Feasibility Study Fishing Tour Project in Dongkal Village, East Pondok Jagung, North Serpong, South Tangerang City, Banten

The purpose of writing a feasibility study paper on fishing tourism business is to assist the village government in realizing increased economic growth for the community around village. The author also wants to carry out several feasibility measurements in a project development by analyzing, viewing and measuring several measurement indicators using the Net Present Value method, Internal Return Rate, Cost Benefit Ratio, Return on Investment, and Return on Investment Period. Based on the results of the analysis of the financial feasibility test with this method, the authors use a loan interest rate of 11% per year to operate. From the calculation results obtained a positive number of Net Present Value of Rp. 493,276 million, the value of the Internal Rate of Return 12.1388% > 11% (Interest Rate), the value of the Cost Benefit Ratio 1.5165 > 1, with a payback period of 3.0825 years < 5 years (Bank loan repayment period).

Rediscovery of the transcerebellar approach: improving the risk-benefit ratio in robot-assisted brainstem biopsies

OBJECTIVE Conventional frame-based stereotaxy through a transfrontal approach (TFA) is the gold standard in brainstem biopsies. Because of the high surgical morbidity and limited impact on therapy, brainstem biopsies are controversial. The introduction of robot-assisted stereotaxy potentially improves the risk-benefit ratio by simplifying a transcerebellar approach (TCA). The aim of this single-center cohort study was to evaluate the risk-benefit ratio of transcerebellar brainstem biopsies performed by 2 different robotic systems. In addition to standard quality indicators, a special focus was set on trajectory selection for reducing surgical morbidity. METHODS This study included 25 pediatric (n = 7) and adult (n = 18) patients who underwent 26 robot-assisted biopsies via a TCA. The diagnostic yield, complication rate, trajectory characteristics (i.e., length, anatomical entry, and target-point location), and skin-to-skin (STS) time were evaluated. Transcerebellar and hypothetical transfrontal trajectories were reconstructed and transferred into a common MR space for further comparison with anatomical atlases. RESULTS Robot-assisted, transcerebellar biopsies demonstrated a high diagnostic yield (96.2%) while exerting no surgical mortality and no permanent morbidity in both pediatric and adult patients. Only 3.8% of cases involved a transient neurological deterioration. Transcerebellar trajectories had a length of 48.4 ± 7.3 mm using a wide stereotactic corridor via crus I or II of the cerebellum and the middle cerebellar peduncle. The mean STS time was 49.5 ± 23.7 minutes and differed significantly between the robotic systems (p = 0.017). The TFA was characterized by longer trajectories (107.4 ± 11.8 mm, p < 0.001) and affected multiple eloquent structures. Transfrontal target points were located significantly more medial (−3.4 ± 7.2 mm, p = 0.042) and anterior (−3.9 ± 8.4 mm, p = 0.048) in comparison with the transcerebellar trajectories. CONCLUSIONS Robot-assisted, transcerebellar stereotaxy can improve the risk-benefit ratio of brainstem biopsies by avoiding the restrictions of a TFA and conventional frame-based stereotaxy. Profound registration and anatomical-functional trajectory selection were essential to reduce mortality and morbidity.

Unsettled Aspects of the Digital Thread in Additive Manufacturing

In the past years, additive manufacturing (AM), also known as “3D printing,” has transitioned from rapid prototyping to making parts with potentially long service lives. Now AM provides the ability to have an almost fully digital chain from part design through manufacture and service. Web searches will reveal many statements that AM can help an organization in its pursuit of a “digital thread.” Equally, it is often stated that a digital thread may bring great benefits in improving designs, processes, materials, operations, and the ability to predict failure in a way that maximizes safety and minimizes cost and downtime. Now that the capability is emerging, a whole series of new questions begin to surface as well: •• What data should be stored, how will it be stored, and how much space will it require? •• What is the cost-to-benefit ratio of having a digital thread? •• Who owns the data and who can access and analyze it? •• How long will the data be stored and who will store it? •• How will the data remain readable and usable over the lifetime of a product? •• How much manipulation of disparate data is necessary for analysis without losing information? •• How will the data be secured, and its provenance validated? •• How does an enterprise accomplish configuration management of, and linkages between, data that may be distributed across multiple organizations? •• How do we determine what is “authoritative” in such an environment? These, along with many other questions, mark the combination of AM with a digital thread as an unsettled issue. As the seventh title in a series of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports on AM, this report discusses what the interplay between AM and a digital thread in the mobility industry would look like. This outlook includes the potential benefits and costs, the hurdles that need to be overcome for the combination to be useful, and how an organization can answer these questions to scope and benefit from the combination. This report, like the others in the series, is directed at a product team that is implementing AM. Unlike most of the other reports, putting the infrastructure in place, addressing the issues, and taking full advantage of the benefits will often fall outside of the purview of the product team and at the higher organizational, customer, and industry levels.

A billion-dollar donation: estimating the cost of researchers’ time spent on peer review

Background The amount and value of researchers’ peer review work is critical for academia and journal publishing. However, this labor is under-recognized, its magnitude is unknown, and alternative ways of organizing peer review labor are rarely considered. Methods Using publicly available data, we provide an estimate of researchers’ time and the salary-based contribution to the journal peer review system. Results We found that the total time reviewers globally worked on peer reviews was over 100 million hours in 2020, equivalent to over 15 thousand years. The estimated monetary value of the time US-based reviewers spent on reviews was over 1.5 billion USD in 2020. For China-based reviewers, the estimate is over 600 million USD, and for UK-based, close to 400 million USD. Conclusions By design, our results are very likely to be under-estimates as they reflect only a portion of the total number of journals worldwide. The numbers highlight the enormous amount of work and time that researchers provide to the publication system, and the importance of considering alternative ways of structuring, and paying for, peer review. We foster this process by discussing some alternative models that aim to boost the benefits of peer review, thus improving its cost-benefit ratio.

Foundation and Sub-Floor Bracing Analysis: the Cost Benefit of Upgrading

<p>The poor performance of residential foundations in past earthquakes, prompted a practical investigation to quantify the adequacy of Wellington timber dwellings’ foundations, including the sub-floor bracing, sub-floor fixings and general condition of the foundation. The adequacy of a sample of 80 dwellings’ foundations was assessed against the current “Light Timber Framed Construction Standard” NZS3604:1999. The NZS3604 standard was introduced in 1978 and has been subsequently tested by many New Zealand earthquakes, most significantly being the Edgecumbe earthquake in 1987. The observed damage to dwellings built to the then current NZS3604:1984, showed only negligible damage due to foundation inadequacies and as a result, the standard required only minor amendments. The most current 1999 edition of NZS3604 is therefore considered to have seismically appropriate detailing and provisions to withstand design earthquakes; so for the purposes of this study, NZS3604:1999 is assumed to be the residential benchmark for seismic adequacy. The results from the study suggest that 39% of the sample had inadequate sub-floor bracing. Overall, 16% of the sample relied solely on the strength of ordinary piles, while 11% relied entirely on large concrete anchors. 76% of dwellings had some form of fixing deficiency, ranging from degradation to incorrect or non-existent fixings. The overall condition of the sample dwellings was compared with the House Condition Survey 2005. The results of this study showed that inadequacies identified in the House Condition Survey 2005, were also prevalent in the majority of sampled dwellings in the study, including non compliance with minimum height and sub-floor ventilation requirements. However, the House Condition Survey produced by BRANZ does not assess any rented accommodations and so the condition results may be underestimated. The study sample, however includes a proportion of rented dwellings, but may still be unrepresentative of the actual average dwelling, in terms of condition and range. After identifying the common deficiencies both in the sample and also from similar studies, remedial measures were costed and applied to different foundation types based on the required strength and suitability to the existing foundation system. The remedies, to upgrade bracing, fixings and the general condition, including labour, ranged between $15 per m² and $60 per m². These costs were then projected to all Wellington City foundations, which totalled over $250 Million. It was assumed that each dwelling should be remedied to comply with the standards in NZS3604:1999 and the remedies were applied based on the average condition of the sample. To understand the anticipated losses and therefore benefits of upgrading, the estimated damage cost to residential dwellings was calculated using an Earthquake Loss Modeller, which was supplied by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences. The cost was calculated by assuming an earthquake of Magnitude 7.5, at a depth of 7.5km centred on the Wellington fault line, around Kaiwharawhara. In order to formulate a cost saving, or economic benefit from upgrading foundations, the cost of specific damage and collapse to residential dwellings was calculated to be $2.1 Billion, assuming no remedial measures had been applied. The Mean Damage Ratio for each foundation type was then modified, based on similar earthquake damage projections based on the same Wellington earthquake scenario. Dwellings that had either significant configuration issues or were located in an area likely to experience higher earthquake shaking, were still anticipated to collapse despite applying sub-floor remedies. The cost of damage to dwellings following remedial measures was calculated at just over $1.1 Billion. Therefore, the total savings were anticipated to be around $950 Million. These results were considered as a ratio of cost over benefit which is used to understand whether the associated economic benefit is greater than the anticipated cost of remedy. The cost / benefit ratio for dwellings likely to collapse is less than 10% , while extensively damaged dwellings have a higher cost / benefit ratio of around 25%. The highest benefit was seen in Piled dwellings, where savings upwards of $500 Million were projected. The economic saving due to the application of remedial measures has the potential to reduce pressure on the public sector including emergency management systems, hospitals and organisations involved with evacuations and erection of temporary shelters. In addition, there will also be a saving for both the public and private insurers, which will facilitate the quicker reconstruction of the postearthquake society to pre-earthquake levels. For the results of this study to be beneficial to New Zealanders, the information must be disseminated and implemented using proactive initiatives. These must be targeted at the homeowner in an easily understandable format, which is focussed on better performance and savings, rather than on the worst case scenario which has been shown to increase ambivalence and fatalistic mindsets within society.</p>

Foundation and Sub-Floor Bracing Analysis: the Cost Benefit of Upgrading

<p>The poor performance of residential foundations in past earthquakes, prompted a practical investigation to quantify the adequacy of Wellington timber dwellings’ foundations, including the sub-floor bracing, sub-floor fixings and general condition of the foundation. The adequacy of a sample of 80 dwellings’ foundations was assessed against the current “Light Timber Framed Construction Standard” NZS3604:1999. The NZS3604 standard was introduced in 1978 and has been subsequently tested by many New Zealand earthquakes, most significantly being the Edgecumbe earthquake in 1987. The observed damage to dwellings built to the then current NZS3604:1984, showed only negligible damage due to foundation inadequacies and as a result, the standard required only minor amendments. The most current 1999 edition of NZS3604 is therefore considered to have seismically appropriate detailing and provisions to withstand design earthquakes; so for the purposes of this study, NZS3604:1999 is assumed to be the residential benchmark for seismic adequacy. The results from the study suggest that 39% of the sample had inadequate sub-floor bracing. Overall, 16% of the sample relied solely on the strength of ordinary piles, while 11% relied entirely on large concrete anchors. 76% of dwellings had some form of fixing deficiency, ranging from degradation to incorrect or non-existent fixings. The overall condition of the sample dwellings was compared with the House Condition Survey 2005. The results of this study showed that inadequacies identified in the House Condition Survey 2005, were also prevalent in the majority of sampled dwellings in the study, including non compliance with minimum height and sub-floor ventilation requirements. However, the House Condition Survey produced by BRANZ does not assess any rented accommodations and so the condition results may be underestimated. The study sample, however includes a proportion of rented dwellings, but may still be unrepresentative of the actual average dwelling, in terms of condition and range. After identifying the common deficiencies both in the sample and also from similar studies, remedial measures were costed and applied to different foundation types based on the required strength and suitability to the existing foundation system. The remedies, to upgrade bracing, fixings and the general condition, including labour, ranged between $15 per m² and $60 per m². These costs were then projected to all Wellington City foundations, which totalled over $250 Million. It was assumed that each dwelling should be remedied to comply with the standards in NZS3604:1999 and the remedies were applied based on the average condition of the sample. To understand the anticipated losses and therefore benefits of upgrading, the estimated damage cost to residential dwellings was calculated using an Earthquake Loss Modeller, which was supplied by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences. The cost was calculated by assuming an earthquake of Magnitude 7.5, at a depth of 7.5km centred on the Wellington fault line, around Kaiwharawhara. In order to formulate a cost saving, or economic benefit from upgrading foundations, the cost of specific damage and collapse to residential dwellings was calculated to be $2.1 Billion, assuming no remedial measures had been applied. The Mean Damage Ratio for each foundation type was then modified, based on similar earthquake damage projections based on the same Wellington earthquake scenario. Dwellings that had either significant configuration issues or were located in an area likely to experience higher earthquake shaking, were still anticipated to collapse despite applying sub-floor remedies. The cost of damage to dwellings following remedial measures was calculated at just over $1.1 Billion. Therefore, the total savings were anticipated to be around $950 Million. These results were considered as a ratio of cost over benefit which is used to understand whether the associated economic benefit is greater than the anticipated cost of remedy. The cost / benefit ratio for dwellings likely to collapse is less than 10% , while extensively damaged dwellings have a higher cost / benefit ratio of around 25%. The highest benefit was seen in Piled dwellings, where savings upwards of $500 Million were projected. The economic saving due to the application of remedial measures has the potential to reduce pressure on the public sector including emergency management systems, hospitals and organisations involved with evacuations and erection of temporary shelters. In addition, there will also be a saving for both the public and private insurers, which will facilitate the quicker reconstruction of the postearthquake society to pre-earthquake levels. For the results of this study to be beneficial to New Zealanders, the information must be disseminated and implemented using proactive initiatives. These must be targeted at the homeowner in an easily understandable format, which is focussed on better performance and savings, rather than on the worst case scenario which has been shown to increase ambivalence and fatalistic mindsets within society.</p>

Universal Predictors of Dental Students’ Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination: Machine Learning-Based Approach

Background: young adults represent a critical target for mass-vaccination strategies of COVID-19 that aim to achieve herd immunity. Healthcare students, including dental students, are perceived as the upper echelon of health literacy; therefore, their health-related beliefs, attitudes and behaviors influence their peers and communities. The main aim of this study was to synthesize a data-driven model for the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine willingness among dental students. Methods: a secondary analysis of data extracted from a recently conducted multi-center and multi-national cross-sectional study of dental students’ attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in 22 countries was carried out utilizing decision tree and regression analyses. Based on previous literature, a proposed conceptual model was developed and tested through a machine learning approach to elicit factors related to dental students’ willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Results: machine learning analysis suggested five important predictors of COVID-19 vaccination willingness among dental students globally, i.e., the economic level of the country where the student lives and studies, the individual’s trust of the pharmaceutical industry, the individual’s misconception of natural immunity, the individual’s belief of vaccines risk-benefit-ratio, and the individual’s attitudes toward novel vaccines. Conclusions: according to the socio-ecological theory, the country’s economic level was the only contextual predictor, while the rest were individual predictors. Future research is recommended to be designed in a longitudinal fashion to facilitate evaluating the proposed model. The interventions of controlling vaccine hesitancy among the youth population may benefit from improving their views of the risk-benefit ratio of COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, healthcare students, including dental students, will likely benefit from increasing their awareness of immunization and infectious diseases through curricular amendments.