Best Practices in Construction 4.0-Catalysts of Digital Innovations(Part II)

Part II on Best Practices in Construction 4.0 follows up on the previously published study Part I.This study examines corporate strategies from different angles,defines potential fields of application and works out existing empirical values and trends in the digitization process of the building sector.It highlights the unintended consequences of technological development and offers concrete practical approaches for responsible use.Using the qualitative research method,the study concludes that digital methods,such as Building Information Modelling(BIM)and Digital Twins,and Artificial Intelligence(AI)can add value,significantly reduce resources and increase sustainability.The study is part of a larger primary research on Corporate Digital Responsibility(CDR)in Construction 4.0;it identifies,analyzes and systematically evaluates the pillars of a sustainable digital transformation,especially in the Construction Industry.The holistic,interdisciplinary view of this study aims to provide orientation for small to medium-sized companies(SMEs)developing their individual digital strategy.An outline of the necessary prerequisites but also design options,as they result from the evaluation of expert interviews and literature research,supports companies in the design of Construction 4.0 that is in line with the needs of people,society and the environment and shaping more economically efficient building life cycles.It highlights that digital transformation has also reached the traditionally small-scale AEC industry(small-scale architecture,engineering and construction industry)and catalyzes the variety of innovations.

Best Practices in Construction 4.0:Catalysts of Digital Innovations(Part I)

Digital transformation in the AEC industry(Architecture,Engineering and Construction)is a key driver to enhance technical innovation in the branch and adds dynamic to all work processes and methods.A more differentiated understanding of the responsible use of innovative technologies aims not only towards increased technical,environmental,educational,societal and gender equality sustainability and more efficient building life cycles but also to recognize the unintended effects such as artificial intelligence(AI).The study is part of a larger primary research on Corporate Digital Responsibility(CDR)in Construction 4.0.This identifies,analyzes and systematically evaluates key factors of a sustainable digital transformation,especially in the traditionally small-scale Construction Industry,in which there can be no standardized procedure.The study uses interdisciplinary literature and data research and expert interviews.The qualitative method enables a critical-reflexive analysis of the key factors of meaningful and sustainable implementation of innovative technologies in Construction.Application examples show possible approaches,some of which are implemented as prototypes and provide guidance for small to medium-sized companies.The study outlines the necessary steps for companies to define their own potential fields of application and find suitable methods.Another aim of the study is to take stock of the acceptance of new technologies by comparing different perspectives from experts.The study results show new perspectives on the transformation of the Construction Industry.They show that Digital Transformation in Construction 4.0 has great potential for an economical,efficient construction life cycle,but requires the responsible,sensible use of innovative technologies.

Best practices for making high integrity lightweight metal castings-molten metal composition and cleanliness control

To make high integrity lightweight metal castings,best practices are required in various stages of casting and heat treatment processes,including liquid metal composition and quality control,casting and gating/riser system design,and process optimization.This paper presents best practices for liquid metal processing and quality assurance of molten metal in both melting and mold filling.Best practices for other aspects of lightweight metal casting will be published separately.

Food Waste Management in Luxury Hotels-Best Practices and Limitations

Hospitality industry and hotels are considered to waste a lot of food.This research aims to focus on food waste management in luxury hotels by investigating three luxury hotels in Budapest(Hungary).The investigation focuses on qualitative methods,eleven interviews and observations were made from September to December 2018.Results show that in luxury hotels the main challenge is to ensure the correct balance between 5*experience and minimizing food waste.It was found that kitchen,breakfast open-buffet and staff canteen are among the leading causes of food waste,generating even higher food waste compared to conferences,banquets,orála carte options.While a broad range of practices exist that are believed to minimize the food waste of buffets,most of the luxury hotels are only implementing a small ratio of such practices and are only in the beginning of the planning phase to expand their practices in this regard.

ZTE Recognized for Industry Best Practices as Frost & Sullivan's SDR Equipment Vendor of the Year

ZTE Corporation announced on February 9 that it had received the Best Practice Award for being Frost ＆ Sullivan＇s ＂2010 SDR Equipment Vendor of the Year.＂ This award recognizes ZTE＇s outstanding contribution to the development of Software Defined Radio （SDR） technology and the wireless communications industry.

Standards and Best Practices Application of Standards for Equipment-Manufacturing Industries Workshop Held in Shanghai

The "Application of Standards for Equipment-Manufacturing Industry Workshop" was held for two days in Shanghai from May 25th to May 26th, 2007. Dozens of delegates from famous enterprises and organizations around the world participated, including those from Shell China Ltd., Leal China, Siemens Ltd. China Corporate, and Assurance of SAI Global and SGS . Nine experts, engaged in standardization, intellectual property, and related fields, gave speeches on "Standards and Best Practices," and many illustrative examples of the application of standards were provided.……

Best Practices and Lessons Learned in the Implementation of Global Framework for Climate Services—Adaptation Programme in Africa: Tanzania-Experience

This paper provides an analysis and a description of the best practices and lessons learned in the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services Adaptation Program in Africa (GFCS-APA) focusing on Tanzania country’s activities. GFCS-APA was the first multi-agency initiative implemented under the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) in two African countries, namely Tanzania and Malawi with funding from the Royal Government of Norway. In Tanzania, the programme was implemented in two phases from the year 2014 to 2021 in the three pilot districts of Kondoa, Longido and Kiteto located in Dodoma, Arusha and Manyara regions, respectively. The overarching goal of the programme was to enable better management of the risks caused by climate variability and change at all levels, from end-users to policy level, through development and incorporation of science-based climate information and prediction services into planning, policy and practice. The programme focused on bridging the gap between providers and users of climate information and products through development of user-driven climate services for food security, health and disaster risk reduction. This paper aimed to analyze lessons learned and best practices in the course of the implementation of the GFCS-APA phase I and II in Tanzania. A qualitative approach was employed to analyze the lessons learned and best practices, by extracting them and exploring further on their contribution to the enhancement of climate services, as well as their applicability and potentiality for scaling out in other regions within Tanzania, and in other countries. The results indicate the identified best practices and lessons learned contributed significantly in enhancing climate services, particularly in understanding, availability, accessibility, utilization, ownership and sustainability of climate services among users (farmers and pastoralists) of various gender, as well as intermediaries and decision-makers. Results also indicate the lessons learned and the documented best practices could influence the effectiveness of climate services in other areas, to address existing challenges in access, uptake and sustainability of climate services. The best practices and lessons learned could be considered for integration in the future projects or operational activities in other regions within the country and other countries, particularly in the developing world, including Sub-Saharan Africa.

Harmonizing the COVID-19 sample biobanks: Barriers and opportunities for standards, best practices and networks

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has highlighted the practice of infectious diseases biobanking,as well as existing challenges and opportunities.Thus,the future of infectious diseases biobanking in the post-pandemic era,shall not be an“entry-level version”of its counterpart in non-communicable diseases and large population cohorts,but incorporate the lessons learned.Biobanks constitute a critical research infrastructure supported by harmonized practices through the implementation of international standards,and perceived within the broader scope of healthcare's intersection with research.This perspective paper considers the barriers in biobanking and standardization of practices,as well as the emerging opportunities in the field.

Sedimentation retention basin utilization for best management practice

Approaches to the artificial impoundment and theoretical design of sedimentation retention basin are reviewed with particular attention to best management practice(BMP) to control agriculture and surface runoff. Sediments retention basins are the small version of farm pond used where a criteria of farm pond is not met. Such basin traps the pollutants and suspended solids prior to entry into streams and lakes. The study is focused with special reference to the assessment and control of non point source pollution(NPSP) from the sub basin area of Tai Lake in the Xishan County of Wuxi City of China. The author suggested two different approaches to conduct this study including theoretical design for sedimentation retention basin and computation of flow, sediment transport and deposition during the artificial impoundment of retention basin for BMP's utilization. Theoretical design will provide a useful function as a first line defense against the movement of sediments and transport of pollutants into the Tai Lake while the assessment of sediments deposition will help to make its proper use and periodic cleanup.

Hydrological simulation approaches for BMPs and LID practices in highly urbanized area and development of hydrological performance indicator system

Urbanization causes hydrological change and increases stormwater runoff volumes, leading to flooding, erosion, and the degradation of instream ecosystem health. Best management practices （BMPs）, like detention ponds and infiltration trenches, have been widely used to control flood runoff events for the past decade. However, low impact development （LID） options have been proposed as an alternative approach to better mimic the natural flow regime by using decentralized designs to control stormwater runoff at the source, rather than at a centralized location in the watershed. For highly urbanized areas, LID stormwater management practices such as bioretention cells and porous pavements can be used to retrofit existing infrastructure and reduce runoff volumes and peak flows. This paper describes a modeling approach to incorporate these LID practices and the two BMPs of detention ponds and infiltration trenches in an existing hydrological model to estimate the impacts of BMPs and LID practices on the surface runoff. The modeling approach has been used in a parking lot located in Lenexa, Kansas, USA, to predict hydrological performance of BMPs and LID practices. A performance indicator system including the flow duration curve, peak flow frequency exceedance curve, and runoff coefficient have been developed in an attempt to represent impacts of BMPs and LID practices on the entire spectrum of the runoff regime. Results demonstrate that use of these BMPs and LID practices leads to significant stormwater control for small rainfall events and less control for flood events.

Current state and predicted technological trends in global railway intelligent digital transformation

Purpose–In recent years,railway systems worldwide have faced challenges such as the modernization of engineering projects,efficient management of intelligent digital railway equipment,rapid growth in passenger and freight transport demands,customized transport services and ubiquitous transport safety.The transformation toward intelligent digital transformation in railways has emerged as an effective response to the formidable challenges confronting the railway industry,thereby becoming an inevitable global trend in railway development.Design/methodology/approach–This paper,therefore,conducts a comprehensive analysis of the current state of global railway intelligent digital transformation,focusing on the characteristics and applications of intelligent digital transformation technology.It summarizes and analyzes relevant technologies and applicable scenarios in the realm of railway intelligent digital transformation,theoretically elucidating the development process of global railway intelligent digital transformation and,in practice,providing guidance and empirical examples for railway intelligence and digital transformation.Findings–Digital and intelligent technologies follow a wave-like pattern of continuous iterative evolution,progressing from the early stages,to a period of increasing attention and popularity,then to a phase of declining interest,followed by a resurgence and ultimately reaching a mature stage.Originality/value–The results offer reference and guidance to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the latest wave of the digitalization revolution,accelerate the overall upgrade of the railway industry and promote global collaborative development in railway intelligent digital transformation.

Evaluation of non-point source pollution reduction by applying Best Management Practices using a SWAT model and QuickBird high resolution satellite imagery

This study evaluated the reduction effect of non-point source pollution by applying best management practices （BMPs） to a 1.21 km^2 small agricultural watershed using a SWAT （Soil and Water Assessment Tool） model. Two meter QuickBird land use data were prepared for the watershed. The SWAT was calibrated and validated using dally streamflow and monthly water quality （total phosphorus （TP）, total nitrogen （TN）, and suspended solids （SS）） records from 1999 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2002. The average Nash and Sutcliffe model efficiency was 0.63 for the streamflow and the coefficients of determination were 0.88, 0.72, and 0.68 for SS, TN, and TP, respectively. Four BMP scenarios viz. the application of vegetation filter strip and riparian buffer system, the regulation of Universal Soil Loss Equation P factor, and the fertilizing control amount for crops were applied and analyzed.

Influence of climatic conditions,topography and soil attributes on the spatial distribution of site productivity index of the species rich forests of Jalisco,Mexico

This paper presents an approach based on field data to model the spatial distribution of the site productivity index （SPI） of the diverse forest types in Jalisco, Mexico and the response in SPI to site and cli-matic conditions. A linear regression model was constructed to test the hypothesis that site and climate variables can be used to predict the SPI of the major forest types in Jalisco. SPI varied significantly with topog-raphy （elevation, aspect and slope）, soil attributes （pH, sand and silt）, climate （temperature and precipitation zones） and forest type. The most important variable in the model was forest type, which accounted for 35% of the variability in SPI. Temperature and precipitation accounted for 8 to 9% of the variability in SPI while the soil attributes accounted for less than 4% of the variability observed in SPI. No significant differences were detected between the observed and predicted SPI for the individual forest types. The linear regression model was used to develop maps of the spatial variability in predicted SPI for the individual forest types in the state. The spatial site productivity models developed in this study provides a basis for understanding the complex relationship that exists between forest productivity and site and climatic conditions in the state. Findings of this study will assist resource managers in making cost-effective decisions about the management of individual forest types in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.

COVID-19 outbreak and endoscopy: Considerations in patients encountered in a foregut surgery practice

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus has become a critical challenge to global health.Since the arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 in the United States,several government agencies and professional societies have issued guidelines to healthcare systems and medical providers.Endoscopy is a substantial portion of the practice of many general surgeons in the United States.With upper endoscopy,manipulation of the upper aerodigestive tract can turn the droplets to an aerosolized form and increase the likelihood of transmission and therefore is considered a high-risk procedure.In this article we review some aspects of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak that are relevant to practice of surgical endoscopy.The emphasis of this communication is on the mode of transmission,previous experiences during other coronavirus outbreaks and society guidelines.We then highlight the changes that we have made to our practice to incorporate these factors to improve the safety of patients,health care providers,and community as a whole.

The Essence of Accommodating Older Adults into the Social Care Sector in Malaysia

Population ageing puts pressure on the workforce and increase the demands for aged workforce.The demographic shifts have made the issue of healthier workers,especially those of advanced age and physically related job scopes,a fundamental aspect to employing older workers.Hence,this study aimed to explore the best practices to employ older adults into the social care sector.The social care sector was chosen in view of the nature of job and declining demand among younger workers.A qualitative study was conducted involving series of focus group discussions(FGD)with social care workers of long-term care centers in the peninsular Malaysia.Data was collected using a validated and pre-tested semi-structured interview protocol.Each focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were lasted between 45 min to 1 h.A total of 57 workers were consented for the study which was divided into young and old workers based on the mean age of 41.43[SD±9.97]years old.The content of the interviews was transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was performed to inductively identify the coding and themes within the data related to the challenges employing older workers into the social care sector.Three categories of coding were identified(individual,environmental and management factors),leading to the identification of two important themes which are healthy workplace and work autonomy.The findings indicate the needs for work culture transformations to cultivate healthy working environment and freedom of speech particularly among the older workers.

Collection,curation and the use of humidification to restore nest shape in a research museum bird nest collection

Background:Bird nests are an important part of avian ecology.They are a powerful tool for studying not only the birds that built them,but a wide array of topics ranging from parasitology,urbanisation and climate change to evolu-tion.Despite this,bird nests tend to be underrepresented in natural history collections,a problem that should be redressed through renewed focus by collecting institutions.Methods:Here we outline the history and current best practice collection and curatorial methods for the nest col-lection of the Australian National Wildlife Collection(ANWC).We also describe an experiment conducted on nests in the ANWC using ultrasonic humidification to restore the shape of nests damaged by inappropriate storage.Results:The experiment showed that damaged nests can be successfully reshaped to close to their original dimen-sions.Indeed,restored nests were significantly closer to their original shape than they were prior to restoration.Thus,even nests damaged by years of neglect may be fully incorporated into active research collections.Best practice techniques include extensive note taking and photography in the field,subsampling of nests that cannot or should not be collected,appropriate field storage,metadata management,and prompt treatment upon arrival at the collec-tion facility.Conclusions:Renewed focus on nest collections should include appropriate care and restoration of current col-lections,as well as expansion to redress past underrepresentation.This could include collaboration with researchers studying or monitoring avian nesting ecology,and nest collection after use in bird species that rebuild anew each nesting attempt.Modern expansion of museum nest collections will allow researchers and natural history collections to fully realise the scientific potential of these complex and beautiful specimens.

Potential of rooftop rainwater harvesting to meet outdoor water demand in arid regions

The feasibility of rooftop rainwater harvesting （RRWH） as an alternative source of water to meet the outdoor water demand in nine states of the U.S. was evaluated using a system dynamics model developed in Systems Thinking, Experimental Learning Laboratory with Animation. The state of Arizona was selected to evaluate the effects of the selected model parameters on the efficacy of RRWH since among the nine states the arid region of Arizona showed the least potential of meeting the outdoor water demand with rain harvested water. The analyses were conducted on a monthly basis across a 10-year projected period from 2015 to 2024. The results showed that RRWH as a potential source of water was highly sensitive to certain model parameters such as the outdoor water demand, the use of desert landscaping, and the percentage of existing houses with RRWH. A significant difference （as high as 37.5%） in rainwater potential was observed between the projected wet and dry climate conditions in Arizona. The analysis of the dynamics of the storage tanks suggested that a 1.0-2.0 m3 rainwater barrel, on an average, can store approximately 80% of the monthly rainwater generated from the rooftops in Arizona, even across the high seasonal variation. This interactive model can be used as a quick estimator of the amount of water that could be generated, stored, and utilized through RRWH systems in the U.S. under different climate conditions. The findings of such comprehensive analyses may help regional policymakers, especially in arid regions, to develop a sustainable water management infrastructure.

Increasing Equal Opportunities in Education in Transcarpathia.Talent Development Programmes of the“GENIUS”Charity Foundation

The essential condition of the economic evolution in Transcarpathia is the assistance of young researchers,finding the young talents,supporting their development as well as finding those young people with outstanding achievements and with appropriate knowledge.Searching for,identifying,and developing young people with outstanding abilities is a determining key factor of the competitiveness of a given region;in such a work,a prominent role is given to different educational institutions and talent agencies.Thus concerning this reason,“GENIUS”Charity Foundation has been established in 2011.It carries out a wide range of talent management,talent development and research among the schoolchildren,students,and young researchers.Our aim is to create an integrated system of the talent support programs,to assure equal access in promoting talents,and increase the talented youth’s social responsibility.The Foundation among many others,organizes the Conference of Young Researchers,as well as the Conference of Scientific Students,and operates the nine Talent Points where more than 2,000 children,more than 300 qualified teachers,and nearly 90 schools take part.

Reuse of port industrial heritage in tourist cities:Shipyards as case studies

The progressive deindustrialisation of many western cities since the 1980s has led to many industrial zones linked to port activities being abandoned or falling into disuse.Cities such as Barcelona,Naples,Lisbon,Amsterdam,and Hamburg have port industrial complexes of high tangible and intangible heritage value that could totally or partially disappear,resulting in an irreparable loss of their scientific,architectural,social,technological,and historical values.With that in mind,Adaptive Reuse(AR)of the built heritage allows the industrial memory of the ports to be preserved by turning them into new functional centres within the existing urban structure.That occurs in the context of the contemporary challenges of those cities,such as touristification,the circular economy and climate change,while guaranteeing the life cycle of those buildings.This article analyses two case studies—the Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Maatschappij(NDSM)and the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij(RDM)shipyards,both in the Netherlands—in order to contribute to the knowledge of AR of Port Industrial Heritage.They are two examples of good practices in port industrial heritage interventions,where the factors behind their acclaim can be easily highlighted.A multi-scale methodology is therefore used and tailored to the case of port industrial heritage,based on analysing previous studies of the heritage in different spheres and on different scales.A relationship matrix tool is thus defined.It enables a comparative study to be conducted,using key variables and indicators,and considering qualitative and quantitative data.That provides extensive output information for each case study,which is summarised in the most favourable factors for the success of the AR of this port industrial heritage.