Search Results (4)

The fourth industrial revolution has introduced a range of digital technologies (DTs) that possess the potential to significantly enhance the operations and competitiveness of heavy-construction firms. Grounded in the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) Framework, the Resource-Based View (RBV) and the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI), this study investigates the relationship between the adoption of digital technologies and the competitive edge (CE) of heavy-engineering firms. Specifically, this research seeks to assess how the adoption of DTs impacts four critical competitive-edge metrics: efficient resource management (CE1), real-time monitoring and control (CE2), data-driven decision-making (CE3) and improved collaboration and communication (CE4). A quantitative research approach was employed, using a structured questionnaire distributed to construction professionals in Lagos State, Nigeria. The principal results of the study revealed that firms adopting artificial intelligence (AI), cloud-based technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) exhibited significantly higher competitive-edge metrics compared to their counterparts. Notably, AI and cloud-based technology were found to have a particularly strong association with improved resource management, real-time monitoring, and decision-making processes. A major contribution of this research is the development of a DT-adoption model which can serve as a benchmarking tool for firms to assess their current adoption levels and identify areas for improvement. This model can also guide policymakers and regulators in developing strategies to encourage the integration of digital technologies within the heavy-construction industry. The originality of this study lies in its holistic approach, examining a broad spectrum of digital technologies and their collective impact on enhancing the competitive edge of construction firms. Full article

The human–machine relationship was dictated by human needs and what technology was available at the time. Changes within this relationship are illustrated by successive industrial revolutions as well as changes in manufacturing paradigms. The change in the relationship occurred in line with advances in technology. Machines in each successive century have gained new functions, capabilities, and even abilities that are only appropriate for humans—vision, inference, or classification. Therefore, the human–machine relationship is evolving, but the question is what the perspective of these changes is and what developmental path accompanies them. This question represents a research gap that the following article aims to fill. The article aims to identify the status of change and to indicate the direction of change in the human–machine relationship. Within the framework of the article, a literature review has been carried out on the issue of the human–machine relationship from the perspective of Industry 5.0. The fifth industrial revolution is restoring the importance of the human aspect in production, and this is in addition to the developments in the field of technology developed within Industry 4.0. Therefore, a broad spectrum of publications has been analyzed within the framework of this paper, considering both specialist articles and review articles presenting the overall issue under consideration. To demonstrate the relationships between the issues that formed the basis for the formulation of the development path. Full article

Although the Green Revolution was a milestone in agriculture, it was accompanied by intensive use of synthetic pesticides, which has raised serious concerns due to their impact on human and environmental health. This is increasingly stimulating the search for safer and more eco-friendly alternative means to control plant diseases and prevent food spoilage. Among the proposed alternatives, pomegranate peel extracts (PPEs) are very promising because of their high efficacy. In the present review, we discuss the complex mechanisms of action that include direct antimicrobial activity and induction of resistance in treated plant tissues and highlight the importance of PPE composition in determining their activity. The broad spectrum of activity, wide range of application and high efficiency of PPEs against bacterial, fungal and viral plant pathogens suggest a potential market not only restricted to organic production but also integrated farming systems. Considering that PPEs are non-chemical by-products of the pomegranate industry, they are perceived as safe by the public and may be integrated in circular economy strategies. This will likely encourage agro-pharmaceutical industries to develop commercial formulations and speed up the costly process of registration. Full article

One of the most prominent cultural changes during the end of Ice Age in northeastern Asia was the adoption of microblade technology by prehistoric hunter–gatherers to deal with the challenge brought by the climate deterioration and oscillation during and post the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The Pleistocene to Holocene transition in North China witnessed the rise of broader spectrum subsistence alongside a series of cultural changes, including adoption of food production, highly mobile lifeways being replaced by sedentism, and the formation of new social organization based on their agricultural land–use patterns. From the perspective of technological change, this project aims to build a socio–ecological framework to examine the cultural change of prehistoric microblade–based societies. In contrast to previous studies, the present research employs a macroecological approach based on Binford’s Constructing Frames of Reference (2001) to reconstruct the behaviors and demography of prehistoric foraging groups, under both modern and LGM climate conditions. Three case studies are conducted to show cultural and technological changes among microblade–based societies in North China during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Full article