Roughness of the Asphalt Mix: Its Causes, Effects and Methods to Treat It

This research aims at investigating roughness in asphalt mix, and to address its effects, causes and methods for treating it to provide safe and smooth driving for the drivers and to the roads users in order to reduce accidents, loss of properties and consumption of fuel which reflects on saving financial costs. The research has depended on qualitative research method through reviewing a number of previous studies related to road constructions, since the desired high quality of roads has become priority to the road users and to the environmentalists who seek to reduce air pollution and emission of harmful gases.

Technologies Of Sustainability in Large Banks Buildings

Achieving energy efficiency is a very important step of applying the concepts of sustainability, this will reduce the financial costs that coming from energy consumption for the purposes of operating HVAC system so this concept will give a great effect on the environment and the economic aspects. Bank buildings are represented of the financial strength of the country, as they have a strong and direct impact on the reality of society and urban reality, and these buildings often consume a large amount of energy for cooling and heating purposes in the hot and dry climate of Iraq, so the research problem is focus on the knowledge deficiency of the importance of the role of technologies of sustainability in advancing the banking work at the design and performance level. Therefore, the aim of research was to find the knowledge aspects of designing the external envelope of the banking building in a sustainable manner that contributes to achieving energy efficiency and reducing the negative impact of banking buildings on the environment, as a result technique of sustainability and technological developments have led to the change and innovation in designing an advanced environment in banking buildings, such as achieving communication in the work environment in addition to providing comfort to the occupants in it, and this will lead to improved performance and production.

Phenomenon of Megaprojects in Multi-Contour Economy Model

The article considers the phenomenon of megaprojects as a type of regional development institutions. It shows that megaprojects complement existing regional development corporations and regional investment forums in Russia and other countries. It is demonstrated that megaprojects are a highly controversial phenomenon, characterised not only by huge amounts of investment but also by severe violations of the planned values of time, financial costs, technical and economic results after the commissioning of the facility. In addition, the current environmental damage from megaprojects is both positive and negative, which makes it impossible to account for its impact in the overall scheme of analysis. The article concludes that megaprojects are informationally closed; therefore, it is almost impossible to collect comprehensive information on them. According to the authors, this is due to the desire of megaproject investors to become "invisible" to statistical and supervisory authorities. Otherwise, many projects may become less attractive with the ensuing risks of conservation of regions in a state of low economic activity. Approaches to assess the target efficiency of megaprojects, as well as their indirect economic efficiency, which is based on the use of the investment multiplier methodology, are proposed. Promising directions for further research on megaprojects are outlined.

Improving the productivity of Pini-Kay fuel briquettes by modernizing the working part of the PSH-250 press

The research related to the productivity of production of fuel briquettes of the "Pini-Kay" type, due to the modernization of the working part of the press line for the production of fuel briquettes with a capacity of 250 kg / h (LVB - 250) was carried out. It is known that the press used on this line is PSH-250, it is the main working equipment of this line, as it serves to press the briquette under temperature and is the closing link in the whole briquette process. In the presented study, the main criterion of productivity was considered to be the number of manufactured products before the break of the splined auger, because the breakdown forces to stop the equipment and replace it. This in turn reduces the number of manufactured products. The paper states that the modernization was carried out as follows: the slot screw, which is the main working body of the press PSH - 250, made of structural steel (steel 45) by casting, was replaced by a slotted screw made by machining on CNC machines, high-quality structural alloy steel 40HMFA. This steel is used to make splined shafts, connecting rods and rods, and is best suited for making a splined auger. In addition, to increase the structural strength, the workpiece of the auger, was made heat treatment - normalization. The proposed technological solution allowed to increase the productivity of fuel briquettes, by reducing the downtime of equipment for repair and replacement of working parts of the press PSH-250. This in turn reduced the company's financial costs for spare parts and affected the cost of finished products. The obtained results show that the slotted augers proposed by the authors allowed to increase the productivity of fuel briquettes production almost 10 times in comparison with the previous results.

The research and development of technical and technological solutions for the operation of oil wells with increased gas content

In the practice of oil production, there are oil deposits with high values of gas content (gas factor), from tens to hundreds of cubic meters of gas per one ton of oil produced. Gas dissolved in oil and coming from the reservoir into the well along with the liquid phase (oil, water), under certain thermodynamic conditions, is capable of forming hydrates, which complicate the operation of downhole pumping equipment, reduce the efficiency of pumps and well flow rate. The formation of gas hydrate plugs in the well requires the total overhaul, which leads to an increase in non-productive time, financial costs and an increase in lost profits on lost oil. Considered in the article technologies and devices that prevent the formation of gas hydrates in marginal wells with a high gas content in oil have shown their unreliability and low efficiency. The authors propose for the consideration a new effective technology for the operation of such wells, which makes it possible to avoid the formation of hydrates. Keywords: well; gas content; hydrates; production; oil; valve; coupling; pump.

The Costs and Labour of Whistleblowing: Bodily Vulnerability and Post-disclosure Survival

Whistleblowers are a vital means of protecting society because they provide information about serious wrongdoing. And yet, people who speak up can suffer. Even so, debates on whistleblowing focus on compelling employees to come forward, often overlooking the risk involved. Theoretical understanding of whistleblowers’ post-disclosure experience is weak because tangible and material impacts are poorly understood due partly to a lack of empirical detail on the financial costs of speaking out. To address this, we present findings from a novel empirical study surveying whistleblowers. We demonstrate how whistleblowers who leave their role as a result of speaking out can lose both the financial and temporal resources necessary to redevelop their livelihoods post-disclosure. We also show how associated costs involving significant legal and health expenditure can rise. Based on these insights, our first contribution is to present a new conceptual framing of post-disclosure experiences, drawing on feminist theory, that emphasizes the bodily vulnerability of whistleblowers and their families. Our second contribution repositions whistleblowing as a form of labour defending against precarity, which involves new expenses, takes significant time, and often must be carried out with depleted income. Bringing forth the intersubjective aspect of the whistleblowing experience, our study shows how both the post-disclosure survival of whistleblowers, and their capacity to speak, depend on institutional supports or, in their absence, on personal networks. By reconceptualizing post-disclosure experiences in this way—as material, embodied and intersubjective—practical implications for whistleblower advocacy and policy emerge, alongside contributions to theoretical debates. Reversing typical formulations in business ethics, we turn extant debates on the ethical duty of employees to speak up against wrongdoing on their heads. We argue instead for a responsibility to protect whistleblowers exposed to vulnerability, a duty owed by those upon whose behalf they speak.

Re-decontamination of liquid mycobacterial cultures: Additional Mycobacterium tuberculosis yield in the era of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra in Cape Town, South Africa

A retrospective review of liquid mycobacterial cultures was performed at a laboratory in South Africa from 01 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 to assess the increased yield in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex following sample re-decontamination. Only 9 of 99 (9%) re-decontaminated samples were culture positive for M. tuberculosis complex. Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, concurrently performed on 7 of the 9 samples, detected M. tuberculosis complex in all but 1 sample. Re-decontamination of non-sterile samples did not increase the M. tuberculosis complex yield enough to offset the financial costs and additional labour in a laboratory that utilises the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra system as a first-line diagnostic modality.

Synergistic cortisol suppression by ketoconazole–osilodrostat combination therapy

Summary Here, we describe a case of a patient presenting with adrenocorticotrophic hormone-independent Cushing’s syndrome in a context of primary bilateral macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia. While initial levels of cortisol were not very high, we could not manage to control hypercortisolism with ketoconazole monotherapy, and could not increase the dose due to side effects. The same result was observed with another steroidogenesis inhibitor, osilodrostat. The patient was finally successfully treated with a well-tolerated synergitic combination of ketoconazole and osilodrostat. We believe this case provides timely and original insights to physicians, who should be aware that this strategy could be considered for any patients with uncontrolled hypercortisolism and delayed or unsuccessful surgery, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning points Ketoconazole–osilodrostat combination therapy appears to be a safe, efficient and well-tolerated strategy to supress cortisol levels in Cushing syndrome. Ketoconazole and osilodrostat appear to act in a synergistic manner. This strategy could be considered for any patient with uncontrolled hypercortisolism and delayed or unsuccessful surgery, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the current cost of newly-released drugs, such a strategy could lower the financial costs for patients and/or society.