A benchmark study on housing defects in Victoria, Australia

The construction industry consists of many small businesses employing less than five people. A challenge to the construction industry is to ensure that the many small firms and sub-contractors keep producing quality housing to meet the needs of their customers and clients. In attempts to continually improve the quality of housing various policies and mechanisms have been adopted. These have included industry sponsored quality programs and industry administered builder registration. However, these attempts have failed because of consumer mistrust of industry-sponsored programs. In addition, these mechanisms have been introduced in isolation and not as a part of an integrated industry initiative that includes education and training from the trade to tertiary level construction management courses. This work contributes to knowledge through a detailed on-going study of housing quality and defects. This research identifies the common forms of defects, which occur in housing and their incidences. The overall aim of this paper is to report the identification of defects in housing and the establishment of benchmarks (or a baseline) for the incidence defects in various functional elements within a house. It also suggests the areas where defects are likely to occur. From the knowledge gained from the study, industry and governments may make informed decisions of where resources may be directed to the areas where it will be most beneficial both to the house builder and the end user (customer). For this to occur the findings of this research will be disseminated into the housing industry and eventually integrated into tertiary courses in building and construction
management.

Benchmark generation algorithm for stochastic mixed model assembly shop simulation and optimization

The Operations Research (OR) community have defined many deterministic manufacturing control problems mainly focused on scheduling. Well-defined benchmark problems provide a mechanism for communication of the effectiveness of different optimization algorithms. Manufacturing problems within industry are stochastic and complex. Common features of these problems include: variable demand, machine part specific breakdown patterns, part machine specific process durations, continuous production, Finished Goods Inventory (FGI) buffers, bottleneck machines and limited production capacity. Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a commonly used tool for studying manufacturing systems of realistic complexity. There are few reports of detail-rich benchmark problems for use within the simulation optimization community that are as complex as those faced by production managers. This work details an algorithm that can be used to create single and multistage production control problems. The reported software implementation of the algorithm generates text files in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format that are easily edited and understood as well as being cross-platform compatible. The distribution and acceptance of benchmark problems generated with the algorithm would enable researchers working on simulation and optimization of manufacturing problems to effectively communicate results to benefit the field in general.

The application of an ensemble of boosted elman networks to time series prediction : a benchmark study

In this paper, the application of multiple Elman neural networks to time series data regression problems is studied. An ensemble of Elman networks is formed by boosting to enhance the performance of the individual networks. A modified version of the AdaBoost algorithm is employed to integrate the predictions from multiple networks. Two benchmark time series data sets, i.e., the Sunspot and Box-Jenkins gas furnace problems, are used to assess the effectiveness of the proposed system. The simulation results reveal that an ensemble of boosted Elman networks can achieve a higher degree of generalization as well as performance than that of the individual networks. The results are compared with those from other learning systems, and implications of the performance are discussed.

Benchmark 3 : incremental sheet forming

 Benchmark-3 is designed to predict strains, punch load and deformed profile after spring-back during single tool incremental sheet forming. AA 7075-O material has been selected. A corn shape is formed to 45 mm depth with an angle of 45º. Problem description, material properties, and simulation reports with experimental data are summarized.

Benchmark 4 : wrinkling during cup drawing

Benchmark-4 is designed to predict wrinkling during cup drawing. Two different punch geometries have been selected in order to investigate the changes of wrinkling amplitude and wave. To study the effect of material on wrinkling, two distinct materials including AA 5042 and AKDQ steel are also considered in the benchmark. Problem description, material properties, and simulation reports with experimental data are summarized.

Material characterizations for benchmark 1 and benchmark 2

 This report summarizes material testing on three metals used in the Numisheet 2014 Benchmark Study, a DP 600 steel sheet, a TRIP 780 steel sheet, and an aluminum alloy 5182-O sheet. The tests include r value, yield stress, and hardening in uniaxial tension at 15 degree increments of the loading axis in the plane of the sheet, r value, yield stress, and hardening in equal biaxial tension, and forming limit curves for all three metals. In addition, cyclic tension-compression tests along the rolling direction are reported for the DP 600 and aluminum alloy.

Using technology to improve peer review and collaborative conversations to benchmark academic standards

In 2010 the Australian government commissioned the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) to undertake a national project to facilitate disciplinary development of threshold learning standards. The aim was to lay the foundation for all higher education providers to demonstrate to the new national higher education regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), that graduates achieved or exceeded minimum academic standards. Through a yearlong consultative process, representatives of employers, professional bodies, academics and students, developed learning standards applying to any Australian higher education provider. Willey and Gardner reported using a software tool, SPARKPLUS, in calibrating academic standards amongst teaching staff in large classes. In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of this technology to promote calibrated understandings with the national accounting learning standards. We found that integrating the software with a purposely designed activity provided significant efficiencies in calibrating understandings about learning standards, developed expertise and a better understanding of what is required to meet these standards and how best to demonstrate them. The software and supporting calibration and assessment process can be adopted by other disciplines, including engineering, seeking to provide direct evidence about performance against learning standards. © 2012 IEEE.

Wrinkling during cup drawing with NUMISHEET2014 benchmark test

Wrinkling occurs when a blank is subjected to compressive stresses during the forming process as in the flange of a cup during drawing. Although the failure limit due to plastic flow localization can be simply defined by the FLC at each point of a continuum, the wrinkling limit cannot be defined with simple variables such as strain, stress, and thickness. Wrinkling is strongly affected by the mechanical properties of the sheet material, the geometry of the tools and blank, and contact conditions. The analysis of wrinkling initiation and growth is, therefore, difficult to perform due to the complex synergistic effects of the controlling parameters. Because of these difficulties, the study of wrinkling has generally been conducted case by case. A unique wrinkling criterion, which could be used effectively for various sheet forming processes, has not yet been proposed. There were many investigations on the effect of process parameters (BHF and friction) and geometry on wrinkling. However, there are few reported results on the influence of the material model on wrinkling. This paper shows how strain hardening and r-values affect wrinkle formation in its magnitude, initiation, and direction through the NUMISHEET2014 benchmark test for wrinkling during cup drawing.

The tax treatment of employee stock options : generous to a fault

In the 2000 budgets, both the federal and Ontario governments introduced changes to the tax treatment of employee stock options for the explicit purpose of making their tax treatment in Canada similar to or more favourable than that in the United States. The federal budget added a deferral, similar to that currently applicable to options granted by Canadian-controlled private corporations, for up to $100,000 per year of public company stock options. The Ontario budget introduced an exemption from tax for employees involved in research and development on the first $100,000 per year of employee benefits arising on the exercise of qualified stock options or on eligible capital gains arising from the sale of shares acquired by the exercise of eligible stock options. These proposals reflect the apparent acceptance by the two governments that there is a “brain drain” from Canada to the United States of knowledge workers in the “new” economy and that reductions in Canadian taxes should stem this drain. In the author’s view, the tax treatment of employee stock options, even without these changes, is overly generous. Both the federal and provincial proposals ignore the fact that most employee stock options are taxed more favourably in Canada than in the United States in any event. In particular, most employee stock option benefits in Canada are taxed at capital gains tax rates, whereas in the United States most are taxed at full rates. While the US Internal Revenue Code does provide capital gains tax treatment for certain employee stock option benefits, a number of preconditions must be met. Most important, the shares acquired pursuant to the options must be held for a minimum of one year after the option is exercised. In addition, there are monetary limits on the amount of options that qualify for capital gains treatment. In Canada, there are generally no holding period requirements or monetary limits that apply in order for the option holder to benefit from capital gains tax rates. Empirical evidence indicates that the vast majority of employees in the United States exercise their options and immediately sell the shares acquired. These “cashless exercises” do not benefit from capital gains treatment in the United States, whereas similar cashless exercises in Canada generally do. This empirical evidence suggests not only that the 2000 budget proposals are unwarranted, but also that the existing treatment of employee stock options in Canada is already more generous than that in the United States. This article begins with a theoretical “benchmark” for the taxation of employee stock options. The author suggests that employee stock options should be treated in the same manner as other income from employment. In theory, the value of the benefit should be included in income when the option is granted or vests. However, owing to the practical difficulty of valuing employee stock options, the theoretical benchmark proposed is that the value of the benefit (the difference between the fair market value of the shares acquired and the strike price under the option) be taxed when the shares are acquired, and the employer be entitled to a corresponding deduction. The employee stock option rules in Canada and the United States are then compared and contrasted with each other and the benchmark treatment. The article then examines the arguments that have been made for favourable treatment of employee stock options. Included in this critique is a review of the recent empirical work on the Canadian brain drain. Empirical studies suggest that the brain drain—if it exists at all—is small and that, despite what many newspapers and right-wing think-tanks would have us believe, lower taxes in the United States are not the cause. One study, concluding that taxes do have an effect on migration, suggests that even if Canada adopted a tax system identical to that in the United States, the brain drain would be reduced by a mere 10 percent. Indeed, even if Canada eliminated income tax altogether, it would not stop the brain drain. If governments here want to spend money in order to stem the brain drain, they should focus on other areas. For example, Canada produces fewer university graduates in the fields of mathematics, sciences, and engineering than any other G7 country except Italy. The short supply of university graduates in these fields, the apparent loss of top-calibre academics to US
universities, and the consequent lower levels of university research in these areas (an important spawning ground for new ideas in the “new” knowledge-based economy) suggest that Canada may be better served by devoting more resources to its university institutions, particularly in post-graduate programs, rather than continuing the current trend of budget cuts that universities have endured and may further endure if taxes are reduced.
As far as employee stock options are concerned, if Canada does want to look to the United States for guidance on tax reform (which it seems to do with increasing frequency of late), it should adopt the US rules applicable to nonstatutory options, which are close to the proposed benchmark treatment. In the absence of preferential tax treatment, employee stock options would still be included in compensation packages provided that there were sound business reasons for their use. No persuasive evidence has been put forward that the use of stock options, in the absence of tax incentives, is suboptimal. Indeed, the US experience suggests quite the opposite.

Relationship between body mass index and the use of healthcare services in Australia

Objective: To examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the use of medical and preventive health services. Research Methods and Procedures: This study involved secondary analysis of weighted data from the Australian 1995 National Health Survey. The study was a population survey designed to obtain national benchmark information about a range of health-related issues. Data were available from 17,033 men and 17,174 women, 20 years or age. BMI, based on self-reported weight and height, was analyzed in relation to the use of medical services and preventive health services. Results: A positive relationship was found between BMI and medical service use, such as medication use, visits to hospital accident and emergency departments (for women only); doctor visits, visits to a hospital outpatient clinics; and visits to other health professionals (for women only). A negative relationship was found in women between BMI and preventive health services. Underweight women were found to be significantly less likely to have Papanicolaou smear tests, breast examinations, and mammograms. Discussion: This research shows that people who fall outside the healthy weight range are more likely to use a range of medical services. Given that the BMI of industrialized populations appears to be increasing, this has important ramifications for health service planning and reinforces the need for obesity prevention strategies at a population level.

RE Kevin and the right of transsexual persons to marry in Australia

This article considers the decision of the Family Court of Australia in Re Kevin (Validity of Marriage of a Transsexual) [2001] FamCA 1074, which was upheld by the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia in February 2003. Re Kevin was the first case in Australia to deal directly with the question of whether a transsexual person could marry under Australian law. In the past, Australia had adhered to the judgement of Ormrod J in Corbett v Corbett [1971] P. 83, which set the benchmark for what is ‘male’ and what is ‘female’ under the common law. Prior to Re Kevin the question of what is a man and what is a woman for the purposes of marriage in Australia mirrored the strict biological test established in Corbett. In other words, the Australian courts relied upon biological factors, as espoused by Ormrod J, when determining a person's true sex. In Re Kevin, Chisholm J examined in detail what it is to be a man or woman, but unlike Ormrod J considered ‘brain sex’ to have a significant impact on a person's view of their own innate sexual identity. The Full Court of the Family Court agreed with the powerful and well-reasoned judgement of Chisholm J at first instance.

Accelerating linear causal model discovery using hoeffding bounds

Efficiently inducing precise causal models accurately reflecting given data sets is the ultimate goal of causal discovery. The algorithms proposed by Dai et al. has demonstrated the ability of the Minimum Message Length (MML) principle in discovering Linear Causal Models from training data. In order to further explore ways to improve efficiency, this paper incorporates the Hoeffding Bounds into the learning process. At each step of causal discovery, if a small number of data items is enough to distinguish the better model from the rest, the computation cost will be reduced by ignoring the other data items. Experiments with data set from related benchmark models indicate that the new algorithm achieves speedup over previous work in terms of learning efficiency while preserving the discovery accuracy.