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Comfortable outdoor workspaces are important for employees in business parks and urban areas. Prioritizing a pleasant thermal environment is essential for employee productivity, as well as the improvement of outdoor spaces between office buildings to enhance social activities and quality of outdoor workplaces in a hot arid climate has been subjected to very little studies Thus, this study focuses on business parks (BPs) landscape elements. The objective of this study is to enhance the user's thermal comfort in the work environment, especially in the outdoors attached to the administrative and office buildings such as the BPs.

This research follows Four-phases methodology. Phase 1 is the investigation of the literature review including the Concept and consideration of BP urban planning, Achieving outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) and shading elements analysis. Phase 2 is the case study initial analysis targeting for prioritizing zones for shading involves three main methods: social assessment, geometrical assessment and environmental assessment. Phase 3 entails selecting shading elements that are suitable for the zones requiring shading parametrize the selected shading elements. Phase 4 focuses on the optimization of OTC through shading arrangements for the prioritized zones.

Shading design is a multidimensional process that requires consideration of various factors, including social aspects, environmental impact and structural integrity. Shading elements in urban areas play a crucial role in mitigating heat stress by effectively shielding surfaces from solar radiation. The integration of parametric design and computational optimization techniques enhances the shading design process by generating a wide range of alternative solutions.

While conducting this research, it is important to acknowledge certain limitations that may affect the generalizability and scope of the findings. One significant limitation lies in the use of the shade audit method as a tool to prioritize zones for shading. Although the shade audit approach offers practical benefits for designers compared to using questionnaires, it may have its own inherent biases or may not capture the full complexity of human preferences and needs.

Few studies have focused on optimizing the type and location of devices that shade outdoor spaces. As a result, there is no consensus on the workflow that should regulate the design of outdoor shading installations in terms of microclimate and human thermal comfort, therefore testing parametric shading scenarios for open spaces between office buildings to increase the benefit of the outer environment is very important. The study synthesizes OTC strategies by filling the research gap through the implementation of a proper workflow that utilizes parametric thermal comfort.

This paper aims to focus on the aqueous extraction of natural dye from haematoxylum campechianum L. bark for finishing the bio-mordant cotton fabrics producing value-added, environment-friendly textile products, for biomedical applications.

The study focuses on the creation of eco-friendly bio-mordant cotton fabric using gallic acid and gelatin, Al³⁺ and Fe²⁺ salts and metal mordant. The optimal pH for extraction, structural characterization and phytochemical analysis of the extracted dye were estimated using UV-visible spectrophotometer, FTIR and qualitative analysis. Variations in electrolyte concentration and pH medium were also considered. The study also examines build-up properties, colorimetric values and fastness characteristics of the colored fabrics.

All the dyed fabrics exhibit very good to excellent in terms of antimicrobial resistance against S. aureus and C. allbicans.

Pre-mordant cotton fabrics with Fe²⁺ and a combination of metal and bio-mordant show higher antibacterial resistance against P. aerugionsa. Further, bio-mordant and a combination of both mordant exhibit excellent UV protection and antioxidant activity performance compared to that of undyed fabrics.

This work opens up a huge potential for producing healthy bioactive-colored fabrics used in medical textiles and other usages.

The present research aimed to examine the role of FDP in enhancing the teachers' competencies through modern technological tools and innovative teaching methods. And also, to evaluate the impact of FDPs on teachers' attitudes and motivation to integrate modern teaching innovations into their classroom practices.

Using a pre-post study design, the study was conducted in two phases, Phase I was conducted one week before conducting FDP (14th to 20th August 2023) and Phase II was conducted after one week of FDP (15th to 21st September 2023). The data were gathered through structured questionnaires from the participants in FDP and collected data were processed and analyzed through a statistical package for social sciences.

The study found that undergoing FDP by teachers significantly influences the adoption of advanced pedagogical approaches and technology integration during their teaching practice. This indirectly helps in promoting quality education at large and contributes to the UNSDG-4. The study also revealed that the effective FDP not only helps in advancing teaching methods but also influences instructors' philosophies and attitudes towards students' overall learning and development.

These findings have several key implications for higher education institutions, policymakers and teachers at large. Firstly, HEIs should prioritize undertaking FDPs that promote in adopting advanced pedagogical approaches. This indirectly equips the instructors with the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate modern teaching methods into their real classroom practices. Further, by adopting FDP as a strategic initiative to improve the quality of education and work by aligning these programs with broader SDG goals.

Advancing education for enhancing the overall quality of learning depends on the competencies of instructors. The competencies of instructors rely upon the involvement of instructors in life-long learning, level of adoption of technology, innovative approaches used, etc. This study may help higher education institutions adopt FDP as a strategic initiative to improve the quality of education and work by aligning these programs with broader SDG goals.

This paper aims to propose a robust kinematic controller based on sliding mode theory designed to solve the trajectory tracking problem and also the formation control using the leader–follower strategy for nonholonomic differential-drive wheeled mobile robots with a PD dynamic controller.

To deal with classical sliding mode control shortcomings, such as the chattering and the requirement of a priori knowledge of the limits of the effects of disturbances, an immune regulation mechanism-inspired approach is proposed to adjust the control effort magnitude adaptively. A simple fuzzy boundary layer method and an adaptation law for the immune portion gain online adjustment are also considered. An obstacle avoidance reactive strategy is proposed for the leader robot, given the importance of the leader in the formation control structure.

To verify the adaptability of the controller, obstacles are distributed along the reference trajectory, and the simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller, which was capable of generating control signals avoiding chattering, compensating for disturbances and avoiding the obstacles.

The proposed design stands out for the ability to adapt in a case involving obstacle avoidance, trajectory tracking and leader–follower formation control by nonholonomic robots under the incidence of uncertainties and disturbances and also considering that the immune-based control provided chattering mitigation by adjusting the magnitude of the control effort, with adaptability improved by a simple integral-type adaptive law derived by Lyapunov stability analysis.

This study aims to systematically reveal the complex interaction between uncertainty and the international commodity market (CRB).

A composite uncertainty index and five categorical uncertainty indices, together with wavelet analysis and detrended cross-correlation analysis, were used. First, in the time-frequency domain, the coherency and lead-lag relationship between uncertainty and the commodity markets were investigated. Furthermore, the transmission direction of the cross-correlation over different lag periods and asymmetry in this cross-correlation under different trends were identified.

First, there is significant coherency between uncertainties and CRB mainly in the short and medium terms, with natural disaster and public health uncertainties tending to lead CRB. Second, uncertainty impacts CRB more markedly over shorter lag periods, whereas the impact of CRB on uncertainty gradually increases with longer lag periods. Third, the cross-correlation is asymmetric and multifractal under different trends. Finally, from the perspective of lag periods and trends, the interaction of uncertainty with the Chinese commodity market is significantly different from its interaction with CRB.

First, this study comprehensively constructs a composite uncertainty index based on five types of uncertainty. Second, this study provides a scientific perspective on examining the core and diverse interactions between uncertainty and CRB, as achieved by investigating the interactions of CRB with five categorical and composite uncertainties. Third, this study provides a new research framework to enable multiscale analysis of the complex interaction between uncertainty and the commodity markets.

The purpose of this study is to check the effectivity of plasma in the natural dyeing of polyester fabric using four natural dyes – Turkey red, Lac, Turmeric and Catechu using plasma and alum mordant. The surface modification on the polyester fabric by plasma along with the use of benign mordant alum is studied. The enhancement of dyeability in polyester fabric with natural dyes is the main focus. Due to surface modification, the wettability increases, which leads to better dye uptake. Better dye uptake and better dye adherence are the main objectives.

Plasma-mediated natural dyeing is the main design of this research work. The effect of plasma treatment on surface modification of synthetic fabric polyester and its subsequent effects on their dyeing with different natural dyes, namely, Turkey red, Lac, Turmeric and Catechu are studied. The dyeability was further enhanced by the use of alum as mordant. The main focus is on the betterment of natural dyeing of polyester fabric using sustainable natural dyes resources for dyeing and to reduce wastewater contamination from the usage of toxic additive chemicals for cleaner production.

Plasma-mediated and alum-mordanted dyeing method facilitated very good dyeability of all the four natural dyes, namely, Turkey red, Lac, Turmeric and Catechu. Color strength (K/S) values and fastness properties of plasma-treated samples were far better than untreated samples. The synergistic effect of plasma and alum mordanting has made natural dyeing of polyester very easy with very good fastness results. Natural dyeing of polyester after 2 min of plasma treatment showed excellent and desirable results. The process is also easy to be adapted by industries.

As polyester is hydrophobic, natural dyeing of polyester fabric is not very easy, but with plasma-mediated natural dyeing, it becomes a very facile dyeing method; thus, there are no limitations. Use of plasma has reduced the need for any chemical additives which are usually added during the dyeing process.

This process of natural dyeing of polyester fabric can be scaled up to industrial dyeing with natural dyes. Plasma pretreatment of the fabric followed by premordanting with alum has facilitated the natural dyeing well.

Use of plasma in place of chemical modifiers can be a green and environmentally friendly approach for sustainable coloration of polyester fabric, providing a clean wet processing for textiles dyeing.

The synergistic effect of plasma-mediated and alum-mordanted natural dyeing of polyester has not been attempted by any researcher. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is for the first time that pretreatment with atmospheric plasma followed by alum mordanting of polyester fabric has shown very good dye uptake and fastness properties as the dye molecules could penetrate well after 2 min of the plasma treatment.

This research exclusively focuses on China’s elderly Internet users given how severe a threat disinformation has become for this particular population group as social media platforms thrive and the number of elderly netizens grows in China. The purpose of this study is to explore the mechanism of how elderly social media users’ intention to identify false information is influenced helps supplement the knowledge system of false information governance and provides a basis for correction practices.

This study focuses on the digital literacy of elderly social media users and builds a theoretical model of their intention to identify false information based on the theory of planned behaviour. It introduces two variables – namely, risk perception and self-efficacy – and clarifies the relationships between the variables. Questionnaires were distributed both online and offline, with a total of 468 collected. A structural equation model was built for empirical analysis.

The results show that digital literacy positively influences risk perception, self-efficacy, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Risk perception positively influences subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and the attitude towards the identification of false information. Self-efficacy positively influences perceived behavioural control but does not significantly impact the intention to identify. Subjective norms positively influence the attitude towards identification and the intention to identify. Perceived behavioural control positively influences the attitude towards identification but does not significantly impact the intention to identify. The attitude towards identification positively influences the intention to identify.

Based on relevant theories and the results of the empirical analysis, this study provides suggestions for false information governance from the perspectives of social media platform collaboration and elderly social media users.

The debate around automation through digital technologies has gathered traction in line with the advancement of Industry 4.0. Blockchain-powered construction progress payment has emerged as an area that can benefit from such automation. However, the challenges inherent in real-time construction payment processes cannot be solely mitigated by blockchain. Including building information modeling (BIM)-based schedule information stored in decentralized storage linked with a smart contract (SC) can allow the efficient administration of payments. Accordingly, this study aims to present an integrated BIM-blockchain system (BBS) to administer decentralized progress payments in construction projects.

A mixed-method approach is adopted, including an extensive literature review, development of the integrated BBS, and a case study with 13 respondents to test and validate the BBS. This study proposes a BBS that extracts the invoices from BIM and pushes them to the decentralized app (dApp) for digital payment to the contractor through the Ethereum blockchain. The Solc npm package was used to compile the backend SC. Next.js was used to create the front end of the dApp. The Web3 npm package is paramount in developing a dApp. A total of 13 construction professionals working on the case study project were engaged through a questionnaire survey to comment on and validate the proposed BBS. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the case study data to apprehend the responses of expert professionals.

The proposed BBS creates an SC, enables sender verification, checks contract complaints, verifies bills, and processes the currency flow based on a coded payment logic. After passing the initial checks, the bill amount is processed and made available for the contractor to claim. Every activity on dApp leaves its trace on the blockchain ledger. A control mechanism for accepting or rejecting the invoice is also incorporated into the system. The case study-based validation confirmed that the proposed BBS could increase payment efficiency (92.3%), tackle financial misconduct (84.6%), ensure transparency and audibility (92.4%), and ensure payment security (61%) in construction projects. A total of 46.2% of respondents were skeptical of the BBS because of its dependency on cryptocurrencies. A further 23.1% of respondents indicated that the price fluctuation of cryptocurrencies is a major barrier to BBS adoption. Others highlighted the absence of legal frameworks for cryptocurrencies’ usage.

This study opens the avenue for the application of dApp for autonomous contract management and progress payments, which is flexible with applications across various construction processes. Overall, it is a potential solution to the endemic problem of cash flow that has devastating consequences for all project stakeholders. This is also aligned with the goals of Industry 4.0, where process automation is a key focus. The study provides a practice application for automated progress payments that can be leveraged in construction projects across the globe.

Based on Resource Conservation (COR) theory, this study explores the antecedent of team change capability, which consists of the dimensions of learning, process and context and examines how, under the empowering leadership (EL) of middle managers, team change capability (TCC) may be built through team psychological capital (TPSyCap).

The study was conducted with 853 respondents and 55 teams from 11 leading autonomous higher education institutions (AHEIs) in Indonesia.

The results show that EL is positively related to TPsyCap, which mediates the relationship between EL and TCC, particularly for TCC learning capability. However, TPsyCap does not mediate the effect of EL on TCC process capability and TCC- context capability.

This study enriches existing leadership literature, which is considered relevant in building organizational change capabilities, particularly on a team level. Furthermore, the findings reveal TPsyCap is an important intervention mechanism in catalyzing the relationship between EL and TCC.