I.M. May, J.H. Naji and T.H. Ganaba
This paper describes a comparison between displacement and load control for the non‐linear Finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures. The analysis of three…
Abstract
This paper describes a comparison between displacement and load control for the non‐linear Finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures. The analysis of three examples subjected to in‐plane loading using both the initial stiffness and the modified Newton‐Raphson methods with various tolerances is discussed. Two methods have been used in order to avoid spurious unloading in the displacement control method. The comparisons for the examples analysed show that the use of displacement control gives significant savings in computer time compared with that used for load control, in addition to being able to plot falling branch load‐deflection responses.
Hamdy Mohy Afefy, Salah El‐Din Fahmy Taher, Abdel‐Hakim A. Khalil and Mohamed E. Issa
The most simple equivalent frame system with reduced degrees of freedom is proposed for handling multi‐story multi‐bay infilled frames. The system is composed of homogenized…
Abstract
The most simple equivalent frame system with reduced degrees of freedom is proposed for handling multi‐story multi‐bay infilled frames. The system is composed of homogenized continuum for the reinforced concrete members braced with unilateral diagonal struts for each bay, which are only activated in compression. Identification of the equivalent system characteristics and nonlinear material properties are accomplished from the concepts of inverse analysis approach along with statistical tests of hypotheses is employed to establish the appropriate filtering scheme and the proper accuracy tolerance. The suggested system allows for nonlinear finite element static and dynamic analysis of sophisticated infilled reinforced concrete frames. Sensitivity analysis is undertaken to check the suitability of the proposed system to manipulate various structural applications.
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Ahmed Al Kuwaiti and Fahd A. Al Muhanna
A crisis in the financial sustainability of the public healthcare sector often compels governments to consider privatization. The purpose of this paper is to summarize various…
Abstract
Purpose
A crisis in the financial sustainability of the public healthcare sector often compels governments to consider privatization. The purpose of this paper is to summarize various strategies to overcome the challenges facing the privatization of academic medical centers (AMCs) in Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors discuss the challenges faced in privatizing AMCs in delivering their core functions such as patient care, medical education and research. Further, the appropriate strategies are listed to overcome these challenges in privatization of AMCs.
Findings
The authors described the benefits of privatization that include a reduction in the financial burden on government healthcare expenditure, quick decision making and creation of new financial models to improve healthcare services. On the other hand, the profit motive of private management could create pressure on patients and may divert AMCs from their primary objectives. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to develop and implement appropriate strategies that balance the benefits of privatizing AMCs with eliminating the negative impact of privatization on patient care, medical education and research.
Originality/value
Though AMCs privatization is currently feasible in Saudi Arabia, appropriate strategies are essential to overcome the challenges of its implementation. The government should frame a uniform rules and regulations prior to privatizing public hospitals so that it will fulfill the purpose in an efficient manner.
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Sabreen Yousef Wahbeh and Eman Emadeddin Abuelrub
Emerging technologies are becoming vital in the very process of innovation. Companies need to be updated to the latest technologies to offer their premium services to customers as…
Abstract
Emerging technologies are becoming vital in the very process of innovation. Companies need to be updated to the latest technologies to offer their premium services to customers as well as meet their expectations. In the medical sector, it is a challenge to sustain superiority in service due to a high level of competition and the challenges arising from different forces. Liberty Dental Clinic (LDC), a premium clinic in dental services and solutions, based in the UAE, was able to maintain a premium presence in Dentistry due to a series of developmental thoughts and efforts. It was able to invest and utilize new innovative technologies which many organizations lacked such as implementing the most contemporary Artificial Intelligence “4 Robots” in the Clinics. Creating a pathway for a satisfactory customer journey was embedded at all levels of the hierarchy in the Clinic and customer touchpoints. Using a case study methodology, the drivers behind the success and uniqueness of LDC have been discussed including Leadership, Quality Management, Risk Management, Internal & External Marketing Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Technology and Innovation.
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Zohir Younsi, Lounes Koufi and Hassane Naji
A comprehensive investigation on the outlet air position effects on the thermal comfort and air quality has been achieved. In addition, airflow and temperature distributions in…
Abstract
Purpose
A comprehensive investigation on the outlet air position effects on the thermal comfort and air quality has been achieved. In addition, airflow and temperature distributions in ventilated cavities filled with an air-CO2 mixture with mixed convection are predicted. The airflow enters from the cavity through an opening in the lower side of the left vertical wall and exits through the opening in one wall of the cavity. This paper aims to investigate the outlet location effect, four different placement configurations of output ports are considered. Three of them are placed on the upper side and the fourth on top of the opposite side of the inlet opening. A uniform heat and CO2 contaminant source are applied on the left vertical wall, while the remaining walls are impermeable and adiabatic to heat and solute. The cooling efficiency inside the enclosure and the average fluid temperature are computed for different Reynolds and Rayleigh numbers to find the most suitable fluid outlet position that ensures indoor comfortable conditions while effectively removing heat and the contaminant. This is demonstrated by three relevant indices, namely, the effectiveness for heat removal, the contaminant removal and the index of indoor air quality.
Design/methodology/approach
The simulations were performed via the finite-volume scSTREAM CFD solver V11. Three different values of CO2 amount are considered, namely, 103, 2 × 103 and 3 × 103 ppm, the Reynolds number being in the range 100 ≤ Re ≤ 800.
Findings
Based on the findings obtained, it is the configuration whose air outlet is placed near the heat source and the contaminant, which provides a better air distribution and a ventilation efficiency compared to the others ventilation strategies.
Originality/value
The studies on heat and mass transfers by natural and forced convection in ventilated cavities remain a fruitful research topic. Thereby, such a study deals with different ventilation strategies through cavities containing an air-CO2 mixture subjected to a mixed regime. In particular, the air inlet velocity and contaminant sources’ effects on thermal comfort and air quality have been investigated.
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Asanka G. Perera, Yee Wei Law, Ali Al-Naji and Javaan Chahl
The purpose of this paper is to present a preliminary solution to address the problem of estimating human pose and trajectory by an aerial robot with a monocular camera in near…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a preliminary solution to address the problem of estimating human pose and trajectory by an aerial robot with a monocular camera in near real time.
Design/methodology/approach
The distinguishing feature of the solution is a dynamic classifier selection architecture. Each video frame is corrected for perspective using projective transformation. Then, a silhouette is extracted as a Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG). The HOG is then classified using a dynamic classifier. A class is defined as a pose-viewpoint pair, and a total of 64 classes are defined to represent a forward walking and turning gait sequence. The dynamic classifier consists of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier C64 that recognizes all 64 classes, and 64 SVM classifiers that recognize four classes each – these four classes are chosen based on the temporal relationship between them, dictated by the gait sequence.
Findings
The solution provides three main advantages: first, classification is efficient due to dynamic selection (4-class vs 64-class classification). Second, classification errors are confined to neighbors of the true viewpoints. This means a wrongly estimated viewpoint is at most an adjacent viewpoint of the true viewpoint, enabling fast recovery from incorrect estimations. Third, the robust temporal relationship between poses is used to resolve the left-right ambiguities of human silhouettes.
Originality/value
Experiments conducted on both fronto-parallel videos and aerial videos confirm that the solution can achieve accurate pose and trajectory estimation for these different kinds of videos. For example, the “walking on an 8-shaped path” data set (1,652 frames) can achieve the following estimation accuracies: 85 percent for viewpoints and 98.14 percent for poses.
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Progressive collapse refers to a phenomenon, in which local damage in a primary structural component leads to total or partial structural system failure, without any…
Abstract
Purpose
Progressive collapse refers to a phenomenon, in which local damage in a primary structural component leads to total or partial structural system failure, without any proportionality between the initial and final damage. Robustness is a measure that demonstrates the strength of a structure to resist progressive collapse. Static pushdown and nonlinear dynamic analysis were two main procedures to calculate the capacity of structures to resist progressive collapse. According to previous works, static analysis would lead to inaccurate results. Meanwhile, capacity analysis by dynamic analysis needs several reruns and encountering numerical instability is inevitable. The purpose of this paper is to present the formulation of a solution procedure to determine robustness of steel moment resisting frames, using plastic limit analysis (PLA).
Design/methodology/approach
This formulation utilizes simplex optimization to solve the problem. Static pushdown and incremental dynamic methods are used for verification.
Findings
The results obtained from PLA have good agreement with incremental analysis results. While incremental dynamic analysis is a very demanding method, PLA can be utilized as an alternative method.
Originality/value
The formulation of progressive collapse resistance of steel moment frames by means of PLA is not proposed in previous research works.
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Raghu Yadav and Rose Williamson
Sites of armed conflict produce significant human suffering. Children are some of the most tragic victims of these conflicts, and their suffering is often used as a colloquial…
Abstract
Sites of armed conflict produce significant human suffering. Children are some of the most tragic victims of these conflicts, and their suffering is often used as a colloquial measure of suffering at large. Children in conflict zones are likely to experience trauma and associated negative mental and physical health consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One way that children and youth cope with their circumstances in these environments is through creative outlets such as art and poetry. Not only does trauma influence the content of children’s art, but the creation of art also influences children’s responses to trauma and conflict. Furthermore, in the same way that children may humanize those living in conflict zones, so too does their art. While the art of children typically lacks the sophistication of high art or classic poetry, there is a genuineness to their work that resonates with others and allows them to see the conflict through a child’s eyes. This chapter covers the relationships between armed conflict, trauma, and children, followed by art as a form of resistance generally, then finally the role of art and poetry as a form of children’s resistance.
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Abdulaziz Ahmed, Ahmed Naji and Ming-Lang Tseng
Safety data sheets are documents developed by chemical manufacturers to identify and label hazardous materials. The occupational safety and health administration regulations state…
Abstract
Purpose
Safety data sheets are documents developed by chemical manufacturers to identify and label hazardous materials. The occupational safety and health administration regulations state that employers must make safety data sheets available for employees. When firms use hundreds of chemicals, tracking their safety data sheets becomes difficult. Safety Data Sheet Management Systems are developed to track safety data sheets. This paper aims to propose a multi-attribute decision-making framework for selecting a Safety Data Sheet Management System.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 12 attributes are proposed based on a real-life project conducted at a firm in New York and the software selection models existed in the literature. Fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution is used to assess the proposed attributes and alternatives. A case study and sensitivity analysis are conducted to show the robustness of the proposed model. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process is used for validation.
Findings
Safety Data Sheet Management System is important for firms to track and manage safety data sheets. The proposed framework is practical and easy to implement.
Practical implications
The proposed decision model is useful for firms to select a proper Safety Data Sheet Management System. The system developers can use the model to update their systems.
Originality/value
This paper develops a new multi-attribute decision-making model for selecting a Safety Data Sheet Management System. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has developed such a model.
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The purpose of this paper is to recover the deficiency of existing tie force (TF) methods by considering the decrease in section strength due to cracking and by selecting limit…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to recover the deficiency of existing tie force (TF) methods by considering the decrease in section strength due to cracking and by selecting limit state of collapse according to section properties.
Design/methodology/approach
A substructure is selected by isolating the connected beams from the entire structure. For interior joints, the TFs in the orthogonal beams are obtained by catenary action. For corner joints, the TFs are assessed by beam action. For edge joints, however, the resistance is gained by greater of the resistance under catenary action for periphery beams and beam action for all the connecting beams in both directions. For catenary action, the TF capacities must satisfy Equation (20). On the other hand, for beam action, the TF must satisfy Equation (16), while R is calculated from Equation (17). In the case where the length of the connecting beams is similar, Equation (19) can be used.
Findings
Closed form solutions are available for TFs on both beam and catenary stages.
Originality/value
The proposed formulation makes designing more practical and convenient. However, the proposed formulation had good agreement with experimental results.