Experimental Project Research Articles

Vulnerability in Inclusive Research: Exploring Co- and Professional Researchers’ Experiences in a Community-Based Participatory Project on the Disability Family

In the transition to a less protectionist research ethics paradigm—in which vulnerable groups are no longer excluded from participating in research—academic researchers need to think differently about vulnerability. By means of a collective autoethnographic investigation of professional and co-researcher’s experiences in a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project, this article explores how vulnerability is experienced and perceived in the work process and how to respond to vulnerability. It finds that vulnerability manifests in two main ways—that of feeling “emotional hurt” and “epistemic self-doubt”—and that it comes from two main layers: the lived life and from working within CBPR. The main argument in the article is that vulnerability is inevitable in qualitative research like CBPR, when involving persons in vulnerable life situations. We propose four key recommendations for future research: (a) accept vulnerability as an inevitable part of CBPR, (b) balance protection with participant autonomy in situ and together as a team, (c) use a processual approach because ethical risks in the research context might alter over time, and (d) accept that placing co-researchers at the center of interpretative authority can increase professional researcher’s vulnerability. The article expands existing understandings of ethical issues and risk in inclusive research through a combined and innovative focus on both professional and co-researcher’s lived experiences.

Editorial

On behalf of the Geotechnical Testing Journal (GTJ) and ASTM International, I’m writing to thank Dr. Majdi Othman for his outstanding service as a GTJ Co-Editor-in-Chief and to welcome Dr. Kenneth Bell as he transitions into this role starting in January 2024. Majdi received a BS in Civil Engineering from Kuwait University in 1987 and MS and PhD degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1989 and 1992, respectively. Majdi is a senior principal engineer with Geosyntec Consultants and is a registered professional engineer with extensive experience in geotechnical, environmental, and civil engineering projects. His work focuses on waste disposal facility siting; design, permitting, and construction; hydrogeological investigations and groundwater impact analysis; remediation of contaminated sites; and renewable energy projects. Majdi has published his work widely and has previously served as editor of Geotechnical News. Majdi served two terms as Co-Editor for a total of 6 years, from January 2018 through January 2024. He provided exceptional leadership in the management of GTJ in attaining and maintaining the high standards of the journal, including increasing the impact factor, timely processing of manuscripts, and overall respectful and conscientious advocacy for authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and ASTM International and GTJ staff. Majdi’s outstanding contributions and service are greatly appreciated and acknowledged. In line with the unique tradition of having Co-Editors representing both academia and industry, Dr. Kenneth R. Bell will begin his first term as a GTJ Co-Editor in January 2024. Dr. Bell has more than four decades of experience in geotechnical engineering in support of engineering design and construction on projects worldwide across all of Bechtel’s Global Business Units (GBUs). He was elected as a Bechtel Distinguished Engineer in 2010 and then elected as a Bechtel Fellow in 2011. His fields of experience include nuclear, fossil, and hydropower plant projects; mining projects; liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities; and large civil infrastructure projects. Dr. Bell’s project experience includes overseas assignments in Hong Kong on a rail project, New Caledonia on mining project, and Trinidad on an LNG project. Dr. Bell retired as a full-time employee from Bechtel on July 29, 2018, and between 2018 and 2021, he participated in several short-term assignments. In November 2021, Dr. Bell returned to Bechtel as a full-time employee supporting Bechtel’s Energy Business Line working on several LNG projects around the world, which includes Pluto LNG in Australia and several projects on the Gulf Coast. Dr. Bell has been active with ASTM since 1987 when he joined Committee D18. He has served as 1st Vice Chair of Committee D18 and Chair of the Committee on Technical Committee Operations, and he has also Chaired two Subcommittees, D18.02 on Field Testing and D18.11 on Deep Foundations. He received the A. Ivan Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award from Committee D18 in 2021, an Award of Merit in 2014, and the Woodland G. Shockley Memorial Award from Committee D18 in 2011. In closing, I would like to thank Majdi for all his efforts and welcome Ken in his new role. Also, I would like to thank all authors for selecting the Geotechnical Testing Journal for publication of their manuscripts and the ASTM International staff, our outstanding editorial board members, and the numerous peer reviewers for their time, effort, and service to GTJ. I look forward to continued success of GTJ in collaboration with all stakeholders. Sincerely, Nazli Yesiller, PhD Director, Global Waste Research Institute-California Polytechnic State University Co-Editor, Geotechnical Testing Journal

Research on Reform and Practice of College Football Teaching Mode Based on VR Technology

This article uses literature method, experiment method, expert interview method and other research methods to analyze the problems existing in the traditional college football teaching model. The research finds that the traditional college football teaching model is limited by time and venue; Students learn passively and lack motivation; Problems such as insufficient integration of teaching media and practical teaching. And on this basis, it analyzes the necessity, feasibility, effectiveness and functional advantages of introducing VR technology into the reform of college football teaching mode, and puts forward a plan to apply “Internet + VR” to reform football practice teaching, and try to implement VR football The development and construction of the experimental teaching project system and the simulation football teaching and training visualization system are hoped to provide new construction ideas for the reform of the football teaching mode in my country’s colleges and universities at the theoretical and practical levels.

Analysing the model of “theme park & tourism performing arts”: A case study on Songcheng Company

In recent years, with the increase in people’s demand for tourism, the output value of the tourism performing arts industry has increased, and market competition has become fierce. In this case, Song Cheng Performing Arts Co., Ltd. (Songcheng Company) has developed faster than the average level of the industry since 2013 and has become a leading enterprise in the industry in recent years. The reason why the purpose of this study was to explore how Songcheng Company has developed rapidly in the past ten years and how the “theme park +tourism performing arts” model makes Songcheng Company successful. This paper finally analysed three reasons by using founding materials and data: This model was complementary. In future development, the company should integrate trend elements and join experiential projects; the model is highly replicable, but the company should strictly control product quality and reduce product homogenization. The model allows the company to build its own IP. Meanwhile, this paper suggests making more effective use of network resources. Through the study of Songcheng Company, this paper makes up for the gap in the study of this model and has a certain reference significance for the development of other tourism enterprises.

Experience on centralizing the Asset Management and Maintenance Engineering function in an Italian multi-utility company

The paper explores the centralization process of the Asset Management and Maintenance Engineering functions drawing from a project experience carried out in an Italian multi-utility company. The path towards centralization of the management of assets emerges as a strategic response to enhance operational synergies, improve resource allocation, and capitalize on economies of scale. The project is described in this paper, providing insights proposing a comprehensive, standardized approach for utility Asset Management, considering diverse utility services (water, gas, electricity and heating) and asset types to be managed. The centralization effort follows a three-step process: maturity assessment, common performance measurement system design, and sharing practices company-wide. This strategic response to evolving business demands offers a valuable framework for utility asset management in diverse industries and may be of help to companies following the same evolution path. Existing areas of research to be further explored are also emerging and discussed.

Overview of hadron photoproduction experiments in SPring-8 LEPS2 project

An experimental project to study hadron properties through photoproduction reactions is carried out in SPring-8 LEPS2 beamline. As an overview of this project, recent physics achievements and prospects on light baryon spectroscopy, exotic hadrons / bound states, and the origin of hadron mass are discussed with the description of experimental setups.

РЕФОРМА И ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНОГО ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ ПАТОГЕННЫХ ОРГАНИЗМОВ И ИММУНОЛОГИИ

“Pathogens and Immunology” is a professional and practical basic medical course that serves as a link between fundamental medicine and clinical medicine. Through experimental classes, students can deepen their understanding of theoretical knowledge, improve their ability to analyze and solve problems, and develop rigorous scientific thinking. Thus, the quality of teaching in the experimental class and the quality of teaching directly affect the quality and abilities of students. The traditional learning model is mainly based on theoretical learning and complemented by experimental learning. Most of the experimental projects are verification experiments. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to reform and investigate the experimental doctrine of pathogens and immunology. After reforming the experimental teaching of this subject by developing reasonable learning plans and optimizing assessment methods, students’ enthusiasm for learning, teaching quality and learning effectiveness have improved significantly

Application of Comparative Teaching Method in Experimental Project Design of Instrumental Analysis Course: A Case Study in Chromatography Experiment Teaching

Application of Comparative Teaching Method in Experimental Project Design of Instrumental Analysis Course: A Case Study in Chromatography Experiment Teaching

Enhancing data integrity and resilience: Extending the CERN backup system with a tape-based backend

The CERN IT Department is responsible for ensuring the integrity and security of data stored in the IT Storage Services. General storage backends such as EOS, CERNBox and CephFS are used to store data for a wide range of use cases for all stakeholders at CERN, including experiment project spaces and user home directories. In recent years a backup system, cback, was developed based on the open source backup program restic. cback is currently used to backup about 2.5 billion files and 18PB stored on disks in the CERN Computing Center. To significantly increase the reliability and security of the backups and reduce the storage costs, by limiting the amount of data on disk, we have added a tape storage backend to cback. With this addition cback can reliably be extended to new use cases, like backing up any local mountable file system, such as EOS, CephFS, NFS or DFS. In this paper we will describe the architecture and implementation of cback with the new tape storage backend and a number of developments planned for the near future.

The Creativity Levels of Preschool Teachers

In this study, the creativity levels of preschool instructors employed in Denizli's central districts' public schools and institutions throughout the 2022–2023 academic year were examined. The study used a scanning model and was quantitatively conducted. Data from 324 preschool teachers were gathered using a convenience sampling technique. Preschool teachers have medium levels of creativity in terms of academic creativity, artistic creativity, and artistic performance. They were discovered to have a high level of creativity in the originality area but a low level in the scientific/mechanical area. In preschool teachers' ratings of creativity, boys considerably outperformed girls on the dimension of scientific/mechanical inventiveness. In the area of artistic performance, creativity perceptions revealed a strong and significant difference in favor of women. Whether they were young, middle-aged, or old, teachers' assessments of creativity had comparable traits.
 There was a difference between preschool teachers with less seniority and those with more seniority when the artistic performance dimension of their judgments of creativity was explored, favoring those with less seniority. A difference was observed among the participants with 1–10 years of seniority and those with 11–20 years in terms of artistic inventiveness, favoring those with less seniority. When the preschool teachers' opinions of their own creativity were matched to their educational backgrounds, it was found that the graduate-degree holding teachers had greater perceptions of academic, scientific/mechanical, originality, and general creativity than the undergraduate teachers. It was determined that teachers with project experience have greater perceptions of creativity than those without project experience in the areas of academic, artistic performance, artistic inventiveness, and general creativity.
 Keywords: Creativity, teacher, preschool, school.

Walking the Table: Caring-with landscape

Walking the Table is an experimental project that develops a relationship of care, registering and becoming conscious of subtle changes within an Australian landscape. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s ideas of ‘making-with’1 and Tim Ingold’s concept of ‘thinking through making’2 this visual essay explores ideas of relational care within a rapidly altering landscape and how one may become an attentive participant, moving with a changing landscape as a practice of care. Understanding ‘landscape’ to be a layered entanglement of systems, materials and inhabitants (more-than-human and human) movements and projections that are influenced by the past and present, the role of the photographs and two forms of text is to weave three different layers of conversation that are relational and form an overall narrative. Photography is used to capture the process of a dialogue emerging between the walker and the landscape, facilitated through the camera and the table when walking the table around the site. Landscape and care is an ever-evolving relationship that requires attentiveness and participation. When a relationship with a landscape is built over a prolonged period of time, revealed are the drastic differences in scales of temporal shifts that landscapes undergo, formulating an ongoing dialogue between the landscape and the inhabitant of that landscape. Cover image: Shadow 11, Noticing an unusual shadow of a tree branch I looked up. What we humans botanically classify as an Ulmus species had a strange growth on its smaller branches. Unknown to me whether the tree has wing-bark disease or is a cork-winged Elm, after this discovery and unsure whether the Elm was sick or not, each time I passed by, I would check on the tree.

Man-Hour Estimation Model Development in BIM-Based Projects with Machine Learning-Regression Algorithms

Construction management is a service that uses project management techniques to planning, design and construction of a project. Another branch of construction management is the planning made during the bidding stages before the construction starts. At this stage, the scheduling of the work, mobilization and most importantly the project design and drawing time should be analyzed and accurate estimates should be made. For this estimation, the experience of the bidding organization is the biggest reference. Construction management techniques in a BIM-based project are challengeable. The biggest reason is that knowledge about BIM is much less than the others and still a developing system. Therefore, the margin of error in the estimated project duration to be predicted in the bids to be made for such projects increases. Considering that man-hour estimations are financially very important for the company. This study is aimed to make observations with advanced technologies which is applied ML algorithms and analysis methods for man-hour estimations in BIM projects at the bidding stage. The project information to perform a man-hour analysis of completed construction projects was requested from offices that have gained experience in BIM projects. The project information of 16 projects were tabulated. The collected information was converted into a data set and transferred into regression analysis algorithms using Python format. Data set, which was turned into a matrix, was analysed and the consistency of the parameters in data set was tested. Spent man-hour estimation was made, graphed over parameters with simple and multiple linear regression algorithms. 
 Keywords: Building Information Modelling (BIM), construction management, bidding, project management, Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, regression analysis

VERNACULAR PEDAGOGIES FOR THE SYNTHETIC MEDIA AGE

This paper draws on our research into the cultures of production surrounding the development of deepfakes and use of other forms of generative AI across public sites such as GitHub and YouTube, and subsequent reflective classroom experimentation and learning. Expanding on the notion of ‘vernacular pedagogies’ – informal and in situ education and relational literacy work – we propose a set of approaches for widening participation and involvement in AI and its underlying data practices. We reflect on the kinds of public vernacular pedagogy available on YouTube, GitHub and elsewhere online, and the kinds of experimental project work and learning environments that can be created with higher education students that can widen critical forms of AI participation and literacy.

Optımalısası Pembelajaran Teks Prosedur Kompleks Dalam Bahasa Indonesıa Melaluı Penerapan Project-Based Learnıng Dengan Medıa Audıovısual

ABSTRACT This research is motivated by the implementation of the project-based learning model (PjBL) in the context of learning complex procedural texts at SMPN 2 Grati. This research aims to describe three main aspects, namely the application and impact of the PjBL model, the challenges faced, and students' responses to this learning model. This research used a qualitative descriptive approach with 35 class VIIA students as subjects. Data was collected through observation and interviews, documented in the form of documents and field notes. The process of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions was carried out to analyze the findings. The research results show that the PjBL model is implemented through six stages, including practicing basic questions, creating a project plan, preparing an implementation schedule, tracking student and project progress, testing results, and experience assessment. The main objective of the research reveals that the project-based learning model has a significant impact on collaboration and student learning outcomes, with the highest student average reaching 90 and the lowest 70. The proposed solution involves productive use of time, support from the homeroom teacher, and the use of informative media as an effort to overcome these difficulties. This research contributes to the practical understanding of the implementation of the PjBL model in the context of learning complex procedural texts at the secondary school level. The implications of these findings can be used as a guide for teachers and education stakeholders to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of learning in the classroom.

Waewae Taku Haere

The sites of spatial design practice are storied landscapes. Most spatial design projects begin with site analysis — a research process of coming to ‘know’ site, context, parameters, and opportunities. Even more fundamental is a process of listening; of attuning. In colonised countries such as Aotearoa New Zealand, the contexts of site include histories of colonisation and the marginalised stories of the Indigenous peoples whose lands, place names, and histories are often overwritten by settler-colonial stories, education systems, and built environments. How might spatial designers attune to Indigenous stories in the land? What new processes, modes, relationships, and understandings are required? How and to what extent should those who are not mana whenua (tribal groups with local territorial rights, relationships, and responsibilities) have access to this knowledge, often located within oral traditions of story and song? How do we prepare to work with these stories — a journey often filled with uncertainty and emotion — and keep ourselves and others safe throughout the process? These are essential skills for spatial designers in a decolonising/reindigenising world. This text-based research essay constitutes a journey of critical reflection and conversation around an experimental studio project the authors ran with third-year undergraduate spatial design students. Led by tangata whenua (Māori), tangata Tiriti (non-Māori treaty partner), and mana whenua researchers, the project was conducted within a bicultural framework informed by mātauranga and tikanga Māori (Māori knowledge systems and protocols). Students were introduced to a waiata pātere — a Māori chant that ‘maps’ places in a landscape — that had been composed for our learning community. They employed embodied methods of research and representation to generate immersive experiences that responded to the pātere and the stories in the land, as a way of coming to belong to, rather than to ‘know’, place.

Simulation-Assisted Augmentation of Missing Wedge and Region-of-Interest Computed Tomography Data.

This study reports a strategy to use sophisticated, realistic X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) simulations to reduce Missing Wedge (MW) and Region-of-Interest (RoI) artifacts in FBP (Filtered Back-Projection) reconstructions. A 3D model of the object is used to simulate the projections that include the missing information inside the MW and outside the RoI. Such information augments the experimental projections, thereby drastically improving the reconstruction results. An X-ray CT dataset of a selected object is modified to mimic various degrees of RoI and MW problems. The results are evaluated in comparison to a standard FBP reconstruction of the complete dataset. In all cases, the reconstruction quality is significantly improved. Small inclusions present in the scanned object are better localized and quantified. The proposed method has the potential to improve the results of any CT reconstruction algorithm.

Development of a web application for houseplants e-commerce shop based on technology stack Laravel + React

In this article a current state of art of the web commerce applications is analyzed, especially the applications which can be used to build a web shop to sell flowers and plants were reviewed. The international and Ukrainian experience of building e-commerce projects in current area was analyzed, some specific features of e-commerce traiding of plants goods were highlighted, as well as specific ways to assortment segmenting and sales organization. The web commerce field focused mostly on selling plants and gardening accessories is not too busy in Ukraine. The existing programmatic web solutions are too complex and sometimes are excess for small or middle size project. That’s why current project could be efficient. In current paper the solutions for organization of programming stack for the project are analyzed, also the project’s structure and some features were reviewed. The params based on which the decision about database management system’s choice were made as well as programming language and additional features are separately covered. The main criteria for the development method choice and development approaches were effectiveness because the project belongs to a specific field and its features are to be rationally limited with ability to scale and improve it through time, because of this an important task was to find the balance between rapid development and quality and supportability of the project. Based on the analysis results a stack of popular framework Laravel with supporting technologies was selected one of the key solutions in web store development or any other e-commerce platform is filtering as well as categorizing items. Selling plants is a rather specific field because the params are very different from the usual goods params, for example features of electronics or size and quality for clothes sold in Internet. Filtering requires deep approach to it, starting from corresponding and effective database management system’s choice, constructing entities system and code adaptation on backend and frontend, when the routine tasks as order placement, payment and delivery could have standard approaches. The categories and filters often require and individual solution

The value of educational traditions versus the effectiveness of continuous reforms

The article describes the process of devaluation of the value of domestic education based on the material of two key types of modern reforms: the introduction of new axiological disciplines into the educational process and an experimental pilot project of a new Russian higher education, as a result of which it should be divided into three levels (basic, special and professional). It is shown that the introduction of new disciplines is always accompanied by a reduction of well-tested old ones, and in this case leads to schematization and dogmatization of axiological education. It is also shown that the new reform of the structure of higher education will lead to the final destruction of Soviet traditions (specialty), as well as post-Soviet experience (master's degree) and it will return the postgraduate course to the education system, from which it was withdrawn a year ago due to complete inefficiency (reduction in the number of defenses of candidate theses).

Co-creating a learning curriculum for professionals working with and people living with Parkinson’s disease from an integrated care approach – SUPER project experience

Introduction: Integrated care (IC) aims the delivery of effective management of Parkinson's Disease (PD) to minimize disability and potentially improve long-term outcomes, which would minimize long-term and costs and resource utilization.
 Target Population: The target population is the members of multidisciplinary care teams to have the most detailed knowledge of IC models adapted to the real needs of PD patients and their relatives/caregivers.
 Population involvement: Qualitative methods (focus groups/interviews) not only of the health and social care professionals but also other relevant key informants such as PD patients and their relatives/caregivers have promoted direct involvement in the co-creation process of the curriculum.
 Methodology: Common guidelines were designed to conduct the co-production sessions, data collection, and reporting. A total of 66 participants have participated in 7 focus groups (FG) (43 participants) and in 6 interviews (I) across Spain (FG= 4), Italy (FG= 3, I=2), UK (I=3), and Ireland (I=1). Meetings were planned to be face-to-face (FG=7, I=1), but to facilitate participation they were also carried out online (I=5). By profile, 39 participants were care team members, 13 PD patients, and 14 caregivers/relatives. ISRAA (Italy) conducted the analysis and discussed, and they were discussed and agreed upon by the consortium partners, and co-validated in a final consultation with key informants.
 Results: PD patients (8 men and 5 women) and caregivers (2 men and 12 women) cross-nationally reached similar agreements. The main need was about being more informed on PD. A lack of social and psychological consideration aspects and they only focused on the clinical ones. When seeking emotional support PD patients and caregivers did not feel directed to the right source. It was difficult for PD patients to assume the degenerative aspect of PD. Carers didn’t receive guidelines to manage complex situations as the disease progresses, but they received good support from Parkinson’s Associations. Among the care team members (22 women and 14 men). Italian professionals stated that they deliver integrated care. Professionals from Spain, Ireland, and the UK stated that they are aware of the use of an IC approach, but there is a lack in professional implementation. Professionals agree that there is a lack of training opportunities on IC for PD. Communication should be improved in a multidisciplinary way, establishing person-centred care pathways, and holistically considering patients and caregivers.
 Lessons learned: A digital training curriculum for a PD professionals-based IC approach should include guidelines in three main areas: (1) PD medical, clinical aspects and treatments, (2) PD psycho-social resources for patients and caregivers, (3) IC for PD.
 Next Steps: The SUPER project platform with training materials will be available to be tested with care team members.

The I-TAP-PD project experience Building relationships through arts in education

The I-TAP-PD project experience Building relationships through arts in education