Given the rapid growth of sustainable construction strategies globally and the importance of resiliency in civil infrastructure,it is crucial to adopt best practices.Modular construction is one such practice and is co...Given the rapid growth of sustainable construction strategies globally and the importance of resiliency in civil infrastructure,it is crucial to adopt best practices.Modular construction is one such practice and is considered a better alternative to conventional construction in terms of resilience,construction times,resource efficiency,and sustainability.However,the continued expansion of modular construction relies on quantifying and evaluating its sustainability and the purported benefits.This paper develops and checks feasibility through an integrated multi-level decision support framework to empirically evaluate the sustainability performances of single-family residential modular homes.Criteria and indicator development and calculation,benchmark scale establishment,quantitative and qualitative data collection from literature and surveys,and multi-criteria decision analysis are unique aspects of this framework.The results of the two case studies located in the Okanagan region,Canada showed that modular homes perform at a higher level of sustainability than their conventional counterparts across multiple metrics and levels related to environmental and economic factors.The modular homes scored eco-efficiency values of 62.5 and 56.0,respectively and fell into higher performance range.The proposed frame-work offers flexibility in examining different dimensions of sustainability,providing valuable insights into the key parameters that need to be addressed to enhance overall sustainability.This research,which integrates life cycle thinking and decision-making,helps the construction industry and,municipalities,governments,and pol-icymakers in making informed decisions on the selection of suitable construction methods in city developments and move towards a more resilient and sustainable sector.展开更多
Comparative performance analysis of four irrigation schemes within Cagayan River Basin was assessed using comparative performance indicators between the years 2008 and 2012. The objectives were to establish benchmarks...Comparative performance analysis of four irrigation schemes within Cagayan River Basin was assessed using comparative performance indicators between the years 2008 and 2012. The objectives were to establish benchmarks for both productivity and performance of irrigation schemes along the valley and to inquire whether small schemes function better than large schemes. The performance evaluation study of the systems composed of three general performance indicators, based on three domains-（1） system operation performance; （2） agricultural productivity and economics; （3） financial performance. Each indicator was assessed based on the prescribed descriptors used by the International Water Management Institute （IWMI） and Food and Agriculture Organization （FAO）. Analysis showed an overall system performance efficiency of 59%, 55%, 47% and 36% for Magat River Integrated Irrigation System （MARI1S）, Lucban, Garab and Divisoria Communal Irrigation Systems （CIS）, respectively. In terms of annual productivity performance, Lucban CIS dominates the three other systems with 0.35 kg/m3, which was classified as moderately performing system, while the rest were classified with low productivity index. Financial sustainability of the systems were extremely poor with cost recovery ratio of 0, 0.33, 0.41 and 0.49 for Divisoria, Garab, Lucban and MARIIS, respectively, which were exceptionally below the standard value of at least one. Also, analysis of the indicators revealed that on average, large schemes performed similarly to small-scale schemes, but small schemes were more variable, particularly in input-use efficiency. The benchmarking study will provide strategic information to policy makers of agricultural and irrigation agencies on the existing weaknesses of irrigation systems in the country and determine in a more quantifiable terms levels of potential improvement and intervention targets.展开更多
Job shop scheduling has become the basis and core of advanced manufacturing technology. Various differences exist between academic research and practical production. The majority of previous researches on job shop sch...Job shop scheduling has become the basis and core of advanced manufacturing technology. Various differences exist between academic research and practical production. The majority of previous researches on job shop scheduling problem (JSSP)describe the basic production environment, which have a single objective and limited constraints. However,a practical process of production is characterized by having multiple objectives,no-wait constraint,and limited storage. Thus this research focused on multiobjective,no-wait JSSP. To analyze the problem,it was further divided into two sub-problems, namely, sequencing and timetabling. Hybrid non-order strategy and modified complete local search with memory were used to solve each problem individually. A Pareto-based strategy for performing fitness assessment was presented in this study. Various experiments on benchmark problems proved the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.展开更多
文摘Given the rapid growth of sustainable construction strategies globally and the importance of resiliency in civil infrastructure,it is crucial to adopt best practices.Modular construction is one such practice and is considered a better alternative to conventional construction in terms of resilience,construction times,resource efficiency,and sustainability.However,the continued expansion of modular construction relies on quantifying and evaluating its sustainability and the purported benefits.This paper develops and checks feasibility through an integrated multi-level decision support framework to empirically evaluate the sustainability performances of single-family residential modular homes.Criteria and indicator development and calculation,benchmark scale establishment,quantitative and qualitative data collection from literature and surveys,and multi-criteria decision analysis are unique aspects of this framework.The results of the two case studies located in the Okanagan region,Canada showed that modular homes perform at a higher level of sustainability than their conventional counterparts across multiple metrics and levels related to environmental and economic factors.The modular homes scored eco-efficiency values of 62.5 and 56.0,respectively and fell into higher performance range.The proposed frame-work offers flexibility in examining different dimensions of sustainability,providing valuable insights into the key parameters that need to be addressed to enhance overall sustainability.This research,which integrates life cycle thinking and decision-making,helps the construction industry and,municipalities,governments,and pol-icymakers in making informed decisions on the selection of suitable construction methods in city developments and move towards a more resilient and sustainable sector.
文摘Comparative performance analysis of four irrigation schemes within Cagayan River Basin was assessed using comparative performance indicators between the years 2008 and 2012. The objectives were to establish benchmarks for both productivity and performance of irrigation schemes along the valley and to inquire whether small schemes function better than large schemes. The performance evaluation study of the systems composed of three general performance indicators, based on three domains-（1） system operation performance; （2） agricultural productivity and economics; （3） financial performance. Each indicator was assessed based on the prescribed descriptors used by the International Water Management Institute （IWMI） and Food and Agriculture Organization （FAO）. Analysis showed an overall system performance efficiency of 59%, 55%, 47% and 36% for Magat River Integrated Irrigation System （MARI1S）, Lucban, Garab and Divisoria Communal Irrigation Systems （CIS）, respectively. In terms of annual productivity performance, Lucban CIS dominates the three other systems with 0.35 kg/m3, which was classified as moderately performing system, while the rest were classified with low productivity index. Financial sustainability of the systems were extremely poor with cost recovery ratio of 0, 0.33, 0.41 and 0.49 for Divisoria, Garab, Lucban and MARIIS, respectively, which were exceptionally below the standard value of at least one. Also, analysis of the indicators revealed that on average, large schemes performed similarly to small-scale schemes, but small schemes were more variable, particularly in input-use efficiency. The benchmarking study will provide strategic information to policy makers of agricultural and irrigation agencies on the existing weaknesses of irrigation systems in the country and determine in a more quantifiable terms levels of potential improvement and intervention targets.
基金National Natural Science Foundations of China(Nos.61174040,61573144,11304200)Shanghai Commission of Science and Technology,China(No.12JC1403400)+1 种基金Shanghai Municipal Education Commission for Training Young Teachers,China(No.ZZSDJ15031)Shanghai Teaching and Reforming Experimental Undergraduate Majors Construction Program,China
文摘Job shop scheduling has become the basis and core of advanced manufacturing technology. Various differences exist between academic research and practical production. The majority of previous researches on job shop scheduling problem (JSSP)describe the basic production environment, which have a single objective and limited constraints. However,a practical process of production is characterized by having multiple objectives,no-wait constraint,and limited storage. Thus this research focused on multiobjective,no-wait JSSP. To analyze the problem,it was further divided into two sub-problems, namely, sequencing and timetabling. Hybrid non-order strategy and modified complete local search with memory were used to solve each problem individually. A Pareto-based strategy for performing fitness assessment was presented in this study. Various experiments on benchmark problems proved the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
