The relevance of specific csfs for stakeholders during ERP implementation: an empirical study from Oman

The success of ERP systems implementation is affected by the extent to which stakeholders have been prepared for the project activities and its outcomes. Stakeholders’ preparation needs change as the ERP implementation lifecycle progresses and varies across stakeholder groups. Therefore a dynamic model is needed for such preparation. However such a model needs to reflect the relevance of different CSFs to different stakeholder groups at different stages of the ERP implementation life-cycle. This study examines empirical evidence from a survey conducted in Omani organisations to determine what these individual CSFs are and how they are distributed across the ERP implementation life-cycle for different stakeholder groups. The CSFs included in the survey were derived from a structured review of literature. Purposive sampling was used to select respondents representing different ERP stakeholders groups, all respondents had both experience and knowledge of ERP implementations. The survey data are analysed and the distribution of relevant CSFs across the ERP lifecycle for the different stakeholder groups are presente

Building open lab hardware to tackle antimicrobial resistance

Microbiological imaging can be lengthy and labour-intensive without expensive lab-automation. Using Open Source hardware and software, Dr Al Edwards’ Biomedical Technology Lab designed a robot to take high-resolution images of experiments capturing changes in colour and fluorescence due to bacterial growth. This affordable solution has increased the Lab’s capability to image and screen samples with higher throughput, accuracy, and more kinetic data. The system is fully customisable to suit any imaging experiment and costs only £600 to build from Open Source resources

Private sector participation in the water and sanitation sector: alternative options and measurement issues

This paper studies various aspects of the increasing role of private investment in the water services and sanitation (WSS) sector in developing countries. We start by surveying the different types of private sector participation (PSP) in the WSS sector, and the share of public and private responsibilities under each scheme. We then proceed by empirically testing the impact of PSP in the provision of water and sanitation on the average individuals’ welfare with regard to water and sanitation. This paper shows that the private sector has the potential to generate a number of social and environmental benefits for a number of reasons, including its potential to increase efficiency within the sector and increase much-needed levels of investment. Poorer households gain access to affordable services from which they have long been excluded. Furthermore, adverse public health effects of inadequate service provision may be mitigated, and wastewater collection and treatment levels may be increased. The paper also illustrates actual case studies involving PSP in developing countries to present some of the actual improvements that the private sector has already generated, particularly the increased access to water and sanitation, and the rise in water use as suggested by our empirical part.Water demand, public-private partnership, conservation

Predictors of breastfeeding duration among women in Kuwait: results of a prospective cohort study

The purposes of this paper are to report the prevalence of breastfeeding to six months among women in Kuwait and to determine the factors that are associated with the duration of breastfeeding. A cohort of 373 women recruited from maternity wards in four hospitals in Kuwait city were followed from birth to 26 weeks postpartum. The association of any and full breastfeeding duration and predictor variables were explored using multivariate Cox’s proportional hazards models. At six months, 39% of all infants were receiving some breast milk and only 2% of infants had been fully breastfed to 26 weeks. Women born in other Arab countries were less likely to discontinue breastfeeding than women born in Kuwait. Other factors positively associated with breastfeeding duration were level of maternal education, higher parity, infant being demand fed in hospital and a preference for breastfeeding on the part of the infant’s father and maternal grandmother. The introduction of a pacifier before four weeks of age and the mother intending to return to work by six months were negatively associated with duration. These findings present a number of opportunities for prolonging breastfeeding duration in Kuwait

Effects of mineral and superplasticizer admixtures on the mechanical behaviour of lightweight concrete

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the combined effect of a superplasticiser admixture and metakaolin material on the mechanical behaviour of expanded clay lightweight concrete containing recycled glass aggregate. The optimum dosage of the superplasticiser admixture (type SNF) was adjusted and used by weight of cement. The short- and long-term mechanical properties of concrete mixes were measured in accordance with the relevant British/EN standards. The results obtained were compared with the results of control concrete mixes (without superplasticiser). They showed that the superplasticiser admixture exhibited a 20% reduction in mixing water content. All measured values of unit weight, compressive and splitting tensile strengths increased when the superplasticiser admixture and metakaolin material were used. The concrete mix containing 30% recycled glass revealed an increase in the mechanical strength compared with the mix of 15% recycled glass. However, the workability of the superplasticiser concrete mixes was degraded, reaching 44% reduction in slump value. </jats:p

Automating construction manufacturing procedures using BIM digital objects (BDOs): Case study of knowledge transfer partnership project in UK

Purpose This paper aims to present a novel proof-of-concept framework for implementing building information modeling (BIM) Digital Objects (BDO) to automate construction product manufacturers’ processes and augment lean manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach A mixed interpretivist and post-positivist epistemological lens is adopted to pursue the proof-of-concept’s development. From an operational perspective, a synthesis of literature using interpretivism provides the foundation for deductive research inquiry implemented within a case study approach. Within the case study, participatory action research (PAR) is implemented to test the proof of concept via three “waterfall” research phases, namely, literature diagnosis and BIM package selection, BDO development and validation and evaluation. Findings The findings illustrate that a BDO (which represents the digital twin of manufacturing products) can augment and drive automation processes and workflows for construction product manufacturers within a contractor’s supply chain. The developed framework illustrates the benefits of a BDO, by reducing the number of manufacturing processes to effectively eliminate early errors in the model, generates financial savings and reduces material wastage. Originality/value This research provides a seminal case study that implements BDO to automate construction product manufacturing processes and demonstrates the utilisation of BDO at an operational (vis-à-vis theoretical) level. Future research is proposed to implement a longitudinal approach to measure and report upon the success (or otherwise) of the proof of concept when implemented on fabrications and shop floor procedures

Using benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs for managing primary insomnia in adults in Saudi Arabia: an e-Delphi study to aid the development of clinical guidelines

Purpose: To obtain consensus statements required for the development of clinical guidelines for the use of benzodiazepines (BZDs) and Z-drugs for the management of primary insomnia in adults in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Three rounds of the e-Delphi technique using a Bristol Online Survey (BOS) were conducted between May and August 2018. The Director of the Saudi Sleep Medicine Group helped recruit the country’s sleep medicine experts. Snowballing was used to forward invitation emails, information sheets and the survey to known sleep medicine experts and physicians deemed to be interested in the field. All participants’ details were anonymized except to the researcher. Results: Fifteen experts from four different regions and specialities in Saudi Arabia participated in Round 1. Twenty-one statements originated from participants’ responses. In Round 2, there were 17 respondents and 16 of the statements obtained the required consensus of 70% or higher. Eleven experts participated in Round 3 and eight statements received 100% agreement, two received 91%, and six received 82%. Having obtained the required consensus of 80% or higher in Round 3, these 16 statements fulfilled the criteria to be included in future guidelines. The five statements that failed to attain the required consensus were rejected as inappropriate for inclusion in Saudi Arabian clinical guidelines. Conclusions: The items that achieved the required consensus can be included in future guidelines for the use of BZDs and Z-drugs in the treatment of primary insomnia in adults to standardize best practices in sleep medicine in Saudi Arabia

Laser ultrasound for the study of thin sheets

Laser ultrasound is now an accepted and mature technology. However it is still seeking its first fully commercial industrial application although there are several potential uses in prototype form. The major advantage of laser ultrasound is that it is a non contact technique and can therefore be used on hot or moving components. The pulsed laser source generates simultaneously longitudinal and shear bulk waves and Rayleigh surface waves. When the material is in the form of a thin sheet the latter propagate as Lamb or plate waves providing the ultrasonic wavelength is greater than the sheet thickness

A software defined radio comparison of received power with quadrature amplitude modulation and phase modulation schemes with and without a human

This paper presents the application of software-defined radio to the study of received power with and without a human in close proximity to a receiver transmitter pair. Software defined radio is increasingly being used in radio related research and teaching in Universities, Schools and Colleges. For teaching it is typically being used in the classroom in close proximity to users/observers. Because several transceiver sets are needed to compare two or more modulation techniques in conventional radio this presents significant challenges with matching, synchronisation and noise. Two or more separate systems are needed. In contrast with software defined radio simple changes to the ratios of I and Q modulators can execute several modulation methods using the same system. This paper examines the use of a typical software defined radio in close proximity to a user which is typical in a classroom situation. The most suitable of two modulation techniques for use with communication systems close to humans as a function of received power for a typical office environment is presented

Mapping Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives for Understanding Speech Interface Interactions

CHI 2019: The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Weaving the Threads of CHI, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 4-9 May 2019The use of speech as an interaction modality has grown considerably through the integration of Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs- e.g. Siri, Google Assistant) into smartphones and voice based devices (e.g. Amazon Echo). However, there remain significant gaps in using theoretical frameworks to understand user behaviours and choices and how they may applied to specific speech interface interactions. This part-day multidisciplinary workshop aims to critically map out and evaluate the- oretical frameworks and methodological approaches across a number of disciplines and establish directions for new paradigms in understanding speech interface user behaviour. In doing so, we will bring together participants from HCI and other speech related domains to establish a cohesive, diverse and collaborative community of researchers from academia and industry with interest in exploring theoretical and methodological issues in the field.Irish Research Counci