Search results for: foam performance

Authors: Girish Sambhaji Gund

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The controlled nanostructure growth and its strong coupling with the current collector are key factors to achieve good electrochemical performance of faradaic-dominant electroactive materials. We employed binder-less and additive-free hydrothermal and physical vapor doping methods for the synthesis of nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) based compounds nanostructures (NiO, NiCo2O4, NiCo2S4) deposited on different conductive substrates such as carbon nanotube (CNT) on stainless steel, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and N-doped rGO on nickel foam (NF). The size and density of Ni- and Co-based compound nanostructures are controlled through the strong coupling with carbon allotropes on stainless steel and NF substrates. This controlled nanostructure of Ni- and Co-based compounds with carbon allotropes leads to stable faradaic electrochemical reactions at the material/current collector interface and within the electrode, which is consequence of strong coupling of nanostructure with functionalized carbon surface as a buffer layer. Thus, it is believed that the results provide the synergistic approaches to stabilize electrode materials physically and chemically, and hence overall electrochemical activity of faradaic dominating battery-type electrode materials through buffer layer engineering.

Keywords: metal compounds, carbon allotropes, doping, electrochemicstry, hybrid supercapacitor

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Authors: S. Sumanth, Babu Rao Ponangi, K. N. Seetharamu

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As the technology is emerging day by day, there is a need for some better methodology which will enhance the performance of radiator. Nanofluid is the one area which has promised the enhancement of the radiator performance. Currently, nanofluid has got a well effective solution for enhancing the performance of the automobile radiators. Suspending the nano sized particle in the base fluid, which has got better thermal conductivity value when compared to a base fluid, is preferably considered for nanofluid. In the current work, at first mathematical formulation has been carried out, which will govern the performance of the radiator. Current work is justified by plotting the graph for different parameters. Current work justifies the enhancement of radiator performance using nanofluid.

Keywords: nanofluid, radiator performance, graphene, gamma aluminium oxide (γ-Al2O3), titanium dioxide (TiO2)

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Authors: Abdulaziz Omar Alsadhan, Mohd Mudasir Shafi

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Performance testing is done to prove the reliability of any software product. There are a number of tools available in the markets that are used to perform performance testing. In this paper we present a comparative study of the three most commonly used performance testing tools. These tools cover the major share of the performance testing market and are widely used. In this paper we compared the tools on five evaluation parameters which are; User friendliness, portability, tool support, compatibility and cost. The conclusion provided at the end of the paper is based on our study and does not support any tool or company.

Keywords: software development, software testing, quality assurance, performance testing, load runner, rational testing, silk performer

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Authors: Turki Mohammed Al Mohaid

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High arousal may lead to inhibited athletic performance, or high positive arousal may enhance performance is controversial. To evaluate and review this issue, 31 athletes (all male) were induced into high pre-determined goal arousal and high arousal without pre-determined goal motivational states and tested on a standard grip strength task. Paced breathing was used to change psychological and physiological arousal. It was noted that significant increases in grip strength performance occurred when arousal was high and experienced as delighted, happy, and pleasant excitement in those with no pre-determined goal motivational states. Blood pressure, heart rate, and other indicators of physiological activity were not found to mediate between psychological arousal and performance. In a situation where athletic performance necessitates maximal motor strength over a short period, performance benefits of high arousal may be enhanced by designing a specific motivational state.

Keywords: high arousal, athletic, performance, physiological

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Authors: Erwin Chan, Aravind Subramaniyan, Siti Abdullah Fatehah, Steve Lian Kuling

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Foam assisted lift technology is proven across the industry to provide efficient deliquification in gas wells. Such deliquification is typically achieved by delivering the foamer chemical downhole via capillary strings. In highly liquid loaded wells where capillary strings are not readily available, foamer can be delivered via batch injection or bull-heading. The latter techniques differ from the former in that cap strings allow for liquid to be unloaded continuously, whereas foamer batches require that periodic batching be conducted for the liquid to be unloaded. Although batch injection allows for liquid to be unloaded in wells with suitable water to gas (WGR) ratio and condensate to gas (CGR) ratio without well intervention for capillary string installation, this technique comes with its own set of challenges - for foamer to de-liquify liquids, the chemical needs to reach perforation locations where gas bubbling is observed. In highly scaled perforation zones in certain wells, foamer delivered in batches is unable to reach the gas bubbling zone, thus achieving poor lift efficiency. This paper aims to discuss the techniques and challenges for unloading liquid via batch injection in scaled perforation wells X and Y, whose WGR is 6bbl/MMscf, whose scale build-up is observed at the bottom of perforation interval, whose water column is 400 feet, and whose ‘bubbling zone’ is less than 100 feet. Variables such as foamer Z dosage, batching technique, and well flow control valve opening times are manipulated during the duration of the trial to achieve maximum liquid unloading and gas rates. During the field trial, the team has found optimal values between the three aforementioned parameters for best unloading results, in which each cycle’s gas and liquid rates are compared with baselines with similar flowing tubing head pressures (FTHP). It is discovered that amongst other factors, a good agitation technique is a primary determinant for efficient liquid unloading. An average increment of 2MMscf/d against an average production of 4MMscf/d at stable FTHP is recorded during the trial.

Keywords: foam, foamer, gas lift, liquid unloading, scale, batch injection

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Authors: Binti Shofiatul Jannah, Hans Wakhida Rakhmatullah

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This paper aims to examine the influence of role conflict, role ambiguity and job satisfaction on auditor performance. This study uses survey method using a questionnaire to collect the data. The questionnaires distributes were 104 respondents. The respondents are auditors who work for public accounting firms in East Java. Partial Least Square (PLS) with program SmartPLS version 2.0 were used to hypothesis testing. The result shows that: (1) there is no negative influence of role conflict on auditor performance; (2) there is negative influence of role ambiguity on auditor performance; (3) there is positive influence of job satisfaction on auditor performance.

Keywords: role conflict, role ambiguity, job satisfaction, performance

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Authors: Carla Silva

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The aim of this research is to study the relationship between the performance of humanities students in different statistics classes and their performance in their specific courses. Several factors are been studied, such as gender and final grades in statistics and math. Participants of this study comprised a sample of students at a Lisbon University during their academic year. A significant relationship tends to appear between these factors and the performance of these students. However this relationship tends to be stronger with students who had previous studied calculus and math.

Keywords: education, performance, statistic, humanities

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Authors: Mohammed Nishat, Ahmad Ghazali

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This study empirically inspects the corporate governance and firm performance, and attempts to analyze the corporate governance and control related variables which are hypothesized to have effect on firm’s performance. Current study attempts to assess the mechanism and efficiency of corporate governance to achieve high level performance for the listed firms on the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) for the period 2005 to 2008. To evaluate the firm performance level this study investigate the firm performance using three measures; Return on assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q. To check the link between firm performances with the corporate governance three categories of corporate governance variables are tested which includes governance, ownership and control related variables. Fixed effect regression model is used to examine the relation among governance and corporate performance for 267 KSE listed Pakistani firms. The result shows that governance related variables like block shareholding by individuals have positive impact on firm performance. When chief executive officer is also the board chairperson then it is observed that performance of firm is adversely affected. Also negative relationship is found between share held by insiders and performance of firm. Leverage has negative influence on the firm performance and size of firm is positively related with performance of the firm.

Keywords: corporate governance, agency cost, KSE, ROA, Tobin’s Q

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Authors: Mariayee Doraisamy, Suhaimi bin Ibrahim, Mohd Naz’ri Mahrin

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There are several methods to monitor software projects and the objective for monitoring is to ensure that the software projects are developed and delivered successfully. A performance measurement is a method that is closely associated with monitoring and it can be scrutinized by looking at two important attributes which are efficiency and effectiveness both of which are factors that are important for the success of a software project. Consequently, a successful steering is achieved by monitoring and controlling a software project via the performance measurement criteria and metrics. Hence, this paper is aimed at identifying the performance measurement criteria and the metrics for monitoring the performance of a software project by using the Goal Question Metrics (GQM) approach. The GQM approach is utilized to ensure that the identified metrics are reliable and useful. These identified metrics are useful guidelines for project managers to monitor the performance of their software projects.

Keywords: component, software project performance, goal question metrics, performance measurement criteria, metrics

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Authors: Gabrielle Peck, Ryan Hayes

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Four façade systems were tested using a reduced height BS 8414-2 (5 m) test rig. An L-shaped masonry test wall was clad with three types of insulation and an aluminum composite panel with a non-combustible filling (meeting Euroclass A2). A large (3 MW) wooden crib was ignited in a recess at the base of the L, and the fire was allowed to burn for 30 minutes. Air velocity measurements and gas samples were taken from the main ventilation duct and also a small additional ventilation duct, like those in an apartment bathroom or kitchen. This provided a direct route of travel for smoke from the building façade to a theoretical room using a similar design to many high-rise buildings where the vent is connected to (approximately) 30 m³ rooms. The times to incapacitation and lethality of the effluent were calculated for both the main exhaust vent and for a vent connected to a theoretical 30 m³ room. The rainscreen façade systems tested were the common combinations seen in many tower blocks across the UK. Three tests using ACM A2 with Stonewool, Phenolic foam, and Polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam. A fourth test was conducted with PIR and ACM-PE (polyethylene core). Measurements in the main exhaust duct were representative of the effluent from the burning wood crib. FEDs showed incapacitation could occur up to 30 times quicker with combustible insulation than non-combustible insulation, with lethal gas concentrations accumulating up to 2.7 times faster than other combinations. The PE-cored ACM/PIR combination produced a ferocious fire, resulting in the termination of the test after 13.5 minutes for safety reasons. Occupants of the theoretical room in the PIR/ACM A2 test reached a FED of 1 after 22 minutes; for PF/ACM A2, this took 25 minutes, and for stone wool, a lethal dose measurement of 0.6 was reached at the end of the 30-minute test. In conclusion, when measuring smoke toxicity in the exhaust duct, there is little difference between smoke toxicity measurements between façade systems. Toxicity measured in the main exhaust is largely a result of the wood crib used to ignite the façade system. The addition of a vent allowed smoke toxicity to be quantified in the cavity of the façade, providing a realistic way of measuring the toxicity of smoke that could enter an apartment from a façade fire.

Keywords: smoke toxicity, large-scale testing, BS8414, FED

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Authors: Ummu Salma Al Azizah, Herri Mulyono, Anisa Mauliata Suryana

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The significance of corporate governance regarding to the agency problem have been transparent. This study examine the impact of corporate governance on the performance of Islamic banking in Indonesia. By using fixed effect model and added some control variable, the current study try to explore the correlation between the theoretical framework on corporate governance, such as agency theory and risk management theory. The bank performance (Return on Asset and Return on Equity) which are operational performance and financial performance. And Corporate governance based on Board size, CEO duality, Audit committee and Shariah supervisory board. The limitation of this study only focus on the Islamic banks performance from year 2015 to 2020. The study fill the gap in the literature by addressing the issue of corporate governance on Islamic banks performance in Indonesia.

Keywords: corporate governance, financial performance, islamic banks, listed companies, Indonesia

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Authors: Kwong Yeung

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Theories about strategic purchasing and quality performance are underdeveloped. Understanding the evolving role of purchasing from reactive to proactive is a pressing strategic issue. Using survey responses from 176 manufacturing and electronics industry professionals, we study the relationships between strategic purchasing and supply chain partners’ quality performance to answer the following questions: Can transaction cost economics be used to elucidate the strategic purchasing-quality performance relationship? Is this strategic purchasing-quality performance relationship moderated by critical item analysis? The findings indicate that critical item analysis positively and significantly moderates the strategic purchasing-quality performance relationship.

Keywords: critical item analysis, moderation, quality performance, strategic purchasing, transaction cost economics

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Authors: Kari M. Solomon

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Companies with a culture accepting of change management and performance excellence are better suited to determine their sustainability performance and impacts. A mature corporate culture supportive of performance excellence is better positioned to integrate sustainability management tools into their standard business strategy. Companies use various sustainability management tools and reporting standards to communicate levels of sustainability performance to their stakeholders, more often focusing on shareholders and investors. A research gap remains in understanding how companies adapt business excellence models to define corporate sustainability performance. A content analysis of medium-sized enterprises using corporate sustainability reports and business excellence models reveals the challenges and opportunities of reporting sustainability performance in the context of organizational excellence. The outcomes of this content analysis contribute knowledge on the resources needed for companies to build sustainability performance management systems integral to existing management systems. The findings of this research inform academic research areas of corporate sustainability performance, the business community contributing to sustainable development initiatives, and integrating sustainable development issues into business excellence models. There are potential research links between sustainability performance management and the alignment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) when organizations promote a culture of performance or business excellence.

Keywords: business excellence, corporate sustainability, performance excellence, sustainability performance

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Authors: Dixit Garg, S. Luthra, A. Haleem

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During recent years, the natural environment has become a challenging topic that business organizations must consider due to the economic and ecological impacts and increasing awareness of environment protection among society. Organizations are trying to achieve the goals of improvement in environment, low cost, high quality, flexibility and more customer satisfaction. Performance measurement frameworks are very useful to monitor the performance of any organization. The basic goal of this paper is to identify performance measures and ranking of these performance measures of GSCM performance measurement towards sustainability framework. Five perspectives (Environment, Economic, Social, Operational and Cost performances) and nineteen performance measures of GSCM performance towards sustainability have been have been identified from extensive literature review. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique has been utilized for ranking of these performance perspectives and measures. All pair comparisons in AHP have been made on the basis on the experts’ opinions (selected from academia and industry). Ranking of these performance perspectives and measures will help to understand the importance of environmental, economic, social, operational performances, and cost performances in the supply chain.

Keywords: analytical hierarchy process, green supply chain management, performance measures, sustainability

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Authors: Sheng-Ching Wu

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This paper examines the interaction between mutual fund performance and portfolio turnover. Active trading could affect fund performance, but underperforming funds could also be traded actively at the same time to perform well. Therefore, we used two-stage least squares to address with simultaneity. The results indicate that funds with higher portfolio turnovers exhibit inferior performance compared with funds having lower turnovers. Moreover, funds with poor performance exhibit higher portfolio turnover. The findings support the assumptions that active trading erodes performance, and that fund managers with poor performance attempt to trade actively to retain employment.

Keywords: mutual funds, portfolio turnover, simultaneity, two-stage least squares

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Authors: Suleiman Ahmed Badayi

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Corporate governance literature is very wide and involves several empirical studies conducted on the relationship between board structure, composition and firm performance. The separation of ownership and control in organizations were aimed at reducing the losses suffered by the investors in the event of financial scandals. This paper reviewed the theoretical and empirical literature on the relationship between board composition and its impact on firm performance. The findings from the studies provide different results while some are of the view that board structure is related to firm performance, many empirical studies indicates no relationship. However, others found a U-shape relationship between firm performance and board structure. Therefore, this study argued that board structure is not much significant to determine the financial performance of a firm.

Keywords: board structure, composition, firm performance, corporate governance

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Authors: Fatemeh Karampour

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In the hot climate countries, especially those countries with great desert area, such as Iran, a considerable part of the energy is consumed due to cooling and air conditioning system in a hot season. So it is important to find a renewable energy supply for cooling systems. Although, there are few consistent researches in this field of renewable energy in compare with other fields. This research is presenting a study on performance of a night cooling radiator and working fluid storage for night time operation and day time resting periods. In these experiments, we didn’t expose any heating load but focused only on the possibility of system combination and its potential cooling effect. A very simple radiator has been designed in south of Iran, Shiraz, in order to perform this study. The radiator has been insulated with polystyrene foam and bubbled plastic sheets have been used as top cover. Using a single bubbled plastic sheet, the radiator temperature reached 0°C which is 20°C lower than minimum ambient temperature. Putting a small storage tank in the line increased the radiator’s minimum temperature at night; however, provided some cool fluid source for hot days of Shiraz that easily reaches 40°C. The results have shown very good cooling potential without heating load and acceptable temperature increasing during hot day with a small, short term storage tank. Future studies can make the system more effective and applicable.

Keywords: night cooling, experimental set up, cooling radiator, chill storage

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Authors: Chandan Jha, Amit Sachan, Arnab Adhikari, Sayantan Kundu

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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of India and examine the impact of urbanization on the performance of HEIs. In this study, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used, and the authors have collected the required data related to performance measures from the National Institutional Ranking Framework web portal. In this study, the authors have evaluated the performance of HEIs by using two different DEA models. In the first model, geographic locations of the institutes have been categorized into two categories, i.e., Urban Vs. Non-Urban. However, in the second model, these geographic locations have been classified into three categories, i.e., Urban, Semi-Urban, Non-Urban. The findings of this study provide several insights related to the degree of urbanization and the performance of HEIs.

Keywords: DEA, higher education, performance evaluation, urbanization

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Authors: Ljubica Milanović Glavan, Vesna Bosilj Vukšić, Dalia Suša

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In order to gain a competitive advantage, many companies are focusing on reorganization of their business processes and implementing process-based management. In this context, assessing process performance is essential because it enables individuals and groups to assess where they stand in comparison to their competitors. In this paper, it is argued that process performance measurement is a necessity for a modern process-oriented company and it should be supported by a holistic process performance measurement system. It seems very unlikely that a universal set of performance indicators can be applied successfully to all business processes. Thus, performance indicators must be process-specific and have to be derived from both the strategic enterprise-wide goals and the process goals. Based on the extensive literature review and interviews conducted in Croatian company a conceptual framework for process performance measurement system was developed. The main objective of such system is to help process managers by providing comprehensive and timely information on the performance of business processes. This information can be used to communicate goals and current performance of a business process directly to the process team, to improve resource allocation and process output regarding quantity and quality, to give early warning signals, to make a diagnosis of the weaknesses of a business process, to decide whether corrective actions are needed and to assess the impact of actions taken.

Keywords: Croatia, key performance indicators, performance measurement, process performance

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Authors: Nooralhuda Aljlas

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In the ever-growing field of non-governmental organizations, the enhancement of performance management and measurement systems has been increasingly acknowledged by political, economic, social, legal, technological and environmental factors. Within Bahrain Athletics Association, such enhancement results from the key factors leading performance management including collaboration, feedback, human resource management, leadership and participative management. The exploratory, qualitative research conducted reviewed performance management theory. As reviewed, the key factors leading performance management were identified. Drawing on a non-governmental organization case study, the key factors leading Bahrain Athletics Association’s performance management were explored. By exploring the key factors leading Bahrain Athletics Association’s performance management, the research study proposed a theoretical framework of the key factors leading performance management in non-governmental organizations in general. The research study recommended further investigation of the role of the two key factors of command and control and leadership, combining military and civilian approaches to enhancing non-governmental organizations’ performance management.

Keywords: Bahrain athletics association, exploratory, key factor, performance management

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Authors: Hideki Igawa, Yoshinori Kitsutaka, Takashi Yokomuro, Hideo Eguchi

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In this study, the crack self-healing performance of the heavyweight concrete used in the walls of containers and structures designed to shield radioactive materials was investigated. A steam curing temperature that preserves self-healing properties and demolding strength was identified. The presented simultaneously mixing method using the expanding material and the fly ash in the process of admixture can maximize the self-curing performance. Also adding synthetic fibers in the heavyweight concrete improved the self-healing performance.

Keywords: expanding material, heavyweight concrete, self-healing performance, synthetic fiber

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Authors: Marion Francisco

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The study sought to investigate the psychological capital and work engagement of employees as predictors of employee performance in the technology industry in Makati City. It made used of a descriptive correlational method of research and utilized standardized tests, such as Psychological Capital Scale, Utrech Work Engagement Scale, and Employee Performance Scale. A convenience sampling technique was used to gather data samples from 100 populations with the help of Roscoe concept approach. The study revealed that both psychological capital and work engagement have a significant relationship with employee performance. Psychological capital and work engagement can predict employee performance of the respondents. With the results given, the study suggests: (1) to focus on maintaining a high level of psychological capital and work engagement, on achieving a very high level of psychological capital and work engagement, and on improving the low level of psychological capital or work engagement mostly during this COVID-19 pandemic using the proposed employee performance management plan and (2) to create a proposed employee performance management plan as necessary to tailor fit on employees needs to enhance their performance that will help meet company and client’s needs.

Keywords: employee performance, performance management, psychological capital, technology industry, work engagement

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Authors: Yoon Suh Song

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Though music education can broaden one’s capacity for mathematical performance, many countries lag behind in music education. Little empirical evidence is found to identify the connection between math and music. Therefore, this research was set out to explore what music-related variables are associated with mathematical performance. The result of our analysis is as follows: A Pearson's Correlation analysis revealed that PISA math score is strongly correlated with students' Intelligence Quotient (IQ). This lays the foundation for further research as to what factors in students’ IQ lead to a better performance in math.

Keywords: music education, mathematical performance, education, IQ

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Authors: Nikhil Byanna, Abdolghani Ebrahimi, Diego Klabjan

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How does one objectively measure the performance of an individual offensive lineman in the NFL? The existing literature proposes various measures that rely on subjective assessments of game film, but has yet to develop an objective methodology to evaluate performance. Using a variety of statistics related to an offensive lineman’s performance, we develop a framework to objectively analyze the overall performance of an individual offensive lineman and determine specific linemen who are overvalued or undervalued relative to their salary. We identify eight players across the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 NFL seasons that are considered to be overvalued or undervalued and corroborate the results with existing metrics that are based on subjective evaluation. To the best of our knowledge, the techniques set forth in this work have not been utilized in previous works to evaluate the performance of NFL players at any position, including offensive linemen.

Keywords: offensive lineman, player performance, NFL, machine learning

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Authors: Arjun S.

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This study examines the impact of corporate governance on financial performance of Indian banks during five years (from 2010 to 2015). Based on 218 observations, a quantitative method of data analysis was employed to investigate the relevance of corporate governance mechanisms. The first finding reveals a significant and negative impact of board size on the performance of Indian banks. The research also finds a significant and negative relationship between CEO duality and bank performance. Finally, the correlation results reveal that there is a significant and negative correlation of Bank size and bank performance.

Keywords: Indian banks, financial performance, corporate governance, banksize

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Authors: Khlif Hamadi

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The principal aim of our research is to analyze the impact of the adoption of e-management approach on the performance of Tunisian firms. The method of structural equation was adopted to conduct our exploratory and confirmatory analysis. The results arising from the questionnaire sent to 155 E-managers affirm that the adoption of e-management approach influences the performance of Tunisian firms. The results of the questionnaire show that e-management favors the deployment of ICT usage and contributes enormously to the performance of the modern enterprise. The theoretical and practical implications of the study, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.

Keywords: e-management, ICT Deployment, organizational performance, e-manager

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Authors: Rafia Rafique, Arifa Khadim

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This research investigates the moderating role of job satisfaction between organizational learning and work performance among nurses. Correlation research design was used. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was utilized to recruit a sample of 110 nurses from public hospitals situated in the city of Lahore. The construct of organizational learning was measured using subscale of Integrated Scale for Measuring Organizational Learning. Job satisfaction was measured with the help of Job Satisfaction Survey. Performance of employees (task performance, contextual performance and counterproductive work behavior) was assessed by Individual Work Performance Questionnaire. Job satisfaction negatively moderates the relationship between organizational learning and counterproductive work behavior. Education has a significant positive relationship with organizational learning. Age, current hospital experience, marital satisfaction and salary of the nurses have positive relationship while number of children has significant negative relationship with counterproductive work behavior. These outcomes can be insightful in understanding the dynamics involved in work performance. Based on the result of this study relevant solutions can be proposed to improve the work performance of nurses.

Keywords: counterproductive work behavior, nurses, organizational learning, work performance

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Authors: Musa H. Arslan, Murat Ceylan, Tayfun Koyuncu

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In this study, an artificial intelligence-based (ANN based) analytical method has been developed for analyzing earthquake performances of the reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. 66 RC buildings with four to ten storeys were subjected to performance analysis according to the parameters which are the existing material, loading and geometrical characteristics of the buildings. The selected parameters have been thought to be effective on the performance of RC buildings. In the performance analyses stage of the study, level of performance possible to be shown by these buildings in case of an earthquake was determined on the basis of the 4-grade performance levels specified in Turkish Earthquake Code- 2007 (TEC-2007). After obtaining the 4-grade performance level, selected 23 parameters of each building have been matched with the performance level. In this stage, ANN-based fast evaluation algorithm mentioned above made an economic and rapid evaluation of four to ten storey RC buildings. According to the study, the prediction accuracy of ANN has been found about 74%.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, earthquake, performance, reinforced concrete

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Authors: Syed Hassan Amjad

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In today’s competitive environment, in order for a company to exist, it must continually improve its Performance by reducing cost, improving quality and productivity, and easy access to market.The purpose of this thesis is to check the firm financial growth and performance and which type of factors affect the firm financial performance. This paper examines the key determinants of firm financial performance. We will differentiate between financial and non financial drivers of the firm financial performance. For the measurement of the firm financial performance there are many ways but all the measure had been taken in aggregation, such as debt, tax rate, operating expenses, earning per share and economic conditions. This study has also been done in developed countries but these researches show that foreign companies face many difficulties inimproving the firm financial performance. In findings we found that marketing expenditures and international diversification had a positive impact on firm valuation. In research also found that a firm's ownership composition, particularly the level of equity ownership by Domestic Financial Institutions and Dispersed Public Shareholders, and the leverage of the firm, tax rate and economic conditions were important factors affecting its financial performance.

Keywords: debt, tax rate, firm financial performance, operating expenses, dividend per share, economic conditions

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Authors: Deon Bezuidenhout

Abstract:

Pre-seeding with autologous endothelial cells improves the long-term patency of synthetic vascular grafts levels obtained with autografts, but is limited to a single centre due to resource, time and other constraints. Spontaneous in vivo endothelialization would obviate the need for pre-seeding, but has been shown to be absent in man due to limited transanastomotic and fallout healing, and the lack of transmural ingrowth due to insufficient porosity. Two types of graft scaffolds with increased interconnected porosity for improved tissue ingrowth and healing are thus proposed and described. Foam-type polyurethane (PU) scaffolds with small, medium and large, interconnected pores were made by phase inversion and spherical porogen extraction, with and without additional surface modification with covalently attached heparin and subsequent loading with and delivery of growth factors. Fibrillar scaffolds were made either by standard electrospinning using degradable PU (Degrapol®), or by dual electrospinning using non-degradable PU. The latter process involves sacrificial fibres that are co-spun with structural fibres and subsequently removed to increased porosity and pore size. Degrapol samples were subjected to in vitro degradation, and all scaffold types were evaluated in vivo for tissue ingrowth and vascularization using rat subcutaneous model. The foam scaffolds were additionally evaluated in a circulatory (rat infrarenal aortic interposition) model that allows for the grafts to be anastomotically and/or ablumenally isolated to discern and determine endothelialization mode. Foam-type grafts with large (150 µm) pores showed improved subcutaneous healing in terms of vascularization and inflammatory response over smaller pore sizes (60 and 90µm), and vascularization of the large porosity scaffolds was significantly increased by more than 70% by heparin modification alone, and by 150% to 400% when combined with growth factors. In the circulatory model, extensive transmural endothelialization (95±10% at 12 w) was achieved. Fallout healing was shown to be sporadic and limited in groups that were ablumenally isolated to prevent transmural ingrowth (16±30% wrapped vs. 80±20% control; p<0.002). Heparinization and GF delivery improved both mural vascularization and lumenal endothelialization. Degrapol electrospun scaffolds showed decrease in molecular mass and corresponding tensile strength over the first 2 weeks, but very little decrease in mass over the 4w test period. Studies on the effect of tissue ingrowth with and without concomitant degradation of the scaffolds, are being used to develop material models for the finite element modelling. In the case of the dual-spun scaffolds, the PU fibre fraction could be controlled shown to vary linearly with porosity (P = −0.18FF +93.5, r2=0.91), which in turn showed inverse linear correlation with tensile strength and elastic modulus (r2 > 0.96). Calculated compliance and burst pressures of the scaffolds increased with fibre fraction, and compliances matching the human popliteal artery (5-10 %/100 mmHg), and high burst pressures (> 2000 mmHg) could be achieved. Increasing porosity (76 to 82 and 90%) resulted in increased tissue ingrowth from 33±7 to 77±20 and 98±1% after 28d. Transmural endothelialization of highly porous foamed grafts is achievable in a circulatory model, and the enhancement of porosity and tissue ingrowth may hold the key the development of spontaneously endothelializing electrospun grafts.

Keywords: electrospinning, endothelialization, porosity, scaffold, vascular graft

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