Guidelines For Construction Research Articles

A Narrative review of exercise and metabolic disease of the heart

According to the WHO’s report, the number of people with diabetes worldwide is increasing, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in adults who is over 18 years old has risen from 4.7% in the 1980s to 8.5% in 2014. Among them, the prevalence of diabetes in low- and middle-income countries has even reached as high as 9.3% over the decades. Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) is not only affecting the liver but is also considered a problem for the heart, as there is about 25% of the patients suffer from the cardiovascular syndrome. Around the world, the elderly population is growing rapidly. The elderly population is growing faster than expected, with Taiwan becoming an aged society in 2018. One of the health issues associated with aging is the population with cardiovascular disease increases. Patient care may result in huge expenditures on the national economy, society, family care, medical resources, and drugs. This article adopts perspectives from literature reviews using databases such as Cochrane Library, PubMed (Medline), Up-to-date and Google scholar using three main methods: search for keywords cardiovascular disease, physical fitness, exercise prescription intervention, quality of life, cardio metabolic disease, etc.; search for related articles on physical activity and cardiovascular disease, neuroendocrine, molecular biology, etc.; combined with case-control studies, systematic review and meta-analysis, analytical research, and randomized control studies to explore the effects of physical activity intervention and the fitness level of the elderly on the epidemiology of the cardiovascular disease, prevention of cardio metabolic disease, improvement of quality of life. Understanding which types of exercise intervention help improve the quality of life of patients with cardiovascular disease. This article aims to propose exercise prescriptions for physical fitness to prevent cardiovascular disease; be used as a reference for health promotion in the world, provide guidance on cardiovascular disease prevention and cardiovascular disease care for the elderly, and construct guidelines on physical fitness and exercise prescriptions in Taiwan.

Construction of Alphabetic Character Recognition Systems: A Review

Character recognition (CR) systems were attracted by a massive number of authors’ interest in this field, and lot of research has been proposed, developed, and published in this regard with different algorithms and techniques due to the great interest and demand of raising the accuracy of the recognition rate and the reliability of the presented system. This work is proposed to provide a guideline for CR system construction to afford a clear view to the authors on building their systems. All the required phases and steps have been listed and clarified within sections and subsections along with detailed graphs and tables beside the possibilities of techniques and algorithms that might be used, developed, or merged to create a high-performance recognition system. This guideline also could be useful for readers interested in this field by helping them extract the information from such papers easily and efficiently to reach the main structure along with the differences between the systems. In addition, this work recommends to researchers in this field to comprehend a specified categorical table in their work to provide readers with the main structure of their work that shows the proposed system’s structural layout and enables them to easily find the information and interests.

Field Pull-Out Tests of Percussion Driven Earth Anchors (PDEAs)

Percussion driven earth anchors (PDEAs) are driven into soils using an installation steel hammer rod. PDEAs are relatively easy to install and have gained wide applications recently. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) planned to use these anchors for slope stability mitigation along the Clear Fork Trinity River at Interstate Highway 20 (IH-20) in Benbrook, Texas. However, there are no straightforward design and construction guidelines for these systems. In addition, the pull-out capacity and failure mechanisms of PDEAs in clayey soils have not been thoroughly studied. In this study, three PDEAs, Duckbill model 138 II (DB-138 II), were installed and tested on the proposed west channel bank slope to acquire the ultimate pull-out capacity. The anchors were embedded to an average depth of 10 feet into the slope bank, predominantly consisting of sandy lean clay (CL) soil. The slope was graded at an average 2:1 to 2.5:1 configuration. After installation, the anchors were subjected to an upward pull-out force using a hydraulic jack system to measure their pull-out capacity. The pull-out load, displacement, and strains were continuously recorded with a load cell, a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT), and a strain gauge, respectively. Pull-out load versus displacement curves were produced and analyzed to determine the behavior of the anchors. An empirical estimation method was then chosen to estimate pull-out capacity based on undrained shear strengths obtained either from laboratory tests or in situ Texas cone penetration (TCP) data. The comparison between estimated and field-obtained pull-out capacities showed that the pull capacity estimated using TCP data resulted in reasonably good agreement with the field-obtained capacity. The field experiment results help us to understand the relationship between the calculated and actual field pull-out resistance when PDEAs are used in clayey soil slopes.

Parametric study on lateral behaviour of composite shear walls with high-strength manufactured sand concrete

The traditional reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall showed limited seismic performance under extreme earthquakes when deployed at the bottom of high-rise buildings, due to the presence of high axial compression ratios. In this study, a novel composite shear wall was proposed to improve the seismic performance at high axial compression ratios, in accordance with recent demands for eco-friendly materials. The novel composite wall integrated the high-strength manufactured sand (MS) concrete, ring-stirrup and steel tube to fully maximize material efficiency and achieve inter-enhancement. A quasi-static test was at first carried out on the proposed composite shear wall, which validated the expected enhancement on its lateral mechanical behaviour preliminarily. On this basis, a refined finite element (FE) model was established for the test specimen by considering the nonlinearity and cyclic behaviour of materials, in order to provide further insights into its behaviour under lateral loads. The established FE model was verified against the test data, which showed a good agreement between the numerical prediction and the test result. Meanwhile, a list of key parameters was identified according to their influence on the lateral behaviour of the composite wall, including the axial compression ratio, yield strength of steel tubes, compressive strength of concretes, reinforcement ratio in concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns, and space between ring-stirrups. On this basis, a series of parametric investigations were carried out with the validated FE model, by varying the selected key parameters. In general, the research output offered a constructive guideline and data support for the expected engineering application of the proposed composite shear wall.

A Validated Computational Study of Lubricants under White Etching Crack Conditions Exposed to Electrical Fields

The problem of White Etching Cracks (WEC) leading to failures in the life cycle of industrial and automotive drive trains has existed for more than 30 years. Many parameters leading to WEC, such as the presence of electricity, unfavorable lubricants, and other factors, have been identified by the use of test rigs. However, since (a) within lifecycle operation these impacts appear incidentally, and (b) the identified impacts stimulate each other as stated in WEC research, the appearance of WEC in a drive train is impossible to predict for any given application. This difficulty causes WEC to be a serious problem. Obtaining reliable failure prediction rates using construction guidelines is still impossible, resulting in warranty claims. The aim of this paper is, first, to establish a routine to determine if and how lubricants could be described numerically with respect to their susceptibility toward electrical fields and to see how this factor could be added in a later stage to construction guidelines. Second, this paper aims to give advice to the applicant in terms of countermeasures. Currently, as predictors are missing, extensive and time-consuming testing is required. Contradictory test results in the field of application, indicate the need for fundamental parameters to determine in which circumstances the application is exposed to WEC risk and to suggest countermeasures. The current study presents a simulation method based solely on the chemical structure of lubricant components, investigating the appearance of WEC and their response to increasing electrical fields. The results show a clear pattern in WEC criticality with respect to lubricants: if two or more components present in the lubricant create clusters through their dipolar interaction, an apparent WEC risk could be accurately predicted apart from test rig results. These clusters are charged like one big particle in an early stage of electrical field exposure. As a result, the surface area increases, facilitating a higher uptake of charge. The incidental breakdown of this charge is assumed. As the charge of a cluster is higher than that of single molecules, WEC critical lubricants are subjected to this pattern. The study validates these results by comparing them using lubricants known to be critical with respect to WEC, suggesting further tests in the near future. Despite the fact that some lubricants seem more critical than others related to WEC, each lubricant clearly might lead to WEC under given conditions. Thus, constructing guidelines for a prediction routine is essential.

Future perspectives for alkali-activated materials: from existing standards to structural applications

The production of cement and concrete contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. Alkali-activated concretes (AACs) are a family of existing alternative construction materials that could reduce the current environmental impact of Portland cement (PC) production and utilisation. Successful applications of AACs can be found in Europe and the former USSR since the 1950s and more recently in Australia, China and North America, proving their potential as construction materials. However, their utilisation is limited presently by the lack of normative and construction guidelines. Raw materials’ non-uniform global availability and variable intrinsic properties, coupled with the lack of specific testing methods, raise questions regarding reproducibility and reliability. The mechanical and chemical behaviour of AACs has been investigated extensively over the past decades, strengthening its potential as a sustainable substitute for traditional PC-based concrete. Although a wide amount of studies demonstrated that AACs could meet and even exceed the performance requirements provided by European design standards, a classification of these broad spectra of materials, as well as new analytical models linking the chemistry of the system components to the mechanical behaviour of the material, still need further development. This report gives an overview of the potential of alkali-activated systems technology, focusing on the limitations and challenges still hindering their standardisation and wider application in the construction field.

Field Performance of Rain Garden in Red Soil Area in Southern China

Sponge City, as a new concept in urban stormwater management, utilizes on-site or local hydrologic processes for runoff control and therefore is highly dependent on the geographical location (soil type) and site-specific climatic conditions. Field studies are valuable because of the insufficient quantity of field performance data in low-impact development (LID)-related research. Rain gardens are recommended for LID to manage stormwater. A rain garden was designed as a pilot project in Nanchang city, which is one of the typical red soil areas in southern China. Red soil is usually not conducive to runoff infiltration due to its low organic carbon, strong acidity and low permeability rainfall characteristics, but the permeability of the filter media layer is an important parameter in LID design. The construction depth of the rainwater garden was 600 mm, and 30% sand, 10% compost and 60% laterite were used as combined matrix; the permeability coefficient of medium layer was 1.48 × 10−5 m·s−1. Rainfall runoff control and pollutant removal efficiencies were studied based on the on-site conditions. The analysis of almost 2 years of field data showed that volume capture ratio of annual rainfall was 78.9%, the mean load removal of TSS, NH3-N, TP, TN, COD and NO3-N were 92.5%, 85.3%, 82.9%, 80.5%, 79.8% and 77.5%, respectively, which could meet the technical guidelines for sponge city construction in Nanchang. The research results could provide a basis for sponge city design in low organic carbon and low permeability areas.

Evaluation of Performance of Pavement Founded on the Reinforced Earth Sections along Outer Ring Road, Nairobi

There are no existing local design manuals and construction guidelines for reinforced earth structures in Kenya. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the pavement found on reinforced earth sections along Outer Ring Road. The structural evaluation was determined from deflection measurements using Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), while the functional evaluation was by visual condition survey, roughness, and rut depth measurements. Classified traffic counts and axle load surveys were undertaken. It was established that the design traffic would be exceeded in year 10 after opening the road. The surface condition survey indicated that the pavement surface for the entire road was generally in good condition. The roughness rating for the entire road was rated "Good", while ten sections of reinforced earth embankment were rated "Fair". The characteristic rut depths on the reinforced earth sections were higher than the lane characteristic rut depth for the entire road. Three sections of the reinforced earth showed low severity, while the rest had no rutting. The PCI for the pavement on reinforced earth sections were lower than pavement on other sections of the road due to a higher International Roughness Index (IRI). The FWD deflections were higher on reinforced earth sections. It was found that the mean pavement moduli for surfacing and base, crack relief and subbase layers at reinforced earth sections were lower than for the pavement in other sections hence requiring thicker overlays. The overall residual life of the road was 17 years, while for the reinforced earth sections was 15 years. Based on the findings, monitoring of the traffic and performance of pavement on the reinforced earth embankments is vital for interventions to prevent premature pavement failure. There is a necessity to develop a design manual and construction guidelines for reinforced earth structures based on the local conditions in Kenya.

Increasing safety in residential construction through a simplified earthquake- and typhoon-resistant guidelines

This paper presents the engineering basis for a document, Residential Design and Construction Guidelines (hereafter, Guidelines). The Guidelines is developed by the engineers of Build Change and its partners based on their technical reconnaissance after the 2013 earthquake in Bohol on October 15, 2013, and Typhoon Haiyan on November 8, 2013. The Guidelines are centered on the observations of typical residential construction and damage in these areas and the requirements of the 2010 National Structural Code of the Philippines. The Guidelines provide illustrated and simple instructions on residential construction, making them accessible to homeowners and local builders. The Guidelines are designed for disaster-resistant, permanent low-rise housing construction, endorsed by the Department of Public Works and Highways of the Philippines (in March 2016). Increasing understanding and application of the Guidelines in residential construction in earthquake- and typhoon-prone areas will increase the structural safety of houses and the country's resiliency.

Néel-type optical target skyrmions inherited from evanescent electromagnetic fields with rotational symmetry.

Optical skyrmions have recently attracted growing interest due to their potential applications in deep-subwavelength imaging and nanometrology. While optical skyrmions have been successfully demonstrated using different field vectors, the study of their generation and control, as well as their general correlation with electromagnetic (EM) fields, is still in its infancy. Here, we theoretically propose that evanescent transverse-magnetic-polarized (TM-polarized) EM fields with rotational symmetry are actually Néel-type optical target skyrmions of the electric field vectors. Such optical target skyrmions are independent of the operation frequency and medium. Our proposal was verified by numerical simulations and real-space nano-imaging experiments performed on a graphene monolayer, where the target skyrmions could be as small as ∼100 nm in diameter. The results can therefore not only further our understanding of the formation mechanisms of EM topological textures, but also provide guidelines for the facile construction of EM skyrmions that may impact future information technologies.

Analyzing RNA-Protein Interactions by Cross-Link Rates and CLIP-seq Libraries.

UV cross-linking-based methods are the most common tool to explore in vivo RNA-protein interactions. UV cross-linking enables the freezing of direct interactions in the cell, which can then be mapped by high-throughput sequencing through a family of methods termed CLIP-seq. CLIP-seq measures the distribution of cross-link events by purifying a protein of interest and sequencing the covalently bound RNA fragments. However, there are disagreements and ambiguities as to which proteins are RNA-binding proteins and what interactions are significant as all proteins contact all RNAs at some frequency. Here we describe a protocol for both determining RNA-protein interactions through a combination of RNA library preparation and the measurement of absolute cross-link rates, which helps determine what proteins are RNA-binding proteins and what interactions are significant. This protocol, comprising an updated form of the easyCLIP protocol, describes guidelines for RNA library preparation, oligo and protein standard construction, and the measurement of cross-link rates. These methods are easily visualizable through their fluorescent labels and can be adapted to study RNA-binding properties of both functional, high affinity RNA-binding proteins, and the accidental RNA interactions of non-RNA-binding proteins. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: RNA library construction Basic Protocol 2: Determining UV cross-link rates Support Protocol 1: Cross-linking and lysing cells Support Protocol 2: Adapter preparation Support Protocol 3: Preparation of cross-linked RBP standard.

Toward the Realization of Concrete Floating Structures for Offshore Wind Power Generation in Japan

In this paper, an overview of the contents of the Design and Construction Guidelines for Concrete Floating Offshore Wind Power Facilities in Japan was provided. According to the guideline, a case study of a concrete floating structure supporting 10MW wind turbines was presented. The structural safety and durability were assessed based on stresses and strains obtained from nonlinear FE analysis even if the design load case applied in this study was limited. It is expected that further detailed examinations of concrete floating structures ultimately contribute to adoption and promotion of concrete floating structures in the world.

Quantification of Clay Minerals and Its Correlation with Chemical and Index Properties of Soil

Clay-mineral composition is one of the factors that determine the physical and engineering behaviours of finegrained soils; however, it is usually ignored in soil investigations, because the determination of clay-mineral composition necessitates using sophisticated instruments which are time-consuming and require skilled personnel. Many correlations exist for faster prediction of soil engineering properties from its index properties, but correlations for quicker determination of the amount of clay mineral in the soil are still unexplored. This study focuses on determining the amount of clay mineral present in a soil sample rapidly by correlating claymineral percentages with soil index and chemical properties, which aids in selecting proper construction guidelines before undertaking construction work. Clay-soil samples collected from 20 different locations in Tamil Nadu state in India were subjected to chemical tests, like cation exchange capacity (CEC), specific surface area (SSA) and total potassium (TP), to quantify clay minerals such as kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite. Correlations were developed for kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite percentages in terms of chemical (CEC, SSA and TP) and index properties. It was observed that the montmorillonite percentage has shown a stronger correlation with soil index properties than illite and kaolinite percentages, because of its physico-chemical behaviour. KEYWORDS: Correlation, Clay minerals, Quantification, CEC, SSA, Montmorillonite

An Analysis of the Path of Developing Ideological and Political Education in the Course of Comprehensive English in Private College

On May 28th, 2020, the Ministry of Education deliberated and passed the Guidelines for Ideological and Political Construction of Courses in Colleges and Universities, which requires that ideological and political education be integrated into the talent training system, comprehensively promote ideological and political construction of courses in colleges and universities, give full play to the role of each course in educating people, and improve the quality of talent training in colleges and universities. For college English majors, the ideological and political curriculum is a new teaching reform. While cultivating students' language skills, teachers should subtly combine the contents of the texts learned to carry out ideological and political education, help students deeply understand China's excellent traditional culture and the great achievements of socialist modernization, generate a sense of national pride and identity, and enhance the "four self-confidence". Especially for students in ethnic minority areas, it is necessary to improve students' awareness of building a Chinese national community in teaching, knowing that all ethnic groups should hold together like pomegranate seeds. Only when ethnic groups unite with one family can we build the Chinese Dream together.

Identification of Fine Dust in Schools through Comprehensive Chemical Characterization

The chemical characteristics of particulate matters collected from 53 schools in 2019 through 2022 were closely investigated to determine the main sources of classroom PM2.5. On average, indoor PM2.5 measured during class hours distributed from 3.3 μg/m3 to 45.97 μg/m3, and it consisted of 45% of ions, 33% of carbons, 17% of metals and others. The average indoor-to-outdoor ratio (I/O) of PM2.5 was 0.73. Values for I/O ranged from 0.6 to 0.91 for inorganic elements; 0.3 to 0.8 for ions; 0.50 to 2.69 for elemental carbons (EC), and 0.52 to 8.50 for organic carbons (OC). The linear correlation of indoor EC with concentrations of K+ and NO3− indicates that the contribution of combustion-related sources to classroom PM2.5 is significant in roadside schools. The findings from this study should help establish construction guidelines for urban schools near high-traffic areas.

Semantic Interoperability Methods for Smart Service Systems: A Survey

Functional and nonfunctional characteristics of software systems are defined by their architecture. Therefore, research streams such as Internet-of-Things (IoT) or component-based software engineering provide researchers and practitioners with construction guidelines for selected architectural characteristics. Current systems can be categorized in delivering services to the user and being engineered in a smart way. For example, services being provided by IoT-Systems must fulfill users’ goals in a highly dynamic and ad-hoc way. Consequently, this survey aims at answering various research questions regarding the methodical composition of system components and services. Furthermore, new research opportunities are sketched that should be tackled to make the scientific progress available to practitioners. Based on a systematic literature review from a software architecture point of view, in this paper we identify 75 primary studies for domain-specific IoT component composition approaches and architectures. Initial results show that current integration approaches mainly focus on performance evaluation of their integration solutions, which may be too narrow for fulfilling user goals by utilizing of IoT architectures.

Hansen solubility parameters-guided mixed matrix membranes with linker-exchanged metal-organic framework fillers showing enhanced gas separation performance

Membrane processes are more efficient for sustainable separations than traditional energy-intensive technologies, but they suffer from the trade-off limitation about permeability and selectivity. Construction of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) is effective for improving molecular permselectivity. However, like all hybrid materials that are vitally affected by phase compatibility, production of MMMs with uniform filler dispersion and strong filler-matrix interaction remains extremely challenging. Moreover, there is a lack of generally available guideline for MMM construction. In this study, a versatile Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs)-guided concept, inspired by “like seeks like” principle, is developed to design high-performance MMMs. Based on HSP analysis of porous polymer matrix, metal-organic framework (MOF) filler, and casting solvent, it is found that filler phenylation can shorten HSP “distance” between different components of MMMs. Through surface linker exchange of MOFs by daughter linker that contains HSP-similar phenyls to perform phenylation, the filler-polymer compatibility and the filler dispersity in solvent and matrix are substantially improved, thereby facilitating the construction of MMMs with ultrahigh filler loading. For carbon capture and hydrogen purification, the HSP-guided MMMs exhibit remarkably enhanced permeability and selectivity, which can easily surpass the latest permeability-selectivity trade-off limitations.

Mercury Contamination in Fish and Its Effects on the Health of Pregnant Women and Their Fetuses, and Guidance for Fish Consumption—A Narrative Review

As a principal source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (3FAs), which provide vital health benefits, fish consumption also comes with the additional benefit of being rich in diverse nutrients (e.g., vitamins and selenium, high in proteins and low in saturated fats, etc.). The consumption of fish and other seafood products has been significantly promoted universally, given that fish is an important part of a healthy diet. However, many documents indicate that fish may also be a potential source of exposure to chemical pollutants, especially mercury (Hg) (one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of concern worldwide), and this is a grave concern for many consumers, especially pregnant women, as this could affect their fetuses. In this review, the definition of Hg and its forms and mode of entrance into fish are introduced in detail and, moreover, the bio-accumulation of Hg in fish and its toxicity and action mechanisms on fish and humans, especially considering the health of pregnant women and their fetuses after the daily intake of fish, are also reviewed. Finally, some feasible and constructive suggestions and guidelines are recommended for the specific group of pregnant women for the consumption of balanced and appropriate fish diets in a rational manner.

Text Messages for Depression, Anxiety and Alcohol Abuse Therapy—Are Construction Guidelines Needed?

Despite the effectiveness of text messaging therapy in improving mental health conditions, limited attention has been paid to how the text messages are constructed. Thus, this study questions whether there is a need to develop a model of text message construction for mental health therapy. In this backdrop, this study reviews how a text message for mental health therapy is constructed, specifically focused on the process and guidelines. This study also aims to identify the research gap regarding the guideline of text message construction for mental health therapy and to identify mental health professionals' practices in text messaging therapy. In addition, the opinions of mental health professionals on the need to develop a text message construction guideline were also gathered. The findings from the literature review confirmed that there are still limited guidelines explaining the process of constructing text messages for mental health therapy. Meanwhile, results from the online survey found that mental health professionals expressed a high need to explore and develop a model of text message construction for mental health therapy. With this research gap addressed, this study proposes further research into the development of a text message construction model for mental health therapy.

Image encryption using fractional integral transforms: Vulnerabilities, threats, and future scope

With the enormous usage of digital media in almost every sphere from education to entertainment, the security of sensitive information has been a concern. As images are the most frequently used means to convey information, the issue related to the privacy preservation needs to be addressed in each of the application domains. There are various security methods proposed by researchers from time to time. This paper presents a review of various image encryption schemes based on fractional integral transform. As the fractional integral transforms have evolved through their applications from optical signal processing to digital signal and digital image processing over the decades. In this article, we have adopted an architecture and corresponding domain-based taxonomy to classify various existing schemes in the literature. The schemes are classified according to the implementation platform, that may be an optical setup comprising of the spatial modulators, lenses, and charge-coupled devices or it can be a mathematical modeling of such transforms. Various schemes are classified according to the methodology adopted in each of them and a comparative analysis is also presented in tabular form. Based on the observations, the work is converged into a summary of various challenges and some constructive guidelines are provided for consideration in future works. Such a narrative review of encryption algorithm based on various architectural schematics in fractional integral transforms has not been presented before at one place.