The role of inferences in reading comprehension: A critical analysis

The central role attributed to inferences in reading comprehension can be traced back to the Construction-Integration (CI) model, and many of its theoretical assumptions are still shared by current models. This article analyses recent research in terms of how inferences have been conceived, how they relate to comprehension, and how the CI model’s theoretical legacy has been articulated. The main issues found are that the way inferences are currently conceived doesn’t satisfactorily distinguish them from ordinary comprehension and that a series of assumptions which plausibly apply to computational models have been often mistakenly attributed to interpersonal processes. This, added to the widespread usage of lab-created texts in experiments, hinders the faithful capturing of personal comprehension processes. Finally, we propose recommendations for future research based on conceptual clarity, metatheoretical awareness, and a meaning-based approach on language, so as to improve interresearcher communication, theoretical consistency, and ecological validity.

Perspective Discrepancy between Designers and Constructors on the Sustainability of Steel Structures: Are They Synthesizable?

City growth and its resulted environmental issues are promoting a citywide application of sustainable steel structures. However, designers and constructors often hold conflicting perspectives on the sustainable construction of steel structures, which has been identified as a barrier to achieve sustainability in this area. Given that the existing sustainability indicator systems of steel structures are either design-oriented or construction-driven, this study aims to develop a new one by synthesizing both designers’ and contractors’ opinions in the development of such indicators. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify potential indicators. A questionnaire survey was then used to collect the viewpoints of designers and constructors on the identified indicators. Finally, a fuzzy set algorithm and hierarchical clustering were employed to detect the indicators’ relationships. The results present a three-dimensional indicator system composed of social-technical sustainability, greenness, and economic sustainability. Furthermore, it is found that designers and constructors have discrepant opinions on social-technical sustainability and greenness, while their views on economic sustainability are similar. The research findings provide managerial hints to the attainment of sustainable steel structures and enhance stakeholders’ understanding of design-and-construction integration in steel structure projects.

Verbing and Linguistic Innovation

Denominal verbs are produced by a syntactic category shift, conversion, in which the word’s inflectional and combinatory potential change while its internal composition does not (Valera, 2015: 322). Perhaps no language owes as many of its verbs to the conversion strategy as English (Koutsoukos, 2021), the majority being denominal (noun-derived) verbs, e.g., Widespread seedless cultivars typically fruit twice yearly in the Caribbean. Denominal conversion has been the predominant method of verb creation since the 13th century (Gottfurcht, 2008), with the result that denominal verbs present a continuum of conventionality ranging from conventional verb-phrase replacements like paint, trash, pocket, mother to evanescent innovations like adulting and criming. Language users must rely on certain inferential strategies to figure out what novel denominal verbs mean, combining information from multiple sources, including salient properties of the source noun’s denotatum, the event structure of the clause in which that noun serves as a predicator, and socio-cultural knowledge. How exactly does this work? Our answer recalls the major lessons of Clark and Clark’s seminal 1979 paper “When Nouns Surface as Verbs”: denominal verbs have context-dependent rather than fixed meanings, and their interpretations rely on cooperation between speaker and hearer. These are lessons seemingly forgotten by proponents of recent, influential derivation-based accounts, which leverage the formal similarity between denominal verbs and noun-incorporating verbs like backstab and manspread. While, as discussed here, syntacticized approaches to semantic representation fail to account for the interpretive latitude that denominal verbs actually display, there are reasons to reject a strong view of context dependence as well. For Clark and Clark, interpretations of innovative denominal verbs either directly reflect criterial features of their source nouns or are ad hoc, derived from “moment-to-moment cooperation,” including gestures, allusions, and “other momentarily relevant facts about the conversation” (1979: 783). We argue that denominal interpretations are more tightly regulated, and involve reconciling the results of four distinct interpretive strategies: nominal frame computation, verb-construction integration, co-composition and, finally, conceptual blending. To describe these interpretive strategies, we bring to bear a suite of analytic tools developed to model everyday language understanding: Construction Grammar (Michaelis, 2004; Goldberg, 2006; Michaelis, 2011), enriched composition (Pustejovsky, 1998; Pustejovsky, 2012), Conceptual Blending Theory (Fauconnier and Turner, 2004), and Frame Semantics (Fillmore, 2006; Andor, 2010). In line with Clark and Clark’s (1979) convention for the interpretation of innovative denominal verbs, we argue that nouns used in innovative denominal formations are chosen based on relational properties of entities denoted by those nouns, whether common or proper (e.g., shape, behavior, composition, use, provenance). At the same time, the descriptive framework that we propose leaves fewer interpretive factors to vagaries of context.

Contractors as modern Master Builders: Virtual Design and Construction as an enabler of meaningful experiences to project teams for achieving optimized substation management

Effective substation management should include engineering and construction costs. While the construction process has to be methodically planned and sequenced to achieve optimized construction costs, substation designers play a vital role for delivering cost-efficient substations. Integrated design and construction has been proposed as a way to achieve effective project management, which historically viewed, was a responsibility of a “master builder”, thus causing Contractors to identify themselves as “master builders”. As EPC is a highly competitive arena, Contractors are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Some are turning to 3D technologies, while others turn to the design-construction integration. Virtual Master Builder (VMB) supports both 3D technologies and the design-construction integration. Due to a global shortage of worldwide available expertise, Contractors turn to education and training of their employees. While education aims at providing basic skills, training aims to provide the skill necessary to do the job. This paper examines these basic skills as a part of personal mastery before defining organizational learning as a key organizational competence. Physical Virtuality realm is seen as a fruitful ground for staging of memorable and transformational experiences leading towards achieving “accelerated learning”, and especially 4D models as representations of a “space-time” environment. The project case of Skopje 4 SS 380/110 kV rehabilitation is given as an example of 4D models usage. Project Engineering is seen as a middle ground between engineering and management in order to achieve goals of effective substation management and cost-efficient substation solutions. Project teams are seen as Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) users to achieve these goals.

Identity, impoliteness and integration in online immigration discourse

The paper presents an analysis of the language used on the Internet (social media) by Poles living in Norway. Emphasis is placed on identity construction, integration and impoliteness strategies. The material presented in this study was retrieved from a corpus which was collected as part of a project devoted to national identity in immigration discourse. The method of analysis presented in this paper follows Culpeper’s (1996) taxonomy of impoliteness strategies. The data under inspection illustrate several types of positive and negative impoliteness. The results of the study demonstrate that the Polish diaspora in Norway is only partially integrated and that the language Poles use while writing both about the Norwegians and, in particular, about other Poles is imbued with insults, negative associations and derogatory nominations.

Benefits of Implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Infrastructure Projects

The construction industry is changing constantly and becoming more complex. It requires new strategies for compliance with national and international scenarios. Developing each project is associated with many limitations, including time, cost, changes, wastes, and errors, which are often not avoidable. Due to numerous project stages and complexities in the construction industry, usually, different mistakes and duplications occur. Meanwhile, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has created one of the most important and essential changes in this industry and results in more in-depth cooperation among project stakeholders. BIM is one of the most recent innovations in the construction industry, which resolves the problems of projects faster. BIM can be applied by architects, engineers, contractors, project managers, etc. to achieve objectives such as reducing design errors, reducing time and cost, improving design and construction integration, and increasing coordination and cooperation among different sections. Given the significance of project success in every country and several problems in each project, using BIM is an appropriate solution, which its proper implementation requires understanding its benefits that is the main aim of this study. This research identifies and classifies these benefits through the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method, describing the significance of using BIM in infrastructure projects.

Path of Personnel Training of Industrial Engineering Specialty by University-Enterprise Cooperation under the Emerging Engineering Education

Based on the guiding ideology and core concept of the emerging engineering, this paper analyzes the contradiction between supply and demand in the cultivation of industrial engineering professionals from the perspective of social demand through the questionnaire, and put forward the path of personnel Training of industrial engineering specialty of "two platforms and three centers" integrating industry and education based on "s-t-c" model, the level of industrial engineering talents training can be comprehensively improved through the measures of double-wheel drive, multi-dimensional construction, integration of industry and education and cross-boundary training of colleges and enterprises. Finally, the paper puts forward the guarantee measures for the construction and reform of industrial engineering teaching system.