The dominant property of building envelope fabric which contributes significantly to minimize electricity utilization in building is the thermo-physical properties. There is inadequate literature on representative pra...The dominant property of building envelope fabric which contributes significantly to minimize electricity utilization in building is the thermo-physical properties. There is inadequate literature on representative practical data of thermo-physical properties of the dominant building envelope components in Ghana. This study aims to use cost-effective approach to characterize the thermo-physical properties of only cement-based mortar and concrete blocks used in Ghana for building components specifically wall design. Mixed methods research design was employed to achieving the aim. A questionnaire survey was used among sampled building fabric components manufacturers to pick representative data on thermos-physical properties of their mortar and concrete blocks. Also, an experimental procedure employing a transient technique with a TCi Thermal Analyser was used to determine the thermo-physical properties of selected mortar and concrete blocks from Ghana in addition to designed parametric mortar and concrete blocks with varied ratios obtained from the survey were undertaken at University of Nottingham. From the study, a trend of decreasing thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity with corresponding decreasing sand content was observed with all the different sand types. The thermal conductivities of both mortar and concrete parametric blocks meet the range of expected standard values outlined in Chattered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide A. The major limitation of the work is the dimension of the sample size;which is not inconsistent with standard block size due to the experimental setup used. It is expected that, the characterization of the predominant cement-based building fabrics components will contribute to improved building performance analysis with significant savings in electricity utilization for space cooling.展开更多
Tourism is becoming a vital component for economic development in South Africa. The income generated by the tourism industry is about 6% of the GDP, which is significant but still falls short of the goal set by the Wh...Tourism is becoming a vital component for economic development in South Africa. The income generated by the tourism industry is about 6% of the GDP, which is significant but still falls short of the goal set by the White Paper on Tourism in 2000. In the light of South Africa hosting the 2010 Football World Cup, it is important to identify ways of sustainable tourism development that would continue to increase the benefits to the economy long after the event＇s over. The main objective of the research was to explore an idea for increasing the level of tourist income generated in the Port Elizabeth （Eastern Cape） area. The idea was researched by means of conducting a cost-benefit analysis of two tourist related projects. These projects would introduce Charter airline services between Europe and Port Elizabeth. A second objective was to identify constraints on the project or market failures which would prevent their implementation. The economic theory behind the operation of an airline showed that lease costs and aeroplane operating costs are the two most important factors determine Charter airline＇s profitability. In order to offset these costs, airlines must achieve high passenger load factors. Charter airlines have the advantage over scheduled airlines, in that they will only fly if a minimum level of people has pre-booked seats. Two aeroplanes were chosen for comparison purpose： an Airbus A 340-300 and a Boeing 767-300ER. The private benefits calculated were based on load factors between 80 and 95 percent for ticket prices of USD 667 and USD 773. In addition, to private costs and benefits, social benefits were also estimated in the form of additional secondary revenue generated. With the introduction of net social benefits, both projects become profitable. A 50 percent substitution of revenue generated by the Charter tourists reduces the profits for the both projects drastically. A project based on a Boeing 767-300ER is the most efficient project as it has the highest NPV and BCR values. A reduction in the lease cost of the Airbus 340-300 could make projects based on it more competitive. A few constraints on the establishment of a Charter airline operator based in Port Elizabeth are： the lack of adequate runway for the landing of the long-haul carriers and the need of a larger liberalisation of the aviation policy by eliminating protectionism. The cost benefit analysis undertaken in this research does not take into account social costs and benefits to the economy of establishing a Charter airline based in Port Elizabeth, such as an employment, infrastructure development and poverty alleviation. Nevertheless the analysis does suggest that there are strong private and social benefits warranting the establishment of an airline business between Europe and Port Elizabeth. The economic benefits of the tourism industry and its link to airline travel are outlined in section 3. It is shown that the growth of the airline industry is a major component and contributor to tourism growth.展开更多
目的评估胸腺法新(thymalfasin,Tα1)作为乙型肝炎病毒(hepatitis B virus,HBV)相关肝细胞癌(hepatocellular carcinoma,HCC)术后辅助治疗的疗效及安全性,并对术后使用Tα1进行成本效用分析。方法回顾性收集2007年2月—2015年12月于四...目的评估胸腺法新(thymalfasin,Tα1)作为乙型肝炎病毒(hepatitis B virus,HBV)相关肝细胞癌(hepatocellular carcinoma,HCC)术后辅助治疗的疗效及安全性,并对术后使用Tα1进行成本效用分析。方法回顾性收集2007年2月—2015年12月于四川大学华西医院、成都军区总院和中山大学附属第三医院接受肝切除术的HBV相关HCC的患者,分成Tα1组和观察组,采用Kaplan-Meier法及对数秩检验,评估Tα1治疗起至死亡的总生存期、无复发生存期及安全性;建立马尔可夫模型,计算与观察组相比Tα1术后辅助治疗的质量调整生命年(quality-adjusted life years,QALY)及增量成本效用比(incremental cost-effectiveness ratio,ICER)。成本数据来源于上述3家医院医院信息系统和电话随访,健康效用值数据主要来源于既往已发表的文献,敏感性分析用于探究关键变量对于结果的影响。结果共纳入208例HCC患者,其中48例术后接受Tα1治疗(Tα1组),160例仅随访观察(观察组),两组基线资料差异无统计学意义。Tα1组和观察组的中位总生存期分别为102.0个月[95%置信区间(confidence interval,CI)(74.8,129.2)个月]和81.6个月[(95%CI(65.7,97.6)个月],差异有统计学意义(P=0.047);中位无复发生存期分别为66.7个月[95%CI(17.3,116.1)个月]和37.4个月[95%CI(28.7,46.2)个月],差异有统计学意义(P=0.044)。治疗期间,无Ⅲ-Ⅳ级不良反应及致死性不良反应。Tα1组对比观察组的ICER为108 050.02元/QALY,该ICER值小于意愿支付(177 785.25元/QALY)。结论 Tα1作为术后HBV相关HCC患者的辅助治疗可改善患者的预后,且费用在我国目前能够接受的水平范围内,故该方案与观察组相比具备成本效用优势。展开更多
文摘The dominant property of building envelope fabric which contributes significantly to minimize electricity utilization in building is the thermo-physical properties. There is inadequate literature on representative practical data of thermo-physical properties of the dominant building envelope components in Ghana. This study aims to use cost-effective approach to characterize the thermo-physical properties of only cement-based mortar and concrete blocks used in Ghana for building components specifically wall design. Mixed methods research design was employed to achieving the aim. A questionnaire survey was used among sampled building fabric components manufacturers to pick representative data on thermos-physical properties of their mortar and concrete blocks. Also, an experimental procedure employing a transient technique with a TCi Thermal Analyser was used to determine the thermo-physical properties of selected mortar and concrete blocks from Ghana in addition to designed parametric mortar and concrete blocks with varied ratios obtained from the survey were undertaken at University of Nottingham. From the study, a trend of decreasing thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity with corresponding decreasing sand content was observed with all the different sand types. The thermal conductivities of both mortar and concrete parametric blocks meet the range of expected standard values outlined in Chattered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Guide A. The major limitation of the work is the dimension of the sample size;which is not inconsistent with standard block size due to the experimental setup used. It is expected that, the characterization of the predominant cement-based building fabrics components will contribute to improved building performance analysis with significant savings in electricity utilization for space cooling.
文摘Tourism is becoming a vital component for economic development in South Africa. The income generated by the tourism industry is about 6% of the GDP, which is significant but still falls short of the goal set by the White Paper on Tourism in 2000. In the light of South Africa hosting the 2010 Football World Cup, it is important to identify ways of sustainable tourism development that would continue to increase the benefits to the economy long after the event＇s over. The main objective of the research was to explore an idea for increasing the level of tourist income generated in the Port Elizabeth （Eastern Cape） area. The idea was researched by means of conducting a cost-benefit analysis of two tourist related projects. These projects would introduce Charter airline services between Europe and Port Elizabeth. A second objective was to identify constraints on the project or market failures which would prevent their implementation. The economic theory behind the operation of an airline showed that lease costs and aeroplane operating costs are the two most important factors determine Charter airline＇s profitability. In order to offset these costs, airlines must achieve high passenger load factors. Charter airlines have the advantage over scheduled airlines, in that they will only fly if a minimum level of people has pre-booked seats. Two aeroplanes were chosen for comparison purpose： an Airbus A 340-300 and a Boeing 767-300ER. The private benefits calculated were based on load factors between 80 and 95 percent for ticket prices of USD 667 and USD 773. In addition, to private costs and benefits, social benefits were also estimated in the form of additional secondary revenue generated. With the introduction of net social benefits, both projects become profitable. A 50 percent substitution of revenue generated by the Charter tourists reduces the profits for the both projects drastically. A project based on a Boeing 767-300ER is the most efficient project as it has the highest NPV and BCR values. A reduction in the lease cost of the Airbus 340-300 could make projects based on it more competitive. A few constraints on the establishment of a Charter airline operator based in Port Elizabeth are： the lack of adequate runway for the landing of the long-haul carriers and the need of a larger liberalisation of the aviation policy by eliminating protectionism. The cost benefit analysis undertaken in this research does not take into account social costs and benefits to the economy of establishing a Charter airline based in Port Elizabeth, such as an employment, infrastructure development and poverty alleviation. Nevertheless the analysis does suggest that there are strong private and social benefits warranting the establishment of an airline business between Europe and Port Elizabeth. The economic benefits of the tourism industry and its link to airline travel are outlined in section 3. It is shown that the growth of the airline industry is a major component and contributor to tourism growth.
