Study of factors affecting the performance of construction projects in AEC industry

A construction project is like a living entity and requires the interconnection and coordination of several stakeholders and many of them have their objectives, which sometimes create a conflict of interest between the teams and within the teams. The success of any project is repeatable, and a set of attributes for the success of a construction project can be identified, requiring discipline and hard work. The construction sector is the engine of growth for a nation and supplies services and goods to other industries. The objective of the study is to analyse the enabling factors affecting the performance construction projects in Architecture Engineering and Construction industry. The methodology chosen for the study is to collect primary data from the Indian construction industry using structured questionnaire surveys. The collected data are analysed using reliability and factor analyses. The findings of the study provide the value of reliability, that is, Cronbach’s alpha value of (0.86) of the data collected using a questionnaire survey. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis produced five main significant factors based on covariance between the attributes and grouped into factors such as site management and coordination, leadership and financial management, planning, commitment, and coordination having a variance of 17.65, 11.8, 9.1, 8.5, and 7.5%, respectively. This article is the extended version of the paper accepted and presented at CCC2019

Analysing Enabling Factors Affecting the On-site Productivity in Indian Construction Industry

The growth in construction productivity is low and do not continue for a long span of time. The purpose of the present research paper is to analyse the factors affecting on-site construction productivity in Indian construction industry. The tools used for the analysis are reliability analysis to check the consistency of the data, Pearson correlation analysis to mathematically validate the factor analysis, and linear regression analysis to propose a framework of factors affecting construction productivity. The findings of the reliability analysis concludes that the all the factors having a value of more than 0.67, which is considered to be good for the study, and the findings of the study conclude that the most significant 3 attributes grouped in linear regression analysis change in scope (R2), revision in drawings (R15), and response to change orders (R3) having maximum impact over the construction productivity. The research paper attempts to provide an insight and better understanding of the factors affecting on-site construction productivity in India and the ways and means to control and improve construction productivity of construction projects."This paper is the revised version of the paper that has been published in the proceedings of the Creative Construction Conference 2018: Dixit, S., Mandal, S. N., Thanikal, J. V, & Saurabh, K. (2018). Critical Analysis of Factors Affecting the on-site Productivity in Indian Construction Industry, (July), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.3311/CCC2018-006

Impact of Construction Productivity Attributes Over Construction Project Performance in Indian Construction Projects

Performance of a construction project could be influenced by a number of attributes, especially large and complex projects lay additional focus on the success / failure attributes, because of the intensive amount of money invested, a high degree of uncertainty, the complexity of personnel’s required, a multiplicity of goals and problems in coordination between different stakeholders encountered. In this research paper, the author intended to define and examine the relationship and impact of construction productivity (CP) over construction project performance (CPP). The author tests the proposition that there is a positive relationship/impact between both of them. And to test the effect of factors is affecting CP on CPP and to propose a conceptual model on the basis of the analysis. To validate the mathematical validity of factor analysis, Spearman correlation analysis has been performed on the factors. And to check the reliability of all the factors using reliability analysis, and finally test the hypothesis that construction productivity is having a positive impact on project performance using one sample t-test. The findings of the study concluded that there is a positive impact of construction productivity on project performance in Indian construction projects. This paper attempts to identify the relationship between CP and CPP and recommends the framework for the industry to grow sustainably and deliver projects successfully. This study is conducted using a structured questionnaire survey in India and to validate the results of the study similar kind of study is required to be conducted in the other regions of the country to have more reliable findings."This paper is the revised version of the paper that has been published in the proceedings of the Creative Construction Conference 2018: Dixit, S., Mandal, S. N., Thanikal, J. V, & Saurabh, K. (2018). Construction Productivity and Construction Project Performance in Indian Construction Projects, m(July), 379–386. https://doi.org/10.3311/CCC2018-050"

Cementless binder based on high-calcium fly ash with calcium nitrate additive

Fly ash from Berezovskaya Thermal Power Plant, containing a lot of CaO, in combination with silica fume does not expand and exhibits the properties of a binder. However, the strength of this binder is low. The addition of Ca(NO3)2 significantly increases the strength of the binder. The work aims to study the effect of Ca(NO3)2 additive on the strength, heat of hydration, and phase composition of hydration products of the binder based on high-calcium fly ash and silica fume. The results of X-ray diffraction and Differential Thermal Analysis show that the main phases formed during the hydration of binder with the calcium nitrate additive in various dosages are lime, calcium hydroxide, ettringite, CSH(II) type silicates and calcium aluminosilicates, corresponding to such minerals as gismondine, yugavaralite, goosecreekite. When hardening in water, the residual amount of lime after 7 days is sharply reduced. An increase in the dosage of Ca(NO3)2 from 1.5 to 11.8 % leads to a decrease in the CaO content by almost 2 times. With an increase in the dosage of calcium nitrate, the content of portlandite noticeably decreases, and a significant increase in the amount of calcium hydroaluminosilicates, especially the composition of CAS2H4, is observed. A study of the heat release process showed that calcium nitrate greatly accelerates the process in the first 60 minutes of hydration. However, then the composition with the addition of Ca(NO3)2 is inferior in the rate of heat release to binder without the additive. When testing a mortar with polyfractional sand, the addition of Ca(NO3)2 more than doubled the compressive strength of the mortar

A Comparative Study of Digital City Development Using the Data-Driven Smart City Index

This research compares and contrasts the evolution of smart cities using a comparative analysis based on the Data-Driven Smart City Index. The study includes four important tables: the Digital City Development Index, which shows City D as a model smart city because of its high Infrastructure, Data Utilization, and Connectivity Scores, offers a thorough summary of the development of smart cities. The three components of the Data-Driven Smart City Index are Environmental Sustainability, Governance, and Quality of Life. City D excels in all three areas. The importance of big data analytics, IoT adoption, and open data usage—all of which City D leads—is emphasized in Data Utilization in Digital City Development. Lastly, Connectivity Infrastructure in Digital Cities emphasizes the significance of cutting-edge technology, with City D leading the way in terms of availability of public Wi-Fi, 5G network connectivity, and fiber broadband coverage. These results provide insightful information that will help stakeholders, politicians, and urban planners advance cities into the digital age and improve the quality of life for citizens

Augmented Reality and AI in Smart Manufacturing: An Empirical Investigation

This empirical study, “Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence in Smart Manufacturing,” reveals how these two technologies are revolutionizing the manufacturing industry. The results, which are based on real data, highlight the significant effects of integrating AI and AR. Notably, after installation, productivity indicators saw an average improvement of 8.5% across production lines, highlighting the effectiveness of AR and AI in improving production operations. Furthermore, the average number of completed product faults dropped by 3.5, demonstrating the effectiveness of AI and AR in quality control. The average 47.5% decrease in repair requests highlights the predictive maintenance's potential for cost savings made possible by AR and AI. The relevance of AR and AI as critical factors influencing productivity, quality, and affordability in smart manufacturing is further supported by this empirical data

Enhancing Smart City Services with AI: A Field Experiment in the Context of Industry 5.0

The practical effects of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into Industry 5.0 smart city services are made evident by this empirical research. The use of AI-powered smart traffic management yields a noteworthy 32.94% rise in traffic volume, signifying a noteworthy progression towards improved urban mobility. AI waste management optimization results in a 5.71% increase in collection efficiency, highlighting the importance of operational effectiveness and resource conservation. The control of energy use shows an 8.57% decrease, confirming AI's importance in sustainable energy practices. AI-enhanced public safety offers dependable event prediction, indicating safer cityscapes. These results highlight AI's revolutionary potential and establish smart cities as safe, secure, and sustainable urban environments

Role of Experiential Trust in E-Shopping Behaviour: An Emerging Market Perspective

Addressing the limited research on online shopping trust in the emerging e-market context, this study examined how online experience affects experiential trust, attitude, perceived risk, perceived usefulness, and purchase intention. Further, experiential trust was tested as a mediator between online experience and attitude, perceived risk, and perceived usefulness. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect data from 583 respondents. The proposed hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling using AMOS 23 and hierarchical regression analysis. The result indicates that online experience is significant in forming experiential trust. The findings also show that experiential trust plays an important role in influencing e-shoppers’ purchasing behavior. Furthermore, it has been found that online experience and experiential trust function as distinct predictors of perceived risk in online shopping behavior. This study provides new insights into online shopping behavior in emerging e-market scenarios. Practically, the findings suggest the strategic importance of generating experiential trust in the e-retailing context and indicate the utility of past online experiences

Analyzing W.B. Yeats Selected Poetry Through Feminist Epistemology: A Reassessment

W.B. Yeats stands out as one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century. His symbolic poetry and his political and philosophical ideas are all prominently reflected in his work. During his lifetime, he was deeply influenced by a few remarkable women who made significant contributions to his poetic development and played a pivotal role in shaping his personality. Yeats's poems chosen for this study offer a profound insight into the predicament of women within various socio-cultural and economic contexts. This analysis will explore how Yeats projected female voices through multiple images and symbols in poems such as 'A Prayer for My Daughter,' 'Among School Children,' and 'Leda and the Swan.' While Maud Gonne is widely recognized as a central figure in Yeats's love poems, it's essential to acknowledge that she wasn't the sole woman who influenced the artist's evolution. Others, like Lady Gregory, Olivia Shakespeare, and George Hyde-Lees, the wife of W.B. Yeats, played significant roles in the later phase of his life, particularly in developing his philosophical treatise, "A Vision." In his final poems, Yeats attempted to convey his ultimate understanding of love, emphasizing its perfection in the unbroken relationship between the body and the mind. Works like 'Among School Children,' 'Leda and the Swan,' 'The Second Coming,' 'Sailing to Byzantium,' 'A Man Young and Old,' and many other universally acclaimed poems were inspired by his complex relationships with Maud Gonne and others

Physiochemical Characteristics Analysis of Garrah River Water at Shahjahanpur, Ganga River Basin, Uttar Pradesh, India

This study focuses on the physiochemical analysis of the Garrah River in Shahjahanpur, within the Ganga River Basin, Uttar Pradesh, India. The research evaluates the impact of various pollutants, including industrial and municipal sewage, on the river's water quality. Water samples were collected from three locations along the river, representing different pollution levels. The analysis included parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), color, odor, electrical conductivity, temperature, chemical oxygen demand (COD), salinity, and the concentrations of various elements. The findings showed variations in water quality parameters, with DO, TSS, COD, and heavy metals indicating significant pollution, particularly downstream. Color and odor also suggested pollution from nearby industries. The study revealed that some parameters exceeded WHO standards for drinking water, raising concerns about health risks from exposure to contaminants like chromium. Urgent actions are required to treat municipal sewage and industrial effluents before discharging into the Garrah River. This research highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and sustainable management of water resources in the Ganga River Basin to protect the ecosystem and local communities. It underscores the importance of improving water quality in the region