Competitive Project Research Articles

This is Not a Nest

Although the architecture competition has been analysed through a number of rhetorical lenses, the recurring production of transcultural metaphors, particularly in international competitions, remains to be addressed as a genuine disciplinary phenomenon. The hypothesis of competitions as contact zones is particularly appropriate for the study of international events, in which competitors forge broad analogical figures to bridge cultural differences. Recent studies in the cognitive understanding of analogical matrices have considerably reinforced the theories on metaphors. Our analytical grid characterizes analogical matrices to identify levels of symbolic operations through the differentiation of formal, structural and conceptual analogies. We first dig into a sample of competition projects nicknames (Crystal, Birds’Nest, DNA, Cloud, Lace, Stealth, etc.) to confirm that these tropes have a paradoxical status at the intersection of architects’ intents and the public expectations. We then summarize an in-depth hermeneutical discourse analysis of 40 North American international competitions. This indicates a fourfold series of expectations to which competitors hope to provide answers in an international ‘conflict of interpretations’. Adhering to the theory of speech acts, we suggest that performative metaphors in competitions appear less as indicators of designers’ intentions than as products of the broader context surrounding competitions themselves. We conclude with a proposed grid indexing four types of contact zones in which metaphorical relationships are actively created and not just repeated.

Идентитарные аспекты регионалистского дискурса федеральных символических конкурсов

The article analyzes the discourse of regional identity in the course of Federal symbolic competitions, which are understood as events related to the organization of competition projects for the selection of significant symbolic attributes for regional communities. The research focuses on five projects: Seven wonders of Russia (2007), Russia 10 (2013), Alley of Russia (2014), people's banknote (2016), Great names of Russia (2018). Based on indicators of regional activity (counting participation and intensity of campaigns to promote regional symbols), a group of regions is identified for which the competition tool is interpreted as a significant resource in broadcasting regional uniqueness. The main forms of expression of regional identity discourse in the nomination and promotion of nominations for winning competitions are determined. Possible identity conflicts in the course of competitions are analyzed. Based on expert interviews conducted in Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok in 2019, a matrix of motivations and arguments is constructed in the model of the regionalist discourse of Federal symbolic competitions. It is shown that the use of various types of metaphorical constructions in the regionalist discourse of the specificity of the region, its symbols and heroes, and the ambitions of the territory allows the region to broadcast its subjectivity.

The role of financing innovative technological investments with credit for technological innovations

Motivation: Credit for technological innovations is implemented under competition projects in Submeasure 3.2.2 of Innovation support for enterprises of Smart Growth Operational Programme 2014–2020. It is a follow-up to the measure implemented under the Innovative Economy programme. The support granted in the form of so-called ‘technology bonus’ allows to partially repay a credit for technological innovations granted by a commercial bank. It is an instrument of financial support aimed at increasing the innovativeness and competitiveness of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME). The innovativeness of Polish MSME is at a very low level, compared to other EU countries., Therefore, it seems necessary to implement various instruments of support and stimulation of investment in innovative technologies. Aim: assessment of credit procedures and possibilities of financial support MSME activity from a credit for technological innovations. To do this, an analysis is needed of the procedure and funding rules for technological investments with POIR resources. Besides, the literature of the subjects as well as the most important findings and statistics have been reviewed and evaluated. Results: presentation of the specificity of the credit in the case of technological innovations, including the obtainment of a technology bonus, assessment of the innovative activity of MSME, as well as the state of financing innovations and technological investments of MSME, including indication of limitations in this respect.

Analysis of operation parameters of partial backfilling in the context of selective coal mining

The publication contains the results of studies conducted by Ukrainian President’s grant for competitive projects F-82 “Resource-saving parameterization of the waste-free technology of backfilling the produced space in coal mines”. The research is carried out within the framework of scientific topics GP-497 “Resource-saving geotechnical and hydrodynamic parametrization of the extraction of low-capacity mineral raw materials in an technogenically loaded environment”, financed by the state budget of Ukraine. The authors are grateful to the mentor and teacher professor Vadym Fomychov for his support and guidance during the research.

История проведения конкурса 1932 года на проект планировки Москвы в свете новых архивных материалов

В статье на основе анализа вновь выявленных документов из фондов архитекторов И.П. Машкова (РГАЛИ) и П.И. Гольденберга (РГАЭ), а также документов МОВАНО (РГАЛИ) реконструируется история проведения конкурса на проект планировки Москвы в 1932 году. Эти документы позволили уточнить многие, ранее остававшиеся неясными, аспекты проведения конкурса. Среди них: характер самого конкурса; сроки его проведения; коли­чество бригад, участвовавших в конкурсном проектировании, и количество конкурсных проектов; процесс подготовки экс­пертных заключений и критических статей, опубликованных по результатам конкурса; а также авторство условных схем конкурсных проектов, впервые опубликованных в статье П.И. и Б.И. Гольденбергов в 1933 году. В результате было установлено, что над проектами в первой половине 1932 года помимо ранее известных семи бригад советских и иностранных специалистов работала ещё одна бригада советских архитекторов под руко­водством Е.Г. Вейса, параллельно выполнявшая проект плани­ровки Сталинского района Москвы. Особое внимание в статье было уделено анализу рукописей и графики, выявленных среди материалов П.И. Гольденберга, что позволило с качественно но­вых позиций оценить ту роль, которую сыграл этот тогда совсем молодой архитектор в анализе проектов, представленных на конкурс, и определить его как автора условных схем конкурсных проектов. Сохранившиеся оригиналы этих схем публикуются в статье впервые. Помимо введения в научный оборот новых ма­териалов, статья также позволяет с качественно новых позиций оценить роль, которая отводилась конкурсным проектам в про­цессе поиска путей развития Москвы, и отношение к конкурсу со стороны Архитектурно-планировочного управлении Моссовета[1].
 
 [1] Исследование выполнено за счёт средств Государственной программы Российской Федерации «Развитие науки и технологий» на 2013-2020 годы в рамках Плана фундаментальных научных исследований Минстроя России и РААСН, тема 1.2.3.

Health literacy and exercise-focused interventions on clinical measurements in Chinese diabetes patients: A cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe diabetes patients in China have low health literacy and low levels of physical activities which may result in the poor glycemic control and other clinical outcomes. This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of health literacy and exercise-focused interventions on clinical outcomes among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). MethodsIn this cluster randomized controlled trial, 799 T2DM patients with the most recent A1c ≥ 7·5% (58 mmol/mol, or fasting glucose level ≥10 mmol/L) were recruited from 35 clinics in 8 communities in Shanghai, China, and randomized into one standard care (control) arm and three intervention arms receiving interventions focused on health literacy, exercise or both. A1c (primary outcome), blood pressure and lipids (secondary outcomes) were measured at baseline, 3-, 6-, 12-months of intervention period and 12-months after completion of the interventions. This trial is registered with the International Standard RCT Number Register, number ISRCTN76130594. FindingsThe three intervention groups had more reductions in A1c than the control group, with 0·90% reduction in the health literacy, 0·83% in the exercise and 0·54% in the comprehensive group at 12-months (p<0·001) and these improvements remained even after a 1-year follow-up period post intervention. The risk of suboptimal A1c (≥7·0% or 53 mmol/mol) was also significantly lower in three intervention groups than control group at each follow-up visit, with adjusted risk ratios (RR) ranging from 0.06 to 0.16. However, the control group has greater reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) than the health literacy group from baseline to 12-months (β=0·55, p<0·0001) and from baseline to 24-months (β=0·62, p<0·0001). A higher risk of abnormal LDL was also observed for the health literacy group at 12-months [adjusted risk ratio (RR): 2·22, 95%CI: 1·11-4·44] and 24-months [adjusted risk ratio (RR): 2·37, 95%CI: 1·16-4·87] compared to the control group. No significant benefits in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and low-density lipoprotein (HDL) were observed from the interventions compared to the usual care. InterpretationThe health literacy and exercise interventions result in significant improvements in A1c. However, no significant benefits in blood pressure and lipids control were observed. These effective interventions may have potential of scaling up in China and other countries to help diabetes patients manage their blood glucose levels. FundingThis Study was supported by the China Medical Board (CMB) Open Competition Project (No.13-159) and the Social Science Fund of China National Ministry of Education (No.14YJAZH092).

Beauvoir’s ethics, meaning, and competition

Abstract This paper discusses Simone de Beauvoir’s views on the meaning of life as presented in The Ethics of Ambiguity. I argue that Beauvoir’s view matches contemporary hybrid views on the meaning of life, incorporating both subjective and objective elements, while connecting them in a distinct way—through the tension between self and other. I then analyze the meaning of excessively competitive projects through Beauvoir’s ethics and conclude that success that amounts to denying other people’s access to the things one values is absurd. I use the case of contemporary academia as an illustration of extreme competition, then employ Beauvoir’s views to suggest a shift towards more meaningful practices.

Affordable single-family housing. From the traditions of the Warsaw School of Architecture

The hundredth anniversary of Poland regaining its independence (as well as the 100th anniversary of the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology) is an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of Warsaw’s architects. Designing a home which would be affordable to the Polish city citizens was an important for the Warsaw architects in the 20th century. The initial assumptions took into consideration the changing design requirements set before the architects (e.g. social, economic, or ecological). Thus the ideas and the creative designs that matched the current needs of the citizens of Warsaw, including the initiatives guaranteeing the availability of cheap, proprietary houses, are worth a closer look. In different periods of the 20th century, the idea of an affordable home found support in the urban planning: either in the form of a house in a garden city or a garden district, or by the support of economic, and at the same time ecological, construction. The architectural ideas were accompanied by the desire to ensure contemporary living standards, current aesthetic trends or the more popular stylistic trends. The modernist avant-garde of the “Warsaw school”, its eminent theorists, practicing academics and students had a huge impact on the architecture of the capital as well as the whole Poland. The architecture and urban planning of Żoliborz in the 1930s is an excellent example. The works of young enthusiasts of the European modernism were preceded by the “Blok” magazine and the Praesens group (1926) connected with the CIAM. In the post-war period, practically the only choice for residents of Warsaw was a flat in a prefabricated residential block. The cooperative and private middle-class houses began to appear at the end of the 20th century. The single-family houses, representing the modest means of their investors, were represented and popularized by the Warsaw magazine “Murator” and its nationwide competitions “Affordable Houses”. The suburban landscape of today’s Warsaw is dominated by catalogue projects of different quality while the outskirts of the city comprise mostly very intensive residential developments commissioned by developers. They are mostly based on the “wild” urban planning, without any social program. The Warsaw’s 1930s modernist style is continued today and is associated with good, logical and safe architecture, especially when compared with the hard to define the mass of the contemporary single-family houses. We long for the prestige and position of the avant-garde architecture which prevailed in the pre-war Warsaw. Neomodernism returns in the contemporary projects of the governmental program “Apartment Plus” and “Home Plus” (2018) which aims to create up to a thousand cheap, small, prefabricated houses. From hundreds of the competition submissions, the houses designed by the architects and students from our Faculty were selected to be built. The overview of the past century’s achievements of the Polish architects confirmed the thesis and initial assumptions. The results of the exploration have been used in design practice: i.a. in the affordable home competition project, which was highly regarded both by the public and the jury (first prize).

Cultural Convergence as a Form of Struggle for Global Dominance in the Age of the Crisis of Classical Reason

The article analyzes the current crisis of the world-system, the evidences of which are apparent in various areas of social reality: science, politics, and religion. In this regard, the author argues that all these transformations are associated with a change in the cultural paradigm that can be described as a crisis of the universal mind. Belief in the universal mind, which founded the whole culture of the age of Modernity, is a subject to significant erosion today and it changes the entire landscape of social reality and the meaning of the social practices. Moreover, it affects the functioning of the entire worldsystem by changing cultural priorities themselves. In the past, the theory of modernization assumed a globalization process with the inclusion of all the subjects on the principles of the Western model, but today, due to the belief in the absence of universal truth, the world is segmented into cultural subworlds that are built around particular values and traditions. In our days, there are several civilizational projects (American, Russian, Islamic, Chinese) that are alternative to the classical project of Modernity, based on the the values of Enlightenment. In this regard, the current stage of globalization cannot be considered as the global expansion of the Western (Modernity) project, but there is a competition of civilizational subworlds, challenging the classical Western project. It is obvious that under such conditions the cultural proximity becomes a fundamental resource that allows competitive projects to expand their sphere of influence. When belief in the universal mind and in the existence of the Absolute Truth recedes into the past, it becomes impossible to appeal to universal norms and principles. Therefore, it only remains to appeal to own cultural traditions, putting efforts to make them as attractive as possible for both internal and external “consumers.” Thus, the cultural proximity, which due to the destruction of the universal mind suddenly became a geopolitical value, turns out to be not only a part of an individual’s cultural identity but also a tool for promoting civilizational projects.

Student teachers volunteering in pre-service programmes in successful schools: Contributing to their successful training

Following recent literature on the field of teacher education, this is considered as key factor in promoting school success. In this regard, most research has been dedicated to clarify which type of education is most effective to train successful teachers in order they can face properly the challenges of modern societies. This article contributes to this ongoing debate by providing the self-reported benefits among student teachers of the Rovira i Virgili University who have served as volunteers in Learning Communities where different Successful Educational Actions (SEAs) are executed. Learning Communities is an evidenced-based project which is widely implemented in schools worldwide. This project is based on the development of SEAs that have been investigated by different European competitive projects. Findings illustrate that these actions are improving children’s academic performance and school climate regardless of the context they are applied. In the present study, based on a mixed-method approach, three different data collection techniques have performed addressed to students teachers: group interviews, semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Results demonstrate the impact of being volunteers in these schools which are summarized on two main facts. First, the quality of the student teacher’s training and professional experience improved through their involvement as volunteers in schools as Learning Communities. Second, this involvement in Successful Educational Actions has a great impact in the improvement of children’s and families’ learning. Drawing on these results a reformulation of teacher education is openly discussed. In fact, research evidences the benefits of construct teacher education programmes based on theories and practices that are scientifically effective to reduce educational inequalities.

Health Literacy and Exercise-Focused Interventions on Clinical Measurements in Chinese Diabetes Patients: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The diabetes patients in China have low health literacy and lack physical activities which may result in the poor glycemic control and other clinical outcomes. This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of health literacy and exercise-focused interventions on clinical outcomes among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: In this cluster randomized controlled trial, 799 T2DM patients were recruited from 40 clinics in 8 communities in Shanghai, China, and randomized into one standard care (control) arm and three intervention arms receiving interventions focused on health literacy, exercise or both. Outcomes were A1c, blood pressure and lipids measured at baseline, 3-, 6-, 12-months of intervention period and 12-months after completion of the interventions. Findings: The three intervention groups had significant lower A1c at each follow-up visit than at baseline, whereas the control group did not change significantly. The significant improvements in A1c relative to the control arm remained even after a 1-year follow-up period post intervention. The exercise only group was more likely to achieve a goal systolic blood pressure (≤130 mmHg) at 3-months (adjusted risk ratio: 0·65, 95%CI: 0·43-0·99) and 12-months (adjusted risk ratio: 0·64, 95%CI: 0·42-0·96), and showed an average of 0·46 mmol/L decrease in LDL at 24-months among participants with suboptimal clinical measurements (p<0·0001). However, no significant benefits in blood pressure and lipids control were observed from the interventions compared to the usual care. Interpretation: The health literacy and exercise interventions result in significant improvements in A1c. Exercise also improved blood pressure and lipids compared to baseline levels, but not compared to the standard group. These effective interventions may have potential of scaling up in China and other countries. Trial Registration Information: This trial is registered with the International Standard RCT Number Register, number ISRCTN76130594. Funding Statement: This Study was supported by the China Medical Board (CMB) Open Competition Project (No.13-159) and the Social Science Fund of China National Ministry of Education (No.14YJAZH092). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that we have no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: Ethics approval was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of Fudan University (IR2408 & FW2399) before recruiting study participants (registration number: 2013-06-0451). All local medical ethics committees agreed with this approval.

Statistical Language Backs Conservatism in Climate-Change Assessments

Supported by British Ecological Society research grant no. 4496–5470 to SH-P; Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness project no. CGL2013–40924-P to DRV; and Royal Society, Psychonomic Society, and Australian Research Council discovery project no. DP160103596 to SL.

The high rise building in the development of the chinese city. A research experience

The research activity started with the project for an international two step competition in China and was developed into an experimental research funded by the competition promoter. It has defined sustainable models, typologies and technologies for high-rise residential settlements in Chinese cities. The high-rise building and the technological implications, which affect the morphological structures, are the subject of study of influential research centres in the perspective of reducing energy consumption, through morphological control solutions and at the envelope scale. In this specific he definition of some technological systems, replicable in other application contexts, was a decisive element for the development of the research following the competition project.

Ensuring the competitiveness of innovation projects through the management of their life cycle parameters

The purpose of this paper is to develop guidelines for the assessment and implementation of innovation projects, which ensure its competitiveness through the management of life cycle parameters. The paper substantiates and generalizes the theoretical aspects of innovation project management, explores and systematizes the principles of developing a competitive innovation project. Based on the analyzed competitiveness factors, an integrated assessment indicator is proposed and an algorithm is formed that allows choosing the optimal set of risk management methods within the framework of an innovation project. In addition, modern methods for monitoring the competitiveness of innovation projects have been proposed, which allow determining the main areas of implementation and the level of research intensity of innovations.

Cost performance index stability: insights from environmental remediation projects

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the stability of the cost performance index (CPI) for environmental remediation projects as the topic is not addressed in the literature. CPI is defined as the earned value of work performed divided by the actual cost of the work, and CPI stability represents the point in time in a project after which the CPI varies by less than 20 percent (measured in different ways). Design/methodology/approach After collecting monthly earned value management (EVM) data for 136 environmental remediation projects from a United States federal agency in fiscal years 2012 and 2013, the authors used the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test to analyze CPI stability. The authors also used nonparametric statistical comparisons to identify any significant relationships between CPI stability and independent variables representing project and contract characteristics. Findings The CPI for environmental projects did not stabilize until the projects were 41 percent complete with respect to project duration. The most significant factors contributing to CPI stability were categorized into the following managerial insights: contractor qualifications, communication, stakeholder engagement, contracting strategy, competition, EVM factors, and macro project factors. Originality/value As CPI stability for environmental remediation projects has not been reported in the literature, this research provides new insights to help project managers understand when the CPIs of environmental remediation projects stabilize and which factors have the most impact on CPI stability.

"Model Cultural Village": Architectural Dreams and Reality of the 1920-1930s

The article is dedicated to the planning and development of the countryside in the 1920-1930s, both in the context of the rural social policy and in connection to the general orientation of Soviet town planning of this period. The idea of a "Model Cultural Village", which should've been shown to peasants as an example for imitation, was formed in the first post-revolutionary years. Depending on the changing construction policy of the State in the 1920-1930s, this idea was embodied in various projects, but all of them were far from the real situation in the countryside. In particular, attempts to create "exemplary" and then the "standard" projects of the planning of collective and state farm settlements, not based on the study of specific data, are considered.&#x0D; The article shows the birth of scientific approach to the individual rural design based on pre-project studies in the second half of the 1930s. Such an approach was developed by the institutes of communal hygiene, but it did not manage to develop before the World War II. The social life basis in the countryside was unsustainable, and in the pre-war years the state policy regarding the planning of the countryside became much more strict. The struggle with the so-called "extravagances" began.&#x0D; This trend was in contradiction with the slogan of "blurring the differences between urban areas and the countryside". The article shows the gradual simplification of the concept of "agro­town" - from agro-industrial plants, conceived in a big way in thelate 1920s, to a minimum equipping of the countryside. At the same time, the search for a visual image of the Soviet countryside was mainly reduced to competition projects of various "types" of clubs and community centers.

Academic competition for prototype development

The purpose of this article is to describe a development method in academic to designing products by industry management in a competitive and collaborative manner. The focus is to create toys for donation in a competitive project so the students get more involved with the purpose to learn. The developed method was a competition using recycled materials in a sustainable way. The final toys donation creates a delivery to the society, generating added value for the students. The findings are dynamic due to the increase of each semester, obtaining a better academic yield by the combination of theory and practice. The contribution is defined in the delivery of skills to the industry of competitive students for the job market, generating innovation without an expensive research process.

Structure Features and Properties of Graphene/Al 2 O 3 Composite

This work has been supported by the Competitiveness Program National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Russian Ministry of Education and Science No. 02. A 03.21.0005; the Russian Science Foundation No16 - 19 - 10213; the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness project MAT2015 - 67586-C3-R. E. Klyatskina acknowledges the Valencian Government for her Post-Doc. Contract APOSTD/2014/046 and A. Borrell acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for her contract RYC2016 - 20915.

A New Aerobics Training Method Based on Electroencephalogram

Aerobics is a sport that can show continuous, complex and high-intensity complete movements under the accompaniment of music. It is a popular sport popular with the masses. At present, our country has made certain achievements in the aerobics competition project, and all the aerobics competitions both at home and abroad have made certain progress. In this process, the daily training work of the Aerobics athletes is very important, it is the basic way to improve the comprehensive quality of the athletes. In view of the current development of aerobics training, the brain wave technology is applied in this research to achieve the visualization, real-time detection and real-time feedback of aerobics training results. Combined with traditional research methods to improve aerobics training skills, an experiment is designed to verify that the aerobics training system based on EEG can improve athletes' concentration degree of aerobics training more effectively. The experimental results of this study provide some reference and reference for the research and development of the related fields in the future.

ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION OF FACADES ACCORDING TO PRINCIPLE OF VARIABILITY: VIDEOECOLOGICAL ASPECT

This original conference topic is devoted to one of the actual problems concerning the current state of facades on apartment buildings – videoecology. Often the terrain dictates its conditions for the creation of banal solutions of facade forms; therefore, this paper focuses on what should be the new facade design that makes a person integrate into the new environment, become interested in this environment. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the method of forming a facade on the principle of variability, which involves in the architectural organization of the residential building facade functional and constructive variability with architectural and spatial solutions of this building. Research proposals in the paper are considered on the example of a competition project of a residential building in the historical centre of Subotica city, Serbia.