Designing for construction workers’ occupational health and safety: a case study of socio-material complexity

Drawing upon an empirical analysis of the design and construction of a food processing facility, a theoretical understanding of the impact of design decision-making on the occupational health and safety (OHS) of construction workers is developed. It is argued that current policy and legislative approaches to Construction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHPtD) are inherently limited because they do not adequately reflect the socio-material complexity of decision-making in construction design. Specifically, the simplistic attribution of responsibility to a single socio-technical actor, ‘the designer’, does not reflect the multiple and disparate influences that impact upon OHS outcomes. Nor do existing CHPtD policy frameworks, management processes and tools recognize the manner in which the interactions and associations between relevant project stakeholders and various non-human artefacts shape (and are also influenced by) the evolution of design decisions. Drawing on actor-network theory (ANT) and using embedded units within a case study approach, the interactions between human actors and non-human artefacts are explored in relation to the design of four components of the food processing facility. The way in which design decisions unfolded and shaped OHS experiences during the construction stage of the project is revealed. The research highlights limitations inherent in current approaches to the management of CHPtD and the need to develop a more robust theoretically based approach to integrating OHS considerations into construction design practice.     

Plant Sunscreen and Co(II)/(III) Porphyrins for UV‐Resistant and Thermally Stable Perovskite Solar Cells: From Natural to Artificial

The poor UV, thermal, and interfacial stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) makes it highly challenging for their technological application, and has drawn increasing attention to resolving the above issues. In nature, plants generally sustain long exposure to UV illumination without damage, which is attributed to the presence of the organic materials acting as sunscreens. Inspired by the natural phenomenon, a natural plant sunscreen, sinapoyl malate, an ester derivative of sinapic acid, is employed to modify the surface of electron transport materials (ETMs). The interfacial modification successfully resolved the UV stability and reduced the poor interfacial contact between ETM and perovskite. The best efficiency of fabricated PSCs is up to 19.6%. Furthermore, we employed a mixture of Co(II) and Co(III)‐based porphyrin compounds containing the excellent Co(II)/Co(III) redox couple to substitute the commonly used hole transport material, 2,2′,7,7′‐tetrakis(N,N‐di‐p‐methoxyphenylamine)‐9,9‐spiro‐bifluorene (spiro‐OMeTAD), to resolve the thermal degradation of PSCs noted at and above 80 °C that originates from ion diffusion of I^? and CH₃NH₃⁺ (MA⁺) ions from perovskite into spiro‐OMeTAD. Finally, the stable PSCs with the best efficiency up to 20.5% are successfully fabricated.     

Analysis of a radial crack in a circular ring segment

The problem considered is a segment of a circular ring with a radial crack emanating frorn the surface with the smaller radius. Pure bending and three-point loading are chosen for solution. The problem is solved usiag the ‘modified mapping-collocation’ technique and partitioning. Numerical data is presented for varying crack lengths and thicknesses.     

EFFECTS OF FLOW DYNAMICS ON THE AQUATIC‐TERRESTRIAL TRANSITION ZONE (ATTZ) OF LOWER MISSOURI RIVER SANDBARS WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR SELECTED BIOTA

Sandbars are an important aquatic terrestrial transition zone (ATTZ) in the active channel of rivers that provide a variety of habitat conditions for riverine biota. Channelization and flow regulation in many large rivers have diminished sandbar habitats and their rehabilitation is a priority. We developed sandbar‐specific models of discharge‐area relationships to determine how changes in flow regime affect the area of different habitat types within the submerged sandbar ATTZ (depth) and exposed sandbar ATTZ (elevation) for a representative sample of Lower Missouri River sandbars. We defined six different structural habitat types within the sandbar ATTZ based on depth or exposed elevation ranges that are important to different biota during at least part of their annual cycle for either survival or reproduction. Scenarios included the modelled natural flow regime, current managed flow regime and two environmental flow options, all modelled within the contemporary river active channel. Thirteen point and wing‐dike sandbars were evaluated under four different flow scenarios to explore the effects of flow regime on seasonal habitat availability for foraging of migratory shorebirds and wading birds, nesting of softshell turtles and nursery of riverine fishes. Managed flows provided more foraging habitat for shorebirds and wading birds and more nursery habitat for riverine fishes within the channelized reach sandbar ATTZ than the natural flow regime or modelled environmental flows. Reduced summer flows occurring under natural and environmental flow alternatives increased exposed sandbar nesting habitat for softshell turtle hatchling emergence. Results reveal how management of channelized and flow regulated large rivers could benefit from a modelling framework that couples hydrologic and geomorphic characteristics to predict habitat conditions for a variety of biota. Published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative study of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy measurement using two slurry circulation systems

The experimental conditions associated with slurry measurements to achieve good precision by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) are examined. LIBS analysis was applied to a special waste slurry sample that contains 85.4% water, 2.5% ferric oxide Fe(2)O(3), 1.7% alumina Al(2)O(3), and small quantities of oxides of boron and chromium. While liquids add challenge to LIBS measurements, the analysis was successfully performed on iron and aluminum. Two slurry circulation systems were devised to overcome the major technical problems associated with LIBS measurements of slurry samples, namely, sedimentation and change in the lens-to-sample distance during measurement. LIBS slurry measurements using both circulation systems are compared. The results show that the experimental configuration plays a crucial role for online slurry analysis.     

A grain-scale study of spall in brittle materials

The evolution of spall for a brittle material is investigated under variance of anisotropy, grain boundary fracture energy, and loading. Because spall occurs in the interior of the specimen, fundamental studies of crack nucleation and growth are needed to better understand surface velocity measurements. Within a cohesive approach to fracture, we illustrate that for anisotropic materials, increases in the fracture energy cause a transition in crack nucleation from triple-points to entire grain boundary facets. Analysis of idealized flaws reveals that while crack initiation and acceleration are strong functions of the fracture energy, flaws soon reach speeds on the order of the Rayleigh wave speed. Finally, simulated surface velocities of spalled configurations are correlated with microstructural evolution. These fundamental studies of nucleation, growth, and spall attempt to link atomic separation to the macroscopic spall strength and provide a computational framework to examine the evolution of spall and the impact on the simulated surface velocity field.     

在这家公司学不到东西,怎么办?

正问:我在现在这家公司做HR两年了,公司平台很好,但是这份工作对我并没有太大的挑战,而且大部分的工作是支持类的工作,非常琐碎,碎片化分解了我的精力和干劲。回过头来看,觉得自己工作了两年和来的时候并没有什么太大的提高。而且我不知道自己想要什么,想提高自己,却找不到正确的方法,找不到对的突破口。现在我很迷茫,工作状态很差,辞职舍不得,不知道该怎么办。     

重新设计重新填充:设计指南

本文为设计可持续性、可再充填料的设计团队提供了指导方针。该研究集中在个人护理领域的沐浴露产品。广泛的定性方法用于创建背景框架,开发设计概念,而且测试设计方案的可行性。将两个概念转化为高精确度原型,和在多活动用户焦点组中进行测试。使用Eco-indicator 99的环境角度对原型进行了评估。讨论的重点是关于可再填充的包装的一般发现,和与浓缩混合在母体包中相关的具体发现。这项研究的发现极大地提高了人们对可再填充包装的潜在影响的理解水平,和它如何被商业成功应用。已经确定了一系列的重新填充物设计的指导方针,这有助于更清晰地了解可再填充包装设计的要求。此外,更详细的了解最新的消费者认知情况,相关业务挑战和机遇,节约和环境集中补充,混合在父包,已被确认。人们已经看到,要想成功地重新填充,必须为消费者、环境和企业执行,尽管这听起来并不令人惊讶,但实现起来很有挑战性。这意味着他们必须提供良好的质量;非常容易使用和适当的交付;被清楚地沟通;通过品牌消费者提供;而且代表了良好的价值,同时从根本上减少了制造和分发包装的数量。将仔细考虑的消费者和环境需求结合在一起,对可再填充包装的成功开发至关重要。     

Hypermedia and learning: Contrasting interfaces to hypermedia systems

This study explores selected theoretical and design issues associated with the use of hypermedia learning environments to promote the recall, synthesis, integration and retention of information. The study contrasts two different hypermedia systems that contain resources on a complex historical domain. The experimental condition incorporates design features related to complexity, context-dependency and interconnectedness in order to highlight different aspects of its instructional content. The experimental condition was hypothesized to foster greater achievement on tests for synthesis, integration and retention of knowledge and to be more favorably rated by users. The control condition incorporates simple linear design features including several features that are antithetical to those of the experimental condition. The control condition presents the same instructional content in a more rigid and decontextualized manner and was hypothesized to foster greater mastery of factual recall but less synthesis, integration and retention of knowledge. Results however demonstrated that participants in the control condition were able to recall more facts, make more connections between themes in the test for synthesis and retain more facts than participants in the experimental condition. However, differences in overall performance for both hypermedia systems were not statistically significant: neither system had a different effect on learning.     

Development of a FACS-verified set of basic and self-conscious emotion expressions.

In 2 studies, the authors developed and validated of a new set of standardized emotion expressions, which they referred to as the University of California, Davis, Set of Emotion Expressions (UCDSEE). The precise components of each expression were verified using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). The UCDSEE is the first FACS-verified set to include the three “self-conscious” emotions known to have recognizable expressions (embarrassment, pride, and shame), as well as the 6 previously established “basic” emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise), all posed by the same 4 expressers (African and White males and females). This new set has numerous potential applications in future research on emotion and related topics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)