Assessing collaborative performance on construction projects through knowledge exchange : a UK Rail Strategic Alliance case study

Purpose – How knowledge exchange can be used for the continuous assessment and improvement of collaborative performance of project-based organisations in construction is explored. Collaboration on construction projects must be facilitated by people alongside practice of continuous performance assessment and improvement. However, currently available assessment tools fail to explicitly define appropriate behaviours and actions due to a poor understanding of what it means for people to collaborate. On the other hand, it is established that knowledge exchange is the focus of collaborative efforts on construction projects; therefore, as most knowledge resides with people, it represents their role in collaboration. Design/methodology/approach – Through a phenomenological/interpretivist and qualitative methodology, how knowledge exchange can be used for the continuous assessment and improvement of collaborative performance in project-based organisations in construction is explored. A single case study of a UK rail strategic alliance was adopted and 6 semi-structured interviews were conducted and subsequently analysed through a thematic analysis. Findings – An assessment tool is proposed based on a set of 20 characteristics of knowledge exchange, divided into seven categories and linked to indicators of collaboration. The tool can be applied to highly collaborative projects where BIM and Lean are implemented, and project participants are collocated. By measuring their performance against the set criteria, project teams can assess which of their behaviours and actions are inappropriate, and focus their efforts on correcting them. Originality/value – Defining the abstract indicators traditionally used to assess collaboration in terms of characteristics pertinent to day-to-day communication amongst participants on collaborative projects to facilitate the continuous assessment and improvement of collaborative performance

Observations of the structure and evolution of solar flares with a soft X-ray telescope

Soft X ray flare events were observed with the S-056 X-ray telescope that was part of the ATM complement of instruments aboard SKYLAB. Analyses of these data are reported. The observations are summarized and a detailed discussion of the X-ray flare structures is presented. The data indicated that soft X-ray emitted by a flare come primarily from an intense well-defined core surrounded by a region of fainter, more diffuse emission. An analysis of flare evolution indicates evidence for preliminary heating and energy release prior to the main phase of the flare. Core features are found to be remarkably stable and retain their shape throughout a flare. Most changes in the overall configuration seem to be result of the appearance, disappearance or change in brightness of individual features, rather than the restructuring or reorientation of these features. Brief comparisons with several theories are presented

Eye movements during scene inspection: A test of the saliency map hypothesis

What attracts attention when we inspect a scene? Two experiments recorded eye movements while viewers inspected pictures of natural office scenes in which two objects of interest were placed. One object had low contour density and uniform colouring (a piece of fruit), relative to another that was visually complex (for example, coffee mugs and commercial packages). In each picture the visually complex object had the highest visual saliency according to the Itti and Koch algorithm. Two experiments modified the task while the pictures were inspected, to determine whether visual saliency is invariably dominant in determining the pattern of fixations, or whether the purpose of inspection can provide a cognitive override that renders saliency secondary. In the first experiment viewers inspected the scene in preparation for a memory task, and the more complex objects were potent in attracting early fixations, in support of a saliency map model of scene inspection. In the second experiment viewers were set the task of detecting the presence of a low saliency target, and the effect of a high saliency distractor was negligible, supporting a model in which the saliency map can be built with cognitive influences that override low-level visual features

Universal quantum computation by discontinuous quantum walk

Quantum walks are the quantum-mechanical analog of random walks, in which a quantum `walker' evolves between initial and final states by traversing the edges of a graph, either in discrete steps from node to node or via continuous evolution under the Hamiltonian furnished by the adjacency matrix of the graph. We present a hybrid scheme for universal quantum computation in which a quantum walker takes discrete steps of continuous evolution. This `discontinuous' quantum walk employs perfect quantum state transfer between two nodes of specific subgraphs chosen to implement a universal gate set, thereby ensuring unitary evolution without requiring the introduction of an ancillary coin space. The run time is linear in the number of simulated qubits and gates. The scheme allows multiple runs of the algorithm to be executed almost simultaneously by starting walkers one timestep apart.Comment: 7 pages, revte

The impact of broadband in schools

The report reviews evidence for the impact of broadband in English schools, exploring; Variations in provision in level of broadband connectivity; Links between the level of broadband activity and nationally accessible performance data; Aspects of broadband connectivity and the school environment that contribute to better outcomes for pupils and teachers; Academic and motivational benefits associated with educational uses of this technology

Development of an interatomic potential for the simulation of defects, plasticity, and phase transformations in titanium

New interatomic potentials describing defects, plasticity, and high temperature phase transitions for Ti are presented. Fitting the martensitic hcp-bcc phase transformation temperature requires an efficient and accurate method to determine it. We apply a molecular dynamics method based on determination of the melting temperature of competing solid phases, and Gibbs-Helmholtz integration, and a lattice-switch Monte Carlo method: these agree on the hcp-bcc transformation temperatures to within 2 K. We were able to develop embedded atom potentials which give a good fit to either low or high temperature data, but not both. The first developed potential (Ti1) reproduces the hcp-bcc transformation and melting temperatures and is suitable for the simulation of phase transitions and bcc Ti. Two other potentials (Ti2 and Ti3) correctly describe defect properties and can be used to simulate plasticity or radiation damage in hcp Ti. The fact that a single embedded atom method potential cannot describe both low and high temperature phases may be attributed to neglect of electronic degrees of freedom, notably bcc has a much higher electronic entropy. A temperature-dependent potential obtained from the combination of potentials Ti1 and Ti2 may be used to simulate Ti properties at any temperature.</p

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, Entanglements in Burdock, Arctium spp., at Delta Marsh, Manitoba

Exotic burdock (Arctium spp.) pose a risk of mortality for small native birds, such as the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), which may become entangled in its burrs. At Delta Marsh, Manitoba, we found 11 hummingbirds and five individuals of four species of songbirds entangled on burdock in the dune-ridge forest over a 20-year period. Entangled birds were mostly migrants. Most hummingbirds caught were juvenile males, whereas the few songbirds were mostly adult males. We suspect that hummingbird entanglements resulted from an attraction to the purple flowers of burdock, but aggressive interactions with conspecifics and other factors may have been involved. Birds may be at a higher risk of entanglement at important migratory stopover sites, such as Delta Marsh, where both burdock and large numbers of birds are concentrated in a small area

Exploring the structural relationship between interviewer and self-rated affective symptoms in Huntington’s disease

This study explores the structural relationship between self-report and interview measures of affect in Huntington’s disease. The findings suggest continued use of both to recognize the multidimensionality within a single common consideration of distress