IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF LOAD-BEARING MASONRY BUILDINGS

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
C.S. Abdullah ◽  
A.Y. Bahaudin ◽  
M.N. M. Nawi ◽  
N. H. Baluch ◽  
A.M. Kamaruddeen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Value Engineering ◽  
Load Bearing ◽  
Track Record ◽  
Score Card ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Local Construction ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Design And Construction

Load-bearing or structural masonry is a method of construction where the elements of a structure are built using masonry (bricks or blocks). Due to its technological and economic advantages, in western countries the system is widely used particularly for residential and low-rise buildings. Despite the advantages and excellent track record overseas, the system has not found its avenue in the local construction scene. Not many new buildings have been built using the system. Previous studies revealed that engineers, architects, developers, and builders lacked knowledge and experience on the design and construction using the system. A programme has been formulated for a consulting firm’s staff and their business partners to transfer the state-of-the-art knowledge on the design, detailing, costing, and construction of structures using load-bearing masonry. Additionally, value added topics on supply chain, value engineering, and strategic planning were also included. The programme involved two phases: (i) a series of seminars and workshops covering a duration of 6 months and, (ii) continuous site supervision (monitoring) for another 6 months. An auditing scheme to measure the company’s performance before and after the programme using the balance score-card technique is under formulation. The technology transfer programme has been completed covering 9 modules whereby the company managed to save further on profits by utilising value engineering concepts in its relevant projects.

Study of Possible Relation between Fasting Plasma Glucagon, Gestational Diabetes and Development of Type 2 DM

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf Okba ◽  
Salwa Seddik Hosny ◽  
Alyaa Elsherbeny ◽  
Manal Mohsin Kamal
Keyword(s):  
Gestational Diabetes ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Plasma Glucagon ◽  
Type 2 Dm ◽  
Fasting Plasma ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Two Phases

Background and Aims: Women who develop GDM (gestational diabetes mellitus) have a relative insulin secretion deficiency, the severity of which may be predictive for later development of diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the role of fasting plasma glucagon in the prediction of later development of diabetes in pregnant women with GDM. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 150 pregnant women with GDM after giving informed oral and written consents and being approved by the research ethical committee according to the declaration of Helsinki. The study was conducted in two phases, first phase during pregnancy and the second one was 6 months post-partum, as we measured fasting plasma glucagon before and after delivery together with fasting and 2 hour post-prandial plasma sugar. Results: Our findings suggested that glucagon levels significantly increased after delivery in the majority 14/25 (56%) of GDM women who developed type 2 DM within 6 months after delivery compared to 6/20 (30%) patients with impaired fasting plasma glucose (IFG) and only 22/105 (20%) non DM women, as the median glucagon levels were 80,76, 55, respectively. Also, there was a high statistical difference between fasting plasma glucagon post-delivery among diabetic and non-diabetic women (p ≤ 0.001). These results indicated the useful role of assessing fasting plasma glucagon before and after delivery in patients with GDM to predict the possibility of type 2 DM. Conclusion: There is a relatively high glucagon level in GDM patients, which is a significant pathogenic factor in the incidence of subsequent diabetes in women with a history of GDM. This could be important in the design of follow-up programs for women with previous GDM.

scholarly journals Assessment of Timber Roof Structures before and after Earthquakes

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 528
Author(s):  
Nikola Perković ◽  
Mislav Stepinac ◽  
Vlatka Rajčić ◽  
Jure Barbalić
Keyword(s):  
Test Methods ◽  
Timber Structures ◽  
Destructive Testing ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Load Bearing ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Roof Structure ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Timber Roof Structures ◽  
Non Destructive

The global objective of sustainable development has been greatly directed toward the preservation of existing structures. Therefore, condition assessment and reconstruction of existing timber structures have been gaining importance in recent times. This is particularly evident on timber roofs whose elements are exposed to degradation, either because of rheological effects or due to the direct influence of moisture and biological factors. In case of accidental events, such as an earthquake, the question of the structure’s condition is essential for the condition of the entire building. In order to prove the load-bearing capacity and serviceability of existing structures, as well as to check the need for reconstruction, it is necessary to define crucial parameters that are influencing the condition of materials, elements, and systems. Although there are many non destructive testing methods, the frequency and scope of their use, as well as the decision-making approach, have not been defined. In the paper, non-destructive and semi-destructive methods frequently used for timber structures are explained. A systematic review of criteria to be used in the assessment of load-bearing timber structures in a seismic active area was the main objective of this paper as well as the illustration of non-destructive and semi-destructive test methods through a case study involving roof construction of a hundred-year-old building in Zagreb, Croatia. Pre- and post-earthquake inspection was made. The overall condition of the roof structure after two significant earthquakes can be assessed as satisfactory given that the observed system is a large-span and massive roof structure. The presented results and identification of typical damages after the earthquake are presented in order to facilitate policy makers and for the future implementation of development strategies in the renovation of the city.

scholarly journals The Influence of Tax Education on Obeying Tax Liability: A Statistical Methods and Results

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-52
Author(s):  
Tizazu Toma Shamana ◽  
Woldeselassie Azige Alito
Keyword(s):  
Direct Cost ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Tax Compliance ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Tax Education ◽  
Business Income ◽  
Wolaita Sodo

Backgrounds: In Ethiopia, taxpayers are categorized as small, medium or large depending on their business turnover or levels of income. Irrespective of one's category, taxpayers in Ethiopia, particularly Wolaita Sodo town are required to comply with VAT, TOT, Income Tax, Withholding Taxes and Customs duties in equal measure. Taxpayers will readily accept any new system introduced if they have ample knowledge to understand the system. Thus, education programs organized by custom and duty authority or public education institutions are required to enhance taxpayers' ability to understand the importance of tax on country's economic development and to increase their confidence in fulfilling their responsibilities as taxpayers. By considering the above issues, the researcher interested to investigate the influence of tax education on tax compliance attitude of taxpayers by conducting an experiment on the taxpayer in Wolaita Sodo town. The general objective of the study was to investigate the influence of tax education on tax compliance in Wolaita Sodo town. Methods: The target population for the survey study was actual taxpayers who are subject for business income tax. Only unincorporated business taxpayers in Wolaiata Sodo town are used as participants in the survey study. The target total population is 11,278 business income taxpayers as of July 2017 which is categorized under A, B and C. Only 160 taxpayers were selected by using simple random sampling from Wolaiata Sodo town. Questions regarding employment income, business income, turn over tax, and excise and value-added taxes are asked. Respondents are also asked to state whether the direct cost of producing the income, such as the direct cost of manufacturing, purchasing and selling costs shall be deductible from gross income in calculating taxable business income. Before and after the experiment (tax education) respondents were asked to check whether they know basic taxation rules. And their marks scored for the 7 basic questions after and before tax education out of 50 marks are recorded. Results: Majority of the respondents after attending the tax course scored high value regarding the tax knowledge. There is a great difference between the tax compliance attitude of these respondents before and after attending the tax course. Before attending the tax course, majority of respondents showed the plan of not complying with tax laws. But after attending the tax course, the majority of the respondents proves the identification of taxable and non-taxable income types. Generally, it resulted that the tax knowledge of respondents is improved after attending the tax course.

scholarly journals Health value added of healthcare entities

Econometrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-58
Author(s):  
Wiktor Ejsmont ◽  
Janusz Łyko
Keyword(s):  
Survival Analysis ◽  
Random Effects ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Quality Of Services ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Health Value ◽  
Before And After

The paper deals with an evaluation of the quality of services provided by healthcare organizations. First, an index representing a patient’s health condition is described, then its changes before and after being treated by a given entity are employed as a criterion to assess the operations of this entity. The index of a patient’s health condition is based on the theory of survival analysis, while a model of random effects is used to determine the quality of services based on health value added

scholarly journals Towards a third phase of regulation:

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Berg ◽  
Jean-Pierre Nouveau
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Private Security ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Good Time ◽  
Security Industry ◽  
Third Phase ◽  
Regulatory Systems ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Legislative Review

With the legislative review of police oversight currently taking place in South Africa, now is a good time to reflect on the regulation of the private security industry. This article does so by focusing on three challenges to the current private security regulatory systems: the increased pluralisation of policing within public spaces; the operation of hidden sectors within the industry; and the nature of criminal abuses perpetuated by the industry. We do this to demonstrate the need for a re-imagining of what regulation, especially state regulation, of this industry should entail. The aim of the article is not to review the current legislation or to identify gaps and propose means of filling those gaps, but rather to reflect on the underlying premises informing the legislation and propose a shift in thinking. We do this by briefly identifying two phases of state regulation in South Africa, implemented before and after the change to a new democratic dispensation, and suggest that we are now entering a third phase of regulation. We conclude with suggestions as to what this third phase may entail.

scholarly journals Central and Eastern European Countries before and after the 2008 Financial Crisis: Economic Overview and Transportation Companies

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Lembo Tanning ◽  
Toivo Tanning
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Crisis Theory ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The 2008 Financial Crisis ◽  
Eastern European Countries

<p><em>One of the main aims of the European Union (EU) is the European competitiveness. To achieve this goal, it is important to study the lessons of the economic crisis. This in turn allows the development of measures.</em></p> <p><em>The aim of this article is to analyse the economic crisis lessons of the transportation and storage<strong> </strong>enterprises of Poland and other new EU Member States from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE-8), and to compare them on the EU level.</em></p> <p><em>The purpose </em><em>is to analyse the labour productivity<strong> </strong>before and after the economic crisis by<strong> </strong>gross value added per person employed and employee and turnover per person employed.</em></p> <p><em>We will look at how the economic crisis has affected the labour productivity of transportation companies and analyze the changes in the companies. </em></p> <p><em>In the background, we look at the countries’ economic (GDP) development and quality of life. </em></p> <p><em>What are the lessons learned from the economic crisis?</em></p> <p><em>The literature review shows the </em><em>crisis theory. </em></p> <p><em>We present for discussion the objective and subjective factors of the economic crisis of the companies.</em></p> <p><em>Based on this and previous publications, we will offer a number of generalized suggestions.</em></p>

scholarly journals Biphasic pattern in the effect of severe measles infection; the difference between additive and multiplicative scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhat Thanh Hoang Le ◽  
Nhan Thi Ho ◽  
Bryan Grenfell ◽  
Stephen Baker ◽  
Ronald B. Geskus
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Measles Virus ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Additive Scale

Abstract Background Infection with measles virus (MeV) causes immunosuppression and increased susceptibility to other infectious diseases. Only few studies reported a duration of immunosuppression, with varying results. We investigated the effect of immunosuppression on the incidence of hospital admissions for infectious diseases in Vietnamese children. Methods We used retrospective data (2005 to 2015; N = 4419) from the two pediatric hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We compared the age-specific incidence of hospital admission for infectious diseases before and after hospitalization for measles. We fitted a Poisson regression model that included gender, current age, and time since measles to obtain a multiplicative effect measure. Estimates were transformed to the additive scale. Results We observed two phases in the incidence of hospital admission after measles. The first phase started with a fourfold increased rate of admissions during the first month after measles, dropping to a level quite comparable to children of the same age before measles. In the second phase, lasting until at least 6 years after measles, the admission rate decreased further, with values up to 20 times lower than in children of the same age before measles. However, on the additive scale the effect size in the second phase was much smaller than in the first phase. Conclusion The first phase highlights the public health benefits of measles vaccination by preventing measles and immune amnesia. The beneficial second phase is interesting, but its strength strongly depends on the scale. It suggests a complicated interaction between MeV infection and the host immunity.

scholarly journals The Role of Virtual Experiences in Increasing Knowledge, Motivation, Independence and Cultural Capital from Disadvantaged Pupils in England

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-142
Author(s):  
Olivia Gillard
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
New Information ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Virtual Experiences ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective: To investigate the impact of virtual learning experiences (VLEs) in school amongst disadvantaged 9 to 11-year-olds: specifically, do virtual experiences increase their knowledge, motivation and independence in learning about a topic, and does this increase their cultural capital. Methodology: Participants explored virtual experiences on countries around the world, with the number of facts learnt before and after recorded. Questionnaires were also completed to record views of virtual experiences. Findings: Findings suggest virtual experiences were successful in teaching participants new information, and increased their independence and motivation to engage with learning, and thus could be successful in increasing cultural capital. Significance difference testing revealed that disadvantaged pupils recorded fewer facts than non-disadvantaged pupils, and therefore virtual experiences were not sufficient to close this disadvantage gap. Value Added: The value of virtual experiences being woven into curriculums is discussed as a platform for teaching cultural knowledge. Recommendations: Virtual learning experiences should be considered a core resource for teachers when planning and should be embedded into the curriculum to enhance learning experiences for disadvantaged pupils. Further research should continue to explore the use of VLEs in Primary schools, and the impact of VLEs on cultural capital.

The Use of Technology in Organizations

2020 ◽  
pp. 54-75
Author(s):  
Jorge Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Knowledge Flows ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Use Of Technology

Multinational Corporations (MNC) face the challenge of compete in the new interconnected business environment. In particular technology is recognized as a factor that boost productivity and competitiveness and drives the business connectivity which in turn involves cross-borders goods, services and financial flows. MNC is recognized as being possessed of high-tech assets, and also, resources including capital, management skills and R&D capabilities and subsidiaries can get them, from its holding company, and they transfer technology to local businesses. A knowledge transfer, running parallel to the technology transfer take place benefiting to the local economy. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is considered as the primary vehicle to facilitate technology transfer (and underlying knowledge flows) toward emerging countries. The ultimate goal of the MNC is related to leverage technology and knowledge transfer in order to maintain a competitive edge and move toward even higher value-added activities.

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE DURABILITY OF LOAD BEARING TIMBER-GLASS COMPOSITES UNDER THE EFFECTS OF ACCELERATED AGING

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halet Almila Arda Buyuktaskin ◽  
Mehmet Serkan Yatagan ◽  
Gulseren Erol Soyoz ◽  
Leyla Tanacan ◽  
Morvarid Dilmaghani
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Accelerated Aging ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Glass Composite ◽  
Load Bearing ◽  
Glass Composites ◽  
Before And After

Although timber was used extensively as a structural material for traditional buildings in Turkey in the past, usage of structural timber decreased significantly over time and timber has been largely replaced by other materials. As timber is a natural, durable and sustainable material, it would be desirable to re-introduce timber structural elements to contemporary construction in a form that is appealing to industry. Timber-glass composite structural elements are potentially a good candidate for this purpose. To that end, a series of tests were conducted on load-bearing timber-glass composites in order to understand the long–term structural performance of the composite material under atmospheric conditions; to decrease the recurring cost of repair and maintenance; and to minimize the exhaustion of raw materials and energy. In this paper, the first part of this experimental work is presented, which focuses on the durability of timber-glass composite under the effects of accelerated aging, carried out on small-sized timber-glass composite specimens. Accelerated aging effects were observed under wetting-drying, freezing-thawing, UV effects, resistance to acids and high temperature. The mechanical strength of the timber-glass composite specimens before and after the effect of accelerated aging was measured by adhesion and shear strength tests and a comparative analysis of the results was carried out. The results of the experiments indicate that timber-glass composite is suitable to be used under protection from environmental conditions.

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