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Use of thin film microstrip patch antenna for leaf moisture studies.

In this paper, the studies on the effect of leaf used as in‐touch overlay on thin film microstrip patch antenna in the X band (8‐12 GHz) is reported. The patch was used as the transmitting antenna and a pyramidal horn antenna was the receiving antenna. Three leaves Furcarea Gigantea, Kalanchoe Pinnata and Cereus Prerogonus have been used as overlay. All these leaves have high chlorophyll content, but are different in their surface texture and rate of moisture loss.

Size of leaf, orientation with respect to direction of propagation and moisture content dependent changes in the patch antenna output are observed. When the size of the overlay is larger than the patch and the feedline is in contact with it, frequency changes are more, whereas when only patch is in contact with the leaf, amplitude changes are more. Thin film microstrip antenna can provide a means for sensing moisture content in leafy vegetation.

The study of moisture effects of leafy vegetation using the technique of in‐touch overlay on microstrip components can be used to generate data base about the plant conditions in various places.

Intellectual capital (IC) cyber security is a priority in all organizations. Because of the dearth in IC cyber security (ICCS) research theories and the constant call to theory building, this study proposes a theory of ICCS drawing upon tested empirical data of information systems security (ISS) theory in Lebanon.

After a pilot test, the authors tested the newly developed ISS theory using a field study consisting of 187 respondents, representing many industries, thus contributing to generalizability. ISS theory is used as a proxy for the development of ICCS theory.

Based on a review of the literature from the past three decades in the information systems (IS) discipline and a discovery of the partial yet significant relevance of ISS literature to ICCS, this study succinctly summarized the antecedents and independent variables impacting security compliance behavior, putting the variables into one comprehensive yet parsimonious theoretical model. This study shows the theoretical and practical relevancy of ISS theory to ICCS theory building.

This paper highlights the importance of ISS compliance in the context of ICCS, especially in the area of spoken knowledge in environments containing Internet-based security devices.

This research article is original, as it presents the theory of ICCS, which was developed by drawing upon a comprehensive literature review of the IS discipline and finding the bridges between the security of both IS and IC.

The purpose of this paper is to review the advanced technologies and approaches for utilization of waste generated in dairy industry. Whey is highly contaminated, with a high organic load around 100,000 mg O₂/L COD (chemical oxygen demand), and is not used for further processing. The waste generated in different food industries can be utilized in different value addition product with the help of advanced technology.

Major well-known bibliometric information sources are the Web of Science, Scopus, Mendeley and Google Scholar. Several keywords like nutrition value of whey, whey utilization, whey valorization, whey technologies, whey beverages, fruit-based whey beverage, carbonated beverage, probiotic or alcoholic beverages, herbal beverage, fermented beverage and current scenarios were chosen to obtain a large range of papers to be analyzed. A final inventory of 126 scientific sources was made after sorting and classifying them according to different criteria based on topic, academic field country of origin and year of publication.

The comprehensive review of different literature, data sources and research papers seeks to find and discuss various sustainable solutions to this huge waste generated from milk industry. The sustainable use of whey for production and conversion in different types of products can uplift the bio-based economy of industries and thereof national/international economy. The recent upsurge in consumer interest for health-promoting products has opened up new vistas for whey beverages and other whey products research and development.

The paper draws out different sustainable characteristics and technology of whey products available in market, as well as potential products to be launched in the market. Interestingly, over the past few years, dairy industries have applied various technologies to process cheese whey and are in search of new products which can be prepared from the by-product. This review discusses on the recent research development of whey valorization with particular reference to technologies used in the addition to their commercial availability and a way forward.

This paper aims to experimentally study the external flow characteristic of an isolated two-dimensional synthetic jet actuator undergoing diaphragm resonance.

The resonance frequency of the diaphragm (40 Hz) depends on the excitation mechanism in the actuator, whereas it is independent of cavity geometry, excitation waveform and excitation voltage. The velocity response of the synthetic jet is influenced by excitation voltage rather than excitation waveform. Thus, this investigation selected four different voltages (5, 10, 15 and 20 V) under the same sine waveform as experiment parameters.

The velocity field along the downstream direction is classified into five regions, which can be obtained by hot-wire measurement. The first region refers to an area in which flow moves from within the cavity to the exit of orifice through the oscillation of the diaphragm, but prior to the formation of the vortex of a synthetic jet. In this region, two characteristic frequencies exist at 20 and 40 Hz in the flow field. The second region refers to the area in which the vortices of a synthetic jet fully develop following their initial formation. In this region, the characteristic frequencies at 20 and 40 Hz still occur in the flow field. The third region refers to the area in which both fully developed vortices continue traveling downstream. It is difficult to obtain the characteristic frequency in this flow field, because the mean center velocities (ū) decay downstream and are proportional to (x/w)^−1/2 for the four excitation voltages. The fourth region reveals variations in both vortices as they merge into a single vortex. The mean center velocities (ū) are approximately proportional to (x/w)⁰ in this region for the four excitation voltages. A fifth region deals with variations in the vortex of a synthetic jet after both vortices merge into one, in which the mean center velocities (ū) are approximately proportional to (x/w)⁻¹ in this region for the four excitation voltages (x/w is the dimensionless streamwise distance).

Although the flow characteristics of synthetic jets had reported for flow control in some literatures, variations of flow structure for synthetic jets are still not studied under the excitation of diaphragm resonance. This paper showed some novel results that our velocity response results obtained by hot-wire measurement along the downstream direction compared with flow visualization resulted in the classification of five regions under the excitation of diaphragm resonance. In the future, it makes valuable contributions for experimental findings to provide researchers with further development of flow control.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of Kuwait Infection Control Directorate educational program in improving knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of environmental service workers (ESWs) regarding the management of infectious and sharps waste.

An interventional educational pre-test/post-test study was conducted over seven months, on a sample of 102 ESWs in Farwaniya General Government Hospital, Kuwait. Educational sessions and practical training using the KAP approach were applied during the intervention phase. The KAP of the participants were assessed using a questionnaire and observation checklist in the pre- and post-intervention phases.

Improvement in all aspects of the KAP regarding infectious and sharps waste management was observed among the participants after implementation of the intervention, with a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-test results (p<0.01).

The applied multi-component educational program in the current study can be successfully implemented for ESWs in all government hospitals in Kuwait and other countries with similar settings.

The working day has always comprised frequent interruptions. Yet the frequency and intensity of these disruptions appear to be on the rise as a result of advancing technology, increasing interdependent work processes, and changing work environments (e.g., open-plan offices). Interestingly, there have only been a handful of studies on workplace interruptions, and the primary focus among researchers has been on the effects of interruptions on task completion. In this chapter, we argue that interruptions at work can be conceptualized as emotion-inducing events. We draw on research across different disciplines to develop a framework to show how the work-enhancing or work-hindering effects of different types of interruptions are, in part, determined by the employees' capability to manage (regulate) their emotional responses.

We initially review the literature regarding workplace interruptions. We then develop a framework for understanding the different types of interruptions experienced by individuals at work and then use this framework to develop a model linking interruptions to emotion regulation drawing on Affective Events Theory (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996). In essence, we advance our understanding of work interruptions by considering these as events that are able to produce positive or negative affective reactions that may enhance or hinder work performance.

The framework presented in this chapter increases understanding of the different types of workplace interruptions and shows how emotion regulation impacts subsequent work-related outcomes. This chapter provides valuable insights into the nature of work interruptions to identify both positive and negative aspects of work interruptions to establish two different domains of work interruptions that may improve (work-enhancing interruptions) or thwart (work-hindering interruptions) work-related outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of electronic collaboration (e-collaboration) including information sharing, resource sharing and joint knowledge creation in value creation within pharmaceutical supply chain (SC) and achieving competitive priorities for pharmaceutical companies in Jordan.

A descriptive analytical methodology was used through a comprehensive review of published and unpublished work from secondary sources of information in the areas of specific interest: e-collaboration and competitive priorities. The study was conducted at Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) (of which many pharmaceutical companies are linked electronically through JFDA workflow system). Data were collected (using paper questionnaire) from 90 electronically collaborating pharmaceutical companies and 81 complete responses were received, forming a 90 percent response rate. The analysis of collected data was performed using partial least square structure equation modeling.

The results of the analysis indicated that e-collaboration dimensions, information sharing and resource sharing, have a positive impact on competitive priorities, while joint knowledge creation was not significantly related to them. The results suggest that value creation in SC electronic systems is contingent on mutual resource synergy and joint collaboration among trading partners.

The sample size for this study does not include all pharmaceutical companies in Jordan, as this electronic linkage within the pharmaceutical companies is at its early stage. Moreover, competitive priorities examined in this research are limited to a single industry context.

This study offers a new insight into information technologies (IT)/business values that can be beneficial to IT and SC managers. By proposing the association between e-collaboration activities and competitive priorities, IT and SC managers are provided with a useful tool to link IT with collaborative activities that lead to value creation. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of the early studies about e-collaboration in pharmaceutical SC and competitive priorities in Jordan. As such, managers of manufacturing companies can use the outcome of this study to establish more collaborative partnerships within their SCs. This research contributes to encouraging pharmaceutical firms to focus on their export and marketing capabilities regionally and abroad which would establish a globally competitive pharmaceutical technology industry in Jordan.

It reveals that the adoption of IT alone to manage SC relationships is not sufficient to generate value. Both information- and resource-sharing activities are the core to do so .The results suggest that value creation in SC electronic systems is contingent on mutual resource synergy and joint collaboration among trading partners. The results of the analysis indicated that the dimension of e-collaboration, joint knowledge creation, was not significantly related to competitive priorities.

This study offers a contextual contribution. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of the early studies about e-collaboration in pharmaceutical SC and competitive priorities in Jordan.

The growing popularity of gig and sharing economy changes not only consumption models but also employment patterns. This study aims to analyze the potential entrepreneurial nature of gig and sharing economy initiatives. As such, the authors compare the entrepreneurial intentions of gig and sharing economy workers to the general population. Further, the authors consider commonalities and differences in terms of the driving forces of both intentions to start-up and participation in gig and sharing economy, treating them as connected phenomena. Finally, the authors look into gig and sharing economy experience as a direct antecedent to entrepreneurial intentions formation.

The empirical settings for this study are derived from the sample of 1,257 individuals who participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Adult Population Survey 2018 in Russia. Methodologically, the authors rely on analysis of variance-test and binary logistic regression analysis to test the study hypotheses.

The results indicate that entrepreneurial intentions of gig and sharing economy workers are significantly higher when compared to the general population. In terms of antecedents to gig and sharing economy participation and startup intentions, similar effects of age, entrepreneurial social capital, prior entrepreneurial exit and intrapreneurial experience were revealed, while perceived self-efficacy was associated only with engagement into digital platforms. Finally, gig and sharing economy experience showed significant and positive effect on entrepreneurial intentions formation.

This study represents a first substantive effort to systematize antecedents to gig and sharing economy participation through an entrepreneurship perspective. Beyond that, this research adds to the contextualization of entrepreneurship literature stream, further defining the mechanism of entrepreneurial intentions formation in empirical settings of an emerging market with a relatively low propensity of population to develop intentions to start-up.

This study aims to review the literature on sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics to answer the three following questions: How is the literature on sharing economy logistics structured? What are the main trends in sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics? What are the future research options?

Bibliometric analysis is used to evaluate 85 articles published over the past 12 years; it identifies the top academic journals, authors and research topics contributing to the field.

The sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics literature is structured around several disciplines and highlights that some are more scientifically advanced than others in their subject definitions, designs, modelling and innovative solutions. The main trends are organized around three clusters: Cluster 1 refers to the optimal allocation of costs, prices, distribution and supplier relationships; Cluster 2 corresponds to business related crowdsourcing and international industry practices; and Cluster 3 includes the impact of transport on last-mile delivery, crowd shipping and the environment.

The study is based on data from peer-reviewed scientific journals and conferences. A broader overview could include other data sources such as books, book chapters, working papers, etc.

Future research directions are discussed in the context of the evolution from crowd logistics to crowd intelligence, and the complexities of crowd logistics such as understanding how the social crowd can be integrated into the logistics process. Our results are part of the crowd science and engineering concept and provide some answers about crowd cyber-system questions regarding crowd intelligence in logistic sector.

Knowledge workers live and work in a technology-enabled, push-notification world full of interruptions that create information overload, often requiring these workers to utilize task switching as a mechanism to meet multiple competing tasks' demands. Previous research has examined both the positive and, more often, negative effects from interruptions and task switching on knowledge workers' performance. However, this paper aims to examine knowledge workers' agentic approach to managing interruption signals and consequent task switching to remain dedicated to the task at hand.

Using an inductive grounded theory approach, we analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with knowledge workers regarding their experiences with task management strategies in interruption-heavy environments.

The results indicate the emergence of a new construct that we define as “task adherence.” We identified behavioral and technological mechanisms that knowledge workers employ to adhere to tasks, and we also categorized a host of environmental, personal and task-related factors that influence a knowledge worker's task adherence level.

This study offers a novel conceptualization of key determinants of knowledge workers' task management. Through insights into how knowledge workers purposefully prepare for and address potential interruption signals, as well as manage task switching from subsequent interruptions, managers may be able to design new work processes to improve task performance.

In a world of interruptions, task adherence adds to and clarifies a missing element in the time and task management dilemma that can enhance future efforts in designing strategies that enable knowledge workers to be more productive.