This paper concerns a miniature gasifier fed with a constant ambient-pressure flow of air to study the pyrolysis and subsequent combustion stage of a single wood pellet at T = 800 ℃. The alkali release and the concentration of simple gases were recorded simultaneously using an improved alkali surface ionisation detector and a mass spectrometer in time steps of 1 s and 1.2 s, respectively. It showed alkali release during both stages. During combustion, the MS data showed almost complete oxidation of the charred pellet to CO2. The derived alkali release, “O2 consumed”, and “CO2 produced” conversion rates all indicated very similar temporal growth and coalescence features with respect to the varying char pore surface area underlying the original random pore model of Bhatia and Perlmutter. But, also large, rapid signal accelerations near the end and marked peak-tails with O2 and CO2 after that, but not with the alkali release data. The latter features appear indicative of alkali–deprived char attributable to the preceding pyrolysis with flowing air. Except for the peak-tails, all other features were reproduced well with the modified model equations of Struis et al. and the parameter values resembled closely those reported for fir charcoal gasified with CO2 at T = 800 ℃.
eGovernment projects are capital intensive and have high probability of failure because of the dynamic and technological laden environment in which they operate. The number of skilled labour and technicalities required are often not available in quantity needed to sustain such project. There is always the need to have in place adequate risk assessment framework to guide the execution and monitoring of eGovernment projects. Several studies have been conducted on the critical success factors relating to risk assessment of eGovernment projects to understand the reasons for the high rate of failure. Therefore, there is need to review these articles and categorize them into different research domain in project risk assessment so as to reveal domain with more or less research and those that need to understand the future research directions in risk assessment for eGovernment projects. Using the positivism paradigm, this study utilized the Systematic Literature Review methodology to collect 147 articles from the following academic databases namely IEEE, Preprints, WorldCat Discovery, ArXiv. Ohio-state University databases, Science Direct, Scopus, ACM, NWU digital library, Usenix, Jise database, Sagepub, MDPI Academia published between 2013 to 2023. Different inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied pruning to 48 articles that were used for the study. The results show the classification of articles in risk assessment for eGovernment projects into those that discusses project analysis, review, framework, maturity and model tools, implementation, and integration, applied methodology and evaluation with the percentage of articles published in each domain with the past 10 years. The various critical success factors that should be considered in the development of a robust risk assessment framework were discussed and future research directions in eGovernment risk assessment were given based on the reviews.
In this research, we explore the psychological factors that SMB owners who are micro-entrepreneurs and use SNS for entrepreneurial purposes rely on to make their self-employment decisions. Research-based on a merger of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) deals with how perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), attitude, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), openness to experience (OTE), and dominance contribute to people’s behavioural intention (BI) to use SNS for Data was collected from 342 SMB micro-entrepreneurs in the Delhi/NCR region of India by the means of a standardized questionnaire. Employing PLS-SEM, a partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results point out an impact of PU, attitude, and behavioral intention, and unappealing presentations, unacceptance of an explanation, unclear mechanisms, and domination do not make any difference. The research emphasizes how technophobe’s attitude, and the perception of effectiveness would impact micro-entrepreneurs desire to avail SNS for entrepreneurship efforts. Moreover, research shows the psychological understanding based on the SNS adoption by the small business owners, micro-entrepreneurs as well as for the practitioners and policymakers who are working to enhance the capability of the SMB. More investigations should be conducted on the other personality traits and cover more nations as demographic dividends in comparison to acquire more inclusive data.
The affectations caused by extreme events of natural origin such as droughts and floods in traditional homes in the province of Gran Chaco, in Bolivia, are frequent. These aspects compromise the habitat of the populations that occupy them, as is the case of the original Weenhayek people, as an alternative for the improvement of the human habitat of this town. Through theoretical and empirical methods, five variables used for the development of the adaptation model were determined, from the bases of planned adaptation as a component of urban-territorial resilience, in search of an improvement of socio-environmental systems in the face of the effects of climate change, exemplified in the Weenhayek native people. The model establishes the improvements of traditional dwellings, from a current trend of deterioration to one of preservation, conservation and growth in the Weenhayek culture, through various features, such as: Respects the cultural design of the house that integrates local patterns of the environment, ecosystem and contemporary construction elements without affecting its image, the materials and construction techniques used are of a traditional nature, but with contemporary elements that improve their application, durability, stability, as an articulated construction system, commits governments in all instances to the technical-constructive study of the rural areas of the human settlements of the Weenhayek people, and establishes a starting point towards new studies focused on native peoples.
The study’s goal was to investigate the impact of e-learning determinants on student satisfaction and intention to use e-learning tools. The dependent and independent variables in this study were based on the technological acceptance model. The study examines three determinants, including usefulness, ease of use, and facilitating conditions, as independent variables, while student satisfaction and intention to use were used as dependent variables. Additionally, this study is unique by adding student satisfaction as a dependent variable and a mediator to examine the relationship between e-learning determinants and intention to use. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed to 324 undergraduate students from Jordan’s private universities on the basis of a convenience sample. The proposed hypotheses were investigated using the quantitative techniques of regression in SPSS and SEM in AMOS. The findings of this study revealed that student satisfaction and intention to use e-learning were positively impacted by e-learning determinants. It found that intention to use was positively impacted by student satisfaction. Furthermore, e-learning intention to use was found to be positively impacted by e-learning determinants via student satisfaction. Universities and other educational institutions are advised to identify the appropriate e-learning determinants that satisfy students’ demands and motivate them to use e-learning tools in light of the study’s findings. Private universities can accomplish their goals, stay ahead of the competition, and obtain a competitive advantage by properly understanding e-learning determinants, student satisfaction, and the application of successful e-learning solutions.
The following paper assesses the relationship between electricity consumption, economic growth, environmental pollution, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development in Kazakhstan. Using the structural equation method, the study analyzes panel data gathered across various regions of Kazakhstan between 2014 and 2022. The data were sourced from official records of the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan and include all regions of Kazakhstan. The chosen timeframe includes the period from 2014, which marked a significant drop in oil prices that impacted the overall economic situation in the country, to 2022. The main hypotheses of the study relate to the impact of electricity consumption on economic growth, ICT, and environmental sustainability, as well as ICT’s role in economic development and environmental impact. The results show electricity consumption’s positive effect on economic growth and ICT development while also revealing an increase in pollutant emissions (emissions of liquid and gaseous pollutants) with economic growth and electricity consumption. The development of ICT in Kazakhstan has been revealed to not have a direct effect on reducing pollutant emissions into the environment, raising important questions about how technology can be leveraged to mitigate environmental impact, whether current technological advancements are sufficient to address environmental challenges, and what specific measures are needed to enhance the environmental benefits of ICT. There is a clear necessity to integrate sustainable practices and technologies to achieve balanced development. These results offer important insights into the relationships among electricity consumption, technology, economic development, and environmental issues. They underscore the complexity and multidimensionality of these interactions and suggest directions for future research, especially in the context of finding sustainable solutions for balanced development.
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