Knowledge and technology transfer from universities to industries: A case study approach from the built environment field

Enabling kowledge societies and knowledge based economies is a key policy in the UK. KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) scheme initiated by the Technology Strategy Board is a pathway for collaboration and partnerships between Higher Education institutions and companies to transfer innovative knowledge based solutions from universities to businesses in order to equip them with the leading edge knowledge and technology infrastructure for sustainable long term competitive advantages in both national and international market. The paper explains a KTP project between the University of Salford and John McCall Architects (JMA) in Liverpool in the UK that aimed to identify, map and re-engineer JMA’s strategic and operational change processes through Lean thinking and the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is a foundational tool for implementing an efficient process and invariably leads to lean-orientated, team based approach to design and construction by enabling the intelligent interrogation of designs; provide a quicker and cheaper design production; better co-ordination of documentation; more effective change control; less repetition of processes; a better quality constructed product; and improved communication both for JMA and across the supply chain whereas it provided opportunity to increase business relevance of knowledge based research and teaching for the Higher Education. Case Study approach is employed in the paper and the KTP project is assessed for i) how it helped in improving JMA’s knowledge and technology capacity in conducting their practice, and, ii) how it helped the university in improving its knowledge based research and teaching

Technology adoption in the BIM implementation for lean architectural practice

Justification for Research: the construction companies are facing barriers and challenges in BIM adoption as there is no clear guidance or best practice studies from which they can learn and build up their capacity for BIM use in order to increase productivity, efficiency, quality, and to attain competitive advantages in the global market and to achieve the targets in environmental sustainability. Purpose: this paper aims to explain a comprehensive and systemic evaluation and assessment of the relevant BIM technologies as part of the BIM adoption and implementation to demonstrate how efficiency gains have been achieved towards a lean architectural practice. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is undertaken through a KTP (Knowledge transfer Partnership) project between the University of Salford and the John McCall Architects based in Liverpool, which is an SME (Small Medium Enterprise). The overall aim of KTP is to develop Lean Design Practice through the BIM adoption and implementation. The overall BIM implementation approach uses a socio-technical view in which it does not only consider the implementation of technology but also considers the socio-cultural environment that provides the context for its implementation. The technology adoption methodology within the BIM implementation approach is the action research oriented qualitative and quantitative research for discovery, comparison, and experimentation as the KTP project with JMA provides an environment for “learning by doing” Findings: research has proved that BIM technology adoption should be undertaken with a bottom-up approach rather than top-down approach for successful change management and dealing with the resistance to change. As a result of the BIM technology adoption, efficiency gains are achieved through the piloting projects and the design process is improved through the elimination of wastes and value generation. Originality/Value: successful BIM adoption needs an implementation strategy. However, at operational level, it is imperative that professional guidelines are required as part of the implementation strategy. This paper introduces a systematic approach for BIM technology adoption based on a case study implementation and it demonstrates a guideline at operational level for other SME companies of architectural practices

The interaction of lean and building information modeling in construction

Lean construction and Building Information Modeling are quite different initiatives, but both are having profound impacts on the construction industry. A rigorous analysis of the myriad specific interactions between them indicates that a synergy exists which, if properly understood in theoretical terms, can be exploited to improve construction processes beyond the degree to which it might be improved by application of either of these paradigms independently. Using a matrix that juxtaposes BIM functionalities with prescriptive lean construction principles, fifty-six interactions have been identified, all but four of which represent constructive interaction. Although evidence for the majority of these has been found, the matrix is not considered complete, but rather a framework for research to explore the degree of validity of the interactions. Construction executives, managers, designers and developers of IT systems for construction can also benefit from the framework as an aid to recognizing the potential synergies when planning their lean and BIM adoption strategies

Yhdenvertaisuuden rakentuminen varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten kertomuksissa

Tiivistelmä. Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten kokemuksia yhdenvertaisuudesta. Yhdenvertaisuudella tarkoitetaan syrjimättömyyttä ja yhdenvertaisen kohtelun vaatimusta. Varhaiskasvatuksessa yhdenvertaisuus näyttäytyy osana arvoperustaa ja varhaiskasvatuksen tavoitteena on edistää yhdenvertaisuutta. Yhdenvertaisuuden tavoitteena varhaiskasvatuksessa on vähentää lasten eriarvoisuutta ja yhdenvertaisuus nähdään laadukkaan varhaiskasvatuksen perustana. Tutkimustieto on kuitenkin osoittanut, että yhdenvertaisuuden toteutumista haastavat useat lapseen tai lapsen taustoihin liittyvät tekijät. On esitetty, että varhaiskasvatuksen kentälle tarvitaan osaamista ja tietoisuutta yhdenvertaisuuden edistämiseksi. Tässä tutkimuksessa yhdenvertaisuutta tarkastellaan varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten vapaamuotoisten kirjoitelmien pohjalta. Tutkimuksen aineiston muodostaa yhdeksän kirjoitelmaa. Tutkimuskysymyksenä oli selvittää, millaisena yhdenvertaisuus rakentuu varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten kertomuksissa. Tutkimus perustuu narratiiviseen lähestymistapaan. Narratiivisessa tutkimuksessa tiedon ajatellaan olevan moninäkökulmaista, jolloin tieto rakentuu subjektiivisesti. Tässä tutkimuksessa narratiivisuus näyttäytyy etenkin ihmisten tapana ymmärtää ja jakaa kokemuksiaan ja tietoa. Teoreettinen viitekehys on rakentunut aineistolähtöisesti keskeisten tulosten pohjalta. Kertomuksissa yhdenvertaisuus rakentui monitasoisena lapsiryhmän, toimintakulttuurin ja yhteiskunnan tasolla. Yhdenvertaisuutta tarkasteltiin vahvimmin lapseen kohdistuvana. Selkeimmin erottautui lapsen tuen tarpeet, mikä poikkeaa aikaisemmasta yhdenvertaisuutta käsittelevästä tutkimuksesta, jossa moninaisuutta tarkasteltiin valtaosin eri kulttuurien näkökulmista. Tässä tutkimuksessa kulttuurien tarkastelu keskittyi lapsen suomen kielen osaamiseen. Yhdenvertaisuutta kuvattiin tärkeänä tavoitteena, mutta haasteeksi muodostui osaaminen yhdenvertaisuuden toteuttamiseksi käytännössä. Yhteiskunnallinen näkökulma toi esiin kulttuurisia tekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat yhdenvertaisuuteen. Tutkimus tukee perustetta, että varhaiskasvatukseen tarvitaan osaamista ja etenkin tukea yhdenvertaisuuden toteutumiseksi käytännössä

Retained dental roots of adults : A nationwide population study with panoramic radiographs

The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and nature of retained dental roots and their associations with demographics in the Finnish adult population. From the cross-sectional nationwide Health 2000 Survey of the Finnish population aged 30 years and older, 6005 participants with clinical oral examination and panoramic radiographs were included. Occurrence and characteristics of all retained dental roots were examined. Statistical analyses included chi(2), Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests, and SAS-SUDAAN calculations. The mean age of the 6005 participants (46% men and 54% women) was 53 (SD 14.6) years. At least one retained dental root was observed in 13% (n = 754) of the participants. The 1350 retained roots included 461 (34%) roots retained entirely in bone and 889 (66%) partly in bone. The most common location of a retained dental root was the third molar region. Occurrence of retained roots partly in bone was associated with male sex and lower education. Occurrence of retained third molar roots entirely in bone was associated with female sex, younger age, higher education, and living in a city. Among all retained dental roots, the preponderance of third molars emphasized the demanding nature of extracting the third molar in women.Peer reviewe

Why is product modularity underdeveloped in construction?

Product modularity (a term often associated with off-site construction/prefabrication) has been discussed in construction for a few decades. In spite of that, its understanding in this new context is still emergent. This paper sets out to explore why that is the case. The paper builds on both (i) recent investigations of this concept in construction, including empirical studies which are critically analysed here, and (ii) seminal works on the definition of product modularity in manufacturing. An important insight is that product modularity can benefit traditional construction (by adopting a space-oriented perspective), and thus should not be considered applicable only to off-site construction. Conversely, off-site construction does not ensure per se the adoption of product modularity (even though the terms might be sometimes perceived as closely related). Based on the analysis of literature and empirical cases, three limitations in the understanding and application of product modularity in construction are: (i) unclear boundaries between modules (namely, which components pertain to which module), (ii) invariant modules (namely, the components forming a module do not change depending on the combination in which it is used), and (iii) interfaces as synonymous with surfaces (despite the fact that an interface might entail more than one surface and vice-versa)

Is local best? Examining the evidence for local adaptation in trees and its scale

Although the importance of using local provenance planting stock for woodland production, habitat conservation and restoration remains contentious, the concept is easy to understand, attractive and easy to ‘sell’. With limited information about the extent and scale of adaptive variation in native trees, discussion about suitable seed sources often emphasises “local” in a very narrow sense or within political boundaries, rather than being based on sound evidence of the scale over which adaptation occurs. Concerns exist over the actual scale (magnitude and spatial scale) of adaptation in trees and the relative dangers of incorrect seed source or restricted seed collection, leading to the establishment of trees with restricted genetic diversity and limited adaptive potential. Tree provenance and progeny field trials in many parts of the world have shown the existence of genotype by environment interaction in many tree species, but have not necessarily looked at whether this is expressed as a home site advantage (i.e. whether provenance performance is unstable across sites, and there is better performance of a local seed source). This review will examine the evidence for local adaptation and its scale in a number of native tree species from different trial sites across the globe (e.g. tropical, Mediterranean, temperate). These trials have been measured and in some cases results published in a range of formats. The data have, however, usually been presented in the form of which provenances grow best at which sites. The review will examine existing data (published and unpublished) in the context of the scale of local adaptation, with the results being presented in two formats: (a) relating survival, performance of provenances (classified by seed zone/provenance region of origin) to seed zone/provenance region of the planting site; (b) plotting survival, performance provenances against the distance (Euclidean/ecological) between the provenance and the trial site

Evaluation of continuous improvement programmes

The study began with the problem posed by an organisation for a group of researchers in the UK. There was a need to carry out an in-depth study to evaluate the continuous improvement programmes in the context of Lean Construction, and the following question emerged: How to evaluate the continuous improvement programme? This paper aims to understand how the literature on continuous improvement, including quality circles (QCs), small group activities (SGAs), and continuous improvement cells (CICs), can help to conduct the evaluation of continuous improvement programmes. The paper includes a literature review to gain an understanding of the problem from a theoretical perspective. Continuous improvement techniques are assessed in the framework of the TFV theory, with the main focus on the flow and the waste concepts. A logic model framework is used to synthesize the literature review findings and to establish an initial proposal for the evaluation of continuous improvement programmes in the Lean Construction context. This paper does not include any empirical study or actual measure and cannot ascertain the definitive benefits of continuous improvement techniques. Also, the paper does not propose any definitive procedure on how to evaluate continuous improvement techniques

The dual rod system of amphibians supports colour discrimination at the absolute visual threshold

The presence of two spectrally different kinds of rod photoreceptors in amphibians has been hypothesized to enable purely rod-based colour vision at very low light levels. The hypothesis has never been properly tested, so we performed three behavioural experiments at different light intensities with toads (Bufo) and frogs (Rana) to determine the thresholds for colour discrimination. The thresholds of toads were different in mate choice and prey-catching tasks, suggesting that the differential sensitivities of different spectral cone types as well as task-specific factors set limits for the use of colour in these behavioural contexts. In neither task was there any indication of rod-based colour discrimination. By contrast, frogs performing phototactic jumping were able to distinguish blue from green light down to the absolute visual threshold, where vision relies only on rod signals. The remarkable sensitivity of this mechanism comparing signals from the two spectrally different rod types approaches theoretical limits set by photon fluctuations and intrinsic noise. Together, the results indicate that different pathways are involved in processing colour cues depending on the ecological relevance of this information for each task. This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'.Peer reviewe