Four alloys based on niobium and containing about 33wt.%Cr, 0.4wt.C and, in atomic content equivalent to the carbon one, Ta, Ti, Hf or Zr, were elaborated by classical foundry under inert atmosphere. Their as-cast microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectrometry and while their room temperature hardness was specified by Vickers indentation. The microstructures are in the four cases composed of a dendritic Nb-based solid solution and of an interdendritic NbCr₂ Laves phase. Despite the MC-former behavior of Ta, Ti, Hf and Zr usually observed in nickel or cobalt-based alloys, none of the four alloys contain MC carbides. Carbon is essentially visible as graphite flakes. These alloys are brittle at room temperature and hard to machine. Indentation shows that the Vickers hardness is very high, close to 1000HV_10kg. Indentation lead to crack propagation through the niobium phase and the Laves areas. Obviously no niobium-based alloys microstructurally similar to high performance MC-strengthened nickel-based and cobalt-based can be expected. However the high temperature mechanical and chemical properties of these alloys remain to be investigated.

Nanoparticle V₂O₅ is prepared by the measurement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses. The crystallite size = 19.59 nm, optical energy gap = 2.6 eV, an average particle size of 29.58 nm and, RMS roughness of ~6.8 nm. Also, Fourier transformer infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) showed a porous free morphology with homogeneity and uniformity on the sample surface. The film surface exhibited no apparent cracking and, the grains exhibited large nicely separated conical columnar growth combined grains throughout the surface with coalescence of some columnar grains at a few places. The fabrication of a thin film of V₂O₅ NPs/PSi heterojunction photodetector was characterized and investigated.

This study examines conditions that impact PPP delivery success or failure in the roadways sector in India using Qualitative Comparative Analysis. QCA is well-suited for problems where multiple factors combine to create pathways leading to an outcome. Past investigations have compared PPP and non-PPP project delivery performance, but this study examines performance within PPPs by uncovering a set of conditions that combine to influence the success or failure road PPP project delivery in India. Based on data from 21 cases, pathways explaining project delivery success or failure were identified. Specifically, PPPs with high concessionaire equity investment and low regional industrial activity led to project delivery success. Projects with lower concessionaire equity investment and low reliance on toll revenue and with either: (a) high project technical complexity or (b) high regional industrial activity, led to project delivery failure. The pathways identified did not have coverage values that they were extremely strong. Coverage strength was hindered by lack of access to information on additional conditions that could be configurationally important. Further, certain characteristics of the Indian market limit generalization. Identification of combinations of conditions leading to PPP project delivery success or failure improves knowledge of the impacts of structure and characteristics of these complex arrangements. This study is one of the first to use fuzzy QCA to understand project delivery success/failure in road PPP projects. Moreover, this study takes into account factors specific to a sector and delivery mode to explain project delivery performance.

Organizations in the modern, global environment have moved away from traditional methods of communication and toward creating all-encompassing plans that revolve around the engagement and motivation of their workforce. This change highlights the critical function of strategic internal communication, a still-emerging but increasingly important field of study and practice in the business sector. The modern workplace sees a change in the roles that employees play, with workers taking on more and more duties that were previously related to public relations. Understanding this shift in PR practice requires an understanding of role expectations, as norms and expectations have a significant impact on communication behavior and, in turn, organizational performance. To interpret the data in this context, a content analysis of secondary data was conducted. This made it possible to assess the body of knowledge in order to determine its applicability, consistency, replication, and rebuttal. The study makes the case that paramilitary organizations, like the Nigeria Customs Service, have internal communication procedures that are different from those of traditional corporate organizational structures. Given the agency’s diverse responsibilities in income generation, trade facilitation, and the abolition of smuggling, this discrepancy is especially noticeable. The study shows that the relationship between internal communication and employees’ job performance was mediated by employee participation and job satisfaction.

This article refers to Hallstatt in Austria and Ioannina in Greece. The goals analyze the two locations that have similarities in geometric shape, digital elevation model (DEM), and geomorphology. Firstly, Hallsatt’s advances were more technical than aesthetic. There is a general tendency towards extravagance and baroque and Greco-Oriental influences. Secondly, Ioannina is a mountainous city located around Lake Pamvotis. The geometry develops parallel to the lake. The city experiences many cultures. The ancient city had an urban planning that characterized the Ottoman Empire. In the old part, there is the castle, old stone streets, wooden houses, and the house of the Greek Muslim Ali Pasha. The author obtains numerous aerial photographs using Google Earth software. The photographs were received dynamically for all the perimeters of the regions. In short, the cartographer has between 15 and 20 photographs. The next step is to align the photographs in Zephyr photogrammetry software. Configuring resolutions, distance, camera locations, contrast, and brightness is essential. The final products are the 3D texture, 3D model, and orthophotos from Hallstatt and Ioannina. Digital products are suitable for measuring areas, circumferences, and heights. Furthermore, digital products represent a digital archiving practice: conservation and visualization are crucial factors today as they share, represent, promote, and document urban planning, historical memory, and the natural environment.

In this paper, a detailed mineralogical and genesis investigation have been carried out in the seven locations of the Iron Ore in Hazara area. Thick bedded iron ore have been observed between Kawagarh Formation and Hangu Formation i.e., Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary. At the base of Hangu Formation, variable thickness of these lateritic beds spread throughout the Hazara and Kohat-Potwar plateau. This hematite ore exists in the form of unconformity. X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), detailed petroghraphic study and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques indicated that those iron bears minerals including hematite, chamosite and quartz, albite, clinochlore, illite-montmorillonite, kaolinite, calcite, dolomite, whereas ankerite are the impurities present in these beds. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results show that the total Fe₂O₃ ranges from 39 to 56%, with high silica and alumina ratio of less than one. Beneficiation requires for significant increase in ore grade. The petroghraphic study revealed the presence of ooids fragments as nuclei of other ooids with limited clastic supply, which indicate high energy shallow marine depositional setting under warm and humid climate. The overall results show that Langrial Iron Ore is a low-grade iron ore which can be upgraded up to 62% by applying modern mining techniques so as to fulfill steel requirements of the country.