Big Private Research Articles

E-Tender Procurement Solutions

Abstract: In today's day and age of the 21st century, India is moving towards an advanced technological advancement where the old and hereditary methods are been revolutionized to become hassle-free and paperless. One of the main aspects of governments, big private and public entities is to ensure that they get the best and budget-friendly products based on the requirements put forth. To get such products companies put out a document known as tenders. These tenders specify the job description time duration estimated cost and other details related to the expected result. In olden times the advertisement of tenders was given in newspapers and the companies used to send the bids and tender requests in a closed and sealed envelope. These envelopes used to be opened on a decided date to ensure transparency in the process. As time progressed the people started manipulating the tenders by changing the amounts to the lowest possible figures thus managing the results. To end this monopoly and eliminate the geographical advantage we are hereby proposing a methodology that will ensure that such discrepancies do not happen. The model we are proposing is known as E tender procurement solutions. This model is based on a user-friendly framework and an assurance of data protection and manipulation-free environment through blockchain. The model can be used as a base where companies can customize it and use it as a self-product.

Private Blockchain-Based Efficient Secure Cloud Data Storage Using Federated Learning Framework

Background: Some of the new challenges that consumers are confronted with include safeguarding data and privacy. Data retrieved from the cloud's external sources and the calculations that follow aren't always accurate. Addressing the risk of adversaries utilizing various exploitation techniques to compromise transactional data privacy is a basic concern when establishing big private networks. The profession of criminal investigation is quickly embracing new technologies, and one of these is blockchain. Every sector, from banking and supply chain management to smart apps and the Internet of Things (IoT), has been increasingly vulnerable to security threats in recent years. Methods: An effective solution to the "data island" problem, federated-learning (FL) has recently been a hot and broad concern topic. But as FL technology finds more practical uses, training management gets more complicated, and the trade-off of multi-tasking gets more difficult, due to the increasing quantity of FL tasks. A privacy-preserving FL framework with multi-tasks using a partitioned blockchain is proposed in this study to address this shortcoming. The framework may execute several FL tasks by separate requesters. To start, an FL task force is established to help with the visualization, organization, and administration of security aggregation. Result: In order to safeguard users' privacy and guarantee the accuracy of the global model, the suggested framework incorporates both Paillier-homomorphic-encryption(PHE) and Pearson-correlation-coefficient(PCC). Lastly, a novel incentive system based on the blockchain is introduced to encourage individuals to provide their valuable data. Conclusion: Our suggested framework achieves a global model accuracy of 99.2% according to the experimental data. Specifically, in the realm of industrial applications, the suggested framework is clearly more suited to real-world settings.

The Interplay among Students’ Social Behavior, Thinking Skills, and Academic Performance in Core Subjects

This study delved into students’ thinking skills in dealing with real-life situations and how such skills are associated with their academic performance in the following core subjects: Mathematics, Science, and English. The research is quantitative, specifically a descriptive-correlational type. The respondents came from four big private schools in Dumaguete City. An adapted questionnaire was utilized to gauge the students’ thinking skills, and their academic performance was garnered based on their grades in the three core subjects. Percentages means, and chi-square tests were utilized as data treatment tools. The data indicated that students demonstrated a "very satisfactory" level of performance in Mathematics and Science, whereas their performance in English was notably "outstanding." Furthermore, the results showed that nearly half of the students use their problem-solving, decision-making, and thinking skills in dealing with real-life situations, while only a few of them struggle to effectively utilize the aforementioned skills. The data further revealed that the students’ performance in Mathematics and Science and their thinking skills in dealing with real-life situations are significantly correlated.

Artificial Intelligence for Internet of Things as a Service: Small or Big Data, Private or Public Model, Centralized or Federated Learning?

Artificial Intelligence for Internet of Things as a Service: Small or Big Data, Private or Public Model, Centralized or Federated Learning?

The mediation role of safety training between risk perception and safety behaviors among non-medical hospital staff

The relationship between risk perception and safety outcomes has been extensively studied in the past, but there is scarce research on the mediating effect of safety training on risk perception and both safety dimensions of safety behaviors in hospital settings. This study investigates the role of safety training as a mediator in the relationship between risk perception and safety behavior, as measured by compliance and participation in safety measures. The cross-sectional data from one big private hospital in Saudi Arabia was examined using the most recent iteration of Smart Partial Least Squares (PLS4). A 71% response rate was achieved on surveys that were personally handed out to 155 non-medical staff in hospitals. In this study, the significance level for Percentile Bootstrapping with a 95% confidence interval and p ≤ 0.05 was utilized to analyze mediation. Safety training served as a full mediating variable in the link between risk perception and safety compliance. Surprisingly, safety training did not act as a mediator in the relationship between risk perception and safety participation. This study fills a gap in the body of knowledge about non-medical staff's attitudes toward risk, safety training, and safety behaviors. Additionally, it helps us comprehend how safety training can help people perceive risks and behave safely. Considering that hospital management and safety officials receive high-quality training on safety concerns, more workers follow safety precautions, and the number of workplace accidents is reduced. The results of this study can be used as a foundation for future studies to enhance occupational safety practices.

Electrical resistivity tomography and ground‐penetrating radar methods to detect archaeological walls of Babylonian houses near Ishtar temple, ancient Babylon city, Iraq

AbstractA survey was conducted to investigate buried archaeological walls near the Ishtar temple in the ancient Babylon city using electrical resistivity tomography and ground‐penetrating radar methods. The survey includes applying 12 electrical resistivity tomography profiles using dipole–dipole array and a ground‐penetrating radar grid of 55 m × 50 m using 250 MHz antenna. Although the buried walls are consisting of mudbrick masonry and are embedded in a clayey environment, the electrical resistivity tomography method is still able to differentiate the tiny differences between the host materials and the buried walls, which show distinctive wall‐like features with resistivity values ranging between 9 and 15 Ω m. These features may reflect underground‐buried walls with a general width reaching about 2.5 m. The comparison of ground‐penetrating radar profiles and their corresponding electrical resistivity tomography profiles presents that the main architectures are coinciding well. The analysis of the geometry and composition of the walls around the Ishtar temple suggested that the wall‐like reflections on the ground‐penetrating radar slice at a depth between 140 and 150 cm (may be shallower) are underground‐buried walls. These wall‐like reflections show a special trend and orientation that indicate that they may be the remains of rooms belonging to two small houses or the remains of one big private house.

Urban Upgrading in the Historic City Core of Abeokuta, Nigeria: A Case for Inclusive Policies Towards Heritage Preservation

The rapid urbanization, taking place in Southwest Nigeria in the last 40years has necessitated the need for regenerating the historic city cores of the region. The state governments and big private stakeholders determine the key narratives for the urban upgrades. Loss of patrimonial stock of indigenous buildings and communal cohesion in these enclaves after upgrading often lead to a complete loss of the socio-cultural heritage. The promotion of urban tourism, which is ideal for cities with heritage values, is thus made more challenging for these cities. This study examines the sensitive nature of upgrade programmes as it affects historic city centres. A review of instances in the area is concluded with a case study of the Abeokuta city core. The study was carried out using literature about upgrades in Southwest Nigeria and field studies that involved interviews and questionnaires in Abeokuta city core. The research discovered that while residents are aware of the programmes, they had no input in the planning and implementation, whereas, they appreciate heritage preservation and prefer to be carried along in the planning. The research concluded that more inclusive policy planning and project participation would have entrenched heritage preservation, stemmed the rate of gentrification, and produce more acceptable outcomes.

Model of financial mechanism of stimulation of the reproduction process on the example of national projects implementation

The article presents the study of the problem of stimulating the Russia federal budget financing. The authors study innovation in taxation legislation including deoffshorization, the stages of its implementation, structure, current state and the results achieved. The topicality of studying this government approved activity is justified by significant financial outflow abroad. The national measures of fighting offshores are adduced in the article. Russia has joined international conventions on cooperation in taxation and fight against tax evasion. Moreover, in 2018 the country implemented the OECD system for mutual data exchange on foreign accounts, property and assets, that is, the standard of automated exchange of financial information called the Common Reporting Standard. The analysis conducted by the authors proves the hypothesis about shifting priorities of private companies towards huge dividend payments instead of investments in development of their own business and the whole industry. Big private companies being the core of economy are interested in preserving offshore locations with preferential taxation terms. Major threats the government faced were connected with loss of control over strategic assets in fuel and energy complex, metallurgy, machine engineering, defense production and, consequently, with failure to administer the economy. In this situation, the government faces a complicated task of controlling the use of offshore locations and present alternative and perspective options for private business. The initiated deoffshorization should become the starting point for the development of different financial instruments and mechanisms on stimulating investment in federal budget. The authors study the probable tool aimed at maintaining the process of additional financing of the state budget. Modernization of reporting and introduction of additional progressive allowances to the existing taxation can become such an instrument.

A Study on Various Cloud Computing Technologies, Implementation Process, Categories and Application Use in Organisation

Cloud Computing is the latest advancement used by the relationship to manage gigantic proportion of data. This paper will explain Cloud Computing, its technologies, advantages, challenges and its application use. The affiliations could have their own cloud server ranch or in like manner can limit with various data expert centres who gives the workplace of disseminated figuring. The data is split between various servers and subsequently can be gotten to starting there. It helps with extending the viability of the business affiliation. There is no direct involvement of the user to manage the data present in the cloud computing technology. The clouds can be big or small or private or public based upon the data requirement of the business and the quantity and quality of the data. The paper will also explain the implementation process of cloud computing and various types of clouds available in the market.

New Farm Acts and Emerging Market Forms: Implications for Farmers

This article examines the implications of new farm laws enacted by the Government of India in 2020 (now repealed) on farming and farmers. There are divergent opinions of experts and of the Government of India and the farmers’ unions on the expected benefits/losses to farmers. This article seeks guidance from economic theory on determination of prices of inputs and outputs under different market forms. The farm laws raise concerns about their potential to alter the organizational forms of production, marketing and storage of agricultural produce involving big private corporate agencies leading to changes in the market forms for determining prices and output level. These issues need to be examined in the context of emerging monopsony/oligopsony market forms, agricultural produce markets and final consumer level food markets. The discussion is supplemented by empirical evidence from the United States on the impact of similar laws in the 1980s on small farmers, together with limited evidence on the abolition of APMC market regulation in Bihar in 2006, so as to draw some lessons for reforms and their implications of future of farming and farmers in India.

Wildlife tourism and local communities: Evidence from India

This paper examines the impact of wildlife tourism on the livelihoods of local population around the Ranthambhore National Park in India which is popular for tiger sighting. A detailed household questionnaire elicited information on demographic details, income sources and consumption expenditure from 224 households. An empirical assessment of the economic impacts of tourism reveals that tourism development has failed to provide tangible benefits to the community. Qualitative assessment of community perception of tourism impacts and information from key informant interviews reveals contrasting ideologies of diverse stakeholders vis-à-vis park use. With tourism development benefitting mostly the big private (often non-native) players in the tourism industry, the residents feel alienated, and this doesn't augur well for conservation efforts.

The Impact of the Characteristics of Exercise on The Risk of Breast Cancer Instructions.

Background:Exercise seems to protect from breast cancer (BC) and this protection is likely mediated through weight control during menopause. Considering that night work is associated with higher risk for BC.Objective:The aim of this study was to examine the possible relation of BC risk to daytime or nighttime hours of exercise.Methods:The material was taken from primary elements of a doctoral thesis at the Department of Midwifery, University of West Attica that examines the impact of the characteristics of exercising on BC. The data were obtained from relevant questionnaires filled in at a big private hospital, following a relevant permit of the scientific committee, and adjusted Google Forms, ensuring anonymity.Results:Almost 3 times more women without a history of BC were exclusively exercising during the daytime compared to the ones with a history of BC who were exclusively exercising during the nighttime (40 vs 15). On the contrary, a smaller number of women without a history of BC were exclusively exercising during the nighttime compared to the ones with a history of BC who were exclusively exercising during the nighttime (17 vs 20) (odds ratio >3 with a confidence interval >1 to >7.5 and p<0.05).Conclusion:It seems that the protective impact of exercising on BC is mitigated when the exercise is performed exclusively during night hours.

The review of the innovation of healthcare information technology to improve people’s health condition in Cambodia

Innovation can be defined as invention, adoption and diffusion. In healthcare, it may be a novel idea, product, service or care pathway that has clear benefits when compared to what is currently done. Successful innovations often possess two key qualities: they are both usable and desirable. Innovation has been a consistent feature of the private sector for a number of years. Studies in innovative practices in the public sector are increasing during the last three decades. The healthcare industry has experienced a proliferation of innovations aimed at enhancing life expectancy, quality of life, diagnostic and treatment options, as well as the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the healthcare system. This issue aims to review on recent advances in various aspects of healthcare technology for healthcare development in Cambodia. We will go through some big private and public hospitals to find out its common strategies for better healthcare and treatment for the people.

Nationwide survey of the availability and affordability of asthma and COPD medicines in Nigeria.

To determine the availability and affordability of asthma and COPD medicines across Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in 128 pharmacies (51 in public sector hospitals, 51 private sector community pharmacies and 26 charity or big private hospitals) across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria using the WHO/Health Action Initiative method. The proportion of pharmacies where medicines were available, the median retail prices of originator and generics and affordability were analysed. A medicine was available if found in≥80% of surveyed pharmacies. Unaffordability was defined as paying>1day's wage (> US$1.68) for a standard 30-day supply of the medicine. The available medicines were oral corticosteroids and oral salbutamol which are not on the WHO Essential Medicine List. Medicines were found more frequently in private than public pharmacies and in the southern than northern zones. Inhalable corticosteroid was not available at any public pharmacy nationwide. None of the EML medicines were affordable. The least number of days' wages for a 30-day supply of any inhalable corticosteroid-containing medication was 3.5days. There are very limited availability and affordability of recommended asthma and COPD medicines across Nigeria with disparity across regions. Medicines that were available and affordable are not recommended and are harmful for long-term use. This underpins the need for engagement of all stakeholders for the review of existing policies regarding access to asthma and COPD medicines to improve availability and affordability.

Sovereign credit news and disagreement in expectations about the exchange rate: evidence from Brazil

PurposeCredit rating agencies (CRAs) are perceived as highly influential in the financial system since their announcements can affect several players in the financial markets, from big private financial and non-financial companies and their financial markets experts to sovereign states. In this sense, this study investigates whether sovereign credit news issued by CRAs (measured by comprehensive credit rating (CCR) variables) affect the uncertainties about the exchange rate in the future (captured by the disagreement about exchange rate expectations). The study is relevant once there is evidence indicating that CRAs' assessments are responsible for affecting international capital flows and, thus, sovereign rating changes can affect the expectations formation process regarding the exchange rate. In addition, there is evidence indicating that the disagreement about exchange rate expectations affects the disagreement about inflation expectations, which brings consequences to policymakers.Design/methodology/approachThe dependent variables are the disagreement in expectations about the Brazilian exchange rate for different forecast horizons, 12, 24 and 36 months ahead and the first principal component of theses series. On the other hand, the CCR variables are built upon the long-term foreign-currency Brazilian bonds ratings, outlooks and credit watches provided by the main CRAs. Estimates are obtained using ordinary least squares (OLS) and generalized method of moments (GMM); a dynamic analysis is performed using vector-autoregressive (VAR) through impulse-response functions.FindingsNegative (positive) sovereign credit news, given by a rating downgrade (upgrade) and/or a negative (positive) outlook/watch status, increase (decrease) the disagreement about exchange rate expectations. This result holds for all disagreement and CCR variables.Practical implicationsThe study brings practical implications to both private agents (mainly financial market experts) and policymakers. An important practical implication of the study concerns the ability of CRAs to affect the expectations formation process of financial market experts regarding the future behavior of the exchange rate. When a CRA issues a signal of improvement in a country's sovereign rating, this signal reflects the perception of improvement in macroeconomic fundamentals and reduction of uncertainties about the country's ability to honor its financial obligations, which therefore, facilitates the expectations formation process, causing a reduction in the disagreement about the exchange rate expectations. With respect to the consequences for policymakers, they will have more difficulty in guiding expectations in a country with a worse sovereign risk rating, where agents have difficulties in forming expectations and the disagreement in expectations is greater.Originality/valueThe study is the first to analyze the impact of CRAs' announcements on the disagreement about exchange rate expectations. Moreover, it connects the literature that investigates the effects of sovereign credit news on the economy with the literature that examines the main determinants of disagreement in expectations about macroeconomic variables.

Artificial Intelligence Will Merely Kill Us, Not Take Our Jobs

A prominent recent development in governance of artificial intelligence is the White House Office of Management and Budget’s 2020 Guidance for Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Applications (Federal Register Doc. 2020–00261, Filed 1–10–20), directed at heads of federal executive branch agencies, in fulfillment of Trump E.O. 13859 and building upon it. While the directive strikes the right tone in some instances, it opens the door to federal agencies too widely for oversight. Top-down federal funding and governance of scientific and technology research will be increasingly incompatible with a future of lightly regulated science and technology specifically, and with limited government generally. First is the the lack of concern that a key driver of investment and in turn trajectory of the sector is military and intelligence-based. Not to be flip about it, but when it comes to robotics and military, the concern is that Isaac Asimov’s widely famous but fictional Laws of Robotics (devised to forbid the harm of humans) are programmed out, not in. This is a part of what makes fusion of big government and private AI deployment problematic at the outset. Second is the insufficient appreciation of the extent to which the broader progressive regulatory bureaucracy at which the guidance is aimed holds a vision of “rule of law” entirely at odds from a more classical liberal frame of reference. Today’s administrative state has its own set of value pursuits and visions, of what are costs and what are benefits, and the sources of each. Make no mistake, the new AI guidance constitutes a set of regulatory principles rather than laissez-faire, property rights based principles, especially as they will be interpreted by less market-oriented administrations that later assume the helm and the agencies they direct. The White House guidance invites agencies to “consider whether a change in regulatory policy is needed due to the adoption of AI applications in an already regulated industry, or due to the development of substantially new industries facilitated by AI.” Unless externally restrained, a regulatory bureaucracy’s inclination is to answer the question, “Is there call for regulation?” in the affirmative, and this guidance does not restrain that impulse but adds to it. For example: Agencies are instructed to produce “Statutory Authorities Directing or Authorizing Agency Regulation of AI Applications” and to “List and describe any statutes that direct or authorize your agency to issue regulations specifically on the development and use of AI applications.” But no statutory definition of AI even existed at the time any such supposed predicates came to be. The guidance is favorable toward antitrust regulation. The guidance invites social policy regulatory experimentation. The guidance may undermine simultaneous reforms from the Trump administration to restrain the overuse of these very sort of sub-regulatory guidance measures to influence the private sector. Given public policy fears, real and imagined, over artificial intelligence, it is an area ripe for political predation. While big science need not entail big government; the alignment of forces in play at the moment implies that it likely will.

Prediction of guilt and shame proneness based on disruption to psychological contract: A new light for corruption prevention

Amid controversy over plurality and contestation of the meanings of corruption, previous reviews and studies showed that proneness to moral emotions, i.e. shame and guilt, can predict one's corruption behavior. To give a theoretical basis for the efforts of preventing corruption that is thick with emotional nuance, this present study employs disruption to psychological contract, i.e. psychological contract breach (PCB), as a predictor of moral emotions proneness. The study involving 265 employees (169 males, 96 females; Mage = 32.32 years old; SDage = 7.28 years) of four big private banks in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, shows that PCB—with noting that, in this study, its scale operational scoring represents, reversely, the contract fulfillment—can predict Guilt-negative behavior evaluation (Guilt-NBE), Guilt-repair (Guilt-REP), and Shame-negative self-evaluation (Shame-NSE); all in negative directions, proved via simple linear regression analyses. Further analysis showed a more dynamic relationship between PCB and Guilt-NBE that fits to a cubic regression model. This study contributes to the axiological aspect of business psychology, especially in the ethical psychology of banking industry.

Walking in Jozi: Guided Tours, Insecurity and Urban Regeneration in Inner City Johannesburg

AbstractThis article explores how the emerging tourism sector in Johannesburg is intertwined with current processes of urban regeneration and development. Using walking tours as a case study, I illustrate how tour operators navigate insecure urban spaces and contribute to their (re‐)development by performing (in)security, by offering ‘authentic’ experiences and by actively engaging in social and economic activities. I argue that walking tours promote a particular kind of urban development that aims to appeal to a new urban middle class and is in line with the vision pursued by big private investors and new urban entrepreneurs. Similar to other global gentrification processes, this vision draws on Western notions of hip urban lifestyles and aesthetics in order to foster an image of the city as pan‐African and cool. While making new spaces accessible, this approach to urban development also affects and threatens other inner city users, including African migrants living or working in precarious conditions. I contend that these side effects of the currently promoted urban regeneration have so far been overlooked. In order to create a social and sustainable urban development that supersedes apartheid‐era spatial segregation, these effects should be taken into account by the tourism sector, by private investors and policy makers alike.

Knowledge and attitude of nurses toward the implementation of quality management systems with special reference to Six Sigma

Background: Health care delivery system is one of the most dynamic areas where the professional growth takes place on an everyday basis. In the country's present scenario, where health services is made available to the community in a variety of forms, by way of government health centers, trust hospitals, religious sponsored small and big hospitals, and private and corporate hospitals, the expectations of the patient have increased toward the quality of health services offered. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of the employees toward the implementation of quality management system with special reference to Six Sigma. Objectives: 1. To assess the current status of the waiting period at various departments of the selected hospitals. 2. To assess the knowledge regarding Six Sigma. 3. To assess the attitude regarding Six Sigma. 4. To compare the knowledge and attitude of private and government health care organization. Methodology: Research approach: Quantitative approach. Research design: Pre-experimental. Sampling technique: Convenience sampling. Sample size: 60 (calculated by power analysis). Sampling criteria. Inclusive criteria. 1. Those who are involved in hospital administrative work. 2. Those who are available at the time of data collection. 3. Those who can understand English. Exclusive criteria. 1. Who have already done Six Sigma citification. Results: The results showed that the maximum time spent by the patient at the outpatient department (OPD) for registration was 16–20 min. According to the reviews, this is the appropriate time taken by any health care organization to do OPD registration. Very few respond to took more than 25 min, i.e., 3%. Maximum patients spent 21–25 min at the laboratory and only 5% spent <20 min. Time taken by the individual in pharmacy indicates that maximum participants, i.e., 37%, took 16–20 min to get the drugs and 23% of participants took more than 25 min. Regarding the knowledge toward Six Sigma, 22% health care workers in private sector have good knowledge score as compared to government organization, i.e., 10%. Seven percent of health care workers have average knowledge score in private organization and 8% of participants have average knowledge score in government health sector. Regarding the attitude toward Six Sigma, private health care organization workers (53%) have a good attitude score as compared to government organization (18%). Conclusion: Six Sigma principles are well suited to the health care sector due to its zero tolerance for mistakes and Six Sigma's potential for reducing medical errors. Lean Six Sigma projects in healthcare have largely focused on direct care delivery, administrative support, and financial administration. The aim has been to improve clinical processes, to identify and eliminate waste from patient pathways, to enable staff to examine their own workplace, and to increase quality, safety, and efficiency. The concept of Six Sigma is purely corporate in nature. There is a lot of difference between the knowledge and attitude regarding Six Sigma among private and government organizations, and this study proves the same..

MSBA: Multiple Scales, Branches and Attention Network With Bag of Tricks for Person Re-Identification

Person re-identification (Re-ID) has become a hot topic in both research and industry. We joined in a person Re-ID challenge of the First National Artificial Intelligence Challenge (China, 2019) and found some model designs and training tricks work great or not on a super big private dataset. In this paper, we propose a model that combines the most effective designs, including multi-scale, multi-branch and attention mechanism, and report training tricks that are no less or even more important in improving person Re-ID performance. We analyze four commonly used public datasets: Market1501, DukeMTMC-ReID, CUHK03, and MSMT17, and achieve the state-of-the-art performance. Besides, we analyze and confirm the effectiveness of the designs by ablation studies. We also share strategies that play a key role in the challenge and experience of model designs that do not generalize well on large datasets.