Search results for: BIM service based cloud computing

Authors: Saad M. Algharib

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The major concern of planners when placing fire stations is finding their optimal locations such that the fire companies can reach fire locations within reasonable response time or distance. Planners are also concerned with the numbers of fire stations that are needed to cover all service areas and the fires, as demands, with standard response time or distance. One of the tools for such analysis is location-allocation models. Location-allocation models enable planners to determine the optimal locations of facilities in an area in order to serve regional demands in the most efficient way. The purpose of this study is to examine the geographic distribution of the existing fire stations in Kuwait City. This study utilized location-allocation models within the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment and a number of statistical functions to assess the current locations of fire stations in Kuwait City. Further, this study investigated how well all service areas are covered and how many and where additional fire stations are needed. Four different location-allocation models were compared to find which models cover more demands than the others, given the same number of fire stations. This study tests many ways to combine variables instead of using one variable at a time when applying these models in order to create a new measurement that influences the optimal locations for locating fire stations. This study also tests how location-allocation models are sensitive to different levels of spatial dependency. The results indicate that there are some districts in Kuwait City that are not covered by the existing fire stations. These uncovered districts are clustered together. This study also identifies where to locate the new fire stations. This study provides users of these models a new variable that can assist them to select the best locations for fire stations. The results include information about how the location-allocation models behave in response to different levels of spatial dependency of demands. The results show that these models perform better with clustered demands. From the additional analysis carried out in this study, it can be concluded that these models applied differently at different spatial patterns.

Keywords: geographic information science, GIS, location-allocation models, geography

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Authors: Ons Triki, Fathi Abid

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Along with the increase in the use of leasing contracts in corporate finance, multiple studies aim to model the credit risk of the lease in order to cover the losses of the lessor of the asset if the lessee goes bankrupt. In the current research paper, a convertible lease contract is elaborated in a continuous time stochastic universe aiming to ensure the financial stability of the firm and quickly recover the losses of the counterparties to the lease in case of default. This work examines the term structure of the lease rates taking into account the credit default risk and the capital structure of the firm. The interaction between the lessee's capital structure and the equilibrium lease rate has been assessed by applying the competitive lease market argument developed by Grenadier (1996) and the endogenous structural default model set forward by Leland and Toft (1996). The cumulative probability of default was calculated by referring to Leland and Toft (1996) and Yildirim and Huan (2006). Additionally, the link between lessee credit risk and lease rate was addressed so as to explore the impact of convertible lease financing on the term structure of the lease rate, the optimal leverage ratio, the cumulative default probability, and the optimal firm value by applying an endogenous conversion threshold. The numerical analysis is suggestive that the duration structure of lease rates increases with the increase in the degree of the market price of risk. The maximal value of the firm decreases with the effect of the optimal leverage ratio. The results are indicative that the cumulative probability of default increases with the maturity of the lease contract if the volatility of the asset service flows is significant. Introducing the convertible lease contract will increase the optimal value of the firm as a function of asset volatility for a high initial service flow level and a conversion ratio close to 1.

Keywords: convertible lease contract, lease rate, credit-risk, capital structure, default probability

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Authors: Pramoda Karunarathna, Hemamalie Gunatilaka

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This study is based on experiences of Sri Lankan lesbian and gay workers’ career in the corporate sector, which include both manufacturing and service sectors. The study has started with the intention of shedding light on a grey area to observe the negative effects on lesbian and gay workers and their experiences while they are employed in the Sri Lankan corporate sector. In order to understand the experiences of lesbian and gay workers while they are at work within the corporate sector, the study seeks to address four questions. First research question is about the challenges faced by lesbian and gay workers while they are at work, and the second research question looks at their career patterns. Third research question seeks to address the behavior at work, and the fourth research question looks at the influence of class, religion, and cultural aspects on the career of lesbian and gay workers. Methodologically, the research was based on semi-structured interviews with nine participants (five gay men and four lesbian women) having work experience in the corporate sector and residing in Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. The research found that the participants have gone through the process of developing sexual identity; gay men possess more feminine characteristics, while lesbian women possess more masculine characteristics. Further, their identity gets revealed in different ways, such as through the curriculum vitae, at the interviews, through the attire and behavior, and with the use of social media. The study also found that lesbian and gay workers experience discrimination due to violation of hierarchical power difference by other employees and marginalization, verbal and nonverbal abuse by other men at work are common experiences. Another finding is that lesbian and gay workers adopt strategies for survival at work, and they prefer the NGO sector to the corporate sector. In contrast, even within the corporate sector, advertising is preferred by lesbian and gay workers. Some of the Sri Lankan corporate sector organizations, especially multinational organizations, have initiated diversity training, and it might lead to making these organisations lesbian and gay-friendly workplaces in the future. It is also found that nearly 44 percent of the participants do not have a religion, and it is due to the rejection of deviant behaviours by most of the religions. In conclusion, lesbian and gay workers experience discrimination at work in the Sri Lankan corporate sector with an exception to the companies relating to advertising and non-governmental organisations is the sector that these workers prefer the most.

Keywords: lesbian workers, gay workers, Sri Lankan corporate sector, discrimination

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Authors: Soumava Boral, Sanjay K. Chaturvedi, Ian Howard, Kristoffer McKee, V. N. A. Naikan

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Due to strict regulations from government to enhance the possibilities of sustainability practices in industries, and noting the advances in sustainable manufacturing practices, it is necessary that the associated processes are also sustainable. Maintenance of large scale and complex machines is a pivotal task to maintain the uninterrupted flow of manufacturing processes. Appropriate maintenance practices can prolong the lifetime of machines, and prevent associated breakdowns, which subsequently reduces different cost heads. Selection of the best maintenance strategies for such machines are considered as a burdensome task, as they require the consideration of multiple technical criteria, complex mathematical calculations, previous fault data, maintenance records, etc. In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, organizations are rapidly changing their way of business, and they are giving their utmost importance to sensor technologies, artificial intelligence, data analytics, automations, etc. In this work, the effectiveness of several maintenance strategies (e.g., preventive, failure-based, reliability centered, condition based, total productive maintenance, etc.) related to a large scale and complex gearbox, operating in a steel processing plant is evaluated in terms of economic, social, environmental and technical criteria. As it is not possible to obtain/describe some criteria by exact numerical values, these criteria are evaluated linguistically by cross-functional experts. Fuzzy sets are potential soft-computing technique, which has been useful to deal with linguistic data and to provide inferences in many complex situations. To prioritize different maintenance practices based on the identified sustainable criteria, multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approaches can be considered as potential tools. Multi-Attributive Ideal Real Comparative Analysis (MAIRCA) is a recent addition in the MCDM family and has proven its superiority over some well-known MCDM approaches, like TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) and ELECTRE (ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalité). It has a simple but robust mathematical approach, which is easy to comprehend. On the other side, due to some inherent drawbacks of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets (IFS) and Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets (PFS), recently, the use of Fermatean Fuzzy Sets (FFSs) has been proposed. In this work, we propose the novel concept of FF-MAIRCA. We obtain the weights of the criteria by experts’ evaluation and use them to prioritize the different maintenance practices according to their suitability by FF-MAIRCA approach. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to highlight the robustness of the approach.

Keywords: Fermatean fuzzy sets, Fermatean fuzzy MAIRCA, maintenance strategy selection, sustainable manufacturing, MCDM

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Authors: Partha Saha, Uttam Kumar Banerjee

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Maternal and Child Healthcare (MCH) has always been regarded as one of the important issues globally. Reduction of maternal and child mortality rates and increase of healthcare service coverage were declared as one of the targets in Millennium Development Goals till 2015 and thereafter as an important component of the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the last decade, worldwide MCH indicators have improved but could not match the expected levels. Progress of both maternal and child mortality rates have been monitored by several researchers. Each of the studies has stated that only less than 26% of low-income and middle income countries (LMICs) were on track to achieve targets as prescribed by MDG4. Average worldwide annual rate of reduction of under-five mortality rate and maternal mortality rate were 2.2% and 1.9% as on 2011 respectively whereas rates should be minimum 4.4% and 5.5% annually to achieve targets. In spite of having proven healthcare interventions for both mothers and children, those could not be scaled up to the required volume due to fragmented health systems, especially in the developing and under-developed countries. In this research, a knowledge discovery based interactive Decision Support System (DSS) has been developed on web platform which would assist healthcare policy makers to develop evidence-based policies. To achieve desirable results in MCH, efficient resource planning is very much required. In maximum LMICs, resources are big constraint. Knowledge, generated through this system, would help healthcare managers to develop strategic resource planning for combatting with issues like huge inequity and less coverage in MCH. This system would help healthcare managers to accomplish following four tasks. Those are a) comprehending region wise conditions of variables related with MCH, b) identifying relationships within variables, c) segmenting regions based on variables status, and d) finding out segment wise key influential variables which have major impact on healthcare indicators. Whole system development process has been divided into three phases. Those were i) identifying contemporary issues related with MCH services and policy making; ii) development of the system; and iii) verification and validation of the system. More than 90 variables under three categories, such as a) educational, social, and economic parameters; b) MCH interventions; and c) health system building blocks have been included into this web-based DSS and five separate modules have been developed under the system. First module has been designed for analysing current healthcare scenario. Second module would help healthcare managers to understand correlations among variables. Third module would reveal frequently-occurring incidents along with different MCH interventions. Fourth module would segment regions based on previously mentioned three categories and in fifth module, segment-wise key influential interventions will be identified. India has been considered as case study area in this research. Data of 601 districts of India has been used for inspecting effectiveness of those developed modules. This system has been developed by importing different statistical and data mining techniques on Web platform. Policy makers would be able to generate different scenarios from the system before drawing any inference, aided by its interactive capability.

Keywords: maternal and child heathcare, decision support systems, data mining techniques, low and middle income countries

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Authors: Alice D. Dioquino, Olivia N. Buzon, Emilio F. Aguinaldo, Ruel Avila, Erwin R. Callo, Cristy Ocampo, Malvin R. Tabajen, Marla C. Papango, Marilou M. Ubina, Josephine Tondo, Cromwell L. Valeriano

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The main purpose of this study was to develop, evaluate and validate courseware on Selected Topics in Mathematics, Science, and the English Language. Specifically, it aimed to: 1. Identify the appropriate Instructional Systems Design (ISD) model in the development of the courseware material; 2. Assess the courseware material according to its: a. Content Characteristics; b. Instructional Characteristics; and c. Technical Characteristics 3. Find out if there is a significant difference in the performance of students before and after using the tutorial CAI. This research is developmental as well as a one group pretest-posttest design. The study had two phases. Phase I includes the needs analysis, writing of lessons and storyboard by the respective experts in each field. Phase II includes the digitization or the actual development of the courseware by the faculty of the ICT department. In this phase it adapted an instructional systems design (ISD) model which is the ADDIE model. ADDIE stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. Formative evaluation was conducted simultaneously with the different phases to detect and remedy any bugs in the courseware along the areas of content, instructional and technical characteristics. The expected output are the digitized lessons in Algebra, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Communication Arts in English. Students and some IT experts validated the CAI material using the Evaluation Form by Wong & Wong. They validated the CAI materials as Highly Acceptable with an overall mean rating of 4.527and standard deviation of 0 which means that they were one in the ratings they have given the CAI materials. A mean gain was recorded and computing the t-test for dependent samples it showed that there were significant differences in the mean achievement of the students before and after the treatment (using CAI). The identified ISD model used in the development of the tutorial courseware was the ADDIE model. The quantitative analyses of data based on ratings given by the respondents’ shows that the tutorial courseware possess the characteristics and or qualities of a very good computer-based courseware. The ratings given by the different evaluators with regard to content, instructional, and technical aspects of the Tutorial Courseware are in conformity towards being excellent. Students performed better in mathematics, biology chemistry, physics and the English Communication Arts after they were exposed to the tutorial courseware.

Keywords: CAI, tutorial courseware, Instructional Systems Design (ISD) Model, education

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Authors: Vasantha Gouri Prathapagiri

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Innovations in ICT sector facilitate qualitative life style for citizens across the globe. Countries that facilitate usage of new techniques in ICT, i.e., big data analytics find it easier to fulfil the needs of their citizens. Big data is characterised by its volume, variety, and speed. Analytics involves its processing in a cost effective way in order to draw conclusion for their useful application. Big data also involves into the field of machine learning, artificial intelligence all leading to accuracy in data presentation useful for public policy making. Hence using data analytics in public policy making is a proper way to march towards all round development of any country. The data driven insights can help the government to take important strategic decisions with regard to socio-economic development of her country. Developed nations like UK and USA are already far ahead on the path of digitization with the support of Big Data analytics. India is a huge country and is currently on the path of massive digitization being realised through Digital India Mission. Internet connection per household is on the rise every year. This transforms into a massive data set that has the potential to improvise the public services delivery system into an effective service mechanism for Indian citizens. In fact, when compared to developed nations, this capacity is being underutilized in India. This is particularly true for administrative system in rural areas. The present paper focuses on the need for big data analytics adaptation in Indian rural administration and its contribution towards development of the country on a faster pace. Results of the research focussed on the need for increasing awareness and serious capacity building of the government personnel working for rural development with regard to big data analytics and its utility for development of the country. Multiple public policies are framed and implemented for rural development yet the results are not as effective as they should be. Big data has a major role to play in this context as can assist in improving both policy making and implementation aiming at all round development of the country.

Keywords: Digital India Mission, public service delivery system, public policy, Indian administration

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Authors: Semaw A., Awet H., Yohannes M.

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Background: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a major global public health problem. Individuals living in Sub-Sahara Africa have 60% lifetime risk of acquiring HBV infection. Evidences showed that 80-90% of those born from infected mothers developed chronic HBV. Perinatal HBV transmission is a major determinant of HBV carrier status, its chronic squeal and maintains HBV transmission across generations. Method: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among 406 pregnant mothers attending Antenatal clinics at Mekelle and Ayder referral hospital from January 30 to April 1/2014. Epidata version 3.1 was used for data entry and SPSS version 21 statistical software was used for data cleaning, management and finally determine associated factors of hepatitis B surface antigen adjusting important confounders using multivariable logistic regression analysis at 5% level of significance. Result: The overall prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen among pregnant women was 33 (8.1%). The socio-demographic characteristic of the study population showed that there is high positivity among secondary school 189 (46.6%). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, history of a contact with individuals who had history of hepatitis B infection or jaundice and lifetime number of multiple sexual partners were found to be significantly associated with HBsAg positivity at AOR = 3.73 95%C.I (1.373-10.182) and AOR = 2.57 95%C.I (1.173-5.654), respectively. Moreover, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and HBV confection rate was found 3.6%. Conclusion: This study has shown that HBV prevalence in pregnant women is highly prevalent (8.1%) in the study area. Contact with individuals who had a history of hepatitis or have jaundice and report of multiple lifetime sexual partnership were associated with hepatitis B infection. Education about HBV transmission and prevention as well as screening all pregnant mothers shall be sought to reduce the serious public health crisis of HBV.

Keywords: HBsAg, hepatitis B, pregnant women, prevalence

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Authors: Lauren C. Porter, Andrew Curtis, Eric Jefferis, Susanne Mitchell

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A wealth of research has been generated examining the variation in crime across neighborhoods. However, there is also a striking degree of crime concentration within neighborhoods. A number of studies show that a small percentage of street segments, intersections, or addresses account for a large portion of crime. Not surprisingly, a focus on these crime hot spots can be an effective strategy for reducing community level crime and related ills, such as health problems. However, research is also limited in an important respect. Studies tend to use official data to identify hot spots, such as 911 calls or calls for service. While the use of call data may be more representative of the actual level and distribution of crime than some other official measures (e.g. arrest data), call data still suffer from the 'dark figure of crime.' That is, there is most certainly a degree of error between crimes that occur versus crimes that are reported to the police. In this study, we present an alternative method of identifying crime hot spots, that does not rely on official data. In doing so, we highlight the potential utility of neighborhood-insiders to identify and understand crime dynamics within geographic spaces. Specifically, we use spatial video and geo-narratives to record the crime insights of 36 police, ex-offenders, and residents of a high crime neighborhood in northeast Ohio. Spatial mentions of crime are mapped to identify participant-identified hot spots, and these are juxtaposed with calls for service (CFS) data. While there are bound to be differences between these two sources of data, we find that one location, in particular, a corner store, emerges as a hot spot for all three groups of participants. Yet it does not emerge when we examine CFS data. A closer examination of the space around this corner store and a qualitative analysis of narrative data reveal important clues as to why this store may indeed be a hot spot, but not generate disproportionate calls to the police. In short, our results suggest that researchers who rely solely on official data to study crime hot spots may risk missing some of the most dangerous places.

Keywords: crime, narrative, video, neighborhood

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Authors: Sabri Serkan Gulluoglu

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The study is aimed at examining the effects of internet marketing with IPTV on human beings. Internet marketing with IPTV is emerging as an integral part of business strategies in today’s technologically advanced world and the business activities all over the world are influences with the emergence of this modern marketing tool. As the population of the Internet and on-line users’ increases, new research issues have arisen concerning the demographics and psychographics of the on-line user and the opportunities for a product or service. In recent years, we have seen a tendency of various services converging to the ubiquitous Internet Protocol based networks. Besides traditional Internet applications such as web browsing, email, file transferring, and so forth, new applications have been developed to replace old communication networks. IPTV is one of the solutions. In the future, we expect a single network, the IP network, to provide services that have been carried by different networks today. For finding some important effects of a video based technology market web site on internet, we determine to apply a questionnaire on university students. Recently some researches shows that in Turkey the age of people 20 to 24 use internet when they buy some electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, etc. In questionnaire there are ten categorized questions to evaluate the effects of IPTV when shopping. There were selected 30 students who are filling the question form after watching an IPTV channel video for 10 minutes. This sample IPTV channel is “buy.com”, it look like an e-commerce site with an integrated IPTV channel on. The questionnaire for the survey is constructed by using the Likert scale that is a bipolar scaling method used to measure either positive or negative response to a statement (Likert, R) it is a common system that is used is the surveys. By following the Likert Scale “the respondents are asked to indicate their degree of agreement with the statement or any kind of subjective or objective evaluation of the statement. Traditionally a five-point scale is used under this methodology”. For this study also the five point scale system is used and the respondents were asked to express their opinions about the given statement by picking the answer from the given 5 options: “Strongly disagree, Disagree, Neither agree Nor disagree, Agree and Strongly agree”. These points were also rates from 1-5 (Strongly disagree, Disagree, Neither disagree Nor agree, Agree, Strongly agree). On the basis of the data gathered from the questionnaire some results are drawn in order to get the figures and graphical representation of the study results that can demonstrate the outcomes of the research clearly.

Keywords: IPTV, internet marketing, online, e-commerce, video based technology

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Authors: Fedil Jemal Ahmed

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This conference abstract paper presents a study that aimed to explore the impact of talent management and business skills on performance improvement in mini markets located in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. Mini markets are small retail stores that play a crucial role in providing essential goods and services to communities. However, due to their small size, they often face significant challenges in terms of resources and management. The study conducted interviews with mini market owners and managers in Johannesburg and Cape Town to understand their approach to talent management, business skills, and their impact on business performance. The results showed that effective talent management practices, including recruitment, training, and retention, along with strong business skills, had a significant positive impact on business performance in mini markets. Furthermore, the study found that the use of technology, such as point of sale systems and inventory management software, can also contribute to business performance improvement in mini markets. The results suggest that mini market owners and managers should prioritize talent management, business skills, and invest in technology to improve their business performance. Comparing the improvements made by mini markets in Johannesburg and Cape Town to those made by others, the study found that the adoption of effective talent management practices and strong business skills were key factors in driving performance improvement. Mini market owners and managers who invested in these areas were better equipped to manage their resources, enhance their customer service, and increase their profitability. When comparing the personal experiences of the fedil jemal who improved their business performance from a small market to a large one, they found that effective talent management practices and strong business skills were crucial in achieving success. Through the adoption of effective talent management practices, the fedil was able to attract and retain top talent, ensuring that the business was managed effectively. Furthermore, the fedil invested in improving their business skills, such as financial management, marketing, and customer service, which helped to increase their revenue and profitability. In terms of technology adoption, the author found that the use of point-of-sale systems and inventory management software were essential in managing their inventory and improving their customer service. By investing in technology, the fedil was able to streamline their operations and enhance their overall business performance. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the importance of talent management, business skills, and technology adoption in improving business performance in mini markets. It highlights the need for mini market owners and managers to prioritize these areas and invest in them to enhance their business performance. The findings of this study have practical implications for mini market owners and managers who are looking to improve their business performance and compete in a highly competitive market. By adopting effective talent management practices, developing strong business skills, and investing in technology, mini market owners and managers can improve their operations and increase their profitability.

Keywords: talent management, business skills, technology adoption, mini markets

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Authors: J. Liebenberg, M. Huisman, E. Mentz

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It is widely acknowledged that there is a shortage of software developers, not only in South Africa, but also worldwide. Despite reports on a gap between industry needs and software education, the gap has mostly been explored in quantitative studies. This paper reports on the qualitative data of a mixed method study of the perceptions of professional software developers regarding what topics they learned from their formal education and the importance of these topics to their actual work. The analysis suggests that there is a gap between industry’s needs and software development education and the following recommendations are made: 1) Real-life projects must be included in students’ education; 2) Soft skills and business skills must be included in curricula; 3) Universities must keep the curriculum up to date; 4) Software development education must be made accessible to a diverse range of students.

Keywords: software development education, software industry, IT workforce, computing curricula

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Authors: Desislav Andreev, Veselin Stanev

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Linux operating system continues to gain popularity with every passed year. This is due to its open-source license and a great number of distributions, covering users’ needs. At first glance it seems that Linux can be integrated in every type of systems – it is already present in personal computers, smartphones and even in some embedded systems like Raspberry Pi. However, Linux still does not meet the performance and security requirements to run effectively on a real-time system. Real-time systems are very time-restricted – their processes have to execute and finish at strict time intervals. The Completely Fair Scheduler present in Linux does not have such scheduling capabilities and it is not able to ensure that critical-time processes will execute on time. One of the ways to solve this problem is implementing an Adaptive Partition Scheduler solution similar to that present in QNX Neutrino operating system. This type of scheduling divides the CPU in multiple adaptive partitions where each partition holds a percentage of CPU usage called budget, which allows optimal usage of the CPU resources and also provides protection against cyber attacks such as Denial of Service. This approach will also benefit systems, where functional safety is highly demanded, such as the instrumental clusters in the Automotive industry. The purpose of this paper is to present a concept of Adaptive Partition Scheduler designed for Linux-based operating systems.

Keywords: adaptive partitions, Linux kernel modules, real-time systems, scheduling

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Authors: Mariam Vardiashvili

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The economic value of the asset impairment process is quite large. Impairment reflects the reduction of future economic benefits or service potentials itemized in the asset. The assets owned by public sector entities bring economic benefits or are used for delivery of the free-of-charge services. Consequently, they are classified as cash-generating and non-cash-generating assets. IPSAS 21 - Impairment of non-cash-generating assets, and IPSAS 26 - Impairment of cash-generating assets, have been designed considering this specificity.  When measuring impairment of assets, it is important to select the relevant methods. For measurement of the impaired Non-Cash-Generating Assets, IPSAS 21 recommends three methods: Depreciated Replacement Cost Approach, Restoration Cost Approach, and  Service Units Approach. Impairment of Value in Use of Cash-Generating Assets (according to IPSAS 26) is measured by discounted value of the money sources to be received in future. Value in use of the cash-generating asserts (as per IPSAS 26) is measured by the discounted value of the money sources to be received in the future. The article provides classification of the assets in the public sector  as non-cash-generating assets and cash-generating assets and, deals also with the factors which should be considered when evaluating  impairment of assets. An essence of impairment of the non-financial assets and the methods of measurement thereof evaluation are formulated according to IPSAS 21 and IPSAS 26. The main emphasis is put on different methods of measurement of the value in use of the impaired Cash-Generating Assets and Non-Cash-Generation Assets and the methods of their selection. The traditional and the expected cash flow approaches for calculation of the discounted value are reviewed. The article also discusses the issues of recognition of impairment loss and its reflection in the financial reporting. The article concludes that despite a functional purpose of the impaired asset, whichever method is used for measuring the asset, presentation of realistic information regarding the value of the assets should be ensured in the financial reporting. In the theoretical development of the issue, the methods of scientific abstraction, analysis and synthesis were used. The research was carried out with a systemic approach. The research process uses international standards of accounting, theoretical researches and publications of Georgian and foreign scientists.

Keywords: cash-generating assets, non-cash-generating assets, recoverable (usable restorative) value, value of use

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Authors: Ana Bilandzic, Marcus Foth, Greg Hearn

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In a narrow sense, innovation is the invention and commercialisation of a new product or service in the marketplace. The literature suggests places that support knowledge exchange and social interaction, e.g. coffee shops, to nurture innovative ideas. With the widespread success of Internet, interpersonal communication and interaction changed. Online platforms complement physical places for idea exchange and innovation – the rise of hybrid, ‘net localities.’ Further, since its introduction in 2003 by Chesbrough, the concept of open innovation received increased attention as a topic in academic research as well as an innovation strategy applied by companies. Open innovation allows companies to seek and release intellectual property and new ideas from outside of their own company. As a consequence, the innovation process is no longer only managed within the company, but it is pursued in a co-creation process with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Quirky.com (Quirky), a company founded by Ben Kaufman in 2009, recognised the opportunity given by the Internet for knowledge exchange and open innovation. Quirky developed an online platform that makes innovation available to everyone. This paper reports on a study that analysed Quirky’s business process in an extended event-driven process chain (eEPC). The aim was to determine how the platform enabled crowdsourced innovation for physical products on the Internet. The analysis reveals that key elements of the business model are based on open innovation. Quirky is an example of how open innovation can support crowdsourced and crowdfunded product ideation, development and selling. The company opened up various stages in the innovation process to its members to contribute in the product development, e.g. product ideation, design, and market research. Throughout the process, members earn influence through participating in the product development. Based on the influence they receive, shares on the product’s turnover. The outcomes of the study’s analysis highlighted certain benefits of open innovation for product development. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research to look into opportunities of open innovation approaches to be adopted by tertiary institutions as a novel way to commercialise research intellectual property.

Keywords: business process, crowdsourced innovation, open innovation, Quirky

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Authors: Tomaz Oliveira, Rui Medeiros, André Lacerda

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Introduction: Cleft lip and/or palate are the most frequent forms of congenital craniofacial anomalies, affecting mainly the middle third of the face and manifesting by functional and aesthetic changes. Bilateral cleft lip represents a reconstructive surgical challenge, not only for the labial component but also for the associated nasal deformation. Recently, the paradigm of the approach to this pathology has changed, placing the focus on muscle reconstruction and anatomical repositioning of the nasal cartilages in order to obtain the best aesthetic and functional results. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review of the surgical approach to bilateral cleft lip, retrospectively analyzing the case series of Plastic Surgery Service at Hospital Santa Maria (Lisbon, Portugal) regarding this pathology, the global assessment of the characteristics of the operated patients and the study of the different surgical approaches and their complications in the last 20 years. Methods: The present work demonstrates a retrospective and descriptive study of patients who underwent at least one reconstructive surgery for cleft lip and/or palate, in the CPRE service of the HSM, in the period between January 1 of 1997 and December 31 of 2017, in which the data relating to 361 individuals were analyzed who, after applying the exclusion criteria, constituted a sample of 212 participants. The variables analyzed were the year of the first surgery, gender, age, type of orofacial cleft, surgical approach, and its complications. Results: There was a higher overall prevalence in males, with cleft lip and cleft palate occurring in greater proportion in males, with the cleft palate being more common in females. The most frequently recorded malformation was cleft lip and palate, which is complete in most cases. Regarding laterality, alterations with a unilateral labial component were the most commonly observed, with the left lip being described as the most affected. It was found that the vast majority of patients underwent primary intervention up to 12 months of age. The surgical techniques used in the approach to this pathology showed an important chronological variation over the years. Discussion: Cleft lip and/or palate is a medical condition associated with high aesthetic and functional morbidity, which requires early treatment in order to optimize the long-term outcome. The existence of a nasolabial component and its respective surgical correction plays a central role in the treatment of this pathology. The high rates of post-surgical complications and unconvincing aesthetic results have motivated an evolution of the surgical technique, increasingly evident in recent years, allowing today to achieve satisfactory aesthetic results, even in bilateral cleft lip with high deformation complexity. The introduction of techniques that favor nasolabial reconstruction based on anatomical principles has been producing increasingly convincing results. The analyzed sample shows that most of the results obtained in this study are, in general, compatible with the results published in the literature. Conclusion: This work showed that the existence of small variations in the surgical technique can bring significant improvements in the functional and aesthetic results in the treatment of bilateral cleft lip.

Keywords: cleft lip, palate lip, congenital abnormalities, cranofacial malformations

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Authors: Tong Mei Yan

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Introduction: The experience of infertility could be excruciating but has not received much attention in Hong Kong. The strong Confucian culture pressures couples to continue their family lineage resulting in women facing more stress than men in the social-cultural milieu. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment is one of the common ways to deal with the problem. Abundant literature exists the psychological trajectories of people receiving IVF treatment in Europe, the USA and other east Asian societies but not in Hong Kong. Aim: This study aims to highlight the circumstances and needs of the women before, during and after IVF treatment through examining their lived experiences. It is hoped that the public, once informed of regarding their tribulations and needs , would support the adequate provision of the required psychological support . Methods: Qualitative analysis was adopted in this study. In-depth interviews were conducted with six women who have undergone at least one complete cycle of IVF treatment within the past five years. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis and narrative analysis. Results: 4 broad themes were found, including (i) emotional responses; (ii) experiences in medical consultation; (iii) impacts of the treatment; and (iv) their coping strategies. Additionally, specific events in three cases were chosen for narrative analysis to further examine their unresolved emotional distress and the ethical issues. Conclusion: IVF treatment distressed the interviewees immensely, both physically and psychologically, with the negative emotions outweighing their physical strains, a result unexpected by all of the interviewees. The pressure for lineage continuation, the demanding treatment process and the dearth of support from health professionals all contribute to their emotional pain which could linger for both successful and unsuccessful cases. Although a number of coping strategies were attempted, most of them completely failed to ease their psychological tension. The findings of this study therefore evidence the need for psychological support for this population. A service model to cater their needs of IVF treatment before, during and after treatment is therefore proposed.

Keywords: coping strategies, emotional experiences, impacts of IVF, infertility, IVF treatment, medical experiences

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Authors: Ilaria Coppola, Davide Lacqua, Nadia Ranìa

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Over the past two decades, migration has gained central importance in the global landscape. Europe hosts the largest number of migrants, totaling 92.9 million people, approximately 37.4 million of whom are regular residents within the European Union's borders. Reception services and different modes of management have received increasing attention precisely because of the complexity of the phenomenon, which necessarily impacts the wider community. Indeed, opening a reception center in an area entails major challenges for that context, for the community that inhabits it, and for the people who use that service. Questioning the strategies needed to offer a functional reception service means listening to the different actors involved who daily face the difficulties involved in working in the field. Recognizing the importance of the professional figures who work closely with migrant people, each with their own specific experiences has led researchers to study and analyze the different types of reception centers and their management. This has led to the development of intervention models and best practices in various countries. However, research from this perspective is still limited, especially in Italy. From this theoretical framework, this study aims to bring out an innovative qualitative tool, such as the world café, the work experiences of 29 social workers working in shelters in the Italian context. Most of the participants were female and lived in the Northwest regions of Italy. Through this tool, the aim was to bring out and share reflections on the critical issues encountered in working in reception centers, with a view to identifying possible solutions for better management of services. The World café represents a tool used in participatory action research that promotes dialogue among participants through the sharing of reflections and ideas. In fact, from critical reflections, participants are invited to identify and share possible solutions to provide a more functional service with benefits to the entire community. Therefore, this research, through the innovative technique of the World café, aims to promote critical thinking processes that can help participants find solutions that can be introduced into their work contexts or proposed to decision-makers. Specifically, the findings shed light on several issues, including complex bureaucratic procedures, insufficient project planning, and inefficiencies in the services provided to migrants. These concerns collectively contribute to what participants perceive as a disorganized and uncoordinated system. In addition, the study explores potential solutions that promote more efficient networking practices, coordinated project management, and a more positive approach to cultural diversity. The main results obtained will be discussed with a focus on critical reflections and possible solutions identified.

Keywords: participatory action research, world café method, reception services, migration contexts, social workers, Italy

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Authors: Parveen Kumar

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The cope the rapid change of technology and to control the ephemeral rate of information generation, librarians along with their professional colleagues need to equip themselves as per the requirement of the electronic information society. E-learning is purely based on computer and communication technologies. The terminologies like computer based learning. It is the delivery of content via all electronic media through internet, internet, Extranets television broadcast, CD-Rom documents, etc. E-learning poses lot of issues in the transformation of literature or knowledge from the conventional medium to ICT based format and web based services.

Keywords: e-learning, digital libraries, online learning, electronic information society

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Authors: Hossam Ali-Hassan, Michael Bliemel

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This poster reflects upon our experiences using INNOV8, IBM’s Business Process Management (BPM) simulation game, in online MBA and undergraduate MIS classes over a period of 2 years. The game is designed to gives both business and information technology players a better understanding of how effective BPM impacts an entire business ecosystem. The game includes three different scenarios: Smarter Traffic, which is used to evaluate existing traffic patterns and re-route traffic based on incoming metrics; Smarter Customer Service where players develop more efficient ways to respond to customers in a call centre environment; and Smarter Supply Chains where players balance supply and demand and reduce environmental impact in a traditional supply chain model. We use the game as an experiential learning tool, where students have to act as managers making real time changes to business processes to meet changing business demands and environments. The students learn how information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) can be used to intelligently solve different problems and how computer simulations can be used to test different scenarios or models based on business decisions without having to actually make the potentially costly and/or disruptive changes to business processes. Moreover, when students play the three different scenarios, they quickly see how practical process improvements can help meet profitability, customer satisfaction and environmental goals while addressing real problems faced by municipalities and businesses today. After spending approximately two hours in the game, students reflect on their experience from it to apply several BPM principles that were presented in their textbook through the use of a structured set of assignment questions. For each final scenario students submit a screenshot of their solution followed by one paragraph explaining what criteria you were trying to optimize, and why they picked their input variables. In this poster we outline the course and the module’s learning objectives where we used the game to place this into context. We illustrate key features of the INNOV8 Simulation Game, and describe how we used them to reinforce theoretical concepts. The poster will also illustrate examples from the simulation, assignment, and learning outcomes.

Keywords: experiential learning, business process management, BPM, INNOV8, simulation, game

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Authors: Dganit Sharon, Raghda Alnabilsy

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The goal of this qualitative research was to sound the voices of Jewish and Arab women in Israel who had experienced obstetric violence, to learn the consequences of the violence to them on different levels and over time, and to present their coping strategies from their perspective. Another goal was to expand the research knowledge on an issue that has not been studied among Arab and Jewish women in Israel. The premise of this study is the feminist approach that aims to promote human rights, and to eradicate phenomena related to cultural, structural, gender and patriarchal structures of women, their bodies, and their health. The research was based on the qualitative-constructivist methodology, by means of thematic analysis of 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews. Two main themes emerged from the analysis. First, the physical and emotional consequences of obstetric violence, consequences to spousal relationships, and mistrust of the health system and service providers. Second, women’s coping strategies with obstetric violence that included repression and avoidance as a way of coping with the pain and trauma of the abuse; garnering inner strengths, resilience, knowledge and awareness of the delivery process; recruiting and relying on external help; sharing on social media, and discussions with other women who had similar experiences; or reaching out to therapists / legal aid / public complaints.

Keywords: obstetric violence, Jewish and arab women in israel, consequences, coping strategies, gender-related perspective

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Authors: Khalid Kaddoura, Ahmed Assad, Tarek Zayed

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Sewer pipelines are prone to deterioration over-time. In fact, their deterioration does not follow a fixed downward pattern. This is in fact due to the defects that propagate through their service life. Sewer pipeline defects are categorized into distinct groups. However, the main two groups are the structural and operational defects. By definition, the structural defects influence the structural integrity of the sewer pipelines such as deformation, cracks, fractures, holes, etc. However, the operational defects are the ones that affect the flow of the sewer medium in the pipelines such as: roots, debris, attached deposits, infiltration, etc. Yet, the process for each defect to emerge follows a cause and effect relationship. Deformation, which is the change of the sewer pipeline geometry, is one type of an influencing defect that could be found in many sewer pipelines due to many surrounding factors. This defect could lead to collapse if the percentage exceeds 15%. Therefore, it is essential to predict the deformation percentage before confronting such a situation. Accordingly, this study will predict the percentage of the deformation defect in sewer pipelines adopting the multiple regression analysis. Several factors will be considered in establishing the model, which are expected to influence the defamation defect severity. Besides, this study will construct a time-based curve to understand how the defect would evolve overtime. Thus, this study is expected to be an asset for decision-makers as it will provide informative conclusions about the deformation defect severity. As a result, inspections will be minimized and so the budgets.

Keywords: deformation, prediction, regression analysis, sewer pipelines

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Authors: Djamal Hamadi, Sifeddine Abderrahmani, Toufik Maalem, Oussama Temami

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In recent years many finite elements have been developed for plate bending analysis. The formulated elements are based on the strain based approach. This approach leads to the representation of the displacements by higher order polynomial terms without the need for the introduction of additional internal and unnecessary degrees of freedom. Good convergence can also be obtained when the results are compared with those obtained from the corresponding displacement based elements, having the same total number of degrees of freedom. Furthermore, the plate bending elements are free from any shear locking since they converge to the Kirchhoff solution for thin plates contrarily for the corresponding displacement based elements. In this paper the efficiency of the strain based approach compared to well known displacement formulation is presented. The results obtained by a new formulated plate bending element based on the strain approach and Kirchhoff theory are compared with some others elements. The good convergence of the new formulated element is confirmed.

Keywords: displacement fields, finite elements, plate bending, Kirchhoff theory, strain based approach

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Authors: Misook Ahn

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This study examined the Digital Curriculum Repository (DCR) project initiated at Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). The purpose of the DCR is to build a centralized curriculum infrastructure, preserve all curriculum materials, and provide academic service to users (faculty, students, or other agencies). The DCR collection includes core language curriculum materials developed by each language school—foreign language textbooks, language survival kits, and audio files currently in or not in use at the schools. All core curriculum materials with audio and video files have been coded, collected, and preserved at the DCR. The DCR website was designed with MS SharePoint for easy accessibility by the DLIFLC’s faculty and students. All metadata for the collected curriculum materials have been input by language, code, year, book type, level, user, version, and current status (in use/not in use). The study documents digital curriculum preservation planning, actions, and challenges, including collecting, coding, collaborating, designing DCR SharePoint, and policymaking. DCR Survey data is also collected and analyzed for this research. Based on the finding, the study concludes that the mandatory policy for the DCR system and collaboration with school leadership are critical elements of a successful repository system. The sample collected items, metadata, and DCR SharePoint site are presented in the evaluation section.

Keywords: MS share point, digital preservation, repository, policy

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Authors: Jing Qing-feng, Liu Danmei

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Based on the optimum detection, signal projection and Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) rule, Proakis has deduced the theoretical BER equation of Gray coded MPSK signals. Proakis analyzed the BER theoretical equations mainly based on the projection of signals, which is difficult to be understood. This article solve the same problem based on the signal space, which explains the vectors relations among the sending signals, received signals and noises. The more explicit and easy-deduced process is illustrated in this article based on the signal space, which can illustrated the relations among the signals and noises clearly. This kind of deduction has a univocal geometry meaning. It can explain the correlation between the production and calculation of BER in vector level.

Keywords: MPSK, MAP, signal space, BER

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Authors: Hatthaphone Silimanotham, Michael Henry

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The effective maintenance of road bridge infrastructure is becoming a widely researched topic in the civil engineering field. Deterioration is one of the main issues in bridge performance, and it is necessary to understand how bridges deteriorate to optimally plan budget allocation for bridge maintenance. In Laos, many bridges are in a deteriorated state, which may affect the performance of the bridge. Due to bridge deterioration, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is interested in the deterioration model to allocate the budget efficiently and support the bridge maintenance planning. A deterioration model can be used to predict the bridge condition in the future based on the observed behavior in the past. This paper analyzes the available inspection data of road bridges on the road classifications network to build deterioration prediction models for the main bridge type found at the provincial level (concrete slab, concrete girder, and steel truss) using probabilistic deterioration modeling by linear regression method. The analysis targets there has three bridge types in the 18 provinces of Laos and estimates the bridge deterioration rating for evaluating the bridge's remaining life. This research thus considers the relationship between the service period and the bridge condition to represent the probability of bridge condition in the future. The results of the study can be used for a variety of bridge management tasks, including maintenance planning, budgeting, and evaluating bridge assets.

Keywords: deterioration model, bridge condition, bridge management, probabilistic modeling

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Authors: Sohail Bawani, Kausar S. Khan, Rozina Karmaliani, Shehnaz Mir

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Action research (AR) is one of the types of health systems research (HSR), and participatory action research (PAR) is known for being effective in health systems strengthening (HSS). The current literature on PAR for HSS cites numerous examples and case studies that led to improve health services; build child health information system; increase knowledge and awareness of people about health problems, and identify pathways for institutional and policy change by engaging people in research. But examples of marginalized communities being agents of change in health governance are not common in health systems research (HSR). This approach to PAR is at the heart of Paolo Freire’s Social Transformation Theory and Critical Consciousness building, which was used to design a community-based PAR study in the Northern/mountainous areas of Pakistan. The purpose of the study was to understand the place and role of marginalized communities in strengthening existing health governance structure (health facility and village health committees and health boards) by taking marginalized communities as partners. Community meetings were carried out to identify who is living at the social, political, cultural and economic margins in 40 different villages. Participatory reflection and analysis (PRA) tools were used during the meeting to facilitate identification. Focus group discussions were conducted with marginalized groups using PRA tools and family ethnographies with marginalized families identified through group discussions. Findings of the study revealed that for the marginalized health systems constitute more than just delivery of health services, but it also embraces social determinants that surround systems and its governance. The paper argues that from Frerian perspective people’s participation should not only be limited to knowledge generation. People must be seen active users of the knowledge that they generate for achieving better health outcomes that they want to achieve in the time to come. PAR provides a pathway to the marginalized in playing a role in health governance. The study dissemination planned shall engage the marginalized in a dialogue with service providers so that together a role for the marginalized can be outlined.

Keywords: participatory action research, health systems, marginalized, health services

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Authors: Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Tarun Kumar Dan

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Lead-Lag based Internal Model Control method is proposed based on Internal Model Control (IMC) strategy. In this paper, we have designed the Lead-Lag based Internal Model Control for binary distillation column for SISO process (considering only bottom product). The transfer function has been taken from Wood and Berry model. We have find the composition control and disturbance rejection using Lead-Lag based IMC and comparing with the response of simple Internal Model Controller.

Keywords: SISO, lead-lag, internal model control, wood and berry, distillation column

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Authors: Dorota Miroslaw-Swiatek, Mateusz Grygoruk, Sylwia Szporak

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We applied a two-dimensional surface water flow model with irregular wet boundaries. In this model, flow equations are in the form of a 2-D, non-linear diffusion equations which allows to account spatial variations in flow resistance and topography. Calculation domain to simulate the flow pattern in the floodplain is congruent with a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) grid. The rate and direction of sheet flow in wetlands is affected by vegetation type and density, therefore the developed model take into account spatial distribution vegetation resistance to the water flow. The model was tested in a part of the Biebrza Valley, of an outstanding heterogeneity in the elevation and flow resistance distributions due to various ecohydrological conditions and management measures. In our approach we used the highest-possible quality of the DEM in order to obtain hydraulic slopes and vegetation distribution parameters for the modelling. The DEM was created from the cloud of points measured in the LiDAR technology. The LiDAR reflects both the land surface as well as all objects on top of it such as vegetation. Depending on the density of vegetation cover the ability of laser penetration is variable. Therefore to obtain accurate land surface model the “vegetation effect” was corrected using data collected in the field (mostly the vegetation height) and satellite imagery such as Ikonos (to distinguish different vegetation types of the floodplain and represent them spatially). Model simulation was performed for the spring thaw flood in 2009.

Keywords: floodplain flow, Biebrza valley, model simulation, 2D surface flow model

Procedia PDF Downloads 487

Authors: N. AlShaya, R. Alhomidan, S. Alromizan, W. Labib

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Plant-based natural fibers are used more increasingly in construction materials. It is done to reduce the pressure on the built environment, which has been increased dramatically due to the increases world population and their needs. Plant-based natural fibers are abundant in many countries. Despite the low-cost of such environmental friendly renewable material, it has the ability to enhance the mechanical properties of construction materials. This paper presents an extensive discussion on the use of plant-based natural fibers as reinforcement for cement-based composites, with a particular emphasis upon fiber types; fiber characteristics, and fiber-cement composites performance. It also covers a thorough overview on the main factors, affecting the properties of plant-based natural fiber cement composite in it fresh and hardened state. The feasibility of using plant-based natural fibers in producing various construction materials; such as, mud bricks and blocks is investigated. In addition, other applications of using such fibers as internal curing agents as well as durability enhancer are also discussed. Finally, recommendation for possible future work in this area is presented.

Keywords: natural fibres, cement composites, construction materia, sustainability, stregth, durability

Procedia PDF Downloads 206