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Accurate mapping is crucial for the successful deployment of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in navigation tasks. However, maps derived from as-designed models often lack realism and fail to reflect dynamic changes on construction sites. To address this issue, a premapping method leveraging prior construction progress video is proposed to create up-to-date navigation maps. This method proactively accounts for dynamic changes, particularly those caused by transient objects that are present only during the progress video collection phase and may not exist at the time of UGV deployment. The proposed approach involves detecting, tracking, and segmenting these transient objects, followed by their removal using a flow-guided model. The cleaned frames are used to reconstruct an updated point cloud, which serves as the basis for defining a two-dimensional (2D) navigation map. By considering these changes during the premapping process, the method ensures that the resulting map is consistent with the actual site conditions. Validation in an indoor construction setting demonstrated the necessity of the proposed method and highlighted the impacts of transient objects on path planning outcomes. This method is beneficial for routine monitoring scenarios, for which it can update and transform prior video into a navigation map, enabling efficient advanced planning. Practical Applications: The practical application of this study primarily lies in enhancing the deployment efficiency of unmanned ground vehicles for routine monitoring of construction sites. The proposed premapping method, which leverages prior construction progress video, offers two key practical benefits. Firstly, as an offsite premapping approach, it enables the creation of maps without interfering with ongoing construction activities, minimizing on-site operations. This enhances UGV acceptance on site and maintains regular site workflows. Secondly, by proactively considering the dynamic changes caused by transient objects, the method ensures that the created map is up-to-date and provides a more comprehensive basis for efficient initial planning. This premapping approach is particularly beneficial for routine monitoring scenarios, because it reduces operational efforts by providing effective and up-to-date maps derived from construction progress video. By doing so, it enhances both the efficiency of UGV deployment and the effectiveness of advanced planning in dynamic construction environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point clouds are utilized to enable automated engineering applications for their ability to represent spatial geometry. However, they inherently lack detailed surface textures, posing challenges in differentiating objects at the texture level. Hence, this study introduces a 2D–3D fusing approach, leveraging material properties recognized from registered images as an augmented feature to enhance deep learning methods for the segmentation of building elements within point clouds. The proposed method was evaluated quantitatively on a 3D indoor data set with an implementation in an office room. The results are promising, showing improvement in recognition performance, particularly for objects with similar geometry but having different material properties. For instance, the segmentation of boards increased by 70.87%, and doors improved by 41.06% using the PointNet architecture. This enhanced segmentation not only reduces the time for interpreting point clouds but also has the potential to benefit downstream applications such as Scan‐to‐building information modeling (BIM), as defining regions for objects is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamic behaviour of asphalt concrete substructure ballastless track system (ACSBTS) in the application of long-span railway bridge (LSRB) is clarified. Firstly, the finite element model of full LSRB was established, which considered the viscoelastic properties of asphalt concrete and the vibrational load condition of high-speed train. Particularly, the asphalt concrete properties were characterised using generalised Maxwell model. Then, the dynamic responses of different components in ACSBTS were calculated and compared with those of cement concrete substructure ballastless track system (CCSBTS). Moreover, the LSRB vibration modes were discussed. Lastly, the effect of different influence factors was investigated. Results show that asphalt concrete substructure can mitigate the mechanical responses induced by dynamic train load. It is suggested that the asphalt concrete substructure thickness should preferably not exceed 350 mm and its modulus could be increased appropriately. Findings contribute to the application of ACSBTS in LSRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RFID is used in many areas of commerce, and in some areas of the construction industry. Prefabricated, prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) is one area of the construction industry that can benefit from the use of RFID. The full benefits cannot be realised by the use of RFID alone. RFID needs to be coupled with Building Information Modelling (BIM). This paper outlines a framework of marrying the two technologies in constructing PPVC from the drawing stage to the delivery on site and then to the final installation of the unit. The benefits of this union are in material stock control, part location tracking, production scheduling and re-scheduling, among other things.

Background: Patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds often have unmet healthcare coordination needs. We aimed to evaluate the acceptability, utilisation and perceived benefits of the Mater CALD Health Coordinator Service (M-CHooSe), a pilot, nurse-led, general practice co-located, healthcare coordination service for patients from CALD backgrounds. Methods: M-CHooSe began in March 2020 at five Brisbane (Queensland) sites. Process and service user data were collected over 12 months at one site. A survey evaluated primary healthcare professionals' perceived benefits of the service. Another survey of M-CHooSe nurses examined indicators of service complexity. Results: In total, 206 individuals accessed M-CHooSe over the 12-month period. Commonly delivered services included health service advocacy, chart reviews and health system navigation, including addressing social determinants. M-CHooSe nurses reported frequently performing tasks such as following up with external health services and performing health and social care system coordination. M-CHooSe benefits reported by primary healthcare professionals included better patient access to external health services and improved patient understanding of their conditions and treatments. Conclusion: Patients were accepting of referrals to M-CHooSE. Primary healthcare professionals also reported a variety of benefits to themselves and their patients because of M-CHooSe. M-ChooSe highlights the potential of a healthcare coordination service for multicultural patients to improve healthcare equity, accessibility, and system efficiency. This project demonstrates the potential value of coordination services to increase patient access and uptake of existing health and social care services for modern Australian communities, thus improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our health system. Further investigations, including user experience, opinions and cost analyses, will be required to confirm the promising benefits of embedding M-CHooSe into usual care. People with multicultural or refugee backgrounds are more likely to have poorer long-term health outcomes compared to natively born people, and experience barriers accessing health care. We piloted a multicultural healthcare coordinator service and demonstrated that it was acceptable to patients and primary healthcare practitioners, well-utilised and demonstrated good outcomes. The service has the potential to reduce healthcare inequities if implemented into ongoing primary care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are potential benefits associated with advance care planning (ACP), and general practitioners (GPs) are well placed to coordinate ACP initiatives with their patients. Few studies have reported on the uptake of different forms of advance care plan conducted by GPs and how this affects patients' place of death. The primary aims of the study were to examine uptake of verbal (conversations regarding care preferences) and written (documented care preferences) advance care plans and their associated factors from the perspective of Australian GPs. The secondary aim was to determine the impact of different types of advance care plans on place of death. Sixty‐one GPs from three Australian states used a validated clinic‐based data collection process to report on care provided for decedents in the last year of life, including provision of services, place of death, and uptake of ACP. We found that 58 (27.9%), 91 (43.7%) and 59 (28.4%) reported decedents had no advance care plans, verbal plans or written plans, respectively. There were increased uptake of both verbal plans (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 13.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.18–77.34) and written plans (RRR = 10.61, 95% CI: 1.72–65.57) if GPs foresaw the death for >90 days versus <7 days. Palliative care training history for GPs predicted uptake of verbal plans (RRR = 5.83, 95% CI: 1.46–31.93). Patients with verbal plans versus no plans were more likely to die at a private residence (odds ratio = 4.97, 95% CI: 1.32–18.63). Our findings suggest that expectation of death for at least three months prior to the event (where clinically possible) and palliative care training for GPs improve the uptake of ACP in general practice. Larger pragmatic trials are required to determine the impact of ACP on patients' place of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper further develops the models proposed by prior research in the field of workspace conflict using four- dimensional computer-aided design. The approach developed here analyzes spatial demand and supply from the perspective of construction operators, and a modeling methodology based on spatiotemporal utilization is proposed. The utilization factor model is developed to show that the criticality of the operator's spatiotemporal demand leads to worksite congestion and that congestion is a form of worksite conflict. The interference of other space entities increases the space demand, and this increment is quantified with a 'dynamic space interference' index This indicator is developed to identify activity spaces which suffer congestion. A decision making tool, the 'congestion penalty indicator,' is developed which obtains a schedule-level value for analysis, evaluation, and comparison. Finally, a case study on the refurbishment of an oil refinery column is used to demonstrate the application of the above concepts in successfully identifying a better schedule with respect to on-site congestion. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000166 CE Database subject headings: Construction management; Spatial analysis; Construction sites; Workspace; Models. Author keywords: 4D CAD; Construction management; Spatial analysis; Temporal analysis; Site congestion; Workspace.