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1 – 10 of 11Jie Zhao, Xindan Cui, Yanhe Zhu and Shufeng Tang
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the design and the multi‐mode locomotion function of the new reconfigurable modular robotic system – UBot system – which combines the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the design and the multi‐mode locomotion function of the new reconfigurable modular robotic system – UBot system – which combines the advantages from the chain‐based and lattice‐based self‐reconfigurable robots.
Design/methodology/approach
The UBot modules the authors have designed are based on the universal joint and of cubic shape with two rotational joints and reliable automatic connecting mechanism. The modules are compact and flexible enough for locomotion and reconfiguration. The system can move in different modes to satisfy different terrains, through changing the modules' local connections and rotation of modules' joints.
Findings
The UBot system can flexibly move in the modes of cross, loop, quadruped, snake‐type and other type of locomotion modes. All the locomotion has been implemented in the physical experiments.
Originality/value
The UBot module is the new reconfigurable module which has two joints in one unit of regular cubic space and four reliable automatic connecting surfaces. A group of the modules is able to change its connective configuration by changing their local connections and has functionality of the corresponding traditional robotic system. Since it can travel through terrains that may not be fully characterized ahead of time, the system can be used in a large variety of tasks, such as transportation, assembly, inspection and exploration.
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Edward P. Lazear, Kathryn Shaw, Grant Hayes and James Jedras
Wages have been spreading out across workers over time – or in other words, the 90th/50th wage ratio has risen over time. A key question is, has the productivity distribution also…
Abstract
Wages have been spreading out across workers over time – or in other words, the 90th/50th wage ratio has risen over time. A key question is, has the productivity distribution also spread out across worker skill levels over time? Using our calculations of productivity by skill level for the United States, we show that the distributions of both wages and productivity have spread out over time, as the right tail lengthens for both. We add Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries, showing that the wage–productivity correlation exists, such that gains in aggregate productivity, or GDP per person, have resulted in higher wages for workers at the top and bottom of the wage distribution. However, across countries, those workers in the upper-income ranks have seen their wages rise the most over time. The most likely international factor explaining these wage increases is the skill-biased technological change of the digital revolution. The new artificial intelligence (AI) revolution that has just begun seems to be having similar skill-biased effects on wages. But this current AI, called “supervised learning,” is relatively similar to past technological change. The AI of the distant future will be “unsupervised learning,” and it could eventually have an effect on the jobs of the most highly skilled.
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Nabil Ahmed Mareai Senan and M.M. Sulphey
Globally, serious doubts are now expressed about the quality of accounting education, and employers are concerned about the lack of employability among graduates. There is a lack…
Abstract
Purpose
Globally, serious doubts are now expressed about the quality of accounting education, and employers are concerned about the lack of employability among graduates. There is a lack of a validated tool to measure employability in the Saudi Arabia context. Such a tool is required to assess the level of employability so that required corrective measures could be taken. The purpose of the study is to construct and validate a questionnaire to measure employability of accounting graduates.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the study was collected from various accounting professionals using a pool of 50 items from 420 randomly collected samples. The researchers used different statistical techniques, including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, to construct and validate the 29 item questionnaire.
Findings
Based on the purpose of the study, a questionnaire for measuring the employability of accounting graduates was constructed. The questionnaire developed and scientifically validated through various scientific techniques has 20 items under five factors. The questionnaire is ideal for measuring employability of accounting graduates.
Originality/value
A fair review of the literature revealed a dearth of a validated tool to measure employability of accounting graduates. The study has constructed and validated a questionnaire to measure employability of accounting graduates, thereby bridging the gap in literature. This questionnaire, it is expected, would facilitate the conduct of further empirical examinations about employability of accounting graduates.
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A scratch strain gauge is mechanically simple and durable. It records strain by making scratches on a circular ‘target’ and works accurately over a temperature range of—20° to…
Abstract
A scratch strain gauge is mechanically simple and durable. It records strain by making scratches on a circular ‘target’ and works accurately over a temperature range of—20° to 540°C (—67° to 1,000°F). It records all stresses beyond the clastic limit of steel and aluminium.
M.A. API DENNEY and D. BROADLEY
DURING the period 1965 to 67, a number of aircraft accidents occurred in which fires contributed significantly to the loss of life.
CURRENT methods for the analysis of stress and mode of vibration of blades, discs and small components are briefly reviewed. Alternative methods using holography are described and…
Abstract
CURRENT methods for the analysis of stress and mode of vibration of blades, discs and small components are briefly reviewed. Alternative methods using holography are described and compared with conventional methods in terms of yield of information and ease of operation. Finally apparatus is described which will take holograms of objects up to two feet in diameter and may be operated by non‐specialist staff.
Informatics work introduces information professionals to taxonomies and other classification systems outside the boundaries of traditional bibliographic systems. This paper aims…
Abstract
Purpose
Informatics work introduces information professionals to taxonomies and other classification systems outside the boundaries of traditional bibliographic systems. This paper aims to provide an overview of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) for informaticians and information professionals who may not have worked with the system previously.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the author reviews the purpose, history, current use and future trends of the ICD classification system.
Findings
ICD is used globally as a standard vocabulary for medical diagnoses and, in the USA, for medical procedures in hospitals. Understanding the classification system is vital to working with clinical medical data.
Originality/value
The ICD classification system is not commonly used by information professionals. This paper provides a brief overview that will familiarize the information professional with the standard and its uses related to medical practice.
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Haveen H. Alsilefanee, Sivar A. Qadir, Shahla O. Salih, Luma H. Alhanabadi, Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti and Stefania Moramarco
The purpose of this study is to present the workflow on the integration of Maternal and Child Health Care Services (MCHCS) into the electronic Health Information System of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present the workflow on the integration of Maternal and Child Health Care Services (MCHCS) into the electronic Health Information System of the Iraqi Kurdistan (KRG-HIS).
Design/methodology/approach
As part of the cooperation between the University of Rome Tor Vergata-Italy and the Iraqi Kurdistan Ministry of Health, six PhD positions were granted for Iraqi students to create a local team of experts with the aim of supporting the scaling-up of the KRG-HIS. After specific training, the team then trained the staff members of the health centers, met health authorities and analyzed the local scenario to ensure that the KRG-HIS could be better tailored to regional needs. In 2019, the integration of MCHCS into the KRG-HIS was one of the main areas of research.
Findings
Health data collection was mostly paper-based, which made vital statistics and evaluation of outcomes difficult to measure. More than 15,000 paper-files from the Duhok Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital were retrieved from storage. Then data entered in the KRG-HIS. Theoretical and practical training sessions were conducted for local staff members, with 183 health operators already having been trained. Daily supervision of the online system and field visits were ensured.
Originality/value
There is a need to support health authorities in improving data collection on MCHCS, ensuring the future self-sufficiency of the HIS. Key to the process is the creation of a specialized team of local experts with the objective of “training the trainers”.
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The generation is witnessing the greatest demographic transition and Africa is at the heart of it. There is mounting concern over corresponding rising unemployment and depleting…
Abstract
Purpose
The generation is witnessing the greatest demographic transition and Africa is at the heart of it. There is mounting concern over corresponding rising unemployment and depleting per capita income. The purpose of this paper is to examine the issues from a long-run perspective by assessing the relationships between population growth and a plethora of investment dynamics: public, private, foreign and domestic investments.
Design/methodology/approach
Vector autoregressive models in the perspectives of vector error correction and short-run Granger causality are used.
Findings
In the long-run population growth will: first, decrease foreign and public investments in Ivory Coast; second, increase public and private investments in Swaziland; three, deplete public investment but augment domestic investment in Zambia; fourth diminish private investment and improve domestic investment in the Congo Republic and Sudan, respectively.
Practical implications
Mainstream positive linkage of population growth to investment growth in the long-term should be treated with extreme caution. Policy orientation should not be blanket, but contingent on country-specific trends and tailored differently across countries. The findings stress the need for the creation of a conducive investment climate (and ease of doing business) for private and foreign investments. Family planning and birth control policies could also be considered in countries with little future investment avenues.
Originality/value
The objective of this study is to provide policy makers with some insights on how future investment opportunities could help manage rising population growth and corresponding unemployment.
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