ABSTRACT Thirty-two coal (lignite-bituminous in rank) and carbonaceous shale samples, ranging from immature to overmature, were collected from the various coal-bearing basins (Saurashtra Basin, Bikaner Nagaur Basin, Damodar Basin, Mahanadi Basin, and Foreland Basin) in India and characterized petrographically (vitrinite reflectance and maceral composition), geochemically (total organic carbon and total sulfur) and chemically (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, FTIR). This paper explores utilization of FTIR study on bulk non-demineralized carbonaceous shale and coal to examine the interference between mineral and organic matter visible on FTIR spectra and application of such techniques to assess organic matter chemistry based on FTIR signal. Mineral matter is considerably affecting the organic matter FTIR signal in the region between 1700–1350 and 900–700 cm−1, while the 3100–2800 cm−1 region is unaffected. The general trends of organic matter evolution with thermal maturity, i.e. a decrease of aliphatic and oxygen-bearing groups and increase in aromatic signal, are visible in bulk non-demineralized samples; however, the interpretation of the signal is problematic due to the dilution-related signal weakening and region-specific overlapping. The quality of the FTIR signal is lower than the signal from demineralized kerogens or targeted specific maceral grains via combination of FTIR with microscopy. The spectra can still be useful for more qualitative aspects of FTIR, like assessment of organic functional groups, study of coal impurities, or as a complementary method in conjunction with other analytical techniques such as X-ray for mineral matter characterization.

The Rician distribution, a well-known statistical distribution frequently encountered in fields like magnetic resonance imaging and wireless communications, is particularly useful for describing many real phenomena such as signal process data. In this paper, we introduce objective Bayesian inference for the Rician distribution parameters, specifically the Jeffreys rule and Jeffreys prior are derived. We proved that the obtained posterior for the first priors led to an improper posterior while the Jeffreys prior led to a proper distribution. To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed Bayesian estimation method, we perform extensive numerical simulations and compare the results with those obtained from traditional moment-based and maximum likelihood estimators. Our simulations illustrate that the Bayesian estimators derived from the Jeffreys prior provide nearly unbiased estimates, showcasing the advantages of our approach over classical techniques. Additionally, our framework incorporates the S.A.F.E. principles – Sustainable, Accurate, Fair, and Explainable – ensuring robustness, fairness, and transparency in predictive modelling.

Background: Colonic emergencies remain a major lifethreatening condition associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Unlike elective colorectal surgical procedures, a large portion of emergency colorectal surgical procedures are performed by noncolorectal surgeons (NCRS). The impact of specialization on the outcome of emergency colorectal surgery has not yet been well described. We aimed to evaluate the impact of surgeon specialization on the outcomes of emergency colorectal surgeries. Materials and Methods: A Retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between July 2008 to July 2020. Patients underwent emergency colorectal surgeries and met study inclusion criteria were identified and grouped according to the specialty of the primary surgeon: colorectal surgeons [CRS] or NCRS. Relevant study data was obtained from patient medical files. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to assess the association between the surgeons’ specialty and outcomes. Results: Of 219 included patients, there were 126 men [57.5%] and 93 women [42.4%]. Of all population 128 patients [58%] were operated on by CRS while 91 patients [42%] were operated on by NCRS. Most common procedure performed by CRS was left hemicolectomy [n=45, 67.2%] while the most common procedure performed by NCRS was right hemicolectomy [n=26, 51%]. The most common reason for surgery was malignant pathologies [n=129, 58.9%]. Patients who had their surgeries performed by a CRS had a significant decrease in 30-day mortality [odds ratio [OR] 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.065–0.834]. Reoperation also decreased in this group [OR 0.413, 95% CI 0.179–0.956]. Moreover, both hospital length of stay and ICU length of stay decreased CRS compared with the NCRS [OR 0.636, 95% CI 0.465–0.869, and OR 0.385, 95% CI 0.235–0.63, respectively]. Conclusion: Specialization in colorectal surgery has a significant influence on morbidity and mortality after emergency operations. These findings may in improving emergency services and support remodeling the referral system in the institutions.

Non-standard gear transmissions are increasingly finding their applications in practice, primarily being designed for various applications. While standard circular gears are designed for a constant gear ratio, non-standard gears have a variable gear ratio that changes. This paper addresses the issue of designing non-circular gears for a specific range of gear ratios. An elliptical shape for the gears was chosen. The uniqueness of the proposed solution lies in selecting an ellipse as the evolute for creating the involute curve of the gear tooth.

The article deals with the issue of verification of selected geometric characteristics of a special robot intended for the nuclear industry. The design of the robot is specific in that the robot works in both semi-automatic and manual mode. This leads to frequent collisions of some parts of the robot with fragmented equipment. Therefore, it was necessary to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of the robot after its production and during its operation. Verification of the parameters of the robot after one year of operation was carried out in the controlled zone of the nuclear power plant, which was specific due to the presence of ionizing radiation. The methodology, technique and method of verification had to be adapted to this.

ABSTRACT Students had to adjust their goals during the sudden shift to online teaching amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This study with 613 university students identified four multidimensional profiles based on how they relied on goal disengagement, reengagement, and perseverative engagement (a new dimension of goal adjustment capacities). Students who disengaged from goals, reengaged in new ones, and were less likely to dwell on their former goals (goal reengagement profile) experienced less stress and burnout and more growth experiences. Students who reengaged less in goals (goal entrapment profile) and those who reengaged but dwelled on their former goals (action crisis profile) experienced worse psychological outcomes. Perfectionists were more likely than excellence strivers to be part of an action crisis goal adjustment profile.

The article deals with the design of the educational model of the robot, where, in addition to kinematics, the control system of the robot and the simulation of the robot's activity in the GAZEBO environment are also addressed. Students can train different control algorithms on this model. At the same time, a graphical interface for simulating the robot's activity is also created. The control system is composed of a low-cost embedded Arduino system, which is very easy to program and create control systems. Simulations and experiments showed the correctness of the design methodology of such a robot model.

PurposeThis study analyses the supervision policy of Municipal Corporations (MCs) in the Indonesian Muslim community regarding its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approachAs a single case study, purposive sampling was adopted to select a municipal corporation policy issued by Ciamis Regency, West Java, Indonesia. A novel mixed methods approach, combining computer analytics and human intelligence, was introduced to perform text analytics.FindingsText mining identified the most frequently occurring words — e.g., ‘perumda’ (municipal corporation), ‘daerah’ (regional), ‘pengawas’ (supervisor), ‘peraturan’ (regulation) — from the sample but found no single word indicating business alignment with SDGs. Further qualitative inductive analysis was conducted, revealing the critical role of MCs’ supervisory boards in business planning, execution, and reporting to align the MC businesses with local SDG initiatives.Originality/valueAligning MC business activities with local SDG actions is entirely within the authority of supervisory boards which demands transformational leadership. This research pioneered an innovative blend of computer-assisted techniques and human reasoning to investigate the supervision policies of MCs concerning local SDG actions, with evidence from a Muslim community in Indonesia.

Abstract Rotational bending fatigue testing is an important method to evaluate the fatigue of metal materials under cyclic loading. Specifically, the fatigue strength is evaluated through repeated rotational bending under complex loads with the accuracy affected by the bending moment. Here, a method based on strain measurements is proposed for calibrating the bending moment of rotational bending fatigue testing machines. Specifically, the strain of a metal sample under loading with resistance strain gauges was recorded using a strain acquisition system to measure the bending moment. The positions of strain gauges were designed according to the principle of strain measurements to establish a calibration program. Three metal samples of different sizes were tested on two types of rotational bending fatigue testing machines, and the measurement uncertainty was evaluated and verified. The experimental results showed that the proposed method measured and calibrated the bending moment of rotational bending fatigue testing machines rapidly, conveniently, and accurately. The results also provide a practical reference for research and application in related fields.