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Article
Publication date: 22 July 2014

Qingfeng Hu, Bin Lei, Kaifeng Ma and Tiesheng Wang

In order to study the laws of surface subsidence due to mining coal under thick alluvium of Quandian mine, two survey lines were designed on the surface above the first face. By…

Abstract

In order to study the laws of surface subsidence due to mining coal under thick alluvium of Quandian mine, two survey lines were designed on the surface above the first face. By analyzing the position of the maximum subsidence point of the tendency survey line, the zenith angle was obtained, and the correctness of taking bedrock thickness instead of average mining depth to design the position of the trend survey line in the mining area was confirmed; and based on the analyses of the measured data, the critical size of the gob full opening in the geological and mining conditions didn't follow the general law that the gob would reach the critical size when the panel has moved for a distance of 1.2H0 - 1.4H0. These results showed that the bedrock played a major role in the spread of whole overburden subsidence in the geological and mining conditions, while the loose layer had less affection. In addition, based on the analyses of the measured data, some rock movement parameters and probability integral prediction parameters of the surface subsidence of Quandian mine in the geological and mining conditions have been obtained. The study would have some important theoretical significance and practical guidance for implementing mining beneath buildings, water bodies and railways and prevent of this coal field as well as surface structure damage control.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 December 2020

Zhen Li, Shaowen Zhang, Qingfeng Meng and Xin Hu

The Chinese construction industry is experiencing a rapid growth these days. Due to the requirements of energy conservation, emission reduction and construction waste management…

1133

Abstract

Purpose

The Chinese construction industry is experiencing a rapid growth these days. Due to the requirements of energy conservation, emission reduction and construction waste management, the development of prefabricated buildings (PBs) has attracted much attention in the Chinese construction industry. However, the development of PBs are still in their infancy in China, which have been negatively impacted by many obstacles. It is of great significance to clarify and analyze these obstacles for the purpose of promoting the development of PBs in China. Due to the wideness and complex features of obstacles, the existing literature exploring the research topic lacks comprehensiveness. The purpose of this paper is to systematically identify and discuss the obstacles that hinder the development of PBs in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts the method of news report analysis based on the news reports retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and nine major portals in China. The Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) method of content analysis was used to rank the obstacles according to their importance.

Findings

A total of 79 obstacles to the development of PBs in China are identified, and the 79 obstacles are divided into 8 dimensions. Among the Top 20 obstacles, the government dimension accounted for the highest number of 5, the market and consumer dimension and development organization dimension were 4, Manufacturing Enterprise of Prefabricated Components (PCs) dimension, construction organization dimension and design organization dimension were 2, logistics enterprise dimension was 1, and industry association dimension was 0. Among them, the biggest obstacle is the high transportation costs.

Research limitations/implications

First, data collection may not be very comprehensive. Second, this paper is only based on the obstacles in the development of PBs in China, and the universality of the management conclusions needs to be further strengthened.

Practical implications

The research results help the stakeholders in the Chinese PBs industry to better understand the barriers hindering the industry development in a systemic way, which will help propose appropriate strategies to address these barriers.

Originality/value

This paper clarifies the obstacles of China's PBs and makes an analysis, which is of great value to the development of China's PBs.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 28 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2022

Zhen Li, Yutong Jin, Wenjing Li, Qingfeng Meng and Xin Hu

The impacts of COVID-19 on construction projects have attracted much attention in the construction management research community. Nevertheless, a systematic review of these…

1972

Abstract

Purpose

The impacts of COVID-19 on construction projects have attracted much attention in the construction management research community. Nevertheless, a systematic review of these studies is still lacking. The purpose of this paper is to systematically analyze the impacts of COVID-19 on the different stages of a project life-cycle, and comprehensively sort out the epidemic response measures adopted by project participants. In addition, the study also attempts to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by project management practitioners under the context of COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

This study comprehensively demonstrates the systematic review process of COVID-19 related research in the construction industry, systematically summarizes the research status of the impact of COVID-19 on construction projects, and defines the strategies to deal with COVID-19 in project management; and through the visualization research, determines the current key research topics and future research trends.

Findings

This study identifies 11 construction activities in the project management life cycle that are affected by COVID-19 and finds that the COVID-19 epidemic has the greatest impact on construction workers, construction standards, construction contracts and construction performance. The study further summarizes the six main epidemic countermeasures and mitigation measures taken within the construction industry following the arrival of the epidemic. In addition, the results of this study identify opportunities and future trends in intelligent construction technology, rapid manufacturing engineering and project management in the construction industry in the post-epidemic era through literature results, which also provide ideas for related research.

Practical implications

COVID-19 has brought severe challenges to society. It is of great significance for the future sustainable development of the construction industry to identify the impact of COVID-19 on all phases of the project and to promote the development of coping strategies by project stakeholders.

Originality/value

First of all, there is little study comprehensively reviewing the impacts of COVID-19 on the different stages of construction projects and the strategies to deal with the negative impacts. In addition, from a life cycle perspective, the used articles in this study were grouped into different categories based on project stages. This promotes an integrated and comprehensive understanding of historical studies. Moreover, on the basis of a comprehensive review, this paper puts forward future research directions to promote the sustainable development of the construction sector.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 September 2019

Qingfeng Chen, Zhe Zhao, Wei Lan, Ruchang Zhang and Jiahai Liang

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proved to be a significant type of non-coding RNAs related to various human diseases. This paper aims to identify the potential miRNA–disease…

Abstract

Purpose

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proved to be a significant type of non-coding RNAs related to various human diseases. This paper aims to identify the potential miRNA–disease interactions.

Design/methodology/approach

A computational framework, MDIRM is presented to predict miRNAs-disease interactions. Unlike traditional approaches, the miRNA function similarity is calculated by miRNA–disease interactions. The k-mean method is further used to cluster miRNA similarity network. For miRNAs in the same cluster, their similarities are enhanced, as the miRNAs from the same cluster may be reliable. Further, the potential miRNA–disease association is predicted by using recommend method.

Findings

To evaluate the performance of our model, the fivefold cross validation is implemented to compare with two state-of-the-art methods. The experimental results indicate that MDIRM achieves an AUC of 0.926, which outperforms other methods.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a novel computational method for miRNA–disease interaction prediction based on recommend method. Identifying the relationship between miRNAs and diseases not only helps us better understand the disease occurrence and mechanism through the perspective of miRNA but also promotes disease diagnosis and treatment.

Details

Information Discovery and Delivery, vol. 48 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-6247

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2020

Wenchao Duan, Siqi Yin, Wenhong Liu, Jian Yang, Qingfeng Zhu, Lei Bao, Ping Wang, Jianzhong Cui and Zhiqiang Zhang

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of pulsed magnetic field (PMF) with different duty cycles on the melt flow and heat transfer behaviors during direct-chill…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of pulsed magnetic field (PMF) with different duty cycles on the melt flow and heat transfer behaviors during direct-chill (DC) casting of large-size magnesium alloy billet and find the appropriate range of duty cycle.

Design/methodology/approach

A transient two-dimensional mathematical model coupled electromagnetic field, flow field and thermal field, is conducted to study the melt flow and temperature field under PMF and compared with that under the harmonic magnetic field.

Findings

The results reveal that melt vibration and fluctuation are generated due to the instantaneous impact of repeated thrust and pull effects of Lorentz force under PMF. The peak of Lorentz force decreases greatly with the increasing duty cycle, but the melt fluctuation region is expanded with higher duty cycle, which accelerates the interior melt velocity and reduces the temperature gradient at the liquid-solid interface. However, PMF with overly high duty cycle has adverse effect on the melt convection and limited influence on the interior melt. A duty cycle of 20% to 50% is a reasonable range.

Practical implications

This paper can provide guiding significance for the setting of duty cycle parameters on DC casting under PMF.

Originality/value

There are few reports on the effect of PMF parameters during DC casting with applying PMF, especially for duty cycle, a parameter unique to PMF. The findings will be helpful for applying the external field of PMF on DC casting.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2020

Qingfeng Meng, Yifan Zhang, Zhen Li, Weixiang Shi, Jun Wang, Yanhui Sun, Li Xu and Xiangyu Wang

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the current applications of BIM, the integration of related technologies and the tendencies and challenges systematically.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the current applications of BIM, the integration of related technologies and the tendencies and challenges systematically.

Design/methodology/approach

Using quantitative and qualitative bibliometric statistical methods, the current mode of interaction between BIM and other related technologies is summarized.

Findings

This paper identified 24 different BIM applications in the life cycle. From two perspectives, the implementation status of BIM applications and integrated technologies are respectively studied. The future industry development framework is drawn comprehensively. We summarized the challenges of BIM applications from the perspectives of management, technology and promotion, and confirmed that most of the challenges come from the two driving factors of promotion and management.

Research limitations/implications

The technical challenges reviewed in this paper are from the collected literature we have extracted, which is only a part of the practical challenges and not comprehensive enough.

Practical implications

We summarized the current mode of interactive use of BIM and sorted out the challenges faced by BIM applications to provide reference for the risks and challenges faced by the future industry.

Originality/value

There is little literature to integrate BIM applications and to establish BIM related challenges and risk frameworks. In this paper, we provide a review of the current implementation level of BIM and the risks and challenges of stakeholders through three aspects of management, technology and promotion.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 27 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2023

Muhammad Waqas, Meng Qingfeng, Naveed Ahmad and Muzaffar Iqbal

Environmental sanctions and pressure from governments and customers can play an essential role in driving the manufacturing industry to adopt more sustainable practices and reduce…

Abstract

Purpose

Environmental sanctions and pressure from governments and customers can play an essential role in driving the manufacturing industry to adopt more sustainable practices and reduce their environmental impact. Thus, this study explores how pressures from customers and governments influence sustainable firm performance and customer satisfaction through green production, green creativity, green brand innovativeness and green brand image in the Chinese manufacturing industry? Further, the moderating role of green knowledge was analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

640 valid responses from the Chinese manufacturing industry were collected through web-based and physical surveys and later assessed through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings of this study validated the direct relationship between the proposed construct. Mediation analysis found the mediating role of green brand innovativeness, green brand image green and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the moderating impact of green knowledge was also proved.

Originality/value

The empirical findings of this research filled the literature gap on cleaner production and sustainable firm performance by focusing on green production, green creativity and green knowledge in the Chinese manufacturing industry context.

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Tong Wen, Jieyi Li and Zengxian Liang

The purpose of this paper is to explore self-management among informal tourism employees in urban China with the theoretical basis of Jianghu and reveal the forming process and…

1872

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore self-management among informal tourism employees in urban China with the theoretical basis of Jianghu and reveal the forming process and operation mechanism of China’s urban informal organizations’ self-management.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts process–event analysis of informal tourism photographers surrounding Guangzhou Tower. Conducting field inspection and in-depth interviews, the forming process is analyzed and typical events are captured to unveil this self-management mechanism.

Findings

The self-management of informal tourism employees in China is based on the Jianghu theory, which specifies the role, obligation and responsibility of a member. These above rely on word-of-mouth order or implicit ways to treat newcomers, realize internal communication and deal with public affairs. Brotherhood, benevolence and etiquette make up the core values of the Jianghu theory that advises strategies in dealing with different events. This self-management, based on the Jianghu theory, has not only effectively solved internal conflicts, but has also achieved the goal of social management.

Originality/value

Informal employees’ self-management is extremely important due to the high cost of government intervention. Through China’s urban informal tourism employees’ Jianghu-styled self-management, the paper shows that the government should not crack down on this group indiscriminately. Instead, it should, through the management agent, set up effective Jianghu rules to realize regular control over this group.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2023

Qianling Jiang, Zheng Wang and Jie Sun

The rise of interactive fitness games in the post-epidemic era has resulted in the need to establish a quality evaluation index system. This study aims to develop such a system…

Abstract

Purpose

The rise of interactive fitness games in the post-epidemic era has resulted in the need to establish a quality evaluation index system. This study aims to develop such a system and provide a reference for enhancing the quality of interactive fitness games.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this, interviews and questionnaires were conducted to identify the factors that influence the quality of interactive fitness games. The Kano model and SII (Satisfaction Increment Index)-Dissatisfaction Decrement Index (DDI) two-dimensional quadrant analysis were then used to explore differences in quality judgment between males and females, as well as their priorities for improving interactive fitness games.

Findings

The study revealed that males and females have different quality judgments for “rich and diverse content,” “motivational value,” “sensitive motion recognition detection” and “portability.” However, both genders share similar views on the other quality factors. In addition, the study identified differences in the priority of improvement between men and women. “Very interesting,” “effective fitness achievement,” “motivating fitness maintenance,” “sensitive motion recognition detection,” “portability” and “educational value” were found to be of higher priority for men than women.

Originality/value

These findings provide a valuable theoretical reference for developers and designers of interactive fitness games seeking to enhance the user experience.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2017

Saeid Jorfi, Khalil Md Nor and Lotfi Najjar

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the current discussion on strategic alignment of information technology and business (strategic alignment) by developing a model for…

1308

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the current discussion on strategic alignment of information technology and business (strategic alignment) by developing a model for conceptualizing how strategic alignment can be enabled through of IT flexibility and IT capability.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire instrument was created to measure the constructs and it was assessed in a pretest and two pilot-tests. The main data set was collected from IT managers (or similar titles) of medium- and large-sized firms.

Findings

Strategic alignment seems to be moving closer to firms’ core activity in today’s business environment. The findings revealed that strategic alignment was significantly affected by four dimensions of IT flexibility and IT capability. Furthermore, the significant role of two dimensions of IT flexibility in IT capability was supported.

Research limitations/implications

Single key informants were used for data collection that could be a potential limitation.

Practical implications

It seems likely that firms will benefit from the results to manage and control their scarce IT resources more effectively for aligning IT with business strategies, goals and needs.

Originality/value

Strategic alignment has become a more complex and unstructured phenomenon and many firms are still considering how to reconcile to it. Furthermore, the lack of empirical examination of IT flexibility and IT capability in relation to strategic alignment from important perspectives, and the lack of research of the dimensions of IT flexibility for supporting IT capability, determines the purpose of this study.

Details

Journal of Systems and Information Technology, vol. 19 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1328-7265

Keywords

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