Search results

The research aims to provide a longitudinal case study to understand how digital transformation can be embedded in municipal reporting frameworks. The central role of such technology becomes increasingly evident as citizens demand greater transparency and engagement between them and governing institutions.

Utilising a longitudinal case study methodology, the research focusses on Turin’s Integrated Popular Financial Report (IPFR) as a lens through which to evaluate the broader implications of digital transformation on governmental transparency and operational efficiency.

Digital tools, notably sentiment analysis, offer promising avenues for enhancing governmental efficacy and citizenry participation. However, persistent challenges highlight the inadequacy of traditional, inflexible reporting structures to cater to dynamic informational demands.

Embracing digital tools is an imperative for contemporary public administrators, promoting streamlined communication and dismantling bureaucratic obstructions, all while catering to the evolving demands of an informed citizenry.

Different from previous studies that primarily emphasised technology’s role within budgeting, this research uniquely positions itself by spotlighting the transformative implications of digital tools during the reporting phase. It champions the profound value of fostering bottom-up dialogues, heralding a paradigmatic shift towards co-creative public management dynamics.

The purpose of this study is to examine households’ behavior towards dirty cooking energy utilisation in an environment where relatively higher accessibility to clean energy is noted. Although the low utilisation rate of clean energy can partly be attributed to utility gains anticipated in dirty energy mixes (DEMs) arising out of accessibility constraints, affordances and enablers, it is still unclear on the extend at which each of these contributes towards DEMs manifestation among the seemingly well-to-do households with higher levels of clean energy mixes (CEM) access. This study, therefore, hinges on scrutinising on this lower utilisation patterns despite a seemingly higher accessibility of CEMs, specifically liquified petroleum gases (LPG).

The study is based on a household’s survey that was carried out in 2018, reaching a sample of 393 households using questionnaires in four wards of the Kigamboni district in Tanzania. Subsequent analyses were descriptive as well as inferential based on binary logistic regression analysis where utilisation of DEMs was predicted for both the high and low social economic status (SES) households by incorporating accessibility constraints, affordances and enablers.

The results show, first, if one assumes energy stacking is not an issue, as households become more constrained towards CEMs utilisation, they shift towards DEMs suggesting that the overall effect is a substitution, and second, the complementarity effect ultimately outweighs the substitution effect as households do not shift from DEMs to CEMs rather stack multiple energy. DEMs flourish in this case study area because those with high income are among those in the lowest SES, and some of those with the highest SES are from among the lowest income category, and all of them end up with more DEMs because shifting towards CEMs require income to complement SES.

Policy-wise, removing hurdles in accessing CEMs such as LPG subsidy programme, gas stove provision to the poor, and enhanced LPG awareness will most likely benefits only those who do not stack energy in cooking while strategies targeting those at the lowest SES such as higher education attainment, empower women as a family decision maker, encourage co-occupancy to enlarge the household size and contain urban growth within certain perimeter will have a significant impact only if they raise both incomes and SES.

Despite of the dominance of DEMs for cooking such as charcoal and firewood in Tanzania, CEMs such as LPG, have emerged as complements or alternatives in the household energy basket. The utilisation of such CEMs is, however, still very low despite the accessibility, cost, environmental and health advantages they offer. Accessibility is not the only factor fuelling CEMs; a complementarity must exist between SES and income for the positive transition towards CEMs to be realised.

The purpose of the study is to provide a dataset about geometrical constructions of early Ottoman tombs for conservation studies. Thus, a proposal for the restitution phase of the damaged tombs aims to develop.

The study is composed of four phases. First, the representative plan and section drawings of early Ottoman Tombs were redrawn; second, a geometrical analysis was made, a proposal table was prepared for the restitution of the damaged tombs; and last, this table was applied to tomb examples and restitution drawings are verified with the original situation of the tombs.

Early Ottoman tombs may be interpreted through geometric shapes, including the square, circle, triangle, octagon, arsin grid and quadrature systems. The arsin grid system provides information about the position of the domes and the height of the drums and windows. Quadrature establishes the highest point of domes and entrances. The proposal table, developed from the obtained results, facilitated the identification of the original elements, including the dome, drum, window and portal. This information is crucial for conducting further studies on restitution.

The abundance and dispersed nature of tomb structures compared to other architectural designs pose challenges in their scholarly examination. The early Ottoman tombs, which experienced an increase in numbers following the Conquest of Istanbul, serve as the initial expressions and embodiments of novel architectural endeavors. Thus, the determination of design ideas of the early Ottoman tombs sheds light on Ottoman architectural practice, which has remained largely unknown and guided the conservation studies of the tombs that have lost their integrity and originality.

This paper aims to investigate the thermal performance of equivalent square and circular thermal systems and compare the heat transport and irreversibility of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nanofluid flow within these systems.

The research uses a constraint-based approach to analyze the impact of geometric shapes on heat transfer and irreversibility. Two equivalent systems, a square cavity and a circular cavity, are examined, considering identical heating/cooling lengths and fluid flow volume. The analysis includes parameters such as magnetic field strength, nanoparticle concentration and accompanying irreversibility.

This study reveals that circular geometry outperforms square geometry in terms of heat flow, fluid flow and heat transfer. The equivalent circular thermal system is more efficient, with heat transfer enhancements of approximately 17.7%. The corresponding irreversibility production rate is also higher, which is up to 17.6%. The total irreversibility production increases with Ra and decreases with a rise in Ha. However, the effect of magnetic field orientation (γ) on total EG is minor.

Further research can explore additional geometric shapes, orientations and boundary conditions to expand the understanding of thermal performance in different configurations. Experimental validation can also complement the numerical analysis presented in this study.

This research introduces a constraint-based approach for evaluating heat transport and irreversibility in MHD nanofluid flow within square and circular thermal systems. The comparison of equivalent geometries and the consideration of constraint-based analysis contribute to the originality and value of this work. The findings provide insights for designing optimal thermal systems and advancing MHD nanofluid flow control mechanisms, offering potential for improved efficiency in various applications.

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is the main by-product of the brewing industry, holding significant potential for biomass applications. The purpose of this paper was to determine the effective thermal conductivity (k_eff) of BSG and to develop an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to predict k_eff, since this property is fundamental in the design and optimization of the thermochemical conversion processes toward the feasibility of bioenergy production.

The experimental determination of k_eff as a function of BSG particle diameter and heating rate was performed using the line heat source method. The resulting values were used as a database for training the ANN and testing five multiple linear regression models to predict k_eff under different conditions.

Experimental values of k_eff were in the range of 0.090–0.127 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, typical for biomasses. The results showed that the reduction of the BSG particle diameter increases k_eff, and that the increase in the heating rate does not statistically affect this property. The developed neural model presented superior performance to the multiple linear regression models, accurately predicting the experimental values and new patterns not addressed in the training procedure.

The empirical correlations and the developed ANN can be utilized in future work. This research conducted a discussion on the practical implications of the results for biomass valorization. This subject is very scarce in the literature, and no studies related to k_eff of BSG were found.

This study aims to investigate the behavior of different types of stone columns, including the short and floating columns, as well as the ordinary and the geosynthetic encased stone columns (OSC and GESC). The effectiveness of the geosynthetic encasement and the impact of the installation using the lateral expansion method on the column performance is evaluated through a three-dimensional (3D) unit cell numerical analysis.

A full 3D numerical analysis is carried out using the explicit finite element code PLAXIS 3D to examine the installation influence on settlement reduction (ß), lateral displacement (U_x) and vertical displacement (U_z) relative to different values of lateral expansion of the column (0% to 15%).

The findings demonstrate the superior performance of GESC, particularly short columns outperforming floating counterparts. This enhanced performance is attributed to the combined effects of geosynthetic encasement and increased lateral expansion. Notably, these strategies contribute significantly to decreasing lateral displacement (U_x) at the column’s edge and reducing vertical displacement (U_z) under the rigid footing.

In contrast to previous studies that examined the installation effect of OSC contexts, this paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the effect of geosynthetic encasement and the installation effects using the lateral expansion method in very soft soil, using 3D numerical simulation. The study emphasizes the significance of the consideration of geosynthetic encasement and lateral expansion of the column during the design process to enhance column performance.

Toner is a crucial dry colorant composite used in printing based on the electrophotographic process. The quality of printed images is greatly influenced by the toner production method and material formulation. Chemically in situ polymerization methods are currently preferred. This paper aims to optimize the characteristics of a composite produced through emulsion polymerization using common raw materials for electrophotographic toner production.

Emulsion polymerization provides the possibility to optimize the physical and color properties of the final products. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize variables affecting particle size (PS), PS distribution (PSD), glass transition temperature (T_g°C), color properties (ΔE) and monomer conversion. Box–Behnken experimental design with three levels of styrene and butyl acrylate monomer ratios, carbon black pigment and sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant was used for RSM optimization. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis and surface morphology of composite particles were examined.

The results indicated that colorants with small PS, narrow PSDs, spherical shape morphology, acceptable thermal and color properties and a high percentage of conversion could be easily prepared by optimization of material parameters in this method. The anticipated outcome of the present inquiry holds promise as a guiding beacon toward the realization of electrographic toner of superior quality and exceptional efficacy, a vital factor for streamlined mass production.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, material parameters were evaluated to determine their impact on the characteristics of emulsion polymerized toner composites.

This research investigates how to optimize storage location assignment to decrease the order picking time and the waiting time of orders in the staging area of low-temperature logistics centers, with the goal of reducing food loss caused by temperature abuse.

The authors applied ABC clustering to the products in a simulated database of historical orders modeled after the actual order pattern of a large cold logistics company; then, the authors mined the association rules and calculated the sales volume correlation indices of the ordered products. Finally, the authors generated three different simulated order databases to compare order picking time and waiting time of orders in the staging area under eight different storage location assignment strategies.

All the eight proposed storage location assignment strategies significantly improve the order picking time (by up to 8%) and the waiting time of orders in the staging area (by up to 22%) compared with random placement.

The results of this research are based on a case study and simulated data, which implies that, if the best performing strategies are applied to different environments, the extent of the improvements may vary. Additionally, the authors only considered specific settings in terms of order picker routing, zoning and batching: other settings may lead to different results.

A storage location assignment strategy that adopts dispersion and takes into consideration ABC clustering and shipping frequency provides the best performance in minimizing order picker's travel distance, order picking time, and waiting time of orders in the staging area. Other strategies may be a better fit if the company's objectives differ.

Previous research on optimal storage location assignment rarely considered item association rules based on sales volume correlation. This study combines such rules with several storage planning strategies, ABC clustering, and two warehouse layouts; then, it evaluates their performance compared to the random placement, to find which one minimizes the order picking time and the order waiting time in the staging area, with a 30-min time limit to preserve the integrity of the cold chain. Order picking under these conditions was rarely studied before, because they may be irrelevant when dealing with temperature-insensitive items but become critical in cold warehouses to prevent temperature abuse.

The paper seeks to introduce the “critical open access literacy” construct as a holistic approach to confront the challenges in open access (OA) as a dimension of scholarly communication.

The paper first introduces the concepts of information literacy (IL) and OA in the context of transformations in the scholarly information environment. Via a theoretical-analytical exercise on the basis of a literature review of the intersections between the two concepts and of the criticisms of OA, the paper discusses the role of critical IL in addressing the challenges in OA and lays the theoretical-conceptual groundwork for the critical OA literacy construct.

The structural nature of the challenges and transformations in the scholarly information environment require new foci and pedagogical practices in library and information studies. A more holistic, critical and integrative approach to OA is warranted, which could effectively be achieved through the re-conceptualization of IL.

The paper specifies the avenues for putting the theoretical conceptualizations of critical OA literacy into practice by identifying possible foci for IL instruction alongside a transformed role for librarians.

The paper extends deliberations on the role of critical IL for scholarly communication and attempts to advance the research fields of the two domains by proposing a new construct situated at the junction of OA and IL.

Social recommendation has been recognized as a kind of e-commerce with large potential, but how social recommendations influence consumer decisions is still unclear. This paper aims to investigate how recommendations from different social ties influence consumers’ purchase intentions through both behavior and brain activity.

Utilizing behavioral (N = 70) and electroencephalogram (EEG) (N = 49) experiments, this study explored participants’ behavior and brain responses after being recommended by different social ties. The data were analyzed using statistical inference and event-related potential (ERP) analysis.

Behavioral results show that social tie strength positively impacts purchase intention, which can be fitted by a logarithmic model. Moreover, recommender-to-customer similarity and product affect mediate the effect of tie strength on purchase intention serially. EEG findings show that recommendations from weak tie strength elicit larger N100, N200 and P300 amplitudes than those from strong tie strength. These results imply that weak tie strength may motivate individuals to recruit more mental resources in social recommendation, including unconscious processing of consumer attention and conscious processing of cognitive conflict and negative emotion.

This study considers the effects of continuous social ties on purchase intention and models them mathematically, exploring the intrinsic mechanisms by which strong and weak ties influence purchase intentions through recommender-to-customer similarity and product affect, contributing to the applications of the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model in the field of social recommendation. Furthermore, our study adopting EEG techniques bridges the gap of relying solely on self-report by providing an avenue to obtain relatively objective findings about the consumers’ early-occurred (unconscious) attentional responses and late-occurred (conscious) cognitive and emotional responses in purchase decisions.