bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Immersive Technologies and Digital Twins for Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Architecture, Engineering and Construction
Authors: Beisheim Nicolai , Kayapinar Haydar , Linde Markus , Ott Tobias , Amann Sebastian
Published: November 2023

Immersive technologies have a very large potential to enhance the interdisciplinary teamwork in engineering teams, because they provide a way to visualize geometry data of products, technical systems, and buildings in their natural perspective. The visualization helps the teams to communicate in a better way and find errors in the data, even before any physical object was built. Industries like Automotive are already widely adapting these technologies to enable close collaboration between the departments of design, engineering, and production to reduce error rate in their projects. This article describes the possibilities of integrated immersive technologies and the using of digital twins in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC). These possibilities are the first results of a research project that aims to look at the entire life cycle of a building and identify potential use cases for digital twins and technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality throughout all stages of the life cycle. The goal is to integrate all participants of the construction process in one communication platform. One focus of research are the immersive assistance systems for construction workers and how working instructions can be generated for example to locate drilling positions automatically for various installation tasks as 3D Data. The aim of the project is to support the employees digitally in their tasks and to reduce the errors due to the 2D drawings traditionally used in the construction industry.
Scope Attributes and Systemic Effect in Estimation Practices for Software Projects
Authors: Garg Dipti , Moser Bryan R.
Published: November 2023

Estimation in software projects allows organizations to predict scope, needed resources, and schedule leading to better performance. Inaccurate estimates may cause misalignment – amongst stakeholders and between the situation and design of the project – reducing performance and confidence in the development process. This paper focuses on software estimation, in particular attributes of scope and their usefulness to estimation. Scope is the tangible outcomes of project tasks. Attributes of scope include software functionality, dependence, and newness. A study of estimation practices began with semi-structured interviews conducted with leading software industry organizations. The interviewed practitioners characterized key steps involved in estimation and evaluated their organization’s use of scope attributes. In addition, interview questions probed the consideration of scope topology and systemic effect. Findings from these interviews suggest that subjective assessment remains the most common method for estimation. Additionally, release level estimation processes are reported as informal and intuition-based, lacking analysis of systemic characteristics of scope especially dependence. Dependencies are often missing or insufficiently considered during estimation yet considered only by some at later stages of development. Findings from the interviews also suggest that estimation relies on priorities of perceived value rather than systemic criticality and project target feasibility. The next stage of this research proposes an expanded survey released to a wider practitioner population. Additionally, the findings suggest a need for longitudinal empirical studies to determine how knowledge of dependencies and analysis of systemic effect are imbued in organizations and become useful in estimation processes.
Team Decision Making Considering Uncertainty in Data Visualisation
Authors: Abella Ainoa , Sugihara Midori , Čok Vanja , Kimura Tomiya , Toma Testuya , Chacón Jonathan
Published: November 2023

Information and data visualisation are powerful tools in order to present results and make decisions. In order to understand how data visualisation may change the group decision-making depending on the graphs seen by the participating members, we created a case study in two different contexts (Spain-Japan). In which, students have to make decisions to manage a small business. For example, to agree on how to run a bakery: total number of loaves to be made, the price at which it has to be sold, and the number of doughs to be made for the next day. Students will participate in a series of rounds where they are asked to: 1) write individually how they would run the business; 2) in groups they decide and discuss the different ideas and what decisions they make regarding the mentioned variables (price, loaves and doughs); 3) the teacher performs a simulation with the students’ data and shows the results using tables; 4) Individually, write if what was done was different from what they proposed and explain what they had done differently. After completing some rounds, students are asked to participate again, but this time in step 3 they are given a graph instead of a table. In this way, we can see if there are significant differences when making decisions based on graphs or tables. In the light of the results, some design decisions and recommendations could be provided to teachers to improve decision making activities related to engineering education and new transdisciplinary fields.
A Novel Robotic EDM Digital Twin for Offline Cutting-Path Programming
Authors: Almeida Sergio , Mo John P.T. , Bil Cees , Ding Songlin , Cheng Chi-Tsun
Published: November 2023

The extensive adoption of exotic materials in industries such as defence and aerospace has pushed the corresponding manufacturing system to be flexible, cut-anything and precise. A systematic literature review has shown that combining industrial robot (IR) and Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) stands out as a non-contact and near-zero force manufacturing system capable of accurately machining hard-to-cut materials. EDM principle requires electrical erosion and CNC while IR principle requires multiple axes and vibration control. Integrating such a novel manufacturing system requires adopting the transdisciplinary design of sophisticated cutting-path robot programming. Thus, to achieve industrial usability of the enhanced machining system, this paper develops a novel digital twin (DT) that can serve as a tool kinematics experimental environment while coping with complex collision and singularities of its physical twin to deliver an accurate and intuitive CNC-like coding approach for offline robotic EDM cutting path programming.
Tensor Flow for Five-Axis Machining
Authors: Makhanov Stanislav
Published: November 2023

Five-axis toolpath (TP) based on a set of preferred directions is a trademark of the modern five-axis machining. The TP generation requires a multidisciplinary approach. It combines the multi-axis robotics, optimization, complex analysis and elements of image processing such as clustering, vector and tensor field analysis. Since these vectors can be flipped, this mathematical object is nothing else than the tensor field (TF) of the second order. This paper exploits this idea and presents the enhanced tensor flow (EVF) obtained by applying the parabolic model to the original VF. Clustering of the TF makes it possible to improve the surface quality and the machining time. The proposed transdisciplinary approach shows the advantage of about 20% in terms of the machining time.
Scheduled Transport Service Design for Cross-Border Logistics in Airport Cluster
Authors: Dong Wenzhao , Qiu Xuan , Xu Gangyan
Published: November 2023

The airport cluster plays a pivotal role in the highly-growing market of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) through achieving bundling of cargo flows via multimodal transport and higher connectivity to the rest of the world via frequent transport services. Due to the uncertainties of cross-border logistics, as well as limited and expensive space at the airport cluster, it is increasingly popular to build cross-border logistics parks in the Pearl River Delta region for cargo consolidation and storage, where customs clearance, security screening, and other services for exports could be completed before transporting cargoes to the airport cluster by sea for air transshipment to worldwide destinations, and vice versa. This paper studies the design of cross-border scheduled transport service by barge between a logistics park and multiple airports in the airport cluster for both imports and exports. The barge service is operated by a third-party logistics company who visits multiple airports to pick up and drop off cargoes in milk-run mode. In addition to the barge service, the operator offers the more expensive truck service for supplementary and expediate transport. We model this scheduled transport service design problem with the objective of minimizing the total operating cost considering transport cost, flight schedules, and capacity limits. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the scheduled transport service and generate managerial guidelines for the GBA multimodal transport development.
Developing a Green Supplier Risk Assessment System Applying Natural Language Processing and Life Cycle Assessment: An Empirical Study
Authors: Tai Pei-Yi , Chiu Ming-Chuan , Wei Chia-Jung
Published: November 2023

Driven by global climate change and Net Zero policies, green supply chain management has become the key to the competition of global enterprises. Carbon emissions and environmental impact have become important factors that must be considered in the supply chain operation process. Among them, supplier selection is the first process in supply chain operation. Although many studies have discussed the related issues of green supplier assessment, the potential risks of some environmental impacts are still not comprehensive enough, plus it is difficult to assess the potential risks of suppliers on the Internet, because the process of text data analysis and evaluation is not only time-consuming and costly, but also unable to obtain the latest supplier risk information on time. This study applies natural language processing(NLP) model and life cycle assessment(LCA) to develop a green supplier risk evaluation system. The potential risk assessment of suppliers can be achieved through the KeyExtractor’s keyword extraction method. The main contribution of this study is to develop a novel green supplier evaluation method based on deep learning models to promote the implementation of green procurement and reduce the carbon footprint of suppliers. Practically, the proposed method automates supplier risk assessment, not only can obtain the latest information and trends of supplier risk on time and reduce the time and cost of risk analysis. Hence, the competitiveness of enterprises would be enhanced.
Digital Twin as Enabler of Sustainability and Risk Management of Medical Devices
Authors: Riascos Roberto , Majić Tomislava , Ostrosi Egon , Sagot Jean-Claude , Stjepandić Josip
Published: November 2023

This paper discusses how the implementation of a digital twin approach can assist organizations in attaining two related but non-competitive objectives: promoting transparent risk-based decision-making and demonstrating that sustainability objectives can be accomplished in a more direct and cost-effective way. When developing a digital twin, it is crucial to consider its intended use, anticipated advantages for the organization’s personnel and processes, and usage. Creating a digital twin of a medical device, its aggregates, and components has significant downstream impacts, including affecting supplier partnerships and influencing design and manufacturing processes. Through its simulation and training features, it can bolster users’ and patients’ confidence in using the technology and simplify the medical staff’s job. Furthermore, a digital twin can serve as a repository for the knowledge required for treatment, medicine, and monitoring the patient’s condition’s progress. This paper highlights a digital twin implementation which case-focused or goal-driven, thereby simplifying activities such as collaborating with a supplier. However, it also necessitates the participation of multiple stakeholders and may affect their behavior.
Application of Holistic Detection in Industrial Motion and Time Study
Authors: Khamkanya Anintaya , Paulguy Panthakij , Em-O Siamrut
Published: November 2023

The integration of image processing and deep learning has become a crucial aspect of industrial development. However, its usage is still limited in the field of motion and time study. This paper introduces the development of a comprehensive holistic detection algorithm using Python and OpenCV to detect the poses of workers during operations. The detected poses from the video are transformed into variables to calculate process performance metrics such as cycle time, working speed, and compliance rating with standard operating procedures. The algorithm’s performance was tested and evaluated through a series of scenarios using attribute agreement analysis theory. The statistical results showed that the proposed algorithm can provide similar motion and time study analysis as that of human observations. Thus, the proposed algorithm could help reduce the time needed for process improvement projects and promote remote work. The algorithm can also be applied in job training and detecting risky work motions to prevent accidents and injuries to workers.
The Design of Machine Learning for Searching Casualty People in the Gulf of Thailand
Authors: Kengpol Athakorn , Chanchittakarn Chawantorn
Published: November 2023

This research designs a machine learning model for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in searching casualty locations and the time of the following suffering incident occurring in the Gulf of Thailand. From collecting information on the RTN’s search and rescue (SAR) operations in 2019–2022, there were 146 incidents, and several casualties did not survive. It was found that the delays in assisting were the main reason for the loss. Therefore, the machine learning predictions can support the RTN’s SAR operations. The Long-short Term Memory (LSTM) is used to create the machine learning predicting model, and the outputs are in terms of the Latitude, the Longitude, and the days after the previous incident, while the root means square error (RMSE) is used to test the validity of the predicting model. The result shows that the RMSE of testing data of the Latitude, Longitude, and the days after the previous incident prediction are 0.906 degree-North, 0.507 degree-East, and 5.633 days, respectively. In practice, the following suffering incident is predicted: on the Latitude 12.017 degrees-North, the Longitude 101.786 degrees-East and happening in the next 41 days after the previous incident, which is far from the actual incident, approximately 11.5 nautical miles, and the incident occurred after the predicted value of 14 days. Using machine learning allows the RTN SAR teams to prepare for disaster relief in advance. For this reason, the Royal Thai Navy SAR operations can increase the chances of meeting those in need and increasing the chances of survival.
Active Learning in Engineering Education: Case Study in Mechanics for Engineering
Authors: Jaroenkhasemmeesuk Chawannat , Lima Rui M. , Horgan Kathleen , Mesquita Diana , Supeekit Tuangyot
Published: November 2023

A task force on outcome-based approaches (OBE) to develop higher education was focused on by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and Mahidol University (MU). MU had already started emphasizing student outcomes in its quality reviews and considered OBE a logical next step in advancing higher education. Active learning, in the concept of ‘teach less, learn more’, is a teaching method that involves engaging students in the learning process through activities such as discussion, boardgame, project-based solving, and collaborative activities. It was claimed that academic attainment could be enhanced by active learning. In the field of engineering education, active learning has been shown to be an effective way to enhance student learning and improve outcomes. This paper gives a comprehensive study case of the subject “Mechanics for Engineer” including how the instructor created the active learning activities for each module, the indicators used to assess students’ learning outcomes, an analysis of the results of using active learning, and the reflections of stakeholders. The presented activities in this paper consist of 3D equilibrium & Application: Think-Pair-Share, Vector addition – Board game, and Structural analysis – Project-based learning. Additionally, the case study explored reflection to analyze the challenges and issues that arose during the implementation of active learning and discuss strategies for addressing them.
Digital Manufacturing Pilot Study for Stepping Towards Mixed Reality Applications in Tertiary Education
Authors: Ulmeanu Mihaela-Elena , Dijmărescu Manuela-Roxana , Abaza Bogdan-Felician , Szuder Andrei , Doicin Cristian-Vasile
Published: November 2023

Digital manufacturing is a comprehensive approach which includes the integration of information technology and automation into the entire product lifecycle, from design and engineering to production, logistics, and customer service. In education, mixed reality can be used to create interactive educational experiences. It has the potential to revolutionize the way products are designed, manufactured, and maintained in the digital manufacturing industry. One of the key-ways mixed reality can be used in digital manufacturing is by providing a more immersive and interactive design experience. Engineers and designers can use mixed reality to create virtual prototypes of their products and test them in a realistic, 3D environment. This can help identify potential issues early in the design process before they become costly to fix. The current paper explores the process of testing and selecting specific applications from a digital manufacturing university level course to be designed and integrated into mixed reality scenarios. Within the framework of an Erasmus+ funded project, the authors designed a Digital Manufacturing course which was implemented over 15 hours of face-to-face activities. Based on participant feedback and assessment of trainers the main areas of content were identified for further development into mixed reality applications. The paper presents one mixed reality application and pinpoints future areas of improvement and development into immersive environments for tertiary education.
In Pursuit of Greater Coherence Between Learning Outcomes and Competence Development for Successful Teaching of Engineering
Authors: de Paor Cathal , Koomsap Pisut , Hussadintorn Na Ayutthaya Duangthida
Published: November 2023

Although learning outcomes are widely used in higher education in programme design, most course developers end up considering only the cognitive domain while overlooking the affective and psychomotor domains, the other two musketeers of the taxonomy of educational objectives. Similarly, in planning programmes for competence development, the focus is usually narrowed to the instrumental competence dimension, with relatively less attention given to how interpersonal and systematic competences might be developed. This results in poor alignment between learning outcomes and competences, including subject specific and generic or key competences. This occurs both at module and programme level. In order to address this, course developers need a more holistic and systematic way of programme planning, especially where the ultimate goal is to attain technical and transversal competences needed for the workplace. This paper draws on an Erasmus+ capacity building in higher education project in Thailand’s non-university tertiary education sector (RECAP 4.0) to explore how curriculum developers may be supported in dealing with this challenge. During the project, ten modules were designed to support the professional development of higher education teachers in areas related to teaching enhancement, curriculum development, and various engineering topics. Developers were provided with a competence development template designed to support greater alignment between planned learning outcomes, intended competences, teaching activities and assessment plans. The template invited them to reference more than one domain as appropriate when writing each learning outcome, indicate the intended performance level for each of the domains, as well as the competence(s) to which the learning outcome contributed. The results show how such a template may support optimum coherence in curriculum design.
Knowing Your Learners to Scaffolding Their Autonomy: The Perspective of Learner Capability and Perception
Authors: Hussadintorn Na Ayutthaya Duangthida , Koomsap Pisut , de Paor Cathal
Published: November 2023

Learner autonomy has been a primary learning outcome for all fields, including engineering since it has been positively connected with successful learning experiences. Autonomy encompasses knowledge and skills, including self-awareness and reflection, independent learning and development, creativity and inventive thinking, and decision-making, all crucial for the modern workplace. Learners with high autonomy demonstrate a higher willingness and more responsibility to finish their tasks, as well as a strong potential to sustain and enhance their competences as they progress through their professional pathways. In the engineering discipline, several strategies that provide opportunities for learners to act autonomously and develop confidence in a real-world context, such as learner-led research and project and community service learning, have been incorporated into academic journeys to foster learner autonomy. Many high-impact teaching and learning strategies and methods (for example, project-, problem-, and inquiry-based learning) have also been adopted in classrooms. However, because students have varying levels of autonomy, it is common that only some of the class can engage in and successfully complete challenging activities. Scaffolding and progressing learner autonomy are linked to developing learner capabilities and enhancing their perceived value in attaining greater autonomy. Therefore, this paper presents a four-quadrant learner autonomy analysis under the perspective of learner capability and value perception to assist instructors in determining the learners’ autonomy level before developing appropriate instructional scaffolding to progress their autonomy to the expected level. A case study of engineering students is presented and discussed.
Investigating the Potential of Mixed Teaching Methods to Enhance Manufacturing Process Learning in Undergraduate Program
Authors: Phuraya Noppakorn , Thatsananchalee Piyawan , Bhutasang Natchana
Published: November 2023

The learning process is essential for the development of learners. Especially for the students in need, focus on building skills consistent with future work. As the traditional method teaches a one-size-fits-all curriculum, mixed teaching methods are believed to be tailored to individual experiences and learning levels. The researcher has designed a hybrid teaching process incorporating Bloom’s taxonomy to enhance learning efficiency. According to this taxonomy, personal learning occurs in three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Despite having diverse learning backgrounds, individuals are expected to achieve similar learning outcomes, such as knowledge, understanding, and application. This study aimed to investigate the potential of mixed teaching methods and traditional learning methods to improve manufacturing process learning in undergraduate programs. The research was conducted with a quasi-experimental design with two sample groups (15 people per group), which compared the learning outcomes before and after the experiment and compared the experimental and control groups. The experimental group had a program to promote the mixed-learning process. To understand how welding parameters affected the quality of welding practice specimens, the emphasis on welding practice was combined with an analysis of the problems encountered during practice. Instructors asked questions to allow students to reflect and self-practice. The t-test analysis revealed that the learning outcomes of the experiment group showed a statistically significant improvement compared to the pre-experiment level, at the 0.05 significance level.
A Simulation of Human Mobility That Reproduces the Behavioral Characteristics
Authors: Mizuno Yuri , Sagawa Daishi , Kimura Yuya , Tanaka Kenji
Published: November 2023

As interest in smart cities grows, foot traffic data is expected to solve diverse problems cities have. However, it has a fragmented nature in time and space, and this incompleteness obstructs its utilization. Therefore, simulation of human mobility is necessary not only for measuring policy effectiveness but also for identifying urban realities that are not observed directly from foot traffic data. Although previous research has proposed various simulations of human mobility, they are inadequate in that they do not take behavioral characteristics into account. This paper presents a behavioral characteristics classification method using foot traffic data and a method for designing a human mobility forecasting simulator that implements a decision-making model to complement the incompleteness of the foot traffic data through a transdisciplinary approach. The proposed method is divided into two phases: classification of behavioral characteristics and designing a human mobility forecasting simulator. We conducted a case study using data from an actual urban city. As a result of the classification, differences were observed in the trends of facilities used and time spent in each cluster. The constructed simulator used Bayesian optimization to adjust parameters, and the results showed a significant correlation between simulation results and real-world data. Two simulations were conducted to measure the effectiveness of adding new stores and operating digital signage. Both simulations identified changes in human mobility for each scenario. Counterintuitive results were also observed, such as a decreased total number of visitors to each building.
A Framework with Layered View Mechanisms and Interaction Paths for Industry Chain and Innovation Chain In-Depth Integration
Authors: Lee Ching-Hung , Wang Chang
Published: November 2023

Due to the challenge of managing unexpected changes in international relations against the context of rising global competition and quick technological change, how to foster the integration of industry chains and innovation chains from a systematic point of view in the new era has become a realistic problem and an critical research topic that needs to be solved and studied urgently. In this study, we investigated and proposed a three-level hierarchical two-chain in-depth integration mechanism framework to enhance the efficiency of scientific and technological achievements, and the framework consists of three layered mechanisms, including (1)strategical mechanism, (2) functional mechanism and (3) guarantee mechanism. This paper presents a layered view mechanism framework for sociotechnical system transition that enables government to foster the integration of innovation and industry chains.
Transdisciplinary Engineering Versus Transdisciplinary Research: Differences, Similarities, Lessons and Opportunities
Authors: Cooper Adam
Published: November 2023

Transdisciplinary engineering (TE) emerged in the wake of renewed interest in transdisciplinary practice, rooted in the fields of health and environment research. This paper explores the relationship between transdisciplinary engineering and transdisciplinary research (TR) arguing that there is a good conceptual basis for both terms to exist as they differentiate important practice considerations in the same way science is differentiated from engineering. Using bibliometric methods, I explore the relationship between the two groups of literature, mapping where they interface, and revealing their different conceptual framings. TR is associated with research in the fields of sustainability, and health, and features approaches aligned with scientific research, but also participatory and related social science designs. TE is closely identified with product design, industrial engineering, and education, revealing a stark contrast between the two domains in terms of the implied goals of transdisciplinary practice. Finally, a deeper comparison of approaches, definitions and frameworks between key bodies of research enables an exploration of lessons that might be drawn from one to the other. In particular, the opportunity for TE to incorporate the more strategic societal, environmental and health goals associated with TR and bring TE capacities of design and industrial engineering to TR, generating a paradigm shift in both TR and engineering.
Spin orbit magnetic random access memory based binary CNN in-memory accelerator (BIMA) with sense amplifier
Authors: Kalaichelvi K. , Sundaram M. , Sanmugavalli P.
Published: November 2023

The research tends to suggest a spin-orbit torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM)-based Binary CNN In-Memory Accelerator (BIMA) to minimize power utilization and suggests an In-Memory Computing (IMC) for AdderNet-based BIMA to further enhance performance by fully utilizing the benefits of IMC as well as a low current consumption configuration employing SOT-MRAM. And recommended an IMC-friendly computation pipeline for AdderNet convolution at the algorithm level. Additionally, the suggested sense amplifier is not only capable of the addition operation but also typical Boolean operations including subtraction etc. The architecture suggested in this research consumes less power than its spin-orbit torque (STT) MRAM and resistive random access memory (ReRAM)-based counterparts in the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) data set, according to simulation results. Based to evaluation outcomes, the pre-sented strategy outperforms the in-memory accelerator in terms of speedup and energy efficiency by 17.13× and 18.20×, respectively.
Improving the efficiency of using water radiant heating systems.
Authors: Synilo O.
Published: November 2023

Now, the issue of protecting the environment and reducing the use of fossil non-renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly important. For modern heating and air conditioning systems, it is imperative to reduce emissions of harmful substances, especially CO2. This can be realized by significantly reducing the use of fossil non-renewable fuels and reconstructing engineering systems to the current level of energy saving. The annual growth in demand for fossil fuels will be reduced through the optimization of substations and heat distribution devices, which is a necessary step for the development of the country's industry and economy. Therefore, today the main task is to increase the energy efficiency of the use of resources and increase the potential of alternative types of energy in combination with modern low-temperature energy-efficient heat distribution systems, one of which is radiant water panels. The article presents the results of improving the method of mounting beam-ceiling fixtures with respect to their orientation in space. The results of numerical calculations indicate the efficiency of mounting the equipment at an angle of 45 degrees, which increases the efficiency by 10% in relation to the 0° orientation. The results of calculations and measurements show that the use of radiant heating in a lateral or longitudinal direction at different angles allows to significantly reduce the cost of energy resources for heating at low temperatures and at the same time not to lose the speed of operation to changes in external temperature parameters. The most effective of the variants of the experiment turned out to be the variant of suspension at an angle of 45°, in which an increase in efficiency by 10% in terms of final temperatures was found, which in turn makes it possible to reduce the use of thermal energy and reduce the amount of necessary equipment in design calculations. At the same time, installation difficulties were not detected.
Influence of the heat of combustion on calculations during the transport and consumption of natural gas
Authors: Konovalіuk V. , Franchuk Yu.
Published: November 2023

Ukraine, as an independent state, has a market economy that works according to the requirements of the world natural gas market. Gas has become a commodity, that is, it has its own price depending on its quality and demand for it. Modern gas quality standards provide for the control of about thirty indicators. The efficiency of gas appliances has increased by about 25%. The requirement of accounting for gas in both volume units and energy units is established by law, similar to accounting in EU countries. When accounting for gas, the higher heat of combustion is used, that is, all the energy of the gas.  But when conducting hydraulic calculations in the design and reconstruction of gas networks, values of lower heat of combustion are still used. When selecting gas-using equipment based on the data of the manufacturing plants, the performance characteristics of the devices, focused on lower combustion heat, are also indicated. There are differences in the approach to determining the energy component contained in a certain volume of gas in different sections of the gas transportation system. As a result, the amount of energy changes. It is proposed to use a higher heat of combustion not only when accounting for gas, but also when conducting calculations at all stages of gas movement along the gas transportation network, as well as when conducting hydraulic calculations of gas pipelines. Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that at all stages of gas movement in the gas transportation network, both when designing gas networks and when calculating payment for the amount of gas consumed, it is advisable to use the value of the higher heat of combustion of gas. This will lead to a reduction in the volume of construction work and the diameters of gas pipelines during new construction and reconstruction of systems, a reduction in gas consumption due to its more complete use, a decrease in dependence on imported gas, an improvement in air quality due to a decrease in harmful emissions, which will occur when ensuring greater completeness of gas combustion.
How Competent are Health Professionals in Delivering Nutrition Education? A Cross-Sectional Study in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Authors: Anene Ogechukwu Chinelo , Alo Chihurumnanya , Ossai Edmund Ndudi , Akpa Christian Obasi , Osarhiemen Iyare , Agu Chibuike Innocent
Published: November 2023

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recognises nutrition as the basis for good health and the leading edge of disease prevention. Nutrition education is also key in facilitating healthy habits in all spheres of life. Health professionals are central to informing good dietary habits through nutrition education since they are seen as reliable sources for nutritional information. This study assessed health professionals’ competencies in nutrition education in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY: A health facility-based cross-sectional study among health professionals was conducted in three selected hospitals from three Local Government Areas in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of 421 health professionals selected by multistage sampling were surveyed. Data analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 25. Chi-square test and multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression were used in the analysis, and the level of statistical significance was determined by a p-value of <0.05. Overall adequate competence of health professionals on nutrition education was derived by the proportion of respondents who had good knowledge, good perception, and good practice of nutrition education.

RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 32.4 ± 8.9 years, and the majority, 67.5% (283), were females. The highest proportion of respondents, 59.4% (249), were nurses. Less than one-tenth of respondents, 7.4%, had good knowledge of nutrition. A higher proportion of respondents, 85.9% (360), had good practice of nutrition education while less than half, 42.5% (178), had a good perception of nutrition education. A minor proportion of respondents, 43.0% (180), had adequate competency in nutrition education.

Predictors of health professionals’ competencies included having postgraduate level of training (AOR= 0.4; 95% CI = 0.2 - 0.8), being a physiotherapist (AOR = 17.2; 95% CI = 1.1 - 267.5), being < 39 years (AOR = 5.8; 95% CI = 2.1 – 16.3) and 40 - 49 years (AOR = 4.8; 95% CI = 1.6 – 14.6).

CONCLUSIONS: A minor proportion of respondents had adequate competency in nutrition education. The knowledge of nutrition among health professionals is also poor. The health professionals may require nutrition training for proper delivery of nutrition education. There is a need to incorporate regular in-service training as a strategy for improving health professionals’ nutritional competency.
Sectoral GDP and Tax Revenue: a Panel Data Analysis
Authors: Iraman Endra
Published: November 2023

To analyze tax revenue from its relationship with the sectoral gross domestic product (GDP) becomes essential. Sectoral GDP plays a role in achieving sectoral tax revenue and, in turn, obtaining tax revenue in total. This paper aims to reveal this relationship using empirical evidence. Using a dataset from 34 provinces in Indonesia, the researchers found that industrial, mining, accommodation, and financial sectors positively correlated with tax revenue. On the other hand, agriculture, transportation, and communication correlated negatively with tax revenue. These results have a meaningful implication for the government, particularly for the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT). DGT may apply this result to predict and to establish strategy to boost tax revenue based on the sectoral GDP.
Experiencing B-Values on the Camino de Santiago: A Journey Toward Self-Actualization
Authors: Brumec Snežana
Published: November 2023

This research explores the transformation of individuals undertaking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Employing a comprehensive approach, including qualitative and quantitative content analysis of 32 pilgrims' travel narratives and a survey encompassing 501 participants, we unveil a unique fusion of facts ("isness") and values ("oughtness") experienced by pilgrims throughout their journey. This fusion manifests as a moral-cognitive perception that everything in the world aligns with how it should be, aligning with Abraham Maslow's concept of "Being values."

These Being values represent the core of the self-actualization process and encompass notions of interconnectedness, unity, wholeness, simplicity, essentiality, just-rightness, spontaneity, effortlessness, benevolence, honesty, autonomy, and individuality. Our research findings demonstrate the impact of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage on individuals, resulting in an enhancement of self-actualization, as defined within the framework of humanistic psychology.
Memorias del Banco de la República en su primer centenario
Authors: Steiner Roberto , Aguilera María Modesta , Arango Lucía , Bernal Joaquín , Bonet Jaime , González Sandra , Hernández Gerardo , Lasso Daniel , Pinzón Mauricio , Puerto Juan Sebastián , Ramírez María Teresa , Sorza Pedro , Vallejo Édgar , Vergara Daniel , Viloria Joaquín
Published: November 2023

En los tres primeros capítulos, se describen las operaciones fundamentales de banca central que el Banco ha desempeñado desde su fundación. El primero trata de la producción y emisión del dinero circulante, que involucran una sustancial actividad industrial. En el segundo, se detalla la participación del Banco en el desarrollo de los sistemas interbancarios de pago, más allá del efectivo. El tercero aborda la actividad de análisis e investigación económica que ha apoyado los procesos de decisión de política monetaria. Siguen dos capítulos que recorren la historia de las sucursales del Banco y el desarrollo de la tecnología de la información, pilares de su operación en todos los frentes. El capítulo sexto está dedicado a la historia de la compra de oro, que fue una parte importante de todas las operaciones del Banco hasta cuando se redefinieron sus funciones tras la Constitución de 1991. Una herencia de esta función es precisamente el Museo del Oro y toda la labor asociada de preservación arqueológica que bien conoce la sociedad colombiana. En el capítulo séptimo se relata la historia de la administración, durante décadas, de las minas de sal, una labor quizás menos conocida hoy.
Oil Shocks, Monetary Policy, and Stock Returns: A Case of Oil-based Economy
Authors: Alharbi Abdullah M. H.
Published: November 2023

This paper investigates the dynamic effects of oil price shocks on the Saudi stock market. It differs from previous work by examining the role of monetary transmission of oil shocks to stock returns via interest rate and credit channels. A Structural Vector Autoregressive model (SVAR) is used to trace the impacts of the underlying shocks. The results provide robust evidence in favor of a positive relationship between oil price volatility and stock market returns, which is aligned with the prevailing view on the oil impact in net oil-exporting countries. Variance decomposition results indicate that oil shocks are the key source of fluctuations in stock markets as they explain more than 25% of stock return variations. On the other hand, a weak over-all effect of monetary policy is concluded by this study using the two monetary policy channels. Unlike interest rate, credit channel is found to be relatively effective in the monetary policy transmission to stock market. The response of stock returns showed a positive significant impact of credit shocks, but a negligible effect of interest rate shocks. The outcome of this paper is considered plausible in an oil-based economy with fixed-exchange rate regime.
Renewable Energy Consumption Convergence in G-7 Countries
Authors: Helmi Mohamad Husam , Catik Abdurrahman Nazif , Coskun Nuran , Balli Esra , Sigeze Ciler
Published: November 2023

This study examines the convergence of renewable energy consumption in G-7 countries. We employ LM unit root and RALS version of LM unit root tests with endogenously determined with structural one or two breaks. Despite the increase in renewable energy consumption in G-7 countries, it is important to identify whether renewable energy consumption converges across these countries to formulate appropriate policies to support sustainable energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. Our analysis indicated that Germany, Italy, and Canada exhibit evidence of convergence. However, after employing both the LM and RALS versions of the LM unit root tests, which consider level shifts with one or two breaks or trend shifts with one or two breaks, we found that there is no evidence of convergence for France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Overall, our results highlight the importance of formulating country-specific policies to support renewable energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. Policymakers need to identify the drivers of renewable energy consumption and adopt appropriate measures to ensure that the countries can meet their climate goals while also ensuring energy security.
The Potential of Renewable Energy Green Financing through Carbon Taxation to Achieve Net-Zero Emissions Target
Authors: Ayodele Freida Ozavize , Mustapa Siti Indati , Ayodele Bamidele Victor
Published: November 2023

Climate change is mostly caused by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. By establishing green financing initiatives and levying taxes on carbon pollution, green financing and carbon taxes are seen as viable policy tools for reducing harmful environmental externalities. This study examines the role of carbon taxes as an emerging source of renewable energy green financing to achieve net-zero emissions targets. Raising research questions such as: Can carbon taxation be employed as a means of offsetting carbon emissions?  What is the people’s perception of a carbon tax? Can carbon taxation be a potential source of green financing for renewable projects? The study established that the implementation of a carbon tax has a significant effect in offsetting carbon emissions to a large extent. However, there are divergent views of people toward the implementation of a carbon tax as indicated by studies from different countries. The findings established that the revenue generated from carbon tax could be channeled towards the funding of renewable energy projects as obtainable in Japan and other countries.
Precious Metals and Oil Price Dynamics
Authors: Mohamed Abdulrazak Nur , Mohamed Idiris Sid Ali
Published: November 2023

The aim of this study is to examine dynamic relationship among the prices of four precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, and palladium), oil price, and the US dollar/euro exchange rate. Recent literature for precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) and oil depict a lot contradiction results of their nexus in the long and short runs. So that, there is still much to investigate and learn about their relationship between them and with the exchange rate. The monthly data span from January 1990 to October 2021 is utilized, the study applies the co-integration analysis, multivariate Granger causality test and Variance Decomposition (VDC) analysis. The result shows the evidence of a long-run equilibrium relationship but weak feedbacks in the short run. The precious metal markets respond significantly (but temporarily) to a shock in any of the prices of the other metal prices and the exchange rate. Furthermore, we discover some evidence of market overreactions in the palladium and platinum cases as well as in the oil market. The study implies whether there are overreactions and re-adjustments or not, investors may diversify at least a portion of the risk away by investing in precious metals, oil, and the euro.
The Role of Energy Management Practices in Sustainable Tourism Development: A Case Study of Jerash, Jordan
Authors: Alhawamdeh Hamzeh , Al-Saad Saad A. , Almasarweh Mohammad Salameh , Al-Hamad Abd Al-Salam Ahmad , Bani Ahmad Ahmad Y. A. Bani , Ayasrah Firas Tayseer Mohammad
Published: November 2023

This study investigates the mediating role of Top Management Commitment (TMC) on the relationship between Energy Management Practices (including Energy Awareness [EAW], Energy Efficiency [EE], and Energy Knowledge [EK]) and Sustainable Tourism Development (STD) in Jerash, Jordan. Amid growing global concerns about environmental sustainability, understanding the dynamics between energy management and sustainable tourism has become critically important. The study utilizes Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data. The empirical results reveal that EAW, EE, and EK have a significant positive influence on STD, indicating the direct impact of energy management practices on the sustainability of tourism. Furthermore, the findings suggest that these energy management variables also significantly influence TMC. Intriguingly, TMC emerges as a substantial mediator, enhancing the positive effects of EAW, EE, and EK on STD. This signifies the crucial role of top management's commitment to leveraging energy management practices effectively to foster sustainable tourism development. The study, despite focusing only on the context of Jerash, Jordan, contributes valuable insights to the existing literature and informs managerial practice in the tourism sector. Future research should expand its scope to different geographical regions and consider additional dimensions of energy management practices to further enrich the understanding of sustainable tourism development.