Abstract
Facilities management (FM) is becoming increasingly important in the built environment. FM is currently well-known in several countries. The goal of this research is to determine the extent ...to which FM can positively contribute to FM opportunities and the challenges that must be addressed. FM combines all physical environment components, including people, process, location, and technology, to assure the system’s performance. FM is one of the world’s fastest-growing companies because it helps to tackle the problem of inefficiency in building operations and maintenance. The purpose of this research is to conduct a literature review in order to learn more about FM practices in various parts of the world, as well as to investigate opportunities and problems. By conducting a literature analysis of previous research published between 2000 and 2017, this study aims to give a better knowledge of FM practices in both developed and developing nations. The FM industry is relatively new, therefore there are numerous prospects for future growth.
The cross sections of nuclear reactions between the radioisotope Be7 and deuterium, a possible mechanism of reducing the production of mass-7 nuclides in big-bang nucleosynthesis, were measured at ...center-of-mass energies between 0.2 and 1.5 MeV. The measured cross sections are dominated by the (d,α) reaction channel, towards which prior experiments were mostly insensitive. A new resonance at 0.36(5) MeV with a strength of ωγ=1.7(5) keV was observed inside the relevant Gamow window. Calculations of nucleosynthesis outcomes based on the experimental cross section show that the resonance reduces the predicted abundance of primordial Li7, but not sufficiently to solve the primordial lithium problem.
The observation of neutrinos emitted in the p − p chain and in the CNO cycle can be employed to test the Standard Solar Model. The 3He(α,γ)7Be reaction is the first reaction of the 2nd and 3rd branch ...of the p − p chain, so the indetermination of its cross section significantly affects the predicted 7Be and 8B neutrino fluxes. Notwithstanding its relevance and the great deal of experimental and theoretical papers, information of the reaction cross section at energies of the core of the Sun (15 keV - 30 keV) is sparse and additional experimental work is necessary to attain the target (~ 3%) accuracy. The precise understanding of the external capture component to the 3He(α,γ)7Be reaction cross section is pivotal for the theoretical assessment of the reaction mechanism. In this work, the indirect measurement of this external capture component using the Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient (ANC) technique is discussed. To extract the ANC, the angular distributions of deuterons yielded in the 6Li(3He,d)7Be α-transfer reaction were detected with high precision at E3He=3.0 MeV and 5.0 MeV. The ANCs were then deduced from the juxtaposition of DWBA and CC calculations with the experimental angular distributions and the zero energy astrophysical S-factor for 3He(α,γ)7Be reaction was calculated to equal 0.534 ± 0.025 keVb. Both our experimental and theoretical approaches were tested through the analysis of the 6Li(p,γ)7Be astrophysical factor, with further interesting astrophysical implications.
The detection of the neutrinos produced in the p−p chain and in the CNO cycle can be used to test the Standard Solar Model. The 3He(α,γ)7Be reaction is the first reaction of the 2nd and 3rd branch of ...the p−p chain, therefore, the uncertainty of its cross section sensitively influences the prediction of the 7Be and 8B neutrino fluxes. Despite its importance and the large number of experimental and theoretical works devoted to this reaction, the knowledge on the reaction cross section at energies characterizing the core of the Sun (15 keV - 30 keV) is limited and further experimental efforts are needed to reach the desired (≈ 3%) accuracy. The precise knowledge on the external capture contribution to the 3He(α,γ)7Be reaction cross section is crucial for the theoretical description of the reaction mechanism. In the present work the indirect measurement of this external capture contribution using the Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient (ANC) technique is reported. To extract the ANC, the angular distributions of deuterons emitted in the 6Li(3He,d)7Be α-transfer reaction were measured with high precision at EH3e = 3.0 MeV and EH3e = 5.0 MeV. The ANCs were then extracted from comparison of DWBA calculations to the measured data and the zero energy astrophysical S-factor for 3He(α,γ)7Be reaction was found to be 0.534 ± 0.025 keVb.
Scrub typhus is a neglected tropical disease and is under reported from Nepal. The objective of this study was to investigate the sero-epidemiology of scrub typhus in patients suffering from acute ...febrile illness.
A total of 434 specimens collected from July to November 2015 at National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) were investigated for detection of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to Orientiatsutsugamushi.The Scrub Typhus Detect TM kit (InBios, USA) was used to detect the antibodies to O.tsutsugamushi in human serum. Randomly selected 10% positive specimens were used for confirmation by dot- enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescence assay.
Of the total, 175 (40.3%) were positive for IgM antibodies to O. tsutsugamushi. Positive results of scrub typhus were highest among female in 11-20 year followed by males in 41-50 years age group. The IgM antibodies to O. tsutusugamushi were positive in specimens of various geographical regions including 30 districts of Nepal. Positive cases were found in various ecological regions of Nepal.
Scrub typhus is one of the neglected tropical diseases in Nepal. Patients with acute febrile illness should be investigated for scrub typhus with high priority. There is an urgent need of reliable and affordable diagnostic tests at all level of health facilities of Nepal. Surveillance and public health awareness about the disease transmission and preventive measures needs to be initiated.
Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are the most frequent respiratory diseases among HIV infected patients and are frequently the first clinical manifestations of the HIV infections. LRTIs are ...common not only among the HIV seropositive cases but also the commonest domiciliary and nosocomial infections among the general population. The present study was carried out to determine the comparative prevalence of common bacterial and fungal organism among the HIV positive and control population. This cross sectional study was conducted among 220 people attending National Public Health Laboratory, Kathmandu, Nepal. Out of them 120 were HIV sero-positive and rest were HIV sero-negative. Sputum samples were collected and processed soon after its collection. Macroscopic examination was done to determine the sample integrity. Gram stain, AFB stain and KOH preparation was performed for preliminary identification of the pathogens. Culture was carried out for bacterial and fungal pathogens. Antibiotic susceptibility test (Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method) was performed from the isolated organisms. The 85 out of 120 HIV sero-positive patients were found to be infected with one or more microbial pathogens. The overall infection rate was found to be significantly lower in HIV seronegative people (27 %). Among HIV seropositive cases prevalence of LRTIs was strongly associated with lower CD4 counts (<200/mm
3
). The prevalence of mycobacterium tuberculosis was found to be 10 % among HIV/AIDS patients which was significantly higher than among the non-HIV cases (3 %). The bacterial pathogens was observed among 46.6 % of HIV positive and 22.0 % of HIV negative people. Among the positive cases,
K
.
pneumoniae
was the predominant bacterial pathogens, followed by
E
.
coli
and
S
.
pneumoniae
.
C
.
albicans
was found to be predominant fungal pathogen followed by
Aspergillus
spp. germ tube negative
Candida
spp. and
Penicillium
spp. Similar types of organisms were found to be associated with LRTIs among HIV positive and negative people. The prevalence of both fungal and bacterial infections was significantly higher among HIV seropositive people than HIV seronegative people. All in all, lower respiratory tract illness is significantly higher in HIV/AIDS cases than in HIV seronegative cases.
Reactions on certain proton-rich, radioactive nuclei have been shown to have a significant influence on X-ray bursts. We provide an overview of two recent measurements of important X-ray burst ...reactions using in-flight radioactive ion beams from the RESOLUT facility at the J. D. Fox Superconducting Accelerator Laboratory at Florida State University. The 17F(d,n)18Ne reaction was measured, and Asymptotic Normalization Coefficients were extracted for bound states in 18Ne that determine the direct-capture cross section dominating the 17F(p,γ)18Ne reaction rate for T≲ 0.45 GK. Unbound resonant states were also studied, and the single-particle strength for the 4.523-MeV (3+) state was found to be consistent with previous results. The 19Ne(d,n)20Na proton transfer reaction was used to study resonances in the 19Ne(p,γ)20Na reaction. The most important 2.65-MeV state in 20Na was observed to decay by proton emission to both the ground and first-excited states in 19Ne, providing strong evidence for a 3+ spin assignment and indicating that proton capture on the thermally-populated first-excited state in 19Ne is an important contributor to the 19Ne(p,γ)20Na reaction rate.
The astrophysical origin for the chemical elements between the first and second r-process peaks is a matter of intense debate, with a number of nucleosynthesis processes at explosive stellar ...environments possibly contributing to their production. Reliable data on the trends of neutron separation energies of neutron-rich isotopes are required to model neutron-capture processes that would produce these elements. Masses of 104Y, 106Zr, 112Mo, and 115Tc have been measured with the time-of-flight-magnetic-rigidity (ToF–Bρ) technique at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. The experiment is the first application of the ToF–Bρ technique at the S800 spectrograph that reached the mass region relevant to heavy-element nucleosynthesis. Finally, the two-neutron separation energy deduced from the measured masses exhibits a smooth trend consistent with the theoretical predictions within the range of experimental uncertainty, indicating that there is no sudden shape transition in these isotopes as hinted at by previous data.
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