Evaluating Sociotechnical Factors Associated With Telecom Service Provisioning: A Case Study

Provisioning Internet services remains an area of concern for Internet service providers. Despite investments to improve resources and technology, the understanding of sociotechnical factors that influence the service-provisioning life cycle remains limited. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the influence of sociotechnical factors associated with telecom service provisioning and to explore the critical success and failure factors, specifically in the telecommunication industry of Kuwait. Guided by sociotechnical systems theory, this qualitative exploratory case study approach examined a purposeful sample of 19 participants comprising of managers, engineers, and technicians who had the knowledge and experience of the service-provisioning life cycle. Semistructured interviews, project logs, and a self-created follow-up questionnaire were the primary sources of data. Thematic analysis techniques assisted in coding the data and developing themes, which resulted in a set of critical success and failure factors that influence the service-provisioning life cycle. Cross-functional communication, risk management practices, infrastructure availability, and employee skill development were among the emergent factors that influenced the service implementation. Internet service providers may use the results from this study to improve the service-provisioning life cycle. Successful implementations will promote an environment of positive social change that will increase employee motivation, productivity, and employee morale

ヒューマン・ロボット・インタラクションに基づくコスト関数を用いた協働ロボット向け動作計画

要約のみTohoku University平田泰久課

Metamorphic temperature investigation of coexisting calcite and dolomite marble––examples from Nikani Ghar marble and Nowshera Formation, Peshawar Basin, Pakistan

Using marble samples from the Nikani Ghar marble and Nowshera Formation from Northern Pakistan the determination of the temperature of metamorphism was undertaken with the help of calcite-dolomite solvus geothermometer. Two types of marbles, that is, calcite-dolomite marble and quartz-bearing calcite-dolomite marble were selected. Petrographic and scanning electron microscope analysis of dolomite samples indicated different grain sizes. X-ray diffraction technique indicated the calcites MgCO₃ content up to 7.93 mol.%. Nikani Ghar marble samples have shown lower contents of MgCO₃ as compared to samples from Nowshera Formation. The calcite-dolomite-quartz marble has also showed relatively lower MgCO₃ content and hence rather low temperature (~500 °C). The temperature reached during peak metamorphism of the investigated marble occurrence, based on calcitedolomite solvus was 628 °C. Metamorphic temperatures derived from the present study were shown as a linear graph and values were in good agreement with the published literature.The authors acknowledge the financial support extended by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan and National Academy of Sciences (USA), project ID 131, under the PAK-USA S & T Cooperation Program, Award (No. 0521315). The authors are grateful to the HEC, Pakistan for their support in the form of “International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP)” to conduct a part of research at Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, United 996 Muhammad Fahad, Yaseen Iqbal, Mohammad Riaz, Rick Ubic and Simon A. T. Redfern Kingdom. The financial support extended by the Directorate of S & T, KP regarding minerals upgradation is also acknowledged

Design, synthesis and biological activities of 5Hdibenzo[ b,f]azepine-5-carboxamide derivatives; Targeted hippocampal trypsin inhibition as a novel approach to treat epileptogenesis

Purpose: To synthesize anticonvulsant drug derivatives that target protease-activated receptor generated epileptic seizures.Method: Varieties of carbamazepine-based Schiff bases were designed with different aldehydes and ketones, and evaluated for in silico computer-aided drug design prediction of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME), and potential drug targets. The resultant compounds were synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques, including FTIR, 1H-NMR and 13CNMR, analysis. Thereafter, they were screened for antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticonvulsant potential.Results: Prominent anti-protease potential was shown by C7 and C3 compounds and the order of activity was C7 > C3 > C5 > C2 > C6 > C4 > C2 > C1 (p < 0.05). The anticonvulsant activity of C7 and C5 was comparable with the standard drug; C3, C4, C6 and C8 had mild activity while C1 and C4 showed the least activity. The synthesized compounds exhibited significant (p < 0.05) antioxidant potential (rank order: C3 > C4 > C5 > C7 > C8 > C6 > C1 > C2) and antimicrobial activity against S.aureus and B. bronchiseptica (rank order: C5 > C2 > C8 > C1 > C4 > C3 > C7).Conclusion: Synthesized derivatives retained their potential for anticonvulsant and antitrypsin activity, unlike their mother moiety, i.e., carbamazepine. The additional antibacterial activity effectively treats neurological disorders associated with bacterial infections

IoT Based Real Time Early Age Concrete Compressive Strength Monitoring

Concrete Strength determination has been an expensive and hectic job due to its orthodox methodology of measuring concrete strength where cylinders are filled with concrete. Its strength is measured using the crushing of concrete (Compression Test). A significant amount of waste is generated while performing this test multiple times during the execution of the project. The present study proposes a new IoT-based framework comprising a low-cost sensor and a window dashboard to estimate and monitor the real-time early-age concrete strength. This system will significantly help the construction industry to avoid the onsite laboratory testing of concrete for strength. In this study, a temperature sensor, along with an ESP32 microprocessor, is used to acquire and transmit the recorded temperature in real time to a cloud database. The window application developed load data from the cloud database and presented it as figures and graphs related to concrete strength with time. The strength calculated using the developed sensor was compared with the actual strength determined using a compression test for the same mix design, which showed a significant match. The project is a contribution toward the non-destructive testing of concrete. By knowing the concrete strength of any structural member in advance, the practitioners can make decisions well before time to avoid delays in the project

The Mental Health Journey of Healthcare Workers Returning to Work After COVID-19 in Pakistan: Recovery and Resilience

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic various studies have reported that healthcare workers (HCWs) are not only at risk of exposure but also experiencing psychological distress. However, less is known about the mental health outcome of HCWs after their clinical recovery from COVID-19 infection. This study addresses a critical gap in our understanding by focusing on the mental health outcomes of HCWs in Pakistan after their clinical recovery from COVID-19 infection and the resumption of their duties. This cross-sectional, study was conducted among 272 HCWs who had recovered COVID-19 infection. The symptoms of depression were assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with depression. The findings revealed a depression prevalence of 33.82% among the HCWs in the study. Factors such as being female, middle-aged, having lower income, and working in COVID-19 wards increased the risk of depression. Moreover, those who perceived less social support from coworkers and supervisors and experienced an increased workload after resuming duties showed higher depression rates. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that clinical recovery from COVID-19 infection does not guarantee functional recovery for HCWs. To support their psychological well-being and resilience, it underscores the importance of enhanced social support in the workplace for who resume their duties after recovering from COVID-19 infection

Metamorphic Temperature Investigation of Coexisting Calcite and Dolomite Marble––Examples from Nikani Ghar Marble and Nowshera Formation, Peshawar Basin, Pakistan

Using marble samples from the Nikani Ghar marble and Nowshera Formation from Northern Pakistan the determination of the temperature of metamorphism was undertaken with the help of calcite-dolomite solvus geothermometer. Two types of marbles, that is, calcite-dolomite marble and quartz-bearing calcite-dolomite marble were selected. Petrographic and scanning electron microscope analysis of dolomite samples indicated different grain sizes. X-ray diffraction technique indicated the calcites MgCO3 content up to 7.93 mol.%. Nikani Ghar marble samples have shown lower contents of MgCO3 as compared to samples from Nowshera Formation. The calcite-dolomite-quartz marble has also showed relatively lower MgCO3 content and hence rather low temperature (~500 °C). The temperature reached during peak metamorphism of the investigated marble occurrence, based on calcitedolomite solvus was 628 °C. Metamorphic temperatures derived from the present study were shown as a linear graph and values were in good agreement with the published literature

Exchange Rate Volatility in Emerging Economies-A Case of Pakistan

The main objective of this study is to analyze the determinants of risk-taking behavior. Consistent with models of risk return, we indicate that risk-taking behavior in the context of investment is affected by the risk of self-attitudes, and perceptions of risk and return expectations. Analysis of the determinants of financial risk with the behavior is also important for practitioners. This applies in particular because of the implementation of the markets of financial instruments directive, which urges financial institutions to be aware of the risk preferences of our customers risk and their personal risk. One implication of our study is that objective measures of risk, such as historical volatility and return, are not able to determine the risk-taking behavior almost as well as subjective measures, the risk perceptions and self-return, especially the historical returns seems to be a poor indicator of risk-taking behavior. Moreover, we find substantial differences between the self-perceptions of risk is inferred from the interval estimates and inferred from those of the Likert scales. Our results also indicate that, in line with theoretical models, behavioral biases such as overconfidence and excessive optimism significantly affect risk behavior. Those investment advisers can try to incorporate some of these results in the consultative processes to correct the erroneous beliefs of investors. We also find evidence of the expanding scope of content in the privacy of our data. Determinants of risk-taking behavior differ not only between the two areas of content and very clear, but even in the field of investments. Measuring risk attitudes using lotteries approach is useless and therefore if we want to predict the behavior of risk in financial securities. It therefore seems that (method is used to have, for example, often in surveys of large plate-sized enterprises, such as socio-economic panel (SOEP), as well as in the banking industry) to extract positions risk customers by asking them about his conviction cannot predict the risk behavior of individuals. The same field content as a result of the extension of privacy also applies to measures of overconfidence; miscalibration only in the field of securities have had an impact on the portfolio of options, but not excessive in the preparation of a more general