The advent of Industry 4.0 has compelled businesses to adopt digital approaches that combine software toenhance production efficiency. In this rapidly evolving market, software development is an ongoing process thatmu...The advent of Industry 4.0 has compelled businesses to adopt digital approaches that combine software toenhance production efficiency. In this rapidly evolving market, software development is an ongoing process thatmust be tailored to meet the dynamic needs of enterprises. However, internal research and development can beprohibitively expensive, driving many enterprises to outsource software development and upgrades to externalservice providers. This paper presents a software upgrade outsourcing model for enterprises and service providersthat accounts for the impact of market fluctuations on software adaptability. To mitigate the risk of adverseselection due to asymmetric information about the service provider’s cost and asymmetric information aboutthe enterprise’s revenues, we propose pay-per-time and revenue-sharing contracts in two distinct informationasymmetry scenarios. These two contracts specify the time and transfer payments for software upgrades. Througha comparative analysis of the optimal solutions under the two contracts and centralized decision-making withfull-information, we examine the characteristics of the solutions under two information asymmetry scenarios andanalyze the incentive effects of the two contracts on the various stakeholders. Overall, our study offers valuableinsights for firms seeking to optimize their outsourcing strategies and maximize their returns on investment insoftware upgrades.展开更多
In this paper, the asymmetric laminar flow in a porous channel with expanding or contracting walls is investigated. The governing equations are reduced to ordinary ones by using suitable similar transformations. Homot...In this paper, the asymmetric laminar flow in a porous channel with expanding or contracting walls is investigated. The governing equations are reduced to ordinary ones by using suitable similar transformations. Homotopy analysis method （HAM） is employed to obtain the expres- sions for velocity fields. Graphs are sketched for values of parameters and associated dynamic characteristics, especially the expansion ratio, are analyzed in detail.展开更多
Energy Performance Contracting was introduced into China in the mid 1990s. Since western energy service companies came to China, their management pattern has undergone major changes. Why did such changes occur? Mainly...Energy Performance Contracting was introduced into China in the mid 1990s. Since western energy service companies came to China, their management pattern has undergone major changes. Why did such changes occur? Mainly because these companies encountered two difficulties in China: tax and financing.展开更多
With the further development of service-oriented,performance-based contracting(PBC)has been widely adopted in industry and manufacturing.However,maintenance optimization problems under PBC have not received enough att...With the further development of service-oriented,performance-based contracting(PBC)has been widely adopted in industry and manufacturing.However,maintenance optimization problems under PBC have not received enough attention.To further extend the scope of PBC’s application in the field of maintenance optimization,we investigate the condition-based maintenance(CBM)optimization for gamma deteriorating systems under PBC.Considering the repairable single-component system subject to the gamma degradation process,this paper proposes a CBM optimization model to maximize the profit and improve system performance at a relatively low cost under PBC.In the proposed CBM model,the first inspection interval has been considered in order to reduce the inspection frequency and the cost rate.Then,a particle swarm algorithm(PSO)and related solution procedure are presented to solve the multiple decision variables in our proposed model.In the end,a numerical example is provided so as to demonstrate the superiority of the presented model.By comparing the proposed policy with the conventional ones,the superiority of our proposed policy is proved,which can bring more profits to providers and improve performance.Sensitivity analysis is conducted in order to research the effect of corrective maintenance cost and time required for corrective maintenance on optimization policy.A comparative study is given to illustrate the necessity of distinguishing the first inspection interval or not.展开更多
The flow of a micropolar fluid in a semi-porous channel with an expanding or contracting wall is investigated. The governing equations are reduced to ordinary ones by using similar transformations. To get the analytic...The flow of a micropolar fluid in a semi-porous channel with an expanding or contracting wall is investigated. The governing equations are reduced to ordinary ones by using similar transformations. To get the analytic solution to the problem, the homotopy analysis method （HAM） is employed to obtain the expressions for velocity fields. Graphs are sketched and discussed for various parameters, especially the effect of the expansion ratio on velocity and micro-rotation fields.展开更多
An incompressible flow in a porous channel with expanding or contacting walls in the presence of a transverse magnetic field is considered. Using similarity transformations, the governing equations are reduced to the ...An incompressible flow in a porous channel with expanding or contacting walls in the presence of a transverse magnetic field is considered. Using similarity transformations, the governing equations are reduced to the nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The exact similar solutions for the different cases of the expansion ratio and the Hartmann number are obtained with a singular perturbation method, and the associated behavior is discussed in detail.展开更多
Alternative contracting techniques have been frequently used in highway construction in the United State and have played an important role in the effort to improve construction project performance. However, it is stil...Alternative contracting techniques have been frequently used in highway construction in the United State and have played an important role in the effort to improve construction project performance. However, it is still unknown whether which project factors have significant influence on project performance. It is essential to learn from the experiences and opinions of construction project managers who had executed innovative or alternative contracts in order to improve and refine the usage of alternative contracting methods. Innovative contracting methods have been used by state Departments of Transportation for many years, so there is now sufficient data to measure the effectiveness of these innovations. Working under a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation （FDOT）, the research team used the experiences and opinions of construction field engineers who had executed innovative contracts on FDOT projects to measure the effectiveness of these systems. To that end, interviews were conducted with FDOT and consultant personnel from across Florida. All interviewed were project managers who had overseen at least one project using an innovative contracting method. Discussions brought enthusiastic responses from those interviewed, both for and against certain innovations. This paper will focus on the experiences and opinions of those experienced construction field engineers dealing with well-known innovations, as well as newer innovations such as ＂Detour Rental＂ and ＂Damage Recovery＂.展开更多
The volume of highway traffic in the United States continues to increase. In the face of this there is a concomitant need to improve and repair transportation infrastructure. Construction frequently requires a reducti...The volume of highway traffic in the United States continues to increase. In the face of this there is a concomitant need to improve and repair transportation infrastructure. Construction frequently requires a reduction in capacity during construction activity; consequently road users as well as adjacent businesses must endure the delays and inconveniences associated with transportation construction. Recognizing the problems that construction can produce, state highway agencies （SHAs） have continually sought ways to minimize the negative impact from their construction operations. Incentive contracting has played an important role in this effort to improve project performance. The Florida Department of Transportation （FDOT） is one of the leading SHAs using such innovative contracting methods as Incentive/Disincentive （I/D）, A＋B （cost plus time bidding） combined with I/D, No Excuse Bonus, and Liquidated Savings. This paper analyzes the traffic impact on incentive project time performance using highway construction projects recently completed in Florida. Project data obtained from FDOT were evaluated using time performance indices. A survey of traffic impact on project work types was performed in Florida in order to evaluate the relationship between construction project types and road traffic influence during construction. Based on the survey results, the 38 most frequently used work types in Florida during the study period were categorized into three traffic impact levels： （1） high traffic impact, （2） medium traffic impact, and （3） low traffic impact. Statistical analysis was performed. The results show that there are significant differences on project time performance between low and high impact levels as well as low and medium impact levels.展开更多
Existing large-scale public building energy saving renovation is the inherent requirement of sustainable development, it has been proved that implementing the energy performance contracting mode in the Existing large ...Existing large-scale public building energy saving renovation is the inherent requirement of sustainable development, it has been proved that implementing the energy performance contracting mode in the Existing large public buildings energy-saving is an effective way both at home and abroad. EPC mode has obvious characteristics for the ESCO and the customers, it can meet the basic requirements of large public buildings energy-saving, such as the width of funding sources, program specifi cation, advanced technology, information fl ow and management level higher, etc. Under the condition of market economy, it also provides a broad platform for the ESCO implements building energy saving transformation, which is conducive to the realization of the win-win cooperation between the parties, and to promote the healthy development of the existing large public building energy saving reconstruction.展开更多
Due to ＂zero cost＂ investment, energy performance con-tracting has attracted much attention, and the ＂Internet ＋ ＂ has givenits new development opportunities. This paper first emphasizes the im-portance of the de...Due to ＂zero cost＂ investment, energy performance con-tracting has attracted much attention, and the ＂Internet ＋ ＂ has givenits new development opportunities. This paper first emphasizes the im-portance of the development of energy performance contracting andanalyzes the main problems in its traditional development. Then, com-bining with the background of ＂Internet ＋ ＂,this paper puts forwardthe ＂1 marketing ＋ 4 platform＂ model, based on the whole networkmarketing,online trading platform,Internet financial service platform,remote project supervision platform, production and research networkplatform, to promote the development of energy performance contrac-ting, Finally, from the government, energy services company, industryassociations and energy units, put some recommendations to explorethe ＂Internet ＋ contract energy management＂ to further develop.展开更多
Construction projects are among the riskiest projects, which require the application of the right rules and to abide by the proper safety standards. Thus, this study aims to study the impact of COVID-19 on the constru...Construction projects are among the riskiest projects, which require the application of the right rules and to abide by the proper safety standards. Thus, this study aims to study the impact of COVID-19 on the construction and engineering companies due to the Corona pandemic in the Gaza Strip, and introducing the means used in dealing with this pandemic and how to avoid, limit and deal with it. And to shed light on the most important obstacles and challenges facing the construction sector in the light of the outbreak of the epidemic. To achieve this, a cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire was conducted by Google Forms. Then, the data collected was analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. The results show that best procedures to mitigate the impact of this epidemic and to prioritize the safety and health of employees in contracting and engineering companies, to provide a safe work environment and developing plans to confront the spread of injury in the work-environment. The study recommends that government may provide financial support to companies and reduce taxes imposed on them in order to be able to confront this pandemic.展开更多
Project management is an important part of construction EPC project management. The risk factors in the construction stage involve the design, procurement, construction organization and other processes of the project....Project management is an important part of construction EPC project management. The risk factors in the construction stage involve the design, procurement, construction organization and other processes of the project. Therefore, the effect of risk management in the construction stage will directly affect the quality, cost and construction progress of the project. In actual project management, managers need to identify key risk factors in the construction stage, especially in the EPC mode, and the general contractor needs to bear higher risks, so it is more necessary to accurately identify and effectively control the risk factors in order to further ensure economic and social benefits of the project.展开更多
The construction industry, which forms the backbone of China's economy, can drive the development of construction materials, chemicals, metals, machinery, transportation and other industries, which is very importa...The construction industry, which forms the backbone of China's economy, can drive the development of construction materials, chemicals, metals, machinery, transportation and other industries, which is very important to China's economy. However, the construction industry has high consumption level, high emissions, low efficiency and difficult production and construction activities. Buildings consume a lot of energy and resources, from development to waste to degradation, while waste is released into the environment. With the improvement of urbanization in China, the construction industry is facing serious ecological, resource-intensive and energy problems. Therefore, the construction industry has embarked on the path of sustainable development, which not only meets the economic and social needs of the construction industry, but also saves resources and protects the environment. Green building project management is an important part of sustainable development of construction industry. EPC general contracting mode refers to that the general contractor undertakes comprehensive services such as project planning, construction, procurement and commissioning according to the contract commitment. The EPC general contracting model includes a powerful consulting unit for the overall management of the BIM technical consulting process and improved cost control and environmental management of the EPC global contract model. It is beneficial to strengthen the cost control and green management of EPC general contracting mode, play a leading role in the construction process, constantly optimize the overall layout, effectively overcome the conflict between design, delivery and construction, and promote the full and in-depth cooperation between environmentally friendly design.展开更多
In terms of general contracting management, it is necessary to carry out real-time division of labor for each professional system of the construction project, formulate corresponding management systems, and ensure tha...In terms of general contracting management, it is necessary to carry out real-time division of labor for each professional system of the construction project, formulate corresponding management systems, and ensure that each professional system has a clear code of conduct, so as to reduce the difficulty of the project and ensure the smooth development of the project.When controlling the implementation of the project plan, provide effective services and control to ensure the good operation of the project general contracting management system. Based on this, this paper mainly analyzes the formulation and key and difficult points of construction project general contracting management for reference.展开更多
Objective Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot(rTOF)account for the majority of cases with late onset right ventricle(RV)failure.The current surgical approach,including pulmonary valve replacement/insertion(PVR)...Objective Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot(rTOF)account for the majority of cases with late onset right ventricle(RV)failure.The current surgical approach,including pulmonary valve replacement/insertion(PVR),has yielded mixed results with some patients recover RV function and some do not.An innovative surgical approach was proposed to help ventricle to contract and improve RV function qualified by ejection fraction with one or more active contracting bands.Computational biomechanical modelling is a widely used method in cardiovascular study for investigation of mechanisms governing disease development,quantitative diagnostic and treatment strategies and improving surgical designs for better outcome.Muscle active contraction caused by zero-load sarcomere shortening leads to change of zero-load configurations.In lieu of experimenting using real surgery on animal or human,computational simulations(virtual surgery)were performed to test different band combination and insertion options to identify optimal surgery design and band insertion plan.Methods Cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)data were obtained from one rTOF patient(sex:male,age:22.5 y)before pulmonary valve replacement surgery.The patient was suffering from RV dilation and dysfunction with RV end-systole volume 254.49ml and end-diastole volume 406.91 mL.A total of 15 computational RV/LV/Patch/Band combination models based on(CMR)imaging were constructed to investigate the influence of different band insertion surgery plans.These models included 5 different band insertion models combined and 3 different band contraction ratio(10%,15%and 20%band zero-stress length reduction).These models included 5 different band insertion models:Model 1 with one band at anterior to the middle of papillary muscle;Model 2 with one band at posterior to the middle of papillary muscle;Model 3 with 2 bands which are the ones from Models 1&2 combined;Model 4 with a band at the base of the papillary muscle;Model 5 with 3 bands which is a combination of Models 3&4.A pre-shrink process was performed on in-vivo begin-filling and end-systole MRI data to obtain diastole and systole zero4oad ventricle geometries.An extra 5%-8%shrinkage was applied to obtain corresponding systole zero-load geometry reflecting myocardium sarcomere shortening.The zero-load band length in systole was 10%,15%and 20%shorter than that in diastole according to their corresponding contraction ratio.The nonlinear Mooney-Rivlin model was used to describe the ventricle material properties with their material parameter values adjusted to match measured data with CMR.The band material properties were in the same scale with healthy right ventricle.The RV/LV/Band model construction and solution procedures were the same as described.Results Model 5 with band contraction ratio of 20%has the ability to improve RV ejection fraction to 41.07%,which represented a 3.61%absolute improvement,or 9.6%relative improvement using pre-PVR ejection fraction as the baseline number.The ejection fractions for Models 1-4 with band contraction ratio of 20%were 39.28%,39.47%,38.87%and 40.34%respectively.Compared to models with band contraction ratio15%and 20%,models with band contraction ratio 10%has the least ability on RV ejection fraction improvement with ejection fraction 38.28%,38.00%,38.81%,38.50%and 39.36%corresponding to Models 1-5.Conclusions This pilot work demonstrated that the band insertion surgery may have great potential to improve post-PVR RV cardiac function for patients with repaired TOF.More band contraction ratio and inserted band number may lead to better post-surgery outcome.Further investigations using in-vitro animal experiments and final patient studies are warranted.展开更多
Based on signaling and gender discrimination theory, we examine whether chief financial officer(CFO) gender matters to bank–firm relationships and the designing of collateral clauses in bank loan contracting, and exp...Based on signaling and gender discrimination theory, we examine whether chief financial officer(CFO) gender matters to bank–firm relationships and the designing of collateral clauses in bank loan contracting, and explore the potential path of influence. Data taken from Chinese listed companies between2009 and 2012 indicate that(1) female-CFO-led firms are less likely to obtain credit loans than male-CFO-led firms;(2) female-CFO-led borrowers are more likely to be required to provide collateral for loans than male-CFO-led borrowers; and(3) banks are more inclined to claim mortgaging collateral when lending to female-CFO-led firms and prefer to guarantee collateral when lending to male-CFO-led firms. Female-CFO-led borrowers seem to be granted more unfavorable loan terms than male-CFO-led borrowers, supporting the hypothesis that female CFOs experience credit discrimination. Further analysis reveals that regional financial development helps to alleviate lending discrimination against female CFOs. Furthermore, female CFOs in SOEs are less likely than their non-SOE counterparts to experience gender discrimination in the credit market.展开更多
文摘The advent of Industry 4.0 has compelled businesses to adopt digital approaches that combine software toenhance production efficiency. In this rapidly evolving market, software development is an ongoing process thatmust be tailored to meet the dynamic needs of enterprises. However, internal research and development can beprohibitively expensive, driving many enterprises to outsource software development and upgrades to externalservice providers. This paper presents a software upgrade outsourcing model for enterprises and service providersthat accounts for the impact of market fluctuations on software adaptability. To mitigate the risk of adverseselection due to asymmetric information about the service provider’s cost and asymmetric information aboutthe enterprise’s revenues, we propose pay-per-time and revenue-sharing contracts in two distinct informationasymmetry scenarios. These two contracts specify the time and transfer payments for software upgrades. Througha comparative analysis of the optimal solutions under the two contracts and centralized decision-making withfull-information, we examine the characteristics of the solutions under two information asymmetry scenarios andanalyze the incentive effects of the two contracts on the various stakeholders. Overall, our study offers valuableinsights for firms seeking to optimize their outsourcing strategies and maximize their returns on investment insoftware upgrades.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (50936003, 50905013)The Open Project of State Key Lab. for Adv. Matals and Materials (2009Z-02)Research Foundation of Engineering Research Institute of USTB
文摘In this paper, the asymmetric laminar flow in a porous channel with expanding or contracting walls is investigated. The governing equations are reduced to ordinary ones by using suitable similar transformations. Homotopy analysis method （HAM） is employed to obtain the expres- sions for velocity fields. Graphs are sketched for values of parameters and associated dynamic characteristics, especially the expansion ratio, are analyzed in detail.
文摘Energy Performance Contracting was introduced into China in the mid 1990s. Since western energy service companies came to China, their management pattern has undergone major changes. Why did such changes occur? Mainly because these companies encountered two difficulties in China: tax and financing.
文摘With the further development of service-oriented,performance-based contracting(PBC)has been widely adopted in industry and manufacturing.However,maintenance optimization problems under PBC have not received enough attention.To further extend the scope of PBC’s application in the field of maintenance optimization,we investigate the condition-based maintenance(CBM)optimization for gamma deteriorating systems under PBC.Considering the repairable single-component system subject to the gamma degradation process,this paper proposes a CBM optimization model to maximize the profit and improve system performance at a relatively low cost under PBC.In the proposed CBM model,the first inspection interval has been considered in order to reduce the inspection frequency and the cost rate.Then,a particle swarm algorithm(PSO)and related solution procedure are presented to solve the multiple decision variables in our proposed model.In the end,a numerical example is provided so as to demonstrate the superiority of the presented model.By comparing the proposed policy with the conventional ones,the superiority of our proposed policy is proved,which can bring more profits to providers and improve performance.Sensitivity analysis is conducted in order to research the effect of corrective maintenance cost and time required for corrective maintenance on optimization policy.A comparative study is given to illustrate the necessity of distinguishing the first inspection interval or not.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.50936003 and 50905013)the Open Project of State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials (No.2009Z-02)
文摘The flow of a micropolar fluid in a semi-porous channel with an expanding or contracting wall is investigated. The governing equations are reduced to ordinary ones by using similar transformations. To get the analytic solution to the problem, the homotopy analysis method （HAM） is employed to obtain the expressions for velocity fields. Graphs are sketched and discussed for various parameters, especially the effect of the expansion ratio on velocity and micro-rotation fields.
文摘An incompressible flow in a porous channel with expanding or contacting walls in the presence of a transverse magnetic field is considered. Using similarity transformations, the governing equations are reduced to the nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The exact similar solutions for the different cases of the expansion ratio and the Hartmann number are obtained with a singular perturbation method, and the associated behavior is discussed in detail.
文摘Alternative contracting techniques have been frequently used in highway construction in the United State and have played an important role in the effort to improve construction project performance. However, it is still unknown whether which project factors have significant influence on project performance. It is essential to learn from the experiences and opinions of construction project managers who had executed innovative or alternative contracts in order to improve and refine the usage of alternative contracting methods. Innovative contracting methods have been used by state Departments of Transportation for many years, so there is now sufficient data to measure the effectiveness of these innovations. Working under a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation （FDOT）, the research team used the experiences and opinions of construction field engineers who had executed innovative contracts on FDOT projects to measure the effectiveness of these systems. To that end, interviews were conducted with FDOT and consultant personnel from across Florida. All interviewed were project managers who had overseen at least one project using an innovative contracting method. Discussions brought enthusiastic responses from those interviewed, both for and against certain innovations. This paper will focus on the experiences and opinions of those experienced construction field engineers dealing with well-known innovations, as well as newer innovations such as ＂Detour Rental＂ and ＂Damage Recovery＂.
文摘The volume of highway traffic in the United States continues to increase. In the face of this there is a concomitant need to improve and repair transportation infrastructure. Construction frequently requires a reduction in capacity during construction activity; consequently road users as well as adjacent businesses must endure the delays and inconveniences associated with transportation construction. Recognizing the problems that construction can produce, state highway agencies （SHAs） have continually sought ways to minimize the negative impact from their construction operations. Incentive contracting has played an important role in this effort to improve project performance. The Florida Department of Transportation （FDOT） is one of the leading SHAs using such innovative contracting methods as Incentive/Disincentive （I/D）, A＋B （cost plus time bidding） combined with I/D, No Excuse Bonus, and Liquidated Savings. This paper analyzes the traffic impact on incentive project time performance using highway construction projects recently completed in Florida. Project data obtained from FDOT were evaluated using time performance indices. A survey of traffic impact on project work types was performed in Florida in order to evaluate the relationship between construction project types and road traffic influence during construction. Based on the survey results, the 38 most frequently used work types in Florida during the study period were categorized into three traffic impact levels： （1） high traffic impact, （2） medium traffic impact, and （3） low traffic impact. Statistical analysis was performed. The results show that there are significant differences on project time performance between low and high impact levels as well as low and medium impact levels.
基金supported by the National Natural Foundation of China (Grant No. 71171141)Project of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (Grant No. 2013-R1-14)the Tianjin Municipal Social Science Planning Project (Grant No. TJGLHQ1403)
文摘Existing large-scale public building energy saving renovation is the inherent requirement of sustainable development, it has been proved that implementing the energy performance contracting mode in the Existing large public buildings energy-saving is an effective way both at home and abroad. EPC mode has obvious characteristics for the ESCO and the customers, it can meet the basic requirements of large public buildings energy-saving, such as the width of funding sources, program specifi cation, advanced technology, information fl ow and management level higher, etc. Under the condition of market economy, it also provides a broad platform for the ESCO implements building energy saving transformation, which is conducive to the realization of the win-win cooperation between the parties, and to promote the healthy development of the existing large public building energy saving reconstruction.
文摘Due to ＂zero cost＂ investment, energy performance con-tracting has attracted much attention, and the ＂Internet ＋ ＂ has givenits new development opportunities. This paper first emphasizes the im-portance of the development of energy performance contracting andanalyzes the main problems in its traditional development. Then, com-bining with the background of ＂Internet ＋ ＂,this paper puts forwardthe ＂1 marketing ＋ 4 platform＂ model, based on the whole networkmarketing,online trading platform,Internet financial service platform,remote project supervision platform, production and research networkplatform, to promote the development of energy performance contrac-ting, Finally, from the government, energy services company, industryassociations and energy units, put some recommendations to explorethe ＂Internet ＋ contract energy management＂ to further develop.
文摘Construction projects are among the riskiest projects, which require the application of the right rules and to abide by the proper safety standards. Thus, this study aims to study the impact of COVID-19 on the construction and engineering companies due to the Corona pandemic in the Gaza Strip, and introducing the means used in dealing with this pandemic and how to avoid, limit and deal with it. And to shed light on the most important obstacles and challenges facing the construction sector in the light of the outbreak of the epidemic. To achieve this, a cross-sectional study based on an online questionnaire was conducted by Google Forms. Then, the data collected was analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. The results show that best procedures to mitigate the impact of this epidemic and to prioritize the safety and health of employees in contracting and engineering companies, to provide a safe work environment and developing plans to confront the spread of injury in the work-environment. The study recommends that government may provide financial support to companies and reduce taxes imposed on them in order to be able to confront this pandemic.
文摘Project management is an important part of construction EPC project management. The risk factors in the construction stage involve the design, procurement, construction organization and other processes of the project. Therefore, the effect of risk management in the construction stage will directly affect the quality, cost and construction progress of the project. In actual project management, managers need to identify key risk factors in the construction stage, especially in the EPC mode, and the general contractor needs to bear higher risks, so it is more necessary to accurately identify and effectively control the risk factors in order to further ensure economic and social benefits of the project.
文摘The construction industry, which forms the backbone of China's economy, can drive the development of construction materials, chemicals, metals, machinery, transportation and other industries, which is very important to China's economy. However, the construction industry has high consumption level, high emissions, low efficiency and difficult production and construction activities. Buildings consume a lot of energy and resources, from development to waste to degradation, while waste is released into the environment. With the improvement of urbanization in China, the construction industry is facing serious ecological, resource-intensive and energy problems. Therefore, the construction industry has embarked on the path of sustainable development, which not only meets the economic and social needs of the construction industry, but also saves resources and protects the environment. Green building project management is an important part of sustainable development of construction industry. EPC general contracting mode refers to that the general contractor undertakes comprehensive services such as project planning, construction, procurement and commissioning according to the contract commitment. The EPC general contracting model includes a powerful consulting unit for the overall management of the BIM technical consulting process and improved cost control and environmental management of the EPC global contract model. It is beneficial to strengthen the cost control and green management of EPC general contracting mode, play a leading role in the construction process, constantly optimize the overall layout, effectively overcome the conflict between design, delivery and construction, and promote the full and in-depth cooperation between environmentally friendly design.
文摘In terms of general contracting management, it is necessary to carry out real-time division of labor for each professional system of the construction project, formulate corresponding management systems, and ensure that each professional system has a clear code of conduct, so as to reduce the difficulty of the project and ensure the smooth development of the project.When controlling the implementation of the project plan, provide effective services and control to ensure the good operation of the project general contracting management system. Based on this, this paper mainly analyzes the formulation and key and difficult points of construction project general contracting management for reference.
基金supported in part by National Sciences Foundation of China grants ( 11672001, 81571691,81771844)
文摘Objective Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot(rTOF)account for the majority of cases with late onset right ventricle(RV)failure.The current surgical approach,including pulmonary valve replacement/insertion(PVR),has yielded mixed results with some patients recover RV function and some do not.An innovative surgical approach was proposed to help ventricle to contract and improve RV function qualified by ejection fraction with one or more active contracting bands.Computational biomechanical modelling is a widely used method in cardiovascular study for investigation of mechanisms governing disease development,quantitative diagnostic and treatment strategies and improving surgical designs for better outcome.Muscle active contraction caused by zero-load sarcomere shortening leads to change of zero-load configurations.In lieu of experimenting using real surgery on animal or human,computational simulations(virtual surgery)were performed to test different band combination and insertion options to identify optimal surgery design and band insertion plan.Methods Cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)data were obtained from one rTOF patient(sex:male,age:22.5 y)before pulmonary valve replacement surgery.The patient was suffering from RV dilation and dysfunction with RV end-systole volume 254.49ml and end-diastole volume 406.91 mL.A total of 15 computational RV/LV/Patch/Band combination models based on(CMR)imaging were constructed to investigate the influence of different band insertion surgery plans.These models included 5 different band insertion models combined and 3 different band contraction ratio(10%,15%and 20%band zero-stress length reduction).These models included 5 different band insertion models:Model 1 with one band at anterior to the middle of papillary muscle;Model 2 with one band at posterior to the middle of papillary muscle;Model 3 with 2 bands which are the ones from Models 1&2 combined;Model 4 with a band at the base of the papillary muscle;Model 5 with 3 bands which is a combination of Models 3&4.A pre-shrink process was performed on in-vivo begin-filling and end-systole MRI data to obtain diastole and systole zero4oad ventricle geometries.An extra 5%-8%shrinkage was applied to obtain corresponding systole zero-load geometry reflecting myocardium sarcomere shortening.The zero-load band length in systole was 10%,15%and 20%shorter than that in diastole according to their corresponding contraction ratio.The nonlinear Mooney-Rivlin model was used to describe the ventricle material properties with their material parameter values adjusted to match measured data with CMR.The band material properties were in the same scale with healthy right ventricle.The RV/LV/Band model construction and solution procedures were the same as described.Results Model 5 with band contraction ratio of 20%has the ability to improve RV ejection fraction to 41.07%,which represented a 3.61%absolute improvement,or 9.6%relative improvement using pre-PVR ejection fraction as the baseline number.The ejection fractions for Models 1-4 with band contraction ratio of 20%were 39.28%,39.47%,38.87%and 40.34%respectively.Compared to models with band contraction ratio15%and 20%,models with band contraction ratio 10%has the least ability on RV ejection fraction improvement with ejection fraction 38.28%,38.00%,38.81%,38.50%and 39.36%corresponding to Models 1-5.Conclusions This pilot work demonstrated that the band insertion surgery may have great potential to improve post-PVR RV cardiac function for patients with repaired TOF.More band contraction ratio and inserted band number may lead to better post-surgery outcome.Further investigations using in-vitro animal experiments and final patient studies are warranted.
基金financial support received from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Approval Nos. 71102063, 71572019 and 71232004)the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities (Approval Nos. CQDXWL-2013-Z005 and 106112015CDJSK 02XK12)
文摘Based on signaling and gender discrimination theory, we examine whether chief financial officer(CFO) gender matters to bank–firm relationships and the designing of collateral clauses in bank loan contracting, and explore the potential path of influence. Data taken from Chinese listed companies between2009 and 2012 indicate that(1) female-CFO-led firms are less likely to obtain credit loans than male-CFO-led firms;(2) female-CFO-led borrowers are more likely to be required to provide collateral for loans than male-CFO-led borrowers; and(3) banks are more inclined to claim mortgaging collateral when lending to female-CFO-led firms and prefer to guarantee collateral when lending to male-CFO-led firms. Female-CFO-led borrowers seem to be granted more unfavorable loan terms than male-CFO-led borrowers, supporting the hypothesis that female CFOs experience credit discrimination. Further analysis reveals that regional financial development helps to alleviate lending discrimination against female CFOs. Furthermore, female CFOs in SOEs are less likely than their non-SOE counterparts to experience gender discrimination in the credit market.
