Re-engineering the tender code for construction works

The UK's NJCC Code of Procedure for Single Stage Selective Tendering (now withdrawn) and its successor, the CIB's Code of Practice for the Selection of Main Contractors are criticized in the light of decisions of the common law courts with regard to regulation of the tendering process. It is argued that a new ‘Tendering Code’ should be produced in the style and format of a contract document which reflects not only the statutory regulation imposed on public bodies, but common law decisions of the courts. The nature of this tendering contract is explained as a means of regulating the tendering process. Issues discussed are: dealing with errors and irregularities found in tenders; dealing with non-compliant tenders; dealing with tender withdrawal prior to its acceptance or rejection; making provisions as to time for submission of tenders and dealing with late tenders; making provision for submission of tender by fax or other electronic means; making provision for evaluation of tenders received; and imposing or negotiating reductions in price with tenderers prior to acceptance. The paper concludes that the common law obligations placed on the owner to treat all tenderers equally and fairly and to apply the tender conditions when evaluating tenders and awarding contracts seems to be good common sense and of commercial advantage, not only to the immediate parties concerned but also to the wider community.     

数字合成(上)

什么是数字合成?当我们讨论它的时候,首先我们试着把多个元素整合成一个单个的完整的整体图像,当大多数这些技术仍然适用于图像时,我们将关注有用的和合理的能处理大的图像序列的工具和方法。正如您所见的,一个技术很好的合成师是可以包括从技师到艺术家的,不只是需要基本了解“操作的工具”,这里包括多种软件,而且必须是一个能洞察视觉本质的人。记住这一点,当遇到“它看起来是否正确?”的问题时,所有技术考虑都是不重要了,很明显只是一个对主题的把握,同时一个好的合成师都应以高要求来做出每个决定。定义什么是合成?有一个基本的定义:把…     

Contamination of free-range chicken eggs with dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls

Dioxins and dioxin-like (DL) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are persistent organic pollutants that enter the body mainly by food intake. A small margin exists between current exposure levels in the human population and the levels causing biological effects. Therefore, stringent control of concentrations of these contaminants in food and feed is needed. Eggs from free-range chicken are increasingly becoming an important part of the diet. These eggs have a higher risk of being contaminated with increased levels of dioxins and DL-PCB than barn or cage eggs. Ingestion of soil particles from environmentally contaminated areas may contribute to elevated dioxin levels in free-range chicken eggs. Available data show that current soil levels of dioxins and DL-PCB in residential and agricultural areas in Europe often appear to be too high to produce free-range eggs with dioxin levels below the current limit values in the EU. On the other hand, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans concentrations in eggs from free-range chicken are not necessarily above the limit values. Contamination levels in soil should be kept low and should be controlled in areas with free foraging chicken although all modifying factors that influence uptake of dioxins and PCB from the environment and transfer into eggs are yet not well understood.     

Solution Structure and Constrained Molecular Dynamics Study of Vitamin B12 Conjugates of the Anorectic Peptide PYY(3–36)

Vitamin B₁₂–peptide conjugates have considerable therapeutic potential through improved pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic properties imparted on the peptide upon covalent attachment to vitamin B₁₂ (B₁₂). There remains a lack of structural studies investigating the effects of B₁₂ conjugation on peptide secondary structure. Determining the solution structure of a B₁₂–peptide conjugate or conjugates and measuring functions of the conjugate(s) at the target peptide receptor may offer considerable insight concerning the future design of fully optimized conjugates. This methodology is especially useful in tandem with constrained molecular dynamics (MD) studies, such that predictions may be made about conjugates not yet synthesized. Focusing on two B₁₂ conjugates of the anorectic peptide PYY(3–36), one of which was previously demonstrated to have improved food intake reduction compared with PYY(3–36), we performed NMR structural analyses and used the information to conduct MD simulations. The study provides rare structural insight into vitamin B₁₂ conjugates and validates the fact that B₁₂ can be conjugated to a peptide without markedly affecting peptide secondary structure.     

Assessing the value of information of data‐centric activities in the chemical processing industry 4.0

The quality of information generated in data‐driven empirical studies is of central importance in Industry 4.0. However, despite the undeniable and widely accepted importance, not sufficient attention has been devoted to its rigorous assessment and analysis. Consequently, if information quality cannot be measured, it also cannot be improved, and therefore current efforts for extracting value from big data empirical studies and data collectors are exposed to the risk of generating limited findings and insights, leading to suboptimal solutions. In this article, we describe and apply a framework for evaluating, analyzing and improving the quality of information generated in empirical studies called InfoQ, in the context of the Chemical Processing Industry (CPI). This systematic framework can be used by anyone involved in data‐driven activities, irrespectively of the context and specific goals. The application of InfoQ framework to several case studies is described in detail, to illustrate its practical relevance. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 3868–3881, 2018     

Health care reform is coming.

During my career in Congress, we have achieved some success in expanding health insurance coverage and keeping services affordable, but the problem of 46 million uninsured and 25 million underinsured must be addressed. In February 2009, I introduced the Healthy Americans Act (S. 391/H.R. 1321; Wyden, 2009), a comprehensive bipartisan health care reform bill that covers all Americans without breaking the bank, by weaving together the Democratic idea that we need to give every single person in the country health care coverage and the Republican belief in a private-market approach. This bill would favorably affect providers in nonprofit institutions, public institutions, and school systems, by ending cost shifting from public program underpayments to the privately insured. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High Activity Solid Base Catalysts for Alkenyl Aromatic Isomerisation

The isomerisation of allylbenzene, dimethoxyallylbenzene (4-allyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene), eugenol (2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)phenol), and estragole (4-allylanisole) into their respective cis/trans internal alkenyl aromatics has been studied over a supported solid base catalysts (K₂CO₃/alumina). The catalyst was active at 305 K with conversions as high as 36%. However all reactants cause deactivation of the catalyst.