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Agile software development prioritizes customer satisfaction through the continuous delivery of valuable software. However, integrating user experience (UX) evaluations into agile projects remains a significant challenge. Existing proposals address specific stages that apply UX evaluation methods but do not fully consider UX artifacts or UX events for integrating user experience into agile processes. To address this gap and support teams, we propose FRAMUX-EV, a framework for evaluating UX in agile software development using Scrum. FRAMUX-EV introduces seven UX artifacts: (1) UX evaluation methods, (2) UX design system, (3) UX personas, (4) UX responsibilities and roles, (5) UX evaluation repository, (6) UX backlog, and (7) UX sprint backlog; and four UX events: (1) pre-planning UX meeting, (2) pre-review UX meeting, (3) weekly UX meeting, and (4) weekly user meeting. The first version of the framework was developed using a seven-step methodology with a qualitative approach. A survey of 34 practitioners validated the usefulness and ease of integration of FRAMUX-EV components, yielding positive results. These findings suggest the potential of FRAMUX-EV as an interesting proposal for integrating UX into agile software development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a novel methodology for estimating metallurgical copper recovery, a critical feature in mining project evaluations. The complexity of modeling this nonadditive variable using geostatistical methods due to low sampling density, strong heterotopic relationships with other measurements, and nonlinearity is highlighted. As an alternative, a copula-based conditional quantile regression method is proposed, which does not rely on linearity or additivity assumptions and can fit any statistical distribution. The proposed methodology was evaluated using geochemical log data and metallurgical testing from a simulated block model of a porphyry copper deposit. A highly heterotopic sample was prepared for copper recovery, sampled at 10% with respect to other variables. A copula-based nonparametric dependence model was constructed from the sample data using a kernel smoothing method, followed by the application of a conditional quantile regression for the estimation of copper recovery with chalcocite content as secondary variable, which turned out to be the most related. The accuracy of the method was evaluated using the remaining 90% of the data not included in the model. The new methodology was compared to cokriging placed under the same conditions, using performance metrics RMSE, MAE, MAPE, and R2. The results show that the proposed methodology reproduces the spatial variability of the secondary variable without the need for a variogram model and improves all evaluation metrics compared to the geostatistical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emerging large- and medium-sized engineering projects, prominent project delivery methods make sense in terms of cost, risk, management, and schedule. Among these, the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method stands out due to its adaptability for growing scale and complexity projects. This study compares the IPD method with other methods, emphasizing its benefits in large- and medium-sized projects and introducing the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) model to analyze IPD's adaptability quantitatively. By conducting a matrix calculation of eighteen second-level indicators, this study derived weight values for four first-level indicators: Cost control, Risk control, Management control, and Schedule control. These first-level indicators were then used to formulate the total evaluation index calculation. Based on this foundation, we verified the calculations using a case study in Fujian. Implementing the IPD method led to a lower cost than the Owner's Representative method and a one-year schedule acceleration. The FAHP model introduced in this study offers a novel and objective approach for adaptability analysis of the IPD method in large- and medium-sized engineering projects, coupling decision theory into project management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry faces significant challenges in measuring and assessing performance effectively. Conventional methods of measuring construction performance have become less effective, prompting a need to adopt non-financial performance measurements. This shift acknowledges the shortcomings of relying solely on financial performance measurement systems. As a result, there has been a substantial increase in research and focus on non-financial performance measurement systems in recent decades. This study focuses on analyzing performance measurement practices and key performance indicators (KPIs) in the construction industry, specifically at the project level. By examining 146 relevant articles, the study offers a thorough overview of various aspects of project performance. In addition to the traditional dimensions of the project management triangle (cost, time, and quality performance), the study emphasizes the importance of considering other dimensions. These include stakeholder performance, safety performance, technology utilization performance, value performance, environmental impact performance, and the application of maturity models. By incorporating these additional KPIs, a more comprehensive and holistic evaluation of project performance can be achieved. This study's findings make notable contributions to the methodological framework of performance measurement in construction projects. By consolidating diverse research sources, the study offers valuable guidance for future research in the field of project performance. Moreover, it provides insights into selecting suitable performance measurement methods, empowering practitioners to effectively assess and manage project performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 360 degree feedback evaluation method is a multidimensional, comprehensive assessment method. Evaluators may hesitate among multiple evaluation values and be simultaneously constrained by the biases and cognitive errors of the evaluators, evaluation results are prone to unfairness and conflicts. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a consensus-based 360 degree feedback evaluation method with linguistic distribution assessments. Firstly, evaluators provide evaluation information in the form of linguistic distribution. Secondly, utilizing an enhanced ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator, the model aggregates multi-source evaluation information to handle biased evaluation information effectively. Subsequently, a consensus-reaching process is established to coordinate conflicting viewpoints among the evaluators, and a feedback adjustment mechanism is designed to guide evaluators in refining their evaluation information, facilitating the attainment of a unanimous evaluation outcome. Finally, the improved 360 degree feedback evaluation method was applied to the performance evaluation of the project leaders in company J, thereby validating the effectiveness and rationality of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Occupational Health and Safety system enforces the continual improvement culture in industries for much safer processes and zero injuries. The Quality Management System also enforces the same philosophy of continual improvement within the processing system for zero defects, hence a high productivity rate. Good quality products always result from good Overall Equipment Effectiveness; hence, Process Re-Engineering is essential for the good functioning of machinery. This research is based on Integrated Management System requirements in terms of problem-solving, especially the opportunities that arise within Quality nonconformances, Safety Incidents, as well as Process Engineering related breakdowns. This study aims to develop a troubleshooting system that evaluates continual improvement projects. The method used to develop the troubleshooting system is based on Total Quality Management, where lean principles are combined with kaizen concepts and quality standards. The proposed troubleshooting system is separated into three development phases: the first phase is for recording the details of the fault that has been raised, where one will record full details of the nonconformance, the time and date, validation of the nonconformance by the lab test or any other form of validation depending on the nature of the problem as well as the details of the location of the problem. The second phase is for problem classification, whether it is a quality nonconformance, Safety incident, or engineering-related breakdown. The deeper root cause analysis is performed by an application of lean techniques, which are the eight types of waste, Five Whys and Ishikawa analysis. The eight types of waste identify the type of waste contributed by the problem, the Five Whys analysis assists in finding the reason for the problem occurrence, and the Ishikawa analysis classifies the problem accordingly, which assists the analyst in identifying the area to focus on for problem-solving. The third phase is for a database system and an application of the kaizen philosophy by evaluating continual improvement projects as well as status reports on the permanent solutions to the faults. The proposed troubleshooting model was applied in a case study company to upgrade the problem-solving model that the company was using which was assisting for corrective and preventive action. The study resulted in drastic improvements; hence, continual improvement projects were evaluated within the problem occurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on evaluating modular house construction projects, which is a critical segment within sustainable building practices. Despite the significant advantages of modular construction, such as enhanced resource efficiency and reduced environmental impact, existing research often overlooks its unique attributes and constraints. Our objectives were to identify crucial parameters for a comprehensive evaluation of modular construction, particularly emphasizing sustainability, and to explore how an advanced conversational AI tool, ChatGPT, can assist in modular building assessments. We employed the Delphi method to define these parameters and integrated ChatGPT to develop a robust assessment methodology. This approach allowed us to harness AI-driven insights to enrich the evaluation process. Our findings suggest that ChatGPT delivers high-quality results comparable to those produced by experts in modular building assessments. ChatGPT formulated a detailed description of the evaluation scale for each criterion, effectively outlining the guidelines for evaluating modular house projects. To illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed methodology, we applied it to a real-world modular house project in Lithuania, demonstrating how this approach can significantly contribute to advancing sustainable construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Maintaining adherence to CPAP in the long term is a clinical problem, and numerous factors have been identified that impact adherence. Although fully remote diagnostic and CPAP services were frequently utilised during the COVID-19 pandemic for patients with OSA, long-term adherence data have not been published. The aim of this service evaluation project was to describe the long-term adherence to CPAP. We also analysed factors that are associated with it. Methods: two-hundred and eighty patients diagnosed with OSA and set up on CPAP remotely during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of routine clinical practice were analysed. Results: One-hundred and seven patients (38%) were fully adherent to CPAP at 24 months, determined by at least 4 h of usage on at least 70% of the days. Of the factors analysed, body mass index, disease severity, driving status and the presence of depression were related to long-term adherence (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: with the likelihood of future pandemics similar to COVID-19, our data provide evidence that fully remote pathways for management of patients with OSA can be designed and be sustainable with good long-term adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the effectiveness of novel models of care in community-based settings is critical to achieving hepatitis C elimination. We conducted an evaluation of a hepatitis C model of care with financial incentives that aimed to improve engagement across the hepatitis C cascade of care at a sexual health service in Cairns, Australia. Methods: Between March 2020 and May 2021, financial incentives were embedded into an established person-centred hepatitis C model of care at Cairns Sexual Health Service. Clients of the Service who self-reported experiences of injecting drugs were offered an AUD 20 cash incentive for hepatitis C testing, treatment initiation, treatment completion, and test for cure. Descriptive statistics were used to describe retention in hepatitis C care in the incentivised model. They were compared to the standard of care offered in the 11 months prior to intervention. Results: A total of 121 clients received financial incentives for hepatitis C testing (antibody or RNA). Twenty-eight clients were hepatitis C RNA positive, of whom 92% (24/28) commenced treatment, 75% (21/28) completed treatment, and 68% (19/28) achieved a sustained virological response (SVR). There were improvements in the proportion of clients diagnosed with hepatitis C who commenced treatment (86% vs. 75%), completed treatment (75% vs. 40%), and achieved SVR (68% vs. 17%) compared to the pre-intervention comparison period. Conclusions: In this study, financial incentives improved engagement and retention in hepatitis C care for people who inject drugs in a model of care that incorporated a person-centred and flexible approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of highway microgrids is evolving into a new highway energy system that integrates "Source-Network-Load-Storage". This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of expressway microgrids from the perspective of transportation and energy integration. An index model is set up that considers the economy, technology, and environment. The grey evaluation method, on the strength of analytic hierarchy process–entropy weight method, shows that the integrated microgrid of "source-network-load-storage" promotes energy sustainability, supply reliability, and sustainable environmental development. When compared to different evaluation methods for microgrid planning schemes, our method yields the highest score of 0.9127, indicating superior results. This approach is suitable for the multicomponent evaluation system of expressway microgrids and allows for scientifically evaluating microgrid planning schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to produce a project-based learning (PjBL) course model that combines with the Think–Pair–Share (TPS) strategy and to determine its effectiveness in improving the creative thinking skills of education students. The sample of participants comprised 100 students from a university in Bangkok, Thailand. Five main elements comprised the PjBL-TPS course: 1. Project Preparation (including an introduction, pairs formation, and an understanding of the project); 2. Project Pair Cooperation (including discussion, knowledge framework development in pairs, practice analysis, brainstorming, and pair feedback); 3. Project Production (including its development, testing, refinement, and presentation); 4. Project Evaluation (including giving feedback on the work of the other pairs); and 5. Project Conclusion (including reflecting on the overall experience of the project). The results show that, in their post-course exercises, the students displayed enhanced creativity in all areas of creative skills (involving fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration). The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher creativity levels compared to the control group. In addition, the post-course assessments of the self-perceived creativity improvements of the students revealed that, post-course, most of the students perceived improvements in every aspect of their creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to contribute to the process of evaluating urban rail infrastructure projects through the presentation of the methodology and the results of a preliminary feasibility study concerning the revitalization, development, and (re)integration of the rail with road, maritime, and air transportation in the Zadar urban area. The analysis included the identification and evaluation of rail infrastructure alignment variants that would ensure the revitalization of the existing railway infrastructure, relocation of freight rail traffic from the narrow and densely developed suburban coastal area, promotion of intermodal passenger and freight transportation, improvement of urban and regional accessibility and connectivity, increase of traffic safety, reduction of travel time and operating costs, and decrease of traffic impacts on the environment. By consulting legal frameworks, spatial planning documentation, and analyzing the socio-economic context and existing transportation infrastructure function, six variants for the (re)development of the rail infrastructure were designed. As their design approached the area's transportation issues from different angles and could contribute differently to the area's economic, social, and territorial issues, a multi-criteria analysis supplemented with a partial cost–benefit analysis was conducted to select the most suitable variant. The evaluation was based on seven weighted criteria quantified by the normalization of 32 indicator values, scored from 1 to 5, where a score of 5 was considered the highest. Weighting the scores according to the ratios determined through a consultation process with stakeholders resulted in ranking the best variant with a total score of 3.7 and the worst one with a total score of 2.6. To avoid potential objections that the set of criteria weights used was subjective and the result biased, a sensitivity analysis was carried out by systematically varying the weights among criteria. The results showed that the best-ranked variant was also the least sensitive to applied weight shifts, with a score range of 0.2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to public health due to the lack of effective drugs to combat infectious diseases, which generates the need to search for new antimicrobial substances. In this study, the potential of soil as a source of antimicrobial-producing bacteria (APB) was investigated and the importance of the connection between education and science was emphasized, using service-learning methodologies. Sixty-one soil samples were collected, and 1220 bacterial isolates were recovered. Eighteen of these isolates showed antimicrobial activity against at least 1 of the 12 indicator bacteria tested (including multidrug-resistant and relevant pathogens). The 18 APB were identified by MALDI-TOF and 6 different genera (Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Lysinobacillus, Peribacillus, Streptomyces, and Advenella) and 10 species were identified. The 18 APB were tested for antifungal activity against four phytopathogenic fungi (Botritis cynerea, Lecanicillium fungicola, Trichoderma harzianum, and Cladobotryum mycophilum). Moreover, the antibiotic susceptibility of APB was tested using the disk-diffusion method as well as their β-hemolytic activity (important safety criteria for potential future applications). A total of 10 of the 18 APB were able to inhibit at least 50% of indicator bacteria tested, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), among others. A total of 4 of the 18 APB (3 Bacillus pumilus and 1 Bacillus altitudinis) showed inhibitory activity against two of the four fungal pathogens tested (B. cinerea and L. fungicola), as well as against 5–7 of the 12 bacterial pathogen indicators; these 4 isolates showed susceptibility to the antibiotics tested and lacked β-hemolytic activity and were considered promising APB for use as potential biocontrol agents. In addition, one Brevibacillus laterosporus strain had activity against 83% of indicator bacteria tested including Escherichia coli, MRSA and other methicillin-resistant staphylococci, as well as vancomycin-resistant enterococci (but not against fungi). These results show that soil is a source of APB with relevant antibacterial and antifungal activities, and also emphasize the importance of education and science to raise public awareness of the AMR problem and the strategies to control it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to carry out an ergonomic assessment of the entire working situation in the industrial field, we have created and implemented an ergonomic risk assessment methodology—Ergonomics Risk Assessment Methodology in Industry (ERAI)—which takes into account a number of aspects that have a major impact on the physical condition and health of workers as well as on their efficiency. This study was conducted on 18 assembly line workers. ERAI identifies the level of exposure of the neck, trunk, shoulders/arms, wrists/hands and feet and can be used using printed forms, but it is preferred to use software that implements this method, thus avoiding errors. For this purpose, we have developed the ERAI software application that allows the management of the entire evaluation project. The main activities, the sub-activities carried out by the worker, together with the anthropometric characteristics are entered into the application, evaluating the posture of each part of the body, the effort exerted, the physical condition, etc. ERAI highlights the possible problems related to the physical condition of workers, e.g., there are three workers with a weaker physical condition, and the score for them is between 258 and 282, which is very high compared to the score of the other workers, which varies between 43 and 141. The results obtained with ERAI provide a correct diagnosis, facilitating effective ergonomic interventions to reduce the level of exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale hydropower plants (SHP) have been losing competitiveness compared to other renewable sources in the global electricity matrix due to technical, environmental, regulatory, and economic issues. In this context, and to contribute to the development and strengthening of SHP's integration into the country's electricity matrix, this study proposes the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a strategic evaluation tool for SHP projects from the prospecting phase to the pre-implementation phase, taking into account financial and non-financial performance indicators. This study aims to structure a strategic map of the SHP source composed of economic, socio-environmental, institutional, and technical perspectives, adapted to the four perspectives of the BSC, with the required performance indicators for the strategic evaluation of SHP. The development of a computer program allowed data visualization from eight case studies focusing on indicators or perspectives that jeopardize the project's strategic viability. The results showed that (i) the adaptation of the BSC methodology for the strategic evaluation of SHP feasibility proved effective and (ii) the developed computer program demonstrated robustness and effectiveness in analyzing SHP, even in different stages of development and with different technical and environmental characteristics. Finally, the strategic evaluation of SHP feasibility is an effective tool in assisting decision makers, indicating the positive aspects and weaknesses of the project under evaluation and providing a better understanding of the asset and the areas of development that deserve greater attention to improve its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many advanced reactor concept designs rely on high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, enriched up to approximately 19.75% 235U by weight. Efforts are underway by the US government to increase HALEU production in the United States to meet anticipated needs. However, very few data exist for validation of computational models that include HALEU, beyond a few fresh fuel benchmark specifications in the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project. Nevertheless, there are other data with potential value available for developing into quality benchmarks for use in data- and software-validation efforts. This paper reviews the available evaluated HALEU fuel benchmarks and some of the potentially relevant benchmarks for fresh highly enriched uranium. It then introduces experimental data for HALEU fuel irradiated at Idaho National Laboratory, from relatively recent irradiation programs at the Advanced Test Reactor. Such data should be evaluated and, if valuable, collected into detailed benchmark specifications to meet the needs of HALEU-based reactor designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on cheap hardware and the easy-to-use software Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Nowadays, because of its open-source nature and its simple and accessible user experience, Arduino is ubiquitous and used among hobbyist and novice programmers for Do It Yourself (DIY) projects, especially in the Internet of Things (IoT) domain. Unfortunately, such diffusion comes with a price. Many developers start working on this platform without having a deep knowledge of the leading security concepts in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Their applications, often publicly available on GitHub (or other code-sharing platforms), can be taken as examples by other developers or downloaded and used by non-expert users, spreading these issues in other projects. For these reasons, this paper aims at understanding the current landscape by analyzing a set of open-source DIY IoT projects and looking for potential security issues. Furthermore, the paper classifies those issues according to the proper security category. This study's results offer a deeper understanding of the security concerns in Arduino projects created by hobbyist programmers and the dangers that may be faced by those who use these projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing companies face severe challenges from rapid technological developments. Industry 5.0 indicates the need for a sustainable, human-centered, and resilient industry. In striving for transformation, innovation becomes critical. However, a careful allocation of resources implies the evaluation of innovation projects. Moreover, diverse types of innovation and limited amounts of information represent a significant challenge. Therefore, this contribution presents an approach for holistically assessing innovation in manufacturing. First, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to frame the current research state and identify assessment criteria. Second, a multiple-attribute decision-making method (MADM) was developed using the findings of the SLR and expert interviews. Finally, the criteria and the assessment approach were verified and validated by expert interviews, a workshop, and an industrial use case application. As the main findings, three criteria groups were derived and detailed: potentials, efforts, and risks. These criteria groups were used in a MADM approach incorporating Fuzzy set theory within a hybrid technique, combining the Analytical Hierarchical Process with the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions. In conclusion, an enhancement of innovation assessment in manufacturing was achieved through the integration of different criteria and the balance between complexity and industrial applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost–benefit analysis (CBA) is considered an effective evaluation method for fostering optimal decision making and ranking of road infrastructures over decades. This paper introduces a comprehensive systematic literature review focusing on CBA's methodological perspective for identifying its current modelling approaches and scrutinizing their key features and encompassed tools. Fifty-six relevant studies were extracted from Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar from 2005 until 2020. Initially, the bibliometric analysis presents an overall illustration of the most significant CBA concepts. The descriptive statistics determined eight distinct modelling categories used for CBA implementation, each encompassing three different modelling approaches for capturing the data risk assessment (deterministic or probabilistic), CBA's parameters interactive behavior (static or dynamic) and the considered economies (microeconomic or macroeconomic). In-depth content analysis led to the interpretation of the current status of extant models and the identification of three main knowledge gaps: the absence of the CBA's inputs updating into a probabilistic environment, the deficiency of a dynamic interdependent framework and the necessity of homogenous cost datasets for road projects. Future research directions and a conceptual framework for modelling CBA into a microeconomic, probabilistic and dynamic environment are proposed providing decision-makers with new avenues for more reliable CBA modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All professional decisions prepared for a specific stakeholder can and must be explained. The primary role of explanation is to defend and reinforce the proposed decision, supporting stakeholder confidence in the validity of the decision. In this paper we present the methodology for explaining results of the evaluation of alternatives for water quality protection for a real-life project, the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative in North Carolina. The evaluation and comparison of alternatives is based on the Logic Scoring of Preference (LSP) method. We identify three explainability problems: (1) the explanation of LSP criterion properties, (2) the explanation of evaluation results for each alternative, and (3) the explanation of the comparison and ranking of alternatives. To solve these problems, we introduce a set of explainability indicators that characterize properties that are necessary for verbal explanations that humans can understand. In addition, we use this project to show the methodology for automatic generation of explainability reports. We recommend the use of explainability reports as standard supplements for evaluation reports containing the results of evaluation projects based on the LSP method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since construction involves many stakeholders and their behavioral risk interaction, which brings risks to the project construction, it is necessary to strengthen the research on the risk management of hydropower projects. This study comprehensively considers the characteristics of hydropower project construction and identifies relevant stakeholders to build and improve the stakeholder behavior risk evaluation index system. On this basis, the social network analysis method is used to build an evaluation model of stakeholders' behavioral risk transmission network, identify core factors and key relationships, analyze the path of behavioral risk transmission, take measures to cut off the transmission of core factors and key relationships, and test the effect of the risk network after control. The results show that: the evaluation model can effectively identify the core behavioral risk factors and key relationships in the construction process. Then, after taking targeted measures on the core behavioral risk factors and key relationships, hydropower projects are less affected by behavioral risk factors, and the risk transmission paths are reduced, which reduces the probability of behavioral risks arising from stakeholders and improves the behavioral governance efficiency of stakeholders. Applying this research model to the risk management of international hydropower projects can provide better guidance to the stakeholders and improve the accuracy and effectiveness of analyzing the behavioral risks of stakeholders in hydropower projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) criticality analyses were conducted using the McCARD Monte Carlo code for 85 selected benchmark problems with 7 evaluated nuclear data libraries (ENDLs): ENDF/B-VII.1, ENDF/B-VIII.0, JENDL-4.0, JENDL-5.0, JEFF-3.3, TENDL-2021, and CENDL-3.2. Regarding the analyses, it was confirmed that the keff results are sensitive to the ENDL. It is noted that the new-version ENDLs show better performance in the fast benchmark cases, while on the other hand, there are no significant differences in keff among the different ENDLs in the thermal benchmark cases. The sensitivity of the keff results depending on the ENDL may impact nuclear core design parameters such as the shutdown margin, critical boron concentration, and power defects. This study and keff results will be a good reference in the development of new types of nuclear cores or new design codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive land consolidation is an important means to implement the rural revitalization strategy. The decision-making of comprehensive land consolidation projects is the basis of scientifically selecting land consolidation projects, ensuring the quality of project, and making the project advance in an orderly manner. Compared with the traditional land consolidation project, the overall land consolidation project has a large demand for funds, and the participation of social capital has become an important way to solve the project funding problem. From the perspective of farmers and social investors, this research constructs a comprehensive land consolidation project decision-making evaluation index system and evaluation method from five aspects, including agricultural land consolidation, construction land consolidation, rural ecological protection and restoration, rural historical and cultural protection, and rural industrial development goals. The results show that there is a big difference in the evaluation results from the perspective of farmers and social investors. Considering the urgency of farmers' needs and the investment willingness of social investors in comprehensive land consolidation, the evaluation results are basically consistent with the actual project approval. The index system and evaluation method established in this study are helpful to scientifically select pilot projects of comprehensive land consolidation and invest limited government financial funds into the consolidation contents that are both urgently needed by farmers and willing to be invested by social investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highway construction projects have always suffered from cost overruns due to extended project delivery, causing a loss of public funds. Since highways are the backbone of a nation, the purpose of this study is to measure the criticality of the factors that influence the performance of highway projects. A survey instrument was prepared and distributed to 185 project managers. To achieve the aim of the study, exploratory factor analysis was used and the standard factor loading was the criteria to measure the criticality. From the analysis, it was identified that the factors were grouped under four categories: (a) Execution constraints (b) Operational factors, (c) Stakeholder and political constraints, (d) Design Constraints. Further, it was concluded that the complexity of the sub-contractor's performance, frequent modification in alignment, project design, loopholes in safety, and ambiguities in specifications are the main factors that impact the performance of highway projects. Therefore, it was recommended to develop an efficient project planning methodology which is a continuum of project management skills and tacit knowledge of managing a site which operates efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 forced healthcare workers to work in unprecedented and critical circumstances, exacerbating already-problematic and stressful working conditions. The "Healthcare workers' wellbeing (Benessere Operatori)" project aimed at identifying psychological and personal factors, influencing individuals' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: 291 healthcare workers took part in the project by answering an online questionnaire twice (after the first wave of COVID-19 and during the second wave) and completing questions on socio-demographic and work-related information, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Brief Cope. Results: Higher levels of worry, worse working conditions, a previous history of psychiatric illness, being a nurse, older age, and avoidant and emotion-focused coping strategies seem to be risk factors for healthcare workers' mental health. High levels of perceived social support, the attendance of emergency training, and problem-focused coping strategies play a protective role. Conclusions: An innovative, and more flexible, data mining statistical approach (i.e., a regression trees approach for repeated measures data) allowed us to identify risk factors and derive classification rules that could be helpful to implement targeted interventions for healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Facilitate the optimization of relevant KPIs to increase the long-term sustainability of manufacturing organizations thanks to a novel model for the integration of improvement strategies and Industry 4.0 related technologies, and for an optimized sequence model for Industry 4.0 technologies, the GUVEI-Model, as well as for the dynamic evaluation for defining optimization alternatives aligned with organizational targets. Many improvement techniques, methods, and technologies have been the driver of the development of supply chain systems. However, many managers and companies are focused only on new technologies without considering a comprehensive evaluation, and therefore lacking a real need and purpose. As a result, practitioners are often confused with regard of how to integrate improvement strategies and new technologies, as well as how to evaluate their convenience. Thus, this research aims to develop a model for the assessment for each manufacturing capability. This assessment aims to enable a continuous business transformation aligned with organizational goals; thus, a dynamic maturity assessment is chosen. Based on this, the study seeks to provide an integration model for relevant improvement strategies and new technologies that can be applied to any organization. As a result, the paper develops a sequence model, the GUVEI-Model, for the application of Industry 4.0 related technologies for continuous improvement in five different clusters. Furthermore, the research develops an evaluation scheme of optimization alternatives. Based on this conceptual development, a simulation model is built for specific use cases, such as additive manufacturing or virtual reality. The results show how the use cases along the GUVEI-Model application improve relevant indicators significantly, with the first two steps, obtaining and using data, acting as enablers of the three subsequent optimization steps that allow the virtualization, expansion, and improvement of capabilities and a higher impact on the target indicators than the first two steps. Finally, a discussion is presented about the utility of digital twin models for dynamic maturity level assessment and for simulating project improvement impacts before, during, and after their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliability Block Diagrams (RBDs) are widely used in reliability engineering to model how the system reliability depends on the reliability of components or subsystems. In this paper, we present librbd, a C library providing a generic, efficient and open-source solution for time-dependent reliability evaluation of RBDs. The library has been developed as a part of a project for reliability evaluation of complex systems through a layered approach, combining different modeling formalisms and solution techniques at different system levels. The library achieves accuracy and efficiency comparable to, and mostly better than, those of other well-established tools, and it is well designed so that it can be easily used by other libraries and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most construction managers use deterministic scheduling techniques to plan construction projects and estimate their duration. However, deterministic techniques are known to underestimate the project duration. Alternative methods, such as Stochastic Network Analysis, have rarely been adopted in practical contexts as they are commonly computer-intensive, require extensive historical information, have limited contextual/local validity and/or require skills most practitioners have not been trained for. In this paper, we propose some mathematical expressions to approximate the average and the standard deviation of a project duration from basic deterministic schedule information. The expressions' performance is successfully tested in a 4100-network dataset with varied activity durations and activity durations variability. Calculations are quite straightforward and can be implemented manually. Furthermore, unlike the Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), they allow drawing inferences about the probability of project duration in the presence of several critical and subcritical paths with minimal additional calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a disaster, the reconstruction phase is driven by immediate challenges. One of the main challenges in the post-disaster period is the way that reconstruction projects are implemented. Reconstruction cannot move forward until some complex issues are settled. The purposes of this research are to highlight the issues and challenges in post-disaster reconstruction (PDR) projects and to determine the significant differences between the issues and challenges in different locations where PDR projects are carried out. The researchers collected data within international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) on their experience of working with PDR projects. The findings of this research provide the foundation on which to build strategies for avoiding project failures; this may be useful for PDR project practitioners in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educate to Eradicate is a K-12 curriculum project using termite biology and control as the basis for science education that has been implemented in over 350 Hawaii public school classrooms. To encourage sustained implementation of the project, we aimed to identify factors that influence the adoption and continuation of pest management curricula in public school classrooms. Regression analysis of teacher survey data were used exciting students about science who perceived increases in student understanding and comprehension of major termite knowledge concepts more interested in termites after participating in this project were more likely to continue curriculum. Teachers who had worked at their current school over 21 years at the time of curriculum adoption, and/or who identified having subject specialties not listed on the survey were less likely to continue curriculum. Additionally, teachers servicing lower socioeconomic level students were less likely to continue the curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of flood events that occurred in autumn 2011 in the Italian regions of Liguria and Tuscany revived the engagement of the public decision-maker to enhance the synergy of flood control and land use planning. In this context, the design of efficient flood risk mitigation strategies and their subsequent implementation critically relies on a careful vulnerability analysis of the fixed and mobile elements exposed to flood hazard. In this paper we develop computation schemes enabling dynamic vulnerability and risk analyses for a broad typological variety of elements at risk. To show their applicability, a series of prime examples are discussed in detail, e.g. a bridge deck impacted by the flood and a car, first displaced and subsequently exposed to collision with fixed objects. We hold the view that it is essential that the derivation of the computational schemes to assess the vulnerability of endangered objects should be based on classical and fluid mechanics. In such a way, we aim to complement from a methodological perspective the existing, mainly empirical, vulnerability and risk assessment approaches and to support the design of effective flood risk mitigation strategies by defusing the main criticalities within the systems prone to flood risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the asymmetry of project features, it is difficult for project managers to make a reliable prediction of the decision-making process. Big data research can establish more predictions through the results of accurate classification. Machine learning (ML) has been widely applied for big data analytic and processing, which includes model symmetry/asymmetry of various prediction problems. The purpose of this study is to achieve symmetry in the developed decision-making solution based on the optimal classification results. Defects are important metrics of construction management performance. Accordingly, the use of suitable algorithms to comprehend the characteristics of these defects and train and test massive data on defects can conduct the effectual classification of project features. This research used 499 defective classes and related features from the Public Works Bid Management System (PWBMS). In this article, ML algorithms, such as support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), decision tree (DT), and Bayesian network (BN), were employed to predict the relationship between three target variables (engineering level, project cost, and construction progress) and defects. To formulate and subsequently cross-validate an optimal classification model, 1015 projects were considered in this work. Assessment indicators showed that the accuracy of ANN for classifying the engineering level is 93.20%, and the accuracy values of SVM for classifying the project cost and construction progress are 85.32% and 79.01%, respectively. In general, the SVM yielded better classification results from these project features. This research was based on an ML algorithm evaluation system for buildings as a classification model for project features with the goal of aiding project managers to comprehend defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of people with disabilities, intellectual in the case that concerns this research, has been one of the main concerns of society in recent years. The University of Murcia has launched the "We are all Campus" program in order to facilitate the inclusion of this group from a training perspective. Being aware of the influence of self-concept in such inclusion, this research aims to analyze the influence of the self-concept of people with intellectual disabilities in their expectations of inclusion. For this purpose, 18 subjects were asked to carry out a SWOT analysis, assessing the situation in which they find themselves through a qualitative perspective and a phenomenological design. The research reveals, among other conclusions, how important personal development is to them, especially by generating autonomy in their daily routines, and also the relevance of their relationships to feel socially included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenways (GWs) can play a key role in the context of policies and strategies for sustainable territorial development because they contribute to the development of integrated plans and interventions for environmental safeguarding and socio-economic growth. As is generally understood, in their modern conception, GWs are not only develop soft mobility, but they also represent supporting elements of a new concept of development and use of territory, attentive to its particular characteristics and the needs of resident populations. Beginning with a critical analysis of the most significant case studies of greenways, the authors propose a system of design and evaluation guidelines useful in identifying specific GW-related actions. The identified actions are divided into two categories, which are tangible and intangible actions. The first category corresponds with concrete actions that are directly implemented through different design and construction phases; the second category corresponds with processes activated in the design phase and are concretized after the "commissioning" of the path and has repercussions on the sphere of place identity. These categories are often difficult to distinguish between because many actions can be considered to be both tangible and intangible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electricity market in Brazil is basically organized under two parts: the regulated market, where energy is traded through auctions, and the free market, where market participants freely negotiate the price and quantity of electricity. Although revenues obtained in the regulated market tend to be lower than in the free market, the auctions' results show that investors still value the lesser degree of uncertainty associated with the regulated market. However, a growing interest in the free market by investors is recognized since the price of electricity tends to be higher. Therefore, this study investigates four free market price scenarios to assess the expected return for investors, using the traditional discounted cash flow approach complemented with Monte Carlo simulation to address market uncertainty. The study breaks new ground by capturing the weekly price fluctuations and including the price elasticity of demand of the free market. The results seem to indicate that the disclosure of the ceiling and floor price limits for the spot price can signal important information about the agents' price expectation in the free market and can be used for investment project evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth, social wellbeing, and infrastructure are strongly interrelated and jointly contribute to national development. Therefore, evaluation and selection of a road infrastructure project direly need a comprehensive sustainability assessment integrating holistic decision criteria. This study presents an elaborate life cycle sustainability-based project evaluation tool, comprising an assessment framework, an integration model, and a decision framework. In the first phase, a life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework for road infrastructure is established using mixed methods. In the second phase, interviews are conducted to obtain pairwise comparisons among impact categories and subjective reasoning of their priorities. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is adopted to develop the LCSA integration model. The minimum threshold limits of impact categories are evaluated and integrated into the proposed decision framework. Further, thematic and cross-sectional analyses are performed on the interview findings to rationalize the proposed decision framework. The findings include a detailed and customized project assessment framework, an integration model, and a decision framework for the assessment of different project alternatives. This study helps policy- and decision-makers in selecting the project alternative by maximizing sustainability in road infrastructure projects. Insights into environmental and social externalities and their quantitative interpretation throughout the life of the road are also achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more, the evaluation of complex projects is being related to the capacity of the project to deal with crucial social, economic, and environmental issues that society is responsible for and with the activation of systemic changes. Within this "mission" perspective, growing attention is given to learning in action. This paper aims at (i) conceptualizing a methodological framework for complex project evaluation within the context of the Triple-Loop Learning mechanism and (ii) showing its application in a European project as well as including the toolbox developed in coherence with the elaborated framework. It does so by looking at the case of an ongoing Horizon 2020 project aiming to develop language-oriented technologies supporting the inclusion of migrants in Europe. In particular, the paper looks at Triple-Loop Learning as pushed by the reflection on three dimensions: the "what", the "how", and the "why" of collective actions in complex projects. The consequent learning process is expected to have transformational potentials at the individual, institutional/organizational, and (in the long term) up to the societal scale. By exploring the opportunities offered by the evaluation tools in the easyRights project, the study highlights the potential of nurturing a wider, arguably neglected as yet, learning space for understanding, engaging, and transforming real contexts and thus developing more effective contribution to the needed transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study of sustainability in railway investment projects. The purpose of the study was to analyse how sustainability is interpreted and evaluated in the early phases of major public investment projects. These phases are characterized by potentially very influential decisions being made prior to when precise, detailed knowledge is available. The research uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative information sources and three datasets; 12 interviews, document analyses for 10 railway projects, and a case study. The qualitative data are from semi-structured interviews, while the quantitative data are based on structured document review of planning documents from ten Norwegian railway projects. In addition, a detailed case study of a major rail infrastructure project has been performed. The findings show that several aspects of sustainability are evaluated in the early phase of investment projects, but there are no explicit requirements to do an overall analysis of sustainability. Environmental aspects of sustainability are predominant in the respondents' interpretation of the concept. Still, the structure and requirements of the early phases in the national project model ensures that the economic dimension of sustainability has the most influence in decisions regarding which project concepts that receive financing for further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the gap in research and practice, with regard to achieving the sustainability goals of green building, while maximizing combination with building-information-modeling (BIM) as a social system—a gap that is expressed in the absence of integration of all stakeholders—a managerial measure is proposed to integrate them and promote sustainable green building. By using a framework for implementing BIM as a social system, and through network analysis, an index is developed to assess its integration into the green building—the Green BIM Index. This measure consists of comparing a social benchmark for optimal implementation with the actual implementation, in a given project. The index is intended to help score the BIM integration level in a green building. Comparing the BIM management measure results with social benefit assessments, and the effectiveness of BIM in nine case-studies enables to understand project outcomes in terms of schedules, budgets, and quality. The paper demonstrates the index applicability, pointing to possible significant economic improvements through the implementation of BIM social capabilities. BIM management benchmarking is helpful for the comparative evaluation of similar projects incorporating green building with BIM, indicating the level of integration to improve benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-fidelity simulation is being considered as a suitable environment for imparting the skills needed to deal with end-of-life (EOL) situations. The objective was to evaluate an EOL simulation project that introduced communication skills to nursing students who had not yet begun their training in real healthcare environments. Methods: A sequential approach was used. The "questionnaire for the evaluation of the end-of-life project" was employed. Results: A total of 130 students participated. Increasing the time spent in high-fidelity simulation significantly favored the exploration of feelings and fears regarding EOL (t = −2.37, p = 0.019), encouraged dialogue (t = −2.23, p = 0.028) and increased the acquisition of communication skills (t = −2.32, p = 0.022). Conclusions: High-fidelity simulation promotes communication skills related to EOL in novice nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active participation of the recipient governments and the beneficiaries is an essential factor in carrying out international development projects. Despite ongoing theoretical discussion on the effects of participation by the recipient governments and the beneficiaries in international development projects, there has been relatively little empirical analysis of the effects of their participation in development projects. To fill this gap, this study examines the relationship between the participation of the recipient governments and beneficiaries, and projects outcomes conducted by IFAD by validating two hypotheses. First, the higher financial contribution rate of the recipient governments results in lower evaluation results of international development projects. Second, the higher financial contribution rate of the beneficiaries leads to higher evaluation results of international development projects. In order to verify these two hypotheses, this study analyzed 166 of the IFAD Project Completion Report Validations. We did ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses for the panel data made from them. As a result of the analyses, the inverse relationship between the participation of the recipient governments and the outcome of the assessment holds true. On the other hand, the higher involvement of the beneficiaries leads to better results in the assessment. The results reaffirm prior research that suggested that the involvement of the recipient governments has a negative impact on project performance and that the participation of the beneficiaries has a positive impact on the projects performance. This study adopted "financial contributions" as the variable to analyze the participation of the recipient governments and the beneficiaries; since it utilized IFAD data, the research focuses on the agriculture sector in terms of international development cooperation. The applicability of these findings in other areas of international development cooperation therefore to be tested in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress management of a construction project can detect changes early by visualizing the progress of the project, as it is important to be capable of predicting the success or failure of future project objectives. However, to perform reliable progress management tasks, accurate measurement data is required. In this study, the basic principle of the evaluation of project progress was performed through the 3D point cloud and the 4D attributes of BIM. The evaluation of project progress proposed in this study was based on as-built data to assess the progress of the project site. The specific improvements via the proposed process for this study in the construction project-progress control area were as follows: (1) visualization of construction project progress, (2) calculation of project as-built quantity, and (3) evaluation of a project's progress. This study improved the efficiency and productivity in the management of a construction project through detection of the progress process. It provided easy monitoring of the overall project status, such as productivity analysis, progress rate and quality verifications, and easy identification of the problems created and foreseeable engineering tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: When using animals in research, ethical aspects must be included in the project evaluation process. As one important part, a harm–benefit analysis (HBA) should be carried out in order to approve projects in line with the EU Directive 2010/63/EU, which sets out the rules for animal experiments in Europe. These regulations state that the harms and benefits of a project should be assessed and weighed before the project starts. Assessment of harms caused by scientific procedure is a precondition for ethical evaluation. In this context, projects that involve genetically altered (GA) lines raise new issues. A significant lack of knowledge surrounds new GA lines, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to estimate harm prospectively with sufficient certainty since it is not predictable what sort of harm—if at all—the animals are going to experience. Therefore, this contribution aims to deal with the challenges of harm assessment in GA animals and their implications for welfare assessment and the HBA. A practical guideline is presented herein to serve as guidance for relevant harm factors and address the main challenges, particularly when dealing with uncertainties in project evaluation. The use of animals in research requires careful ethical consideration of whether the burden on the animals is justified. As one important part of the project evaluation, a harm–benefit analysis (HBA) must be carried out in order to approve projects in line with the EU Directive 2010/63/EU. This implies that harms and benefits must be assessed prospectively beforehand in order to weigh them. Although there are different methods of weighing, it is clear that an assessment of prospective harms and benefits is a precondition for any weighing procedure. In this context, projects that use genetically altered (GA) lines raise new issues. A unique challenge when using GA lines is the significant lack of knowledge in this context, making it difficult and sometimes impossible to estimate harm prospectively with sufficient certainty, since it is not predictable what sort of harm—if at all—the animals are going to experience. Therefore, this contribution aims to deal with the challenges of harm assessment in GA animals and their implications for welfare assessment and the HBA. A practical guideline is presented herein to serve as guidance for relevant harm factors and address the main challenges, particularly when dealing with uncertainties in the process of HBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to estimate water supply potential, the effects of shortages on water users, and the uncertainty of local headspring conditions during the planning stage of reservoir construction, the Shortage Index (SI) is often employed. However, the criterion used in the SI is difficult to adjust to satisfy local conditions and objectives. The SI also employs an ambiguous definition of value. Thus, this study adopted a water supply reliability index (WSRI) as an alternative to the SI for providing the criterion for water resources project planning. The value of the WSRI is easily understood, because it is defined according to the real water supply situation and it has a strong linear relationship with values of SI. For any given water supply system, the estimated results derived from this study could serve as an additional remark on different SI values to explain the relevant water supply considerations. In addition, for a new planning site, the estimated results of this study could provide another way for engineers to evaluate the maximum water supply capability. Consequently, an interesting avenue of investigation in future research would be the incorporation of the WSRI with the risk of deficit frequency in establishing an efficient and transparent bottom-up approach for water resources management, involving all the relevant stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strategic goal of city management is to ensure its sustainable development which requires a balance of rare resources. From the operational perspective, namely projects implementing sustainable development, the balance refers to human resources. They can be classified into the public or private sector and their cooperation is known as Public–Private Partnership (PPP). Building on the concept of sustainable development and stakeholder theory, the research develops a conceptual framework of stakeholder analysis in PPP projects. More generally, the research aims to contribute to a theoretical understanding of the determinants of sustainable city development and PPP success factors. The research claims that the PPP procurement is consistent with sustainable urban development and the PPP model, accompanied by the stakeholder theory, requires evaluation which balances diverse stakeholders' interests along the triple bottom of sustainable development. The conceptual framework combines stakeholder attributes of preferred benefits and power and urgency. It includes a time and scope perspective. The research has a descriptive but also a normative character as the framework could be helpful to understand and engage stakeholders in sustainable urban development. The developed framework can be considered for the future construction of a model that can be implemented and tested. This theoretical research is based on a literature survey, applying methods of critical analysis and construction. The innovative approach of the research is based on integrated application of already known concepts of sustainable development, stakeholder theory, and Public–Private Partnership, which are all necessary to create a new approach to management of city development consistent with the known facts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interconnection of transnational power grids plays an important role in realizing the optimal allocation of energy resources. It can also deepen regional economic cooperation, achieve energy conservation and emission reduction, and improve people's livelihood. This paper constructs a comprehensive benefit evaluation index system for transnational power networking projects which is suitable for the four stakeholders of investors, international lending institutions, sending-oriented states, and receiving-oriented states. Therefore, on the basis of this index system, this paper adopted the weight determination method based on the order relation method and Gini coefficient method to synthesize subjective and objective information. Then the comprehensive benefit evaluation of such projects was carried out by matter-element extension model with grey relational projection value. Therefore, the problem with the Euclid approach degree leading to a low discrimination of many samples to be evaluated was effectively solved. The final empirical analysis results showed that the focus and evaluation results of the comprehensive benefits of such projects from the perspective of different stakeholders were quite different. The results of comprehensive benefit evaluation will improve the accuracy of decision-making and the objectivity of evaluation, so as to provide decision-making references for different stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of application of real option valuation approach in the valuation of investment project is presented in the article in a way in which the flexibility of the project could be included in the process of its valuation. The authors apply the valuation approach in case of a specific investment project in the real estate in the capital city of the Czech Republic—Prague, using the option to expand, to contract, and to abandon the project. The main aim of this case study is to present a practical application of the investment valuation and to construct an option pricing model for real estate investment which considers and integrates as many aspects of the investment and market environment as possible to describe the best situation of the real estate market and its development. The valuation of the investment is carried out using a universally applicable numerical method of binomial trees. The results obtained are subjected to the sensitivity analysis with respect to the discount rate, value of the most influential parameter of the volatility and the input option parameters. The results of the valuation of the project obtained using the real option approach are important mainly for the management of the company in the process of quantification of the present value of future investments. Implementation of managerial interventions enables for optimizing the value of the project not only in case of favourable development of the real estate market, but particularly in case of unfavourable development. Therefore, they are important in order to protect an investor from potential high losses. Finally, the valuation of these interventions increases the present value of the project, contributing to the decision of the corporate management regarding its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2018, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Doctors with Africa CUAMM began to implement an intervention to strengthen Chiulo Hospital's public health section to deliver immunization services in Mucope Comuna , Ombadja District. We aimed to evaluate the effect of this intervention. During the intervention period, actions such as staff training, improvement in the monitoring of vaccine stockpile, and the involvement of Community Health Workers were performed. The effects of the intervention on the number of vaccine doses administered were examined using negative binomial regression. Doses administered were 14,221 during the intervention period and 11,276 in the pre-intervention one. The number of administered doses was 26% higher (95% CI 9%-45%) in the intervention period than in the pre-intervention period. This was driven by vaccine doses administered during outreach sessions, where a statistically significant increase of 62% (95% CI 28%-107%) was observed. Regarding individual vaccines, statistically significant increases in the number of doses were observed for OPV2 (76%), OPV3 (100%), Penta3 (53%), PCV3 (53%), and Rota2 (43%). The NGO interventions led to improved delivery of immunization services in the study area. Greater increases were observed for vaccine doses that are more likely to be missed by children.