Search results for: peer to peer resource sharing

Authors: Binish Ahmed

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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is regarded as voluntary behaviors that contribute to the social welfare based on the concept of sustainable development. The corporations should not only stress on their economic and business outcomes but also pay attention to their effect on the society and environment. It could attract investors and customers, as well as maintain a positive interaction with the government. In spite of the broad diffusion, and its potential significance to employees' perspective, CSR is now examined and has built-in Organizational Behavior (OB), and Human Resource Management (HRM) look into the broad structure of relationship between employees' perspective, work attitudes and behavior to improve the research on CSR. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of employees’ perception of CSR on work attitudes and behaviors of employees. A conceptual framework is proposed, based on the literature and practices. The research would conduct the primary data survey of convenient sampling from the employees and managers-using detailed questionnaire- to address the following questions. The survey of 180 respondents of age greater than 20 having at least six-month experience from companies based in Karachi are source of data. The application of professional empirical models for data analysis and interpretation are source to draw the conclusion. 1. What are the dynamics of CSR in an organization? Why is it important to have a CSR department? What sort of business approach are CSR activities practiced? Do CSR activities improve the quality of life of workplace? And, how it linked with welfare of society? 2. How the positive job attitude and behavior does encourage the employees about the perception of CSR? How is it linked with the job satisfaction? What is the relationship between employees’ perception of CSR and job satisfaction?

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work behaviors

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Authors: Alireza Rahimi, Abdolreza Farhadian, Arash Tajik, Elaheh Sadeh, Avni Berisha, Esmaeil Akbari Nezhad

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Although natural polymers have been shown to have some inhibitory properties on sour corrosion, they are not considered very effective green corrosion inhibitors. Accordingly, effective corrosion inhibitors should be developed based on natural resources to mitigate sour corrosion in the oil and gas industry. Here, Arabic gum was employed as an eco-friendly precursor for the synthesis of innovative polyurethanes designed as highly efficient corrosion inhibitors for sour oilfield solutions. A comprehensive assessment, combining experimental and computational analyses, was conducted to evaluate the inhibitory performance of the inhibitor. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that a concentration of 200 mM of the inhibitor offered substantial protection to mild steel against sour corrosion, yielding inhibition efficiencies of 98% and 95% at 25 ºC and 60 ºC, respectively. Additionally, the presence of the inhibitor led to a smoother steel surface, indicating the adsorption of polyurethane molecules onto the metal surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results further validated the chemical adsorption of the inhibitor on mild steel surfaces. Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy revealed a shift in the potential distribution of the steel surface towards negative values, indicating inhibitor adsorption and corrosion process inhibition. Molecular dynamic simulation indicated high adsorption energy values for the inhibitor, suggesting its spontaneous adsorption onto the Fe (110) surface. These findings underscore the potential of Arabic gum as a viable resource for the development of polyurethanes under mild conditions, serving as effective corrosion inhibitors for sour solutions.

Keywords: environmental effect, Arabic gum, corrosion inhibitor, sour corrosion, molecular dynamics simulation

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Authors: Eva de Mingo-Fernández, Lourdes Rubio Rico, Carmen Ortega-Segura, Montserrat Querol-García, Raúl González-Jauregui

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Today, one of the great challenges that the university faces is to get closer to society and transfer knowledge. The competency-based training approach favours a continuous interaction between practice and theory, which is why it is essential to establish real experiences with reflection and debate and to contrast them with personal and professional knowledge. Service-learning (SL) consists of an integration of academic learning with service in the community, which enables teachers to transfer knowledge with social value and students to be trained on the basis of experience of real needs and problems with the aim of solving them. SLE combines research, teaching, and social value knowledge transfer with the real social needs and problems of a community. Goal: The objective of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a service-learning program in the subject of adult nursing for second-year nursing students. Methodology: After establishing collaboration with eight associations of people with different pathologies, the students were divided into eight groups, and each group was assigned an association. The groups were made up of 10-12 students. The associations willing to participate were for the following conditions: diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, fibromyalgia, heart, lung, and kidney diseases. The methodological design consisting of 5 activities was then applied. Three activities address personal and individual reflections, where the student initially describes what they think it is like to live with a certain disease. They then express their reflections resulting from an interview conducted by peers, in person or online, with a person living with this particular condition, and after sharing the results of their reflections with the rest of the group, they make an oral presentation in which they present their findings to the other students. This is followed by a service task in which the students collaborate in different activities of the association, and finally, a third individual reflection is carried out in which the students express their experience of collaboration. The evaluation of this activity is carried out by means of a rubric for both the reflections and the presentation. It should be noted that the oral presentation is evaluated both by the rest of the classmates and by the teachers. Results: The evaluation of the activity, given by the students, is 7.80/10, commenting that the experience is positive and brings them closer to the reality of the people and the area.

Keywords: academic learning integration, knowledge transfer, service-learning, teaching methodology

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Authors: Kazuhisa Koda, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Rebecca Lorennji, Alington Robert, Halston DeBrum, Julious Lucky, Paul Paul

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Atolls are low-lying small islands with highly permeable ground that does not allow rivers and lakes to develop. As the water resources on these atolls basically rely on precipitation, groundwater becomes a very important water resource during droughts. Freshwater lenses develop as groundwater on relatively large atoll islands and play a key role in the stable water supply. Atoll islands in the Pacific Ocean sometimes suffer from drought due to El Nino. The global warming effects are noticeable, particularly on atoll islands. The Republic of the Marshall Islands in Oceania is burdened with the problems common to atoll islands. About half of its population lives in the capital, Majuro, and securing water resources for these people is a crucial issue. There is a freshwater lens on the largest, Laura Island, which serves as a water source for the downtown area. A serious drought that occurred in 1998 resulted in excessive water intake from the freshwater lens on Laura Island causing up-coning. Up-coning mixes saltwater into groundwater pumped from water-intake wells. Because up-coning makes the freshwater lens unusable, there was a need to investigate the freshwater lens on Laura Island. In this study, we observed the electrical conductivities of the groundwater at different depths in existing monitoring wells to determine the total storage volume of the freshwater lens on Laura Island from 2010 to 2013. Our results indicated that most of the groundwater that seeped into the freshwater lens had flowed out into the sea.

Keywords: Atoll islands, drought, El-Nino, freshwater lens, groundwater observation

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Authors: Po-Jung Huang, Chi-Ching Lee, Bertrand Chin-Ming Tan, Yuan-Ming Yeh, Julie Lichieh Chu, Tin-Wen Chen, Cheng-Yang Lee, Ruei-Chi Gan, Hsuan Liu, Petrus Tang

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Whole-exome sequencing focuses on the protein coding regions of disease/cancer associated genes based on a priori knowledge is the most cost-effective method to study the association between genetic alterations and disease. Recent advances in high throughput sequencing technologies and proteomic techniques has provided an opportunity to integrate genomics and proteomics, allowing readily detectable mutated peptides corresponding to mutated genes. Since sequence database search is the most widely used method for protein identification using Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics technology, a mutant proteome database is required to better approximate the real protein pool to improve disease-associated mutated protein identification. Large-scale whole exome/genome sequencing studies were launched by National Cancer Institute (NCI), Broad Institute, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), which provide not only a comprehensive report on the analysis of coding variants in diverse samples cell lines but a invaluable resource for extensive research community. No existing database is available for the collection of mutant protein sequences related to the identified variants in these studies. CMPD is designed to address this issue, serving as a bridge between genomic data and proteomic studies and focusing on protein sequence-altering variations originated from both germline and cancer-associated somatic variations.

Keywords: TCGA, cancer, mutant, proteome

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Authors: Vasti Oelofse, Niekie van der Merwe, Dorita du Toit

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This study addresses the need for a unified best practice model for Physical Education across BRICS nations, as current research primarily offers individual country recommendations. Drawing on relevant literature within the framework of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, as well as data from open-ended questionnaires completed by Physical Education experts from the BRICS countries, , the study develops a best practice model based on identified challenges and effective practices in Physical Education. A model is proposed that incorporates flexible and resource-efficient strategies tailored to address PE challenges specific to these countries, enhancing outcomes for learners, empowering teachers, and fostering systemic collaboration among BRICS members. The proposed model comprises six key areas: “Curriculum and policy requirements”, “General approach”, “Theoretical basis”, “Strategies for presenting content”, “Teacher training”, and “Evaluation”. The “Strategies for presenting program content” area addresses both well-resourced and poorly resourced schools, adapting curriculum, teaching strategies, materials, and learner activities for varied socio-economic contexts. The model emphasizes a holistic approach to learner development, engaging environments, and continuous teacher training. A collaborative approach among BRICS countries, focusing on shared best practices and continuous improvement, is vital for the model's successful implementation, enhancing Physical Education programs and outcomes across these nations.

Keywords: BRICS countries, physical education, best practice model, ecological systems theory

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Authors: Guanghua Yu

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This article has examined the rise of the UK, US, and China at different historical times to explain the argument that it is open access in the economic sphere, as well as institutional building related to the protection of property rights, contract enforcement, financial market, the rule of law, and human resource accumulation that determine economic and human development. Both the UK, after the Glorious Revolution in the seventeenth century, and China, after its adoption of the open door policy at the end of the 1970s, follow such a path of development. The difference between the UK and China in moving toward that path is the different coordination of elites. While the coordination of elites in the UK through parliament played important roles in forcing the government to consider the wider encompassing interest in society after the Glorious Revolution, the coordination of elites in China has mainly been achieved by the Communist Party of China such that the Chinese Government has started to pay greater deal of attention to the wider encompassing interest in the country from 1978. The article has also examined the rise of the US following colonial settlement to independence and institutional building thereafter. The US case is similarly consistent with the argument that open access in the economic sphere and institutional building matter the most to economic development. More decentralized methods of the coordination of elites in the US among colonies (states), the federal governments, and other political groups similarly shaped the path towards open access in the economic sphere and institutional building. As such, open access in the political sphere plays an indirect role in development at best. If that is correct, there are possibilities that different political systems are able to achieve coordination of elites so that governments will turn their attention to development.

Keywords: open access, interconnected institutions, democracy, development

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Authors: Aris R. Terzopoulos, Georgia Z. Niolaki, Lynne G. Duncan, Mark A. J. Wilson, Antonios Kyparissiadis, Jackie Masterson

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As word databases for bilingual children are not available, researchers, educators and textbook writers must rely on monolingual databases. The aim of this study is thus to develop a bilingual word database, BiLex-kids, an online open access developmental word database for 5-13 year old bilingual children who learn Greek as a second language and have English as their dominant one. BiLex-kids is compiled from 120 Greek textbooks used in Greek-English bilingual education in the UK, USA and Australia, and provides word translations in the two languages, pronunciations in Greek, and psycholinguistic variables (e.g. Zipf, Frequency per million, Dispersion, Contextual Diversity, Neighbourhood size). After clearing the textbooks of non-relevant items (e.g. punctuation), algorithms were applied to extract the psycholinguistic indices for all words. As well as one total lexicon, the database produces values for all ages (one lexicon for each age) and for three age bands (one lexicon per age band: 5-8, 9-11, 12-13 years). BiLex-kids provides researchers with accurate figures for a wide range of psycholinguistic variables, making it a useful and reliable research tool for selecting stimuli to examine lexical processing among bilingual children. In addition, it offers children the opportunity to study word spelling, learn translations and listen to pronunciations in their second language. It further benefits educators in selecting age-appropriate words for teaching reading and spelling, while special educational needs teachers will have a resource to control the content of word lists when designing interventions for bilinguals with literacy difficulties.

Keywords: bilingual children, psycholinguistics, vocabulary development, word databases

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Authors: Chia-Wen Wang, Patou Masika Musumari, Teeranee Techasrivichien, S. Pilar Suguimoto, Chang-Chuan Chan, Masako Ono-Kihara, Masahiro Kihara

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Background: In recent years, a particular form of bullying, referred to as 'cyberbullying' has emerged along with the rapid expansion of the Internet, social network services (SNSs) and smart phones. Many Asian countries, including Taiwan, are faced with both the cyberbullying and the traditional form of bullying. This study aims to explore Taiwanese adolescents’ experiences, perceptions and opinions regarding cyberbullying and traditional bullying through the perspective of victim, perpetrator, or witness. Method: This is a qualitative study using face-to-face in-depth interviews guided by a semi-structured questionnaire among high school students -aged 16 to 18 years- in Taipei, Taiwan. The participants were recruited through convenience sampling from five high schools between June and November 2016. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. Results: Forty-eight participants were recruited, of which, 14 (29.2%) reported had ever experienced bullying. Specifically, 7 participants (14.6%) reported had ever been victims of cyberbullying, 1 (2%) had been victims of traditional bullying, and 6 (12.5%) had been victims of both cyber and traditional bullying. The majority (70.8%) reported had ever witnessed acts of bullying; however, none of the participants recognized had ever been a perpetrator of bullying. Cyberbullying mostly happens on social media (Facebook and Instagram) or LINE instant messaging application, and included upload and sharing of degrading pictures and videos of victims, as well as gossip and mean messages by the perpetrators. The anonymous and public nature of social media groups in schools made it easier to perpetrate bullying. The victim of traditional bullying reported being the target of verbal attack because of his physical appearance. Regardless of the type of bullying, victims reported feeling bad, angry, or depressed as a result of being bullied. Witnesses of both cyber- and traditional bullying cited physical appearance (e.g. having the big/flat bust or big butt, or overweight or obese) and disability as the most reasons of being a bullying victim. Conclusion: Both cyberbullying and traditional bullying had negative emotional and psychological impacts on victims. This study warrants further research to assess the extent of this phenomenon and understand the characteristics of perpetrators, victims, and witnesses to inform the design of tailored interventions using appropriate channels of dissemination.

Keywords: cyberbullying, traditional bullying, social media, adolescents

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Authors: Ahmad Latif Virk, Naeem Ahmad, Muhammad Ishaq Asif Rehmani

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Amid the present environmental crises, developing environment-resilient and cost-effective conservation agriculture strategies to feed the world's ever-growing population is pertinent. Therefore, a field study was conducted to test the hypothesis that residue retention under no-till (NTR) would enhance energy productivity (EP) and energy use efficiency (EUE) while offsetting the carbon footprints (CF), water footprints (WF) and greenhouse gases emissions (GHGs) in rice (Oryza sativa L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) double cropping system. Two tillage systems viz., conventional tillage (CT) and conservation tillage (no-till; NT), with or without residue retention, were combined into four treatments as CT0 (puddled rice, conventional wheat - residue); CTR (puddled rice, conventional wheat + residue); NT0 (direct rice seeding, zero-tilled wheat - residue); NTR (direct rice seeding, zero-tilled wheat + residue) were evaluated. Overall, results showed that the NT system had 34.2% lower energy consumption, 1.2 times more EP than CT system. Moreover, NTR had 19.8% higher EUE than CT0. The overall system grain yield ranged from 7.8 to 9.3 Mg ha−1 under NT0 and CTR, respectively. The NTR had 56.6% and 17.9% lesser CF and WF, respectively, than CT0. The net GHGs emissions (CO2-eq kg ha−1) under CT0 were the highest, while NTR had the lowest emissions. The NTR enhanced carbon sequestration in soil that can offset half of the system's CO2 emissions. The findings of this study might help develop a suitable strategy for resource/energy conservation and higher productivity while offsetting GHGs emissions in the Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Keywords: residue, yield, indirect emissions, energy use efficiency, carbon sequestration

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Authors: Olurankinse Felix, Fatukasi Bayo

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Over the years, the medium through which government financial statements are prepared has been on cash basis of accounting. This basis was characterised with some shortcomings ranging from non- disclosure of quality and detail information relating to government financial transactions, ill informed assessment of government resource allocation, weak internal control system that inhibits accountability and transparency and non- standardisation of reporting ethics for the purpose of comparability. The emergence of international public sector accounting standards (IPSAS) is therefore seen as leverage as it aims at improving the quality of general purpose financial reporting by public sector entities thereby increasing transparency and accountability. IPSAS is a new concept that all institutions must fully adopts. The crux of this paper is to find out to what extent is the awareness and adoption of IPSAS to both students and lecturers interms of teaching, learning and inclusion in the curriculum of accounting education. The methodology involved the use of well designed questionnaires to obtain information from some selected institutions and the analysis was done with the use of maximum likelihood ordered probit regression. The result of the analysis shows that despite a high level of sensitisation/awareness of IPSAS, the degree of adoption is still low due to low level of desirability by students and lecturers. The paper recommend the need for the government to enact an enabling law to back up the adoption and more importantly to institute appropriate sanctions to ensure full compliance.

Keywords: assessment, awareness, adoption, IPSAS, cash basis

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Authors: Moses Aron, Elias Mwakilama, Jimmy Namangale

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Spending more time on long queues for a basic service remains a common challenge to most developing countries, including Malawi. For health sector in particular, Out-Patient Department (OPD) experiences long queues. This puts the lives of patients at risk. However, using queuing analysis to under the nature of the problems and efficiency of service systems, such problems can be abated. Based on a kind of service, literature proposes different possible queuing models. However, unlike using generalized assumed models proposed by literature, use of real time case study data can help in deeper understanding the particular problem model and how such a model can vary from one day to the other and also from each case to another. As such, this study uses data obtained from one urban HC for BP, Pediatric and General OPD cases to investigate an average queuing time for patients within the system. It seeks to highlight the proper queuing model by investigating the kind of distributions functions over patient’s arrival time, inter-arrival time, waiting time and service time. Comparable with the standard set values by WHO, the study found that patients at this HC spend more waiting times than service times. On model investigation, different days presented different models ranging from an assumed M/M/1, M/M/2 to M/Er/2. As such, through sensitivity analysis, in general, a commonly assumed M/M/1 model failed to fit the data but rather an M/Er/2 demonstrated to fit well. An M/Er/3 model seemed to be good in terms of measuring resource utilization, proposing a need to increase medical personnel at this HC. However, an M/Er/4 showed to cause more idleness of human resources.

Keywords: health care, out-patient department, queuing model, sensitivity analysis

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Authors: Giang Vu, Duong Nguyen, Yuan-Ling Chen

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Vietnam is a fast developing country with highly economic growth, and Vietnam organizations strive to utilize high performance work system (HPWS) in reinforcing employee in-role performance. HPWS, a bundle of human resource (HR) practices, are composed of eight sets of HR practices, namely selective staffing, extensive training, internal mobility, employment security, clear job description, result-oriented appraisal, incentive reward, and participation. However, whether HPWS stimulate employee extra-role behaviors remains understudied in a booming economic context. In this study, we aim to investigate organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in a Vietnam context and, as a central issue, disentangle how HPWS elicits in employee OCB. On the other hand, recently, a deliberation of so-called 'black-box' HPWS issue has explored the role of employee commitment, suggesting that organizational commitment is a compelling source of employee OCB. We draw upon social exchange theory to predict that when employees perceive the organizational investment, like HPWS, in heightening their abilities, knowledge, and motivation, they are more likely to pay back with commitment; consequently, they will take initiatives in OCB. Hence, we hypothesize an individual level framework, in which organizational commitment mediates the positive relationship between HPWS and OCB. We collected data on HPWS, organizational commitment, OCB, and demographic variables, all at line managers of Vietnamese firms in Hanoi and Hochiminh. We conclude with research findings, implications, and future research suggestions.

Keywords: high performance work system, organizational citizenship behavior, organizational commitment, Vietnam

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Authors: Tharsinithevy Kirupananthan

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This study analyzed the decision on growing three different crops which suit dry zone of Sri Lanka using the opportunity cost concept in economics. The variable cost of production of sugar cane, sweet orange, and soybean was 112,418.76, 13,463 and 10,928.08 Sri Lankan Rs. (LKR) per acre in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The yield of the sugar cane, sweet orange, and soybean were 49.33 tons, 25,595 fruits, and 1032 kg per acre. The market price of the sugar cane, sweet orange, and soybean were 4200 LKR/ton, LKR 14.66 per fruit and LKR 89.69 per kg. The market value or the total income of the sugar cane, sweet orange, and soybean were LKR 207194.4, 283090.74, and 92560.08. The accounting profit of the sugar cane, sweet orange, and soybean was 94,775.64, 269,627.74, and 81,632 LKR per acre. Therefore, the opportunity cost of sugarcane per acre in terms of accounting profit was LKR. 269,627.74 from sweet orange and LKR 81,632 from soybean. The highest opportunity cost per acre in terms of accounting profit was found when soybean is produced instead of sweet orange. The opportunity cost which compared among the crops in terms of market value for sugar cane per acre was LKR 283090.74 of sweet orange and LKR 92560.08 of soybean. The highest opportunity cost both in terms of accounting profit and market value was found when growing soybean instead of sweet orange by using the resource per acre of land. The economic profit of sugar cane production in place of sweet orange was LKR -188315.1 per acre. The highest economic profit LKR 177067.66 was found when sweet orange is produced in place of soybean. A positive value of economic profit was found in all combination of sweet orange production without considering the first harvest duration of the crop.

Keywords: agricultural economics, crop, opportunity cost, Sri Lanka

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Authors: Hashim Zameer

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Effective tourism management plays a vital role in promoting sustainability and supporting ecosystems. A common principle that has been in practice over the years is “first pollute and then clean,” indicating countries need financial resources to promote sustainability. Financial development and the tourism management both seems very important to promoting sustainable development. However, without institutional support, it is very difficult to succeed. In this context, it seems prominently significant to explore how institutional quality, tourism development, and financial development could promote sustainable development. In the past, no research explored the role of tourism development in sustainable development. Moreover, the role of financial development, natural resources, and institutional quality in sustainable development is also ignored. In this regard, this paper aims to investigate the role of tourism development, natural resources, financial development, and institutional quality in sustainable development in China. The study used time-series data from 2000–2021 and employed the Bayesian linear regression model because it is suitable for small data sets. The robustness of the findings was checked using a quantile regression approach. The results reveal that an increase in tourism expenditures stimulates the economy, creates jobs, encourages cultural exchange, and supports sustainability initiatives. Moreover, financial development and institution quality have a positive effect on sustainable development. However, reliance on natural resources can result in negative economic, social, and environmental outcomes, highlighting the need for resource diversification and management to reinforce sustainable development. These results highlight the significance of financial development, strong institutions, sustainable tourism, and careful utilization of natural resources for long-term sustainability. The study holds vital insights for policy formulation to promote sustainable tourism.

Keywords: sustainability, tourism development, financial development, institutional quality

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Authors: Daniel Angwenyi

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Relationships between protected area managers and adjacent communities, as well as communities' attitudes, views and perceptions of these areas, are critical for the success of conservation efforts. It is, therefore, of utmost importance for protected area managers and administrators understand how local communities view these areas and their management, so that they can build sustainable working relationships. This paper is based on a survey of 375 semi-structured questionnaires administered to household heads, living at distances ranging from the edge of the reserves to 50 km away from the reserve boundary across Great Fish River, Mkambati, Hluleka, and Tsolwana in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The paper provides a longitudinal assessment of households’ knowledge on the role of reserves and how the reserves. In addition to households’ knowledge, the paper also provides an assessment of their attitudes towards the location and management, as well as views on the best way to manage the reserves. For 79% of community members reserves are important as they were seen to conserve biodiversity and valuable ecological systems necessary for sustaining life. Most (75%) respondents indicated that closely located reserves gave them opportunities to learn about nature conservation and to subsidize their incomes through tourism ventures. However, 58% had a problem with reserves’ staff, due to restrictions on resource use, which negatively impacted their livelihoods. Over half (51%) of the households were of the view that sustainable conservation can only be achieved through an integrated approach, where local communities’ and conservation needs are given equal weighting. Thus, it is concluded that reserve management should look at communities as active partners in the running of protected areas if sustainable conservation objectives are to be realised.

Keywords: nature conservation, conservation knowledge, local communities, views, protected areas

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Authors: Prashansa Singh, Rohit Bajaj, Manjot Kaur

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In the modern agricultural landscape, precision farming has emerged as a pivotal strategy for enhancing crop yield and optimizing resource utilization. This paper introduces an innovative Crop Recommendation System (CRS) that leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol to collect critical environmental and soil data via sensors deployed across agricultural fields. The system is designed to address the challenges of real-time data acquisition, efficient data transmission, and dynamic crop recommendation through the application of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) models. The CRS architecture encompasses a network of sensors that continuously monitor environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and nutrient levels. This sensor data is then transmitted to a central MQTT server, ensuring reliable and low-latency communication even in bandwidth-constrained scenarios typical of rural agricultural settings. Upon reaching the server, the data is processed and analyzed by AI/ML models trained to correlate specific environmental conditions with optimal crop choices and cultivation practices. These models consider historical crop performance data, current agricultural research, and real-time field conditions to generate tailored crop recommendations. This implementation gets 99% accuracy.

Keywords: Iot, MQTT protocol, machine learning, sensor, publish, subscriber, agriculture, humidity

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Authors: Cristina Costa-Lobo, Ana Martins, Maria Das Dores Formosinho, Ana Campina, Filomena Ponte

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This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted at an international leading food group. Documentary analysis and discourse analysis techniques were used to examine how corporate social responsibility and career education are valued by this international group. The Survey on Corporate Social Responsibility and Career Education was used, with 18 open-ended questions, the first six related to Corporate Social Responsibility and the last 12 related to Education for the Career. The Survey on the Social Emergency Fund was made up of 16 open-ended questions. The Social Welfare Survey was used to investigate the contribution of social workers in this area, as well as to understand their status. The sample of this investigation is composed by the Director of the development area, by the Coordinator and two Social Assistants of the Social Emergency Fund. Their collaboration was the provision of information in the form of an interview where the two main axes of this study were explored: Corporate Social Responsibility and Career Education. With regard to the analysis of data obtained from interviews, it was accomplished through the content analysis according to the Bardin's method (2004), through the pre-analytical, exploratory and qualitative treatment and interpretation of responses. Critical review of documents was also used. The success and effectiveness of this international group are marked by ambition, ability to resist difficulties, sharing of values, spirit of unity and team sense that is shared in its different companies, its leadership position is also due to the concern to see reinforced and developed values of work, discipline, rigor and competence, its management is geared towards responding to immediate challenges from a Corporate Social Responsibility perspective that is characteristic of it, incorporating concerns about impacts both in the medium and long term. In addition to internal training, it directs investments for external training by promoting actions such as participation in seminars and congresses worldwide and the creation of partnerships in various areas of management with prestigious teaching entities. Findings indicate the creation of a training school, with initiatives for internal and external training, in partnerships with prestigious teaching entities. Of particular note is the Management Trainees Program, developed for more than 25 years, characterized by building a career by obtaining knowledge and skills acquired in the combination of on-the-job experience and a training program.

Keywords: career education, corporate social responsibility, training school, management trainees program

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Authors: Ahmed Inal, Samir Rouidi, Samir Bachouche

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The present study is focused on the distribution and composition of seafloor marine litter associated to trawlable fishing areas along Algerian coast. The sampling was done with a GOC73 bottom trawl during four (04) demersal resource assessment cruises, respectively, in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022, carried out on board BELKACEM GRINE R/V. A total of 254 fishing hauls were sampled for the assessment of marine litter. Hauls were performed between 22 and 600 m of depth, the duration was between 30 and 60 min. All sampling was conducted during daylight. After the haul, marine litter was sorted and split from the catch. Then, according to the basis of the MEDITS protocol, litters were sorted into six different categories (plastic, rubber, metal, wood, glass and natural fiber). Thereafter, all marine litter were counted and weighed separately to the nearest 0.5 g. The results shows that the maximums of marine litter densities in the seafloor of the trawling fishing areas along Algerian coast are, respectively, 1996 item/km2 in 2016, 5164 item/km2 in 2019, 2173 item/km2 in 2021 and 7319 item/km2 in 2022. Thus, the plastic is the most abundant litter, it represent, respectively, 46% of marine litter in 2016, 67% in 2019, 69% in 2021 and 74% in 2022. Regarding the weight of the marine litter, it varies between 0.00 and 103 kg in 2016, between 0.04 and 81 kg in 2019, between 0.00 and 68 Kg in 2021 and between 0.00 and 318 kg in 2022. Thus, the maximum rate of marine litter compared to the total catch approximate, respectively, 66% in 2016, 90% in 2019, 65% in 2021 and 91% in 2022. In fact, the average loss in catch is estimated, respectively, at 7.4% in 2016, 8.4% in 2019, 5.7% in 2021 and 6.4% in 2022. However, the bathymetric and geographical variability had a significant impact on both density and weight of marine litter. Marine litter monitoring program is necessary for offering more solution proposals.

Keywords: composition, distribution, seabed, marine litter, algerian coast

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Authors: Ng Wei Yan, Lim Jee Hock, Lee Foo Wei, Mo Kim Hung, Yip Chun Chieh

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The burgeoning accumulation of glass waste in Malaysia, particularly from the food and beverage industry, has become a prominent environmental concern, with disposal sites reaching saturation. This study introduces a distinct approach to addressing the twin challenges of landfill scarcity and natural resource conservation by repurposing discarded glass bottle waste into a viable construction material. The research presents a comprehensive evaluation of the strength characteristics of cement mortar when dark glass waste powder is used as a partial sand replacement. The experimental investigation probes the density, flow spread diameter, and key strength parameters—including compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths—of the modified cement mortar. Remarkably, results indicate that a full replacement of sand with glass waste powder significantly improves the material's strength attributes. A specific mixture with a cement/sand/water ratio of 1:5:1.24 was found to be optimal, yielding an impressive compressive strength of 7 MPa at the 28-day mark, accompanied by a favourable 200 mm spread diameter in flow table tests. The findings of this study underscore the dual benefits of utilizing glass waste powder in cement mortar: mitigating Malaysia's glass waste dilemma and enhancing the performance of construction materials such as bricks and concrete products. Consequently, the research validates the premise that increasing the incorporation of glass waste as a sand substitute promotes not only environmental sustainability but also material innovation in the construction industry.

Keywords: glass waste, strength properties, cement mortar, environmental friendly

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Authors: Nazneen Zehra

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Gir Protected Area (PA) is home to two sympatric large carnivores, the Asiatic lion and the common leopard, which share the same habitat. Understanding their interactions and coexistence is crucial for effective conservation management. From 2009 to 2012, we studied the availability and consumption of prey by these two carnivores to understand the dynamics of their interactions and coexistence. Ungulates provided approximately 3634.45 kg/km² of prey biomass, primarily composed of chital (ca. 2711.25 kg/km²), sambar (ca. 411.78 kg/km²), and nilgai (ca. 511.52 kg/km²). Other prey included peafowl (75.76 kg/km²) and langur (ca. 158.72 kg/km²). Both carnivores prioritized chital as their key prey species. The diet of Asiatic lions was predominantly composed of ungulates, with biomass contributions of chital (301.14 kg), sambar (378.75 kg), and nilgai (291.42 kg). Other prey species, such as peafowl and langur, contributed 1.36 kg and 2.40 kg, respectively, to the lions' diet. For leopards, the diet also heavily relied on chital (311.49 kg), followed by sambar (44.03 kg) and nilgai (172.78 kg). The biomass of other prey species in the leopards' diet included peafowl (2.08 kg) and langur (36.07 kg). Both species were found to primarily utilize teak-mixed forest, followed by riverine forest and teak-acacia-zizyphus habitats. The similarities in diet composition and habitat use indicate competition between these sympatric species. This competition may require one predator species to bear certain costs for the benefit of the other, which can influence conservation and management strategies. Effective conservation strategies are necessary to ensure the long-term survival of both the Asiatic lion and the common leopard equally and to maintain ecological balance in Gir PA.

Keywords: large carnivores, Gir PA, coexistence, resource utilization

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Authors: Agah Tugrul Korucu, Mustafa Mucahit Gundogdu, Tarık Gencturk, Ahmet Yucel

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Countries are developing big projects and supplying financial resource for developing technological substructure and integrating technology into the education. In Turkey, the Ministry of Education, with the aim of integrating ICT into learning and teaching processes, created a project named increasing occasions and normalizing the technology movement. FATIH Project with this project, the aim is to create teaching environments which are enriched with technology. In orientating people with the technology and integrating technology into the education, teacher and teacher candidates have a big responsibility. While teachers are using technology in lesson, the devices in class and the methods developed are important factors. The aim of this research is to examine awareness, and foresight about FATIH Project in different aspects. This study was conducted during the practice period of the second semester in the 2014-2015 academic years. The working group of the research was created from 209 teacher candidates which are from different teaching departments in the Ahmet Kelesoglu Education Faculty of Necmettin Erbakan University. Scanning model was used in this research. In research, as a getting data tool evaluation of “opinion about FATIH Project: awareness, foresight and expectation scale” which was developed by Karal et. al.; personal information form which was developed by researchers were used. Cronbach coefficient which is the reliability of the scale is 0.91. In analyzing the data, statistical package program average, standard deviation, percentage, correlation, t-test and variance analysis test were used.

Keywords: Fatih Project, information and communication technologies, information technology integration, views on the Fatih Project, technology integration in education

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Authors: Ayse Begum Kilic, Sevgi Ozkan

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Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is a significant and promising research topic that is expected to gain more importance due to its effects on important concepts like cost, resource management, and accessibility. Instead of focusing those effects in only one area, combining different departments, and see the big picture helps to make more realistic predictions about the future. The aim of this paper is to identify the implications of Industry 4.0 for both supply chain management and human resources management by finding out the topics that take place at the intersection of them. Another objective is helping the readers to realize the expected changes in these two areas due to I4.0 in order to take the necessary steps in advance and make recommendations to catch up the latest trends. The expected changes are concluded from the industry reports and related journal papers in the literature. As found in the literature, this study is the first to combine the Industry 4.0, supply chain management and human resources management and urges to lead future works by finding out the intersections of those three areas. Benefits of I4.0 and the amount, research areas and the publication years of papers on I4.0 in the academic journals are mentioned in this paper. One of the main findings of this research is that a change in the labor force qualifications is expected with the advancements in the technology. There will be a need for higher level of skills from the workers. This will directly affect the human resources management in a way of recruiting and managing those people. Another main finding is, as it is explained with an example in the article, the advancements in the technology will change the place of production. For instance, 'dark factories', a popular topic of I4.0, will enable manufacturers to produce in places that close to their marketplace. The supply chains are expected to be influenced by that change.

Keywords: human resources management, industry 4.0, logistics, supply chain management

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Authors: Asmaa M. Fahim

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In this elucidation, we synthesized different heterocyclic compounds attached to Benzene sulfonamide moiety via (E)-N-(4-(3-(4-bromophenyl)acryloyl)phenyl)-4-methyl benzene sulfonamide which is obtained from Nucleophilic substitution reaction between 4-methylbenzene sulfonyl chloride and 1-(4-aminophenyl)ethan-1-one in pyridine to get N-(4-acetyl phenyl)-4-methyl benzenesulfonamide which reacted 4-bromobenzal dehyde undergoes aldol condensation in NaOH to afford the corresponding chalchone 4. Moreover, the reactivity of chalchone 4 showed several active methylene derivatives utilized the pressurized microwave irradiation as a green energy resource. Chalcone 4 was allowed to react with ethyl cyanoacetate and acetylacetone, respectively, at 70 °C with pressure under microwave reaction condition to afford the 5-cyano-6-oxo-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridin-2-yl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide 6 and N-(4'-acetyl-4''-bromo-5'-oxo-2',3',4',5'-tetrahydro-[1,1':3',1''-terphenyl]-4-yl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide 8 derivatives. Moreover, the reactivity of this sulphonamide chalchone with NH2NH2 in EtOH and acetic acid, which gave 2,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-4-yl)-4-methyl benzenesulfonamide, 1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-4-methyl and reactivity with NH2OH.HCl gave isoxazol-3-yl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide derivatives. The synthesized compounds were screened for their ADME properties and directed to antitumor activity on HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma and MCF-7 breast cancer and exhibited excellent behavior against standard drugs; these results were confirmed through molecular simulations with different proteins. Additionally, the Density Functional Theory analysis of optimized structures investigated their physical descriptors, FMO, ESP and MEP, which correlated with biological evaluation.

Keywords: synthesis, green chemistry, antitumor activity, DFT study

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Authors: Ajay Pinjani, Minha Khan, Ayesha Mehkeri, Anum Iftikhar

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There is much research available on the benefits of adopting mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB MLE) in primary school classrooms, but there is limited guidance available on how to design such programs for low-resource and linguistically diverse contexts. This paper is an effort to bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering a practitioner’s perspective on designing an MTB MLE program for linguistically heterogeneous contexts. The research compounds findings from current academic literature on MTB MLE, the study of global MTB MLE programs, interviews with practitioners, policy-makers, and academics worldwide, and a socio-linguistic survey carried out in parts of Tharparkar, Pakistan, the area selected for envisioned pilot implementation. These findings enabled the creation of ‘guiding principles’ which provide structure for the development of a contextualized and holistic MTB-MLE program. The guiding principles direct the creation of teaching and learning materials, creating effective teaching and learning environment, community engagement, and program evaluation. Additionally, the paper demonstrates the development of a context-specific language ladder framework which outlines the language journey of a child’s education, beginning with the mother tongue/ most familiar language in the early years and then gradually transitioning into other languages. Both the guiding principles and language ladder can be adapted to any multilingual context. Thus, this research provides MTB MLE practitioners with assistance in developing an MTB MLE model, which is best suited for their context.

Keywords: mother tongue based multilingual education, education design, language ladder, language issues, heterogeneous contexts

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Authors: Sujith Gunawardhana

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The circular economy is a system in which resources and energy are derived from renewable sources, utilized efficiently, recycled, and reused to reduce waste, reduce nonrenewable resource consumption, and mitigate negative environmental impacts. However, it poses moral questions about sustainability, the environment, and societal issues. Many societies face challenges when implementing the circular economy, as the concept is still young. The equitable distribution of the advantages and costs of circularity should be ensured during implementation, as some communities, particularly disadvantaged or marginalized ones, may suffer unfairly disproportionately from the harmful effects of production and recycling facilities. Prioritizing the health and safety of workers, communities, and the environment is essential, and strict rules must be implemented to guard against harm. However, most underdeveloped countries need a legal safeguard for this situation. The ultimate objective of the circular economy is to improve social, environmental, and economic performance, but its implementation also requires consideration of the ethics of care and non-epistemic values. Those are often hindered in underdeveloped countries, as the availability of infrastructure and technology, affordability, and legislative framework are poor. To achieve long-term success in the circular economy, evaluating implementation steps and considering health, safety, environmental, and social risks is crucial. To implement the circular economy, respect ethics of care and non-epistemic values. Adopt Kantian Ethics and control technology design to ensure equal benefits for all involved. Ethical gaps may lead underdeveloped countries to generate social pressure against the circular economy.

Keywords: circular economy, ethics, values, sustainability

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Authors: Ana Paula Esteves, Diego S. Caetano, Louise L. B. Lomardo

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This paper presents an approach to the performance of the natural lighting, when the use of appropriated solar lighting systems on the roof is applied in cultural buildings such as museums and foundations. The roofs, as a part of contact between the building and the external environment, require special attention in projects that aim at energy efficiency, being an important element for the capture of natural light in greater quantity, but also for being the most important point of generation of photovoltaic solar energy, even semitransparent, allowing the partial passage of light. Transparent elements in roofs, as well as superior protection of the building, can also play other roles, such as: meeting the needs of natural light for the accomplishment of the internal tasks, attending to the visual comfort; to bring benefits to the human perception and about the interior experience in a building. When these resources are well dimensioned, they also contribute to the energy efficiency and consequent character of sustainability of the building. Therefore, when properly designed and executed, a roof light system can bring higher quality natural light to the interior of the building, which is related to the human health and well-being dimension. Furthermore, it can meet the technologic, economic and environmental yearnings, making possible the more efficient use of that primordial resource, which is the light of the Sun. The article presents the analysis of buildings that used zenith light systems in search of better lighting performance in museums and foundations: the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in the United States, the Iberê Camargo Foundation in Brazil, the Museum of Fine Arts in Castellón in Spain and the Pinacoteca of São Paulo.

Keywords: natural lighting, roof lighting systems, natural lighting in museums, comfort lighting

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Authors: Marcela Ondova, Adriana Estokova

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Rapid industrialization results in increased use of natural resources bring along serious ecological and environmental imbalance due to the dumping of industrial wastes. Principles of sustainable construction have to be accepted with regard to the consumption of natural resources and the production of harmful emissions. Cement is a great importance raw material in the building industry and today is its large amount used in the construction of concrete pavements. Concerning raw materials cost and producing CO2 emission the replacing of cement in concrete mixtures with more sustainable materials is necessary. To reduce this environmental impact people all over the world are looking for a solution. Over a period of last ten years, the image of fly ash has completely been changed from a polluting waste to resource material and it can solve the major problems of cement use. Fly ash concretes are proposed as a potential approach for achieving substantial reductions in cement. It is known that it improves the workability of concrete, extends the life cycle of concrete roads, and reduces energy use and greenhouse gas as well as amount of coal combustion products that must be disposed in landfills. Life cycle assessment also proved that a concrete pavement with fly ash cement replacement is considerably more environmentally friendly compared to standard concrete roads. In addition, fly ash is cheap raw material, and the costs saving are guaranteed. The strength properties, resistance to a frost or de-icing salts, which are important characteristics in the construction of concrete pavements, have reached the required standards as well. In terms of human health it can´t be stated that a concrete cover with fly ash could be dangerous compared with a cover without fly ash. Final Multi-criteria analysis also pointed that a concrete with fly ash is a clearly proper solution.

Keywords: life cycle assessment, fly ash, waste, concrete pavements

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Authors: Habtamu Abdisa

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Spring water is particularly valuable due to its high mineral content, which is beneficial for human health. However, anthropogenic activities usually imbalance the natural levels of its composition, which can cause adverse health effects. Regular monitoring of a naturally given environmental resource is of great concern in the world today. The spectrophotometric application is one of the best methods for qualifying and quantifying the mineral contents of environmental water samples. This research was conducted to evaluate the quality of spring water concerning its heavy metal composition. A grab sampling technique was employed to collect representative samples, including duplicates. The samples were then treated with concentrated HNO3 to a pH level below 2 and stored at 4oC. The samples were digested and analyzed for cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) following method validation. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was utilized for the sample analysis. Quality control measures, including blanks, duplicates, and certified reference materials (CRMs), were implemented to ensure the accuracy and precision of the analytical results. Of the metals analyzed in the water samples, Cd and Cr were found to be below the detection limit. However, the concentrations of Mn, Cu, Fe, and Zn ranged from mean values of 0.119-0.227 mg/L, 0.142-0.166 mg/L, 0.183-0.267 mg/L, and 0.074-0.181 mg/L, respectively. Sediment analysis revealed mean concentration ranges of 348.31-429.21 mg/kg, 0.23-0.28 mg/kg, 18.73-22.84 mg/kg, 2.76-3.15 mg/kg, 941.84-1128.56 mg/kg, and 42.39-66.53 mg/kg for Mn, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, and Zn, respectively. The study results established that the evaluated spring water and its associated sediment met the regulatory standards and guidelines for heavy metal concentrations. Furthermore, this research can enhance the quality assurance and control processes for environmental sample analysis, ensuring the generation of reliable data.

Keywords: method validation, heavy metal, spring water, sediment, method detection limit

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Authors: Mohammed A. Elhaj, Jamal S. Yassin

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In the present time, energy crises are considered a severe problem across the world. For the protection of global environment and maintain ecological balance, energy saving is considered one of the most vital issues from the view point of fuel consumption. As the industrial sectors everywhere continue efforts to improve their energy efficiency, recovering waste heat losses provides an attractive opportunity for an emission free and less costly energy resource. In the other hand the using of solar energy has become more insistent particularly after the high gross of prices and running off the conventional energy sources. Therefore, it is essential that we should endeavor for waste heat recovery as well as solar energy by making significant and concrete efforts. For these reasons this investigation is carried out to study and analyze the performance of a power plant working by a combined cycle in which Heat Recovery System Generator (HRSG) gets its energy from the waste heat of a gas turbine unit. Evaluation of the performance of the plant is based on different thermal efficiencies of the main components in addition to the second law analysis considering the exergy destructions for the whole components. The contribution factors including the solar as well as the wasted energy are considered in the calculations. The final results have shown that there is significant exergy destruction in solar concentrator and the combustion chamber of the gas turbine unit. Other components such as compressor, gas turbine, steam turbine and heat exchangers having insignificant exergy destruction. Also, solar energy can contribute by about 27% of the input energy to the plant while the energy lost with exhaust gases can contribute by about 64% at maximum cases.

Keywords: solar energy, environment, efficiency, waste heat, steam generator, performance, exergy destruction

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