This paper aims to present the design of a compact vertically polarized four-element UWB antenna suitable for MIMO communications.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the design of a compact vertically polarized four-element UWB antenna suitable for MIMO communications.
Design/methodology/approach
The unit cell antenna is constructed using a square ring radiator excited through a stepped impedance feed. The proposed antenna covers the Ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum ranging from 2.2 to 12.3 GHz. The isolation between the unit cell antennas in the array is enhanced using a simple microstrip line resonator. The decoupling element is connected to the ground through a via.
Findings
The proposed scheme offers at least 16 dB improvement in the port-to-port coupling. Furthermore, the four-element antenna array is constructed using a specific interlocking scheme. The proposed antenna array’s Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) performance metrics are analyzed.
Originality/value
By suitably selecting the excitation port, directional radiation patterns can be realized. The combined radiation pattern covers 360 degrees. A prototype antenna array is fabricated, and the simulation results are verified using real-time experiments. The proposed antenna is a suitable candidate for shark fin housing in automotive communications.
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Ajit Kumar Singh, Santosh Kumar Mahto and Rashmi Sinha
This study aims to present dual band reconfigurable MIMO antenna for 5G (sub-6 GHz) and WLAN applications.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present dual band reconfigurable MIMO antenna for 5G (sub-6 GHz) and WLAN applications.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve optimum bandwidth, radiation pattern and radiation efficiency, the defected ground structure (DGS) and a rectangular stub connected with the DGS are used. To further cover the sub-6 GHz spectrum (3.4–3.6 GHz) for future 5G communications, a two-element multi-input multi-output (MIMO) antenna configuration is designed by using the single element antenna. The proposed reconfigurable MIMO antenna using a PIN diode is designed on an FR4 substrate with a dielectric constant of 4.4 and a loss tangent of 0.02 and a 35 × 20 × 1.6 mm3 dimension.
Findings
The proposed antenna achieved dual operating bands of 3.4–4.1 GHz (5 G sub-6GHz applications) and 4.99–5.16 GHz (WLAN application) in the D = ON state. For D = OFF state, the proposed antenna achieved 3.55–3.65 GHz and 3.66–4.05 GHz frequency bands for 5G (sub-6GHz) applications. In terms of the envelop correlation coefficient, diversity gain, mean effective gain, total active reflection coefficient and isolation between the ports, the proposed antenna’s diversity performance characteristics are investigated and the obtained values are 0.05, 9.9 dB, ±3dB, −4dB, −15dB, respectively.
Research limitations/implications
The fabricated prototype antenna on FR4 substrate has measurable parameters that are in good agreement with the simulated findings. Due to hardware design limitations, there is a minor difference between software and hardware results.
Originality/value
The proposed MIMO antenna is compact and reconfigurable for 5G (sub-6GHz) and WLAN applications, and from the graph, the measurements and simulations have been found to be in close agreement.
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Esther Dzidzah, Kwame Owusu Kwateng and Benjamin Kofi Asante
The inception of mobile financial services (MFSs) has positively provoked economic growth and productivity, nonetheless, it has pessimistically caused an upward surge in…
Abstract
Purpose
The inception of mobile financial services (MFSs) has positively provoked economic growth and productivity, nonetheless, it has pessimistically caused an upward surge in cybersecurity threat. Customers are progressively becoming conscious of some of the threat and several of them now shun away from some suspicious activities over the internet as a form of protection. This study aims to explore the factors that influence users’ to adopt security behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
A synthesis of theories – Self-efficacy and technology threat avoidance theories – was used to examine the security behaviour of users of MFSs. Data was gathered from 530 students in Ghana using convenience sampling technique. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and structural equation model.
Findings
Outcome of the investigation indicate that both mastery experience and verbal persuasion have substantial effect on the avoidance motivation of MFSs users. It was, however, found that emotional state and vicarious experience of users do not influence their avoidance motivation. Also, it was established that avoidance motivation is a positive prognosticator of avoidance behaviour.
Practical implications
Understanding the security behaviour of MFS users will help the operators to outline strategies to sustain the successes achieved.
Originality/value
Studies on user security behaviour are rare, especially in sub Saharan Africa, thus, this study will contribute to extant literature by adding a new dimension of user security behaviour.
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Machine scheduling plays an important role in most manufacturing industries and has received a great amount of attention from operation researchers. Production scheduling is…
Abstract
Purpose
Machine scheduling plays an important role in most manufacturing industries and has received a great amount of attention from operation researchers. Production scheduling is concerned with the allocation of resources and the sequencing of tasks to produce goods and services. Dispatching rules help in the identification of efficient or optimized scheduling sequences. The purpose of this paper is to consider a data mining‐based approach to discover previously unknown priority dispatching rules for the single machine scheduling problem.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, the supervised statistical data mining algorithm, namely Bayesian, is implemented for the single machine scheduling problem. Data mining techniques are used to find hidden patterns and rules through large amounts of structured or unstructured data. The constructed training set is analyzed using Bayesian method and an efficient production schedule is proposed for machine scheduling.
Findings
After integration of naive Bayesian classification, the proposed methodology suggests an optimized scheduling sequence.
Originality/value
This paper analyzes the progressive results of a supervised learning algorithm tested with the production data along with a few of the system attributes. The data are collected from the literature and converted into the training data set suitable for implementation. The supervised data mining algorithm has not previously been explored in production scheduling.
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Premalatha Packirisamy, Manju Meenakshy and Srinath Jagannathan
The purpose of this paper is to explore the phenomenon of burnout during early career among knowledge workers in information technology (IT) services industry in India.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the phenomenon of burnout during early career among knowledge workers in information technology (IT) services industry in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The grounded theory research design was used to explore the research phenomenon. The study was based on the analysis of 43 in-depth interviews from the employees, managers and human resource professionals in IT services industry in India. Purposeful and theoretical sampling designs were used to locate the participants for the study. Grounded theory analytical procedures – open, axial and selective coding – were used to analyze and interpret the interview narratives. Atlas ti version 5.0. was used for qualitative data analysis.
Findings
The analysis of the interviews with the young knowledge workers reveal the following as the reasons for their burnout during early career: poor integration with the job and the organization at large, underemployment, stressful job and exhausting work environment, fear and insecurity of replacement of talent and downsizing. Strategies are discussed to deal with burnout situations among the young knowledge workers for individual and organizational well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of the study are applicable to organizations such as the IT services industry and thus the research outcome cannot be generalized. The study includes lived experiences of employees only during their early career.
Practical implications
The findings are relevant and useful in the practice domain as they are grounded in field reality. It provides directions for managerial and organizational practices in preventing burnout in early career among knowledge workers.
Originality/value
The paper is original and the present study is among the first attempts to investigate the nature of burnout through qualitative inquiry.
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Shima Yazdani and Esmail Lakzian
Currently, waste is regarded as a symptom of inefficiency. The generation of waste is a human activity, not a natural one. Currently, landfilling and incinerating wastes are…
Abstract
Currently, waste is regarded as a symptom of inefficiency. The generation of waste is a human activity, not a natural one. Currently, landfilling and incinerating wastes are common waste management techniques; but the use of these methods, in addition to wasting raw materials, causes damage to the environment, water, soil, and air. In the new concept of “Zero Waste” (ZW), waste is considered a valuable resource. A vital component of the methodology includes creating and managing items and procedures that limit the waste volume and toxicity and preserve and recover all resources rather than burning or burying them. With ZW, the end of one product becomes the beginning of another, unlike a linear system where waste is generated from product consumption. A scientific treatment technique, resource recovery, and reverse logistics may enable the waste from one product to become raw material for another, regardless of whether it is municipal, industrial, agricultural, biomedical, construction, or demolition. This chapter discusses the concept of zero landfills and zero waste and related initiatives and ideas; it also looks at potential obstacles to put the ZW concept into reality. Several methods are presented to investigate and evaluate efficient resource utilization for maximum recycling efficiency, economic improvement through resource minimization, and mandatory refuse collection. One of the most practical and used approaches is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, which is based on green engineering and the cradle-to-cradle principle; the LCA technique is used in most current research, allowing for a complete investigation of possible environmental repercussions. This approach considers the entire life cycle of a product, including the origin of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, usage, and final disposal, or recycling. Using a life cycle perspective, all stakeholders (product designers, service providers, political and legislative agencies, and consumers) may make environmentally sound and long-term decisions.
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Somasundaram Kamalasundari, Ganapathysamy Hemalatha and Premalatha Mundankandath Raghavan
The epidemic of obesity is escalating worldwide. This paper aims to focus on feasible and affordable measures to reduce obesity among sedentary persons aged 30 to 50 years, to…
Abstract
Purpose
The epidemic of obesity is escalating worldwide. This paper aims to focus on feasible and affordable measures to reduce obesity among sedentary persons aged 30 to 50 years, to provide suitable intervention to overcome excess body weight and to prevent further weight gain. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine such effects in India.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 288 sedentary office going people were motivated to reduce weight and on the basis of their being obese and willingness to participate in the study, 144 of them were selected for the intervention study. They were randomly divided into four groups. Subjects of Group I formed the control, Group II were given a high fiber and low glycemic diet mix, Group III participated in an exercise program and Group IV followed both. Anthropometric measurements were measured initially and at 30 days of interval up to 120 days, and biochemical tests were done before and after the intervention.
Findings
The subjects in Groups II, III and IV had 5 per cent reduction in anthropometric measurements. The biochemical tests revealed that the rate of decrease of mean total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were greatest in Group II. In Group IV, there was maximum decrease of mean total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio, mean LDL and HDL ratio, mean fasting blood glucose and also a favorable increase of HDL cholesterol. In Group III, there was maximum increase of hemoglobin. All the central obesity measures, except body mass index, are highly and positively correlated with the biochemical parameters.
Research limitations/implications
It was observed that, in some individuals, the weight loss was 8 to 10 kg, and for a few, the weight loss was less in the range of 1 to 2 kg. This indicated that the same kind of diet and exercise brought about weight reduction to different extents due to individual response. Because of the individual differences, there is a need to highlight the response of the intervention by examining the individual variability referring to age and gender rather than pooling the mean data.
Originality/value
It was observed that the inclusion of high fiber and low glycemic diet in the intervention had a profound influence in the reduction of weight. Exercise alone may not be very effective when opted as a single measure for reducing obesity, and it can only act as a complementary program along with diet for any weight reduction program.
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Daniel Côté, Sylvie Gravel, Stéphanie Gladu, Bouchra Bakhiyi and Sabrina Gravel
This article explores the protective measures and the occupational health and safety (OHS) prevention strategies in place in the formal electronic equipment recycling…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores the protective measures and the occupational health and safety (OHS) prevention strategies in place in the formal electronic equipment recycling (e-recycling) industry, more specifically in the Greater Montreal area (Quebec, Canada) and their consequences: health inequalities and level of compliance with environmental standards.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted using two respondent-specific questionnaires, one for workers and one for supervisors. Data collection and analytic procedures drew from qualitative content analysis. It was tempted to identify differences in OHS practices in relation to the workers' employment status and to link the companies' OHS concerns to their level of compliance with environmental standards.
Findings
The article highlights specific OHS issues in the formal e-recycling industry. Enforcing compliance with environmental standards as a lever for promoting OHS appears to be a promising strategy. Another main finding was the workforce diversity and related OHS vulnerabilities in this industry and the challenges they pose to employers' ability to adequately and equally reach and protect all workers involved.
Originality/value
To date, too little attention appears to have been paid to working conditions and worker protection in this rapidly growing sector. Specific prevention programmes could be implemented and adapted to the industry's diverse workforce and its multiple OHS vulnerabilities. This issue calls for the international community to take responsibility, as many electronic waste (e-waste) generated worldwide is shipped to developing countries, where lack of regulation and control is much more striking in a sector that remains very largely informal.
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This chapter explores the presentation of women's violence in Tamil mega serials. Tamil mega serials are produced in India and aired six days a week on satellite television…
Abstract
This chapter explores the presentation of women's violence in Tamil mega serials. Tamil mega serials are produced in India and aired six days a week on satellite television channels. The story revolves around households with extended families living together and issues affecting women such as family well-being, motherhood and fertility. Women mostly take the role of the main protagonist and antagonist in Tamil serials. This chapter analyses the presentation of violence in 10 episodes of Chandralekha, a Tamil mega serial. Perpetrators of violence in Tamil serials are mainly female antagonists and other characters supporting the antagonists. The rivalry between the protagonist and antagonist centres around the struggle for property or the love of or marriage with a man. The type of violence ranges from mild to severe kinds of physical violence, and non-physical violence. The presentation of violence in Tamil serials reflects gender inequality in society. The meaning of some forms of violence in mega serials is closely related to the traditional gender roles and notion of traditional femininity in society.
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Kasim Randeree and Nadeem Ahmed
The purpose of this paper is to examine social sustainability effectiveness of eco-cities through the case of Masdar City’s strategy for urban sustainability in Abu Dhabi, United…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine social sustainability effectiveness of eco-cities through the case of Masdar City’s strategy for urban sustainability in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a case study approach, the paper is an exploratory, qualitative analysis, which investigates the social, environmental and economic performance of Masdar City, a purported carbon-neutral, zero-waste urban development.
Findings
Though Masdar City substantively contributes to innovation in sustainable urban development within environmental and economic contexts and has been effective in capital circulation in green technology markets, the impetus as a commercially driven enterprise is most evident. Successful sustainable urban development requires greater consideration for the social imperative.
Practical implications
Eco-city mega-projects, such as Masdar City, have the potential to fuse achievements in innovation, technology and economic enterprise with the social imperative of functional urban habitats.
Originality/value
Eco-cities are of increasing interest given the growing need for sustainable, energy-efficient living. This paper contributes through a novel case study, exploring how the concept of the eco-city has been developed and understood in the Masdar City context and discusses successes and deficits in its strategic implementation.