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Purpose Smart ubiquitous sensors have been deployed in wireless body area networks to improve digital health-care services. As the requirement for computing power has drastically increased in recent years, the design of low power static RAM-based ubiquitous sensors is highly required for wireless body area networks. However, SRAM cells are increasingly susceptible to soft errors due to short supply voltage. The main purpose of this paper is to design a low power SRAM- based ubiquitous sensor for healthcare applications. Design/methodology/approach In this work, bias temperature instabilities are identified as significant issues in SRAM design. A level shifter circuit is proposed to get rid of soft errors and bias temperature instability problems. Findings Bias Temperature Instabilities are focused on in recent SRAM design for minimizing degradation. When compared to the existing SRAM design, the proposed FinFET-based SRAM obtains better results in terms of latency, power and static noise margin. Body area networks in biomedical applications demand low power ubiquitous sensors to improve battery life. The proposed low power SRAM-based ubiquitous sensors are found to be suitable for portable health-care devices. Originality/value In wireless body area networks, the design of low power SRAM-based ubiquitous sensors are highly essential. This design is power efficient and it overcomes the effect of bias temperature instability.

We present in the paper an ethical appraisal of higher education focusing majorly on relevance and requirements of practicing democratic principles in higher education. We assess in this endeavor two ethical issues, namely teacher-student friendship, and autonomy of students in the classroom and argue for ethical infeasibility of teacher-student friendship and need for protection of autonomy of students. In connection with the latter, we argue for ethical restrictions on a teacher’s advocacy of views because advocacy of views may unjustifiably lead to maintaining one’s own position to elicit students’ agreement in a topic of academic study in humanities and social sciences.

Purpose Delays in construction projects can be very expensive due to their adverse effects on project cost and profit margin. To overcome this problem, clients in the construction industry sometimes use schedule incentive/disincentive (I/D) contracting strategy. However, previous studies have shown that inadequate understanding and wrong implementation of schedule I/D provisions could result in unintended results. Moreover, the use of the I/D contracting method is in its initial stages in many countries such as India. The purpose of this paper is to identify various factors that are essential for schedule I/D success in construction projects. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted among experienced professionals (clients, contractors and consultants) from across the Indian construction industry. Findings Top success factors related to clients in the descending order of their importance are: realistic targets; detailed guidelines for I/D implementation; close coordination with other stakeholders; correct estimation of I/D duration and amount; and imposing disincentives after due consideration. Meanwhile, factors related to contractor organisations are: continuous monitoring and control; thorough understanding of schedule I/D targets; specific considerations in appointing senior project personnel; effective communication; and proper labour management. Research limitations/implications This empirical research was conducted in the Indian construction industry. Similar studies from developed construction markets may provide more insights into the successful use of schedule I/D provisions in construction projects. Practical implications The uptake of these recommendations is likely to increase the success of schedule I/D provisions in construction projects, especially in developing countries where the use of I/D contracting strategy is not very popular. Originality/value This research highlights the specific roles of both clients and contractors in the success of schedule I/D projects in developing countries such as India.

Waste generated throughout the construction and demolition (C&D) process has become a great challenge and hindrance toward the sustainable development as it creates environmental degradation. Prope...

PurposeA number of previous studies have investigated international construction project risks and have proposed risk mitigation measures without examining their interdependence. The purpose of the current study is to identify the influence of various risk mitigation measures on macro-level risk factors in the international marketplace.Design/methodology/approachThe authors initially identified 26 risk variables and nine risk mitigation measures through a literature review, which were then verified for their pertinence to international projects by three experts. Subsequently, 105 questionnaire survey responses were collected and analysed using factor analysis and structural equation modelling to test the interrelations between the risk variables and mitigation measures.FindingsThe findings suggest that joint ventures with local partners is emerged as the most critical risk mitigation measure that influences the international projects, which are exposed to political, project and firm-specific risk factors. Further, it is worth noting that among the recognised risk mitigation measures in international projects, offering more local employment is the least critical mitigation measure in the international projects.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study are based on the macro-risk factors encountered by Indian construction firms in international projects, mostly from specific Asian and African regions. Thus, the opinions of construction firms from the developed countries might be different.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study to existing knowledge is empirical evidence of the interrelationships between risk mitigation measures and risk factors that are portrayed as latent variables of different manifest risk variables. The generated model can assist construction firms in emphasising several risk mitigation methods, in order to reduce risk and enhance performance in international construction projects.

PurposeInternational construction projects encompass various risks, and it is essential to evaluate and manage them to achieve project and firms’ success. As approaches to addressing international market risks vary from one country to another, the purpose of this paper is to identify the critical risk factors of embarking on international construction projects according to Indian experiences.Design/methodology/approachAfter primarily verifying the identified 26 risk variables, a questionnaire survey was conducted to draw upon the views of experts who possess international project experience. The 105 responses were analyzed using univariate and multivariate techniques. An analysis of variance identified the significant variables that influence overall performance on international construction projects, which were then grouped according to underlying relationships using factor analysis to determine the specific risk factors. Furthermore, considering these risk factors as independent variables and overall project performance as a dependent variable, a stepwise regression analysis was carried out to identify relatively critical risk factors.FindingsThe results revealed that of the identified four risk factors, the project-specific risk factor emerged as the foremost critical risk factor, the economic and market-specific risk factor was the second most critical risk factor, the firm-specific risk factor was the third most critical risk factor and the political-specific risk factor was the least critical risk factor. These findings were also validated appropriately.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited to the data acquired from Indian construction firms, predominantly consultants and contractors. Though the survey respondents possessed adequate familiarity in international construction, commonly perceived limitations in self-reported surveys such as the lack of conscientious responses and reporting bias were not an exception in this research.Practical implicationsThe risk factors and their criticality – as identified in this study – can aid the multinational firms and international aspirants to prioritize the critical aspects and develop a suitable risk mitigation strategy to achieve greater project success in international market.Originality/valueBy investigating the various risk factors that influence overall performance of international construction projects, this research considerably contributes to the body of knowledge pertaining to international construction risk management that will enable firms from India and similar developing nations to emphasize on critical risk factors.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the problems faced by banks, lenders, financial institutions, public authority, developers and concessionaires in course of financing of public–private partnership (PPP) road projects. Subsequently, the reasons that contribute to these problems were analyzed to come up with recommendations for mitigation of these problems.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted is based on identification of financing problems and the reasons thereof, from a systematic and critical review of literature. Financing details including problems faced and reasons behind were extracted from details of one port, one airport and one road project. Data pertaining to financing of PPP road projects have been collected for completed (five projects) as well as projects under implementation (five projects) during a time interval of four months, starting from December 2018 to March 2019. The chosen three projects for case studies were executed in airport project at Kolkata in four years, offshore container terminal at Mumbai port in six years and Tuni Ankapali road project in three years. This period attains importance, as simultaneous progressive development and innovation in the PPP mode of project execution was taking place rapidly.FindingsThe commercial banks in India dominate in providing debt to the PPP infrastructure projects, especially in the road sector. The non-banking financial companies and other intermediaries were still in their infancy then, and a corporate bond market was growing steadily, though slowly. Financing problems faced by the developers resulted in unwarranted time and cost overruns emanating from delay in land acquisition and grant of approvals, with these being the two major barriers to private sector participation. Even schedule overrun finally resulted in increased construction and financing cost.Originality/valueDemand for upgradation, building and expansion of transportation infrastructure (roads) exists to keep pace with economic development. Problems like lack of a developed market for financing, inadequate institutional capacity, lack of personnel having domain expertise and absence of exclusive legislation to govern the implementation of PPP road projects are encountered by the sponsors and developers. Delay in land acquisition and environment clearance inhibits any decisive action by the lenders and investors, as these two are integrally linked to the decisions to be taken with respect to the financing of projects. Investors and bankers are generally apprehensive of their investment getting locked in or ending up as non-performing assets. Identification and proposed mitigation of these problems may likely smoothen the rough edges for the financing of projects, resulting in smoother implementation.

This paper aims to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) governing the usage of building information modelling (BIM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) for monitoring and digitally managing a construction project in Ahmedabad, a mega city in India. The workflow of BIM-ERP module has been integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) platform to carry out real-time monitoring of the construction project. The methodology adopted for this research is a questionnaire-based primary data research where the data pertaining to the development of the BIM-ERP-IoT module has been collected from a construction site located at Ahmedabad, India. The questionnaire was developed to evaluate the importance of the identified KPIs through the responses obtained from the respondents of the questionnaire survey. Factor analysis was then applied to the identified KPIs for extraction of significant KPIs. The extracted KPIs were then inducted in the workflow of the BIM-ERP-IoT module to develop an integrated module for effective and efficient management of construction project under study. The proposed integrated BIM-ERP-IoT module is a unique attempt for real-time monitoring, asset management, inventory management and enhanced enterprise revenue management for the construction project.

Background: Status epilepticus, when continued despite the administration of two antiepileptic drugs, is called refractory status epilepticus (RSE). The seizure-like phenomenon due to propofol is widely reported in the literature. However, RSE caused by propofol is rare and is a diagnostic dilemma. Case: A 44-year-old male patient presented with RSE during the intraoperative period and was under general anesthesia on propofol infusion. The seizure was resistant to benzodiazepines and phenytoin. Thereafter, the seizure subsided after the discontinuation of propofol infusion, and the patient was shifted to fentanyl and dexmedetomidine infusion for the maintenance of anesthesia. The postoperative follow-up was uneventful. Conclusions: This article focuses on the management of intractable intraoperative seizure and highlights the need for the exploration of seizure characteristics caused by propofol.

Purpose High throughput and power efficient computing devices are highly essential in many autonomous system-based applications. Since the computational power keeps on increasing in recent years, it is necessary to develop energy efficient static RAM (SRAM) memories with high speed. Nowadays, Static Random-Access Memory cells are predominantly liable to soft errors due to the serious charge which is crucial to trouble a cell because of fewer noise margins, short supply voltages and lesser node capacitances. Design/methodology/approach Power efficient SRAM design is a major task for improving computing abilities of autonomous systems. In this research, instability is considered as a major issue present in the design of SRAM. Therefore, to eliminate soft errors and balance leakage instability problems, a signal noise margin (SNM) through the level shifter circuit is proposed. Findings Bias Temperature Instabilities (BTI) are considered as the primary technology for recently combined devices to reduce degradation. The proposed level shifter-based 6T SRAM achieves better results in terms of delay, power and SNM when compared with existing 6T devices and this 6T SRAM-BTI with 7 nm technology is also applicable for low power portable healthcare applications. In biomedical applications, Body Area Networks (BANs) require the power-efficient SRAM design to extend the battery life of BAN sensor nodes. Originality/value The proposed method focuses on high speed and power efficient SRAM design for smart ubiquitous sensors. The effect of BTI is almost eliminated in the proposed design.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that discourage construction workers from undergoing skill development training, and to suggest steps for making the training programmes more attractive to them. Design/methodology/approach The research used an exploratory approach of unstructured interviews with construction workers (bottom-up approach), and the guided group brainstorming technique with the help of experienced industry professionals (top-down approach). Findings From the unstructured interviews, five inhibiting factors were identified which discourage construction workers from undergoing training. Furthermore, to recognise the causes of the inhibiting factors, 13 possible causal attributes (PCAs) were identified from the brainstorming approach. Subsequently, these PCAs were classified into five possible causal factors (PCFs) on the basis of those concerned stakeholder(s) that are most closely involved and most responsible for fixing them. Research limitations/implications The research provides recommendations to practitioners for pragmatic and permanent resolution of each of the PCFs, which serves as a framework for the construction industry to reduce the scarcity of trained workers in the industry. Also, the results may serve as a model for the planning and successful implementation of any new skill-training programme for the construction workers in any developing economy, such as India. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature by highlighting the views of construction workers on the training establishments, which very few studies have considered in the past. Also, the research provides a detailed process of brainstorming approach, which will help the research community to appreciate its use in studies related to the construction industry.

Purpose The study of the success factors of a project is a means of improving the effectiveness of the project. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to identify various determinants and validate their effects on the success of public construction projects in Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a questionnaire survey to collect data and structural equation modeling (SEM) to empirically examine the effect of determinants, namely, project manager’s competence, owner’s competence, management support and updates, scope clarity (SC), effective partnering, and monitoring and feedback on success of public construction projects which has been measured by performance on cost, schedule, quality and no-dispute parameters. Out of 407 questionnaires distributed among the selected respondents, a total of 200 completed questionnaires were received. The response rate was 49.1 percent. Findings The results depict that the investigated factors have a significant positive influence on the success of public construction projects with path coefficient of 0.82, the model is substantial in representing the relationship of the factors on the success of public construction projects and the factor “SC” plays a decisive role in the success of a project as it has a path coefficient of 0.98, and it is followed by “effective partnership, and owner’s competency” having equal path coefficients of 0.96. Research limitations/implications The proposed model was validated by collecting data from many senior construction executives in Ethiopia only, hence may induce certain bias in the outcome of the study. Practical implications The significance of six constructs is highlighted to help the project manager in understanding the role of various constructs in public construction projects. The results would enable researchers and industry practitioners to focus on a few factors to take proactive measures and get the optimum result in the successful delivery of public construction projects. Utilization of SEM in the understanding of the significance of various success determinants is an important contribution to the body of theoretical literature in construction management. Since the model includes constructs, SEM has been used for construct validation. Social implications The implications of this study are not limited to researchers and construction industry practitioners alone. The Ethiopian Government could adopt the results of this study to reduce/avoid additional cost incurred due to the poor performance of public construction projects which results in poor utilization and increased social and economic costs. Furthermore, the study may also help the government efforts to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the use of public funds for construction projects which are an ongoing concern of government and of the international development community. Originality/value This work is original and has neither been published nor under consideration for publication elsewhere. This study can add value to the construction professional in public construction project management as well as the Government of Ethiopia.

Despite globalisation bringing diverse opportunities for construction firms from developing countries, executing international construction projects entails many risks. Several past studies illustrate the risks faced by firms in international construction projects and recommend various risk mitigation measures without revealing their effect on project success criteria. In order to fill this knowledge gap, this study aims to test the influence of identified risk mitigation measures on project success criteria. To achieve this, nine risk mitigation measures and three project success criteria—cost performance, schedule performance and firm’s performance—were identified through a literature review. After verifying the identified risk mitigation measures and project success criteria with a preliminary study, a questionnaire was administered to experts who possess adequate knowledge in international construction projects. The collected data from 105 questionnaires were analyzed, grouped and modelled using factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). Application of factor analysis to identify the correlated risk mitigation measures extracted three risk mitigation factors, namely pre-project planning, local participation and contract selection. Furthermore, the influence of risk mitigation factors on project success criteria is hypothesized and tested using SEM. Amongst the identified risk mitigation factors, local participation emerges as the most influencing factor on project success criteria followed by contract selection and pre-project planning. The generated model would enable construction firms from India and similar developing countries to focus on identified risk mitigation factors to achieve improved project success criteria and project management success.

Any occupation requires a certain set of competencies at a given employment level. Although in the construction industry the competency requirements for mid- and upper-level employees are v...

Purpose This paper aims to use a data-driven approach towards optimizing construction operations. To this extent, it presents a machine learning (ML)-aided optimization approach, wherein the construction cost is predicted as a function of time, resources and environmental impact, which is further used as a surrogate model for cost optimization. Design/methodology/approach Taking a dataset from literature, the paper has applied various ML algorithms, namely, simple and regularized linear regression, random forest, gradient boosted trees, neural network and Gaussian process regression (GPR) to predict the construction cost as a function of time, resources and environmental impact. Further, the trained models were used to optimize the construction cost applying single-objective (with and without constraints) and multi-objective optimizations, employing Bayesian optimization, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm. Findings The results presented in the paper demonstrate that the ensemble methods, such as gradient boosted trees, exhibit the best performance for construction cost prediction. Further, it shows that multi-objective optimization can be used to develop a Pareto front for two competing variables, such as cost and environmental impact, which directly allows a practitioner to make a rational decision. Research limitations/implications Note that the sequential nature of events which dictates the scheduling is not considered in the present work. This aspect could be incorporated in the future to develop a robust scheme that can optimize the scheduling dynamically. Originality/value The paper demonstrates that a ML approach coupled with optimization could enable the development of an efficient and economic strategy to plan the construction operations.

Lung isolation techniques are used extensively in operating rooms for surgical procedures involving the lungs or the mediastinum, out of the operating room for procedures performed by interventional pulmonologists, and in critical care units where a patient’s medical or surgical conditions require selective lung isolation or ventilation. This chapter outlines both adult and pediatric lung isolation devices currently in use. It also explains the physiological changes during one-lung ventilation and discusses ventilatory techniques recommended during lung separation. Individual one-lung ventilation devices are discussed in detail, including available sizes and availability for adult and pediatric populations. The chapter details the technique of using each device, advantages, disadvantages, and possible complications associated with the use.

Newly emerging (inexperienced) public-private partnership (PPP) markets require private sector participation to change the current situation in which governments are the only entity respons...

usc The increased affordability of mobile devices, wider network coverage, and better mobile applications have changed the ways communication and information transfer take place in the construction industry in both developed and developing countries. While considerable research has been conducted on the extent of usage of mobile information and communication technologies (mobile ICT) and development of prototype applications in the context of construction projects, less attention has been paid on examining the perceptions of construction management (CM) professionals regarding implications of using mobile ICT. The present study identified different ways in which the use of mobile ICT translates into better productivity in construction projects. A questionnaire survey conducted across the Indian construction industry revealed that the use of mobile ICT improves construction productivity due to four factors:(1) improved communication and information flow, (2) better project execution, (3) improved access to data, and(4) proper defect management. While attributes related to communication and access to information received high rankings, the respondents perceived that the use of mobile ICT has low positive influence on attributes such as cost savings, speed of construction, sustainability, and construction errors. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Despite previously successfully delivery of toll roads through public-private partnership (PPP), inexperienced (new) markets are more susceptible to failures due to the complexities involve...

Worldwide, governments have exploited a range of contractual structures to cope with the change of project characteristics and role of stakeholders in the evolution of the approach to publi...

Multistory building construction projects involve time and economy considerations. In this study, an approach to determine a time-optimized solution for speedy construction using a genetic ...

There is a huge gap between the growth and demand of the road and highway sector in India. This sector carries a large percentage of freight and passengers. Before commencement of the proje...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and rank the success attributes and success factors of the construction organisations. Design/methodology/approach The viewpoints of the experts engaged in Indian construction industry were used to apply factor analysis and fuzzy preference relation with the help of a questionnaire survey. Findings The findings indicate that project factor is the most important factor, whereas favourable market and marketing team is the least important factor. Among the success attributes, the availability of qualified staff is the most important attribute, and health and safety management plan is the least important attribute. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study are based on the viewpoint of the experts of construction organisations engaged in building projects in India. Practical implications The study can be used as a yardstick for the top management of construction organisations to manage their resources efficiently and to develop a strategy to be successful in this business. Social implications Indian construction industry provides direct and indirect employment to the people of India. Hence, the success of construction organisation will contribute to the development of the society and ultimately the nation. Originality/value In the earlier studies, researchers have used various statistical tools to identify and evaluate the alternatives for the success factors of construction organisations, but very few of them have tried to assign weights to those alternatives. The simple ranking of alternatives using various statistical analyses, such as mean and standard deviation, relative importance index, etc., is not much useful unless their relative weights are known. With the help of the present study, the authors have tried to overcome the shortcomings of the previous research works.

Like any other organization, it has become essential for the organizations in the construction industry to measure their performance effectively for long-term survival in today’s competitive business environment. Therefore, it is imperative for a construction organization to know about various performance measurement factors to evaluate its performance. However, most of the previous studies have focused on identification of factors for measuring performance at the level of projects only. Moreover, the majority of these studies have been undertaken in context to the developed construction markets. The present study addresses these gaps in the literature by identifying critical factors for examining the performance of construction firms at the organizational level. A total of 20 organizational performance attributes were identified and analyzed using a questionnaire survey conducted on 106 respondents among 90 different organizations operating in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India. It was found that attributes such as timely completion, relationship with the client, and satisfaction (in terms of both product and services) carry more weight than the cost performance of a construction organization. In addition to this, factor analysis conducted on the performance attributes of high importance has resulted in six performance factors: (1) profitability and asset management, (2) satisfaction of key stakeholders, (3) predictability of time and cost, (4) environment, health, and safety (EHS), (5) quality consciousness, and (6) low staff turnover. The performance factors obtained from the study may provide useful guidelines to the construction organizations enabling them to examine and improve their performance.

The increasing demand for natural resource exploration and exploitation has generated greater attention on the impact on the environment of such actions. One solution to mitigate the negative impacts is to regulate it through government agencies and legal requirements thereby promoting sustainable construction. More recently, a variety of environmental and green building rating tools have been developed to assist construction of green buildings. It helps in making decisions that best fit the sustainable goals (i.e. social, economic, environment). This paper outlines potential benefits of Indian government green buildings. Findings of this paper show that the average increase in the initial cost of green buildings is 3.10% for those with three stars rating and 9.37% for those that are five stars rated buildings. It is worth investing in such acts to safeguard the environment.

usc Due to increased affordability of mobile devices, better network coverage, and availability of a wide range of mobile applications, the use of mobile information and communication technologies (mobile ICT) has increased significantly in construction projects. While considerable research on both positive and negative implications of using mobile ICT has been conducted in different industries and social contexts, relatively few studies have examined the perception of construction management (CM) professionals. A questionnaire survey conducted across the Indian construction industry revealed that the use of mobile ICT could impede construction productivity due to factors such as: (1) pressure to remain accessible outside the work hours, (2) temptation to check it frequently, (3) adverse effects on work-life balance, (4) compulsion to work outside the normal work hours, (5) massive amount of information, (6) distraction, (7) less time to respond to changes, (8) loss of productive time due to personal internet usage, (9) adverse effects on health of the users, and (10) frequent drawing changes. Since potential applications of mobile ICT in construction projects present enormous opportunities for CM professionals, these issues need to be addressed through user awareness, training, and organizational policies. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Purpose Time overrun is one of the most significant issues being faced by Ethiopian construction industry today. For effective time performance, the successful execution of construction projects and keeping them within prescribed schedule is very important. The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors responsible for impacting performance of Ethiopian public construction projects. Design/methodology/approach Based on the literature and personal interviews of key construction professionals in Ethiopia, a list of 35 project performance attributes having strong effect on performance of the projects were identified and a questionnaire using these attributes were prepared and administered in Ethiopia. Statistical analysis of responses on the attributes segregated them into distinct sets of success attributes and failure attributes. The attributes were also subjected to factor analysis separately for better understanding and it resulted into six success factors and six failure factors. The relative importance of these factors was established with multiple regression analysis. Findings It is concluded that the success factor “owners’ competence” can significantly contribute to schedule performance of Ethiopian public construction projects. On the other hand, “conflict among project participants,” “poor human resource management,” and “project manager’s ignorance and lack of knowledge” are detrimental to schedule performance of Ethiopian public construction project. Research limitations/implications As with any other opinion-based study, the present study also has some limitations. The majority of respondents have evaluated the projects in their execution stage only and very few have evaluated the performance of projects in planning and operation stages and also the study has been carried out in the Ethiopian context. Hence the study has a limitation in these regard. Originality/value The results presented in this study provide sufficient evidence and useful understanding to researchers and industry practitioners to focus on a few factors than giving attention to all the factors and take proactive measures for the timely delivery of public construction projects.

A striking feature of public construction projects worldwide has been the occurrence of cost overrun, and the Ethiopian construction industry is no exception. The purpose of this study is to determ...

Green building construction has been considered to be an essential practice for achieving sustainability. To achieve sustainable development, greater attention has been paid to environmental, social and economic impacts associated with the construction and operation of buildings. Hence, the importance of a more integrated approach to green building design with cost effectiveness has gained momentum. The present study focuses on developing appropriate constructs to benchmark green building attributes in construction such that, with limited funds, the sustainable performance of the building is improved. In this study, Indian green building assessment tools, such as Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), eco-housing, and a newly developed rating system, are reviewed. A Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been employed to benchmark the green building attributes. Buildings in different climatic conditions, such as hot and dry, warm and humid, and composite climates, were chosen for benchmarking purposes. Efficiency was calculated using a constant return to scale with an input-oriented Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes (CCR) formulation method. The following attributes were observed: (1) utilization of the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) recommended waste materials in the building, (2) increase in environmental awareness, (3) dedicated facilities for service staff, (4) design for universal accessibility, (5), low-impact design (6) construction management practices and (7) use of low-volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints that contribute to more green points at a lower cost.

Because of stiff competition in the construction business, it is necessary for construction companies to measure their performance on a regular interval for long-term survival. Therefore, it is imperative for construction companies to determine the parameters critical to the measurement of their performance. This study identifies the performance indicators, financial as well as non-financial, for construction companies to measure their performance. In a previous study, the authors identified a total of 20 performance attributes and applied principal component analysis which extracted six components called performance indicators. These performance indicators are profitability and asset management; key stakeholders’ satisfaction; time and cost predictability; environment, health, and safety; quality consciousness; and employee turnover. The present study utilized structural equation modelling (SEM) to determine the criticality of these performance indicators for which a questionnaire survey and structured interview approach were adopted. A total of 106 responses were collected from 90 different construction companies operating in various parts of India. The findings indicate that ‘quality consciousness’ is the most critical performance indicator whereas the ‘employee turnover’ is the least critical performance indicator in measuring the performance of a construction company. The performance indicators obtained from this study may help construction companies to measure and compare their performances with their competitors and setting out a strategy to remain competitive in the market.

The safety climate of an organization influences employees’ safe work behavior. It is essential for project management to be aware of any unsafe work behavior of their workers on a project and to take any necessary remedial measures to reduce the likelihood of accidents. This study aims to predict and evaluate the work behavior of employees on construction projects using the constructs of the safety climate. Because of the prevailing nonlinear and complex interrelationships among these determinants, an artificial neural network (ANN) is employed to develop the model. Ten important safety climate features are used as inputs, and co-employees’ safe work behavior is taken as the output. A total of 240 responses from different construction projects across India were collected through a questionnaire in a two-stage process to train, test, and validate the model. A three-layer feedforward backpropagation neural network architecture 10-17-1 was found to be a suitable model. Through this model, outlier projects have been determined based on the project efficiency score and the Anderson-Darling (AD) statistics. The study advocates the practice of safe work behavior as reported by co-employees, rather than workers’ own reported safe work behavior, as the output variable. The significant constructs of safe work behavior are presented based on the sensitivity analysis. This model will be helpful to evaluate, predict, and monitor the safety performance of construction projects.

Green building rating systems have been developed to measure the level of sustainability of buildings. Existing methods can be applied to different regions by addressing additional aspects such as varied climatic conditions and regional variations. This paper investigated the most widely used environmental building assessment methods, namely BREEAM, LEED, SB-Tool, CASBEE, LEED-India, GRIHA and Eco-housing. Comparative studies revealed that the existing assessment schemes had some limitations when applied to an Indian built environment. This necessitates the development of a new building environmental assessment scheme. An attempt is made to develop a framework to evaluate sustainability of buildings in India by applying principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA of 82 valid responses on the attributes measuring sustainability of buildings has extracted nine components: (1) site selection; (2) environment; (3) building resources and re-use; (4) building services and management; (5) innovative cons...

ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of using convalescent plasma to treat moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) in adults in India.DesignOpen label, parallel arm, phase II, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.Setting39 public and private hospitals across India.Participants464 adults (≥18 years) admitted to hospital (screened 22 April to 14 July 2020) with confirmed moderate covid-19 (partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) ratio between 200 mm Hg and 300 mm Hg or a respiratory rate of more than 24/min with oxygen saturation 93% or less on room air): 235 were assigned to convalescent plasma with best standard of care (intervention arm) and 229 to best standard of care only (control arm).InterventionsParticipants in the intervention arm received two doses of 200 mL convalescent plasma, transfused 24 hours apart. The presence and levels of neutralising antibodies were not measured a priori; stored samples were assayed at the end of the study.Main outcome measureComposite of progression to severe disease (PaO2/FiO2ResultsProgression to severe disease or all cause mortality at 28 days after enrolment occurred in 44 (19%) participants in the intervention arm and 41 (18%) in the control arm (risk difference 0.008 (95% confidence interval −0.062 to 0.078); risk ratio 1.04, 95% confidence interval 0.71 to 1.54).ConclusionConvalescent plasma was not associated with a reduction in progression to severe covid-19 or all cause mortality. This trial has high generalisability and approximates convalescent plasma use in real life settings with limited laboratory capacity. A priori measurement of neutralising antibody titres in donors and participants might further clarify the role of convalescent plasma in the management of covid-19.Trial registrationClinical Trial Registry of India CTRI/2020/04/024775.

Aspiration of barium sulfate is a well-known complication, occurring accidentally during contrast-enhanced examinations of the upper gastrointestinal system. Massive aspiration of contrast material causes mechanical obstruction that increases alveolar dead space leading to altered ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) ratio with secondary respiratory failure and death. The potential treatment strategies include early recognition of predisposing factors, pretreatment with antireflux medications, such as domperidone, correct choice of contrast media, and use of retroesophageal suction catheter during barium swallow study. We report a case of barium swallow aspiration, which was successfully managed by early institution of bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) and positive pressure mechanical ventilation. Till date, BAL has not been recommended for the same, with studies showing it can worsen the clinical scenario.

The execution of the directing conventions in versatile AD HOC arranges corrupts with expanding number of nodes. Many directing conventions for such systems have been proposed up until this point. Among the most mainstream ones are Ad-hoc On-request Distance Vector (AODV), Destination-Sequenced Distance-Vector Routing convention (DSDV), Dynamic Source Routing Protocol (DSR). In this venture we show our perceptions in regards to the execution correlation of the above conventions for changing number of hubs in two distinct reaches (setting the hubs in an irregular form) in versatile specially appointed systems (MANETs). We perform broad reproductions, utilizing NS-2 test system. Our examination has demonstrated that bundle conveyance proportion builds, throughput and end-to-end delay changes with expanding number of hubs in two unique reaches while standardized steering load, parcel thickness division and vitality expended stays consistent.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease which is caused by absolute or relative insulin deficiency, and the prevalence rate of Type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is growing among Indians as well as through worldwide. Various risk factors play a role in the aetiopathogenesis and in the glycemic control among the type 2 diabetic patients. Therefore, identification of environmental and easily modified risk factors is urgently needed to prevent development of T2DM. One of various such risk factors, vitamin D3 level & therefore serum calcium levels are reported to alter the glycemic control. The major and most well-known function of vitamin D is to maintain calcium and phosphorus homeostasis and promote bone mineralization. However, recent evidence suggests that vitamin D and calcium homeostasis may also be important for a variety of non-skeletal diseases including T2DM. Based on basic and animal studies, vitamin D and calcium have also been suspected as modifiers of diabetes risk. The systemic review was carried out to evaluate the evidences as well as limitation in respect of vitamin D3 and serum calcium level regarding the glycemic control in T2DM. This paper seeks to examine the consistently reported relationship between glycemic control in T2DM and altered vitamin D3 & serum calcium concentrations, with reference to the possible underlying mechanisms. So the status of above two parameters is considered as an important factor in T2DM patients. Its role in present scenario should be understood both as an etiological concept & also as a therapeutic option.

Hazard evaluation is a critical task in safety management of construction projects because of their characteristics and dynamics. This study provides a framework to evaluate the project hazard index (PHI), which represents the hazard level of a construction project by using the possibility approach (fuzzy set theory). To achieve this objective, the study has been conducted in two phases. In the first phase, 10 hazardous trades and their physical attributes have been shortlisted and a three-level hierarchical structure has been constructed to evaluate the PHI. In the second phase, the methodology of evaluation and determination of the weight of each hazardous trade with its attributes were carried out using tools such as fuzzy measures, fuzzy integrals, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), and the weighted sum method (WSM). Correlation between the PHI and safety budget of several project sites owned by the Delhi Metro rail project validates this study. The PHI will be useful to differentiate ...

The construction sector is known as one of the most hazardous work places worldwide. Hazard identification and its assessment are the most important tasks of safety management. Based on a review of the existing literature, this study identifies 10 hazardous trades and their 39 attributes to assess the project hazard level. Most of the existing studies assess the hazards using the probability approach, which needs reliable established data that in most cases are not well maintained. This study uses the possibility approach (fuzzy set theory) and proposes a methodology to compute the hazard index representing the hazard level of projects. This methodology is based on the judgments and perceptions of respondents, and it uses the consistent fuzzy preference relations (CFPR) method to determine the relative weights of 10 hazardous trades and their 39 attributes. Fuzzy set theory is used to determine the risk impact of attributes. Thus, the hazard index for a given attribute is determined by a combined ...

Safety performance in construction projects is attributed to many determinants (factors) in a safety system. This study identifies various directly or indirectly related determinants and their effects on safety performance of construction projects. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study empirically examines the effect of safety climate (SC), hazard management (HM), safety budget (SB), safety rules and regulations (SR), and safe work behavior (WB) of employees and workers on safety performance (SP) of projects. The unit of analysis of this study is a construction project. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and 230 responses were collected from different types of construction projects across India. The results provide evidence that safety climate, safety budget, and hazard management positively influence safe work behavior of employees and the safety performance of the project. Conversely, the SEM findings demonstrate that implementation of safety rules and regulations are positivel...

Modern construction projects often include incentive/disincentive (I/D) provisions in order to serve a variety of different client objectives. Studies have shown both the advantages and disadvantages of using I/D clauses to improve performance. In India, out of 82 construction projects of varied size and nature investigated, only 14 projects of a critical nature were found to have I/D clauses in their contract document. The present study was carried out to identify various attributes affecting the successful use of I/D clauses in achieving their intended purpose. A total of 25 attributes were identified based on a literature review and structured personal interviews that present practical difficulties while using the I/D contracting method and thus, prevent I/D clauses from unlocking their true potential. These attributes have been evaluated based on the results of a survey conducted among experienced professionals working in the Indian construction industry. Factor analysis conducted on responses...

From the eleven success factors derived earlier, ‘human factors’ and ‘management actions’ have been further analyzed. A hypothesis that ‘project success’ is influenced by ‘success traits’ has been formulated. The hypothesized positive inter-relationships between success traits and project success have been tested using the structural equation modeling technique. Various steps taken for achieving the objectives are clearly outlined. The results of the analysis show that hypothesis set for the study holds good. Human factors and management actions play a key role in making the project a success. It can be concluded that trained, committed, competent participant’s coordination, with constant monitoring and feedback with regular budget update will influence the successful completion of project.