191,864 research outputs found
A Place Based Approach to Net Zero. A report by the Net Zero Infrastructure Industry Coalition
No full textThis report was produced as part of the work programme of the Net-Zero Infrastructure Industry Coalition, formed in 2019 in response to the UK government’s 2050 net- zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions commitment. Our launch report, ‘Building a net-zero economy: planning and practical action to transition our economic infrastructure for a net-zero future’ is available at mottmac.com. Coalition members include Mott MacDonald, Skanska, the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure & Cities, UK Green Building Council, Anglian Water, Transport for London, Engie, Pinsent Masons, KPMG, Energy Systems Catapult, Carbon Trust and Leeds City Council. The aim of our coalition is to harness our collective expertise to support the delivery of UK net-zero. Our belief is that net-zero must become an industry-wide mission that transcends traditional business relationships to become a fundamental part of the way we all work, much like health and safety has over recent decades. Our vision is that the UK’s engineering and infrastructure sectors rapidly mobilise to meet the net-zero challenge
A comparison of fatigue analysis methods for L-PBF net-shape surfaces in Ti6Al4V parts
No full textThe fatigue performance of additive manufacturing components is strongly limited by the surface topology, in particular considering the effect of the surface orientation. In the present study, Ti6Al4V laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) net-shape specimens were printed considering four critical orientations to investigate and compare HCF fatigue properties and two different fatigue assessment methods.
Detailed X-ray Computer Tomography (XCT) allowed us to carry out numerical simulations of the 4-Point Bending test samples, by adopting the critical distance method (TCD method). Endurance limit predictions based on the most critical valleys were performed by TCD and compared to predictions made with a Fracture Mechanics model that relies on simple profile roughness parameters.
Comparison of the methods show that TCD inherently includes the shielding effect and it can better account for isolated features, while FM is more rapid and conservative
A dynamic petri net model for iterative and interactive distributed multimedia presentation
No full textObject Composition Petri Nets (OCPN), Priority Petri Nets (P-Net), Dynamic OCPN (DOCPN) and Enhanced P-Nets (EP-Net) have extended the original Petri Net to achieve the modeling of media synchronization and asynchronous user interactions during multimedia playback. Dynamic Petri Net (DPN) has been conceptualized to tackle existing problems in these two areas of modeling distributed multimedia systems. DPN features dynamic modeling elements which allows iteration and hence is able to reduce graph sizes of synchronous playback models while allowing greater details to be shown. DPN also introduces asynchronous event handling techniques that are powerful and effective. DPN was used in the design and modeling of a multimedia orchestration tool which is a typical representation of an application that works in a distributed multimedia system
Net generation and digital literacy: a short bibliographical review and some remarks
No full textA far reaching discussion on the net generation and the need to update teaching methods has been ongoing for a while. A large number of papers on this topic have been published. The most relevant reviews point out that by and large the use of social networks by the net generation does not mean that young people has natural digital skills/competencies they apply in the learning activities.
The present brief review discusses the relevant literature considering the various definitions of “digital literacies” . In particular an JISC study “Thriving in the 21st century. Learning Literacies for the Digital Age” (LLiDA Project) is cited, because of its approach to a very detailed definition of learning literacies.
Moreover, in spite of them making use of the most recently available sources like Wikipedia recent papers have shown that the search and reading approach of the net generation – lacks selection criteria and quality evaluation skills.
In the conclusions the Author raises questions on the best e-learning methods to teach digital literacies, in a context where the change is fast, and the traditional LMS approach may be a waste of time and money - and, very difficult to put in practice in a time of retrenchment for Italian Universities
Who are the net food importing countries ?
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to update the information on net food importing countries, using different definitions of food, separating countries by their level of income, whether they are in conflict and whether they are significant oil exporters. The study also estimates the changes in net food importing status of these countries over the last two and a half decades, and, most important, the study measures the relative importance of these net food imports in the import basket of the countries. Our results show that while many low-income countries are net food importers, the importance and potential impact of the net food importing status has been highly exaggerated. Many low-income countries that have larger food deficits are either oil exporters or countries in conflict. Food deficits of most low-income countries are not that significant as a percentage of their imports. Our results also show that only 6 low-income countries have food deficits that are more than 10 percent of their imports. Last two decades have seen a significant improvement in the food trade balances of low-income developing countries. SSA low-income countries are an exception to this trend. On the other hand, there are a group of countries which are experiencing civil conflicts which are large importers of food, and these countries can not meet their basic needs. They also need special assistance in the distribution of food within their boundaries. Therefore, one should modify the WTO Ministerial Declaration, and focus on these conflict countries rather than the broad net food importers.Food&Beverage Industry,Emerging Markets,Currencies and Exchange Rates,Economic Theory&Research,
Financial safety nets and incentive structures in Latin America
No full textThe literature on safety nets has become technically more precise by drawing on advances in contract theory and optimal governance structure. This paper begins with a treatment of some aspects of the theory. The author's approach draws more on institutional economics, and more precisely on the approach taken by Kindleberger (1978), in the sense that he believes the design of good financial safety nets for Latin America depends upon an understanding of the way that formal ex-ante safety nets have broken down during times of crisis over the past one hundred years. In this paper then author explores issues surrounding safety nets for financial systems in small open economies like those in Latin America. The starting point in Section 2 is the idea that asymmetric information will generally restrict the scope for lending to potential borrowers. Section 3 shows that government regulation of financial intermediaries can frequently lower the cost of lending. Section 4 discusses the creation of central banks in Latin America in the 1920s as an innovation to promote financial deepening. Section 5 shows that the extension of the safety net to depositors is a relatively new and untested development. Section 6 concludes with a discussion of the design of safety nets that takes into account the principles developed in the paper.Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Financial Intermediation,Banks&Banking Reform,Labor Policies,Financial Intermediation,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform
Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus: bad news and good news from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net, formerly EARSS), 2002 to 2009
No full textBased on data collected by the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) and the former EARSS, the present study describes the trends in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and occurrence of invasive infections caused by Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in the period from 2002 to 2009. Antimicrobial susceptibility results from 198 laboratories in 22 European countries reporting continuously on these two microorganisms during the entire study period were included in the analysis. The number of bloodstream infections caused by E. coli increased remarkably by 71% during the study period, while bloodstream infections caused by S. aureus increased by 34%. At the same time, an alarming increase of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli was observed, whereas for S. aureus the proportion of meticillin resistant isolates decreased. The observed trend suggests an increasing burden of disease caused by E. coli. The reduction in the proportion of meticillin-resistant S. aureus and the lesser increase in S. aureus infections, compared with E. coli, may reflect the success of infection control measures at hospital level in several European countries
The construction of Karen Karnak: The multi-author-function
No full textThis thesis is situated within the comparatively recent developments of Web 2.0 and the emergence of interactive WikiMedia, and explores the mode of authorship within a Read/Write culture compared to that of a Read/Only tradition. The hypothesis of this study is that the role of the audience has become merged with the author, and as such, represents new functions and attributes, distinct from a more conventional concept of authorship, in which the roles of audience and author are more separate. Read/Write and participatory culture, as defined by this study, is focused on collaboration, and includes the influences of D.I.Y. culture, Open-Source practices and the production of text by multiple authors. Multi-authorship presents a re-thinking of several concepts which support the notion of the individual author, since the focus of multi-authorship is not on attribution and ownership of a finished text, but on the continued malleability of a text. Modes of multi-authorship, demonstrated in the use of the pseudonyms Alan Smithee and Karen Eliot, represent declarative authors whose names signify multiple origins, whilst concurrently indicating a distinct body of work. The function of these names form an important context to this study, since primary research involves the construction of an experimental mode of multi-authorship utilising WikiMedia technology and the interaction of thirty nine participants, who are invited to create a body of work under the collective pseudonym Karen Karnak. The data generated by this experiment is analysed using aspects of Michel Foucault's author-function to identify and determine power structures inherent in the WikiMedia context. The interplay of power structures, including concepts such as identity, ownership and the body of work, affect the resulting mode of authorship and contribute to the construction of Karen Karnak, suggesting further areas of research into the emerging multi-author
Cash flow is cash and is a fact. Net income is just an opinion
No full textA company's profit after tax (or net income) is quite an arbitrary figure, obtained after assuming certain accounting hypotheses regarding expenses and revenues. On the other hand, its cash flow is an objective measure, a single figure that is not subject to any personal criterion. In general, to study a company's situation, it is more useful to operate with the cash flow (equity cash flow, free cash flow or capital cash flow) as it is a single figure, while the net income is one of several that can be obtained, depending on the criteria applied. Profit after tax (PAT) is equal to the equity cash flow when the company is not growing, buys fixed assets for an amount identical to depreciation, keeps debt constant, and only writes off or sells fully depreciated assets. Profit after tax (PAT) is also equal to the equity cash flow when the company collects in cash, pays in cash, holds no stock (this company's working capital requirements are zero), and buys fixed assets for an amount identical to depreciation. When making projections, the dividends and other forecast payments to shareholders must be exactly equal to expected equity cash flows.Cash flow; Net income; Equity cash flow; Free cash flow; Capital cash flow;
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