Relative Importance Index Research Articles

Built Environment Professionals’ Perception of the Importance of Facility Management Professionals at the Design Stage

There is a misconception that facility management (FM) professionals are needed only after a building has been completed, in order to manage maintenance and operating expenses. Hence, they are hardly considered an essential part of the design team. To query this notion, this study investigated the perception of built environment professionals on the importance of FM professionals at the design stage. Quantitative research using a questionnaire survey was adopted. Three hundred and forty questionnaires were administered to four categories of built environment professionals (engineers - civil, electrical and mechanical; architects; quantity surveyors, and builders) in Lagos, Nigeria and 266 (78%) of the questionnaires were found useful for analysis. The data was analysed using percentages, mean, relative importance index (RII) and Kruskal-Wallis test. The outcome of the analysis showed that respondents agree that FM professionals are important at the design stage in order to review design from a maintenance, operation, and serviceability perspective. The study also revealed that architects and quantity surveyors are fully convinced that FM professionals are crucial at the design stage, while builders and engineers are not. It was suggested that the governing body of FM professionals, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), should organize forums where other built environment professionals can be educated on the importance of involving FM professionals at the design stage. Moreover, IFMA should leverage its membership base to secure meetings with owners of facilities with high running costs and demonstrate to them the savings accruable had they engaged FM professionals at the design stage. This is with a view to encouraging such owners to engage IFMA members from the onset of their subsequent projects. Doing so will ensure the delivery of cost-efficient facilities.

Competitive Advantage among Indigenous Construction Firms in Competing with Expatriate Contractors in Nigeria

In recent times, the preference for expatriates in the contractual process in Nigeria has become an issue of controversy and general public interest. As a result, the high presence of these foreign expatriates has raised competitiveness in the construction sector, which is partly caused by indigenous enterprises' incapacity to meet the demands placed on them in terms of construction project delivery. This paper, therefore, investigates the factors influencing clients’ choice of contractor, examines the performance index of both expatriate and indigenous construction firms (ICFs), and analyzes the key performance indicators (KPI) for ICFs to increase their competitive advantage. The methodology involved the administration of structured questionnaires to a paper population of 384 construction experts comprising engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, builders, and project managers in Nigeria. With a response rate of 69%, frequencies/percentages, mean values, relative importance index (RII), and regression model were employed for the analysis. The findings revealed that the most important factors influencing clients’ choice are past performance and experience, equipment capabilities, and quality specification/standards. Additionally, this paper used six (6) KPIs (human resource management, financial management practices client-based strategy, organizational culture practices, smart work methods, and quality management practices) to model the performances of ICFs to increase their competitive advantage in Nigeria. This paper concluded that there is a higher performance of foreign expatriates in terms of time, cost, scope, quality, and satisfaction over their indigenous counterparts. This paper recommended that there is a need for ICFs to increase their equipment capacity and ability to undertake mega projects, develop an effective funding strategy to execute projects and collaborate with international partners to boost their level of competitiveness.

Competitive Challenge of Suppliers with Vendors in B2B

Abstract:
 Purpose: To study the hidden factors of suppliers’ and vendors’ relationship in Business to the Business sector in Madhya Pradesh.
 Design/methodology/approach: For this paper, 10 questions were asked to 856 suppliers of B2B of various products in various cities of Madhya Pradesh. The Relative Importance Index was calculated to rank the variables. The data was later subjected to factor analysis and hidden factors were observed
 Findings: Suppliers expect Committed Relationship from their vendors. Suppliers trust their vendors/customers. They are proud to have their customers and in return their buyers trust them. However they face big competition in supplying the goods. Despite their customers (vendors) don't mind minor price changes. We find our customers loyal to us. Customers who are more price-sensitive are less loyal. Payment in time is an issue but not relatively important. The issues like payment in time and skipping orders in between are not important. There is competitive environment, as they are not the only supplier. The important factors are committed relationship and competitive environment. Factor analysis shows that committed relationship explain approximately 36% variances are explained while approximately 14% variances explained by competitive environment.
 Key Words: B2B, Suppliers, Vendors, Competitive Environment, Important relationship in B2B
 Paper type: Empirical Research

Emerging industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the Ghanaian construction industry: sustainability, implementation challenges, and benefits

Future construction projects will need the implementation of industry 4.0 and Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies. The construction sector has, however, falling behind other industries in the application of these technologies and is currently facing considerable challenges. One of the industries that lag behind in the use of new innovative technological tools is the construction industry. This study reviews the research work in industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things as they relate to construction and examines key Ghana-based construction professionals and firms to ascertain their level of understanding of these emerging innovative technologies, including the challenges and benefits associated with their implementation. An extensive review of pertinent literature was done to help identify the important paradigms and variables which were cautiously tested. Adopting a quantitative research approach, the attained variables were used to design into a close-ended questionnaire. The sample frame was a survey of people from 154 construction experts and researchers with good standing by using the purposive sampling. Relative importance index (RII) analysis was used to analyzed the data. It was discovered from the findings that smart construction was the most popular industry 4.0 technology in the Ghanaian construction industry. The most important benefit of these technologies is that they will add sustainable policy requirements to tendering, with the most pressing technology being the lack of talent and skills in using industry 4.0 and IoT technologies. The scope of this research is based on the questionnaire survey, proving a sustainable pathway to the construction industry community, which creates its own significance by including key stakeholders and those affected by these technologies.

Determination of the significance of project delivery attributes (PDAs) on sustainable projects in Turkey

PurposeMany parameters influence the success of sustainable projects (SPs) in the architecture–engineering–construction. One of these important parameters is the project delivery attributes (PDA), which are influenced by the project delivery system (PDS) while affecting the selection of it. This study aims to evaluate the significance of PDAs in influencing both the performance and success of SPs in Turkey, where the interest in SPs is high.Design/methodology/approachThe impact of PDAs was determined by applying the two-round Delphi method with a semistructured interview involving the main stakeholders of a construction project, like owners, designers, contractors and consultants who played active roles in SPs, as well as academics to theoretically evaluate the issue. The significance of PDAs was assessed using the relative importance index, and the results were validated using the interrater agreement analysis.FindingsThe study identified key PDAs impacting SPs as owner character, commitment and motivation; simulation and energy modelling; and timing of stakeholders/early involvement.Originality/valueThe investigation of the significance of the PDAs is a lesser-studied context. Therefore, a research framework that enables an effective set of methods for solving the sectoral problems of PDAs that have impacts on SPs has been proposed. The framework is expected to open new opportunities for the generation and regulation of the PDSs for SPs. The findings will provide valuable insights to project stakeholders, particularly owners, local authorities and policymakers to assess which PDAs have a greater impact on sustainability performance when setting PDSs in SPs in other developing countries.

Categorizing Risks and Success Factors of Water Industry in Malaysia

This study investigated categories of risks and success factors associated with water industry in Malaysia. Seven risk categories were proposed, which are technology, organization, economy, government, nature, crime and public. The proposed categories of success factors were regulatory agencies, water operators, financial, assets, human resource, contract and public. Categories of risks and success factors were developed based on the integration of theory of perceived risk (Bauer, 1960), risk items of Ameyaw (2015), stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory. To validate the proposed categories of risks and success factors, 100 questionnaires were distributed by post to the management personnel of water operators and 32 questionnaires were returned. Descriptive analysis and relative importance index were used to analyze the data. The results indicated highest agreement towards the occurrence of risk factors in term of technology, economy and public. However, there was a big gap between risks’ probability of occurrence and risk allocation and also between severity of risk factors and risk allocation amongst water operators in Malaysia. This highlights low awareness amongst water operators in Malaysia on water risk management. Additionally, the respondents considered all items of success factors as important. Implicit in these findings is that there is a need for the regulatory agencies to play an active role in promoting risk management awareness amongst water operators through campaign, workshop and training programs.

Assessment of Indigenous Plants Knowledge among Traditional Healers in Eastern Morocco: Quali-Quantitative Approach (Part I)

Background: This is the first ethnobotanical study focused on medicinal plants traditionally recommended by traditional healers (THs) of Eastern Morocco. In this work, we documented the medicinal plants recommended by THs and highlighted the value and importance of medicinal plants recommended by specialist healers. Methods: A quali-quantitative ethnobotanical method has been performed, snowball sampling and structured interviews were used to evaluate the traditional plant knowledge by traditional healers in the study area. Species identification was performed and verified from the African Plant Database and Plant List. Two Relative Cultural Importance indices were used for this analysis “Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Frequency of Citation (FC)”. Results: A total of 135 plants were inventoried in our surveys. These species belong to 64 families and were reported to be used to treat 23 different categories of ailments. The botanical profile of the plants listed is dominated by LAMIACEAE’s Family with 12 species, followed by FABACEAE (11 species) and ASTERACEAE (10 species). In the category of the digestive system, nutrition problems and nervous system problems seem to be the predominant diseases treated. The Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) results indicated that cancer and gastrointestinal disorders had a higher concordance among informants (ICF = 0.60 and 0.58 respectively). Conclusion: Our results, showed that the Traditional healers, in Eastern Morocco, hold impressive knowledge related to the use of medicinal plants. This observation is reflected in the high number of medicinal plants recommended for the medication of the population. Furthermore, the consistency of healers in this area of study is justified by the ICF values.

An evaluation of stakeholders' participation process in developing smart sustainable cities in Saudi Arabia

PurposeThe smart sustainable cities (SSC) concept has a wide acknowledgement amongst governments and societies that deal with emerging technology and help in developing better urban communities. However, the fact that citizens' participation (CP) is not adherent to the current policies and governance often boosts their aspirations of decision-making to become smart cities. This paper aims to identify SSC variables and, more importantly, rank, categorise and discuss the factors towards implementing SSC by engaging, empowering and enabling citizens to participate in the urban development of SSC.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive literature review identified 38 factors in the CP process. Those factors were used to design an online questionnaire administered to the respondents. A total of 164 valid responses were collected. A two-stage statistical analysis was adopted. First, the Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to rank and prioritise the importance of the factors that affect the current policies and agenda. Second, factor analysis was utilised to categorise and group those factors.FindingsThis study founds four significant factors that help in implanting SSC: “knowledge of smart sustainable cities”, “awareness of smart sustainable cities”, “willingness of the citizens to participate” and “opinion on the current agenda of the government's role”.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has a few limitations which can be considered in future studies. First, the response rate of the participant is relatively low (163), so sampling a larger segment will support the broader perception of the citizens.Practical implicationsThe outcome of this paper underlines the need for the successful implementation of smart cities by adopting CP in the process of impacting policies and governance. Particularly, it identifies factors that help cities and policymakers in engaging CP in developing new policies and revising existing policies for promoting SSC.Originality/valueThere is a need to investigate the most critical factors that influence CP for implementing SSC. These factors have not been adequately examined in extant literature.

Labour-related Causes Controlling the Efficiency of Road Construction Operations in Sri Lanka: Engineers’ Standpoint

The efficiency of workforce operations has a significant impact on how profitable a construction firm is. Studies from the past demonstrate that a variety of labour-related concerns have been affecting the construction sector in Sri Lanka and other developing countries, which has a negative impact on the efficiency of construction activities. Construction engineers are crucial resources who can play a key role in the development of decisions and regulations pertaining to construction labourers. This study intends to examine the influence of labour-related causes on the efficiency of construction operations in Sri Lankan road construction projects from the perspective of construction engineers. The significant labour-related causes were identified by a comprehensive scholarly review. Then, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 31 road construction contractors in Sri Lanka. The impact level of each cause was calculated using the Relative Importance Index (RII) method. A total of 26 causes were found to be critical, where labour skill shortage, labour discipline, labourers’ poor ability of reading, understanding, speaking and writing, labourers’ lack of thinking abilities and their communication problems were the top five ranking causes in the list. The validity and reliability of the study findings were established using statistical testing. The activities required in the construction site management processes were also evaluated in relation to the key variables identified through a number of industry consultative sessions. These consultative outcomes further confirmed the validity of the study results. The study findings will significantly aid in modernising current industry practices to boost output and efficiency. Even though the study findings are applicable and limited to the Sri Lankan road construction sector, some of those may still be considered in other developing sectors/countries.

Assessing effects of moral hazard -related behaviours on quality and satisfaction of public-private-partnership (PPP) construction projects: case study of Ghana

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effects of moral hazard on quality and satisfaction of public–private–partnership (PPP) construction projects in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach After undertaking a literature review, questionnaires were used to elicit responses from respondents. Population consisted of quantity surveyors, project managers, procurement officers, consultants, public agency officers involved in PPP projects, private partners and contractors. A total of 211 questionnaires were received from 250 distributed. Purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were adopted. Analytical tools were Cronbach’s alpha for testing reliability, regression, mean score ranking and relative importance index. Findings Reduced mutual trust and respect, poor clarity of project objectives; consequence on decision-making; less effective construction process; and increased construction risks were the significant effects of moral hazard on satisfaction of PPP construction projects. Value-based effects; manufacturer-based effects; product-based effects; user-based effects; and transcendent-based effects were the significant effects of moral hazard on quality of PPP construction projects. Practical implications Construction stakeholders involved in delivering PPP projects ought to take note of the findings and recommendations arising. Further studies should explore the effects on other project performance indicators apart from satisfaction and quality. Originality/value This paper extends knowledge in the area of exploring the effects of moral hazard on PPP project satisfaction and quality. The findings are beneficial to both academia and industry practitioners.

Small regions as key sources of traditional knowledge: a quantitative ethnobotanical survey in the central Balkans

BackgroundStarting from the idea that unexplored areas may yield new and different ethnobotanical information, we performed a survey of traditional uses of plants in two neighboring districts situated in east Serbia (Bor and Aleksinac), both lacking in previous ethnobotanical reports, but characterized by an interesting history and culture, together with some specific features. In this study, we hypothesized that such small and specific areas could be of high ethnobotanical importance.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were used with 155 informants. Relative cultural importance (RCI) indices, such as the frequency of citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance index (RI), informant consensus factor (ICF-FIC), use value (UV), fidelity level (FL) and Jaccard index (JI), were calculated, and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was performed.ResultsIn this study, 2333 use-reports and 114 plants were recorded. Of the 101 medical herbs, 33 are included in the European Pharmacopoeia Edition 8.0. The most frequently used mode of preparation was as an infusion (50.0%), while leaf (44.7%) was the most used plant part. The highest FC and RFC values were recorded for Hypericum perforatum L. (13.1 and 0.2, respectively), while the highest RI was documented for Urtica dioica L. (1.0). ICF and FL indices showed important differences among selected groups of informants. The PCoA showed three homogeneous plant groups. Plants were mostly used for the treatment of digestive (49.1%), circulatory (41.2%) and respiratory system disorders (35.1%). Thirty-seven (32.5%) herbs were used for human nutrition, 14 (12.3%) in veterinary medicine, 17 (14.9%) in rituals and ethnoculture, while 24 (21.0%) for miscellaneous purposes. The highest degree of similarity was determined with studies conducted in close proximity. Four species are new to Balkan ethnobotany. New uses for some well-known plants are highlighted.ConclusionThe study indicated that small and specific areas in the Balkans may be an important reservoir of ethnobotanical knowledge.

Factors affecting the construction quality in Bangladesh

PurposeQuality is a sensitive and high-priority issue in the global construction including in Bangladesh. This research is intended to provide necessary information to stakeholders and authorities for better management of the construction quality in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study seeks to find and prioritize the factors affecting the construction quality in Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachIn total 65 factors were extracted and categorized from the literature and expert panel discussion. Subsequently, these factors were designed in a questionnaire under 13 major groups for a survey where 176 construction professionals participated and returned their completed survey form. Collected data were tested by the Cronbach Alpha to check the reliability before proceeding to the Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis for determining the relative ranks of identified factors.FindingsStatistical analysis of survey data represents that the most significant factors are: lack of management commitment, lack of technical skill and experience of the consultant, delays in progress investigation, political interference and contractor's desire for unrealistic profit. The most crucial major groups of factors influencing the construction quality are management, material, consultant, cost and time and contract-related major groups.Originality/valueIt will contribute to the body of knowledge, as it points out the impact of factors affecting quality in Bangladeshi construction. Authorities and stakeholders can be helped by the overview of the high and low ranks factors, understanding the diverse characteristics of factors and making more aware the industry about the quality issues which need to be a top concern to solve. Other developing countries that share the same socio-economic context as Bangladesh can be benefit from the results of this study to control quality issues in construction.

Assessment of Pavement Performance Management Indicators Through Analytic Network Process

Pavement industry is very critical for any public authority looking after the safety and comfort of its citizens because it is the backbone of many transportation networks. Studying the factors that affect the pavement performance is essential to increase the lifetime of pavement. The objective of this article is to identify the factors that affect pavement performance and rank their effect. From a detailed literature review, 29 factors are identified and a questionnaire is developed to examine perceptions of the industry professionals about the importance of each factor on pavement performance. A total number of 205 completed responses are collected. The collected data are analyzed by relative importance index and a multicriteria decision-making method, analytic network process. Based on the data analysis, it is found that the most three significant factors are related to surface conditions, namely, “high percentage of cracks,” “extremely rough road surface,” and “high rut depth.” The outcome of this article will help the professionals in the pavement industry to improve pavement performance, extend the expected pavement life cycle, and reduce the maintenance requirements.

Factors influencing financial risk management in construction projects

The infrastructural and economic development of a country merely depends on the construction industry and its growth. There are many risk factors involved with the construction industry during planning, execution and commissioning of the projects. Dealing with the risk factors in construction industry have been known as a crucial management process in order to achieve the overall objectives of the industry in terms of cost, time, safety, quality and environmental sustainability. This report is related with the financial aspects which directly take part in the industry for which studies have been conducted with various engineers, contractors and labors in and around north-western districts of Tamilnadu. The perspectives at different levels of management have been concluded with the standard questionnaire format that has been investigated and their results are analyzed based on the current scenario. With the help of these surveys and data analysis by Relative Importance Index (RII), the most related factors among the identified factors were found to be labour risk, material risk, credit risk, planning risk, execution and environmental related factors. The suggestions and recommendations have been expressed to overcome those risk moderations.

The factors of students’ involvement on student-centered learning method

Student-centered learning (SCL) is one of the teaching methods commonly used nowadays as it encourages the active participation and engagement of students in the classroom, especially for the engineering theoretical subject. This study is aimed to examine the factors of students’ involvement and participation towards the SCL Teaching Method in terms of the activities, benefits, problems, and limitations of student involvement. The quantitative data are obtained from the responses of students that enroll in an engineering theoretical subject in the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Pahang Civil Engineering Diploma Program. These questionnaires were being classified into five major factors that are the formation of group studies for SCL activities, activities conducted for SCL teaching method, benefits that they gain from SCL method, problems that they encounter during SCL, and suggestions for student improvement towards the activity SCL session. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively by using the percentage and mean method in SPSS computer software. The Relative Importance Index (RII) system was used to quantify the relative importance of involvement factors. This study revealed three main factors affecting the participation and engagement of students in the classroom. This study has an important contribution to help academicians to improve and enhance their teaching method to achieve the objective of the SCL method in the future.

Appropriate Risk Response Planning of Build Operate Transfer Contracts for the Transportation Projects in Iraq

Abstract The identification of risks in construction projects gives advance indications of the potential risks that may occur during project planning, construction or management. Therefore, identifying those risks and preparing the necessary plans to respond to them is a key detail for the success of the project from its failure. The projects implemented in the manner of a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) contract are accompanied by many risks due to the multiplicity of parties and the multiplicity of their responsibilities, as well as the size of those projects because they are usually associated with infrastructure projects. The aim of this research is to identify the most prominent risks in BOT contracts and the planned response against each risk. The adopted methodology is through conducting interviews and a closed questionnaire (included 77 out of 100 respondents), and the adoption of statistical analysis through the SPSS program and the scale of relative importance.The relative importance index technique was used to rank the risks according to their importance and discuss the reasons for their classification. The results showed a list of the most important risks that would be generated if the BOT contract was applied to transportation projects in Iraq, as well as the appropriate planned response to each risk based on historical information for previous BOT projects.

Traditional agroecological knowledge and practices: The drivers and opportunities for adaptation actions in the northern region of Ghana

Agroecological practices are promoted as a more proactive approach than conventional agriculture to achieving a collective global response to climate change and variability while building robust and resilient agricultural systems to meet food needs and protect the integrity of ecosystems. There is relatively limited evidence on the key traditional agroecological knowledge and practices adopted by smallholder farmers, the factors that influence smallholder farmers’ decision to adopt these practices, and the opportunities it presents for building resilient agricultural systems. Using a multi-scale mixed method approach, we conducted key informant interviews (n ​= ​12), focus group discussions (n ​= ​5), and questionnaire surveys (N ​= ​220) to explore the traditional agroecological knowledge and practices, the influencing factors, and the opportunities smallholder farmers presented for achieving resilient agricultural systems. Our findings suggest that smallholder farmers employ a suite of traditional agroecological knowledge and practices to enhance food security, combat climate change, and build resilient agricultural systems. The most important traditional agroecological knowledge and practices in the study area comprise cultivating leguminous crops, mixed crop-livestock systems, and crop rotation, with Relative Importance Index (RII) values of 0.710, 0.708, and 0.695, respectively. It is reported that the choice of these practices by smallholder farmers is influenced by their own farming experience, access to market, access to local resources, information, and expertise, and the perceived risk of climate change. Moreover, the results further show that improving household food security and nutrition, improving soil quality, control of pest and disease infestation, and support from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and local authorities are opportunities for smallholder farmers in adopting traditional agroecological knowledge and practices for achieving resilient agricultural systems. The findings call into question the need for stakeholders and policy-makers at all levels to develop capacity and increase the awareness of traditional agroecological knowledge and practices as mechanisms to ensure resilient agricultural systems for sustainable food security.

An Assessment of the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on the Planning and Implementation of Real Estate Development in the Port Harcourt Metropolis

In recent times, the failure of most Real Estate development in the Port Harcourt Metropolis could be attributed to the developers' poor implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility. This study, therefore, examines the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility of Real Estate Development within the Port Harcourt metropolis, such as the Rivtaf Golf Estate, on host communities - Okuru-Ama Community, Port Harcourt Local Government Area. The study adopts a quantitative approach enabled by survey research, as data for the study were collected through primary and secondary sources. Due to the concise nature of the study area, a total of seventy (70) questionnaires were judgementally selected as the sample size. These questionnaires were administered, filled out and returned by respondents from the Okuru Ama Community and some Rivtaf Golf Estate staff members. Field data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) version 22, and results were displayed in descriptive and inferential statistics in addition to the Relative Importance Index (RII). Available results indicate that Rivtaf Golf Estate has a good relationship with its host community and adheres strictly to its Corporate Social Responsibilities, significantly impacting Real Estate Development. The result further revealed that Rivtaf Golf Estate provides employment opportunities to some indigenes of the Okuru Ama community, makes contributions to the community scholarship purse, maintains the primary access road to the Estate through the community and sometimes sends Christmas packages to the community. The study recommends that there should be effective implementation of corporate social responsibility entered with host communities. Real Estate Developers should be socially responsible and sensitive to the interests of various stakeholders, especially the host community, by caring about the environment, community welfare and society in general.

Learning the Real Estate Market Resilience: The Effectiveness of Internet Platforms in Marketing Strategy

The era of unprecedented pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had affected many sectors especially tourism, aviation and sharing accommodation industry, which includes the hotel industry or peer-to-peer accommodation industry. The pandemic situation has also reflected the real estate market as a whole, thus requiring real estate agents to be more creative in marketing strategy from the way they reach imminent clients. Digital trend technology, the Internet and social media appear to have a huge impact on business and have created new marketing chances. Due to that, this research aims to study the effectiveness of Internet platforms by investigating the contents’ ranking of the platforms for marketing strategy by real estate agents. Quantitative analysis was adopted using Relative Importance Index analysis. This study can benefit the body of knowledge and the real estate industry in terms of marketing strategy. This research displayed Facebook as the main platform where businesses conduct their marketing strategyfor sales or promoting the property. Furthermore, to lead to sales, estate agents need to post important component on social media and post it regularly to achieve engagement and maximise profit.

Evaluating the significance of amino acids (AAs) in cyanide-treated rice plants under different nitrogen fertilization using the relative importance index of AA

The biosynthesis of amino acids (AAs) in plants is affected by different nitrogen (N) sources. The effects of exogenous cyanide (KCN) on the concentrations and profiles of AAs in rice seedlings were carried out in the presence of nitrate (+NO3−)/ammonium (+NH4+) or N deficiency (-N). Targeted metabolomics analysis indicated that the highest accumulation of AAs in CN−-treated rice seedlings was detected in the “CN−+NH4+” treatments than in other treatments, wherein the doses of exogenous KCN did not significantly affect the total amount of AAs in rice seedlings at the same N fertilized condition. The total content of AAs in rice shoots under “CN−+NH4+” treatments was higher than other treatments, while the total content of AAs in rice roots under “CN−+NO3−” treatments was higher than other treatments. Also, the profiles of 21 AAs in CN−-treated rice seedlings showed tissue-specific under different N fertilization. The relative importance index (RII) of AA was used to evaluate the importance of AAs in CN−-treated rice seedlings under different N fertilization. The common AAs with higher RII values were compared between three different treatments of KCN (e.g., 0, 1, and 2 mg CN/L). Under “CN−+(-N)” treatments, Ala, Asp, Glu, Val, and Gly (Ala, Gly, Val, and Lys) were the common AAs in rice roots (shoots). Under “CN−+NO3−” treatments, Ala, Glu, Asp, Ser, and Thr (Asp, Ala, Thr, Ser, and Asn) were the common AAs with higher RII values in rice roots (shoots) between all CN− treatments. Under “CN−+NH4+” treatments, Asp, Gln, Asn, and Ala (Asp, Glu, and Thr) were the common AAs with higher RII values in rice roots (shoots) between all CN− treatments. These results suggested that using the RII to describe the change and fluctuation of AAs in rice plants may reflect the different N utilization strategies in response to exogenous CN− exposure.