Comparative study of operating roominfrastructures and installations

Treballs Finals de Grau d'Enginyeria Biomèdica. Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut. Universitat de Barcelona. Curs: 2022-2023. Tutor/Director: Trias Gumbau, GerardThis report presents a comprehensive comparative study on the Operating Rooms (OR) infrastructures and installations in various hospitals in Catalonia. By examining four prominent institutions, this study aims to unravel the diverse approaches and unique considerations involved in OR facilities design and construction.Through documentary review, site visits, and data collection, the author explores the similarities and differences among these hospitals, shedding light on the impact of factors such as hospital context, funding sources, and specialization on OR design. The findings highlight that while there are commonalities aligned with prevailing trends and standards, significant differences exist, primarily influenced by the hospital’s specific contexts. The conclusions drawn from the study, provide valuable insights for future OR design and construction projects, enabling hospitals tooptimize resources and enhance patient care within their distinctive environments

Developing a dynamic digital twin at a building level: Using Cambridge campus as case study

A Digital Twin (DT) refers to a digital replica of physical assets, processes and systems. DTs integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to create dynamic digital models that are able to learn and update the status of the physical counterpart from multiple sources. A DT, if equipped with appropriate algorithms will represent and predict future condition and performance of their physical counterparts. Current developments related to DTs are still at an early stage with respect to buildings and other infrastructure assets. Most of these developments focus on the architectural and engineering/construction point of view. Less attention has been paid to the operation & maintenance (O&M) phase, where the value potential is immense. A systematic and clear architecture verified with practical use cases for constructing a DT is the foremost step for effective operation and maintenance of assets. This paper presents a system architecture for developing dynamic DTs in building levels for integrating heterogeneous data sources, support intelligent data query, and provide smarter decision-making processes. This will further bridge the gaps between human relationships with buildings/regions via a more intelligent, visual and sustainable channels. This architecture is brought to life through the development of a dynamic DT demonstrator of the West Cambridge site of the University of Cambridge. Specifically, this demonstrator integrates an as-is multi-layered IFC Building Information Model (BIM), building management system data, space management data, real-time Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensor data, asset registry data, and an asset tagging platform. The demonstrator also includes two applications: (1) improving asset maintenance and asset tracking using Augmented Reality (AR); and (2) equipment failure prediction. The long-term goals of this demonstrator are also discussed in this paper

Serbia - public sector accounting review : report on the enhancement of public sector financial reporting

The government’s public financial management (PFM) Reform Program 2016-2020 foresees the gradual transition of public sector financial reporting from a cash basis to an accrual basis of accounting and the application of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). This will significantly improve the quality of financial information and should enable better informed decision-making, more efficient use of public funds and resources and improved fiscal performance. This Report on the Enhancement of Public Sector Financial Reporting is one output of the Serbia Public Sector Accounting Reform Technical Assistance project funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) through the Strengthening Accountability and Fiduciary Environment (SAFE) Trust Fund under the Public Sector Accounting and Reporting Program (PULSAR) which provides support for the development and implementation of public sector accounting standards. This report supports the development of a plan towards that goal by assessing the institutional framework for public sector accounting as well as the gap between Serbian public sector generally accepted accounting principles (PS GAAP) and IPSAS

Higher education in the Republic of Yemen : the University of Sana'a

Enrollment in the University of Sana'a grew gradually from fewer than 100 students in 1970, shortly after it opened, to about 4,500 in 1979. Government policy at first tried to balance the university enrollment with the capacity of the marketplace to absorb university graduates. University enrollment began to increase at an outstanding rate after 1985, following the heavy expansion of secondary education in the country in the late 1970s. From 1987 to 1991, total enrollment expanded from about 17,000 to 44,000 students. If the present rate of intake continues, total enrollment is projected to reach 79,000 students by the year 2000. This explosive growth has created numerous problems, including overcrowded classrooms, insufficient staff resources, deteriorating physical plant and equipment, inadequate educational materials and equipment, and a low level of absorption of graduates into the labor force. These developments threaten the quality of degree programs in several disciplines. The government should act immediately to develop a strategy to protect its investment in higher education. The policy should consider the country's medium and long-term needs, the constraints on its resources, and the growing social aspirations of its people. The goal of this assessment should be to design a strategy that will make higher education a more effective investment to serve the needs of the country and to protect itsresources.Gender and Education,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Teaching and Learning,Curriculum&Instruction,Tertiary Education

The Necessity of the Digital Single Market Strategy for Small Media Markets: Case of the Biggest Video-on-Demand Platforms in Lithuania and Estonia

[full article and abstract in English] This article analyzes the biggest Lithuanian and Estonian video-on-demand (VOD) platforms including Telia, their capabilities for fostering European film production and mass media in general. It is important to accentuate that non-linear TV and VOD services are attracting more and more users in Europe, and it is even considered that VOD could become a strong competitor for theatrical releases in film distribution, while, in the context of mass media, the growth of users might be associated with potential threats of propaganda, which still has its own distribution mechanisms within linear TV. However, the audiovisual content that is being supplied for the users of VOD platforms and TV is also regulated by the Audiovisual Media Service Directive (AVMSD). Without regulation, the users of VOD platforms and TV might face a limited choice of audiovisual content. Therefore, the Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy is aimed at creating a single market in Europe and eliminating the geo-blocking that limits user abilities to use VOD services during travel across borders while also establishing better access to digital goods and services at the same time. Looking from the perspective of the VOD platform, a DSM strategy might bring about a monopolization of VOD services in Europe; in that case, the little markets of the Baltic States would suffer. Another important issue that small media markets come across is related to the level of propaganda that is being transmitted from Russian TV channels that are registered in different EU countries. The article argues, and the research results show, that a DSM strategy and the elimination of geo-blocking do not eliminate the problem of fostering European audiovisual content that is and could be available to the users of VOD platforms in Lithuania and Estonia, and that these measures do not pay significant attention to EU’s consumer protection issues

Criminal intent or cognitive dissonance: how does student self plagiarism fit into academic integrity?

The discourse of plagiarism is speckled with punitive terms not out of place in a police officer's notes: detection, prevention, misconduct, rules, regulations, conventions, transgression, consequences, deter, trap, etc. This crime and punishment paradigm tends to be the norm in academic settings. The learning and teaching paradigm assumes that students are not filled with criminal intent, but rather are confused by the novel academic culture and its values. The discourse of learning and teaching includes: development, guidance, acknowledge, scholarly practice, communicate, familiarity, culture. Depending on the paradigm adopted, universities, teachers, and students will either focus on policies, punishments, and ways to cheat the system or on program design, assessments, and assimilating the values of academia. Self plagiarism is a pivotal issue that polarises these two paradigms. Viewed from a crime and punishment paradigm, self plagiarism is an intentional act of evading the required workload for a course by re-using previous work. Within a learning and teaching paradigm, self plagiarism is an oxymoron. We would like to explore the differences between these two paradigms by using self plagiarism as a focal point

State intervention, local indebtedness, investment overheating and their systemic background during global crisis in China

This paper focuses on the immediate economic and systemic reasons of steadily increasing local government indebtedness and investment overheating in China. These two phenomena emerged between 2008 and 2011 as a direct consequence of an external shock caused by the global crisis and the subsequent internal reaction in the form of intensified stimulating state intervention. New chances for resource distribution and investments through state intervention mobilized distribution priorities and politically rational economic behavior of actors, characteristic to party-state systems. Locations of mobilization were defined by the decentralized Chinese system specifics along the intertwined institutional party-state structure. Systemic characteristics and its Chinese specifics together resulted in investment overheating, and steadily growing local indebtedness through large and state-owned enterprises and local governments. This process was further amplified by the characteristics of transforming economy in China as actors in the private sphere were mobilized by the increased input demand of those privileged by the systemic priorities of state intervention