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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of new and innovative crystallising materials, so-called moisture blockers, in protecting masonry structures from water ingress.

Two masonry wells were constructed: one with lime mortar and the other with cement-based mortar in order to hold water inside, and then a moisture blocking product was applied at dry and wet conditions to the negative hydrostatic pressure side. The moisture levels of both, the surfaces and the substrate, were then observed for 14 days.

Results demonstrated that moisture blocking materials are effective methods in reducing the levels of surface moisture for bricks, mortar-brick interface and mortar.

Moisture blockers use the available water in the masonry to block the passage of water to the surface of the masonry, filling pores, cracks and spaces at the interface between mortar and bricks. This approach will deliver a wider understanding of how water-based moisture blockers work and the scenarios in which they are best applied. The pursuit of possible environmentally friendly and sustainable materials for use in the construction industry is the key driver of this research.

There has been considerable interest in worksite health programmes to improve employee health and productivity with programme effectiveness possibly influenced by employment category and gender. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current quality of life (QOL), physical activity (PA) levels, sitting times, and barriers/motivators to undertaking PA between academic and professional, and male and female staff within a university workplace.

Participants (105 males, 192 females, n=297) employed as full-time staff of a regional university completed an online survey with differences between staff categories (academic vs professional) and genders identified via ANCOVA using sitting time and working hours as covariates. Relationships between variables were assessed using Spearman's Rank correlations.

Academic and male staff reported greater working hours (∼7-25 per cent, p<0.05) but similar QOL, seven-day total PA (∼3,600 MET-minutes per week) and sitting times (∼6-7 hours per day) compared to professional and female staff. The most common barriers for PA were lack of time or energy, with motivators including to feel good or improve health. Male staff reported these less frequently compared to females (∼13-25 per cent, p<0.05). Significant correlations between working hours and QOL (=−0.157 to −0.220, p<0.05), sitting time and QOL (=−0.195 to 0.171, p<0.05), and PA levels and QOL (=0.141-0.192, p<0.05) were identified for all staff.

The current study has demonstrated significant employment and gender differences in working hours with staff exhibiting similar QOL, PA and sitting levels. Gender differences in working hours, and PA barriers/motivators may provide important foci for the development of worksite health programmes to improve staff health and well-being.

Several research papers related to electricity price forecasting have been reported in the leading journals in last 20 years. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive survey and comparison of these techniques.

The present article provides an overview of the statistical short‐term price forecasting (STPF) models. The basic theory of these models, their further classification and their suitability to STPF has been discussed. Quantitative evaluation of the performance of these models in the framework of accuracy achieved and computation time taken has been performed. Some important observations of the literature survey and key issues regarding STPF methodologies are analyzed.

It has been observed that price forecasting accuracy of the reported models in day‐ahead markets is better as compared to that in real time markets. From a comparative analysis perspective, there is no hard evidence of out‐performance of one model over all other models on a consistent basis for a very long period. In some of the studies, linear models like dynamic regression and transfer function have shown superior performance as compared to non‐linear models like artificial neural networks (ANNs). On the other hand, recent variations in ANNs by employing wavelet transformation, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithm have shown considerable improvement in forecasting accuracy. However more complex models need further comparative analysis.

This paper is intended to supplement the recent survey papers, in which the researchers have restricted the scope to a bibliographical survey. Whereas, in this work, after providing detailed classification and chronological evolution of the STPF techniques, a comparative summary of various price‐forecasting techniques, across different electricity markets, is presented.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of various heat conditions on the durability of eggshell powder (ESP)–flyash (FA) geopolymer subjected to wetting–drying cycles.

In this study, two waste materials, ESP and FA, which are destined for landfills, were used as precursors to produce geopolymers in a sustainable manner. The mixture of Na₂SiO₃ and NaOH was used as a liquid alkaline activator in geopolymerization. The ESP and FA content were varied as 30, 50 and 70% and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH ratios were varied as 0.5, 1 and 2. Geopolymer samples were cured at three heat conditions: 25°C (ambient temperature), 50°C and 80°C for seven days prior to durability tests.

The results of this study revealed that the strength loss of the geopolymer decreases with an increase in curing temperature up to 50°C and then increases for higher temperature up to 80°C. Further, the strength loss of the geopolymer decreases with an increase in FA replacement and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH ratio. Geopolymer composites exhibited early strength development because of the inclusion of calcium-rich ESP. The weight loss of the ESP–FA geopolymer follows a similar pattern of strength loss. Geopolymer samples previously cured at optimum heat condition of 50°C for seven days exhibited higher durability.

The inclusion of calcium-rich ESP in FA-based geopolymer is novel research. As ESP–FA geopolymer composites show higher mechanical strength and higher durability compared to Indian standards, the potential use of this geopolymer can be in road subbases/subgrades.

Estimates are developed of the major macroeconomic aggregates – wages, land rents, interest rates, prices, factor shares, sectoral shares in output and employment, and real wages – for England by decade between 1209 and 2008. The efficiency of the economy in the years 1209–2008 is also estimated. One finding is that the growth of real wages in the Industrial Revolution era and beyond was faster than the growth of output per person. Indeed until recently the greatest recipient of modern growth in England has been unskilled workers. The data also create a number of puzzles, the principal one being the very high levels of output and efficiency estimated for England in the medieval era. These data are thus inconsistent with the general notion that there was a period of Smithian growth between 1300 and 1800 which preceded the Industrial Revolution, as expressed in such recent works as De Vries (2008).

Firms are able to reduce financing costs and/or increase the funds available for expansion by minimizing the amount of funds tied up in current assets. We provide insights into the performance of surveyed firms across key components of working capital management by using the CFO magazine’s annual Working Capital Management Survey. We discover that significant differences exist between industries in working capital measures across time. In addition, we discover that these measures for working capital change significantly within industries across time.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of physical proximity between schedulers and operators within manufacturing firms. In literature, a small distance between interdependent employees is assumed to be a prerequisite for a high level of coordination. This study investigates this assumption empirically for the relationship between scheduling and manufacturing and shows effects of proximity that are only partly in line with literature.

Consequences of relocating the scheduling department within a production firm are studied using a longitudinal case study approach. Data have been collected within three phases: before, three months after, and one year after the relocation.

Findings show that schedulers and operators communicate more face‐to‐face and less by phone after the relocation, especially during rescheduling. Furthermore, schedulers and operators perceived positive changes in ease of coordination and performance due to the relocation.

Scheduling and rescheduling are usually treated in literature as a mathematical puzzle to be solved. The authors do not contest this in itself, but the findings indicate that communication and collaboration are important aspects as well. In the case company, the possible negative aspects of close proximity, such as more interruptions, are offset by the advantages for rescheduling such as fast response and improved quality of communication. As the study was done in only one manufacturing firm, further research is needed to determine what firm characteristics specifically determine the appropriate location of the scheduling department.

The paper demonstrates the need to carefully design, manage, and facilitate the interface and critical task interdependencies between scheduling and manufacturing departments.

The paper contributes to operations management literature by providing a detailed empirical analysis concerning the effects of physical proximity between schedulers and manufacturing operators, including behavioural and organizational factors.

To summarize and compare both the methodology and findings of existing studies of patrol officer workload that have contributed to what is known about “downtime” (time not responding to citizen calls for service), and provide more standardized estimates of downtime for comparison purposes.

A total of 11 studies of police workload published between 1970 and 2001 that used data collected through either dispatch records or systematic social observations of police officers, and reported information regarding the amount and use of patrol officer downtime, are summarized and compared. The studies report information for 13 different (US) police departments and averages for the 24 departments studied in the Police Services Study (1977). A consistent measure of downtime is estimated for each study.

A consistent measure of downtime estimated for each study yields more similar results across studies than the originally reported findings suggest. For the studies that used data collected through dispatch records, the average amount of downtime is 70 percent of a patrol officer's shift, for the studies that used systematic social observation data 79 percent. Observations regarding the methodologies and contributions of workload studies are discussed.

Suggested changes in the reporting of future workload study findings would provide more accurate information and facilitate comparisons across studies, benefiting both researchers and police administrators.

These findings suggest patrol officers always have had, and continue to have, a lot of downtime available for restructuring.

Compiles, organizes, and compares information regarding what is known about the amount and use of patrol officer downtime, and suggests researchers and administrators consider approaching the study and use of downtime in new ways.

The past may be a foreign country, according to L.P. Hartley, but marketers seem to have secured resident alien status. Retro products, services, advertisements and pricing policies are everywhere apparent, as are heritage centres, mega‐brand museums, festival shopping malls and retrorestaurants like Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Café or Dick Clarke’s American Bandstand Grill. This paper examines the retro‐marketing phenomenon, notes its characteristics, causes and consequences, and makes some sure‐to‐prove‐erroneous predictions about the future of the past.