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Authors - 9551
Juan Pablo Aguinaga Bósquez
57221798070
Olga V. Koshkina
56646337000
Ana Toribio
57216458004
Faisal Ahmad
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Publications - 6278
Building organizational resilience in emerging economies: Strategic insights from Bangladesh
Publication Name: Sustainable Futures
Publication Date: 2025-12-01
Volume: 10
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Organizational resilience is a key aspect for sustaining comparative benefit and performance amidst uncertainties such as pandemics, political volatility, and financial crises. Despite its significance, limited studies have explored the potential sufficient solutions to resilience-enabling constructs, especially in emerging economies. This research combines the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) to propose a theoretical framework for understanding and predicting organizational resilience. Using survey data from 348 respondents serving corporate industries in Bangladesh, we employ Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to identify causal configurations to predict organizational resilience. The findings reveal five configurations that are sufficient for achieving high resilience and four configurations associated with low resilience, highlighting the nuanced interplay between resources, costs, and adaptability. Specifically, flexibility, response, recovery, benevolence, and commitment must need conditions for achieving organizational resilience in NCA analysis. In fsQCA analysis, flexibility and commitment are core conditions, whereas response and information sharing are peripheral conditions for achieving high organizational resilience. This study strengthens resilient strategies by demonstrating the supplementary contributions of RBV and TCE. This combination offers policymakers actionable insights to develop resilient strategies that enhance organizational adaptability and performance in turbulent times.
Open Access: Yes
Does import product diversification enhance energy demand in developed and developing economies? A policy-based analysis in the context of trade sustainability
Publication Name: Energy Sources Part B Economics Planning and Policy
Publication Date: 2025-01-01
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Import product diversification is a major parameter in international trade. Import diversification contributes to economic growth and affects the environment due to its impact on energy consumption. In this article, we investigate the impact of import product diversification along with income, oil prices, natural resources, population, and foreign direct investment on energy demand, covering a composite sample of 102 developing and 36 developed economies over the period from 1995 to 2020. We also assess the impact of import diversification on energy demand considering all sub-samples. We find a significant long-run cointegration between total energy demand and import diversification for both developed and developing countries, confirmed by Pedroni cointegration tests. We further denote that import diversification together with other independent variables is stationary after the first differences in LLC unit root tests. Contrary to traditional methods, we apply panel quantile regression and conclude that import diversification, GDP, oil prices, foreign direct investment, natural resources, and population share long-run integration with total energy consumption for both developed and developing countries. The Dumitrescu and Hurlin short-run causality test confirms the existence of pair-wise bidirectional causality between all independent variables including import diversification, GDP, oil prices, natural resources, foreign investment, and population with energy demand. Our empirics conclude with important policy implications for sustainability.
Open Access: Yes
Ethical labyrinth in the period of knowledge acquisition and sharing of knowledge management systems
Publication Name: Problems and Perspectives in Management
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Volume: 9
Issue: 3
Page Range: 93-99
Description:
To create a knowledge management system within a company is a very demanding goal. Organizations have to satisfy a lot of demands and prerequisites to make an operable system which can support management and which can realize business success. Knowledge management is influenced by organizational culture, by leadership and by people's attitudes - and this can obstruct knowledge acquisition and sharing, or can facilitate business success. It means that the business's ethical questions have to be managed and problems in this area have to be solved. Most companies do not deal with ethical questions. If they do deal with them, ethical problems will be the center of attention only in the external relationships of companies. According to a famous management slogan, "first we have to make order inside the company" (Oakley & Krug, 1997). Internal order will bring along order in external relationships, too. This means that you should make order first in your internal processes, systems and human relationships from the point of view of ethical problems. This paper approaches ethical problems theoretically, which can help in coming up with the creation and actuation of a knowledge management system to continue empirical surveys. These questions will be created at the end of this theoretical paper. On the basis of these questions it will be conducted an empirical survey at some companies. © Andrea Bencsik, 2011.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: DOI not available
Residual performance of Portland cement types-based plain and steel fibre-reinforced mortars exposed to elevated temperatures
Publication Name: Results in Engineering
Publication Date: 2025-12-01
Volume: 28
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
This study assesses the effects of three binder systems—Portland cement CEM I 52.5 N, CEM I 52.5 N with 8 % silica fume, and slag-based CEM III/A 52.5 L—on the mechanical performance and residual characteristics of plain and steel fibre-reinforced mortars subjected to high temperatures. Mortars were subjected to regulated heating and cooling cycles at a rate of 5 °C/min to achieve peak temperatures of 400, 500, and 800 °C. Compressive and tensile-bending strengths, post-peak behaviour, modulus of elasticity, fracture energy, residual strength intensity factors, and toughness indices were evaluated. The findings indicate that steel fibres significantly enhance the residual performance of all binder systems, with CEM I-based mortars exhibiting enhanced strength retention and stiffness at all temperatures. Silica fume-modified CEM I mortars (SFRMS) demonstrated enhanced tensile-bending strength and ductility, attributable to a more compact microstructure and superior fibre–matrix adhesion. CEM III/A mortars exhibited increased residual cracking energy at intermediate temperatures (400–500 °C), highlighting the transient benefits of slag in mitigating crack propagation. However, at temperatures exceeding 500 °C, all mortars experienced significant degradation, with SEM analysis revealing considerable microstructural damage and fibre oxidation at 800 °C. This study highlights the efficacy of combining steel fibres with extra cementitious materials to reduce thermal damage, enhance fracture resistance, and prolong the post-peak load-bearing capacity of mortars. The results underscore the efficacy of optimised steel fibre-reinforced mortars in the repair and protection of concrete structures subjected to intense thermal conditions, facilitating mechanical recovery after fire incidents to improve structural safety.
Open Access: Yes
Cogging Torque Reduction of a Flux-Intensifying Permanent Magnet-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machine with Surface-Inset Magnet Displacement
Publication Name: Energies
Publication Date: 2025-10-01
Volume: 18
Issue: 20
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
This paper investigates the impact of permanent magnet (PM) displacement and flux barrier extension on cogging torque in flux-intensifying permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance machines (FI-PMa-SynRMs) with surface-inset PMs. Unlike prior work centred on average torque, torque ripple, or inductance, we focus on cogging torque, a key driver of noise and vibration. Four rotor configurations are evaluated via finite element analysis of ∼20,000 designs per configuration generated during NSGA-II multi-objective optimisation. To avoid bias from near-duplicate designs, we introduce Euclidean distance-based medoid filtering, which enforces a minimum separation of models within each configuration. The cross-configuration similarity is measured by Euclidean distance over common design variables. Results show that PM displacement alone does not substantially reduce cogging torque, while flux barrier extension alone yields reductions of up to ∼25%. Combining PM displacement with flux barrier extension achieves up to a ∼30% reduction in cogging torque, often maintaining average torque and lowering torque ripple. This study provides a comparative framework for mitigating cogging torque in FI-PMa-SynRMs and clarifies the trade-offs revealed by similarity-based analyses.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/en18205492
Photosynthetic Activity Measured In Situ in Microalgae Cultures Grown in Pilot-Scale Raceway Ponds
Joaquín Pozo Dengra
Francisco Gabriel Acién Fernández
Bernardo Cicchi
Marta Barceló-Villalobos
João Artur Câmara Manoel
Cintia Gómez-Serrano
João Artur Câmara Manoel
Victor A. Robles Carnero
Karolína Ranglová
Juan Luis Gómez Pinchetti
Vince Ördög
Ana Margarita Silva Benavides
Giuseppe Torzillo
Jiří Masojídek
Félix Lopez Figueroa
Publication Name: Plants
Publication Date: 2024-12-01
Volume: 13
Issue: 23
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The microalga Scenedesmus sp. (Chlorophyceae) was cultured in a raceway pond (RWP) placed in a greenhouse. The objective of this case study was to monitor the photosynthesis performance and selected physicochemical variables (irradiance, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration) of microalgae cultures in situ at various depths of RWP. The data of actual photochemical yield Y(II), the electron transport rate monitored by in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic oxygen production both in situ and ex situ revealed that (i) even in diluted cultures (0.6 g DW L−1), the active photic layer in the culture was only about 1 cm, indicating that most of the culture was “photosynthetically” inactive; (ii) the mechanism of non-photochemical quenching may not be fast enough to respond once the cells move from the surface to the deeper layers; and (iii) even when cells were exposed to a high dissolved oxygen concentration of about 200% sat and higher, the cultures retained a relatively high Y(II) > 0.35 when monitored in situ. The presented work can be used as exemplary data to optimize the growth regime of microalgae cultures in large-scale RWPs by understanding the interplay between photosynthetic activity, culture depth and cell concentration.
Open Access: Yes
Micro-mechanical characterization of polymer-modified asphalt mixtures using discrete element modelling with soft-bond and linear contact bond models
Publication Name: Construction and Building Materials
Publication Date: 2025-11-28
Volume: 501
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) mixtures offer improved performance compared with conventional binders, particularly in terms of crack resistance and durability under increasing traffic and environmental loading. However, capturing their micromechanical behavior and failure mechanisms remains challenging owing to their internal heterogeneity and particle-scale interactions. This study utilized the Discrete Element Method (DEM), implemented via the Particle Flow Code (PFC), to simulate Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) and Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS) tests on PMA mixtures with varying specimen sizes and aggregate gradations. Two contact models, Linear Contact Bond (LCB) and Soft Bond (SB), were evaluated to represent tensile fracture and progressive bond degradation. The numerical models were calibrated and validated against the experimental results, which showed a deviation of less than 1.5 % in the compressive strength and modulus across the nine PMA formulations. A strength-size effect was observed and modeled, enabling the conversion of non-standard field core strengths to laboratory-equivalent values. Additionally, a high-resolution image dataset of asphalt surface distress (cracks, potholes, and marking degradation) was developed to support computer vision–based pavement monitoring. The integrated simulation and imaging framework presented in this study offers new insights into microscale failure behavior, supports more accurate field data interpretation, and contributes to intelligent maintenance strategies for resilient pavement infrastructure.
Open Access: Yes
Data-Driven Prediction of Kinematic Transmission Error and Tonal Noise Risk in EV Gearboxes Based on Manufacturing Tolerances
Publication Name: Applied Sciences Switzerland
Publication Date: 2025-10-01
Volume: 15
Issue: 19
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Although numerous studies have used ML to predict gear transmission error, few have provided a normalized, interpretable risk metric for early tolerance assessment. This work fills that gap by proposing the Tonal Risk Index (TRI). Kinematic Transmission Error (KTE) is a well-established primary excitation source of tonal gear noise in electric vehicle drivetrains. This study introduces the TRI, a novel, dimensionless indicator that quantifies relative tonal noise risk directly from predicted KTE values. We employ a large-scale dataset of 39,984 Monte Carlo simulations comprising 15 manufacturing tolerance and process-shift variables, with KTE values as the target. Baseline linear regression failed to capture the strongly non-linear relationships between tolerances and KTE (R2 ≈ 0), whereas non-linear models—Random Forest and XGBoost—achieved high predictive accuracy (R2 ≈ 0.82). Feature importance analysis revealed that pitch error, radial run-out, and misalignment are consistently the most influential parameters, with notable interaction effects such as pitch error × run-out and misalignment × form-defect shift. The TRI normalises predicted KTE values to a 0–1 scale, enabling rapid comparison of tolerance configurations in terms of tonal excitation risk. This approach supports early-stage design decision-making, reduces reliance on high-fidelity simulations and physical prototypes, and aligns with sustainability objectives by lowering material usage and energy consumption. The results demonstrate that data-driven surrogate models, combined with the TRI metric, can effectively bridge the gap between manufacturing tolerances and NVH performance assessment.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/app151910460
Exploring murE protein inhibitors of Tropheryma whipplei through pharmacoinformatic approaches incorporating solubility-enhancing formulation insights
Publication Name: Frontiers in Pharmacology
Publication Date: 2025-01-01
Volume: 16
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Tropheryma whipplei the causative agent of Whipple disease, presents a diagnostic challenge due to its diverse symptomatology, including weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, joint pain, fever, and occasionally neurological manifestations. Its resistance to fluoroquinolones complicates treatment further. Traditional methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing are ineffective as Tropheryma whipplei cannot be cultured in axenic media. To address this, we explored potential drug targets within its core genome as no drug targets from this bacterium have been studied so far. murE, a macrolide-resistant enzyme, emerged as a promising candidate exhibiting both resistance and drug target characteristics. We screened over 1,000 lead-like Ayurvedic compounds against the target enzyme UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-tripeptide synthetase and identified three promising candidates: (1) Ergost-5-en-3-ol (3beta,24xi), (2) [6]-Gingerdiol 3-monoacetate, and (3) Valtrate. DiffDock and GNINA rescoring yielded consistent binding strength rankings. Molecular dynamics simulations over 100 nanoseconds confirmed stable interactions with these compounds. ADMET analysis indicated low water solubility, but coupling with cyclodextrin SBE-β-CD improved solubility. None of the compounds showed hepatotoxic effects, though Valtrate exhibited AMES toxicity. Based on the favorable properties, we propose scaffold hopping and further in vitro/in vivo studies on [6]-Gingerdiol 3-monoacetate. Our findings offer potential avenues for combating T. whipplei infections, addressing the limitations posed by antibiotic resistance.
Open Access: Yes
