Iran has one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and many elements of today’s urban planning and design have their origins in the country. However, mass country-city migration from the 1960s onwards brought enormous challenges for the country’s main cities in the provision of adequate housing and associated services, resulting in a range of sub-standard housing solutions, particularly in Tehran, the capital city. At the same time, and notably in the past decade, Iran’s main cities have had significant involvement in the smart city movement. The Smart Tehran Program is currently underway, attempting to transition the capital towards a smart city by 2025. This study adopts a qualitative, inductive approach based on secondary sources and interview evidence to explore the current housing problems in Tehran and their relationship with the Smart Tehran Program. It explores how housing has evolved in Tehran and identifies key aspects of the current provision, and then assesses the main components of the Smart Tehran Program and their potential contribution to remedying the housing problems in the city. The article concludes that although housing related issues are at least being raised via the new smart city technology infrastructure, any meaningful change in housing provision is hampered by the over centralized and bureaucratic political system, an out of date planning process, lack of integration of planning and housing initiatives, and the limited scope for real citizen participation.

Introduction: Many detrimental effects on employees’ health and wellbeing might result from inadequate illumination in the workplace. Headaches and trouble focusing can result from eye strain brought on by inadequate illumination. The purpose of this study was to simulate and optimize workplace illumination in the ceramic industry. Materials and methods: A common Luxmeter ST-1300 was used to measure the illumination in seven workplaces at a height of 100 cm above the floor. DIALux evo version 7.1 software was used to simulate the illumination of workplaces. To optimize the illumination conditions, a numerical experiment design consisting of 16 scenarios was used for each of the workplaces. Four factors were considered for each scenario: luminaire height, number of luminaires, luminous flux, and light loss factor. The Design-Expert program version 13.0.5.0 was applied for developing the scenarios. Finally, by developing quadratic models for each workplace, the optimization process was implemented. Results: Every workplace had illumination levels that were measured to be between 250 and 300 lux. Instead of using compact fluorescent luminaires, LED technology was recommended to maximize the illumination conditions for the workers. Following optimization, 376 lux of illumination were visible at each workstation in every workspace. For the majority of the workspaces, the simulated illumination was expected to have a desirability degree greater than 0.9. The uniformity and illumination of the workplace were significantly impacted by the two factors of luminaire height and luminaire count. Conclusion: The primary outcomes of this optimization were the environmental, political, and socioeconomic ones, including reduced consumption power, high light flux, and environmental compatibility. Nonetheless, the optimization technique applied in this work can be applied to the design of similar situations, such as residential infrastructure.

This research focuses on patients’ perceptions regarding the accessibility of dental services in Slovenia across four dimensions: financial accessibility, time accessibility, geographical accessibility, and service quality. We observed how specific factors impact accessibility dimensions of dental services in Slovenia, that patients perceive important. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted using proportionate stratified sampling. Data was collected through an online questionnaire, and 599 completed responses were received from patients regarding their experiences and perceptions of accessibility to dental care. A SEM (structural equation model) approach was used to examine the data. The analysis revealed that patients perceive all four dimensions of accessibility: financial, time, geographical, and service quality important and they all constitute the perception of dental accessibility. The findings of this study can assist policymakers in developing a more accessible dental health system by considering the results proposed in our model.

This systematic literature review (SLR) delves into the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered virtual influencers (VIs) in social media, examining trust factors, engagement strategies, VI efficacy compared to human influencers, ethical considerations, and future trends. Analyzing 60 academic articles from 2012 to 2024, drawn from reputable databases, the study applies specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Both automated and manual searches ensure a comprehensive review. Findings reveal a surge in VI research post-2012, primarily in journals, with quantitative methods prevailing. Geographically, research focuses on Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America, indicating gaps in representation from other regions. Key themes highlight trust and engagement’s critical role in VI marketing, navigating the balance between consistency and authenticity. Challenges persist regarding artificiality and accountability, managed through brand alignment and transparent communication. VIs offers advantages, including control and cost efficiencies, yet grapple with authenticity issues, addressed through human-like features. Ethically, VI emergence demands stringent guidelines and industry cooperation to safeguard consumer well-being. Looking ahead, VIs promises transformative storytelling, necessitating vigilance in ethical considerations. This study advocates for continued scholarly inquiry and industry reflection to navigate VI marketing evolution responsibly, shaping the future influencer marketing landscape.

The technology of vermicomposting containing their leachates, teas and other extracts such as vermiwash as a result of earthworm action is widely applied for safe management of agricultural, industrial, domestic and hospital wastes. Remediation of polluted soils, improving crop productivity and inducing the resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses are other advantages of vermicompost derived liquids when used in agriculture. Contrary to the fact that chemical fertilizers are still widely used in agriculture, societies gradually become aware of the negative effects of these fertilizers on their health. Therefore, vermicompost derived liquids contain high amount of valuable plant nutrients which has the potential to be used as liquid fertilizer. This paper reviews the potential of vermicompost derived liquids as as an efficient combination of nutrient source of vermicompost derived liquids contributing to plant growth and acting as a deterrent to biotic and abiotic stresses.

The study investigates the impact of corporate gender diversity on dividend payouts in Asia-Pacific countries. The study used the data of 610 listed firms in the Asian Pacific region over eleven years, from 2006 to 2016, with 6710 observations. The regression results revealed that the representation of women on board and at least 30% on board positively relates to dividend payout. Board size and board independence have a significant negative relationship with dividend payouts. Overall, results suggest that gender diversity on corporate boards has a greater propensity to pay dividends in the mix of ownership structure, strong and weak corporate governance compliance, and horizontal agency conflict.