Whole-life Cycle Research Articles

Design for Circular Manufacturing and Assembly (DfCMA): Synergising Circularity and Modularity in the Building Construction Industry

Modular construction is emerging into the limelight in the construction industry as one of the front-running modern methods of construction, facilitating multiple benefits, including improved productivity. Meanwhile, Circular Economy (CE) principles are also becoming prominent in the Building Construction Industry (BCI), which is infamous for its prodigious resource consumption and waste generation. In essence, the basic concepts of modular construction and CE share some commonalities in their fundamental design principles, such as standardisation, simplification, prefabrication, and mobility. Hence, exploring ways of synergising circularity and modularity in the design stage with a Whole Life Cycle (WLC) of value creation and retention is beneficial. By conducting a thorough literature review, supported by expert interviews and brainstorming sessions, followed by a case study, the concept of Design for Circular Manufacturing and Assembly (DfCMA) was proposed to deliver circularity and modularity synergistically in circularity-oriented modular construction. This novel conceptualisation of DfCMA is envisaged to be a value-adding original theoretical contribution of this paper. Furthermore, the findings are expected to add value to the BCI by proposing a way forward to synergise circularity and modularity to contribute substantially towards an efficient circular built environment.

Implementing a Barcode-Based Whole-Life Cycle Management Process to Improve Robotic Instrument Tracking.

Minimally invasive surgery can involve the use of robotics to improve patient outcomes. Some robotic systems require special instruments with a designated number of uses. In China, during the reprocessing of the robotic instruments, health care personnel determined that the existing tracking processes were inadequate. They conducted a quality improvement project with the goal of establishing a barcode-based standardized process for tracking robotic instruments. They implemented technology that generated a unique identifier each time a robotic instrument was reprocessed after use. Nurses scanned the identifier when surgeons used the instrument. The findings included the increased accuracy of use documentation and decreases in untraceable sterilization and use records, charging concerns, and average daily and monthly inventory times. An increase in adverse event reports associated with robotic instruments also was noted. The use of barcode technology for robotic instrument tracking continues at the facility and may be expanded for additional specialty instruments.

Rural Infrastructure Lifecycle Inclusiveness Impact Path Analysis: Combining Logical Framework and Structural Equation Modeling

The rural infrastructures require inclusiveness in the whole lifecycle (WLC) for the benefits of the society. The theory of inclusive growth has been widely studied since its introduction in the infrastructure system research. However, the majority of the related studies has focused on macro level measurements and no systematic research has been carried out on the microlevel for inclusiveness formation and impact path discovery so that detailed recommendations regarding the process can be formulated. The WLC of infrastructure is a dynamic process, reflected in different stages with various activities and multiple factor groups that connect and influence each other. To address and analyze this dynamic and interdependent process from a micro perspective, this study applies the logical framework method in constructing nine impact paths of rural infrastructure inclusiveness for the WLC, which revealed the influence mechanism of rural infrastructure inclusiveness at the microlevel. According to the results, “project quality” has the most significant influence on the rural infrastructure inclusiveness.

Research on Green and Low-Carbon Development Path of China’s Automotive Industry

China’s automotive industry has been dedicated to a series of carbon-reduction efforts and has strived for comprehensive green and low-carbon transformation in order to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. On the basis of automobiles’ whole life-cycle (WLC) carbon emission accounting, this paper calculates life-cycle carbon emissions per vehicle, proposes green and low-carbon development path for China’s automotive industry, quantifies and analyzes implicated carbon-reduction potential, and puts forth suggestions for high-quality green and low-carbon development of China’s automotive industry. The first is to establish a sound standard and data management system; the second is to promote research, development and application of low-carbon materials and low-carbon technologies; the third is to accelerate the pace of fostering a new consumption model in the automotive industry. The research results can further support national policy-making regarding carbon emissions, promote corporations’ research, development and application of low-carbon technologies, encourage green and low-carbon consumption, and lead the automotive industry to achieve WLC neutrality.

Exploring the Smart Street Management and Control Platform from the Perspective of Sustainability: A Study of Five Typical Chinese Cities

In the context of “smart cities” and stock-based development, street renewal focuses more on quality and sustainability in China. To improve the efficiency of current smart technology applications, a comprehensive whole-life cycle system needs to be established in street space. After sorting out the application of smart technologies in the street design guidelines (SDGs) for typical cities in China, the compilation and application of smart technologies for sustainability were categorized into five areas: smart transportation, convenient living, life enrichment, the protection of vulnerable people, and environmental monitoring. Based on theoretical support and realistic needs, a smart street management and control platform (SSMCP) was built. The SSMCP is divided into four layers: the basic information layer for the background, the technology platform layer for the core processing, the institutional protection layer for the guarantee mechanism, and the scene application layer for spatial interactions. The results can provide a scientific reference for improving the sustainability of street space and implementing a “smart cities” project at the street level.

Parameterization of Chinese Ancient Architecture on the Basis of Modulo Relationships

Contemporary systems are trending toward 3D computer-aided design systems that integrate, network, and exhibit intelligence. The integration of parametric technology with ancient Chinese architecture can enhance the efficiency and quality of managing information on ancient buildings, thereby expanding the application scenarios of ancient architectural information models. By analyzing the construction characteristics of ancient Chinese carpentry work and modular systems, this research outlines the logic and methods for generating Chinese ancient architecture. The program’s parametric technology allows for adjusting variable parameters to produce carpentry work structures of varying scales and forms. Furthermore, this research establishes a library of parametric 3D components for ancient architecture, which can simplify the design process of contemporary antique architecture. Additionally, the parametrization of Chinese ancient architectures can function as an auxiliary tool for maintenance and repair techniques, serving as a storage mechanism for whole-life cycle information. This can enable the digital archiving of component information and model entities in an informative manner for managing existing ancient architectures.

The dynamics of changes in PPP projects – a meta-case analysis approach

Changes in public-private partnership (PPP) projects are inevitable and often lead to project failure, hence, the management of changes in PPP projects are more challenging than with traditional projects. The complex nature of changes in PPP projects, however, lacks systematic investigation and a quantitative approach in current literature. To fill this gap, this study considers the development process of major changes in PPP projects from a whole-life cycle perspective. The findings reveal significant relationships between causes and negative change results, as well as the enlarged interactive effects of certain causes. Most of the negative changes occur at the operational stage and vary across different types of project and regions, but the pre-contract stage is the most critical stage to prevent future negative changes. Hence, more proactive change management strategies are suggested for the government decision makers and project managers. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in PPP literature by providing a meta-case analysis approach, which can improve the accuracy of case selection and facilitate statistical analysis. The findings can help the researchers and practitioners to better understand the nature of changes and manage them in a more efficient way.

Epigenetic mechanisms of DNA methylation in the transgenerational effect of ethylhexyl salicylate on zebrafish

In this study, a 120-day whole-life cycle exposure and oviposition experiment on zebrafish with maternal and paternal mixed mating strategy was conducted to investigate the epigenetic mechanism of DNA methylation in ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS, 1, 10, 100 μg/L)-induced transgenerational effects. Results showed that EHS could induce the decrease of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) activity and average global DNA methylation level in maternal parents and the increase of the above indexes in paternal parents, while the change of glycine N-methyltransferase activity was opposite to DNMT1. The average global DNA methylation levels were significantly increased in the offsprings of both parents exposed and father-only exposed to EHS, suggesting that EHS-induced epigenetic modifications may be stable and heritable. Hierarchical clustering analysis of promoter at different methylation sites showed that the DNA methylation pattern of offsprings were similar to that of the paternal parents, meaning that the offsprings may have inherited paternal DNA methylation pattern with eya2, pcdh2g5 and pcdh2g1 as key genes and lead to high locomotor activity in offsprings. KEGG pathway analysis showed that parental exposure to EHS may interfere with the central nervous system, insulin function system, melanogenesis system and the normal development of somatic axis of offsprings.

Real-world studies: bridging the gap between trial-assessed efficacy and routine care.

Even though randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) have been accepted as the gold standard for official assessment of novel interventions, there is a substantial gap between the efficacy observed in RCTs and the impact on clinical practice and in terms of patient benefit. While real-world studies (RWS) are emerging to confer valuable complementing evidence in this regard and beyond, the evolving role of RWS is yet to be agreed. This article delineates an updated profile of RWS covering effectiveness verification, rare adverse effects discovery, indication repurposing, to name a few. RWS tends not only to improve the efficiency of clinical investigations for regulatory approval, but also optimizes the whole-life cycle evaluation of biomedical/pharmaceutical products.

A Critical Framework to Develop Human-Centric Positive Energy Districts: Towards Justice, Inclusion, and Well-Being

Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are a new energy initiative from European member states. They are, simply put, local districts which produce more energy than they consume. PEDs are expected to adopt a more human-centric perspective in order to create more liveable and sustainable urban neighbourhoods. However, as previous research on energy transitions has demonstrated, the mainstream approach and technocratic tradition of research and policy vis-à-vis energy transitions could result in the perpetuation of social inequalities, energy injustices, and the passive participation of citizens also within PEDs. Hence, it is crucial in these early days of PEDs to discuss what a human-centric approach should entail and how it should be enacted. Based on a narrative literature review of critical social sciences' energy research (and specifically from social and environmental psychology), this paper will propose a critical framework containing five key dimensions which are relevant for creating more just and inclusive PEDs. These are: uncertainty, risk perception and trust; distributive justice; recognition justice and people-place relations; procedural justice; and, routines, capabilities and lived experiences. To that end, it will also discuss the different implications of mainstream and critical approaches in energy research and social sciences in relation to the deployment of human-centric PEDs. The review concludes that in order to successfully deploy human-centric PEDs, a critical approach is needed and presents some concrete recommendations for future research and policy in order to adopt such an approach. These include: considering justice, inclusion and the well-being of affected socio-ecological systems in the whole-life cycle of PEDs; better integration of indigenous capabilities; and, an ethos of de-growth and circularity in their deployment.

Value Management Integration for Whole Life Cycle: Post COVID-19 Strategy for the UK Construction Industry

Value management (VM) and its integration in the whole life cycle (WLC) have become huge concepts for construction projects to provide additional value of an asset for the end user or client. However, the role of VM and its integration as part of the WLC in a construction project remain reactive, and highly impacted by nature of the project, and this has become more challenging with the epidemic impact of COVID-19. This research aims to investigate the mechanisms that delivers value management as part of the “re-invent” strategy proposed by the Construction Leadership Council in the UK government to improve WLC for buildings. In addition to existing secondary data from the literature, primary data were attained using a focus group with six quantity surveyors from different cost consultancies in the UK to gather qualitative evidence using their experiences, perceptions, and key challenges they face when integrating VM. Findings revealed that value management is primarily being used as a cost-cutting tool, the majority of quantity surveyors lack knowledge of what it encompasses, hence the industry needs a more proactive strategy towards it. Analysis revealed that value management is primarily implemented as a cost-cutting solution, key stakeholders (e.g., facility managers) need to be integrated, and there is no standardised process to incorporate value management in projects. The study proposes a four-dimensional (governance and policies, sustainability, industry’s best practice, and innovation and technology) strategy to facilitate more holistic considerations of value management post COVID-19. Future work looks into evaluating the strategy proposed while acknowledging different procurement routes.

Assessing the sustainability potential of alkali-activated concrete from electric arc furnace slag using the ECO2 framework

Alkali-activated materials are regarded as a potential sustainable building material with industrial by-products fully replacing ordinary Portland cement. Five million tonnes of electric arc furnace slag are produced annually mostly to be recycled as low value aggregates in several construction applications. This study examined the possibility of valorising the understudied slag as a precursor in alkali-activated concrete. The material, supplied free and available in abundance as a waste, presents a significant potential to produce sustainable concrete. Hence, the mechanical and durability properties of electric arc furnace slag-based alkali-activated concrete were examined. After that, using a sustainability assessment framework called ECO2, the combined whole-life cycle assessment of the environmental and economic impact was calculated for several mixes that combined electric arc furnace slag and fly ash as precursors. The increasing amount of slag content led to a decline in mechanical performance, though there was an equivalent durability-related performance; mixes with electric arc furnace slag showed equivalent slump and resistance to carbonation, and enhanced resistance to chloride ion penetration. Furthermore, slag-based concrete exhibited significant improvement in the overall ECO2 sustainability score due to its minimal environmental and economic impact.

Haze risk: information diffusion based on cellular automata

Negative effects of haze risk can easily spread faster and more widely, however, existing studies rarely investigate the whole period or cycle of diffusion events, which leads to lowered public knowledge, often resulting in exaggerated negative effects. In this paper, the diffusion simulation model based on cellular automata is used to evaluate the diffusion of haze risk information. Firstly, according to the whole-life cycle of emergencies, the public affected by haze risk information is classified by resembling the SEIR infectious disease model. Secondly, a diffusion rule from unknown to exposed individuals is developed based on the theory of cellular automata. Then, according to the individual state transformation at different stages, a whole-life cycle model regarding haze risk information diffusion and propagation model is constructed. Finally, appropriate parameters are selected to calculate the results without intervention. The results show that during the whole evolution process, the unknowns continue to decrease, and the lurkers continue to increase. Due to the existence of the immunization period, the immunized persons reach their maximum number before they are about to lose immunity, and the number of communicators reaches their minimum. Afterward, the number of immunized persons reduced to a stable level, and the number of communicators continues to increase toward an agglomeration benefit. Therefore, in order to achieve effective control of the spread of haze risk information, strong and weak control measures are taken for each type of individuals, and the immunity of unknowns and lurkers is increased for individual type control. For the entire information diffusion control, increase communicator immunity and reduce immunization conversion rate. The study of the spread of haze risk information helps to increase the public's sense of responsibility, helps to improve the government's credibility, and contributes to the establishment of a harmonious society.

Are long-term growth responses to elevated pCO2 sex-specific in fish?

Whether marine fish will grow differently in future high pCO2 environments remains surprisingly uncertain. Long-term and whole-life cycle effects are particularly unknown, because such experiments are logistically challenging, space demanding, exclude long-lived species, and require controlled, restricted feeding regimes-otherwise increased consumption could mask potential growth effects. Here, we report on repeated, long-term, food-controlled experiments to rear large populations (>4,000 individuals total) of the experimental model and ecologically important forage fish Menidia menidia (Atlantic silverside) under contrasting temperature (17°, 24°, and 28°C) and pCO2 conditions (450 vs. ~2,200 μatm) from fertilization to ~ a third of this annual species' life span. Quantile analyses of trait distributions showed mostly negative effects of high pCO2 on long-term growth. At 17°C and 28°C, but not at 24°C, high pCO2 fish were significantly shorter [17°C: -5 to -9%; 28°C: -3%] and weighed less [17°C: -6 to -18%; 28°C: -8%] compared to ambient pCO2 fish. Reductions in fish weight were smaller than in length, which is why high pCO2 fish at 17°C consistently exhibited a higher Fulton's k (weight/length ratio). Notably, it took more than 100 days of rearing for statistically significant length differences to emerge between treatment populations, showing that cumulative, long-term CO2 effects could exist elsewhere but are easily missed by short experiments. Long-term rearing had another benefit: it allowed sexing the surviving fish, thereby enabling rare sex-specific analyses of trait distributions under contrasting CO2 environments. We found that female silversides grew faster than males, but there was no interaction between CO2 and sex, indicating that males and females were similarly affected by high pCO2. Because Atlantic silversides are known to exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination, we also analyzed sex ratios, revealing no evidence for CO2-dependent sex determination in this species.

Sustainability-led design: Feasibility of incorporating whole-life cycle energy assessment into BIM for refurbishment projects

Growing climate change challenges and increasingly strict sustainability standards have led to a significant growth in the need for building refurbishment projects which are essentially focused on retrofitting in order to make them low carbon, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) suggested that Building Information Modelling (BIM) should be used to achieve sustainability requirements during refurbishment projects as a correspondence to the National Audit Office (NAO) sustainability report. BIM is now widely advocated as the preferred tool for the management and co-ordination of design and construction data using object- oriented principles. The successful integration of environmental assessment into BIM for the whole of the construction lifecycle has not yet been achieved. The potential for using BIM in refurbishment projects specifically for achieving and managing sustainability requirements has not been yet critically reviewed or put into practice. This paper focuses on the use of BIM sustainability design tools in refurbishment projects, to achieve energy efficient buildings and achieve sustainability criteria for refurbishing non-domestic buildings. A critical lens is cast on the current literature in the domains of sustainable designs and the associated implications of the sustainability decision-support tools in BIM. The research also reviews the practicality of the existing sustainability decision-support tools that are currently used to assist with achieving environmental scheme certifications such as BREEAM and LEED for refurbishment projects.

CONCEPT & WILLINGNESS TO ADOPT ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS

Objectives: This study provides information about the knowledge assessment of people of Sindh, Pakistan regarding Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs). Also, it highlights the interest level of people in incentives of Zero Energy Buildings. Methods/ Analysis: Various reports, research articles were reviewed. Resulted chunks of definitions and concepts from past records were then verified by the respective stakeholders i.e. the local people. Questionnaire was finalized after the interviews and floated through manual distribution and an online survey was also conducted. Further the collected data was analyzed in SPSS and MS Excel for data representation. Findings: This study provides suitable definition of ZEBs according to people of Sindh, Pakistan such as Zero net source energy use, Net zero cost, Zero net site energy use, Net off-site zero energy use and Net zero energy emissions. 36.98% people were interested to avail the benefits/incentives of ZEBs such as wholelife cycle cost saving, low utility bills, taxes rebated, emissions reduction, increased property values, improved health and productivity. People were also inquired that how much extra they can pay to purchase a Zero Energy Building in comparison to a traditional building. 34.38% respondents were willing to pay an extra amount or price difference of 20 to 30 %. Novelty/Improvement: This study is carried out to introduce the concepts of Zero Energy Building and to find the willingness of residents to adopt and pay for sustainable and renewable sources of energy. Keywords: Adoption, Pakistan, Sindh, Zero Energy Buildings

Brief Analysis of Urban Levee Management with Modern Information Technology – A Case Study in Yangzhong

due to geological location and special landform, Yangzhong City often suffers from flooding of Yangtze River, typhoons and rainstorms, hence facing severe challenges in flood prevention. Meanwhile, with its rapid economic development and urban expansion, the population density increases within the levee, which imposes higher standards for levee safety. With modern information technology and introduction of the concept of whole-life cycle, a levee safety monitoring and early-warning system can be built to monitor the operation, provide technical support for safety management and operation.

Modelling the bitumen scour effect: Enhancement of a dynamic friction model to predict the skid resistance of rubber upon asphalt pavement surfaces subjected to wear by traffic polishing

This paper explores the prediction of whole-life cycle skid resistance for asphalt. When asphalt surfaces are newly laid, the microtexture of the aggregates is masked by a film of bitumen binder that tends to lower skid resistance during the early life of a pavement, typically the first two year dependent on traffic volume. However, as it is subjected to traffic polishing, the skid resistance of a newly laid pavement starts increasing as a consequence of the scouring of the bitumen binder film, which gradually reveals the microtexture. Once fully exposed, the microtexture is progressively polished by the traffic tending to cause a decrease in skid resistance and leading to pavements becoming more slippery again in the long term.To take into account the early life masking of the microtexture of an asphalt surface, a coefficient or “weight factor” is introduced to a Dynamic Friction Model (DFM) previously developed to predict the skid resistance of rubber moving upon a rough surface. To validate the modified model, mosaic and asphalt samples are prepared utilizing different aggregates and submitted to controlled laboratory polishing, to simulate both the wear of surface texture and scour of the bitumen film under traffic. The specimens’ surface textures are recorded at different stages of polishing, and contact friction measurements taken using a Wehner-Schulze machine. These experimentally obtained values are compared with the fiction coefficients calculated with the modified model. The results illustrate comparable friction coefficients (More than 85% of the model simulations produced results with accurate at ± 2% of the experimental measures), and accordingly demonstrate the robustness of the enhanced model to account for the initial presence of the bitumen binder film, in the evaluation of skid resistance for asphalt pavement surfaces.

Parental exposure to bisphenol A and its analogs influences zebrafish offspring immunity

Transgenerational effects of environmental pollutants on humans and animals are complex. Thus, we used zebrafish to evaluate the effects of parental whole-life cycle exposure to bisphenol A and its analogs (bisphenol S and F) on offspring innate immunity. At adulthood, offspring were examined with/without continued chemicals treatment until 72h post-fertilization (hpf). To measure offspring immune function, larvae at 72 hpf were expose for 24h with/without the viral mimic polyinosinic-cytidylic acid (Poly I:C) or the bacterial mimic Pam3Cys-Ser-Lys4 (PAM3CSK4). Data show modified immunity in offspring. Specifically, lysozyme activity was significantly induced in F1 larvae and respiratory burst response and oxidative defense genes were inhibited. Genes of the innate immune system including Toll-like receptors and their downstream molecules and inflammatory cytokines were significantly down-regulated, whereas matrix metalloproteinases were up-regulated in larvae. In addition, recombination-activating genes in the immature adaptive immune system were significantly reduced. Thus, immune defense is diminished by exposing parental generations of zebrafish to environmentally relevant concentration of bisphenols and this suggests that fish chronically exposed to bisphenols in the wild may be vulnerable to pathogens.

Holistic study of a timber double skin façade: Whole life carbon emissions and structural optimisation

The upkeep of existing buildings has a great role to play in reducing the carbon emissions of the built environment. Façade upgrade represents one of the most effective interventions to improve both thermal efficiency and aesthetic appeal of existing buildings. Double Skin Façades (DSFs) have much to offer due to their use of solar and wind energy to passively heat and cool indoor spaces, whilst guaranteeing freedom and flexibility in the aesthetic design of the refurbished building. However, DSFs also bear an increase in the embodied energy and carbon due to the additional materials required for the extra skin throughout all life cycle stages.In this article, life cycle assessment (LCA) and dynamic energy modelling have been combined through a parametric approach to obtain figures for the whole-life cycle carbon assessment of 384 different configurations of an innovative, timber-made DSF for UK low-carbon refurbishments. Additionally, the structural design of the façade was also investigated through a structural optimisation procedure which takes into account all relevant loads and ensures minimal use of the structural material. Results show that operational savings outweigh the embodied impacts and therefore the proposed DSF is a viable and effective solution for net carbon-negative refurbishments. The operational energy modelling also contributes to the characterisation of DSFs thermal behaviour in temperate climates.