PEMANFAATAN APLIKASI SMARTPHONE UNTUK MENGUKUR KEMANTAPAN PERMUKAAN JALAN BERDASARKAN INTERNATIONAL ROUGHNESS INDEX

Abstract An assessment of road surface conditions is needed to determine an appropriate road evaluation program. One of the parameters used is the International Roughness Index or IRI. Currently, technological developments encourage the use of smartphone applications as a tool to determine the value of IRI. Comparisons between IRIs obtained using tools, such as roughometers, and IRIs obtained from software applications have not been made. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the results of the measurement of the roughometer and the results of the Android application Roadbump Pro. This research was carried out on the Sam Ratulangi Road in Palu City, with a segment length of 600 meters and analyzed per 100 meters. The results of this study indicate that smartphone applications provide good IRI measurement results, so they can be used in road stability assessments. In addition, the type of survey vehicle did not have a significant effect on IRI measurements. Keywords: smartphone, International Roughness Index, roughometer, Roadbump, road stability  Abstrak Penilaian kondisi permukaan jalan diperlukan untuk menentukan program evaluasi jalan yang tepat. Salah satu parameter yang digunakan adalah International Roughness Index atau IRI. Saat ini, perkembangan teknologi mendorong penggunaan aplikasi smartphone sebagai alat bantu untuk menentukan nilai IRI. Perbandingan antara IRI yang diperoleh dengan menggunakan alat bantu, seperti roughometer, dan IRI yang diperoleh dari aplikasi perangkat lunak belum dilakukan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menganalisis hubungan antara hasil pengukuran alat roughometer dan hasil aplikasi android Roadbump Pro. Penelitian ini dilakukan di ruas Jalan Sam Ratulangi di Kota Palu, dengan panjang segmen 600 meter dan dianalisis per 100 meter. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa aplikasi smartphone memberikan hasil pengukuran IRI yang baik, sehingga dapat digunakan dalam penilaian kemantapan jalan. Selain itu, jenis kendaraan survei tidak memberikan pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap pengukuran IRI. Kata-kata kunci: smartphone, International Roughness Index, roughometer, Roadbump, kemantapan jala

The indispensability of good operation & maintenance (O&M) manuals in the operation and maintenance of low carbon buildings

Increase in energy usage, particularly from fossil fuel sources is widely understood to be responsible for the environmental problems (Climate Change) experienced globally today. Response to mitigating this anthropogenic induced consequence created the need for innovative low carbon and renewable technologies in buildings. In the UK presently, every new building is expected to be low-carbon and energy-efficient. However, it is widely acknowledged that significant differences often exist between designed and in-use performances of the buildings. Clients and end-users of these technologies appear not to be getting long term value for their investments; much attention has not been given to how these innovative technologies can be operated and maintained long into the future. Recent researches also underpin the fact that the wide information gap existing between designers and building end-users is one of the factors responsible for the performance-gap. This paper therefore presents excerpts of a research aimed at exploring a best practice approach to operability and maintainability of low-carbon-buildings. The research methodology involved the use of interviews, surveys and case study. Findings suggest that a properly prepared O&M manual is a potential document that that could bridge this gap and that it is an indispensable tool for the effective and efficient operation and maintenance of low carbon buildings

Research capacity building integrated into PHIT projects: leveraging research and research funding to build national capacity

Background: Inadequate research capacity impedes the development of evidence-based health programming in sub-Saharan Africa. However, funding for research capacity building (RCB) is often insufficient and restricted, limiting institutions’ ability to address current RCB needs. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s African Health Initiative (AHI) funded Population Health Implementation and Training (PHIT) partnership projects in five African countries (Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia) to implement health systems strengthening initiatives inclusive of RCB. Methods: Using Cooke’s framework for RCB, RCB activity leaders from each country reported on RCB priorities, activities, program metrics, ongoing challenges and solutions. These were synthesized by the authorship team, identifying common challenges and lessons learned. Results: For most countries, each of the RCB domains from Cooke’s framework was a high priority. In about half of the countries, domain specific activities happened prior to PHIT. During PHIT, specific RCB activities varied across countries. However, all five countries used AHI funding to improve research administrative support and infrastructure, implement research trainings and support mentorship activities and research dissemination. While outcomes data were not systematically collected, countries reported holding 54 research trainings, forming 56 mentor-mentee relationships, training 201 individuals and awarding 22 PhD and Masters-level scholarships. Over the 5 years, 116 manuscripts were developed. Of the 59 manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals, 29 had national first authors and 18 had national senior authors. Trainees participated in 99 conferences and projects held 37 forums with policy makers to facilitate research translation into policy. Conclusion: All five PHIT projects strongly reported an increase in RCB activities and commended the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for prioritizing RCB, funding RCB at adequate levels and time frames and for allowing flexibility in funding so that each project could implement activities according to their trainees’ needs. As a result, many common challenges for RCB, such as adequate resources and local and international institutional support, were not identified as major challenges for these projects. Overall recommendations are for funders to provide adequate and flexible funding for RCB activities and for institutions to offer a spectrum of RCB activities to enable continued growth, provide adequate mentorship for trainees and systematically monitor RCB activities. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-017-2657-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Data-driven quality improvement in low-and middle-income country health systems: lessons from seven years of implementation experience across Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia

Well-functioning health systems need to utilize data at all levels, from the provider, to local and national-level decision makers, in order to make evidence-based and needed adjustments to improve the quality of care provided. Over the last 7 years, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s African Health Initiative funded health systems strengthening projects at the facility, district, and/or provincial level to improve population health. Increasing data-driven decision making was a common strategy in Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia. This paper describes the similar and divergent approaches to increase data-driven quality of care improvements (QI) and implementation challenge and opportunities encountered in these three countries

The impact of occupants’ behaviours on building energy analysis: A research review

Over the past 15 years, the evaluation of energy demand and use in buildings has become increasingly acute due to growing scientific and political pressure around the world in response to climate change. The estimation of the use of energy in buildings is therefore a critical process during the design stage. This paper presents a review of the literature published in leading journals through Science Direct and Scopus databases within this research domain to establish research trends, and importantly, to identify research gaps for future investigation. It has been widely acknowledged in the literature that there is an alarming performance gap between the predicted and actual energy consumption of buildings (sometimes this has been up to 300% difference). Analysis of the impact of occupants’ behaviour has been largely overlooked in building energy performance analysis. In short, energy simulation tools utilise climatic data and physical/ thermal properties of building elements in their calculations, and the impact of occupants is only considered through means of fixed and scheduled patterns of behaviour. This research review identified a number of areas for future research including: larger scale analysis (e.g. urban analysis); interior design, in terms of space layout, and fixtures and fittings on occupants’ behaviour; psychological cognitive behavioural methods; and the integration of quantitative and qualitative research findings in energy simulation tools to name but a few

Research capacity building integrated into PHIT projects: leveraging research and research funding to build national capacity

Background: Inadequate research capacity impedes the development of evidence-based health programming in sub-Saharan Africa. However, funding for research capacity building (RCB) is often insufficient and restricted, limiting institutions’ ability to address current RCB needs. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s African Health Initiative (AHI) funded Population Health Implementation and Training (PHIT) partnership projects in five African countries (Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia) to implement health systems strengthening initiatives inclusive of RCB. Methods: Using Cooke’s framework for RCB, RCB activity leaders from each country reported on RCB priorities, activities, program metrics, ongoing challenges and solutions. These were synthesized by the authorship team, identifying common challenges and lessons learned. Results: For most countries, each of the RCB domains from Cooke’s framework was a high priority. In about half of the countries, domain specific activities happened prior to PHIT. During PHIT, specific RCB activities varied across countries. However, all five countries used AHI funding to improve research administrative support and infrastructure, implement research trainings and support mentorship activities and research dissemination. While outcomes data were not systematically collected, countries reported holding 54 research trainings, forming 56 mentor-mentee relationships, training 201 individuals and awarding 22 PhD and Masters-level scholarships. Over the 5 years, 116 manuscripts were developed. Of the 59 manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals, 29 had national first authors and 18 had national senior authors. Trainees participated in 99 conferences and projects held 37 forums with policy makers to facilitate research translation into policy. Conclusion: All five PHIT projects strongly reported an increase in RCB activities and commended the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for prioritizing RCB, funding RCB at adequate levels and time frames and for allowing flexibility in funding so that each project could implement activities according to their trainees’ needs. As a result, many common challenges for RCB, such as adequate resources and local and international institutional support, were not identified as major challenges for these projects. Overall recommendations are for funders to provide adequate and flexible funding for RCB activities and for institutions to offer a spectrum of RCB activities to enable continued growth, provide adequate mentorship for trainees and systematically monitor RCB activities. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-017-2657-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Pengaruh Return On Equity, Gross Profit Margin, dan Net Profit Margin Terhadap Nilai Perusahaan Pada Perusahaan Manufaktur yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia

This study aims to examine the effect of return on equity, gross profit margin,and net profit margin on price to book value. The population of this study is manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The sampling method used was purposive sampling. The sample studied was 417 consisting of 139 manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange with an observation period of 3 years (2016-2018). Data analysis techniques used the partial test method (t test), the coefficient of determination analysis test (R2), and the simultaneous test (F test). The results of this study partially show that return on equity, gross profit margin, and net profit margin have a significant effect on price to book value, meaning that the higher the return on equity, the higher the price to book value, the more gross profit margin the higher the price to book value and the higher the net profit margin the higher the price to book value. Simultaneously, these three variables have a significant effect on price to book value