Implementation of Blockchain Technology in the Construction Industry

In general, the construction industry has been pretty resistant to change. While most industries have gained in productivity over the years through implementation of new technologies and other factors, construction industry productivity has been on a steady decline since the 1960s. Even though there are a multitude of reasons for this, including more complex building types and a decline in the workforce, the major problem holding construction back are project management issues and alienation of project stakeholders in the construction process. Some improvements have been made to help with collaboration between parties, like BIM (building information modeling) and project management software like Procore and Plangrid, but there isn’t one application that pools information to share data between parties. This is where blockchain can make a difference and help solve the collaboration problem. Blockchain is a peer-to-peer, controlled, distributed transactional database used to record and store lists of transactions (called blocks) that are verified through cryptography. This paper explores the emergence of blockchain, highlights the progressive companies implementing this technology in construction, and analyzes the best practices and applications needed for blockchain to succeed in the construction industry

Budget Woes in Higher Education: A Call for Leadership

An article discussing leadership in the face of budget deficits in academia

Report of Investigations No. 133 Three-Dimensional Ground-Water Modeling in Depositional Systems, Wilcox Group, Oakwood Salt Dome Area, East Texas

UT Librarie

A HEDONIC APPROACH TO URBAN WETLAND VALUATION

Land Economics/Use,

Personality disorder in primary care : factors associated with therapy process and outcome.

Assessment and treatment of personality disorder (PD) is a key issue in UK mental health service provision (NIMH report, 2003), but there is limited information on individuals with personality disorder presenting to primary care mental health services. This study investigates the characteristics of PD in individuals receiving cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) following GP referral and its relationship with therapist ratings of treatment process and outcome. One hundred and forty-eight participants completed the Millon Multiaxial Clinical Inventory (MCMI-III: Millon, Davis and Millon, 1997). Therapists completed a measure of therapy process and outcome (TPOQ) on 100 participants. Key therapy and process questions were answered for 60 participants who attended a minimum of five therapy sessions. MCMI-III indicated a rate of PD of 56.4%. Factor analysis of PD scales identified two factors: inward looking/emotionally distanced, and aggressive/acting out. For clinical syndromes (CLS), the factors were general psychopathology and substance abuse. TPOQ had two factors: therapeutic alliance and complexity in therapy. Regression analyses indicated that only those PDs contributing to the inward looking/emotionally distanced scale score were associated with therapeutic alliance problems. Conversely, complexity in therapy was only predicted by general psychopathology and not by personality disorder. This study identified high rates of personality disorder in primary care referrals to a clinical psychology service. It also indicated that relationships between the presence of personality disorder and therapist ratings of treatment difficulties were only associated with certain types of personality disorder. These findings are discussed in relation to service and therapy planning in mental health

Manasseh in Scripture and Tradition: An Analysis of Ancient Sources and the Development of the Manasseh Tradition

Church has been part of my life ever since my parents can remember. As an adult, I have led small group Bible studies, prayer meetings, worked in church camps, and even worked as a youth pastor for a brief time. I have exchanged many a night\u27s sleep for study of the Scriptures. Church for me was Sunday morning and night, Tuesday night, Wednesday Bible study, Thursday prayer meeting, Friday small group and eventually Friday night and Saturday morning Sabbath services. I loved attending all meetings, discussions and activities that spoke of Scripture and YHWH. Sadly, after becoming a pastor, the wind blew another direction. Not everyone has had my experience. But, my experience led me to undertake this study you have before you. Let me explain. I am driven to study and understand the essence and nature of Scripture. Church had not prepared me to understand the plurality of contradictions present within the sacred texts. It has been my impression that many people tend to avoid confronting these contradictions head on because of an underlying unspoken rule that to admit the Bible is contradictory is to deny its inerrancy. I believe what we might label as contradictions are better understood as by-products of how and why a particular book or section of a book came into being

How to Accomplish a Successful Tax-Free Pension Plan Rollover

Advising a client how to accomplish a tax-free rollover from one pension plan to another has been an area of confusion for the general practitioner. In order to end this confusion the author examines recent statutory amendments, Internal Revenue Service rulings and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The author then outlines, in conjunction with the recent changes in the law, potential pension plan rollover scenarios that can aid the client. After a thorough discussion of the available rollovers and the benefits and drawbacks of each, the author concludes with a chart designed to provide quick identification of the most beneficial pension plan rollover for the client

Grid fault ride through for wind turbine doubly-fed induction generators

EngD ThesisWind farms must contribute to the stability and reliability of the transmission grid, if they are to form a robust component of the electrical network. This includes providing grid support during grid faults, or voltage dips. Transmission system grid codes require wind farms to remain connected during specified voltage dips, and to supply active and reactive power into the network. Doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) technology is presently dominant in the growing global market for wind power generation, due to the combination of variable-speed operation and a cost-effective partially-rated power converter. However, the DFIG is sensitive to dips in supply voltage. Without specific protection to 'ride through' grid faults a DFIG risks damage to its power converter due to over-current and/or overvoltage. Conventional converter protection via a sustained period of rotor-crowbar closed-circuit leads to poor power output and sustained suppression of the stator voltages. This thesis presents a detailed understanding of wind turbine DFIG grid fault response, including flux linkage behaviour and magnetic drag effects. A flexible 7.5kW test facility is used to validate the description of fault response and evaluate techniques for improving fault ride-through performance. A minimum threshold rotor crowbar method is presented, successfully diverting transient over-currents and restoring good power control within 45ms of both fault initiation and clearance. Crowbar application periods were reduced to 11-16ms. A study of the maximum crowbar resistance suggests that this method can be used with high-power DFIG turbines. Alternatively, a DC-link brake method is shown to protect the power converter and quench the transient rotor currents, allowing control to be resumed; albeit requiring 100ms to restore good control. A VAr-support control scheme reveals a 14% stator voltage increase in fault tests: reducing the step-voltage impact at fault clearance and potentially assisting the fault response of other local equipment.EPSR