Project Run Research Articles

Using tailored eHealth programmes to stimulate primary health care professionals’ lifestyle counselling guideline adherence - Lessons learned from the STAR project

BackgroundAlthough individually tailored eHealth programmes have shown to be effective in changing patient and citizen health behaviours, they have so far not been applied to lifestyle counselling guideline adherence in primary health care professionals beyond our STAR project. The programme aimed to support general practice nurses adhering to national smoking cessation counselling guidelines and showed encouraging positive impacts on both nurse and patient level. ObjectiveTo identify lessons learned from our successful application of a tailored eHealth programme in primary health care. MethodsTriangulation of information from different sources collected throughout the project run time (e.g., project meetings, discussions with experts in the fields of computer tailoring, smoking cessation and professional education and interactions with general practice nurses). ResultsWe identify four lessons learned which developers and testers of tailored eHealth programmes in primary health care should consider, relating to 1) Choosing outcome measures, 2) Measuring outcomes, 3) Practical feedback application & Programme accessibility, and 4) Programme interaction. Practice implicationsWe share this information in the hope that we will see more applications of this promising intervention strategy – that can build on our work – in the future.

Kongsberg Vision Meeting Abstracts 2022

Kongsberg Vision Meeting 2022: Abstracts
 Kongsberg Vision Meeting was held at the University of South-Eastern Norway in Kongsberg, for the 14th time, on November 7–9, 2022. The meeting was organised as a three-day meeting with a lighting design dayfollowed by two clinical optometry and vision research days. Rigmor C. Baraas, Sylvia Pont, Helle K. Falkenberg, Vibeke Sundling, Tove Lise Morisbakk, Gro Horgen Vikesdal, Lotte-Guri B. Steen, Trine Langaas, Randi Mork and Are Røysamb organised the three-day meeting. The theme this year was Light & Vision in a Public Health Perspective. Keynote speakers for the lighting design day was Wout van Bommel and for the research day were Bruce Moore and Vibeke Sundling. Lee Turner from the Department for Education, His Majesty’s Government, UK and Mark Mon-Williams, University of Leeds and Bradford Institute of Health Research, UK held a special session on the randomized control trial (RCT) Glasses-in-Classes, a project run in state-funded primary schools based in the Metropolitan area of Bradford (UK) to ensure that children who need eyeglasses both have access to an eye examination as well as two pairs of glasses. Teachers are informed and trained to ensure children who have been prescribed with glasses wear them at school, and that their spare pair is available if they attend school without their home pair. Preliminary results from the RCT show that wearing eyeglasses over one school year significantly improves reading and literacy skills when a child who need eyeglasses wears them as compared with those who need eyeglasses, but do not wear them. The abstracts from the other invited and contributed talks on the different days are presented in the order they were given.
 
 Received October 1, 2022. Accepted November 1, 2022.

Risks management of infrastructure line services and their impact on the financial costs of road projects in Jordan

The Jordanian building sector contributes greatly to the country's GDP. However, Jordanian road projects are notorious for cost overruns throughout construction and operation. Risks to infrastructure services in Jordan are identified, studied, and evaluated in this report. Having this information will make it easier for project stakeholders to effectively manage risks. Additionally, it is trying to find ways to improve the connection between road implementation authorities, government agencies, and the business sector. A list of 32 hazards was compiled based on a literature assessment that analysed the project's managerial, technological, financial, social, location-specific, and operational issues. Engineers and other professionals in Jordan were then requested to complete a survey. Cost overruns on the Jordan Crossing Jordan project have been blamed on eight factors, according to Jordanian experts. More than 300 people were polled to determine the likelihood and magnitude of each possible danger. According to the results of the survey, infrastructure projects are most likely to encounter the greatest number of hazards. Lack of infrastructure is the greatest threat to the project's success, with an effect of 0.862. Problems with the contract between the project's running firm and the government authorities in control; reorganization of corporate structures and processes; and accidents that occur as a result of inadequate safety measures are all possibilities with a RII of 0.858. An essential part of project risk management is the identification and evaluation of potential hazards. In this study, it will be looked at for the first time how risk management strategies affect infrastructure project risks.

Section 19a GWB as the German ‘Lex GAFA’ – lighthouse project or superfluous national solo run?

As the European Union kept on struggling with its Digital Markets Act, Germany forged ahead and implemented its own ‘Lex GAFA’ in early 2021. The paper will introduce this new Section 19a and explain its inner workings. Furthermore, Section 19a will be compared to classic Article 102 TFEU-procedure and contrasted with the DMA. Thereby, the paper will present the advantages and disadvantages of Section 19a in comparison to existing and future European law to assess whether Section 19a is in fact the lighthouse project it was presented to be – or rather a superfluous national solo run.

ANALISIS FAKTOR-FAKTOR PENYEBAB REWORK PADA PROYEK KONSTRUKSI GEDUNG DI KOTA PAYAKUMBUH

The key to project success depends on four factors, including the project running according to the contract schedule, getting profits because expenses are as planned, problems that occur in the project are small, and there are no work accidents. If the technique used is not good, it will have a negative impact on project performance and can cause losses in terms of cost, quality, and time. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that cause rework and what are the dominant factors that cause rework in the implementation of building construction projects in Payakumbuh City. The tests carried out include validity, reliability, and descriptive analysis based on mean values with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for Windows version 21.0 programme.This research identifies 10 factors that cause rework, the factor of lack of team work, the factor of wrong decision making, the factor of using tools that are not correct or not according to their function, the factor of the situation drawn with the field does not match. The factor of poor information flow from related parties, the factor of weak supervision of technical specs, the weather factor that causes delays in project implementation, the factor of incomplete contracts, the factor of acceleration due to owner requests, the factor of unexpected underground conditions. The results showed that the most dominant factor causing rework was the factor that the situation in the drawing did not match the field with a mean value of 3.90.

CREATING BALANCING SPACES FOR DIGITAL AMBIDEXTERITY: IDENTIFYING DIVERGENCE AND COMPETING DEMANDS IN HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVES

Digital transformation is crucial for the healthcare sector, yet research shows that it also possesses a series of challenges at system-, organisational-, and individual levels, which require balancing. In this study, we adopt paradox theory to understand the balancing practices and requirements for digitalisation in healthcare. Based on gaps in previous research and practice, this paper aims to explore what characterises the different kinds of tensions and organisational paradoxes related to digital transformation. Also, this paper discusses how balancing practices in digital transformation are constrained and enabled. The paper is based on a project run in co-production between researchers at the Mälardalen University and project partners at a healthcare Region in Sweden. In the findings, two kinds of tensions are identified in digital transformation initiatives: Divergence at different organisational levels and competing demands between past, present and future needs. The divergent views are characterised by being latent while the competing demands are characterised by being salient to the organisation. This is followed by a discussion about balancing practices enabling digital ambidexterity and spurring virtuous cycles.

Reliability and parameter sensitivity analysis on geosynthetic-reinforced slope with considering spatially variability of soil properties

The Bishop method is often adopted to evaluate the stability of slope, but this method can’t effectively consider the inherent variation characteristics of soil. This study focuses on the reliability of geosynthetic-reinforced slope considering the spatial variability of soil properties. The improved Bishop method is adopted to evaluated stability of slope. The Karhunen-Loève expansion is adopted to generated 2-D random fields of spatial variability of soil properties. The Monte Carlo simulation combined with Latin hypercube sampling is adopted to analyze the reliability of geosynthetic-reinforced slope considering the spatial variability of soil properties. As a result, the spatial variability of soil shear strength has an important impact on the reliability of reinforced slope. The reliability of reinforced slope is more sensitive for variation of cohesion (COVc) compared with coefficient of variation of internal friction angle (COVφ). Considering slope’s spatial variability of cohesion (c) and internal friction angle (φ), the reinforced slope’s reliability is greater than that considering the spatial variability of φ or c. The reliability is sensitive for the autocorrelation distance especially the vertical direction. The correlation coefficient (r (c, φ)) has also a great influence on the reinforced slope’s reliability. The study may help provide more scientific help for the design of reinforced slope and make the construction of the project running safely and smoothly.

Assessment of women participation in sanitation value chain in low-income rural areas: a case study of South Imenti, Meru county

Public participation is extensively acknowledged as predominantly indispensable to the success of sanitation and water projects in rural areas in developing countries. Women are the foremost users of water schemes in rural areas and have numerous ideas on how water and sanitation management can be enhanced. Women's participation in sanitation in South Imenti has recently surfaced as an area of interest in the past decade, there has been rapidly growing evidence of women lagging behind in taking part in sanitation. In this context, the study involved examining how management and knowledge of sanitation are gendered, determining women's participation in sanitation development, governance and management, and evaluating the challenges hindering their participation. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. In-depth interviews and questionnaires were used to conduct the study. Purposive sampling was used to select three locations in South Imenti sub-county and a sample size of 100 determined using Yamane's formula. Data was collected from December 2021 to March 2022. 75 respondents aged 18 years and above took part in the study. 58.6% (44) respondents filled the questionnaires and 41.3% (31) respondents were interviewed. The data was entered into statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 software and presented using descriptive statistics. The results showed that 80.4% (n=41) of the women in South Imenti were not fully taking part in sanitation projects, despite them being known as primary sanitation attendants at the household level. Women's contribution was very minimal in sanitation activities involving community members, besides, their contribution was greatly under looked. The study findings revealed various roles played by both men and women in the sanitation group. 20.8% (n=5) of men were in charge of decision making, chairing and directing meeting discussions, and mobilization of funds for sanitation projects. 16.7%(n=4) of men provided labour during the construction of a projects, 37.5%(n=9) coordinated day to day running of projects and 25%(n=6) organized for donors' visits as well contributed funds to the group and were key actors during elections. On another hand 80.4%(n=41) of women were involved in domestics chores like cooking for constructors, ensuring cleaningness of sanitation facilities and compounds as well 29.4% (n=15) of women welcomed and entertained guests during a meetings and led in prayers during meetings times.35.3%(n=18) of women were not included in policy and decision-making about sanitation projects since it was given a blind eye concealed under community beliefs, practices, and norms.The finding als revealed numerous determinants to women participation among them were financial rewards 27%(n=14),source of income 20%(n=10),influenced by leaders 14%(n=7) and fear of consequences 10%(n=5) .Various challenges hindered women participation where 49%(n=25)had tight schedules ,age disparity 15.7% (n=8),low literacy level 31.4%(n=16)and lack of registration fees 29.4%(n=15) among others. Women's rights and freedoms in leadership and management abilities were hindered by old-fashioned cultural practices and busy schedules. Both men and women should be included in community sanitation projects to boost the sanitation sector in the attainment of its goals and specifically meet sanitation targets. This research study gives detailed rich information on women in sanitation, contributes to critical literature, and provides many insights for further research on women's participation in sanitation. It also gives a greater understanding of women’s position in sanitation and reduces any kind of potential gender discrimination and promote policy implementation.

Hydro-abrasive erosion modelling in Francis turbine at different silt conditions

Hydro-abrasive erosion creates problems for the safe and effective running of hydropower projects. This is of even greater concern in hilly regions. The huge losses in the revenue of the hydropower plant have become a burden on the hydropower project developers. These losses are mainly due to the reduced capacity of the generation of electricity units (kWh). The high amount of silt entering the plant, especially in the monsoon season causes heavy hydro-abrasive erosion in the turbine and other underwater components. The deterioration of underwater plant equipment due to this kind of erosion can also lead to a total shutdown of the hydropower plant. In the current scope of the study, efforts have been made to validate the existing erosion models for the Francis turbine with the operational hydropower plant and carry out the numerical erosion modelling in the Francis turbine to predict the turbine efficiency losses at maximum and part-load conditions. Various developed erosion models are analyzed for the study period of FY 2018–19 based on influencing parameters like silt concentration, silt size, hardness, and site-specific flow constant. The site chosen for this purpose was the MB-II hydropower plant, a 304 MW hydropower project having four generating units of Francis turbine located at the foot of the Himalayan hills in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India. The calibration factor is calibrated for the MB-II hydropower plant using GRG Nonlinear algorithm using a multi-start solver.

Resequencing the Yaroslavl cattle genomes reveals signatures of selection and a rare haplotype on BTA28 likely to be related to breed phenotypes.

The genomes of local livestock could shed light on their genetic history, mechanisms of adaptations to environments and unique genetics. Herein we look into the genetics and adaptations of the Russian native dairy Yaroslavl cattle breed using 22 resequenced individuals and comparing them with two related breeds (Russian Kholmogory and Holstein), and to the taurine set of the 1000 Bull Genomes Project (Run 9). HapFLK analysis with Kholmogory and Holstein breeds (using Yakut cattle as outgroup) resulted in 22 regions under selection (q‐value < 0.01) on 11 chromosomes assigned to Yaroslavl cattle, including a strong signature of selection in the region of the KIT gene on BTA6. The F ST (fixation index) with the 1000 Bull Genomes Dataset showed 48 non‐overlapping top (0.1%) F ST regions of which three overlapped HapFLK regions. We identified 1982 highly differentiated (F ST > 0.40) missense mutations in the Yaroslavl genomes. These genes were enriched in the epidermal growth factor and calcium‐binding functional categories. The top F ST intervals contained eight genes with allele frequencies quite different between the Yaroslavl and Kholmogory breeds and the rest of the 1000 Bull Genomes Dataset, including KAT6B, which had a nearly Yaroslavl breed‐specific deleterious missense mutation with the highest F ST in our dataset (0.99). This gene is a part of a long haplotype containing other genes from F ST and hapFLK analyses and with a negative association with weight and carcass traits according to the genotyping of 30 phenotyped Yaroslavl cattle individuals. Our work provides the industry with candidate genetic variants to be focused on in breed improvement efforts.

The potential of energy recovery from municipal solid waste in Kampala City, Uganda by incineration

• Techno-economic study of energy recovery from MSW in Kampala by incineration was done. • Characterization of the MSW was conducted. • A MSW incineration plant was designed and simulated. • The plant can produce 774 kWh of electricity per ton of MSW. • The NPV was USD 34 million, project IRR of 12.9 %, and a payback period of 6 years. With the increasing urbanization, global generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is expected to increase to 3.4 billion tons by 2050. Annually, 1.9 billion tons of MSW is generated with each person contributing 218 kg of MSW to this projected grand total. In Kampala, the annual MSW collection exceeds 350,000 tons which is disposed at the city’s landfill which has exceeded its capacity. This has side effects including environmental contamination, methane gas generation promoting global warming, and labour issues. No research has been conducted towards assessing the potential of energy recovery from the city’s MSW by incineration. In this paper, the techno-economic assessment of energy recovery from MSW in Kampala city using incineration was done. Waste data was collected through sampling upon delivery at the landfill. Chemical composition of the waste was determined by proximate analysis and calculation of the elemental composition followed by determination of the calorific value. A MSW incineration plant was designed based on a mass burn incineration. The design parameters were determined using thermodynamic equations and Peng Robison’s equations of state. Simulation was done using Aspen Plus and Aspen Hysys, for a plant combusting 220,000 tons per annum of MSW at a feed rate of 27 tons of MSW per hour. The economic analysis was done assuming that the project was a Public Private Partnership debt financed by 75 % with an interest rate of LIBOR plus 5 % margin over a term of 15 years. Results showed that the composition of the waste was largely organic with an 80% composition. The Lower Heating Value was 6.12 MJ/kg with a moisture content of 25%. The elemental composition was 43.47% Carbon, 5.52% Hydrogen, and 41% Oxygen with absence of Nitrogen and Sulfur. The ash content was reported at 6.65 %. From the simulations, the plant is capable of exporting 774 kWh of electricity per ton of MSW to the national grid, capable of powering 1,062 medium income households in Uganda. A capital investment of USD157 million with the sale of electricity and a gate fee as the sources of revenue for a project running for 25 years was considered. The resulting Net Present Value was USD 30 million with a project Internal Rate of Return of 12.6 % and a payback period of 6 years. Thus, the present study demonstrates the possibilities to increase the adoption and use of renewable and clean energy, prioritise energy efficiency, and biodiversity for a green and sustainable Kampala city. Moreover, the results provide immediate technical information for policy makers and potential investors in the development of waste to energy projects in Uganda.

Effective Use of Tower Cranes over Time in the Selected Construction Process

The quality of preparations carried out before building work commences has a significant impact on the smooth running and overall financial costs of a construction project. The use of construction machinery, which is crucial with regard to the efficiency of the construction process, plays an important role. In building construction, the machines in question are mainly tower cranes. The paper presents a new method for assessing the utilisation of tower cranes over time during the construction of reinforced concrete monolithic structures. The method, which contributes to the efficient utilisation of such cranes, is based on a mathematical simulation model that predicts the work cycles of a tower crane during a work shift when work is being performed on individual construction sub-processes. Construction sub-processes are analysed in detail with regard to the service provided to them by a tower crane. Data can also be obtained from binding construction schedules and boundary conditions, which in every case are for a specific executed construction project. The simulation model of the work of tower cranes has been developed for use in software applications. The created application expands the possibilities of smart construction site design in a digital environment and can also be used directly from an internet browser.

Participatory Project Initiation and Performance of Mango Farming Projects in Makueni County, Kenya

The successful implementation of many feasible and viable mango projects depended entirely on how they were initiated before the start of the planning phase of the project. Project initiation phase, being the first stage of the project management life cycle, is a ‘hard-nosed’ strategic fit raison detre, the main reason for justification that kick-starts or brings the project into existence. This article, extracted from the PhD thesis, presents the importance and worthwhileness of project initiation phase managerial framework, since it entails tentative groundwork project appraisals that come just before the project planning phase starts. In principle, project initiation begins the iterative sequencing of the project's core activities, before all other phases of the project begin. Project initiation phase, therefore, is not just a mere ‘tabula rasa’ clean slate, an empty project outlay template, since it entails scouting of project ideas, undertaking of feasibility studies to scan and appraise the unpredictable project environment. In addition, project funding sources, availability of appropriate technology and technical expertise are other key considerations for iterative activation. Furthermore, the start-up of the project implies much more microeconomic multiplier effect of the final return on investment of the project. The first phase of the project life cycle should include the project start-up iterations before the project enters the planning phase. Many mango projects went directly into the planning phase without considering or even undertaking an initial project assessment to determine if they were technically feasible before proceeding with the project. The transition to the planning phase with no known initial project selection criteria of using project appraisal tools, revealed project trajectory dilemmas. The exact starting point of project life for activation of base assemblies due to its paramountcy principle, which scrutinizes the feasibility and viability status of the project, is completely lost. Had the project appraisal been conducted, it would have provided sufficient numerical data indicating whether the project was worth the effort to justify the deployment of human resources and planning. Planning for non-assessed projects that never reached the minimum screening threshold is a waste of time planning for scarce resources that should have been spent elsewhere. Planning, without an adequate investment analysis and without a business case, will amount to planning for failure, even before the consequences of the project begin to unravel. The objective of the study was to establish the influence of participatory project initiation on performance of mango farming projects in Makueni County, Kenya. The study had a sample size of 375 respondents selected from a population of 12,622 using a multistage sampling technique. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used and F-test and Correlation were the main tools of data analysis. The null hypothesis tested, stated that, there was no significant relationship between participatory project initiation and performance of mango farming projects. The study findings depicted significant correlation between Participatory project initiation and mango performance at 95% confidence level, with results showing DF (2,367), F=12.23, t=1.821 at the level of significance P=0.000&lt;0.05, r= 0.211 and R square= 0.044 and therefore the null hypothesis was rejected. Based on the findings, the study recommends projects to commence with project initiation to enhance mango performance. The study will be beneficial to mango farmers and other stakeholders in highlighting the need to undertake adequate project initiation business case groundwork probe measures. In the long economic project run, the study revealed that mango project's success depended wholly on the way they were firstly initiated. Keywords: Participatory Project Initiation, Performance, Project Management Life Cycle, Sequencing Project Iterative Activities, Project Feasibility Study and Viability, Scouting for Project Ideas, Project Appraisal and Selection Criteria DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-6-04 Publication date: March 31 st 2022

Study on engineering process and equipment operation of total treatment project of leachate and concentrated solution

The accumulation of a large amount of leachate and concentrated liquid caused by MSW is a serious potential safety hazard and environmental hazard. A full treatment project of leachate and concentrate were performed, with treatment capacity of leachate 1100 t/d and concentrate 550 t/d. The leachate treatment process adopts “pretreatment + second-stage A/O biochemistry + ultrafiltration + chemical softening + second-stage DTRO+HPRO+RO+ ion exchange”. The main processing equipment is jet aerator, submersible mixer, centrifugal pump, ultrafiltration membrane assembly, softening membrane assembly, DT membrane column, RO system, ion exchange tank, sludge mixer, sludge dehydrator, etc. The concentrated liquid treatment process adopts “pretreatment +MVR forced circulation evaporation + triple-effect evaporation +RO+ ion exchange”. The main processing equipment is filter press, feed pump, compressor, MVR heater, circulating pump, discharge pump, original liquid pump, triple-effect evaporator, RO system, ion exchange tank, etc. The treatment results show that each indicator of external drainage meets the standard requirements of GB16889-2008 and DB37/3416.4-2018. The engineering process and equipment of the project run stably, with high recovery rate, and can properly solve the problem of concentrated liquid. So, engineering process and equipment operation of total treatment project of leachate and concentrated solution were studied, which has important reference significance for the full treatment of leachate from the national waste treatment plant.

Health Psychology from a global perspective: Piloting virtual mobility workshops for Stage 1 Trainees

This report reviews a teaching project run between the MSc Health Psychology programmes at Cardiff Metropolitan University and their Transnational Education partner City Unity College, Athens. We reflect on the benefits of global exchange within Health Psychology training and discuss how virtual mobility can facilitate collaborative learning as an adjunct or alternative to in-person visits.

Black book blackboard black book: A drawing-based strategy for knowledge transfer

This paper reflects on a project run in a first-year class of art and design degree, in the Curricular Unit of Art and Design Theory. The objective of the project was to investigate the potential of a teaching protocol where a set of drawings were generated in class by the teacher to facilitate knowledge transfer in the classroom. The drawings generated by the teacher in class have not been treated or explored as a strategy as such, but they supported the delivery of theoretical content in the classroom. As part of the teaching theory protocol, a series of drawings were built as a sequential visual narrative, in the form of a story; these drawings, acting as visual narratives, sought to enable students to understand the theoretical content. At the end of the sessions, all students involved in the project were evaluated through surveys, to gather evidence of their understanding of theory. The results obtained suggest that the use of drawing as a tool in explaining theory facilitates a better understanding of theoretical concepts for students. It also allows the teacher to clarify and adjust unclear points in the lectures, and as such this protocol could function as a recursive strategy. In conclusion, the simplicity of this strategy could benefit students with cognitive difficulties, offering a complementary approach in the dialogue between teacher and student. This approach is particularly useful in contributing to the transfer of knowledge in the classroom in a digital age.

An Alternative Funding Theory – a Metatheory – for Afghanistan

The World Bank ceased operation after the Taliban takeover of Kabul, where posed sanctions by the United States made significant difficulties in processing international transactions due to the Central Bank’s restrictions on capital outflows. Unavailability of the fund and physical cash for running of health projects pushes the country into significant health and humanitarian crises. According to a contract between Global Fund and NGOs, the UNDP intended to transfer 80% of the fund in the first week of the month; however, NGOs could receive only 10% of the contract price and withdraw approximately 1.5% of the contract price in three weeks. The paper used a scoping review method to review all past and possible theories in the funding of the Afghanistan health system. The study considers a metatheory that involves funding mechanisms and theories, and feasible practices in the contexts of Afghanistan. We have found some main approaches in the humanitarian support projects since 1996. They are cash-based theory in all transactions in the absence of banking system, cash-based and banking theory during the transition and Islamic republic government, banking theory in the very last period through Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, and back to cash-based and hawala system under the current Taliban regime. The scoping review proposes using both banking and cash-based approaches. The theory suggests that donors transfer a certain amount of funds through bank transfer to the NGO, where NGOs also use transfers to procure necessary supplies and services. Meanwhile, it suggests that donors deposit (in cash) a certain amount of funds to the NGO to allow procurement at the provincial levels where local markets require money in exchange for their goods and services.

A termőhely, a gyeptípus és az időjárás szerepe néhány gyep hozamának alakulásában a hasznosítás intenzitásának függvényében

The lawn – following the forest – is the best manner of land use. 10.75 percent of Hungarian territory is grassland. 90-95 percent of the grass’s root system can be found in the upper 10 cm layer of the soil therefore and because of the large evaporating surface the grasses have a great water demand and weather sensitivity. Beside the nutritional ability and some extreme properties of soil (for ex. great salinity) there is an influence on formation of the grass-type and the yield. In our experiments the sites were utilised 2, 3 and 4 times yearly. At two sites for four years (2006-2009) and at one site for two years (2009-2010) the quantity and the distribution of the yield as well as other parameters were examined, which are not reported in this paper. This experiment is a part of a climate research project run at 27 sites in Austria. The laboratory analyses were carried out uniformly in the LFZ Raumberg- Gumpenstein Research Institute. The most important results of this study are the following: The productivity of the grass type formed on the Little Cumania lowland is very limited. In case of drought there was the highest yield decrease and at the same time in case of good precipitation there was the smallest increase of yield. The effect of grass utilization by late first cut at the poorestsoil site was very unfavourable. At the grass sites of better quality, the utilization manner of 3 or 4 growth, resulted in a better adaptation to the climatic extremities.

Sustainable refurbishment of abandoned urban areas: the case study of former SIAPA area, Galliera – Bologna, Italy

This study presents a conceptual vision of an innovative approach to refurbishing the vacant urban spaces and abandoned buildings of the former SIAPA area in Galliera – Bologna, Italy, transforming it into a liveable, productive, and sustainable park through applying the recent technologies in urban farming. The methodology depends on two approaches: an assessment of the current site and an applied study incorporating technologies that are based on soilless solutions to reduce the consumption of irrigation water, wastes, and increase production. The upgraded park named “Galliera Kitchen Park” (GKP) integrates urban farming technologies for the outdoor farms, whereas, the vertical zip-grow technologies are exploited in indoor farms, generating fresh kitchen crops. GKP works on linking the industrial area with the residential area as well as connecting citizens to vibrant places where food and memories are derived from. A business plan includes marketing strategy, operation management, SWOT, financial analysis, and a business model study to predict the worst-case and best-case scenarios for the project running. Finally, requalifying the area would benefit back the entire town; it could be once again an economic centre for Galliera. The results highlight the potential of the proposed intervention to attain SDG 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13 and 17.

Low-Cost Road Construction and Rehabilitation in Unstable Mountain Areas

Abstract: The mountain roads are impacted by social, environmental and economic challenges. The financial management around the road construction and rehabilitation requires fine management and administrative skills to be done effectively by the local and the federal authorities. The objective of this study is to understand the factors affecting the low-cost road construction and rehabilitation in the unstable mountain areas and to analyze the solutions to the specific barriers. The materials and methods used here is a best evidence review focusing on the existing literature that emphasizes on the above-mentioned research problem. Global evidence has been used in order to draw a greater idea and explanation about the research topic. The results focus on the importance of technology leadership, financial management, risk control and mitigation, sociocultural benefits and socioeconomic scalability of the low-cost road construction and rehabilitation projects. The workforce management and stakeholder relations are very important as well for the effective running of the construction projects without any interference. The partnerships between the public and the private organizations is very much vital for ethical and regulatory compliances which is one of the major findings of the study. The sociocultural impact and the road traffic safety considerations are to be assessed properly in order to prevent and mitigate any project risk which is also a very important finding.