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1 – 10 of 11Shima Nakisa, Naghi Parvini Ahmadi, Javad Moghaddam and Habib Ashassi-Sorkhabi
The composition and corrosion behaviors of recycled and virgin Pb anode were investigated in industrial zinc electrowinning solution with different methods. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
The composition and corrosion behaviors of recycled and virgin Pb anode were investigated in industrial zinc electrowinning solution with different methods. The purpose of this study is the illustration of good anticorrosion activity of virgin Pb anodes compared to recycled one in industrial operation, while the compositions of both of them are the same which obtained from quantmetry method.
Design/methodology/approach
Its corrosion properties and electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen evolution reaction were appraised using potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic polarization and ionic equilibrium methods. In addition, composition of anodes investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method. The surface composition of samples was studied via X-ray diffractogram (XRD).
Findings
The results indicate that the anodes display different anodic behaviors during the galvanostatic polarization. Virgin Pb anode shows a “potential reduction” about 320 mV lower than recycled Pb anode after 6 h of polarization; also, the stable potential after 72 h for virgin Pb anode is 100 mV lower than recycled Pb anode. Also, The XPS results show a trace amount of Cl in recycled anodes which cause the more corrosion activity. XRD results indicate that virgin Pb anodes have been covered by more oxides than recycled anodes after 72 h of electrowinning.
Originality/value
The treatment of corrosion behavior by virginity has not been detected by any researchers yet. Therefore, it is imperative to study the corrosion behavior and exact composition analysis of virgin and recycled Pb anodes to comprehension of them. This paper fulfills this need.
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Aboozar Ramezani, Seyed Javad Ghazimirsaeed, Fereydoon Azadeh, Mohammad Esmaeilpour Bandboni and Mohammad Hossein YektaKooshali
The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality of Iranian university libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality of Iranian university libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
This first systematic review and meta-analysis were based on the PRISMA guidelines by searching in national and international databases from 2003 to January 2017 with standard Persian and English keywords. Data searching, extracting and quality appraising were completed by two researchers, independently. Any unexpected documents were assessed by a third expert researcher. Data were extracted in accordance with the “Strength of the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology” checklist after the final selection of appraised documents. Random effects size based on Cochrane test and I2 were used for combining the obtained results from different studies together by considering the heterogeneity of studies.
Findings
Based on the meta-analysis conducted in 25 (6.42 percent) included studies, the total sample size was estimated. According to three dimensions of LibQUAL, findings of current information control, affect of service and the library as a place were estimated as 5.37 [CI95%: 5.02, 5.73], 6.91 [CI95%: 5.56, 6.26], and 5.46 percent [CI95%: 5.2, 5.73], respectively. Also, mean of service adequacy and superiority gap are equal to 0.07 [CI95%: −0.22, 0.36] and −2.06 [CI95%: −2.89, −1.23], respectively. There was a significant correlation between three dimensions of service quality and service superiority gap of LibQUAL and geographical regions of Iran (p<0.01). Also, a significant correlation was found between the gaps of services and three aspects of LibQUAL model and published years through a meta-regression test (p<0.01).
Practical implications
The results obtained from the present study showed that users are relatively satisfied with the quality of services provided by Iranian university libraries. An improvement in the quality of library services can promote the scientific level of universities.
Originality/value
The results of the present systematic review and meta-analysis study demonstrate a vital connection between primary research studies and decision-making for policymakers in Iranian university libraries to increase quality services.
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Iman Rastgar, Javad Rezaeian, Iraj Mahdavi and Parviz Fattahi
The purpose of this study is to propose a new mathematical model that integrates strategic decision-making with tactical-operational decision-making in order to optimize…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose a new mathematical model that integrates strategic decision-making with tactical-operational decision-making in order to optimize production and scheduling decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents a multi-objective optimization framework to make production planning, scheduling and maintenance decisions. An epsilon-constraint method is used to solve small instances of the model, while new hybrid optimization algorithms, including multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO), non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, multi-objective harmony search and improved multi-objective harmony search (IMOHS) are developed to address the high complexity of large-scale problems.
Findings
The computational results demonstrate that the metaheuristic algorithms are effective in obtaining economic solutions within a reasonable computational time. In particular, the results show that the IMOHS algorithm is able to provide optimal Pareto solutions for the proposed model compared to the other three algorithms.
Originality/value
This study presents a new mathematical model that simultaneously determines green production planning and scheduling decisions by minimizing the sum of the total cost, makespan, lateness and energy consumption criteria. Integrating production and scheduling of a shop floor is critical for achieving optimal operational performance in production planning. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the integration of production planning and maintenance has not been adequately addressed.
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Reza Salehzadeh, Javad Khazaei Pool, Reihaneh Alsadat Tabaeeian, Mojtaba Amani and Marjan Mortazavi
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of internal marketing and market orientation on organizational performance based on the balanced scorecard (BSC).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of internal marketing and market orientation on organizational performance based on the balanced scorecard (BSC).
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional research design, drawing upon a questionnaire survey, was used to collect data from a sample of restaurants. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the relationship among the research variables using findings from the 164 participants.
Findings
The results revealed that internal marketing positively influenced market orientation and performance. In addition, market orientation was a direct antecedent of performance.
Originality/value
The findings provide important academic, practical and political implications for restaurant industry.
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Hadi Balouei Jamkhaneh, Javad Khazaei Pool, Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Khaksar, S. Mohammad Arabzad and Reza Verij Kazemi
The application of automated systems is rapidly increasing in different industries and organizations. In this regard, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) using…
Abstract
Purpose
The application of automated systems is rapidly increasing in different industries and organizations. In this regard, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) using information technology play an important role in the automating production systems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of CMMSs and relevant supportive organizational factors on the effectiveness of total productive maintenance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is classified as a quantitative survey-based research using structural equation modeling. The scope of the study includes manufacturing companies in Iran. A total of 125 questionnaires from 60 companies were collected from January to March 2014 to help validate the conceptual model and test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results support the concept CMMSs positively relates to relevant supportive organizational factors (resource allocation, decision-making structure, senior management support, employees’ involvement and effective instruction) on the effectiveness of total productive maintenance. The relevant supportive organizational factors can also be seen as the predictors of CMMSs.
Originality/value
This study integrates the CMMSs and relevant supportive organizational factors in a robust model to examine the effectiveness of total productive maintenance. This study also examines the impacts of CMMSs and relevant supportive organizational factors on total productive maintenance which seems to not be done previously.
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Mohsen Nazarzadeh Zare, Javad Pourkarimi and Sahba Rezaeian
The purpose of this paper is to identify the barriers and challenges to international interactions of the faculty members in Iran.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the barriers and challenges to international interactions of the faculty members in Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve the purpose, a qualitative phenomenological approach was used. The research population was all experts in the field of higher education in Iran, it included 17 experts who were selected through purposeful sampling by snowball method and based on theoretical saturation. To collect the data, a semi-structured interview was used and for the data analysis, an inductive content analysis was applied.
Findings
The findings showed that the barriers and challenges to faculty members’ international interactions can be defined through three main barriers: inside university barriers, outside university barriers, and individual barriers.
Practical implications
This research identified the barriers and challenges of faculty members’ international interactions in Iran. The method of this study can be applied in other applied fields as well.
Originality/value
This study adds to the authors’ knowledge about international interactions of the faculty members and also the barriers and challenges of these interactions, so to have more interactions of faculty members at the international level, universities should make an effort to identify barriers and eliminate them, more than ever.
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Zamzam Paknahad, Leila Yazdanpanah, Mohammad Reza Maracy, Amir Reza Moravejolahkami, Seyed Ali Javad-Mousavi and Abbas Nemati
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer from many health problems including poor sleep. This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between diet quality…
Abstract
Purpose
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer from many health problems including poor sleep. This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between diet quality indices (DQIs) and sleep quality in COPD.
Design/methodology/approach
The current cross-sectional study was carried on 121 COPD patients. Subjective quality of sleep was determined by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and categorized into “poor” and “good” sleep quality. Dietary history was assessed by the DQIs. Disease status was categorized according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Guidelines.
Findings
In total, 103 men and 18 women with a mean age of 66.1 ±10.9 were studied. The subjects were categorized into four groups based on GOLD; 3.3% of subjects were at Stage 1, 38% in Stage 2, 38% in Stage 3 and 20.7% in Stage 4. In total, 38% of subjects were good, and 62% were bad sleepers according to PSQI score. There was no significant relationship between the severity of COPD and PSQI score. We observed a significant inverse relation between PSQI total score and Mediterranean diet (MED) scale, Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 and HEI-2005 (p = 0.024, 0.037 and 0.024, respectively) in males.
Originality/value
This study showed a high prevalence of poor quality of sleep and sleep disturbances among COPD patients. There was an inverse association between PSQI and sleep disorders and DQIs scores in COPD patients. Regardless of the severity of airflow obstruction, poor diet quality may constitute a risk factor for sleep quality.
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Masoumeh Nabizadeh, Mohammad Khalilzadeh, Sadoullah Ebrahimnejad and Mohammad Javad Ershadi
The activities of the oil industry from discovery to distribution of oil products have adverse effects on human and environment. Thus, the companies that are active in this…
Abstract
Purpose
The activities of the oil industry from discovery to distribution of oil products have adverse effects on human and environment. Thus, the companies that are active in this industry should identify and manage their risks. The purpose of this paper is to prioritize the identified risks based on different measures such as cost, occurrence, etc. Then, selecting the most important corrective actions using goal-programming approach is another objective of this study.
Design/methodology/approach
To identify the health, safety and environment (HSE) risks, the Fuzzy Delphi method was used. The failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and fuzzy Vlse Kriterijumsk Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) methods covering the deficits of FMEA were used to rank the HSE risks. Unlike similar researches, in the proposed FMEA–VIKOR method, the risk priority number was not calculated. In addition to severity, occurrence and detection, the parameters such as time, cost and quality, being considered for ranking the risks, were weighted by the Eigenvector method. Then, a fuzzy goal-programming model was developed for determining the best solutions of risk response.
Findings
The research findings indicated that the most important risks include fire and blast because of tank and pipeline, leakage of connections and pipelines and industrial waste. Also, the most important risk responses include using and strengthening the alarm and fire extinguishing systems, using fiberglass tanks to prevent pipeline corrosion, using modern technology to have more efficient oil refining.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this paper is using hybrid approach of FMEA–VIKOR for risk ranking by considering different measures such as time, cost and quality besides severity, occurrence and detection. Providing a fuzzy goal-programming framework for determining the main risk responses is another value for this research.
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Mohammad Javad Jafari, Elham Akhlaghi Pirposhteh, Mohadese Farhangian, Soheila Khodakarim Ardakani, Elaheh Tavakol, Somayeh Farhang Dehghan and Amin Khalilinejad
The aim of this study is to optimize the electrospinning parameters used in the production process of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) nanofibers.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to optimize the electrospinning parameters used in the production process of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) nanofibers.
Design/methodology/approach
The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the experimental design. The 30 nanofiber prototypes candidates were electrospun using a needle-based electrospinning machine. PVC polymer, N-dimethyl formamide and tetrahydrofuran solvents were used to prepare the electrospinning solution.
Findings
The electrospun nanofibers had a mean diameter of 386 ± 136.57 nm, in the range of 200−412 nm. The mean porosity was 31.60 ± 6.37% in the range of 15.33−41.53%. The webs made from electrospun nanofibers had a mean pressure loss of 194.23 ± 47.7 pa in the range of 124−300 pa. The highest statistically significant correlation was observed between solution concentration and nanofiber diameter (r = 0.756, p < 0.05).
Originality/value
The optimal electrospinning parameters were determined to be: a solution concentration of 11 weight percent, a voltage of 16.5 kV, a needle-collector distance of 13.5 cm and an electrospinning duration of 4 h.
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Mahdi Zeynali Tazehkandi and Mohsen Nowkarizi
The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of Google (as an international search engine) as well as of Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz (as Persian search engines).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of Google (as an international search engine) as well as of Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz (as Persian search engines).
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, Google search engine as an international search engine, and three local ones, Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz, were selected for evaluation. Likewise, 32 subject headings were selected from the Persian Subject Headings List, and then simulated work tasks were assigned based on them. A total of 192 students from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad were asked to search for the information needed for simulated work tasks in the selected search engines, and then to copy the relevant website URLs in the search form.
Findings
The findings indicated that Google, Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz had a significant difference in the precision, recall, and normalized discounted cumulative gain. There was also a significant difference in the effectiveness (average of precision, recall, and NDCG) of these four search engines in the retrieval of the Persian resources.
Practical implications
Users using an efficient search engine will attain more relevant documents, and Google search engine was more efficient in retrieving the Persian resources. It is recommended to use Google as it has a more efficient search.
Originality/value
In this research, for the first time, Google has been compared with local Persian search engines considering the new approach (simulated work tasks).
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