Programming Constructs Research Articles

ELEVATING CONSTRUCTION GRADUATE STUDENTS' PEDAGOGICAL PROWESS THROUGH FACULTY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

Faculty development programs improve the performance of academic scholars and instructors by providing up-to-date teaching and research management tools and methods. The overall objective of this research was to organize a pilot faculty development program for recent graduates of construction programs in which participants could improve their teaching capabilities and further prepare for their classes. The overarching question of this research was to investigate the perception of participants about different aspects of a program and factors that impact the program outputs. A program was designed and developed around the main topics in construction curricula. The eligibility criterion for participation was being a Ph.D. student in the last stage of the study in a construction program. A cohort of eight students from different construction schools participated in the program in April 2023. A cross-section survey was designed and distributed to participants during the program in which they evaluated the impact of various factors on their teaching preparedness and improvement. The analysis of the data revealed that the importance and necessity of faculty development programs in the construction was greatly felt. In addition, participants indicated positive effects of the program on the course design and management process. The findings of this study provide a pilot structure for administrators and scholars in construction to design and develop general or specialized faculty development initiatives for junior faculty members who join construction schools without prior ample teaching experience.

Conditions When the Problems of Linear Programming Are Algorithmically Unsolvable

We study the properties of the constructive linear programming problems. The parameters of linear functions in such problems are constructive real numbers. Solving such a problem involves finding the optimal plan with the constructive real number components. We show that it is impossible to have an algorithm that solves an arbitrary constructive real programming problem.

A Study of Lunar Regolith Obtained during the Apollo and Luna Space Programs Based on Principal Component Analysis

In this study, a modern principal component analysis (PCA) of the chemical properties of lunar soils was conducted. American and Soviet results acquired during the Apollo and Luna missions, respectively, were analyzed and compared. The chemical composition of the lunar soil was the focus of our analysis, the main aim of which was to assess any possible differences between the results provided by the missions in question. The results were visualized in two- and three-dimensional spaces. The use of PCA virtual variables enabled the chemical composition of the lunar soil to be fully visualized—something impossible to achieve using traditional techniques—and key similarities and differences among the properties of the lunar soil samples were determined. The sources of any differences were then conceptualized. The work reported in this paper offers new directions for future studies, especially research into the design of new lunar soil simulants for lunar construction and civil engineering programs.

The volcanic aspect on determining Site of nuclear power plant in Indonesia: Gap analysis between standard and regulations

The development of nuclear power plants is in three phases. The first phase is a consideration before the decision on the NPP construction program is approved, the second phase is the preparatory work for making contracts and preparing for the construction of NPP after the NPP construction policy is approved, and the third phase is contracting, licensing and building the first NPP. As a volcanically active country, Indonesia contains over 130 active volcanoes that are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The volcanic aspect is one of the safety factors considered while deciding the location of an NPP. Research on the potential of natural external risks to the determination of nuclear power plants in Indonesia, including the volcanic aspect, has been conducted based on the safety reference or safety guide of the IAEA and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Body (BAPETEN) Regulation. Due to technological advancements, safety needs have evolved so the existing Indonesia National Standard (SNI) must be updated to comply with BAPETEN regulations. The substance in SNI 18-2034-1990 relating to volcanic features seems less relevant in actual conditions, given that more complete and exact criteria for determining a site guarantee the safety and health of residents and surrounding the environment site. The study intends to conduct a gap analysis of volcanic issues in SNI and volcanic regulations. The method used is identification requirements for volcanic aspects in SNI 18-2034-1990 about Determining Site of Nuclear Reactor Guidance with BAPETEN Chairman Regulation (BCR) number 4 of 2018 about Nuclear Installation Site Evaluation Safety Provisions and BCR number 5 of 2015 about Evaluation of Nuclear Installation Sites for Volcanic Aspects, and analysis uses a qualitative method of inductive techniques. The outcome of this research applies to suggesting a revision of SNI number 18-2034-1990, especially the volcanic aspect.

HS2: Delivering a climate change adapted and resilient railway

The impacts of climate change are already evident. Like all infrastructure, High Speed Two (HS2) needs to be climate resilient so it can function in a future where there will be warmer and wetter winters, hotter and drier summers, and more extreme weather. Without resilience measures, climate change could affect HS2 through an increased construction programme, network performance impacts and service delays with associated costs, as well as affecting staff and passengers. The policy for HS2 is to build a ‘climate-resilient railway’, taking part in the collective endeavour to combat climate change by setting ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets for HS2’s overall operations to be net zero from 2035 and embedding adaptation measures to increase resilience to climate change. HS2 is one of the first projects to take a holistic approach to incorporating climate change into planning, design and construction. Learning from the approach used for HS2 is set out in this article. The key outputs of this paper are descriptions of how climate resilience thinking has been embedded into all project stages, how bespoke and innovative processes have fed into industry-leading best practice, reporting and guidance, and examples of climate-resilient design solutions. It is vital to integrate climate resilience and adaptation into infrastructure projects now to ensure infrastructure is prepared for our changing climate.

PARP inhibitors suppress tumours via centrosome error-induced senescence independent of DNA damage response

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have emerged as promising chemotherapeutic drugs primarily against BRCA1/2-associated tumours, known as synthetic lethality. However, recent clinical trials reported patients' survival benefits from PARP inhibitor treatments, irrelevant to homologous recombination deficiency. Therefore, revealing the therapeutic mechanism of PARP inhibitors beyond DNA damage repair is urgently needed, which can facilitate precision medicine. A CRISPR-based knock-in technology was used to establish stable BRCA1 mutant cancer cells. The effects of PARP inhibitors on BRCA1 mutant cancer cells were evaluated by biochemical and cell biological experiments. Finally, we validated its invivo effects in xenograft and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumour mice. In this study, we uncovered that the majority of clinical BRCA1 mutations in breast cancers were in and near the middle of the gene, rather than in essential regions for DNA damage repair. Representative mutations such as R1085I and E1222Q caused transient extra spindle poles during mitosis in cancer cells. PAR, which is synthesized by PARP2 but not PARP1 at mitotic centrosomes, clustered these transient extra poles, independent of DNA damage response. Common PARP inhibitors could effectively suppress PARP2-synthesized PAR and induce cell senescence by abrogating the correction of mitotic extra-pole error. Our findings uncover an alternative mechanism by which PARP inhibitors efficiently suppress tumours, thereby pointing to a potential new therapeutic strategy for centrosome error-related tumours. Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (T2225006, 82272948, 82103106), Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (Key program Z220011), and the National Clinical Key Specialty Construction Program, P. R. China (2023).

Study of Influence of Product Range on Production Capacity Indicators of Precast Construction Plants

The paper presents the results of research of the influence of product range parameters on the indicators of development of the design capacities of precast construction plants. The quantity and concrete consumption of products in terms of 1 m2 of total area, as well as the circulation of products, have been taken as the analyzed parameters of product range. It is noted that calculations of production capacity and basic technical and economic indicators of production at the stage of technological design are based on the product range of a typical block section of a house series. At the same time, architectural individuality, flexibility of planning and design solutions of prefabricated houses buildings in industrial design require a variety of modifications of block sections, which is inextricably linked with the growth of the range of manufactured products. Expansion of the range of products for modifications of block sections in the production program of plants is an objective regularity that should be taken into account in the technological design of new or reconstruction of existing precast constructions plants and planning production programs for housing construction. Significant fluctuations in the parameters of the product range in the production programs of plants have been recorded. A regression analysis of the parameters of the range products of production programs of precast construction plants has been carried out. The dependence of product range on the share of dotted houses in housing construction programs has been established. The main parameters of houses determining fluctuations in the range of products have been identified, which include the number of storeys and the number of sections in the house configuration. Taking into account the fact of the significant influence of the product range on the production capacity of plants, the dependence of the indicator of compliance of the concrete capacity of products with 1 m2 of total area on the production capacity indicators has been established. The reliability of the obtained mathematical models is confirmed by the results of statistical processing of research results and verification of models in calculations of the current production capacity of plants.

Preparing Veterans Health Administration Psychologists to Meet the Complex Needs of Aging Veterans.

There are significant workforce shortages for geriatric mental health care. The imbalance is particularly pronounced in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) due to the large number of aging veterans receiving care. Workforce-based educational programs are needed to train existing clinicians to meet the mental health needs of aging veterans. This article describes an expansion of the Geriatric Scholars Program to train VHA psychologists to care for aging veterans. The multicomponent program includes an introductory course and opportunities to apply geriatric knowledge and skills through quality improvement initiatives. The Geriatric Scholars Program-Psychology Track evolved to incorporate ongoing specialized elective learning opportunities for scholars. A webinar series extends the educational programs to reach the entire VHA workforce. The Geriatric Scholars Program-Psychology Track represents a longitudinal educational approach to training VHA psychologists in clinical geropsychology. Other community-based organizations can use this model to construct and implement similar programs.

The architecture of Hungarian schools as a tool for forming the national identity. 1909-1927

School architecture in Hungary is seen as an important tool in the formation of this young nation. The Hungarian school was called upon to educate a “new citizen” and a “good Hungarian”, forming in children the image of their beloved Motherland. The history of rural and metropolitan school construction in Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century is briefly overviewed. The little-known Hungarian experience of implementing large-scale state school construction programs, carried out with the involvement of the best architects, is interesting as a background against which the peculiarities of the Russian school architecture at the turn of the century stands out more clearly.

Interval Throwing Programs for Baseball Players: Methodological Assessment of the Quality and Construct of Publicly Available Programs.

The quality and interprogram variability of publicly available throwing programs have not been assessed. To (1) identify publicly available interval throwing programs, (2) describe their components and structure, and (3) evaluate their quality, variability, and completeness. Google, Bing, Yahoo; keyword: "interval throwing program." Baseball-specific publicly available programs. Systematic review. Level 4. Independent evaluation by 2 authors using a novel 21-item Quality Assessment Rubric (QAR). Of the 99 included programs, 54% were designed for return from injury/surgery; 42% explicitly stated no expected timeline for completion, and approximately 40% did not provide criteria to initiate the program. Program construction was highly variable. There were broad-ranging shortest (mean: 40±8 ft, range: 20-45 ft) and longest (mean: 150±33 ft, range: 90-250 ft) long toss distances, and variable maximum numbers of mound pitches thrown before returning to game play (range: 40-120, mean: 85). Only 63% of programs provided guidelines for handling setbacks, and standardized warm-ups, arm care, and concomitant training were absent in 32%, 63%, and 47% of programs, respectively. Mean QAR completion rate and QAR item response rate were low (62 ± 4% [range, 24-91%], 62 ± 24% [range, 7-99%], respectively). Finally, only 20 (20%) programs provided at least 1 peer-reviewed reference, most of which were published >10 years ago. Publicly available interval throwing programs are readily available but demonstrate significant interprogram heterogeneity across multiple areas including target audience, program construction, progression, and execution. The quality and consistency of publicly available interval throwing programs is poor at this time, which may limit their utility and effectiveness for baseball players attempting to return to competition. This work identifies a multitude of deficiencies in currently available throwing programs that should be targets of future improvement efforts.

Book review: Dhananjay Rai, M.K. Gandhi: Poorna Swaraj, Constructive Programme: Its Meaning and Place

Dhananjay Rai, M.K. Gandhi: Poorna Swaraj, Constructive Programme: Its Meaning and Place. Gurugram: Penguin/Vintage Books, 2023, lxxxviii + 220 pp., ₹599 (Hardcover). ISBN: 9780670098279.

Long-Distance Freezing Design and Construction Based on Monitoring Analysis of Subway Connection Aisle

In the context of a main road area with significant traffic flow, posing challenges to constructing the freezing station on the ground, an innovative proposal suggests situating the freezing station at the station. This approach aims to facilitate construction at the same time for the connection aisle, tunneling, and track laying, thereby reducing the construction period; however, this will lead to a corresponding increase in the freezing pipeline distance. The theoretical analysis, numerical analysis, and integration with engineering practices were employed to examine the essential aspects and key technologies in the long-distance freezing design and construction, including the freezing hole construction, thermal insulation method of brine pipelines and tunnel segments, and technique program to retain the brine pressure and flow discharge, as well as the method to reduce the interplay of cross-construction. The validity of the construction program for the long-distance frozen excavation was finally evaluated based on onsite monitoring and theoretical analysis. The results show that the temperature of the brine in both the delivery and return pipelines first decreases linearly and then stabilizes gradually with freezing time, and the temperature difference is between 1 °C and 1.5 °C at the later freezing period. The temperature variation of the frozen wall is similar to that of brine in the delivery and return pipelines, and there is a good correlation between them. After the frozen wall encloses, the internal pressure of the frozen wall increases quickly, which can be effectively reduced to prevent wall cracking and breakage by regulating the pressure relief holes. The above theoretical analysis result shows that the average temperature of the frozen wall should be less than −9.7 °C when the designed thickness of the frozen wall is 2.2 m. The monitoring data indicates that the average temperature of the frozen wall reaches −13.9 °C, which satisfies the design requirement. The design and construction technology of long-distance freezing enhance the construction of the subway connection aisle. The novel method deviates from the conventional practice of establishing freezing stations within tunnels and offers valuable insight and guidance for comparable projects.

Analisis Kebijakan Desentralisasi Politik Dalam Mewujudkan Daerah Otonomi Baru di Seram Utara Kabupaten Maluku Tengah

The research entitled Analysis of Political Decentralization Abominations in Creating a New Autonomous Region in North Maluku Central Horrors, uses a qualitative descriptive method to describe how Decentralised Political Policy creates a new autonomous region in the Middle Maluku North Horror. The study uses conciliation policy theory, the theory of political decentralization, and regional autonomy as well as the theories of political authority, using indicators of the authority of local governments in making political decisions, strategic formulation of planning of regional development programmes, and budget accommodation in budgeting. Increased public service and empowerment of the community, as well as public participation, and prospects for the development of the North Horrors Region.The results of the survey showed that the various political decisions implemented by the Government of India in the framework of regional development were political decisions related to the development of indigenous villages or administrative villages, political decisions relating to the construction of new villages in order to promote regional development and political decisions involving local governments and the DPRD in the context of emergency development and rural development. Furthermore, in connection with the planning strategy of various regional construction programmes implemented by the Regional Planning Agency, the aim is to prevent inter-emergency arrangements and in order to improve the well-being of the people in the various districts of disaster that exist in the Central Maluku.

Kasimov Tatars during the Years of the Cultural Revolution in the USSR: On Materials of Regional Press of the 1920-1930s

The authors analyze the cultural component of the social life of the Kasimov Tatars in the interwar period, the essence of which was the implementation of the Cultural Revolution. Along with the industrialization of the country and the collectivization of agriculture in the mid-1920s, it was declared an important part of the three-tier program of socialist construction. The purpose is to establish the peculiarities of the behavioral pattern of the Kasimov Tatars in the period under review. The source base is the materials from periodicals and ego-documents. The study shows the conditions and realities of the “reforging of consciousness,” the struggle against the remnants of the past which boiled down to the attempts to eradicate the religious cults and customs of the Kasimov Tatars. There is revealed the level of development, continuity, and specificity of local transformation in the most important segment of the cultural sphere - education. The authors come to the conclusion that at the sharp turn of history in the 1920s the Kasimov Tatars showed energy and freedom in order to become “equal among equal” peoples, as declared at the official level. Trying to preserve their own identity, they also showed etatism peculiar to them accepting and actively participating in the transformations as part of the implementation of the Cultural Revolution tasks.

Propensity of Sawmills to Produce Structural Sawn Wood in Chile

Abstract The goals of Chile’s forest policy regarding the use of wood in construction are far from being achieved. Chile is the ninth-largest global producer of sawn softwood and has an industry with numerous sawmills; however, structural sawn wood (SSW) represents less than 1 percent of the industry’s total production, which is insufficient to address large-scale construction programs with wood. Therefore, policy instruments are needed to lead to an increase in the volume of SSW production. This research aimed to design a typology of sawmills that facilitates the definition and implementation of these policy instruments to ensure attainment of the 2035 goal of the forest policy. Multiple linear regression and multiple logistic regression were used to assess the impact of various variables on SSW production; variable selection was done using stepwise regression. The number of clusters was determined using the gap method, and sawmill clusters were determined using k means. The result is a typology with five categories of sawmills based on their propensity to produce SSW. The most significant variable was the quality of the supply, so it is suggested to prioritize the management of Pinus radiata plantations. With this result, a map for the application of policy instruments was created, proposing an intervention pathway. The proposed typology will stimulate decisions to provide direct support to the sawmill industry, thereby increasing SSW production.

Promoting the Sustainable Development of Power Construction Projects through Stakeholder Participant Mechanisms: An Evolutionary Game Analysis

The sustainable development of power construction projects (PCPs) is of great significance in solving the issue of high carbon emissions in the power industry. However, the profit-seeking nature of stakeholders’ strategic choices and other conflicts have seriously hindered this process. This study constructs a tripartite game evolution model for the government, grid companies and the public, and determines the factors and range of values that affect the behavioral and strategic choices of stakeholders based on the literature analysis method and case study method. Numerical simulations are conducted with the help of MATLAB R2021a software to explore the changes in decision-making behavior of stakeholders and system stabilization strategies in different stages of the industry life cycle and the influencing mechanisms. The results show that in the initial stage, the government lays the foundation for the development of PCPs through policy guidance under the government-led mechanism. As PCPs move into the development stage, stakeholders’ benefits increase, creating a collaborative participation situation. As PCPs mature, the role of market guidance comes to the fore, and the interventionist role of government diminishes to a guardian role. In terms of sensitivity analysis of relevant parameters, low government rewards and penalties are not conducive to the adoption of low-carbon sustainable construction programs by power grid companies. The public influences the sustainable behavior of the government and power grid companies through public opinion. In addition, reasonable cost inputs from all stakeholders are critical to effectively promote the steady growth of PCPs. Based on the results, a sustainable development promotion mechanism for PCPs is constructed based on multiple dimensions, with a view to providing decision-making services for stakeholders and thus contributing to the sustainable development of PCPs.

Forms of Historical Oblivion and Figures of Silence in Commemorative Practices of the Black Lives Matter Movement: A Comparative Analysis of Media Discourses in English-Speaking Countries

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) social movement has emerged as a prominent challenge to the principles and values of contemporary societies. Concurrently, the practices of cancel culture extend to the historical past as well. The primary objective of this article is to conduct a comparative analysis of forms of historical forgetting and figures of silence within the commemorative practices of BLM, as depicted in media discourses across the English-speaking countries. Making use of the critical discourse analysis methodology of N. Fairclough and S. Jäger, this study analyzes the discursive aspects of monument cancellations and key figures of silence in the media portrayal of BLM commemorative practices in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
 The research reveals that, despite the unique characteristics of media discourses in Australia and Canada, particularly concerning the memory of indigenous peoples, the canceling practices in the countries examined exhibit similar features. These include general forms of oblivion associated with the formation of a new identity, as outlined by P. Connerton, and the use of forgetting as a weapon, as described by A. Assmann, in the quest for symbolic capital. This study identifies and examines key figures of silence within BLM as a community of memory, including a-historical perspective of colonial era events, disproportionate focus on selected cancellation facts, invocation of collective guilt, silence over morally questionable traits of the oppressed, absence of a constructive program linking past and future, and unchecked emotional expression regarding the past.

A prediction-based model to optimize construction programs: Considering time, cost, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions trade-off

Efforts to combat climate change demand global action to promote a sustainable development worldwide. Given the construction industry's significant energy consumption, it is crucial to curtail energy consumption and CO2 emissions in this sector. This study aims to predict and trade-off four essential objectives: time, cost, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions. Initially, various factors affecting time and cost was identified using the CoCoSo method. Subsequently, 11 machine learning algorithms were employed to predict all four targets. Results revealed that support vector regression achieved an accuracy of 95.77% in project duration prediction, while the neural network algorithm demonstrated accuracy of 93.64%, 97.63%, and 97.99% in predicting cost, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions, respectively. Additionally, the research findings from six scenarios highlighted the non-linear relationship among project objectives. Deviating from the optimal point resulted in increases on both sides, with more significant impacts observed at values less than optimal duration. This research equips engineers with a valuable tool for accurately predicting project outcomes by adjusting input values, ensuring successful project execution and efficient resource allocation. Additionally, the framework's predictive abilities are beneficial for companies with energy and CO2 policies, influencing various sectors, regions, and policies tied to energy, emissions, costs, climate change, ESG, and UN SDGs. Its application extends to shaping regulations, strategies, and targets.

Exercise preference in stroke survivors: a concept analysis.

Exercise preference in stroke survivors is related to their adherence to long-term rehabilitation regimen and functional recovery. Although explored recently, the term exercise preference still lacks a clear definition. The aim of this study is to conceptualize exercise preference in stroke survivors. The Walker and Avant method was applied as a framework for the conceptual analysis of exercise preference. Data from 34 publications were collected using seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and CBM) and applied in the analysis. The search period was from the inception of the database to April 30, 2023. Exercise preference in stroke survivors was defined according to four attributes: priority of choice, behavioral tendency, affective priming, and patience in adherence. The common antecedents of the concept of exercise preference in stroke survivors were classified into patient-related, therapy-related, and environmental-related categories and the consequences were classified into three categories: patient-related, rehabilitation provider-related, and rehabilitation service system-related. Exercise preference in stroke survivors refers to the patient's choice, tendency, affective response, and attitude toward engagement in the recommended rehabilitation regimen. It is beneficial for understanding the essential attributes of exercise preference in stroke survivors by clarifying the concept. In addition, it will facilitate the development of instruments for assessing exercise preference in stroke survivors and the construction of theory-based intervention programs that can improve adherence to exercise rehabilitation.

Systematic study of cluster radioactivity in trans-lead nuclei with various versions of proximity potential formalisms* *Supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12175100, 11975132), the construct program of the key discipline in Hunan province, the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province, China (18A237, 22A0305), Hunan Provincial Department of Education Scientific Research Project (19A440), the

In this study, based on the framework of the Coulomb and proximity potential model (CPPM), we systematically investigate the cluster radioactivity half-lives of 26 trans-lead nuclei by considering the cluster preformation probability, which possesses a simple mass dependence on the emitted cluster according to R. Blendowske and H. Walliser [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 1930 (1988)]. Moreover, we investigate 28 different versions of the proximity potential formalisms, which are the most complete known proximity potential formalisms proposed to describe proton radioactivity, two-proton radioactivity, α decay, heavy-ion radioactivity, quasi-elastic scattering, fusion reactions, and other applications. The calculated results show that the modified forms of proximity potential 1977, denoted as Prox.77-12, and proximity potential 1981, denoted as Prox.81, are the most appropriate proximity potential formalisms for the study of cluster radioactivity, as the root-mean-square deviation between experimental data and relevant theoretical results obtained is the least; both values are 0.681. For comparison, the universal decay law (UDL) proposed by Qi et al. [Phys. Rev. C 80, 044326 (2009)], unified formula of half-lives for α decay and cluster radioactivity proposed by Ni et al. [Phys. Rev. C 78, 044310 (2008)], and scaling law (SL) in cluster radioactivity proposed by Horoi et al. [J. Phys. G 30, 945 (2004)] are also used. In addition, utilizing CPPM with Prox.77-12, Prox.77-1, Prox.77-2, and Prox.81, we predict the half-lives of 51 potential cluster radioactive candidates whose cluster radioactivity is energetically allowed or observed but not yet quantified in NUBASE2020. The predicted results are in the same order of magnitude as those obtained using the compared semi-empirical and/or empirical formulae. At the same time, the competition between α decay and cluster radioactivity of these predicted nuclei is discussed. By comparing the half-lives, this study reveals that α decay predominates.