Factors Influencing Online Shopping Behavior Among Jordanian Academicians

Although online shopping had been widely adopted in developed countries, there was still low percentage of online shopping in developing countries like Jordan. The aims of this quantitative research were to empirically determine the significant predictors of online shopping behaviors (actual, intention and trust), examine the mediating effect of trust and intention on the relationship between predictors and actual online shopping behavior, and investigate the applicability of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in explaining online shopping behavior in Jordan. A survey was conducted among 317 academic staff in ten universities located in three areas (North, Middle and South) in Jordan. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Out of 15 hypotheses of online shopping behaviors, nine had significant direct effects (intention, trust and subjective norm to actual behavior; trust, uncertainty avoidance, subjective norm and perceived behavior control to intention; uncertainty avoidance and subjective norm to trust). The study also found that intention was a fill mediator of the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and perceived behavioral control with actual online shopping behavior. It was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between trust and subjective norm with actual online shopping behavior. Trust was also found as a fill mediator of the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and attitude with actual online shopping behavior. Finally, trust and intention filly mediated the relationship of uncertainty avoidance and attitude with actual online shopping behavior. The present study also highlighted implications of the study, future research work as well as its study limitations

Effect of Bending Moment Changes on the Rate of Axial Bearing of Composite Columns

At present, Concrete Filled Steel Tubes (CFST) are extensively used in modern structures due to their static and vibrating strength specifications. In this research, a new design model is studied for steel-concrete composite columns under the title of steel tube-shaped columns filled with self-consolidating reinforced concrete with high strength. In this composite column, an I- or cruciform steel hollow-square section is placed inside a square steel tube and the self-consolidating concrete with high strength is poured inside the tube. The ABAQUS software was used to analyze by finite element method (FEM) thirteen composite columns exposed to compression and bending. The effects of the concrete strength, the ratio of width to thickness, the ratio of length to width, and the ratio of the steel cross-section on the strength of these composite columns were evaluated. The results showed that the steel hollow-square section paced inside limited the formation of the diametric shear cracks in the concrete core. Therefore, the failure mode and the post-yield behavior change the composite short columns. The load curves against the axial strain; the stress distribution of the composite columns; and also the interaction curves of the nominal axial load and the nominal bending moment are shown. The comparison of the results computed by the use of FEM modeling showed good compatibility with the laboratory results

Use of Carbon Nanofilaments in Producing Cementitious Composites with Improved Mechanical and Durability Performance

Reinforcement of cementitious materials is a common technique for improving mechanical performance and preventing crack propagation, and is typically applied at the macro-scale, meso-scale (millimetre scale) and/or at the micro-scale using macrofibres and microfibres, respectively. Cementitious material failure is a multi-scale process, however, and also occurs at the nano-scale (10-9 m). The use of nano-additives may therefore be valuable in reinforcing cement hydration products at the nano-scale, bridging nano and micro cracks to prevent initial crack propagation, and refining the pore structure to densify the cement matrix. This research focuses on the use of carbon based nano-additives as nano-reinforcement agents in cementitious composites, with the aim of producing novel high performance nanocomposite materials for practical structural application (e.g. as repair materials). Four types of nano-additives were investigated: multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), functionalised MWCNTs, carbon nanofibres (CNFs), and “few layer graphene oxides” (FLGO). The unique geometrical characteristics of these additives in particular, as well as their mechanical properties such as high strength, ductility and stiffness, were the motivation for this study. In this work, extensive experimental studies have been conducted to develop practical and effective dispersion techniques for carbon nano-additives for cementitious application, and to produce novel cementitious composites with nano-additives (i.e. Nanofilaments Reinforced Cementitious Composites (NRCC)) and with hybrid nano-and-micro fibres (i.e Multiscale Hybrid Reinforced Cementitious Composites (MHRCC). The work has also focused on evaluating the efficiency of nanofilaments as nano reinforcement agents, controlling cracking and its impact on the durability of the produced composites. More specifically, test methods have been used to assess the shrinkage and cracking response of thin composite layers exposed to restrained shrinkage, and their sulfuric acid resistance. Furthermore, the potential application of the developed hybrid composites (MHRCC) as a layer repair/strengthening material was examined. Carbon nano-additives (MWCNTs, functionalised MWCNTs, CNFs, and GO) have a high tendency to agglomerate due to their strong Van der Waals self-attraction and hydrophobic surfaces. To date, ensuring a uniform dispersion in water and in the cementitious composite is the main challenge that hinders their effective use as a nano reinforcing agent. The present study focuses on a novel dispersion technique for dispersing the carbon nano-additives in water and in the cementitious composite. The effect of various intensities of sonication and treatment times, and the effect of surfactants and mineral admixtures on the dispersion behaviour were investigated. Nano-additive suspensions were semi-quantitatively and qualitatively analysed analysed using Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (Uv-vis) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The mechanical properties and microstructure of the resulting composite material were characterised through compressive, direct tensile strength, and Scanning Election microscopy (SEM) tests. It was found that periodic and short-duration, high-intensity sonication achieved superior dispersion of the agglomerated carbon nano-additives at different concentrations, and led to cementitious composites with improved mechanical performance. The new composite material overcomes a number of issues associated with conventional cementitious composites, in particular their tendency to crack at the nanoscale under loading, and during shrinkage. The obtained results on dispersion show that it is possible to produce composites reinforced (i) at the nano scale by incorporating a very low percentage of nanofilaments at 0.025%(by cement weight) and (ii) at nano-and-micro scale by incorporating a low percentage of nanofilaments at 0.025% (by cement weight) together with micro steel fibres (volume fraction of 2%). Addition of nanofilaments resulted in cementitious composites with improved tensile strength, drying and restrained shrinkage performance. Hybrid fibre composites exploit the synergistic effect between nano-and micro additives and can potentially lead to significant improvements in toughness and other mechanical properties. Encouraging results are reported suggesting that incorporating effectively dispersed nanotubes/fibres has the potential to produce composites with simultaneously improved mechanical performance and long-term durability. Repairing of reinforced concrete beams by using a thin layer (35 mm) of Multiscale Hybrid Reinforced Cementitious Composites(MHRCC) was found to have many advantages, such as increasing the ultimate load, stiffness, extending the service life, and potentially delaying crack formation and propagation

Oilfield Produced Water Management: Treatment, Reuse and Disposal

Produced water is accompanied with the production of oil and gas especially at the fields producing by water drive or water injection. The quantity of these waters is expected to be more complicated problem with an increasing in water cut which is expected to be 3-8 barrels water/produced barrel oil.Produced water may contain many constituents based on what is present in the subsurface at a particular location. Produced water contains dissolved solids and hydrocarbons (dissolved and suspended) and oxygen depletion. The most common dissolved solid is salt with concentrations range between a few parts per thousand to hundreds parts per thousand. In addition to salt, many produced waters also contain high levels of heavy metals like zinc, barium, chromium, lead, nickel, uranium, vanadium and low levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM).This study will highlight the main aspects of the different international experiences with the produced water treatment for subsequent reuse or disposal. These different treatment methods vary considerably in effectiveness, cost and their environmental impacts. Samples of produced water from Al-Mishrif formation in ten wells belongs to five fields southern Iraq were taken and analyzed chemically to define the basic features of these waters and to have guide lines for the best strategy that required handling the increased water cut in these fields

Study and Analysis Emissions Specifications for Iraqi Automobiles

في هذا البحث تم التركيز على التلوث البيئي الناتج من احتراق وقود السيارات اذ قارنت الدراسة المواصفات القياسية العراقية مع المواصفات القياسية الاوربية للحدود العليا المسموحة لانبعاثات غازات العادم. حيث ظهرت الكثير من الاختلافات بين المواصفة العراقية والمواصفة الاوربية كون المواصفة العراقية محدودة ولا تشمل جميع الغازات المنبعثة من العادم على العكس من الاوربية، بالاضافة الى ان المواصفة العراقية تعتمد على الانبعاثات الناتجة من المركبات في ظروف التشغيل المثالية في حين المواصفة الاوربية يكون في ظروف تشغيلية مختلفة. هذه الدراسة اجريت على 35 مركبة اذ تم التحقق من الانبعاثات الناتجة من المركبات باستخدام جهاز تحليل العادم ومناقشة التباين في المواصفة العراقية حيث تم دراسة النتائج باستخدام مخططات السيطرة النوعية (X- bar) وتمثيلها بيانياً باستخدام برنامج (Minitab 2016). وكذلك استخدم مؤشر مقدرة العملية لقياس الانبعاثات الناتجة من المركبات ومدى مطابقتها للمواصفات القياسية. حيث أظهرت النتائجبواسطة مخططات السيطرة النوعية أن حوالي 30٪ من انبعاثات السيارات خارج حدود المواصفات القياسية العراقية، وهذا بدوره يؤثر سلبا على البيئة العراقية لأن الانبعاثات تؤثر بشكل مباشر وغير مباشر على البيئة وصحة الإنسان. ان ضمان الجودة يتطلب الرصد المستمر والتفتيش الدوري للمركبات للحد من الانبعاثات الضارة الناتجة احتراق الوقود وبالتالي يجب تحديث المواصفات القياسية العراقية بما يتلائم مع البيئة العراقية.In this research, focused on the environmental pollution from fuel combustions of automobiles, the study compared the maximum allowable limits for Iraqi emissions standard specification with the European emissions standard specification. Whereas many different between the Iraqi specification and European specification. The first one is limited unlike the second specification, which is dealt with all polluting gases, as well as differences in the measuring units between them. The Iraqi specification measures the emissions in ideal conditions while the European depends on the measurement on different operational conditions. This study was conducted on 35 automobiles, the emissions data was obtained by using an exhaust gas analyzer and represented by using a qualitative control tool ( - control charts); Minitab software version 2016 was used to generate quality control charts. Process capability index applied to measure the degree to which emissions meets the standard specifications. The results by control charts showed that about 30% of the automobiles emissions exceed the limits of the Iraqi standard specifications. This in turn affects negatively to the Iraqi environment, because emissions affect directly and indirectly to the environment and human health. Quality assurance requires continuous monitoring and Periodic inspections of automobiles to minimize and reduces harmful emissions from fuel combustion; therefore must be updated specification, as appropriate with the Iraqi environment

Design and implementation of hybrid vehicle using control of DC electric motor

The electric motors and its control technology are key components of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Control of the electric motor is a fundamental issue for traction application in electric vehicles and HEVs. This paper presents the design, development and implementation of a hybrid vehicle using both an electric motor and petrol engine to increase efficiency and decrease carbon footprint. Initially, a prototype of a HEV is designed and the performance values are calculated, before a control system is developed and implemented to control the DC motor speed using a microcontroller as the vehicle’s electronic control unit along with simple proportional integral derivative (PID) control using speed as a feedback mechanism. The prototype made incorporated voltage, current, speed and torque sensors for feedback resulting in a closed loop control system which successfully matched the speed input of a user-controlled pedal sensor. A user interface was developed to show the driver of the vehicle key variables such as the revolutions per minute (RPM) of the motor, the speed of the vehicle along with the current being drawn, and the voltage applied to the motor with overall power. To output a variable voltage from the Arduino, a digital output was used with pulse width modulation (PWM) capabilities in order to provide a variable DC voltage to the speed controller

Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Activity of New Complex Cobalt, Nickel and Chromium of (Z)-4-(3-Carboxyacrylamido)-2-Hydroxybenzoic Acid

Synthesis of(Z)-4-(3-carboxyacrylamido)-2-hydroxybenzoic acid ligand from acetic anhydride and  p- amino salicylic acid was complex with Co(II),Ni(II) and Cr(III),the complexes have been characterized by spectral(FTIR,Uv-Vis)and electrochemical method using conductmetric ,the resulting nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and biological activity 

The Accounting and Auditing Profession in Jordan: Its Origin and Development

This study reviews the historical development of accounting the auditing profession in Jordan. It investigates the social, economic, and political factors which have affected the accounting and auditing profession in Jordan. In addition, this study tracks the development of the accounting and auditing profession themselves and the related commercial legislations since the beginning of the twentieth century to the current era, with the aim of providing a general background about the development of accounting and auditing in Jordan. The findings indicate that the Anglo-American model was adopted in accounting as a result of social, political, and economical factors. Also, Jordan is currently committed to financial reporting standards and international auditing standards. Keywords: Accounting; Auditing profession, Emergence, Development, Financial reportin

Anti-Mullerian hormone and Insulin-like growth factor-1 are predictive markers for ovarian reserve

Background: Ovarian reserve is defined as the existent quantitative and qualitative supply of follicles which are found in the ovaries that can potentially develop into mature follicles which in effect determines a woman’s reproductive potential. Many tests of ovarian reserve are employed including clinical, endocrine static, endocrine dynamic and  ultrasonographic markers. Aims of study: To determine the age-related changes in AMH and IGF-1 levels that occurs in Iraqi women as markers of ovarian reserve and to determine the specificity and sensitivity of IGF-1 and FSH for ovarian reserve. Subjects, material and methods: One hindered cases were collected dividing into two groups; first group includes fifty cases of child bearing age, healthy, fertile females with regular menstrual cycle while second group includes fifty cases of postmenopausal aging group, healthy with normal fertility history. Serum levels of Follicle stimulating hormone, Luteinizing hormone, Prolactin, Anti Müllerian Hormone and Insulin like Growth Factor-1 were estimated for all cases. Results: The overall mean age of the respondents was 45.06 ± 16.68 years old with significant statistical difference between the mean age of pre and post-menopausal women. Results of Anti Müllerian Hormone showing a significant statistical difference between means of Anti Müllerian Hormone hormone for pre-menopausal women (2.89± 2.07 ng/ml) and post-menopausal women (0.0± 0.0 ng/ml). Measuring of Insulin like Growth Factor-1 showing significant statistical difference between pre-menopausal women (211.04± 63.81 ng/ml) and post-menopausal groups' women (120.70± 39.69 ng/ml). Similarly results of Follicle stimulating hormone reveal significant differences between means of Follicle stimulating hormone for pre-menopausal women (6.03± 1.53 ml U/ ml) and post-menopausal women (56.06± 17.07 ml U/ ml). There was no significant association between AMH and IGF1 hormones and IGF1 hormone has been failed to detect ovarian reserve and still the AMH is the gold standard test. Conclusion: Significant changes occur in Anti Müllerian Hormone, I Insulin like Growth Factor-1  and Follicle stimulating hormone with progression of the age and Anti Müllerian Hormone still the stander ovarian reserve test in compare with Insulin like Growth Factor-1 and Follicle stimulating hormone. Key words: Ovarian reserve, AMH, IGF-1

The Effectiveness of a Training Program in Developing The Auditory Perception Skills and its Effect in Improvement reading Skills Of Students with Learning Disabilities.

The study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a training program in developing the auditory perception skills and its effect in improving reading skills of students with learning disabilities (LD). The sample of the study were 40 students who were chosen purposively from students who have learning disabilities and who were attending 4th grade resource rooms. These participants were divided into two groups: the first group was an experimental group while the other was a control group. Each group consisted of 20 male students with LD. Moreover, the study used the auditory perception scale prepared by Al-Kailani and Al-Waqfi (1998) which was standardized on the Jordanian environment. In addition, a reading achievement test prepared by the researchers was used. The training program was applied on the experimental group to develop auditory perception skills for a period of two months. The Shared Variance analysis (ANCOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results were as follows; there were statistical significant differences at (α \u3c 0.05) in auditory perception skills between the subjects of both groups; the experimental and control group being better for experimental group on the total auditory perception scale, also on its dimensions in favor of the experimental group. Moreover, there were statistical significance difference in academic (reading) achievement between both groups at the level (α \u3c 0.05) in favor of the experimental grou