Use Of Planning Research Articles

Determining susceptible body parts of construction workers due to occupational injuries using inclusive modelling

Despite significant progress has been made in safety management practices, construction industry still accounts for a substantial number of occupational accidents leading to injuries in different body parts of construction workers. In this vein, detecting the most susceptible body parts of construction workers by using only pre-accident information is of particular importance by means of performance augmentation using advanced modelling techniques as it helps safety managers orchestrate the most relevant and adequate mitigation measures. The central focus of this study is to identify the susceptible body parts of construction workers proactively and propose measures specific to the corresponding body parts. Hence, this study aims to develop a machine learning (ML)-based novel inclusive multi-stage ensemble model that identifies the most vulnerable body parts of construction workers using a national dataset recorded in Turkey. Findings illustrate that incorporating ensemble modelling approach into predictions enhanced accuracies and the ensemble random forest (RF) model reinforced with principal component analysis (PCA) yielded the best performance. Results further highlight that number of workers in the company, working days of the worker, and age of the worker are the most influential attributes in the susceptibility of body parts. A utilization plan is developed based on the analysis results, which can be run monthly on construction sites to identify the most vulnerable body parts of construction workers. Overall, this study is expected to contribute to the development of more robust safety management applications by allowing safety managers to evaluate susceptible body parts of construction workers prior to accidents.

Troubled Utilities: Seeing the Way Forward

Key TakeawaysA constellation of factors, both environmental and operational, is threatening many water utilities’ ability to succeed.Improvement can come from multiple channels in terms of sufficient utility planning, guidance from the water industry, and support from stakeholders and regulators.The Water 2050 initiative takes a long view of ensuring optimal water system operation through the lens of technology, sustainability, economics, governance, and social and demographic issues.

빈집 발생 결정요인 분석을 통한 활용방안에 관한 연구

In Korea, since the 2000s, the number of vacant houses has exceeded 1.3 million due to the rapid decrease in population, low birth rate, aging population, and increase in single-person households. Neglect of empty houses increases the possibility of causing safety problems such as waste of resources and collapse, harming the surrounding aesthetics, and causing serious crimes such as the ‘broken windows theory’. Therefore, the cause of the empty house was analyzed, and the utilization plan was presented accordingly. Among the determinants of vacant housing occurrence, the ratio of recipients of basic livelihood security (%), the ratio of aging population (%), the ratio of deterioration of housing (%), and the number of convenience facilities in the location (number) were found to have a significant positive (+) relationship with the ratio of vacant houses. On the other hand, the rate of moving outside (%) and the grade of accessibility to public transportation (grade) were found to have a significant negative (-) relationship with the rate of vacant houses. The plan to utilize vacant houses analyzed based on domestic and overseas cases is, first, to transform vacant houses into tourism and accommodation facilities that reflect the characteristics of the region. Second, it is to be used as a unique and diverse cultural space. Third, it is used as a space for the socially underprivileged. Fourth, it is used as a space where foreigners can settle down stably.

Small Remote Sensing Satellites of Malaysia: Past Experience and Future Direction

Small remote sensing satellites offer cost-effective ways to monitor and map the Earth. The low cost involved in developing and launching small satellites allowed developing countries like Malaysia to own small satellites. Malaysia launched two small satellites (TiungSAT-1 and RazakSATTM) in 2000 and 2009, respectively. The satellites captured several hundred scenes before their operation ended unexpectedly due to electrical power problems and onboard computer malfunction. The government undertook various efforts to rectify the technical issues related to the remote sensing digital data and explore the potential applications of the datasets. However, no synthesis documents are available on the potential applications of the data by considering the satellites’ launch and image acquisition capabilities. A review of the small satellites’ technical competencies and possible applications is critical in designing future satellites. This review article aims to synthesize available literature on the potential application of Malaysia’s small satellites. The review results show that both satellites have a high potential for earth resources evaluation and planning. However, the coarse spatial resolution and limited spectral bands of TiungSAT may have limited applications. RazakSAT™ data, on the other hand, are proven helpful in land use and utility planning in cities. Unfortunately, the multi-temporal data of RazakSAT™ were not processed to study environmental disasters such as floods or landslides in cities. Like TiungSAT-1, RazakSAT™ images have only four spectral bands that may limit their application for land cover classification and vegetation studies. Nevertheless, no successor satellites have been launched yet to overcome the technical and application issues found in TiungSAT-1 and RazakSAT satellites. The recently initiated public-private partnership in developing the space sector in Malaysia is expected to produce and launch more remote-sensing microsatellites in the near future.

Availability and the Possibility of Employing Wastes and Biomass Materials Energy in Jordan

The state of Jordan’s energy independence is critical, with the country relying almost entirely on imported oil and gas. Consequently, energy availability is considered to be the most significant challenge faced by Jordan’s industrial sectors. Between 2014–2019, the Jordan generated over 12,000 kilo-tons of waste and residue each year. The available quantities of agricultural residues and animal wastes produced in Jordan were approximately 1284.2 kilo-tons/year and 10,909.6 kilotons/year, respectively, of which an estimated 42% could be used as a source of biogas. Two options for utilizing biomass resources have been reviewed in this paper: thermal treatment (direct combustion) and as a source of biogas. The quantity of biogas that can be produced in Jordan from a variety of biomass feedstocks is estimated to be 816.2 million cubic meters (MCM), which is equivalent to a yearly power output of 960.9 GWh, representing approximately 5.1% of the total electricity consumed by Jordan in 2019 (18,853 GWh). Assuming a thermal efficiency of 70%, biogas can generate as much as 4.8 TWh of heat energy. Alternatively, the direct combustion of various biomasses can provide Jordan with 2316.7 GWh of electricity. These findings may lead to the development of a long-term strategic plan for the intelligent utilization of available biomass feedstocks for electrical generation and/or as a source of biogas. This would consequently raise the proportion of sustainable energy derived from biomass in Jordan’s energy mix. This work aims to assess the technical, economic, and environmental aspects associated with incorporating biomass resources into Jordan’s energy network.

Optimal Near Real-Time Control of Water Distribution System Operations

The scarcity of freshwater resources, combined with deteriorating infrastructure, pushes water utilities to employ optimal operational practices to control water distribution systems (WDSs) based on objectives such as minimizing operational costs or leakages. This paper demonstrates a metaheuristic optimization framework for controlling WDS operations in near real-time by minimizing the total energy consumption, while maintaining sustainable system conditions and operations, such as those of tanks. The proposed framework, at its core, comprises a water demand forecasting model, an optimization-based control model, and a hydraulic continuity model. The hypothesis is that WDS can be controlled more efficiently by forecasting and predicting the near future system conditions based on past and prevailing conditions. Operational time steps of 60, 30, and 15 min are considered, to evaluate the benefits of using shorter operational time steps than the conventional norm. The proposed framework is demonstrated using a small-sized benchmark WDS. The results revealed that real-time control schemes reduce the operational costs of the selected WDS by up to 17.8%, with the shortest time step scheme (15 min) offering the most reduction in operational expenses, at the cost of more computational expensiveness. This study and its findings would help utilities plan more reliable and sustainable operational schemes.

Dynamic zoning of the network using cooperative transmission and maintenance planning: A solution for sustainability of water distribution networks

Sustainability approaches in transmission and maintenance planning of network utilities with different maintenance zones, which involve increasing the reliability of the transfer while employing maintenance teams fairly, pose decision-making challenges. For these utilities, the best model to employ is the maximum-flow model, which considers network reliability and destination stocks. Therefore, the crucial point is to understand how zone owners can cooperate to maximize reliable transmission and increases maintenance income while considering fairness in allocating maintenance teams to maintenance centers over several periods. A Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) model is presented in this paper for maximizing the reliability in network utility issues, allocating maintenance teams, and exploring edge statuses. Cooperative Transmission and Maintenance (CTM) planning is a dynamic, multi-duration decision-making problem. The problem scale in this study is significantly enlarged to separate the lines into active, inactive, and in-repair sets, and consequently, a genetic algorithm is proposed. This study examines these approaches and analyses them (including collaborative outputs and managerial insights) in the context of three major water pipeline zones. Based on sensitivity analysis for 81 collaborative scenarios, the highest and lowest synergies were 83.61% and 36.7%, respectively. Finally, several collaborative income-sharing strategies based on game theory are investigated.

AWWA Water Science Author Spotlight

<i><scp>AWWA</scp> Water Science</i> Author Spotlight

Application of ‘Metaverse’ Teaching-Learning Method of University Classes, Problems and Utilization Plan

Application of ‘Metaverse’ Teaching-Learning Method of University Classes, Problems and Utilization Plan

서귀포시 ‘노지(露地)문화’에 기반한 지역문화의 이해와 활용방안

Local culture is composed of various components, and among them, ‘Noji’ is a concept that has been emerging recently. In Jeju, the expression ‘Noji’ is used in ‘noji tangerine’ and ‘noji soju’, which the term contains meaning of unprocessed naturalness.&#x0D; The subject of this study was selected as the original downtown area of Seogwipo because Seogwipo City was selected as a legal cultural city by the government and presented ‘Noji Culture’ as a brand representing the region.&#x0D; The purpose of this study is to present the direction of local culture based on ‘Noji Culture’ by discovering open ground cultural resources of the original downtown of Seogwipo City, and to study values and utilization plans. In the process, we want to contribute to forming the identity of the local culture by rediscovering the value of the open ground.

The importance of development planning for the utilization of non-timber forest products in supporting the sustainability of protected forest area: A case study of pesawaran Forest Management Units (FMU), Lampung province, Indonesia

The dynamic concept of ecosystem sustainability functions to maintain the benefits of social, economic, and ecological. A protected forest is a type of forest that functions as a life support system. This function is specific, so there is a need for a strategy to develop and maintain the sustainability of natural resources. The forest management unit (FMU) is a regulation on management at the site level. One of the KPHs in Lampung province, namely the Pesawaran FMU, has the potential for non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and environmental services. This research aims to analyze the forest utilization management plan in the Pesawaran FMU register. The number of primary respondents is three based on the Snowball Sampling technique. The analytical method used is the descriptive qualitative analysis based on information on primary and secondary data. It is supported by a SWOT analysis to analyze preferences for forest product utilization plans in the Pesawaran FMU according to conditions in the field. The results showed that all respondents stated that the Pesawaran FMU area had potential natural resources in the form of NTFPs and environmental services. It is necessary to optimize community empowerment so that they have the competence to develop this potential to be utilized as a creative economic business in the form of products selling value and using environmental services as tourist objects. There is a need for stakeholder involvement related to the coordination of management and utilization permits which can increase communication and reduce the risk of conflict.

Clean recycling of low-grade refractory limonitic waste using suspension magnetization roasting coupled with magnetic separation: A semi-industrial approach towards a waste utilization plan

Efficient utilization and clean recycling of low-grade refractory iron ore are essential to deal with the fast depletion of high-grade iron ore. A semi-industrial test of suspension magnetization roasting (SMR) for a low-grade refractory limonite waste with a grade of 32.46% by using reducing gases of CO and H2 mixture was conducted. The optimal experiments conditions were determined at a temperature of 550 °C, a reducing gas flow of 3.3 m3/h, a reductant concentration of 30% and a total gas volume of 14.0 m3/h. The iron grade of 59.27% and a recovery of 96.30% were obtained in the semi-industrial continuous and stable operation experiment. The iron transformation was mainly in the order of mFe2O3·nH2O to Fe3O4, which was detected by X-ray diffraction and the relative resonance area of magnetite and γ-Fe2O3 phase was 93.90% according to the result of 57Fe Mössbauer spectral analysis. The peak of Fe3+ shifted to 710.11 eV and the area increased constantly, showing that the surface of Fe3O4 occurred in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The magnetic magnetization transformed from 0.1 to 27.71 A·m2·kg−1 using the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Cracks and a large number of holes in the roasted ores could be discovered by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the enrichment of iron elements could be reserved by mapping scan using energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The environmental protection methods of the SMR was investigated by discussing the carbon emissions challenges and exhaust pollution emission problems. This study demonstrates that the SMR is a green and effective technology for low-grade limonite waste utilization.

Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Uncured Resin Feedstocks for Vat Photopolymerization 3D Printing to a Cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia Dubia).

The accessibility and popularity of additive manufacturing (AM) has increased over the past decade. Environmental hazard assessment and safety data sheets for 3D printer feedstocks has lagged technology development. Vat photopolymerization may have unique risks relative to other AM technologies due to mishandling of uncured monomers/oligomer feedstocks and its decreasing cost enabling uninformed residential use. The acute and chronic toxicity of six uncured resins to Ceriodaphnia dubia was explored. Two-day acute toxicity (LC50) ranged from 2.6 to 33mg/L and inhibition concentrations (IC25) values for reproduction ranged from 0.33 to 16mg/L. Cleaning and waste management procedures recommended in user guides could be the most hazardous handling scenario as use of isopropyl alcohol increases miscibility and thus the fate, transport and bioavailability of the uncured resins. Residential users may often be poorly informed about potential toxicity and the need for a plan for use, handling, and waste management of uncured resins.

Comparative Analysis of Heating Efficiency of a Single-Well Geothermal System in the Cold Region of Northeast China

Geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy that has rich reserves, is clean, environmentally friendly and has been widely used in the heating industry. The single-well closed-loop geothermal system is a technology with the characteristics of “taking heat without taking water” and is mainly used for geothermal energy heating. Although the heating requirements in the cold region of Northeast China are urgent, the traditional heating mode not only has high economic costs but also causes serious damage to the environment. Therefore, it is of important practical significance to change the heating structure and develop and utilize geothermal energy for heating according to local conditions. In this study, the actual operating single-well geothermal system in the Songyuan area of Jilin Province is used as a case study, and a numerical model is established based on the T2WELL simulation program. The flow production temperature and heat extraction response law of the single-well system in the M1 and M2 wells are contrasted and analyzed under the three key factors of geothermal gradient and injection temperature and flow rate. Based on the simulation results, an optimized development and utilization plan for the M1 and M2 wells is proposed. These results provide a theoretical reference and heating potential evaluation for the promotion of single-well geothermal systems in Northeast China. Taking the geothermal gradient of 4.2 ° C/hm as an example, after 30 years of operation, the heat extraction of the M1 well is 406 kW, and that of the M2 well is 589 kW. Compared with the M1 well, although the M2 well has higher heat extraction, the radial variation in reservoir temperature is more than 50 m under long-term operation, which is not conducive to long-term development and utilization.

Evapotranspiration responses to CO2 and its driving mechanisms in four ecosystems based on CMIP6 simulations: Forest, shrub, farm and grass

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential process of the water cycle through which water is transferred from terrestrial ecosystems to atmosphere. However, in the climate context of increasing CO2 concentration (also called as a CO2-enriched climate), the variation of ET and its main drivers among different ecosystems remain unclear. This study analyzed the output data of the CMCC ESM2 model with a ridge regression method, and proposed the trends and drivers of ET in different ecosystems in a CO2-enriched climate. In particular, the temporal - spatial characteristics of ET and its primary drivers for different periods and wetness levels were revealed. With the rising of CO2 concentration, the atmospheric evapotranspiration demand increases, and the vegetation grows more luxuriantly. ET shows an overall upward trend, especially in the shrub ecosystems (7.41 mm decade−1). Our results show that the thermal conditions are the main driving factors for humid forest and shrub ecosystems whereas relative humidity (RH) is the main driving factor for arid farm and grass ecosystems. In terms of the average contribution in all periods, surface solar radiation contributes 26% and 41% to ET variation in forest and shrub ecosystems, and RH contributes 49% and 32% to ET variation in farm and grass ecosystems, respectively. Notably, with the increase of wetness levels, the contribution of water conditions on ET becomes smaller, while that of thermal conditions becomes larger. Correlation analysis shows that LAI impacts on ET are regulated by environmental factors, which reflects the complexity of ET change mechanism. Overall, these findings further provide a reference for rational planning of ecosystems and efficient utilization of water resources.

Economic Land Utilization Optimization Model

Recently, population growth and resource depletion have been matched by a growing demand for self-sustaining communities. Numerous studies promote sustainable solutions to the concerns of climate change and food scarcity. This study aims at creating an automated Economic Land Utilization Optimization Model (ELUOM) that identifies sustainable and cost-effective agricultural practices. Soil, water &amp; climatic characteristics of over 400 crops are gathered in a relational database to build the model. Evolutionary algorithms are utilized to filter the database based on user input. Optimization process is then performed on all possible utilization plans of the filtered crops to maximize the 20-year return while minimizing water consumption. The model is verified on a case study in Giza, Egypt where it shows the potential of increasing the return/m3 of water by 370% versus current practices. This research also studies the application of ELOUM on a vacant plot in the American university in Cairo, Egypt.

용산가족공원 조성 과정의 특성과 의미† - 서울시 기록을 중심으로 -

The ongoing Yongsan Park development project began in 1988 with the development of a utilization plan for the US Army base in Yongsan after the Army relocation. This study aimed to draw implications for the Yongsan Park project by focusing on Yongsan Family Park. Among the public records of Yongsan Park and Yongsan Family Park transferred to the Seoul Metropolitan Archives, 53 major records were analyzed. The results are as follows. First, Yongsan Family Park, built on the site of the US Army golf course in 1992, was considered a part of the Yongsan Park plan and holds status as the first phase of the Yongsan Park project. Second, despite its status, Yongsan Family Park opened as a temporary park occupied by urban facilities. A design and detailed roadmap of the development process is necessary to make Yongsan Park more resilient. Third, organizing and systematizing public records is necessary because lessons learned through past park development processes can be applied to the current project. This study is meaningful since it uncovered important issues of urban planning discussed in the process of Yongsan Family Park development through a complete analysis of public records, examined the linkage between Yongsan Family Park, which was not known until now, and the ongoing Yongsan Park project, and reaffirmed the importance of park archiving for long-term development projects.

The impact of load-PV profile resolution on distribution system risk assessment

Risk assessment is utilized to evaluate the risk level of the system and guide further operation and planning of utilities. However, to lower the cost of communication and storing, only a coarse resolution profile of load and PV can be collected and used to evaluate the risk level of the system, which may lead to inaccurate assessment. To this end, this paper investigates the impact of load-PV profile resolution on distribution system risk assessment. A super-resolution Generative Adversarial Network with pre- and post-processing processes is proposed to restore the high-frequency component of the load-PV profile. Then, with the generated high-resolution profile, a risk assessment model based on the exterior point method is proposed to evaluate the risk level of the distribution system. Case studies in a modified 33-bus system showed that the proposed super-resolution method could achieve the best performance to restore the peak values and high-frequency component of the load-PV profile compared to the other four methods. In addition, compared to super-resolution Generative Adversarial Networks without the post-processing process, the accuracy of risk assessment can be significantly improved using the proposed super-resolution method, which proves that the post-processing process is necessary.

Discovery of anomalous molybdenum enrichment in Ordovician and Silurian stone coal: Relevance, origin and recommendations

Molybdenum (Mo) is a strategic element but has a notably low concentration at the Earth's surface. Consequently, competition for molybdenum resources at the national strategic level has begun to emerge, and in recent years, large-scale mining has led to the gradual depletion of molybdenum deposit resources. Here, thirty-four element enrichment patterns of Ordovician and Silurian stone coals in central China are reported. Molybdenum is the most enriched element, with an average of 208 mg/kg (58.2–440 mg/kg), which is 99 times the global hard coal average, and this molybdenum enrichment is associated with Ba–Ga–U–Cr–Na–K–-Cu–Se–Zn enrichment and elevated SiO2, CaO, K2O, MgO, Na2O, MnO and P2O5 concentrations. These analyses reveal four stone coal samples with molybdenum concentrations of 260, 312, 403 and 440 mg/kg, which meet the grade for the molybdenum mineral exploitation formulated standard, indicating that the Ordovician and Silurian stone coal deposits should be considered promising alternative sources of molybdenum. The crude reserve estimate of molybdenum is approximately 29.2 × 104 tons. The anomalous molybdenum in the studied stone coal was sourced from a complex combination of hydrothermal fluids, original biomass and terrigenous materials. The unique paleogeographic location and geological structure in central China resulted in the anomalous molybdenum concentrations in the stone coal forming at that time, producing a unique type of coal-hosted molybdenum deposit. Future studies will consider the ecological effects of the molybdenum extraction mode and the cost savings effects of extracting molybdenum from stone coal. A comprehensive utilization plan is also needed. Next, a thorough study of molybdenum exploration related to black rock series must be performed to increase the total molybdenum resources and support Chinese international competitiveness.

Training community health navigators in the public health workforce to respond during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To describe the process of engaging underserved communities of color that designs, conducts, and evaluates community-engaged COVID-19 Community Health Navigator training on COVID-19: Vaccination, Prevention, and Contact Tracing. The project used a mixed-methods design; 18 community health navigators (CHNs) representing Asian American, Arab American, Black/African American, and Hispanic/Latinx communities completed the pretest, training, and post-test. Demographic characteristics, along with knowledge and confidence level questions regarding COVID-19 issues, were gathered in pre- and post-tests. Qualitative data were collected via open-ended questions in post-tests. Findings suggest that the community health navigator training successfully increased participants' knowledge of COVID-19-related topic areas and confidence in educating community members regarding COVID-19 vaccination and prevention. Qualitative evaluation contained information learned and found most helpful, and application and utilization plans for CHNs' follow-up work. The process of community health navigator training and evaluation results adds important insights to the current COVID-19 pandemic workforce literature and can inform future trainings.