Search results

Control of the rock motion associated with blasting can have significant economic benefits. For example, surface coal mining can be made more efficient if the overburden material can be cast further with explosives, leaving less work for mechanical equipment. The final muck pile shape in every type of surface and underground blasting is controlled by the blasting induced motion of the rock. A theoretically sound method of predicting rock motion will be beneficial to understanding the blasting process.

The research project is centred on examining how new technology comes to be used in certain ways and for certain purposes, by focusing on the pre‐installation stages.

There has been a steady increase in the number of children diagnosed as having an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Consequently, demand for services to meet the needs of these children and their families has increased. Northamptonshire County Council's approach to addressing the needs of this group has been through the development of multi‐agency services united by a common approach: the TEACCH model. This paper outlines developments in the area of the provision of short‐term breaks. This approach has been considered successful by parents, service users and external audit. Factors that have been helpful in providing services are discussed, as are areas requiring further development.

The purpose of this study is to test and validate a scale for measuring project resilience in the construction sector within the built environment. By identifying relevant indicators and items, the study aims to enhance the resilience of construction projects and minimize losses and failures resulting from disruptive events such as societal, technological, biological and environmental hazards (e.g. Covid-19, war in Ukraine, shortage of resources, etc.).

The study uses a quantitative approach, specifically exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, to evaluate the suitability, dimensionality and reliability of the proposed indicators and items for measuring project resilience in the construction sector.

The study found that 9 indicators and 34 items were suitable for measuring project resilience in the construction sector, and the proposed model showed good fit for the two dimensions of project resilience, which may have practical implications for project managers in the construction sector within the built environment.

The study proposes a new scale for measuring project resilience in the construction sector, which is a novel contribution to the field of project management. The study identifies specific indicators and items that are relevant to this industry, which may have practical implications for project managers in this sector. The study also highlights the need for further research to make the project resilience scale more robust and reliable.

To enlighten the food consumers and drug users as to some of their incompatibilities.

Examples from the literature covering compositions of food‐drug, food‐drug interactions, and dietary habits were collected from former works.

Major side‐effects of some diet(food) on drugs include alteration in absorption by fatty, high protein and fiber diets. Drugs such as methateiate, pyrimethamine, isonicotinic acid and asprin alter the transportation of some nutrients. Nutrient supplementations was found to be beneficial.

Possible factors affecting the reactions need to be identified.

It helps food consumers and drug users to avoid using some of these materials and also to adopt nutrient supplementation as a better alternative where possible.

The knowledge helps food technologists, nutritionists, physicians and pharmacists to serve the public better.

This study examines the social acceptance and potential for residential solar integration in Abu Dhabi to support sustainable urban innovation and prosperity. A survey of 216 Abu Dhabi residents analyzed four scenarios for incentivizing household solar panel adoption. Results demonstrate high interest and preference for governmental financial support mechanisms to spur solar integration. This research contributes an assessment framework and citizen engagement insights that could inform smart city development strategies focused on renewable energy transformation across the Gulf region. As urban centers like Abu Dhabi strive to enact their visions for economic diversification and environmental sustainability, understanding citizen perspectives on innovations like distributed solar will be critical to align technology advancement with societal needs and values. The methodology and findings of this Abu Dhabi case study provide a model to catalyze stakeholder buy-in for new energy solutions, with potential applications for other Gulf cities aiming to transition their energy systems and build integrative renewables infrastructure to power next-generation smart development. This solar integration acceptance research lays the groundwork for continued scholarly discourse and policymaker collaboration around smart cities in the Gulf that realize multidimensional progress for society, economy, and environment.

WORK Study has know‐how in its bones. The astonishing results, from textiles down to warehousing, stems from experience. We entered the field with the Bedaux trained engineers, and with this flying start we have been able to attain the results of to‐day, even though most firms have not insisted on Bedaux training and many have accepted staff under a system of training that can only be described as slipshod.

Given their interrelationship, international market selection (IMS) and entry mode selection (EMS) must be considered jointly if an optimal entry strategy is to be realized. However, researchers in the field of international construction have the tendency to consider IMS and EMS independently or sequentially. Therefore, this paper aims to explore a holistic framework that can accommodate IMS and EMS concurrently and test it using empirical data.

his study includes theoretical and empirical research. In theoretical part, an integrated decision model of IMS and EMS is proposed adopting literature review and theoretical derivation, then hypotheses are developed for the impact of decision-making factors. In the latter part, the IMS and EMS of 54 Chinese contractors in 67 countries were investigated, empirical data are collected according to hypotheses, an ordinal logistic regression model is established for statistics analysis. Finally, findings are drawn by comparing literature-based hypotheses with data-based analysis results.

Results show that empirical data fit theoretical model well. Findings are: IMS and EMS can be integrated into a holistic decision-making framework when be properly sequenced. When IMS and EMS are determined simultaneously, the decision can benefit from a sharing of common information. And the roles of at least 13 common factors are empirically demonstrated in this study.

The integrated decision sequence proposed in this study is applicable for a specific market, and cannot compare multiple alternative markets directly. The decision-making factors identified in this paper do not cover the enterprise strategic objectives and some other factors. Empirical data and some theoretical assumptions are based on the international market entry strategy of Chinese contractors. Therefore, the conclusions may not be completely applicable to global contractors though have certain reference value.

Based on the idea of holistic decision-making of IMS and EMS, this study proposes an international market entry strategy (IMES) sequence and an explicit model for determinants, then tests them with empirical data. This paper provides a new idea to manage IMS and EMS concurrently, which can improve the efficiency of IMES decision-making and avoid missing optimal alternatives. This study paves the way for a practical model and provides reference for contractors' international market entry strategy.

In 2013, the National Mutual Acceptance (NMA) of single ethical review was introduced into the Australian public health sector to address the timeliness of multisite clinical trials. A clinical trial is usually designed to test the effects of an experimental therapeutic product. While all research involving humans must comply with ethical guidelines, clinical trials testing products in Australia are also subject to stringent regulatory controls making the need to meet trial milestones critically import. Commercial clinical trials offer participating research sites substantial financial and clinical advantages. Concerns that bureaucratic processes have impeded commercial investment have influenced countries, including Australia, to introduce single ethical review, where one ethics review is accepted at multiple sites participating in the same research project. Although a central tenet of the NMA is the standardization of the behaviors and procedures of research review, concerns of inconsistency remain. This raises the question of whether the NMA does lead public healthcare agencies to adopt similar research governance practices.

A questionnaire survey was undertaken to explore the current experiences (n = 149) of the NMA in Victorian public health agencies, and 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore expectations of the future of the NMA. The findings indicated that, while there was conformity to many of the process requirements of the NMA, a persistent focus on the needs of each individual healthcare agency rather than on complying with the national system weakened pressure on agencies to adopt standardization.

The NMA has the capacity to be a powerful tool in delivering quality clinical trial outcomes, maximize research resources and create dependable performance metrics if consistent policies and governance are followed.

The chapter will review significant changes in information technology (IT) affecting research over the 30-year history of Communication, Information Technology, and Media Sociology. It compares broad overviews of computers and the social sciences published shortly after the beginning of the section (1989 and 1990) with a contemporary overview of online research methods from 2017. It also draws on my own experiences from 1981 to the present as both an academic and a software entrepreneur. The author will discuss how changes in the section parallel developments in social science computing over this period, identifying some of the significant ways IT has transformed both the methods of research and the substantive foci of research. Finally, the author extrapolates into the future to consider how continuing changes in the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and natural language understanding may change how sociological research is conducted in the foreseeable future.