Search Results (149)

Korea has a high population density, considering the size of its territory. Therefore, the importance of convenient and comfortable apartment buildings and high-rise residential–commercial complex buildings has been rising. In addition, because of the improvement in the standard of living along with continuous national economic growth, the interest in well-being and the expectation of a quiet life with a comfortable and pleasant residential environment have also been increasing. However, Koreans have a lifestyle involving sitting on the floor, so floor impact noise has been occurring more and more frequently. Because of this, neighborly disputes have been a serious social problem. And lately, damage and disputes from noise between floors have been increasing much more. The present work, therefore, used waste tire chips as a resilient material for reducing floor impact noise in order to recycle waste tires effectively. Also, a compounded resilient material, which combines EPS (expanded polystyrene), a flat resilient material on the upper part, with waste tire chips for the lower part, was developed. After constructing waste tire chips at a standardized test building, experiments with both light-weight and heavy-weight floor impact noise were performed. The tests confirmed that waste tire chips, when used as a resilient material, can effectively reduce both light-weight and heavy-weight floor impact noise. Full article

Project delays remain a persistent challenge in the construction industry, having significant financial implications and contributing to disputes between project participants. Forensic Delay Analysis (FDA) has emerged as a specialised function that identifies the root causes of such delays, quantifies their duration, and assigns responsibility to the appropriate parties. While FDA is a widely practised process, it has yet to fully exploit the potential of emerging technologies. This study explores the integration of both existing and emerging technologies for enhancing FDA processes. A Design Science Research (DSR) approach is adopted, with data collection methods that involve the use of the literature, archival materials, case studies and survey methods. The research demonstrates how the use of technologies, such as database management systems (DBMSs), building information modelling (BIM), artificial intelligence (AI) and games engines, can improve the analytical efficiency, data management, and presentation of findings through a case study. The study showcases the transformative potential of these interventions in streamlining FDA processes, ultimately leading to more accurate and efficient resolution of construction disputes. The proposed process is exemplified by the development of a prototype: the Forensic Information Modelling Visualiser (FIMViz). The FIMViz is a practical tool that has received positive evaluation by FDA experts. The prototype and the enhanced FDA process model that underpins it demonstrate significant advancement in FDA practices, promoting improved decision-making and collaboration between project participants. Further development is needed, but the results could ultimately streamline the FDA process and minimise the uncertainties in FDA outcomes, thus reducing the incidence of costly disputes to the wider economic benefit of the industry generally. Full article

As an emerging e-commerce model, live streaming e-commerce integrates instant interaction, content marketing, and online sales to bring consumers a new shopping experience. However, there are many risks in the process of live e-commerce transactions. Identifying key risk factors and implementing targeted control measures are crucial for promoting the sustainable and healthy development of live streaming e-commerce. This paper firstly constructs a business model of live streaming e-commerce transactions according to the transaction scenario and summarizes 24 risk factors from the three dimensions of live streaming e-commerce platforms, merchants, and anchors based on relevant national standards and other relevant literature. Secondly, the Delphi method is employed to modify and optimize the initial risk factors. On this basis, the social network model of risk factors is constructed to determine the influence relationship among risk factors. By calculating the degree centrality, factor types are segmented, and key risk factors as well as influence paths are identified. Finally, corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are proposed. The results indicate that Credit Evaluation System Perfection, Service Evaluation System Perfection, Qualification Audit Mechanism Perfection, Dispute Complaint Handling Channels Perfection, Risk Identification Mechanism Perfection, Platform Qualification, Merchant Qualification, and Merchant Credit are the critical risk factors affecting live streaming e-commerce transactions. Full article

Engineering contract management is a critical component of project management systems, serving as a key mechanism for ensuring successful project implementation. This study systematically analyzes 349 s-instance judicial cases related to construction engineering contract disputes in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone from 2017 to 2021, based on data obtained from the China Judgments Online database. The research identifies contractual risk characteristics across dimensions such as regional distribution, dispute terminology, legal citation patterns, and appellate role transitions. The key findings include the following: (1) Primary risks involve payment disputes, quality assurance failures, contractual validity issues, and schedule compliance challenges. (2) Litigation patterns reveal complex interdependencies between contracting parties and stakeholders, posing significant risk management challenges. (3) High second-instance modification rates stem from procedural irregularities, new evidence, improper legal application, and factual errors in initial trials. The study proposes stratified risk mitigation strategies, including governmental regulatory improvements and enterprise-level management optimizations. These findings offer valuable insights into advancing risk governance in construction contract administration, particularly through an enhanced understanding of dispute complexity and systemic vulnerabilities. Full article

This article carries out an interdisciplinary analysis of five MOOC courses developed by the University of Valladolid and offered on higher education platforms between 2020 and 2024. This research is based on the study of the lexical categories used by the informants participating in these courses, establishing a correlation with the theoretical and practical debates surrounding the definition of heritage and the frameworks of contemporary heritage education. Through a metalinguistic approach, the semantic limits of the emerging lexical categories are examined, paying attention to their ambiguity, polysemy and contexts of use, both from a formal linguistic perspective and from a hermeneutic approach. The analysis is based on natural language processing tools, complemented by qualitative techniques from applied linguistics and cultural studies. This dual approach, both scientific–statistical and humanistically nuanced, allows us to identify recurrent discursive patterns, as well as significant variations in the conceptualization of heritage according to the socio-cultural and geographical profiles of the participants. The results of the linguistic analysis are contrasted with the thematic lines investigated by our research group, focusing on cultural policy, legacy policies, narratives linked to the culture of depopulation, disputed scientific paradigms, and specific lexical categories in the Latin American context. In this sense, the article takes a critical look at discursive production in massive online learning environments, positioning language as a key indicator of the processes of cultural resignification and the construction of legacy knowledge in the Ibero-American context. The findings of my scientific article underscore the pressing need for a multiform liberation of the traditionally constrained concept of heritage, which has long been framed within rigid institutional, legal, and disciplinary boundaries. This normative framework, often centered on materiality, monumentalism, and expert-driven narratives, limits the full potential of heritage as a relational and socially embedded construct. My research reveals that diverse social agents—ranging from educators and local communities to cultural mediators and digital users—demand a more flexible, inclusive, and participatory understanding of heritage. This shift calls for redefining legacy not as a static legacy to be preserved but as a dynamic bond, deeply rooted in affective, symbolic, and intersubjective dimensions. The concept of “heritage as bond”, as developed in contemporary critical theory, provides a robust framework for this reconceptualization. Furthermore, the article highlights the need for a new vehiculation of access—one that expands heritage experience and appropriation beyond elite circles and institutionalized contexts into broader social ecosystems such as education, digital platforms, civil society, and everyday life. This approach promotes legacy democratization, fostering horizontal engagement and collective meaning-making. Ultimately, the findings advocate for a paradigm shift toward an open, polyphonic, and affective heritage model, capable of responding to contemporary socio-cultural complexities. Full article

This study investigates the evolutionary mechanisms and equilibrium character-istics of the China–US trade dispute through an improved ecological competition model. By quantifying tariff policies as competition intensity regulators and introducing trade elasticity parameters, we construct a dynamic system that captures the nonlinear feedback between economic rivals. Key findings are as follows. (1) When both nations implement reciprocal tariff measures with similar economic sensitivities, the system converges to a stable equilibrium where bilateral economic outputs stabilize at reduced levels compared to pre-conflict states, provided the product of adjusted competition coefficients remains below critical thresholds. (2) Excessive tariff escalation beyond identifiable tipping points triggers winner-takes-all outcomes, validating the “Thucydides Trap” hypothesis in eco-nomic conflicts. (3) Empirical simulations using 2018–2023 trade data demonstrate that China’s tit-for-tat tariff strategy effectively maintains competitive balance, while domestic market expansion measures (evidenced by a 6.3% average annual growth in China’s do-mestic consumption) significantly mitigate trade diversion effects. The study establishes theoretical connections with optimal tariff theory and strategic trade policy literature while providing policymakers with quantitative tools to assess trade policy impacts. Our find-ings theoretically validate China’s policy combination of calibrated reciprocity and domestic demand stimulation, offering new insights into managing great-power economic competition. Full article

The construction industry faces persistent challenges from disputes and claims, leading to delays, cost overruns, and strained stakeholder relationships. This study proposes a strategic framework that integrates building information modeling (BIM) as a proactive tool for dispute avoidance. Using a causal loop diagram (CLD), the research maps the relationships among systemic factors contributing to disputes, such as poor communication, ambiguous specifications, and ineffective stakeholder engagement. The study highlights BIM’s transformative potential in enhancing visualization, improving collaboration, and fostering proactive conflict resolution. Validated through expert insights, the framework provides actionable recommendations for integrating BIM (with ISO19650 specs) into construction workflows, addressing the root causes of disputes, and driving project efficiency. This research contributes a structured roadmap for advancing construction management practices, emphasizing early BIM adoption considered with ISO19650, stakeholder alignment, and balancing systemic dynamics. The findings underscore BIM’s pivotal role in reshaping conflict prevention strategies, paving the way for sustainable and dispute-free project delivery. Full article

Frequent ambiguities in contract terms often lead to costly legal disputes and project delays in the construction industry. Large Language Models (LLMs) offer a promising solution, enhancing accuracy and reducing misinterpretations. As studies pointed out, many professionals use LLMs, such as ChatGPT, to assist with their professional tasks at a minor level, such as information retrieval from the Internet and content editing. With access to a construction regulation database, LLMs can automate contract interpretation. However, the lack of Artificial Intelligence tools tailored to industry regulations hinders their adoption in the construction sector. This research addresses the gap by developing and deploying a publicly available specialised chatbot using the ChatGPT language model. The development process includes architectural design, data preparation, vector embeddings, and model integration. The study uses qualitative and quantitative methodologies to evaluate the chatbot’s role in resolving contract-related issues through standardised tests. The specialised chatbot, trained on construction-specific legal information, achieved an average score of 88%, significantly outperforming ChatGPT’s 36%. The integration of a domain-specific language model promises to revolutionise construction practices through increased precision, efficiency, and innovation. These findings demonstrate the potential of optimised language models to transform construction practices. Full article

Conflicts between owners and contractors in state-led infrastructure and building projects pose significant challenges to project efficiency, cost control, and stakeholder collaboration. The aim of this study is to identify the primary causes of such conflicts in Norway and evaluate potential mitigation strategies. Deficiencies in tender documentation, unclear risk allocation, and limited early contractor involvement significantly contribute to project disputes considered as central facts. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates survey data from 57 industry professionals and in-depth interviews with senior project managers. Statistical analysis results show that most people believe flawed tender documents and unclear risk sharing are big causes of conflicts. Specifically, 78% said tender documents were a problem, and 65% pointed to unclear risk allocation. Additionally, interviews revealed that involving contractors early in the process helps avoid misunderstandings and encourages better teamwork. The findings indicate sector-specific differences, with infrastructure projects primarily affected by technical ambiguities and contractual disputes, whereas building projects face more scope modifications and interpersonal conflicts. To mitigate these issues, the study recommends improving tender document quality, adopting collaborative contracting models, and increasing early contractor engagement. These measures can enhance project outcomes, reduce societal costs, and foster more efficient stakeholder collaboration in state-led construction initiatives. Full article

This study employs the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR) to systematically analyze and evaluate potential solutions to disputes arising from the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) agreement in India. By incorporating hydrological analysis in the study, the research assesses the potential impacts of proposed solutions on water demand. The GMCR methodology is applied through a comprehensive decision support system (GMCR II), involving the identification of decision-makers, options, and preferences, followed by the development of a conflict resolution model. The analysis is based on a thorough literature review of previous studies on GMCR and PAP systems. The strategic analysis using GMCR II reveals nine stable states, representing feasible resolution scenarios. The study evaluates the real-world implications of various resolution scenarios by assessing their hydrological consequences on demand sites using Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP). The results provide valuable insights into both conflict resolution and environmental considerations, evaluating various resolution scenarios and their feasibility. The study discusses the practical applicability and long-term effectiveness of the proposed solutions, addressing potential challenges and impacts. For instance, this study examines the potential impacts of new constructions in the PAP system, based on hypothetical data assumptions regarding water divergence and reservoir capacity. The study indicates that such a solution involving new construction can reduce the overall unmet water demand by up to 39%, with a notable decrease of up to 50% in unmet demand for irrigation in Tamil Nadu. However, the study also reveals potential challenges, including a 14% increase in unmet demand for irrigation in Kerala. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a novel application of GMCR to a complex water management conflict, highlighting its potential to support policymakers in mitigating conflicts and promoting cooperation in the context of transboundary water management. While offering valuable insights into the strategic dynamics of the PAP agreement, the analysis is constrained by limited data availability, such as long-term hydrologic data and real-time water usage data. Future research addressing data scarcity can leverage this study’s framework to develop more robust and actionable management strategies. Full article

The construction industry faces increasing conflicts over additional construction costs due to economic uncertainties, such as global pandemics and wars. These disputes often lead to project delays, legal actions, and even construction halts, causing significant financial and operational losses for stakeholders. To address these challenges, this study develops a simulation model based on evolutionary game theory (EGT) to identify the key influencing factors and applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to analyze and manage the conflicts between contractors and owners in private construction projects. The model quantifies decision-making dynamics by calculating the relative importance of various factors under different scenarios. A proof-of-concept simulation of the model reveals that cooperative evolution dynamics significantly decrease when the cost-sharing ratio reaches 0.5 for contractors and 0.9 for owners. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis indicates that exceeding cost-sharing thresholds undermines cooperation, increasing the risk of disputes. Through this simulation, this study concludes that fostering mutual trust and informed decision-making on cost-sharing ratio significantly reduces project disputes and enhances the stakeholders’ profitability. The developed model and its framework serve as valuable tools for providing project stakeholders with actionable insights aimed at fostering strategic behaviors that minimize dispute-driven financial risks in construction projects. Full article

The eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, is challenged by the significant energy expenditures of tunnel construction for resource discovery. Subterranean termites use idiothetic mechanisms to explore large spaces, while the use of resource-specific cues for localized search is disputed. Here, termite response to wood mulch, termite workers, extracts of wood mulch, and CO₂ alone were tested using a bioassay design that distinguished between attraction and arrestment. Termites showed significant attraction to wood mulch with workers or to wood mulch alone. They did not respond to workers alone at the initial dose tested, but were attracted to workers at higher densities. Termites did not respond to water or the acetone extracts of wood mulch, but did show a partial response to hexane extract compared to intact wood mulch. More significantly, when CO₂ was removed from the emissions of wood mulch and workers using soda lime, attraction was eliminated. Furthermore, termites showed a quadratic response to CO₂ concentration that peaked at ca. 14,000 ppm. The response to CO₂ alone predicted by the model matched termite response to mulch + workers when compared at the level of CO₂ they emitted. The results suggest that CO₂ is both necessary and sufficient to explain the attraction response of R. flavipes to mulch and workers we observed. It is argued that orientation to food cues complements the previously demonstrated idiothetic program to maximize the efficiency of resource location. Full article

The medical industry has made significant advancements in recent years. However, the lack of accountability in medical management has resulted in systemic deficiencies, which have adversely affected patient trust and contributed to an increase in medical disputes. As a result, there is a growing emphasis on managing the quality of medical services, particularly in enhancing patient experience. To address these challenges, we propose a new system for evaluating health services. This system will allow patients to anonymously rate the services they receive while also providing doctors the opportunity to appeal specific reviews. The hospital handles the evaluations and appeals through the management of the cloud platform. We propose a new scheme to assist the work of the platform, which is a lattice-based group signature with verifier-local revocation (VLR-GS). Most of the work on VLR-GS has focused on the random oracle model (ROM) or using non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs (NIZKs). Our construction is anonymous and traceable in the standard model under the hardness of the learning with errors problem and short integer solution problem. Furthermore, theoretically analyzing it has practical significance in both security and efficiency. In conclusion, the proposed scheme establishes a secure and privacy-oriented platform for an anonymous medical service evaluation system, with the goal of fostering patient trust and improving hospital service quality within the healthcare sector. Full article

The evolution of the landslide erosion of bank slopes in reservoir regions is crucial for disaster prevention and mitigation in hydropower projects, and it is also an important topic to investigate the impact of anthropogenic activities on the environment. A dispute exists on the landslide erosion of bank slopes under reservoir impoundment. In this paper, we chose the Xiluodu reservoir as a typical case for analysis. The reservoir is located on the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and ranks as the fourth largest hydropower station in the world. Firstly, we identified landslides using the multi-temporal image interpretation method before and after impoundment in the reservoir area, and established a landslide dataset. On this basis, we analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of these landslides, and derived the landslide erosion rate based on the quantitative relation between landslide volume and area. The results showed that the landslide erosion rate increased sharply during the initial impoundment period and decreased exponentially. We then analyzed reservoir-induced landslides worldwide and found that most reservoir bank slopes tend to stabilize after about five years of impoundment, eventually even becoming more stable than pre-impoundment, regardless of the location, scale, water fluctuations, and geoenvironment. Thus, in the long term, reservoir construction tends to reduce erosion and contribute to bank stability. This study provides a preliminary answer to the controversial issue of the impact of reservoir construction on the natural environment. Full article

The article presents a comparative analysis between Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston, South Carolina, as sites of memory of the Atlantic slave trade. It examines how these sites, both integrated into the UNESCO “Routes of Enslaved Peoples” project, confront the legacy of slavery and its contemporary implications. The study investigates the prevailing narratives in these spaces, the privileged and silenced memories, and the connection established between past atrocities and present racism. From a comparative historical perspective, the article discusses the social construction of these sites of memory, considering the influences of different social actors, such as Black movements, scholars, and public authorities. The analysis reveals how Valongo and Gadsden’s Wharves have become spaces of dispute for recognition and ambiguities over the memory of slavery and its legacies. Full article