Search results

1 – 10 of 58
Per page
102050
Citations:
Loading...
Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 2 September 2019

Vivekanandan D., Sakthivel M., Srinivasa Moorthy S. and Ajith Arul Daniel S.

In this study, TiO2 is used to enhance the mechanical properties of the composite material containing agave Americana fiber and polyester resin.

97

Abstract

Purpose

In this study, TiO2 is used to enhance the mechanical properties of the composite material containing agave Americana fiber and polyester resin.

Design/methodology/approach

Agave Americana fiber was first treated with 5% of NaOH, and the composition of treated and untreated fiber was kept constant, whereas the particulate and resin were alternatively used. The handlay method is used to fabricate the composite plates. The morphology of the composites was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Findings

The composite was composed of 30% treated agave Americana, 10% of TiO2 particulates and 60% of a polyester resin for better and enhanced mechanical properties.

Practical implications

The composite can be used for aero-structural components, automobile components and other areas where light-weight components are required.

Originality/value

A new type of agave Americana fiber with TiO2 and polyester resin composite was fabricated and investigated.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. 48 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0369-9420

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 30 November 2021

Gözde Konuk Ege, Hüseyin Yüce, Özge Akay, Hasbi Öner and Garip Genç

This paper aims to address the production of biocomposite nanofibers using luffa natural fibers and polyaniline conductive polymer/polyethylene oxides (PANI/PEO).

358

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to address the production of biocomposite nanofibers using luffa natural fibers and polyaniline conductive polymer/polyethylene oxides (PANI/PEO).

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, luffa natural fibers are extracted by chemical method. After mixing the treated luffa (TL) with the PANI/PEO solution, TL/PANI/PEO nanofibers were produced by electrospinning (ES) method under different ES parameters to examine the optimal conditions for nanofiber production. Then TL/PANI/PEO biocomposite nanofibers prepared in different weight ratios were produced to analyze the effects of luffa in the morphology and thermal properties of the biocomposite nanofibers. The characterization analysis of TL/PANI/PEO biocomposite nanofibers was performed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis methods.

Findings

The analysis shows that different weight ratios of TL to PANI/PEO changed the morphology of the membrane. When increasing the weight ratio of TL, the morphological structure of TL/PANI/PEO transformed from nanofiber structure to thin film structure. The appearance of O—H peaks in the FTIR results proved the existence of TL in PANI/PEO nanofibers (membrane). Moreover, an increase in the weight ratio of luffa from 2% to 7.5% leads to an increase in the peak intensity of the O—H group. Regarding DSC analysis, biocomposite nanofibers improved the thermal properties. According to all results, 2%wt TL/PANI/PEO showed optimal morphological properties.

Originality/value

Plant cellulose was extracted from the luffa, one of the natural fibers, by method of alkali treatment. A new type of biocomposite nanofibers was produced using TL blend with PANI via electrospinning method.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. 52 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0369-9420

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 29 December 2022

Rinat Arviv Elyashiv and Orit Avidov-Ungar

Large-scale assessment has been used in many education systems as an instrument to evaluate educational performance nationally. This practice is based on the concept of epistemic…

137

Abstract

Purpose

Large-scale assessment has been used in many education systems as an instrument to evaluate educational performance nationally. This practice is based on the concept of epistemic governance which encourages school accountability. This study aims to explore teachers' perspectives regarding the value and uses of national large-scale assessment (NLSA), highlighting its relevance across contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

Using qualitative data, this paper presents the case of the Israeli NLSA tests – the Meitzav, while examining the perceptions and actions in which teachers engage to follow-up on the test results, and the extent to which they implement pedagogical change in light of the test results.

Findings

The findings showed that teachers tend to use the NLSA test results as a pedagogical tool to improve learning processes to a limited extent. They concede that most activity involving the tests at the school and class levels is dedicated to preparation and not to pedagogical change. Some explanations are suggested.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the NLSA testing regime for the school, curriculum and pedagogy.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 17 April 2020

Houda Chakiri, Mohammed El Mohajir and Nasser Assem

Most local governance assessment tools are entirely or partially based on stakeholders’ surveys, focus groups and benchmarks of different local governments in the world. These…

374

Abstract

Purpose

Most local governance assessment tools are entirely or partially based on stakeholders’ surveys, focus groups and benchmarks of different local governments in the world. These tools remain a subjective way of local governance evaluation. To measure the performance of local good-governance using an unbiased assessment technique, the authors have developed a framework to help automate the design process of a data warehouse (DW), which provides local and central decision-makers with factual, measurable and accurate local government data to help assess the performance of local government. The purpose of this paper is to propose the extraction of the DW schema based on a mixed approach that adopts both i* framework for requirements-based representation and domain ontologies for data source representation, to extract the multi-dimensional (MD) elements. The data was collected from various sources and information systems (ISs) deployed in different municipalities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors present a framework for the design and implementation of a DW for local good-governance assessment. The extraction of facts and dimensions of the DW’s MD schema is done using a hybrid approach, where the extraction of requirement-based DW schema and source-based DW schema are done in parallel followed by the reconciliation of the obtained schemas to obtain the good-governance assessment DW final design.

Findings

The authors developed a novel framework to design and implement a DW for local good-governance assessment. The framework enables the extraction of the DW MD schema by using domain ontologies to help capture semantic artifacts and minimize misconceptions and misunderstandings between different stakeholders. The introduction and use of domain ontologies during the design process serves the generalization and automation purpose of the framework.

Research limitations/implications

The presently conducted research faced two main limitations as follows: the first is the full automation of the design process of the DW and the second, and most important, is access to local government data as it remains limited because of the lack of digitally stored data in municipalities, especially in developing countries in addition to the difficulty of accessing the data because of regulatory aspects and bureaucracy.

Practical implications

The local government environment is among the public administrations most subject to change-adverse cultures and where the authors can face high levels of resistance and significant difficulties during the implementation of decision support systems, despite the commitment/engagement of decision-makers. Access to data sources stored by different ISs might be challenging. While approaching the municipalities for data access, it was done in the framework of a research project within one of the most notorious universities in the country, which gave more credibility and trust to the research team. There is also a need for further testing of the framework to reveal its scalability and performance characteristics.

Originality/value

Compared to other local government assessment ad hoc tools that are partially or entirely based on subjectively collected data, the framework provides a basis for automated design of a comprehensive local government DW using e-government domain ontologies for data source representation coupled with the goal, rationale and business process diagrams for user requirements representations, thus enabling the extraction of the final DW MD schema.

Details

Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6166

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 April 2018

Kinshuk Kumar and Vivekanandan Vivekanandan

Smart learning analytics (Smart LA) – i.e. the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting data on how students learn – has great potentials to support opportunistic…

5351

Abstract

Purpose

Smart learning analytics (Smart LA) – i.e. the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting data on how students learn – has great potentials to support opportunistic learning and offer better – and more personalized – learning experiences. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the latest developments and features of Smart LA by reviewing relevant cases.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper studies several representative cases of Smart LA implementation, and highlights the key features of Smart LA. In addition, it discusses how instructors can use Smart LA to better understand the efforts their students make, and to improve learning experiences.

Findings

Ongoing research in Smart LA involves testing across various learning domains, learning sensors and LA platforms. Through the collection, analysis and visualization of learner data and performance, instructors and learners gain more accurate understandings of individual learning behavior and ways to effectively address learner needs. As a result, students can make better decisions when refining their study plans (either by themselves or in collaboration with others), and instructors obtain a convenient monitor of student progress. In summary, Smart LA promotes self-regulated and/or co-regulated learning by discovering opportunities for remediation, and by prescribing materials and pedagogy for remedial instruction.

Originality/value

Characteristically, Smart LA helps instructors give students effective and efficient learning experiences, by integrating the advanced learning analytics technology, fine-grained domain knowledge and locale-based information. This paper discusses notable cases illustrating the potential of Smart LA.

Details

Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2414-6994

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options

Abstract

Details

Disaster, Displacement and Resilient Livelihoods: Perspectives from South Asia
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-449-4

Access Restricted. View access options
Book part
Publication date: 9 June 2020

Raja Swamy

This chapter examines the manner in which a disaster-affected population of artisanal fishers relocated inland to new sites following the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 experienced…

Abstract

This chapter examines the manner in which a disaster-affected population of artisanal fishers relocated inland to new sites following the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 experienced and adapted to problems of water quality, scarcity, sanitation, and drainage. While numerous studies of conflicts over water tend to focus on issues of equitable access (see Anand, 2011), this chapter seeks to link the problem to the contested priorities driving land and resource use and access. I show how inland relocation negatively impacted households, making it harder to sustain livelihoods due to distance from the coast, while imposing new costs including that of commodified and scarce water, locational deficiencies, and the structural weaknesses of new housing. Placed in a historical context, the problem of water can be seen as an aspect of the long-term problem of ecologically unequal exchange pitting local artisanal fisher communities against an aggressively state-supported commercial fishery sector. The continuity I seek to hone in on is the pattern of imposing costs on fishers while enabling the alienation and privatization of coastal resources. Taking water not only as a vital substance presenting questions of access and quality but also as a problem of drainage and effluence enables a fuller consideration of how the unequal distribution of costs on poorer populations became legitimized in the name of recovery. At the same time, the chapter also highlights the manner in which fishers refused to remain docile subjects of power and used their agency and autonomy in adapting to and sometimes refusing the terms of relocation.

Details

Anthropological Enquiries into Policy, Debt, Business, and Capitalism
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-659-4

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 9 June 2022

Rajini V. and Margaret Amutha W.

The purpose of this paper is to carry out a detailed analysis of two port converter fed by Solar and wind sources during different operational modes by small signal modelling. The…

39

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to carry out a detailed analysis of two port converter fed by Solar and wind sources during different operational modes by small signal modelling. The converter is fully characterized and simulated using Matlab/Simulink. The voltage and current waveforms along with their corresponding expressions describing the converter operation are presented in detail. Then the DC-averaged equivalent topology is derived using circuit averaging technique. A complete derivation of the power stage transfer functions relevant to the capacitor voltage loop, such as capacitor voltage to solar voltage and inductor current to wind input voltage is obtained.

Design/methodology/approach

Stability analysis is used to analyze the small deviations around the steady-state operating point which helps in modeling the closed loop converter parameters. This paper presents the analysis, modeling and control of two port Cuk-buck converter topology.

Findings

Based on the results, a control strategy is designed to manage the energy flow within the system. A lab-level prototype for Cuk-buck converter with PWM controller is implemented and tested under various input conditions to study the performance of the converter during seasonal changes. The simulation and experimental results showed that effective operation and control strategy of the hybrid power supply system managed to be achieved alongside its feasible outputs.

Practical implications

This analysis can be extended to all power electronic converters and will be useful for the design of controllers.

Social implications

An appropriate control design plays a key role in enhancing the overall performance of the system. Hence, this paper is intended to present in detail the small signal modeling of the Cuk-buck converter along with the control design for all the switching modes.

Originality/value

Though this type of converter topology has been discussed widely in literature, very scarce literature is available related to modeling and control design of the converter. A state-space averaging model of the converter followed by a type-II compensator design is described, and prototype design and experimental results are also presented.

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 November 2021

Boontip Boonbumroongsuk and Parisa Rungruang

The study aims to investigate employees' overall justice perception and job stress as multiple mediators in the relationship between perceived talent management (TM) practices and…

1307

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to investigate employees' overall justice perception and job stress as multiple mediators in the relationship between perceived talent management (TM) practices and turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Covering various industries in Bangkok, Thailand, the sample of the study consists of 552 employees, including both talented employees and normal employees as defined by their organization. Online questionnaires were distributed internally by selected organizations, and structural equations modeling was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results indicate that both overall justice perception and job stress mediate the relationship between perceived TM practices and turnover intention.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the lack of empirical evidence in TM literature and aids in the design of better TM strategies to deliver effective organizational investments in its people.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 44 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 18 June 2018

Ramon Rodrigues, Celso G. Camilo-Junior and Thierson Rosa

Due to the large and fast growing sentiment analysis (SA) area recently, many new concepts and different nomenclatures have emerged without the desired organization. This…

306

Abstract

Purpose

Due to the large and fast growing sentiment analysis (SA) area recently, many new concepts and different nomenclatures have emerged without the desired organization. This confusion in the research field makes the understandability of the concepts hard and also hampers the comparison of different approaches. Thus, this paper aims to propose a hierarchical taxonomy to help the consolidation of SA area. The taxonomy aims at covering the addressed problems and methods in the SA field.

Design/methodology/approach

This taxonomy is a filtered union of various classifications found in the literature with a proposal of nomenclatures standardization. As instance, a case study is presented with 20 SA-related articles classified according to the proposed taxonomy.

Findings

This taxonomy is very expressive because it covers many concepts and is also effective once it allows the distinction and categorization of the previous SA works.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the literature does not present such an expressive and effective classification as proposed in this paper. This new taxonomy allows for the navigation between the existing concepts in the SA field as well as, facilitates the search, comparison and indexing of papers already published.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

1 – 10 of 58
Per page
102050