Final Bill Research Articles

ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF CONSTRUCTION DELAYS ON DISPUTES IN INDIA: A STATISTICAL AND MACHINE LEARNING APPROACH

In Major construction projects execution and performance were being negatively impacted by claims and disputes in terms of cost overrun, quality, stakeholders relationships, and productivity. Therefore understanding the significance of underlying the claims is essential. In this study, the primary root causes behind delay claims and disputes in construction projects were identified, examined, and rated. The significance of these factors was assessed using Relative Importance Index (RII) values. In addition, a machine learning model employing the Random Forest Genetic Algorithm (RFGA) was implemented to foresee the related risks and ascertain their levels. In a pilot survey, the data were collected across multiple construction projects at different phases such as scrutiny stage, design and planning stage, bidding stage, operation stage, and maintenance or after-construction stage. From Relative Important Index values from the statistical approach, it emerges that delay claims are generally causes from the owner followed by project-specific activities. Delays in processing bill payments, natural disasters, lack of contract awareness, and delay in final bill payment are the top causes of delay claims which converted to conflicts and disputes in mostly operating stage. The Random Forest Genetic Algorithm model predicted that factors like altering the original design, reluctance to cooperate by contractor, and increase of wages have lower risk whereas factors Poor site conditions, delay in approvals of schedules and change orders, natural calamities, late in running bill payment, repetition of work due to error in original work are at higher risk in terms of conflict and dispute. The model gives an accuracy of 0.89 and 0.87 for training data and testing data. The study will highlight possible research avenues and enhance project management strategies so that the project succeeds its goal.

Smart AI Powered Auto Bill generation using Deep Learning and IOT

[1]. Smart shopping cart: In [1] this paper the author designed system for shopping mall. The system is placed in the trolleys. It consists of RFID reader and each product has RFID tag. The billing is done in smart trolley itself. Product name and its price display on LCD screen. At the cash counter the total bill relocated to Personal Computer by wireless Radio Frequency module. The disadvantage of this scheme is after completion of shopping, a key is pressed indicating the final promoting amount of the entire item, and we can’t add or remove the products. [2]. Innovative shopping cart:In [2] this paper the author designed system for shopping mall. In this paper they developed a smart way for shopping. In every item has RFID tag in its place of barcode scanner. The smart trolley involves of RFID reader LCD screen and ZigBee transmitter. The sum total cost of all the products will be added to the final bill, which will be kept in the microcontroller memory. Drawback of the system is in ZigBee there is distance barrier is occurred. [3]. Smart trolley using Arduino: In [3], this paper the author invented such a system it consists of RFID, ARM7, Display, Power supply, Switch, IR sensor pair, Barcode reader Visual Basics. The system works as the inventor use the barcode reader as well as RFID. And our shopping is done through the serial communication we transferred the total bill to the counter for printing the hardcopy of the product bill. There is also facility for the payment is credit card or any other. The drawback of the system is their uses both the reader RFID and Barcode Reader because of that the system becomes more multifaceted. [4]. RFID based advanced shopping trolley for super market: In this paper the author found such a system it consists of GSM, RFID, Automatic Billing, OTP, ZIGBEE, and PIC. In this scheme, the item can be read by the reader and the total of the Item is showed on the LED screen they categorized this paper because they added some additional features in the existing system like in this system the product weight and the name shown on display if item weight is less than stored weight then buzzer will beep.

The development, changes and responses of the European Union carbon border adjustment mechanism in the context of global energy transition

Energy production and consumption is the primary source of global carbon emissions. In order to achieve the goal of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) in the Paris Agreement, countries around the world have set off an upsurge of energy transition. The EU has ambitious INDCs. The Energy crisis has made it accelerate the energy transition, thus promoting the development of its circular economy. However, the EU focuses on carbon leakage during this process. To address this issue and maintain the competitiveness of EU industries during the transition, the EU proposed the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The EU proposed the background and development process of the CBAM, and organized the core content of the tripartite plan and final bill of the European Commission, European Parliament, and European Council. What's more, the framework system of the CBAM is clarified, and further analysis is conducted on the future development of CBAM of the EU based on various factors. In response to the new development of the CBAM, it is suggested that developing countries should adhere to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities on the international front and attempt to build and improve a carbon market system to partially offset carbon tariffs. Finally, we should strengthen the research on the response plan of the EU CBAM and establish an effective communication mechanism with the EU, in order to better cope with the impact of the CBAM on the trade of developing countries in the future.

Microgrids, a new business model for the energy market

Microgrids and distributed generation technologies are proposed, from diverse sources, as one of the most promising solutions for the current problems of electric systems in developed countries and as a way of improving the situation of developing ones. In this line, through E+ Project, a tool to manage microgrids in urban environments is being developed, as well as the business model needed for its implementation. This document describes the E+ business model, based on two main agents: the prosumer and the APM (Aggregated Prosumers’ Manager). The model will suppose a revolution of the current scenario because of the modification of the agents involved and the consideration of the optimization of the distribution grid and the reduction of the final costumer bill as the highest goals. Since the implementation process is not easy due to regulatory barriers, an implementation roadmap is proposed presenting different steps or phases.

The public as infrastructure in policy processes: The case of the abolition of the Swedish alcohol rationing system.

The Swedish political system is based on a strong tradition of commissions of inquiry, which work over the long-term to develop knowledge-based policy. This study explores knowledge processes associated with the work of such commissions, focusing on the case of the abolition of the Swedish alcohol rationing system. The point of departure is the 1944 Temperance Committee and its internal committee work, the committee's reports, and also the resulting governmental bill that led to the abolition of the rationing system in 1955. The focus is directed at how the public was used in arguments for and against the abolition of the system. The article adds to studies of knowledge production in policy by presenting a case study of the various ways in which the arguments used in political processes rely on the public as a carrying infrastructure over the course of a political process. We use the concept of the infrastructure (Star, 1999) as a metaphor to engage with the way the public is taken for granted in policy processes, and with the discursive resources needed to move arguments forward within a political process. Political processes involve many activities related to the movement of knowledge, of which we have explored the use of the public as an activity required for the movement of arguments. The public is understood as providing both conversational and legalistic resources for moving arguments from one context to another. While the internal committee documents and the final bill allowed for an everyday use of the public in relation to arguments on hassle, annoyance and freedom, the committee reports combined the use of the public with formal arguments on legal processes and the public's sense of justice. Explanations of the movement of knowledge often miss the articulation work (Star, 1991) that takes place within policy processes. The public is indirectly present, as well-behaving witnesses used to emphasize arguments, and as such, they do plenty of work. At the same time, it is the committee documents that facilitate the presence of this public, which often lie far from the publics' actual potential to make their voices heard. Although a perception of the rationing system's lack of support in popular opinion constituted a backdrop to the work of the committee, there was little knowledge of the publics' actual views on the rationing system. We show that the public constitute a spoken rather than a material resource that proves quite effective: the public is rarely questioned as long as it is a restricted singular public that behaves well. To date, little attention has been focused on understanding the role of the everyday actors in relation to alcohol policy and other forms of drug policy. We argue that research needs to engage more with the way publics are allowed to indirectly or directly participate in policy processes and what knowledge and policy consequences this participation produces.

Integrating Checkout and Shopping: The Cart-Smart: Business Plan

Abstract: This business plan proposes a solution to the issue of long lines at billing counters in shopping malls, particularly during holidays and weekends when there are large discounts and offers. The proposed solution involves equipping all products in the mall with RFID tags and all shopping carts with RFID readers and digital displays. When a product is placed in the cart, its code will be automatically detected, and the product's name and price will be displayed on the LCD screen. The price will be added to the final bill. If a customer removes a product from the cart, the price will be deducted from the total amount, and this information will be sent to the central billing unit through the Smart Cart module. This system will enable customers to complete their billing process within the shopping cart itself, reducing wait times and improving the overall shopping experience.

Has ‘Nordic Turn’ in Japan crystalized?: politics of promoting parental leave take-up among fathers and the divergence from the Nordic system

ABSTRACTMichael Rush sheds light on the Japanese ‘Nordic Turn’ in the family policy, including a father-friendly parental leave scheme after the 2000s in his work published in 2015. Despite this and the Japanese Government's apparent desire to encourage fathers to take parental leave, the policy does not seem effective as in Nordic countries. This paper examines what makes Japan's statutory parental leave scheme difficult to work like the ones in Nordic countries by analyzing the process of the amendments of the leave scheme after the 2014 amendment. The study pays particular attention to the views expressed by the various actors involved in the law-making process on the issue of the inconsistency between bonus months, which is a father quota, and the special extension of parental leave in case of no childcare place, and how this was reflected in the final bill. The paper reveals that the process was not confined to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare but was heavily influenced by the work of the Cabinet Office, project teams of the ruling party, and private groups promoting work-life balance measures. Partly because of this, the Japanese parental leave system has diverged significantly from the Nordic and German systems to which it was originally referred.

Low-cost measurement-grade microphone powered by MEMS elements and preamplifier housed in 3D printed enclosure

Acoustic measurement-grade microphones with flat frequency responses and adequate sensitivities are a necessary tool for many acousticians and vibroacoustic engineers. These microphones can often cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. With the availability of microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) microphone elements and 3D printers, it is possible to construct drop-in replacements of these measurement grade microphones at the fraction of the cost. A MEMs system was designed with four elements in parallel to reduce uncorrelated noise. The system runs rail-to-rail on a 3.3VDC, Integrated Electronics Piezo-Electric (IEPE) powered preamplifier, producing a nominal sensitivity of 13 mV/Pa. The microphone body is 3D printed, and the final bill of material cost is less than 30 USD. The performance of the microphone was measured experimentally in a semi-anechoic chamber and verified by comparing the data to measurements of a commercial microphone: the PCB Piezotronics 378B02 ½” free-field microphone with a nominal sensitivity of 50 mV/Pa. This presentation will show that the MEMs microphone has a similar electrical noise floor, and lower acoustical noise floor below 1 kHz. The frequency response of the MEMs microphone is flat in the audio band through 10 kHz, making it a suitable replacement for acoustical measurements where its lower sensitivity can be tolerated.

Costs Associated With Surgical Infections at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Rwanda

IntroductionIn low-income and middle-income countries, there is a high demand for surgical care, although many individuals lack access due to its affordability, availability, and accessibility. Costs are an important metric in healthcare and can influence healthcare access and outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the financial impact of infections in acute care surgery patients and factors associated with inability to pay the hospital bill at a Rwandan referral hospital. Materials and methodsThis was a prospective observational study of acute care surgery patients at a tertiary referral hospital in Rwanda with infections. Data were collected on demographics, clinical features, hospital charges, and expenses. Factors associated with inability to pay the hospital bill were analyzed using Chi-squared and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. ResultsOver 14 mo, 191 acute care surgery patients with infections were enrolled. Most (n = 174, 91%) patients had health insurance. Median total hospital charges were 414.24 United States Dollars (interquartile range [IQR]: 268.20, 797.48) and median patient charges were 41.53 USD (IQR: 17.15, 103.09). At discharge, 53 (28%) patients were unable to pay their hospital bill. On a univariate analysis actors associated with inability to pay the bill included transportation via ambulance, occupation as a farmer, diagnosis, complications, surgical site infection, and length of hospital stay. On a multivariable analysis, intestinal obstruction (adjusted odds ratio 4.56, 95% confidence interval 1.16, 17.95, P value 0.030) and length of hospital stay more than 7 d (adjusted odds ratio 2.95, 95% confidence interval 1.04, 8.34, P value 0.042) were associated with inability to pay the final hospital bill. ConclusionsAlthough there is broad availability of health insurance in Rwanda, hospital charges and other expenses remain a financial burden for many patients seeking surgical care. Further innovative efforts are needed to mitigate expenses and minimize financial risk.

Design and Implementation of Smart Shopping Trolley with Mobile Cart Application

As there is a lot of advancement in the field of technology there are many eye-catching inventions in the domains of machine learning, artificial intelligence, internet of things and so on, due to these advancements, with the customer point of view people start expecting a lot. Nowadays people go to shopping on a daily basis. Customers have very little time to spare for standing in queues for billing purpose. In this paper, we are presenting a smart shopping cart with mobile cart application which is a prominent solution for the above-mentioned problem. this smart shopping cart comes with raspberry Pi controller, RFID Reader, RFID Tags, L298N Motor Drivers, Pi Camera, Load Cell and a Mobile Cart application. The customer needs scan the product using RFID reader which is attached to the cart, the load cell will get the weight of the items in cart and all the price details will be reflected in the online application. After all the items are scanned the final bill will be displayed on the application and the bill payment can be done using the same application

The role of the Minister of Health in the National Health Insurance Bill: Challenges and options for the Portfolio Committee on Health

The Portfolio Committee on Health (PCH) is responsible for obtaining public input on the National Health Insurance Bill, reviewing the Bill based on these inputs, and presenting the final Bill to the National Assembly. More than 130 individuals, organisations and institutions requested to make oral presentations, which commenced on 18 May 2021. Drawing on Parliamentary Monitoring Group meeting summaries and the presentations and submissions made by 82 respondents between 18 May and 10 September 2021, we examine governance concerns, especially in relation to the role and powers of the Minister of Health, and respondents’ proposals for addressing them, and outline the challenges and options for the PCH in responding to the proposals.

Positive Pressure Testing Booths Development and Deployment in Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic left an unprecedented impact on the general public health, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S. alone. Nationwide testing plans were initiated with drive-through being the currently dominant testing approach, which, however, exhausts personal protective equipment supplies, and is unfriendly to individuals not owning a vehicle. Walkup positive pressure testing booths are a safe alternative, whereby a health care provider situated on the inside of an enclosed and positively pressurized booth swabs a patient on the outside through chemical resistant gloves. The booths, however, are too prohibitively priced on the market to allow for nationwide deployment. To mitigate this, we present in this paper a safe, accessible, mobile, and affordable design of positive-pressure COVID-19 testing booths. The booths have successfully passed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health care Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee pressure, air exchange, and air quality requirements for positive-pressure rooms, following the guidelines for environmental infection control in health care facilities. The booths are manufactured using primarily off-the-shelf components from U.S. vendors with minimized customization, and the final bill of materials does not surpass USD 3,900. Since August 2019, five booths were deployed and used at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore City Health Department, and two community health centers in Baltimore. No health care provider was infected when using our booths, which have shown to facilitate walkup testing with decreased personal protective equipment consumption, reduced risk of infection, and enhanced accessibility to lower-income communities and nondrivers.

Differences in End-Customer Power Prices Across the EU – Reasons and Challenges for the Future

Abstract Many years have passed since the first liberalization processes in the electricity sectors the in European Union that were performed in order to establish a single market for electricity. In practice, convergence between neighbouring market areas was established mainly between the Member States in Central-Western Europe, while other countries have allowed for only limited levels of competition. As a consequence, many market areas remain illiquid and consumers pay relatively higher prices for the energy they consume. The final bill is further increased through financing the increasingly ambitious climate agenda, gradually leading to social opposition against ever-growing prices. The aim of this article is to provide examples of differences in market functioning in Member States, leading to discrepancies in average energy costs for end consumers. The consequences of different levels of market concentration, infrastructure investments and renewable generation subsidization are analysed using publicly available statistics. Careful literature review is also performed before the conclusions are presented.

Smart Basket : The Modern era IoT Application

Smart basket is a technology that uses Arduino and RFID. During pandemic times like Covid-19 there gets the crowd in the grocery marts, and the customer must wait in queue for final billing. But there may be high risk during these times of spreading the disease, so Smart basket brings an ideal solution for getting the final billing done. Using Arduino and RFID tag customer gets a final bill through the web app which gives a list of products scanned by the smart basket. The customer can remove the products which he further wishes to eliminate from his basket and delete the item from the final bill in the web app which can result in savings too. This smart basket also reduces manpower as the traditional method of buying the products involves a long time, with RFID tag the same thing is performed in a modern way.

Smart Basket : The Modern era IoT application

Smart basket is a technology that uses Arduino and RFID. During pandemic times like Covid-19 there gets the crowd in the grocery marts, and the customer must wait in queue for final billing. But there may be high risk during these times of spreading the disease, so Smart basket brings an ideal solution for getting the final billing done. Using Arduino and RFID tag customer gets a final bill through the web app which gives a list of products scanned by the smart basket. The customer can remove the products which he further wishes to eliminate from his basket and delete the item from the final bill in the web app which can result in savings too. This smart basket also reduces manpower as the traditional method of buying the products involves a long time, with RFID tag the same thing is performed in a modern way

WITHDRAWN: RFID Based Smart-Cart system with automated billing and assistance for visually impaired

Nowadays in shopping complexes and departmental stores, we use trolleys to collect things and get it billed in the billing counter. By doing so there exists an inordinate delay when the products are individually checked and billed. This delay may lead to long queues in the billing counter. Especially during rush hours, this wastes our valuable time as well as create discomfort. In the existing system, the shop owners need to monitor customer activities and maintain staff for manual checking of every commodity and its billing. Further, manual stock maintenance is performed. In order to overcome the above issues, we have proposed an advanced retail system using RFID enabled smart-cart with automated billing system. RFID readers are used to read the product tag while dropping into the trolley and taking out of the trolley. When the product is dropped inside the trolley a reader sends an appropriate product ID, quantity and price to the microcontroller. At the same time the updated bill amount will be displayed in the cart LCD. Similarly, when the product is taken out of the trolley another RF reader sends the product ID which is removed from the bill and the updated bill amount is displayed in the LCD. During both events the product and billing details are sent to the remote PC along with cart ID. When the customer finished the purchase, final bill is generated for the cart and the bill amount is displayed to the customer. This system also updates the stock of the product after every billing session. It also contains a smart stick that identifies the object using the same RFID technology for the blind people. Whenever, the stick is kept near the product, the information is announced through voice IC and speaker. Thus the proposed system avoids queuing, and gives us a pleasant shopping experience. In the shop owner’s view, this system reduces the need for surveillance and the manpower.

Could marijuana legalization in Mexico force the hand of U.S. policy leaders?

Lawmakers in Mexico appear on the verge of a momentous vote that would result in the United States finding itself wedged between two North American nations with legal marijuana markets. The extent to which Mexico's move could influence U.S. marijuana policy might depend in part on which house of Mexico's legislature holds the most influence on final bill language.

Comparison of external jugular venous access with internal jugular venous access in pediatric shock

Background: Central venous access is usually preferred over the peripheral venous route when circulatory failure needs inotropes and vasopressors. However, in resource-limited settings with underskilled personnel, it is not feasible always and so patients are being treated with the peripheral venous route with variable results. We aimed to compare external jugular venous (EJV) access with internal jugular venous (IJV) access for effectiveness, ease of procedure, complications, and treatment cost in pediatric shock. Subjects and Methods: This was a prospective, nonrandomized, observational study from January 2014 to June 2015 in 66 pediatric patients with shock at a 7-bedded pediatric intensive care unit. Parents were explained about both routes. Depending on their affordability and consent, one route was chosen. Pertinent data were obtained, and analysis was done as per objectives. Results: EJV and IJV had 50 and 16 patients, respectively. Baseline characteristics were comparable. Death and discharge against medical advice rates are high in both the groups. No procedure-related life-threatening complications in any group and local site problems were similar in both the groups. Overall attempts and duration of procedure were similar in both the groups, and although the initial cost of the procedure of the IJV group was higher, overall final hospital bill had no significant difference. The median (Q1, Q3) hours of achieving shock-free status were 48 (24, 96) and 46 (12, 108) (P = 0.412). The median (Q1, Q3) improvement in base deficit at the end of 24 h was −4.5 (−8.1, 0.27) and −1.9 (−4.2, −0.6) (P = 0.259) in the EJV and IJV groups, respectively. Conclusion: For pediatric shock management, EJV access is an effective, easy, and cost economic procedure without significant complications as compared to IJV access.

Rfid Based Smart Trolley for Automatic Billing System

The modern technology has increased the standard of living for the humans and the large crowds are seen at shopping malls. To save time for the customers,it is important to reduce the process of the billing time. This is done using smart shopping system based on RFID. Items that are put in a smart shopping cart are read one by one and the bill is generated and displayed. After the final bill is generated, the customer pays the bill by using their Pre-charged cards provided by the shopping mall. The aim is to reduce the time consumption needed for the billing system.

Smart Cart Obsonium based on Secure System

Nowadays IoT has its influence over every sector of life ,striving hard to improve quality of life. Obsonium is a never ending business and to improve the quality of obsonium we can take the help of technology. In today’s technology, many companies are developing products that ensure convenience toward all people who needs a good obsonium experience from today’s hectic obsonium which takes a lot of time for billing and getting out. Thus, we have developed a Smart Obsonium Cart, that allows faster check-out. First the product will have a RFID card which will filled first by shop Admin with other de- tails of the product. Then cart uses the RFID reader technology to identify the products details which is already available in the database. The total cost will be displayed on the mobile attached to the cart as and when the product is added to the cart. The user can view the details of the product on his mobile. IoT helps to design such a cart which will automatically scan the product and add the respective amount to be paid in the bill on our own smart phone itself. Technologies used in this system are RFID tags and RFID reader for fetching the price of each unique item. Arduino microcontroller to perform the sum of the prices of the products and to prepare the final bill. Mobile application for the final display of bill and the complete obsonium list. Security is provided by the weight scanner and validating the products bought to avoid tag tampering. All the item’s information is stored in the cloud at first. Checkout verification is also done by passing the cart after payment through a lane with RFID readers.