Herein, we theoretically design four new π-conjugated thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine derivatives for organic solar cells (OSCs), denoted 2,3-di([2,2′:5′,2″:5″,2‴-quaterthiophen]-5-yl)-5,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine, 2,3-bis(5'''-(4-fluorophenyl)-[2,2':5',2'':5'',2'''-quaterthiophen]-5-yl)-5,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine, 2,3-bis(5'''-(4-methoxyphenyl)-[2,2':5',2'':5'',2'''-quaterthiophen]-5-yl)-5,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine, and 2,3-bis(5'''-(9-methyl-9H-carbazol-2-yl)-[2,2':5',2'':5'',2'''-quaterthiophen]-5-yl)-5,7-di(thiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine. The geometric, electronic, optical, photovoltaic, and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of the investigated chemical structure were investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time-Dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. Structural changes on the chemical structure induce a narrow energy gap in the range (2.08 – 2.12 eV), and an enhancement of the absorption in the visible range (λmax = 682 – 688 nm). In addition, a low value of exciton binding energies is obtained (Eb = 0.28 – 0.31 eV). Analysis of the density of states (DOS), transition density matrix (TDM), electron localization function (ELF), and localized orbital locator (LOL) showed effective charge delocalization and donor-to-acceptor electron transfer. The photovoltaic performance was assessed using the open circuit voltage (Voc) obtained between Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) donor to Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) acceptor levels and was found promising (Voc = 1.32 – 1.44 V). The large hyperpolarizability and high nonlinearity response of the NLO results also indicated the potential for these molecules to be used in various optoelectronic applications.

The study explores the impact of digitalization and supply chain integration on the financial performance of the Tunisian agro-industrial sector, considering the growing importance of digital technologies in modern business operations. The objective is to examine the relationship between these two factors and financial performance in this sector. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS26 software, employing principal component analysis and linear regression. The results show that digitalization and supply chain integration significantly influence the financial performance of agro-industrial organizations in Tunisia. This study makes a theoretical contribution by shedding light on how digital advancements and supply chain strategies affect financial outcomes in this context. In conclusion, the findings highlight the significant effects of digitalization and supply chain integration on the financial performance of Tunisian agro-industrial companies.

In the present work, a statistical modeling of the % increase in von-Mises and Tresca stress was done for a structural steel pipe containing a quarter-ellipsoidal internal corrosion defect subjected to internal hydrostatic pressure. An analytical solution was developed considering the internal corrosion defect length (z), width (x), depth (y), and internal hydrostatic pressure (P) as independent variables. The finite element analysis (FEA) simulated dataset was used for modeling. The analytical equations demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with coefficients of determination (R²) of 98.64% for von Mises stress and 98.38% for Tresca stress. The stress distribution from FEA was nearly similar quantitatively for both stresses; however, their patterns exhibited noticeable differences in their respective profiles inside and outside of the curvature of the internal corrosion defect. The contour plots for the percentage increase in von-Mises and Tresca stresses revealed both elastic and plastic regimes. The maximum percentage increase in von Mises stress remained slightly below the ultimate tensile strength of the specimen. In contrast, the contour plots for Tresca stress indicated a limited region in which the stress exceeded the ultimate tensile strength. For the linear effect, the geometrical variable x (width of the internal corrosion defect) exhibited a negative T-value, indicating that an increase in x reduces the percentage increase in both von Mises and Tresca stresses. The significance of standardized effects for von-Mises stress was in the order of P > y > z > x > zy> yp> zz> xy> xP> zP> xx. However, for the Tresca stress, the order was P > y > x > z > zy> yp> xy> zz> xP> zP> xx. The steel pipe with an internal corrosion defect of minimum length (z = 30 mm), maximum width (x = 134 mm), and minimum depth (y = 0.5 mm) exhibited the lowest von Mises and Tresca stresses. However, the maximum stresses were observed for a defect with maximum length (z = 454 mm), minimum width (x = 26 mm), and maximum depth (y = 1.5 mm).

Among the well-known scheduling problems, the customer order scheduling problem (COSP) has always been of great importance in manufacturing. To reflect the reality of COSPs as much as possible, this study considers that jobs from different orders are classified in various classes. This paper addresses a tri-criteria single-machine scheduling model with multiple job classes and customer orders on which the measurement minimizes a linear combination of the sum of the ranges of all orders, the tardiness of all orders, and the total completion times of all jobs. Due to the NP-hard complexity of the problem, a lower bound and a property are developed and utilized in a branch-and-bound for solving an exact solution. Afterward, four heuristics with three local improved searching methods each and a water wave optimality algorithm with four variants of wavelengths are proposed. The tested outputs report the performances of the proposed methods.

This study focuses on the impact of the digital supply chain, including digital suppliers, digital manufacturing, and digital logistics, on sustainability outcomes in pharmaceutical companies in Jordan. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 226 managers of pharmaceutical companies in Jordan. The questionnaire measures perceptions, attitudes and experiences related to digital supply chain adoption and sustainability performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used as an analytical framework to study the relationships between digital supply chain and sustainability outcomes. The hypothesized relationships were tested using confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis techniques within the SEM framework. The results indicate a positive relationship between digital supply chain adoption and sustainability performance in pharmaceutical companies in Jordan. Based on the results, several recommendations were proposed for pharmaceutical companies in Jordan to enhance their sustainable performance through digital supply chain initiatives. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between digital supply chain practices and sustainability outcomes in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in the context of Jordan.

Industrial development has made major breakthroughs in the last decade in the wake of increased production, government policies and public demand. At the same time, problems related to environmental sustainability have become a major concern for producers. The unsatisfactory dimension of environmental protection has always been highlighted, because the environmental management system (EMS) is ignored and not consistently implemented in certain Tunisian companies. This increasing interest in environmental consciousness is pushing manufacturers to aspire to adopt successful environmental management strategies. Organizations are in fact increasingly responsible for monitoring and enhancing their environmental efficiency. The present work is intended to resolve these issues by establishing the essential factors and modelling their interrelationships in the Tunisian context. By reviewing literature and expert opinions, 14 critical factors have been identified which leads to responsive in the implementation of EMS- based ISO 14001. For better understanding, the MICMAC research was used to identify the critical variables according to their driving and dependence power. The present study highlights “Top management commitment and support” and “Government policies and legislation” as the most significant factors for ISO 14001 implementation. This research will facilitate organizations' readiness for implementation of ISO 14001 by providing a detailed understanding of mutual relationships among EMS factors based on ISO 14001.

The aim of this research paper is to assess intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations between the public and the private sector for high school teachers toward teaching as a profession. A sample of teachers were chosen from the public and the private school in Jordan (N=204). Four hypotheses were tested using independent-samples T-test, the result shows that private school teachers were more motivated by extrinsic compensation motives and extrinsic outward motives, while public school teachers were more motivated by intrinsic challenge motives and intrinsic enjoyment motives. The authors found out that private school teachers perceived themselves motivated by money and rewards, to be better than their colleagues in doing their job and need to have a recognition for their performance at their work. Public school teachers perceived themselves as enjoying tackling new problems and solving complex and difficult problems and considered their job as very important to them.

In this article, we analyse whether the management structure of a company plays a role in the sustainability of companies. More specifically, we study the impact of occupied outside directors, outside directors sitting on several boards of directors, on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of the company. We collect information about board characteristics, information about the board and management from MSCI ESG Research and financial information from Compustat. The study collects data based on panel data, which ranges from 2014 to 2020. The final sample consists of 550 US companies over a five-year period and contains 3850 firm-year observations. The study finds a positive relationship between busy outside directors and ESG performance. Busy outside directors have a positive impact not only on the overall ESG score, but also on individual ESG components. The environmental score is most affected by busy external directors, while the governance score appears to be little affected. Contrary to the theory that busy outside directors are overly engaged and degrade the fixed value, the findings support the theory that busy outside directors improve a company's sustainability performance because of their engagement, experience and the ESG performance.

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) are pivotal to financial inclusion in emerging economies, yet they face heightened credit risk due to borrower informality, data scarcity, and severe class imbalance. Motivated by the microfinance context, this study proposes a human-centered hybrid machine learning framework that integrates ensemble learning with Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) to enhance default detection while supporting transparent and responsible decision-making. Using a large-scale public credit application dataset as an empirical benchmark, we compare logistic regression, Random Forest, AdaBoost and Naïve Bayes models under imbalanced and rebalanced conditions. The results indicate that class rebalancing substantially improves minority-class detection, with the Random Forest + SMOTE configuration achieving the best performance (F1 = 0.73; AUC = 0.97). Beyond predictive accuracy, the findings highlight the importance of human oversight and explainability to mitigate exclusionary risks. The study offers practical guidance for MFIs seeking to leverage artificial intelligence while preserving financial sustainability and social inclusion objectives.

This article presents a new approach to address the problem of joint planning of physical and financial flows. The main contribution of this work is that it integrates supply chain contracts and also focuses on supply chain tactical planning in an uncertain and disrupted environment, taking into account budgetary and contractual constraints. In order to minimize the effect of disturbances due to existing uncertainties, a planning model is developed and implemented on a rolling horizon basis. The goal is to seek the best compromise between the available decision-making levers linked with physical and financial flows by adopting a dynamic process that allows for data update at each planning stage. The results of the implemented approach are analysed to highlight the benefits incurred by the inter-firm collaboration in terms of operational performance and working capital (WC) of the supply chain. Our approach represents a basis for negotiation with the suppliers in order to yield a possibly shared profit.