Deflection based condition assessment for Rolling Wheel Deflectometer at network level

The Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) is capable of measuring pavement deflection at high speeds without traffic interruption or compromising safety along tested road segments. To optimize the use of RWD at the network level, an assessment tool is needed to incorporate RWD data into current Pavement Management System (PMS) and to identify pavements in need of maintenance or rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to present the development of a screening tool, referred to as the pavement assessment triangular model, to predict pavement overall conditions based on RWD deflection, roughness measurements, and surface conditions as described by the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). Formulation of the proposed tool and its application were based on data collected during evaluation and testing of RWD in Louisiana. The relationship among SN, deflections and pavement distresses were also investigated to better understand the screening tool. Based on the analysis presented in this study, the proposed pavement assessment triangular model may be used at the network level to identify deficient pavement sections

Leadership that facilitates the successful implementation of Lean Six Sigma

Researchers have identified leadership as a critical success factor for Lean Six Sigma implementation. It is essential to understand leadership behaviours that facilitate the use of Lean Six Sigma. This paper aims to identify leadership styles from the literature that can facilitate Lean Six Sigma implementation, which in turn broaden the current understanding of the suitable leadership styles. Also, the authors aim to explore how leadership styles can enhance Lean Six Sigma operations. The authors systematically reviewed the literature on leadership styles and Lean Six Sigma. The results determined the leadership styles that can enable the use of Lean Six Sigma successfully. These leadership styles are as follows: situational (task-oriented or relation-oriented behaviour), transformational, servant, authentic, empowering, and distributed leadership. The authors provide a better understanding for practitioners and researchers from existing literature on how leaders' behaviours can enhance Lean Six Sigma implementation. It is not clear which style is the most dominant and effective. There is a lack in interpreting how these leadership styles linked to Lean Six Sigma implementation. There is a lack of empirical evidence most of the studies depended on a theoretical base. Very few studies have focused on leadership styles and Six Sigma success; to the best of the authors' knowledge only one paper has studied this. Also, there is scarcity in papers that addressed leadership styles that facilitate Lean Six Sigma implementation. This paper initiates a call to study Lean Six Sigma rather than focus only on either Lean or Six Sigma. This proposition guides future research based on the view that Lean management can share underlying assumptions with Lean Six Sigma characteristics. However, the mean limitation of this review is the use of specific keywords and database to identify studies

Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Modeling and Simulation in Civil Engineering

This conference proceedings contains articles on the various research ideas of the academic community and technical researchers presented at the 6th International Conference on Modeling and Simulation in Civil Engineering (ICMSC 2022). ICMSC 2022 was organized by the Department of Civil Engineering, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala, India on December 1-3, 2022. The main aim of this conference is to bring together leading academicians, researchers, technocrats, practitioners, and students to exchange and share their experiences and research outputs on all aspects of Civil Engineering, especially related to the modeling and simulation in Civil Engineering.  Conference Title: 6th International Conference on Modeling and Simulation in Civil EngineeringConference Acronym:  ICMSC 2022Conference Date: 1-3 December 2022Conference Location: IndiaConference Organizer: Department of Civil Engineering, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala, Indi

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field