Territorial Distribution of EU Funds Allocation for Developments of Rural Romania during 2014–2020

This study uses cross-section regressions and spatial econometrics techniques to identify determinants of rural development project implementation based on the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) of the European Union. For this, we use 40 Romanian counties. Results show that agricultural land abundancy and land concentration degree are significant positive factors. On the contrary, the local human development level is a negative determinant, low values for this factor being an incentive to compensate the lack of own resources through European funding. No significant effects of the average salary or population density were depicted. Spatial analysis indicates contagion and diffusion processes for fund accession through projects. This behavior is like that in other financial sectors, in which human behavior is a decisive factor, such as the insurance one. A West–East clusterization process is identified for the total project value, conditioned by the identified factors.

Carbon Impact and Cost of Mass Timber Beam–Column Gravity Systems

The need to lower the embodied carbon impact of the built environment and sequester carbon over the life of buildings has spurred the growth of mass timber building construction, leading to the introduction of new building types (Types IV-A, B, and C) in the 2021 International Building Code (IBC). The achievement of sustainability goals has been hindered by the perceived first cost assessment of mass timber systems. Optimizing cost is an urgent prerequisite to embodied carbon reduction. Due to a high level of prefabrication and reduction in field labor, the mass timber material volume constitutes a larger portion of total project cost when compared to buildings with traditional materials. In this study, the dollar cost, carbon emitted, and carbon sequestered of mass timber beam–column gravity system solutions with different design configurations was studied. Design parameters studied in this sensitivity analysis included viable building types, column grid dimension, and building height. A scenario study was conducted to estimate the economic viability of tall wood buildings with respect to land costs. It is concluded that, while Type III building designations are the most economical for lower building heights, the newly introduced Type IV subcategories remain competitive for taller structures while providing a potentially significant embodied carbon benefit.

The Analysis of Cost Estimation using Cost Significant Model on Bridge Construction in South Sulawesi

One of the fundamental problems faced by the province of South Sulawesi is the factor of accessibility, so the role of bridges is quite important. For this reason, the budget planning for standard bridge construction projects also needs to be efficient in terms of preparation and accurate in terms of budget. The Cost Significant Model is one of the total construction cost estimation models that relies more on the prices that have the most influence on the total project cost as the basis for estimation. In general, this study uses data from steel frame bridge construction projects in South Sulawesi Province to formulate a mathematical model with linear regression analysis so that it can be used in the process of estimating similar projects going forward. The Estimation Model which is formed from the regression analysis and the Cost Significant Model in this study, namely; Y = 3.884 (X7) + 0.989 (X8) - 65515.372. With; Y = Estimated Total Cost (Rp/m); X7 = Reinforcement Work Cost (Rp/m); X8 = Steel Frame Structure Work Cost (Rp/m). Where this model can explain 99.7% of the total project cost with a cost model factor of 1.038. The level of accuracy (percentage error estimate) of the estimation results of the Cost Significant Model in this study ranges from - 1.46% to +2.45%.

Optimization of pipeline lifecycle cost using alternatives with different life spans

This paper suggests a pipeline project optimization approach that compares alternatives with different life spans. The average inflation rate is used to project the future maintenance, operation and replacement costs. The average interest rate is used to express all the costs in Equivalent Real Annual Cost (ERAC), which is the correct cost form to compare alternatives with different life spans. The pipe diameter, material, pressure rating, surge tank size, and inlet/outlet resistances are the decision variables. A software was compiled with a commercial pipeline software to generate all the possible design alternatives based on the decision variables. Pipe initial cost as well as operation and maintenance costs are computed for each design alternative. The alternative with the least ERAC value is the optimum one. It was found that the approach can lead to substantial savings in pipelines projects cost. For pipes 800 mm in diameter or larger, and when selecting the optimum diameter, savings are between 23 and 27% in the total project cost. When imposing certain pipe material savings in overall cost will be 8.5, 16.3 and 31.3% for ductile iron, GRP and mild steel pipe material, respectively.

Factors influencing the level of accuracy and compromise in overhead estimation for construction projects in India: an exploratory investigation

PurposePrevious studies have highlighted that overheads form a critical part of the total project cost. However, despite this knowledge, the precise estimation of overheads is often neglected in construction projects. This paper aims to examine the reasons for the lack of effort in estimation of overheads.Design/methodology/approachThe study is carried out in three stages. In stage one, an introductory survey is carried to understand the importance of overheads in total project cost. In stage two, a detailed survey is carried out to understand the factors that affect the level of accuracy and compromise made in estimation of overheads using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). In the final stage, two cases are examined in form of interviews to validate the findings. The model is tested for its reliability, validity and goodness of fit.FindingsThe findings of the study suggest that the time and cost spent is a critical issue. Therefore, if the projects feel that the benefit cost ratio for time and cost spend in the process is positive, they estimate the overheads accurately, whereas if they feel that the cost benefit ratio for time and cost spend is negative, they compromise with accurate estimation. Further, there is a lot of subjectivity in defining and processing overheads that leads to a negative impact on the accuracy level in estimation of overheads. The contract type also influences the compromise in estimation.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, there is scant work that has been carried out on understanding the behavior of overheads and reasons for lack of effort in its accurate estimation in construction projects. Therefore, there are no recent citations in the study. Further, the study being exploratory in nature draws conclusions based on opinion expressed by respondents on survey and interview. Finally, the study is geographically limited as the entire respondent's work in India.Practical implicationsProjects should give due attention to accurate estimation of overheads. Accurate estimation of overheads can help in better control of project margins, thereby serving the profit-maximizing goals of organizations. A conscious effort by industry experts, academicians and researchers can bring some discipline in overhead estimation rather than leaving the critical domain only to thumb rules or experiential assumptions. The regulatory bodies and the project management bodies are advised to come up with some kind of ready reference that can quickly help estimators to arrive at accurate overhead costs.Originality/valueTo the best of knowledge, it is a rare study to exclusively focus on project overhead cost in construction industry and focus on its estimation efforts. The study also uses a robust research process, which improves the reliability and validity of its findings.

Supporting Agricultural-Based Economic Investments and Rural Economic Investments Within the Scope of Rural Development Support of 2021 in Kastamonu

Rural development policies aim to raise the people living in rural areas to the level of the cities in agricultural, economic, social and cultural issues and to increase their living standards. Rural areas in Turkey are areas where a significant portion of the population is engaged in agriculture. Improving the infrastructure of agricultural enterprises will increase the living standards of the people living in rural areas. Turkey should support its rural infrastructure in order to be competitive in rural development. In this sense, with the order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey, the first 50% grant support, and the Rural Development Investments Support Program started to be implemented in the whole country with the decision of the Council of Ministers in 2011. In 2021, the support continued in two different parts under the name of agricultural-based economic investments and supporting rural economic infrastructure investments. In the study, Kastamonu province, which has an important potential, was examined in terms of rural development. The contribution of the supports provided with the program "Supporting Economic Investments Based on Agriculture within the Scope of Rural Development Supports" implemented in the province in 2021 has been evaluated. There have been 18 project applications for agricultural-based economic investments in Kastamonu province for 2021. Their total project cost is 12.8 million TL. 279 project applications were made to support rural economic infrastructure investments. The total project cost of these was 30.8 million TL.

Development Of Optimal Control Scheduling For Short-Term Work Zones For Freeway Maintenance

The sustained deterioration of the freeway infrastructure of a nation has resulted in an increase in the number, duration, and scope of maintenance projects. In order to enhance the mobility and safety of freeway segments plagued by work zone activities, transportation agencies and professionals have been exploring the potential benefits of efficient and economical maintenance scheduling. This thesis proposes systematic methodology for the optimization of work zone scheduling based on analytical and simulation models to estimate total project cost. Multi-regression models were developed using microsimulation and embedded them into the costs models and costs were predicted. Solver optimizer was used to find the optimal start and end times, productivity indices, and corresponding sub-sectional lengths of project by minimizing the total project cost. Case studies were conducted to assess the performance of the proposed methodology. Lastly, conclusions were made to support transportation agencies in the development of work zone management plans.

Development Of Optimal Control Scheduling For Short-Term Work Zones For Freeway Maintenance

The sustained deterioration of the freeway infrastructure of a nation has resulted in an increase in the number, duration, and scope of maintenance projects. In order to enhance the mobility and safety of freeway segments plagued by work zone activities, transportation agencies and professionals have been exploring the potential benefits of efficient and economical maintenance scheduling. This thesis proposes systematic methodology for the optimization of work zone scheduling based on analytical and simulation models to estimate total project cost. Multi-regression models were developed using microsimulation and embedded them into the costs models and costs were predicted. Solver optimizer was used to find the optimal start and end times, productivity indices, and corresponding sub-sectional lengths of project by minimizing the total project cost. Case studies were conducted to assess the performance of the proposed methodology. Lastly, conclusions were made to support transportation agencies in the development of work zone management plans.

Materials Science in the Structures of European Union Framework Research and Innovation Programs “Horizon 2020” and Horizon Europe”

The results of the analysis of European Research and Innovation Framework Program “Horizon 2020” calls, propositions and projects with their main subjects devoted to the problems of advanced materials, perspective technologies of their production and processing are presented in this paper. Analysis had been made on the base of Horizon Dashboard data. Horizon Dashboard is the suitable instrument created under the requirements of the European Commission, which presents an overview of evaluated proposals (incl. success rates) and detailed statistics and data about funded projects and their participants, broken down by countries and regions, research domain/program part, organization type, etc. Furthermore, this instrument allows to analyze country and organization profiles considering 38 thematic priorities (four of them: advanced materials; advanced manufacturing and processing; nanotechnologies, advanced materials and production; biotechnologies are devoted to materials science aspects), funding received, participations by region, top beneficiaries, collaboration with other countries, SME participation and more. Data about total project numbers, funding, top participating countries, top participating organizations had been presented for the each of four materials science priorities. Special attention had been paid on the participation level, funding, and success rates of Ukrainian organizations. Situation with materials science thematic priorities in the new European Research and Innovation Framework Program “Horizon Europe” had been described and it was underlined the absence of separate materials science working program in “Horizon Europe”, and necessity of the analysis of several working programs such as “Digital, Industry, Space”, «Climate, energy, mobility» and etc. for the search of corresponding materials science topics and calls. Status of Ukrainian organizations in “Horizon Europe “program till signing and ratification of agreement between Ukraine and European Union about participation of Ukraine in Horizon Europe Program had been clarified. Keywords: research and innovation European Union Framework Program, “Horizon 2020” program, “Horizon Europe” program, thematic priority, materials science, program pillars, grant agreement.