Search results

This paper evaluates the precision of four metasearch engines (MSEs) – DuckDuckGo, Dogpile, Metacrawler and Startpage, to determine which metasearch engine exhibits the highest level of precision and to identify the metasearch engine that is most likely to return the most relevant search results.

The research is divided into two parts: the first phase involves four queries categorized into two segments (4-Q-2-S), while the second phase includes six queries divided into three segments (6-Q-3-S). These queries vary in complexity, falling into three types: simple, phrase and complex. The precision, average precision and the presence of duplicates across all the evaluated metasearch engines are determined.

The study clearly demonstrated that Startpage returned the most relevant results and achieved the highest precision (0.98) among the four MSEs. Conversely, DuckDuckGo exhibited consistent performance across both phases of the study.

The study only evaluated four metasearch engines, which may not be representative of all available metasearch engines. Additionally, a limited number of queries were used, which may not be sufficient to generalize the findings to all types of queries.

The findings of this study can be valuable for accreditation agencies in managing duplicates, improving their search capabilities and obtaining more relevant and precise results. These findings can also assist users in selecting the best metasearch engine based on precision rather than interface.

The study is the first of its kind which evaluates the four metasearch engines. No similar study has been conducted in the past to measure the performance of metasearch engines.

Purpose: Significant structural changes are currently occurring in the Indian labour sector. Artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies are redefining the activities and skill requirements for various jobs in the healthcare sector. These adjustments have been accelerated by the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19, along with other considerations.

Need for the Study: Skills shortages, job transitions, and the deployment of AI at the company level are the three main challenges confronting the Indian labour market. This chapter aims to discuss policy alternatives to address a rising need for health workers and provide an overview of changes to the healthcare sector’s labour market.

Methodology: A review of the available literature was conducted to determine the causes of the widening skill gap despite a vibrant and prodigious young population. The background of the sustainable labour market is examined in this chapter, with a focus on workforce migration and mobility.

Findings: This chapter gives a comparative review of recent policy papers and evidence, as well as estimates of the health workforce and present Indian datasets. Furthermore, it highlights how important it is for all people concerned to invest in today’s workforce to close the skill gap and create better future opportunities.

Practical Implications: This chapter’s findings imply a severe shortage of human intellectual capital in India and a need to bridge this gap in the Indian labour market.

Grounded in upper echelon (UE) theory, this study aims to examine the role of managerial competencies (business experience, financial literacy and digital literacy) in sustainable development strategy, with resource management as a mediator.

The empirical data collection is conducted through a survey completed by 297 top management teams of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Pakistan. Structural equation modelling in Smart PLS is used to substantiate the hypotheses.

The findings reveal that financially and digitally literate managers significantly contribute to the sustainable development strategies of SMEs. However, experienced managers do not focus significantly on sustainable development strategies. Resource management partially mediates the nexus between financial literacy and sustainable development strategy, as well as between digital literacy and sustainable development strategy. In contrast, resource management does not mediate the nexus between business experience and sustainable development strategy.

This study recommends that SMEs should prioritize managers with digital and financial literacy over those with experience. SMEs led by a management team with digital and financial literacy are more effective in resource management for sustainable development practices, whereas experienced managers may not significantly prioritize managing resources for sustainability.

While research based on the UE theory significantly contributes to the body of knowledge on sustainable development, the role of managerial competencies, particularly business experience, financial literacy and digital literacy, in sustainable development strategy via resource management is neglected. This research fills this gap in the context of UE theory and thereby enriches the literature.

This study aims to examine the effect of supervisor developmental feedback on employee silence behaviour by developing a moderated mediation model. The model focuses on the mediating role of role breadth self-efficacy and high activated positive affect underpinning the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and employee silence behaviour, and the moderating role of interdependent self-construal.

The two-wave survey was conducted among 265 employees. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the mediation and moderation mediation hypotheses.

Results indicated that high activated positive affect mediated the negative relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and employee silence behaviour. The authors also found that interdependent self-construal moderated the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and role breadth self-efficacy, as well as the indirect effect of supervisor developmental feedback on employee silence behaviour via role breadth self-efficacy.

This empirical study provides preliminary evidence of the mediating role of breadth self-efficacy and high activated positive affect in the negative relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and employee silence behaviour. The moderated mediation results further show that the mediation of role breadth self-efficacy between supervisor developmental feedback is contingent on individual interdependent self-construal, such that the mediation effect is significant among individuals with high interdependent self-construal, but the mediation effect of high activated positive effect is independent of individual interdependent self-construal. The findings further extend boundary conditions (interdependent self-construal) that may constrain the effect of supervisor developmental feedback on role breadth self-efficacy and high activated positive affect. The research makes considerable contributions to the cognitive-affective personality system theory by specifying the cognitive and affective mechanisms between supervisor developmental feedback and employee silence behaviour, as well as the boundary conditions.

This study aimed to review various existing methods for improving the quality of recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) as a possible substitution for natural aggregates (NAs) in concrete. It is vital as the old paste attached to the RCA weakens its structure. It is due to the porous structure of the RCA with cracks, weakening the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the RCA and binding material, negatively impacting the concrete's properties. To this end, various methods for reinforcement of the RCA, cleaning the RCA's old paste and enhancing the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification are studied in terms of environmental effects, cost and technical matters. Furthermore, this research sought to identify gaps in knowledge and future research directions.

The review of the relevant journal papers revealed that various methods exist for improving the properties of RCAs and RCA-based concrete. A decision matrix was developed and implemented for ranking these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria.

The identified methods for reinforcement of the RCA include accelerated carbonation, bio deposition, soaking in polymer emulsions, soaking in waterproofing admixture, soaking in sodium silicate, soaking in nanoparticles and coating with geopolymer slurry. Moreover, cleaning the RCA's old paste is possible using acid, water, heating, thermal and mechanical treatment, thermo-mechanical and electro-dynamic treatment. Added to these treatment techniques, using RCA in saturated surface dry (SSD) mixing approaches and adding fibres or pozzolana enhance the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification. The study ranked these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria. Ultimately, adding fibres, pozzolana and coating RCA with geopolymer slurry were introduced as the best techniques based on the nominated criteria.

The study supported the need for better knowledge regarding the existing treatment techniques for RCA improvement. The outcomes of this research offer an understanding of each RCA enrichment technique's importance in environmental, economic and technical criteria.

The practicality of the RCA treatment techniques is based on economic, environmental and technical specifications for rating the existing treatment techniques.

Promoting electric vehicles (EVs) is an effective way to achieve carbon neutrality. If EVs are widely adopted, this will undoubtedly be good for the environment. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of network externalities and subsidy on the strategies of manufacturer under a carbon neutrality constraint.

In this paper, the authors propose a game-theoretic framework in an EVs supply chain consisting of a government, a manufacturer and a group of consumers. The authors examine two subsidy options and explain the choice of optimal strategies for government and manufacturer.

First, the authors find that the both network externalities of charging stations and government subsidy can promote the EV market. Second, under a relaxed carbon neutrality constraint, even if the government’s purchase subsidy investment is larger than the carbon emission reduction technology subsidy investment, the purchase subsidy policy is still optimal. Third, under a strict carbon neutrality constraint, when the cost coefficient of carbon emission reduction and the effectiveness of carbon emission reduction technology are larger, social welfare will instead decrease with the increase of the effectiveness of emission reduction technology and then, the manufacturer’s investment in carbon emission reduction technology is lower. In the extended model, the authors find the effectiveness of carbon emission reduction technology can also promote the EV market and social welfare (or consumer surplus) is the same whatever the subsidy strategy.

The network externalities of charging stations and the subsidy effect of the government have a superimposition effect on the promotion of EVs. When the network effect of charging stations is relatively strong, government can withdraw from the subsidized market. When the network effect of charging stations is relatively weak, government can intervene appropriately.

Comparing previous studies, this study reveals the impact of government intervention, network effects and carbon neutrality constraints on the EV supply chain. From a sustainability perspective, these insights are compelling for both EV manufacturers and policymakers.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of nanoadditive lubricants on the vibration and noise characteristics of helical gears compared with conventional lubricants. The experiment aims to analyze whether nanoadditive lubricants can effectively reduce gear vibration and noise under different speeds and loads. It also analyzes the sensitivity of the vibration reduction to load and speed changes. In addition, it compares the axial and radial vibration reduction effects. The goal is to explore the application of nanolubricants for vibration damping and noise reduction in gear transmissions. The results provide a basis for further research on nanolubricant effects under high-speed conditions.

Helical gears of 20CrMnTi were lubricated with conventional oil and nanoadditive oils. An open helical gearbox with spray lubrication was tested under different speeds (200–500 rpm) and loads (20–100 N·m). Gear noise was measured by a sound level meter. Axial and radial vibrations were detected using an M+P VibRunner system and fast Fourier transform analysis. Vibration spectrums under conventional and nanolubrication were compared. Gear tooth surfaces were observed after testing. The experiment aimed to analyze the noise and vibration reduction effects of nanoadditive lubricants on helical gears and the sensitivity to load and speed.

The key findings are that nanoadditive lubricants significantly reduce the axial and radial vibrations of helical gears under low-speed conditions compared with conventional lubricants, with a more pronounced effect on axial vibrations. The vibration reduction is more sensitive to rotational speed than load. At the same load and speed, nanolubrication reduces noise by 2%–5% versus conventional lubrication. Nanoparticles change the friction from sliding to rolling and compensate for meshing errors, leading to smoother vibrations. The nanolubricants alter the gear tooth surfaces and optimize the microtopography. The results provide a basis for exploring nanolubricant effects under high speeds.

The originality and value of this work is the experimental analysis of the effects of nanoadditive lubricants on the vibration and noise characteristics of hard tooth surface helical gears, which has rarely been studied before. The comparative results under different speeds and loads provide new insights into the vibration damping capabilities of nanolubricants in gear transmissions. The findings reveal the higher sensitivity to rotational speed versus load and the differences in axial and radial vibration reduction. The exploration of nanolubricant effects on gear tribological performance and surface interactions provides a valuable reference for further research, especially under higher speed conditions closer to real applications.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-07-2023-0220/

This study aims on a broad review of Concrete's Rheological Properties. The Concrete is a commonly used engineering material because of its exquisite mechanical interpretation, but the addition of constituent amounts has significant effects on the concrete’s fresh properties. The workability of the concrete mixture is a short-term property, but it is anticipated to affect the concrete’s long-term property.

In this review, the concrete and workability definition; concrete’s rheology models like Bingham model, thixotropy model, H-B model and modified Bingham model; obtained rheological parameters of concrete; the effect of constituent’s rheological properties, which includes cement and aggregates; and the concrete’s rheological properties such as consistency, mobility, compatibility, workability and stability were studied in detail.

Also, this review study has detailed the constituents and concrete’s rheological properties effects. Moreover, it exhibits the relationship between yield stress and plastic viscosity in concrete’s rheological behavior. Hence, several methods have been reviewed, and performance has been noted. In that, the abrasion resistance concrete has attained the maximum compressive strength of 73.6 Mpa; the thixotropy approach has gained the lowest plastic viscosity at 22 Pa.s; and the model coaxial cylinder has recorded the lowest stress rate at 8 Pa.

This paper especially describes the possible strategies to constrain improper prediction of concrete’s rheological properties that make the workability and rheological behavior prediction simpler and more accurate. From this, future guidelines can afford for prediction of concrete rheological behavior by implementing novel enhancing numerical techniques and exploring the finest process to evaluate the workability.

This paper aims to explore the deep Web as a solution for displacement and replacement challenges in libraries, addressing the challenges, benefits, strategies and case studies.

The paper synthesizes existing literature on deep Web integration in libraries, providing a comprehensive analysis of insights from scholarly articles, case studies and expert opinions.

The deep Web grants libraries access to unique content, improving information access, fostering collaboration and enabling personalized content. However, security, privacy, ethics and data protection must be considered.

This paper contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive examination of deep Web integration in libraries, offering valuable recommendations for navigating the changing landscape and leveraging the deep Web’s potential.

This study aims to understand the impact of leadership styles on the sustainability of organizational energy, using the mediator role of organizational ambidexterity in family firms in Malaysia. To this end, dual-stage Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were adopted to determine the leadership style of family firms in Malaysia.

An exploratory design (i.e. questionnaire) was used to collect data from 528 workers in the family firms in Malaysia.

According to the results, leadership styles and long-term organizational energy have a positive and significant relationship. Furthermore, organizational ambidexterity mediates the relationship between leadership styles and organizational energy sustainability. On the other hand, based on nonlinear and compensatory relationships, the ANN method predicted a bureaucratic leadership style typical in Malaysian family businesses. The results of this study indicate transformational, transactional and bureaucratic leadership styles affect sustainable organizational energy. Besides, organizational ambidexterity fully mediates the relationship between leadership styles and sustainable organizational energy. On the other hand, the results of non-compensatory relationships revealed organizational ambidexterity is the most determinant of sustainable organizational energy, followed by bureaucratic leadership. As a result, leadership styles encourage human resources to perform tasks with energy and vitality. In family businesses, bureaucratic leadership increases job immersion and positive motivations toward work challenges.

From a practitioner's perspective, leaders and practitioners must encourage creativity and idea generation to give members sufficient strength to work and focus on goals that support building sustainable organizational energy. A family business is a type of capitalism that significantly impacts employees. The family-owned businesses surveyed by first-generation families lack subsidiaries and are ingrained in a paternalistic culture that offers employees greater security at a lower wage. Although there are few details, the study sample size is small and has limitations. This study suggests that understanding the leadership styles on sustainable organizational energy and using the mediator role of organizational ambidexterity in the family business has immense value. Characteristics such as transformational, transactional and bureaucratic leadership styles have a significant role in sustainable organizational energy. Also, organizational ambidexterity is the mediator for the relationship between leadership styles and sustainable organizational energy.

This study sheds light on the effect of leadership styles on sustainable organizational energy through organizational ambidexterity in family firms. In this context, the novelty of this study includes two perceptions. The first explored the impact of exploration and exploitation on sustainable organizational energy. The second investigates linear and nonlinear relationships to predict sustainable organizational energy determinants.