Key factors and network model for location-based cultural mobile game design

The use of smart devices as media for digital learning constitutes a new-generation digital learning paradigm. Therefore, context-aware game-based learning has attracted considerable attention. Location-based games have not only positive effects on learning but also pronounced effects on culture and history. Accordingly, focusing on railway cultural heritages, we attempted to assess interdependent relationships between key factors crucial for the design of a location-based mobile game for cultural heritages. We adopted the analytic network process (ANP) for our assessment. We initially performed a literature review to generalize relevant criteria and elements and developed a questionnaire based on the fuzzy delphi method (FDM); which lead to the selection of key factors, namely 3 criteria and 15 elements. We also applied an online ANP-based questionnaire; on the basis of the experts' opinions, we established a network model and determined the priority order of the key factors. The results revealed that experts considered “culture learning” to be of the highest importance, with the most important three elements being “prior knowledge,” “challenge levels,” and “cultural narrative.” Moreover, culture learning exhibited a strong interaction with content design. In addition, each element had a considerable influence on the remaining elements that could provide references for the construction of location-based cultural mobile games in the future

Spin-flip effects on the current-in-plane magnetotransport in magnetic multilayers with arbitrary magnetization alignments

An extended Boltzmann equation approach, with nondiagonal components of the electron distribution, function taken into account, is proposed to study spin-flip effects on the magnetoresistance (MR) in magnetic inhomogeneous systems with arbitrary magnetization alignments. The presence of spin-flip scattering is found to reduce the MR and to decrease deviation of the MR from linear dependence on sin 2(θ/2) where θ is the angle between the magnetizations of successive magnetic films.published_or_final_versio

Framework for Promoting Women's Career Development across Career Stages in the Construction Industry

Despite efforts to promote gender diversity, the construction industry in Australia remains one of the most male-dominated industries. Women, compared to their male counterparts, progress more slowly and encounter major obstacles to career development in the construction industry. Existing research tends to focus on broad factors that impact women's career development in all career stages despite the fact that women's career priorities often change as they progress through different career stages. This study applied Super's career development model to investigate the influential factors on women's career development across four career stages: explore (precareer), establishment (early career), midcareer, and late career. By conducting a systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, this research identified influential factors related to women's career development in the construction industry, namely, attitude, capability, interest, past experiences, family responsibilities, parental influences, role models, support, culture, organizational practice, and policies and regulations. Based on the women's empowerment framework, the identified factors were coded and synthesized into three dimensions: individual, relational, and environmental. The research finds there is a significant focus on providing relational and environmental support to women in construction, and less attention is given to individual factors. The review revealed that personal interest and parental perceptions in construction influence women's career development in precareer and early career stages, while masculine culture significantly impacts women's career development in all career stages. This study also summarizes the theoretical contributions and practical implications drawn from existing research on different stages of women's career development and provides guidance for further research

Theory of electric-field-induced metal-insulator transition in doped manganites

The insulator to metal transition (IMT) induced by the application of an electric field in doped manganites is investigated theoretically. Starting from the double-exchange mechanism with the long-range Coulomb interaction included, we find that the electric field may suppress the charge ordering and drive the system from the antiferromagnetic and charge-ordered state with an energy gap at the Fermi level to the ferromagnetic and gapless state, resulting in the IMT. A numerical simulation is performed for manganite films with intrinsic inhomogeneities, and an important impact of the inhomogeneities on this electric-field-induced transition is obtained. Our results can naturally account for the recently observed electric-filed-induced IMT phenomenon in manganites.published_or_final_versio

Identifying Leadership Competencies for Construction 4.0

With the development of the times, the challenge of the construction industry entering Construction 4.0 and surviving in it is still formidable. Although many studies state the importance of effective leadership in the context of Construction 4.0, there is a need to investigate what leadership qualities can eectively provide guidance on leading construction organisations in this era. Through a focused review, this study aims to propose a series of key leadership competencies in the context of Construction 4.0 for guiding the digital transformation and the development of leaders in construction organisations, as well as complementing the existing Construction 4.0 research gap in organisational management. Through in-depth analysis of the retrieved literature, this research extracted and analysed 22 leadership competencies, classified them into four top-level themes (cognition, interpersonal communication, business, and strategy), and discussed the potential relationships among them. Theoretically, the article provides the basis and guidance for future leadership research by redefining and explaining the meaning of each competency. In practice, the paper provides construction industry practitioners with guidance on the development of effective leadership in the era of Construction 4.0

Orbital ordering and two ferromagnetic phases in low-doped La 1-xSr xMnO 3

We present a theory for the transition between two ferromagnetic phases observed experimentally in lightly doped La 1-xSr xMnO 3. Starting from an electronic model, the instabilities to various types of orbital orderings are studied within the random-phase approximation. In most cases, the instabilities occur in the region of strong correlations. A phase diagram is calculated in the case of strong correlation by means of the projected perturbation technique and the Schwinger boson technique. A phase transition between two types of orbital ordering occurs at a low doping, which may be closely relevant to recent experimental observations.published_or_final_versio

Spin and orbital excitations in undoped manganites

We develop a theory for spin and orbital excitations in undoped manganites to account for the spin and orbital orderings observed experimentally. It is found that the anisotropy of the magnetic structure is closely related to the orbital ordering, and the Jahn-Teller effect stabilizes the orbital ordering. The phase diagram and the low-energy excitation spectra for both spin and orbital orderings are obtained. The calculated critical temperatures can be quantitatively comparable to the experimental data. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Phase diagram of an extended Kondo lattice model for manganites: The Schwinger-boson mean-field approach

We investigate the phase diagram of an extended Kondo lattice model for doped manganese oxides in the presence of strong but finite Hund's coupling and on-site Coulomb interaction. By means of the Schwinger-boson mean-field approach, it is found that, besides magnetic ordering, there will be nonuniform charge distributions, such as charge ordering and phase separation, if the interaction between electrons prevails over the hybridization. Which of the charge ordering and phase separation appears is determined by a competition between effective repulsive and attractive interactions due to virtual processes of electron hopping. Calculated results show that strong electron correlations caused by the on-site Coulomb interaction as well as the finite Hund's coupling play an important role in the magnetic ordering and charge distribution at low temperatures. ©2000 The American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

The Transformation Of Trust In China’s Alternative Food Networks: Disruption, Reconstruction, And Development

Food safety issues in China have received much scholarly attention, yet few studies systematically examined this matter through the lens of trust. More importantly, little is known about the transformation of different types of trust in the dynamic process of food production, provision, and consumption. We consider trust as an evolving interdependent relationship between different actors. We used the Beijing County Fair, a prominent ecological farmers’ market in China, as an example to examine the transformation of trust in China’s alternative food networks. We argue that although there has been a disruption of institutional trust among the general public since 2008 when the melamine-tainted milk scandal broke out, reconstruction of individual trust and development of organizational trust have been observed, along with the emergence and increasing popularity of alternative food networks. Based on more than six months of fieldwork on the emerging ecological agriculture sector in 13 provinces across China as well as monitoring of online discussions and posts, we analyze how various social factors—including but not limited to direct and indirect reciprocity, information, endogenous institutions, and altruism—have simultaneously contributed to the transformation of trust in China’s alternative food networks. The findings not only complement current social theories of trust, but also highlight an important yet understudied phenomenon whereby informal social mechanisms have been partially substituting for formal institutions and gradually have been building trust against the backdrop of the food safety crisis in China.published_or_final_versio

Health and Safety Integration into the Procurement Stages of Public Construction Projects in Developing Countries: A Case of Ghana

The potential to promote health and safety (H&S) through public procurement has resulted in increased expectation for public sector clients to integrate H&S matters into their procurement decisions and practices. Developing countries are however far behind in this endeavour. Using qualitative research, therefore, this study explored how public clients integrate H&S into the procurement of public works. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 contractors and public sector clients who have vast experience in the procurement of public works. The data was analysed using both inductive and deductive thematic analyses. The findings show that the extent of H&S integration into the procurement process depended on the funding source(s) for public projects. H&S matters are generally overlooked in the various procurement stages for public projects funded by the government, while in those funded by international development agencies, H&S matters are prioritized, and therefore, given considerable attention. The research contributes to construction H&S improvement research in developing countries by giving insight into the extent of H&S integration into public procurement. It also contributes to the understanding of the influence of funding sources on the extent to which H&S matters are integrated into public procurement in developing countries