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Systems Thinking Interplay Between Project Complexities, Stakeholder Engagement, and Social Dynamics Roles in Influencing Construction Project Outcomes
Get PDFConstruction projects are fraught with the challenges of cost overruns, schedule deviations, and not meeting expectations. Underlying these failures are factors related to complexity, stakeholder management, and external social dynamics. The literature review highlighted research gaps, leading to conceptualizing the research aim. The study explored the roles of project complexity, stakeholder engagement, and social dynamics in the UK construction project management sector. A survey research strategy combining qualitative interview questions was employed to extract data from project professionals across the UK. Convenience sampling resulted in a high response rate from seventy-three (73) participants across the UK. Four main themes emerged: project complexity and lessons learned; stakeholder engagement and social climate; project failures and conflicts; and project success. System thinking causal loop diagramming was applied in amalgamating implications drawn from the findings. The implications noted that challenges in governance, regulation, and legislation, coupled with stringent cost and schedule targets, added to project complexity, effective stakeholder engagement, clear communication, and understanding of social contexts were crucial for project success where complexities of stakeholders and social dynamics proved difficult
Desire Thinking About Gambling: Assessment and Associations With Gambling Disorder and Responsible Gambling Among Chinese Gamblers.
Get PDFDesire thinking, within the metacognitive model of addictive behaviors, is conceptualized as a transdiagnostic process linked to the escalation and maintenance of craving for various addictive disorders; however, its application to the understanding of gambling and the Chinese community remains at an early stage. The present study aimed to introduce desire thinking into gambling research in the Chinese context by: (1) testing the applicability of its two-factor conceptualization and assessment tool, the Desire Thinking Questionnaire (DTQ), and (2) exploring its association with dysregulated and regulated engagements in gambling (i.e., Gambling Disorder [GD] and responsible gambling [RG], respectively). We conducted a telephone survey in Macao, China, and obtained a probability sample of 837 Chinese adult past-year gamblers (48.5% men; age: M = 41.11, SD = 14.31) with a two-stage cluster random sampling method. Our data indicated the psychometric adequacy of the two-factor DTQ (i.e., verbal perseveration and imaginal prefiguration) for measuring Chinese gamblers' desire thinking about gambling. After controlling for craving and demographics, desire thinking contributed to an additional 12.1% and 18.9% variance explained in GD tendency and RG behaviors, respectively. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the utility of desire thinking and the DTQ in facilitating gambling research on Chinese gamblers. Our findings also suggest the value of incorporating desire thinking in detecting and treating GD and in promoting RG. [Abstract copyright: © 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Reducing food loss and waste contributes to energy, economic and environmental sustainability
Get PDFFood loss and waste (FLW) reduction presents a major opportunity for enhancing the sustainability and resilience
of the food supply chain. However, the lack of evidence regarding the scale and origins of FLWhinder determination
of its environmental impact and prioritisation of mitigation action. We herein conducted a study to quantify
FLW in the UK horticulture supply chain, and estimate its environmental impact as assessed through CO2 equivalent
(CO2e) emissions. Through a metanalysis of existing literature supplemented with stakeholder engagement,
we estimated that 2.4 Mt of fresh produce FLW is generated annually between farm gate and retail for homegrown
and imported produce, representing 36% of total supply. FLW was perceived as an inevitable economic
risk rather than a sustainability issue, driven by economic factors (e.g. labour shortage, price protectionism). The
lack of economic incentives for FLWrecovery (e.g. alternative processing) further compound FLW. Our results reveal
that FLW contributes 1.7 Mt CO2e annually, constituting 27.2% of the total emissions of the fresh produce
supply chain. Resource-intensive production, prolonged storage and complex handling needs generates substantial
energy demand and concordant environmental impacts. The current over-reliance on cold chain management
should be re-examined to disentangle the FLW-energy-environment nexus, especially given that the effects
of global warming on the horticulture supply chain has yet to be examined. To effectively mitigate FLW, a holistic
approach is imperative, encompassing policy and consumer-level changes alongside development of novel
postharvest management strategies
A Review of the effect of Magnetic Field Using Nano fluids and Ultrasonic Amplification Technology on Water Desalination by Solar Stills
Get PDFLimited access to clean drinking water is a major concern for many countries today. As a result, solar desalination units have become a cost-efficient solution that has gained increased attention in recent years. Solar stills are particularly interesting to researchers due to their low construction costs, lack of complex mechanisms, and minimal need for service and maintenance. There have been a significant number of recent studies on the modelling, economisation, and optimisation of these devices, much of which has been conducted in Asian countries with hot and dry climates. Since solar desalination systems often have low efficiency, recent research has reviewed the impact of using ferrofluid and ultrasonic waves as approaches to enhance the performance and water output of such devices. This review comprehensively discusses the methods and findings of previous scientific studies
Quantifying irregular pulsation of intracranial aneurysms using 4D-CTA
Get PDFRecent studies have suggested that irregular pulsation of intracranial aneurysm during the cardiac cycle may be potentially associated with aneurysm rupture risk. However, there is a lack of quantification method for irregular pulsations. This study aims to quantify irregular pulsations by the displacement and strain distribution of the intracranial aneurysm surface during the cardiac cycle using four-dimensional CT angiographic image data. Four-dimensional CT angiography was performed in 8 patients. The image data of a cardiac cycle was divided into approximately 20 phases, and irregular pulsations were detected in four intracranial aneurysms by visual observation, and then the displacement and strain of the intracranial aneurysm was quantified using coherent point drift and finite element method. The displacement and strain were compared between aneurysms with irregular and normal pulsations in two different ways (total and stepwise). The stepwise first principal strain was significantly higher in aneurysms with irregular than normal pulsations (0.20 ± 0.01 vs 0.16 ± 0.02, p = 0.033). It was found that the irregular pulsations in intracranial aneurysms usually occur during the consecutive ascending or descending phase of volume changes during the cardiac cycle. In addition, no statistically significant difference was found in the aneurysm volume changes over the cardiac cycle between the two groups. Our method can successfully quantify the displacement and strain changes in the intracranial aneurysm during the cardiac cycle, which may be proven to be a useful tool to quantify intracranial aneurysm deformability and aid in aneurysm rupture risk assessment
The possible impact of precooling and community cooling hubs on reducing post-harvest losses in hibiscus farming: A case study from Uganda
Get PDFThis study addresses the significant post-harvest losses in hibiscus farming in Uganda's Central and Eastern regions, impacting the local economy and culture. Research involving 200 farmers shows losses of 10% to 50%, particularly during the wet season due to poor storage and drying facilities. To combat this, the study proposed a three-pronged approach: ensuring gentle handling during harvest, implementing precooling techniques at the farmgate, and establishing community cooling hubs. Precooling is crucial for maintaining post-harvest quality by rapidly reducing temperatures, while community cooling hubs would offer centralized cooling and storage, mitigating losses and opening new market opportunities. This comprehensive strategy also aims to enhance agricultural practices through training, capacity building, and community collaboration, promoting a resilient and thriving farming community
Editor’s Introduction
Get PDFIn this issue of the Engineering Management Journal (EMJ), we are delighted to present six new articles that address key areas across the field of engineering management. EMJ provides readers with timely access to the tools, techniques and underpinning knowledge to operate in the increasingly technology-driven world. The journal was founded with a remit to help build the knowledge base [...
Strain softening observed during nanoindentation of Equimolar-Ratio Co-Mn-Fe-Cr-Ni High Entropy Alloy
Get PDFThis research article presents an atomistic study on the cyclic nanoindentation of equimolarratio Co-Mn-Fe-Cr-Ni high entropy alloy (HEA) using molecular dynamics simulation. The study investigated the effects of indentation depth on the cyclic load vs. indentation depth of the HEA. The results showed that the cyclic response exhibits a pronounced shift towards plasticity with pile-up formation instead of sinking behaviour at higher indentation depth.
Within the realm of MD simulations, the simulated hardness value reached up to 16 GPa for initial indentation cycle. A steep drop in the load-displacement curve was observed during
elastic-plastic transition signifying substantial strain softening of the substrate. It was found that the densely clustered stacking faults undergoes a reverse transition during cyclic loading, contributing to the back propagation phase responsible for elastic recovery, despite subsequent
strain hardening. The study provides important insights into the underlying mechanisms governing the cyclic mechanical behavior of HEAs to guide their improved micromanufacturing
Student Rent-Strikes: Hope through unplanned critical pedagogy
Get PDFWe explore a site of unplanned, informal critical pedagogy and how raising critical conscious occurs. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many students in England were required to pay rent for accommodation they could not occupy, or which offered reduced amenities. These undergraduates, who were largely first years, had yet to meet each other. Nonetheless, these students joined together to resist collectively, refusing to pay rent. Their action resulted in some partial victories. Through the lens of Freire’s critical pedagogy, we examine students’ lived experiences of participating in rent-strikes – using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Ideas of dialogue, praxis and learning with others through collective resistance, pervade the data. The research fleshes-out these stages which interweave to raise critical consciousness. This offers a site of critical hope, providing insights into possibilities for realising critical pedagogy across a wider demographic despite a relentless neoliberal agenda