Professional Certifications Propelling the Project Economy

The concept of project economy has always been associated with the concept of turning ideas into reality, focusing on creating long-term values, and ensuring alignment to value streams through successful project completion. Nations all over the world are embracing new business practices, shifting organisational structures around project portfolios in order to provide greater flexibility to their stakeholders. The Project Economy has indeed arrived

Forecasting Portfolio Risk Estimation by Using Garch And Var Methods

Risk management or risk predicting are closely related with the market volatility which affect the return of portfolio estimation. Portfolio managers around the world concerned with risk estimation because portfolio risk management is part of their decision-making process.  According to Hull (2006), VaR is widely used by fund managers “to provide a single number summarizing the total risk in a portfolio of financial assets.”  Motivates from this, we conducted an analysis to compare the effectiveness of VaR analysis and GARCH method in forecasting risk estimation.  Risk manager can used the best methods in reducing their customers risk volatility and rank the risk level. Keywords: Forecasting, Value at Risk, GARCH, Portfolio estimation, Risk

Development of Neural Stem Cell-Based Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease

Neural stem cell (NSC)-based therapies, such as cell transplantation, are an emerging strategy for restoring neuronal function in Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is characterized by a profound and selective loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Advanced researches on the microenvironment of grafted cells will promote clinical applications of NSCs for neurological disorders. A novel cell culture model of the neurovascular network was therefore devised to investigate autocrine, paracrine, and juxtacrine signaling in the neurovascular unit generated by NSCs and vascular endothelial cells. Preclinical studies using cutting-edge technologies, including cellular reprogramming, advancement in scaffolds for brain tissue engineering, image-guided injection, and noninvasive monitoring of tissue regeneration will pave the way for successful clinical trials of NSC-based therapies for PD. Once the implanted or regenerated DA neurons are integrated into the existing nigrostriatal DA pathway, the symptoms of PD can potentially be alleviated by reversing characteristic neurodegeneration

Project Management Performance and Its Influence on Malaysian Building Projects

Working environment and safety behavior are the primary concern in construction projects which in the long run are part of the yardstick in measuring project management performance. Construction safety and performance should be thoroughly investigated empirically by illustrating the current state of accident and performance in construction industries. Entrenched in the Malaysian construction industry experience, three dimensions of the project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) can buffer the contractor’s and project manager’s performance in building projects. Following organizational control theory, this research investigated the effects project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) on construction projects among G-7 contractors operating in Kuantan Malaysia construction industries through a personally administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) opined that schedule and quality have positive and significant influence, while resolve cost has a significant negative influence on Malaysia construction projects.   Keywords: project management performance, building project, contractor, projectmanagers, client, constriction industries, PLS-SEM

Risk attitudes and the big five personality traits: A study on construction project practitioners in Malaysia

Risk management often applies in any decision making process to ensure success of an objective. However, many organizations fail to realize the importance of such knowledge, especially in high risk and complex industries in construction. The decision made while taking uncertainty into account varies among individuals based on their attitudes. Hence, their perspectives towards uncertainty may be the determinant to ensure success in a project. As risk attitudes and perception varies among individuals, so does personality. Henceforth, this study aims to investigate the relationship of the factors in the Big Five theory in influencing risk attitude, by using the Big Five Inventory (BFI) model and the Domain Risk-attitude scale, in order to determine individuals’ personality based on the five dimensions for both categories. The proposed model was tested on 70 decision makers, particularly project practitioners specialize in the construction industry in Malaysia. Partial Least Squared Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to investigate both variables based on the objectives. The results showed that all variables but one has a significant effect towards risk attitude, where extraversion has the most effect towards risk attitude. All factors of the Big Five except neuroticism reacts positively towards risk attitude. The study of relationship between personality traits and risk taking will signify the vast variations of how every decision maker will choose to respond to uncertainty depending on their respective human behaviour. Such understanding helps in the development of a comprehensive risk management plan

A Simple Model for Cavity Enhanced Slow Lights in Vertical Cavity Surface Emission Lasers

We develop a simple model for the slow lights in Vertical Cavity Surface Emission Lasers (VCSELs), with the combination of cavity and population pulsation effects. The dependences of probe signal power, injection bias current and wavelength detuning for the group delays are demonstrated numerically and experimentally. Up to 65 ps group delays and up to 10 GHz modulation frequency can be achieved in the room temperature at the wavelength of 1.3 $\mu$m. The most significant feature of our VCSEL device is that the length of active region is only several $\mu$m long. Based on the experimental parameters of quantum dot VCSEL structures, we show that the resonance effect of laser cavity plays a significant role to enhance the group delays

Enhancing project manager communication soft skills and risk management practices in Libyan oil and gas construction projects: The role of experience

Purpose: Although there has been an increase in the application of a variety of robust technologies and systems, the oil and gas sector relies on project managers’ soft skills for success because of their vital role. Therefore, this study aims to explore the profound influence of project managers’ soft communication skills on successful risk management within Libya’s oil and gas projects. Design/methodology/approach: A review of relevant literature and a quantitative approach through the administration of a questionnaire were used to determine factors impacting risk management implementation related to managerial communication skills. A total of 246 valid responses were received from the oil and gas companies in Tripoli, Libya. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to examine the direct and moderating relationship drawn by the hypotheses. Findings: The findings suggest that managerial soft skills may be used to improve continuous risk management processes and intra-project communication. It was found that the experience is strengthening the positive relationship between written communication soft skills and project risk management implementation among Libyan oil and gas construction projects. Originality/value: This study defines project managers’ soft communication skills and analyzes project managers’ soft communication skills with the role of experience as a moderator. This paper presents a valuable contribution by offering original insights tailored explicitly to the Libyan context. The information presented in this paper is relevant to project managers operating within the oil and gas industry. It also offers a novel approach to risk management in the Libyan oil and gas industry that can improve project efficiency and effectiveness

Green tea extract supplementation ameliorates CCl4-induced hepatic oxidative stress, fibrosis, and acute-phase protein expression in rat

Background/PurposeWe evaluated the long-term effects of green tea extract (GTE) supplementation on oxidative stress, biliary acute phase protein expression, and liver function in CCl4-induced chronic liver injury.MethodsWe evaluated the antioxidant activity of GTE in comparison with those of vitamin C, vitamin E, and β-carotene in vitro by using an ultrasensitive chemiluminescence analyzer. Chronic liver injury was induced by intraperitoneally administering carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (1mL/kg body weight, twice weekly) to female Wistar rats for 8 weeks. The effects of low (4mg/kg body weight per day) and high (20mg/kg body weight per day) doses of intragastric GTE on CCl4-induced liver dysfunction and fibrosis were examined by measuring the bile and blood reactive oxygen species levels and biochemical parameters by using Western blot and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis techniques.ResultsGTE has greater scavenging activity against O2–, H2O2, and Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in vitro than vitamin C, vitamin E, and β-carotene do. In vivo, CCl4 markedly increased bile and blood reactive oxygen species production, lipid accumulation, number of infiltrated leukocytes, fibrosis, hepatic hydroxyproline content, and plasma alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities, and reduced plasma albumin levels. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that CCl4 increased the acute-phase expression of six biliary proteins and decreased hepatic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), catalase, and CuZn superoxide dismutase protein expression. GTE supplementation attenuated CCl4-enhanced oxidative stress, levels of biochemical parameters, pathology, and acute-phase protein secretion, and preserved antioxidant/antiapoptotic protein expression.ConclusionGTE supplementation attenuates CCl4-induced hepatic oxidative stress, fibrosis, acute phase protein excretion, and hepatic dysfunction via the antioxidant and antiapoptotic defense mechanisms

Dematel digraph: A decision making tool for project practitioners and researchers during covid-19 pandemic

DEMATEL DIGRAPH is a new invention that generates directed graph (Digraph) based on DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) algorithm. Helps students and project practitioners in solving complex decision problems, identifying critical risks and analyzing causeeffect chain components of a complex system