ABC Project Research Articles

Hygrothermal assessment of external walls in Arctic climates: Field measurements and simulations of a test facility

The Greenlandic building sector is under pressure due to ever-changing building trends and a building shortage. Regrettably, there have only been made small efforts to investigate the performance of the existing buildings, and few resources have been dedicated to learning from previous attempts. Consequently, the available information and research are insufficient to ensure the construction of robust and well-functioning buildings. This knowledge gap motivated the ABC project, which had the goal of collecting and sharing information about optimal building practices in Greenland. As a part of the ABC project, this study aimed to determine which building practice is the most suitable for Greenlandic conditions. To this end, several real-time experiments were created, including a test pavilion in Nuuk consisting of five different wall constructions oriented towards north and south. This article presents the measured data from this pavilion. The performance of each construction type was compared with each other and to simulations performed in the hygrothermal analysis software Delphin. Furthermore, the robustness of the facades was tested by performing simulations with weather data for different towns in Greenland, including quantification of mould growth risk using the Viitanen model. It was found that the facades were unevenly affected by orientation. Nevertheless, none of the constructions could be labelled unsuitable for the Arctic climate as the assessments revealed no risk of mould growth. Additionally, reanalysis weather data from ERA5 was found to be suitable for performing hygrothermal simulations. It was also found that Nuuk is a favourable location for future test facilities.

Review of Accelerated Bridge Construction Systems for Bridge Superstructures and Their Adaptability for Cold Weather

The application of Accelerated Bridge Construction methods (ABC) to build, renovate and rehabilitate aging bridges is most likely to reduce the economic and social impacts of projects. This is especially relevant in countries with severe winter climates, where bridge construction is typically interrupted during the winter period. The objective of this study is to present the state of the art related to elements, systems, connections and materials used for bridge superstructures in ABC projects and to highlight their adaptability to cold or northern climate countries. The literature review and presentation of results are based on the gathering of Prefabricated/Precast Bridge Elements and Systems (PBES) used for ABC projects in North America and which are also used in many countries around the world. Following this inventory, and after grouping the PBES, connections and materials, the authors were able to identify the possibility of adapting the ABC method for countries with cold and northern climates. Products that can be used down to −6 °C for connections are presented, and future research orientations are proposed.

Financial Feasibility Study of Oil and Gas Well in Indonesia Case Study: New Oil and Gas Well in PT ABC

PT ABC is a subsidiary of PT PXZ (state owned companies under SKK Migas and PT Pertamina supervision) which is engaged un upstream sector in Indonesia. Seeing the continuing decline in oil and gas reserves in Indonesia and increasing demand, the government request all upstream company to find more source. PT ABC is trying to continue to increase production of oil and gas by opening a new potential project. Revenue sharing will use the gross split method. The purpose of writing this final project is to help PT ABC analyze new projects that will be undertaken. The analysis is carried out by looking at the business situation externally and internally and will be followed by economic analysis and risk analysis to identify the factor that has impact of the project. External analysis shows that the oil and gas industry is still an attractive industry for the government to run and support. However, in its implementation the company have to follow the applicable regulations since oil and gas industry are one of the strategic industries. In addition to funding activities, PT PXZ as the holding company is in a healthy financial condition. The results of economic analysis on the PT ABC project show that this project can be implemented and will generate profits for the company. The NPV to be obtained is USD 46.701.182, the IRR obtained is 17.15%, PBP will last for 5.52 years, and the PI has a value of 1,98. From the risk analysis, there are several factors that affect the economic results of the project, namely the price of oil and gas, the percentage of oil and gas sales, capital expenditure, and the percentage of oil and gas split.

ABC Project Evaluation using CPM PERT and Crash Program Methods in PT PAC Engineering

This study was made aiming to determine the optimal time needed in the implementation of the ABC project by using the CPM / PERT method, to determine the time needed in the implementation of the ABC project using the Crashing Project method and to find out the additional costs required in using the Crashing Project method. The analytical research method used is the CPM / PERT method and the Crashing Project. The results of this study show that the ABC project has a critical path that must be done, namely the A-B-C-D-E-H-I-J-K-M-N-O-R-S-T-U activity within 99 days. The cost calculated through Crashing Project is Rp. 219,300,000 and can save time to 83 days of project execution. Consumer demand to complete the project within 90 days. There fore the results of the Crashing Project get the amount of the cost of Rp. 6,200,000. The conclusion is the ABC project can be completed within 90 days using the CPM / PERT method and the Crashing Project (DJ, HKJ and S)

Automation of calculation of technical and operational parameters of a railway cargo terminal

Research is the automation of decision-making on the justification of the type of unloading section of the terminal for single-piece cargo — external or internal input of the railway track is rational according to the criterion of minimum total costs. The relevance of the research topic is associated with the widespread solution of this type of business problems in the modern conditions of the transport and warehouse market. Cargo terminals connect modes of transport and transform cargo flows, which determines both the key position of cargo terminals in modern supply chains, and the complexity of tasks to be solved in their design. For operational management of transport and logistics processes, it is necessary to quickly make business decisions, which can be provided by software implementation of a number of settlement procedures.Used dynamic and linear programming, syntax and tools of the Pascal ABC programming language, analytical, marketing, and project methods; materials of general access and official sites, own research.A software product for automating the calculation of technical and operational parameters of a railway cargo terminal is described. The program allows you to calculate a set of technical and economic parameters of the cargo terminal operation, in particular, the size of the annual car traffic, the required length of the railway unloading section, as well as annual operating (production) costs and capital costs for the construction of the car unloading section by options.The software product can be useful both in the educational process of secondary and higher education, and in practical business when making business decisions on planning the operation of a cargo terminal.

台湾における地域包括ケアシステム構築に向けた課題分析:―「ABC 計画」を中心に―

台湾における地域包括ケアシステム構築に向けた課題分析:―「ABC 計画」を中心に―

The Vargas Administration and the Proposal of the ABC Pact: The Place of Peronist Argentina in Brazilian Foreign Policy

Abstract: To return to the history of Brazil’s participation in South-American economic regionalism has gradually become of paramount need as the issue of regional integration is at the top of the country’s foreign policy agenda. This article aims to contribute with a study of this participation, by examining the failed attempt to revive the ABC Pact in the Brazilian political arena in the 1950s. Based on many documentary sources, our goal is to analyse the internal and external conditions that ended the Vargas Administration’s engagement in the Peronist proposal to build an economic bloc among Argentina, Brazil and Chile through a customs union. Herein, we present the reasons that led to the adoption of a realistic and pragmatic position by the Brazilian government regarding the ABC project, which were far removed from any possibility of getting involved in the project or even from not frustrating early expectations.

Proposal of Standardization to Assess Adherence With Medication Records: Methodology Matters.

Medication adherence is the process by which patients take their medication as prescribed and is an umbrella term that encompasses all aspects of medication use patterns. Ambiguous terminology has emerged to describe a deviation from prescribed regimen, forcing the European ABC Project to define 3 phases of medication use: initiation, implementation, and discontinuation. However, different measures of medication adherence using medication records are currently available that do not always distinguish between these phases. The literature is lacking standardization and operationalization of the assessment methods. To propose a harmonization of standards as well as definitions of distinct measures and their operationalization to quantify adherence to medication from medication records. Group discussions and consensus process among all coauthors. The propositions were generated using the authors' experiences and views in the field of adherence, informed by theory. The concepts of adherence measures within the new taxonomy were harmonized, and the standards necessary for the operationalization of adherence measures from medication records are proposed. Besides percentages and time-to values, the addition of a dichotomous value for the reinitiation of treatment is proposed. Methodological issues are listed that should be disclosed in studies on adherence. The possible impact of the measures in adherence research is discussed. By doing this, the results of future adherence research should gain in accuracy. Finally, studies will become more transparent, enabling comparison between studies.

O impacto do projeto do Pacto ABC nas relações Brasil-Argentina durante o segundo Governo Vargas

This work is part of my doctoral thesis in which I analyze the Brazil - Argentina relations from a cultural perspective between 1930-1954, showing how cooperation was a feature present in these relationships and drawing a recurring criticism of the paradigm of rivalry. This article analyzes the impact of the Covenant ABC project in bilateral relations in the second government of Getulio Vargas. Through the analysis of diplomatic correspondence, newspaper articles and documents of the Brazilian senate demonstrates that the proposal of President Juan Peron formation of a customs union between Argentina, Brazil and Chile was supported by varguistas sectors, but strongly rejected by opposition sectors contributing to the crisis of the Brazilian government. It was also found to influence the U.S. government to develop an intense propaganda campaign against Peronism and support groups to oppose the approach of Argentina, Latin America seeking order within its orbit during the Cold War. In this context, the proposed regional integration failed, causing tremors deep in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Empirical Testing of Real Option in the Real Estate Market

Abstract Existing researches have used real options valuation (ROV) theory to study investment in energy, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical sectors, yet little works have empirically examined ROV theory to study investment in a real estate market of EU countries that undergone severe economic crisis and now recovering. The aim of this paper is to test empirically ROV application for real estate development project with significant volatility in terms of price and cost and under strict legislation's constraints. Paper illustrates empirical testing of ROV application of the investment project “Sun Village” developed by the ABC Project Ltd Company in Latvia in 2014. We apply three ROV methods: option space matrix “Tomato Garden”, Black-Scholes option pricing model and binominal option pricing model before we presented final research result. The flow chart of ROV application in real estate development projects presented in our research can serve as a “road map” for many similar projects in EU suffering real estate market bubble burst and present uncertainty.

Direct & Indirect Effects of Top Management Support on ABC Implementation Success: Evidence from ISO 9000 Certified Companies in Thailand

The purposes of this research were: 1) to examine the direct and indirect effects of top management support (TMS) on ABC system training (AST), non-accounting ownership (NAO), links to performance evaluation (LPE) and ABC implementation success (AIS); 2) to explore the influence of LPE on NAO; and 3) to investigate the effect of AST on NAO. Data were collected from 95 accounting manager of ISO 9000 Certified Companies in Thailand which implemented activity based costing by using PLS-SEM as the instrument to test hypothesizes. The results showed that TMS had positive direct and indirect effect on AIS with more indirect effect. Therefore, in the implementation process the administrators should support the ABC project through AST, LPE, and NAO by commanding and motivating more than directly acting. The result also insisted that NAO had a high positive direct effect on AIS. Consequently, top managers have to build up involvement through LPE and AST. Moreover, AST and LPE also had a positive effect on AIS. In conclusion, this research contributed the benefit and suggested the future research direction.

Implementation of diagnostic accuracy for COPD (ABC Project): evaluation of a guide-line in territorial clinical practice

In Italian Territory Medicine there is no consolidated habitude, by Family General Practicioners and Paediatricians, to use Guidelines for diagnosis and management of diseases. Therefore, 19 General Practicioners, organized in a cooperative group, have identified a guideline on COPD, a disease often underdiagnosed and inappropriately treated, and verified, over 3 years of application, if it is possible, in clinical practice, to modify diagnostic-therapeutic habitudes. The results - even inferior to expectations for most of the indicators used - showed an increase in the number of cases diagnosed as COPD, possibly linked to a greater use of spirometry and chest Rx.

First Full-Depth Deck-Panel Accelerated Bridge Construction Project in Michigan: Constructability Challenges and Lessons Learned

AbstractAccelerated bridge construction (ABC) is gaining momentum as the bridge community is educated on the latest technologies and structural systems that can be implemented under the umbrella of ABC through workshops and demonstration projects. Further, ABC is promoted through various resources provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Every Day Counts Initiative that recommends implementation of some form of acceleration into every bridge project. The ultimate goal is to make ABC a common practice. Hence, detailed documentation of challenges and lessons learned from previous ABC projects is vital for effective and efficient application of future ABC projects. This paper presents the first full-depth deck-panel ABC project in Michigan with details on the bridge configuration, strengths and limitations of the special provisions, observations during bridge construction, the project team’s timely decisions to overcome some of the constructability challenges, and lessons learned during ...

Success of Activity-Based Costing Projects in French Companies: The Influence of Organizational and Technical Factors

The present paper explores the impact of organizational and technical factors on the success of an ABC project. Data were collected through a mail survey and interviews with French financial controllers. The findings suggest that the success of ABC implementation depends mainly upon two factors: training and the perceived complexity of the information technology. According to our interviews, French cost controllers think that the ABC method is too complex of a management accounting system compared to the “Section Homogene” method and, thus, is a potential reason for the paradox of why some firms abandon ABC immediately once it has been implemented and others use it for a while and then abandon it.

Tropospheric ozone variations at the Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (Himalayas, 5079 m a.s.l.) and influence of deep stratospheric intrusion events

Abstract. The paper presents the first 2 years of continuous surface ozone (O3) observations and systematic assessment of the influence of stratospheric intrusions (SI) at the Nepal Climate Observatory at Pyramid (NCO-P; 27°57' N, 86°48' E), located in the southern Himalayas at 5079 m a.s.l.. Continuous O3 monitoring has been carried out at this GAW-WMO station in the framework of the Ev-K2-CNR SHARE and UNEP ABC projects since March 2006. Over the period March 2006–February 2008, an average O3 value of 49±12 ppbv (±1δ) was recorded, with a large annual cycle characterized by a maximum during the pre-monsoon (61±9 ppbv) and a minimum during the monsoon (39±10 ppbv). In general, the average O3 diurnal cycles had different shapes in the different seasons, suggesting an important interaction between the synoptic-scale circulation and the local mountain wind regime. Short-term O3 behaviour in the middle/lower troposphere (e.g. at the altitude level of NCO-P) can be significantly affected by deep SI which, representing one of the most important natural input for tropospheric O3, can also influence the regional atmosphere radiative forcing. To identify days possibly influenced by SI at the NCO-P, a specially designed statistical methodology was applied to the time series of observed and modelled stratospheric tracers. On this basis, during the 2-year investigation, 14.1% of analysed days were found to be affected by SI. The SI frequency showed a clear seasonal cycle, with minimum during the summer monsoon (1.2%) and higher values during the rest of the year (21.5%). As suggested by back-trajectory analysis, the position of the subtropical jet stream could play an important role in determining the occurrence of deep SI transport on the southern Himalayas. We estimated the fraction of O3 due to SI at the NCO-P. This analysis led to the conclusion that during SI O3 significantly increased by 27.1% (+13 ppbv) with respect to periods not affected by such events. Moreover, the integral contribution of SI (O3S) to O3 at the NCO-P was also calculated, showing that up to 13.7% of O3 recorded at the measurement site could be possibly attributed to SI. On a seasonal basis, the lowest SI contributions were found during the summer monsoon (less than 0.1%), while the highest were found during the winter period (up to 24.2%). Even considering the rather large uncertainty associated with these estimates, the obtained results indicated that, during non-monsoon periods, high O3 levels could affect NCO-P during SI, thus influencing the variability of tropospheric O3 over the southern Himalayas.

The ABC-Pyramid Atmospheric Research Observatory in Himalaya for aerosol, ozone and halocarbon measurements

In this work we present the new ABC-Pyramid Atmospheric Research Observatory (Nepal, 27.95 N, 86.82 E) located in the Himalayas, specifically in the Khumbu valley at 5079 m a.s.l. This measurement station has been set-up with the aim of investigating natural and human-induced environmental changes at different scales (local, regional and global). After an accurate instrumental set-up at ISAC-CNR in Bologna (Italy) in autumn 2005, the ABC-Pyramid Observatory for aerosol (physical, chemical and optical properties) and trace gas measurements (ozone and climate altering halocarbons) was installed in the high Khumbu valley in February 2006. Since March 2006, continuous measurements of aerosol particles (optical and physical properties), ozone (O 3) and meteorological parameters as well as weekly samplings of particulate matter (for chemical analyses) and grab air samples for the determination of 27 halocarbons, have been carried out. These measurements provide data on the typical atmospheric composition of the Himalayan area between India and China and make investigations of the principal differences and similarities between the monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons possible. The study is carried out within the framework of the Ev-K 2-CNR “SHARE-Asia” (Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment in Asia) and UNEP—“ABC” (Atmospheric Brown Clouds) projects. With the name of “Nepal Climate Observatory—Pyramid” the station is now part of the Observatory program of the ABC project.

A virtual integration—The management control system in a multinational enterprise

This paper draws on actor-network-theory, especially Law and Hassard [Law, J., Hassard, J. (Eds.), 1999. Actor Network Theory and After. Blackwell, Malden, MA] and Latour [Latour, B., 2005. Reassembling the Social. An Introduction to the Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford University Press, Oxford] to investigate how a division-wide management control system was created in a multinational enterprise. The empirical findings were gathered from different actors involved in the implementation of enterprise's ABC and ERP projects. Our study focuses on the ontological politics [Mol, A.-M., 1999. Ontological politics. A word and some questions. In: Law, J., Hassard, J. (Eds.), Actor Network Theory and After. Blackwell, Malden, MA, pp. 74–89] required for the creation of a new management control reality, and also on the interaction between objects and subjects with potential for creating new agencies [Latour, B., 1999. On recalling ANT. In: Law, J., Hassard, J. (Eds.), Actor Network Theory and After. Blackwell, Malden, MA, pp. 14–25; Latour, B., 2005. Reassembling the Social. An introduction to the Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford University Press, Oxford]. In our case unit (one division of the enterprise), the new agency was labelled ‘virtual integration’, its purpose being to enable a new vision of the profitability of the division's production chain. Our results highlight the unstable and complex nature of such systems, which no doubt impedes their use. We contribute to the understanding of such systems, with a special emphasis on the use of metaphors in the political process that accounting information systems must pass through in order to become established as an enterprise-wide management tool.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the 136 Unique Tetranucleotide Sequences of DNA Oligonucleotides. I. Research Design and Results on d(C pG) Steps

We describe herein a computationally intensive project aimed at carrying out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations including water and counterions on B-DNA oligomers containing all 136 unique tetranucleotide base sequences. This initiative was undertaken by an international collaborative effort involving nine research groups, the “Ascona B-DNA Consortium” (ABC). Calculations were carried out on the 136 cases imbedded in 39 DNA oligomers with repeating tetranucleotide sequences, capped on both ends by GC pairs and each having a total length of 15 nucleotide pairs. All MD simulations were carried out using a well-defined protocol, the AMBER suite of programs, and the parm94 force field. Phase I of the ABC project involves a total of ∼0.6 μs of simulation for systems containing ∼24,000 atoms. The resulting trajectories involve 600,000 coordinate sets and represent ∼400 gigabytes of data. In this article, the research design, details of the simulation protocol, informatics issues, and the organization of the results into a web-accessible database are described. Preliminary results from 15-ns MD trajectories are presented for the d(CpG) step in its 10 unique sequence contexts, and issues of stability and convergence, the extent of quasiergodic problems, and the possibility of long-lived conformational substates are discussed.

Organisational problems in respect of the implementation of activity‐based costing in South Africa

In this study the extent and nature of organisational problems that are encountered in South Africa in respect of the implementation of activitybased costing are examined and compared with difficulties experienced by companies in the British Isles, United States of America and Australia. The investigation comprised a literature survey as well as an empirical study of the companies listed in South Africa. Contrary to the findings of overseas studies, South African companies experience less difficulty in respect of support from senior management and considere the employee resources allocated to the ABC projects to be adequate and satisfactory. ABC objectives are aligned with organisational goals, culture and company strategy. However, whilst implementers are adequately trained, the insufficient training of users and managers is perceived to be a hindrance to success and in the majority of companies other priorities take precedence to the ABC project.

Antisedentary Beigeless Computing

Four decades of sporadic invention and experimentation of and with non-traditional human-computer interface schemes have congealed (somewhat abruptly though not without a few clear-sighted antecedents) into a new field of information system design, here calledAntisedentary Beigeless Computing, that consciously rejects the traditional conception of isolated tete-a-tete between the human and the box-CRT-keyboardmouse. ABC systems instead favour the complementary directions away from this notion of an immobile info-shrine: more personal, intimate, and portable information access; and more diffuse, environmentally-integrated information access. Consideration of ABC projects to date seems to suggest that no single instance can alone express the full generality required of a ‘working’ information system, so that (on the one hand) system design must acknowledge that a complex set of trade-offs involving capabilities, universality, specificity, personalization, and generality is inescapable; while (on the other hand) an ideal, eventual ‘information environment’ will inevitably comprise the careful interweaving of some number of individual ABC systems. Taxonomies and classification schema can rarely hope to be found complete or flawless before the collection of items that they purport to describe have themselves reached the evolutionary stasis of ‘adulthood’ — that is, there is typically some threshold of development or growth beyond which few enough surprises lurk that an encompassing taxonomy can be constructed and observed to reliably encompass, in the longer term. The domain of ABC thought is still quite nascent, and so we would be foolish to assume that all its extremities of form and connotation are now visible, but to the extent that we can already see the outlines of a ‘field’ it is reasonable to make a first run at an analytic taxonomy. The ‘independent character axes’ approach presented here seems broad and loose enough to accommodate any number of additions to the basic stable of ABC systems. It is, further, a taxonomy amenable to significant revision as may be found necessary: axes can be added, deleted, reconstrued, etc. as time and consideration clarify our understanding of ABC. However, it should also be anticipated that the field will eventually coalesce around a much smaller number of better-defined ‘axes’ and thus permit taxonomic reversion to the more hierarchical (and finally more satisfying) ‘Linnean’ scheme we'd originally imagined establishing.