Ghana, blessed with abundant solar resources and has strategically invested in solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies to diversify its energy mix and reduce the environmental impacts of traditional energy technologies. The 50 MW solar PV installation by the Bui Power Authority exemplifies the nation's dedication to utilizing clean energy for sustainable growth. This study seeks to close the knowledge gap by providing a detailed analysis of the system's performance under different weather conditions, particularly on days with abundant sunshine and those with cloudy skies. The research consists of one-year monitoring data of the climatic and AC energy output fed into the grid. This data was used to analyze PV performance on each month's sunniest and cloudiest days. The results show that the total amount of AC energy output fed into the grid each month on the sunniest day varies between 229.3 MWh in December and 278.0 MWh in November, while the total amount of AC energy output fed into the grid each month on the cloudiest day varies between16.1 MWh in August and 192.8 MWh in February. Also, the percentage variation in energy produced between the sunniest and cloudiest days within a month ranges from 16.9% (December) to 94.1% (August). The reference and system yield analysis showed that the PV plant has a high conversion efficiency of 91.3%; however, only the sunniest and overcast days had an efficiency of 38% and 92%, respectively. The BPA plant's performance can be enhanced by using this analysis to identify erratic power generation on sunny days and schedule timely maintenance to keep the plant's performance from deteriorating. Optimizing a solar PV system's design, installation, and operation can significantly improve its AC energy output, performance ratio, and capacity factor on sunny and cloudy days.

Ice and snow on roads in winter endanger traffic safety. The existing methods of snow and ice removal have various drawbacks, which need further research. Aiming at solving limitations about high labor intensity, low efficiency, serious environmental pollution of traditional snow and ice removal methods, the anti-icing coating technology of high-voltage conductors is used for reference, and in view of the characteristics of asphalt pavement deicing, an ice-suppressing material that can effectively reduce the adhesion between snow, ice and pavement is successfully developed. As there is no perfect evaluation index and method for ice-suppressing materials at present, this paper further evaluates the performance of ice-suppressing materials from the aspects of deicing performance, durability, adhesion and the impact of ice-suppressing materials on pavement performance. The test results show that the ice-suppressing material can effectively reduce the adhesion between the ice layer and the specimen, making it easier to remove. The ice-suppression material has good slow-release performance, and the specimens still have good deicing performance after 7 cycles of tests.

The Inefficient water use, varying and low productivity in Kenya public irrigation schemes is a major concern. It is therefore necessary to periodically monitor and evaluate the performance of public irrigation schemes. The performance of public irrigation in western Kenya was assessed by combining benchmarking methodology and principal component analysis. The aim was to quantify and rank the performance of pumped public irrigation schemes in Kenya. Eleven benchmarking indicators were computed for the period from 2012 to 2016 and compared to global benchmark values. The indicators used fall under agricultural productivity, water supply and financial performance categories. The computed agricultural productivity was 36%–51% in Ahero, 23%–42% in West Kano and 26%–50% Bunyala irrigation scheme. Water supply performance in Ahero, West Kano and Bunyala irrigation schemes varied from 24% to 58%, 3% to 49% and 19% to 43% respectively. Financial performance varied from 46% to 54% in Ahero, 25% to 32% in West Kano and 54%–56% in Bunyala irrigation scheme. An average overall performance efficiency of 46%, 39% and 31% was obtained in Ahero, Bunyala and West Kano irrigation schemes respectively. The performance of the irrigation schemes is very poor and measures on improving performance are needed.

This paper presents preliminary operational performance results of a pilot grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system designed and installed on the rooftop of the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mining headquarter in Nouakchott (latitude of 18.1°N and the longitude of 16.0°W), Mauritania. The aim is for the government to demonstrate the relevance of using solar energy and to encourage the uptake of solar PV technology for commercial and residential building applications in Mauritania.. In this study, the grid-connected PV system has a peak power of 48 kW and the performance monitoring was carried out during one year, with a system that allow to measure DC power, inverter and system conversion efficiency, energy generated by the PV arrays, solar radiation in the inclination plane of panels, ambient temperature and module temperature. During this period, the PV plant was found to supply 65,668 kWh to the grid. The final yield ranged from 3.91 to 5.09 kWh/kWp/day. The performance ratio was found to vary from 69.69% to 89.35% and the annual capacity factor was found to be 19%. Finally, performance parameters were compared with other PV plants installed in the same region of Northern Africa. The outcome of this work is deemed important in assisting accurate PV system design and decision-making.

The use of principal components analysis provided information about the main characteristics of teams, based on a set of indicators, instead of displaying individualized information for each of these indicators. In this work we have considered reducing an extensive data matrix to improve interpretation, using the principal components analysis. Subsequently, with new components and with a multiple linear regression, we have carried out a comparative analysis between the best and bottom teams of LaLiga. The sample consisted of the matches corresponding to the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. The results showed that the best teams were characterized and differentiated from bottom teams in the realization of a greater number of successful passes and in the execution of a greater number of dynamic offensive transitions. The bottom teams were characterized by executing more defensive than offensive actions and showing a fewer number of goals, a greater ball possession time in the final third of the field. Goals, ball possession time in the final third of the field, number of effective shots and crosses are the main performance factors that influence the offensive success of football. This information allows us to increase knowledge about the key performance indicators in football.

Background: Monitoring the mobility of players during wheelchair sports is essential to support coaches in their understanding of the activity and in their training programming. However, the amount of information available from the monitoring tools, combined with a general approach to processing and a poor presentation of the data to the coaches, is not effective and remains unused. Thus, this study aimed to propose a simple and efficient algorithm for identifying locomotor tasks (static, forward/backward propulsion, pivot/tight/wide rotation) during wheelchair movements based on wheelchair kinematic data. Methods: A total of 36 wheelchair tennis and badminton players participated, completing at least one of three proposed tests: the star test, the figure-of-eight test, and the forward-backward test. Locomotor tasks were identified using a five steps procedure including data reduction, symbolic approximation and pattern logical search. Results: Using this method, 99% of locomotor tasks were properly identified for the star test, 95% for the figure-of-eight test and 100% for the forward-backward test. Conclusion: This method appears to be a valuable tool for a simple and clear identification and representation of locomotor tasks over extended periods of time. Future research should aim at applying this method to multiple wheelchair court sports matches or daily life declination.

Background: Manoeuvres esbarrada and volta sobre patas are fundamental movements in equestrian activities, yet their kinematics remain largely unexplored. Objectives: This observational study aimed to kinematically describe the movements of esbarrada and volta sobre patas in Criollo breed horses. Methods: Kinematic analysis was conducted on 31 Criollo horses executing esbarrada and volta sobre patas manoeuvres. Results: The esbarrada maneuver covered a distance of 4.28 ± 0.99m in 1.15 ± 0.11s at a velocity of 3.77 ± 0.55m/s. Angular kinematic variables revealed specific joint angles during the maneuver. In volta sobre patas, significant differences were found in spin duration and thoracic limb suspension between the first and second spins. Conclusions: Volta sobre patas demonstrated prolonged spinning duration and increased thoracic limb suspension in the second spin. Additionally, static conformation did not correlate with limb protraction angles during esbarrada.

The envelope (façade) of a building is the first barrier between the exterior and the interior of the building and withstands the highest variation of temperature and solar radiation. Trombe walls are used to take advantage of that and contribute to the heating of interior air, helping the heating system. In this study, a new Trombe wall design is presented with the aim to contribute significantly to the ventilation of residential buildings. For this an exterior wall equipped with a proposed Trombe system was studied in a numerical simulation analysis. The proposed systems consist of two parts, the air cavities on the exterior of the wall, covered with silica glass, and another layer used for heat transfer, on the interior, comprised of a MPCLBs wall of 115mm. Two cities in Romania were considered to represent the coldest and hottest climate in Romania. Brașov representing the cold climate and Constanța representing the hot climate. In the investigation, both the presence and absence of solar radiation were taken into account. In total 4 cases were established. For all four cases monthly research was made using monthly means temperature, direct and diffuse solar radiation. The results are promising and illustrate that the system works the best during the transitional seasons of spring and autumn. The lower the outdoor temperature the higher the temperature can be increased. Overall, solar radiation accounted for an average of 2 °C increase. The temperature increase varied between 3.4 °C to 15.99 °C for Brașov and between 6.42 °C to 12.07 °C in Constanța.

Triticale is known for being an alternative energy source to usual cereals such as maize and wheat in poultry nutrition. Several studies suggested opposite results regarding its incorporation as a feed ingredient on laying hens’ production parameters. This article used a meta-analysis to assess the factors influencing the effects of triticale on layers’ performance. In July 2022, papers studying the effect of triticale on layers’ egg production (EP), egg weight (EW), egg yolk color (EYC), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were identified on Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct. According to the eligibility criteria of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, 6 articles were registered and segmented into 16 experiments for our meta-analysis. Overall, the trim and fill method revealed that triticale had similar impacts to conventional cereals on laying hens' performance. However, the meta-ANOVA and the meta-regression emphasized that triticale percentage, triticale strains and laying hens strains could significantly influence the effect of triticale on layers' performance. Indeed, the meta-Anova highlighted that the Hy-Line Brown strain and Joesong and Juanilo triticale strains in-duced the best laying hens’ performance. Moreover, the meta-regression emphasized a positive correlation between the triticale inclusion percentage and the EW in Juanilo triticale diets and a negative correlation between the triticale inclusion percentages and the EYC in the triticale and laying hens strains studied. Even though the funnel plot and the Egger linear test suggested sig-nificant publication bias, the present meta-analysis remains consistent research to understand how certain factors could influence the impact of triticale on layers' performance.

A corporate head office for large construction firms, holds more of a staffing role and facilitates, controls and manages subsidiaries. According to studies, little awareness of how to manage affairs, the unfavorable business environment, the lack of necessary rules and the structure of capital, form the most critical management areas to be thoughtful of. In dynamic systems, complex subject, refers to a problem in which the number of factors and relations in between are very high and sometimes unknown. In managing large construction firms, a similar situation prevails. Controlling and evaluating organization and management based on the correct information is something that is difficult to accomplish. This research seeks to provide a comprehensive review on construction firms performance measurements methods by using qualitative methods and necessary software tools. For this purpose, a summary is made of studies on areas such as construction companies, performance assessment solutions and content analysis methods. Then, considering the research gap, the research methodology will be developed, which will provide the optimal result for gathering different assessment methods suitable for construction firms in study. This article offers a step-by-step description of how qualitative data analysis software can be used for quantifying data and decision making. As illustrated in this research, using Nvivo shows how software tools can facilitate analytical flexibility and how they can enhance effectiveness of the qualitative research process. The article, aside from proposing the optimum performance assessment method for companies in study, concludes that while qualitative data analysis software will not do the analysis for the researcher, it can make the analytical process more flexible, transparent and ultimately more trustworthy.

In the past twenty years, the IT industry has moved away from using physical servers for workload management to workloads consolidated via virtualization and, in the next iteration, further consolidated into containers. In the next step, container workloads based on Docker and Podman as underlying container technologies were orchestrated/automated via Kubernetes or OpenShift. On the other hand, high-performance computing (HPC) environments have been lagging in that process, as there’s still much work to figure out how to apply containerization platforms for HPC in real-life scenarios. Kubernetes and OpenShift have many advantages – generally speaking, container technologies use quite a bit less overhead from the computing perspective while providing many benefits in flexibility, modularity, and maintenance. Therefore, they are ideal for tasks requiring a lot of computing power. There are also some tradeoffs regarding the complexity of these two platforms - they’re just not that user-friendly when used by people without years of experience managing them. In this paper, we propose a different architecture based on seamless hardware integration and user-friendly, dynamic workload placement based on real-time performance analysis and prediction coupled with Machine Learning-based scheduling.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether implementation difficulty can be used in slot allocation model as a new mechanism for slightly weakening grandfather right. According to which, a linear integer programming model is designed to compare and analyze displacement, implementation difficulty and priority with different weights. Test results show that the implementation difficulty can be significantly reduced without causing excessive displacement and disruption of existing priorities, by weight setting while declared capacity is cleared. In addition to this, whether the movements are listed in order of descending priority or not have great impact on displacement and implementation difficulty within slot allocation model. Capacity is surely a key factor affecting displacement and implementation difficulties. This study contributes to propose a new mechanism for slightly weakening grandfather right, which can help decision makers to upgrade slot allocation policies.

Using a sample of 103 surviving and non-surviving global bond funds over a long sample period of 1998 to 2022, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the funds under our modified Sharpe’s (1992) style analysis model. We find that dynamic style analysis is useful in explaining time-series and cross-sectional and in predicting future returns of global bond funds. The dynamic style analysis also allows us to examine asset allocation over time. The results show that, during 2001 to 2014, funds shift their allocations from intermediate-term bonds to world corporate bonds and from world corporate bonds to emerging market bonds in search of higher returns at the price of credit quality.

The current investigation scrutinized the strategic approaches employed by the top four teams in the Brazilian Men's Volleyball Superliga, according to the match's opponent. The study encompasses the analysis of 22 matches, involving teams ranked first through fourth, competing against each of the 12 teams participating in the 21-22 season of the Brazilian Men's Volleyball Superliga, including one home and one away match for each team. Utilizing social network analysis facilitated the identification of the interconnections and particularities among all variables, offering a comprehensive perspective. The findings unveiled that during the offensive phase, the second, third, and fourth-ranked teams consistently exhibited higher eigenvector values, irrespective of the opposing team, notably when the middle-blocker positioned themselves in front and near the setter. Conversely, the championship-winning team displayed variations in offensive tactics. The team securing the second position demonstrated alterations in setting placement, whereas the other teams executed settings aimed at zones 3 and 4. Additionally, the initial setter's position at the commencement of a rally displayed varying eigenvector values based on the opponent, indicating team rotation as a performance determinant. Thus, barring the finalist team, the performance of the remaining teams is intricately intertwined with the individual characteristics of players.

(1) Background: The analysis of athletic performance has always aroused great interest from sport scientist. This study utilized machine learning methods to build predictive models using a comprehensive CrossFit (CF) dataset, aiming to reveal valuable insights into the factors influencing performance and emerging trends.; (2) Methods: The study used Random Forest (RF) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) models to predict performance in four key weightlifting exercises within CF: clean & jerk, snatch, back squat, and deadlift. Performance was evaluated using R-squared (R2) values and Mean Squared Error (MSE). Feature importance analysis was conducted using RF, XGBoost, and AdaBoost models.; (3) Results: The RF model excelled in deadlift performance prediction (R2 = 0.80), while the MLR model demonstrated remarkable accuracy in clean & jerk (R2 = 0.93). Across exercises, clean & jerk consistently emerged as a crucial predictor. The feature importance analysis revealed intricate relationships among exercises, with gender significantly impacting deadlift performance.; (4) Conclusions: This research advances our understanding of performance prediction in CF through machine learning techniques. It provides actionable insights for practitioners, optimize performance, and demonstrates the potential for future advancements in data-driven sports analytics.

Dipole antennas, fundamental components in wireless communication systems, have garnered significant attention due to their versatility and efficiency across various applications. This literature review explores the performance analysis of dipole antennas, focusing on recent advancements and methodologies from 2019 to 2024. Employing a systematic approach, the review synthesizes findings from multiple databases, emphasizing peer-reviewed studies that delve into dipole antenna designs and applications. Through meticulous data extraction, key parameters influencing dipole antenna performance, such as material properties and operating frequency, are identified and analyzed. Results highlight the widespread utilization of dipole antennas in wireless communication systems, including indoor positioning, mobile communication, and antenna calibration, among others. Discussions underscore the evolution of dipole antennas in base station environments and their role in filtering applications. The review concludes by emphasizing the continued relevance and evolution of dipole antennas, showcasing their adaptability and potential across diverse wireless communication contexts.

Injuries of repetitive efforts constitute one of the prime causes of absenteeism in the workplace, have bear a considerable cost for the public health system and can cast doubt on the sustainability of a company. The objective of this paper is to build, in the researchers, the needed knowledge to choose a set of relevant scientific articles about repetitive strain injuries in the poultry meat industry, aiming identify characteristics in those scientific publications that have the potential to contribute on the topic of this paper. The research is characterized as exploratory-descriptive, draws on primary and secondary data sources. The study involves the application of a method for selection and analysis of the selected articles. To this end, the method utilized was the Knowledge Development Process – Constructivist (Proknow-C) as theoretical intervention instrument. Within the process development, it was obtained a portfolio of 16 articles aligned to the research and scientifically recognized with the main periodicals, papers, authors and keywords. The ProKnow-C process allowed identify opportunities in the literature about injuries in the poultry meat industry and showed opportunities for research future. This paper, under the constructivist perspective, presents a structured process to build, in the researcher, the necessary knowledge to identification, selection and analysis of relevant scientific articles relating to research context and, for these articles, find prominences and opportunities for a research theme without similar publications.

The results from laboratory tests and field tests, available in the open literature for over ten years, despite the announcement of high efficiency translating into increased energy efficiency and such significant ecological advantages, have not so far resulted in widespread use of fuel performance catalysts (FPC) on a global scale. Wishing to explain why the above situation occurred and to verify the operation of catalytic additives for fuels; this article presents the results of research on the effect of using catalytic additives for fuel in a brand new diesel engine. The article contains an analysis of the results of exhaust gas emission tests from the Doosan MD196TI engine. During the tests, the engine was fueled with a typical diesel fuel and the same fuel with the a catalyst additive. The catalyst was added to the liquid fuel in the form of a commercially available product distributed by ProOne company under the name FMAX. The research was carried out in the form of a test, much more developed than the approval test on a stationary braking station in accordance with the requirements of ISO 8178. The article is concluded with a comparative analysis of exhaust gas emission results illustrating the effects of a catalyst in the form of reduction of solid particles, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and a slight increase in nitrogen oxide emissions. In addition, the effect of the catalyst depends on the product of thermal (brake) efficiency of the engine and the calorific value (CV) of the fuel used.

This article presents new PEM fuel cell models with hexagonal and pentagonal designs. After observing cell performance improvement in these models, we optimized them. Inlet pressure and temperature were used as input parameters, and consumption and output power were the target parameters of the multi-objective optimization algorithm. Then we used artificial intelligence techniques, including deep neural networks and polynomial regression, to model the data. Next, we employed the RSM (Response Surface Method) method to derive the target functions. Furthermore, we applied the NSGA-II multi-objective genetic algorithm to optimize the targets. Compared to the base model (Cubic), the optimized Pentagonal and Hexagonal models averagely increase the output current density by 21.819\% and 39.931\%, respectively.

This paper focuses on the so-called proportional intensity-based software reliability models (PI-SRMs), which are extensions of the common non homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP)-based SRMs, and describe the probabilistic behavior of software fault-detection process by incorporating the time-dependent software metrics data observed in the development process. Especially we generalize the seminal PI-SRM in Rinsaka, Shibata and Dohi (2006) by introducing eleven well-known fault-detection time distributions, and investigate their goodness-of-fit and predictive performances. In numerical illustrations with four data sets collected in real software development projects, we utilize the maximum likelihood estimation to estimate model parameters with three time-dependent covariates; test execution time, failure identification work and computer time-failure identification, and examine the performances of our PI SRMs in comparison with the existing NHPP-based SRMs without covariates. It is shown that our PI-STMs could give better goodness-of-fit and predictive performances in many cases.

This study investigated the accuracy and precision of a commercially available PNT solution that uses DGNSS-SBAS technology. Time and position data were sampled at a frequency of 20Hz during both short and long trajectory of a simulated controlled dry-land slalom, as well as during a real-world on-water slalom exercise. The primary objective was to assess the positional accuracy, availability, integrity, and service continuity of the PNT solution while evaluating its ability to differentiate between trajectories. Additionally, the simulated results were compared with an on-water real-world slalom test to validate the findings. The results of the controlled dry-land slalom test indicate that the PNT solution provided accurate measurements with an overall mean±SD Hrms of 0.20±0.02m. The integrity measures, HDOD and PDOP were found to be ideal to excellent, with values of 0.68±0.03, and 1.36±0.07, respectively. The PNT solution utilised an average of 20±1 satellites from the constellation, resulting in an accuracy of

Solar energy is a renewable and sustainable source of energy, and it has been used in addition of specified technologies, such as solar cooling. The demand for cooling continues to increase in line with environmental changes and a greater desire for human comfort. This study primarily aimed to analyze the performance of an evaporative cooling system powered by solar energy and assess the economic and environmental impact of this system. In this system, hot, dry incoming air is used to evaporate water, thus transforming part of its sensitive heat into latent heat without any variation in enthalpy or total heat. The outputted air then has a lower temperature and a greater humidity, thus providing a more comfortable, healthier environment for its users. To achieve this study’s objectives, numerical code was developed and implemented in MATLAB. The obtained results reveal that the efficiency of the evaporative cooler exceeds 90%, with maximum efficiency being reached at a high wet-bulb depression, while minimum efficiency was observed when the dry air has a high relative humidity and a low dry-bulb temperature.

Hospitals are perpetually challenged by the dual requirements of concurrently improving the quality of healthcare and maintaining financial solvency. Both issues are among the top concerns for hospital executives across the United States, yet some have questioned if the efforts to enhance quality are financially sustainable. led us to examine if improving quality in the hospital setting impacts revenue. Using multivariate regression, we assessed if numerous quality measures were associated with our targeted measure of hospital profitability: the net patient revenue per adjusted discharge. The independent variables included the HCAHPS Summary Star Rating, Hospital Compare Overall Rating, All-Cause hospital-wide Readmission Rate, Total Performance Score, Clinical Outcomes Domain Score, Safety Domain Score, Person and Community Engagement Domain Score, and the Efficiency and Cost Reduction Score. Our results indicated that improving quality was significantly associated with improved net patient revenue per adjusted discharge for seven of the eight of these quality measures at the hospital level. It is clear that failing to address quality and patient safety issues is costly for US hospitals, thus we believe our findings support the premise that increased attention to the quality of care delivered as well as patients’ perceptions of care may allow hospitals to accentuate profitability and advance a hospital’s financial position.

In the wake of the rapid deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), this study aims to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and safety of SMR operations through a deeper understanding of human factors in their interaction within digital control room systems. Recognizing the pivotal role of human understanding in this new era of nuclear power, we employed electroencephalogram (EEG)-based monitoring to provide an unparalleled real-time view into operators' cognitive states. By interfacing detailed human models, informed by EEG metrics, with specific operational tasks, we recreate potential operational scenarios using an SMR simulator and capture intricate human responses therein. Our results elucidated the intricate relationship between EEG-derived data and human performance shaping factors, indicating a marked correlation between certain EEG patterns and operational efficiencies. Conclusively, these findings underscore the potential of EEG monitoring not only as a diagnostic tool but as an instrumental aid in the design and operation of future SMR digital control rooms. The insights derived offer a roadmap for the development of practical strategies, ensuring more effective and safer SMR operations.

Redundancy in ship systems is provided to ensure operational resilience through equipment backups which ensures system availability and offline repairs of machinery. The electric power generation system of ships provides the most utility of all systems, hence is provided with good level of standby units to ensure reliable operations. Nonetheless, the occurrence of undesired black outs are common onboard ships and portends a serious danger to ship security and safety. Therefore, understanding the contributing factors affecting system reliability through component criticality analysis is essential to ensure a more robust maintenance and support platform for efficient ship operations. In this regard hybrid reliability and fault detection analysis were conducted to establish component criticality and related fault conditions. A case study was conducted on a ship power generation system consisting of 4 marine diesel power generation plants onboard an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV). Results from the reliability analysis indicate overall low system reliability of less than 70 per cent within the first 24 months of the 78 operational months. Component criticality using reliability importance measures was used to identify all components with more than 40 per cent contribution to sub systems failure. Additionally, machine learning was used to aid the reliability analysis through feature engineering and fault identification using Artificial Neural Networks classification. The ANN has identified failure patten threshold at about 200kva which can be attributed to overheating, hence establishing link between component failure and generator performance.

This study provides an evaluation of a web-based platform for game management and sales, developed using PHP, MySQL, and SASS. The development process utilized the SCRUM methodology, concentrating on essential modules such as user management, game catalog, payment processing, and technical support. The platform's performance was assessed using Google's Lighthouse tool, which evaluates four critical areas: performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. The results demonstrated exceptional performance with a score of 99/100 and perfect adherence to best practices with a score of 100/100, reflecting high efficiency and compliance with web development standards. Accessibility received a score of 83/100, indicating potential areas for improvement, while SEO achieved a score of 91/100, suggesting effective search engine optimization. The findings reveal that the platform exhibits high levels of optimization and operational efficiency. However, there remains an opportunity to enhance accessibility features. This study highlights the significance of rigorous web development practices and optimization efforts in achieving superior performance and user experience in web-based systems.

Technological innovation has led to the development of increasingly efficient and complex industrial plants. To manage this complexity, it is necessary to define an integrated vision of the socio-technological system that includes: technological, human and organizational component. Petrochemicals can be considered one of the most complex socio-technical systems that deserve special attention to high risk management, especially during the emergency conditions. Traditional safety management models only consider static systems, while new resilience engineering models evaluate the performance variability developed between different actions. One of the recent development methods is the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) that identifies the pairs between the functions. FRAM unfortunately is a qualitative model, this research integrates this model with the Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) and with the Bayesian approach to identify the performance variability of the system. The analysis aims to develop a system that improves safety analysis. The proposed model is applied in a case study of an emergency in a petrochemical company.

At present, countries around the world adopt digital strategy, so that enterprises apply digital technology, digital supply chain, blockchain, and a series of digital measures to enhance their competitiveness. By analyzing the relationship between digital transformation of manufacturing export enterprises, and their business performance and export performance, this paper focused on the current situation and existing problems of digital transformation of manufacturing export enterprises in China. Based on the Resource Based View theory and Trade theory, the impact of digital transformation of enterprises performance, proposing hypotheses, and building regression models were explored. With the samples of 1007 listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock markets from 2012 to 2019, the regression analysis, intermediate effect test, robustness test, stage lag, and heterogeneity analysis were conducted. The results shew that: (1) Listed manufacturing export enterprises carried out digital transformation, which had a significantly positive effect on enterprise performance; (2) It was found that digital transformation could improve enterprise performance by reducing costs, improving R&D intensity and improving human resources etc. (3) According to the fractal analysis, non-state-owned enterprises had more positive effects on enterprise performance, and digital transformation of manufacturing export enterprises in developed areas had a more significant impact on enterprise performance. Finally, according to the empirical results, relevant suggestions for digital transformation were provided.

Facing the tasks and challenges going forward, a pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center was required to be brave in taking risks, especially in carrying out its main tasks, so it was expected that a pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center had intelligence, especially in finding appropriate solutions and alternatives to address every task challenges dynamics in situations that often changed quickly. The purpose of this study was to identify the personal character and performance that should be owned by the pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center. This research used a qualitative approach with a contextual and constructional meta-analysis study method. The results of this meta-analysis study concluded that in line with the essence of personal character that is defined as the personal aspects of a work that allows workers to achieve superior performance. These personal aspects include nature, emotive-motives, value systems, attitudes, knowledge, and skills, where the personal character would produce an optimal performance on a pilot of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Center.

A robust bank industry is a major player in the stability of an economy. The operational efficiency and stability of banks are therefore paramount. By way of financial ratios and Z-score, this study analysed UT Bank’s financial performance prior to the 2017 bank sector reforms in Ghana. Annual financials over a ten year period (2007-2016) were used. Debt management practices of UT Bank per the results obtained were quite on the hind side and unimpressive. This was reflected in the poor leverage and risk management variables. UT Bank would have been unable to meet creditors’ claims considering the mean average values of debt-to-assets and debt-to equity ratios of 0.76 and 0.90 respectively. The entire bank sector will benefit if credit management practices of individual banks are refreshed and worked on. The bank industry regulator should tighten its supervisory and monitoring role over banks to help detect early signs of non-performing banks. The study further recommends that statutory lending limits of banks be re-enforced to uphold the threshold of 10 percent for unsecured loans and 25 percentage for secured loans of net owned funds of the bank.

There is an increasing pressure by community and customers forcing companies to insert environmental concerns in their practices. To help companies initiatives, the green bonds market was incepted. Our research question is how to select bonds in a growing billion-dollar market. This paper presents a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model to enable investors identify opportunities based not only in opinions, but grounded on objective facts. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) are two MCDA methods applied in this paper. Top-fifteen green bonds ranked by specialized media were assessed with the proposed MCDA model. Criteria included the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) proposed by Yale University, and common financial indicators as assets, risks (β), and dividends. The new AHP–COPRAS rank is compared with another published by specialized media.

This study investigates cloud cavitation suppression around a model scale NACA66 hydrofoil using active water injection and explores the effect of multiple injection parameters. Numerical simulations and a mixed-level orthogonal test method are employed to systematically analyze the impact of jet angle αjet, jet location Ljet, and jet velocity Ujet on cavitation suppression efficiency and hydrofoil energy performance. The study reveals that jet location has the greatest influence on cavitation suppression, while jet angle has the greatest influence on hydrofoil energy performance. The optimal parameter combination (Ljet = 0.30C, αjet = +60 degrees, Ujet = 3.25 m/s) effectively balances energy performance and cavitation suppression, reducing cavitation volume by 49.34% and improving lift-drag ratio by 8.55%. The study found that the jet's introduction not only enhances vapor condensation and reduces the intensity of the vapor-liquid exchange process but also disrupts the internal structure of cavitation clouds and elevates pressure on the hydrofoil suction surface, thereby effectively suppressing cavitation. Further analysis shows that positive-going horizontal jet components enhance the lift-drag ratio, while negative-going components have a detrimental effect. Jet arrangements near the trailing edge negatively impact both cavitation suppression and energy performance. These findings provide valuable reference for selecting optimal injection parameters to achieve a balance between cavitation suppression and energy performance in hydrodynamic systems.

: The purpose of this research was to verify the importance and performance of crisis management in Korean fitness center using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). For this study, 304 fitness center executives and managers in Seoul and Gyeonggi region were selected as from March 21 to May 17, 2020. Frequency analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to verify the validity and reliability. Priority analysis and IPA analysis were performed to compare the mean values, and the following results were obtained. First, in the first quadrant, there were 6 attributes besides keep social distancing between employees and customers. Second, in the second quadrant, there were four attributes in addition to regular disinfection of the gymnasium. Third, in the third quadrant, there were 6 attributes besides maintain furniture clean. Third, there were 6 attributes other than maintaining furniture clean in the third quadrant. Fourth, in the fourth quadrant, there are three attributes in addition to the restriction of face-to-face meetings. The conclusion is as follows. First, equip supplies for prevention of covid19, keep social distance, and check government support policies. Second, analyze of economic support policies, and research on their application methods. Third, Prepare various non-face-to-face communication methods and Untact(non-contact) marketing strategies. Fourth, make a checklist for factors with relatively little importance.

Renewable sources and electric distribution network can produce or make available a surplus of electric and thermal energies. The Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (IT-SOE) fed by CO2-steam mixtures can store these electric and thermal energies producing CO-H2 mixtures with high conversion efficiency. Inside the IT-SOE, the CO2-steam mixtures are converted to CO-H2 mixtures and O2 through the cathode and anode electrochemical reactions and reverse water gas shift chemical reaction. In this article an IT-SOE stack fed by different types of steam mixtures was tested at different operating temperatures and the stack polarization and electric power curves were detected experimentally. At the highest hydrogen production operating temperature of the stack fed by steam mixtures, the experimental polarization and electric power curves of the stack fed by steam and CO2-steam mixtures were compared. A simulation model of the IT-SOE system (stack and furnace) fed by CO2-steam mixtures was formulated ad hoc and implemented in a Matlab environment and experimentally validated. At the highest hydrogen production stack operating temperature, the IT-SOE system thermal equilibrium current was evaluated through the simulation model. Moreover, the influence of this current on the IT-SOE system efficiency and the CO-H2 mixture degree of purity was highlighted.

Vernacular architecture constitutes a rich source of information and ancestral knowledge that can become a key resource for sustainable development through its passive design strategies, which effectively respond to local climatic and weather conditions using locally sourced materials for the construction of its supporting structure and enveloping elements, as well as spatial organization and the incorporation of a buffer area (patio) that optimize the use of renewable resources. This qualitative study analyzes a traditional housing typology with a central patio located in the Historic Center of Azogues city, Ecuador, to evaluate its interior thermal comfort through in-situ monitoring in the different building spaces. Using the open-source software Open Studio and EnergyPlus, a simulation model was built to assess the annual thermal performance of the house. Field records were used to verify the effectiveness of the strategies that respond to the climatic conditions of the area. The analysis carried out on the passive strategies used in the selected house with regard to natural ventilation, solar protection, and thermal insulation, which depend on various aspects of the building, such as its location, internal space arrangement, design of openings (doors and windows), among others. The thermal simulations reveal that the traditional house located in the Historic Center of Azogues city is well adapted to the local climate, although interior thermal comfort is not entirely satisfactory.

To accurately identify high-quality functional wood with superior mechanical properties and enhance its durability, it is imperative to understand the relationships between the physical and mechanical attributes of diverse wood types. Presently, there exist issues related to accuracy, efficiency, and differentiation in studying these performance correlations. The Liang Kleeman (L-K) information flow theory, a causative analytical approach rooted in fundamental physics principles, offers swift computational capabilities. Furthermore, the coefficient of variation in L-K information flow quantitatively gauges the intensity of causal effects. Therefore, this article adopts a causal artificial intelligence perspective and introduces a wood performance analysis method based on L-K information flow.This study focuses on four Chinese fir varieties, including fast-growing Chinese fir (YKS), red heart Chinese fir (CSH, XXH), and iron heart Chinese fir (XXT). By computing and comparing variation coefficients of L-K information flow for various physical properties and their impact on mechanical properties, causal relationships between these properties are elucidated. These findings are then applied to predict wood mechanical properties, achieving a remarkable maximum accuracy of 90%.In the future, these findings will prove invaluable for the selection of high-quality wood and for improving the manufacturing process to prolong the service life of functionalized wood.

The aim of the research was a comprehensive evaluation of concrete using the EIPI method. In the evaluation the compressive strength of concrete and its durability properties represented by sorptivity and air permeability were taken into account. Since copper slag waste with increased natural radioactivity was used in the assessed concrete, additional evaluation was carried out taking into account the influence of natural radioactivity within the performance index. Also the reference concrete, which was made without the use of copper slag waste, was evaluated for comparative purposes. In order to make the evaluation as comprehensive as possible, the concrete made with the use of three types of cement was subjected to the assessment: CEM I, CEM II and CEM III. The results show that in both approaches the best result was achieved by concrete with CEM III cement. If natural radioactivity is not taken into account in the evaluation, the best result is obtained by concrete made with copper slag waste, and if radioactivity is considered, the best result is obtained with concrete without addition of the waste. It follows from the above that although natural radioactivity has a significant impact on the EIPI evaluation result, the decisive factor is still the type of cement.

The Jeryak, a hybrid offspring of Gannan yak and Jersey cattle, exhibits evident hybrid advantages over the Gannan yak in terms of production performance and other various aspects. The small non-coding RNAs known as miRNAs exert a significant regulatory influence on gene expression post-transcriptionally. However, the regulatory mechanism of miRNA associated with muscle development in Jeryak remains elusive. To elucidate the regulatory role of miRNAs in orches-trating the skeletal muscle development in Jeryak, we selected dorsal longissimus muscle tissues from Gannan yak and Jeryak for transcriptome sequencing analysis. A total of 230 (DE)miRNAs and 1819 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) were identified in the longest dorsal muscle of Gannan yak and Jeryak. The functional enrichment analysis revealed a significantly enrichment of target genes from differentially expressed (DE)miRNAs and DEMs in signaling pathways associ-ated with muscle growth, such as the Ras signaling pathway and the MAPK signaling pathway. The network of interactions between miRNA and mRNA suggested that some differentially ex-pressed miRNAs, including miR-2478-z, miR-339-x, novel-m0036-3p and novel-m0037-3p, played a pivotal role in facilitating muscle development. These findings help us to deepen our under-standing of the hybrid dominance of Jeryaks and provide a theoretical basis for further research on the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs associated with Jeryak muscle growth and development.

Within the European Union (EU), new plant varieties, to be included at the Common catalog of a member state, has to be registered at the national list, after plant variety testing processes to establish whether the candidate variety is distinguishable, uniform and stable (DUS) and meets the requirement of the cultivation or use value requirement (VCU). Technical development, climate change and changing consumer needs, including the detection of GMOs, necessitate the innovation of plant variety testing methods. Within the EU-funded "InnoVar" project, it has been sent out questionnaires to several countries, which were aimed at analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the current methods and with their help it is possible to have look for a new direction, opportunity and strategy, which can incorporate together with the innovation results into the development of the new methods. Our study confirmed that the SWOT analysis could be used to achieve the set goals; according to the answers to the questionnaires, it became necessary to introduce new characters (e.g. cold tolerance) and new test methods (molecular markers, precision techniques, organic farming) into the variety testing procedures. The development of high-yielding, disease and/or pest-resistant plant varieties with good adaptability and the accurate evaluation of genotypes play a crucial role in ensuring that farmers can access high-performing plant varieties and contribute to sustainable food production.

In recent years, Chinese manufacturing enterprises compete to chase the wave of "digital revolution", digital empowerment has become an important strategic path of technological reform for many manufacturing enterprises. Based on the micro data of listed companies, this paper investigates the impact of digital transformation of Chinese listed companies on the quality of their export products. It is found that digital transformation can significantly improve the quality of enterprises' export products. After a series of robustness tests, this conclusion is still valid, and there are two ways to improve innovation performance and total factor productivity. The export product quality enhancement effect of enterprise digital transformation also has the heterogeneity of ownership, region and industry. In the further study, this paper also examines the impact of digital transformation on the internal salary gap of enterprises, and finds that digital transformation may increase the internal salary gap of enterprises, and form a "masking effect" on the quality of export products. To a certain extent, this paper deepens the understanding of the study of enterprise digital transformation on the quality of export products and its differences, and provides certain guidance for enterprises to implement the strategy of digital transformation.

This study was conducted generally by aiming assessment of the hydraulic performance of water distribution systems of Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU). In line with the main objective, this study addressed, (1) pinpointing problems of existing water supply versus demand deficit (2) evaluating the hydraulic performance of water distribution system using water GEMS and (3) recommended alternative methods for improving water demand scenarios. The University’s water supply distribution network layout was a looped system and the flow of water derived by both gravity and pressurized system. The gravity flow served for the academic and administrative staffs whereas the pressurized system of the network fed the students dormitories, cafeteria’s etc. The study revealed the existence of unmet minimum pressure requirement around the student dormitories which accounts 25.64% below the country’s building code standard during the peak hour consumption. The result of the water demand projection showed an increment of 2.5 liter per capita demand (LPCD) in every five years. Hence, first, the university’s water demand was projected and then hydraulic parameters such as; pressure, head loss and velocity were modeled for both the existing and the improved water supply distribution. The finding of the study was recommended to the university’s water supply project and institutional development offices for its future modification and rehabilitation works.

The study takes into account different classes of tunnel boring machines (TBMs), with the aim of identifying correlation models which are meant to estimate, at a preliminary design phase, the construction time of a tunnel and to evaluate the mechanical and operational parameters of the TBMs, starting from the knowledge of the tunnel length and/or the excavation diameter. To achieve this goal, first of all a database was created, thanks to the collection of the most meaningful technical parameters from a large number of tunnels; afterward, it was statistically analysed through Microsoft Excel. In a first phase, forecasting models were identified for the three types of machines investigated, separately for compact rocks (open TBM) and fractured rocks (single and double shield TBM). Then, the mechanical parameters collected through the database were analysed, with the aim of obtaining models that take into account, in addition to the type of TBM, the geological aspect, and the type of rock characterising the rock mass. Finally, the validation of the study was proposed in a real case, represented by the Moncenisio base tunnel, a work included in the new Turin–Lyon connection line. The estimated values were compared with the real ones, in order to verify the accuracy of the experimental models identified.

To determine the impacts of metabolizable energy levels on the performance indices of geese and to forecast the ideal range of dietary metabolizable energy levels, this study was carried out. Literature on the effects of dietary metabolized energy level on the performance of geese was searched from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2022. A dose-response meta-analysis was performed by STATA (14.0), data were calculated by the robust error meta-regression model (REMR), and nonlinear dose-effect curves were plotted by the restricted cubic spline method (RCS). 29 papers were chosen from the 1,475 literatures that fit the criteria and were included in the dose-response meta-analysis. There were 6,079 geese included in the sample. The following production performance indices included average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed-to-gain ratio (F/G), dressed percentage, percentage of half-eviscerated yield, percentage of eviscerated yield, percentage of breast muscle, percentage of leg muscle and percentage of abdominal fat. The Egger test assessed publication bias, while sensitivity analysis was used to examine the heterogeneity. The verified results are consistent and reliable. The results indicated that for each group, the optimal dietary metabolizable energy level was about 13 to 13.5MJ/kg for medium-sized geese aged 0 to 4 weeks, 12 to 13MJ/kg for medium-sized geese aged above 5 weeks, 12.5 to 13MJ/kg for small-sized geese aged 0 to 4 weeks, and 13 to 13.5MJ/kg for mall-sized geese over 5 weeks of age. Future research should be conducted on related diets of large-sized geese, small-sized geese, and higher metabolizable energy levels.

The era of globalization of the industrial revolution 4.0 was also marked by rapid economic, social, scientific, and technological developments. Currently, the company was demanded to maximize all its potential to compete with other companies. For this reason, it was hoped that companies could understand the importance of knowledge management-based intellectual capital through outreach, externalization, internalization, and combinations that had implications for improving employee performance and competency. This study was to identify and describe the enhancement of performance and competency-based on the optimization of the intellectual capital model in terms of critical thinking analysis. This study used a qualitative approach with critical thinking analysis through literature study methods. The findings results of this study were to improve performance and competency were the basic measurement models of intellectual capital, new intellectual capital measurement models in empirical studies, intellectual capital measurement models with bottlenecks, and environmental-based intellectual capital models. This study concluded that intellectual capital measurement should be determined as accumulation and interpretation in the proposed model for a company that was an applied subject with a qualitative intellectual capital index system, to provide a good tool for companies to managed intellectual capital.

With the existence of several programming languages such as C/C++, Java, C#, LISP, Prolog, Python, Simula, F#, Go, Haskell, Scala, Ruby, Dart, Swift, Groovy etc. and diverse paradigms like structured, object-oriented, list, aspect-oriented, service-oriented, web, mobile and logic programming, there is a need to perform an exhaustive comparative analysis of diverse compilers and environments before making a choice of implementation technology in software engineering. Optimization of compilers helps to reduce execution time by making use of high speed processor registers, thereby, eliminating redundant computation. This paper reports some series of performance analysis done with some popular programming languages including Java, C++, Python and PHP. Programs involving recursive and iterative functions like factorial of large numbers and binary search of large arrays were run on the various platforms with the execution time recorded in milliseconds and represented in a chart. This can aid in making a selection of the appropriate language to use for a given application domain.

In a business environment that is constantly changing, intellectual capital stands out as the most valuable asset for companies. Those who invest in developing their employees, especially their Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), tend to outperform their competitors. This study explores the relationship between the intellectual Capital of CFOs and the financial performance of companies listed on B3. The 100 companies with the largest capitalization listed on B3 in 2022 were analyzed, with available data on the CFO. A statistical model was applied in a cross-section analysis, considering two of the three subdivisions of Intellectual Capital: Human Capital ( experience, education, and certifications) and Relational/Social Capital ( network and reputation of the CFO). The results indicated a statistically significant relationship between CFOs' Human Capital level and the performance of the companies they manage, measured by EPS, ROA, and ROE. However, no statistical significance was found for Relational/Social Capital. This study contributes to the literature on intellectual capital and corporate finance in the Brazilian context, providing new evidence on the importance of CFOs' intellectual capital for company performance. It was observed that there are few equivalent studies in Brazil on the topic, especially about the Intellectual Capital of CFOs of companies listed on the stock exchange (BOVESPA).

This paper describes design of experimental methodology developed to measure the working properties of accuracy of the path traversed by a collaborative robot. The methodology proposed here uses a collaborative robot and a laser measuring system Gepard from Raytec. The main parts of the measuring chain and the ISO 9283 standard are described. The proposed experimental methodology should examine working properties of industrial robots, such as the properties of position and path. The focus of this paper lies on the path accuracy of robots. Currently, the interest in this topic is on the rise and the measuring systems capable of recording this parameter are too costly. This paper focuses on experimental measuring of the path properties, describing them in more detail. The measuring and results were processed in the software tool developed for Gepard.

Motivated by Autonomous vehicle idea and driving safety issues, driver assistance system such as Active braking, Cruise Control, Lane departure warning lane keeping and etc. has become a very active research area. However, this paper presents the performance and robustness analysis of a model predictive control and proportional integral derivative control for lane keeping maneuvers of an autonomous vehicle using computer vision simulation studies. A simulation study was carried out where a vehicle model based on single tracked bicycle model was developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment together with a vision dynamic system. Both PID controller and MPC were simulated to maintain the desired reference trajectory of the vehicle by controlling steering angle. Further performance and robustness analysis were carried out and the simulation results show that the proposed control system for the PID control achieved its objective even though it was less robust in maintaining its performance under various conditions like vehicle load change, different longitudinal speed and different cornering stiffness. While in the case of MPC the optimizer made sure that the predicted future trajectory of the vehicle output tracks the desired reference trajectory and was more robust in maintaining its performance under same conditions as in PID.

The shear failure of surface methane capture borehole (SMCB) is the main cause of shortening life cycle of SMCB but lack of lithological analysis. In order to improve the stability of SMCB and improve efficient drainage period, it is of great significance to investigate the lithology performances for shear failure of SMCB. Based on the direct shear tests and geological method, the results shows that the shear displacement increases as the grain size decreases. Mechanical jump occurs at the lithological boundaries, which is mainly determined by the composition of rock specimens. The cohesion is the mainly possible reason for the step change of shear strength. Lithology with high quartz and low clay may effectively improve shear strength and failure resistance. Boreholes drilled into the weaker siltstone and mudstone sections may potentially experience preferential damage due to the larger shear displacement and shear strength. Protective measures at these sections may improve the stability of the borehole casing. The probing data where it was found that boreholes closure validated the prediction.

This study investigated the aerodynamic performances of various trains with different nose shapes, using as design variables two angles α,β for the heads shape and the bluntness angle γ, without crosswind. The effect on aerodynamic performances, such as the train drag coefficient, pressure distribution along the train surface, flow structures around the train and the wake, head pressure pulse, were analyzed. The results indicate that the increase of the train nose length for flat shapes decreases the CD values by 21.47% and 19.11%, decreasing the high-pressure region in the leading head. The duck-nose configuration emerges as a compromise between drag reduction and nose length. Increasing the angle γ a further drag reduction of 8.5% is featured. Drag formation along the train is also analyzed. The steeper the variation of the geometry, the higher the peak intensity and the slope of the curve. Regarding the flow features around the train, two-main counter-rotating vortices are captured in the wake. Moreover, the higher the nose length and the higher the bluntness angle γ, the weaker and narrower the wake. Again, a longer nose shape yields to a softer jump in terms of pressure difference, crucial for train homologation and safety.

To enhance the uplift capacity and facilitate the installation of multi-row perfobond connectors at shallow burial depths, this study puts forward a novel notched T-perfobond connector. The design incorporates an integrated flange at the bottom of the connector and a notch at the edge of the hole. Through pull-out model tests on four notched T-perfobond connectors, this research investigates their failure mechanisms and pull-out capacities. Utilizing the explicit dynamics method in Abaqus, a finite element model of the pull-out resistance test for the notched T-perfobond connector is established and verified against experimental data. Furthermore, a detailed parametric analysis involving 54 models is conducted, examining crucial parameters such as rib dimensions, hole geometry, flange size, notch width, bar diameter, and material properties. Based on the combined experimental and numerical results, the paper assesses the suitability of current formulas for calculating the pull-out capacity of perfobond connectors and proposes a refined calculation method specifically for notched T-perfobond connectors. All the findings in this paper can serve as a reference in the design and construction of composite structures.

The performance evaluation of the Internet of Things (IoT) based supply chain is challenging due to the involvement of multiple decision makers, the multi-dimensional nature of the evaluation process, and the existence of uncertainty and imprecision in the decision making process. To ensure effective decisions are made, this paper presents a fuzzy multicriteria analysis model for evaluating the performance of IoT based supply chain. The inherent uncertainty and imprecision of the performance evaluation process is adequately handled by using intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. A new algorithm is developed for determining the overall performance index for each alternative across all criteria. The development of the fuzzy multicriteria group decision making model provides organizations with the ability to effectively evaluate the performance of their IoT based supply chains for improving their competitiveness. An example is presented for demonstrating the applicability of the model for dealing with real world IoT-based performance evaluation problems.

UNESCO highlights socio-emotional, cognitive, and behavioral learning as critical for advancing sustainability. As major events, sports generate significant social, economic, and environmental impacts. This study analyzed how academic background, gender, age, sport type, and modality influenced elite Colombian Olympic and Paralympic athletes' socio-emotional competencies. Methods: Colombian elite athletes who were members of the “Support to the Excellence Coldeportes Athlete” participated in the study. The total population studied included 334 Colombian elite athletes: mean age 27.10 ± 6.57 years old with 13.66 ± 6.37 years practicing his/her sports modality. The socio-emotional competencies of the participants were assessed using the Socio-emotional Competencies Scale (SECS). Results: Men scored higher in interpersonal regulation, self-awareness, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation. Younger athletes (≤25 years) had higher self-consciousness. Individual versus team sports did not differ. Paralympians showed higher motivation, self-awareness, teamwork, and emotional regulation. University educated athletes scored higher in motivation, self-awareness, teamwork, and empathy. All competencies positively correlated. Conclusion: Individualized interventions targeting improved socio-emotional performance are vital for sustainability and should account for differences across gender, age, education, and disability status.

Disease detection and prediction have been one of the most frequent uses of machine learning models in the last decade, and Parkinson's disease is no exception. It is common for people in their old age to have one form of disease or another depending on the circumstances in which they find themselves. This study analyzed and evaluated various supervised machine learning models to detect the presence of Parkinson's disease in elderly individuals. An extreme gradient boosting model, along with other models, such as naïve Bayes, random forest, K-nearest neighbor, and support vector machine (SVM), was implemented to determine the best outcome. The extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model is a powerful boosting machine learning technique, particularly in terms of speed and accuracy. The results showed that the XGBoost model, which is an optimized version of the other boosting models, is capable of projecting the presence of Parkinson's disease with very high accuracy compared to other algorithms. The implemented classification algorithm extreme gradient boosting method achieved approximately 98 % accuracy, 97.5 % precision, 100.0 % recall, and 98.7% f1-score which are high compared with the results found in the existing literature.

Banking sector is generally taken out of sample while the sustainability performance, and the financial performance are compared with each other. The core aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the declarations made in the cope of sustainability reports on the financial performance in the banking sector. Seven banks were included in the study which were placed at least one time in BIST Sustainability Index in between 2010-2017 years. Environment, human resources, product liability and community involvement were determined as sustainability criteria and return on assets, return on equity and net interest margin were determined as financial performance criteria. Non-Parametric Statistic Tests and Panel Data Analysis were used for analysis and types, and the sizes of banks were selected as dummy variables. As a result, it is found that the declarations of sustainability reports have a significant effect only on return on assets and have no significant effect on return on equity and net interest margin. And also, when we analyzed the relationship of sustainability criteria and return on assets, we found that the declarations about environment and human resources have negative effects on return on assets.

Sustainability experienced significant global momentum in recent decades. The emergence of the sustainability movement in the Financial Sector was prompted by the increasing global climate change resulting from environmental deterioration. Primarily associated with the Financial Sector, it has increasingly been recognised that Financial Institutions are significant contributors to global climate change, both via direct and indirect means. This has resulted in a heightened emphasis and demand from stakeholders for the implementation of Sustainability Principles on a worldwide scale. This study presents a methodology that utilises the various dimensions of Sustainable Finance through the concept of Triple Bottom Line to determine the factors influencing the Sustainability Performance of Financial Institutions. The suggested approach is grounded and supported by the current body of literature. The study presents a hypothesis to investigate the correlation between factors of Green Finance Practices and Sustainability Performance of Banking Sector. The suggested framework can be utilised by regulatory bodies and individual financial institution of a country to identify the elements that influence the Sustainability Performance of Banking Sector.

Many amateur and professional players start racing at an early age. The aim is to explore the characteristics of heart rate and speed patterns recorded during competition. We investigated the body composition and cardiorespiratory characteristics of three elite adolescent athletes, their heart rate, and speed patterns in the laboratory and competition. There is no difference between the three riders' anthropometric and body composition values, except for training age (TA), where rider (b) started riding three years ago. The intra-race heart rate patterns of the three riders showed similarities in several places and differences in several places. This was also true for the speed patterns. The differences between races were more pronounced in the heart rate pattern.

This study examines the effects of working capital management strategies on firm’s financial performance of Indian cement companies using 11-year (2010-2020) financial data of 31 companies listed in Bombay Stock Exchange. It is intended to find out whether the strategies made by finance managers with respect to the components of working capital such as average receivable period, inventory conversion period, average payment period and cash conversion cycle, etc. affects the firm’s performances individually and in total. The results of Pearson’s correlation coefficient and random effect regression model shows that there exists a negative relationship between financial performance measured in terms of return on assets (ROA) and inventory turnover period (ITP) as well as accounts payable period (APP), whereas firm’s performance is not significantly affected by accounts receivable period (ARP) and cash conversion cycle (CCC). Similarly, it has been observed that the liquidity measures such as current ratio (CR) and quick ratio (QR) have a significant positive association with ROA. Moreover, the size of the firms and leverage are inversely related to ROA but the age of the firms is not significantly affecting their financial performances. Hence, it can be concluded that how an organisation designs its working capital strategy do have an impact on its performances.

In this paper, thin plate theory and moderately thick plate theory are proposed for analyzing the bending problem of rectangular plates with stepped thickness resting on elastic half-space foundation. The ground reaction is considered as an unknown coefficient and the hypothesis of Winkler foundation model and two-parameter ground model is eliminated in this method, so as to obtain the law of internal force distribution of the plate and the distribution law of contact reaction force between the stepped rectangular plate and foundation. The stepped rectangular plate is divided into upper and lower plates, and thin plate theory and moderately thick plate theory are used to obtain the analytical solution. The obtained analytical solutions in this paper are compared with results reported in other publications to verify the accuracy of this method. The effects of the elastic modulus and dimensions of the plate, and theory of plate are also considered. The analytical solutions show that it is feasible to decompose the stepped rectangular plate into two plates for analyzing the bending properties of stepped rectangular plate, and this method provide a reference for the study of multilayer stepped rectangular plates.

As a potential motivation, psychological empowerment stimulates employees' work behaviors, and it determines the degree of effort and duration of employees' work. Only when employees are psychologically empowered, will they have an impact on their behavior when they believe that they are trusted. This paper chose to set the independent variable as the employee's perceived trust and the dependent variable as the company's work performance, and explored the mediating role of psychological empowerment in the two. The psychological empowerment of employees had a positive impact on work performance. Employees with high psychological empowerment tended to be proactive in their work, and had more input in the work, which in turn encouraged employees to have higher work performance. The four dimensions of psychological empowerment can positively affect employee task performance, and the ability and influence of psychological empowerment had a positive impact on relationship performance. Psychological empowerment as a whole perception played a part of the mediating role between the perception of superior dependency and task performance, and it played a part of the mediating role between perception of superior dependency and relationship performance. As a whole perception, psychological empowerment played a part of mediating role between perceived information disclosure and task performance, and part of mediating role between perceived information disclosure and relationship performance. In the study of perceived trust and work performance, this article focused on the mediating role of psychological empowerment, and further understood the internal mechanism of perceived trust.

The nuclear reactor measurement system is a crucial component of the nuclear measurement system in a nuclear power plant. Its primary function is to measure the power distribution within the reactor core using detectors, calibrate, and provide data on core fuel consumption. Therefore, the study of the detectors' reliability is crucial for ensuring the safe operation of the nuclear power system. The article describes the operational mechanism of the gas ionization chamber detector utilized in the intermediate-range detector of the off-board nuclear measurement system. It also analyzes the movement of particles between the plates during the ionization process of the nuclear reaction taking place in the detector. The functional relationship between the current in the recombination region and the ionization region involved in the actual working condition, and the change with the increase of voltage between the plates, is deduced. A mathematical model is established for the number of pulses generated between the plates and the magnitude of the voltage between the plates. Subsequently, the change in the offset of the voltage corresponding to the inflection point of the ping curve and the change rule of the slope of the ping curve are investigated. Combined with the analysis of experimental data, the results show that the initial particle energy of Ar+, the primary sensitive particle on the detector surface, follows a normal distribution and is influenced by the energy loss associated with the initial velocity and the voltage between the plates. The trends of the inflection points and slopes of the ping curves can be utilized to evaluate the performance and operational status of the detector. Combined with the results of the experimental data analysis, the fit is good, and the inflection point currents in the normal state decrease by about 1.5% annually. The intelligent diagnostic system, based on the method studied in this paper, has been successfully implemented in the RPN digital retrofit and upgrade project at Qinshan No. 2 Plant.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.

This study assessed the relationship between body posture displacements and cardiopulmonary function test (CPET) and skill related physical fitness tests. One hundred male (60%) and female collegiate athletes (22.2 ± 4yrs) with a normal body mass index (BMI up to 24.9) were assessed via the PostureScreen Mobile app to quantify postural displacements as head, thorax and pelvis rotations and translations. CPET and physical performance tests including the agility T-test, the vertical jump test, the stork static balance test (SSBT) and the dynamic Y-balance test (YBT) were performed. Spearman correlation (r) and p-values are reported. Postural parameters were found to have moderate-to-high associations with CPET and the agility test, moderate correlations with the vertical jump test and the SSBT (head and pelvic postures only), and weak correlations with the YBT. As postural parameters were more asymmetric, both CPET and performance skills scores were worse. For examples: 1) a medium positive correlation was found between cranio-vertebral angle (CVA) and vertical jump test (r = 0.54; p-value < 0.001) and SSBT (r = 0.57; p-value < 0.001), while a strong negative correlation was found between CVA and agility test (r = -0.86; p-value < 0.001). 2) A strong positive correlation was found between CVA and oxygen uptake efficiency slope, load watts VO2 at VT, VO2 / kg, load watts at respiratory compensation point (RCP), (r = 0.65 and r = 0.71; p < 0.001). Conversely, a significant negative correlation was found between CVA and VE / VO2 at VT (r = -0.61; p < 0.001). Postural rotations and translations of the head, thorax and pelvis were statistically correlated with physical performance skills and CPET in young collegiate athletes. There were moderate-to-high associations with cardiopulmonary functions and agility tests, moderate correlations with the vertical jump test, and weak correlations with the YBT. Postural alignment may be important for optimal physical performance and optimal cardiopulmonary function. Further research is necessary to elucidate reasons for these correlations as found in our sample of young and healthy athletes.

Bioinformatics is a rapidly developing field enabling scientific experiments through computer models and simulations. Considering the vast databases of biological data available, it is ex-tremely important to develop efficient methods and algorithms for their processing. Sequence comparison is the best method for studying the evolutionary interaction between genes. It is based on alignment – the process of arranging two or more sequences to achieve the maximum level of identity and degree of similarity. The paper presents a new version of the algorithm for pairwise DNA sequences alignment, based on a new method called CAT, where a dependency with a previous match and the closes neighbor are taken in consideration to increase uniqueness of the CAT profile and to reduce possible collisions, i.e. two or more sequence having same CAT profiles. This makes proposed algorithm suitable for finding exact match of a concrete DNA se-quence in a big set of DNA data faster. The generation of CAT profiles is made once before data has been uploaded to the database, allowing the profiles to be used as metadata for the sequenc-es. It consists of an algorithm to calculate a CAT profile against the selected reference sequences and an algorithm to compare two sequences based on the calculated CAT profiles. Improve-ments in generation of the CAT profiles, are detailed described in the paper. Block scheme, pseudo code tables and figures were updated according to the proposed new version and ex-perimental results. Experiments have been carried out with the new version of the method and different datasets to align DNA sequences based on the CAT method. New experimental results in terms of collisions, speed, and efficiency of the proposed solutions are presented. Experiments related to the performance comparison with Needleman-Wunsch were re-executed with the new version of the algorithm to confirm that we have the same performance. An analysis of the per-formance of the proposed CAT based algorithm against Knuth–Morris–Pratt algorithm, which has a complexity of O(n) and is one of the most widely used for searching biological data, was performed. The impact of prior matching dependencies on uniqueness for generated CAT pro-files is investigated. The analysis of the experimental results obtained by sequence alignment shows a small deviation of the proposed algorithm based on the CAT method, which can be ig-nored if this deviation is acceptable at the expense of performance. The time efficiency of the CAT algorithm remains constant, regardless of the length of the sequences. Therefore, the ad-vantage of the proposed method is its fast processing in the alignment of large sequences, for which the execution of the exact algorithms takes a long time. The example code realization of the CAT Method, under the protection of the GNU General Public License v3.0, can be accessed on GitHub at: https://github.com/HristoS/CATSequenceAnalysis.

One of the influential factors in estimating the service life of reinforced concrete bridges (RCB) is determining the long-term seismic performance of these structures. Corrosion due to chloride ion diffusion leads to the destruction of critical members of the RCB during the useful life of the structure. So, the long-term seismic performance of the bridge deteriorates as a result. It is essential to study the effect of corrosion deterioration on the long-term seismic performance of bridges in the southern regions of Iran, near the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea, because of the seismicity of the region and high corrosion rate of reinforced concrete (RC) members is the result of environmental conditions. In order to investigate this issue, considering studies about environmental conditions of southern Iran, the onset time of corrosion in the columns, as seismic critical members of the bridge, was determined. Based on that, the corrosion's effect on characteristics of RC at specific time points during the bridge's useful life (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 years) have been calculated. The effects of corrosion include deterioration of the core and cover concrete properties, steel bar and the connection between concrete and steel bar. In the next step, at each time point, according to the modified stress-strain relationships, the moment-curvature analysis of the bridge pier was done, and the properties of the plastic hinge were determined. Finally, based on the obtained data about plastic hinge characteristics at each time point, overload analysis of the bridge was performed in both longitudinal and transverse directions. Then the capacity curves of RCB were compared at the mentioned time-points. The results show that the capacity of the bridge deteriorates over time due to corrosion. Therefore, a proposal to increase the value of base shear design has been made to ensure the long-term seismic performance of RCB in corrosive environments.

Nowadays, environmental circumstances and business rules of organizations are complicate, active and uncertain, so, they cannot assurance their long- term survival through some actions such as, structural changes and methods or relying on creativity of some people in organization. Companies and organizations should prepare conditions to institutionalize entrepreneurial culture in their organization. Corporate entrepreneurship can improve the value of the organization. The entrepreneurial oriented organizations are more responsive for environment and market changes. Opportunity recognition is the base of being successful. The research is applied and in terms of method is descriptive. Data were analyzed, using Linear Regression and Multiple Moderated Regression (MMR) and SPSS software. In this research the effects of organizational entrepreneurship (innovation, proactiveness and risk-taking) on performance of the centers influenced by environmental factors (government’s strategies, competitiveness and technology) as moderating variables, were studied. Furthermore, the study presents that there is a significant positive relationship between organizational entrepreneurship and performance. Although the study does not show any significant moderating effect of environmental factors (Government’s strategies, competitiveness and technology) on the relationship between organizational entrepreneurship and performance, however, the result of the study manifests direct relationship between environmental factors and performance of such centers.

The present study is to address performance of the dairy supply chain and emphasizes the significance of reliability of the chain as a fundamental and critical attribute for fulfilling the safety requirements. In order to evaluate the performance of the dairy supply chain, the present study utilizes the reliability attribute, which is an essential and informative system performance indicator. The study considers not only the inputs and outputs but also internal activities and relationships between customers, manufacturers, and suppliers. To minimize calculations and resolve uncertainties and vagueness that may be experienced in the performance evaluation process, this study proposes the use of the Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) approach and evaluates the reliability at each level of the supply chain: supply, manufacturing, and distribution. Combining the reliability of different levels, the study finally calculates the reliability of the entire supply chain. The proposed methodology offers a practical approach for evaluating the reliability performance of a dairy supply chain and can be easily extended to other industries as well. To verify the proposed methodology, a real case in the Iranian dairy industry is chosen to be studied. Results indicate that the proposed methodology can effectively identify bottlenecks or weaknesses in the dairy supply chain and help develop effective strategies to address them. Analyzing factors influencing supply chain reliability can optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve the overall quality of dairy product quality delivered to consumers.

This paper investigated reliability modeling for systems subject to dependent competing risks considering that the variation of failure threshold is not considered in most studies on competing failure reliability. Firstly, the variation of degradation quantity under shocks was analyzed, and the variation of threshold was considered on this basis. Secondly, the cumulative degradation under the influence of the random shock process was analyzed. The attractive property of copula is symmetry. Then, A linear Wiener process model is applied to model performance degradation failure, and a multi-performance-degradation correlated-competition model based on a Copula function is constructed, which considers the correlated competition between multiperformance degradation failures. Lastly, the micromotor system is used to analyze the applicability of the proposed model for bivariate instances. demonstrating the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed model.

In this paper, a new design of a helium-assisted hybrid drone is proposed for flight time enhancement. As is widely known, most of the drones with a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) feature have a short operation time, limiting their capability to carry out sustainable operations for the given missions. Thus, with the clear goal of enhancing the flight time, this study aims to develop a hybrid drone system, where a helium balloon is used to provide a lifting force for this purpose. The proposed design for the hybrid drone has several benefits including easiness to manufacture and relatively small size when compared to other types of hybrid drones. Various analyses are conducted for the design of the hybrid drone system including the balloon shape and size, buoyant force, flight time, and connector design. Since stability and performance are one of the most important issues for the new design, the pole location analysis is conducted based on the control theory. This rigorous analysis provides that the proposed hybrid drone design is stable as well as robust against swinging motions. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed design and flight time enhancement, simulations were conducted and experimental results are also provided using the manufactured hybrid drone system. Through the real experiments, it is proved that the hybrid drone can increase the flight time more than 2.5 times while guaranteeing stable motions.

The oscillating heat pipe (OHP) is a new member in the family of heat pipes, and it has great potential applications in energy conservation. However, the fluid flow and heat transfer in the OHP as well as the fundamental effects of inner diameter on them have not been fully understood, which are essential to the design and optimization of the OHP in real applications. Therefore, by combining the high-speed visualization method and infrared thermal imaging technique, the fluid flow and thermal performance in the OHPs with inner diameters of 1, 2 and 3 mm are presented and analyzed. The results indicate that three fluid flow motions, including small oscillation, bulk oscillation and circulation, coexist or, respectively, exist alone with the increasing heating load under different inner diameters, with three flow patterns occurring in the OHPs, viz. bubbly flow, slug flow and annular flow. These fluid flow motions are closely correlated with the heat and mass transfer performance in the OHPs, which can be reflected by the characteristics of infrared thermal images of condensers. The decrease in the inner diameter increases the frictional flow resistance and capillary instability while restricting the nucleate boiling in OHPs, which leads to a smaller proportion of bubbly flow, a larger proportion of short slug flow, a poorer thermal performance, and easier dry-out of working fluid. In addition, when compared with the 2 mm OHP, the increasing role of gravity induces the thermosyphon effect and weakens the 'bubble pumping' action, which results in a little smaller and bigger thermal resistances of 3 mm OHP under small and bulk oscillation of working fluid, respectively.

This paper delves into the comprehensive analysis and investigation of thermodynamic enhancement and exergy optimization of turbofan engines through the integration of fuzzy logic and newest meta-heuristic optimizers, like the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). In contemporary engineering practices, exergy analysis stands out as a crucial and indispensable tool utilized by numerous engineers and researchers in the design, operation, and performance evaluation of energy systems. Its multifaceted advantages include the precise determination of location, types, and quantification of exergy losses and production. By augmenting exergy efficiency while concurrently curbing exergy destruction, substantial enhancements in engine performance and cost reduction can be achieved. The study focuses on the CF6-80A and CFM56 turbofan engines, scrutinizing individual components such as the fan, low-pressure compressor, high-pressure compressor, combustion chamber, high-pressure turbine, and low-pressure turbine. Key parameters for engine evaluation encompass exergy efficiency, recovery potential, relative exergy destruction, fuel depletion rate, and inefficiency. To conduct a rigorous exergy analysis, engine modeling is imperative, particularly during the cruise phase, which predominantly characterizes engine operation. Subsequently, exergy analysis is executed in accordance with established thermodynamic principles, leveraging equations governing mass conservation, energy conservation, and exergy conservation for each engine component. Further optimization of exergy destruction is achieved through the application of meta-heuristic optimizers and fuzzy logic, facilitating informed decision-making processes.

The three-pronged sliding universal coupling is a new kind of three-pronged coupling. To study its kinematic and dynamic characteristics, directional cosine matrices are utilized as tools to analyze the coordinate systems by establishing simplified geometric models and corresponding motions. Through the analysis of the motions of the input and output shafts and employing the method of single-force element, a set of equilibrium equations for the forces acting on the output shaft and the input shaft are formulated for solution analysis. The research indicates that during the rotation process, there exists a small angular difference between the input shaft and the intermediate shaft, demonstrating the quasi-constant angular velocity characteristics of the new tripod sliding universal coupling. The curves of the forces and torques acting on each component of the coupling approximate sinusoidal curves. The optimal operating angle range for the new tripod universal coupling is at angle , during which the system exhibits good transmission and mechanical performance.

Manufactured sand and natural sand have great differences in terms of physical properties, chemical composition, and so on. In the mix ratio design of manufactured sand concrete, the traditional common concrete ratio cannot be used. The water-cement ratio playing a crucial role in the mix ratio design. The optimum water-cement ratio can not only improve concrete performance, it can also reduce cement consumption and costs. The present study examines the working performance indicators and mechanical performance indicators of manufactured sand concrete using Fujian granite with three strength grades (C35, C40 and C50) at different water-cement ratios. The impact of water-cement ratio on the operational and mechanical performance of manufactured sand concrete with different strength grades is analyzed and summarized. Revised sentence: The findings suggest that the workability of Fujian granite concrete is directly influenced by the water-cement ratio. Additionally, the water-cement ratio indirectly affects the mechanical properties of manufactured sand concrete. Finally, when changing the water-cement ratio, cube compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and bending strength exhibit similar trends. The optimal water-cement ratio for C35 concrete is determined to be 0.39, considering the workability and mechanical properties of Fujian granite manufactured sand concrete. Similarly, the optimal water-cement ratio for C40 concrete is 0.34, while for C50 concrete it is 0.32.

The steering performance according to the steering angle control was tested by using the active steering bogie developed to reduce excessive wheels and rail wear and noise generated when the railway vehicle run in a curved section. As a result of the test of increasing the steering angle in accordance with the target steering angle in the 300m radius of curvature, the bogie is gradually aligned in the radial steering position, and when the control is carried out to 100% of the target steering angle, the bogie angles of the front and rear bogies appeared almost the same. As the steering angle increased, wheel lateral force and derailment coefficient also decreased. Therefore, the validity of the radial steering position control method applied in this paper was confirmed experimentally. This test results will be used for future research on active steering bogie commercialization.

Big data has revolutionised science and technology leading to the transformation of our societies. High Performance Computing (HPC) provides the necessary computational power for big data analysis using artificial intelligence and methods. Traditionally HPC and big data had focused on different problem domains and had grown into two different ecosystems. Efforts have been underway for the last few years on bringing the best of both paradigms into HPC and big converged architectures. Designing HPC and big data converged systems is a hard task requiring careful placement of data, analytics, and other computational tasks such that the desired performance is achieved with the least amount of resources. Energy efficiency has become the biggest hurdle in the realisation of HPC, big data, and converged systems capable of delivering exascale and beyond performance. Data locality is a key parameter of HPDA system design as moving even a byte costs heavily both in time and energy with an increase in the size of the system. Performance in terms of time and energy are the most important factors for users, particularly energy, due to it being the major hurdle in high performance system design and the increasing focus on green energy systems due to environmental sustainability. Data locality is a broad term that encapsulates different aspects including bringing computations to data, minimizing data movement by efficient exploitation of cache hierarchies, reducing intra- and inter-node communications, locality-aware process and thread mapping, and in-situ and in-transit data analysis. This paper provides an extensive review of the cutting-edge on data locality in HPC, big data, and converged systems. We review the literature on data locality in HPC, big data, and converged environments and discuss challenges, opportunities, and future directions. Subsequently, using the knowledge gained from this extensive review, we propose a system architecture for future HPC and big data converged systems. To the best of our knowledge, there is no such review on data locality in converged HPC and big data systems.

This research addresses the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm newborns, caused by insufficient surfactant synthesis, which can lead to serious complications, including pneumothorax, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary hemorrhage, increasing the risk of a fatal outcome. By analyzing chest radiographs and blood gases, we specifically focus on the significant contributions of these parameters to the diagnosis and analysis of the recovery of patients with RDS. The study involved 32 preterm newborns, and the analysis of gas parameters before and after the administration of surfactants and inhalation corticosteroid therapy revealed statistically significant changes in values of parameters such as FiO2, pH, pCO2, HCO3 and BE (Sig.<0.05), ehile the pO2 parameter showed a potential change (Sig.=0.061). Parallel to this, the research emphasizes the development of a lung segmentation algorithm implemented in the MATLAB programming environment. The key steps of the algorithm include preprocessing, segmentation, and visualization for a more detailed understanding of the recovery dynamics after RDS. These algorithms have achieved promising results, with a global accuracy of 0.93±0.06, precision 0.81±0.16 and an F-score of 0.82±0.14. These results highlight the potential application of algorithms in the analysis and monitoring of recovery in newborns with RDS, also underscoring the need for further development of software solutions in medicine, particularly in neonatology, to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of preterm newborns with respiratory distress syndrome.

There is a paucity of data on the progression of track cycling sprinters, and the evolution of training and performance over a training cycle. Following prior research showing relationships between sprint cycling power and endurance cycling power, we compared these relations over a 3-month period. Our hypothesis is large improvements in power would come from training either for sprint power or sprint capacity, and this would be reflected in the data. A total of publicly available 25 datasets. These data were plotted against the line of best fit for 30-s and 2-min power to assess if training towards the line led to better 30-s power. We observe the best performances came from riders who start below the 30-s vs 2-min power line of best fit, with greater capacity and ability to ride fast over a sprint series, and progressing towards focusing on specific power in the final block leading into a competition. These results support the hypothesis of combined capacity and power training based on rider-specific relationship to the line of best fit between these measures versus a strictly maximal power training focus.

In this paper, it is defined that how the IPOs are affected by the underwriter reputation. What will happen to IPOs who are backed by reputed underwriter and who is not? And evaluate the IPOs short-run and long-run performance. Also try to explain the relationship between IPOs and underwriter. Also tried to compare some of the international return and Pakistani returns. Also determine the relation of the investor to the underwriter. There is a set of investors who have there own relationship with the underwriters how they will affect on the IPOs in the market.

Recently, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced the New Radio (NR) technology for Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication to enable delay-sensitive and bandwidth-hungry applications in vehicular communication. The NR system is strategically crafted to complement the existing Long Term Evolution (LTE) Cellular-Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) infrastructure, particularly to support advanced services such as the operation of automated vehicles. It is widely anticipated that the 5th generation (5G) NR system will surpass LTE C-V2X in terms of achieving superior performance in scenarios characterized by high throughput, low latency, and enhanced reliability, especially in the context of congested traffic conditions and a diverse range of vehicular applications. This article will provide a comprehensive literature review on vehicular communications from Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) to NR V2X. Subsequently, it delves into a detailed examination of the challenges and opportunities inherent in NR V2X technology. Finally, we proceed to elucidate the process of creating and analyzing an open-source 5G NR V2X module in network simulation-3 (ns-3) and then demonstrate the NR V2X performance in terms of different key performance indicators implemented through diverse operational scenarios.

Drydocking a ship is essential to the routine maintenance process during its service/operational life. During the drydocking time, various surveys/inspections are carried out per requirements of the classification society, flag administration, and statutory bodies, particularly the underwater items. For shipyards, optimum utilization of drydock capacity (deadweight) is the most considered factor to optimize the physical performance indicators like drydock occupancy rate, capacity utilization rate, and drydock utilization. However, in real life, even after mobilizing all available resources to achieve the optimum usage rate, the overall physical performance could be higher or lower or not up to the expectation. The average size (deadweight) of ships calling to the drydock is observed to be far below the expected capacity, resulting in under-utilization of installed capacity. However, although the drydock occupancy rate is satisfactory, even 100%. For a substantial amount of time, the drydock has been under-utilized in terms of capacity utilization and drydock utilization rate. Drydocking activities of ships in two (2) drydocks of a shipyard are collected and analyzed. Various physical performance indicators (PPIs) are calculated. They are diagnosed year-wise and presented in tabular and graphical form to demonstrate their behavior over the operating period. Authors have investigated the behavior of the above-mentioned physical performance indicators to justify, technically, the selection of capacity of a drydock. A further attempt has been made to propose some recommendations and guidelines from technical viewpoints for the selection criteria of a drydock capacity based on available resources.

Over recent years, the swine industry has witnessed the withdrawal of antibiotics and continuous regulation of zinc and copper oxides in the early-life nutrition of piglets. Due to this development, alternative ingredients or additives from plant sources have been tremendously explored. Therefore, this study's objective was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with tannins on weaned piglets’ growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, and immune status using a meta-analysis approach. With only the inclusion of non-challenged weaned piglets, a total of 16 studies with parameters of interest were deemed eligible after a two-step screening process following a comprehensive literature search in the scientific databases of Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Two main categories of data, including the study’s characteristics and response variables (growth performance, serum antioxidant, and immune indices), were extracted. Applying the random-effects models, Hedges’ g effect size of supplementation with tannins was calculated using the R software to determine the standardized mean difference (SMD) at a 95% confidence interval. Sub-group analysis and meta-regression further explored heterogeneity (PSMD 0.05, I2 50%, n ≥10). Supplementation with tannin reduced average daily gain (p = 0.20) and feed conversion ratio (p 0.01); however, it increased average daily feed intake (p = 0.07) and final body weight (p 0.01). Meta-regression models indicated that tannin dosage and supplementation duration were directly associated with tannins' effectiveness on productive performance. In the serum, the concentration of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and total antioxidant capacity were elevated (p 0.01) in response to tannins supplementation, while malondialdehydes was reduced (p 0.01). Likewise, decreased immunoglobin A (p = 0.47) and increased immunoglobin M and G levels (p 0.01) were detected. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with tannins, particularly with chestnut and grape seed proanthocyanidins, increases the productivity of weaned piglets. At the same time, it is a possible nutritional strategy to mitigate oxidative stress and stimulate gut health. Thus, supplementing chestnut and grape seed proanthocyanidin tannins in the early phase of swine production could be used to alleviate the incidence of diarrhea.

To win a taekwondo competition, more points must be scored, and the key to scoring points is to improve the motor performance of the kick. The wing kick is an offensive and defensive maneuver. Core stability appears to be important for improving athletic performance, but the specific relationship and effect of core stability on athletic performance in the aerial phase of taekwondo is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between core stability and athletic performance in taekwondo in order to provide appropriate theoretical support for training and to help coaches and athletes to improve athletic performance. A total of 16 subjects (height: 167.34±9.2 cm; weight: 61±8.96 kg; age: 24.7±3.25 years) were studied. Data were captured using 13 infrared cameras at 120Hz, kinematic and kinetic data were captured using a motivated motion capture system, and the data were exported to Visual3D in order to calculate the execution time of the aerial phase, the angular momentum of the left lower extremity, and MVC analysis of the EMG using EMG works. The core stability level of the subjects were measured using the Sahrmann Core Stability Test (SCST) to correlate with the other data, and then the subjects were grouped according to their core stability levels and the data from both groups were analyzed with t-tests. Results During the double fly lifting of aerial segments, SCST levels showed a very strong negative correlation with execution time (r= -0.739) and there was a statistically significant difference in execution time between high and low SCST levels (p < 0.001), and the desired negative correlation was also seen in lower limb angular momentum X-axis (thigh r= -0.6294, shank r= -0.536, foot r= -0.6175), especially in the X-axis. The left rectus femoris (LRF) data had greater activation in the low SCST group(p=0.0019*). Through this experiment, we found that athletes with high core stability had faster execution times, lower angular momentum, and higher core muscle activation. Therefore, we conclude that incorporating core stability training into taekwondo training has the potential to improve kicking performance.

An increasing number of studies have shown that safety culture factors have a substantial influence on safety performance in a variety of industrial sectors. These factors' impact on safety performance is unclear, especially at the public service and statutory authorities. On the other hand, the understanding of indicators for safety performance in every working sector in Malaysia is on the continuing progress. Hence, this study's contribution is to explore the influence of safety culture factors (i.e., management commitment and supervision in safety, safety system) and safety competence on safety performance in government paramedic training institutes. IPMA (importance-performance map analysis) is a technique used in Smart PLS to determine the significance and performance of each of these factors. The study was conducted via an online survey and involved 258 safety and health committee members in Ministry of Health paramedic training institute. As a matter of relevance, the IPMA's empirical data study revealed that management commitment and supervision in safety were the predominant factors in determining safety performance. Meanwhile, for performance, the findings showed that worker involvement, safety system, and safety competence perform well in determining the safety performance.

Vertical wind speed extrapolation is a commonly used method that involves estimating wind speeds at various heights based on measurements taken at a specific height. In this study, we compared the short-and long-term extrapolation methods of wind parameters using data collected on site by anemometers at two different heights. We assessed the accuracy of these methods by calculating the statistical indicators for performance evaluation, and then determined the most appropriate model for the two types of vertical extrapolation. Additionally, we evaluated energy potential characteristics, as well as the statistical analysis of wind speed distribution and wind power density based on the Weibull and Rayleigh distribution. Our results indicated that the power law is the most suitable model for the short-term method, while the modified Mikhail model is the most appropriate for long-term extrapolation. We also found that the wind potential of this area is favorable for wind turbine integration.

Emotional intelligence may help nurses to cope with demanding work environments. Although it is well known that emotional intelligence is positively related to work performance literature on nurses is limited. The aim of our study was to examine the impact of emotional intelligence on work performance in a sample of nurses in Greece. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Greece. We collected data from a convenience sample of nurses during January 2024. We measured emotional intelligence with the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF), and work performance with the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). We created multivariable linear regression models adjusted for sex, age, educational level, and work experience. We found that the four streams of emotional intelligence (i.e. well-being, self-control, emotionality, sociability) increases nurses’ work performance. In particular, we found a positive relationship between well-being and task performance and contextual performance. Similarly, there was a positive relationship between self-control and task performance. Additionally, sociability increased task performance and contextual performance. Moreover, emotionality and sociability reduced counterproductive work behavior. Our multivariable models identified a positive impact of emotional intelligence on nurses’ work performance. Nurses managers and healthcare organizations should adopt appropriate interventions to improve nurses’ emotional intelligence.

Pump-as-turbines (PAT) have been widely used during the last decade as one of the most interesting technologies in the field of energy recovery. A large number of studies and papers have been published in which the performance of the pumps in the turbine operating regime are analysed. Since horizontal single stage centrifugal norm pumps are most commonly used as PATs, their performances are analysed in this paper. Most of the research was related to individual pump aggregates or smaller groups and to obtaining their performance curves in turbine random mode. In this work, extensive experimental, numerical and theoretical investigations are conducted to obtain complete dimensionless performance characteristics of the single stage centrifugal norm pumps operating as turbines. The main goal of this research was to form a simple analytical expression that will, for this type of aggregate, map the pump operating characteristic to the appropriate turbine operating regime. By using the expressions obtained and presented in the work, engineers are enabled to make the appropriate choice of pump aggregate for operation in the turbine random mode for potential locations. This can allow us to quickly make selection of potential locations and to carry out appropriate techno-economic analyses and analyses of possible energy savings.

In recent years, with the increasing prominence of environmental and social issues, investors have been paying more attention to the ESG performance of enterprises, highlighting the importance of ESG factors in the financial field. This study is based on the theories of banking business models, stakeholder theory, risk management theory, and ESG investment theory. It uses the financial data and ESG scores of Chinese listed banks to deeply analyze the ESG factors and explore their impact on the liquidity risk of commercial banks. The research found that (1) good ESG performance can reduce the liquidity risk commercial banks face by improving bank value and financial performance. (2) ESG factors can also enhance the liquidity management level of commercial banks through standardization and sustainable business principles, thereby reducing the occurrence and impact of liquidity risk. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the liquidity risk of banks and promote the sustainable development of commercial banks from four aspects: ESG performance and management, bank value, financial performance, and policy regulation.

The purpose of this study is to examine the match-related performance (scores and penalties) of the athletes in the Junior EJC (European Judo Championship) and U23 EJC categories before and immediately after the Covid-19 quarantine, according to gender and weight category groups. Our sample was based on the junior and U23, male and females, 2019-2020 Junior European Judo Championships and 2019-2020 U23 European Judo Championships. A total of 1431 matches in these tournaments were analyzed: male (n=812) and female (n=619). The main findings of this study showed that most matches in both the male and female categories resulted in ippon (2019-2020 average: 64,35% for Junior male, 70,55% for U23 male and 69,3% for Junior female, 64,4% for U23 female). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between gender and age groups concerning the match scores. In the formation phase of the technique, considerations of high- and low-intensity actions, and analysis of the speed of athletes during matches in official competitions can help to better understand the dynamics of the variability of movements in judo matches. In addition, suggestions are presented to be applied to athletes in different age categories who are on the way to become Olympic athletes.

Drafting formations have been long recognized as highly effective for reducing drag and enhancing athletic performance, particularly in race walking events. The precise spacing and positioning of the race walkers are critical to optimizing the effectiveness of drafting. In this study, the drag reduction of 15 drafting formations is investigated using wind-tunnel experiments and CFD numerical simulations. The results show excellent consistency in drag reduction rate between the two methods, with differences being within 10%. This can be attributed to spacing replacing body shape differences as the primary factor influencing drag reduction. Optimal double, triple, and quadruple drafting formations produce the same results in both wind-tunnel experiments and CFD simulation, resulting in drag reductions of 67%, 66%, and 81% (wind-tunnel) and 65%, 72%, and 85% (CFD). The sources of drag differences in the two methods are discussed from various aspects. The flow field obtained through CFD analysis is used to examine the mechanism of drag reduction, revealing that drafting formations have a significant shielding effect on incoming air, which reduces the number and speed of airflow impacting the core race walker. This shielding effect is identified as the primary cause of drag reduction. Using an empirical model for mechanical power output, optimal double, triple, and quadruple drafting formations enhance sport economy (4.4-5.7%), speed (3.61-4.67%), and performance (173.8-223.3s) compared to race walking alone. The findings can serve as a reference for race walkers' positioning strategy and provide insights for considering drafting formations in various running events.

This study aims to suggest a basis for the selection of technologies for developing high-performance buildings to reduce energy consumptions and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy-saving technologies comprising of 15 cases were categorized into passive, active, and renewable energy systems. EnergyPlus v8.8 was used to analyze the contribution of each technology in reducing the primary energy consumptions and CO₂ emissions in the Korean climate. The primary energy consumptions of the base model were 464.1 and 485.1 kWh/m²a in the Incheon and Jeju, respectively, and the CO₂ emissions were 83.4 and 87.4 kgCO₂/m²a, respectively. Each technology (cases 1–15) provided different energy-saving contributions in the Korean climate depending on their characteristics. The heating, cooling, and other energy-saving contributions of each technology indicate that their saving rates can be used when selecting suitable technologies during the cooling and heating seasons. Case 15 (active chilled beam with dedicated outdoor air system + ground source heat pump) showed the highest energy saving rate. In case 15, the Incheon and Jeju models were reduced by 189.4 (59.2%) and 206.2 kWh/m²a (57.4%) compared to the base case, respectively, and the CO₂ emissions were reduced by up to 32.7 (60.8%) and 35.6 kgCO₂/m²a (59.3%), respectively.

This paper proposed three-dimensional numerical simulation method by coupling of electrostatic and fluid fields to evaluating the performance of electrical sensor in the concentration measurement of gas/solid two-phase flow. Compared with the static numerical simulation, this real-time dynamic 3-D simulation method can research on a designed capacitance sensor combining the dynamic characteristics of the two-phase flows for concentration measurement. Several fluid-electrostatic models of transmission pipes with different sensor structures are built. Under different test positions and different particle concentrations, the flow characteristics and the corresponding electric signals can be obtained, and the correlation coefficient between the concentration values and the capacitance values are used for performance evaluation of the sensors. The effects of flow regimes on concentration measurement are also been investigated in this paper. To validate the results of simulation, an experimental platform with horizontal straight pipe for phase volume concentration measurement of solid/air two-phase flow is built, and the experimental results agree well with simulation conclusions. The simulation and test results show that the coupling models can give constructive reference opinions for the sensor design and collection of installation position in different transmission pipelines, which are very important for the practical process of pneumatic conveying system.

Powered lower limb exoskeletons (PLLE) have attracted much interest due to their potential applications. They provide assistance for persons with disabilities to accomplish activities of daily living (ADL), and more importantly assist them in achieving their rehabilitation goals. However, still there are unclear evidences on the quality and benefits that PLLEs can deliver to patients. This is due to limited usability and performance of current PLLEs, insufficient clinical use of PLLEs for different patients with high diversity in their disability type and impairment, and also the large gap between the technological state of the art and clinical expectations. In this study, we review and analyse various factors that can improve the effectiveness of PLLEs at yielding better assistance and rehabilitation training for patients with motor impairments. First, we define a set of criteria that characterize the majority of expectations for the rehabilitation and assistance domains and we use them for evaluating PLLEs depending on the context. Then, we include the effects of control strategies and combined approaches which include auxiliary devices such as Functional electrical stimulation and smart crutches applied to PLLEs with regard to the criteria we defined.

Despite soccer popularity, comparatively little scientific information is available concerning the assessment of youth players’ physiological characteristics. The use of medical software integrating wearable sensors to provide accurate and objective data is necessary. In the present study, the objective assessment of physical performance of 128 adolescent soccer players at two timepoints (pre-season and end-season) has been performed. Participants completed a comprehensive test battery including stability, countermovement jumps (CMJ), plyometric jumps (PJ), agility, and quick feet tests. A single Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor provided quantitative data on various performance metrics. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reduced the dataset to four principal components (PCs) explaining over 80% of the variance: power (PC1), balance (PC2), speed/agility (PC3), and stiffness (PC4). Paired samples t-test between the two timepoints showed no significant differences in the PCs between the two timepoints, indicating that the training program did not significantly alter the assessed physical attributes. However, subtle individual changes may still inform personalized training adjustments. The study highlights the importance of continuous monitoring and individualized training strategies to optimize athlete performance and reduce injury risk.

Background. The measurement of physical performance constitutes an indicator of physical functional capacity and allows the design of physical exercise programs adapted to the individual abilities and needs of older adults with and without frailty. Aim. To present a synthesis of knowledge on the effect of exercise programs on physical performance in older adults with and without frailty in the community. Method. A systematic review was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA-2020 criteria. The search for articles was made until May 4, 2023 in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, SciELO and LILACS. The outcome variable was physical performance, measured through the SPPB (Short Physical Performance Battery). The mean difference (MD) was estimated to evaluate the effect. Results. We found 2,483 studies, of which 12 met the eligibility criteria for the systematic review and 9 for the meta-analysis. The effect of exercise on SPPB score was significantly higher in the exercise group compared to control in non-frail older adults with MD=0.51 [95% CI, 0.05 to 0.96, p<0.05]. Likewise, in older adults with frailty, the effect of exercise on the global SPPB score was significantly higher in the exercise group compared to the control with an MD=0.66 [95% CI, 0.09 to 1.24, p<0.05 ]. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that exercise programs are effective in increasing and/or maintaining physical performance in older adults with and without frailty, whose effect is more evident in older adults with frailty, probably due to the greater margin of recovery of intrinsic capacity.

In this age of global warming, academics and policymakers are increasingly concerned about firm environmental sustainability success. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance impacts sustainability performance through the mediating effect of firm innovation. To this end, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was deployed to analyze data collected from the employees of manufacturing industries in an emerging economy like Bangladesh. The results revealed that ESG performance significantly enhances the innovation and sustainability performance of manufacturing industries, indicating that the higher the ESG performance of a firm, the greater its innovation and sustainability performance. Furthermore, the results confirmed that firm innovation performance fully mediates the relationship between ESG initiatives and sustainability performance. The findings of this study provide policymakers and industry authorities with valuable insight into the role of ESG and innovation performance in improving sustainability performance. Specifically, the study sheds knowledge on how firm ESG initiatives and innovation performance impact sustainability performance in the manufacturing sector of an emerging economy like Bangladesh.

The role of the databases is to allow persisting data, no matter if they are of the SQL or NoSQL type. In SQL databases, data is structured in a set of tables in the relational database model, grouped in rows and columns. The CRUD operations (create, read, update, and delete) are used to manage the information contained in the relational databases. Several dialects of the SQL language exist, as well as frameworks for mapping Java classes (models) to a relational database. The question is what we should choose for our Java application and why. A comparison between the most used relational database management systems, mixed with the most used frameworks should give us some guidance about when to use what. The evaluation is done on timing for each CRUD operation, from thousands to millions of entries, using the possible combinations between the relational database system and the framework. The experiments included the possibilities to warm up the Java Virtual Machine before the execution of the queries. Also, the research investigated the time spent inside different methods of the code, to determine the critical regions. Thus, the conclusions provide a comprehensive overview of the performances of Java applications accessing databases depending on the suite of decisions considering the database type, the framework in use, the type of operation, and supporting architects and developers for their technological decisions and for improving the speed of their programs.

Recent progress in deep learning has led to accurate and efficient generic object detection networks. Training of highly reliable models depends on large datasets with highly textured and rich images. However, in real-world scenarios, the performance of the generic object detection system decreases when (i) occlusions hide the objects, (ii) objects are present in low-light images, or (iii) they are merged with background information. In this paper, we refer to all these situations as challenging environments. With the recent rapid development in generic object detection algorithms, notable progress has been observed in the field of object detection in challenging environments. However, there is no consolidated reference to cover state-of-the-art in this domain. To the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first comprehensive overview, covering recent approaches that have tackled the problem of object detection in challenging environments. Furthermore, we present the quantitative and qualitative performance analysis of these approaches and discuss the currently available challenging datasets. Moreover, this paper investigates the performance of current state-of-the-art generic object detection algorithms by benchmarking results on the three well-known challenging datasets. Finally, we highlight several current shortcomings and outline future directions.

Cool roofs are roofing systems designed to reflect significant solar radiation, reducing heat absorption and subsequent cooling energy demands in buildings. This paper provides a comprehensive review of cool roof technologies, covering performance standards, material options, energy-saving potential, and hygrothermal considerations. The review examines provisions in current codes and standards, which specify minimum requirements for solar reflectance, thermal emittance, and solar reflectance index (SRI) values. These criteria often vary based on factors like roof slope, climate zone, and building type. Different cool roof materials are explored, including reflective paints and coatings that can be applied to existing roofs as cost-effective solutions. Several studies demonstrated the energy performance benefits of cool roofs, showing significant reductions in cooling loads, indoor air temperatures, peak cooling demand, and overall cooling energy consumption compared to traditional roofs. However, hygrothermal performance must be evaluated, especially in cold climates, to optimize insulation levels and avoid moisture accumulation risks, as reduced heat absorption can alter moisture migration patterns within the building envelope. While cool roofs provide substantial energy savings in hot climates, further research is needed to validate modeling approaches against real-world studies, investigate the impact of seasonality and green spaces on cool roof efficacy and urban heat island mitigation, and explore energy savings potential, moisture control, and condensation risks in cold and humid environments.

In the current study, we assessed the effects of conventional and Ultra High Dose Rate (UHDR) irradiation on behavioral and cognitive performance one month following exposure and assessed whether these effects were associated with alterations in the number of immune cells in the hippocampus using flow cytometry. Conventional- and UHDR-irradiated mice showed impaired novel object recognition. During fear learning, conventional- and UHDR-irradiated mice moved less during the inter-stimulus-interval (ISI) and UHDR-irradiated mice also moved less during the baseline period (prior to the first tone). In irradiated mice, reduced activity levels were also seen in the home cage; conventional- and UHDR-irradiated mice moved less during the light period and UHDR-irradiated mice moved less during the dark period. Following behavioral and cognitive testing, infiltrating immune cells in the hippocampus were analyzed by flow cytometry. The percent Ly6G+ CD45+ cells in the hippocampus was lower in conventional- and UHDR-irradiated than sham-irradiated mice, suggesting that neutrophils might be particularly sensitive to radiation. The percent of Ly6G+ CD45+ cells in the hippocampus was positively correlated with the time spent exploring the novel object in the object recognition test, suggesting that the reduced percent Ly6G+ CD45+ cells in the hippocampus might mediate some of the detrimental radiation-induced cognitive effects.

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are receiving more and more attention as they involve simple design, cope better with turbulence and are insensitive to wind direction which has a huge impact on the cost since the yaw mechanism is not needed. However, VAWTs still suffer from low conversion efficiency. As a results tremendous efforts are exerted to improve its efficiency which mainly focus on two methods regardless of whether the study is a CFD simulation or a field test or lab test experiment. An active approach which involves the modification of the rotor itself such as the blade design, angle, trailing and leading edges, inner blades, chord thickness, contra-rotating rotor, etc. While the second approach involves passive techniques where the flow is directed to optimally face the downwind rotor by mounting a guiding vane such as a diffuser or other shapes at the upwind position of the rotor. Among all techniques undertaken, the CRWT rotor technique seems to be the most effective with an output even comparable to that of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT), while the Savonius rotor received more attention compared to other designs of VAWTs. Apart from technological issues, it was also suggested that geographical issues such as proper site siting of the wind turbine rotor at a particular location where a uniform flow could be guaranteed is of paramount importance to ensure an effective conversion capacity of wind turbines.