Electrical energy is known as an essential part of our day-to-day lives. Renewable energy resources can be regenerated through the natural method within a reasonably short time and can be used to bridge the gap in extended power outages. Achieving more renewable energy (RE) than the low levels typically found in today’s energy supply network will entail continuous additional integration efforts into the future. This study examined the impacts of integrating renewable energy on the power quality of transmission networks. This work considered majorly two prominent renewable technologies (solar photovoltaic and wind energy). To examine the effects, IEEE 9-bus (a transmission network) was used. The transmission network and renewable sources (solar photovoltaic and wind energy technologies) were modelled with MATLAB/SIMULINK^®. The Newton-Raphson iteration method of solution was employed for the solution of the load flow owing to its fast convergence and simplicity. The effects of its integration on the quality of the power supply, especially the voltage profile and harmonic content, were determined. It was discovered that the optimal location, where the voltage profile is improved and harmonic distortion is minimal, was at Bus 8 for the wind energy and then Bus 5 for the solar photovoltaic source.

This article analyses the case of Dubai’s smart city from a public policy perspective and demonstrates how critical it is to rely on the use of the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Effective use of this model can guarantee the building of a smart city that could potentially fulfill the vision of the political leadership in Dubai and serve as a catalyst and blueprint for other Gulf states that wish to follow Dubai’s example. This article argues that Dubai’s smart city project enjoys significant political support and has ambitious plans for sustainable growth, and that the government has invested heavily in developing the necessary institutional, legal/regulatory, and supervisory frameworks that are essential foundations for the success of any PPP project. The article also points to some important insights that the Dubai government can learn from the international experience with the delivery of smart cities through PPPs.

This study looked at how adding augmented reality (AR) to Jordanian fast-food apps during the pandemic impacts brand identity, consumer views, and interactions. It wanted to see if AR strengthens brand connections or leads to brand dilution concerns in the industry. The research utilized a qualitative approach, employing semi-structured interviews with 52 marketing managers from diverse fast-food establishments across Jordan. The study highlighted how mobile apps, especially AR, changed brand interactions in Jordan’s fast-food market. They boosted convenience and engagement but raised worries about food quality and brand dilution due to heavy app use. It stressed the need to balance tech innovation, preserve brand identity, offer personalized experiences, understand user behavior, and tackle app development challenges for better brand loyalty. The research offers practical implications for stakeholders, recommending strategic AR integration, a user-centric approach, cultural sensitivity in tech adoption, and the preservation of emotional connections. It emphasizes the significance of maintaining a delicate balance between leveraging technological advancements and safeguarding the distinctiveness of individual brand identities within an increasingly app-centric landscape. This study uncovers AR’s influence in Jordan’s fast-food scene, highlighting its transformative power and possible drawbacks. It offers practical advice for industry players, guiding them on how to navigate the digital shift without compromising brand integrity or customer connections.

Micro-mobility has the potential to address first -mile challenges, improving transit accessibility and encouraging public transit usage. However, users’ acceptability of modal integration between various micro-mobility options and public transit remains largely unexplored in the literature. Our study investigates the user behavior for first-mile options, focusing on four alternatives: walking, bicycling, motorcycling, and bus, to access urban mass rapid transit (UMRT) in Hanoi, Vietnam. Based on data collected from 1380 individuals, a Nested Logit Model (NLM) was proposed to analyze the determinants of users’ acceptability under each access mode option as well as evaluate further impacts of shifts in access mode choice on vehicle-kilometer traveled and emissions. The analysis shows that the availability of access modes might increase UMRT use by 47.83%. While this increase further generates additional vehicle-kilometer traveled due to the increase in park-and-ride users, this is offset overall by the large number of motorcycle users shifting to UMRT. Under the most optimistic scenario, modal integration for transit-access trips leads to an average reduction of 17.7% in net vehicle-kilometer traveled or 14.5% in net CO₂ emissions or 10.9% in NO_x from private vehicles. Our findings also imply that the introduction of parking fees for bicycling- or motorcycling-access trips, while impactful, does not significantly change UMRT choice. Therefore, the pricing schemes should be a focus of parking planning surrounding stations. Finally, a number of policy suggestions for parking planning and first-mile vehicles are presented.

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the exogenous variables (administrative support, career placement & employability, academic staff support, institutional factors, and information systems) as service delivery quality dimensions with satisfaction and moderating variable (academic and social integration) between endogenous variables (satisfaction and retention) among undergraduate students from Malaysian private higher education institutions. In order to accomplish the objectives proposed with hypotheses, a model reflecting the relationship between service delivery quality dimensions and satisfaction moderated by academic and social integration towards retention is applied. This empirical study focused on probability-stratified random sampling with a final sample size of 309 students. This study achieved statistically significant positive results by emphasizing academic and social integration as a moderating variable to achieve student retention by linking Perceived Performance Theory and Tinto’s Interactionist Theory from satisfaction to retention. Evaluation of the structural model on the coefficient of determination for the model’s predictive accuracy in this study produced an R² = 0.85 for satisfaction, suggesting nearly 85% of the variance in endogenous latent construct satisfaction is explained by all the service delivery quality dimensions linked to it. As for retention produced R² = 0.74, suggesting nearly 74% of the variance in endogenous latent construct retention is explained by all the service delivery quality dimensions linked together with satisfaction and academic and social integration as moderator. The model has a substantial effect with 0.76 in the Goodness-of-Fit index, indicating that the model has better explaining power.

Recently, the government of Ethiopia has been engaged in modernizing the trans-regional Ethio-Djibouti railway infrastructure using the Belt and Road Initiative. This railway corridor has been serving as the main get way for the landlocked Ethiopia to the port. This article creates an insight about the implications of the Ethio-Djibouti railway corridor by exploring the question: what kinds of urban form and morphological changes evolved due to the railway corridor? To examine the impact of this railway corridor, the article employed stratified sampling and multiple criteria intermediate cities selection method. Accordingly, four (Bishoftu, Mojo, Adama, and Dire Dawa) intermediate cities were selected as case study. The article points out that the railway corridor conceived different kinds of linear urban centers around stations. The identified four intermediate cities attract industries and logistic centers. Those industries, logistic centers, and new railway stations often established at the periphery of intermediate cities resulted labour influx from rural and nearby small urban centers and urban expansion that caused a rural-urban continuum of ribbon settlement and strengthen trade gate way for the landlocked Ethiopia that caused trans-regional integration.