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[In Press] Development of a blockchain-based embodied carbon estimator
No full textPurpose: Carbon management in the construction industry plays a vital role as carbon emissions have a significant impact on the environment. Current emphasis on reducing operational carbon through passive designs, zero carbon buildings and so forth has resulted in losing focus on embodied carbon (EC) reduction. Though there are various databases and tools to estimate EC in construction, these estimates are lacking in accuracy and consistency. A Blockchain-based Embodied Carbon (BEC) Estimator was developed as a solution to accurately estimate EC using a supply chain value addition concept as a methodology.
Design/methodology/approach: This study focused on developing, testing and validating the blockchain-based prototype system identified as BEC Estimator. The system was developed using Hyperledger Fabric following a waterfall model. Case studies and an expert forum were used to test and validate BEC Estimator.
Findings: The system architecture, development process and the user interface of BEC Estimator are presented in this paper. The comparative evaluation with existing EC databases/tools and the expert forum validated the functioning of BEC Estimator and proved it to be an accurate, secure and trustworthy EC estimating system. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis identified the strengths and opportunities that will benefit the industry as well as the weaknesses and threats in the system that could be mitigated in future.
Originality/value: BEC Estimator accurately accounts for EC additions happening at each supply chain node for any product that gets incorporated in a building, thereby facilitating EC-related decision-making for all relevant stakeholders
Factors influencing career choice, study experiences and professional identity in undergraduate health students : a mixed methods study across two universities
No full textBackground: Factors associated with professional identity are of interest to university health professional programs because of its association with successful student transition, retention, and progression into the workforce.
Aim: To explore the factors associated with students’ decisions in choosing their current program of study, and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their learning experience and sense of belonging to health professionals in their program.
Methods: Convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used, collecting quantitative, and qualitative data through an online questionnaire. First year students enrolled in health-related baccalaureate programs across two institutions in two different countries were invited to participate in the study. Participants were asked to complete the standardised Professional Identity Scale (PIS) and questions regarding factors that influenced their enrolment in a health course and first year experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results: A total of 395 students participated in this study. Overall, students achieved high average PIS scores. Students who were working in the health sector showed higher professional identity. Similarly, those who had positive career influencers and positive university experiences also produced higher professional identity scores. Qualitative analysis produced categories related to health profession career influencers, positive university experiences, and the impact of physical distancing and COVID-19 news. For students, the experience was ‘tough’, but they were committed to staying in their programs. Disrupted Professional Identity Formation represents students’ experiences of beginning identity formation in a context of mandated physical distancing and regular representation of health professionals in the news media.
Conclusions: The perseverance demonstrated by students offers insight into how adversity supports development of resilience and grit and in this study positively influenced professional identity. Factors that were positively associated with higher professional identity can be embedded within university programs to strengthen student progression and readiness for health profession practice
[In Press] Broken yet brave : Arabic women's experience of a breast cancer diagnosis
No full textIntroduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Arabic women and is often diagnosed in advanced stages, resulting in an increased likelihood of requiring a mastectomy. Despite this, there is a lack of contemporary literature exploring Arabic women’s experiences of breast cancer and its sequelae. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between 2019 and 2022 of Arabic women diagnosed with breast cancer. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clark. Results: Two main themes were identified: (a) Broken yet brave describes participants’ experiences when diagnosed and (b) Making decisions about treatment and experiences of support detailing their lack of decision-making autonomy and perceptions of support. Discussion: Arabic women believe in the concept of fate and faith, and their cultural conditioning is to prioritize family over themselves, often with limited support. They lack autonomy in decision-making due to the patriarchal society they live in
Hors d'oeuvres : consuming La Petite Maison
No full textThis article foregrounds the philosophical and architectural interpretations of Jean-François de Bastide’s novella La Petite Maison (1758) to discuss creative work included in Banquet, a recent exhibition at Tin Sheds Gallery, Sydney (2022). The exhibition explored the relationship between food, the human condition and architectural production through critical literary and film sources. Here, we centre on the first course, the hors d’oeuvre - inspired by the desire, love, and illicit liaison traced throughout Bastide’s novella.The term hors d’oeuvre came into usage within the context of architecture and gastronomy across the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Hors d’oeuvres were inherently extravagant and excessive—their most elaborate entwining encountered in the clandestine houses of the French bourgeoisie. Through Edmund Burke’s sublime, we will discuss the interiorisation of the architectural hors d’oeuvre within the novella until its climactic ending, not just in the unfolding ardour but through the intensity and delight of the Maison’s novel machinery
Critical review of the drivers and barriers for adopting net zero carbon procurement for construction projects
No full textTo meet the net zero 2050 target in construction, a net-zero carbon public procurement policy is needed. This paper adopts a systematic review approach to explore the drivers and barriers to adopting net-zero carbon procurement. The top three drivers include developing sustainable public procurement policies, increasing investment in low-carbon procurements, and high demand for green construction projects. The top three barriers include inadequate budget for net-zero procurement implementation, weak capacity in public and private institutions to implement net-zero policies, and low stakeholder involvement. The paper's findings provide insights for stakeholders to effectively adopt net-zero carbon procurement for construction projects
Embedded software of the KM3NeT central logic board
No full textThe KM3NeT Collaboration is building and operating two deep sea neutrino telescopes at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The telescopes consist of latices of photomultiplier tubes housed in pressure-resistant glass spheres, called digital optical modules and arranged in vertical detection units. The two main scientific goals are the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the discovery and observation of high-energy neutrino sources in the Universe. Neutrinos are detected via the Cherenkov light, which is induced by charged particles originated in neutrino interactions. The photomultiplier tubes convert the Cherenkov light into electrical signals that are acquired and timestamped by the acquisition electronics. Each optical module houses the acquisition electronics for collecting and timestamping the photomultiplier signals with one nanosecond accuracy. Once finished, the two telescopes will have installed more than six thousand optical acquisition nodes, completing one of the more complex networks in the world in terms of operation and synchronization. The embedded software running in the acquisition nodes has been designed to provide a framework that will operate with different hardware versions and functionalities. The hardware will not be accessible once in operation, which complicates the embedded software architecture. The embedded software provides a set of tools to facilitate remote manageability of the deployed hardware, including safe reconfiguration of the firmware. This paper presents the architecture and the techniques, methods and implementation of the embedded software running in the acquisition nodes of the KM3NeT neutrino telescopes. Program summary: Program title: Embedded software for the KM3NeT CLB CPC Library link to program files: https://doi.org/10.17632/s847hpsns4.1 Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License 3 Programming language: C Nature of problem: The challenge for the embedded software in the KM3NeT neutrino telescope lies in orchestrating the Digital Optical Modules (DOMs) to achieve the synchronized data acquisition of the incoming optical signals. The DOMs are the crucial component responsible for capturing neutrino interactions deep underwater. The embedded software must configure and precisely time the operation of each DOM. Any deviation or timing mismatch could compromise data integrity, undermining the scientific value of the experiment. Therefore, the embedded software plays a critical role in coordinating, synchronizing, and operating these modules, ensuring they work in unison to capture and process neutrino signals accurately, ultimately advancing our understanding of fundamental particles in the Universe. Solution method: The embedded software on the DOMs provides a solution based on a C-based bare-metal application, operating without a real-time embedded OS. It is loaded into the RAM during FPGA configuration, consuming less than 256 kB of RAM. The software architecture comprises two layers: system software and application. The former offers OS-like features, including a multitasking scheduler, firmware updates, peripheral drivers, a UDP-based network stack, and error handling utilities. The application layer contains a state machine ensuring consistent program states. It is navigated via slow control events, including external inputs and autonomous responses. Subsystems within the application code control specific acquisition electronics components via the associated driver abstractions. Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: Due to the operation conditions of the neutrino telescope, where access is restricted, the embedded software implements a fail-safe procedure to reconfigure the firmware where the embedded software runs
Use of anticoagulation for thromboembolic prophylaxis in patients with atrial high-rate episodes on device monitoring : a narrative review
No full textIschemic stroke and systemic thromboembolism are primary drivers of significant morbidity and mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Although stroke is commonly the first index presentation of clinically silent AF, the growing use of continuous rhythm monitoring through cardiac implanted electronic devices has enabled earlier and increased detection of AF in patients who are otherwise asymptomatic before stroke development. Atrial high-rate episodes (AHREs) are atrial tachyarrhythmias frequently detected by cardiac implanted electronic devices; these events represent subclinical AF and other atrial tachyarrhythmias that can lead to stroke development and AF. Although the presence of AHREs increases the risk of developing both clinical AF and stroke compared with absence of AHREs, there has been a significant clinical variability in anticoagulation initiation in these subjects. In this narrative review, we explore the current evidence and published research surrounding the association between AHREs and stroke development in addition to the utility of anticoagulation in this population for thromboembolic prophylaxis
Lift up your arms! : elite athletes and cold war childhoods
No full textThis chapter turns to configurations of athleticism, child bodies, and the instrumental uses of sport as a form of soft power. We work with memory stories of children selected to become elite athletes within the diverse geopolitical timespaces of the Cold War in East Germany, Romania, and Hungary. We follow trajectories of selection, training, and injury as we trace formations of sporting subjectivities as discursive, affective, relational, and material. In close readings of each of the stories, we consider desire and longing for sporting success, the investments of state institutions and individuals in producing elite sporting bodies, and how we might think the body through ever-present risk and intimations of freedom. In our analysis, we introduce theoretical resources on risk, memory, and the carnal body to help us to think differently about the memories and processes of collective biography as a methodology
[In Press] How oil price uncertainty influences corporate capital structure : evidence from BRIC countries
No full textThis paper examines how corporate capital structures in emerging markets – Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) – were impacted by oil price uncertainty (OPU) from 2007 to 2019. We find that the relationship between OPU and firm leverage in BRIC markets is nonlinear and U-shaped. The extent to which OPU affects both short- and long-term leverage varies across nations. These findings are robust to endogeneity tests. Furthermore, while the OPU effect on corporate leverage is lessened in high-growth enterprises, it is strengthened in materials and energy companies. From an OPU perspective, this paper contributes intriguing knowledge of the corporate finance field
Exploring the nexus of RFID and industry 4.0 : bibliometric analysis to investigate the strategic themes and thematic evolution
No full textPurpose: This article aims to identify themes associated with RFID technologies (Radio Frequency Identification) and industry 4.0. Using key articles from the database developed for this study, the main themes underlying key technology features and their relationships will be uncovered.
Design/methodology/approach: Systematic quantitative literature review is conducted to uncover hidden relationships between RFID and industry 4.0. The research methodology encompasses a systematic analysis of pertinent literature and resources, employing a structured approach to identify and categorize crucial topics and keywords that constitute the basis for our exploration. Subsequently, we delve into the relationships within these identified dimensions, aiming to synthesize a holistic interpretation of the connections between RFID and Industry 4.0.
Findings: Through our rigorous analytical process, we have unveiled significant attributes embedded within the three delineated dimensions. These findings contribute to our capacity to construct a synoptic depiction that encapsulates all relevant associations between RFID technology and the Industry 4.0 paradigm. The synthesis of relationships between Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and the Industry 4.0 framework, derived from our analysis of pivotal dimensions and keywords, offers a profound insight into the intricate interplay between these domains. As industries continue to evolve in the wake of technological advancements, this study contributes to the foundation of knowledge necessary to navigate the dynamic landscape of modern industrial systems.
Research limitations/implications: Bibliometric network analysis offers a systematic approach to literature review, aiding researchers in identifying seminal works, influential authors, and emerging trends within a field. By visualizing the relationships between authors, journals, and keywords, bibliometric network analysis facilitates the mapping of academic disciplines, enabling researchers to comprehend the intellectual landscape. Network analysis highlights potential collaboration opportunities by revealing clusters of authors or institutions with closely related research interests and specific works related industry 4.0 and RFID, wasn't found, however, being a potential limitation, it proved to be a way to maintain the originality and necessity of this work we are presenting.
Practical implications: The practical employs bibliometric research to explore the synergy between Industry 4.0 and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding and practical applicability of these interconnected themes. The study's findings offer practical implications such as facilitating technology integration, optimizing operations, guiding investment decisions, fostering collaborations, informing policy-making, supporting professional development, and enabling knowledge dissemination. These insights underscore the tangible real-world impact of academic research in enhancing industry practices and driving innovation within the context of Industry 4.0 and RFID integration.
Originality/value: This study stands as one of the pioneering works to delineate the themes linked with both Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies and the Industry 4.0 paradigm