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Article
Publication date: 6 June 2024

Reannan Boisvert, Meredith McQuerry and Sheryl Schofield

Clothing fit, including garment ease and drape, impacts the volume of air between clothing layers and the body, directly affecting the amount of heat that can be transferred…

Abstract

Purpose

Clothing fit, including garment ease and drape, impacts the volume of air between clothing layers and the body, directly affecting the amount of heat that can be transferred through a multi-layer clothing system. As most acute firefighting fatalities are caused by overexertion and heat strain, the purpose of this research was to determine the impact of ease allowances on air gaps in structural firefighting turnout suits and their subsequent effect on total heat loss (THL) when worn on a three-dimensional form.

Design/methodology/approach

Four turnout suits with chest ease allowances of 6″, 8″, 10″ and 12″ were evaluated using an ANDI dynamic sweating thermal manikin. The average predicted manikin THL of each ensemble was calculated from the thermal and evaporative resistance measurements. A three-dimensional (3D) body scanner was utilized to calculate the distance and volume of clothing air gaps between the base layer and each turnout suit.

Findings

Results demonstrate that reductions in upper body ease measurements trend towards statistically significant increases in THL, to a point, with fit limitations being reached before benefits can be significantly realized. An increase in standard chest ease measurements significantly decreased heat loss, even when forced convection from movement was considered.

Originality/value

This is the first article of its kind to explore the relationship between garment ease and predicted manikin THL, especially for fire service protective clothing. Findings indicate a valid recommendation for turnout gear designers and manufacturers to optimize clothing fit to improve breathability and potentially reduce incidents of heat strain in the fire service.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 May 2022

Samridhi Garg, Monica Puri Sikka and Vinay Kumar Midha

Perspiration and heat are produced by the body and must be eliminated to maintain a stable body temperature. Sweat, heat and air must pass through the fabric to be comfortable…

Abstract

Purpose

Perspiration and heat are produced by the body and must be eliminated to maintain a stable body temperature. Sweat, heat and air must pass through the fabric to be comfortable. The cloth absorbs sweat and then releases it, allowing the body to chill down. By capillary action, moisture is driven away from fabric pores or sucked out of yarns. Convectional air movement improves sweat drainage, which may aid in body temperature reduction. Clothing reduces the skin's ability to transport heat and moisture to the outside. Excessive moisture makes clothing stick to the skin, whereas excessive heat induces heat stress, making the user uncomfortable. Wet heat loss is significantly more difficult to understand than dry heat loss. The purpose of this study is to provided a good compilation of complete information on wet thermal comfort of textile and technological elements to be consider while constructing protective apparel.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims to critically review studies on the thermal comfort of textiles in wet conditions and assess the results to guide future research.

Findings

Several recent studies focused on wet textiles' impact on comfort. Moisture reduces the fabric's thermal insulation value while also altering its moisture characteristics. Moisture and heat conductivity were linked. Sweat and other factors impact fabric comfort. So, while evaluating a fabric's comfort, consider both external and inside moisture.

Originality/value

The systematic literature review in this research focuses on wet thermal comfort and technological elements to consider while constructing protective apparel.

Details

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1560-6074

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 June 2024

Jorge León, María Ignacia Rojas, Soraya Gutiérrez and Randy Román

To critically assess the reconstruction process's outcomes four months after a wildfire disaster in Viña del Mar, Chile, comparing the governmental reconstruction plan and the…

Abstract

Purpose

To critically assess the reconstruction process's outcomes four months after a wildfire disaster in Viña del Mar, Chile, comparing the governmental reconstruction plan and the actual rebuilding efforts by the dwellers.

Design/methodology/approach

A geographic information system (GIS)-based analysis to deliver a spatial-based comparison of (1) the cadastre of damaged dwellings; (2) the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism’s (MINVU) reconstruction plan and (3) the actual reconstruction that has been carried out by the dwellers themselves up to November 2023 (as surveyed through fieldwork and drone flights).

Findings

Around 307 dwellings (97.7% of the 314 examined households) had been rebuilt by November 2023, all through the dwellers’ self-reconstruction efforts, except for two houses delivered by MINVU. Around 105 of these dwellings (34.2%) were granted a reconstruction subsidy by MINVU, while 155 (49.4% of the sample of 314 dwellings) were rebuilt without this aid. Also, 47 houses were rebuilt by dwellers in areas deemed “non-rebuildable” due to their high-risk levels.

Originality/value

We use a mixed-methods approach to examine disruptions between planned reconstruction and actual rebuilding processes following a wildfire disaster in areas with significant informality.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 May 2024

Sylvia Nabila Azwa Ambad and Ahmad Rafiki

This study aims to investigate the impact of Holland’s theory of career choice (RIASEC [realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional]) on the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of Holland’s theory of career choice (RIASEC [realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional]) on the entrepreneurial event model (EEM) and the agropreneurial intention among university students.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is quantitative research, and 772 undergraduate students from public and private universities in Malaysia participated. The data were then analysed using SmartPLS 4.

Findings

The statistical analysis revealed that the realistic, artistic, enterprising and conventional in Holland’s theory of career choice (RIASEC) are antecedents of perceived desirability and feasibility, which has an indirect effect on agropreneurial intention. Additionally, all dimensions of EEM have a direct effect on agropreneurial intention.

Originality/value

Despite the importance of agriculture in providing food security and reducing poverty, especially in rural areas, there is very limited empirical research in this area. Notably, most of the research on the intention to become an entrepreneur is general entrepreneurship. This study, therefore, undertakes an interventionist role to investigate the factors influencing agropreneurial intention among youth.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 May 2024

Ricardo Tejeiro, Neil Shortland, Alberto Paramio, Laurence Alison and José Luis González

We analyse the role of subject matter experts' experience in establishing performance benchmarks for ambiguous and unstructured police tasks.

Abstract

Purpose

We analyse the role of subject matter experts' experience in establishing performance benchmarks for ambiguous and unstructured police tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants included 156 students in the final week of their training to become commissioned officers of a police force (78.8% male, aged 21 to 54); 55.8% had previous experience as police officers, with 5–39 years of service (expert group). Participants completed an online questionnaire providing demographic data and responded to three written vignettes presenting critical high-ambiguity, time-pressure, and life-threatening situations.

Findings

Having prior police experience or being familiar with the situations presented in the vignettes did not impact the decisions made in two of the three vignettes. In the vignette where differences appeared, there was no clearly preferred option among the experts. Experts provided shorter and less elaborate justifications for their decisions compared to novices.

Originality/value

Overall experience and personal familiarity with situations do not appear to be sufficient conditions for identifying someone as an expert in this type of tasks. Results are discussed in relation to the difference between knowing what one should do and what one does due to stress and the moral or “sacred” values prevalent in police forces.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2024

Alshaymaa Foudah, May Tarek, Sarah Essam, Mostafa El Hawary, Kareem Adel and Mohamed Marzouk

This study aims to thoroughly explore and visualize the trends and developments of digital twin (DT) literature in the construction field while revealing future research…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to thoroughly explore and visualize the trends and developments of digital twin (DT) literature in the construction field while revealing future research directions for further exploration and exploitation.

Design/methodology/approach

The research follows a three-stage methodology. First, the bibliographic data is acquired using the Web of Science database. Second, the bibliometric methods are defined to include co-authorship analysis, citation analysis, keywords co-occurrence, thematic mapping while the software tools include MS Excel, VOSviewer and Biblioshiny. Third, analysis and findings include yearly DT publication output, influential DT publications, leading DT contributors, top DT sources and science mapping of DT literature.

Findings

This study identifies top-cited DT publications (35 out of 320) in terms of citations score, local citations score and document average citations per year. Furthermore, the key contributors with respect to authors (58 out of 1147), organizations (55 out of 427) and countries (19 out of 51) are recognized in terms of productivity, influence, activeness and scientific value. Similarly, the major publishing sources (24 out of 58) are identified using the same measures. Regarding science mapping, the DT domain comprises four research frontiers, namely, deep learning and smart city, internet of things and blockchain, DT and building information modeling and machine learning and asset management.

Originality/value

Through a mixed-review strategy, this study introduces a comprehensive analysis of DT literature while avoiding the subjectivity/cognitive bias of traditional review approaches. Moreover, it illuminates the promising and rising DT themes for new/seasoned researchers, institutions, editorial boards and funding agencies.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2024

Jinwei Zhao, Shuolei Feng, Xiaodong Cao and Haopei Zheng

This paper aims to concentrate on recent innovations in flexible wearable sensor technology tailored for monitoring vital signals within the contexts of wearable sensors and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to concentrate on recent innovations in flexible wearable sensor technology tailored for monitoring vital signals within the contexts of wearable sensors and systems developed specifically for monitoring health and fitness metrics.

Design/methodology/approach

In recent decades, wearable sensors for monitoring vital signals in sports and health have advanced greatly. Vital signals include electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, electromyography, inertial data, body motions, cardiac rate and bodily fluids like blood and sweating, making them a good choice for sensing devices.

Findings

This report reviewed reputable journal articles on wearable sensors for vital signal monitoring, focusing on multimode and integrated multi-dimensional capabilities like structure, accuracy and nature of the devices, which may offer a more versatile and comprehensive solution.

Originality/value

The paper provides essential information on the present obstacles and challenges in this domain and provide a glimpse into the future directions of wearable sensors for the detection of these crucial signals. Importantly, it is evident that the integration of modern fabricating techniques, stretchable electronic devices, the Internet of Things and the application of artificial intelligence algorithms has significantly improved the capacity to efficiently monitor and leverage these signals for human health monitoring, including disease prediction.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 44 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2024

Katja Eman, Damir Ivančić and Dejan Bagari

The purpose of the paper is to present the results of research in the region covered by the Murska Sobota Police Directorate based on semi-structured interviews we conducted with…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to present the results of research in the region covered by the Murska Sobota Police Directorate based on semi-structured interviews we conducted with community policing officers in the rural and urban areas of Pomurje.

Design/methodology/approach

Community policing is one of the more recent (yet hardly new) ways of ensuring security. It focuses on collaboration between citizens and the police, the joint identification of security issues and resolving them. Not long ago, it was established that policing varies depending on geographical criteria, specifically the urbanisation of the environment since police work in cities is often very narrowly specialised compared to in a rural environment. We were therefore interested in whether the Pomurje region also shows that it is easier to practise community policing in rural areas compared to cities.

Findings

The research results confirm previous findings; namely, that in urban areas approximately two-thirds of the population does not know the community policing officer, leading to the mutual cooperation between residents and the police being poorer than in rural areas. The conclusion describes ways of improving the established situation facing Pomurje.

Research limitations/implications

We see the limitations of the study in the peculiarities of the Pomurje region; therefore the results cannot be generalised and applied in areas of other police directorates.

Originality/value

The survey offers insight into rural and urban policing in the Pomurje region at the same time, focusing on possibilities for improvements.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 4 June 2024

Laura Manison and Catherine Rosenberg

This chapter explores the theme of symbolic violence (Bourdieu, 2001; Thapar-Björkert et al., 2016), a central theme in my doctoral thesis.My thesis looked at the experiences of a…

Abstract

This chapter explores the theme of symbolic violence (Bourdieu, 2001; Thapar-Björkert et al., 2016), a central theme in my doctoral thesis.

My thesis looked at the experiences of a group of female undergraduate students in their first year of Initial Teacher Education in Primary Education at the university where I teach. I explored the perceived choices my participants made in terms of choosing to become primary school teachers, arguing that symbolic violence is a controlling force in society so powerful and insidious that ‘individuals do not question their own role in the production and reproduction of domination and subordination’ (Thapar-Björkert et al., 2016, p. 9). Through class and gender, primary school teaching has insidiously presented itself to be a suitable profession for young women.

I position myself as a woman from working-class origins who made the choice to become a primary school teacher and who has recognised the impact of symbolic violence. As a result, some of this chapter is written from an autoethnographic perspective. My overarching methodological approach is narrative inquiry and I have used poetry to present my data throughout. My co-author, Catherine, was one of my doctoral supervisors and we were drawn together by our shared investment in narrative and the impact of early experiences on our subsequent selves. For this chapter, we present our own narrative poems describing the impact of symbolic violence on our own lives alongside that of the participants.

Details

Critical Perspectives on Educational Policies and Professional Identities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-332-9

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Extractive Industries, Social Licensing and Corporate Social Responsibility
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83549-127-0

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