Local Construction Research Articles

Violence, women, blood(line): Hong Kong films of severe mental illness

ABSTRACT Hong Kong has commendably progressive mental health care for local people with a severe mental illness. Social stigma towards these people, however, remains unyieldingly intense and widespread. This occurs despite Hong Kong’s well-regarded community psychoeducation regime. This study analyses how popular local films contribute to an apparent paradox, whereby a society with innovative mental health care and community psychoeducation retains conspicuously high levels of stigma towards people with a severe mental illness. The study employs a well-tested narrative-cum-discourse analytic approach to reveal how four contemporary local films construct and make sense of the illness, and why they do so in the ways that they do. The analysis finds that, regardless of a film’s social intent or commercial status, it casts local men with severe mental illness as dangerous and macabrely violent. Women are assigned blame for this. The films further justify the removal of people with the illness from everyday society, in line with longstanding Chinese cultural scripts. As a result, the filmic portrayals discursively align with local newspaper reporting on severe mental illness, disregarding the humane principles espoused and embraced by local mental health care and community psychoeducation.

P‐2.10: Design and Implementation of Mobile Robot Path Planning System Based on SLAM Technology

The exploration of unknown environment for mobile unmanned vehicles has always been a hot and difficult research topic. Localization and map construction (SLAM) and path planning scheme are the key technologies for autonomous localization and navigation of unmanned vehicles. Path planning of mobile unmanned vehicles is one of the most important core technologies of unmanned vehicles, and the planned path should be as optimal and conflict-free as possible. This paper analyzes and compares the global path planning techniques based on Dijkstra and A star. A star algorithm introduces heuristic functions and reduces the search of nodes, which not only retains the advantages of Dijkstra algorithm in obtaining the shortest path, but also takes into account the advantages of breadth first search. Therefore, A star algorithm is selected as the global path planning algorithm in this topic.

Communication Efficient, Distributed Relative State Estimation in UAV Networks

Distributed estimation of 6-DOF relative states, including three-dimensional relative poses and three-dimensional relative positions, is a key problem in UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) networks, which generally requires vision-involved iterative state estimation. How to achieve communication efficiency is a crucial challenge considering the large volume of vision data. This paper jointly considers the communication efficiency, latency, and accuracy for distributed relative state estimation involving vision data in UAV networks. The key is to solve a distributed graph optimization problem, which includes two key steps: (1) local graph construction and node state initialization in an initialization phase, and (2) iterative state update and communication with neighbors until convergence in online iteration phase. A communication efficient, Locating Then Informing (LTI) initialization scheme is proposed, which is run only once by each node to initialize each node’s local graph and initial states. For online iteration, a RIPPLE-like distributed state iteration scheme is proposed. It inherits the advantages of traditional sequential and parallel methods while avoiding their drawbacks. It enables nodes’ states to converge quickly using fewer rounds of communications. The communication costs for the initialization and online iteration processes are analyzed theoretically. Extensive evaluations use synthetic data generated by AirSim (a widely used UAV network simulation platform) and real-world data are presented. The results show that the proposed method provides accuracy comparable to the centralized graph optimization method and significantly outperforms the other distributed methods in terms of accuracy, communication cost, and latency.

THE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC – THE CASE OF THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES IN BULGARIA

Under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dissemination of Chinese culture and language has met unprecedented difficulties and challenges. By expounding the new difficulties and problems faced by the Confucius Insti tutes in Bulgaria during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the lack of teachers, students’ dropping out, teaching resources shortage, and frustrated interest in learning, this paper analyzes the effective strategies which contribute to ensuring regular classroom teaching and promoting cultural exchange during the pan demic. The practical and effective adjustment includes utilizing existing resourc es, improving TCFL teachers’ information literacy, strengthening localization construction of teachers and teaching materials, and enriching Chinese culture dissemination through the Internet, which not only leveled up Chinese language teaching outside of China, but also successfully popularized Chinese culture across national borders. Those practices actively promoted the cultural exchange between Bulgaria and China, and expanded the impact of Chinese culture in Bulgaria, giving a valuable reference in Chinese language teaching and culture dissemination in the post-pandemic era to other Central and Eastern European countries, and the countries along the Belt and Road as well.

CONSTRUCTION BASED ON MAN-MACHINE COLLABORATION - A CASE STUDY OF A BAMBOO PAVILION

With the development of advanced digital design approaches and mechanical facilities, architectural intelligence liberates conventional construction from conventional paradigms. Computational design and digital fabrication have achieved progress in space innovation, construction efficiency, and material effectiveness. However, those high-tech manufacturing techniques are not widely available in developing countries, where the locals used to carry construction experience from age to age in a nonacademic way. This study explored a collaborative workflow of complex structural design and machine-aided construction in Chinese rural areas. First, we designed a bamboo pavilion parametrically in an irregular site on a hill. Second, its primary structure was optimized based on determining critical load and earthquake resistance to meet local building codes. Then, before material processing, every bamboo component was numbered by algorithm, with its location and morphological data of length and radian calculated accurately on the construction drawings. In the transitional process from the conventional paradigm by experience towards man-machine collaboration, local workers' manual techniques helped minimize construction errors and improve details, which were not adequately predicted and considered beforehand. This study case suggested that respective advantages of both traditional and digital modes should be integrated and balanced based on collaboration between local construction workers and professional researchers, especially as a social role for future vernacular architecture practice.

Conducting stock market index prediction via the localized spatial–temporal convolutional network

The stock index movement prediction is a fundamental research issue in financial investment. The high-noise and dynamic of stock data make this problem challenging. Efficiently modeling the underlying spatial–temporal correlations between indices is a potential study area for raising the prediction performance. Existing methods usually use separate modules to capture spatial and temporal correlations, which lose sight of local spatial–temporal correlation. In this paper, we propose a brand-new prediction model named the localized graph convolutional network (LoGCN) for stock index forecasting. This model can represent the intricate local spatial–temporal connections via a well-designed convolution mechanism. First, the localized graph construction method is proposed to model the local spatial–temporal correlations. Then, the localized graph convolutional module is presented to fuse the impact of different indices. Finally, the fully connected network is put forward to transform the features into the expected index trends. 42 Chinese stock market indices were selected to conduct extensive experiments. Three evaluation metrics including the increase rate regression, further trends classification, and stock market back-testing were adopted to the experimental comparison. The experiments show that our method is 4.2%, 3.1%, and 40% better than conventional methods under these three metrics.

Quantification of optimal target reliability for seismic design: Methodology and application to steel buildings

The reliability levels against which seismic standards are calibrated are currently quantified based on accepted practice, which may not lead to optimal designs that minimize the lifecycle cost. Deviation from optimal design is even more pronounced in countries whose regulations are adopted from the few leading codes. A major challenge in the quantification of optimal target reliability for the countries with such adopted codes is the lack of risk models that are suited for the local construction industry and design practices. This paper presents a holistic risk-based framework to quantify the optimal target reliability for seismic design through the notion of minimum lifecycle cost. To enable the implementation of the framework in countries with adopted provisions, the present paper proposes an approach to adapt the available risk models to the local conditions of those countries. The proposed framework is showcased through the National Building Code of Iran, which is adopted from the codes of the United States, using a case study of five residential steel building archetypes. The archetypes have various structural systems and comprise intermediate moment-resisting frame (IMF) buildings of various heights and special concentrically braced frame (SCBF) buildings. The results reveal 50-year optimal target reliability indices of 2.5, 2.0, and 1.9 for low-, mid-, and high-rise IMF buildings and 2.1 for mid-rise SCBF buildings.

Development and Intervention Proposal with Earthen Refurbishments with Vegetal Origin Gel (VOG) for the Preservation of Traditional Adobe Buildings

This research focuses on the addition of an ecological, sustainable material to improve the durability of earthen constructions and for use in rehabilitation and restoration processes. Specifically, it studies the mechanical and waterproof performance of an earthen mixture with the addition of a vegetal origin gel (VOG) obtained by extracting the starch contained in rice. This solution increases the durability of the mixture and the behavior against water and improves the mechanical resistance of the system. This study is divided into two parts. First, an experimental phase was carried out in the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya laboratory to design and develop the earthen mixtures stabilized with VOG to obtain an ecological, economical and easily replicable technology that can be transferred to any population group. The second stage consisted of the application of these mixtures and a real intervention in adobe dwellings in the community of Santa Ana Chapitiro, in the State of Michoacan, Mexico. The rehabilitation solutions and dosages were transferred to the residents of the community and applied to local adobe constructions by means of participatory design through an international development cooperation project. Good behavior of the material was found in the early stage.

A New Framework for Circular Refurbishment of Buildings to Operationalize Circular Economy Policies

The current policies aimed at promoting the decarbonization of existing buildings under the principles of the circular economy are in need of practical measures tailored to local conditions to increase their effectiveness. The lack of standard practices for assessing buildings’ refurbishment strategies toward energy efficiency and CE principles reflects this reality. To tackle this issue, a new framework for refurbishing circular buildings, is proposed in this paper, based on circular procurement and incorporating a lifecycle perspective. This framework articulates a dialogue between local authorities and private stakeholders through a set of steps that encompass building mapping, selective disassembly, (re)design, and (re)build practices, providing opportunities to implement policy-based incentives. The application of the framework within the Portuguese context demonstrates the potential to identify critical moments within the refurbishment process that can materialize in a new set of CE policy actions to be implemented at the building level. These policies are aligned with local construction permitting procedures and take advantage of the resources and incentives offered by the local administration, such as tax incentives.

Aging in Place in the Triad: Community Housing Solutions

By Cheryl Brandberg. CHS is a small, local nonprofit construction company whose construction team members assess and design home modifications and solutions to address accessibility and aging-in-place.

Strategies Used by the Sri Lankan Construction Industry to Overcome the Challenges Posed by the Covid-19

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the world's political, social, economic, religious, and financial structures into disarray. COVID-19 has a broad range of effects on numerous industries, including construction. Sri Lanka as a developing country is also affected by the pandemic and many sectors of the Sri Lankan economy such as construction, education, tourism, imports and exports, agriculture, and health etc are experiencing negative consequences of the pandemic, Construction industry as one of the key sectors of the economy was also severely affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic in various ways. Construction companies and government institutes are taking action to face these challenges. This study describes how COVID-19 impacts the local construction industry throughout the construction process. Furthermore, the impact was evaluated with regard to several aspects namely, financial, human resources, supply chain and logistics, legal, and completion and handover of the project. The strategies which are used by the construction industry participants to face the challenges of the pandemic are also discussed. A mixed research approach was used in the study and questionnaires which comprised of both qualitative and quantitative questions were used as a data collection tool. This research revealed new knowledge about the construction industry in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study's most important finding was that the spread of the virus influenced the entire construction process. The pandemic had a major impact on the construction stage as well as the human resources aspect of the industry. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Construction Industry, Sri Lanka, Strategies

Extraction strategies and technological tradition at late pre-Hispanic quarries, southern Peru (ca. 1000–1532 CE)

Studies of Inka quarry operations have focused on large-scale quarries in the Inka imperial heartland, with emphasis on finishing techniques and geochemical sourcing. To assess diachronic variation in the technological organization of late pre-Hispanic building stone extraction, we compare survey data from the Chuquibamba District (Arequipa Region) – an Inka provincial context – and the Sacred Valley, a vital part of the Inka imperial heartland. Our sample (n = 41) includes small- and large-scale quarries that supplied material for Inka state and elite projects as well as local vernacular construction during the Late Intermediate Period and Late Horizon (ca. 1000–1532 CE). To chronologically contextualize quarry sites, we assess use periods based on scale, diagnostic technology, and building stone provenance. We deploy a multilinear approach using archaeological data, colonial chronicles and dictionaries, and analogies to ethnographic and modern cases to analyze the knowledge, decision-making process, and mechanics that facilitated material extraction. The results demonstrate that Inka building stone quarrying techniques developed out of widely shared vernacular knowledge and practice. This study articulates a new approach to late pre-Hispanic Andean architecture while providing a case study to evaluate the relationship between political organization and technological systems.

Deep Learning Method Based on Spectral Characteristic Rein-Forcement for the Extraction of Winter Wheat Planting Area in Complex Agricultural Landscapes

Winter wheat is one of the most important food crops in the world. Remote sensing technology can be used to obtain the spatial distribution and planting area of winter wheat in a timely and accurate manner, which is of great significance for agricultural management. Influenced by the growth conditions of winter wheat, the planting structures of the northern and southern regions differ significantly. Therefore, in this study, the spectral and phenological characteristics of winter wheat were analyzed in detail, and four red-edge vegetation indices (NDVI, NDRE, SRre, and CIred-edge) were included after band analysis to enhance the ability of the characteristics to extract winter wheat. These indices were combined with a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model to achieve intelligent extraction of the winter wheat planting area in a countable number of complex agricultural landscapes. Using this method, GF-6 WFV and Sentinel-2A remote sensing data were used to obtain full coverage of the region to evaluate the geographical environment differences. This spectral characteristic enhancement method combined with a CNN could extract the winter wheat data well for both data sources, with average overall accuracies of 94.01 and 93.03%, respectively. This study proposes a method for fast and accurate extraction of winter wheat in complex agricultural landscapes that can provide decision support for national and local intelligent agricultural construction. Thus, our study has important application value and practical significance.

How Long Does Madness Take? Time and the Construction of Mental Illness in Community Mental Health Work

ABSTRACT How do temporal understandings shape the construction of social problems and the work of addressing them? This article takes up a social problem with an explicit time dimension – severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) – to advocate for a focus on time in the analysis of social problems. Drawing on interviews with community mental health workers (n=100) and observations of a police department and a psychiatric emergency department, I show how the work of these organizations yields two distinct sociotemporal orders – what I deem pursuing quick closure for police and rushing to wait for emergency hospital staff. The sociotemporal orders influence how these workers construct and approach the problem of SPMI. While these sociotemporal orders enable coordination within organizations, they produce temporal incongruence across organizations, which leads to conflict and undermines wider system coordination. Because police and hospital staff are not on the same time, their organizations are not on the same page. This article underscores the extent to which local constructions of social problems carry temporal assumptions that have practical effects on the work of ameliorating such problems. I conclude by discussing how this temporal analysis provides insight into the operation of power in community mental health.

Emergence of high piezoelectricity from competing local polar order-disorder in relaxor ferroelectrics

Relaxor ferroelectrics are known for outstanding piezoelectric properties, finding a broad range of applications in advanced electromechanical devices. Decoding the origins of the enhanced properties, however, have long been complicated by the heterogeneous local structures. Here, we employ the advanced big-box refinement method by fitting neutron-, X-ray-based total scattering, and X-ray absorption spectrum simultaneously, to extract local atomic polar displacements and construct 3D polar configurations in the classical relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3. Our results demonstrate that prevailing order-disorder character accompanied by the continuous rotation of local polar displacements commands the composition-driven global structure evolution. The omnidirectional local polar disordering appears as an indication of macroscopic relaxor characteristics. Combined with phase-field simulations, it demonstrates that the competing local polar order-disorder between different states with balanced local polar length and direction randomness leads to a flattening free-energy profile over a wide polar length, thus giving rise to high piezoelectricity. Our work clarifies that the critical structural feature required for high piezoelectricity is the competition states of local polar rather than relaxor.

An Analysis Procedure for the Surviving Rural Architecture, Built with Raw Earth Mortars, in the Amatrice Area (Italy) as a Starting Point for the Development of Conservation Strategies

The contribution of this article is that it provides indications for the conservation of the surviving architecture in the Amatrice area, which was severely affected by the long seismic sequence between 2016 and 2017. The traditional construction technique was carefully studied during the safety works that were carried out in the villages from 2018 to 2020. From the studies conducted, it emerged that most of the historical building fabrics date to a post-seismic reconstruction phase of the seventeenth–eighteenth century. The masonry construction technique found on the site is homogeneous throughout the area and is based on the use of local sandstone and raw earth mortars. The mineralogical nature of the materials used for building was identified by means of specific diagnostic analyses as well as the production processes of the materials. An interpretation of the use of different materials and processes was provided by cross-referencing the analytical results with the existing data on the seismic history and on the geographical and geological characteristics of the territory; additionally, an interpretation of the development of the local historical construction techniques was provided as well. Defining conservation strategies for buildings that are still recoverable is an important objective that is aimed at safeguarding the material evidence of the local construction tradition. The same conservation strategies could be pre-emptively adopted in similar rural contexts.

Reconsidering the Unwanted Sexual Touching of Boys by Adults: An Ethnographic Study in Rural Cambodia.

The unwanted sexual touching of boys by adults is a form of child sexual abuse. However, the genital touching of boys may be culturally "normal," with not all instances necessarily being "unwanted" or "sexual." This study, set in Cambodia, explored the genital touching of boys and the local cultural constructions of it. It entailed ethnography, participant observation, and case studies involving 60 parents, family members, caregivers, and neighbors (18 men, 42 women) in 7 rural provinces and Phnom Penh. Informants' views, along with their use of language, proverbs, sayings, and folklore were recorded. The combination of the emotional driver for touching a boy's genitals and the physical action of doing so is /krɨɨt/ (គ្រឺត or ក្រឺត). The motivation is usually overwhelming affection, and to socialize the boy to cover his nakedness in public. The spectrum of action ranges from light touching to grabbing and pulling. Benign and non-sexual intention is signaled by adding the Khmer predicative /tʰoammeaʔtaa/, or "normal," as an adverb to the attributive verb /leiŋ/, or play. The genital touching of boys by parents and caregivers is not necessarily sexual in nature, though it is possible that abuse can be committed despite the absence of such intention. Cultural insights are not a "defense" or basis for exculpation, with each case evaluated simultaneously through cultural and rights-based lenses. There are anthropological implications in gender studies, and it is essential to have an understanding of the concept of /krɨɨt/ to ensure that interventions to protect the rights of children are culturally responsive.

Use of Audiovisual Methods and Documentary Film for the Preservation and Reappraisal of the Vernacular Architectural Heritage of the State of Michoacan, Mexico

The State of Michoacan has a wide and rich architectural heritage which is represented by different vernacular typologies which employ different materials and techniques according to the local resources. However, this wide knowledge and cultural heritage are disappearing, with several monuments and buildings being abandoned due to new dynamics and social changes. The traditional techniques have been substituted for modern and industrial construction systems since they are associated with obsolete ways of life. Through international cooperation for development and research projects, many activities were carried out to analyze the durability of local materials and vernacular constructions of the state. The main ones included the architectural survey and inspection of these buildings, photographic and drone surveys, characterization in the laboratory and oral interviews with local users. During the field work, these interviews with the local population, the creation of multimedia content and the use of audiovisual methods had crucial importance in the documentation of this local knowledge and culture, being great methods for scientific communication and dissemination. The main product is the documentary Xirangua, which means ‘roots’ in the Purépecha language, the main indigenous ethnicity in the state. This documentary explores the traditional architecture and construction of Michoacan, showing the reality within the loss of this vernacular heritage and portraying the importance of its conservation through the perspective of the local population, users and artisans. The use of these audiovisual techniques has demonstrated to be a suitable option to promote and preserve cultural heritage and educate, include the local actors in the process, and make the general public aware of the current issues, with this being one of the first works which explores this approach.

A framework for evaluation of improvement opportunities for environmental impacts on construction works using life cycle assessment and value stream mapping concepts: offsite and onsite building construction

There have been various concerns about the environmental impact of construction works. This generates a need to take a more proactive approach in evaluating the environmental impacts of construction operations and further explore ways to reduce the environmental impacts. Enormous opportunities exist within the building industry to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of the study is to develop a framework for the evaluation of improvement opportunities for environmental impact for onsite and offsite building construction works using life cycle assessment (LCA) and value-stream-mapping concepts. Various tools for LCA exist; however, there is a need for the development of an LCA framework and improvement opportunities that can be localized to various communities to evaluate improvement opportunities for building construction. This study conducts a review of methods to evaluate the LCA of buildings on local construction sites. A procedure for establishing improvement opportunities is also developed. Based on the author’s knowledge and experience, including site visits, using value stream mapping (VSM) techniques, a conceptual framework of the present state map and future state map of residential construction works was developed. The study presents a procedure for the evaluation of improvement opportunities for the environmental impacts of construction operations.

Factors Influencing Disputes in Construction Projects: A Case Study on Local Cambodian Construction

The construction industry is a driver of growth in another sector due to its heavy reliance on an extended and varied supply chain. Like Cambodia as a developing country, the construction industry significantly contributed to the economic development and created many jobs. The construction becomes one of the important pillars supporting the Cambodian economy. However, the construction is typically more prone to disputes. Understanding the cause of disputes in construction projects improves the efficiency of a local company and the success of projects. The study was carried out using a quantitative research method with 385 respondents from local construction companies, located in Phnom Penh city, Cambodia. The confirmation factor analysis (CFA) analysis the three important groups of disputes: Human Behavior Conflict, Contractual Conflict, and Technical Conflict. The findings are useful for local Cambodian construction companies in the avoidance of disputes and better improvement on customer satisfaction. Keywords: Construction Dispute, Human Behavior Conflict, Contractual Conflict, Technical Conflict DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-4-03 Publication date: February 28 th 2023