Large-scale Projects Research Articles

Island Transport Challenges: Four Island Jurisdictions; Seven Island Perspectives

Island transport systems are as unique as the islands themselves, shaped by geography, politics, and community needs. Transport development raises key questions: does increased connectivity enhance or diminish islandness? Can large-scale projects balance economic goals with environmental sustainability and community needs? This special section brings together seven studies from four island jurisdictions to explore how transport configurations influence and redefine islandness. From the transformative role of fixed links in the Faroe Islands to the challenges of seasonal air travel in Akureyri, Iceland, and the extensive ferry networks in Hong Kong, these articles underscore the complexities of island connectivity. A case from Penang, Malaysia, illustrates grassroots resistance to artificial island creation, highlighting tensions between development and conservation. Together, these contributions offer fresh perspectives on the evolving role of transport in shaping island life and identity.

Automated Identification and Segmentation of H i Sources in CRAFTS Using Deep Learning Method

Abstract Identifying neutral hydrogen (H i) galaxies from observational data is a significant challenge in H i galaxy surveys. With the advancement of observational technology, especially with the advent of large-scale telescope projects such as FAST and SKA, the significant increase in data volume presents new challenges for the efficiency and accuracy of data processing.To address this challenge, in this study, we present a machine learning-based method for extracting H i sources from the three-dimensional (3D) spectral data obtained from the Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS). We have carefully assembled a specialized dataset, HISF, rich in H i sources, specifically designed to enhance the detection process. Our model, Unet-LK, utilizes the advanced 3D-Unet segmentation architecture and employs an elongated convolution kernel to effectively capture the intricate structures of H i sources. This strategy ensures a reliable identification and segmentation of H i sources, achieving notable performance metrics with a recall rate of 91.6% and an accuracy of 95.7%. These results substantiate the robustness of our dataset and the effectiveness of our proposed network architecture in the precise identification of H i sources. Our code and dataset is publicly available at https://github.com/fishszh/HISF.

Stability of Asthma Phenotypes in the Spanish Cohort of the MEGA Project.

Stability of Asthma Phenotypes in the Spanish Cohort of the MEGA Project.

Effect of Time and Stress on Creep Damage Characteristics of Cement-Based Materials

In the realm of daily life, ensuring the safety of building structures and civil engineering projects remains a paramount research focus. The creep properties of materials significantly influence their long-term loading process. Specifically, creep load and creep time are pivotal factors that impact material creep damage, thereby playing a crucial role in assessing the safety of engineering endeavors and estimating aspects such as housing construction. This study undertakes creep damage tests on cement-based materials, subjecting them to varying creep loads and creep times, and subsequently conducts uniaxial compression tests on the specimens post-creep damage. The refined Nishihara model is employed for data fitting, facilitating the construction of a creep damage time-stress model. Concurrently, a Neural Network model is utilized to validate the experimental data. The findings indicate that both steady-state creep strain and steady-state creep rate exhibit discernible trends relative to creep load and creep time, effectively mirroring the alterations in creep damage experienced by the specimens. The refined Nishihara model proves adept at predicting and equating creep damage under diverse creep loads and creep times. Similarly, the trained Neural Network model demonstrates capability in measuring and estimating various creep damages. The study successfully explored the correlation between creep time and creep load, enabling the simulation of long-term creep damage within a shorter creep time and facilitating an analysis of its physical and mechanical properties, which is pivotal in predicting the safety of large-scale engineering projects. Concurrently, it advances research on material damage equivalence, offering insights and theoretical groundwork for developing a system to assess material damage equivalence under various damage conditions.

Meditation(s) and the creative writing classroom: considering process

ABSTRACT This paper explores scientific research on meditation and creativity within the context of the creative writing classroom, arguing that meditation can be a useful tool for students developing a creative practice. While many teachers may use mindfulness and meditation strategies in the classroom, particularly in the United States, there is little scholarship that addresses the scientific data with a view to how it may assist creative writing and how it might benefit students at different stages of the writing process. For instance, research supports the hypothesis that mindfulness meditation increases divergent thinking and concentrative meditation increases convergent thinking – both styles being critical to the writing process at different times – and this has ramifications for how we might support student writing. This essay draws together relevant scientific work, flagging its relevance to the discipline and how it is used in ‘Creative Writing Major Project’ a third-year capstone subject at the University of Wollongong, Australia.

Portraits of the UniverseHidden in the Heavens Jason Steffen Princeton University Press, 2024. 272 pp.Pillars of Creation Richard Panek Little, Brown, 2024. 256 pp.

A pair of books celebrate the discoveries made by two major space telescope programs.

Unintended consequences of modifying coastal river systems

Coastal infrastructure projects, particularly the modification of coastal river channels, are becoming increasingly significant to economic activities worldwide as a response to climate-driven changes and urbanization. The benefits of channel modification projects can be realized quickly, but the altered movement of sediments in the river channel can lead to unintended geomorphic changes years or decades later. An example of this is the closure of the San Bernard River mouth, located on the central coast of Texas, which was clogged with sediments by the 1990s as a result of two major projects in the area: the diversion of the Brazos River channel (1929) and the construction of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) (1940s). The objective of this study was to a) document the delayed geomorphic response to the projects using a GIS analysis of historical maps and aerial imagery, and b) provide a snapshot of altered flow pathways in the area using measurements collected in situ. Results showed that the GIWW was the main conduit for river flow as it bisects the San Bernard River 2 km inland of its river mouth, reducing discharge in the terminal limb of the river. Due to reduced flow, the river mouth became clogged with wave-transported sediment supplied by the still-adjusting Brazos River which had been diverted to within 6 km of the San Bernard River. With a limited connection to the sea, altered sediment and flow pathways have led to numerous hazards and costly corrective dredging projects surpassing $12 million to date. Optimizing the cost-effectiveness of channel modification projects requires considering their long-term impact as managers continue to adapt to ever-changing coastal zones.

Enhancing Construction Management Digital Twins Through Process Mining of Progress Logs

Large-scale infrastructure projects involve numerous complex processes, and even small construction management (CM) deficiencies can lead to significant resource waste. Digital twins (DTs) offer a potential solution to the management side of the problem. The current DT models focus on real-time physical space mapping, which causes the fragmentation of process data in servers and limits lifecycle algorithm implementation. In this paper, we propose a DT framework that integrates process twins to achieve process discovery through process mining and that serves as a supplement to DTs. The proposed framework was validated in a highway project. Based on BIM, GIS, and UAV physical entity twins, construction logs were collected, and process discovery was performed on them using process mining techniques, achieving process mapping and conformance checking for the process twins. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the process twins accurately reflect the actual construction process, addressing the lack of process information in CM DTs; (2) process variants can be used to analyze abnormal changes in construction methods and identify potential construction risks in advance; (3) sudden changes in construction nodes during activities can affect resource allocation across multiple subsequent stages; (4) process twins can be used to visualize construction schedule risks, such as lead and lag times. The significance of this paper lies in the construction of process twins to complement the existing DT framework, providing a solution to the lost process relationships in DTs, enabling better process reproduction, and facilitating prediction and optimization. In future work, we will concentrate on conducting more in-depth research on process twins, drawing from a wider range of data sources and advancing intelligent process prediction techniques.

Impact of Large-Scale Sodic Soils Reclamation Projects in Uttar Pradesh: Key Insights for Policy Implications

Impact of Large-Scale Sodic Soils Reclamation Projects in Uttar Pradesh: Key Insights for Policy Implications

Do transportation infrastructure contracts enhance spending efficiency? Examining state highway construction programs

This study examines the impact of state highway construction contracts on state spending efficiency controlling for production structure, service demands, and situational factors. The theoretical argument is that because highway construction projects are relatively large in scale, complex, and can be monitored through objective performance measurement, state highway construction programs may save government production costs through contracts. Contracting helps highway producers achieve efficiency by optimizing production size based on workload and task complexity. The unit of analysis is 48 state governments’ highway construction contracts from 1998 to 2008. Through a two-stage analysis method including a Total Function Productivity (TFP) index and system dynamic panel data analysis, the results suggest that highway construction contracts enhance state highway spending efficiency, especially for large-scale construction projects.

Model of cost management for the Jakarta Bandung High Speed Railway Project

The completion of the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed railway (JBHSR) project in 2023 marks a significant milestone for Indonesia, showcasing enhanced connectivity between two cities of Jakarta and Bandung. Despite facing challenges, particularly in cost management, this study employs content validity ratio, factor analysis and structural equation modelling to address these issues. Surveying 404 stakeholders, it highlights the crucial role of cost planning in project success, aligning with existing literature on similar endeavors. The final model refines 108 cost management attributes as per PMBOK guidelines, namely, cost management process involves planning, estimation, budget determination, and cost control. The outcomes of the final structural equation model underscore the significance of cost control in enhancing both cost efficiency and project success, aligning with findings from literature on similar projects. The novelty of this study lies in its application of content validity ratio, factor analysis and structural equation modelling within the context of high-speed railway projects, adding to the existing literature on infrastructure development in Indonesia. This research offers valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers involved in the planning and execution of large-scale infrastructure projects, potentially leading to enhanced cost efficiency and project success in similar projects in the future.

Plant and soil responses to sediment deposition and nutrient‐enrichment in healthy, deteriorating, and newly created coastal marshes of the Mississippi River Delta

Coastal marshes vulnerable to sea‐level rise may benefit from sediment amendments to increase elevation. However, nutrient‐loading to estuaries may counter elevation gain through reduced root production and/or increased decomposition. Here, we test if belowground plant productivity, root decomposition, and marsh accretion response to nutrient‐loading differs with sediment addition in three marsh types: a healthy intermediate salinity marsh, a deteriorating brackish marsh, and a created marsh in Barataria Basin, Louisiana, United States. In this region, wetland loss is rapid, and a major restoration project is underway to introduce Mississippi River water, sediment, and nutrients to offset marsh loss. Porewater nutrient concentrations, vegetation structure, belowground productivity and decomposition, and accretion rates were measured over 450 days. Experimental nitrate additions yielded high porewater ammonium‐N concentrations in the Deteriorating marsh but had a smaller effect in Healthy and Created marshes. Belowground productivity in the Deteriorating marsh was neutral to negatively affected by nutrient and sediment treatments, whereas positive effects occurred in Healthy and Created marshes. Despite elevation increase from sediment treatments, and substantial effects of nutrient treatments on porewater nutrient concentrations, belowground decomposition and surface accretion rates were not affected by treatments. Sediment deposition increased species richness in the Healthy marsh and added sediment and added nutrients with sediment increased plant height in the Created and Deteriorating marshes, respectively. Over the timescale measured, experimental sedimentation and pulsed nutrient input had few consistent effects on belowground ingrowth, decomposition, or surface accretion. Our findings highlight that response to nutrient pulses are complex and depend on baseline marsh conditions.

Quantifying the Cooling Effect of Urban Greening Driven by Ecological Restoration Projects in China.

Urban greening (UG) affects local climate by altering surface energy balance, while long-term UG cooling potential, patterns, and contribution to curbing urban warming remain unclear. Here, we designed an novel statistical model to evaluate the cooling potential of UG (CPUG) and created the first CPUG map for China. By exploring the trends in observed and simulated urban surface temperatures (UST), we quantified the CPUG of 0.20 K over the past two decades, which slowed down the warming trend by 14.17% in Chinese cities. We found that the CPUG varied significantly between the urban core and sprawl areas. Specifically, the CPUG in the urban core was approximately 1.01 K, and it contributed to curbing urban warming by 56.08%, which was more than 7.2 times higher than in the sprawl areas, where the CPUG was only 0.14 K and contributed to curbing urban warming by 9.93%. We further revealed that urbanization and major ecological restoration projects are the key factors influencing CPUG, emphasizing the need for anthropogenic vegetation management to curb urban warming. The proposed model in this study provides a powerful tool for quantitatively assessing the impact of long-term UG trends on urban warming. The results of the study are an important reference for building climate-adaptive cities.

A new normal in primary care: the rapid normalization of a major eHealth program in public health centers

BackgroundThis study aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the context, mechanisms and outcomes in the implementation process of an eHealth video consultation program in primary care. The study focused on how the program is normalized in the primary care setting. The primary research question for this study is “in what ways is the implementation of video consultation normalized in primary care?”.MethodsThe qualitative design and content analysis of primary data from the transcripts were based on in-depth interviews, complemented with free-text answers to open-ended survey questions and various documents. The study focuses on the large-scale implementation of the public eHealth program Närhälsan Online, which represents more than 100 health centers in Sweden’s largest region of Västra Götaland. Multiagent perspectives on how the program is normalized were drawn from expressed perceptions by professions directly linked to both strategic and functional implementation, as well as administration and clinical operation.ResultsThis study both confirms and enhances the field with a theoretical contribution in six ways to the reviewed previous research, as well as showing practical implications. It also provides multi-agent perspectives on the rapid normalization of the implementation program studied.ConclusionsIn relation to the rapid progression of different initiatives in eHealth, this study contributes to perspectives on specific challenges as expressed by professions directly linked to both strategic and functional implementation as well as administration and clinical operation.

Mid-career pitfall of consecutive success in science

The creativity of scientists often manifests as localized hot streaks of significant success. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these influential phases can enhance the effectiveness of support systems and funding allocation, fostering groundbreaking discoveries worthy of accolades. Historically, analyses have suggested that hot streaks occur randomly over time. However, our research, through meticulous examination, reveals that these phases are not flatly distributed but are more frequent at the early and late stages of scientists’ careers. Notably, both early and late hot streaks are marked by dense tie collaborations, with the former typically involving close partnerships with particular authors and the latter being characterized by involvement in large-scale projects compared with single-top or ordinary papers. This pattern indicates that mid-career researchers lack both intimate relations and resources to keep big projects, leading to “mid-career pitfall” of consecutive success. This insight holds profound implications for the development of policies and initiatives aimed at bolstering innovative research and discovery.

Surgical Outcomes of Patients With Heterotaxy Syndrome - The Japanese Congenital Cardiovascular Surgery Database.

Cardiac malformations are a major component of heterotaxy syndrome and result in significant mortality and morbidity. This multicenter nationwide Japanese study evaluated mortality and morbidity after initial surgical palliation for patients with heterotaxy syndrome and determined predictors for mortality and morbidity among patients enrolled in the study. The Japanese Congenital Cardiovascular Surgery Database (JCCVSD) collects clinical data from 119 domestic institutions specializing in congenital heart disease, covering almost all major congenital heart surgery programs in Japan. Clinical data on preoperative, operative, and postoperative characteristics and survival data within 30 and 90 days were available from the JCCVSD database. Of the 561 patients with heterotaxy syndrome who underwent any of 8 specific initial cardiovascular surgeries, 45 (8.2%) and 75 (13.4%) had died at 30 and 90 days, respectively. Preoperative emergency transport, type of heterotaxy syndrome, low hospital volume, the repair of total anomalous pulmonary vein connection, and the repair of a common atrioventricular valve were identified as significant predictive factors for operative mortality. Improvements in some medical circumstances, such as fetal diagnosis and the patient transport system, will be needed to improve outcomes for severely ill patients with heterotaxy syndrome. This study describes early outcomes for the largest number of main cardiovascular surgeries to date in infants with heterotaxy syndrome.

Improving Effort Estimation Accuracy in Software Development Projects Using Multiple Imputation Techniques for Missing Data Handling

Improving Effort Estimation Accuracy in Software Development Projects Using Multiple Imputation Techniques for Missing Data Handling

Impact of incorporating parallel-threaded mechanical coupler splices on the seismic behaviour of reinforced concrete columns

This study compared the performance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns using mechanical couplers with that of traditional overlapping splices under axial and cyclic loading conditions. Splicing methods incorporating larger diameters are critical for ensuring the structural integrity of large structures, for which safety is of paramount importance. Overlapping splices often result in congestion and poor construction quality owing to the complex RC detailing in the joints. Mechanical couplers enable efficient installation and provide economic benefits. In this study, RC columns with different splicing configurations were tested using quasistatic cyclic lateral loading. The coupler properties, geometry, and position were analysed. The results demonstrate that mechanical couplers can maintain or slightly enhance the ductility, energy dissipation, and self-centring capacity while effectively maintaining the stiffness and strength. These findings suggest that mechanical couplers are superior alternatives to traditional rebar splicing methods for improving the overall performance and reliability of RC structures in large-scale construction projects.

Sizing large-scale industrial heat pump for heat recovery from treated municipal sewage in coal-fired district heating system

Electrification of district heating and deep integration of sectors of national economies are fundamental elements of the future smart energy systems. This paper discusses the problem of optimal sizing of large-scale high-temperature heat pumps using treated sewage water as a heat source in a coal-fired district heating system. The study presents an approach to modelling of heat pump system that enables techno-economic analysis for investment decision making. Such analysis is enabled by a black-box-type identification model of the selected industrial heat pump. The model was developed based on the data generated by physical modelling of the heat pump using Ebsilon Professional software. In addition, it is proposed that the heat pump system is integrated with a dedicated photovoltaic power plant. The case study takes into consideration site-specific technical, economic, ecological, and legal constraints, weather conditions, hydraulic performance of the heat-ing network, and variability of loads within the sewage and the district heating systems. The results revealed that the proposed modelling approach is effective regarding multiple simulations and system optimisation. In addition, it was found that large-scale heat pump projects can be technically feasible and profitable if the heat pump is appropriately sized and operated. In the given case, the optimum size of the heat pump for a city of around 180 000 inhabitants is around 12 MW under maximum winter load.

Unraveling the nexus: the impact of abusive supervision on project performance via sequential mediation of job embeddedness and job frustration

PurposeBased on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study seeks to investigate how job embeddedness (JE) and job frustration (JF) as serial mediators linking abusive supervision (AS) to project performance (PP) in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered from 297 respondents working in six organizations involved in large-scale construction projects. The respondents were project managers, field engineers, consultants and civil engineers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for data analysis and hypothesis testing.FindingsThe study findings indicate that JE and JF mediate AS’s impact on PP. The findings further reveal that JE and JF serially mediated the linkage between AS and PP.Originality/valueThis manuscript contributes to the relevant knowledge by investigating the overlooked psychological mechanisms of JE and JF between the linkage of AS to PP. The results of this study hold significant implications for both theoretical research and management practices.