Search results for: performance evaluation

Authors: Bouhenni Mohamed Saif El Islam

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In the recent years, the dry reforming of methane has received considerable attention from an environmental view point because it consumes and eliminates two gases (CH4 and CO2) responsible for global warming by greenhouse effect. Many catalysts containing noble metal (Rh, Ru, Pd, Pt and Ir) or transition metal (Ni, Co and Fe) have been reported to be active in this reaction. Compared to noble metals, Ni-materials are cheap but very easily deactivated by coking. Ni-based mixed oxides structurally well-defined like perovskites and spinels are being studied because they possibly make solid solutions and allow to vary the composition and thus the performances properties. In this work, nano-sized nickel ferrite oxides are synthesized using three different methods: Co-precipitation (CP), hydrothermal (HT) and sol gel (SG) methods and characterized by XRD, Raman, XPS, BET, TPR, SEM-EDX and TEM-EDX. XRD patterns of all synthesized oxides showed the presence of NiFe2O4 spinel, confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Hematite was present only in CP sample. Depending on the synthesis method, the surface area, particle size, as well as the surface Ni/Fe atomic ratio (XPS) and the behavior upon reduction varied. The materials were tested in methane dry reforming with CO2 at 1 atm and 650-800 °C. The catalytic activity of the spinel samples was not very high (XCH4 = 5-20 mol% and XCO2 = 25-40 mol %) when no pre-reduction step was carried out. A significant contribution of RWGS explained the low values of H2/CO ratio obtained. The reoxidation step of the catalyst carried out after reaction showed little amounts of coke deposition. The reducing pretreatment was particularly efficient in the case of SG (XCH4 = 80 mol% and XCO2 = 92 mol%, at 800 °C), with H2/CO > 1. In conclusion, the influence of preparation was strong for most samples and the catalytic behavior could be interpreted by considering the distribution of cations among octahedral (Oh) and tetrahedral (Td) sites as in (Ni2+1-xFe3+x)Td (Ni2+xFe3+2-x)OhO2-4 influenced the reducibility of materials and thus their catalytic performance.

Keywords: NiFe2O4, dry reforming of methane, spinel oxide, XCO2

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Authors: Mary Allagoa, Abir Al-Tabbaa

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The study explores the use of binders and additives, such as Portland cement, pulverized fuel ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, and MgO, to decrease the concentration and leachability of pollutants in contaminated site soils. The research investigates their effectiveness and associated risks of using the binders, with a focus on Total Heavy metals (THM) and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH). The goal of this research is to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of binders and additives in remediating soil pollutants. The study aims to assess the suitability of the mixtures for ground improvement purposes, determine the optimal dosage, and investigate the associated risks. The research utilizes physical (unconfined compressive strength) and chemical tests (batch leachability test) to assess the efficacy of the binders and additives. A completely randomized design one-way ANOVA is used to determine the significance within mix binders of THM. The study also employs incremental lifetime cancer risk assessments (ILCR) and other indexes to evaluate the associated risks. The study finds that Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS): MgO is the most effective binder for remediation, particularly when using low dosages of MgO combined with higher dosages of GGBS binders on TPH. The results indicate that binders and additives can encapsulate and immobilize pollutants, thereby reducing their leachability and toxicity. The mean unconfined compressive strength of the soil ranges from 285.0- 320.5 kPa, while THM levels are less than 10 µg/l in GGBS: MgO and CEM: PFA but below 1 µg/l in CEM I based. The ILCR ranged from 6.77E-02 - 2.65E-01 and 5.444E-01 – 3.20 E+00, with the highest values observed under extreme conditions. The hazard index (HI), Risk allowable daily dose intake (ADI), and Risk chronic daily intake (CDI) were all less than 1 for the THM. The study identifies MgO as the best additive for use in soil remediation.

Keywords: risk ADI, risk CDI, ILCR, novel binders, additives binders, hazard index

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Authors: Mitansha, Suzanne Wilkinson, Regan Potangaroa

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The built environment is designed, maintained, operated, and decommissioned by construction organisations, which play a significant role in providing physical resources and rebuilding infrastructures during major crises and disasters. It is evident that enhancing the resilience of construction organisations allows better responding ability and speedy recovery from disasters and acts as a boon for the nation in the face of significant disruptions. As individuals are the integral component of any organisation, hence, individual resilience is considered a critical aspect, which may boost organisational resilience of construction sector. It has been observed that individual resilience is indirectly supported by organisation’s citizenship behaviour, job performance, and career success. Not only this, it also tends to hold a directly proportional relation with job satisfaction, physical and emotional well-being affected by organisation’s work culture, whereas the resilience of organisation increases as a result of positive adaption, growth and collective learning of the employees as an entity. Moreover, indicators like Situation awareness in staff and crisis related issues, effective vulnerability management, organisational leadership and culture ensured by approachable, encouraging and people-oriented leaders, are prominent for achieving organisational resilience. It, thus, becomes perceptible that both, organisational and individual resiliencies have the potential to influence each other. Consequently, it arises a major question that how these characteristics are associated and tend to behave with respect to each other The study, thus, aims to explore the overlapping dimensions of organisational and individual resilience to determine the impact boundaries. The research methodology of the paper would be based on systematic literature review specifically focused on the resilience of construction industry. This would provide a direct comparison of characteristics influencing individual and organisational resilience and will present the most significant indicators of individual resilience, that can eventually help to enhance the resilience of construction organisations amidst any disaster or crisis.

Keywords: construction industry, individual resilience, organizational resilience, overlapping dimension

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Authors: Sadman Durlov, Aditya Ganesh-Ram, Hamidreza Hekmatjou, Md Najmus Salehin, Nora Shayesteh Ameri

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In the field of additive manufacturing, tungsten stands out for its exceptional resistance to high temperatures, making it an ideal candidate for use in extreme conditions. However, its inherent brittleness and vulnerability to thermal cracking pose significant challenges to its manufacturability. This study explores the microstructural evolution of tungsten processed through layer-wise rolling in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing, utilizing a comprehensive approach that combines advanced simulation techniques with empirical research. We aim to uncover the complex processes of plastic deformation and microstructural transformations, with a particular focus on the dynamics of grain size, boundary evolution, and phase distribution. Our methodology employs a combination of simulation and experimental data, allowing for a detailed comparison that elucidates the key mechanisms influencing microstructural alterations during the rolling process. This approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the material's behavior under additive manufacturing conditions, specifically in terms of deformation and recrystallization. The insights derived from this research not only deepen our theoretical knowledge but also provide actionable strategies for refining manufacturing parameters to improve the tungsten components' mechanical properties and functional performance. By integrating simulation with practical experimentation, this study significantly enhances the field of materials science, offering a robust framework for the development of durable materials suited for challenging operational environments. Our findings pave the way for optimizing additive manufacturing techniques and expanding the use of tungsten across various demanding sectors.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, layer wise rolling, refractory materials, in-situ microstructure modifications

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Authors: Léa Chawki, Émilie Cappe

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Context: Nowadays, supporting parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and helping them adjust to their child’s condition represents a core clinical and scientific necessity and is encouraged by the French National Strategy for Autism (2018). In France, ASD remains a challenging condition, causing distress, segregation and social stigma to concerned family members concerned by this handicap. The literature highlights that neurodevelopmental disorders in children, such as ASD, influence parental well-being. This impact could be different according to parents’ culture and the child’s particular disorder manifestation, such as developmental coordination disorder (DCC), for instance. Objectives: This present study aims to explore parental stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as the quality of life in parents of children with ASD or DCD, as well as the explicit individual, psychosocial and cultural factors of parental well-being. Methods: Participants will be recruited through diagnostic centers, child and specialized adolescent units, and organizations representing families with ASD and DCD. Our sample will include five groups of 150 parents: four groups of parents having children with ASD – one living in France, one in the US, one in Canada and the other in Lebanon – and one group of French parents of children with DCD. Self-evaluation measures will be filled directly by parents in order to measure parental stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, quality of life, coping and emotional regulation strategies, internalized stigma, perceived social support, the child’s problem behaviors severity, as well as motor coordination deficits in children with ASD and DCD. A sociodemographic questionnaire will help collect additional useful data regarding participants and their children. Individual and semi-structured research interviews will be conducted to complete quantitative data by further exploring participants’ distinct experiences related to parenting a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder. An interview grid, specially designed for the needs of this study, will strengthen the comparison between the experiences of parents of children with ASD with those of parents of children with DCD. It will also help investigate cultural differences regarding parent support policies in the context of raising a child with ASD. Moreover, interviews will help clarify the link between certain research variables (behavioral differences between ASD and DCD, family leisure activities, family and children’s extracurricular life, etc.) and parental well-being. Research perspectives: Results of this study will provide a more holistic understanding of the roles of individual, psychosocial and cultural variables related to parental well-being. Thus, this study will help direct the implementation of support services offered to families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD and DCD). Also, the implications of this study are essential in order to guide families through changes related to public policies assisting neurodevelopmental disorders and other disabilities. The between-group comparison (ASD and DCD) is also expected to help clarify the origins of all the different challenges encountered by those families. Hence, it will be interesting to investigate whether complications perceived by parents are more likely to arise from child-symptom severity, or from the lack of support obtained from health and educational systems.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, cross-cultural, cross-disorder, developmental coordination delay, well-being

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Authors: Faisal A. Salih

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Vinpocetine (Vin) is an ethyl ester of apovincamic acid and is a semisynthetic derivative of vincamine, an alkaloid from plants of the genus Periwinkle (plant) vinca minor. It was found that this compound stimulates cerebral metabolism: it increases the uptake of glucose and oxygen, as well as the consumption of these substances by the brain tissue. Vinpocetine enhances the flow of blood in the brain and has a vasodilating, antihypertensive, and antiplatelet effect. Vinpocetine seems to improve the human ability to acquire new memories and restore memories that have been lost. This drug has been clinically used for the treatment of cerebrovascular disorders such as stroke and dementia memory disorders, as well as in ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology. It has no side effects, and no toxicity has been reported when using vinpocetine for a long time. For the quantitative determination of Vin in dosage forms, the HPLC methods are generally used. A promising alternative is potentiometry with Vin- selective electrode, which does not require expensive equipment and materials. Another advantage of the potentiometric method is that the pills and solutions for injections can be used directly without separation from matrix components, which reduces both analysis time and cost. In this study, it was found that the choice of a good plasticizer an electrode with the following membrane composition: PVC (32.8 wt.%), ortho-nitrophenyl octyl ether (66.6 wt.%), tetrakis-4-chlorophenyl borate (0.6 wt.%) exhibits excellent analytical performance: lower detection limit (LDL) 1.2•10⁻⁷ M, linear response range (LRR) 1∙10⁻³–3.9∙10⁻⁶ M, the slope of the electrode function 56.2±0.2 mV/decade). Vin masses per average tablet weight determined by direct potentiometry (DP) and potentiometric titration (PT) methods for the two different sets of 10 tablets were (100.35±0.2–100.36±0.1) mg for two sets of blister packs. The mass fraction of Vin in individual tablets, determined using DP, was (9.87 ± 0.02–10.16 ±0.02) mg, while the RSD was (0.13–0.35%). The procedure has very good reproducibility, and excellent compliance with the declared amounts was observed.

Keywords: vinpocetine, potentiometry, ion selective electrode, pharmaceutical analysis

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Authors: Alondra Balbuena Medina, Carlos Diaz Delgado, Aleida Yadira Vilchis Fránces

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In Mexico, each year news is disseminated about the ravages of floods, such as the total loss of housing, damage to the fields; the increase of the costs of the food, derived from the losses of the harvests, coupled with health problems such as skin infection, etc. In addition to social problems such as delinquency, damage in education institutions and the population in general. The flooding is a consequence of heavy rains, tropical storms and or hurricanes that generate excess water in drainage systems that exceed its capacity. In urban areas, heavy rains can be one of the main factors in causing flooding, in addition to excessive precipitation, dam breakage, and human activities, for example, excessive garbage in the strainers. In agricultural areas, these can hardly achieve large areas of cultivation. It should be mentioned that for both areas, one of the significant impacts of floods is that they can permanently affect the livelihoods of many families, cause damage, for example in their workplaces such as farmlands, commercial or industry areas and where services are provided. In recent years, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have had an accelerated development, being reflected in the growth and the exponential evolution of the innovation giving; as a result, the daily generation of new technologies, updates, and applications. Innovation in the development of Information Technology applications has impacted on all areas of human activity. They influence all the orders of life of individuals, reconfiguring the way of perceiving and analyzing the world such as, for instance, interrelating with people as individuals and as a society, in the economic, political, social, cultural, educational, environmental, etc. Therefore the present work describes the creation of a system of calculation of flood costs for housing areas, retail establishments and agricultural areas from the Mexican Republic, based on the use and application of geotechnical tools being able to be useful for the benefit of the sectors of public, education and private. To generate analysis of hydrometereologic affections and with the obtained results to realize the Geoinformatics tool was constructed from two different points of view: the geoinformatic (design and development of GIS software) and the methodology of flood damage validation in order to integrate a tool that provides the user the monetary estimate of the effects caused by the floods. With information from the period 2000-2014, the functionality of the application was corroborated. For the years 2000 to 2009 only the analysis of the agricultural and housing areas was carried out, incorporating for the commercial establishment's information of the period 2010 - 2014. The method proposed for the resolution of this research project is a fundamental contribution to society, in addition to the tool itself. Therefore, it can be summarized that the problems that are in the physical-geographical environment, conceiving them from the point of view of the spatial analysis, allow to offer different alternatives of solution and also to open up slopes towards academia and research.

Keywords: floods, technological innovation, monetary estimation, spatial analysis

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Authors: Nour Mohamad Fayad

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Complex and extensively researched, the impact of corruption on economic growth seems to be intricate. Many experts believe that corruption reduces economic development. However, counterarguments have suggested that corruption either promotes growth and development or has no significant impact on economic performance. Clearly, there is no consensus in the economics literature regarding the possible relationship between corruption and economic development. Corruption's complex and clandestine nature, which makes it difficult to define and measure, is one of the obstacles that must be overcome when investigating its effect on an economy. In an attempt to contribute to the ongoing debate, this study examines the impact of corruption on economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region between 2000 and 2021 using a Customized Corruption Index-CCI and panel data on MENA countries. These countries were selected because they are understudied in the economic literature, and despite the World Bank's recent emphasis on corruption in the developing world, the MENA countries have received little attention. The researcher used Cobb-Douglas functional form to test corruption in MENA using a customized index known as Customized Corruption Index-CCI to track corruption over almost 20 years, then used the dynamic panel data. The findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between corruption and economic growth, but this is not consistent across all MENA nations. First, the relatively recent lack of data from MENA nations. This issue is related to the inaccessibility of data for many MENA countries, particularly regarding the returns on resources, private malfeasance, and other variables in Gulf countries. In addition, the researcher encountered several restrictions, such as electricity and internet outages, due to the fact that he is from Lebanon, a country whose citizens have endured difficult living conditions since the Lebanese crisis began in 2019. Demonstrating a customized index known as Customized Corruption Index-CCI that suits the characteristics of MENA countries to peculiarly measure corruption in this region, the outcome of the Customized Corruption Index-CCI is then compared to the Corruption Perception Index-CPI and Control of Corruption from World Governance Indicator-CC from WGI.

Keywords: corruption, economic growth, corruption measurements, empirical review, impact of corruption

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Authors: Zahrul Faizi M. S., Ali A., Norhuda A. M.

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Emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) from solid waste treatment and dependency on fossil fuel to produce electricity are the major concern in Malaysia as well as global. Innovation in downdraft gasification with combined heat and power (CHP) systems has the potential to minimize solid waste and reduce the emission of anthropogenic GHG from conventional fossil fuel power plants. However, the efficiency and capability of downdraft gasification to generate electricity from various alternative fuels, for instance, agriculture residues (i.e., woodchip, coconut shell) and municipal solid waste (MSW), are still controversial, on top of the toxicity level from the produced bottom ash. Thus this study evaluates the adaptability and reliability of the 20 kW downdraft gasification system to generate electricity (while considering environmental sustainability from the bottom ash) using flexible local feedstock at 20, 40, and 60% mixed ratio of MSW: agriculture residues. Feedstock properties such as feed particle size, moisture, and ash contents are also analyzed to identify optimal characteristics for the combination of feedstock (feedstock flexibility) to obtain maximum energy generation. Results show that the gasification system is capable to flexibly accommodate different feedstock compositions subjected to specific particle size (less than 2 inches) at a moisture content between 15 to 20%. These values exhibit enhance gasifier performance and provide a significant effect to the syngas composition utilizes by the internal combustion engine, which reflects energy production. The result obtained in this study is able to provide a new perspective on the transition of the conventional gasification system to a future reliable carbon-negative energy technology. Subsequently, promoting commercial scale-up of the downdraft gasification system.

Keywords: carbon-negative energy, feedstock flexibility, gasification, renewable energy

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Authors: Jigar Shaileshumar Halpati, Aravind Kumar Chandiran

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Vacancy ordered double perovskites (VOPs) have been significantly attracting researchers due to their chemical structure diversity and interesting optoelectronic properties. Some VOPs have been recently reported to be suitable photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical water-splitting reactions due to their high stability and panchromatic absorption. In this work, we systematically synthesized mixed tetravalent VOPs based on Cs₂RuₘPt₁-ₘX₆ (X = Cl-, Br-) and reported their structural, optical, electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties. The structural characterization confirms that the mixed tetravalent site intermediates formed their own phases. The parent materials, as well as their intermediates, were found to be stable in ambient conditions for over 1 year and also showed incredible stability in harsh pH media ranging from pH 1 to pH 11. Moreover, these materials showed panchromatic absorption with onset up to 1000 nm depending upon the mixture stoichiometry. The extraordinary stability and excellent absorption properties make them suitable materials for photoelectrochemical water-splitting applications. PEC studies of these series of materials showed a high water oxidation photocurrent of 0.56 mA cm-² for Cs₂Ru₀.₅Pt₀.₅Cl₆. Fundamental investigation from photoelectrochemical reactions revealed that the intrinsic ruthenium-based VOP showed enhanced hole transfer to the electrolyte, while the intrinsic platinum-based VOP showed higher photovoltage. The mix of these end members at the tetravalent site showed a synergic effect of reduced charge transfer resistance from the material to the electrolyte and increased photovoltage, which led to increased PEC performance of the intermediate materials.

Keywords: solar water splitting, photo electrochemistry, photo absorbers, material characterization, device characterization, green hydrogen

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Authors: Hoyeon Park, Kyoung-jae Kim

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The product recommendation is a field of research that has received much attention in the recent information overload phenomenon. The proliferation of the mobile environment and social media cannot help but affect the results of the recommendation depending on how the factors of the user's situation are reflected in the recommendation process. Recently, research has been spreading attention to the context-aware recommender system which is to reflect user's contextual information in the recommendation process. However, until now, most of the context-aware recommender system researches have been limited in that they reflect the passive context of users. It is expected that the user will be able to express his/her contextual information through his/her active behavior and the importance of the context-aware recommender system reflecting this information can be increased. The purpose of this study is to propose a context-aware recommender system that can reflect the user's emotional state as an active context information to recommendation process. The context-aware recommender system is a recommender system that can make more sophisticated recommendations by utilizing the user's contextual information and has an advantage that the user's emotional factor can be considered as compared with the existing recommender systems. In this study, we propose a method to infer the user's emotional state, which is one of the user's context information, by using the user's facial expression data and to reflect it on the recommendation process. This study collects the facial expression data of a user who is looking at a specific product and the user's product preference score. Then, we classify the facial expression data into several categories according to the previous research and construct a model that can predict them. Next, the predicted results are applied to existing collaborative filtering with contextual information. As a result of the study, it was shown that the recommended results of the context-aware recommender system including facial expression information show improved results in terms of recommendation performance. Based on the results of this study, it is expected that future research will be conducted on recommender system reflecting various contextual information.

Keywords: context-aware, emotional state, recommender systems, business analytics

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Authors: Hasan Muslemani, Jeffrey Wilson, Xi Liang, Francisco Ascui, Katharina Kaesehage

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This paper aims to examine consumer behaviour towards, and the willingness to adopt, green steel use in the automotive sector, in order to identify potential barriers and opportunities for its widespread adoption. Semi-structured interviews were held with experts from global, regional and country-specific industry associations and automakers. The analysis shows there is a new shift towards lifecycle thinking in the sector, although these efforts have been voluntary and driven by customer and employee pressures rather than regulation. The paper further appraises possible demand for green steel within different vehicle types (based on size and powertrain), and shows that manufacturers of electric heavy-duty vehicles are most likely to adopt green steel in the first instance, given the amount of incorporated steel in the vehicles and the fact that lifecycle emissions lie predominantly in their manufacturing phase. A case for green advanced higher-strength steels (AHSS) can also be made in light-duty passenger vehicles, which may mitigate competition from light-weight alternative materials in terms of cost and greenness (depending on source and utilisation zones). This work builds on a wide sustainability-related literature in the automotive sector and highlights areas in need of urgent action if the sector as a whole were to meet its Paris Agreement climate targets, in particular a need to revisit current CO2 performance regulations to include Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, engage in educational green marketing campaigns, and explore innovative market-based mechanisms to bridge the gap between relatively-low carbon abatement costs of steelmaking and high abatement costs of vehicle manufacturing.

Keywords: Green steel, Consumer behaviour, Automotive industry, Environmental sustainability

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Authors: Amber Lim, Ted Ruffman

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A vast amount of research evidence indicates that children develop social attitudes that are similar to those of their parents. When using general measures of social attitudes, such as social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), and prejudice, studies show that parents' and children’s attitudes were correlated. However, the mechanisms behind the intergenerational transmission of attitudes remain largely unexplained. Since it was speculated that the origins of RWA could be traced back to one’s relationship with their parents, the aim of this study was to assess how parents’ social attitudes and parenting behavior are related to children’s social development. One line of research suggests that the different ways in which authoritarian and authoritative parents reason with their children may impact Theory of Mind (ToM) development. That is, inductive discipline (e.g., emphasising how the child’s actions affect others) facilitates empathy and ToM development. Conversely, past evidence shows that children have poorer ToM development when parents enforce rules without explanation. Thus, this study addresses the question of how parent behavior plays a role in the gradual acquisition of a ToM and social attitudes. Seventy parents reported their social attitudes, parenting behavior, and their child’s mental state and non-mental state vocabulary. Their children were given ToM and perspective-taking tasks, along with a friend choice task to measure racial bias and anti-fat bias. As hypothesised, parents’ use of inductive reasoning correlated with children’s performance on Theory of Mind tasks. Mothers’ inductive reasoning facilitated children’s acquisition of mental state vocabulary. Parents’ autonomy granting was associated with improved mental state vocabulary. Authoritarian parenting traits such as verbal hostility were linked to children’s racial bias. These findings highlight the importance of parent-child discussion in shaping children’s social understanding.

Keywords: parenting style, prejudice, social attitudes, social understanding, theory of mind

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Authors: M. G. Nasuruddin, S. Ishak

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In anthropological medicine (traditional therapeutic healing) symbolic interface are used to connect with the cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms to activate conscious and unconscious response of patients or other recipients. At the same time they are used to communicate with the inhabitants of the nether world to whom are ascribed almost all cases of psychosomatic illness. The symbols, which are cultural specific, are divided into verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. The verbal forms are chanting of mantra and doa and the invocation to invoke the spirits while the non-verbal ones are the physical materials such as the offerings, props and decorative elements, music, movements, olfactory sensation and the performance space. The process of communication through these symbols is affected by the Shaman who is a link or intermediary between the healer (Shaman) and the patients and between the healer and the spirits of the nether world. The paper also examines the scientific perspective of the traditional healing through the use of these symbols. The response to these symbols as external stimuli is embedded in the genes that are linked to the hereditary factor in the person’s DNA. When the patients are tuned in to external stimuli such as music, chanting and singing (sonic orders), it can triggers a response from the brain, which may activate its inner pharmacy by releasing drugs such as dopamine and/or opiodsto ameliorate pain and counter depression, anxiety and create a feel good feeling. These symbols act like placebo, evoking the power of the mind over the body and triggering the innate self-healing energy. At the same time they could also be used as nocebo, for example black magic, which has the opposite effect of placebo. In whatever capacity they operate these symbols, which are either visual or auditory, is an integral part of anthropological medicine. For they communicate and conjure emotional responses that are conducive to healing by activating the internal brain pharmacy.

Keywords: communication, healing, placebo, nacebo, symbol

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Authors: Lakhoua Najeh

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Aims of the work: The aim of this paper is to improve the reliability and the availability of a Packer production line of cigarettes based on two methods: The SADT method (Structured Analysis Design Technique) and the FMECA approach (Failure Mode Effects and Critically Analysis). The first method enables us to describe the functionality of the Packer production line of cigarettes and the second method enables us to establish an FMECA analysis. Methods: The methodology adopted in order to contribute to the improvement of the reliability and the availability of a Packer production line of cigarettes has been proposed in this paper, and it is based on the use of Structured Analysis Design Technique (SADT) and Failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) methods. This methodology consists of using a diagnosis of the existing of all of the equipment of a production line of a factory in order to determine the most critical machine. In fact, we use, on the one hand, a functional analysis based on the SADT method of the production line and on the other hand, a diagnosis and classification of mechanical and electrical failures of the line production by their criticality analysis based on the FMECA approach. Results: Based on the methodology adopted in this paper, the results are the creation and the launch of a preventive maintenance plan. They contain the different elements of a Packer production line of cigarettes; the list of the intervention preventive activities and their period of realization. Conclusion: The diagnosis of the existing state helped us to found that the machine of cigarettes used in the Packer production line of cigarettes is the most critical machine in the factory. Then this enables us in the one hand, to describe the functionality of the production line of cigarettes by SADT method and on the other hand, to study the FMECA machine in order to improve the availability and the performance of this machine.

Keywords: production system, diagnosis, SADT method, FMECA method

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Authors: B. Gechbaia, K. Goletiani, G. Gabedava, N. Mikeltadze

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At this stage, Georgia is a country which is actively involved in the European integration process, for which the primary priority is effective integration in the European education system. The modern Georgian higher education system is the process of establishing a new sociocultural reality, whose main priorities are determined by the Quality System as a continuous cycle of planning, implementation, checking and acting. Obviously, in this situation, the issue of management of education institutions comes out in the foreground, since the proper planning and implementation of personnel management processes is one of the main determinants of the company's performance. At the same time, one of the most important factors is the psychological comfort of the personnel, ensuring their protection and efficiency of stress management policy. The purpose of this research is to determine how intensely the relationship is between the psychological comfort of the personnel and the efficiency of the quality system in the institution as the quality assurance mechanisms of educational institutions affect the stability of personnel, prevention and management of the stressful situation. The research was carried out within the framework of the Internal Grant Project «The Role of Organizational Culture in the Process of Settlement of Management of Stress and Conflict, Georgian Reality and European Experience » of the Batumi Navigation Teaching University, based on the analysis of the survey results of target groups. The small-scale research conducted by us has revealed that the introduction of quality assurance system and its active implementation increased the quality of management of Georgian educational institutions, increased the level of universal engagement in internal and external processes and as a result, it has improved the quality of education as well as social and psychological comfort indicators of the society.

Keywords: quality assurance, effective management, stability of personnel, psychological comfort, stress management

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Authors: Kaoutar Chbihi, Aziza Menouni, Emilie Hardy, Matteo Creta, Nathalie Grova, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Lode Godderis, Samir El Jaafari, Radu-Corneliu Duca

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Industrial products and materials are often treated with additional compounds like brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and heavy metals in order to prevent their ignition, increase their functionality and improve their performance like electrical conductivity. Consequently, this could potentially expose children to harmful chemicals through indoor dust and through hand-to-mouth or toy-chewing behaviors. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of Moroccan children aged 5-11 years to BFRs and heavy metal elements and investigate their impacts on the epigenetic profile, namely through global DNA methylation modifications. First, parents were asked to answer a questionnaire on children’s lifestyle, then blood and urine samples were collected from (n= 93) children, following the ethical guidelines, for biomonitoring and DNA methylation analysis, using a set of solid phase extraction (SPE), LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS and ICP/MS techniques. BFRs were detected in 54.84% of samples with a median concentration of 0.01 nmol/mL (range: 0.004-0.051 nmol/mL), while metal elements were detected in more than 90% of samples. No association was found between BFRs and global DNA methylation, unlike metal element levels that showed significant variations with global DNA methylation biomarkers, namely 5-mdC, 5-OH-mdC and N⁶-mA levels. To conclude, Moroccan children could be significantly exposed to flame retardant compounds and heavy metal elements through several routes, such as dust or equipment usage and are therefore susceptible to the adverse health effects that could be linked with such chemicals. Further research is required to assess the exposure to environmental pollutants among the Moroccan population in order to protect Moroccan health and prevent the incidence of diseases.

Keywords: biomonitoring, children, DNA methylation, epigenetics, flame retardants, heavy metals, Morocco

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Authors: Rajesh Agarwal

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Carrier mobility at the organic/insulator interface is essential to the performance of organic thin film transistors (OTFT). The present work describes estimation of field dependent mobility (FDM) parameters and the threshold voltage of an OTFT using a simple, easy to fabricate two terminal asymmetric capacitive test structure using admittance measurements. Conventionally, transfer characteristics are used to estimate the threshold voltage in an OTFT with field independent mobility (FIDM). Yet, this technique breaks down to give accurate results for devices with high contact resistance and having field dependent mobility. In this work, a new technique is presented for characterization of long channel organic capacitor (LCOC). The proposed technique helps in the accurate estimation of mobility enhancement factor (γ), the threshold voltage (V_th) and band mobility (µ₀) using capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement in OTFT. This technique also helps to get rid of making short channel OTFT or metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures for making C-V measurements. To understand the behavior of devices and ease of analysis, transmission line compact model is developed. The 2-D numerical simulation was carried out to illustrate the correctness of the model. Results show that proposed technique estimates device parameters accurately even in the presence of contact resistance and field dependent mobility. Pentacene/Poly (4-vinyl phenol) based top contact bottom-gate OTFT’s are fabricated to illustrate the operation and advantages of the proposed technique. Small signal of frequency varying from 1 kHz to 5 kHz and gate potential ranging from +40 V to -40 V have been applied to the devices for measurement.

Keywords: capacitance, mobility, organic, thin film transistor

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Authors: Aneri Mehta, Krunal Mehta

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Financial administration is part of government which deals with collection, preservation and distribution of public funds, with the coordination of public revenue and expenditure, with the management of credit operation on behalf of the state and with the general control of the financial affairs of public households. The researcher has taken the prime body of the local self government viz. Municipal Corporation. However, the number of municipal corporations in India has rapidly increased in recent years. Countries 27% of the total population are living in urban area & in recent it increasing very fast. People are moving very fast from rural area to urban area. Their demand, awareness is increasing day by day. The Municipal Corporations render many services for the development of the urban area. Thus, researcher has taken a step to know the accounting practices of the municipal corporations of Gujarat state (AMC & BMC ). The research will try to show you the status of finance of municipal corporations. Article 243(w) of the constitution of India envisaged that the state government maybe, by law , endow the municipalities with such powers and authorities as may be necessary to enable them to function as institution of self government and such law may contain provision for devolution of powers and responsibilities upon municipalities subjects to such condition as may be specified there in with respect to (i) the peroration of plans for economic development and social justice and (ii) the performance of the function and the implementation of schemes as may be entrusted to them including those in relation to the matters listed in the twelfth schedule. The three tier structure of the Indian Government i.e. Union, State & Local Self Government is the scenario of the Indian constitution. Local Self Government performs or renders many services under the direct control of state government. They (local bodies) possess autonomy within its limited sphere, raise revenue through local taxation and spend its income on local services.

Keywords: financial administration, urban local bodies, local self government, constitution

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Authors: Betül Sönmez, Aytolan Yıldırım

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Objective: This systematic review aims to methodically analyze studies regarding mobbing behavior prevalence, individuals performing this behavior and the effects of mobbing on Turkish nurses. Background: Worldwide reports on mobbing cases have increased in the past years, a similar trend also observable in Turkey. It has been demonstrated that among healthcare workers, mobbing is significantly widespread in nurses. The number of studies carried out in this regard has also increased. Method: The main criteria for choosing articles in this systematic review were nurses located in Turkey, regardless of any specific date. In November 2014, a search using the keywords 'mobbing, bullying, psychological terror/violence, emotional violence, nurses, healthcare workers, Turkey' in PubMed, Science Direct, Ebscohost, National Thesis Centre database and Google search engine led to 71 studies in this field. 33 studies were not met the inclusion criteria specified for this study. Results: The findings were obtained using the results of 38 studies carried out in the past 13 years in Turkey, a large sample consisting of 8,877 nurses. Analysis of the incidences of mobbing behavior revealed a broad spectrum, ranging from none-slight experiences to 100% experiences. The most frequently observed mobbing behaviors include attacking personality, blocking communication and attacking professional and social reputation. Victims mostly experienced mobbing from their managers, the most common consequence of these actions being psychological effects. Conclusions: The results of studies with various scales indicate exposure of nurses to similar mobbing behavior. The high frequency of exposure of nurses to mobbing behavior in such a large sample highlights the importance of considering this issue in terms of individual and institutional consequences that adversely affect the performance of nurses.

Keywords: mobbing, bullying, workplace violence, nurses, Turkey

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Authors: A. L. I. Prasanna, E. Liyanage, S. A. Rajaratne, K. P. A. P. Kariyawasam, A. A. J. Rajaratne

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Maintaining or improving the muscle strength of the injured body part is essential to optimize performance among disabled athletes. General conditioning and strengthening exercises might be ineffective if not sufficiently intense enough or targeted for each participant’s specific impairment. Specific strengthening programme, targeted to the affected body part, are essential to improve the strength of impaired muscles and increase in strength will help reducing the impact of disability. Methods: The muscle strength of hip, knee and ankle joints was assessed in a group of randomly selected disabled athletes, using the Medical Research Council (MRC) grading. Those having muscle strength of grade 4 or less were selected for this study (24 in number) and were given and a custom made exercise program designed to strengthen their hip, knee or ankle joint musculature, according to the muscle or group of muscles affected. Effectiveness of the strengthening program was assessed after a period of 3 months. Results: Statistical analysis was done using the Minitab 16 statistical software. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the strength of muscle group before and after exercise programme. A significant difference was observed after the three month strengthening program for knee flexors (Left and Right) (P =0.0889, 0.0312) hip flexors (left and right) (P=0.0312, 0.0466), hip extensors (Left and Right) (P=0.0478, 0.0513), ankle plantar flexors (Left and Right) (P=0.0466, 0.0423) and right ankle dorsiflexors (P= 0.0337). No significant difference of strength was observed after the strengthening program in the knee extensors (left and right), hip abductors (left and right) and left ankle dorsiflexors. Conclusion: Impairment specific exercise programme appear to be beneficial for disabled athletes to significantly improve the muscle strength of the affected joints.

Keywords: muscle strengthening programme, disabled athletes, physiotherapy, rehabilitation sciences

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Authors: Ligia Nascimento, Manuela Faia Correia

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Nowadays, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are embedded in most professions. Technostress - or stress induced by the use of ICTs, has been studied in various sectors of activity and in different geographical areas, mainly from the perspective of its harmful impacts. In the context of work, the technological contexts capable of causing stress have been examined in-depth, as well as the type of individuals most likely to experience its negative effects. However, new lines of the research argue that the stress generated by the use of ICTs may not necessarily be detrimental (technodistress), admitting that, in contrast, and in addition, it may actually be beneficial to organizations and their employees (technoeustress). Any measures that succeed in reducing technodistress do not necessarily lead to the creation of technoeustress, justifying the study of this phenomenon in a focused and independent manner. Adopting the transactional model of stress as the basic theoretical framework, an ongoing research project aims to study technoeustress independently. Given the role played in the qualification and progress of society and the economy, it becomes particularly critical to care for the well-being of the higher education teacher. Particularly in recent times, when teleworking is prevalent, these professionals have made a huge, compulsive effort to adapt to a new teaching reality. Rather than limiting itself to mitigating adverse effects of ICT use, which featured earlier approaches, the present study seeks to understand how to activate the positive side of technostress in higher education teachers in order to obtain favorable personal and organizational outcomes from ICT use at work. The research model seeks to understand, upstream, the ICT characteristics that increase the perception of technoeustress among higher education teachers, studying the direct and moderating effects of individual and organizational variables and, downstream, the impacts that technoeustress has on job satisfaction and performance. This research contributes both to expanding the knowledge of the technostress phenomenon and to identify possible recommendations for management.

Keywords: higher education teachers, ICT, stress, technoeustress

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Authors: Synthia A. Sari

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The transparent nomination and selection process is the first step to obtaining qualified members of board. It is believed as the representative (agent) of the owners, members of the board must consist of competent and professional people. However, the development of transparent and ideal nomination and selection process in Indonesian State-owned enterprises (SOEs) has been based on relatively little research. Considering the relative importance attached by boards to conduct their roles in their principal’s interest in a variety of governance tasks in state-owned enterprises, the primary aim of this paper is to shed light on the extent of nomination and selection process impact performance of the board in implementing good corporate governance in Indonesian SOEs. The exploratory nature of this study led to the adoption of a qualitative research methodology which uses semi-structured interviews and publically available documents to collect a range of data pertaining board nomination and selection and the work of boards. Interviews were conducted with four informants from three Indonesian SOEs and Ministry of SOEs. Findings in this study demonstrate unclear job description and expectations board members as a result of unclear functions of the board in Indonesian SOEs make transparent and accountable nomination and selection process hard to conduct. This situation is vulnerable to the influences from political interest and that even the process itself can degenerate into situations of political interference. In the end, it leads to choosing the wrong person for membership of the board. This study makes a significant contribution to several fields; the human resource management, corporate governance, and Southeast studies by addressing the basic research gaps of board selection process issues in Indonesian SOEs. The gap is addressed by providing a more coherent framework for effective nomination and selection system which reflects more clearly the real experiences of those actually involved at board level.

Keywords: board selection and nomination process, Indonesian stated-owned enterprises, good corporate governance, political influence

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Authors: Stephanie Liu Lu

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With the proliferation of artificial intelligence tools in the field of education, it is crucial to explore their impact on language learning outcomes. This paper examines the use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, in practical writing within business Chinese teaching to investigate how AI can enhance practical writing skills and teaching effectiveness. The study involved third and fourth-year university students majoring in accounting and finance from a university in Hong Kong within the context of a business correspondence writing class. Students were randomly assigned to a control group, who completed business letter writing independently, and an experimental group, who completed the writing with the assistance of AI. In the latter, the AI-assisted business letters were initially drafted by the students issuing commands and interacting with the AI tool, followed by the students' revisions of the draft. The paper assesses the performance of both groups in terms of grammatical expression, communicative effect, and situational awareness. Additionally, the study collected dialogue texts from interactions between students and the AI tool to explore factors that affect text generation and the potential impact of AI on enhancing students' communicative and identity awareness. By collecting and comparing textual performances, it was found that students assisted by AI showed better situational awareness, as well as more skilled organization and grammar. However, the research also revealed that AI-generated articles frequently lacked a proper balance of identity and writing purpose due to limitations in students' communicative awareness and expression during the instruction and interaction process. Furthermore, the revision of drafts also tested the students' linguistic foundation, logical thinking abilities, and practical workplace experience. Therefore, integrating AI tools and related teaching into the curriculum is key to the future of business Chinese teaching.

Keywords: AI-assistance, business Chinese, textual analysis, language education

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Authors: Mateus Silva Mendonça, Wender Pereira de Oliveira, Gabriel Heleno de Paula Araújo, Hiago Tenório Teixeira Santana Rocha, Augusto César Teixeira Malaquias, José Guilherme Coelho Baeta

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The stricter legislation and the greater demand of the population regard to gas emissions and their effects on the environment as well as on human health make the automotive industry reinforce research focused on reducing levels of contamination. This reduction can be achieved through the implementation of improvements in internal combustion engines in such a way that they promote the reduction of both specific fuel consumption and air pollutant emissions. These improvements can be obtained through numerical simulation, which is a technique that works together with experimental tests. The aim of this paper is to build, with support of the GT-Suite software, a one-dimensional model of a single-cylinder research engine to analyze the impact of the variation of swirl and tumble coefficients on the performance and on the air pollutant emissions of an engine. Initially, the discharge coefficient is calculated through the software Converge CFD 3D, given that it is an input parameter in GT-Power. Mesh sensitivity tests are made in 3D geometry built for this purpose, using the mass flow rate in the valve as a reference. In the one-dimensional simulation is adopted the non-predictive combustion model called Three Pressure Analysis (TPA) is, and then data such as mass trapped in cylinder, heat release rate, and accumulated released energy are calculated, aiming that the validation can be performed by comparing these data with those obtained experimentally. Finally, the swirl and tumble coefficients are introduced in their corresponding objects so that their influences can be observed when compared to the results obtained previously.

Keywords: 1D simulation, single-cylinder research engine, swirl coefficient, three pressure analysis, tumble coefficient

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Authors: Elaine Yee Sing Wong, Jonine Jancey, Andy H. Lee, Anthony P. James

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Singapore has a rapidly aging population, where the majority of older women aged 50 years and above, are physically inactive and have unhealthy dietary habits, placing them at ‘high risk’ of non-communicable diseases. Given the multiplicity of less than optimal dietary habits and high levels of physical inactivity among Singaporean women, it is imperative to develop appropriate lifestyle interventions at recreational centres to enhance both their physical and nutritional knowledge, as well as provide them with the opportunity to develop skills to support behaviour change. To the best of our knowledge, this proposed study is the first physical activity and nutrition cluster randomised controlled trial conducted in Singapore for older women. Findings from this study may provide insights and recommendations for policy makers and key stakeholders to create new healthy living, recreational centres with supportive environments. This 6-month community-based cluster randomised controlled trial will involve the implementation and evaluation of physical activity and nutrition program for community dwelling Singaporean women, who currently attend recreational centres to promote social leisure activities in their local neighbourhood. The intervention will include dietary education and counselling sessions, physical activity classes, and telephone contact by certified fitness instructors and qualified nutritionists. Social Cognitive Theory with Motivational Interviewing will inform the development of strategies to support health behaviour change. Sixty recreational centres located in Singapore will be randomly selected from five major geographical districts and randomly allocated to the intervention (n=30) or control (n=30) cluster. A sample of 600 (intervention n=300; control n=300) women aged 50 years and above will then be recruited from these recreational centres. The control clusters will only undergo pre and post data collection and will not receive the intervention. It is hypothesised that by the end of the intervention, the intervention group participants (n = 300) compared to the control group (n = 300), will show significant improvements in the following variables: lipid profile, body mass index, physical activity and dietary behaviour, anthropometry, mental and physical health. Data collection will be examined and compared via the Statistical Package for the Social Science version 23. Descriptive and summary statistics will be used to quantify participants’ characteristics and outcome variables. Multi-variable mixed regression analyses will be used to confirm the effects of the proposed health intervention, taking into account the repeated measures and the clustering of the observations. The research protocol was approved by the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (approval number: HRE2016-0366). The study has been registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (12617001022358).

Keywords: community based, healthy aging, intervention, nutrition, older women, physical activity

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Authors: Waraporn Boonchieng, Ekkarat Boonchieng, Sivaporn Aungwattana, Decha Tamdee, Wongamporn Pinyavong

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Drug addiction represents one of the most important public health issues in both developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to develop a drug abuse health information in a community in Northern Thailand using developmental research design. The developmental researchers performed four phases to develop drug abuse health information, including 1) synthesizing knowledge related to drug abuse prevention and identifying the components of drug abuse health information; 2) developing the system in mobile application and website; 3) implementing drug abuse health information in the rural community; and 4) evaluating the feasibility of drug abuse health information. Data collection involved both qualitative and quantitative procedures. The qualitative data and quantitative data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics, respectively. The findings of this study showed that drug abuse health information consisted of five sections, including drug-related prevention knowledge for teens, drug-related knowledge for adults and professionals, the database for drug dependence treatment centers, self-administered questionnaires, and supportive counseling sections. First, in drug-related prevention knowledge for teens, the developmental researchers designed four infographics and animation to provide drug-related prevention knowledge, including types of illegal drugs, causes of drug abuse, consequences of drug abuse, drug abuse diagnosis and treatment, and drug abuse prevention. Second, in drug-related knowledge for adults and professionals, the developmental researchers developed many documents in a form of PDF file to provide drug-related knowledge, including types of illegal drugs, causes of drug abuse, drug abuse prevention, and relapse prevention guideline. Third, database for drug dependence treatment centers included the place, direction map, operation time, and the way for contacting all drug dependence treatment centers in Thailand. Fourth, self-administered questionnaires comprised preventive drugs behavior questionnaire, drug abuse knowledge questionnaire, the stages of change readiness and treatment eagerness to drug use scale, substance use behaviors questionnaire, tobacco use behaviors questionnaire, stress screening, and depression screening. Finally, for supportive counseling, the developmental researchers designed chatting box through which each user could write and send their concerns to counselors individually. Results from evaluation process showed that 651 participants used drug abuse health information via mobile application and website. Among all users, 48.8% were males and 51.2% were females. More than half (55.3%) were 15-20 years old and most of them (88.0%) were Buddhists. Most users reported ever getting knowledge related to drugs (86.1%), and drinking alcohol (94.2%) while some of them (6.9%) reported ever using tobacco. For satisfaction with using the drug abuse health information, more than half of users reflected that the contents of drug abuse health information were interesting (59%), up-to date (61%), and highly useful to their self-study (59%) at high level. In addition, half of them were satisfied with the design in terms of infographics (54%) and animation (51%). Thus, this drug abuse health information can be adopted to explore drug abuse situation and serves as a tool to prevent drug abuse and addiction among Thai community people.

Keywords: drug addiction, health informatics, big data, development research

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Authors: K. Haggag, N. S. Elshemy

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Due to limited fossil resource and an increased need for environmentally friendly, sustainable technologies, the importance of using renewable feed stocks in textile industry area will increase in the decades to come. This research highlights some of the perspectives in this area. Alkyd resins for high characterization and reactive properties, completely based on commercially available renewable resources (sunflower and/or soybean oil) were prepared and characterized. In this work, we present results on the synthesis of various alkyd resins according to the alcoholysis – polyesterification process under different preparation conditions using a microwave synthesis as energy source to determine suitable reaction conditions. Effects of polymerization parameters, such as catalyst ratio, reaction temperature and microwave power level have been studied. The prepared binder was characterized via FT-IR, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), in addition to acid value (AV), iodine value (IV), water absorbance, weight loss, and glass transition temperature. The prepared binder showed high performance physico-mechanical properties. TEM analysis showed that the polymer latex nanoparticle within range of 20–200 nm. The study involved the application of the prepared alkyd resins as binder for pigment printing process onto cotton fabric by using a flat screen technique and the prints were dried and thermal cured. The optimum curing conditions were determined, color strength and fastness properties of pigment printed areas to light, washing, perspiration and crocking were evaluated. The rheological properties and apparent viscosity of prepared binders were measured in addition roughness of the prints was also determined.

Keywords: nano-binder, microwave heating, renewable resource, alkyd resins, sunflower oil, soybean oil

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Authors: Osvaldo N. Oliveira Jr.

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The control of molecular architecture inherent in some experimental methods to produce nanostructured films has had great impact on devices of various types, including sensors and biosensors. The self-assembly monolayers (SAMs) and the electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) techniques, for example, are now routinely used to produce tailored architectures for biosensing where biomolecules are immobilized with long-lasting preserved activity. Enzymes, antigens, antibodies, peptides and many other molecules serve as the molecular recognition elements for detecting an equally wide variety of analytes. The principles of detection are also varied, including electrochemical methods, fluorescence spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy. In this presentation an overview will be provided of biosensors made with nanostructured films to detect antibodies associated with tropical diseases and HIV, in addition to detection of analytes of medical interest such as cholesterol and triglycerides. Because large amounts of data are generated in the biosensing experiments, use has been made of computational and statistical methods to optimize performance. Multidimensional projection techniques such as Sammon´s mapping have been shown more efficient than traditional multivariate statistical analysis in identifying small concentrations of anti-HIV antibodies and for distinguishing between blood serum samples of animals infected with two tropical diseases, namely Chagas´ disease and Leishmaniasis. Optimization of biosensing may include a combination of another information visualization method, the Parallel Coordinate technique, with artificial intelligence methods in order to identify the most suitable frequencies for reaching higher sensitivity using impedance spectroscopy. Also discussed will be the possible convergence of technologies, through which machine learning and other computational methods may be used to treat data from biosensors within an expert system for clinical diagnosis.

Keywords: clinical diagnosis, information visualization, nanostructured films, layer-by-layer technique

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Authors: Nur Sahver Uslu, Ali̇ Hakan Büyüklü

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Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) costs are significant in the aviation industry. On the other hand, companies that provide MRO services to the aviation industry but are not dominant in the sector, need to determine the right strategies for sustainable profitability in a competitive environment. This study examined the operational real data of a small medium enterprise (SME) MRO company where analytical methods are not widely applied. The company's customers were divided into two categories: airline companies and non-airline companies, and the variables that best explained profitability were analyzed with Logistic Regression for each category and the results were compared. First, data reduction was applied to the transformed variables that went through the data cleaning and preparation stages, and the variables to be included in the model were decided. The misclassification rates for the logistic regression results concerning both customer categories are similar, indicating consistent model performance across different segments. Less profit margin is obtained from airline customers, which can be explained by the variables part description, time to quotation (TTQ), turnaround time (TAT), manager, part cost, and labour cost. The higher profit margin obtained from non-airline customers is explained only by the variables part description, part cost, and labour cost. Based on the two models, it can be stated that it is significantly more challenging for the MRO company, which is the subject of our study, to achieve profitability from Airline customers. While operational processes and organizational structure also affect the profit from airline customers, only the type of parts and costs determine the profit for non-airlines.

Keywords: aircraft, aircraft components, aviation, data analytics, data science, gini index, maintenance, repair, and overhaul, MRO, logistic regression, profit, variable clustering, variable reduction

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