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An assessment of the effectiveness of Quality Assurance Systems in the construction industry
No full textMore than two decadesh avep asseds incet he introductiono f Quality Assurance
Systems in the form of BS 5750 / ISO 9000 yet the effectiveness of these systems
are still a matter of controversy and debate.
Although the implementationo f Quality AssuranceS ystemsin the construction
industry has been slow to emerge, most large construction organisations are
currently implementing such systems.
Much has been written about the advantages and disadvantages of Quality
Assurance Systems but unfortunately without any direct reference to any hard
data. Most of the reported advantages and disadvantages are based purely on
perceptionsa ndv iews of individualsi nvolved.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) acts as a collaborating establishment for
this research. This is the first research that attempts to assess the effectiveness of
Quality Assurance Systems, in the construction industry.
Basedo n datac ollectedf rom literature,c onstructionc ompaniesa nde xpertsi n the
field of Quality Management, the research provides a better understanding of the
objectivity of available data regarding the effectiveness of QA Systems and
examinesth e possibilityo f fordingr eliablem easures.
This thesis shows that no construction company has managed to assess the
effectiveness of its Quality Assurance Systems in an objective manner. Regarding
measureso f the effectivenesso f QA Systems,m ost expertsb elievedt hat such
measures are very important because an organisation must justify the existence of
such systems, which are considered as overheads. However, all experts declared
1
that they are not aware of any construction company that has managed to assess
the effectiveness of its ISO 9000 in any reliable manner.
This research is of a particular value to construction companies who are
considering implementing an ISO 9000 as well as those companies that are
already implementing such systems
Improving the bioconversion of lignocellulosic feedstock to bio-fuels and chemicals
No full textThis study investigated the fate of lignocellulosic biomass (wheat-feed and perennial rye grass) in different anaerobic digestion systems, evaluating the role of substrate specificity on the pattern of degradation. The two-stage (biohydrogen-biomethane) anaerobic system was found to be more effective in the degradation of lignocellulose, when compared to the conventional single-stage system. The perennial rye grass substrate possessed about 21% higher holocellulose concentration when compared to the wheat-feed; its exploitation in the acidogenic digestion was however poor, resulting in a 2.9% lower biogas yield in a equivalent two-stage system. The study therefore developed a treatment technique involving the use of cellulase and ferulic acid esterase enzyme combinations for the treatment of perennial rye grass. The enzyme cocktail at 0.202 ml enzyme/g VS added resulted in efficient bioconversion of the complex polymers to soluble carbohydrates, evident in the yield increase of soluble COD, to 321.0±10.9 mg/gVS, a 393.2% yield increase, when compared to the no enzyme added control. The yield of bio-hydrogen after enzymatic addition was 48ml/gVS, 335% higher when compared to the alkaline treatment; and more than seven fold higher than the yield obtained from the fermentation with no pre-treatment. The acetate to butyrate ratio varied from 4:1, when no pre-treatment was used, to 2:1when alkaline pre-treatment was used, then to 1:1 after the enzymatic treatment. The downstream effect of the prior hydrolysis on the subsequent processes to acidogenic fermentation like biomethane and PHA production and lignin recovery were also investigated. The hydrogenic/acidogenic fermentation resulted in methane yield improvement of 45.7%. The study shows that the more effective a hydrolysis procedure is in the depolymerisation of complex polymers, the greater the accumulation of PHA in the PHA biosynthesis operations. The enhanced hydrogenic /acidogenic fermentation having effectively degraded the holocellulose component of the perennial rye grass substrate ensured that relatively high quality lignin was obtained in an Organosolv lignin-extraction procedure. FT-IR profile show less contamination of polysaccharides and proteins in the lignin extracted from the enzymatically enhanced acidogenic fermentation. An evaluation of the economic viability of the investigated secondary processes showed that direct integrations of those processes to the biohydrogen process may not be as economically advantageous, when compared to a 2nd -stage biomethanation system
Intra-Police Communication in Public Order Management
No full textThe death of Ian Tomlinson in 2009 and the destructiveness of the English Riots in 2011 brought unprecedented coverage to public order police (POP) strategies and accountability. These events signalled a watershed in POP management that inferred greater responsibility and stronger leadership. Waddington (1994), and Cronin and Reicher (2006; 2009) emphasised the high stake environment in which POP is policed and the multiple dynamics that senior officers have to manage. In addition to managing crowds, senior officers have to consider external culpability and alleviate concerns from junior officers. In sum, their research showed that communication with officers and other external parties could successfully negate a troublesome situation. The research presented in this paper investigates communicative instructions delivered by commanding officers at a small number of POP events. It identifies instances of how leadership is communicated and how accountable situations are managed. A micro-level discourse analysis was used to analyse the data. This approach evaluates discursive linguistic categories that interlocutors use ‘to perform actions and functions, such as blame, accuse, defend, justify, rationalise and achieve argumentative ends’ (Lyons et al, 2011:17). The findings suggest that some commanders use a range of linguistic resources when articulating leadership and managing accountable situations. The authors concede that the scope in this analysis is limited but are hopeful that research of this kind will act as a catalyst for further investigation.The research uses of discourse analysis methodology to investigate how police command officers 1) Rationalise decision-making 2)Perform leadership. Data were collected from public order events.N/
Family Autonomy and Class Fate
No full textThe family poses problems for liberal understandings of social justice, because of the ways in which it bestows unearned privileges. This is particularly stark when we consider inter-generational inequality, or ‘class fate’ – the ways in which inequality is transmitted from one generation to the next, with the family unit ostensibly a key conduit. There is a recognized tension between the assumption that families should as far as possible be autonomous spheres of decision-making, and the assumption that we should as far as possible equalize the life chances of all children, regardless of background. In this article I address this tension by way of recent liberal egalitarian literature, and consideration of the different dimensions of class fate. I argue, firstly, that the tension may not be of the a priori nature which liberals have tended to identify – and secondly, that as well as distributive and recognition-based aspects, the notion of contributive justice provides a particularly illuminating way of analyzing what is wrong about class fate, and the role of the family in promoting it
Development of a first-principles hybrid model for large-scale reheating furnaces
No full textThis paper details the development of a first-principles hybrid model capable of simulating transient thermal performances of a large scale reheating furnace. In particular, the new modelling approach combines the advantages of the classical zone method of radiation analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in a robust manner, and overcomes the difficulties of incorporating three-dimensional flow field within a zone method based model. The developed model has been validated with comprehensive experimental data collected during an instrumented bloom trial period that includes a long production delay. The results suggest that the model predictions were in good agreement with the actual measurements, and that the model was able to respond correctly with respect to the encountered production delay during the trial.RFS-PR-1001
Architectural adaptations of muscle to training and injury: a narrative review outlining the contributions by fascicle length, pennation angle and muscle thickness
No full textBackground The architectural characteristics of muscle (fascicle length, pennation angle muscle thickness) respond to varying forms of stimuli (eg, training, immobilisation and injury). Architectural changes following injury are thought to occur in response to the restricted range of motion experienced during rehabilitation and the associated neuromuscular inhibition. However, it is unknown if these differences exist prior to injury, and had a role in injury occuring (prospectively), or if they occur in response to the incident itself (retrospectively). Considering that the structure of a muscle will influence how it functions, it is of interest to understand how these architectural variations may alter how a muscle acts with reference to the force-length and force-velocity relationships.
Objectives Our narrative review provides an overview of muscle architectural adaptations to training and injury. Specifically, we (1) describe the methods used to measure muscle architecture; (2) detail the impact that architectural alterations following training interventions, immobilisation and injury have on force production and (3) present a hypothesis on how neuromuscular inhibition could cause maladaptations to muscle architecture following injur
Neuromuscular Function, Hormonal, and Mood Responses to a Professional Rugby Union Match
No full textWe examined the recovery time-course of neuromuscular function (NMF), the testosterone and cortisol hormonal milieu, and mood for 60 hours after a competitive match in professional rugby union players (n = 14). Thirty-six hours prematch (19:30 hours kick-off), baseline saliva samples (testosterone, cortisol, and testosterone to cortisol [T/C] ratio), countermovement jump performances (peak power output [PPO]), and mood disruption (Brief Assessment of Mood Questionnaire) were collected and was repeated at 12, 36, and 60 hours postmatch. Peak power output decreased below baseline at 12 hours (baseline 6,100 ± 565 W vs. 12 h 5,680 ± 589 W; p = 0.004) and 36 hours (5,761 ± 639 W; p < 0.001) but had recovered at 60 hours (5,950 ± 505 W; p = 0.151). Cortisol concentrations increased from baseline at 12 hours (baseline 0.40 ± 0.09 µg·dl-1 vs. 12 h 0.60 ± 0.20 µg·dl-1; p = 0.004) and 36 hours (0.60 ± 0.20 µg·dl-1; p = 0.027) but were similar at 60 hours postmatch. Testosterone concentrations decreased from baseline at 12 hours (baseline 214 ± 84 pg·ml-1 vs. 12 h 151 ± 56 pg·ml-1; p = 0.023) and 36 hours (173 ± 71 pg·ml-1; p = 0.016) but were similar at 60 hours postmatch. The T/C ratio decreased from baseline at 12 hours (baseline 551 ± 219 vs. 12 h 266 ± 123; p = 0.001) and 36 hours (310 ± 148; p = 0.027) before returning to baseline at 60 hours postmatch. Mood disturbance increased at 12 hours (p = 0.031) before returning to baseline at 36 and 60 hours postmatch. There were no relationships between changes in PPO, testosterone, cortisol, T/C ratio, and mood. In conclusion, postmatch changes in NMF, salivary hormones, and mood disturbance were identified in professional rugby union players. Players and coaches can expect reduced NMF and hormonal disruption for 36 hours before recovering at 60 hours postmatch, with mood recovered by 36 hours postmatch. Knowledge of these recovery time-courses may prove useful for player training program design and postmatch recovery strategies
A preliminary survey of interpersonal conflict at major games and championships
No full textInterpersonal conflict is a common factor reported by governing bodies and their athletes when preparing for, or competing in, major games and championships (Olusoga, Butt, Hays, & Maynard, 2009). The aim of this study was to conduct apreliminary exploration of a UK home nation's athletes, management, and support staff experiences of interpersonal conflict during competition. Ninety participants who had represented or worked for their nation at major games or championships completed a detailed survey of interpersonal conflict experiences associated with competition. The results suggest athletes, coaches, and team managers are at the greatest risk from interpersonal conflict, while the competition venue andathlete village are where the most incidences of conflict occur. Interpersonal conflict was also suggested to predominantly lead to negative cognitive, affective, and behavioral consequences (disagreement, anger, upset, loss in concentration). Findings are discussed in the context of the experience of the interpersonal conflict with provisional recommendations offered for developing effective strategies for conflict managemen
Estimated lifetime drug use, impulsivity and psychopathology in recreational ecstasy users
No full textPrevious research suggests elevated levels of impulsivity and psychopathology in recreational ecstasy users. However, most recreational ecstasy users tend to be poly-drug users. The present study aimed to investigate impulsivity and psychopathology in a sample of recreational ecstasy polydrug users compared with samples of non-ecstasy users, while statistically controlling for estimated life-time drug usage. Sixty-eight non-drug controls, 79 non-ecstasy poly-drug users, 11 ‘light’ ecstasy poly-drug users, and 47 ‘heavy’ ecstasy poly drug users completed the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11) and the SCL-90R and a drug history questionnaire. When estimated life-time drug-use was statistically controlled for, heavy ecstasy users exhibited significantly higher levels of non-planning and cognitive impulsivity, and increased obsessive compulsion, anxiety and positive symptom total than non-ecstasy users. This study provides evidence of some elements of elevated impulsivity and psychopathology in heavy ecstasy users, but not in lighter ecstasy users. The results should be seen in the context of the heavy ecstasy group as poly-drug users and should be interpreted with cautio
New teams, old enemies? A study of social identification in Welsh rugby supporters
No full textThis study examines the processes involved in social identification in self-selecting groups. Rugby supporters were questioned about their allegiance to their teams and their rivalries with others. Data was gathered by means of a questionnaire which encompassed both open and closed questions relating to perceptions of own team and rival teams. Samples were taken in the final year of professional club rugby in Wales and during the first three years of the new regional structure. Data from the clubs revealed a pattern of in-group homogeneity and between group differentiation based on implicit hierarchy of status rather than recent results or contemporary success. These rivalries were largely dislocated during the process of regionalization with supporters increasingly accepting of success amongst all Welsh regions. Supporters also shifted their primary loyalty to the super-ordinate category of 'Wales' post the regional reorganization. The findings suggest that the removal of traditional top-flight rivalries has led to increased primary support for the national team. Hence, regionalization could be viewed as a triumph over parochialism. In another context, this could be viewed as a loss of an important element of local identification