Since the late 80’s the Structural Analysis Research Group of the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) has been involved in the development of non-conventional finite element formulations in order to overcome some of the limitations associated with the use of the CFE method and to develop high performance numerical tools for the analysis of structural engineering problems. Several alternative models for the linear and non-linear structural analysis have been developed using hybrid and mixed models techniques. These works are summarized in this paper, in which their past and future applications of this formulation in non-linear analysis of structures are fully detailed.

Management scholars view workplace spirituality as the main factor behind building trust among employees and playing a pivotal role in enhancing the organization's positive outcomes, i.e., knowledge sharing behavior & work engagement. Underpinning social exchange theory, we explored the linkage between workplace spirituality, knowledge sharing behavior, and work engagement. We further studied to look at the mediating effect of trust between workplace spirituality and positive outcomes. Data was collected from six private companies, the total number of respondents was (n=196). The study's analysis showed that workplace spirituality substantially positively impacts knowledge sharing behavior and work engagement. Furthermore, the link between workplace spirituality, knowledge sharing behavior, and work engagement is positively and statistically significantly mediated by trust. Thus, this work contributes significantly to the research paradigm by presenting workplace spirituality as a solution for high-rise trust among employees, fostering employee engagement in their work, and improving the capacity of knowledge-sharing behavior. Additionally, at the end of this study, theoretical and managerial suggestions, future avenues, and limitations are stated.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become essential for business. The adoption rate of IoT has dropped recently and this could be due to security, privacy, and trust issues. Blockchain (BC) has the potential to mitigate the risk of security, privacy, and trust. However, few studies examined the integration between IoT and BC in the context of developing countries. The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors of IoT adoption by telecommunication companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In addition, the study aims to examine the moderating role of BC as well as the effect of using IoT and BC on the competitive advantage of companies. Based on technology acceptance model, social exchange theory, and resource-based view, the study proposed that security, privacy, trust, communication quality, perceived ease of use (PEOU), and perceived usefulness (PU) affect positively the adoption of IoT. BC is proposed as a moderating variable and expected with IoT to affect the competitive advantage of companies. The population includes all the telecommunication companies in GCC. Data was collected using purposive sampling from IT professionals. The results of data analysis using SmartPLS showed that security, privacy, trust, PU, and PEOU positively affected the adoption of IoT. BC and IoT adoption have a positive effect on competitive advantage. Further, BC moderated only the effect of security and privacy on the adoption of IoT. Services providers must enhance the security, privacy, and trust of IoT services by deploying BC technology. Effective integration of IoT and BC will lead to the achievement of competitive advantages.

Metal complexes of [2-(2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-ylazo)-pyridin-3-ol] are derived from 2-amino-3-hydroxypyridine and β-naphthol was synthesized and characterized by thermal, spectral and analytical tools. The ligand was reacted with Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) in 1:2 stoichiometry. The IR spectra confirms the azo ligand coordination to metal ions via azo nitrogen and phenolic oxygen of pyridine after deprotonation. Both IR and 1HNMR spectra recorded involvement of deprotonated hydroxyl groups with proton displacement. The magnified fluorescence was shown by Mn(II) and Ni(II) complexes. None of the prepared ligands or complexes show any NLO activity with KDP as standard. The DNA cleavage and anticancerous activities done. The influence of zinc chelates on cure characteristics of rubber compounds was estimated based on rheometer measurements. The ligand and metal complexes are tested in vitro against some bacteria and fungi species. The antioxidant activities, DNA cleavage and anticancerous activities done. Ligand and its complexes catalysed cleavage of DNA.

Variety, quality, and rapid response are becoming a trend in customer requirements in the contemporary competitive markets. Thus, an increasing number of manufacturers are frequently seeking alternatives such as redesigning their fabrication scheme and outsourcing strategy to meet the client’s expectations effectively with minimum operating costs and limited in-house capacity. Inspired by the potential benefits of delay differentiation, outsourcing, and quality assurance policies in the multi-item production planning, this study explores a single-machine two-stage multi-item batch fabrication problem considering the abovementioned features. Stage one is the fabrication of all the required common parts, and stage two is manufacturing the end products. A predetermined portion of common parts is supplied by an external contractor to reduce the uptime of stage one. Both stages have imperfect in-house production processes. The defective items produced are identified, and they are either reworked or removed to ensure the quality of the finished batch. We develop a model to depict the problem explicitly. Modeling, formulation, derivation, and optimization methods assist us in deriving a cost-minimized cycle time solution. Moreover, the proposed model can analyze and expose the diverse features of the problem to help managerial decision-making. An example of this is the individual/ collective influence of postponement, outsourcing, and quality reassurance policies on the optimal cycle time solution, utilization, uptime of each stage, total system cost, and individual cost contributors.

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of strategic entrepreneurship, innovative entrepreneurship, and social capital on the overall performance of businesses by establishing a sustainable supply chain management system in private colleges in Jordan. The primary objective of the study was to examine the impact of these elements on the development of sustainable supply chain management and the overall performance of businesses. To assess the assumptions posited in this study, a total of 329 individuals were recruited as participants, and their data were subjected to analysis and discussion. The study demonstrated that the implementation of an entrepreneurship strategy, together with the adoption of creative entrepreneurial practices inside the organization, as well as the support and enhancement of social capital management, all contributed to the development of a sustainable supply chain management system and the enhancement of overall business performance. The significance of strategic entrepreneurship emerged, highlighting its encompassment of key elements such as Market Opportunity Assessment, resource allocation, and firm design. The subsequent concept that emerged was that of creative entrepreneurship, encompassing elements such as creativity and the production of ideas, willingness to take risks and engage in experimentation, as well as the ability to sense market trends and prioritize customer-centric innovation. Social capital emerged as a prominent feature, constituting the third important element. This category encompassed other subcategories, including networking and fostering relationships, trustworthiness and reputation, as well as the exchange of knowledge and facilitation of information dissemination. The results indicated the potential for enhancing overall business performance and developing a sustainable supply chain management by implementing an entrepreneurship strategy, specifically entrepreneurship innovativeness, and fostering social capital. This approach can aid employees in understanding their job responsibilities. The achievement of this objective can be facilitated through the provision of training and development opportunities for personnel.

In recent years, nano-filler-based hybrid composites have gained significant attention from the research community; The nano-filler-based hybrid composites can have potential applications in numerous sectors. Nano-fillers are bringing a leading development in material science and natural fibers-based composites. The present study considers the impact of various weight percentages of nano-titanium oxide (NTiO2) fillers (2%, 4%, and 6%) on the elastic features of novel hybridized banana-hemp fiber-reinforced epoxy composites. The proposed composite is analyzed for its elastic properties like longitudinal and transverse elastic modulus, axial Poisson's ratio, and axial shear modulus using homogenized micromechanical models, namely, Mori-Tanaka (M-T) model, Generalized self-consistent (G-SC) model and Modified Halpin-Tsai (M-HTS) model. The composite is modeled using one layer of banana fiber, one layer of NTiO2 and epoxy, and one layer of hemp fiber. All three layers of the composite are arranged in the sequence of banana fiber at 450, a layer of NTiO2 and epoxy at 00, and hemp fiber at 450. The proposed composite's vector sum deformation and strength are examined by employing the ANSYS APDL application. The results obtained in this study are compared with the experimental work mentioned in the literature. The composite reinforced with six weight% NTiO2 has the highest mechanical strength, and the modified Halpin-Tsai (M-HTS) model is the most effective in calculating the elastic features of the proposed composite. In addition to the above, the hybridization effect for the proposed composite is also estimated to analyze the tensile failure strain of banana and hemp fiber in the proposed hybrid composite structure.

A series of piperazine-based phthalimide derivatives 5 (a-l) were synthesized and extensively characterized using a variety of spectrum methods, including LC-MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and FT-IR. All the derivatives were examined for their physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, bio-activity score, and PASS analysis. The 5e piperazine-based phthalimide derivative demonstrated promising antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the in vitro antibacterial studies. In comparison to streptomycin and bacitracin (10 µg/mL), the minimum inhibitory concentration of 5e against MRSA was discovered to be 45±0.15 micro g/ml. The anti-MRSA activity was validated with membrane damage studies by using SEM, and in silico docking studies were against 3VMT and 6FTB proteins of MRSA. In the toxicity study, 5e derivatives were evaluated against L6 cell lines. The results of the studies show the synthesized 2-(2-(4-((4-chlorophenyl) sulfonyl) piperazin-1-yl) ethyl) isoindoline-1,3-dione (5e) can be used for the development of anti-MRSA drugs.

The current research study aims to analyze the impact of cash holding on investment efficiency by moderating the role of corporate governance among financially distressed firms. The data for 14 years (2006-2019) is gathered from 400 companies of two Asian emerging economies (Pakistan and India). The results are obtained by applying a generalized method of moments (GMM), which postulates that corporate governance improves cash holding with investment efficiency in the Indian scenario and decreases in the Pakistani scenario. Concerning financially distressed firms, corporate governance strengthens the relationship of cash holding with investment efficiency in the Pakistani context but showing no moderating role in the Indian scenario. The results are helpful in cash management decisions to minimize the agency issue and to avail investment opportunities.

In this paper, a memory-based simulated annealing algorithm called the Dual Memory Simulated Annealing Algorithm (DMSA) is presented to solve multi-line facility layout problems. The objective is to minimize the total material handling cost. Two memory buffers and a restart mechanism are considered. Two benchmark problems were selected from the literature review papers and solved using the standard simulated annealing (SA) algorithm and the DMSA. The obtained results show that solutions provided by the DMSA algorithm are cost-effective compared to the standard SA algorithm and the other algorithms used for solving these test cases. Moreover, to further evaluate the performance of the DMSA algorithm in large scale problems, eleven test cases were selected from the benchmark library of the quadratic assignment problem (QAP). According to the results, the performance of the algorithm in finding solutions to complex problems is exemplary.