Transitional Adaptation model for facilitating technology and expertise mobilisation in Gulf AEC Organisations

The fragmented nature of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is well recognised, the main issues of which relate to failures in communication, process, productivity and interoperability. These failures have contributed to an increased proliferation of adversarial relationships between the different parties involved in projects, the result of which have deleteriously affected projects. Challenges include a range of issues, from the veracity of design information throughout the project lifecycle, through to supply chain communication. These are global issues. For example, in the Gulf States, the nature and complexity of AEC projects has changed significantly due to increased globalisation and the emergence of enmeshed transnational practices. This has created an overwhelming reliance on the mobilisation and transfer of technology/expertise of professional expatriates, which has influenced the approach taken to traditional design and construction business models, including staff roles and procedures. New knowledge and ways of working are needed to support future projects in the Gulf States. There is also a requirement to capture and codify domain-specific expertise. This paper discusses the need to enhance Qatar’s AEC industry by fostering a smooth transition from its current position, into a more sustainable [replicable] state. The philosophical underpinnings of this paper take into account disparate socio-cultural, environmental and economic impacts of change, in terms of business models, technology, innovation, labour market needs, local laws/bylaws, and legislation. A theoretical growth model is presented for discussion. This builds on the experience of the UK (in particular) in terms of facilitating the mobility and penetration of technology/expertise/change in the AEC sectors. This paper presents a series of recommendations needed to develop a Pervasive Transnational Adaptation model for Qatar and the Gulf States, covering such issues as: ICT adoption, agile project management, technology-transfer, innovation, offsite construction, Public Private Partnerships, capacity building, and international strategic alliances

Identifying Predictors of Academic Success for Part-Time Students at Polytechnic Institutes in Malaysia

A central challenge for higher education today is to understand the diversity and complexity of nontraditional students’ life experiences and how these factors influence their academic success. To better understand these issues, this study explored the role of demographic characteristics and employment variables in predicting the academic success of part-time students at four polytechnic institutes in Malaysia. Demographic characteristics studied included respondent’s age, gender, marital status, number of children, parent’s educational level, and financial resources. Employment variables assessed were number of years working, job relatedness to the program, job satisfaction, and monthly salary. A total of 614 part-time students completed the survey. Results indicated that being an older student, being female, paying for their own education, and having high job satisfaction were statistically significant predictors of part-time students’ academic success. Understanding the effects of demographic characteristics and employment variables on students’ academic success might help administrators and educators to develop teaching and learning processes, support services, and policies to enhance part-time students’ academic success

Unbound by Law: Keith Aoki as Our Avatar

Introducing the memorial symposium in the Oregon Law Review for the late Professor Keith Aoki, who taught at Oregon from 1993 to 2006, we frame the contributions of invited scholars who address Keith’s impact on the law and legal academy through his prolific work on diverse areas of law — intellectual property, local government, critical geography, Asian American jurisprudence, immigration and critical Latina/o jurisprudence. Collectively, the pieces evidence a scholar armed with an unwavering commitment to critical analysis and social justice, while wielding a vast array of cultural and intellectual influences from his career as an artist. Given Keith’s legacy as a beloved mentor to scholars junior and senior and his record as selfless, abundantly generous, courageous, tireless, and creative, we pose the question in this introduction of whether it is possible for someone with all these values and virtues to even exist in academia

Appraisal of the Sri Lanka Dairy Sector volume 2: Main report

从蛙虹彩病毒（Rana grylio virus,RGV）中克隆出一个虹彩病毒科的序列保守基因RGV-12L,序列分析表明该基因全长894 bp,编码一个含297个氨基酸的多肽,分子量为33 kD。构建包含该基因全长的原核表达载体,进行原核表达,获得了分子量约53 kD的融合蛋白。将融合蛋白经腹腔注射免疫小鼠,制备出鼠抗RGV-12L血清。通过RT-PCR和Western blotting分析RGV感染细胞后RGV-12L的转录时序,感染4h可以在RNA水平检测到RGV-12L的转录,感染8h可以在蛋白水平检测到RGV-12L的表达。用DNA复制抑制剂阿糖胞苷（Arac）进行药物抑制实验,鉴定出RGV-12L是一个晚期基因。免疫荧光分析显示RGV-12L分布于感染细胞的细胞核和细胞质中,在病毒加工厂中也有该蛋白的分布,提示该基因可能与病毒的装配、释放有关

The Potential of Raman Spectroscopy in the Diagnosis of Dysplastic and Malignant Oral Lesions

Early diagnosis, treatment and/or surveillance of oral premalignant lesions are important in preventing progression to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The current gold standard is through histopathological diagnosis, which is limited by inter and intra observer and sampling errors. The objective of this work was to use Raman spectroscopy to discriminate between benign, mild, moderate and severe dysplasia and OSCC in formalin fixed paraffin preserved (FFPP) tissues. The study included 72 different pathologies from which 17 were benign lesions, 20 mildly dysplastic, 20 moderately dysplastic, 10 severely dysplastic and 5 invasive OSCC. The glass substrate and paraffin wax background were digitally removed and PLSDA with LOPO cross-validation was used to differentiate the pathologies. OSCC could be differentiated from the other pathologies with an accuracy of 70%, while the accuracy of the classifier for benign, moderate and severe dysplasia was ~60%. The accuracy of the classifier was lowest for mild dysplasia (~46%). The main discriminating features were increased nucleic acid contributions and decreased protein and lipid contributions in the epithelium and decreased collagen contributions in the connective tissue. Smoking and the presence of inflammation were found to significantly influence the Raman classification with respective accuracies of 76% and 94%

Additive Manufacturing of High Solids Loading Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grains

Hybrid rocket motors offer many of the benefits of both liquid and solid rocket systems. Like liquid engines, hybrid rocket motors are able to be throttled, can be stopped and restarted, and are safer than solid rocket motors since the fuel and oxidizer are in different physical states. Hybrid rocket motors are similar to solid motors in that they are relatively simple and have a high density-specific impulse. One of the major drawbacks of hybrid rocket motors is a slower burning rate than solid rocket motors. Complex port geometries provide greater burning surface area to compensate for lower burning rates but are difficult and expensive to manufacture. Additive manufacturing can reduce manufacturing costs of these complex port geometry fuel grains. It has also been shown that the addition of energetic materials, such as aluminum, can increase the burning rate and density-specific impulse of the rocket motor. Previously, additive manufacturing was restricted to plastics or fast-setting paraffin wax, both with low solids concentrations. This paper investigates the process of printing hybrid rocket fuel grains and the differences in physical characteristics between printed and conventionally cast samples. Using a proprietary printing system, we have successfully printed 85% solids loading aluminum and HTPB fuel samples. Material creep was significant and resulted in samples bulging and sagging as well as gaps between print lines being filled in more completely. The finish and cross sections of printed samples were of comparable quality to cast samples. This indicates that the manufacturing process has not significantly affected the physical characteristics of the fuel samples