Field-calibrated influence lines for improved axle weight identification with a bridge weigh-in-motion system

Bridge weigh-in-motion (BWIM) systems take influence line (IL) as a reference to calculate axle weights. The calibrated ILs based on field measurements can acquire better conformity with the actual situation and more actually represent the characteristic of existing bridges. Following the methodology proposed by O'Brien et al. (2006 O'BrienE.J., QuilliganM.J., & KaroumiR. (2006). Calculating an IL from direct measurements. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Bridge Engineering, 159, 31–34. [Google Scholar]), this paper presents back-calculating of the ILs from direct measurements taken on field tests for identification of axle weights of heavy vehicles. The algorithm for calibrating ILs is based on continuously measured bridge responses (strains) produced by two calibration vehicles passing across the instrumented bridge. In terms of the calibrated ILs, Moses' algorithm was applied to identify axle weights of moving vehicles by the least-square method. Field tests on highway US-78 in Alabama were conducted as a case study to evaluate the accuracy of the presented algorithms in calibrating ILs and to identify the axle weights by comparing with the static measurements, and with the measurements by the bending-plate weigh-in-motion (WIM) system on a one-to-one basis to demonstrate the accuracy of BWIM system relative to conventional pavement WIM systems. Finally, factors influencing axle weight identification, including the selection of ILs, the shapes of ILs and the scan numbers for collecting strain signals, were discussed.     

Predicting risk of water quality failures in distribution networks under uncertainties using fault-tree analysis

The water quality in a distribution system is affected by many factors, including operational and environmental conditions as well as the condition in and around the distribution network. Lack of reliable data as well as knowledge gaps with respect to the impact of these factors on water quality make the quantification of water quality failure risk very challenging. Furthermore, the variability inherent in (sometimes) thousands of kilometers of distribution pipes presents added complexities. Major modes of water quality failures can be classified into intrusion of contaminants, regrowth of bacteria (biofilm), water treatment breakthrough, leaching of chemicals or corrosion products from system components, and permeation of organic compounds through plastic pipes. Deliberate contamination and negligence of operators have in recent years become an added concern. In earlier works by Sadiq et al. (2004 Sadiq, R., Kleiner, Y. and Rajani, B. 2004. Aggregative risk analysis for water quality failure in distribution networks. Journal of Water Supply Research and Technology: Aqua, 53(4): 241–261. [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2007 Sadiq, R., Kleiner, Y. and Rajani, B. 2007. Water quality failures in distribution networks – risk analysis using fuzzy logic and evidential reasoning. Risk Analysis – An International Journal, 27(5): 1381–1394. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), an aggregative risk analysis approach using hierarchical structure was proposed to describe all possible mechanisms of contamination. In this paper a similar structure is used as a basis for a fault-tree approach. While fault-tree analysis is widely used for many engineering applications, in this paper we specifically explore how interdependencies among factors might impact analysis results. Two types of uncertainties are considered in the proposed analysis. The first is related to the likelihood of risk events, and the second is related to non-linear dependencies among risk events. Each basic risk event (input factor) is defined using a fuzzy probability (likelihood) to deal with its inherent uncertainty. The dependencies among risk events are explored using Frank copula and Frechet's limit. The proposed approach is demonstrated using two well-documented episodes of water quality failures in Canada, namely, Walkerton (ON) and North Battleford (SK).     

Changing Landscapes,Changing Landscape's Story

Abstract

Visual surrogates have been widely used for solving environment related issues. Researchers now have concern over the validity of surrogates. Human perception is multi-modal (Wohlwill, 1976 Wohlwill, J. F. 1976. “Environmental aesthetics: the environment as a source of affect”. In Human Behavior and Environment: Advances in Theory and Research, Edited by: Altman, I. and Wohlwill, J. F. New York: Plenum Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Ittelson, 1973 Ittelson W. Environment and Cognition Seminar Press New York 1973  [Google Scholar]) and motion is an essential aspect in the perceptual process (Gibson, 1979 Gibson, J. J. 1979. The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.  [Google Scholar]). Therefore, a surrogate has to be able to represent the dynamic elements in the environment and more realistically reflect human environmental experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of videos and slides as visual surrogates for representing dynamic environment. The validity of the surrogates was verified by comparing subjects' perceptual responses to on-site and simulated situations. The perceptual assessments included emotional, cognitive, behavioural and preference responses. The results indicated that on-site participants' emotional responses and preferences are significantly stronger than those of video and slide viewers. In addition, on-site participants' and video viewers' cognitive and behavioural responses were significantly higher than those of slide viewers. Overall, the validity of videos and slides for representing waterscapes was not supported.     

Positioning Lean within an exploration of engineering construction

Engineering construction has specific characteristics that separate it from other types of construction such as technical complexity, onerous safety, health and environmental regulations, duality of new build combined with maintenance and repair, largely owner/user commissioning clients, value propositions revolving around a production Process, etc. The recent Gibson report (Gibson, 2009 Gibson, M. 2009. Changing to Compete: Review of Productivity and Skills in UK Engineering Construction, London: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.  [Google Scholar]) highlighted several significant problems associated with engineering construction in the UK arising, in many cases, from skill shortages and poor client–contractor relationships. Informal observation and a literature review enable 12 factors to be proposed that differentiate engineering construction from other forms of construction. A new paradigm for the construction sector is Lean construction. This is an adaptation of Lean production and is based on a philosophy that focuses on delivering improved value through the assembly of problem-solving networks of knowledgeable and skilled people. Accepting that Lean construction exists in theory as a method for improving a raft of construction production issues, the question is asked here as to whether it is also relevant to the set of additional factors identified as applying specifically to production in an engineering construction context. The discussion concludes that Lean construction principles can be applied in engineering construction and that an improvement in value could be achieved. Note: throughout this paper the word ‘process’ is used in two contexts—the design and construction process and the end Process that is the function of the client business, e.g. water treatment Process, food manufacturing Process. The context is distinguished by the capitalization of the first letter.     

The challenges of creating actionable knowledge: an action research perspective

Academia has a critical role in developing new knowledge which construction industry practitioners need to envision, undertake and sustain successful innovation. The new knowledge produced by academia, however, often does not satisfy the needs of practitioners. This unsatisfactory state of affairs is frequently taken to be the consequence of the cultural, motivational and operational differences between the two communities. Actionable knowledge is presented as a useful concept which can fuse the expectations, contributions and outputs of academia and practitioners. Within this context, action research is argued to be an appropriate methodology to develop successful actionable knowledge. Results from an action research project are given which provide researchers and practitioners greater understanding of the key factors that shape the degree to which action research produces actionable knowledge: change focus, collaboration capabilities and systematic process. The criteria intrinsic to Mode 2 research (Gibbons et al., 1994 Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartz, S., Scott, P. and Trow, M. 1994. The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies, London: Sage.  [Google Scholar]) are demonstrated to have utility in evidencing actionable knowledge. The implication for policy is that there is a need to develop and use appropriate actionable knowledge frameworks and measures to design funding calls, and to evaluate research proposals and outputs.     

Dialectics of Power: The Case of Tulihta Land-use Agreement

Case studies of planning which involve criminal corruption are rare. The article presents a Finnish court case known as “Tulihta”, concerning the breach of a land purchase contract and treachery in the preparation of the detailed plan for the land property in question, during 1989–1993. The case is analysed from the power perspective by using a framework developed by Mäntysalo and Rajaniemi (2003 Mäntysalo, R. and Rajaniemi, J. 2003. Vallan ulottuvuuksia maankäytön suunnittelussa. Synteesi, 22(3): 117–136.  [Google Scholar]). In the framework, two sets of binary characteristics of power, namely power as control and as ability, and explicit and implicit power, are combined into a horizontal-vertical field. The case analysis is aimed to test the applicability of the framework, as well as to reveal the manifold aspects of power at play in a land-use planning process.     

Constructing Homeownership Policy: Social Constructions and the Design of the Low-Income Homeownership Policy Objective

This paper offers a new perspective to explain how and why the U.S. federal government pursued a policy agenda that from the early-1990s promoted homeownership as the preferred housing tenure of choice for low-income households. Using policy design theory (Schneider &; Ingram 1997 Schneider, A. L. and Ingram, H. M. 1997. Policy Design for Democracy, Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.  [Google Scholar]), this paper argues that the social constructions of homeownership, low-income households, and the private mortgage industry were instrumental in the development of policies to increase low-income homeownership. The benefits associated with homeownership, based on long-standing norms around success, stability, and the American Dream, justified government interventions to increase access to private mortgage markets for low-income households. This policy stance, however, did nothing to assist households with maintaining homeownership for the long term. The social constructions embedded in the rationales and implementation of these policies contributed to their failure to sustain homeownership and realize its benefits for low-income homeowners.     

Cinemetrics: Embodying architectural representation in the digital age

How can architecture emerge from the prison of its current forms of representation? Grahame Shane1 1 D.G. Shane, “Balkanization and the Postmodern City,” in Peter Lang (ed.), Mortal City, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1995, pp. 55-69. interprets the concluding diagram of Robin Evans' Projective Cast: Architecture and its Three Geometries2 2 Robin Evans, The Projective Cast: Architecture and Its Three Geometries, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995. as a critique of postmodern architecture's self-reflection and lack of engagement with the world. Shane argues that Evan's diagram depicts architectural representation as a self-reinforcing, closed, conceptual triangle of mirrored reflections between the human observer, the scopic regime of perspective, orthographic architectural drawing conventions, and designed objects. Shane draws his interpretation from Evans's early work on Victorian prison architecture as well as one of Evan's last public lectures. Shane characterized Evans' critical view of postmodern architectural practice and representation as a “self-correcting means of stabilization and pacification of the physical, built environment.”3 3 Shane, “Balkanization and the Postmodern City,” p. 68 This essay develops a theory of Cinemetrics that demonstrates how contemporary architectural production, with the aid of digital tools, has the capacity to break this closed system with open-ended, embodied cybernetic feed-back loops within a wider public culture engaged in the making and imagining of architecture.4 4 Brian McGrath and Jean Gardner, Cinemetrics: Architectural Drawing Today, London: Wiley-Academy, 2007. This essay argues that this break can only be accomplished by embodying architectural representation through a careful engagement with Gilles Deleuze's philosophy of movement and time images derived from cinema,5 5 Gilles Deleuze, Cinema 1: the movement image, Hugh Tomlinson and Habberjam (trans.), Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, 1986; Cinema 2: the time-image, Hugh Tomlinson and Robert Galeta (trans.), Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, 1989. Henri Bergson's theories of memory, attention and duration,6 6 Henri Bergson, Creative Evolution, Arthur Mitchell (trans.), Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1991; Henri Bergson, Matter and Memory, M.N. Paul and W.S. Palmer (trans.), New York: Zone Books, 1991. and from Charles Sanders Peirce's pragmatic semiosis.7 7 Charles Sanders Peirce, The Essential Peirce: Selected Philosophical Writings, Vol. 2 (1893-1913), Peirce Edition Project, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1998.      

Putting theory to work: the use of theory in construction research

Attention to epistemology, theory use and citation practices are all issues which distinguish academic disciplines from other ways of knowing. Examples from construction research are used to outline and reflect on these issues. In doing so, the discussion provides an introduction to some key issues in social research as well as a reflection on the current state of construction research as a field. More specifically, differences between positivist and interpretivist epistemologies, the role of theory in each and their use by construction researchers are discussed. Philosophical differences are illustrated by appeal to two published construction research articles by Reichstein et al. and Harty on innovation (Reichstein, Salter and Gann, 2005 Reichstein, T., Salter, A.J. and Gann, D.M. (2005) Last among equals: a comparison of innovation in construction, services and manufacturing in the UK. Construction Management and Economics, 23, 631–644.10.1080/01446190500126940[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]; Harty, 2008 Harty, C. (2008) Implementing innovation in construction: contexts, relative boundedness and actor-network theory. Construction Management and Economics, 26, 1029–1041.10.1080/01446190802298413[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). An analysis of citations for each highlights different cumulativity strategies. The potential contribution of mixed research programmes, combining positivist and interpretivist research, is evaluated. The paper should be of interest to early researchers and to scholars concerned with the ongoing development of construction research as an academic field.     

Toledo Tomorrow: reading Norman Bel Geddes' vision for the future in a shrinking Midwestern City

This paper examines Norman Bel Geddes’ 1945 Geddes, N. B. 1945. Toledo Tomorrow. Toledo: Toledo Blade. [Google Scholar] Toledo Tomorrow plan, his only proposal for a specific city, and its stamp on the morphology of today's Toledo. The paper surveys retrospectively the changes in the morphology of the city and critically analyzes the impact of the Toledo Tomorrow Plan. Today's Toledo, a shrinking rustbelt city, reflects Geddes' legacy of neglecting the historic core, focusing on highway infrastructure, that has since worked in tandem with the forces of decentralization and suburbanization, and the city's weak relationship with its natural features and larger region.     

The reconstruction of housing in Palestine 1993–2000: a case study from the Gaza Strip

In the Palestinian Territories, housing is thought to be amongst the most difficult problems facing the National Authority (PNA) (Al‐Agha, 1997 Al‐Agha Z (1997) A national outlook for housing in Palestine in: A. B. Zahlan (Ed.) Reconstruction of Palestine, Urban and Rural Development (London, Kegan Paul)  [Google Scholar], p. 3). Increased Israeli settlements, the large size of Palestinian families, the deteriorating economic situation, the lack of national banks operating in the field of housing, the presence of refugee settlements containing over 1.2 million people, the Israeli state's policy of residential demolition and land confiscation have all combined to present a severe obstacle to urban reconstruction in the region. In an attempt to address these issues and to make some progress towards realising the estimated 180 000 housing units required by the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Housing Council (PHC) was established in 1992 (Abd Alhadi, 1994 Abd Alhadi, R (1994) Construction and Housing in the West Bank and (Gaza) Strip (Geneva, United Nations Commission on Trade and Development)  [Google Scholar]; Ziara, 1997 Ziara M (1997) The Palestinian Ministry of Housing. Challenging and opportunities in A. B. Zahlan (ed.) Reconstruction of Palestine, Urban and Rural Development (London, Kegan Paul)  [Google Scholar]). Although it has had some success, the organisation has been plagued by reports of internal dissent and disputes with its beneficiaries. This paper seeks to cast some light on these controversies by focusing on the PHC's role in the Elkarama Housing Project in the Gaza Strip during the period 1993 to 2000.1 Here it must be emphasised that this paper does not claim to provide an analysis of the current situation in Gaza. The authors acknowledge that conditions in Palestine are extremely fluid and have, to a great degree, overtaken the issues considered above. In examining this rapidly‐evolving environment, however, it is valuable to reflect upon recent changes and, while recognising the acute systemic problems that Palestinian administrators face, to offer critical assessments of domestic policy decisions and their outcome. View all notes It will first outline the broader context in which public institutions within the Gaza Strip operate before offering an account of the structure and background of the PHC. It will then consider Elkarama itself and will conclude by summing up the various factors that have determined the project's outcome. Finally, the paper will offer some tentative recommendations for improved housing provisions within the Gaza Strip in the future.     

Reading Through a Plan

Problem: Planners may read plans often, but the profession continues to view the interpretation of plan content as something that is either too obvious or too unimportant to require explicit discussion. Plans are seldom adequately interpreted. This is regrettable because plans contain a rich variety of content and meaning.

Purpose: This article calls for planners to “read through” plans, not just to grasp their essential ideas or the means of implementing those ideas, but also to perceive additional levels of meaning relating to a) a plan's place within a larger intellectual sphere, b) a plan's statement on the social and political values of the time, and c) a plan as a part of the history of the planning profession and the life of cities.

Methods: I propose a visual approach to plan reading descended from Panofsky's (1939 Panofsky, E. 1939. Studies in iconology: Humanistic themes in the art of the Renaissance, New York, NY: Harper and Row.  [Google Scholar]) theory of iconology and use this to examine three very different plans that describe different size cities (small, large, very large) during different periods over the past 80 years (the 1930s, 1960s, 2000s). I analyze three levels of meaning in each plan: its factual meaning, or “plain sense” (Mandelbaum, 1990 Mandelbaum, S. J. 1990. Reading plans. Journal of the American Planning Association, 56(3): 350–358. [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]); its contextual meaning, or relation to political, social, economic, and physical conditions; and its temporal meaning, or setting within the scope of observations made by other plan readers in the perspective of elapsed time.

Results and conclusions: Factual readings show that information may be found in diverse aspects of a plan document, from seemingly superficial aspects like its cover to unarguably central elements such as recommendations. Factual readings depend on understanding the relationships among different elements, and reveal information about the plan and its framers that may not otherwise be readily apparent. Contextual readings show us that plan recommendations are as much a product of contemporary conditions and norms as they are of plan-specific “survey and diagnosis” (Nolen, 1936 Nolen, J. 1936. Comprehensive city plan for Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque, IA: City Planning and Zoning Commission.  [Google Scholar]). This raises the question of whether plan quality is to be judged only in terms of skillful execution of concerns of the day or whether innovation is also important. Temporal readings reveal that plans and planning have changed dramatically over time, simultaneously confirming and questioning the conventional wisdom of planning history.

Takeaway for practice: Many planners read plans on a regular basis, and plans continue to constitute the major printed currency of the planning profession. Both plans and planning will benefit if planners become more discerning readers of the profession's principal idea vessels. Formal plan interpretation is rare, but each planner can become a better plan interpreter.

Research support: None.     

Project affinity: the role of emotional attachment in construction projects

Although a wide range of human and organizational factors have been found to be important in the operation of projects, those determined by cultural variables are less well defined. One such influence concerns the notion of ‘project affinity’, the commitment and attachment by stakeholders and participants to projects and their outcomes. The temporal nature and transient involvement context provided by construction projects arguably presents a climate in which many participants are less likely to display commitment to its goals. This note is concerned with the issue of whether an attachment to a project's goals or to the completed product can lead to improved commitment among those involved. The concept of project affinity was developed in the course of a case study investigation in which operatives' attitudes towards the construction of a cancer research facility were explored. Because of the contribution of the facility to the future care of cancer sufferers, the concept of project affinity proved helpful in understanding a factor that appeared to be influencing the commitment of those involved. The results suggest a complementary concept to that of ‘project chemistry’ (c.f. Nicolini, 2002 Nicolini, D. 2002. In search of ‘project chemistry’.. Construction Management and Economics, 20: 167–77.  ).     

Bidding models: testing the stationarity assumption

With notably few exceptions, bidding models contain probability distributions with parameters that are assumed to be fixed, or stationary, over time. Some methods of testing the tenability of this assumption are examined and applied to eight datasets. Of particular interest is the statistical significance of two types of periodicity: (1) that bidders gradually reduce their bids prior to winning a contract; and (2) that bidders have periods in which they are more competitive and periods in which they are less competitive. To test (1), McCaffer and Pettitt's (1976 McCaffer, R. and Pettitt, A. N. 1976. Bidding behaviour in project management.. The Project Manager, 1(5): 5–8.  [Google Scholar]) cusum method is used and shown to have a limited interpretation in this context. McCaffer's ‘deficit’ statistic is then used in conjunction with a one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and shows (1) to be untenable for the samples involved. To test (2), the deficit statistic is again used with an ANOVA to examine all possible sub‐series of bids.     

Evaluation of building code compliance in Mexico City: mid-rise dwellings

The Mexico City Building Code (MCBC-2004 MCBC. (2004). Reglamento de Construcciones del Distrito Federal, Gaceta Oficial del Distrito Federal, 29 de enero de 2004. In Spanish. [Google Scholar]) – Reglamento de Construcciones del Distrito Federal, Gaceta Oficial del Distrito Federal, 29 MCBC. (2004). Reglamento de Construcciones del Distrito Federal, Gaceta Oficial del Distrito Federal, 29 de enero de 2004. In Spanish. [Google Scholar] de enero de 2004 MCBC. (2004). Reglamento de Construcciones del Distrito Federal, Gaceta Oficial del Distrito Federal, 29 de enero de 2004. In Spanish. [Google Scholar] in Spanish – is a state-of-the-art code; the most comprehensive and advanced set of requirements in the country; and it serves as a model for codes in Mexico's regions. However, many recently built mid-rise dwellings seem too weak to withstand earthquakes, with evident structural deficiencies. Insufficient official mechanisms exist for supervising the design and construction of such new structures. This study evaluates current practice and compares it with the guidelines of the MCBC-2004 using a sample of structures of 150 buildings constructed after 2004. Structural analysis and design revisions were made for a subset of 20 buildings. This study confirms that a large number of new buildings in Mexico City do not have a reliable record of technical information. Therefore, it is difficult to reanalyse buildings to assess their earthquake performance. Many buildings have limited information making it impossible to verify their structural seismic behaviour. The analyses performed for those buildings with available information show that many would have inadequate performance during an intense earthquake, as they do not meet the minimum requirements in the MCBC-2004. To improve governance and actual outcomes, an institute is needed to improve construction practices and code enforcement particularly for residential buildings.     

Spatial Spillovers of Land Use Regulation in the United States

Evidence of spatial dependence in land use regulatory levels was first found in Brueckner (1998 Brueckner, J. (1998) Testing for strategic interaction among local governments: The case of growth controls, Journal of Urban Economics, 44, pp. 438–467.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) for California cities. Recent research has not incorporated this consideration despite the considerable consequences of the relationship. We seek to expand the empirical find ings to a current, larger and more diverse data-set for municipalities across the USA. Analyzing regulatory levels and their determinants from over 2000 municipalities, we find strong evidence of spatial dependence at the local level even after controlling for geographic and political influences. This suggests that political competition, rather than welfare maximization exclusively, may be influencing the level of regulations adopted.     

The distinctiveness of cities Outline of a research programme

The city constitutes a remarkable and highly contested topic within the field of social sciences. There is literally not a single human theme that could not be related and imagined within the framework of the urban: sex and crime, production and reproduction: of power, hierarchy, poverty, life course and so forth. Paradigm shifts abound: from structuralist to cultural turns and from political economy approaches to phenomenology. The main challenge, however, seems to go unanswered. It is sex in the city, poverty in the city, immigrants in the city, but what is meant by the city other than an all-purpose nostrum for societal problems? I will briefly describe this confusion as a point of departure to offer some conceptual ideas of how to constitute the city as a scientific object of knowledge. My frame of reference will be what is labelled the ‘spatial turn’ in social sciences. The two main objectives are (1) to conceptualize the city as a particular space-structuring form of sociation and (2) to identify and qualify some features of this spatial form (Berking, H., 2008 Berking, H. 2008. “Städte lassen sich an ihrem Gang erkennen wie Menschen”. In Die Eigenlogik der Städte, Edited by: Berking, H. and öw, M. L. 15–31. Frankfurt am Main: Campus.  [Google Scholar]. Städte lassen sich an ihrem Gang erkennen wie Menschen. In: H. Berking and M. Löw, eds. Die Eigenlogik der Städte. Frankfurt am Main: Campus). Since there are different and differentiated spatial forms of sociation to analytically grasp the city’s distinctive spatial form is a precondition for reconstructing its internal symbolic order as a world in its own right. The key issues will be ‘density’ or more precisely ‘densification’ and ‘doxa’, the latter referring to what is called the natural attitude to the world, the pre-reflexive or tacit knowledge of everyday life (Lebenswelt).     

A note on the null distribution of the local spatial heteroscedasticity (LOSH) statistic

Recently, Ord and Getis (Ann Reg Sci 48:529–539, 2012) developed a local statistic \(H_i\) , called local spatial heteroscedasticity statistic, to identify boundaries of clusters and to describe the nature of heteroscedasticity within clusters. Furthermore, in order to implement the hypothesis testing, Ord and Getis suggested a chi-square approximation method to approximate the null distribution of \(H_i\) , but they said that the validity of the chi-square approximation remains to be investigated and some other approximation methods are still worthy of being developed. Motivated by this suggestion, we propose in this paper a bootstrap procedure to approximate the null distribution of \(H_i\) and conduct some simulation to empirically assess the validity of the bootstrap and chi-square methods. The results demonstrate that the bootstrap method can provide a more accurate approximation than the chi-square method at the cost of more computation time. Moreover, the power of \(H_i\) in identifying boundaries of clusters is empirically examined using the proposed bootstrap method to compute \(p\)  values of the tests, and the multiple comparison issue is also discussed.     

A new way of developing semantic differential scales with personal construct theory

Measurement is a fundamental issue in management research. However, traditional scale development methods have the drawback of mixing researchers' bias with the scale design. Based on Ding et al.'s (2007 Ding, Z. K., Ng, F. F. and Cai, Q. Y. 2007. Personal constructs affecting interpersonal trust and willingness to share knowledge between architects in project design teams.. Construction Management and Economics, 25: 937–50. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) exploratory work, a new way to develop semantic differential measurement scales is proposed and tested with a survey in the context of the construction industry. The purpose is to provide researchers and practitioners with a new method to develop semantic differential scales for measurement while the bias from their own perspective can be reduced. The reliability and validity of semantic differential scales according to the new method are tested with SPSS and Amos 6.0. The results show that the generated semantic differential scales with this method have high reliability and validity. The new way to develop semantic differential scales offers researchers and practitioners one more choice of scale development. The general application of this new method to other contexts is yet to be tested.