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The purpose of this paper is to show a comparative study of different direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation techniques, namely, multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm, delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming, support vector regression (SVR), multivariate linear regression (MLR) and multivariate curvilinear regression (MCR).

The relative delay between the microphone signals is the key attribute for the implementation of any of these techniques. The machine-learning models SVR, MLR and MCR have been trained using correlation coefficient as the feature set. However, MUSIC uses noise subspace of the covariance-matrix of the signals recorded with the microphone, whereas DAS uses the constructive and destructive interference of the microphone signals.

Variations in root mean square angular error (RMSAE) values are plotted using different DOA estimation techniques at different signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) values as 10, 14, 18, 22 and 26dB. The RMSAE curve for DAS seems to be smooth as compared to PR1, PR2 and RR but it shows a relatively higher RMSAE at higher SNR. As compared to (DAS, PR1, PR2 and RR), SVR has the lowest RMSAE such that the graph is more suppressed towards the bottom.

DAS has a smooth curve but has higher RMSAE at higher SNR values. All the techniques show a higher RMSAE at the end-fire, i.e. angles near 90°, but comparatively, MUSIC has the lowest RMSAE near the end-fire, supporting the claim that MUSIC outperforms all other algorithms considered.

Many students are found facing difficulties in learning English due to plenty of reasons: known and unknown ones. In order to overcome such an issue, the instructors have to explore for effective techniques of teaching English to motivate learners by any means. Technology in general and informatics in particular can be thought of as innovative tool of pedagogy in the current teaching-learning environment. The present proposal of research aims at creating innovative approaches, which attract learners' interest and catch their attention for better outputs.

Following subsections have been discussed keeping the significance in view. Setting of the study: The present study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah-Saudi Arabia, which is one of the Saudi Arabian universities; however, it has opened up new avenues for the pedagogues, teachers of English and researchers to conduct studies in various allied fields. In order to have a representative sample of students' population, the participants were chosen from the “preparatory year”. Material and tools: This study used a questionnaire (Appendix) and a test to evaluate performances of the two groups: controlled and experimental. In order to further strengthen the findings, semi structured interview was conducted for a few select students from the student-sample. Since the questionnaire was adapted, the statistical validity and reliability was not considered to be essential; however, content/face validity was ensured by consulting 10 experts in the field of education/methods of teaching.

Based on the analysis of data gathered from the test performances of the two groups of students, it was found that there existed a significant difference in the test scores. The questionnaire responses also proved that infographics can be proved to be an interesting tool of education in general and English language teaching in particular. However, it has been noticed from the gathered data that not many teachers are comfortable using multimedia or infographics for different reasons. The results of the present study are in line with the study by Rezaei and Sayadian (2015) that support the idea of infographics that would help English teachers to develop understanding and insights to design among the learners. They further contend that the infographic instruction offers choices for the utilization of collaborative activities. In addition, the infographics enhance students' performance as a whole as also supported by Alrwele (2017).

The study was conducted on a small sample which might affect the generalization of the outcomes. It was carried out with special reference to teaching of vocabulary and reading.

There can be many recommendations for different stakeholders. For teachers, it is recommended that they should know about the significance of infographs for catching the attention of students. They should know how to design interesting and colorful infographs. The administration/management should facilitate the teachers with the required software or platform to create infographics and integrate in an English language class. In addition, teachers should attend workshops and training courses organized for topics related to the infographs.

The author checked the study for plagiarism (excluding references) and found it to be 93% plagiarism free.

Finding an efficient way for enhancing brand reputation by using social media among customers and business partners has long been the main purpose of every business. However, due to micro and macro changes in the business field, strategies to find a way to improve brand reputation with business partners and customers have altered from transaction marketing to newer approaches such as employing a social media platform. However, not all brands make use of social media to enhance their reputation. The present study uses Apple as an example of the one of the best known brands which does not benefit from social media platforms as to the degree expected.

There is a dearth of research in the field of social marketing that attempts to understand why consumers prefer to use plastic packages when using online food delivery services. In addressing this issue, this study aims to investigate the role of moral disengagement, myopia and environmental apathy in the young generations' intentions to use plastic bags while ordering food online. It also examines the mediating role of moral disengagement and the moderating role of guilt in the context of the online food delivery service industry in China.

An online survey was designed to collect data, which yielded 256 usable responses. The partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique (SmartPLS 4.0) was used to test the study hypotheses.

The results indicate that environmental apathy, myopia and moral disengagement exert significant negative effects on consumer intention to use plastic. In addition, moral disengagement was able to mediate the links between “environmental apathy”, “myopia” and “plastic usage intention”. Lastly, consumers’ guilt was found to be a significant moderator in the link between moral disengagement and plastic usage intention.

This research holds significant importance for social marketers in the online food delivery service industry. Particularly, by understanding consumers' negative behavioural aspects, social marketers can implement marketing strategies that emphasise green practices for environmental well-being.

This is a pioneer study that focuses on the negative aspects of consumer behaviour, such as myopia, environmental apathy and moral disengagement, to understand what drives young consumers to use plastic. Additionally, this study investigates several new relationships in the social marketing field, such as the mediating effect of moral disengagement between myopia, environmental apathy and plastic usage intention. It also tests the moderating effect of guilt on the link between moral disengagement and use intention.

The purpose of this study is to model and solve numerically the three-dimensional off-centered stagnation point flow and heat transfer of magnesium oxide–silver/water hybrid nanofluid impinging to a spinning disk.

The applied effective thermophysical properties of hybrid nanofluid including thermal conductivity and dynamics viscosity are according to the reported experimental relations that would be expanded by a mass-based algorithm. The single phase formulations coupled with experimental-based hybrid nanofluid model is implemented to derive the governing partial differential equations which are then transferred to a set of dimensionless ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with the use of the similarity transformation method. Afterward, the reduced ODEs are solved numerically by bvp4c function from MATLAB that is a trustworthy and efficient code according to three-stage Lobatto IIIa formula.

The effect of spinning parameter and nanoparticles masses (m_MgO, m_Ag) on the hydrodynamics and thermal boundary layers behavior and also the quantities of engineering interest are presented in tabular and graphical forms. The recent work demonstrates that the analysis of flow and heat transfer becomes more complicated when there is a non-alignment between the impinging flow and the disk axes. From computational results demonstrate that, the radial and azimuthal velocities are, respectively, the increasing and decreasing functions of the disk spinning parameter. Further, for the greater values of the spinning parameter, an overshoot of the radial velocity owing to the centrifugal forces of the spinning disk is observed. Besides, the quantities of engineering interest gently enhance with first and second nanoparticle masses, while comparing their absolute values illustrates the fact that the effect of second nanoparticle mass (m_Ag) is greater. Further, it is inferred that the second nanoparticle’s mass enhancement results in the amplification of the heat transfer; although, the high skin friction and the relevant shear stress should be controlled.

The combination of experimental thermophysical properties with theoretical modeling of the problem can be the novelty of the present work. It is evident that the experimental relations of effective thermophysical properties can be trustable and flexible in the theoretical/mathematical modeling of hybrid nanofluids flows. Besides, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no one has ever attempted to study the present problem through a mass-based model for hybrid nanofluid.

The integration of blockchain technology (BT) in supply chain management (SCM) is at the forefront of technological advancements, yet it faces significant barriers that hinder its widespread adoption. This study aims to delve into these challenges, employing the diffusion of innovations (DOI) theory to systematically investigate and propose a strategic framework for overcoming the technological barriers to BT adoption within SCM.

Through a comprehensive systematic literature review (SLR) of 155 publications, complemented by rigorous content analysis and expert interviews, this research identifies and categorizes 16 primary technological barriers, including scalability and privacy issues, that impede BT integration.

The proposed framework, informed by DOI theory, outlines tailored strategies across three critical adoption stages: initiation, where the focus is on mitigating high energy consumption and scalability issues; adoption decision, emphasizing the formulating international standards for blockchain architecture, embedding abstraction layers within software projects; and implementation, concentrating on enhancing security, interoperability and system efficiency.

This research contributes significantly to both academic literature and practical applications. Academically, it extends the DOI theory within the SCM context and enriches the blockchain literature by providing a nuanced understanding of the specific barriers to BT adoption. Practically, it offers a roadmap for industry practitioners, delineating actionable strategies to navigate the adoption process effectively. This study not only bridges the gap between theoretical insights and practical implementations but also serves as a vital resource for policymakers and standard-setting bodies in facilitating and regulating BT adoption in SCM, thereby fostering innovation and competitive advantage in the marketplace.

The Internet of things (IoT), an emerging research field, offers solutions to several problems and may result in a paradigm shift in various areas, including education. However, this approach has been under-utilised. Therefore, this research investigates and highlights the primary factors that influence the impact of the IoT on education and reveals the current state of academic research to manage higher education (HE) resources effectively and efficiently.

Data from 35 academic papers were collected and analysed to understand the current situation and assess the readiness of HE to adopt IoT. A literature review is a well-established method for developing knowledge and interpreting issues under consideration. This study systematically analysed the various research methodologies used to adopt IoT, summarising the content of the studies and highlighting the main factors that may affect IoT adoption in HE.

The authors examined 95 papers; 35 were investigated and analysed. The literature review and analysis of academic papers revealed the factors influencing the adoption of IoT technology in HE.

By examining the evidence, this study contributes to understanding the context and supplements existing research. It conducts a systematic literature review to assess the impact of the IoT on the educational process, proposes future research directions and presents findings that aid the efficient management of HE resources.

This paper aims to investigate the role of corporate governance on the bank profitability of Indian banks vis-à-vis South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations.

For the Corporate Governance Index, the authors examined board accountability, transparency and disclosure and audit committee, while Tobin’s Q, return on equity and return on assets are used to measure the bank’s profitability. The study used a two-stage analysis based on balanced panel data for robust findings. Sample of this study consists of 60 commercial banks from India and 60 banks from SAARC nations for the period of 2009–2021. This study used panel regression and a generalized method of moment approach using the CAMELS framework on banking industry-specific variables to determine their respective impacts.

The findings of this study suggest that board accountability is positive and significantly affects the profitability of banks as indicated by return on assets, return on equity and Tobin’s Q. In contrast, the audit committee has a positive and insignificant impact on return on assets, return on equity and Tobin’s Q, while transparency and disclosure have a negative and significant impact on these metrics. Furthermore, the country dummy result shows a significant positive impact on all the bank performance parameters, implying that Indian banks have the highest degree of convergence with corporate governance as compared to other SAARC nations.

This study provides insight to the regulators, policymakers and financial institutions to evaluate the role of corporate governance in emerging economies. However, the findings of the study should be interpreted with caution, as the results are sensitive to the disparity between India and other SAARC nations' government policies, climatic circumstances and cultural or religious traditions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to gauge the performance of Indian banks vis-à-vis SAARC nations using the CAMELS framework approach. Further, findings of this study suggest some novel evidence tying corporate governance quality with the profitability of banks among SAARC nations.

This study is to find the students’ awareness on e‐commerce, and the focus is on students pursuing Bachelor of Accountancy in Klang Valley universities. Questionnaires were distributed and only 551 out of 1000 responded. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 11.5. The statistical analyses that were used are descriptive statistics, frequencies, one tail t‐test, chi‐square, one‐way ANOVA, and Pearson Chi‐Square test. Findings show that almost all the students have heard about e‐commerce and know what it is. However, those who know about e‐commerce only have general knowledge about it. Most students who have heard of e‐commerce, are actually able to apply it and some of those who said they do not know e‐commerce had in fact got engaged in e‐commerce without realizing it. It was also found that the students’ computer skills also contribute to their awareness and understanding, as well as the application of e‐commerce. Significant correlation was found between the students’ computer skills with their awareness, understanding and the application of e‐commerce.