ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global restaurant business hard, especially dine-in. However, it has also provided opportunities for online dining, with takeout becoming a fulcrum for the economic resilience of the urban restaurant industry. Currently, research on the factors affecting takeout order demand under the pandemic has been inadequate. Therefore, this study uses multisource data from Nanjing to explore the changes in takeout order demand as the pandemic develops. And based on the Light gradient boosting machine (Light GBM) model, the nonlinear relationship between the built environment and order demand under different periods of pandemic is investigated, and the important factors affecting the demand are obtained. The results show that daily orders on average during COVID-19 decline by 25.6% than before COVID-19, while during the stabilization phase of the pandemic, they are 20.0% higher than before COVID-19. According to the relative importance ranking of factors in the model, land use diversity and road design influence takeout the most and the crucial influencing factors vary across pandemic periods. In the postpandemic era, special attention needs to be paid to the impact of the number of restaurants, colleges, offices, and main roads on takeout services. In addition, the thresholds of key built environment factors through partial dependency plots can enhance operators' understanding of takeout services and provide suggestions for the spatial layout of takeout resources. While satisfying people's dietary needs, the role of takeout in restoring the restaurant economy can be better utilized. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Advanced Transportation is the property of Hindawi Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
Delays are a common problem in the global construction industry, affecting the development of the road construction industry, particularly in developing countries. Where, the construction industry faces a lot of risk factors that can contribute to project delays, particularly during COVID-19. The road projects risk management framework was used to identify potential risk categories that could impede the success of road construction in Egypt. On the other hand, road construction in Egypt faces numerous challenges with increasing unexpected parameters throughout the project life cycle. In other words, unanticipated risk factors have a significant impact on the success of project execution. As a result, the study’s primary goals are to investigate the majority of the risk factors that cause road construction delays in Egypt. The impact of numerous risk factors has changed the delays in road projects as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world. As a result, the study incorporates previously unstudied factors. As well, the research has sought to investigate the new severity of risk factors during coronavirus infection. Moreover, risk breakdown structures have classified the risk factors into several categories. They include consultant risk, design risk, equipment risk, material risk, owner risk, contract risk, contractor risk, labor risk, external risk [coronavirus effects and others] and operational risk. The strategy employed in the paper is to incorporate the DEMATEL technique and risk analysis into the statistical model. Whereas the risk analysis prioritizes risk based on the evaluation of each specific project risk. Additionally, this approach has been able to create connections between risks, which may make it easier to understand the likelihood and severity of project risk than if the risks were just considered isolated events. Furthermore, the pilot survey is divided into two stages, the first of which is based on risk analysis to identify the most significant risks. As a result, the identification of the high-risk for each category has been researched. The second survey was issued to risk management by evaluating the importance of risk factors and creating causal relationships among components using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. Finally, it is noticed that operational risk and external risk caused by the effects of the coronavirus have the greatest impact on the delay of road projects.
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Background: Uganda's budget authority has faced increased fiscal pressure caused by a sudden drop in revenues from the economic slowdown and new expenditure pressures associated with COVID-19 impacts. Consequently, the country has responded by reprioritizing the budget towards 7 sectors, i.e., agriculture, health, education, trade and industry, social development, works and energy. These sectors respond to the government's objective of increasing household and firm production and productivity, providing jobs, reducing the health impacts of coronavirus, supporting poverty reduction efforts, promoting exports and enhancing economic growth. Methods and Data: This paper estimates public development budget allocative and technical efficiency for 7 priority sectors that address government policy objectives. Both allocative and technical efficiency are analysed using ratio calculation. However, for some cases, technical efficiency is analysed based on the difference between target and actual outcomes. We calculate the ratios for the 7 sectors based on the votes and outputs. Furthermore, we use a threshold of 80%, which we deem sufficient to determine whether a budget output is inefficient or not. Budget outputs below 80% are considered to be underperforming. Data on allocative efficiency was provided by MoFPED directorate of budget and that on technical efficiency from budget performance reports. The study period considered for this paper runs from 2016/17 to 2020/21. Findings: While we observe high allocative efficiency in a majority of the proposed reprioritisation sectors, there is much variation in budget funds and their utilisation due to: i. A missing link between policy objectives and budgets. Notably, there is a mismatch between wage and non-wage or capital expenditure (CAPEX) allocations, implying inadequate human resources are required to implement the policy objectives, consequently leading to poor outcomes despite the funding provided for CAPEX. This was endemic in the agriculture and health sectors. ii. Duplication of budget outputs reduces flexibility and accountability and increases monitoring costs. This calls for the consolidation of similar budget outputs, but this should be done with consultation from key stakeholders. iii. There are variations in utilisation of domestic relative to the external development financing with unmet outcomes. This could be a case of stringent donor monitoring requirements and delays in procurement. This calls for strict monitoring of the domestic development financing to ensure results. iv. Relatedly, health budgets exhibit an over-reliance on external financing. However, donor funds are largely not integrated into government budgets and may challenge any planned re-allocation. Hence, there is a need to open a discussion with the donors on the possibility of re-channelling financing to other key priority sectors/outputs in line with the country's short-term goals. v. Generally, as observed in the health and education sectors, budgeting is still based on the output/ institution-based system rather than service. This makes it complex to pool resources, spend and strategically purchase goods and services. There is a need to build stronger linkages between budget allocations and sector priorities. This can also enable the implementation of strategic purchasing and incentivize accountability for sector performance. vi. In addition, there is generally an absence of proper transition towards programme-based budgeting (PBB). For example, numerous budget outputs in the trade, tourism and industry sector do not have performance indicators that weaken the link between strategies, annual plans, sector policies and budgets. vii. Generally, we recommend that new road construction should be paused in the short term so that the available funds can be rechannelled to other urgent and critical areas.
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The article analyses the experience of the Department of Social Studies and Management at Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI), aimed to introduce the issues relating to sociology of transport into the cycle of humanities and social sciences. The present paper was designed with regard for the modern needs considering the transition of the higher school to new educational technologies using the principles of trans disciplinarity and integrated learning. It has been proved that transport sociology issues enable the teacher to rise to a higher theoretical level in the analysis of social reality and to present this subject area in class in a way accessible to students. The areas where theoretical and practical aspects of transport development are combined, those arousing students' keen interest, are highlighted. Such areas include: the changing time factor notion;people's behavior relating to transport;functioning of transport in the context of the pandemic coronavirus infection, etc. The educational component of efficient transport policy, if properly presented, is viewed as well as an argument to prove the importance of integrating the issues pertaining to the social role of transport into such academic disciplines as sociology, public administration theory, business communication, time management, etc. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.
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Risk management is defined as process of identification of risk factors, their assessment as well as prioritization of risks along with economical application of resources to minimize and control the occurrence of the risk events. The overall aim of this study is to analyze the practice of risk management, significant risk factors and its ranking in road construction in Sindhupal chowk district with the perspective of global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This research is conducted through questionnaire survey to collect the primary data. Response obtained from respondents is rated on a 5 point Likert scale and analyzed through MS Excel. The data are analyzed to find out mean and ranking of each risk factors for the severity of risk based on FMEA model regarding their probability of occurrence, its consequence and its detectability. Major risk factors based on risk priority number are time overrun risk, Safety Health and Environmental risk, cost overrun risk, financial and economic risk, force majeure and ecological risk, political legal and social risk, organizational risk, contractual risk, quality risk and design and specification risk in descending order of risk severity.
ABSTRACT
Indigenous peoples in Brazil have suffered disproportionately from the COVID-19 pandemic due to limited access to an already precarious public health system together with continued attacks on their cultures, their territories and their way of life. These attacks come as part of the government's attempts to further neoliberal development and undermine environmental and indigenous rights, taking advantage of what the Minister of Environment called 'a moment of calm while the press is focusing on the pandemic'. The pandemic has intensified environmental conflicts affecting indigenous peoples, both in amplifying conflicts but also in sparking new acts of resistance and self-protection of indigenous lives and territories. Based on case studies and monitoring of rapidly evolving social media and WhatsApp posts, the researchers analyse these processes through a political ecology lens. The researchers find confirmed cases and deaths amongst indigenous peoples centred around tourism hotspots, mining sites, and other development projects. Yet the presence of these risks, and long term conflicts related to land-grabbing and resource theft linked to said development, has in some cases strengthened community ties and increased capacity for active resistance. While some Mebengokr.. (Kayap..) communities in the Amazon have fled further into the forest to maintain isolation, others have expelled gold-miners from their villages. Tupinamb.. and Patax.. communities in the Northeast have set up blockades to keep people, and the virus, out. The retomadas, or reclaiming of land, of the Tupinamb.., Patax.. and Patax..-H..h..hai in Bahia State, are a case in point: the long-term struggle to reclaim their lands has strengthened community ties and capacity for active resistance. The recent road blockades of the Mebengokr.. (Kayap..) incorporated demands for COVID-19 support into a long history of demands for compensation for the negative impacts suffered from mining and road construction in their territories. At the national level, indigenous movements, which have grown in strength and number in the fight against Bolsonaro's 'politics of extermination' and through engagement of a new cohort of indigenous youth who had access to higher education, were able to draw on social media and indigenous led court cases to help counteract the 'genocide by omission' that has been worsened by the pandemic.
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In order to meet the environmental needs caused by large plastic waste accumulation, in the road construction sector, an effort is being made to integrate plastic waste with the function of polymer into asphalt mixtures;with the purpose of improving the mechanical performance of the pavement layers. This study focuses on the effect of a recycled mixture of plastic waste on the chemical, thermal, and rheological properties of designed asphalt blends and on the identification of the most suitable composition blend to be proposed for making asphalt mixture through a dry modification method. Thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis were carried out to investigate the effect of various concentrations and dimensions of plastic waste (PW) on the neat binder (NB). The frequency sweep test and the multiple stress creep and recovery test were performed to analyze the viscoelastic behavior of the asphalt blends made up of PW in comparison with NB and a commercial modified bitumen (MB). It has been observed that the presence of various types of plastic materials having different melting temperatures does not allow a total melting of PW powder at the mixing temperatures. However, the addition of PW in the asphalt blend significantly improved the aging resistance without affecting the oxidation process of the plastic compound present in the asphalt blend. Furthermore, when the asphalt blend mixed with 20% PW by the weight of bitumen is adopted into the asphalt mixture as polymer, it improves the elasticity and strengthens the mixture better than the mixture containing MB.
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(The 3rd ICATES 2021) “Innovative Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering for Sustainable Food, Water, Energy, and Environment” Banda Aceh, 21 September 2021 Extended Preface The ICATES is annual conference organized primary by the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universitas Syiah Kuala. This year, in the 3rd consecutive year 2021, ICATES conducted the 3rd conference with co-hosted by University Malaysia, Pahang (UMP), Agricultural Mechanization Research Center (PUSMEPTAN) Syiah Kuala University, South Aceh Poly-technique (Poltas Aceh Selatan) and LPPM Winaya Mukti. Surely, we plan to conduct this conference physically just like previous ICATES in August 2019. However, due to the unforseen circumstances of global pandemic COVID-19, the 3rd ICATES 2021 conference was carried out virtually as same as ICATES 2020 by zoom meeting platform. We took this option because this conference was already designated and funded. Keynote and invited speakers were also scheduled for this event. Many delegations and authors requested for this conference to be performed, even virtually, since they need it to cover their publication and sharing knowledge requirements. The conference itself was run as planned on 21st September 2021 with the support from virtual event organizer started from 8.00 am to 19.00 pm. The ICATES committee members were managed this event in a particular room as a studio along with two appointed MCs. The conference was officially opened by the Rector of Syiah Kuala University, Prof. Samsul Rizal and it is broadcast lively via YouTube platform with recorded participants reach 447 were joined. The main event was started by video presentation from the Keynote speaker Prof. Okke Batelaan from Flinders University, Australia, followed by invited speaker from UMP Malaysia Assoc. Prof. Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya. The discussion session was performed directly once the second speaker was completed his presentation. Then, the second session of keynote speaker was started after 20 minutes break with the speaker from University Technology Mara (UiTM) Dr.rer.nat Shahril Anuar Bahari, followed by the last invited speaker Dr. Joko Pitoyo from Indonesian Center for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development (ICAERD). Moreover, parallel sessions were started after all keynote speaker session and participants were divided into 8 breakout rooms in zoom platform based on their related sub-topics. The operator acted as virtual Host and Co-host to manage and ensure all presenters and participants were put in the right place. Each participant and presenter was identified by renaming their name to room number and author full name. Presenter was given about 10 minutes for power point presentation via Screen Sharing and 5 minutes for discussion and shifted to next presenter. During the conference, video capabilities were turned on to ensure dynamic conference. As the conference chair, I firmly believe that the success of a virtual conference like this event can be achieved by arranging a stimulating program. We sincerely hope that next forthcoming ICATES conference will be conducted lively in touch as previously ICATES event in 2019. Thus, everyone finds the conference is stimulating and enjoying. Cordially yours Conference Chair Dr. Safrizal, ST., M. Si List of International Scientific Committees, Steering Committees, Organizing Committees, Keynote Speaker , Waste Plastic: Recycle And Reuse For Sustainable Road Construction, Bamboo, A Great Plant for Green Plan, Review of Rice Transplanter and Direct Seeder to be Applied in Indonesia Paddy Field are available in this pdf.