Infrastructure Construction Research Articles

The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Green Technology Innovation: Evidence from the Threshold Effect of Absorptive Capacity

ABSTRACT Promoting green technology innovation has become a pivotal driver for nations worldwide to achieve sustainable development as a result of the increasingly pressing challenge posed by climate change. As one of the main forms of modern capital internationalization, foreign direct investment (FDI) has become a focal point for countries aiming to leverage its potential for green technology innovation. This article employs a panel threshold model to examine the impact of FDI on green technology innovation in China from the perspective of absorptive capacity, primarily characterized by economic advancement, infrastructure construction, and environmental regulation. The results demonstrate that, first, the impact of FDI on green technology innovation exhibits a distinct threshold effect; when absorptive capacity falls below the threshold value, FDI can impede green technology innovation, but when absorptive capacity exceeds the threshold value, FDI can facilitate green technology innovation. Second, the impact of FDI on green technology innovation is more pronounced in the eastern region and the southeastern region of Hu line. Third, the impact of FDI on green technology innovation reveals a boundary effect within provincial border cities. However, the radiation effect of FDI on green technology innovation demonstrates limitations. The advancement of green technology innovation can effectively address environmental challenges. This article enhances our understanding of the impact of absorptive capacity on FDI and the role that plays on green technology innovation. The contribution of this work will broaden understanding of the relationship between FDI and green technology innovation.

Hybrid lattice structure with micro graphite filler manufactured via additive manufacturing and growth foam polyurethane

The utilisation of lightweight structures is a common practice across a range of disciplines, including the construction of light steel frames, sandwich panels, and transportation infrastructure, among others. The advantages of lightweight structures include design flexibility, weight reduction, and the sustainability of materials that can be easily recycled. However, these advantages also present significant weaknesses. Compared to solid materials with compact weight, lightweight structures do not have the same characteristics. With the reduction in material weight, the strength of the lightweight structure decreases significantly compared to solid materials. In this study, the lightweight structure was made using additive manufacturing and reinforced with solid Composite Polyurethane Foam reinforced with graphite filler expanded into the lightweight structure. The results showed that in the compression test, the mixture with 2 % graphite filler had the highest value of 2.5 kN. The highest hardness test on the specimen with a 2 % graphite mixture was 19.8 HA. FT-IR testing showed that the carbon bonds from graphite in the 2 % specimen had the highest intensity. The test results showed that the addition of Polyurethane Foam into the structure could enhance material strength effectively without adding significant material weight.

Machine learning-based climate zoning and asphalt selection for pavement infrastructure under changing climate: A focused study of Ningxia, China

Climate change poses significant challenges to the durability and performance of asphalt pavements. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of climatic factors in Ningxia, China, to establish a robust climate zoning framework for asphalt pavements. Utilizing machine learning techniques, specifically the Fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm, three distinct climate zones within Ningxia were divided considering climatic features such as maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, maximum temperature difference, cumulative precipitation, and cumulative radiation. Based on the historical climate data and LTPP model, five asphalt PG zones were classified in Ningxia Province. Besides, six climate sub-zones, which integrated the asphalt PG zones into climate zones, provided a more refined strategy for the asphalt selection. The study also projected future climate scenarios using the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX-GDDP-CMIP6) dataset to assess the impact of climate change on asphalt selection in Ningxia. The significant changes in pavement temperature indicated the necessity to adapt asphalt pavement designs to future climate scenarios. Overall, this research contributed to the construction of more climate-resilient pavement infrastructures and provided an analysis framework for other regions facing similar climate-induced challenges.

Digital economy and green transformation of regional industries: New insights from sustainability.

Studying the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions in the distribution industry is of great significance for realizing sustainable development goals and coping with climate change. This study finds that increasing the level of digital economy development can reduce the carbon emission intensity of the circulation industry through fixed-effects modeling. Moreover, the effect is different in different geographic regions, and the improvement of the digital economy development level in the east and central regions can significantly reduce the carbon emission intensity of the distribution industry. The digital economy can simultaneously reduce the carbon emission intensity of the circulation industry by reducing the degree of labor factor mismatch in the circulation industry and improving the regional green innovation capacity. Therefore, in order to promote the green development of the distribution industry, it is also necessary to make efforts to improve the construction of network infrastructure, accelerate the process of research and development and cultivation of green technology, and break down the barriers of cross-regional mobility of talents.

Immersive visualization in infrastructure planning: Enhancing long-term resilience and sustainability

Infrastructure decisions today significantly impact future generations' quality of life, especially as severe storms and rising sea levels increasingly threaten communities across the United States. Decision-makers at all levels, including those involved in disaster prevention and response, must address climate change. However, those in infrastructure design and construction often prioritize immediate gains over long-term resilience. Engineering teams typically employ decision tools to manage complexity, but these methods may not highlight the long-term consequences of their choices. This study tests whether integrating Virtual Reality (VR) technology with engineering decision-making tools, can enhance engineers’ ability to visualize the future impacts of their infrastructure projects. A group of engineering students (n = 56) was given a case study on updating roadwork systems in Norfolk, Virginia, an area vulnerable to flooding. The control group viewed images depicting current and future conditions of sea-level rise (year 2100), while the intervention group experienced the same information but through an immersive VR scenario. Participants selected achievement levels for each credit using the Envision system, with total points reflecting the resilience and sustainability of decisions. The results indicate that participants who engaged with the VR experience, achieved higher scores than those who received the images. The results also indicate a variation in VR's impact based on political affiliation, with Democrats responding more positively to the VR experience than Republicans. The findings highlight that integrating VR into decision-making tools can be a crucial advancement in infrastructure planning, enabling engineers to make more informed, sustainable choices for a resilient future.

A Data-Driven Approach for Optimizing Early-Stage Electric Vehicle Charging Station Placement

This paper presents a novel and practical data-driven approach to sub-optimally allocate charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in an early-stage setting. Specifically, we investigate the following problem: For a city with a limited budget for public EV charging infrastructure construction, where should the charging stations be deployed in order to promote the transition of EVs from traditional cars? We develop a <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\delta$</tex-math></inline-formula> -nearest model and a <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$</tex-math></inline-formula> -nearest model that can capture people's satisfaction towards a certain design and formulate the early-stage EV charging station placement problem as a monotone submodular maximization problem utilizing fine-grained population, trip, transportation network and POI data. A greedy-based algorithm is proposed to solve the problem efficiently with a provable approximation ratio. A case study of Haikou is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

The impact of accessibility changes on local development: A spatial approach

Throughout the years, the European Commission has allocated significant financial resources to road infrastructure construction, based on the belief that it would boost, socioeconomic development. However, literature evidence shows it is not consensual whether those investment policies will yield the expected outcomes. The main goal of this work is to shed light on where, and to what extent, accessibility changes due to road infrastructure construction might contribute to boost socioeconomic development at the municipal scale and regional cohesion, resorting to a case study consisting of the municipalities located in the Center Region of Portugal. The analysis uses spatial statistical methods and considers both space and time-lagged variables simultaneously, while controlling for endogeneity, spatial autocorrelation and demographic variables. Results show that accessibility changes induced by 20 years of road infrastructure construction had, in general, a positive impact on the development of the Center Region municipalities. However, depending on how accessibility is defined, negative impacts were also reported, as well as impacts that depend on geographic location. It is suggested that these latter impacts might be related to population migration within the Center Region. Concerning cohesion, no significant impacts of accessibility changes were found.

Embankment base strengthening and construction of working platforms on soft soil

Geosynthetics have been used for decades in infrastructure construction, especially in traffic construction and geotechnics. Despite this, there is still a relatively low uptake of methods for designing solutions using these materials. While the applications of geogrids (or more broadly: geosynthetics) in reinforced soil structures (retaining walls, steep slopes) and the associated design methods are well described in the literature and standards, there is much more modest knowledge available on applications related to the reinforcement of the subsoil directly under road and railway pavement structures, the construction of working platforms on soils with very low bearing capacity, or increasing the fatigue life of the pavement itself. This situation is due, among other things, to the fact that different geosynthetics, including different geogrids, affect the bearing capacity of the subsoil and the durability of the structure in different and often very different ways. Hence – unlike, for example, in the case of retaining walls – it is difficult to develop a one-size-fits-all design method covering this range of applications. It is necessary to rely on the experience of manufacturers of particular varieties of geogrids or geo-grids and to use design methods developed by them based on this experience. This article presents the technology of geocellular mattresses used primarily in the base of embankments on weak and deformable grounds, as well as for the construction of temporary working platforms. The performance of structures in complex and complicated geotechnical conditions is analysed on the example of completed projects. The results of back analysis of structures subjected to real-scale tests are presented, which can be used for preliminary analysis of solutions in numerical modelling programmes

Chinas 5G Communication Technology Development Status and Countermeasures

With the acceleration of the global informatization process, 5G communication technology, as a new generation of mobile communication technology, with its advantages of high speed, low delay and large connection, has brought great development opportunities for all walks of life. This paper mainly analyzes the development status, challenges and countermeasures of Chinas 5G communication technology, and looks forward to the future development trend. In general, Chinas 5G communication technology has made remarkable achievements in policy support, infrastructure construction and technological innovation, but it still faces some challenges. In order to better promote the development of Chinas 5G communication technology, we need to increase policy support, strengthen industrial chain coordination, improve innovation capacity, improve regulatory policies and regulations, promote the integration of 5G technology and vertical industries, and pay attention to 5G security and privacy protection and other issues.

Корректировка проекта планировки территории в целях комплексного развития

Land use in urban areas has been undergoing significant changes in recent years. The practical implementation of Law No. 494-FZ on the integrated development of urban areas, adopted in 2020, faces difficulties of both an objective and subjective nature. Public authorities continue to improve the mechanism of integrated development of territories on an ongoing basis for the successful implementation of the project. Amendments are made in respect of those territories whose borders have not been established and, accordingly, are not displayed on the urban zoning map. Often, the integrated development of territories is understood as the reconstruc-tion or demolition of dilapidated emergency housing, whereas this concept has a much broader meaning. In areas free from dilapidated housing, it means the design and construction of not only modern residential premises, but the construction of the entire infrastructure, starting from schools, kindergartens, clinics, pharmacies, etc. Territories and residential neighborhoods have been established on the territory of Krasnoyarsk, which fall into the zone of integrated development. Solving prob-lems related to the implementation of this project is relevant.

A Study on the Role of Engineering Materials Innovation in Urban Infrastructure Development in Promoting Economic Growth

Accompanied by the high speed of infrastructure construction in China’s major cities, China’s construction industry has been growing rapidly, and the engineering materials industry in construction has begun to transform from weak to strong. The study constructs a systematic theoretical model of engineering materials innovation in the construction industry to realize a systematic understanding of the engineering materials innovation mechanism. Combined with the economic growth theory, the impact of engineering materials innovation on regional economic growth in major Chinese cities is explored by using the threshold regression model. Through the study, it is found that the current innovation of China’s engineering materials industry is mainly facing two major problems, namely the slowdown of industrial growth rate, and the reduction of fixed asset investment, while the diversification path of engineering materials technological innovation outputs is beginning to diverge, and the diversity and ubiquity indices are gradually increasing, but the growth rate is slowing down. Threshold regression shows that when engineering materials innovation every 1% growth, for regional economic growth (GDP) to promote the role of between 0.099%~0.112%. The research in this paper provides a new perspective and comprehensive explanation for the study of engineering materials innovation-driven economic development, enriches the theoretical study of regional economic growth, and also provides theoretical insights and practical guidance for the government’s policy making and enterprises’ innovation practice.

Strength degradation characteristics and damage constitutive model of sandstone under freeze-thaw cycles.

Thorough investigation into the laws governing frozen rock damage in high-altitude and cold regions can offer valuable insights for advancing infrastructure construction, ecological environment protection, and sustainable development on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. This study combined with the seasonal variation patterns of frozen rocks in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, and processed the rock samples using a freeze-thaw interval of -20 °C~20 °C. Uniaxial compression test was conducted based on the MTS816 rock mechanics testing system. The porosity changes of rock samples with different freeze-thaw cycles were analyzed using the MesoMR12-060H-I nuclear magnetic response analysis system. A rock freeze-thaw load coupled damage constitutive model was derived using the Lemaitre equivalent strain theory. Research has shown that during the freezing process, the pore water inside the rock sample is affected by the phase change of water-ice, resulting in frost heave force, which further promotes the expansion of the pore walls and the initiation of new cracks. When melted, pore water migrates towards newly formed micropores, thereby affecting the changes in the pores of rock samples. The increase in porosity at the micro level weakens the mechanical parameters of rocks at the macro level. The segmented freeze-thaw damage constitutive model based on Lemaitre equivalent strain theory can well fit the experimental results involved in this study, as well as the experimental results obtained by other researchers. The compaction stage can partially reflect the changes in sandstone pore structure under freeze-thaw cycles.

Higher education integrating into the “Belt and Road” economic development and its path selection, taking Kyrgyzstan as an example

Since its inception in 2013, “The Belt and Road Initiative” has become an important engine driving global economic growth. The initiative has not only promoted infrastructure construction in countries along the Belt and Road but also strengthened financial integration, unimpeded trade, people-to-people exchanges, and policy communication. In this context, higher education, as an important avenue for talent training and scientific and technological innovation, is of great significance to promoting the economic and social development of countries along the Belt and Road. By strengthening academic cooperation with Chinese universities, Kyrgyzstan can enhance its curriculum, adopt advanced teaching methods, and integrate cutting-edge research to foster more skilled labor. In addition, innovation and technology transfer through higher education partnerships can drive sustainable economic growth and diversification. This paper explores the strategic path of integrating higher education into the Belt and Road. Initiative, focusing on academic collaboration, enhancing R&amp;D capabilities, and fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Effectively Utilizing Infrastructure to Achieve Economic and Societal Growth in Developing Countries

Developing countries can benefit economically and socially from the construction of infrastructure. However, poor policy decisions regarding investment in public goods and services often impede infrastructure’s effectiveness in achieving such benefits. This paper seeks to provide a coherent framework for developing countries to consider when planning and implementing infrastructure projects. Gathering insights and policy suggestions from various relevant studies, it proposes three factors necessary for developing countries to consider. These three factors emphasize individual quality of life and long-term development instead of simple short-term economic growth described by basic economic indicators. They also account for the social and environmental concerns or implications of infrastructure construction, often overlooked in many policy agendas. The first factor is the efficiency of expenditure and accessibility of infrastructure, achieved through the consideration of diminishing returns to scale for capital investment and an emphasis on the delivery, not just the provision, of public services; the second is resilience and sustainability in the context of local environmental attributes and regional independence during the decision-making process; the third is the maximization of indirect benefits, most notably the increases in human capital and productivity caused by infrastructure construction.

Study on the planning and scheduling strategies of the hydrogen supply network for road transportation in deep decarbonization scenarios

As the energy decarbonization continues to advance, hydrogen is gaining momentum. With the increasing demand for hydrogen and the lack of hydrogen infrastructure, it is urgent to solve the problem of hydrogen supply network layout planning. In order to reduce redundant construction of hydrogen supply network infrastructure and increase the rationality of its layout, this paper conducts research on the optimal layout planning of hydrogen supply network infrastructure in the transportation sector. By constructing a two-stage real-time scheduling model of hydrogen supply network, the unit cost composition of hydrogen supply network is more complete and accurate, and the location, technology type and quantity of each link of hydrogen supply network are obtained. The results show that the unit cost of China's hydrogen supply network is 27.8 CNY/kg in 2035 and 19.04 CNY/kg in 2050 under the baseline scenario. Compared with the results of existing literature, the two-stage real-time scheduling model can reduce by 7 % of the hydrogen energy supply network unit cost by decreasing the transportation vehicles and the investment capacity of fixed hydrogen storage equipment. The proposed method of the hydrogen supply network planning can provide policy-makers with the selection of sustainability pathways for dynamic hydrogen infrastructure development planning.

Design and implementation of a cloud computing based vocational college course teaching practice platform

In recent years, China’s vocational college education informatization construction has achieved significant results, but there is still a certain gap with the requirements of university informatization construction and education development. Firstly, the foundation for the construction of a public service platform for professional course resources is relatively weak, and there are insufficient shared mathematical professional course resources; Secondly, the construction of information infrastructure in some vocational college lags behind, and there is a shortage of high-quality and shared course resources. In addition, the application rate of information technology in professional course resources in vocational colleges is relatively low, which cannot fully meet the actual needs of China's vocational college reform and development. This article applies the theoretical foundation and practical methods of cloud computing to research and design a cloud computing based vocational college course teaching resource platform.

The Role of AI Technology in Constructing Digital English Classrooms in Underdeveloped Areas

As a key part of basic education, English education in primary schools is of great significance to the personal development of students and the construction of society and has received extensive attention from society. However, primary English education in underdeveloped regions of China is still relatively backward. In recent years, the rapid development of AI technology has realized information communication in education, which has become the key force in promoting the digital transformation of English classrooms in underdeveloped regions and the potential to bridge the education gap between areas. This paper is based on the teaching characteristics of the current primary school English subject, combined with the current development of AI technology applied to English teaching, for building the digital classroom of primary school English in underdeveloped areas puts forward the following relevant recommendations. China should accelerate the implementation of infrastructure construction and technology introduction in underdeveloped areas, and strengthen the training of digital literacy and media awareness for primary school English teachers. Primary schools in underdeveloped areas should use AI technology as a teaching aid to build a "double-teacher" English classroom teaching mode and a curriculum feedback platform based on this technology, to effectively promote the digital transformation of English classrooms in underdeveloped areas.

METHODOLOGY OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING OF URBAN STREETS AND ROADS

Problem statement. New challenges in road construction require the application of modern and globally recognized best practices in the design and management of road infrastructure construction processes, involving the use of the latest Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies. The implementation of BIM technologies necessitates conducting research to systematize information, forecast and evaluate outcomes, and develop a modeling methodology. The purpose of the article is to develop a methodology for Building Information Modeling of urban streets and roads. Research Results. The proposed methodology for Building Information Modeling is demonstrated using sections of the street and road network in the city of Dnipro. Digital terrain and site models were created in the InfraWorks software based on geospatial data from remote sensing. Conceptual models of urban streets and roads were developed. The conceptual models were exported to Civil 3D, where the terrain model was refined using ground survey data, analyzed, and used to develop route plans, longitudinal and cross profiles of streets and roads. The detailed and coordinated road design solutions in Civil 3D were exported to InfraWorks to build an integrated road infrastructure. An analysis of the spatial smoothness of routes and sight distances on roads was conducted using the building information model. Models of an overpass and bridge developed in Revit were exported to the road infrastructure model. Traffic management measures were modeled. Using the “Traffic Simulation” tools in InfraWorks, vehicle traffic flows on roads and interchanges of the studied street and road network were simulated, taking into account the actual traffic intensity. The building information models were checked for structural deficiencies using Navisworks software. Conclusion. The proposed methodology for designing urban streets and roads using BIM technology involves the step-by-step development of a digital model utilizing software for the automated design of road infrastructure with the required level of detail at each stage of the design process.

Legal infrastructure construction and audit opinion: Evidence from the implementation of China's new securities law

Based on the background of the implementation of China's New Securities Law (NSL) and the data of Chinese listed enterprises from 2016 to 2023, this paper investigates the influence of the new-updated legal infrastructure construction on auditors’ behavior of issuing audit opinion. The findings depict that the implementation of NSL can significantly improve the possibility of issuing non-standard audit opinion by auditors. Mechanism tests confirm that reducing audit market concentration and increasing disciplinary risks are core mechanism approaches. Further discussion reveals that the incentive effect of NSL implementation on the possibility of issuing non-standard audit opinion is more prominent under the synergy of both the stock exchange inquiry and the scrutiny action of the CICPA interview. This paper makes practical implications for standardizing auditors’ behavior, improving the quality of audit verification responsibility, and consequently protecting the legitimate rights of investors.

A Novel Method for Increasing the Concrete Resistance to Chloride Ions Erosion

Concrete structures generally play an important role in the infrastructure construction. The corrosion of reinforcing steels in concrete structures is one of the main causes of the degradation and reduction of their service life, especially when they are exposed to marine environment or de-icing salts. An understanding of the process of chloride transportation in concrete is of great importance for engineers to predict the service life of concrete structures. Therefore, we synthesized corrosion inhibitor for improving the chlorine resistance of concrete.