Labor Efficiency Research Articles

Impact of an enterprise controlled substance management system on labor and inventory costs.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. To evaluate the impact of an enterprise controlled substance (ECS) management system with integration of analytics software on labor requirements and inventory cost within a health-system pharmacy. A prospective, pre-post observational study was designed to assess the impact of implementing a solution that connects disparate systems with the integration of analytics software. Three study modules were implemented over approximately 18 months. The intervention consisted of implementation of new CS vaults, a centralized server, an automated central medication inventory system, and inventory optimization analytics software. The number of transactions and time spent on CS reports were compared before and after implementation to determine labor and inventory efficiencies. Both of the study facilities had a decrease in CS daily stockouts and an increase in inventory turns compared to baseline, while the total number of transactions (vends) at the central vault and decentralized dispensing cabinets increased. The addition of analytics allowed for establishment of informed changes to periodic automated replenishment levels. Additionally, both facilities saw a reduction in the number of expired medications, and there was subsequently a reduction in the total reverse distributor costs. Finally, both facilities had a reduction in the amount of time spent on manual tasks associated with reconciling and managing discrepancies. An inventory management system integrated with an advanced analytics tool provided a reduction in the time spent on receiving, storing, and reconciling CS records while the number of transactions increased. The ECS solution enhanced the visibility of the chain of custody while closing the loop between reporting and receiving inventory, eliminating or reducing the frequency of manual processes.

Evaluation of the Impact of the Internet of Things on Postal Service Efficiency in Slovakia

This paper investigates the impact of technological advancements, particularly the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT), on the efficiency and productivity of the postal service industry in Slovakia. By employing the Cobb–Douglas production function, we analyze the relationship between key inputs—capital and labor—and output for six major postal service providers: Slovak Post, Packeta, DHL Express, DPD, TNT Express, and GLS. Using data from 2017 to 2021, this study quantifies the elasticities of capital and labor to assess how IoT adoption influences operational performance. The regression analysis reveals significant variations in input contributions across companies, highlighting the diverse effects of IoT integration. Findings suggest that while some companies benefit more from capital investments in technology, others rely heavily on labor efficiency. These insights offer valuable implications for policymakers and industry stakeholders aiming to optimize resource allocation and enhance productivity through technological innovation.

Labour rights protection and export expansion: Evidence from SA8000 certification

Protecting labour rights is an important approach to shaping the new advantages of trade competition and achieving high-quality development of China’s export trade. This paper considers SA8000 certification as the criterion for labour rights protection and manually collects information from firms certified by the National Certification and Accreditation Administration of China. Next, we investigate the effects of SA8000 certification on firm exports. The results show that SA8000 certification significantly expands the export scale while improving export quality. The mechanism analysis shows that the improvement effects are achieved in three ways: reducing operating costs, improving social reputation and increasing labour efficiency. Moreover, the positive effects of SA8000 certification are more profound for resource-intensive firms, non-state-owned firms and large firms. Our study provides an important reference for safeguarding labour rights and reconstructing new competitive advantages in exports.

A logistic model for precise tomato fruit-growth prediction based on diameter-time evolution

Monitoring tomato fruit growth in large greenhouse environments is crucial for estimating harvest volume and maximising labour efficiency. Mathematical modelling is commonly used to characterise crop and fruit growth and to understand crop responses to environmental influences. This study presents a logistic approach for estimating tomato fruit maturity based on fruit diameter. A set of logistic models were evaluated, and their precision and ability to forecast tomato fruit growth were analysed. Non-linear least square regression was used to fit each model to individual tomato fruits from a sample of over 600 fruits of two species (small and large fruit-bearing tomatoes) grown within one year. The focus was on fruit diameter and the necessary measurement precision for fruit maturity estimation. Low-dispersion variables were identified within our logistic model functions, and fruit species-specific model parameters were determined. Furthermore, we reduced the number of regression variables by identifying parameters of low variance. This allowed for high prediction precision (>80%) at the early fruit maturity stages (<30%). The fruit diameter data were collected manually using a caliper. Our results establish an upper limit for the measurement precision of automated fruit size estimation approaches utilising photogrammetry, with an optical range of 98% for 3 mm and 90% for 5 mm precision.

Identification of the genetic background of laboratory rats through amplicon-based next-generation sequencing for single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping

BackgroundLaboratory rats, as model animals, have been extensively used in the fields of life science and medicine. It is crucial to routinely monitor the genetic background of laboratory rats. The conventional approach relies on gel electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis (CE) technologies. However, the experimental and data analysis procedures for both of these methods are time consuming and costly.ResultsWe established a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing scheme using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to address the genetic background ambiguity in laboratory rats. This methodology involved three rounds of PCR and two rounds of magnetic bead selection to improve the quality of the sequencing data. We simultaneously analysed 100 laboratory rats (including rats of 5 inbred strains and 2 in-house closed colonies), and the sequencing depth varied from an average of 108.25 to 5189.89, with sample uniformity ranging from 82.5 to 97.5%. A total of 98.9% of the amplicons were successfully genotyped (≥ 30 reads). Genetic background analysis revealed that all 38 experimental rats from the 5 inbred strains were successfully identified (without a heterozygous allele). For the 2 in-house closed colonies, the average heterozygosity (0.162 and 0.169) deviated from the typical range of 0.5–0.7, indicating a departure from the ideal heterozygosity level. Additionally, we employed multiplex PCR-CE to validate the NGS-based method, which yielded consistent results for all the rat strains. These results demonstrated that this approach significantly improves efficiency, saves time, reduces costs and ensures accuracy.ConclusionBy utilizing NGS technology, our developed method leverages SNP genotyping for genetic background identification in laboratory rats, demonstrating advantages in terms of labour efficiency and cost-effectiveness, thereby rendering it well suited for projects involving extensive sample cohorts.

Creating Positive Customers Evaluation: The Impact of Efficient CRM Processes on Increasing Client Satisfaction

Commodity creation took precedence over endurance as the industrial revolution of the first half of the twentieth century led to the digitization of industrial techniques. Subsequently, the focus shifted to promotional elements that gave priority to consumer satisfaction. The technological advancements of the 20th century and globalization have brought humans to the highest levels of the asset organization, which has had a profound impact on employment. Ancient Hindu texts such as demonstrate the importance of human resources and demonstrate that structured management of human personnel dates back thousands of years. However, the first signs of the evolution of Hrd (human capital administration) approaches date back to the 1780 factory insurrection. During this time, technological breakthroughs necessitated improved work practices, productivity, and quality. The financial advantages of splitting of labor were discussed by Smith (1776) in his work “An Enquiry into the Causes and Nature of Wealth of Nations.” He suggested that specialization could increase the efficiency of labor. He perceived three benefits from a separation of labor: skill growth, time savings, and the ability to use specialized instruments. The creative endeavor of Owen (1825) demonstrates the significance of individuals in the operation of businesses. He maintained that one of the most effective expenditures managements can make is money invested in personnel development. Babbage (1832) investigated and developed the concept of specialization of labor in an even more thorough matching of individual expertise and abilities with particular tasks, based on his work, he came to that conclusion. As the work of Taylor (1911) tried to codify worker situations, procedures, methods, and tacit talents into concrete norms and formulae, a revolutionary shift occurred in the realm of interpersonal management practices. Research on the connection among productivity and the workplace was first undertaken by Mayo and his colleagues in 1927–1932. Barnard (1938) and other researchers followed up on these groundbreaking studies, which completely changed the realm of hiring and firing methods. The controversy about if effective human resources management is just jargon or a real concept is still up for debate, despite the fact that there has been a sizable body of literature on the subject. By analyzing the level of strategic HRM implementation and its effects on organizational performance in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, this report aimed to expand the scope of previous research. The stated goal of the multi-respondent survey, which included 21 manufacturing organizations in the nation of Nigeria, had been to find a fit among corporate success and strategic staffing practices. The data obtained was evaluated using descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and correlational analysis. Results indicate that production enterprises in Nigeria employed moderate amounts of tactical HRM. Findings also show this path The main tactical human resources procedures that affect the effectiveness of organizations in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector are management devolution, creative hiring and hiring methods, ongoing workers education and training, based on shares compensation, performance appraisal, professional development, and active employee involvement in decisions and actions. It follows that businesses involved in production should focus more on these procedures in order to enhance their use throughout the sector.

Cultivation Strategies to Modify Biomass Partitioning and Improve Yield in Controlled-environment Production of High-cannabidiol Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.)

Two common challenges reported by cannabis growers are low yields and small profit margins. Although recent research of cannabis yield has focused on lighting and nutrition, little research has examined how changes in other cultivation practices may be beneficial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the following two techniques to potentially improve yield: fertilizer restriction (FR) to reduce plant size and, thus, increase plant density and shoot number manipulation (SNM) to reduce shoot length and improve biomass partitioning. The FR technique involves leaching the substrate and providing only tap water for 0, 1, or 2 weeks at the start of flower initiation, whereas SNM involves pinching shoot tips 2, 3, or 4 times to produce 4, 8, or 16 shoots/plant, respectively. This study used a full factorial treatment design for a total of nine treatments (three FR × three SNM). Plants were flowered under 12-hour photoperiods for 8 weeks and then destructively harvested for data collection. The results demonstrated that both techniques improve plant productivity in different ways. The FR technique reduced all mass measurements (g/plant) and decreased plant area (m2/plant); therefore, the yield metrics (kg·m−2) increased with the increasing FR treatments. The SNM technique did not affect plant area, but more pinching events resulted in a decrease in reproductive shoot length (cm/shoot) and an increase in inflorescence to trim the dry mass ratio (inflorescence:trim). Shorter shoot lengths are desirable for eliminating trellis support netting, which helps growers reduce material costs and improve labor efficiency during harvest. Increasing the inflorescence:trim may also reduce labor costs related to trimming, which comprise the largest cost of production by many growers. Although both techniques offer advantages, there are trade-offs that must be considered in the context of overall profitability.

Productivity, the humanization of work, and the future of labor: insights from industrial psychology in late socialist Yugoslavia and Romania

ABSTRACT Industrial psychology in socialist Yugoslavia and Romania is a relevant source for both labor history and the history of science/intellectual history. In this paper, we lay down the intellectual and institutional foundations of the discipline in the two contexts, including the envisaged roles for industrial psychologists working in factories and plans for expanding the profession. We argue that industrial psychologists defined the pursuit of labor productivity on the shopfloor as not just a matter of economic calculation, but also as a matter of workers’ self-realization. Their perspective on workers went beyond the measurement of their abilities and skills, taking into consideration personality features as well as inter-personal relations. In research conducted to support creativity and battle monotony at work, industrial psychologists also broadened the understanding of labor efficiency to encompass the pursuit of workers’ satisfaction. We show that research in industrial psychology was part of a broader drive to theorize work and the future of labor under socialism. Discussions of issues such as the scientific-technological revolution, the second industrial revolution, AI, cybernetization, automation, and narcomania, which we analyze in the final part of the paper, represent a rich source of Marxist intellectual reflection on the topic of labor in late socialist Eastern Europe.

Optimizing Small-Scale Farming: A Review of Manually Operated Vegetable Seed Sowing Machine Performance

Small-scale farming plays a crucial role in global vegetable production, particularly in regions where resources and mechanized equipment are limited. Traditional manual sowing methods are labor-intensive and often result in inconsistent seed placement, leading to suboptimal crop yields. This review paper examines the performance of manually operated vegetable seed sowing machines as a means to optimize small-scale farming practices. By analyzing recent advancements and evaluating key performance metrics—such as field capacity, seed placement accuracy, labor efficiency, and cost-effectiveness—this review highlights how these machines can enhance productivity and reduce labor costs. The paper also discusses the influence of various design features on machine performance, including seed metering mechanisms, furrow openers, and ergonomic considerations. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and case studies, this review aims to provide insights into the effectiveness of these machines and offer recommendations for future improvements to better support small-scale farmers. The findings underscore the potential of manually operated seed sowing machines to contribute significantly to the optimization of vegetable production in resource-constrained settings. Keywords: Small-Scale Farming, Manually Operated Machines, Seed Sowing Performance, Field Capacity, Labor Efficiency, Cost-Effectiveness, Machine Design, Ergonomics, Manual Sowing Techniques, Agricultural Innovation, Performance Metrics

Legal Challenges through the Theory of Harmony of Labor and Capital Interests

This article explores the relationship between labor and capital interests through the lens of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s scientific management theory and Georgian legal frameworks. It examines how harmonizing these interests can address organizational conflicts and enhance labor efficiency and capital growth. The concept of “interest” plays a critical role in this analysis. In a broader sense, interest reflects an individual’s motivation and engagement with various subjects, shaped by their legal, social and economic context. Interest pertains to production relationships and the distribution of resources, influencing how labor and capital interact within a corporate setting. Optimizing work processes can align employee and employer goals, fostering a more equitable distribution of wealth. The analysis highlights the role of interest in legal contexts and the importance of compliance in managing conflicts. Organizations can improve governance and achieve a balanced, productive work environment by integrating scientific management with fiduciary duties and ethical practices.

Typology of Production Units for Improving Banana Agronomic Management in Ecuador

Ecuador is one of the world’s leading banana exporters; however, low productivity resulting from inadequate agronomic management requires an analysis of banana production units. This study aimed to define the types of banana production units based on the different agronomic management practices adopted by producers in two Ecuadorian provinces. Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) for 2021 were used, with a sample of 319 production units. Principal component and cluster analyses were applied to identify the different types of production units, resulting in four types: high technology conventional (Cluster 1), balanced conventional (Cluster 2), intensive conventional (Cluster 3), and agroecological (Cluster 4). It is important to highlight that 58% of the production units are intensive conventional and use an average of 3.5 management practices, with 98% using fertilizers, 100% using fungicides and pesticides, and 45% using improved genotypes. In contrast, agroecological production is still incipient in Ecuador (4.7%). Regression analysis showed that waste is important in high-yield production units in the three clusters. In addition, Cluster 2 relied on regional factors, family labor, and irrigation efficiency, while in intensive conventional farms (Cluster 3), banana yield was related to fungicide application. Therefore, public policies should be customized according to cluster-specific characteristics to optimize agronomic management practices and facilitate their transfer among groups.

Gender diversity and profit efficiency of microfinance institutions: A Sub-Saharan study.

Irrespective of the promising opportunity to improve profit efficiency by at least 73%, microfinance institutions operating in Sub-Saharan Africa are efficient only for 27%, far below the average value. The conclusion is drawn after analyzing the profit efficiency of the microfinance institutions using the stochastic frontier approach applied to data obtained from 128 microfinance institutions operating in 34 Sub-Saharan African countries. The study results suggest the presence of uniform profit efficiency experience across time among microfinance institutions. Microfinance institutions operating in low-income countries and credit union form microfinance are economically more efficient than their counterparts. Furthermore, the profit efficiency of microfinance institutions is significantly affected by total assets, cost per loan, loan per staff, legal status, and the county's income group of microfinance. Notably, the profit efficiency of microfinance institutions is adversely affected by the presence of female borrowers and female loan officers suggesting that gender diversity plays a role in the efficiency of microfinance institutions. Finally, we recommend that the managing body of microfinance work more on improving labor efficiency, earning asset utilization, loan collection efficiency, women's involvement and the hottest technology implementation.

The Training Systems Affect Fruit Quality, Yield, and Labor Efficiency in Peach (P. persica L. Batsch)

In the Vase system, the most common training system for peach-growing countries for more than a century, light distribution to the canopy is uneven, and access to the canopy for pruning, thinning, and harvest labor is difficult. It is important to identify alternative systems to the Vase system considering the cultivar and growing environment to facilitate labor and enhance productivity and quality. In Türkiye, one of the important centers of peach growing worldwide, detailed research has yet to be published on the applicability of training systems alternative to the widely used Vase system. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different training systems (Vase, Catalan Vase, Quad-V, Tri-V) on growth, yield, fruit quality, and labor costs of peach cultivars (Extreme® 314, Extreme® 436, Extreme® 568). The experiment was conducted from 2017 to 2022. Although the distance between rows in all training systems is 5 m, the distance between trees on the row is determined as 4 m in Vase, 3 m in Catalan Vase, 2.5 m in Quad-V, and 2 m in Tri-V. In the experiment, vegetative development parameters, such as canopy volume, trunk sectional area, and the amount of winter pruning weights, differed according to the training system. In the final year, the Vase system, which produces the most pruning weight, generates 48.0% more pruning weight compared with the Tri-V system, which produces the least. Concerning yield per tree and hectare, trained to the Vase system yielded higher fruit per tree regardless of cultivar, while the Quad-V and Tri-V systems yielded more fruit per hectare. The training system and cultivar affected the fruit size; the largest fruits were obtained from the Extreme® 568 cultivar trained according to the Vase system. The most time needed for winter pruning was obtained from the Vase (79.4 min/tree) system, and the Tri-V (57.4 min/tree) and Quad-V (60.3 min/tree) systems required the least time. The Catalan Vase (31.1 min/tree) system required the least time for summer pruning. The most fruit harvest in an hour was obtained from the trees trained according to the Tri-V (164.5 kg/h) and Quad-V (132.02 kg/h) systems. These results suggest that Quad-V and Catalan Vase systems performed well and could be alternatives to the Vase system.

Identifying strategies to enhance the milking and operator efficiency of herringbone and rotary parlor systems in Ireland

International trends of increasing dairy herd sizes coupled with scarcity of labor has necessitated the enhancement of labor efficiency for dairy production systems. This study quantified the effects of infrastructure, automation, and management practices on the milking and operator efficiency of herringbone and rotary parlors used on pasture-based farms in Ireland. Data from 592 milkings across 26 farms (16 herringbones and 10 rotaries) was used. The metrics of cows milked per hour (cows/h), cows milked per operator per hour (cows/h per operator) and liters of milk harvested per hour (L/h) described milking efficiency. The metrics of total process time per cow (TPT, s/cow), milk process time per cow (MPT, s/cow), work routine time (WRT, s/cow), cluster time (CT, s/cluster), and attachment time per cow (ATC, s/cow) described operator efficiency. Automations investigated were backing gates, cluster flush, plant wash, cluster removers (ACRs), feeders, entry gates, rapid-exit, and teat spray. Additional operator presence at milking was also investigated. Herringbone and rotary parlors were assigned to quartiles from their cows/h per operator values to examine infrastructure, automations, and management practices variations. Fourth quartile herringbones based on cows/h per operator values (Q4) averaged 93 cows/h per operator using average system sizes of 24 clusters with 5 parlor automations. Q4 rotaries averaged 164 cows/h per operator using average system sizes of 47 clusters and an average CT of 13 s/cluster. Cows/h per operator values for Q4 herringbone and rotary parlors were 82% and 54% higher, respectively, than values observed on Q1 parlors, indicating the considerable potential to improve efficiency. To determine if infrastructure, automations, or additional operators at milking significantly affected operator efficiencies, general linear mixed models were developed. For parlor infrastructure, additional clusters had greater significance on operator efficiencies (MPT) for herringbones (-1.3 s/cow) as opposed to rotaries (-0.2 s/cow). Hence, increases in system size was likely to result in improved efficiencies for herringbones but less so for rotaries. For automations, ACRs significantly reduced herringbone TPT, CT, and WRT values by 13.3 s/cow, 18.9 s/cluster, and 32.6 s/cow, respectively, whereas rapid-exit significantly lowered CT by 18.6 s/cluster. We found no significant effect on rotary TPT, MPT, CT, or WRT values from the use of automatic teat sprayers. An additional operator at milking was found to significantly reduce herringbone TPT but not MPT or CT. For rotaries, a second operator had no significant effect on TPT, MPT, CT, or WRT values. We documented strong negative correlations between operator efficiencies (TPT, MPT) and milking efficiency (cows/h) for both herringbone (-0.91, -0.84) and rotaries (-0.98, -0.89). Strong negative correlations between the herringbone automation count and TPT (-0.80), MPT (-0.72), and CT (-0.75) suggested highly automated parlors were likely to achieve greater operator efficiencies than less automated parlors. The strong negative correlation (-0.81) between rotary milking efficiency (cows/h) and CT suggested lower CT values (i.e., rotation speed) resulted in increased milking efficiency. In conclusion, our study quantified the effects of parlor infrastructure, automation, and management practices on the milking and operator efficiency of herringbone and rotary parlors.

Personnel motivation in the sphere of business management

Introduction. The paper deals with the peculiarities of personnel motivation in the field of business management that organization and use of values management help to strengthen the value of staff identity and is focused on the formation of the value system in the company as a whole. The purpose of the paper is to study of the personnel motivation system in the field of business management. Results. The result of the study is the generalization and systematization of the concepts of management of value staff. According to the results of the study, dominant trends in the organizational behavior of employees were revealed, depending on their level and tendency to changes in work. Increasing labor productivity and efficiency can be achieved by using your own potential through a motivational mechanism and makes work interesting. The peculiarities of changes in the work used by employees in organizations do not allow them to reduce the stress of working with people, which inevitably leads to psycho-emotional burnout. The methods used allow to provide the risks of professional burnout, the dismissal of the employee and the reduction of qualitative indicators, as well as to determine the dominant strategy of rethinking their organizational behavior. Conclusion. Value management integrates economic (labor efficiency) and psychological (involvement, relationships, satisfaction from work). It is an integral part of a developed organizational culture and becomes available only at a certain stage of the company's life cycle. The management of values based on a resource approach allows the leader to improve the economic indicators of the organization at the expense of personal resources of employees (through their involvement, identification of personal values with values of the organization) without the use of additional financial incentives and penalties.

Sustainable Development of Entrepreneurship through Operational Risk Management: The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility

The goal of this paper was to study the role of corporate social responsibility (by the example of responsible HRM) in the sustainable development of entrepreneurship through operational risk management. The correlation analysis method was used to find a close connection between the number of employees and operational risks to international companies from “Global 500” in 2021–2023. The regression analysis method was used to compile the economic and mathematical model of the sustainable development of international entrepreneurship, which demonstrated wide opportunities for operational risk management through responsible HRM. The method of trend analysis allowed determining scenarios of the sustainable development of international entrepreneurship, which demonstrated that in the Decade of Action, the success of operational risk management is largely determined by the activity of the use of responsible HRM practices. The main conclusion is that responsible HRM facilitates the reduction of operational risks to modern companies, but practices of responsible HRM have different impacts on operational risks to companies: some practices (creation of knowledge-intensive jobs and stimulation of the innovative activity of employees through support for research talents) reduce operational risks, while some practices (stimulation of the growth of labor efficiency and attraction of female researchers to the staff) have a contradictory impact, and other practices (development of human capital through corporate training) increase operational risks. The theoretical significance is because the paper discloses the previously unknown consequences of responsible HRM as a special sphere of manifestation of corporate social responsibility for the operational risks of companies. The practical significance is because the compiled scenarios disclose the perspective of the sustainable development of companies through the improvement of the management of their operational risks based on responsible HRM. The managerial significance is that the proposed recommendations from the authors for the practical implementation of the optimistic scenario can be milestones for companies and can be used to improve the practice of operational risk management of companies.

Lathe Workshop Layout Design Analysis Using Blocplan and SLP Methods

An inappropriate layout can result in excessive material movement and increase costs significantly. Therefore, it is important to carefully plan the facility layout so that related activities can be coordinated according to the applicable departments and workflows. Sinar Abadi Lathe Workshop is a company engaged in the machining business, especially in the lathe process. This process involves working with materials by cutting or modifying workpieces using a lathe. This research analyses the layout of the lathe workshop using the SLP and BLOCPLAN methods in order to reduce moving costs, and optimism the use of space in the context of the lathe workshop. The implementation of the BLOCPLAN method in the lathe shop showed labor efficiency with less labor required per production cycle compared to the initial layout. However, a complete change from the original layout may result in higher moving costs. This highlights the importance of cost considerations in choosing a layout method. For layout changes with minimal moving costs, the SLP Layout is proposed as a cost-efficient alternative, as it considers various factors, including distance, material transportation, and labor requirements in planning the layout.

Construction of Virtual Simulation Experiment Platform for Intelligent Construction Based on Statistical Machine Learning System Modelling

In the construction of a virtual simulation experiment platform for intelligent construction, cutting-edge technologies converge to revolutionize traditional project management methodologies. By harnessing the power of virtual reality, statistical modeling, and machine learning, this platform empowers stakeholders to predict, optimize, and simulate construction projects with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. This paper introduces the Virtual Statistical Machine Learning (VS-ML) platform and demonstrates its application in intelligent construction processes. Through comprehensive experimentation and simulation, the VS-ML platform accurately estimates construction project parameters, optimizes resource utilization, schedules tasks efficiently, and classifies project outcomes with high accuracy. Numerical results from our study showcase the platform's effectiveness in various aspects of construction project management. For instance, in construction projects estimation, scenarios ranging from Scenario 1 to Scenario 10 exhibit project durations between 100 to 150 days, cost estimates ranging from $470,000 to $550,000, and safety ratings varying from "Good" to "Excellent". Furthermore, labor efficiency and material waste estimations across scenarios demonstrate percentages ranging from 85% to 93% and 3% to 7%, respectively, with corresponding safety ratings. Additionally, task computations elucidate the durations, start dates, end dates, and resource allocations for individual tasks within construction projects. Lastly, classification results exhibit the predicted probabilities and class labels for samples, showcasing the platform's ability to accurately predict project outcomes. Overall, the findings underscore the potential of VS-ML in revolutionizing traditional construction practices through data-driven approaches, leading to improved project management, cost savings, and enhanced safety standards in the construction industry.

Feeding the future: 3D food printing as a strategic response to labor scarcity

PurposeThis paper aims to address the critical labor shortage in the food industry by exploring the potential of 3D food printing technology as a strategic solution. The study investigates how 3D food printing can enhance productivity, reduce labor costs, and offer innovative applications in various sectors of the food industry.Design/methodology/approachThe research employs a comprehensive review of existing literature and case studies to analyze the current state of labor scarcity in the food industry and the technological advancements in 3D food printing. The paper also assesses the technical, operational, regulatory, and ethical challenges of 3D food printing and provides strategic recommendations for stakeholders.Findings3D food printing technology presents a viable solution by automating labor-intensive tasks, enhancing labor efficiency, and enabling customized food production. The technology’s potential benefits include improved productivity, reduced operational costs, and the ability to meet personalized nutritional needs. However, the adoption of 3D food printing faces challenges such as high initial costs, maintenance requirements, and scalability issues. Additionally, regulatory and consumer acceptance hurdles need to be addressed.Practical implicationsPolicymakers are encouraged to support the development and adoption of 3D food printing through funding and clear regulatory frameworks. Business leaders should consider strategic investments in 3D printing technology and training programs to harness its benefits. Technology developers must focus on advancing the capabilities and user-friendliness of 3D food printers. Addressing these aspects can help the food industry overcome labor scarcity and achieve long-term sustainability and efficiency.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comprehensive analysis of 3D food printing technology as a strategic response to labor scarcity in the food industry. It contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting the potential of 3D food printing to revolutionize food production and offering practical recommendations for its adoption and integration.

Research on ventilation cooling design driven by human thermal response in high geothermal temperature tunnel construction

Constant high temperature conditions in tunnel not only significantly reduced the labor efficiency of workers but also affected their physical and mental health. However, the traditional design of ventilation and cooling for high geothermal tunnel construction only considers the control of environment temperature and ignores the thermal comfort state of the workers, which will increase the potential risk of tunnel safety accidents. Therefore, this paper adopted the methods of scene testing, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation to establish a modified evaluation model applicable to the thermal comfort of workers in high geothermal tunnels. By analyzing the temperature distribution pattern of heat-sensitive parts of workers engaged in different labor intensity under different air supply parameters, the design strategy for ventilation and cooling of high-temperature tunnels was refined on the basis of ensuring that the environment temperature and thermal comfort meet the requirements. The results show that ventilation design parameters that satisfy the environmental temperature control criteria are equally adequate for worker thermal comfort at light-intensity work. However, when the ambient temperature is higher than 40 °C, the thermal comfort of workers engaged in medium-intensity work still does not meet the requirements, even if the ambient temperature already meets the criteria. It is recommended that the wind speed be increased by at least 8.3 %, 15.6%and 28.6 % for ambient temperatures of 40 °C, 45 °C and 50 °C, respectively. More effective cooling techniques should be tried to further enhance thermal comfort for workers engaged in heavy workloads especially in hot environments exceeding 40 °C.