Search results for: performance degradation

Authors: Bruno Škrinjarić

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Rapid technological developments and increase in organizations’ interdependence on international scale are changing the traditional workplace paradigm. A key feature of knowledge based economy is that employers are looking for individuals that possess both specific academic skills and knowledge, and also capability to be proactive and respond to problems creatively and autonomously. The focus of this paper is workers with Economics and Business background and its goals are threefold: (1) to explore wide range of competences and identify which are the most important to employers; (2) to investigate the existence and magnitude of gap between required and possessed level of a certain competency; and (3) to inquire how this gap is connected with performance of a company. A study was conducted on a representative sample of Croatian enterprises during the spring of 2016. Results show that generic, rather than specific, competences are more important to employers and the gap between the relative importance of certain competence and its current representation in existing workforce is greater for generic competences than for specific. Finally, results do not support the hypothesis that this gap is correlated with firms’ performance.

Keywords: competency gap, competency matching, key competences, firm performance

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Authors: Abdullah Ababtain, Mouhammad El Hassan, Hassan Assoum, Anas Sakout

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In this paper, a brief literature review on cavitation jets is presented in order to introduce the cavitation mechanism, strategies to assess when cavitation occurs, and the factors that influence cavitation in cavitating jets. The objectivity of the cavitation number often used to predict cavitation is also discussed. The results show that cavitation cannot be foreseen just using the cavitation number. Therefore, more efforts are needed to innovate and develop a self-resonating jet geometry that would be maintains the flow and the pressure in the cavitation condition just earlier than the flow acts on the target that would be used in such operating conditions. This study focused on a particular aspect related to improving drilling efficiency and the rate of penetration (ROP). In addition, a discussion on the methods used to measure cavitation and the factors that affect cavitation occurrence will be discussed. Two different types of cavitation nozzles were designed and tested. It has been shown that the self-resonating cavitation nozzle presents greater performance than standard non-resonating nozzle. It is thus concluded that a self-resonating cavitation jet present a high potential for improving drilling performance.

Keywords: cavitating jet, erosion, cavitation number, rate of penetration (ROP)

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Authors: Bezuglov Eduard, Ryland Morgans, Talibov Oleg, Kalinin Evgeny, Butovsky Mikhail, Savin Evgeny, Tzgoev Eduard, Artemii Lazarev, Bekzhan Pirmakhanov, Anthony C. Hackney

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Currently, there is conflicting evidence regarding the efficacy of citrulline for physical performance and post-exercise recovery. Moreover, the vast majority of studies conducted used physically active volunteers from the general population and heterogeneous exercise protocols that are not specific to most sports. A single use of citrulline, regardless of the dose, will not have a significant effect on physical performance and post-exercise recovery in highly trained soccer players performing sport-specific exercises at maximum intensity. To evaluate the effectiveness of a single administration of citrulline at various doses in adult male professional soccer players performing sport-specific exercise at maximum intensity. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study analyzing eighteen soccer players from the top divisions of several European countries. The participants were randomized into three groups of six and performed a field-based soccer-specific test at 115% VO2max for 18-minutes. Comparative analysis of the cardiovascular system, physical activity, subjective perceived fatigue and post-exercise recovery was conducted. There were no statistically significant differences in more than one analyzed parameter. A single application of 3 to 6 grams of citrulline does not affect physical performance, subjective feeling of fatigue and post-exercise recovery in adult professional soccer players who have performed a sport-specific test. Currently, citrulline cannot be recommended for use as a supplement in adult professional soccer players

Keywords: citrulline, performance, recovery, soccer players

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Authors: Yuchao Hua, Lingai Luo

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Thermal energy storage is of critical importance for the highly-efficient utilization of renewable energy sources. Over the past decades, single-tank thermocline technology has attracted much attention owing to its high cost-effectiveness. In the present work, we investigate the influence of the filler porosity’s non-uniform distribution on the thermal performance of the packed-bed sensible heat thermocline storage tanks on the basis of the analytical model obtained by the Laplace transform. It is found that when the total amount of filler materials (i.e., the integration of porosity) is fixed, the different porosity distributions can result in the significantly-different behaviors of outlet temperature and thus the varied charging and discharging efficiencies. Our results indicate that a non-uniform distribution of the fillers with the proper design can improve the heat storage performance without changing the total amount of the filling materials.

Keywords: energy storage, heat thermocline storage tank, packed bed, transient thermal analysis

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Authors: Surinder Singh, Meenakshi

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In this paper MZI-FBG based optical add drop multiplexer is designed and its performance is analyzed in the ring network. In the ring network nodes are composed of optical add drop multiplexer, transmitter and receiver. OADM is used to add or drop any frequency at intermediate nodes without affecting other channels. In this paper the performance of the ring network is carried out by varying various kinds of fiber with or without amplifiers.

Keywords: OADM, ring network, MZI-FBG, transmitter

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Authors: Benson Ade Eniola Afere

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This paper introduces a family of fourth-order hybrid beta polynomial kernels developed for statistical analysis. The assessment of these kernels' performance centers on two critical metrics: asymptotic mean integrated squared error (AMISE) and kernel efficiency. Through the utilization of both simulated and real-world datasets, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted, facilitating a thorough comparison with conventional fourth-order polynomial kernels. The evaluation procedure encompassed the computation of AMISE and efficiency values for both the proposed hybrid kernels and the established classical kernels. The consistently observed trend was the superior performance of the hybrid kernels when compared to their classical counterparts. This trend persisted across diverse datasets, underscoring the resilience and efficacy of the hybrid approach. By leveraging these performance metrics and conducting evaluations on both simulated and real-world data, this study furnishes compelling evidence in favour of the superiority of the proposed hybrid beta polynomial kernels. The discernible enhancement in performance, as indicated by lower AMISE values and higher efficiency scores, strongly suggests that the proposed kernels offer heightened suitability for statistical analysis tasks when compared to traditional kernels.

Keywords: AMISE, efficiency, fourth-order Kernels, hybrid Kernels, Kernel density estimation

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Authors: Abdullah Alharbi

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Purpose: This research seeks to take a holistic strategic evaluation of the thermal power plants in Kuwait at both policy and technical level in order to allow a systematic retrofitting program. The new world order in energy generation and consumption demand that sources of energy can safeguard the use of natural resources and generate minimal impacts on the environment. For Kuwait, the energy used per capita is mainly associated with desalination plants. The overall impact of thermal power plant installations manifests indisposed of seawater and the health of marine life. Design/methodology/approach: The research adopts a case study based evaluation of performance data and documents of thermal plant installations in Kuwait. Findings: Research findings on the performance of existing thermal plants demand policy benchmarking with internationally acceptable standards in order to create clarity on decisions regarding demolition, retrofitting, or renewal. Research implications: This research has the potential to strategically inform and influence the piecemeal changes to power plants, including the replacement of power generation equipment, considering the varied technologies for thermal plants. Originality/value: This research provides evidence based data that can be useful for influencing operational efficiency after a holistic evaluation of existing capacity in comparison with future demands.

Keywords: energy, Kuwait, performance, stainability, tracking, thermal plant

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Authors: Roxanne J. Kovacs

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This paper shows that political corruption in Ghana and Kenya does not, as is assumed by a considerable part of the academic literature, depend on the level of party competition as such, but rather on the kinds of issues that parties compete about. Party competition in Ghana revolves around party performance, which gives political leaders a strong incentive to control corruption. In contrast, party competition in Kenya revolves around ethnic identities, which directly reduces competition based on candidate quality and therefore fosters corruption.

Keywords: corruption, electoral competition, Kenya, Ghana

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Authors: Marianne D. M. Rendon, Sonia P. Acda, Veneranda A. Magpantay, Norma N. Fajardo, Amado A. Angeles

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The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of supplementing broiler starter diet with different levels of an essential oil blend (EOB) containing capsaicin, carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde on the performance of broilers. A total of 300 day-old straight-run Cobb broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three treatments after 7-day group brooding following a completely randomized design (CRD). Birds assigned in treatment 1 were given starter basal diet while those in treatments 2 and 3 were given starter basal diet with 400 mg/kg antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) and 150 mg/kg EOB, respectively, until the 28th day. Basal finisher feed were given for all the treatments until harvest. Following 37 d feeding, body weight gain, feed consumption, feed efficiency, dressing percentage, livability and jejunal villi height were determined. Results showed no significant differences (P>0.05) in growth performance. However, villi height and crypt depth was significantly lower for birds fed EOB.

Keywords: broiler, capsaicin, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, essential oil

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Authors: Kazem Samadi

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In today’s world, public agencies like customs have become vital institutions in international trade processes and in maintaining national economic security due to increasing economic and commercial complexities. In this regard, human resource management (HRM) is crucial to achieving organizational goals. This research employed a descriptive survey method, in which the statistical population consisted of all customs employees. Using Cochran's formula, 300 employees were selected from the central customs office. A researcher-made questionnaire was used as the data collection tool, with content validity and reliability confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The collected data were analyzed through structural modeling using SPSS and AMOS 24. The results indicated that leadership culture significantly affected employee motivation, efficiency, and performance in customs. Customs managers and leaders in Iran can improve organizational productivity by fostering this culture, thereby facilitating individual and organizational development for their staff.

Keywords: leadership culture, organizational culture, employee performance, customs

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Authors: Carlos Theran, Yohn Parra Bautista, Victor Adankai, Richard Alo, Jimwi Liu, Clement G. Yedjou

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by deteriorating cognitive functions. AD has gained relevant attention in the last decade. An estimated 24 million people worldwide suffered from this disease by 2011. In 2016 an estimated 40 million were diagnosed with AD, and for 2050 is expected to reach 131 million people affected by AD. Therefore, detecting and confirming AD at its different stages is a priority for medical practices to provide adequate and accurate treatments. Recently, Machine Learning (ML) models have been used to study AD's stages handling missing values in multiclass, focusing on the delineation of Early Mild Cognitive Impairment (EMCI), Late Mild Cognitive Impairment (LMCI), and normal cognitive (CN). But, to our best knowledge, robust performance information of these models and the missing data analysis has not been presented in the literature. In this paper, we propose studying the performance of five different machine learning models for AD's stages multiclass prediction in terms of accuracy, precision, and F1-score. Also, the analysis of three imputation methods to handle the missing value problem is presented. A framework that integrates ML model for AD's stages multiclass prediction is proposed, performing an average accuracy of 84%.

Keywords: alzheimer's disease, missing value, machine learning, performance evaluation

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Authors: A. J. Shah, Neeraj Kumar Sahu

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Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is high performance and high strength concrete which composes of very fine powdered materials like cement, sand, silica fume and quartz powder. It also constitutes steel fibre (optional) and super-plasticizer. The present study investigates the performance of reactive powder concrete with fly ash as a replacement of cement under hot water and normal water curing conditions. The replacement of cement with fly ash is done at 10%, 20%, 30% and 40%. To compare the results of cement replaced RPC and traditional RPC, the performance of various mixes is evaluated by compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength and durability. The results show that with increasing percentage of fly ash, improvement in durability is observed and a slight decrease in compressive strength and flexural strength is also observed. It is observed that specimen under hot water curing showed 15 to 20 % more strength than specimens under normal water curing.

Keywords: high strength concrete, the flexural strength of RPC, compressive strength of RPC, durability

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Authors: Marwa Ben Abdessalem, Amin Zribi, Ammar Bouallègue

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In this paper, a Joint Source Channel coding scheme based on LDPC codes is investigated. We consider two concatenated LDPC codes, one allows to compress a correlated source and the second to protect it against channel degradations. The original information can be reconstructed at the receiver by a joint decoder, where the source decoder and the channel decoder run in parallel by transferring extrinsic information. We investigate the performance of the JSC LDPC code in terms of Bit-Error Rate (BER) in the case of transmission over an Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel, and for different source and channel rate parameters. We emphasize how JSC LDPC presents a performance tradeoff depending on the channel state and on the source correlation. We show that, the JSC LDPC is an efficient solution for a relatively low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) channel, especially with highly correlated sources. Finally, a source-channel rate optimization has to be applied to guarantee the best JSC LDPC system performance for a given channel.

Keywords: AWGN channel, belief propagation, joint source channel coding, LDPC codes

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Authors: Elochukwu A. Nwankwo, Matthias U. Agboeze

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Many heritage sites abound in the shores of Nigeria with enormous tourism potentials. Heritage sites do not only depict the cultural and historical transmutation of people but also functions in the image design and promotion of a locality. This reveals the unique role of heritage sites to structural development of an area. Heritage sites have of recent been a victim of degradation and social abuse arising from seasonal ignorance; hence minimizing its potentials to the socio-economic development of an area. This paper is emphasizing on the adoption of community development approaches in heritage preservation in Igbo area. Its modalities, applications, challenges and prospect were discussed. Such understanding will serve as a catalyst in aiding general restoration and preservation of heritage sites in Nigeria and other African states.

Keywords: heritage resources, community development, preservation, sustainable development, approaches

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Authors: Solanki Ravirajsinh

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In the software testing life cycle, failing to conduct thorough performance testing can result in significant losses for an organization due to application crashes and improper behavior under high user loads in production. Simulating large volumes of requests, such as 5 million within 5-10 minutes, is challenging without a scalable performance testing framework. Leveraging cloud services to implement a performance testing framework makes it feasible to handle 5-10 million requests in just 5-10 minutes, helping organizations ensure their applications perform reliably under peak conditions. Implementing a scalable performance testing framework using cloud services and tools like JMeter, EC2 instances (Virtual machine), cloud logs (Monitor errors and logs), EFS (File storage system), and security groups offers several key benefits for organizations. Creating performance test framework using this approach helps optimize resource utilization, effective benchmarking, increased reliability, cost savings by resolving performance issues before the application is released. In performance testing, a master-slave framework facilitates distributed testing across multiple EC2 instances to emulate many concurrent users and efficiently handle high loads. The master node orchestrates the test execution by coordinating with multiple slave nodes to distribute the workload. Slave nodes execute the test scripts provided by the master node, with each node handling a portion of the overall user load and generating requests to the target application or service. By leveraging JMeter's master-slave framework in conjunction with cloud services like EC2 instances, EFS, CloudWatch logs, security groups, and command-line tools, organizations can achieve superior scalability and flexibility in their performance testing efforts. In this master-slave framework, JMeter must be installed on both the master and each slave EC2 instance. The master EC2 instance functions as the "brain," while the slave instances operate as the "body parts." The master directs each slave to execute a specified number of requests. Upon completion of the execution, the slave instances transmit their results back to the master. The master then consolidates these results into a comprehensive report detailing metrics such as the number of requests sent, encountered errors, network latency, response times, server capacity, throughput, and bandwidth. Leveraging cloud services, the framework benefits from automatic scaling based on the volume of requests. Notably, integrating cloud services allows organizations to handle more than 5-10 million requests within 5 minutes, depending on the server capacity of the hosted website or application.

Keywords: identify crashes of application under heavy load, JMeter with cloud Services, Scalable performance testing, JMeter master and slave using cloud Services

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Authors: Mohamed S. Osman, Mohamed R. Nosair

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The study aims to determine the effects of mindfulness on self-efficacy and professional success among educators of general and special education at Qatar Independent. The study sample will consist of 100 educators from the males and females divided to (50) educators of general education and (50) educators of Special Education in primary, and high schools. They will response to mindfulness scale and the scale of self-efficacy. In addition, use reports of the assessment by the Department of Education for their performance and assessments of their supervisors. The study will examine the effect of some variables such as differences between educators from general and special education, as well as the differences between males and females and years of experience. The study will use a statistic descriptive approach and Correlative analysis such as; means and the Pearson correlation coefficient. The study may predicts differences between educators in all variables study.

Keywords: mindfulness, educators, general education, special education, academic performance, self-efficacy

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Authors: Mohamed Moustafa Mahmoud Sedky

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The double-fed induction generator wind turbine has recently received a great attention. The steady state performance and response of double fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind turbine are now well understood. This paper presents the analysis of stator and rotor flux linkage dq models operation of DFIG under different faults and at different locations.

Keywords: double fed induction motor, wind energy, flux linkage, short circuit

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Authors: Ben Abdallah Aicha

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In this work we show a H∞ synthesis method which enables us to calculate a feedback controller according to considerations of stability robustness and disturbance rejection translated on to the open loop response. However, it may happen that we have an additional specification on the closed loop response relating to tracking of the reference trajectory. The H∞ synthesis has the advantage of offering increased specifications in robustness stability. Implemented for a DC motor, it offers invaluable performance in speed control in both directions of rotation.

Keywords: H∞ synthesis, DC motor, robustness stability, performance conditions

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Authors: Nilgun Becenen

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In this study, the structural properties of composite materials with the plastic matrix, which are used in body parts of urban furniture were investigated. Surfaces of the specimens were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM: JSM-5200, JEOL) and Climatic environmental test analyses in laboratory conditions were used to analyze the performance of the composite samples. Climate conditions were determined as follow; 3 hour working under the conditions of -10 ºC heat and 20 % moisture, Heating until 45 ºC for 4 hours, 3 hour work at 45 ºC, 3 hour work under the conditions of 45 ºC heat and 80 % moisture, Cooling at -10 ºC for 4 hours. In this cycle, the atmospheric conditions that urban furniture would be exposed to in the open air were taken into consideration. Particularly, sudden heat changes and humidity effect were investigated. The climate conditions show that performance in Low Temperatures: The endurance isn’t affected, hardness does not change, tensile, bending and impact resistance does not change, the view isn’t affected. It has a high environmental performance.

Keywords: fibre-reinforced material, glass fiber, textile science, polymer composites

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Authors: M. V. Rane, Tareke Tekia

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Fresh Air Dehumidifier having a capacity of 1 TR has been developed by Heat Pump Laboratory at IITB. This fresh air dehumidifier is based on potassium formate liquid desiccant. The regeneration of the liquid desiccant can be done in two stages. The first stage of liquid desiccant regeneration involves the boiling of liquid desiccant inside the evacuated glass type solar thermal collectors. Further regeneration of liquid desiccant can be achieved using Low Temperature Regenerator, LTR. The coefficient of performance of the fresh air dehumidifier greatly depends on the performance of the major components such as high temperature regenerator, low temperature regenerator, fresh air dehumidifier, and solution heat exchangers. High effectiveness solution heat exchanger has been developed and tested. The solution heat exchanger is based on a patented aluminium extrusion with special passage geometry to enhance the heat transfer rate. Effectiveness up to 90% was achieved. Before final testing of the dehumidifier, major components have been tested individually. Testing of the solar thermal collector as hot water and steam generator reveals that efficiency up to 55% can be achieved. In this paper, the development of 1 TR fresh air dehumidifier with special focus on solution heat exchangers and solar thermal collector performance is presented.

Keywords: solar, liquid desiccant, dehumidification, air conditioning, regeneration, coefficient of performance

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Authors: Sara Mota Carmo

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Wind energy applied in architecture has been largely abandoned due to the uncomfortable noise it causes. This study aims to investigate the acoustical performance in the urban environment and indoor environment of a double-skin wind energy facade. Measurements for sound transmission were recorded by using a hand-held sound meter device on a reduced-scale prototype of a wind energy façade. The applied wind intensities ranged between 2m/s and 8m/s, and the increase sound produced were proportional to the wind intensity.The study validates the acoustic performance of wind energy façade using a double skin façade system, showing that noise reduction indoor by approximately 30 to 35 dB. However, the results found that above 6m/s win intensity, in urban environment, the wind energy system applied to the façade exceeds the maximum 50dB recommended by world health organization and needs some adjustments.

Keywords: double-skin wind energy facade, acoustic energy facade, wind energy in architecture, wind energy prototype

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Authors: Bambang Suko Priyono, Tristiana Rijanti

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This study examines the influence of Psychological Capital Dimensions to Organizational Citizenship Behavior. There are four dimensions of Psychological Capital such as hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy. It also tests the moderation effect of Resistance to Change in the relation between Psychological Capital’s dimensions and Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and the influence of Organizational Citizenship Behavior to employees’ performance. The data from the chosen 160 respondents from Public Service Institution is processed using multiple regression and interaction method. The study results in: 1) Hope positively significantly influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior, 2) Optimism positively significantly influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior, 3) Resilience positively significantly influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior, 4) Self-efficacy positively significantly influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior, 5) Resistance to change is moderating variable between hope and Organizational Citizenship Behavior, 6) Resistance to change is moderating variable between self-efficacy and Organizational Citizenship Behavior, 7) Organizational Citizenship Behavior positively significantly influences performance. On the contrary, resistance to change as a moderating variable is proven for hope and resilience.

Keywords: organizational citizenship behavior, performance, psychological capital’s dimensions, and resistance to change

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Authors: Linet Melisa Daubanes, Nhleko Monique Chiloane

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The shovel-truck system is the most prevalent material handling system used in surface mining operations. Material handling entails the loading and hauling of material from production areas to dumping areas. The material handling process has operational delays that have a negative impact on the productivity of the load and haul fleet. Factors that may contribute to operational delays include shovel-truck mismatch, haul routes, machine breakdowns, extreme weather conditions, etc. The aim of this paper is to investigate factors that contribute to operational delays affecting the productivity of the load and haul fleet at the mine. Productivity is the measure of the effectiveness of producing products from a given quantity of units, the ratio of output to inputs. Productivity can be improved by producing more outputs with the same or fewer units and/or introducing better working methods etc. Several key performance indicators (KPI) for the evaluation of productivity will be discussed in this study. These KPIs include but are not limited to hauling conditions, bucket fill factor, cycle time, and utilization. The research methodology of this study is a combination of on-site time studies and observations. Productivity can be optimized by managing the factors that affect the operational performance of the haulage fleet.

Keywords: cycle time, fleet performance, load and haul, surface mining

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Authors: Shenko Chura Aredo, Hailu Belay, Kevin T. Kornegay

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In light of Adama City’s smart city development vision, this study thoroughly investigates the performance of smart security systems with Fifth Generation (5G) network capabilities. It can be logistically difficult to install a lot of cabling, particularly in big or dynamic settings. Moreover, latency issues might affect linked systems, making it difficult for them to monitor in real time. Through a focused analysis that employs Adama City as a case study, the performance has been evaluated in terms of spectrum and energy efficiency using empirical data and basic signal processing formulations at different frequency resources. The findings also demonstrate that cameras working at higher 5G frequencies have more capacity than those operating at sub-6 GHz, notwithstanding frequency-related issues. It has also been noted that when the beams of such cameras are adaptively focussed based on the distance of the last cell edge user rather than the maximum cell radius, less energy is required than with conventional fixed power ramping.

Keywords: 5G, energy efficiency, safety, smart security, spectral efficiency

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Authors: Mohamed S. M. Elghazal, Adel Aneiba, Essa Q. Shahra

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This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of REST and GraphQL API models within the context of microservices development, offering empirical insights into the strengths and limitations of each approach. The research explores the effectiveness and efficiency of GraphQL versus REST, focusing on their impact on critical software quality metrics and user experience. Using a controlled experimental setup, the study evaluates key performance indicators, including response time, data transfer efficiency, and error rates. The findings reveal that REST APIs demonstrate superior memory efficiency and faster response times, particularly under high-load conditions, making them a reliable choice for performance-critical microservices. On the other hand, GraphQL excels in offering greater flexibility for data fetching but exhibits higher response times and increased error rates when handling complex queries. This research provides a nuanced understanding of the trade-offs between REST and GraphQL API interaction models, offering actionable guidance for developers and researchers in selecting the optimal API model for microservice-based applications. The insights are particularly valuable for balancing considerations such as performance, flexibility, and reliability in real-world implementations.

Keywords: REST API, GraphQL AP, microservice, software development

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Authors: Shiva Shakori Poshteh

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Lung cancer is a highly prevalent and devastating disease, representing a significant global health concern with profound implications for healthcare systems and society. Its high incidence, mortality rates, and late-stage diagnosis contribute to its formidable nature. To address these challenges, nanoparticle-based drug delivery has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy. Curcumin (CUR), a natural compound derived from turmeric, has garnered attention as a potential nanomedicine for lung cancer treatment. Nanoparticle formulations of CUR offer several advantages, including improved drug delivery efficiency, enhanced stability, controlled release kinetics, and targeted delivery to lung cancer cells. CUR exhibits a diverse array of effects on cancer cells. It induces apoptosis by upregulating pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax and Bak, and downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins, such as Bcl-2. Additionally, CUR inhibits cell proliferation by modulating key signaling pathways involved in cancer progression. It suppresses the PI3K/Akt pathway, crucial for cell survival and growth, and attenuates the mTOR pathway, which regulates protein synthesis and cell proliferation. CUR also interferes with the MAPK pathway, which controls cell proliferation and survival, and modulates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which plays a role in cell proliferation and tumor development. Moreover, CUR exhibits potent antioxidant activity, reducing oxidative stress and protecting cells from DNA damage. Utilizing CUR as a standalone treatment is limited by poor bioavailability, lack of targeting, and degradation susceptibility. Nanoparticle-based delivery systems can overcome these challenges. They enhance CUR’s bioavailability, protect it from degradation, and improve absorption. Further, Nanoparticles enable targeted delivery to lung cancer cells through surface modifications or ligand-based targeting, ensuring sustained release of CUR to prolong therapeutic effects, reduce administration frequency, and facilitate penetration through the tumor microenvironment, thereby enhancing CUR’s access to cancer cells. Thus, nanoparticle-based CUR delivery systems promise to improve lung cancer treatment outcomes. This article provides an overview of lung cancer, explores CUR nanoparticles as a treatment approach, discusses the benefits and challenges of nanoparticle-based drug delivery, and highlights prospects for CUR nanoparticles in lung cancer treatment. Future research aims to optimize these delivery systems for improved efficacy and patient prognosis in lung cancer.

Keywords: lung cancer, curcumin, nanomedicine, nanoparticle-based drug delivery

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Authors: Faizan Asghar, Mohammad Jamal Khattak

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Aging, in general, refers to changes in rheological characteristics of asphalt mixture due to changes in chemical composition over the course of construction and service life of the pavement. The main goal of this study was to investigate the impact of oxidation on fatigue characteristics of a novel HMA composite fabricated with a combination of crumb rubber (CRM) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber subject to aging of 7 and 14 days. A flexural beam fatigue test was performed to evaluate several characteristics of control, CRM modified, PVA reinforced, and novel rubber-fiber HMA composite. Experimental results revealed that aging had a significant impact on the fatigue performance of novel HMA composite. It was found that a suitable proportion of CRM and PVA radically affected the performance of novel rubber-fiber HMA in resistance to fracture and fatigue cracking when subjected to long-term aging. The developed novel HMA composite containing 2% CRM and 0.2% PVA presented around 29 times higher resistance to fatigue cracking for a period of 7 days of aging. To develop a cumulative plastic deformation level of 250 micros, such a mixture required over 50 times higher cycles than control HMA. Moreover, the crack propagation rate was reduced by over 90%, with over 12 times higher energy required to propagate a unit crack length in such a mixture compared to conventional HMA. Further, digital imaging correlation analyses revealed a more twisted and convoluted fracture path and higher strain distribution in rubber-fiber HMA composite. The fatigue performance after long-term aging of such novel HMA composite explicitly validates the ability to withstand load repetition that could lead to an extension in the service life of pavement infrastructure and reduce taxpayers’ dollars spent.

Keywords: crumb rubber, PVA fibers, dry process, aging, performance testing, fatigue life

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Authors: Amira Bousselmi

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This article presents a PIFA antenna designed for geolocation applications (GNSS) operating on 1.278 GHz, 2.8 GHz, 5.7 GHz and 10 GHz. To improve the performance of the antenna, an artificial magnetic conductor structure (AMC) was used. Adding the antenna with AMC resulted in a measured gain of 4.78 dBi. The results of simulations and measurements are presented. CST Microwave Studio is used to design and compare antenna performance. An antenna design methodology, design and characterization of the AMC surface are described as well as the simulated and measured performances of the AMC antenna are then discussed. Finally, in Section V, there is a conclusion.

Keywords: antenna multiband, global navigation system, AMC, Galeleo

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Authors: Li Zhang, Yuehong Su

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Lightpipe as a mature solar light tube technique has been employed worldwide. Accurately assessing the performance of lightpipe and evaluate daylighting available has been a challenging topic. Previous research had used regression model and computational simulation methods to estimate the performance of lightpipe. However, due to the nonlinear nature of solar light transferring in lightpipe, the methods mentioned above express inaccurate and time-costing issues. In the present study, a neural network model as an alternative method is investigated to predict the transmittance of lightpipe. Four types of commercial lightpipe with bended angle 0°, 30°, 45° and 60° are discussed under clear, intermediate and overcast sky conditions respectively. The neural network is generated in MATLAB by using the outcomes of an optical software Photopia simulations as targets for networks training and testing. The coefficient of determination (R²) for each model is higher than 0.98, and the mean square error (MSE) is less than 0.0019, which indicate the neural network strong predictive ability and the use of the neural network method could be an efficient technique for determining the performance of lightpipe.

Keywords: neural network, bended lightpipe, transmittance, Photopia

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Authors: Isabelle Barrett

Abstract:

Natural watercourses provide a range of vital ecosystem services, notably freshwater provision. They also offer highly heterogeneous habitat which supports an extreme diversity of aquatic life. Exploitation of rivers, changing land use and flood prevention measures have led to habitat degradation and subsequent biodiversity loss; indeed, freshwater species currently face a disproportionate rate of extinction compared to their terrestrial and marine counterparts. Large woody debris (LWD) encompasses the trees, large branches and logs which fall into watercourses, and is responsible for important habitat characteristics. Historically, natural LWD has been removed from streams under the assumption that it is not aesthetically pleasing and is thus ecologically unfavourable, despite extensive evidence contradicting this. Restoration efforts aim to replace lost LWD in order to reinstate habitat heterogeneity. This paper aims to assess the current state of such restoration schemes for improving fluvial ecological health in the UK. A detailed review of the scientific literature was conducted alongside a meta-analysis of 25 UK-based projects involving LWD restoration. Projects were chosen for which sufficient information was attainable for analysis, covering a broad range of budgets and scales. The most effective strategies for river restoration encompass ecological success, stakeholder engagement and scientific advancement, however few projects surveyed showed sensitivity to all three; for example, only 32% of projects stated biological aims. Focus tended to be on stakeholder engagement and public approval, since this is often a key funding driver. Consequently, there is a tendency to focus on the aesthetic outcomes of a project, however physical habitat restoration does not necessarily lead to direct biodiversity increases. This highlights the significance of rivers as highly heterogeneous environments with multiple interlinked processes, and emphasises a need for a stronger scientific presence in project planning. Poor scientific rigour means monitoring is often lacking, with varying, if any, definitions of success which are rarely pre-determined. A tendency to overlook negative or neutral results was apparent, with unjustified focus often put on qualitative results. The temporal scale of monitoring is typically inadequate to facilitate scientific conclusions, with only 20% of projects surveyed reporting any pre-restoration monitoring. Furthermore, monitoring is often limited to a few variables, with biotic monitoring often fish-focussed. Due to their longer life cycles and dispersal capability, fish are usually poor indicators of environmental change, making it difficult to attribute any changes in ecological health to restoration efforts. Although the potential impact of LWD restoration may be positive, this method of restoration could simply be making short-term, small-scale improvements; without addressing the underlying symptoms of degradation, for example water quality, the issue cannot be fully resolved. Promotion of standardised monitoring for LWD projects could help establish a deeper understanding of the ecology surrounding the practice, supporting movement towards adaptive management in which scientific evidence feeds back to practitioners, enabling the design of more efficient projects with greater ecological success. By highlighting LWD, this study hopes to address the difficulties faced within river management, and emphasise the need for a more holistic international and inter-institutional approach to tackling problems associated with degradation.

Keywords: biological monitoring, ecological health, large woody debris, river management, river restoration

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