Investment In Equipment Research Articles

Analysis of Cargo Handling Efficiency on Mt. Golden Sky Hana: Procedures and Performance

This research evaluates the cargo handling processes aboard the MT. Golden Sky Hana, focusing on the effectiveness of loading and unloading operations. Using qualitative methods, including direct observations and structured interviews, the study assesses procedural adherence, crew competency, equipment utilization, communication efficiency, and safety practices. The findings reveal that 95% of the cargo handling activities are rated as "Very Good," indicating high operational efficiency. The results underscore the effectiveness of current procedures, the strong knowledge and skills of the crew, and the effective use of equipment. Communication among crew members and adherence to safety protocols also contribute significantly to the success of the operations. The research highlights the importance of maintaining high standards in cargo handling practices and offers insights for further improvement. Continuous training, regular updates to procedures, and investment in equipment are recommended to enhance operational performance further.

Healthcare workers’ perceptions and user experiences of biometric technology in the selected healthcare facilities in Zambia

BackgroundBiometric recognition, using traits like fingerprints, faces, and irises, has advanced significantly, enabling accurate identification. Despite progress, implementation in Zambian healthcare is limited. This study explored healthcare workers’ and patients' perceptions and experiences regarding biometric technology in Zambian healthcare settings, offering insights for informed decision-making and product design.MethodsThis phenomenological study explored the perceptions and experiences of healthcare workers and end-users (patients) concerning biometric technology in four healthcare facilities in Lusaka Province: Chilenje, Chawama, Kanyama (first-level hospitals), and Railways Urban Clinic. These facilities were purposefully selected for their active use of biometric services and involvement with the National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA). The study included 20 healthcare workers and 16 patients. Face-to-face interviews with healthcare workers and patients, and focus group discussions with users, lasting 35 to 65 min, were conducted. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded with Nvivo version 12, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsFacilitators included efficient system integration, investment in biometric equipment, workflow transformation, and patient recognition of benefits. Barriers included infrastructure limitations, technical challenges, patient resistance and misconceptions, and accessibility challenges for individuals with disabilities.ConclusionThis study highlights the transformative potential of biometric identification systems in healthcare, emphasizing benefits in efficiency and data integrity. Successful integration requires addressing facilitators like education and infrastructure and mitigating barriers such as cultural resistance and technological limitations. Stakeholders, including policymakers and healthcare providers, can use these insights to align efforts with Sustainable Development Goals for improved healthcare access and reduced inequalities. Considering user perspectives is crucial for effective implementation, and continuous improvement can enhance healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.

Intermittent demand-controlled ventilation for energy flexibility and indoor air quality

Buildings play a crucial role in ensuring power grid stability by providing energy flexibility. Existing research mainly improves the building energy flexibility through energy storage, but requires additional equipment costs. This study proposes a new source of building energy flexibility by properly managing indoor air quality with intermittent demand-controlled ventilation (iDCV), which requires no additional equipment investment. This study reveals the mechanisms of enhancing energy flexibility and develops a nonlinear programming algorithm to optimize the dynamic operation of the iDCV. The robustness of the proposed iDCV in enhancing energy flexibility is verified under different application scenarios in different climate zones. The results show that compared with the existing method, the proposed iDCV enhances the energy flexibility with a peak load reduction of 17.1 %–36.1 % under the scenario of constant electricity price and with a flexibility factor enhancement of 9.5 %–80.8 % under the scenario of time-of-use electricity price. Besides the benefit to the power grid with the enhanced energy flexibility, the proposed iDCV also delivers benefits to building users with energy savings of 19.6 %–22.0 % and cost savings of 21.5 %–26.1 %. Therefore, the proposed iDCV provides dual benefits for both the power grid and building users and contributes to developing energy-flexible, low-carbon, and healthy buildings.

Evolution of the regional innovation system in terms of the Covid-19 pandemic, financial and economic crisis: The long term perspective from Central European region

Research background: The evolution of the innovation system is not easy to explore due to the small number or selective nature of the international research about it. The natural trajectory is well known in a long time period but differs between regions and countries — more or less developed. If the impact of the external shocks on regional innovation system (RIS) is added here, the situation is even more complicated. The answer for the crises depends on the development level of a country and region, the maturity of the relationships between actors of the Triple Helix (entrepreneurship, science, government) — their strength and stability over time, some endogenous conditions specific to it. The knowledge about the evolution of the innovation system is crucial to understand how the system works, where it was, is and will be at the evolution trajectory. Purpose of the article: Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify the evolution of the RIS in the one of Central Europe’s regions (Lower Silesian in Poland) including the impact of the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic on the innovation technology there. Methods: Using microdata collected by the authors and the stepwise logit modelling, industrial enterprises were analysed in three time periods: 2004–2006, 2010–2012 and 2019–2021. Total 1649 questionnaires forms were collected. The research was made in the one of Poland's well advanced regional innovation systems — the Lower Silesian. The matrix of success and fail was used as long as the AUC curve and some statistical indicators to prove the usefulness of models. The dependent variables were the new technology pushed by R&D and the investment in new machinery and equipment. Findings & value added: The nature of RIS evolution in the one of the regions in Central Europe in a catching-up country in the context of financial crises and Covid-19 was examined. The analyses identified two alternative groups of conditions — high or low resilience to various market shocks. To the first group belongs: R&D and equipment interactions (the growing competence effect) and a cooperation along the supply chain in the industry. The low resilience is observed in the other categories, as follows: the cooperation with science institutes and business support organizations (the isolation effect), the lack of external sources of funding (the sinking effect), the short time reaction of entrepreneurs (the adaptation effect). As was pointed above in the catching-up country, some elements of the Triple Helix are more sensitive to external shocks, while others are not. The crisis situation can radically slow down an evolutionary development or change its direction. Knowing them will allow the local authority to react on time or with a low delay to reduce negative consequences of it to the regional economy. Authors have shown a new approach to the evolution process of regional innovation system. It could be useful to learn how, where and when the system is going to.

Cost-effective preparation of pre-oxygenated PAN fiber composite SiO2 aerogel felt with excellent mechanical and thermal insulation properties

Silica aerogel is an attractive thermal insulation material due to its low thermal conductivity, light weight and non-combustible inorganic properties, but its inherent brittleness and high production cost hinder its practical application on a large scale. Herein, the high-performance pre-oxidized polyacrylonitrile fiber composite silica aerogel felt (PPAF-SiO2) was successfully prepared by a cost-effective combustion drying technique for the first time. The results show that the PPAF-SiO2 has the feature of lightweight, good flexibility, and its heat resistance, hydrophobicity, and specific surface area are significantly improved. Due to the further polymerization of fiber structure molecules caused by combustion, the tensile strength of the PPAF-SiO2 is increased by 81.9 % to 1.71 MPa. More importantly, due to the high proportion of silica aerogel in felt, its thermal conductivity can be reduced to 0.02 W/(m·K), which is lower than most aerogel composite materials. Moreover, the thermal insulation performance of the PPAF-SiO2 was further confirmed by the infrared thermal imager from room temperature to 300 ℃. In addition, the innovative drying mechanism based on the combustion flame model was proposed. Finally, compared with traditional physical drying technologies in terms of drying time and drying conditions, the combustion drying technology shows great advantages in drying efficiency, energy consumption and equipment investment, which greatly reduces production costs. The combustion drying technology opens up a promisingly method for high efficiency, low energy consumption, and low cost preparation of silica aerogel composites.

Energy transfer and conversion in the Allam cycle with a multi-stream heat exchanger

The Allam cycle is renowned for its high efficiency and low emissions in power generation, utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid. The regenerator, one of the key heat exchangers, plays a crucial role in the system. However, modeling the regenerator is challenging due to the presence of multiple pinch points. This study proposes a regenerator model that employs three multi-stream heat exchanger modules in Aspen Plus. A thermodynamic and economic analysis of the system was conducted and compared with a conventional system utilizing the two multi-stream heat exchanger modules. Simulation results show that the combustion chamber has the highest exergy loss in the system, accounting for 46.9 % of the total exergy loss. The turbine is identified as the most capital-intensive component, representing 44.9 % of the total equipment investment. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on key parameters. The results indicate that under certain operating conditions, the heat provided by the air separation unit is insufficient to reduce the temperature difference at the hot outlet of the regenerator. Compared to the conventional Allam cycle system using the 2R model, the 2R model predicts deviations of up to 28.9 %. This proposed model provides a new approach for the efficient allocation of energy utilization in the multi-stream heat exchange process within the Allam cycle system.

A Detailed Properties Comparison of an Automotive Sealant Nozzle Produced Using Three Metal Additive Manufacturing Technologies.

Choosing the right metal AM equipment and material is a highly intricate process that forms a crucial part of every manufacturing company's strategic plan. This study undertakes a comprehensive comparison of the performance and material properties of three Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies: Powder Bed Fusion (PBF), Metal Filament Deposition Modeling (MFDM), and Bound Metal Deposition (BMD). An automotive nozzle was selected and manufactured using all three technologies and three metallic materials to understand their respective advantages and disadvantages. The samples were then subjected to a series of tests and evaluations, including dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, microstructure, defects, manufacturability, and cost efficiency. The nozzle combinations were PBF in aluminum, MFDM in stainless steel, and BMD in hard tool steel. The results underscore significant differences in functionality, material characteristics, product quality, lead time, and cost efficiency, all of which are crucial factors in making equipment investment decisions. The conclusions drawn in this paper aim to assist automotive industry equipment experts in making informed decisions about the technology and materials to use for parts with characteristics like these. Future studies will delve into other technologies, automotive components, and materials to further enhance our understanding of the application of metal AM in manufacturing.

An Oxygen Supply Is Not Enough: A Qualitative Analysis of a Pressure Swing Adsorption Oxygen Plant Program in Ethiopian Hospitals.

In response to critical gaps in medical oxygen access, 2 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen production centers were established using an ecosystem-strengthening strategy in Amhara, Ethiopia, in 2019. A qualitative study was conducted to assess enablers and bottlenecks to oxygen access at the hospital level after installation. A variety of hospital staff (clinicians, biomedical professionals, hospital administrators, and procurement teams) across 13 hospitals procuring oxygen from the plants participated in comprehensive, semistructured focus group discussions. A thematic framework analysis approach was used to identify key themes. A total of 101 individuals participated in 26 focus groups in 2021, 2 years after plants were installed. Primary themes were accessibility of supply, affordability, and hospital readiness. Respondents indicated a substantial increase in their hospital's ability to access lower-cost oxygen, with many attributing this to the locality of plants and reduced transportation barriers. However, other challenges persisted, and the emergence of COVID-19 1 year after plant installation and a civil conflict exacerbated supply shortages. Investments in equipment, supplies, and training optimized clinical utilization of oxygen and were highlighted as a need for ongoing investment. To achieve maximum impact, investments in large-scale oxygen systems must be accompanied by strategic plans to transport oxygen, reduce costs to hospitals, and provide support to clinical teams through equipment, supply procurement, and clinical training. These findings support comprehensive ecosystem approaches to strengthening oxygen access for sustainable impact.

How global and national institutions interactively shape firms’ commitment to innovation regimes in latecomer countries

We investigate how the duality of innovation regimes in latecomer countries is institutionally shaped. We first specify the firm-level mechanism of commitment to both knowledge use and knowledge generation regimes with reference to the allocation of government grants across investments in machinery and equipment, and in research and development. Then, we theorize the interactive effects of global and national institutional systems on firms’ commitment to these innovation regimes. Our analysis of firm-level data from 16 latecomer countries classified as either hierarchical or collaborative national institutional systems indicates that, although firms are committed to both innovation regimes, the effect of global cultural rationalization steers firms toward the knowledge generation regime and away from the knowledge use regime. However, this movement away from the knowledge use regime due to rationalization is weaker in hierarchical systems. We contribute to the innovation regime literature by elucidating the firm-level duality in innovation regimes subject to global and national institutional effects.

Optimizing heat pump unit selection for recirculating aquaculture workshops through computational fluid dynamics.

The selection of water temperature regulation equipment plays a crucial role in the design of workshops. At present, the choice of water temperature control equipment is usually based on the volume of the fish pond and thermal parameter calculation, combined with aquaculture experience. Empirical formulas only work in specific conditions due to factors like the environment, climate, and fish types,resulting in inaccurate equipment selection outcomes. Recognizing this limitation, this paper proposes to apply CFD simulation of the temperature field to accurately calculate the heat exchange value between indoor air and water, thereby predicting the heat exchange values during aquaculture activities in the aquaculture workshop. providing a new approach for equipment selection. This paper selects a puffer fish breeding workshop in Dalian as the simulation object, establishing a 3D unsteady-state Computational Fluid Dynamics model. The model considers outdoor temperature, solar radiation, and phase-change heat transfer in water. Comparison with experimental data reveals a root mean square error of 0.46°C for the simulated results. During summer, the highest cooling load occurs at 16:00, reaching 94.6 kW. It is recommended to employ the Daikin GCHP-40MAH ground source heat pump as the water temperature control equipment. CFD simulation validates its effectiveness in shaping the indoor temperature field post-installation. the investment in water temperature control equipment can be reduced to a certain degree. This provides a reference value for the selection of water temperature equipment in aquaculture workshops.

Operation Model Based on Artificial Neural Network and Economic Feasibility Assessment of an EV Fast Charging Hub

The energy transition towards a low-emission matrix has motivated efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector. The growth of the electric mobility market has been consistent in recent years. In Brazil, there has been an accelerated growth in the sales rate of new electric (and hybrid) vehicles (EVs). Fiscal incentives provided by governments, along with the reduction in vehicle costs, are factors contributing to the exponential growth of the EV fleet—creating a favorable environment for the dissemination of new technologies and enabling the participation of players from sectors such as battery manufacturing and charging stations. Considering the international context, the E-Lounge R&D joint initiative aims to evaluate different strategies to economically enable the electric mobility market, exploring EV charging service sales by energy distribution utility companies in Brazil. This work describes the step-by-step development of an ideal model of a charging hub and discusses its operation based on a real deployment, as well as its associated technical and economic feasibility. Using EV charging data based on the E-Lounge’s operational behavior, an artificial neural network (ANN) is applied to forecast future energy consumption to each EV charging station. This paper also presents an economic analysis of the E-Lounge case study, which can contribute to proposals for electric vehicle charging ecosystems in the context of smart energy systems. Based on the operational results collected, as well as considering equipment usage projections, it is possible to make EV charging enterprises feasible, even when high investments in infrastructure and equipment (charging stations and battery storage systems) are necessary, since the net present value is positive and the payback period is 4 years. This work contributes by presenting real operational data from a charging hub, a projection model aimed at evaluating future operations, and a realistic economic evaluation model based on a case study implemented in São Paulo, Brazil.

Cost analysis of establishing and operating the first human milk bank at Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children in Vietnam: an activity-based costing ingredients study

BackgroundBreastfeeding is the biological norm for feeding infants and young children. When mothers’ breastmilk is unavailable, donor human milk (DHM) from a human milk bank (HMB) becomes the next option for small vulnerable newborns. A comprehensive cost analysis is essential for understanding the investments needed to establish, operate, and scale up HMBs. This study aims to estimate and analyze such costs at the first facility established in Vietnam.MethodsAn activity-based costing ingredients (ABC-I) approach was employed, with the cost perspective from service provision agencies (specifically, the project conducted at Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children and Development Partners). Estimated financial costs, based on actual expenditures, were measured in 2023 local currency and then converted to 2023 US dollars (USD). We examined three scenarios: 1) direct start-up costs + indirect start-up costs + implementation costs, 2) direct start-up costs + implementation costs, and 3) capital costs + implementation costs over the 6.5 years of operation.ResultsThe total start-up cost was USD 616,263, with total expenditure on direct activities at USD 228,131 and indirect activities at USD 388,132. Investment in equipment accounted for the largest proportion (USD 84,213). The monthly costs of Da Nang HMB were USD 25,217, 14,565, and 9,326, corresponding to scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Over HMB's 6.5 years of operation, on average, the unit costs were USD 166, USD 96, and USD 62 for DHM received and USD 201, USD 116, and USD 74 for pasteurized DHM meeting specified criteria in the corresponding scenarios. Unit costs were highest in the initial six months, decreased, and reached their lowest levels after a year. Then, the unit costs experienced an increase in late 2020 and early 2021.ConclusionAlthough the unit cost of DHM in Da Nang HMB is comparable to that in certain neighboring countries, intentional measures to reduce disposal rates, improve HMB efficiency, motivate more community-based donors, and establish an HMB service network should be implemented to lower costs.

Experimental and simulation study on coal-fired power generation coupling with fluidized bed biomass gasification

Positive-pressure fluidized bed technology utilizes the pressure generated by biomass gasification to facilitate further combustion within the furnace. This technique addresses the safety risks associated with external pressure in fluidizing medium and high-temperature situations and reduces equipment investment and operating expenses. However, research on the effects of the positive-pressure process in fluidized beds on gasification coupled with coal-fired power generation systems is scarce. To fill this research gap, extensive experimentation and Aspen Plus simulation were conducted to investigate the impact of equivalence ratio (ER), gasification pressure, and gasification temperature on the gasification performance. A 660 MW coal-fired boiler model was established to reveal the coupling effect on flue gas temperature and thermal efficiency by gasification from a positive-pressure fluidized bed on the boiler, and its accuracy was proved by comparing the actual boiler design parameters. The power generation cost of the positive-pressure gasification coupled coal-fired power generation system is calculated with the established model. The results indicate that an increase in gasification pressure from 4000Pa to 8000Pa resulted in no significant change in the operating indicators of the boiler, with the tail gas temperature near 132 °C and a boiler thermal efficiency of 92.68 %. Gas yield, carbon conversion rate, and gasification efficiency were positively correlated with gasification temperature and ER. However, the heat value of combustible gas increased with the gasification temperature and decreased with an increase in ER. With the rise of the biomass gas blending ratio, the power generation cost of the unit gradually decreases. Respectively, the positive -pressure would lower the power generation costs of a 660 MW coal-fired boiler by 5.76 × 105$/year. This study demonstrates that positive-pressure fluidized bed gasification may retain high gas yields and efficiency, significantly lowering equipment investment and operating expenses, as a very efficient energy-saving and carbon-reduction technique.

Road Traffic Enforcement: Using Technology Through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)

The past two decades have seen a wide - ranging wave of privatizations in formerly government owned or - controlled activities. A government task or service which is funded and operated through a partnership between a public sector authority and private sector company based on guidelines and performance standards set by a public party is typically referred to as a Public Private Partnership (PPP). In most countries traffic enforcement cameras and other equipment are purchased, owned, and operated by government organisations. Back - offices, where violation data are processed, citations issued, and traffic fines collected, have traditionally been government - run activities. In a PPP model, a private party invests and installs enforcement equipment (e. g. speed or red - light cameras) and conducts back office processing, such as sending out violation notices and managing and confirming fine collection. The investment in equipment and related processing and support activities are funded by fine revenues collected from the motoring public over the contract term. Gaining public support, and ultimately acceptance, for the PPP model is crucial, which is why transparency, publicity and continuous communication are key factors for successful and sustainable implementation. Full service PPPs are often organised on a municipal level in close consultation with the local administration and police. Due to the high initial investment and gradual repayment, such PPPs are typically based on longer term contracts. Moreover, the regulatory environment may require some changes to allow involvement of a private party. One process that is difficult to outsource is the formal confirmation of a violation by a review of the photo or video evidence. Generally, this can only be validly performed by an authorised government official, such as a police officer. Depending on laws and regulations applicable to specific jurisdictions, there could be more issues that may limit the extent of the private party’s involvement in these PPPs. When properly implemented, PPP’s in traffic enforcement can considerably contribute to the reduction of casualties, injuries and crashes, as well as improve traffic flow, and increase quality of life with more safety, lower emissions and less noise pollution. Speed reduction also significantly benefits the safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, and two - wheelers Personal injury and death on roadways also have a significant impact on the economy through medical costs, lost resources and wages and disability pay outs. These costs are significant and are estimated by the WHO to amount to an average of around 3% of a country’s GNP. This figure rises to 5% in some low - and middle - income countries

Is US farm sector debt underestimated? Evidence from equipment lending

PurposeThe growth of lending from nontraditional lenders may pose challenges for official US Department of Agriculture (USDA) farm sector debt estimates, but it is difficult to find data to assess official estimates. The purpose of this study is to examine whether debt provided by nontraditional lenders is accurately accounted for in official estimates.Design/methodology/approachWe compare traditional and nontraditional lending data from farm equipment lien collateral values and the USDA Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). After analyzing trends in equipment lending implied by farm equipment lien data and ARMS, we estimate whether changes in farm equipment lien values predict changes in equipment debt reported in ARMS and whether lender type influences that relationship.FindingsWe find that credit provided by nontraditional lenders is likely underreported in ARMS. Our econometric model shows that equipment debt volumes for nontraditional lenders are consistently lower than traditional loan volumes in ARMS across a variety of model specifications. We also find that an increase in lien values for nontraditional lenders is less likely to predict an increase in ARMS equipment debt volumes than an increase for traditional lenders.Practical implicationsOfficial farm sector debt estimates may not fully account for nontraditional lenders.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates how the growth of nontraditional lending poses challenges for estimating US farm sector debt. We evaluate farm sector debt estimates and advance knowledge of the role of nontraditional lenders in farm equipment credit provision. The farm equipment lien dataset provides a rich source of novel data for research on local and national equipment debt and investment.

An efficient and scalable melt fiber spinning system to improve enzyme-based PET recycling

Chemical recycling technologies based on hydrolase enzymes that can depolymerize PET thermoplastic are emerging, yet these approaches require the polymer to be low crystallinity to achieve high conversion. To prepare the polymer for enzymatic depolymerization, current processes rely on melting and cryomilling PET at depressed temperatures to reduce crystallinity and prevent annealing during micronization; however, these approaches require large capital investment in costly equipment, and are not easily incorporated into intermediate-scale, distributed systems. Here, we describe a melt fiber spinning system that achieves significant reduction in crystallinity for real-world PET feedstocks without the need for any active cooling, and can easily be scaled up or down as needed. Single-use water bottles and drinking cups are tested, where they are extruded, drawn and spooled as thin fibers that cool by passive heat dissipation rapidly enough to quench the polymer to low crystallinity (<10%). Additionally, we estimate the fiber spinning also increases the feedstock surface-area-to-volume ratio by up to 15-fold, which further benefits heterogenous enzyme biocatalysis. In small scale PET hydrolase enzyme incubation tests, fiber spinning increased monomer released from PET by 4-fold for drinking cups and 10-fold for water bottles compared to shredded-only controls. Finally, we also show that this system can scale to >300 gs, with the potential for much larger scales, and allows for >95% depolymerization in a larger 20 liter bioreactor run.

Coordinated configuration of hybrid energy storage for electricity-hydrogen integrated energy system

This paper proposes an optimal coordinated configuration method of hybrid electricity and hydrogen storage for the electricity‑hydrogen integrated energy system (EH-ES) to promote the renewable energy source (RES) utilization and reduce the deployment cost. To simulate the practical operation of EH-ES, an energy hub framework with a discrete state space system matrix is designed to characterize the internal interconnection topology and quantify the steady-state production, storage, conversion and utilization processes of electricity and hydrogen energy carriers within EH-ES. A chronological operation simulation based electricity and hydrogen storage configuration model over a year-round time horizon is formulated to collaboratively optimize the capacity of the electrolyzer, fuel cell, battery energy storage (BES) and hydrogen storage tank. In this model, the power and capacity complementarity of BES and generalized hydrogen storage is fully exploited to compensate for power and energy imbalances, and additional capacity configuration of BES is considered to mitigate the drastic electrolytic power fluctuation. Besides, a typical source-load scenario reduction method based on K-means and ordered clustering is developed to avoid a large number of operation variables due to year-round hourly simulation. Comparative studies demonstrate that the proposed methodology can achieve the RES consumption rate of 98.873 % while the equipment investment cost can be reduced by 10.034 %.

Assessment of the pathogen genomics landscape highlights disparities and challenges for effective AMR Surveillance and outbreak response in the East African community

The East African Community (EAC) grapples with many challenges in tackling infectious disease threats and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), underscoring the importance of regional and robust pathogen genomics capacities. However, a significant disparity exists among EAC Partner States in harnessing bacterial pathogen sequencing and data analysis capabilities for effective AMR surveillance and outbreak response. This study assesses the current landscape and challenges associated with pathogen next-generation sequencing (NGS) within EAC, explicitly focusing on World Health Organization (WHO) AMR-priority pathogens. The assessment adopts a comprehensive approach, integrating a questionnaire-based survey amongst National Public Health Laboratories (NPHLs) with an analysis of publicly available metadata on bacterial pathogens isolated in the EAC countries. In addition to the heavy reliance on third-party organizations for bacterial NGS, the findings reveal a significant disparity among EAC member States in leveraging bacterial pathogen sequencing and data analysis. Approximately 97% (n = 4,462) of publicly available high-quality bacterial genome assemblies of samples collected in the EAC were processed and analyzed by external organizations, mainly in Europe and North America. Tanzania led in-country sequencing efforts, followed by Kenya and Uganda. The other EAC countries had no publicly available samples or had all their samples sequenced and analyzed outside the region. Insufficient local NGS sequencing facilities, limited bioinformatics expertise, lack of adequate computing resources, and inadequate data-sharing mechanisms are among the most pressing challenges that hinder the EAC’s NPHLs from effectively leveraging pathogen genomics data. These insights emphasized the need to strengthen microbial pathogen sequencing and data analysis capabilities within the EAC to empower these laboratories to conduct pathogen sequencing and data analysis independently. Substantial investments in equipment, technology, and capacity-building initiatives are crucial for supporting regional preparedness against infectious disease outbreaks and mitigating the impact of AMR burden. In addition, collaborative efforts should be developed to narrow the gap, remedy regional imbalances, and harmonize NGS data standards. Supporting regional collaboration, strengthening in-country genomics capabilities, and investing in long-term training programs will ultimately improve pathogen data generation and foster a robust NGS-driven AMR surveillance and outbreak response in the EAC, thereby supporting global health initiatives.

Design and application of virtual simulation teaching platform for intelligent manufacturing

Aiming at the practical teaching of intelligent manufacturing majors faced with lack of equipment, tense teachers and other problems such as high equipment investment, high material loss, high teaching risk, difficult to implement internship, difficult to observe production, difficult to reproduce the results, and so on, we take the electrical automation technology, mechatronics technology and industrial robotics technology majors of intelligent manufacturing majors as an example, and design and establish a virtual simulation teaching platform for intelligent manufacturing majors by using the cloud computing platform, edge computing technology, and terminal equipment synergy. The platform includes six major virtual simulation modules, including virtual simulation of electrician electronics and PLC control, virtual and real combination of typical production lines of intelligent manufacturing, dual-axis collaborative robotics workstation, digital twin simulation, virtual disassembly of industrial robots, virtual simulation of magnetic yoke axis flexible production line. The platform covers the virtual simulation teaching content of basic principle experiments, advanced application experiments, and advanced integration experiments in intelligent manufacturing majors. In order to test the effectiveness of this virtual simulation platform for practical teaching in engineering, this paper organizes a teaching practice activity involving 246 students from two parallel classes of three different majors. Through a one-year teaching application, we analyzed the data on the grades of 7 core courses involved in three majors in one academic year, the proportion of participation in competitions and innovative activities, the number of awards and certificates of professional qualifications, and the subjective questionnaires of the testers. The analysis shows that the learners who adopt the virtual simulation teaching platform proposed in this paper for practical teaching are better than the learners under the traditional teaching method in terms of academic performance, proportion of participation in competitions and innovative activities, and proportion of awards and certificates by more than 13%, 37%, 36%, 27% and 22%, respectively. Therefore, the virtual simulation teaching platform of intelligent manufacturing established in this paper has obvious superiority in solving the problem of "three highs and three difficulties" existing in the practical teaching of engineering, and according to the questionnaire feedback from the testers, the platform can effectively alleviate the shortage of practical training equipment, stimulate the interest in learning, and help to broaden and improve the knowledge system of the learners.

Facility Condition Index 2.0 : A tool to (re)assess our portfolios in the light of the EU green deal?

Investments in capital expenditures (CapEx) for corporate real estate (CRE) assets, especially in a manufacturing environment, are always highly competing against investments in production and core business-related equipment and projects. The maximum amount of acceptable CapEx to the organisation seems to be only determined by the previous year’s amount of depreciation, completely independent from the actual need — and health — of the portfolio. This paper recaps the well-established concept of the Facility Condition Index (FCI)1 — a tool that shows the amount of needed building repairs in relation to the costs of replacing the building, to give a snapshot of deferred maintenance and general condition. It explains the concept through a multi-year case study of (light) industrial assets in freehold and triple net (NNN) lease environments. It also touches on new (reporting) requirements resulting from the European Union (EU) Green Deal2 with relevance to real estate and a potential revision of this indexing methodology.