1,721,004 research outputs found
Developing a framework and understanding the key influencing factors for the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the UK Construction Sector.
Full text linkThe construction industry can be identified as one of the least digitized industries in the world,drastically underperforming less in terms of profitability, productivity, reliability, efficiency, andsafety in comparison to the global economy than its average potential. Plus, the fact that theUK construction industry is usually criticised for being fragmented, wasteful, reluctant toinnovate, and ineffective at utilising proper knowledge throughout the industry. For this reason,advanced technology referred to as “Smart Construction” is increasingly being used in theconstruction industry to increase decision-making and improve productivity. Actually, smartconstruction by employing construction resources such as devices, components, machinery,and people aimed to transform digital technologies in the construction industry.So, for implementing smart construction by utilizing digital tools and techniques, Industry 4.0 orthe fourth industrial revolution has been created to convert the construction industry in thedirection of further digitally developed trades. Following Industry 4.0 and digital transformationconcepts, numerous aspects of the construction phase have changed as a result of Industry 4.0technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud-computing, Cyber-physical systems,Automation, 3D printing, Robotics, and so on. Internet of things (IoT) as a crucial part of theindustry 4.0 technologies has a significant role in advancing the possibilities of smartconstruction concepts in a variety of construction phases.This research seeks to evaluate the role of the internet of things (IoT) in enhancing theperformance of the UK construction industry. Furthermore, in terms of modern constructionmethods such as smart assembly, offsite construction, and lean philosophy, this researchseeks to develop the framework, presents the applications of IoT, and identifies the emergingbenefits and drawbacks of IoT applications in the UK construction sector. The developedframework will be useful for stakeholders to adopt and understand the impact of the fourthindustrial revolution technologies such as IoT applications in the UK construction sector.Also, in order to accomplish the aim, objectives, and explore the research questions that are setto this research, qualitative method approach is adopted in this research. Qualitative data collected through 38 semi-structured interviews from construction professionals involved in thedigital transformation of the UK construction sector. Internal and external drivers forimplementing the Internet of Things (IoT) were found. In addition, the challenges recognisedfrom the numerous areas of IoT applications adoption in the UK construction sector, classifyinginto three groups including technological, cultural, and economic. Also, the key influencingfactors for implementing the Internet of Things (IoT) were identified including cost, usability,leadership, technology awareness, staff training, and company size. Finally, a frameworkdeveloped by analysing the data and evaluated through the UK construction sector
Robotizing Safety: Prospects and Barriers of Robotic Technology Adoption for Construction Injury Prevention in the UK
Full text linkThe utilization of robots in the construction sector has garnered significant attention in recent years, presenting itself as a transformative technology reshaping traditional construction practices—an industry notorious for its high incidence of injuries and fatalities in the UK. Advancements in robotic and automation systems, coupled with their integration with human workers, are revolutionizing how robots are deployed to address prevalent challenges within the construction landscape. However, despite the potential benefits of robotics, their adoption in the UK remains sluggish. While they hold promise in enhancing safety measures, their efficacy in preventing construction injuries is yet to be fully realized. In light of this context, this research explored both the prospects and barriers associated with robotics adoption within the UK construction industry for injury prevention. Despite the evident need to comprehend and navigate the factors influencing this phenomenon, there is a notable dearth of literature addressing this specific area. The central thesis argues that robotic and automation systems possess the technological capacity to effectively address and mitigate safety risks engendered by construction injuries. However, despite their potential utility, various internal and systemic factors hinder their widespread adoption, thereby constraining their ability to be fully integrated into the industry. This argument is contextualized within the framework of barriers and prospects, with an aim to discern which holds greater prominence and identify existing gaps. A mixed-method approach was employed to investigate this. This involved the collection of primary data through surveys and interviews, with a total of 54 survey respondents and 10 interviewees participating in the study. A consensus emerged among respondents regarding the instrumental role of robotic technology in the UK construction industry, with several barriers identified mirroring findings from existing literature. Analysis unveiled that the UK construction sector currently occupies a transitional phase, oscillating between inertia and a burgeoning inclination towards accelerated adoption, propelled by ongoing efforts towards robotization and automation however adoption remains slow without a clear roadmap for the future of robotics in the UK construction industry Notably, one of the primary findings suggests that robotic adoption is intricately linked to industry perception, although other ancillary factors also influence the utilization of robotics. In light of these findings, several recommendations emerged as best options to improve the robotic adoption in the UK for addressing construction injuries and safety risks including the saliency of ensuring robotic and automation of the UK construction industry must consider the peculiar and evolving needs of the industry and address the human dimensions implicated in its adoption
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
An investigation of energy saving behaviour for residential buildings in Nigeria
Full text linkThreats of climate change, global warming and uncertainty about future energy prices have sparked a global discussion about energy efficiency, particularly energy saving behaviour in residential buildings. Numerous challenges have been faced in achieving energy savings, with specific concern on energy consumption behaviour of building occupants. Accordingly, governments have set targets through policies for the reduction of energy emission, these have been adopted by the building industry through policies on energy efficiency in buildings including public private partnership in energy management and the development of near zero energy buildings.Previous studies have shown that occupant behaviour can result in a significant amount of variance in building energy use. To address these challenges in line with objectives of sustainable development goal (clean and sustainable energy and climate action), as well as energy efficiency in residential buildings, this research investigated key factors as well as practices that determine and limit energy saving behaviour in residential buildings from a different cultural perspective. Nigeria has been constantly confronted with an electricity demand that exceeded supply capacity. The increased demand for electricity can be attributed to growing populations, increased commercial activity and industrialisation. Households are a significant contributor to the rapidly increasing electricity demand as identified. Energy providers resort to ‘load shedding’ of electricity supply between communities and industries and even long-term electrical outage due to limited supply. It is also important to understand how the actions of occupants affect energy consumption behaviour in residential buildings. To reduce electricity demand and save energy, this research exploited literature on energy saving behaviour and behaviour change. The research study was conducted based on a sequential exploratory mixed method and consists of two key phases. Firstly, qualitative data was collected using semi-structure interview with eighteen experts in the energy and construction industry in Nigeria. The purpose of which was to provide an insight into residential energy consumption behaviour and the barriers faced in the adoption of sustainable energy sources. Analysis from the result shows that cost of energy is a major driver to the adoption of energy saving practices as there are no compulsory regulatory agencies to enforce and facilitate the migration to a more sustainable and innovative society. Furthermore, results also show that there is a need for continuous awareness on energy saving behavioural change, a need for government subsidies on renewable energy, government checks and standardization of energy efficient appliances imported into the country could improve the trust towards sustainable choices and promote efficient energy use. The second phase involved a household survey with 317 households from the case study area. The survey instrument was developed based on the constructs of energy culture framework, sociodemographic factors and physical environment. The hypothesised relationship from the conceptual model were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicated that energy practices, material culture, attitude perception cognitive and social norms with behaviour changes were statistically significant, with attitude perception cognitive and social norms having the least impact on behaviour change. Additionally, the correlations from the constructs shows a direct relationship with behaviour change in achieving energy efficiency and energy saving approach while a deliberate policy to achieve energy efficiency and energy saving practices is vital to achieve sustainable development goals. The outcome from this work provided a better understanding of drivers and barriers to energy use behaviour and will inform future energy policy and interventions related to household energy saving. It also will contribute to the existing body of knowledge as well as give policy direction of governments towards climate action and some specific objectives of sustainable development goals
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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