Accurate project progress measurement is critical for effective project management. Besides guarantying smooth work progress, it affords project managers the chance to identify early warning signs for peremptory remed...Accurate project progress measurement is critical for effective project management. Besides guarantying smooth work progress, it affords project managers the chance to identify early warning signs for peremptory remedial actions to keep the project on schedule and to budget. However, pertinent barriers can suppress the realization of the benefits of an accurate assessment of construction progress. This study aims to identify, examine and prioritize the critical barriers militating against accurate project progress measurement in the Ghanaian construction industry. Sixteen barriers identified from the literature were administered in a questionnaire survey to professionals with tier one construction firms and consultants. Sixty experienced construction professionals practising with tier-one construction firms and consultancy services took part in the survey. The relative importance index technique was used to rank the factors and correlation in responses of the two parties tested by the Mann-Whitney <em>U</em> statistics. The most critical barriers perceived by the professionals were 1) Reliance on Supervisor’s Judgement, 2) Generic and Non-Systematic Approach, 3) Variable Quality of Data and 4) Intricate Measurement Reports. Other highly ranked barriers include 5) Lack of Timely Information, 6) Laborious Data Gathering and 7) Quality Integration Constraint. The findings underpin the need to minimize dependence on subjective opinions and mere experiences of supervisors for assessment of project progress in this age of information technology. Incorporation of a level of automation into traditional progress methods will not only reduce human errors introduced into manually collected data but facilitate visualization of progress reports. Contiguous to a clear specification of the method of progress measurement in the contract document, a system that conveniently integrates cost, time and scope of work into progress measurement must be pursued. Addressing these identified critical barriers will consolidate current construction progress management practices.展开更多
As the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 continues,the high mortality rate among critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units(ICU)presents a profound challenge.This study explores the potential benefits ...As the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 continues,the high mortality rate among critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units(ICU)presents a profound challenge.This study explores the potential benefits of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)as a supplementary treatment for severe COVID-19.A total of 110 critically ill COVID-19 patients at the Intensive Care Unit(ICU)of Vulcan Hill Hospital between Feb.,2020,and April,2020(Wuhan,China)participated in this observational study.All patients received standard supportive care protocols,with a subset of 81 also receiving TCM as an adjunct treatment.Clinical characteristics during the treatment period and the clinical outcome of each patient were closely monitored and analysed.Our findings indicated that the TCM group exhibited a significantly lower mortality rate compared with the non-TCM group(16 of 81 vs 24 of 29;0.3 vs 2.3 person/month).In the adjusted Cox proportional hazards models,TCM treatment was associated with improved survival odds(P<0.001).Furthermore,the analysis also revealed that TCM treatment could partially mitigate inflammatory responses,as evidenced by the reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines,and contribute to the recovery of multiple organic functions,thereby potentially increasing the survival rate of critically ill COVID-19 patients.展开更多
目的探讨以问题为基础的教学法(problem-based learning,PBL)对儿科临床见习生批判性思维能力的影响。方法2021年9—12月,选取徐州医科大学第一临床医学院2018级在徐州医科大学附属医院儿科见习的3个班级90名本科生为研究对象。按随机...目的探讨以问题为基础的教学法(problem-based learning,PBL)对儿科临床见习生批判性思维能力的影响。方法2021年9—12月,选取徐州医科大学第一临床医学院2018级在徐州医科大学附属医院儿科见习的3个班级90名本科生为研究对象。按随机数字表法分为对照组(45名)和试验组(45名),分别实施传统教学和PBL教学法。教学结束后应用问卷调查的方式对两组学生基础知识掌握情况和病例分析能力进行评价。并于教学前后应用批判性思维能力量表-中文版(Chinese version of critical thinking ability scale,CCTDI-CV),对学生的批判性思维能力进行评估。结果见习教学结束后试验组与对照组学生基础知识成绩相比,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),而试验组病例分析成绩高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。见习教学前,试验组和对照组的CCTDI-CV的各项评分(分析性、系统性、求知欲、自信性、寻找真理性、思想开放性和认知成熟度)的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),见习教学后,在求知欲和寻找真理性方面,试验组的评分优于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05),其他方面的评分差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论将PBL教学法应用于儿科临床见习,有利于提高学生的批判性思维能力和病例分析能力。展开更多
文摘Accurate project progress measurement is critical for effective project management. Besides guarantying smooth work progress, it affords project managers the chance to identify early warning signs for peremptory remedial actions to keep the project on schedule and to budget. However, pertinent barriers can suppress the realization of the benefits of an accurate assessment of construction progress. This study aims to identify, examine and prioritize the critical barriers militating against accurate project progress measurement in the Ghanaian construction industry. Sixteen barriers identified from the literature were administered in a questionnaire survey to professionals with tier one construction firms and consultants. Sixty experienced construction professionals practising with tier-one construction firms and consultancy services took part in the survey. The relative importance index technique was used to rank the factors and correlation in responses of the two parties tested by the Mann-Whitney <em>U</em> statistics. The most critical barriers perceived by the professionals were 1) Reliance on Supervisor’s Judgement, 2) Generic and Non-Systematic Approach, 3) Variable Quality of Data and 4) Intricate Measurement Reports. Other highly ranked barriers include 5) Lack of Timely Information, 6) Laborious Data Gathering and 7) Quality Integration Constraint. The findings underpin the need to minimize dependence on subjective opinions and mere experiences of supervisors for assessment of project progress in this age of information technology. Incorporation of a level of automation into traditional progress methods will not only reduce human errors introduced into manually collected data but facilitate visualization of progress reports. Contiguous to a clear specification of the method of progress measurement in the contract document, a system that conveniently integrates cost, time and scope of work into progress measurement must be pursued. Addressing these identified critical barriers will consolidate current construction progress management practices.
基金This work was supported by the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China(No.82100096)the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of Beijing(No.7214254)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.81902426 and 81872441)the Emergency Scientific Research Project for COVID-19(No.20yjky007).
文摘As the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 continues,the high mortality rate among critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units(ICU)presents a profound challenge.This study explores the potential benefits of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)as a supplementary treatment for severe COVID-19.A total of 110 critically ill COVID-19 patients at the Intensive Care Unit(ICU)of Vulcan Hill Hospital between Feb.,2020,and April,2020(Wuhan,China)participated in this observational study.All patients received standard supportive care protocols,with a subset of 81 also receiving TCM as an adjunct treatment.Clinical characteristics during the treatment period and the clinical outcome of each patient were closely monitored and analysed.Our findings indicated that the TCM group exhibited a significantly lower mortality rate compared with the non-TCM group(16 of 81 vs 24 of 29;0.3 vs 2.3 person/month).In the adjusted Cox proportional hazards models,TCM treatment was associated with improved survival odds(P<0.001).Furthermore,the analysis also revealed that TCM treatment could partially mitigate inflammatory responses,as evidenced by the reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines,and contribute to the recovery of multiple organic functions,thereby potentially increasing the survival rate of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
文摘目的探讨以问题为基础的教学法(problem-based learning,PBL)对儿科临床见习生批判性思维能力的影响。方法2021年9—12月,选取徐州医科大学第一临床医学院2018级在徐州医科大学附属医院儿科见习的3个班级90名本科生为研究对象。按随机数字表法分为对照组(45名)和试验组(45名),分别实施传统教学和PBL教学法。教学结束后应用问卷调查的方式对两组学生基础知识掌握情况和病例分析能力进行评价。并于教学前后应用批判性思维能力量表-中文版(Chinese version of critical thinking ability scale,CCTDI-CV),对学生的批判性思维能力进行评估。结果见习教学结束后试验组与对照组学生基础知识成绩相比,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),而试验组病例分析成绩高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。见习教学前,试验组和对照组的CCTDI-CV的各项评分(分析性、系统性、求知欲、自信性、寻找真理性、思想开放性和认知成熟度)的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),见习教学后,在求知欲和寻找真理性方面,试验组的评分优于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05),其他方面的评分差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论将PBL教学法应用于儿科临床见习,有利于提高学生的批判性思维能力和病例分析能力。
