Search results

The purpose of this paper is to propose an efficient numerical simulation tool based on FEM, by which the EMC shielding effect characteristics of power cables can be predicted in the 30-1,000 MHz frequency range, as if it would be measured by the absorbing clamp method.

The simulation method is based on decomposition: a 2D axisymmetric RF FE model is used for describing the whole measurement set-up, while a 3D quasi-static FE model is used for the symmetry cell of the shielding layer in order to capture the effect of its fine geometric details.

Comparison with real measurements shows that the shielding characteristics can be reliably predicted this way, with some deviation in the low end of the frequency range though.

This simulation tool can be applied in the design and optimization of braided cable shields to be used in the automotive industry.

Two numerical models are coupled by the novel concept of “equivalent shielding layer”, which is obtained by homogenization.

The purpose of this paper is to validate a list of key indicators (KIs) of team integration identified from construction management literature, identify the most significant KIs and provide suggestions on how to influence team integration, based on the opinion of an established construction peer group in New Zealand.

A literature review was conducted to identify and consolidate a set of KIs of team integration. Subsequently, a set of questions was designed to gain insight and opinion in terms of the significance and ranking of the identified indicators, as well as suggestions on how to influence the integration practice.

Analysis of the survey results showed that all relevant indicators have a strong influence towards determining the success of team integration in construction projects. The top-ranked indicators that contribute towards successful team integration are all relationship orientated as follows; single team focus on goals and objectives, trust and respect, commitment from top management, free flow communication and no blame culture. A framework for influencing these indicators of team integration is proposed which includes four elements: first, team formation; second, contractual model; third, teamwork principle; and fourth, operational monitoring.

The findings are limited to practitioners’ perceptions who are registered with an established construction peer group in New Zealand.

The results of the study are expected to provide insight for construction practitioners to help them embrace team integration practice and, hence, provide both the opportunity and a platform to enhance and measure their team performance.

The paper recognises that while the process of integration is a result of a combination of many indicators, it further extends the team integration literature by providing insights into what are the dominant relationship indicators of team integration, and how to influence these indicators based on a proposed framework.

All areas in England are expected by National Health Service (NHS) England to develop integrated care systems (ICSs) by April 2021. ICSs bring together primary, secondary and community health services, and involve local authorities and the voluntary sector. ICSs build on previous pilots, including the Integrated Care Pioneers in 25 areas from November 2013 to March 2018. This analysis tracks the Pioneers’ self-reported progress, and the facilitators and barriers to improve service coordination over three years, longer than previous evaluations in England. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Annual online key informant (KI) surveys, 2016–2018, are used for this study.

By the fourth year of the programme (2017), KIs had shifted from reporting plans to implementation of a wide range of initiatives. In 2018, informants reported fewer “significant” barriers to change than previously. While some progress in achieving local integration objectives was evident, it was also clear that progress can take considerable time. In parallel, there appears to have been a move away from aspects of personalised care associated with user control, perhaps in part because the emphasis of national objectives has shifted towards establishing large-scale ICSs with a particular focus on organisational fragmentation within the NHS.

Because these are self-reports of changes, they cannot be objectively verified. Later stages of the evaluation will look at changes in outcomes and user experiences.

The current study shows clearly that the benefits of integrating health and social care are unlikely to be apparent for several years, and expectations of policy makers to see rapid improvements in care and outcomes are likely to be unrealistic.

This paper investigates the evolving landscape of architectural criticism in the digital era, leveraging the enduring interplay between architecture and media. It specifically examines the role of social media and public awards in improving user engagement with architectural discourse.

A mixed-method approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative analyses, is used to discuss three architecture awards. These are chosen for their different evaluation processes and their capacity to offer diverse opportunities for public interaction and engagement.

The study emphasises the potential of social media to democratise architectural criticism, while also addressing challenges such as the prominence of non-critical visual material and the presence of algorithmic biases. The findings underline the importance of providing adequate materials for public evaluation and integrating expert juries to support the assessment process. These elements are essential to fostering informed public participation, bridging the gap between professional expertise and popular engagement, and enabling meaningful architectural discourse on social media.

This paper fills a gap in the academic literature by connecting public architectural awards – a relatively unexplored aspect of architectural culture – with the potential of social media as a platform for architectural criticism.

The purpose of this paper is to report on a doctoral thesis that developed an Alliance Team Integration Performance Index (ATIPI), an assessment tool for measuring team integration performance in alliance projects. It provides a summary of the thesis findings, shares the candidate’s doctoral journey and discusses both the thesis “with publication” format and the doctoral programme at the University of Auckland.

This study employed a qualitative and quantitative research methodology (mixed methods research). Research methods applied as reported in this thesis include the Delphi questionnaire survey, interviews and empirical questionnaire surveys with the alliance experts involved in road infrastructure projects.

Results from the thesis indicate that the ATIPI is characterized by three elements: first, the most significant Key Indicators (KIs), signifying their dominant influence; second, the suitable quantitative measures for each of the KIs, to promote objective assessment over time; and third, the performance-level boundaries for each KI, to reduce the subjectivity of assessment and promote consistency. The assessment tool was found to be both practical and applicable based on a validation interview and subsequent testing with alliance experts on real life alliance infrastructure projects.

As team integration is the central tenet of alliance projects, the ATIPI is an ideal assessment tool to facilitate the measurement of team integration performance consistently and objectively over the life cycle of alliance projects. Also, the ATIPI is expected to make a fundamental and positive difference towards improving the integration practice of alliance teams.

This study extends the team integration literature by providing significant insights into the practical evaluation of team integration performance, specifically in alliance projects.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of the Alliance Team Integration Performance Index (ATIPI) model as an assessment tool to measure the performance of team integration in alliance road infrastructure projects in New Zealand.

This study takes a case study approach, using a qualitative research method. Three road infrastructure projects under project alliance from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) were selected as the cases. Data were collected through the interviews with a representative from the alliance management team from each case. Project records and documentation were also used to assist and support the actual data from the interviews.

The findings indicated that the ATIPI is performing as expected and found to be both practical and applicable to measure the team integration performance in light of real life case studies of alliance road infrastructure projects. Across the three case studies, there is evidence that high levels of integrated performance is consistently fostered by the project teams over the lifecycle of projects. In addition, based on the cross-case analysis from the application of the ATIPI on three cases, further work could enhance the probability of the utilization of the tool to manage different project alliance teams consistently and objectively.

The study was limited to three alliance road infrastructure projects in New Zealand. Further research into different alliance projects is required to establish a comprehensive database of alliance team integration performance, so that the model could be more beneficial for owner and non-owner participants, for benchmarking purposes.

As team integration practice can directly result in high performing teams in alliance projects, the ATIPI is an ideal model to facilitate the continuous evaluation of team integration performance consistently and objectively over the lifecycle of the projects.

This study extends the team integration literature in construction research by providing significant insights into the empirical evaluation of alliance team integration performance, as well as providing added value for the enhancement of any future development of performance evaluation models in construction research.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how education for sustainable development (ESD) was measured in the taught curriculum at the University of Bristol (UoB), providing comparison to other methods of measurement and how measurements were used to engage academics in considering the visibility of the penetration of sustainable development into their teaching.

The process of designing a quantitative and comparative method of reviewing ESD utilising a reflective process at the UoB is considered, which can be applied by other institutions. The UoB decided on an in-house method of assessment using the Unit and Programme Catalogue, a list of all taught units. Initially this revealed that some information relating to ESD was not clearly articulated. A school ESD review refined the data along with the release of key information set data, a nationally published data set which identifies mandatory, typical and optional diets taken by students on programmes.

Text-based methods of assessing ESD penetration into programmes of study have limited use as direct measures of sustainability visibility in programmes, but can be improved by using interpretative methodologies. The combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies can produce data, which is a useful catalyst for academic reflection. Most importantly, it provides a tool for engagement while also enabling the targeting of resources and support. The UoB has avoided the pitfalls of manipulatable text count methods, and shown that comparative methods can be combined effectively with real engagement with academics and students for a measurement method that showcases good practice.

Increasingly, universities and the higher education sector more widely are looking to embed ESD. To assess progress, systems of measurement and monitoring are required. This case study shares a replicable methodology combining quantitative and qualitative methods developed at the UoB which has been used by academics as a reflective tool to change their practice.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of government support policies and research and development (R&D) activities on product innovation under market uncertainty.

This study applies logistic regression analysis to a sample of 4,000 South Korean manufacturing firms in order to investigate the impact of government policies and R&D activities of the firm on firm innovation performance, with particular interest in the moderating role of the firm's perceived market uncertainty (PMU).

Policies supporting industry/university/institute/local collaboration are found to have greater benefit under high PMU. Surprisingly, support for a consortium among different-sized firms has a negative effect on product innovation, although this negative effect disappears under high PMU. Both support for the protection of intellectual property (IP) and support for the resolution of manpower shortages have strong positive effects on the propensity to innovate products, but in both cases the moderating effects of uncertainty are negative. Finally, all types of R&D activities have positive effects on the propensity to innovate, more so for new product innovation than for improved product innovation.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine analytically the moderating effect of PMU in the effectiveness of government policies promoting innovation in the manufacturing sector. The study is potentially useful both for policymakers in deciding which policies to implement under prevailing market conditions; and for entrepreneurs choosing between different forms of government support, particularly given the abnormal levels of market uncertainty prevailing in the Covid-19 era.

Part II and last MECHETTI. Vienna FOUNDED in 1795 by Carlo Mechetti as a dealer; since 1807 in partnership with his nephew, Pietro; the publishing firm styled Carlo Mechetti & Neffe in 1809; after Carlo's death in 1811, Pietro became sole owner; he was succeeded in 1850 by his widow, Therese; c. 1855 the firm was taken over by A. Diabelli & co. (cp. Peter Cappi).