Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Over half a century of strategic planning performance research – what have we been missing?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of literatures and previous studies on the relationship between strategic planning and performance and propose conceptual designs and hypotheses using multidimensional constructs to advance the understanding of this relationship, contribute to existing debates in the extant literature and make recommendations. Design/methodology/approach A semi-systematic literature and previous studies (studied by various groups of researchers within diverse disciplines) review approach has been used in this paper to contribute to the debate on whether strategic planning affects performance and how. Using more recent knowledge about the strategic planning concept, the semi-systematic review looked at how research within strategic planning has progressed over the past five decades and its relationship with performance. Findings In the past, the strategic planning performance relationship has been treated as a black box and this paper proposes that the conceptualisation of a number of constructs and the inclusion of strategy implementation will help converting the black box into a white box. To strengthen support for the debate regarding the relationship between strategic planning and performance this paper proposes a further conceptual/operational design, mathematical expressions and hypotheses to be tested empirically in further studies. The proposal provides a conceptualisation of the major constructs (strategy development; strategy implementation; and performance), and the use of strategy implementation as a mediator and/or as a moderator in the planning performance relationship. Research limitations/implications This study is limited due to fact that the findings have not been tested empirically, it is not a cross-sectional and/or a longitudinal research and only a limited number of dimensions of strategy development and strategy implementation have been used. In addition, the approach used is a semi-systematic review followed by quantitative thinking, which, in turn, typically assumes the relevance of and a warrant mainly from a positivist epistemology. Originality/value The proposed design developed in this paper ensures that core issues in planning performance relationships research are addressed. Furthermore, the inclusion of strategy implementation in planning performance relationship studies means that the whole chain of activities in the strategy process is being considered, drawing a complete and comprehensive conclusion on how strategic planning affects an organisation’s performance. In addition, by separating strategy implementation and by not combining it with formulation/formation activities will theoretically and analytically help to evaluate the importance or role of each stage of the strategy process. Moreover, the conceptualisation and operationalisation of the key concepts as multidimensional constructs contribute to past research gaps. Finally, this paper provides some clarity to many contradictory findings concerning the strategic planning and performance relationship.
Assessment of Reactivity Margins and Loading Curves for PWR Burnup Credit Cask Designs

This report presents studies to assess reactivity margins and loading curves for pressurized water reactor (PWR) burnup-credit criticality safety evaluations. The studies are based on a generic high-density 32-assembly cask and systematically vary individual calculational (depletion and criticality) assumptions to demonstrate the impact on the predicted effective neutron multiplication factor, k{sub eff}, and burnup-credit loading curves. The purpose of this report is to provide a greater understanding of the importance of input parameter variations and quantify the impact of calculational assumptions on the outcome of a burnup-credit evaluation. This study should provide guidance to regulators and industry on the technical areas where improved information will most enhance the estimation of accurate subcritical margins. Based on these studies, areas where future work may provide the most benefit are identified. The report also includes an evaluation of the degree of burnup credit needed for high-density casks to transport the current spent nuclear fuel inventory. By comparing PWR discharge data to actinide-only based loading curves and determining the number of assemblies that meet the loading criteria, this evaluation finds that additional negative reactivity (through either increased credit for fuel burnup or cask design/utilization modifications) is necessary to accommodate the majority of current spent fuel assemblies in high-capacity casks. Assemblies that are not acceptable for loading in the prototypic high-capacity cask may be stored or transported by other means (e.g., lower capacity casks that utilize flux traps and/or increased fixed poison concentrations or high-capacity casks with design/utilization modifications).
Transabdominal ultrasonographic determination of pregnancy and fetal viability in buffalo cows

Article history: Received April 01, 2021 Accepted May 20, 2021 Available online December 19, 2021 The study was conducted to evaluate the application of transabdominal ultrasonography for the determination of pregnancy and fetal viability in Iraqi buffaloes. Thirty-two buffaloes at different periods of gestation were included. The buffaloes were palpated transrectally and transabdominal ultrasonography was applied to determine the pregnancy and fetal viability status. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, the positive and negative predictive value of transrectal palpation were 93.7, 100, 83.3, 90.9, and 100%, and for transrectal palpation were 78.1, 100, 58.8, 68.2, and 100%, respectively. The values of accuracy and specificity in the first trimester obtained by transabdominal ultrasonography were lower than those obtained by rectal palpation (66.6 vs. 94.4% and 62.5 vs. 90.9%), whereas the same values of accuracy and specificity were at second and third trimesters. Notwithstanding the values of the transrectal palpation and transabdominal ultrasonography sensitivity were 100% in the three trimesters of buffalo’s gestation. At the first trimester of gestation, transabdominal ultrasonography required more time in comparison to transrectal palpation to get the final decision. Conversely, transrectal palpation required more time than transabdominal ultrasonography to diagnose the pregnant buffalos which were at the second and third trimesters of gestation. The transabdominal ultrasonography pregnancy diagnosis in the third trimester was faster than at the second and first trimester, a highly significant (P<0.001) negative correlation was reported between the time required for pregnancy diagnosis and the gestation age. It can be concluded that the transabdominal is a practical approach of ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis and determination of fetal viability in buffalo cows especially at the second and third trimesters of gestation.
A Study of the Antibacterial Activities and the Mode of Action of L-Methionine and L-Cystine Based Surfactants and their Interaction with Bovine Serum Albumin Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy and in Silico Modelling

Surfactants are versatile excipients that are commonly employed in diverse pharmaceutical formulations given their broad range of antimicrobial activities. Sulfur-based amino acid surfactants are promising candidates as substitutes for conventional antibacterial agents in light of the current antibiotic resistance crisis. Dodecyl esters of the free amine (SURF1), cationic ester hydrochloride (SURF2), and quaternary ammonium (QUAT3) derivatives of methionine, and the Gemini diester of cystine (GEM4) were synthesized and evaluated for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. All surfactants displayed moderate to high antibacterial activities, particularly on Gram-positive bacteria, with QUAT3 showing the highest activity. Among Gram-negative bacteria, QUAT3, GEM4, and SURF2 were mostly active towards K. pneumoniae with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 0.004 to 0.441 mM. QUAT3 and GEM4 displayed a bacteriostatic behavior similar to that of tetracycline, as assessed by broth macrodilution assays. Fluorescence binding studies with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) revealed that the antibacterial activities could be attributed to a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) fluorescence and molecular docking studies indicated that SURF1 and QUAT3 interact mainly via van der Waals' forces and hydrogen bonding while SURF2 binds through hydrophobic interactions. QUAT3, which displays broad-spectrum activity, has the potential to combat drug-resistant bacteria.
Is smart tourism technology important in predicting visiting tourism destination? Lessons from West Java, Indonesia

This study analyzes tourist behavior in visiting tourism destinations influenced by smart tourism technology and uses the technology acceptance model (TAM) as a model for acceptance of smart tourism technology. This study used a sample of 324 tourists in West Java Province, Indonesia. Partial least square is applied to assess the relationship between smart tourism technology, perceived usefulness, perceived ease-of-use, travel intention, and visiting tourism destinations. The results of this study have revealed that the integration of TAM and smart tourism technology provides a complete explanation of the adoption of smart tourism technology. The results showed that smart tourism technology had a significant effect on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, and then had an effect on attitude. Travel intention was found to be directly influenced by attitude. Then, visiting tourism destinations is influenced by travel intention. By identifying smart tourism technology, various stakeholders such as the Government, tourism service providers and tourists can optimize a more comprehensive travel experience through the use of smart tourism technology. This research has developed TAM and integrated it with smart tourism technology to assess the attitudes and behavior of tourists in visiting tourism destinations.
A New Symmetric Cascaded Multilevel Inverter Topology Using Single and Double Source Unit

In this paper, a new symmetric multilevel inverter is proposed. A simple structure for the cascaded multilevel inverter topology is also proposed, which produces a high number of levels with the application of few power electronic devices. The symmetric multilevel inverter can generate 2n+1 levels with a reduced number of power switches. The basic unit is composed of a single and double source unit (SDS-unit). The application of this SDS-unit is for reducing the number of power electronic components like insulated gate bipolar transistors, freewheeling diodes, gate driver circuits, dc voltage sources, and blocked voltages by switches. Various new algorithms are recommended to determine the magnitude of dc sources in a cascaded structure. Furthermore, the proposed topology is optimized for different goals. The proposed cascaded structure is compared with other similar topologies. For verifying the performance of the proposed basic symmetric and cascaded structure, results from a computer-based MATLAB/Simulink simulation and from experimental hardware are also discussed.
A case study of a hypothetical 100 MW OTEC plant analyzing the prospects of OTEC technology

A hypothetical case study has been made of a 100 MW OTEC plant, which would require around 400 m3/sec of warm water feed (with 200 m3/sec of cold water feed) and resulted in the following data: CO2 saving compared to coal power plant, as determined from lifecycle assessment (LCA)studies, would be 98.62 % for CC-OTEC, 97.41 % for the hybrid type, and 94.4 % for OC-OTEC. Energy payback period value would be 1.33 years. Cost of power generation from NPV concept of such plant is estimated to be of 2.9 p/kWh. 172,800 m3 of potable water/day could be available from OC-OTEC (but none from CC-OTEC though a hybrid type may yield appreciable potable water). More than 68,000 kg shellfish/day could be availed for all types of 100 MW OTEC. Upwelling of the nutrient rich cold water along with abundant plankton from sea-bottom and the mixed discharge of it in the ocean during OTEC operations is likely to help growth of the oceans’ flora and fauna for the abundant supply of seafood. But the danger posed from simultaneous upwelling of toxic algal bloom endangering the marine species, are also apprehended. However, by and large positive marine species growth has been opined. Such increased species growth becomes instrumental in burying CO2 in the deep ocean floor with the carcasses of dead marine species grown. This phenomenon known as sequestering of CO2, appreciably increases the ocean’s CO2 storage capability and thereby in addressing the problem of global warming. This is in addition to the amount of CO2 saved from use of alternate energy source on OTEC, against the conventional fossil fuel resources. Upwelling of cold water may be utilized in cold storages/air conditioning saving 600 times the power required for running the same. Hydrogen production, as may be made at expense of the net power generated, from a 100 MW plant, would amount to over 35,000 kg/day or 20,000 kg of NH3/day. 21,773 kg of CO2/day from OC-OTEC (also from the hybrid type but not for CC-OTEC) would be available, which can be utilized as raw material for soda ash manufacture/urea production (along with NH3 as may be availed from H2 production). Also a huge quantity of oxygen enriched air – near 33 % O2 content, against 20.93 % of normal air may be availed. 188,812 kg/day of methanol utilizing the H2, as may be generated can thereby be the resource raw material for petrochemical industries, opening up the scope of availability of a chemical hub in the vicinity of the OTEC plant. Such OTEC plants can help sustainable development, particularly small island developing states (SIDS), arresting coral bleaching (decreasing acid rains etc.), and generating employment; and also help in reducing global warming from sequestering of CO2, in addition to saving CO2 emission compared to conventional fossil fuel power generators.
Modeling and Forecasting Cryptocurrency Closing Prices with Rao Algorithm-Based Artificial Neural Networks: A Machine Learning Approach

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are suitable procedures for predicting financial time series (FTS). Cryptocurrencies are good investment assets; therefore, the effective prediction of cryptocurrencies has become a trending area of research. Capturing inherent uncertainties associated with cryptocurrency FTS with conventional methods is difficult. Though ANNs are the better alternative, fixing the optimal parameters of ANNs is a tedious job. This article develops a hybrid ANN through Rao algorithm (RA + ANN) for the effective prediction of six popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, CMC 200, Tether, and Ripple. Six comparative models such as GA + ANN, PSO + ANN, MLP, SVM, LSE, and ARIMA are developed and trained in a similar way. All these models are evaluated through the mean absolute percentage of error (MAPE) and average relative variance (ARV) metrics. It is found that the proposed RA + ANN generated the lowest MAPE and ARV values, statistically different as compared with existing methods mentioned above, and hence can be recommended as a potential financial instrument for predicting cryptocurrencies.
Impact Of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices On Organizational Performance In Ghana

The study explores the impact of ecological supply chain management practices such as Green Supply Chain, environmental and operational management practices of organizational performance in Ghana. The organizational performance was measured based upon three parameters constituting Sustainable Environmental Performance (SENP), Sustainable Economic Performance (SECP), and Competitiveness (COMP). Exogenous factors included the constructs of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices and the single-item construct voluntary adoption of SSCM practices, while endogenous variables included the three aspects of firm performance. The relationship between sustainable management practices and organizational performance was ascertained using Structural Equation Modeling. A few significant results are presented as follows; (1) Environmental Management Practices (EMP) results in enhanced Sustainable Environmental Performance (SENP) and Sustainable Economic Performance (SECP); (2) Organizational Performance has a strong correlation with SECP and COMP; (3) SECP has a substantial and favorable relationship with both competitiveness and sustainable environmental performance, as well as sustainable economic performance. The positive relationship between SSCM practices and firm performance demonstrates that continual sustainable management principles eventually improve community capacity. This ultimately results in an organization’s competitiveness. Additionally, the managerial implications of the results are addressed.
Biosorption of Copper(II) and Iron(II) using Spent Mushroom Compost as Biosorbent

The application of the biosorption process and agricultural waste to treat heavy metals has drawn much attention. This method seems to be a more economical, environmentally friendly, and simple way for removing heavy metals from effluents. The study was conducted to explore the efficiency of the biosorption process utilizing spent mushroom compost to remove copper (II) and iron (II) from synthetic wastewater. Biosorption studies at different operating parameters, such as biosorbent dosage (1.0 – 5.0 g), pH (pH 4 – 8), contact time (1 - 30 minutes), and initial heavy metal concentration (10 - 100 mg/L), were conducted in batch experiments. The highest performance for copper (II) and iron (II) biosorption was found at 5.0 g biosorbent dosage of spent mushroom compost, unadjusted pH 6, 10 minutes of contact time, and 10 mg/L of initial concentration. The study was well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 > 0.95) for copper (II) and iron (II) biosorption, which are much greater compared to the Freundlich model. The study is also very well suited to the pseudo-second-order (R2 > 0.999) than the pseudo-first-order kinetic models. In conclusion, the spent mushroom compost has the potential to be an effective biosorbent for removing copper (II) and iron (II) from synthetic wastewater.
Mathematical Modelling of Bioethanol Production from Raw Sugar Beet Cossettes in a Horizontal Rotating Tubular Bioreactor

Alternative to the use of fossil fuels are biofuels (e.g., bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas), which are more environmentally friendly and which can be produced from different renewable resources. In this investigation, bioethanol production from raw sugar beet cossettes (semi-solid substrate) by yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a horizontal rotating tubular bioreactor (HRTB) was studied. Obtained results show that HRTB rotation mode (constant or interval) and rotation speed have considerable impact on the efficiency of bioethanol production in the HRTB. The main goal of this research was to develop a non-structural mathematical model of bioethanol production from raw sugar beet cossettes in the HRTB. The established mathematical model of bioethanol production in the HRTB describes substrate utilization and product formation (glycerol, ethanol and acetate) and presumes negative impact of high substrate concentration on the working microorganism (substrate inhibition) by using Andrews inhibition kinetics. All simulations of bioethanol production in the HRTB were performed by using Berkeley Madonna software, version 8.3. 14 (Berkeley Madonna, Berkeley, CA, USA). The established non-structural bioprocess model describes relatively well the bioethanol production from raw sugar beet cossettes in the HRTB.
Rheology of crossbridge ensembles

How skeletal muscle responds to mechanical perturbations, its rheology, is important for animal movement control. The molecular machinery of myosin II-actin crossbridge cycling is a crucial part of muscle’s rheological properties, and multiple models have been proposed for this mechanochemical process. But current understanding of the scale-connection from individual molecular motors to ensemble rheology is limited. Here we present computational and mathematical analyses of several different hypotheses of crossbridge dynamics, from 2-state to 5-state myosin II motor models, and show that an ensemble of actomyosin crossbridges exhibits surprisingly simple rheological behavior in all cases. The ensemble rheology is captured by a sum of at most three linear viscoelastic sub-processes, and as few as one for some crossbridge models. This simplification lends itself to computationally efficient phenomenological muscle models with experimentally measurable parameters, while still remaining grounded in crossbridge theory. However, the collapse of the ensemble behavior to few linear sub-processes identifies major limitations of crossbridge models that cannot be resolved by adding complexity to the crossbridge cycle and point to the roles of inter-crossbridge interactions and non-crossbridge elements.
Dynamic Distribution of HIG2A between the Mitochondria and the Nucleus in Response to Hypoxia and Oxidative Stress

Mitochondrial respiratory supercomplex formation requires HIG2A protein, which also has been associated with cell proliferation and cell survival under hypoxia. HIG2A protein localizes in mitochondria and nucleus. DNA methylation and mRNA expression of the HIGD2A gene show significant alterations in several cancers, suggesting a role for HIG2A in cancer biology. The present work aims to understand the dynamics of the HIG2A subcellular localization under cellular stress. We found that HIG2A protein levels increase under oxidative stress. H2O2 shifts HIG2A localization to the mitochondria, while rotenone shifts it to the nucleus. HIG2A protein colocalized at a higher level in the nucleus concerning the mitochondrial network under normoxia and hypoxia (2% O2). Hypoxia (2% O2) significantly increases HIG2A nuclear colocalization in C2C12 cells. In HEK293 cells, chemical hypoxia with CoCl2 (>1% O2) and FCCP mitochondrial uncoupling, the HIG2A protein decreased its nuclear localization and shifted to the mitochondria. This suggests that the HIG2A distribution pattern between the mitochondria and the nucleus depends on stress and cell type. HIG2A protein expression levels increase under cellular stresses such as hypoxia and oxidative stress. Its dynamic distribution between mitochondria and the nucleus in response to stress factors suggests a new communication system between the mitochondria and the nucleus.
Why are some animals popular with wildlife tourists: insights from South Africa

ABSTRACT Wildlife tourism is an important type of ecotourism including in South Africa. We considered how the aesthetic value theory can be applied to wildlife tourism by assessing the relative popularity of species with tourists in South Africa and which traits predicted popularity. When data from six published visitor surveys across seven protected areas were combined, we found that only 26 species out of 299 mammals and 850 + birds were selected by 2245 tourists. Elephant (48%), black and white rhinos (36%), lion (36%), cheetah (35%) and giraffe (34%) were the most popular in these visitor surveys with similar results reported in data from destination marketing and social media, but not wildlife auctions. When 13 species traits were assessed using ordinations and Generalised Linear Models, traits associated with specific aesthetics were important as large mammals that use open vegetation, with highly contrasting coat colours and/or are fluffy were most popular. Given the diversity of animals in South Africa, those responsible for wildlife tourism opportunities could diversify the types of species used in marketing to better match animals likely to be encountered in the wild, enhancing repeat visitor experiences while promoting the conservation of more species in the region.