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This paper aims to address Passive Design Strategies (PDSs) in the traditional houses of Sabzevar and to assess the adaptation level of these strategies to the climate of the region.

Identifying the Sabzevar climate, five samples of traditional houses have been chosen to be analyzed via two stages. In stage one, the efficiency of each strategy is weighted through qualitative analysis, and in stage two, the houses are simulated in EnergyPlus 9.3.0 to quantitatively evaluate their heating and cooling performances.

The obtained results from the energy performance analysis of the case studies indicate that the houses present diverse energy performances in different seasons. Those buildings with PDSs for both cold-arid and hot-arid climates, however, are more adaptable cases to the climate of the region.

The results of this study are expected to provide a basis of materials and methods for the climatic assessment of the traditional buildings, specifically traditional houses and will open new doors to future studies about the integration of these potential PDSs with the new technological developments and climate considerations as well as protecting the conservation policies of these buildings by means of optimizing and improving their energy performance and implementing effective retrofit scenarios.

The more common approaches used in supply chain management (SCM) consider only the physical logistic operations and ignore the financial aspects of the supply chain (SC). The main objective to incorporate financial aspects in SCM is to strengthen managerial decisions concerning financial flows in SCs. This paper aims to present a model for financial supply chain management (FSCM) in which financial planning in addition to operation planning is decided.

Approaches for FSCM are traditional financial approach and new financial approach. The traditional financial approach integrates physical goods flows and financial flows. The new financial approach considers in making decisions other financial indicators such as market to book value, liquidity ratios, capital structure ratios, stock security ratios, sales margin and return on equity. Moreover, the new approach applies the change in equity instead of the traditional approach measures of profit as the objective function to be maximized in the presented model. To show the attributes of the presented approaches, the results of the new approach and the traditional approach are compared.

The findings of this paper indicate that the traditional approach leads to a lower change in equity compared to the new approach. Also, the results reveal the better improvement of using the new approach over the traditional approach and convince the decision-makers to take advantage of the new approach.

Empirical knowledge about FSCM is in its early stages.

The main contribution of this paper is to define two approaches for FSCM and to compare them.

The purpose of this paper is to present research in the area of the signal processing and application into pedestrian tracking in the video scene.

The paper describes the design of a new extended Kalman filter (EKF) in the high‐dimensional space (HDS) and studies of mean square error and variance analysis of error. A design algorithm is implemented in MATLAB software and tested. The data set includes many hours of captured films.

This paper includes a new derivation of the EKF and its implementation into the video scene.

The proposed algorithm can be used to track each video application.

The Kalman filter in the HDS is presented for the first time. Also, the application of the proposed method is applied in pedestrian tracking and counting.

Purpose – The present study based on grounded theory explores the gender identity development of 40 Iranian female EFL teachers teaching at Iranian universities to examine how these women’s gender identity as part of their broader personal identity is developing through actions and inter-actions resulting from their job.

Design/methodology/approach–A grounded theory study including theoretical sampling and constant comparison was conducted to address our main research questions. Data were gathered through online focus group interviews, online, asynchronous, in-depth interviews, and reflective memos. Collected data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding techniques.

Findings – The results of the analysis of data led to the emergence of the final core theme of dialectic of self and others. Participants were in constant conflict of being a true woman, a woman behind the mask of a man, and a human wearing no gender.

Originality/value –The paper provides a new portrait of gender identity development in line with Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice demonstrating multidimensionality and complexity of femininities. Such a study can shed light on challenges, experiences, and expectations of women working outside the home.

Occupant behavior can lead to considerable uncertainties in thermal comfort and air quality within buildings. To tackle this challenge, the use of probabilistic controls to simulate occupant behavior has emerged as a potential solution. This study seeks to analyze the performance of free-running households by examining adaptive thermal comfort and CO2 concentration, both crucial variables in indoor air quality. The investigation of indoor environment dynamics caused by the occupants' behavior, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, became increasingly important. Specifically, it investigates 13 distinct window and shading control strategies in courtyard houses to identify the factors that prompt occupants to interact with shading and windows and determine which control approach effectively minimizes the performance gap.

This paper compares commonly used deterministic and probabilistic control functions and their effects on occupant comfort and indoor air quality in four zones surrounding a courtyard. The zones are differentiated by windows facing the courtyard. The study utilizes the energy management system (EMS) functionality of EnergyPlus within an algorithmic interface called Ladybug Tools. By modifying geometrical dimensions, orientation, window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and window operable fraction, a total of 465 cases are analyzed to identify effective control scenarios. According to the literature, these factors were selected because of their potential significant impact on occupants’ thermal comfort and indoor air quality, in addition to the natural ventilation flow rate. Additionally, the Random Forest algorithm is employed to estimate the individual impact of each control scenario on indoor thermal comfort and air quality metrics, including operative temperature and CO2 concentration.

The findings of the study confirmed that both deterministic and probabilistic window control algorithms were effective in reducing thermal discomfort hours, with reductions of 56.7 and 41.1%, respectively. Deterministic shading controls resulted in a reduction of 18.5%. Implementing the window control strategies led to a significant decrease of 87.8% in indoor CO2 concentration. The sensitivity analysis revealed that outdoor temperature exhibited the strongest positive correlation with indoor operative temperature while showing a negative correlation with indoor CO2 concentration. Furthermore, zone orientation and length were identified as the most influential design variables in achieving the desired performance outcomes.

It’s important to acknowledge the limitations of this study. Firstly, the potential impact of air circulation through the central zone was not considered. Secondly, the investigated control scenarios may have different impacts on air-conditioned buildings, especially when considering energy consumption. Thirdly, the study heavily relied on simulation tools and algorithms, which may limit its real-world applicability. The accuracy of the simulations depends on the quality of the input data and the assumptions made in the models. Fourthly, the case study is hypothetical in nature to be able to compare different control scenarios and their implications. Lastly, the comparative analysis was limited to a specific climate, which may restrict the generalizability of the findings in different climates.

Occupant behavior represents a significant source of uncertainty, particularly during the early stages of design. This study aims to offer a comparative analysis of various deterministic and probabilistic control scenarios that are based on occupant behavior. The study evaluates the effectiveness and validity of these proposed control scenarios, providing valuable insights for design decision-making.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel and secure image transmission based on the unpredictable behavior of the chaotic systems.

The proposed approach includes two main contributions: synchronization scheme and transmission scheme. The synchronization scheme benefits the advantage of the fractional-order active synchronization method. A new control law is derived to asymptotically synchronize the underlined fractional-order Bloch chaotic system. The validity of the proposed synchronization scheme is proved by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Then, a novel image transmission scheme is designed to transfer image data via chaotic signals, which modulates the encrypted data in the sender signals and demodulates it at the receiver side.

Numerical simulations are provided to show the validity and effectiveness of the proposed image transmission system. Furthermore, the performance of the image transmission system is evaluated using some illustrative examples and their corresponding statistical tests. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison with other proposed methods in this subject.

A new chaos-based image transmission system is developed based on the synchronization of Bloch chaotic system. The introduced transmission system is interesting and could be applicable to any kind of secure image/video transmission.

The purpose of this study is to model steam condensing flows through steam turbine blades and find the most suitable condensation model to predict the condensation phenomenon.

To find the most suitable condensation model, five nucleation equations and four droplet growth equations are combined, and 20 cases are considered for modelling the wet steam flow through steam turbine blades. Finally, by the comparison between the numerical results and experiments, the most suitable case is proposed. To find out whether the proposed case is also valid for other boundary conditions and geometries, it is used to simulate wet steam flows in de Laval nozzles.

The results indicate that among all the cases, combining the Hale nucleation equation with the Gyarmathy droplet growth equation results in the smallest error in the simulation of wet steam flows through steam turbine blades. Compared with experimental data, the proposed model’s relative error for the static pressure distribution on the blade suction and pressure sides is 2.7% and 2.3%, respectively, and for the liquid droplet radius distribution it totals to 1%. This case is also reliable for simulating condensing steam flows in de Laval nozzles.

The selection of an appropriate condensation model plays a vital role in the simulation of wet steam flows. Considering that the results of numerical studies on condensation models in recent years have not been completely consistent with the experiments and that there are still uncertainties in this field, further studies aiming to improve condensation models are of particular importance. As condensation models play an important role in simulating the condensation phenomenon, this research can help other researchers to better understand the purpose and importance of choosing a suitable condensation model in improving the results. This study is a significant step to improve the existing condensation models and it can help other researchers to gain a revealing insight into choosing an appropriate condensation model for their simulations.

For this purpose, Teacher Self-Regulation Scale (TSRS), Emotions Questionnaire for Teachers (EQT) and Grasha's Teaching Style Inventory (TSI) were employed to gauge the influences of teacher self-regulation on university teachers' emotions and preferred teaching style. The participants of this study were 320 university teachers, majored in different branches of English (English Literature, English Teaching, English Translation), teaching in different universities of Iran. To shed light on the causal associations, a path analysis was run using LISREL 8.80.

Following the pivotal role of effective teaching on educational well-being, the present study delve into three significant teacher-related variables i.e. teacher self-regulation, emotions and teaching style. For this purpose, TSRS, EQT, and Grasha's TSI were employed to gauge the influences of teacher self-regulation on university teachers' emotions and preferred teaching style. The participants of this study were 320 university teachers, majored in different branches of English (English Literature, English Teaching, English Translation), teaching in different universities of Iran. To shed light on the causal associations, a path analysis was run using LISREL 8.80.

Based on the findings, teacher self-regulation predicts pleasant emotions positively; whereas, it predicts unpleasant emotions in a negative direction. The results also demonstrate that teacher self-regulation positively and significantly predicts student-centred styles (Facilitator and Delegator), and the reverse is true for teacher-centred styles (Formal Authority, Personal Model, and Expert).

Future studies may advance the possible relationships among the subscales of teacher self-regulation, teacher emotion and teaching style. Also, further investigations are suggested to target the teacher self-regulation, teacher emotion and teaching style in enhancing language learners' achievement.

In effect, the findings of the current study contribute to the fields of teacher psychology and teacher education. The implications of this study may open another perspective into university teachers’ psychological well-being and professional development.

The implications of this study may redound to the advantage of policy makers, curriculum designers, teacher educators, as well as university teachers.

The implications of this study may redound to the advantage of policy-makers, curriculum designers, teacher educators and university teachers.

This study aims to identify the effect of strawberry supplementation on some metabolic, inflammatory and oxidative parameters in adults with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors.

A systematic literature search was performed up to November 2020 using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Sciences and Scopus databases. The pooled mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to analyze the data by random-effects model. I² statistics and Cochrane risk of bias tool were used for investigating heterogeneity and quality of included studies, respectively.

In total, 13 randomized controlled trials with 488 participants were included. Strawberry supplementation significantly reduced diastolic blood pressure (MD = −2.1, 95% CI [−3.7, −0.42], P = 0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (−0.16, −0.30, −0.02, P = 0.03), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) (−0.76, −1.4, −0.05, P < 0.001) and CRP (−0.31, −0.43, −0.18, P = 0.04). Leptin levels were raised in control group compared with participants who had received strawberry (0.65, 0.09 and 1.2, P = 0.02). The results of subgroup analysis based on the follow-up duration and supplementation dose showed that consumption of strawberry for more than eight weeks and 50 g day⁻¹ can significantly decrease some other CV risk factors compared to control group. Further, both higher follow-up duration and supplementation dose were more effective in increasing leptin levels of control group compared to intervention group.

The use of some useful plant foods such as strawberries by the pharmaceutical industry and the community health sector can greatly help improve people’s CV and metabolic health.

In the past decades, the desire to use natural source foods has increased because of environmental compatibility, safety and appropriate costs. Sonication is used in food industry owing to its short duration of process and saving energy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of various maize starches in the batter on the oil absorption and quality assessment (moisture content) of chicken nuggets by using five mathematical models.

To determine the effects of different maize starches on oil absorption parameters, 5 per cent starches native, sonicated starch were substituted in batter instead of wheat flour. Suspensions contained native starch were treated with sonication (70 kHz, 5 min) using an ultrasound probe set. Samples were fried in a fryer at 150, 170 and 190°C for 1, 3and 5 min, respectively. Models were compared with R² and Arrhenius equation for estimating model prediction sufficiency.

Obtained results represented that between different formulated samples, maize starch with high temperature had main significant effect (p < 0.05) on moisture content of nuggets. During frying, the amount of oil loses significantly (p < 0.05) depended on temperature and time and sonication treatment.

Incorporation of sonication with maize starch at higher temperature on quality assessment has not been found.