Search results for: UK-based Goldcrest Film Company

Authors: Chetna Tyagi, Ambuj Tripathi, Devesh Avasthi

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Graphene oxide consists of sp³ hybridization along with sp² hybridization due to the presence of different oxygen-containing functional groups on its edges and basal planes. However, its sp³ / sp² hybridization can be tuned by various methods to utilize it in different applications, like transistors, solar cells and biosensors. Ion beam irradiation can also be one of the methods to optimize sp² and sp³ hybridization ratio for its desirable properties. In this work, graphene oxide films were irradiated with 100 keV Argon ions at different fluences varying from 10¹³ to 10¹⁶ ions/cm². Synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements showed an increase in crystallinity at the low fluence of 10¹³ ions/cm². Raman spectroscopy performed on irradiated samples determined the defects induced by the ion beam qualitatively. Also, identification of different groups and their removal with different fluences was done using Fourier infrared spectroscopy technique.

Keywords: graphene oxide, ion beam irradiation, spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction

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Authors: Hania Pasandi

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Since its publication in 1856, Madame Bovary has established itself as one of the most adapted texts of French literature. Some eighteen film adaptations and twenty-seven rewritings of Madame Bovary in fiction to date shows a great enthusiasm for recreating Flaubert’s masterpiece in a variety of mediums. Posy Simmonds’ 1999 graphic novel, Gemma Bovery stands out among these adaptations as the graphic novel with its visual and narrative structure offers a new reading experience of Madame Bovary, while combining Emma Bovary’s elements with contemporary social, cultural, and artistic discourses. This paper studies the transposition of Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (1857) to late twentieth-century Britain in Posy Simmonds’ 1999 graphic novel, Gemma Bovery by exploring how it borrows the essential flaubertian themes, from its source text to incorporate it with contemporary cultural trends.

Keywords: graphic novel, Gemma Bovery, Madame Bovary, transposition

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Authors: Elahe Zavareian

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Cinema is a powerful medium that can depict and critique sociological and cultural issues, contributing to the expansion of important societal issues and raising awareness. Family crises and challenges are significant concerns faced by societies worldwide. The family serves as the central core for societal formation, and the challenges experienced within this small social group have implications not only for individuals within a country but also for the wider culture. The concept of the family represents the entire society in relation to other countries, shaping ideas and prejudices regarding interpersonal culture and relationships. The representation of society's problems through cinema influences the formation of cultural schemas within the country producing the films and among the societies that view them.

Keywords: interpersonal culture, representation, society, family, cultural schemas

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Authors: Miriam Eduful

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The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is under obligation, demanded by the Public Utility and Regulation Commission to meet set performance indices. However, in certain parts of the country, bamboo related power interruptions have become a challenge. Growth rate of the bamboo is such that the cost of regular vegetation maintenance along route of the overhead power lines has become prohibitive. To address the problem, several methods and techniques of bamboo eradication have being used. Some of these methods involved application of chemical compounds that are considered inimical and dangerous to the environment. In this paper, three methods of bamboo eradication along the route of the ECG overhead power lines have been investigated. A hybrid method has been found to be very effective and ecologically friendly. The method is locally available and comparatively inexpensive to apply.

Keywords: bamboo, eradication, hybrid method, gly gold

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Authors: Ekaterina S. Marchenko, Gulsharat A. Baigonakova, Kirill M. Dubovikov, Igor A. Khlusov

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NiTi alloys combine biomechanical and biochemical properties. This makes them a perfect candidate for medical applications. However, there is a serious problem with these alloys, such as the release of Ni from the matrix. Ni ions are known to be toxic to living tissues and leach from the matrix into the surrounding implant tissues due to corrosion after prolonged use. To prevent the release of Ni ions, corrosive strong coatings are usually used. Titanium nitride-based coatings are perfect corrosion inhibitors and also have good bioactive properties. However, there is an opportunity to improve the biochemical compatibility of the surface by depositing another layer. This layer can consist of elements such as calcium and phosphorus. The Ca and P ions form different calcium phosphate phases, which are present in the mineral part of human bones. We therefore believe that these elements must promote osteogenesis and osteointegration. In view of the above, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of crystallinity on the biocompatibility of a two-layer coating deposited on NiTi substrate by sputtering. The first step of the research, apart from the NiTi polishing, is the layer-by-layer deposition of Ti-Ni-Ti by magnetron sputtering and the subsequent synthesis of this composite in an N atmosphere at 900 °C. The total thickness of the corrosion resistant layer is 150 nm. Plasma assisted RF sputtering was then used to deposit a bioactive film on the titanium nitride layer. A Ca-P powder target was used to obtain such a film. We deposited three types of Ca-P layers with different crystallinity and compared them in terms of cytotoxicity. One group of samples had no Ca-P coating and was used as a control. We obtained different crystallinity by varying the sputtering parameters such as bias voltage, plasma source current and pressure. XRD analysis showed that all coatings are calcium phosphate, but the sample obtained at maximum bias and plasma source current and minimum pressure has the most intense peaks from the coating phase. SEM and EDS showed that all three coatings have a homogeneous and dense structure without cracks and consist of calcium, phosphorus and oxygen. Cytotoxic tests carried out on three types of samples with Ca-P coatings and a control group showed that the control sample and the sample with Ca-P coating obtained at maximum bias voltage and plasma source current and minimum pressure had the lowest number of dead cells on the surface, around 11 ± 4%. Two other types of samples with Ca-P coating have 40 ± 9% and 21 ± 7% dead cells on the surface. It can therefore be concluded that these two sputtering modes have a negative effect on the corrosion resistance of the whole samples. The third sputtering mode does not affect the corrosion resistance and has the same level of cytotoxicity as the control. It can be concluded that the most suitable sputtering mode is the third with maximum bias voltage and plasma source current and minimum pressure.

Keywords: calcium phosphate coating, cytotoxicity, NiTi alloy, two-layer coating

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Authors: G. Sivakumar, T. Pratyusha, D. Gupta, W. Shen

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To get ohmic contact between the cathode and organic semiconductor, transport layers are introduced between the active layer and the electrodes. Generally zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are used as electron transport layer. When electron transport layer is doped with lithium, the resultant film exhibited superior electronic properties, which enables faster electron transport. Doping is accomplished by heat treatment of films with Lithium salts. Li-doped films. We fabricated organic solar cell using PTB7(poly(3-hexylthiopene-2,5- diyl):PCBM(phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester) and found that the solar cells prepared using Li doped films had better performance in terms of efficiency when compared to the undoped transport layers.

Keywords: electron transport layer, higher efficiency, lithium doping, ohmic contact

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Authors: G. Rosaz, V. Semblanet, S. Calatroni, A. Sublet, M. Taborelli

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We report in this paper the design and qualification of a cylindrical unbalanced magnetron source. The dedicated magnetic assemblies were simulated using a finite element model. A hall-effect magnetic probe was then used to characterize those assemblies and compared to the theoretical magnetic profiles. These show a good agreement between the expected and actual values. The qualification of the different magnetic assemblies was then performed by measuring the ion flux density reaching the surface of the sample to be coated using a commercial retarding field energy analyzer. The strongest unbalanced configuration shows an increase from 0.016 A.cm^-2 to 0.074 A.cm^-2 of the ion flux density reaching the sample surface compared to the standard balanced configuration for a pressure 5.10^-3 mbar and a plasma source power of 300 W.

Keywords: ion energy distribution function, magnetron sputtering, niobium, unbalanced, SRF cavities, thin film

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Authors: P. Hemalatha, Deepalekshmi Ponnamma, Mariam Al Ali Al-Maadeed

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The Poly(vinylideneflouride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP)/ zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposites films were successfully prepared by mixing the fine ZnO particles into PVDF-HFP solution followed by film casting and sandwich techniques. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the structure and properties of the obtained nanocomposites. The dielectric properties of the PVDF-HFP/ZnO nanocomposites were analyzed in detail. In comparison with pure PVDF-HFP, the dielectric constant of the nanocomposite (1wt% ZnO) was significantly improved. The piezoelectric co-efficients of the nanocomposites films were measured. Experimental results revealed the influence of filler on the properties of PVDF-HFP and enhancement in the output performance and dielectric properties reflects the ability for energy storage capabilities.

Keywords: dielectric constant, hydrothermal, nanoflowers, organic compounds

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Authors: Shahla Hajializadeh, Maryam Hamedanlou

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Multiwall carbon nanotubes were chemically modified with amide groups for the purpose of enhancing their chemical affinity with waterborne polyurethane. In this study, a thermoplastic nanocomposite containing functionalized multiwall carbon nanotube/waterborne polyurethane (WBPU/MWNT) via in situ polymerization has been prepared. The impacts of MWNT addition on the morphology and electrical properties of nanocomposites were investigated. Micrographs of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) prove that functionalized CNT can be effectively dispersed in WBPU matrix. The electrical conductivity of nanocomposites increased with the CNT contents in as such the nanocomposites containing 1 wt% of MWNT exhibited a conductivity nearly five orders of magnitude higher than the WBPU film.

Keywords: chemical functionalization, electrical properties, in situ polymerization, morphology, multiwall carbon nanotubes, waterborne polyurethane

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Authors: Giuseppe Maria Russo, Patrícia Amélia Tomei, Antônio Linhares, André Moreira Santos

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Alignment between management strategies, policies and practices with organizational cultures holds great potential to meet the challenges of retaining professionals and maintaining their commitment. In this article, authors consider that when it is aligned with company strategy, compensation acts as an incentive for developing common visions within the organizational culture. This article verified the correlation between types of culture and compensation’s strategic components and provided inputs for the definition of strategies aligned with cultural typologies. We conclude that the impact of compensation variables varies according to the type of organizational culture. This result reinforces the theory that different cultures define different organizational strategies. Thus, compensation strategies may explain types of organizational culture.

Keywords: compensation, Handy’s cultural typology, organizational culture, rewards

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Authors: R. K. Saket, K. S. Anand Kumar

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This paper presents an innovative 3-wire capacitor circuit system used to increase the efficiency and comfort improvement of permanent split-capacitor ceiling fan. In this innovative circuit, current has been reduced to save electrical power. The system could be used to replace standard single phase motor 2-wire capacitor configuration by cost effective split value X rated of optimized AC capacitors with the auxiliary winding to provide reliable ceiling fan operation and improved machine performance to save power. In basic system operations, comparisons with conventional ceiling fan are described.

Keywords: permanent split-capacitor motor, innovative 3-wire capacitor circuit system, standard 2-wire capacitor circuit system, metalized film X-rated capacitor

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Authors: Ernest Nweke

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Mongolia has made giant strides in the development of its auditing and accounting system from Soviet-style to a market-oriented system. High levels of domestic and foreign investment desired by the Mongolian government require that better and improved quality of corporate information and disclosure consistent with international standards be made available to investors. However, the Mongolian Certified Public Accountants (CPA) profession is still developing, and the quality of services provided by accounting firms in most cases do not comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) framework approved by the government for use in financial reporting. Against this backdrop, Accounting and audit reforms, liberalization and deregulation, establishment of an efficient and effective professional monitoring and supervision regime are policy necessities. These will further enhance the Mongolian business environment, eliminate incompetence in the system, make the economy more attractive to investors and ultimately lift reporting standards and bring about improved accounting, auditing and disclosure practices among Mongolian firms. This paper examines the fundamental issues in the accounting and auditing environment in Mongolia and investigates the relationship between selected characteristics of Mongolian Stock Exchange (MSE) listed firms (profitability, leverage, firm size, firm auditor size, firm listing age, board size and proportion of independent directors) and voluntary accounting disclosures in their annual reports and accounts. The selected sample of firms for the research purpose consists of the top 20 indexes of the MSE, representing over 95% of the market capitalization. An empirical analysis of the hypothesized relationship was carried out using multiple regression in EViews analytical software. Research results lend credence to the fact that only a few of the company attributes positively impact voluntary accounting disclosures in Mongolian Stock Exchange-listed firms. The research is motivated by the absence of empirical evidence on the correlation between the quality of voluntary accounting disclosures made by listed companies in Mongolia and company characteristics and the findings thereof significantly useful to both firms and regulatory authorities. The concluding part of the paper precisely consists of useful research-based recommendations for listed firms and regulatory agencies on measures to put in place in order to enhance the quality of corporate financial reporting and disclosures in Mongolia.

Keywords: accounting, auditing, corporate disclosure, listed firms

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Authors: Emily Gould, Walter Wehremeyer, David Greaves, Rodney Turtle

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This paper considers current thinking on the pathway for electric vehicles, identifying the development blocks of alternative innovation within the market and analyse technological lock-in. The relationship between transition pathways and technological lock-in is largely under-researched particularly in the field of e-mobility. This paper is based on a study with three commercial-urban fleets that examines strategic decisions in new technology adaption alongside vehicle procurement and driver perspective. The paper will analyse the fleet’s decision matrix upon electric vehicles and seek to understand the influence of company culture, strategy and technology applicability, within the context of transition pathways.

Keywords: electric vehicles, fleets, path dependencies, transition pathways

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Authors: Sharanya C. H., Pragathi M., Vathsala R. S., Theja K. V., Yashaswini S.

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Identifying counterfeit products have become increasingly important in the product manufacturing industries in recent decades. This current ongoing product issue of counterfeiting has an impact on company sales and profits. To address the aforementioned issue, a functional blockchain technology was implemented, which effectively prevents the product from being counterfeited. By utilizing the blockchain technology, consumers are no longer required to rely on third parties to determine the authenticity of the product being purchased. Blockchain is a distributed database that stores data records known as blocks and several databases known as chains across various networks. Counterfeit products are identified using a QR code reader, and the product's QR code is linked to the blockchain management system. It compares the unique code obtained from the customer to the stored unique code to determine whether or not the product is original.

Keywords: blockchain, ethereum, QR code

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Authors: Selma Saadia, Nacira Naar, Ahmed Benaboura

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This work is dedicated to the elaboration of composites (PP/PANI) with Polypropylene (PP) as thermoplastic polymer and the polyaniline (PANI) as electric charge doped with sulfanilic acid (PANI-As). These realized formulations are intended for the antistatic domain. The used conductive polymer is synthesized by the method self-curling which proved the obtaining of the nanoparticles of PANI in regular morphological forms. The PANI and PP composites are fabricated into a film by a twin-screw extruding. Several methods of characterization are proposed: spectroscopic, thermal, and electric. The realized composites proved a pseudo-homogeneous aspect and the threshold percolation study, showed that the formulation with 7% of PANI presents a better formulation which can be used in the antistatic domain.

Keywords: extruding, PANI, Polypropylene, sulfanilic acid, self-Curling

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Authors: Katherine Anson

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This paper takes a closer look at the use of day-to-day informal working practices in Latin American spatial, cultural activism against gentrification. Through a discursive analysis of the Ecuadorian communally made film documentary San Roque: A House for All (2015), and the study of the political conflict around the gentrification of the place, the essay illustrates how the purposeful showcase of indigenous uses of space claims ownership over the city’s downtown area. This argument concludes that by making visible everyday indigenous ways of production in relation to space, the video contests the neoliberalist aim to proletarianize the urban poor, and therefore, to transform them into a landless group. This approach demonstrates that through representations of their own cultural working practices grassroots organizations consciously deconstruct/contest the capitalist urbanization of space.

Keywords: cultural activism, gentrification, indigenous working traditions, neoliberalism, urban displacement, everyday forms of resistance

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Authors: Jeroen Rotteveel, Zeger De Groot

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The small satellite community is more and more aware of the need to start operating responsibly and sustainably in order to secure the use of outer space in the long run. On the technical side, many debris mitigation techniques have been investigated and demonstrated on board small satellites, showing that technically, a lot of things can be done to curb the growth of space debris and operate more responsible. However, in the absence of strict laws and constraints, one cannot help but wonder what the incentive is to incur significant costs (paying for debris mitigation systems and the launch mass of these systems) and to lose performance onboard resource limited small satellites (mass, volume, power)? Many small satellite developers are operating under tight budgets, either from their sponsors (in case of academic and research projects) or from their investors (in case of startups). As long as it is not mandatory to act more responsibly, we might need to consider the implementation of incentives to stimulate developers to accommodate deorbiting modules, etc. ISISPACE joined the NetZeroSpace initiative in 2021 with the aim to play its role in secure the use of low earth orbit for the next decades by facilitating more sustainable use of space. The company is in a good position as both a satellite builder, a rideshare launch provider, and a technology development company. ISISPACE operates under one of the stricter space laws in the world in terms of maximum orbital lifetime and has been active in various debris mitigation and debris removal in-orbit demonstration missions in the past 10 years. ISISPACE proposes to introduce together with launch partners and regulators an incentive scheme for CubeSat developers to baseline debris mitigation systems on board their CubeSats in such a way that is does not impose too many additional costs to the project. Much like incentives to switch to electric cars or install solar panels on your house, such an incentive can help to increase market uptake of behavior or solutions prior to legislation or bans of certain practices. This can be achieved by: Introducing an extended launch volume in CubeSat deployers to accommodate debris mitigation systems without compromising available payload space for the payload of the main mission Not charging the fee for the launch mass for the additional debris mitigation module Whenever possible, find ways to further co-fund the purchase price, or otherwise reduce the cost of flying debris mitigation modules onboard the CubeSats. The paper will outline the framework of such an incentive scheme and provides ISISPACE’s way forward to make this happen in the near future.

Keywords: netZerospace, cubesats, debris mitigation, small satellite community

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Authors: Shahpar Yilmaz, Yasir Nadeem, Syed A. Mehdi

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Searching for a record in a dataset is always a frequent task for any data structure-related application. Hence, a fast and efficient algorithm for the approach has its importance in yielding the quickest results and enhancing the overall productivity of the company. Interpolation search is one such technique used to search through a sorted set of elements. This paper proposes a new algorithm, an advancement over interpolation search for the application of search over a sorted array. Pattern Recognition Search or PR Search (PRS), like interpolation search, is a pattern-based divide and conquer algorithm whose objective is to reduce the sample size in order to quicken the process and it does so by treating the array as a perfect arithmetic progression series and thereby deducing the key element’s position. We look to highlight some of the key drawbacks of interpolation search, which are accounted for in the Pattern Recognition Search.

Keywords: array, complexity, index, sorting, space, time

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Authors: Yu-Kuei Hsu, Yan-Gu Lin

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A facile and simple fabrication of copper(II) oxide (CuO) nanosheet on copper foil as nanoelectrode for H2O2 sensing application was proposed in this study. The spontaneous formation of CuO nanosheets by immersing the copper foil into 0.1 M NaOH aqueous solution for 48 hrs was carried out at room temperature. The sheet-like morphology with several ten nanometers in thickness and ~500 nm in width was observed by SEM. Those nanosheets were confirmed the monoclinic-phase CuO by the structural analysis of XRD and Raman spectra. The directly grown CuO nanosheets film is mechanically stable and offers an excellent electrochemical sensing platform. The CuO nanosheets electrode shows excellent electrocatalytic response to H2O2 with significantly lower overpotentials for its oxidation and reduction and also exhibits a fast response and high sensitivity for the amperometric detection of H2O2. The novel spontaneously grown CuO nanosheets electrode is readily applicable to other analytes and has great potential applications in the electrochemical detection.

Keywords: CuO, nanosheets, H2O2 detection, Cu foil

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Authors: Mohit Batra, Noel Sarkar, Jayeeta Mitra

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In this study silica nanoparticles were synthesized using different methods and different silica sources namely Tetraethyl ortho silicate (TEOS), Sodium Silicate, Rice husk while chitosan nanoparticles were prepared with ionic gelation method using Sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). Size and texture of silica nanoparticles were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) along with the effect of change in concentration of various reagents in different synthesis processes. Size and dispersion of Silica nanoparticles prepared from TEOS using stobber’s method were found better than other methods while nanoparticles prepared using rice husk were cheaper than other ones. Catalyst found to play a very significant role in controlling the size of nanoparticles in all methods.

Keywords: silica nanoparticles, gelatin, bio-nanocomposites, SEM, TEM, chitosan

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Authors: Ewa Rak

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This paper utilises literature studies and author’s research conducted in small enterprises using survey. The purpose of the study is to identify conditions of employee development in small enterprises. More specifically, it will be barriers to employee development, needs for development expressed by interested employees themselves and the attitude of the company to employee development. Moreover, the enterprises participation in funding and initiating development activities will be presented. Paper presents the results of comparative studies conducted with employees of small enterprises in Poland and Finland in 2015-2016.

Keywords: employee development, Finland, human resources development, Poland, small enterprises

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Authors: Amira Amamou, Mnaouar Chouchane

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This paper investigates the bifurcation and nonlinear behavior of two degrees of freedom model of a symmetrical balanced rigid rotor supported by two identical journal bearings. The fluid film hydrodynamic reactions are modeled by applying both the short and the long bearing approximation and using half Sommerfeld solution. A numerical integration of equations of the journal centre motion is presented to predict the presence and the size of stable or unstable limit cycles in the neighborhood of the stability critical speed. For their stability margins, a continuation method based on the predictor-corrector mechanism is used. The numerical results of responses show that stability and bifurcation behaviors of periodic motions depend strongly on bearing parameters and its dynamic characteristics.

Keywords: hydrodynamic journal bearing, nonlinear stability, continuation method, bifurcations

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Authors: Irina P. Starodubtseva, Aleksandr N. Pavlenko

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Quenching is a term generally accepted for the process of rapid cooling of a solid that is overheated above the thermodynamic limit of the liquid superheat. The main objective of many previous studies on quenching is to find a way to reduce the total time of the transient process. Computational experiments were performed to simulate quenching by a falling liquid nitrogen film of an extremely overheated vertical copper plate with a structured capillary-porous coating. The coating was produced by directed plasma spraying. Due to the complexities in physical pattern of quenching from chaotic processes to phase transition, the mechanism of heat transfer during quenching is still not sufficiently understood. To our best knowledge, no information exists on when and how the first stable liquid-solid contact occurs and how the local contact area begins to expand. Here we have more models and hypotheses than authentically established facts. The peculiarities of the quench front dynamics and heat transfer in the transient process are studied. The created numerical model determines the quench front velocity and the temperature fields in the heater, varying in space and time. The dynamic pattern of the running quench front obtained numerically satisfactorily correlates with the pattern observed in experiments. Capillary-porous coatings with straight and reverse orientation of crests are investigated. The results show that the cooling rate is influenced by thermal properties of the coating as well as the structure and geometry of the protrusions. The presence of capillary-porous coating significantly affects the dynamics of quenching and reduces the total quenching time more than threefold. This effect is due to the fact that the initialization of a quench front on a plate with a capillary-porous coating occurs at a temperature significantly higher than the thermodynamic limit of the liquid superheat, when a stable solid-liquid contact is thermodynamically impossible. Waves present on the liquid-vapor interface and protrusions on the complex micro-structured surface cause destabilization of the vapor film and the appearance of local liquid-solid micro-contacts even though the average integral surface temperature is much higher than the liquid superheat limit. The reliability of the results is confirmed by direct comparison with experimental data on the quench front velocity, the quench front geometry, and the surface temperature change over time. Knowledge of the quench front velocity and total time of transition process is required for solving practically important problems of nuclear reactors safety.

Keywords: capillary-porous coating, heat transfer, Leidenfrost phenomenon, numerical simulation, quenching

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Authors: Talha Sareshwala

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The purpose of this research paper is to help entrepreneurs build an environment of trust, transparency and accountability necessary for fostering long term investment, financial stability and business integrity and to guide future Entrepreneurs into a promising future. The study presents a broader review on Corporate Governance, starting from its definition and antecedents. This is the most important aspect of ethical business. In fact, the 3 main pillars of corporate governance are: Transparency; Accountability; Security. The combination of these 3 pillars in running a company successfully and forming solid professional relationships among its stakeholders, which includes key managerial employees and, most important, the shareholders This paper is sharing an experience how an entrepreneur can act as a catalyst while ensuring them that ethics and transparency do pay in business when followed in true spirit and action.

Keywords: business, entrepreneur, ethics, governance, transparency.

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Authors: Elif Esiyok

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Brand placement practices have become a popular advertising strategy, which is widely used in movies. Whether these brands are remembered by the audience after the film, or if they affect the purchasing preferences of the consumers has become one of the most important topics in the field of advertising. From this point, in this study, the "Devil Wears Prada" movie which includes high amount of brand placements is chosen. The movie watched to the undergraduate students in Turkey to measure the impact of brand placements on the attitudes of the consumers relating with a specific brand. In total 100 students were the subjects of this study. The participants were selected through using a simple random sampling method. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference between male and females in terms of brand recall. Female students were remembered the fashion brands more than the males, whereas males generally recalled the automotive brands and restaurant names.

Keywords: brand placement, brand recall, advertising, media

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Authors: George Nyori Makari, J. M. Ogola

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Over the past few decades, manufacturing has evolved from a more labor-intensive set of mechanical processes to a sophisticated set of information based technology processes. With the existence of various advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs), more and more functions or jobs are performed by these machines instead of human labour. This study was undertaken in order to research the extent of AMTs adoption in manufacturing companies in Kenya. In order to investigate a survey was conducted via questionnaires that were sent to 183 selected AMT manufacturing companies in Kenya. 92 companies responded positively. All the surveyed companies were found to have a measure of investment in at least two of the 14 types of AMTs investigated. In general the company surveyed showed that the level of AMT adoption in Kenya is very low with investments levels at a mean of 2.057 and integration levels at a mean of 1.639 in a scale of 1-5.

Keywords: AMT adoption, AMT investments, AMT integration, companies in Kenya

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Authors: A. Attaf A., I. Bouhaf Kharkhachi

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Spray ultrasonic deposition technique of tin disulfide (SnS2) thin films know wide application due to their adequate physicochemical properties for microelectronic applications and especially for solar cells. SnS2 film was deposited by spray ultrasonic technique, on pretreated glass substrates at well-determined conditions.The effect of SnS2 concentration on different optical properties of SnS2 Thin films, such us MEB, XRD, and UV spectroscopy visible spectrum was investigated. MEB characterization technique shows that the morphology of this films is uniform, compact and granular. x-ray diffraction study detects the best growth crystallinity in hexagonal structure with preferential plan (001). The results of UV spectroscopy visible spectrum show that films deposited at 0.1 mol/l is large transmittance greater than 25% in the visible region.The band gap energy is 2.54 Ev for molarity 0.1 mol/l.

Keywords: MEB, thin disulfide, thin films, ultrasonic spray, X-Ray diffraction, UV spectroscopy visible

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Authors: M. Tammaro, S. Manzo, J. Rimauro, A. Salluzzo, S. Schiavo

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The solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are considered to have a negligible environmental impact compared to the fossil energy. Therefore also the waste management and the corresponding potential environmental hazard needs to be considered. The case of the photovoltaic panel is unique because the time lag from the manufacturing to the decommissioning as waste usually takes 25-30 years. Then the environmental hazard associated with end life of PV panels has been largely related to their metal contents. The principal concern regards the presence of heavy metals as Cd in thin film (TF) modules or Pb and Cr in crystalline silicon (c-Si) panels. At the end of life of PV panels, these dangerous substances could be released in the environment, if special requirements for their disposal are not adopted. Nevertheless, in literature, only a few experimental study about metal emissions from silicon crystalline/thin film panels and the corresponding environmental effect are present. As part of a study funded by the Italian national consortium for the waste collection and recycling (COBAT), the present work was aimed to analyze experimentally the potential release into the environment of hazardous elements, particularly metals, from PV waste. In this paper, for the first time, eighteen releasable metals a large number of photovoltaic panels, by c-Si and TF, manufactured in the last 30 years, together with the environmental effects by a battery of ecotoxicological tests, were investigated. Leaching tests are conducted on the crushed samples of PV module. The test is conducted according to Italian and European Standard procedure for hazard assessment of the granular waste and of the sludge. The sample material is shaken for 24 hours in HDPE bottles with an overhead mixer Rotax 6.8 VELP at indoor temperature and using pure water (18 MΩ resistivity) as leaching solution. The liquid-to-solid ratio was 10 (L/S=10, i.e. 10 liters of water per kg of solid). The ecotoxicological tests were performed in the subsequent 24 hours. A battery of toxicity test with bacteria (Vibrio fisheri), algae (Pseudochirneriella subcapitata) and crustacea (Daphnia magna) was carried out on PV panel leachates obtained as previously described and immediately stored in dark and at 4°C until testing (in the next 24 hours). For understand the actual pollution load, a comparison with the current European and Italian benchmark limits was performed. The trend of leachable metal amount from panels in relation to manufacturing years was then highlighted in order to assess the environmental sustainability of PV technology over time. The experimental results were very heterogeneous and show that the photovoltaic panels could represent an environmental hazard. The experimental results showed that the amounts of some hazardous metals (Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni), for c-Si and TF, exceed the law limits and they are a clear indication of the potential environmental risk of photovoltaic panels "as a waste" without a proper management.

Keywords: photovoltaic panel, environment, ecotoxicity, metals emission

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Authors: Wee Tong Liaw, Elaine Wong Yee Sing

Abstract:

The main objective and focus of this study are to establish the significance of a sustained health promoting workplace on stock and portfolio returns focusing on companies listed on the Singapore stock exchange, using a two-factor model comprising of the single factor CAPM and a 'health promoting workplace' factor. The 'health promoting workplace' factor represents the excess returns derived between two portfolios of component stocks that, when combined, would represent a top tier stock market index in Singapore, namely the STI index. The first portfolio represents companies that are independently assessed by the Singapore’s Health Award, SHA, to have a sustained and comprehensive health promoting workplace (SHA-STI portfolio) and the second portfolio represents companies that had not been independently assessed (Non-SHA STI portfolio). Since 2001, many companies in Singapore have voluntarily participated in the bi-annual Singapore HEALTH Award initiated by the Health Promotion Board of Singapore (HPB). The Singapore HEALTH Award (SHA), is an industry-wide award and assessment process. SHA assesses and recognizes employers in Singapore for implementing a comprehensive and sustainable health promotion programme at their workplaces. When using a ten year holding period instead of a one year holding period, excess returns in the SHA-STI portfolio over Non-SHA STI portfolio were consistently being observed over all test periods, during 2001 to 2013. In addition, when applied to the SHA-STI portfolio, results from the Two Factor Model consistently revealed higher explanatory powers across all test periods for the portfolio as well as all the individual component stocks in SHA-STI portfolio, than the single factor CAPM model. However, with respect to attaining higher level of achievement in the Singapore Health Award, this study did not show any incentive for selecting listed companies that have achieved a higher level of award. Results from this study would give further insights to investors and fund managers alike who intend to consider health promoting workplace as a risk factor in their stock or portfolio selection process, in particular for investors who have a preference for STI’s component stocks and with a longer investment horizon. Key micro factors like management abilities, business development strategies and production capabilities that meet the needs of market would create the demand for a company’s product(s) or service(s) and consequently contribute to its top line and profitability. Thereafter, the existence of a sustainable health promoting workplace would be a key catalytic factor in sustaining a productive workforce needed to support the continued success of a profitable business.

Keywords: asset pricing model, company's performance, stock returns, financial risk factor, sustained health promoting workplace

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Authors: Bongsu Choi, Tae-Ho Song

Abstract:

Vacuum insulation panel (VIP) is a promising thermal insulator for buildings, refrigerator, LNG carrier and so on. In general, it has the thermal conductivity of 2~4 mW/m•K. However, this thermal conductivity is that measured at the center of VIP. The total effective thermal conductivity of VIP is larger than this value due to the edge conduction through the envelope. In this paper, the edge conduction of VIP is examined theoretically, numerically and experimentally. To confirm the existence of the edge conduction, numerical analysis is performed for simple two-dimensional VIP model and a theoretical model is proposed to calculate the edge conductivity. Also, the edge conductivity is measured using the vacuum guarded hot plate and the experiment is validated against numerical analysis. The results show that the edge conductivity is dependent on the width of panel and thickness of Al-foil. To reduce the edge conduction, it is recommended that the VIP should be made as big as possible or made of thin Al film envelope.

Keywords: envelope, edge conduction, thermal conductivity, vacuum insulation panel

Procedia PDF Downloads 406