Fast Track Project Research Articles

P033 Associations between sleep and emotional self-regulation in toddlers

Abstract Introduction Emotional self-regulation (ESR) skills are vital for mental and physical health. There is growing evidence linking sleep to ESR in school-aged children, but associations in toddlers remain unclear. The current study examined associations between toddlers’ sleep duration and behaviors and ESR. Materials and methods This study utilized baseline data from 1358 toddlers (Mage=26±3.9mo) from the Let’s Grow trial. Total sleep duration was calculated by summing parent-reported average nighttime sleep and daytime nap duration. Sleep behaviors (bedtime routine, bedtime resistance, sleep latency, and night waking) were assessed using the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire and Brief Infant Questionnaire. Toddlers’ ESR skills were assessed via a 4-item parent-report scale adopted from the Fast Track Project Child Behaviour Questionnaire, with a lower score indicating better ESR. Linear regression models assessed associations of sleep duration and behaviors with ESR. Results Toddlers’ average daily total sleep, nighttime sleep, and nap duration were 12.1h, 10.6h, and 1.5h, respectively. Girls and boys had similar nighttime sleep, total sleep, and ESR scores. However, girls had longer naps than boys (1.6h vs 1.4h, t=-3.5, p=0.0004). Total sleep, nighttime sleep, and nap duration were inversely associated with ESR (all p<0.01), indicating that higher sleep duration was associated with better ESR. Sleep behaviors were positively associated with ESR (all p<0.01), with more problem sleep behaviors associated with poorer ESR. Conclusion Initial results suggest that improving sleep duration and behaviors are associated with better ESR in toddlers. Supporting parents to improve their toddlers’ sleep may help foster better ESR skills.

The Dynamics of Power and Micropolitics on Project Management

The empirically investigated problem of our paper is what impact do micropolitics and power have upon the conduct of project management in an organization? The informal power and micropolitics played a massive role in the projects, and personal and relational knowledge appeared in all projects to achieve the expected results. The project manager uses personal networks, personal relations, and mentor's network together with cognitive, affective, and emotional influence as power and politics if needed to achieve expected results. Power and micropolitics were necessary skills and tools for a successful project manager. The findings relate to the manager's intentions. The informal power and micro-politics process are reused in every project because informal power and micropolitics are a part of project work. Power accumulation and wise handling are essential leadership tools for every manager. Employees work for managers who have power over those who do not. The former can get them what they want: visibility, upwards mobility, and resources. Micropolitics and power represent a unique competence (i.e., knowledge, experiences, and attitudes) and tool for handling any project. A democratic and consensus-oriented decision process opens for power games and micropolitics rather than hedging them in more hierarchical organizations. A complex matrix organization involving employees in many projects is also open to micropolitics and power. Micropolitics and power might prolong and complicate decisions processes in ordinary projects and improve processes in fast-track projects. Micropolitics and power might thus both increase and reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization.

Effect of Family, Friends and School Climate on School Adjustment of Middle School Students

In this study, aiming to understand the individual and environmental dynamics underlying school adjustment of students in the middle school period, the target was to reveal the direct effects of family support, peer relationships and gender and their indirect effects mediated by school climate and academic success on the school adjustment of students. The study additionally adapted the school adjustment scale developed by the Fast Track project team for middle school students to Turkish and performed validity and reliability studies. The study was completed with data from two groups. The data obtained from the first study group were used for the adaptation study, while the data obtained from the second study group were used to answer the research question. In the research, the data collection tools of the ‘school adjustment scale’, ‘perceived social support scale’, ‘peer relationships scale’, ‘school climate scale’ and ‘personal information form’ were used. With the aim of finding the answer to the basic problem in the research, path analysis was performed for data obtained from 474 middle school students. The results of the study revealed that school climate, academic grade, gender, family support and peer relationships have significant direct effects in explaining the school adjustment of middle school students. Additionally, the gender and family relationships variables mediated by school climate, and the peer relationships variable mediated by academic grade, had significant effects on school adjustment.

Predictive Validity of Adolescent Callous-Unemotional Traits and Conduct Problems with Respect to Adult Outcomes: High- and Low-Risk Samples.

Current understanding of the predictive validity of callous-unemotional (CU) traits is limited by (a) the focus on externalizing psychopathology and antisocial behaviors, (b) a lack of long-term prospective longitudinal data, (c) samples comprised of high-risk or low-risk individuals. We tested whether adolescent CU traits and conduct problems were associated with theoretically relevant adult outcomes 12-18 years later. Participants were drawn from two studies: higher-risk Fast Track (FT; n = 754) and lower-risk Child Development Project (CDP; n = 585). FT: conduct problems positively predicted externalizing and internalizing psychopathology and partner violence, and negatively predicted health, wellbeing, and education. Three conduct problems × CU traits interaction effects were also found. CDP: CU traits positively predicted depression and negatively predicted health and education; conduct problems positively predicted externalizing and internalizing psychopathology and substance use, and negatively predicted wellbeing. CU traits did not provide incremental predictive validity for multiple adult outcomes relative to conduct problems.

Quantification of impacts between 1.5 and 4\xa0\xb0C of global warming on flooding risks in six countries

We project climate change induced changes in fluvial flood risks for six global warming levels between 1.5 and 4 °C by 2100, focusing on the major river basins of six countries. Daily time series of precipitation, temperature and monthly potential evapotranspiration were generated by combining monthly observations, daily reanalysis data and projected changes in the five CMIP5 GCMs also selected in the ISI-MIP fast track project. These series were then used to drive the HBV hydrological model and the CaMa-Flood hydrodynamic model to simulate river discharge and flood inundation. Our results indicate that return periods of 1 in 100-year floods in the late twentieth century (Q100-20C) are likely to decrease with warming. At 1.5 °C warming, 47%, 66%, 27%, 65%, 62% and 92% of the major basin areas in Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana and India respectively experience a decrease in the return period of Q100-20C, increasing to 54%, 81%, 28%, 82%, 86% and 96% with 4 °C warming. The decrease in return periods leads to increased number of people exposed to flood risks, particularly with 4 °C warming, where exposure in the major river basin areas in the six countries increases significantly, ranging from a doubling (China) to more than 50-fold (Egypt). Limiting warming to 1.5 °C would avoid much of these increased risks, resulting in increases ranging from 12 to 1266% for the 6 countries.

Managing Fast-Track Construction Project in Qatar: Challenges and Opportunities

Fast-track construction projects are becoming increasingly prevalent in the construction industry, particularly where completion time is essential. A high adoption rate in some of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries countries and the lack of a conceptual understanding of the challenges inherent in such may jeopardize the future sustainability of the construction sector. To make an informed decision about adopting a fast-track construction method, it is necessary to first identify the opportunities and challenges associated with it. Therefore, this study examines the critical challenges impeding the performance of Qatar’s fast-track construction projects. The research findings were analysed and triangulated using a real-life project as a case study and several data sources. The results of the research identified four critical categories of barriers: design and coordination-related, scope or change orders-related, material and equipment-related, and contractual-related barriers. In addition, strategies such as accurate information, constructability assessment, early involvement of operations and maintenance personnel, and the use of an effective change control system were identified for addressing the identified challenges. The findings are beneficial to professionals who are currently operating or planning to undertake construction projects in Qatar or other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries countries. This study recommends that project managers be more attentive to key barriers in order to improve the performance of fast-track projects and to meet clients’ objectives.

Durability studies on ready mix concrete using mineral admixtures and manufactured sand

To meet the intensifying demand of fine aggregate in construction sector, manufactured sand has become a viable alternative to the river sand. Ready mix concrete (RMC) is playing vital role in fast-track construction particularly in Tire-II cities in India. The strength and durability concerns about using 100% manufactured sand along with mineral admixtures in RMC plant needs to be addressed through suitable experimental demonstrations. This research gives the experimental results on strength and durability studies of concrete carried out on samples obtained from RMC Plant by making use of manufactured sand containing (50% of crushed sand and 50% of the crushed rock fines) as replacement for natural sand. Trials on partial replacing cement with fly ash content of 33% and GGBS of 40% has also been carried out. Compressive and split-tensile strength studies were conducted on cubes (150mmx150mmx150mm) and cylinders (150mmx300mm) at 7, 14 & 28 days of curing. Non-Destructive tests such as Ultra Sonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) and rebound hammer tests were conducted to assess the quality of these mixes. Durability tests were conducted and comparison of the % of loss in mass and % of loss in strength for concrete samples subjected to acid attack, sulphate attack, alkaline attack tests were also carried out. Rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT) was conducted to check the concrete resistance against chloride ions penetration. The experimental results revealed that the use of 100% manufactured sand along with mineral admixtures in producing ready mix concrete is a good choice in view of the non-availability of river sand to meet the demands of fast-track construction projects.

Developmental Precursors of Primary and Secondary Callous-Unemotional Traits in Youth.

There is growing evidence of diverse etiological pathways to the development of callous-unemotional (CU) traits, known as primary and secondary CU variants. The purpose of the present study was to extend previous cross-sectional research and examine theoretical predictors of CU variants prospectively from childhood to adolescence. Participants included high-risk control and normative samples from the Fast Track project (N = 754, male = 58%, Black = 46%). Using structural equation modelling, primary CU traits, identified in early adolescence, were associated with higher levels of childhood emotion regulation and lower levels of prosocial behavior. Secondary CU traits were associated with lower levels of childhood emotion regulation and low parental warmth, but not prosocial behaviour. Neither CU variant was related to harsh parenting. Parental warmth moderated emotion regulation and prosocial behavior on secondary CU traits. Results were not moderated by sex. A greater understanding of theoretical developmental precursors of CU variants may better guide intervention efforts.

Longitudinal Associations between Parental Warmth, Harsh Discipline, Child Emotion Regulation, and ODD Dimensions

Research has yet to investigate the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relation between parental warmth and harsh discipline with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Further, few studies have investigated ODD as both a unitary construct and as three distinct dimensions (anger, defiance, spitefulness). Thus, the present study aimed to investigate child emotion regulation (grade 2) as a mediator of the relation between parental warmth and harsh discipline (kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2) and ODD and its dimensions (grade 3). Participants included the high-risk and normative samples from the Fast Track project (N = 753, male = 58 %, Black = 46 %). Constructs were assessed using observation and parent and teacher reports. Although results demonstrated an absence of indirect effects, emotion regulation was negatively associated with overall ODD and anger and defiance, but not spitefulness. Findings illustrate how increased attention toward the study of ODD as distinct dimensions contributes to our ability to parse out heterogeneity among children with the disorder.

Primary and secondary callous-unemotional traits in adolescence are associated with distinct maladaptive and adaptive outcomes in adulthood.

While phenotypically indistinguishable with respect to callousness, individuals with primary and secondary callous-unemotional (CU) traits may show different developmental outcomes. This research predominantly comprised cross-sectional studies of male participants with a focus on maladaptive correlates. Thus, the present study examined whether youth with primary and secondary CU traits identified in Grade 7 reported distinct maladaptive outcomes (internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problems; criminal offenses; and sexual and partner experiences) and adaptive outcomes (health and wellbeing, education, and employment) in adulthood at age 25. We also examined sex differences. Participants included the high-risk control and normative samples from the Fast Track project (N = 754, male = 58%, Black = 46%). Youth with secondary CU traits reported higher levels of adult internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, a greater number of sexual partners and risky sexual behavior, and a greater number of violent offenses, compared with individuals with primary CU traits and those with low CU and anxiety symptoms. Conversely, youth with primary CU traits and low symptoms had higher wellbeing and happiness scores than those with secondary CU traits. Finally, there was differentiation on outcomes between female primary and secondary CU variants and male primary and secondary CU variants.

Development of individuals’ own and perceptions of peers’ substance use from early adolescence to adulthood

This study evaluated how individuals’ own substance use and their perception of peers’ substance use predict each other across development from early adolescence to middle adulthood. Participants were from two longitudinal studies: Fast Track (FT; N = 463) and Child Development Project (CDP; N = 585). Participants reported on their own and peers’ substance use during early and middle adolescence and early adulthood, and their own substance use in middle adulthood. From adolescence to early adulthood, individuals’ reports of their own substance use in a given developmental period predicted reports of their peers’ substance use in the next developmental period more than peers’ substance use in a given developmental period predicted individuals’ own substance use in the next. In the higher-risk FT sample, individuals’ own substance use in early adulthood predicted alcohol, cannabis, and other substance use in middle adulthood, and peers’ substance use in early adulthood predicted cannabis use in middle adulthood. In the lower-risk CDP sample, participants’ own substance use in early adulthood predicted only their own cannabis use in middle adulthood, whereas peers’ substance use in early adulthood predicted participants’ alcohol, cannabis, opioid, and other substance use in middle adulthood. The findings suggest that peer substance use in early adulthood may indicate a greater propensity for subsequent substance use in lower-risk groups, whereas those in higher-risk groups may remain more stable in substance use, with less variability explained by peer contexts.

Childhood Conduct Problems Trajectories are Associated with Distinct Antisocial Process Screening Device Dimensions

There is ongoing debate regarding whether psychopathy dimensions (i.e., narcissism, callous-unemotional [CU] traits, and impulsivity) can be meaningfully identified among youth samples and the correlates of these components. Thus, the present study conducted confirmatory factor analyses of the parent-reported Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD; Frick and Hare 2001) among early adolescents, and examined whether trajectories of conduct problems (CP) through childhood were associated with APSD total and subscale scores. Participants included the normative and high-risk control samples from the Fast Track project (N = 754, male = 58%, Black = 46%). Parents reported on CP in kindergarten, grades 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7, and psychopathy in grade 7. Factor analyses supported the three-factor structure. Latent class growth analyses identified four trajectories of CP including extremely high increasing (3.6%), high stable (21.6%), moderate decreasing (38.7%), and low decreasing (36.1%). All CP trajectories were significantly different from each other on psychopathy total, narcissism, and impulsivity scores; the extremely high increasing and high stable trajectories did not differ from each other on CU traits, but they scored significantly higher than the moderate decreasing and low decreasing trajectories. When controlling for other dimensions, all trajectories were significantly different on narcissism. The extremely high increasing and high stable CP trajectories did not differ from each other on impulsivity, but they scored higher than the moderate decreasing and low trajectories. Only the extremely high increasing and high stable trajectories scored higher than the low decreasing trajectory on CU traits.

S-Acylation Controls SARS-CoV-2 Membrane Lipid Organization and Enhances Infectivity

SARS-CoV-2 virions are surrounded by a lipid bilayer which contains membrane proteins such as Spike, responsible for target-cell binding and virus fusion, the envelope protein E and the accessory protein Orf3a. Here, we show that during SARS-CoV-2 infection, all three proteins become lipid modified, through action of the S- acyltransferase ZDHHC20. Particularly striking is the rapid acylation of Spike on 10 cytosolic cysteines within the ER and Golgi. Using a combination of computational, lipidomics and biochemical approaches, we show that this massive lipidation controls Spike biogenesis and degradation, and drives the formation of localized ordered cholesterol and sphingolipid rich lipid nanodomains, in the early Golgi where viral budding occurs. ZDHHC20-mediated acylation allows the formation of viruses with enhanced fusion capacity and overall infectivity. Our study points towards S-acylating enzymes and lipid biosynthesis enzymes as novel therapeutic anti-viral targets.Funding: This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation Corona Call, the CARIGEST foundation and the EPFL Corona Research task force to F.G.v.d.G. MD simulations were carried out on the Piz Daint computer at the Swiss Supercomputing Center (CSCS) thanks to access granted by PRACE Covid19 fast track project #17 (pr97) to M.D.P.Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

Optimization of high strength concrete with construction and demolition waste

The development in the Infrastructure Sector has led to a revolution in the Construction Industry with fast track projects. Hence the use of prefabricated construction is gaining importance in India in the recent days. The structural elements like beams, columns and wall panels are fabricated in a factory and assembled at the site. The concrete used in the fabrication of these members are conventional concrete with density range 2400-2500 kg/m3. The transport, handling and erection of these members involve large machineries. Moreover due to the use of conventional concrete the self weight of the structure also increases leading to large column size and foundations. Hence this work is based in optimizing reactor powder with mineral admixtures, construction and demolition waste and steel fibres that can be used in precast construction. The compressive strength achieved is 63.12 Mpa, flexural strength is 6.21 and tensile strength is 6.38MPa. Rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT) was done to test the durability of the concrete and it was found to be 469 coulombs which proved it to be resistant to chloride penetration.

Changes Required to Sustain a Best Value Environment

The BV environment was introduced into the Netherlands in 2004. By 2008 testing was being done by a partnership between Arizona State University and Scenter (private entity led by Sicco Santema). In 2010, the $1B fast track projects were procured by the Rijkswaterstaat, using the Best Value Procurement. By 2015, instead of the BV approach being treated as just another option, NEVI, the Dutch professional procurement group (third largest procurement group in the world) designated the Best Value Procurement as one of the main stream procurement approaches, and hired a full time Director to guide their Best Value Procurement training programs. However, in three major areas: IT delivery, professional services and the medical arena, buyers and larger-traditional vendors were having difficulty adapting to the approach. The BV approach utilizes the expertise of experts to replace the need for owner management, direction and control (MDC). However, a stumbling block occurred, when a “Best Value” vendor was selected, but did not have their detailed plan as a baseline from which they could identify risk that was outside of their control, their risk mitigation plan, and a simple way to create transparency to help the client/user. This is a case study that shows how the Best Value Approach was requiring a paradigm shift with both the user and the vendor, which neither party was well-prepared for.

Managing uncertainty in fast-track construction projects: case study from South Africa

While academic researchers have proposed various theories for managing risk and uncertainty in construction projects, most of the propositions are conceptual in nature and based on analytical modelling approaches rarely used in practice. This research was triggered by an observation in which a R1·5 billion (∼US$100 million) fast-track New Universities Project in South Africa was successfully delivered within budget despite up to 74% of the project scope not being capable of being priced by the contractor at the start of construction. The aim of this paper was to examine the client’s delivery-management approach used to manage uncertainty and deliver within budget successfully. The evidence from document analyses and interviews with the client delivery-management team members shows that setting a rigorous control budget, designing to the budget, working collaboratively, disciplined management of the control budget and continuous value engineering were the key client management techniques used to manage the high degree of uncertainty and deliver the project within budget successfully. Given that these are client-led delivery-management issues, the findings fill an important gap in the knowledge and understanding of how infrastructure project outcomes can be significantly improved on when the client functions as the leader of the infrastructure delivery process.

Reducing CRR in fast-track projects through BIM

Rework is one of the most commonly encountered issues that face construction projects, leading to potential loss of money and delays. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential role of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in reducing Client-Related Rework (CRR) when set within the context of fast-track construction projects in Egypt. In order to study this issue survey data was collected from 51 construction professionals within the Egyptian private construction sector with experience in fast-track projects through a self-administered questionnaire composed of fourteen closed and open-ended subgroup of questions, whose aim is to gain an understanding of the main sources of CRR in the industry. The survey results revealed that the majority of the respondents (92.1%) had experienced CRR in construction projects, resulting in an average project cost increase of 22% and an average delay of 23%, as well as formulating the basis for a novel Severity Index (SI), which was devised in order to rank CRR causes, with its finding revealing "Clients' financial problems", "Impediment in prompting the decision making of the client" and "Replacement of materials by the client", as the biggest contributors to CRR. The survey also highlights visualization as a potential solution to CRR, with eight case studies from literature as well as one from the Egyptian market being used to validate the use of BIM in the reduction of CRR. Findings illustrated that the use of BIM in the Egypt is similar to findings in literature, with BIM resulting in rework cost and schedule reduction of 49 and 57 percent respectively.

Statistical emulators of irrigated crop yields and irrigation water requirements

This study provides statistical emulators of global by gridded crop models included in the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project Fast Track project to estimate irrigated crop yields and associated irrigation water withdrawals simulated at the grid cell level. An ensemble of crop model simulations is used to build a panel of monthly summer weather variables and corresponding annual yields and irrigation water withdrawals from five gridded crop models. This dataset is then used to estimate crop-specific response functions for each crop model. The average normalized root mean square errors for the response functions range from 3% to 6% for irrigated yields and 2% to 8% for irrigated water withdrawal. Further in- and out-of-sample validation exercises confirm that the statistical emulators are able to replicate the crop models’ spatial patterns of irrigated crop yields and irrigation water withdrawals, both in levels and in terms of changes over time, although accuracy varies by model and by region. The emulators estimated in this study therefore provide a reliable and computationally efficient alternative to global gridded crop yield models.

Kindergarten antecedents of the developmental course of active and passive parental monitoring strategies during middle childhood and adolescence.

Decades of research have highlighted the significance of parenting in children's development, yet few studies have focused specifically on the development of parental monitoring strategies in diverse families living in at-risk neighborhoods. The current study investigated the development of active (i.e., parental discussions and curfew rules) and passive (i.e., child communication with parents) parental monitoring strategies across different developmental periods (middle childhood and adolescence; Grades 4-5 and 7-11) as well as individual (child, parent), family, and contextual antecedents (measured in kindergarten) of this parenting behavior. Using an ecological approach, this study evaluated longitudinal data from 753 participants in the Fast Track Project, a multisite study directed at the development and prevention of conduct problems in at-risk children. Latent trajectory modeling results identified little to no mean growth in these monitoring strategies over time, suggesting that families living in at-risk environments may engage in consistent levels of monitoring strategies to ensure children's safety and well-being. Findings also identified several kindergarten antecedents of the growth factors of these parental monitoring strategies including (a) early child conduct problems; (b) parental warmth/involvement, satisfaction, and efficacy; and (c) parent-child relationship quality. These predictive effects largely highlighted the important role of early parenting behaviors on later levels of and growth in parental monitoring strategies. These findings have important implications for potential prevention and intervention targets to promote the development of parental monitoring strategies among families living in more at-risk contexts.

Scientometric analysis of BIM-based research in construction engineering and management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize the latest research of BIM adoption in construction engineering and management (CEM) and propose research directions for future scholarly work. During the recent decade, building information modeling (BIM) has gained increasing applications and research interest in the construction industry. Although there have been review-based studies that summarized BIM-based research in the overall architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) area, there is limited review that evaluates the current stage of BIM-based research specifically in the CEM sub-area.Design/methodology/approachCEM falls into the scope of AEC. It involves construction-related tasks, activities and processes (e.g. scheduling and cost estimates), issues (e.g. constructability), as well as human factors (e.g. collaboration). This study adopted a holistic literature review approach that incorporates bibliometric search and scientometric analysis. A total of 276 articles related to BIM applied in CEM were selected from Scopus as the literature sample for the scientometric analysis.FindingsSome key CEM research areas (e.g. CEM pedagogy, integrated project delivery, lean and off-site construction) were identified and evaluated. Research trends in these areas were identified, and analyses were carried out with regard to how they could be integrated with BIM. For example, BIM, as a data repository for ACE facilities, has substantial potential to be integrated with a variety of other digital technologies, project delivery methods and innovative construction techniques throughout the whole process of CEM.Practical implicationsAs BIM is one of the key technologies and digital platforms to improve the construction productivity and collaboration, it is important for industry practitioners to be updated of the latest movement and progress of the academic research. The industry, academics and governmental authorities should work with joint effort to fill the gap by first recognizing the current needs, limitations and trends of applying BIM in the construction industry. For example, it needs more understanding about how to address technical interoperability issues and how to introduce the integrated design and construction delivery approach for BIM implementation under the UK BIM Level 2/3 framework.Originality/valueThis study contributed to the body of knowledge in BIM by proposing a framework leading to research directions including the differences of BIM effects between design-bid-build and other fast-track project delivery methods; the integration of BIM with off-site construction; and BIM pedagogy in CEM. It also addressed the need to investigate the similarities and differences between academia and industry toward perceiving the movement of BIM in construction field work.