Knowledge sharing between design and manufacture

The aim of this research is to develop a representation method that allows knowledge to be readily shared between collaborating systems (agents) in a design/manufacturing environment. Improved mechanisms for interpreting the terms used to describe knowledge across system boundaries are proposed and tested. The method is also capable of handling complex product designs and realistic manufacturing scenarios involving several parties. This is achieved using an agent-architecture to simulate the effects of individual manufacturing facilities (e.g. machine tools and foundries) on product features. It is hypothesised that knowledge sharing between such agents can be enhanced by integrating common product and manufacturing information models with a shared ontology, and that the shared ontology can be based largely on The Process Specification Language (PSL)

Public attitude as a determinant of petty corruption in Egypt: a survey study

Purpose – The aim of the study is to examine the effect of public attitude on petty corruption. Design/methodology/approach – This is a survey study on customers of a licenses providing authority (N = 390) in Cairo, Egypt. The authors use Akers social learning theory of crime and deviance and take into consideration criticisms of it. The authors control for individual and organizational level determinants that are identified by scholars as influencing people's attitudes toward corruption and which could be known through the authority customers' experiences. Because the dependent variable is binary, whether a person paid a bribe during last transaction with this authority or not, the authors use binary logistic regression. Findings – The findings indicate that people are more likely to engage in petty corruption when they see it as acceptable, have previous petty corruption experience and when they use a mediator. Also, of those who dealt with that civil service authority during and directly after the 25th of January Revolution (N = 161) 31% reported that they did not engage in petty corruption in comparison to previous years. They referred this to a change in attitude at the time. Originality/value – The policy implications of the research are important. Social science theories could generate cultural and policy relevant solutions for petty corruption; however, they have not been taken full advantage of. Also, experience-based country-specific corruption survey studies are important input for an effective anti-corruption policy

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

暗条件での連続式発酵によるセルロース系バイオマスからのバイオ水素生産

Tohoku University李玉友課

Public attitude as a determinant of petty corruption in Egypt: a survey study

PurposeThe aim of the study is to examine the effect of public attitude on petty corruption.Design/methodology/approachThis is a survey study on customers of a licenses providing authority (N = 390) in Cairo, Egypt. The authors use Akers social learning theory of crime and deviance and take into consideration criticisms of it. The authors control for individual and organizational level determinants that are identified by scholars as influencing people's attitudes toward corruption and which could be known through the authority customers' experiences. Because the dependent variable is binary, whether a person paid a bribe during last transaction with this authority or not, the authors use binary logistic regression.FindingsThe findings indicate that people are more likely to engage in petty corruption when they see it as acceptable, have previous petty corruption experience and when they use a mediator. Also, of those who dealt with that civil service authority during and directly after the 25th of January Revolution (N = 161) 31% reported that they did not engage in petty corruption in comparison to previous years. They referred this to a change in attitude at the time.Originality/valueThe policy implications of the research are important. Social science theories could generate cultural and policy relevant solutions for petty corruption; however, they have not been taken full advantage of. Also, experience-based country-specific corruption survey studies are important input for an effective anti-corruption policy.</jats:sec

Improving the Efficiency of a Conventional Vapor-Compression Refrigeration System used for Geothermal and Evaporative Cooling Techniques: Case Study in Iraq

A conventional vapor compression refrigeration cycle is among the most effective technology in refrigeration systems. In the present experimental study, thermal performance and the effect of the condenser temperature have been analyzed. With the decrease in the condenser temperature, the overall performance of the refrigeration cycle is increased. However, the cooling power and efficiency of conventional vapor pressure air conditioning units can experience a significant reduction when operating in extreme weather (hot and dry). This drop is mainly affected by the increase in the temperature (and pressure) of the condenser with an increase in the ambient air temperature. Unfortunately, Iraq experiences the most extreme summer seasons especially in the months of June and July when the temperature reaches or exceeds 50° C. So, ground cooling has been used in areas with a hot environment for split system air conditioners. Evaporative cooling was also performed to lower the coolant temperature of the AC unit used inside the condenser area. Experimental results showed that when using a geothermal heat exchanger, the temperature of the condenser is reduced from 116 to 110 ° C and the coefficient of performance (COP) is improved by 41%. In addition to this when the system uses evaporative cooling the temperature of the condenser is reduced from 110 ° C to 88° C. Moreover, a 65% improvement was made in the COP of the conventional vapor compression refrigeration cycle. Furthermore, with a decrease in the evaporator temperature from 6 to 3.5 °C there was an increase in refrigeration capacity by an average of 52%.</jats:p

The Contribution of Adsorbent Materials (Silica Gel and Sawdust) in Removing Water Vapor; Iraq as a Study Case

This research aims to remove the moisture (latent load)  generated by the occupants of the space due to the addition of water vapor resulting from the natural breathing process, the perspiration that evaporates in the air of the space. In sum, the dehumidification system (DS) reduces the amount of latent load or removes it completely to reduce the load on the air conditioner. In this study, adsorbent materials, such as silica gel-Blue and sawdust were used and their effectiveness was compared when used in dehumidification. The results of these experiments for June showed that the adsorption rate and temperature of the blue silica gel - Blue were 20% and 34°C, while the humidity and temperature increased to 52% and 36°C when using sawdust (when rotating the dehumidifying system hourly).  Moreover, for July, the adsorption percentages of silica gel-Blue were 8%, while the moisture content of sawdust increased to 49%, while the adsorption percentage in August when using silica gel - Blue was 10% and the relative humidity increased until it reached 39% when using sawdust. While the temperatures in July and August reached their maximum value when using silica gel - Blue and sawdust at 35°C and 36°C, respectively.  The water vapor absorption rate in June, July, and August is 83.39 g, 70.82 g, and 65 g, respectively.  While the drying process increased during these months due to the increase in solar radiation.  Therefore, silica gel - Blue has proven its effectiveness by absorbing moisture more efficiently than sawdust.  However, when drying sawdust, it was more effective and faster drying than silica gel - Blue.</jats:p