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Describes the increasing need for simple and efficient antennas and looks at the performance of quarter wavelength and helical antennas. Concludes the optimum performances from both antennas are ruled by the choice of a suitable ground plane. The helical antenna is capable of producing a circularly polarized field, whereas the quarter wavelength antenna produces only linearly polarized fields. Both types exhibit low efficiency, with the helical antenna being less efficient owing to its short structure.

This paper investigates the optimization of window design factors (WDFs) in hospital buildings, particularly in government hospitals within the arid climate of the Qassim region, with the aim of achieving a better cooling load reduction. Continuous monitoring of the hospital ward section is crucial due to patients' needs, requiring optimal indoor air quality and cooling load.

The study identifies the optimal conditions for WDF design to mitigate cooling load, including window-to-wall ratio (WWR), window orientation (WO), room size and U-value (thermal properties), effectively reduce energy consumption in terms of sensible cooling load (MWh/m2) and comply with local codes. Data collection involved a smart weather station, while the Integrated Environmental Solution Virtual Environment (IESVE) software facilitated the simulation process.

Key findings reveal that larger patient rooms were about 40% more energy-efficient than smaller rooms. The northern orientation showed lower energy consumption, and specific WWRs and glazing U-values significantly affected energy loads. In an analysis of U-value changes in energy performance based on the Saudi Building Code (SBC), the presented values did not meet the minimum energy consumption standards. For a valid 40% WWR with a thermal permeability of 2.89, 0.181 MWh/m2 was consumed, while for an invalid 100% WWR with the same permeability but facing the north, 0.156 MWh/m2 was consumed, which is considered an invalid practice. It is vital to follow prescribed standards to ensure energy efficiency and avoid unnecessary costs.

Focus lies in emphasizing the significance of adhering to prescribed standards, such as SBC, to guarantee energy efficiency and prevent unwarranted expenses. Additionally, the authors highlight the crucial role of optimizing glazing properties and allocating the WWR appropriately to achieve energy-efficient building design, accounting for diverse orientations and climatic conditions.

In the present paper, the three-phase-lag (3PHL) model, Green-Naghdi theory without energy dissipation (G-N II) and Green-Naghdi theory with energy dissipation (G-N III) are used to study the influence of the gravity field on a two-temperature fiber-reinforced thermoelastic medium.

The analytical expressions for the displacement components, the force stresses, the thermodynamic temperature and the conductive temperature are obtained in the physical domain by using normal mode analysis.

The variations of the considered variables with the horizontal distance are illustrated graphically. Some comparisons of the thermo-physical quantities are shown in the figures to study the effect of the gravity, the two-temperature parameter and the reinforcement. Also, the effect of time on the physical fields is observed.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this model is a novel model of plane waves of two-temperature fiber-reinforced thermoelastic medium, and gravity plays an important role in the wave propagation of the field quantities. It explains that there are significant differences in the field quantities under the G-N II theory, the G-N III theory and the 3PHL model because of the phase-lag of temperature gradient and the phase-lag of heat flux.

Thermophoresis deposition of particles is a crucial stage in the spread of microparticles over temperature gradients and is significant for aerosol and electrical technologies. To track changes in mass deposition, the effect of particle thermophoresis is therefore seen in a mixed convective flow of Williamson hybrid nanofluids upon a stretching/shrinking sheet.

The PDEs are transformed into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using the similarity technique and then the bvp4c solver is employed for the altered transformed equations. The main factors influencing the heat, mass and flow profiles are displayed graphically.

The findings imply that the larger effects of the thermophoretic parameter cause the mass transfer rate to drop for both solutions. In addition, the suggested hybrid nanoparticles significantly increase the heat transfer rate in both outcomes. Hybrid nanoparticles work well for producing the most energy possible. They are essential in causing the flow to accelerate at a high pace.

The consistent results of this analysis have the potential to boost the competence of thermal energy systems.

It has not yet been attempted to incorporate hybrid nanofluids and thermophoretic particle deposition impact across a vertical stretching/shrinking sheet subject to double-diffusive mixed convection flow in a Williamson model. The numerical method has been validated by comparing the generated numerical results with the published work.

Despite the potential of social media in emerging markets (EMs), only a few studies published in high-quality information systems (IS) journals that have addressed issues related to social media in the context of EMs. The purpose of this paper is to analyse existing research related to social media published in high-quality IS journals for exploring initial research trends, emerging themes, limitations and future research directions in the context of EMs.

This study conducted a systematic review of 22 articles on social media, which were published in the “Senior Scholars Basket of IS Journals and Information Systems Frontiers” from 1997 to 2017. Manual literature search approach (i.e. screening through the table of contents of each journal) was employed to identify relevant articles. The content of relevant articles was systematically analysed and synthesised along with keyword analysis to understand research trends on social media related issues in the EMs context.

The study identified four major themes from existing research on the social media in the context of EMs, namely: social media frameworks; social media and consumers; social media and organisations; and social media and society with the majority of the studies focussing on consumers. A single subject was found as the major limitation with studies analysed focussing on single platform/country/domain hindering the generalisability whereas including a new exogenous variable to improve the validity of existing studies emerged as main future research direction.

This study conducted literature review on social media in EMs, which have not been undertaken yet. Moreover, it employed manual search (an effort and time-intensive approach) to overcome the shortcomings of keyword search to identify, locate, select and analyse the social media literature in the context of EMs.

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of adopting categories of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) in human resource management (HRM) in some health dispensaries in the context of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It examines their impact on specific performance areas that can be measured in line with defined performance measurement criteria by adopting the approach of best practices that covers a wide range of departments, levels and processes, including those that reflect the HRM strategy's effectiveness.

The study employed descriptive-exploratory research design which explores the effect of adopting categories of HPWPs in HRM in some health dispensaries in the context of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This study's findings also point to inefficient practices in uplifting organizational performance levels, such as performance-related compensation and information exchange. HPWPs contribute in achieving the institutions' goals in the employees' performance improvement their productivity in health dispensaries improvement of institutional characteristics and performance. HPWPs led to the improvement in the elements of performance, remarkable of which are: improvement in innovation level and creativity; management level improvement due to the compatibility of human resources (HR) practices with the employees' qualifications and experiences; support of the administration to these practices, individual and institutional goal achievement.

The drawback of this analysis is that HR drivers have been listed for healthcare in Saudi Arabia. There will also be extra drivers or potential examinations. The research used expert opinions; they could modify their views in the future. Such work primarily relates to Saudi Arabia and requires validation in specific contexts. There are prospects for more research in the future, as this analysis should be used. This offers the partnership pattern for HR drivers in healthcare in Saudi Arabia.

The study presents practical implications to HRM of health services in Saudi Arabia. This may help to improve healthcare programme in Saudi Arabia and transforming it into a comprehensive healthcare network through which the country offers quality health coverage across various government departments. The private sector's involvement in providing healthcare services is also growing but is hampered by many HR-related concerns.

With this study, it offers to improve the health services of Saudi Arabia for social development with regards to HRM practices. In which efficiency in healthcare ensures that the patient wants treatment in an inexpensive, secure, efficient manner because it needs it. HPWPs in HRM are examined in this research paper.

Despite the magnitude of the health dispensaries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the geographical expanse, it covers in rendering its practical and medical services, there is an apparent lack of full grasp on the part of managers concerning the potential role that HPHWs can play a major role in contributing to the development of health services across the board; in addition to the fact that some institutions are not desirous of changing the framework and operations of their HRM amongst healthcare institutions in Saudi Arabia.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has multiple consequences, including social distancing and the shift of education from in-person to online learning, which may have a psychological impact on students, especially those in medical colleges. This study aims to explore the effect of online learning on medical students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic across Saudi Arabia.

A descriptive, nationwide, cross-sectional survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, after students in medical colleges moved to online learning. It included socio-demographic characteristics, online learning-related questions, perceived stress scale and generalized anxiety disorder-7.

The participants represented various academic levels within the basic science phase (44.9%) and clinical phase (55.1%) and various regions, including the central (55.3%), western (18.8%), northern (13.4%), southern (8.8%) and eastern (3.7%) regions. Moderate to high perceived stress was reported by 94.4% of students. Two-thirds of the students reported generalized anxiety symptoms, ranging from moderate to severe in 47% of them. A significant positive correlation was found between stress and anxiety. Women, age > 25, first-year students, students facing oral and objective structured clinical examinations, students with excellent and pass grades and those facing difficulties had higher levels of stress and anxiety. In addition, being non-Saudi, married or having a history of psychiatric illness was associated with higher levels of anxiety.

Stress and anxiety were highly expressed among participants using online learning. In addition to studying the efficacy of online learning, it is important to focus on its effect on medical students’ mental health, due to the highly competitive and demanding environment of medical colleges.

This paper aims to determine the opportunity cost borne by US commercial banks to reduce non-performing loans (NPLs) by one unit within the global financial crisis framework.

To achieve this aim, the authors use the directional output distance function to estimate the technical efficiency while considering NPLs as undesirable output. Then, they estimate the shadow prices of NPLs by using the envelope theorem and solving the revenue function.

The results indicate that medium-sized banks are the most efficient, while small banks are the most inefficient ones. Moreover, the shadow prices of NPLs of large banks are higher than those of small and medium-sized banks. This implies a more elevated cost when lessening bad loans in large banks. This is more prominent during the crisis given that the shadow prices of NPLs of large banks have risen sharply over that period.

Shadow prices have important managerial implications given that they display the amounts of required reduced revenues to lessen NPLs. Accordingly, banks’ managers are called to reduce these loans by paying more attention when choosing their customers.

With the absence of an observable market price for bad loans in financial literature, the shadow price notion offers an adequate measure to evaluate them. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that provides an estimation of the shadow price of NPLs in the US banking sector.

Purpose/approach: This introduction provides an overview of the themes and chapters of this volume.

Research implications: The chapters in this volume present original research employing empirical and textual methods illustrating the complex responses and policy challenges posed by contemporary understandings and misunderstandings of the nature of gender. Various forms of gender panic and responses to it within individuals, institutions, national states, and the world society are explored.

Practical and social implications: Research demonstrates that gender panic can lead to potentially harmful reactions and fruitless policies that reinforce rather than dismantle the gender binary, thereby, impacting vulnerable members of societies.

Value of the chapter: The chapter and the volume are intended to illustrate the nature of current gender panics and related policies and to encourage further scholarship with the goal of promoting greater understanding as well as developing constructive solutions to issues raised.

The initial value problem for a semi-linear high-order heat equation is investigated. In the focusing case, global well-posedness and exponential decay are obtained. In the focusing sign, global and non global existence of solutions are discussed via the potential well method.