Journals Published by Vilnius Tech
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How does the withdrawal of rural homesteads impact rural resilience in China? A MADM model
Get PDFRural Resilience represents the ability of maintaining their core functions when facing internal changes and recovering to original conditions through transformation. Withdrawal from rural homesteads (WRH) is considered as one of critical strategy for rural revitalization of China but its systemic impacts on rural resilience remain underexplored. This study develops a multidimensional resilience evaluation framework encompassing economic, social, cultural, environmental, and governance dimensions through a Delphi-structured expert consultation process with 16 specialists. Considering the complexity of rural socio-ecological systems and the interplay among various dimensions of rural resilience, this paper uses the Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory methodology to analyze the causal relationships between 22 resilience indicators. Results reveal economic resilience and social resilience as dominant causal dimensions, with economic diversification promotion and collective land marketization emerging as key drivers. Cultural and environmental dimensions exhibit effect characteristics, demonstrating dependence on economic, social, governance interventions. Notably, villagers’ income improvement and cooperative mechanisms demonstrate high centrality, while indicators related to culture and environment rank as vulnerable nodes. These findings provide policymakers with a prioritized intervention framework, emphasizing the need for economic restructuring coupled with institutional safeguards to balance developmental and conservation objectives in rural spatial reorganization processes
Urban flood disaster risk management using multi-criteria decision-making methods: A scoping review
Get PDFStatistical data indicates a rising trend in the frequency and unpredictability of floods globally. Regions traditionally less affected by flooding are reportedly experiencing an increased impact, underscoring the widespread nature of this phenomenon. Over the past decade, the overall incidence of floods has significantly increased, affecting billions of people worldwide. If appropriate measures are not taken, floods driven by climate change, urbanization, and the consequences of human activities will continue to increase in frequency and intensity, leading to even greater economic, social, and environmental losses. Proper selection of management strategies and risk reduction measures is becoming particularly important for reducing flood risks. Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods are well-suited for addressing such complex, multi-criteria problems. Therefore, this study aims to explore the research fields of MCDM application in flood management and identify the most widely used methods. This is done to clarify their benefits and enhance their applicability. The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) revealed that the research field is broad and dynamic, evolving over the decades. However, the application of MCDM remains popular and, according to current trends, continues to gain popularity. New research fields are also emerging, such as “Identification and/or Mapping of Flood-Prone Areas” and “Sustainable Infrastructure Assessment”, highlighting scientist growing concern about the importance of evaluating vulnerable areas and applying sustainable solutions to address flood management challenges. The findings are particularly relevant to real estate and property management, as they support the development of evidence-based frameworks for assessing property-level flood resilience and for guiding investment decisions to protect built assets
Promotion path of digital transformation in China\u27s manufacturing industry based on technology-organisation-environment framework
Get PDFAs the global economy becomes increasingly digitalised, the digital transformation of manufacturing has become an important way to enhance national competitiveness and corporate viability. This study focuses on the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. First, the digital transformation of listed manufacturing companies is scientifically measured and their current state of transformation analysed. Then, the technology-organisation-environment framework is used to examine the driving factors of digital transformation. Based on this, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis is employed to summarise different digital transformation configurations. The findings show that the digital transformation of China’s manufacturing industry is still in its early stages, with significant regional differences. Achieving a high level of digital transformation can be accomplished through four paths: environment- dependent, strategic leadership, internally capability support, and comprehensive-driven approaches. Finally, practical guidance is provided on accelerating the digital transformation process and promoting high-quality development in the manufacturing industry
The digital organization transformation (DOT) model: bridging digital transformation and organizational structures in construction firms
Get PDFDigital transformation is a pathway to improve productivity in the construction sector, but organizational structures still need more adaptation. There are no fully developed models at the level of factors and evidence between organizational structures and digital transformation. This paper analyzes the impact of digital transformation on organizational structures within the construction sector, utilizing a semi-structured interview and field inspection methodology to validate key organizational factors and evidence influencing this process. The research focuses on Colombia’s medium and large construction companies and aims to validate an integrated conceptual model of digital transformation and organizational structures. Results indicate that while technological tools have been adopted, the full potential of digital transformation still needs to be explored. The study highlights the factors and evidence that affect the variables of digital transformation and organizational structures. While technological tools are essential, they are unlikely to create a long-term competitive advantage. This research advances the understanding that the integrated implementation of digital transformation and organizational structures, grounded in validated factors and evidence, can drive enhanced decision-making, reduce inefficiencies, and improve productivity within the construction industry
Identifying cyber risk factors associated with construction projects
Get PDFAs construction projects adopt increasingly interconnected digital technologies, their cyber-attack surface expands, making comprehensive cyber risk management essential to prevent incidents, mitigate risks, and minimize potential losses resulting from such attacks. However, the necessary risk factors for this purpose are lacking. Therefore, the study aims to develop a comprehensive set of project-level cyber risk factors tailored to the complexities of construction projects, identified through a systematic and flexible seven-step methodological framework: (1) a literature review of construction and cybersecurity sources to identify initial factors; (2) initial definition of risk categories; (3) internal evaluation and expert input to refine these factors; (4) distribution of a detailed expert questionnaire for rating; (5) expert evaluations through meetings and feedback sessions to enhance validity; (6) elimination of lower-scoring factors; and (7) establishment of quantitative scales for precise risk assessment. The findings include the 32 identified risk factors into five groups: project information, project structure, information technology (IT), operational technology (OT), and management and human aspects. The contributions include providing a set of risk factors that serve as cybersecurity management references and inputs for future quantitative risk assessments, offering a checklist used for proactive risk management, and introducing a framework adaptable for identifying factors of other risks
Enhanced nitrogen removal and sludge characteristic in aerobic SBR by simultaneous nitrification and denitrification bacteria
Get PDFFour efficient heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) strains were applied in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) via two bioaugmentation strategies to enhance the nitrogen removal and sludge characteristic. Synthetic domestic wastewater with NH4-N concentrations of 30~50 mg L–1, was treated in three SBRs, with DO maintained at 4±0.5 mg L–1. Compared with the control (crude activated sludge), bioaugmentation improved TN removal by 7% averagely, increased nitration rate by 0.54 mg g–1 h–1, and reduced sludge volume index at 30 min (SVI30) by 3.5~14.7 mL g–1. The maximum TN removal efficiency reached 50.37% with effluent TN concentration of 14.64 mg L–1, meeting China’s Class 1A discharge standard (TN ≤ 15 mg L–1). SBR started by bacterial suspension without activated sludge exhibited high adaptability to low carbon/nitrogen ratio, achieving 35% TN removal at C/N = 3 (vs <10% in control), with <5% MLSS fluctuation versus 30% decline in control. Microbial community analysis revealed Saccharibacteria dominance (15.34% vs control’s 8.48%) coupled with 7.6% reduction in filamentous Saprospiraceae (12.78% to 5.18%), collectively explaining the enhanced nitrogen removal and sludge settleability. This study provides the first evidence of granular sludge formation via HN-AD bacterial coaggregation under low C/N conditions, offering a novel strategy for energy-efficient wastewater treatment
Family cyberloafing and work-life balance: digital coping with work–family conflict across generations
Get PDFWork-family conflict (WFC) often undermines employees’ well-being, yet the coping role of family-related cyberloafing (FCL) across generations remains unclear. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examines relationships among WFC, FCL, and work-life balance (WLB) and tests whether these links vary for Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Survey data from 309 married Indonesian women were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling and multi‐group analysis. In the full sample, WFC reduced WLB, whereas FCL independently improved WLB. Multi-group analysis revealed that only the relationship between WFC and FCL differed by cohort, positive and significant for Generation X but non-significant for Millennials and Generation Z. At the same time, the influences of WFC and FCL on WLB were consistent. These findings confirm TPB-based mechanisms and highlight the need for generation-sensitive flexibility and technology policies to support work-life balance
Evaluating the e-permit system in construction using stakeholder analysis and network theory
Get PDFElectronic building permit systems, integral to e-government services, aim to enhance the efficiency and user experience of the permit process. Despite their widespread adoption, these systems often fall short, complicating and delaying the process. The presence of a variety of stakeholders in such permit systems complicates interactions between actors; nevertheless, no research has examined permit systems from a stakeholder analysis approach. This gap is filled by a formal social network analysis that thoroughly investigates interconnected and multi-level governing systems. This study investigates the electronic building permit system’s successes and failures in the construction industry. A mixed-methods approach was used, including interviews with applicants and employees, process mining analysis of event logs from 50 projects, case study observation, and social network analysis. The findings highlight significant barriers: poor communication and coordination among different agency employees, and a lack of adherence to established timeframes. Additionally, the study reveals that these systems are largely automated versions of their traditional counterparts, lacking substantial redesign or restructuring. Consequently, the researchers recommend a thorough re-evaluation and redesign of the electronic building permit system and propose implementing a one-stop-shop platform to facilitate inter-agency collaboration and streamline both internal and external communications and coordination
Electromagnetic wave-driven deep learning for structural evaluation of reinforced concrete strength
Get PDFMonitoring the performance of reinforced concrete structures, particularly in terms of strength reduction, presents significant challenges due to the practical limitations of traditional detection methods. This study introduces an innovative framework that incorporates a non-destructive technique using electromagnetic waves (EM-waves) transmitted via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, combined with two-dimensional (2-D) Fourier transform, fractal dimension analysis, and deep learning techniques to predict reductions in structural strength. Experiments were conducted on three reinforced concrete beam (RCB) specimens exhibiting various levels of reinforcement corrosion. From these, a dataset of 1,800 EMwave images was generated and classified into “normal” and “reduced strength” categories. These categories were used to train and validate a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which demonstrated robust performance, achieving a high accuracy of 0.91 and an F1-score of 0.93 in classifying instances of reduced structural strength. This approach offers a promising solution for detecting strength reduction in reinforced concrete infrastructures, enhancing both safety and maintenance efficiency.
First published online 5 November 202
A relative measurement and monitoring of OTTV of glass facade passive building in tropical climate
Get PDFEfficient and productive buildings are vital to sustainable cities, significantly contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 7, 11, and 12. Urban areas are responsible for 80% of global energy consumption, with buildings accounting for 40%. Achieving a healthy and comfortable indoor thermal envelope depends on various factors including building function, location, layout design, openings, and materials. The building facade, particularly glass facades, is a significant contributor to both energy performance and occupant comfort. Despite their importance, few studies focus on real-time measurement and monitoring of the Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) of passive buildings, especially with glass facades. Glass allows natural light and heat exchange, impacting the overall energy performance and quality of indoor environments. This study investigates the real-time impact of temperature variations on the OTTV of glass facade passive buildings from 8 am to 5 pm, focusing on Malaysia’s tropical climate. The study’s findings revealed that the OTTV varies from 42.642 W/m2 at 11:30 am to 80.341 W/m2 at 10:30 am. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing valuable insights regarding the dynamic thermal behaviour of the passive building envelope. Specifically, it demonstrates how OTTV varies with changing climatic conditions such as temperature fluctuations and solar radiation