques, we can enhance the use of computer decision support systems to achieve optimal management for institutions. OR applies comprehensive analysis including all factors that affect on it and builds mathematical modeling to solve business or organizational problems. In addition, it improves decision-making and uses available resources efficiently. The adoption of OR by universities would definitely contributes to the development and enhancement of the performance of OR techniques. This paper provides an understanding of the structures, approaches and models of OR in problem solving and decision-making.

Keywords: best candidates' method, decision making, decision support system, operations research

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Authors: Lloyd A. Taylor

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An increase in the prevalence of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) highlights the need to consider factors that may be exacerbating symptom presentation. Traditional diagnostic criteria provide a little framework for healthcare providers to consider as they attempt to diagnose and treat children with behavioral problems. In fact, aside from exclusion criteria, limited alternative considerations are available, and approaches fail to consider the impact of outside factors that could increase or decrease the likelihood of appropriate diagnosis and success of interventions. This paper will consider specific systems-based factors that influence behavior and intervention successes that, when not considered, could account for the upsurge of diagnoses. These include understanding (1) challenges in the healthcare system, (2) the influence and impact of educators and the educational system, (3) technology use, and (4) patient and parental attitudes about the diagnosis of ADHD. These factors must be considered both individually and as a whole when considering both the increase in diagnoses and the subsequent increases in prescriptions for psychostimulant medication. A theoretical model based on a risk management approach will be presented. Finally, data will be presented that demonstrates pediatric provider satisfaction with this approach to diagnoses and treatment of ADHD as it relates to practice trends.

Keywords: ADHD, diagnostic criteria, risk management model, pediatricians

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Authors: Ethelbert Chinedu Nwokorie

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This empirical study analyzes the impact of communication and networking functions of Nigerian and Ghanaian public sector managers’ on public sector effectiveness. The focus is on which of these management functions public sector managers’ in these countries perform most, why, how and how does it affect effectiveness of public sector organizations in the two countries. This qualitative analysis was done by interviewing middle and top level managers in some selected public sector organizations in the two countries on their practical experiences. Findings reveal that ineffectiveness of public sector organizations in Ghana persists because public sector managers perform more of networking functions to promote their individual carrier success and progression in their various organizations, rather than achieving the organizations goals and objectives. In Nigeria, though majority of the interviewed public sector managers perform more communication functions than networking, they do this mostly by treating files and correspondences, instead of face-to-face communication and interaction with employees’. Hence, they hardly relate directly with their employees’ to find out how they are performing their jobs, their challenges, where they are having problems and why. The findings and recommendations of this study will help in improving effectiveness, quality and service delivery in Nigerian and Ghanaian public sector organizations and beyond.

Keywords: effectiveness, communication, employees, management, networking, organization, public sector

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Authors: Roseliza Mat Alipiah, David Raffaelli, J. C. R. Smart

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This research is a new approach as it integrates information from both environmental and social sciences to inform effective management of the wetlands. A three-stage research framework was developed for modelling the drivers and pressures imposed on the wetlands and their impacts to the ecosystem and the local communities. Firstly, a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) was used to predict the probability of anthropogenic activities affecting the delivery of different key wetland ecosystem services under different management scenarios. Secondly, Choice Experiments (CEs) were used to quantify the relative preferences which key wetland stakeholder group (aquaculturists) held for delivery of different levels of these key ecosystem services. Thirdly, a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was applied to produce an ordinal ranking of the alternative management scenarios accounting for their impacts upon ecosystem service delivery as perceived through the preferences of the aquaculturists. This integrated ecosystem management approach was applied to a wetland ecosystem in Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia which currently supports a significant level of aquaculture activities. This research has produced clear guidelines to inform policy makers considering alternative wetland management scenarios: Intensive Aquaculture, Conservation or Ecotourism, in addition to the Status Quo. The findings of this research are as follows: The BBN revealed that current aquaculture activity is likely to have significant impacts on water column nutrient enrichment, but trivial impacts on caged fish biomass, especially under the Intensive Aquaculture scenario. Secondly, the best fitting CE models identified several stakeholder sub-groups for aquaculturists, each with distinct sets of preferences for the delivery of key ecosystem services. Thirdly, the MCDA identified Conservation as the most desirable scenario overall based on ordinal ranking in the eyes of most of the stakeholder sub-groups. Ecotourism and Status Quo scenarios were the next most preferred and Intensive Aquaculture was the least desirable scenario. The methodologies developed through this research provide an opportunity for improving planning and decision making processes that aim to deliver sustainable management of wetland ecosystems in Malaysia.

Keywords: Bayesian belief network (BBN), choice experiments (CE), multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), aquaculture

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Authors: Sven Tackenberg, Sönke Duckwitz, Andreas Petz, Christopher M. Schlick

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This paper introduces an extension to the well-established Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP) to apply it to complex maintenance problems. The problem is to assign technicians to a team which has to process several tasks with multi-level skill requirements during a work shift. Here, several alternative activities for a task allow both, the temporal shift of activities or the reallocation of technicians and tools. As a result, switches from one valid work process variant to another can be considered and may be selected by the developed evolutionary algorithm based on the present skill level of technicians or the available tools. An additional complication of the observed scheduling problem is that the locations of the construction sites are only temporarily accessible during a day. Due to intensive rail traffic, the available time slots for maintenance and repair works are extremely short and are often distributed throughout the day. To identify efficient working periods, a first concept of a Bayesian network is introduced and is integrated into the extended RCPSP with pre-emptive and non-pre-emptive tasks. Thereby, the Bayesian network is used to calculate the probability of a maintenance task to be processed during a specific period of the shift. Focusing on the domain of maintenance of the railway infrastructure in metropolitan areas as the most unproductive implementation process at construction site, the paper illustrates how the extended RCPSP can be applied for maintenance planning support. A multi-criteria evolutionary algorithm with a problem representation is introduced which is capable of revising technician-task allocations, whereas the duration of the task may be stochastic. The approach uses a novel activity list representation to ensure easily describable and modifiable elements which can be converted into detailed shift schedules. Thereby, the main objective is to develop a shift plan which maximizes the utilization of each technician due to a minimization of the waiting times caused by rail traffic. The results of the already implemented core algorithm illustrate a fast convergence towards an optimal team composition for a shift, an efficient sequence of tasks and a high probability of the subsequent implementation due to the stochastic durations of the tasks. In the paper, the algorithm for the extended RCPSP is analyzed in experimental evaluation using real-world example problems with various size, resource complexity, tightness and so forth.

Keywords: maintenance management, scheduling, resource constrained project scheduling problem, genetic algorithms

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Authors: Sachin Sharma

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A wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of a large number of sensor nodes which are deployed over an area to perform local computations based on information gathered from the surroundings. With the increasing demand for real-time applications in WSN, real-time critical events anticipate an efficient quality-of-service (QoS) based routing for data delivery from the network infrastructure. Hence, maximizing the lifetime of the network through minimizing the energy is an important challenge in WSN; sensors cannot be easily replaced or recharged due to their ad-hoc deployment in a hazardous environment. Considerable research has been focused on developing robust energy efficient QoS based routing protocols. The main focus of this article is primarily on periodical cycling schemes which represent the most compatible technique for energy saving and we also focus on the data-driven approaches that can be used to improve the energy efficiency. Finally, we will make a review on some communication protocols proposed for sensor networks.

Keywords: energy efficient, quality of service, wireless sensor networks, MAC

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Authors: Soledad Coronel Poma, Lorena Alvarado Rodriguez

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The purpose of this project is to design public space through urban-architectural strategies that help to the sustainable recovery of the Huayla estuary and the revival of tourism in this area. This design considers other sustainable and architectural ideas used in similar cases, along with national and international regulations for saving shorelines in danger. To understand the situation of this location, Puerto Bolivar is the main port of the Province of El Oro and of the south of the country, where 90,000 national and foreign tourists pass through all year round. For that reason, a physical-urban, social, and environmental analysis of the area was carried out through surveys and conversations with the community. This analysis showed that around 70% of people feel unsatisfied and concerned about the estuary and its surroundings. Crime, absence of green areas, bad conservation of shorelines, lack of tourists, poor commercial infrastructure, and the spread of informal commerce are the main issues to be solved. As an intervention project whose main goal is that residents and tourists have contact with native nature and enjoy doing local activities, three main strategies: mobility, ecology, and urban –architectural are proposed to recover the estuary and its surroundings. First of all, the design of this public space is based on turning the estuary location into a linear promenade that could be seen as a tourist corridor, which would help to reduce pollution, increase green spaces and improve tourism. Another strategy aims to improve the economy of the community through some local activities like fishing and sailing and the commerce of fresh seafood, both raw products and in restaurants. Furthermore, in support of the environmental approach, some houses are rebuilt as sustainable houses using local materials and rearranged into blocks closer to the commercial area. Finally, the planning incorporates the use of many plants such as palms, sameness trees, and mangroves around the area to encourage people to get in touch with nature. The results of designing this space showed an increase in the green area per inhabitant index. It went from 1.69 m²/room to 10.48 m²/room, with 12 096 m² of green corridors and the incorporation of 5000 m² of mangroves at the shoreline. Additionally, living zones also increased with the creation of green areas taking advantage of the existing nature and implementing restaurants and recreational spaces. Moreover, the relocation of houses and buildings helped to free estuary's shoreline, so people are now in more comfortable places closer to their workplaces. Finally, dock spaces are increased, reaching the capacity of the boats and canoes, helping to organize the area in the estuary. To sum up, this project searches the improvement of the estuary environment with its shoreline and surroundings that include the vegetation, infrastructure and people with their local activities, achieving a better quality of life, attraction of tourism, reduction of pollution and finally getting a full recovered estuary as a natural ecosystem.

Keywords: recover, public space, stuary, sustainable

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Authors: Akbar Salimi, Mehdi Moghimi

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Goal: The human resource empowerment is a new strategy in achieving a competitive advantage. The aim of the research is to understand crime management by the police by using this strategy. Method: The research is applied in terms of goal and it is a survey type research. The sample intended include all the police officers of a police station for as many as 52 people. The data were collected by a researcher made four choice questionnaire after the validity and reliability were confirmed. Findings: By regarding the Melhem pattern as the framework, four dimensions of empowerment were identified and the triangle of crime was explained and then four hypotheses proportionate to it were formulated. Results: Given the fact that the sample was all counted, all the four hypotheses were supported by using the average data received and by regarding the %50 as the criterion.

Keywords: management, empowerment, employees, police

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Authors: Ardalan Tofighi Soleimandarabi

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Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the concrete construction industry and improved processes by increasing efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability. This article examines the applications of artificial intelligence in predicting the compressive strength of concrete, optimizing mixing plans, and improving structural health monitoring systems. Artificial intelligence-based models, such as artificial neural networks (ANN) and combined machine learning techniques, have shown better performance than traditional methods in predicting concrete properties. In addition, artificial intelligence systems have made it possible to improve quality control and real-time monitoring of structures, which helps in preventive maintenance and increases the life of infrastructure. Also, the use of artificial intelligence plays an effective role in sustainable construction by optimizing material consumption and reducing waste. Although the implementation of artificial intelligence is associated with challenges such as high initial costs and the need for specialized training, it will create a smarter, more sustainable, and more affordable future for concrete structures.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, concrete construction, compressive strength prediction, structural health monitoring, stability

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Authors: Oguz Ugurkan Akkaya, Alpaslan Sipahi, Ozgur Firat Pamukcu, Murat Yasar, Tolga Guler, Arif Ulu, Ferit Cakir

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With the increase in human population, expansion, and renovation of cities, infrastructure systems today need to be manufactured to be more durable and long-lasting. The most cost-effective and durable manufacturing of components is a general problem of all engineering disciplines. Therefore, it is important to determine the most optimal components. This study mainly focuses on the most optimal component design of the polymer concrete. For this purpose, the lower and upper limits of the three main components of the polymer concrete are determined. The effects of these three principal components on the compressive strength, tensile strength, and unit price of polymer concrete are estimated using the response surface method. Box-Behnken Design is used in designing the experiments. Compressive strength, tensile strength, and unit prices are successfully estimated with variance ratios (R²) of 0.82, 0.92, and 0.90, respectively, and the optimum mixture quantity is determined.

Keywords: Box-Behnken Design, compressive strength, mechanical tests, polymer concrete, tensile strength

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Authors: Amir Rashid

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Today is the world of innovation and Cloud Computing is becoming a day to day technology with every passing day offering remarkable services and features on the go with rapid elasticity. This platform took business computing into an innovative dimension where clients interact and operate through service provider web portals. Initially, the trust relationship between client and service provider remained a big question but with the invention of several cryptographic paradigms, it is becoming common in everyday business. This research work proposes a solution for building a cloud storage service with respect to Data Security addressing public cloud infrastructure where the trust relationship matters a lot between client and service provider. For the great satisfaction of client regarding high-end Data Security, this research paper propose a layer of cryptographic primitives combining several architectures in order to achieve the goal. A survey has been conducted to determine the benefits for such an architecture would provide to both clients/service providers and recent developments in cryptography specifically by cloud storage.

Keywords: data security in cloud computing, cloud storage architecture, cryptographic developments, token key

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Authors: Hyeon-Seung Kim, Bit-Na Cho, Tae-Woon Jeong, Soo-Young Yoon, Leen-Seok Kang

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Recently, a construction project has been large in the size and complicated in the site work. The web-cameras are used to manage the construction site of such a large construction project. They can be used for monitoring the construction schedule as compared to the actual work image of the planned work schedule. Specially, because the 4D CAD system that the construction appearance is continually simulated in a 3D CAD object by work schedule is widely applied to the construction project, the comparison system between the real image of actual work appearance by web-camera and the simulated image of planned work appearance by 3D CAD object can be an intelligent construction schedule management system (ICON). The delayed activities comparing with the planned schedule can be simulated by red color in the ICON as a virtual reality object. This study developed the ICON and it was verified in a real bridge construction project in Korea. To verify the developed system, a web-camera was installed and operated in a case project for a month. Because the angle and zooming of the web-camera can be operated by Internet, a project manager can easily monitor and assume the corrective action.

Keywords: 4D CAD, web-camera, ICON (intelligent construction schedule management system), 3D object image

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Authors: Andreea Anamaria Anghel, Flaviu Mihai Frigura-Lliasa, Attila Simo

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In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in revitalizing the historical area of Timisoara, a city located in western Romania, with a focus on preserving its architectural heritage while also promoting sustainable urban development. This has led to several initiatives aimed at improving public spaces, promoting sustainable transport, and encouraging the use of green infrastructure, such as green interior courtyards, to enhance the livability and sustainability of the area. A preliminary study regarding history, characteristics and current condition was carried out by the authors regarding these interior courtyards in the historical areas of Timisoara, the European Capital of Culture, in 2023, highlighting their potential to contribute to the sustainable development of the city. Modern interventions in interior historical courtyards should aim to preserve the historic character of these spaces while also promoting their sustainable and functional use in the 21st century. By doing so, these courtyards can continue to serve as vital urban oases and cultural landmarks for generations to come.

Keywords: architectural heritage, green interior courtyards, public spaces, sustainable development

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Authors: Roongtiwa Chobchuen, Angkana Srikhan, Pattra Wattanapan

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Background: Neurogenic bowel is common condition after spinal cord injury. Most of spinal cord injured patients have motor weakness, mobility impairment which leads to constipation. Moreover, the neural pathway involving bowel function is interrupted. Therefore, the bowel management program should be implemented in nursing care in the earliest time after the onset of the disease to prevent the morbidity and mortality. Objective: To study the outcome of bowel management program of the patients with spinal cord injury who admitted for rehabilitation program. Study design: Descriptive study. Setting: Rehabilitation ward in Srinagarind Hospital. Populations: patients with subacute to chronic spinal cord injury who admitted at rehabilitation ward, Srinagarind hospital, aged over 18 years old. Instrument: The neurogenic bowel dysfunction score (NBDS) was used to determine the severity of neurogenic bowel. Procedure and statistical analysis: All participants were asked to complete the demographic data; age gender, duration of disease, diagnosis. The individual bowel function was assessed using NBDS at admission. The patients and caregivers were trained by nurses about the bowel management program which consisted of diet modification, abdominal massage, digital stimulation, stool evacuation including medication and physical activity. The outcome of the bowel management program was assessed by NBDS at discharge. The chi-square test was used to detect the difference in severity of neurogenic bowel at admission and discharge. Results: Sixteen spinal cord injured patients were enrolled in the study (age 45 ± 17 years old, 69% were male). Most of them (50%) were tetraplegia. On the admission, 12.5%, 12.5%, 43.75% and 31.25% were categorized as very minor (NBDS 0-6), minor (NBDS 7-9), moderate (NBDS 10-13) and severe (NBDS 14+) respectively. The severity of neurogenic bowel was decreased significantly at discharge (56.25%, 18.755%, 18.75% and 6.25% for very minor, minor, moderate and severe group respectively; p < 0.001) compared with NBDS at admission. Conclusions: Implementation of the effective bowel program decrease the severity of the neurogenic bowel in patient with spinal cord injury.

Keywords: neurogenic bowel, NBDS, spinal cord injury, bowel program

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Authors: Benmoussa Rachid, Deguio Roland, Dubois Sebastien, Rasovska Ivana

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Implementation of LARG (Lean, Agile, Resilient, Green) practices in the supply chain management is a complex task mainly because ecological, economical and operational goals are usually in conflict. To implement these LARG practices successfully, companies’ need relevant decision making tools allowing processes performance control and improvement strategies visibility. To contribute to this issue, this work tries to answer the following research question: How to master performance and anticipate problems in supply chain LARG practices implementation? To answer this question, a risk management approach (RMA) is adopted. Indeed, the proposed RMA aims basically to assess the ability of a supply chain, guided by “Lean, Green and Achievement” performance goals, to face “agility and resilience risk” factors. To proof its relevance, a logistics academic case study based on simulation is used to illustrate all its stages. It shows particularly how to build the “LARG risk map” which is the main output of this approach.

Keywords: agile supply chain, lean supply chain, green supply chain, resilient supply chain, risk approach

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Authors: Ava Salmanpour, Hanieh Saeedi, Payam Rouhi, Elahe Hamzeil, Shima Alimohammadi, Siamak Hossein Khalaj, Mohammad Asadian

Abstract:

Software-defined network (SDN) is a network architecture designed to control network using software application in a central manner. This ability enables remote control of the whole network regardless of the network technology. In fact, in this architecture network intelligence is separated from physical infrastructure, it means that required network components can be implemented virtually using software applications. Today, power networks are characterized by a high range of complexity with a large number of intelligent devices, processing both huge amounts of data and important information. Therefore, reliable and secure communication networks are required. SDNs are the best choice to meet this issue. In this paper, SDN networks capabilities and characteristics will be reviewed and different basic controllers will be compared. The importance of using SDNs to escalate efficiency and reliability in utility power networks is going to be discussed and the comparison between the SDN-based power networks and traditional networks will be explained.

Keywords: software-defined network, SDNs, utility network, open flow, communication, gas and electricity, controller

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Authors: Donatus Otuiheoma Ohajianya, Augusta Onyekachi Unamba

Abstract:

This study analyzed risk among poultry farm enterprises in Imo State of Nigeria. Specifically, it examined sources of risks, the major risks associated with poultry farm enterprise, and the risk-reducing strategies among the poultry farm enterprises in the study area. Primary data collected in 2015 with validated questionnaire from 120 proportionately and randomly selected poultry farm enterprises were used for the study. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and W-Statistic that was validated with Pearson Criterion (X2). The results showed that major risk sources affecting poultry farm enterprises were production, marketing, financial and political in that order. The results found a W-Statistic value of 0.789, which was verified by Pearson Criterion to obtain X2-Calculated value of 4.65 which is lower that X2-Critical value of 11.07 at 5% significant level. The risk-reducing strategies were found to be diversification, savings, co-operative marketing, borrowing, and insurance. It was recommended that government and donor agencies should make policies aimed at encouraging poultry farm enterprises adopt the highlighted risk-reducing strategies in risk management to improve their productivity and farm income.

Keywords: risk, measurement, management, poultry farm, Imo State

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Authors: Nicholas Bayfield, Liam Bibo, Charley Budgeon, Robert Larbalestier, Tom Briffa

Abstract:

Introduction: Stress hyperglycaemia is common following cardiac surgery. Its optimal management is uncertain and may differ by diabetic status. This study assesses the in-hospital glycaemic management of cardiac surgery patients and associated postoperative outcomes. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of all patients undergoing cardiac surgery at Fiona Stanley Hospital from February 2015 to May 2019 was undertaken. Management and outcomes of hyperglycaemia following cardiac surgery were assessed. Follow-up was assessed to 1 year postoperatively. Multivariate regression modelling was utilised. Results: 1050 non-diabetic patients and 689 diabetic patients were included. In the non-diabetic cohort, patients with mild (peak blood sugar level [BSL] < 14.3), transient stress hyperglycaemia managed without insulin were not at an increased risk of wound-related morbidity (P=0.899) or mortality at 1 year (P=0.483). Insulin management was associated with wound-related readmission to hospital (P=0.004) and superficial sternal wound infection (P=0.047). Prolonged or severe stress hyperglycaemia was predictive of hospital re-admission (P=0.050) but not morbidity or mortality (P=0.546). Diabetes mellitus was an independent risk factor 1-year mortality (OR; 1.972 [1.041–3.736], P=0.037), graft harvest site wound infection (OR; 1.810 [1.134–2.889], P=0.013) and wound-related readmission (OR; 1.866 [1.076–3.236], P=0.026). In diabetics, postoperative peak BSL > 13.9mmol/L was predictive of graft harvest site infections (OR; 3.528 [1.724-7.217], P=0.001) and wound-related readmission OR; 3.462 [1.540-7.783], P=0.003) regardless of modality of management. A peak BSL of 10.0-13.9 did not increase the risk of morbidity/mortality compared to a peak BSL of < 10.0 (P=0.557). Diabetics with a peak BSL of 13.9 or less did not have significantly increased morbidity/mortality outcomes compared to non-diabetics (P=0.418). Conclusion: In non-diabetic patients, transient mild stress hyperglycaemia following cardiac surgery does not uniformly require treatment. In diabetic patients, postoperative hyperglycaemia with peak BSL exceeding 13.9mmol/L was associated with wound-related morbidity and hospital readmission following cardiac surgery.

Keywords: cardiac surgery, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary embolectomy, cardiopulmonary bypass

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Authors: R. Ramesh, K. K. Shivaraman

Abstract:

The main aim of this paper is to handle the energy requirement in an efficient manner by merging the advanced digital communication and control technologies for smart grid applications. In order to reduce user home load during peak load hours, utility applies several incentives such as real-time pricing, time of use, demand response for residential customer through smart meter. However, this method provides inconvenience in the sense that user needs to respond manually to prices that vary in real time. To overcome these inconvenience, this paper proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN) with k-means clustering machine learning model which have ability to forecast energy requirement in short term, i.e., hour of the day or day of the week. By integrating our proposed technique with home energy management based on Bluetooth low energy provides predicted value to user for scheduling appliance in advanced. This paper describes detail about CNN configuration and k-means clustering algorithm for short-term energy forecasting.

Keywords: convolutional neural network, fuzzy logic, k-means clustering approach, smart home energy management

Procedia PDF Downloads 305