A Nonparametric Approach to Evaluating Inflation-Targeting Regimes

We use a variety of nonparametric test statistics to evaluate the inflation- targeting regimes of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK. We argue that a sensible approach of evaluation must rely on a variety of methods, among them parametric and nonparametric econometric methods, for robustness and completeness. Our evaluation strategy is based on examining two possible policy implications of inflation targeting: First, a welfare implication and second, a real variability implication. The welfare implication involves evaluating a utility function, and tested by testing whether (1) the distributions of the levels and the growth rates of private consumption and leisure per capita remained unchanged under inflation targeting, i.e., first-order stochastic dominance; and (2) testing a linear combination of consumption and leisure per capita, where the parameter describing the utility of leisure or the relative preference of leisure is calibrated. Then we introduce nonparametric univariate and multivariate statistical methods to test whether the first and second moments of a variety of real variables, such as the real exchange rate depreciation rate, real GDP per capita growth rate in addition to private consumption per capita and leisure per capita growth rates, remained unchanged under inflation targeting, decreased or increased significantly. There seems to be some evidence of increased welfare under inflation-targeting regimes, but no concrete evidence is found that inflation targeting policy, in general, reduces real variability. Some cross country differences are also found.Nonparametric, First-order stochastic dominance, sudden shift in the distribution, inflation targeting.

Effect of Alkaline Activators on the Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Mortar

"Geopolymerization is a process where silica and alumina rich source materials turn into excellent binding materials by the aid of alkali solutions. Materials such as fly ash are by-products in energy power plants. Fly ash is classified based on its constituent materials. Fly ash class F mainly consists of alumina and silica. Compressive strength of class F fly ash geopolymer mortar is influenced by many factors such as fluid to binder ratio, Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio, curing duration, curing temperatures and molarity of the activator solution. The present study investigates the effect of the fluid to binder ratio and Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio on the compressive strength of geopolymer mortar. The curing temperature was fixed to 80 °C. The curing durations investigated was 24h. For each combination, three cubes with dimensions of 50 x 50 x 50 mm were casted. After heat curing in the laboratory oven, the samples were tested on a universal testing machine for the compressive strength. The results showed very high early compressive strength of 66.39 MPa for samples cured at 80 °C and for a duration of 24 hr. The significance of the present study is that it will allow for establishing methods for production of high strength geopolymer mortar that can be used in civil engineering applications, in addition to the environmental advantages of using such source materials to produce binding materials with outstanding mechanical properties.

Dosage Optimization of Polypropylene Fiber for Strength Enhancement of Cementitious Composites

"Concrete is the most commonly used materials for construction in Qatar as well as in the world. Exposure to sever environmental conditions causes physical deterioration of concrete structures and significantly affect the concrete’s strengths and modulus of elasticity. In the last decades, many improvements had been made in concrete technology. Most of these improvements focused on the weak point of concrete, which is tensile strength enhancement. One possible method to improve the tensile strength of cementitious composites is incorporation of fibers in the mix. Polypropylene fiber is widely used for this purpose due to their corrosion resistance and relatively low cost. Polypropylene fibers are usually incorporated in cement mortar to control cracks propagation thus enhance its tensile and flexural properties. This research focuses on Polypropylene fiber dosage optimization for strength enhancement of cementitious composites. Four dosages of Polypropylene microfibers; 0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2% by weight of cement; were added into cement mortar to explore the optimum dosage that can lead to big enhancement in mechanical strengths of cementitious composites. The mechanical strengths were investigated in terms of compressive and flexural strengths. The results revealed that adding small amount of Polypropylene microfibers could enhance the compressive and flexural strengths of cement mortar. The maximum enhancement in the compressive and flexural strengths was equal to 26% and 19% and was achieved in the case of adding 0.1% and 0.05% by weight of cement, respectively.

Final technical report of 'I can we can' programme

The "I Can, We Can" program, part of the Massar project (Syria), generated, analyzed and tested data to develop appropriate models for the utilization of ICT educational applications in fostering the development of qualifications towards improving employability among Syrian youth, empowering them to actively contribute to their own development, and to enable them to have a positive impact on their communities. The report summarizes projects that were implemented, research methodologies that were used to support implementation, and the evaluation process. Massar was first initiated in 2005 by the “Syria Trust Development “as a national educational and cultural program for children and adolescents

Sustainable utilization of waste carbon black in alkali-activated mortar production

This article investigates the potential utilization of waste carbon black (WCB) resulting from the aluminum industry as a by-product material in the fly ash-based geopolymer composites production. Experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effect of WCB on the performance of the geopolymer. Different contents of WCB including 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, and 40%,by weight of the fly ash, have been incorporated in the geopolymer mix as either additives or fly ash replacement. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has also been conducted to evaluate the landfills utilization and the environmental impact of the WCB incorporation. The experimental results reflected that the WCB could be used as additives in small quantities (5% of fly ash weight) to the geopolymer mix without negatively affecting its performance. Adding 5% of WCB insignificantly enhanced the compressive strength of the geopolymer by 5%, increased its workability and density by 3% and 4%, respectively, and did not affect its excellent thermal stability. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imaging showed more unreacted fly ash particles combined with more voids and cracks within the microstructure of the geopolymer with high WCB content. Finally, incorporating WCB in the geopolymer production improved the utilization of landfills use and reduced the global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential and abiotic depletion potential

Evaluation of Bond Strength Between Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Composites with Modified Epoxy Resins and Concrete

Rehabilitation and strengthening of concrete structures are becoming more significant in civil engineering applications. The use of externally bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) is one of the methods to strengthen and rehabilitate reinforced concrete members, providing noticeable improvement to their capacity in resisting load. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) is used along with epoxy resins to evaluate the bond strength of two commercially available epoxies (EPON 828 and EPON 862) between CFRP and concrete. In addition, three new combinations that resulted from mixing the two epoxies were examined. The mechanical properties of epoxy resins are significantly weaker than this of the CFRP making the epoxy characteristics the determining factor in the quality of the bond strength. Three-point flexural test was conducted to examine the bond strength between the CFRP composites and concrete. Further, differential scanning calorimetry was conducted to examine the glass transition temperature of the resultant epoxies. The results showed that the optimum composition was a mixture of 70% of epoxy 828 and 30% of epoxy 862. Therefore, achieving better bond strength and high glass transition temperature, resulting in CFRP composite with higher fire resistance

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised