Determining the Regime Shift of the Baltic Sea Ice Seasons during 1982–2016

The distributions of ice season characteristics in the Baltic Sea during 1982–2016 were studied. A shift in the ice season regime was observed in 2006–2007. Ice season characteristics before and after the shift were determined in the northern and southern regions of the Baltic Sea, and the contributions of these areas to the shift regime were evaluated. To study changes in ice conditions, satellite data on the daily ice concentration over the Baltic Sea provided by the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service were used. The ice cover extent and number of ice days were calculated. The maximal ice extent event of the ice season shifted from the beginning of March to the end of January in 2007. The average ice concentration over the Baltic Sea was 18% and 10% before and after the shift, respectively. On average, 32 and 19 ice days occurred before and after the shift, respectively. The average ice concentration in the northern Baltic was 54% before and 34% after the shift, and the concentration in the southern Baltic was 8% before and 7% after the shift. The determined shift of the ice season characteristics indicated that extensive ice cover does not last long during the after-shift seasons

Insights into The Push Factors of Innovation Adoption of Professional Services Firms: The Case of Ghanaian Quantity Surveying Firms (QSF)

Construction industry is a universal driver of an economy but it is largely affected by its reluctance to innovate. This paper aims to identify the drivers of innovation adoption in Ghanaian Quantity surveying firms by looking at related previous literatures. The study adopted Quantitative research approach with census sampling technique, where questionnaires were sent to and retrieved from the top management of Quantity Surveying firms in Ghana. The study then adopted the use of mean score ranking, and hypothesis (H) was tested to check the significance level of all the push factors using One Sample Wilcoxon Signed rank test. 29 out of 43 questionnaires were retrieved from the quantity surveying firms (QSFs) at a response rate of 67.44%. Mean score ranking analysis clearly display that technological capability has the power to drive innovations in Quantity surveying (QS) firms. One Sample Wilcoxon Signed rank test concluded that effective information gathering is not important to the Quantity Surveying firms because it had a significant level of 0.384, which is greater than 0.05. Therefore, this research study has discovered that, programmes promoting access to technology is the main driver of technological capability towards innovations in professional service firms. The finding of this study is valuable to the Quantity Surveying firms as well as the other professionals in the construction industry as well as innovation policy makers and stakeholders, as it will help invest in technological capabilities including programmes promoting access to technology with the aim of driving innovations in the professional service firms

Construct-it: A board game to enhance built environment students’ understanding of the property life cycle

This article investigates the development of a board game entitled ‘Construct-it’ as an innovative pedagogical approach (as proof of concept) to augmenting the applied knowledge and understanding of built environment students studying property life cycle analysis. A largely qualitative and inductive methodological approach is conducted to identify and investigate the various pertinent theoretical frameworks that could be adopted; conduct a critical synthesis of extant literature; and develop Construct-it, a game intuitively grounded in practice-based knowledge. The study reveals that games provide a fun, engaging and challenging means of educating students at higher education institutions. It also notes a significant dearth of literature in terms of applying games to students enrolled on built environment programmes. Construct-it can enhance the student’s learning experience and knowledge of pertinent industry practice and standards and can complement traditional classroom teaching approaches. The study concludes with directions for the future work required to enhance the development of the novel pedagogical proof of concept presented. Such work will require robust testing and validation of the game to measure its impact on the student learning experience. </jats:p

Evaluation Of Vehicle Lightweighting To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions With Focus On Magnesium Substitution

Purpose Vehicle weight reduction represents a viable means of meeting tougher regulatory requirements designed to reduce fuel consumption and control greenhouse gas emissions. This paper aims to present an empirical and comparative analysis of lightweight magnesium materials used to replace conventional steel in passenger vehicles with internal combustion engines. The very low density of magnesium makes it a viable material for lightweighting given that it is lighter than aluminium by one-third and steel by three-fourth. Design/methodology/approach A structural evaluation case study of the “open access” Wikispeed car was undertaken. This included an assessment of material design characteristics such as bending stiffness, torsional stiffness and crashworthiness to evaluate whether magnesium provides a better alternative to the current usage of aluminium in the automotive industry. Findings The Wikispeed car had an issue with the rocker beam width/thickness (b/t) ratio, indicating failure in yield instead of buckling. By changing the specified material, Aluminium Alloy 6061-T651 to Magnesium EN-MB10020, it was revealed that vehicle mass could be reduced by an estimated 110 kg, in turn improving the fuel economy by 10 per cent. This, however, would require mechanical performance compromise unless the current design is modified. Originality/value This is the first time that a comparative analysis of material substitution has been made on the Wikispeed car. The results of such work will assist in the lowering of harmful greenhouse gas emissions and simultaneously augment fuel economy

Developing a Novel Extra-Aortic Cuff With Peristaltic Motion and Counterpulsation to Assist Heart Function

The development of a prototype extra-aortic balloon cuff with peristaltic motion and counterpulsation system is explored to investigate the practical feasibility for potential future treatments for chronic heart failure. This concept is an extension of an existing clinical heart assisting device called C-Pulse® created by Sunshine Heart which is used to treat patients with New York Heart Association Class III and ambulatory Class IV heart failure. Both software simulation and hardware-based experimental work are undertaken. The software simulation of a one-dimensional pressure wave propagation through an aortic segment and the influence of an external peristaltic movement are explored using Matlab® (MathWorks®, United States). Simulation results show characteristic differences between a normal pressure waveform and an augmented waveform. The hardware work was divided into three parts – development of a phantom aorta, cardiovascular simulation platform, and the peristaltic extra-aortic balloon cuff prototype. A phantom aorta was made from Dragon Skin® 10 with geometries and properties similar to that of the biological physiological human aorta. A devised cardiovascular simulation platform with the phantom aorta attached was constructed and utilised as a testing platform for the functionality of the peristaltic extra-aortic balloon cuff prototype. The prototype was developed using an Arduino based microcontroller which drives four pneumatic pumps that inflate and deflate extra-aortic balloon cuffs, attached to the descending aorta, in a counterpulsating manner to the natural heartbeat. The peristaltic extra-aortic balloon cuff prototype was able to significantly increase the mean aortic pressure from ~92 mmHg to ~96 mmHg (P<0.05). The flow velocity waveform in the ascending aorta was also altered – increasing the mean diastolic flow from 13.47 cm/s to 17.73 cm/s (P<0.05)

An empirical assessment of innovation practices of quantity surveying firms in Ghana

Innovation is ascertained to be a major driver of growth of the productivity of a firm. This has spurred the interest of many researchers to study and harness the adoption of innovation. Extant literature indicates that some professional services offered by the quantity surveying (QS) firms are not needed by the client, or may be outdated. Consequently, the QS firms have to develop the stamina to challenge the existing unnecessary and unwanted or outdated practices and implement innovative practices. What is more alarming is that the QS firms are rated to have a low disposition towards the adoption of innovation. This established context propelled the need for empirically assessing the innovation practices amongst the QS firms in Ghana. A quantitative research approach was employed for this study and a census sampling technique was adopted. A total of 43 questionnaires were administered to the entire population and 24 were retrieved. The current level of innovation practices amongst the Ghanaian QS firms was interpreted using Rogers’ innovation diffusion theory. The results indicated that QS firms in Ghana are early adopters of process innovation, product/technological innovation and business system innovation. The study showed that QS firms adopt innovation practices in rendering their services and even though they do not initiate new ideas, they are the first to adopt the ideas initiated by the innovators. This study has drawn attention to the assessment of innovation practices and increasing the knowledge base of innovation practices in Ghanaian QS firms

Affordances of BIM during the Architectural Design Process

Building Information Modelling (BIM) represents a move away from traditional practices and the formation of digital models to enable optimized decision making throughout planning, design, construction and operation stages of a facility's life. Usage of BIM is increasing, and seemingly has the capacity to transform every aspect of the construction industry, therefore making it essential for architectural practices to adapt and embrace this new way of working. Delivering projects through BIM within the UK construction industry is reaching a state of necessity. With the UK Government's mandate for BIM implementation coupled with developments in the BIM area, industry practitioners are becoming increasingly under pressure to adopt BIM. BIM technology can potentially change the process and product of architecture. According to Gaver (1991), new technologies primarily concentrate on the current articulated needs and tasks of the users and have the tendency to overlook the innovation potential of the new technologies at the same time. Understanding affordances that BIM can bring to the process of architectural design is a significant factor in the verdict of successful BIM implementation. This preliminary research aims to identify functional affordances of BIM and explore how they influence the architectural design process. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with BIM coordinators, architectural technologists and designers working on BIM projects to understand their perception of affordances that BIM can bring to the process of architectural design. We found that most actors/designers realize the potential of functional affordances of many BIM applications, however only a few utilize this capacity to enhance the design process. The literature and the results obtained through the interviews both revealed a potential additional affordance category which relates to the design stages and the use of BIM

BIM and sensor-based data management system for construction safety monitoring

Purpose This research aims to investigate the integration of real-time monitoring of thermal conditions within confined work environments through wireless sensor network (WSN) technology when integrated with building information modelling (BIM). A prototype system entitled confined space monitoring system (CoSMoS), which provides an opportunity to incorporate sensor data for improved visualization through new add-ins to BIM software, was then developed. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was undertaken to compare and contrast between the performances (over a time series) of various database models to find a back-end database storage configuration that best suits the needs of CoSMoS. Findings Fusing BIM data with information streams derived from wireless sensors challenges traditional approaches to data management. These challenges encountered in the prototype system are reported upon and include issues such as hardware/software selection and optimization. Consequently, various database models are explored and tested to find a database storage that best suits the specific needs of this BIM-wireless sensor technology integration. Originality value This work represents the first tranche of research that seeks to deliver a fully integrated and advanced digital built environment solution for automating the management of health and safety issues on construction sites. </jats:sec

Brexit: measuring the impact upon skilled labour in the UK construction industry

Purpose This paper presents an understanding of the potential impact of Brexit upon the United Kingdom (UK) construction industry. Specifically, the work analyses the construction industry’s reliance upon European Union (EU) skilled labour and seeks to determine the potential impact that Brexit poses upon EU skilled labour entering the sector. Design/methodology/approach A perceptual questionnaire survey was used to elicit responses from construction professionals using the two techniques of opportunity and snowballing non-probability sampling. Summary statistical analysis of Boolean and Likert item scale data accrued was employed to elucidate upon respondents’ perceptions. Findings The majority of survey participants either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that the UK construction industry relies upon EU skilled labour and that a career in the sector would not be attractive for foreign skilled labour post-Brexit. Future research proposed includes: predicting future trends in labour supply and demand and deriving new policies to address skills shortage imbalances that may be created by Brexit. Originality/value Original insight into an historic and unprecedented moment for the UK construction industry is presented. The work also provides pragmatic recommendations to policy makers and Higher Education Institutes to prevent the risk of Brexit further exacerbating skilled labour shortages within the industry