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In engineering design, material alternatives evaluate according to different criteria depending on the objectives of the problem. Performance ratings for different criteria are measured by different units, but in the decision matrix in order to have a valid comparison all the elements must be dimensionless. However, a lot of normalization methods have been developed for cost and benefit criteria, not only there has not been enough attention for engineering design situations in which approaching the target values are desirable but also the available methods have shortcomings. A new version of VIKOR method, which covers all types of criteria with emphasize on compromise solution, is proposed in this paper. The proposed comprehensive version of VIKOR also overcomes the main error of traditional VIKOR by a simpler approach. Suggested method can enhance exactness of material selection results in different applications, especially in biomedical application where the implant materials should possess similar properties to those of human tissues. Five examples are included to illustrate and justify the suggested method.

PurposeConstruction labour productivity is of great interest to practitioners and researchers because it affects project cost and time overrun. This paper evaluates and ranks the importance, frequency and severity of project delay factors that affect the construction labour productivity for Malaysian residential projects.Design/methodology/approachA total of 100 respondents consisting of 70 contractors, 11 developers and 19 consultants participated in this study. The respondents were asked to indicate how important each item of a list of 50 project related factors was to construction labour productivity. The data were then subjected to the calculation of importat indices which enabled the factors to be ranked.FindingsThe five most important factors identified by them were: material shortage at site; non‐payment to suppliers causing the stoppage of material delivery to site; change order by consultants; late issuance of construction drawing by consultants; and incapability of contractors' site management to organise site activities. On the other hand, the five most frequent factors were: material shortage at project site; non‐payment to suppliers causing the stoppage of material delivery to site; late issuance of progress payment by the client to main contractor; lack of foreign and local workers in the market; and coordination problem between the main contractor and subcontractor.Originality/valueThe inferences drawn from this study could be used by the project managers to take account of these factors at an early stage, hence minimising the time and cost overrun.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance. Colon cancer has been a major problem worldwide. Kelulut honey (KH) is produced by the stingless bees from Trigona species and has strong antioxidant activities that could be one of the potential chemopreventive agents from natural resources. Aim of This Study. This study investigated the chemopreventive properties and toxicity of KH in Sprague Dawley rats induced with azoxymethane (AOM). Material and Method. Twenty-four male Sprague Dawley rats aged 5 weeks were divided into 4 groups: (G1) untreated group not induced with AOM, (G2) untreated group induced with AOM, (G3) treated group induced with AOM, and (G4) treated group not induced with AOM. Injection of AOM (15 mg/kg) was via intraperitoneal route once a week for two subsequent weeks. The treatment groups were given oral administration of KH (1183 mg/kg body weight) twice daily for 8 weeks. Results. Treatment with KH significantly reduced the total number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and aberrant crypts (AC) and crypt multiplicity. KH was not toxic to the animals since the level of blood profile parameters, liver enzymes, and kidney functions was in normal range. Conclusions. The current finding shows that KH has chemopreventive properties in rats induced with colorectal cancer and also was found not toxic towards the animals.

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The purpose of this study was to propose a conceptual model for technology transfer (TT) that houses several factors. These factors are believed to influence the processes' effectiveness and guide the TT performance. In addition, this study aimed to explore TT performance and the relationship between TT government support, infrastructure, TT environment, and TT learning capability. Oil production in Libya is dependent on foreign technology transferred into the country by foreign multinational petroleum companies. During the 1980s, the Libyan government launched a program of development known as "Libyanization" in the Libyan petroleum industry in an effort to create an absorptive capacity to acquire petroleum technology dominated by foreign companies. This study evaluates the level of technical change because of TT programs and the impact on knowledge and competitiveness performance of the Libyan petroleum industry. A questionnaire survey was administered to companies in the Libyan petroleum industry. There were 201 responses from industry professionals in the Libyan petroleum industry that were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In addition, the significance of direct and indirect interrelationships between model factors was determined through SEM. A path model was estimated and specified to include three process enablers, namely government support, host characteristics, and learning technology capability, and one outcome factor named TT performance. The results suggested that government support factor (government support, laws and regulations, petroleum industry strategy, international quality standards, and information technology) and technology learning capability factor (i.e., supervision, adoption, teamwork, absorption, training, technology complexity, and industry knowledge) were determined to be the key predictors of TT performance to the host petroleum industry.