Recently, there has been an increasing awareness and implementation of practices associated with Partnering and Total Quality Management (TQM) in the construction industry. Partnering and TQM both seek to enhance cons...Recently, there has been an increasing awareness and implementation of practices associated with Partnering and Total Quality Management (TQM) in the construction industry. Partnering and TQM both seek to enhance construction outcomes, yet rigorous studies of Partnering and TQM have been conducted separately and have not carefully examined common or unique practices associated with these techniques. This paper presents the findings of a theoretical analysis of an integrated approach for the use of Partnering and TQM. A matrix approach has been used to explore the extent to which Partnering may improve TQM implementation in construction. The matrix is based around 3 indexes, namely; the Degree of Partnering, the Degree of TQM and the Project Success Index and enables the relationship between Partnering and TQM to be analysed quantitatively. It also assists in understanding the trends of Partnering and TQM and their relationship to project performance. The results of a case study using this matrix are also presented. It has been concluded that the integrated use of Partnering can facilitate improvements in the way TQM is implemented in construction.展开更多
The problem of China’s uneven and insufficient development is the most striking in the countryside. Countryside rejuvenation is of historical significance to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects a...The problem of China’s uneven and insufficient development is the most striking in the countryside. Countryside rejuvenation is of historical significance to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and turning China into a modernized socialist country. The reform of rural land system is vital to integrating urban and rural development. We must allow farmers to gain their due share of value-added revenues from land, and share in the dividends of urbanization. Based on household operations, we should enhance the basic rural operation system, foster new agricultural operators, and develop modern agriculture as the foundation for revitalizing countryside industries. We must deepen agricultural supply-side structural reforms to ensure sufficient supply and security of main agricultural products. We must reform the rural collective ownership system to implement property rights to farmers and protect their interests in the context of urban and rural integration. We must promote green development and revitalize countryside ecological environment. We must enhance rural governance to revitalize rural organizations.展开更多
It has been proven that longwall faces can be moved safely and efficiently. However,abutment pressures and poor ground control conditions can halt operations and be hazardous to coal miners. Recently at a mine in Sout...It has been proven that longwall faces can be moved safely and efficiently. However,abutment pressures and poor ground control conditions can halt operations and be hazardous to coal miners. Recently at a mine in Southwestern Pennsylvania,roof material collapsed above shields that created two large voids and caused major challenges for shield recovery. A unique,engineering solution was developed that utilized a modified concrete material to fill the voids,creating stability in the affected area. The many phases of this project included the construction phase,void pumping,cutting out,and bolting of the concrete material. This project eliminated the hazards associated with bolting the recovery face and removing shields in adverse conditions,making it possible for the mine operator to safely complete the longwall move.展开更多
We present an omnidirectional vision system we have implemented to provide our mobile robot with a fast tracking and robust localization capability. An algorithm is proposed to do reconstruction of the environment fro...We present an omnidirectional vision system we have implemented to provide our mobile robot with a fast tracking and robust localization capability. An algorithm is proposed to do reconstruction of the environment from the omnidirectional image and global localization of the robot in the context of the Middle Size League RoboCup field. This is accomplished by learning a set of visual landmarks such as the goals and the corner posts. Due to the dynamic changing environment and the partially observable landmarks, four localization cases are discussed in order to get robust localization performance. Localization is performed using a method that matches the observed landmarks, i.e. color blobs, which are extracted from the environment. The advantages of the cylindrical projection are discussed giving special consideration to the characteristics of the visual landmark and the meaning of the blob extraction. The analysis is established based on real time experiments with our omnidirectional vision system and the actual mobile robot. The comparative studies are presented and the feasibility of the method is shown.展开更多
Purpose： Seatbelt use during pregnancy is important to improve maternal and fetal survival after motor vehicle collisions. However, because the rear seatbelt of a motor vehicle tends to make contact with the neck, ev...Purpose： Seatbelt use during pregnancy is important to improve maternal and fetal survival after motor vehicle collisions. However, because the rear seatbelt of a motor vehicle tends to make contact with the neck, even if it is adequately used, some pregnant women sitting in the rear seat opt not to fasten the belt. The purpose of this study is to explore seatbelt-neck contact for pregnant women sitting in the rear seat of a motor vehicle. Methods： We carried out an anthropometric study. Japanese women who were _〉30 weeks pregnant （n = 12） sat in the left side of the rear seat of a typical mid-size passenger sedan and fastened the seatbelt. Seating posture was investigated by measuring the coordinates of the anthropometric data points of the pregnant women （head, shoulder, hip joint, and knee joint）. The belt path was analyzed by measuring the clearance between the belt and the sternum or navel. Results： Among the 12 pregnant women at 33.9 week _＋ 3.3 week gestation, the shoulder belt deviated to the right side and subsequently contacted to the neck in four pregnant women （Contact group）. The height of the Contact group was significantly shorter than that of Non-contact group （152.3 cm ~ 3.0 cm vs. 159.0 cm ＋ 3.3 cm, p = 0.008）. Regarding the relative position of the seatbelt to the subject＇s body, the distances from the top of the sternum to the center of the shoulder belt were significantly shorter in Contact group （3.9 cm ~ 3.5 cm） than that in the Non-contact group （8.0 cm ~ 1.6 cm, p = 0.03）. However, no significant difference was found for the distance from the umbilicus to the center of the lap belt. Conclusion： Our findings show that because of short height and late term of pregnancy with protrusion of the abdomen, the shoulder belt deviates to the right or left, avoiding the protruded uterus, and subsequently makes contact with the neck. Seatbelt systems for rear seats need to be developed to improve passenger safety, especially for pregnant women.展开更多
文摘Recently, there has been an increasing awareness and implementation of practices associated with Partnering and Total Quality Management (TQM) in the construction industry. Partnering and TQM both seek to enhance construction outcomes, yet rigorous studies of Partnering and TQM have been conducted separately and have not carefully examined common or unique practices associated with these techniques. This paper presents the findings of a theoretical analysis of an integrated approach for the use of Partnering and TQM. A matrix approach has been used to explore the extent to which Partnering may improve TQM implementation in construction. The matrix is based around 3 indexes, namely; the Degree of Partnering, the Degree of TQM and the Project Success Index and enables the relationship between Partnering and TQM to be analysed quantitatively. It also assists in understanding the trends of Partnering and TQM and their relationship to project performance. The results of a case study using this matrix are also presented. It has been concluded that the integrated use of Partnering can facilitate improvements in the way TQM is implemented in construction.
文摘The problem of China’s uneven and insufficient development is the most striking in the countryside. Countryside rejuvenation is of historical significance to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and turning China into a modernized socialist country. The reform of rural land system is vital to integrating urban and rural development. We must allow farmers to gain their due share of value-added revenues from land, and share in the dividends of urbanization. Based on household operations, we should enhance the basic rural operation system, foster new agricultural operators, and develop modern agriculture as the foundation for revitalizing countryside industries. We must deepen agricultural supply-side structural reforms to ensure sufficient supply and security of main agricultural products. We must reform the rural collective ownership system to implement property rights to farmers and protect their interests in the context of urban and rural integration. We must promote green development and revitalize countryside ecological environment. We must enhance rural governance to revitalize rural organizations.
文摘It has been proven that longwall faces can be moved safely and efficiently. However,abutment pressures and poor ground control conditions can halt operations and be hazardous to coal miners. Recently at a mine in Southwestern Pennsylvania,roof material collapsed above shields that created two large voids and caused major challenges for shield recovery. A unique,engineering solution was developed that utilized a modified concrete material to fill the voids,creating stability in the affected area. The many phases of this project included the construction phase,void pumping,cutting out,and bolting of the concrete material. This project eliminated the hazards associated with bolting the recovery face and removing shields in adverse conditions,making it possible for the mine operator to safely complete the longwall move.
文摘We present an omnidirectional vision system we have implemented to provide our mobile robot with a fast tracking and robust localization capability. An algorithm is proposed to do reconstruction of the environment from the omnidirectional image and global localization of the robot in the context of the Middle Size League RoboCup field. This is accomplished by learning a set of visual landmarks such as the goals and the corner posts. Due to the dynamic changing environment and the partially observable landmarks, four localization cases are discussed in order to get robust localization performance. Localization is performed using a method that matches the observed landmarks, i.e. color blobs, which are extracted from the environment. The advantages of the cylindrical projection are discussed giving special consideration to the characteristics of the visual landmark and the meaning of the blob extraction. The analysis is established based on real time experiments with our omnidirectional vision system and the actual mobile robot. The comparative studies are presented and the feasibility of the method is shown.
文摘Purpose： Seatbelt use during pregnancy is important to improve maternal and fetal survival after motor vehicle collisions. However, because the rear seatbelt of a motor vehicle tends to make contact with the neck, even if it is adequately used, some pregnant women sitting in the rear seat opt not to fasten the belt. The purpose of this study is to explore seatbelt-neck contact for pregnant women sitting in the rear seat of a motor vehicle. Methods： We carried out an anthropometric study. Japanese women who were _〉30 weeks pregnant （n = 12） sat in the left side of the rear seat of a typical mid-size passenger sedan and fastened the seatbelt. Seating posture was investigated by measuring the coordinates of the anthropometric data points of the pregnant women （head, shoulder, hip joint, and knee joint）. The belt path was analyzed by measuring the clearance between the belt and the sternum or navel. Results： Among the 12 pregnant women at 33.9 week _＋ 3.3 week gestation, the shoulder belt deviated to the right side and subsequently contacted to the neck in four pregnant women （Contact group）. The height of the Contact group was significantly shorter than that of Non-contact group （152.3 cm ~ 3.0 cm vs. 159.0 cm ＋ 3.3 cm, p = 0.008）. Regarding the relative position of the seatbelt to the subject＇s body, the distances from the top of the sternum to the center of the shoulder belt were significantly shorter in Contact group （3.9 cm ~ 3.5 cm） than that in the Non-contact group （8.0 cm ~ 1.6 cm, p = 0.03）. However, no significant difference was found for the distance from the umbilicus to the center of the lap belt. Conclusion： Our findings show that because of short height and late term of pregnancy with protrusion of the abdomen, the shoulder belt deviates to the right or left, avoiding the protruded uterus, and subsequently makes contact with the neck. Seatbelt systems for rear seats need to be developed to improve passenger safety, especially for pregnant women.
