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In this paper, we investigate a decision support system (DSS) for the resolution of real-life vehicle routing and scheduling problem (VRSP). Scheduling the deliveries from a regional distribution centre (RDC) to large stores of a major fmcg retailer includes every possible vehicle routing complexity. Usual constraints that are seen are: size of the vehicle and the length of the driving day, loading feasibility of products in different parts of the vehicle, and also with various time windows. More importantly, in this scheduling decision-making is customer oriented, in which, Customer's value for the company is considered as one of the most important factors. The algorithms for the resolution of the distribution problems constitute a very important part of DSS. Therefore, a simulated annealing based algorithm has been developed to speed up the process by circumventing the need for the skeletal schedule.

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The advancement of technology and its widespread applications has given rise to a new type of business, known as platform businesses. Algorithms are essential tools for platforms to manage operations and simplify tasks for business owners. However, the use of algorithms also has consequences. The primary objective of this research is to investigate and identify the functions of algorithmic management and analyze its behavioral consequences on internet taxi drivers in Iran. The research community includes internet taxi drivers in Iran, and a theoretical sampling method was used to select the research sample. This study is qualitative and descriptive in terms of its applied goal and method. To collect qualitative data, a semi-structured interview tool was employed, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data obtained from the interviews. The analysis of findings in the two sections of algorithmic management functions and its consequences yielded 189 codes for functions and 136 codes for behavioral consequences. The functions section contains 9 topics, including easy recruitment, multi-channel recruitment, motivational job design, systemic-attitudinal (perceptual) performance evaluation, digital training, performance-based service compensation, flexible service compensation management, systematic labor relations, and conditional maintenance. The results section includes 11 sub-themes, which are categorized under two main themes: pleasant feelings and unpleasant feelings. The findings indicate that algorithmic human resource management has both positive and negative consequences. While the positive consequences are often acknowledged, the negative consequences of this concept are frequently overlooked.

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Aims: As an urban component, architecture has continuously played an effective role in the quality of Urban public spaces and the promotion of civility in them, which has diminished in recent decades due to reasons such as the dominance of the economic dimension of space and the culture of consumerism. This study tries to present a theoretical model to explain the position of architecture in improving the physical qualities of urban public spaces.

Methods: The present study examines the cause-and-effect between architectural elements and the physical qualities of public space in the form of positivist paradigm logic and presents a coherent theoretical plan in this connection using a descriptive-analytical method.

Findings: The physical system of the city is studied in three scales: macro, medium, and micro. The micro-scale is related to how architecture plays a role in the physical quality of public spaces. This role of architecture is realized through five general categories of physical elements, i.e. body, mass and dialectical space inside and outside, size of space, and components of space, which directly affects three general categories of physical qualities of public spaces, i.e. the nature of elements )accessibility and flexibility), relationships between elements (confinement, continuity, mobility) and sequencing (sequence, hierarchy, and contrast).

Conclusion: Architecture and urban public space are two important contemporary urban heritages. The expression of the city's identity depends on establishing a proportional and correct ratio between the physical system of architecture and the quality of social life in the city.

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In this paper the goal is to identify the parameters of the Lorenz chaotic system, based on synchronization of identical systems using fractional calculus. The method which is used for synchronization is come from Lyapunov stability theorem and then by using fractional dynamics, control laws are improved. To this end, a Lyapunov function is presented and based on the Lyapunov stability theory and asymptotic stability criteria, some adaptation laws to estimate unknown parameters of the system are proposed. The introduced method is applied to the Lorenz chaotic system and since the goal is identification, all the parameters of the system are taken unknown. Using invariant set theory, it is proved that the parameter estimation errors converge to zero. Then the results of numerical simulations are shown and discussed and it is observed that fractional calculus has an essential effect on reducing fluctuations and settling time of the parameters convergence. At the end, the stability of the system by using fractional adaptation law is discussed. It is shown that the asymptotic stability of the synchronization error dynamics is proved using the fractional adaptation law, and this is confirmed through simulation.

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Aims: Ekbatan Town in Tehran, recognized as one of the prominent legacies of contemporary Iranian architecture, has consistently attracted attention for its distinctive network of public spaces. This study seeks to offer an interpretive analysis of the semantic system embedded in these public spaces, drawing on the lived experiences and meaning-making practices of its residents.

Methods: This study adopts an ethnographic approach within the interpretive-constructivist paradigm. Field observations and interviews with residents of Ekbatan Phase 1 were conducted to explore their lived experiences, which were subsequently analyzed to interpret the semantic constructs they had developed.

Findings: The semantic system within Ekbatan's public spaces is shaped by meaning-making elements such as language, context, history, and symbols. These elements were analyzed through semantic units, which led to identifying initial and core themes, ultimately culminating in extracting semantic constructs. Key constructs identified include spatial identity distinct from the city, narrative and spatial experiences, urban civility and social activism, as well as the historical characteristics of the space and its architecture in daily life.

Conclusion: The lived experiences of Ekbatan residents underscore the critical role of public spaces in residential complexes in shaping social and cultural semantics. This research illustrates that attention to the semantic systems of public spaces can enhance the quality of life, strengthen urban identity, and promote the long-term well-being of residents in social housing projects across the country.
 

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In this study, a three-dimensional fluid field of an axial flow type micro hydro named Agnew has been investigated. The turbine installed at the Hydrulic Machines Laboratory (HML) of Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology has been designed to generate 1 kw output power.All numerical simulations were performed using ANSYS CFX, a Computational Fluid Dynamic code, to investigate the performance parameters, such as efficiency and power, and results are validated against experimental data. Four different grid sizes are studied in accordance with the Grid Convergence Index (GCI) to investigate mesh independency of the solution. Results of several turbulence models were also examined to find out the Shear Stress Transport (SST) model in order to take into account the turbulence in the flow. Several turbulence models were also examined together with wall function in order to take into account the turbulence in the flow. A mixing plane interface plane was used to pass the disturbance of rotary domain to stationary domain. The obtained results show that a high resolution advection scheme, mixing plane to model the rotor-stator interaction together with a turbulence intensity of I=6% at the inlet, best matches with the experimental results. The difference between the efficiencies computed from both numerical approaches and experimental values may be ascribed to a numerical error, a model error or a systematic error.

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Many models have been applied to slug flow using laminar flow condition. The results obtained from these models are not consistent with the physical behavior of slug flow. Furthermore, discussion on the turbulent models is very rare or not related to the such flow regime. The slug regime is a complicated regime with shear flow and high strain in addition to some vorticity at some sections of the flow. In the present attempt at first stage, the turbulent models differences, the initial assumptions to drive, privilages and shorcomings have been considered with details. Then, its consistency with the physics of slug flow was analysed with high accuracy. In the second stage, simulations using different turbulent models were conducted. The obtained results were compared to each other and with the experimental results of other investigators. Finally, the most consistent model with the physics of the slug flow was selected. The turbulent model of RNG k-ε showed more reliable in compare to other turbulent models. Thus, it was selected and used to obtain slug flow behavior with higher accuracy. The parameters as pressure distribution during slugging, slug mixture velocity, slug initiation time and position from the duct inlet with RNG model conducted and presented with detailed explanations.

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Metal forming is a conventional manufacturing process that a material with simple form is subjected to plastic deformation and emerged to industrial end products. Reduction of forming forces and improving of products quality have been a promising object for investigators and artisans. To accede this purpose, primary methods such as increasing material temperature and modern methods such as use of high power low amplitude ultrasonic vibrations were introduced. In ultrasonic assisted forming, high power ultrasonic transducer produces low amplitude high frequency mechanical vibrations which transmitted to material subjected to deformation and contacting surfaces of tool/workpiece. Results show reduction of forming forces and tool wear as well as improving surface integrity and dimensional stability that lead to increasing production rate and process efficiency. By regarding to importance and capability of ultrasonic assisted metal forming, this paper is concerned with application of ultrasonic vibration on metal forming processes. To this purpose, fundamental and mechanisms of application of high power ultrasonic were introduces and discussed. Also, industrial future of this technology as well as its advantages, range of application and its restriction were mentioned.

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Analysis of air bubbles entrainment in liquid slug body is one of the most important and complicated phenomena during slug flow regime. In the present attempt, a method is proposed for slug modeling to consider the air bubble entrainment into slug liquid body. The effect of consequencies and their impact on slug behaviour to predict more accurate correlations for slug parameters are estimated and calculated. This method considers a two-fluid single pressure model, combined with population balance model for equal bubble diameter series and solves using volume of fluid. In this regard based on slug and hydraulic jump similarity, a correlation for air bubble entrainment rate and its mechanism selected. This correlation developed in the form of a user defined function code and coupled with other models in FLUENT solver to calculate slug flow. Finally the result of this numerical modeling is validated with the result of other numerical and experimental results where exist in the related literature. The result is consist of the slug flow profile, entrained air bubble profile and their diameter distribution, vortex at slug front, pressure distribution during slugging, slug mixture velocity, turbullent model parameters and etc.

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Slug flow is one the most complicated flow regime in industrial process that is seen for wide range of fluid flow. However, there are always some differences between experimental and numerical results obtained for slug flow. Proceeding the perivious attempt on the selection of the best turbulent model for numerical simulation, the slug flow is simulated numerically in two dimension by applying implicit VOF method and k-ε RNG turbulent model. To extract the slug flow parameters accurately FLUENT solver is used. The differences of the obtained results with and without turbulent model during slugging is also presented. To overcome this complicated flow behavior, a new user defined function code is developed. This UDF computes and predict slug parameters from FLUENT solver result without increasing the computational cost. The important slug parametrs are presented which are: liquid slug body velocity, liquid film velocity, slug front and tail velocity, slug center position and length, slug front and tail positions, pressure difference across slug, wall shear stress, slug mixture velocity, slug initiation time and position from the duct inlet. These parameters are analyzed and discused in details after that they had been validated

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Worldwide distribution of the Date Palm Hopper (DPH), Ommatissus lybicus de Bergevin along with intensive regional chemical and cultural practices to control this pest provide a basis for development of high genetic divergence. This genetic divergence can result in demographically distinct populations. In this study, the demographic parameters of three genetically diverged Iranian populations of DPH (Bam, Jiroft, and Tezerj) were determined on two date palm cultivars (Berhi and Khunizi). The age-stage, two-sex life table theory was used to unveil biological differences among these populations. All experiments were carried out in a laboratory at 27±2˚C, 65±5% RH, and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L: D) hour. The results revealed significant differences in life history traits and growth parameters of different populations. The shortest development time was observed in the Bam population (75.86 and 85.03 days on Berhi and Khunizi, respectively). The highest values of the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) were detected in Bam population (0.0377 and 1.0433 per day on Berhi as well as 0.0284 and 1.0288 per day on Khunizi, respectively). Based on these results, we can consider Bam as an aggressive population with higher infestation rate compared with the other populations due to its higher r and λ values as well as shorter mean generation time on both host cultivars. The significant differences in life history traits and variation in population growth parameters may suggest the presence of cryptic species among these populations. It can stem from the high genetic divergence among DPH populations which may be orchestrated by mismanagement of the pest.

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Drought is an integral part of natural hazards. It usually occurs gradually and without any warning. Moreover, this phenomenon is usually created over time and does not disappear quickly Recently, some factors such as climate variability and the impact of climate change have influenced drought frequency and intensity in many parts of the world. Various definitions have been provided for drought but in general the lack of water resources in a specific period in a geographical area is considered as drought which implies this phenomenon as a regional hazard. IRAN is located in an arid and semi-arid region in which it experiences drought frequently. There are different types of drought such as meteorological, hydrological, agricultural and social-economic. These types are differentiated based on the factor which is rainfall, river flows, soil moisture, and social-economic consequences. There are many indices proposed for measuring drought severity; among them Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) could be mentioned. Each of these indices has its own pros and cons and is suitable for a particular type of drought. Therefore knowing the types of drought can provide a better understanding of shortages and their characteristics. Various factors are utilized for measuring these indices including precipitation, reservoir storage, discharge, temperature and potential evapotranspiration. In this study the three main aforementioned indices were first calculated for Aharchay watershed, located in East Azerbaijan province. Next based on combining these three indices with another two important parameters, groundwater level and solar radiation, a combined drought index is developed and calculated for the studied region. Considering the fact that the aforementioned parameters and indices have different level of importance in combined index, different weights based on expert opinions are assigned to the parameters considering how critical each parameter is in the overall drought analysis. This combined index demonstrated various climatic, hydrological and agricultural aspect of the region. In the next step, bivariate analysis of the two variables, intensity and duration, is carried out using copula. This is done by first checking the dependency between intensity and duration using Pearson, Spearman, and Kendall correlation coefficients. Second, various copula functions were fitted such as Gaussian, T, Clayton and Gumbel functions. Third, based on the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K-S) tests, the best copula functions were used. Lastly, based on the chosen copula the joint probability distributions were obtained. Two cases named “OR” and “AND” were defined for joint probability of the two variables and different return period curves is drawn. The results showed that the most severe drought in this watershed occurred in June 2004. Moreover, by assessing correlation coefficient between the considered indices it is shown that analysis of the drought in a region based solely on one index would neglect other imperative aspects in drought determination which necessitates a more integrated indicator. Furthermore, in bivariate analysis, return periods of “AND” cases were more than “OR” case. The results of this study could be utilized in preparedness and monitoring drought. 

 

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Many theorists of management emphasize on In-role and Extra-role performance in order to enhance effectiveness. Different studies have been done to improve the In-role and Extra-role performance of employees which include perception of social responsibility and job attitudes. The aim of this study is to evaluate perception of social responsibility effects with In-role and Extra-role performance considering job attitudes as a mediator variable. The population of the survey includes 1,640 managers and staff of Tejarat Bank. Data gathered through questionnaires and a sample of 314 randomly collected, and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The validity of research questions confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability was approved by Cronbach's Alpha. According to The results of structural equation modeling, all hypotheses except one was proven. Also it showed that the job attitudes as a mediator in the relationship between the perception of social responsibility and employee performance has meaningful and significant effect.

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In the present study, the effect of natural microfibers (cork particles) on the mode I fracture toughness of plain-woven laminated composites has been investigated. For this purpose, double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens manufactured using hand lay-up method with stacking sequence of [0]₂₈. To investigate the effect of cork particles on fracture toughness, samples with two different weight percentages (1% by weight and 3% by weight) were manufactured and the experimental results were compared with one obtained from sample with pure epoxy resin. Experimental results show that as the amount of cork particles increases, the onset of crack growth requires more energy. The amount of improvement in initiation fracture toughness for the DCB sample with 1% and 3% cork weigh has been increased by 67.15% and 71.96%, respectively which is due to the role of the cork in the resin rich area near the crack tip that arrested the delamination growth. Unlike the initiation fracture toughness, the propagation value is reduced by adding cork particles to the resin.   During delamination growth, due to the agglomeration of micro fiber at delamination interface and role of stress concentration of these particles, hence, micro-cork fibers have not been able to increase the propagation fracture toughness and in some cases have slightly reduced the propagation fracture toughness of the delamination. Also, in order to investigate the mechanisms of damage, the fracture surfaces of the samples were scanned using scanning electron microscopy.