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Resource scarcity, manifested through limited time, money or space, is a prevalent aspect of family life. Drawing on depth interviews with 30 families from diverse demographic backgrounds, this study develops a framework to demonstrate how families respond to resource scarcity. Our research examines how multi-dimensional, concurrent and/or consecutive life events, such as job changes, house moves, or childbirth, create a mismatch between available and required resources to trigger situational resource scarcity. We identify different patterns of adjustments in consumption and resource investment over time, based on families' chronic resources and reliance on support networks. Notably, the greater flexibility afforded by multiple family members is constrained by collective goals, domains of control, tensions and negotiations., Author(s): A. R. Shaheen Hosany [sup.1] , Rebecca W. Hamilton [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.4970.a, 0000 0001 2188 881X, School of Business and Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, , [...]

This study presents an innovative geostatistical approach, namely network regression kriging (NRK), for optimizing location-allocation of traffic counters within a road network. Long-term traffic observations for different road types are utilized by combining several semivariograms to better represent traffic behaviours. This location optimization problem minimizes the NRK estimation variance of traffic volumes via the simulated annealing algorithm. A real-world case study in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was used to illustrate the distinct features of our proposed approach. The results suggest that the generated traffic counters' configurations can significantly improve the estimation accuracies. An effort was also made to reduce the number of traffic counters while maintaining the same estimation accuracies, and the result indicated potential equipment savings for up to 46.13%. The findings of this study imply that the proposed approach could be used as a decision-support and performance evaluation tool for transportation authorities to deploy traffic counters and assess alternative deployment strategies. Key words: traffic counters, location-allocation strategy, network regression kriging, semivariogram, geostatistical modelling, Introduction Transportation researchers and practitioners often struggle with incomplete or poor regional traffic volume information. This is a problem of interest not only from a theoretical perspective but also due [...]

The majority of civil infrastructure projects involve activities that are repeated across a number of linear units (e.g., highway sections) or scattered units (e.g., multi-bridge rehabilitations). For these projects, Critical Path Method (CPM)/line- of-balance (LOB) repetitive scheduling combines the benefits of CPM and LOB analyses to maintain work continuity across units, yet assumes simple sequential unit order and results in schedule delays for practical projects with non-identical units, constrained resources, and (or) strict deadlines. To improve CPM/LOB scheduling, this paper introduces powerful and easy-to-use enhancements, including (1) designed interruptions to reduce time gaps; (2) efficient resource-constrained first-come first-serve crew assignment; (3) crew adjustment loop to meet deadlines; and (4) representation of flexible unit sequence. These simplified enhancements computationally produce schedules that respect deadlines, individual resource limits, and desired sequence among units. Example projects are then presented to prove that the proposed enhancements offer flexible scheduling features that can meet the strict constraints of infrastructure projects. Key words: repetitive scheduling, resource allocation, infrastructure, construction management, schedule optimization, 1. Introduction Civil infrastructure projects are typically large in size and involve construction activities that are repeated across a large number of units. There are generally three types of repetitive [...]

We explore the limits of in situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon to maximize living off the land by building lunar bases from in situ material. We adopt the philosophy of indigenous peoples who excelled in sustainability. We are interested in leveraging lunar resources to manufacture an entire lunar base in such a fashion that is fully sustainable and minimizes supplies required from Earth. A range of metals, ceramics and volatiles can be extracted from lunar minerals to support construction of a lunar base that include structure, piping and electrical distribution systems. To 3D print a lunar base, we must 3D print the load-bearing structure, electrical distribution system, water-based heating system, drinking water system, air system and orbital transport system from in situ resources. We also address the manufacture of the interior of the lunar base from local resources. The majority of systems constituting a lunar base can be manufactured from in situ resources. Key words: lunar base, in situ resource utilization, sustainable space exploration, additive manufacturing. Nous explorons les limites de l'utilisation des ressources in situ (URIS) sur la Lune pour maximiser la vie sur la Lune en construisant des bases lunaires a partir de materiaux in situ. Nous adoptons la philosophie des peuples autochtones qui ont excelle en matiere de durabilite. Nous sommes interesses a tirer parti des ressources lunaires pour fabriquer une base lunaire entiere d'une maniere totalement durable et qu'elle minimise les approvisionnements requis de la Terre. Une gamme de metaux, ceramiques et composants volatils peuvent etre extraits des mineraux lunaires pour soutenir la construction d'une base lunaire qui comprend la structure, la tuyauterie et le systeme de distribution electrique. Pour imprimer en 3D une base lunaire, nous devons imprimer en 3D la structure portante, le systeme de distribution electrique, le systeme de chauffage a l'eau, le systeme d'eau potable, le systeme d'air et le systeme de transport orbital a partir de ressources in situ. Nous abordons egalement la fabrication de l'interieur de la base lunaire a partir de ressources locales. La majorite des systemes constituant une base lunaire peuvent etre fabriques a partir de ressources in situ. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: base lunaire, utilisation in situ des ressources, exploration spatiale durable, fabrication additive., 1. Introduction Everyone is going to the Moon. The Chinese Chang'e programme is a vigorous lunar exploration programme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Lunar_Exploration_Program)--Chang'e 4 landed on the lunar farside and hosted a small garden [...]

This paper presents a new approach to address the problem of allocating federal resources and identifying upgrading projects for improving the safety of at-grade crossings in Canada. The proposed approach is unique in two key aspects. First, a risk-based network screening process is adopted to identify the priority sites for providing a justifiable basis for distributing the total budget at a regional level as well as narrowing the search space in the subject optimization step. Secondly, a mathematical programming approach is applied to formalize the resource allocation process with explicit consideration of the expected benefits-risk reduction and the costs of implementing the projects. This approach is expected to improve the process of identifying the optimal set of upgrading projects within each region, thus maximizing the return on investment. A full-scale case study from the Canadian crossing network is conducted to demonstrate the application of the proposed approach. Key words: grade crossing safety, crash frequency, crash severity, crash cost, resource allocation, resource optimization. Ce document presente une nouvelle approche pour regler le probleme de l'affectation des ressources federales pour les projets d'amelioration de la securite aux passages a niveau au Canada et la determination au prealable de ces projets. L'approche proposee est unique en deux points. Tout d'abord, un processus de filtrage du reseau fonde sur les risques est adopte pour identifier les sites prioritaires afin de fournir une base justifiable pour la distribution du budget total au niveau regional ainsi que pour reduire l'espace de recherche a l'etape d'optimisation des sujets. Deuxiemement, une approche de programmation mathematique est appliquee pour officialiser le processus d'affectation des ressources en tenant compte explicitement des avantages attendus--reduction des risques et des couts de mise en oeuvre des projets. Cette approche devrait ameliorer le processus d'identification de l'ensemble optimal de projets de modernisation dans chaque region, maximisant ainsi le retour sur investissement. Une etude de cas a grande echelle du reseau canadien de passages a niveau est menee pour demontrer l'application de l'approche proposee. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : securite des passages a niveau, frequence des accidents, gravite des accidents, cout des accidents, allocation des ressources, optimisation des ressources., Introduction The Canadian Grade Crossing Improvement Program (GCIP) is a funding program established by Transport Canada about ten years ago to improve safety at high-risk road-railway grade crossings. The GCIP [...]

Context: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) who also experience problem drug use, have complex medical and social needs, with barriers to accessing services and treatments. Their treatment burden (the workload of self-management and impact on well-being) has not been described. Objective: The aim of this sub study is to use a validated questionnaire, the Patient Experience with Treatment and Self- management (PETS), to investigate perceived treatment burden in PEH. Study Design: Baseline data from the Pharmacist Homeless Outreach Engagement Non medical Independent prescribing Rx (PHOENIx) Trial. Setting/Population: Study undertaken in Scotland. Participants were homeless adults age 18 years or older, who had at least one non-fatal drug related overdose in the preceding 6 months. Results: 123/128 (96%) of participants completed PETS at baseline interview; mean age 42.1 (SD 8.6); 71.5 % male, and 99.2% white ethnicity. 91.2% had more than 5 chronic health conditions with mean of 8.5/participant. Scores range from 0-100, with higher score indicating higher burden of treatment. Mean PETS scores were highest in the domains indicating the impact of self- management on well-being: physical/mental exhaustion (Mean=79.54, SD=3.26); and role-social activity limitations (Mean=64, SD=3.48). Impact summary score; aggregated mean scores of domains indicating the impact of the self management of well being, was higher (71.8 SD 10.99) than the work load summary score; aggregated mean score of domains indicating the work a patient has to do to maintain health (45.77 SD 12.46). Conclusions : In a socially vulnerable chronologically young group of patients with high risk of overdose, PETS can be used to measure treatment burden. This study identified a profound impact of self-management on well-being and daily activities in a population at high risk with few resources. Scores were markedly higher than those observed in studies of non-homeless patient samples, despite this population being a younger cohort. Measuring PETs for this patient group should help with future resource allocation, service planning and patient care, Presenters Caitlin Jones, BSc, MBChB, Frances Mair, MD, FRCGP, Andrea Williamson, David Eton, PhD, Richard Lowrie, PhD, Andrew McPherson, PhD, [...]