Increase In Working Time Research Articles

Imperatives Under Chinese Monochrome Art: Revisiting “Magiciens de la Terre”

“Les Magiciens de la Terre” has long been hailed as the first international contemporary art exhibition including both artists from Europe, Africa, Tibet, China, and other non-western places. Yang Jiechang, Gu Dexin, and Huang Yong Ping were the only three Chinese artists to participate in this exhibition. They made their debuts in front of unfamiliar overseas audiences, in which their art practices were rearranged, and Yang started his familiar series of “100 Layers of Ink.” My paper shifts the attention away from the single monochrome artwork of Yang’s 100 Layers of Ink at the Smart Museum, recenters it on the original context of the inception of this series at “Les Magiciens de la Terre,” and examines the general imperatives of those three artists’ first debuts — “distinct originality” and “being well-prepared.” The heightening emphasis on originality had already surfaced on the contemporary Chinese art scene and culminated in the curatorial plan of the exhibition’s curator, Jean-Hubert Martin. On the other hand, because of the importance of the debuts, “being well-prepared” underlined every aspect of their art-making for the exhibition, including enlarging scales, complicating the artistic concepts, and increasing working time. All those factors contributed to the sudden shifts in their art practices and shed new light on the imperatives under Yang’s monochrome art and his reflections on colors.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a segmented alternating shift pattern based on wearable vital signs monitoring devices during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

AimTo explore the feasibility and effectiveness of an alternating shift pattern in two-hour segments in the state of emergency management of public health events.MethodsA cross-sectional research design was conducted in our study. The nursing staff working in the admission ward of suspected or confirmed patients with COVID-19 in December 2022 were selected as subjects by the whole-group sampling method. We adopted a shift pattern of alternating shifts every two-hour in the isolation wards. The vital signs parameters were captured by uniformly wearing the multi-signs sensing devices, and the questionnaires collected the symptoms.ResultsSixty-seven female participants, with a mean age of 33.09 ± 5.96 years, were included in this study. Measurements of body temperature (T), blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), respiratory rate (RR), and heart rate (HR) while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) all remained within normal limits. None of the nurses reported sweating, dizziness, blurred vision, palpitations, or dyspnea. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the critical care group and the non-critical care group in terms of age (P = 0.041), working duration (P = 0.036), and the total number of entries into isolation areas for nursing care (rounds) (P = 0.007). However, there were no statistically significant differences in vital signs based on age, work duration, or body mass index (BMI). The data indicated a notable increase in body temperature compared to other vital sign parameters with increasing work time while wearing PPE. Body temperature approached the upper limit when working close to 2 h long.ConclusionsThe alternating shift pattern in two-hour segments can effectively maintain the physical well-being of nurses wearing PPE without increasing the burden on nursing staff or the wastage of protective materials. This approach is recommended for addressing similar public health events in the future.

The impact of increased computer screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence of upper part of musculoskeletal diseases among health personnel

Health personnel who played a key role in the fight against the pandemic stayed during it burdened with increased working time using a computer. We analyzed the impact of increased computer working time during the COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence of the upper part of musculoskeletal diseases among health personnel. The study group consisted of 418 health personnel, divided according to the time they worked at the computer during the pandemic: up to 2 h a day, from 3 to 5 h a day, and more than 6 h a day. The ICF profile analyzed symptoms of dysfunction of structures of the upper part of the musculoskeletal system (head and cervical spine, shoulder girdle, elbow joint, wrist joint). Employees working more than 6 h daily had a higher risk of developing restrictions in tone of isolated muscles and muscle groups p < 0.001), range of motion of the shoulder girdle (p < 0.001), increased tension of paraspinal muscles (p < 0.001), weakened shoulder girdle muscle strength (p < 0.001), elbow joint pain (p = 0.016), wrist joint pain (p < 0.001), coordination disorders (p = 0.004), difficulties in arm and hand use (p < 0.001), lifting and carrying objects (p = 0.008) and paraesthesia (p < 0.001) compared to those working less than 2 h daily. Additionally, working for 3–5 h and above 6 h compared to health personnel working up to 2 h was associated with a greater risk of headaches and cervical spine pain (p < 0.001), shoulder girdle pain (p < 0.001), limited mobility in the wrist joint (p = 0.003), and tremors (p < 0.001), that working below 2 h. Prolonged computer working time among health personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly associated with an increased risk of dysfunction and pain in structures of the upper part of the musculoskeletal system. Effective preventive measures are necessary to improve the functioning of the musculoskeletal system during extended periods of computer use.

Informal employment and subjective well-being in urban China: do employment sector and working time flexibility matter?

PurposeThis paper tests if there exists a subjective well-being gap between informal workers in the informal and formal sectors in urban China, and explores the mechanisms behind such differences.Design/methodology/approachThe author develops a simple theoretical model to analyze the effects of the employment sector and work time flexibility on workers' happiness and conducts a descriptive study to examine the relationship between employment type and subjective well-being using the China General Social Survey (CGSS) 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2017 datasets, a nationally representative sample.FindingsThe results show that only dependent informal work in the formal sector impairs workers' happiness, while the effect of independent informal work is not statistically significant. The potential mechanisms suggest that independent informal workers have higher working time flexibility and can work more hours to increase their earnings, which increases their subjective well-being. However, it is difficult for dependent informal workers to earn more by working more hours due to poor working time flexibility.Originality/valueThis study indicates that informal workers in the formal sector have lower subjective well-being in urban China and deserve more attention from policymakers. The author also suggests that increasing working time flexibility and encouraging self-employment can contribute to the welfare of informal workers.

The effects of state and federal mental health parity laws on working time in the US

This paper provides new empirical evidence on the impacts of state and federal mental health parity laws on related labor market outcomes, particularly working time. The mandated benefits for mental health in the US drive up the costs of providing health insurance substantially. In response, employers may avoid hiring more full-time workers, whose compensation includes health insurance, by increasing working time per worker and reliance on part-time employment; employees may also have an incentive to increase their labor supply to qualify for the benefits. Using individual-level data from the Current Population Survey 1992–2010 and exploiting policy variation by state and year, we find state parity laws increase average weeks worked by 1.4 percent (47.56 weeks as the baseline). Since self-insured firms are exempted from state regulations, parity is estimated to have nearly twice as large an effect on small firms as it does on large firms. Moreover, we study two federal parity laws and find the more comprehensive one is associated with 1.7 percent more weeks worked (47.62 weeks as the baseline). These results indicate that both of employers and employees may response to the increasing costs of providing more comprehensive health insurance by extending their working time.

IJCM_326A: Access to Contraceptives for Migrants: Understanding how to improve family planning coverage in Brick Kiln in Northern India- A mixed methods study

Background: Family planning is a key means to achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals. Lack of data in marginalized populations on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) hampers efforts to improve modern contraceptive practice. Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude and family planning practices and understand the facilitators and barriers for adopting family planning methods. Methodology: Cross-sectional study among men and women workers of reproductive age group and in-depth interviews (IDIs) in selected women worker of reproductive age group; were conducted. Qualitative data were described in proportions and compared using standard statistical tests. Qualitative data were coded and grouped and discussed using identified themes. Results: Among 85 migrant workers studied, more than two-third of the workers had no formal schooling. Only 38% were found to have practiced any Family Planning Methods (FPM), among the non-usage of any FPM, it has been found that 37% were never felt the need for FPM, 21% had no knowledge regarding any FPM. The facilitators identified for FPM were knowledge &amp; practice about FPM, felt need for a small family, health system support, family support. As a migrant worker, they face multiple barriers like, difficulty in identifying the health facility, increased work time, difficulty in comprehending the local language and inaccessible frontline healthcare workers. Conclusion: The finding stresses the need to shift focus towards building intention, in addition to ensuring access of trained staff, and commodities drugs and equipment, and building capacities of health care providers

Commodification of Workers in Tempo Magazine

Tempo Magazine commodifies workers through increased working hours, low wages, multiple tasks, and marketing promotions that become exchange value for the public. This research aims to reveal the commodification of workers in Tempo Magazine and fill the unique gaps in previous research. The paradigm used is critical because the researcher wants to show that Tempo Magazine journalists are considered commodities measured based on economic factors. Journalists are willing to exchange their labor and even spend time on holidays to meet sources for low wages. The data collection technique is carried out through observation; namely, the researcher observes the research object by classifying and combining articles in Tempo Magazine. Researchers also interviewed the Editor-in-Chief of Tempo Magazine, Tempo Magazine journalists, and eight former Tempo Magazine journalists as critical informants to see different sides of Tempo. The research results show that Tempo Magazine journalists do not apply a specific working time pattern when covering an issue. It is not uncommon for them to use their holiday time to meet sources. They are trapped in false consciousness and do not understand their exploitation by assuming that when they succeed in getting a source, it is a matter of prestige and will always be remembered. They also work more than regular hours but do not receive overtime pay or other compensation. In addition, photo works produced by journalists do not receive copyright protection. Tempo sold it without permission, and this is a copyright issue and protection of intellectual property rights in the media industry. The use or sale of images without permission can harm the creator financially and violate rights that should be protected. Journalists, as a profession that focuses on providing information, often support the human rights of others. However, they also face challenges and risks related to their human rights in their duties. Thus, this study confirms that worker commodification is for workers who are re-produced or renewed through exploitation processes such as increasing working time or intensifying the work process.

Application design for web-based car services to increase work time estimates

The aim of this research is to increase the estimated service process time by creating an online-based car service ordering application at the Sinar Jaya repair shop and introducing information about Sinar Jaya car service services to the wider public. In this information systems research, the author of this research software development method uses the waterfall model development method. By implementing a waterfall, the research stages carried out by researchers start from data analysis, system analysis, system design, implementation, and testing. Creating a website-based car service ordering application at the Sinar Jaya Workshop can help customers find out the information available at the Sinar Jaya Workshop and the car service ordering process. Before there was an application, customers had to come to the location to place an order, so it took a long time to arrive at the location. So, with the online booking application, you can save time in the service process and get a queue number online. The data processing process for ordering car services becomes more practical so that it can be processed properly by the admin.

Typology of ICU-Healthcare Providers Who Delayed or Declined COVID-19 Vaccination.

To assess COVID-19 vaccination rates in ICU-healthcare providers (HCPs) in France and to identify the typology of those who delayed or declined vaccination. Cross-sectional study. Twenty-one ICUs in France. Members of the nursing and medical staff and other allied professionals. None. Six hundred ninety-six of the 950 respondents (73.3%) had undergone a full vaccination schedule. Other HCPs either declined vaccination ( n = 112) or delayed vaccination until it became mandatory ( n = 142). Factors independently associated with full vaccination were age older than 50 years (odds ratio, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.12-0.51]), more than 5 years of ICU experience (0.66 [0.47-0.93]), increasing working time during the surge (0.94 [0.88-1.00]), and spending time with the family (0.92 [0.85-0.99]). Conversely, being a nurse (1.94 [1.25-2.99]) or a nurse assistant (2.77 [1.62-4.73]), and feeling not supported by hospital and ICU directors (1.49 [1.01-2.20]) was independently associated with not being vaccinated. These results are important to take into account to better implement vaccination strategies in HCPs for existing or future pandemics.

COVID-19-related changes at work and psychosocial work environment: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Stressful events and uncertain times are known to pose occupational risks. COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to work, work arrangements, and work environment. Prospective studies are needed to assess the potential effects of these changes on psychosocial work environment. Methods We followed a large cohort of Finnish public sector employees using biennial survey data from 2016 to 2022 (n = 22,688). Those who reported a change (over to remote work, other tasks, or team reorganization) in work due to the pandemic in 2020 were compared to those who did not report such a change. Sex-, age, and socioeconomic status -adjusted means for psychosocial factors were calculated in four timepoints separately for the groups of employees with and without changes. Multilevel modelling was applied to examine the change in psychosocial factors accounting for autocorrelation between observations. To examine the potential difference in trends between the groups, time x group interaction was tested. Results Transfer to working from home in 2020 (n = 10,587, 47%) was associated with increased work time control (b = 0.07; 95% CI 0.05, 0.08) and social capital (b = 0.03, 95% CI 0.01, 0.05) over time. A transfer to other work tasks in 2020 (n = 1660, 7%) was associated with suboptimal trend in work time control (b= -0.06; 95% CI -0.09, -0.03), and procedural justice (b= -0.05; 95% CI -0.10, 0.00), particularly in 2020 compared to those not exposed to such transfer. Team reorganization in 2020 ((n = 1067, 5%) was associated with suboptimal trend in work time control compared to those not exposed to team reorganization (b= -0.06; 95% CI -0.10, -0.02). Conclusions COVID-19 pandemic induced changes at work were associated with mixed changes in the perceived psychosocial work environment. Key messages • COVID-19 -induced changes at work may have had unequal impacts on different groups of employees in the public sector. • Promoting the resilience of the most vulnerable employee groups needs attention in the future.

Economic inequality increases the number of hours worked and decreases work-life balance perceptions: longitudinal and experimental evidence.

International institutions' attention to work-life balance (WLB) demonstrates the global breadth of this issue. Yet the scientific community has thus far paid little attention to its structural underpinnings and to the interplay between these macro-level underpinnings and individual psychological factors. We examine the contextual role of economic inequality at the national level as a significant factor influencing working time and WLB perceptions using multiple empirical strategies. In the first set of studies (1a and 1b), we compared countries with different levels of inequality (Study 1a with 37 countries, Study 1b with longitudinal data from 34 countries, N = 254) and found increased working time and reduced WLB in highly unequal countries. In a pilot study (N = 81) and in the pre-registered Studies 2 (N = 338) and 3 (N = 499) we corroborated this evidence with an experimentally induced inequality perception, reporting an indirect effect of inequality on WLB (Studies 2 and 3) and working time (Study 3) through status anxiety and competitiveness. In Study 2, we manipulated socio-economic class in addition to economic inequality, showing that the detrimental effect of inequality on WLB is especially marked for participants assigned to a low-class condition. This research contributes to an integrated understanding of the impact of economic inequality and socio-economic class in shaping WLB and provides useful insights for organizations to develop context-specific policies to improve employees' WLB that take both individual and structural factors into account.

MODERN METHOD OF APPLYING THE MIXTURE ON A VERTICAL SURFACE

When applying mixtures to a vertical surface, it is not always possible to use stationary equipment. This includes scaffolding, cradles, aerial work platforms, and, for small volumes, installation climbers. The mixture is usually applied with a roller, brush or spray gun. These methods lead to excessive consumption of the mixture, increased work time, and often a lack of safety precautions. Working at height is very dangerous, especially in the current environment. Therefore, both in our country and abroad, scientists are developing new alternatives to manual, semi-manual and mechanised methods. One of these mechanisms is automation and robotics. The task of the workers is to control the work processes, monitor the supply of materials and replace equipment as necessary. Such mechanisms are operated by up to three workers. Having studied all the available information, the authors proposed to use the Portal equipment to perform a range of works at height. It will allow you to perform work on slopes, terraces, and hard-to-reach places. To do this, you need to make a small terrace, level the surface, mount the rails, and install the Portal. Then, using additional mechanisms, the equipment is attached. In the first stage, augers are used to drill a well into which the reinforcement is installed, and the concreting process is carried out using various removable devices (winches, drills, etc.) that are attached to the Portal. In the second stage, the ground is excavated, and the pile is exposed by 3.6 metres. In the third stage, a wooden formwork is placed between the piles. The frame is partially attached to the pile, and the outer side of the formwork is mounted. The concreting process is carried out sequentially. First, the lower part is concreted, and then the upper part. In the fourth stage, the mixture is applied to the surface. The article presents and analyses the results of laboratory studies of the operation of the Portal equipment with a device for intensifying the injection of a flowing mixture. The following schemes were considered when choosing the technology of mixture injection: perpendicular-straight-line, perpendicular-circular and inclined-straight-line. The optimal combinations of layer thickness and the angle of inclination of the nozzle axis to the surface and technological schemes of application are given.

The effect of the hospital working environment on the work limitation of the employees in Turkey: a multivariable analysis

BackgroundThe aim of this study is to examine the effects of working environment and demographic variables on the level of work limitation in a university hospital.MethodsThe study is cross-sectional and was conducted in 2022 among employees of a university hospital. 254 people voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected by applying the sociodemographic data form, the Work Limitation Questionnaire (WLQ), and the Work Environment Scale (WES). Institutional permission and ethical approval were obtained for the study. In the analysis of the data, t-test, ANOVA, and linear regression (LR) were used.ResultsThe WLQ score average of hospital staff was low. According to LR analysis, the factors affecting the level of work limitation of hospital staff; worsening perception of health status, being a doctor, decreased income level, increased working time in the institution, and age reduction. It was determined that 32.8% of the change in the WLQ score was related to these factors. While in the univariate tests, the mean of work limitation was found to be significant by getting occupational health safety training, having health problems due to the work done, and taking leave due to work accidents, in the multivariable LR analysis, these factors were insignificant.ConclusionsAs the working environment gets worse, the level of work limitation increases. It is recommended that hospital managers make the working environment better and safer, and make arrangements and programs to increase personnel satisfaction.

An anomaly detection method for spacecraft solar arrays based on the ILS-SVM model

Solar arrays are important and indispensable parts of spacecraft and provide energy support for spacecraft to operate in orbit and complete on-orbit missions. When a spacecraft is in orbit, because the solar array is exposed to the harsh space environment, with increasing working time, the performance of its internal electronic components gradually degrade until abnormal damage occurs. This damage makes solar array power generation unable to fully meet the energy demand of a spacecraft. Therefore, timely and accurate detection of solar array anomalies is of great significance for the on-orbit operation and maintenance management of spacecraft. In this paper, we propose an anomaly detection method for spacecraft solar arrays based on the integrated least squares support vector machine (ILS-SVM) model: it selects correlated telemetry data from spacecraft solar arrays to form a training set and extracts n groups of training subsets from this set, then gets n corresponding least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) submodels by training on these training subsets, respectively; after that, the ILS-SVM model is obtained by integrating these submodels through a weighting operation to increase the prediction accuracy and so on; finally, based on the obtained ILS-SVM model, a parameterfree and unsupervised anomaly determination method is proposed to detect the health status of solar arrays. We use the telemetry data set from a satellite in orbit to carry out experimental verification and find that the proposed method can diagnose solar array anomalies in time and can capture the signs before a solar array anomaly occurs, which reflects the applicability of the method.

FUZZY SYSTEM AS FOUR-JOINT ROBOT MOVEMENT CONTROL FOR MOVING GOODS BASED ON TIME AND OBJECT COLOR

Technology Disruption has driven the acceleration of the industrial era 4.0 which is based on thespeed of data-based systems and artificial intelligence. Another impact is intelligent robots as asubstitute for human performance, because humans experience fatigue and decrease accuracywith increasing working time. Robots are an alternative whose presence cannot be avoided,therefore the robot's work system must be improved to optimize its speed and accuracy. One ofthe implementations of the robot is as a product moving machine from the initial coordinates (Pick)to the destination coordinates (Place). This study uses a four-joint robot (4 DOF) with a producttransfer mechanism that can be adjusted based on the input priority that has been set using theFuzzy Logic Control (FLC) method which is implemented using an Arduino Mega 2560microcontroller, and the robot used is Dobot Magician. There are 2 input variables used, namelythe mass of the object detected by the Weight sensor Load Cell + HX711 module and the colorof the object detected using the TCS3200 color sensor. The output variable is the movement ofthe robot to the Place which can be analyzed by calculating the position matrix using the Matlabprogram.

Simulation Model of Production System Using Dynamic System Approach to Increase Production Capacity Tofu Factory

The speed in distributing the products of the industry is influenced by the speed of production produced by the industry itself. SMEs know that ECO is one of the manufacturing industries engaged in food manufacturing. there are obstacles (problems) that are experienced, namely the occurrence of inequality between the production capacity of tofu that can be produced and the demand for tofu that must be met. The purpose of this study is to increase the production capacity of Tofu Eco SMEs in terms of increasing working time. The method used in this research is the dynamic system method using the PLE vensim software. The results of the study show that based on the actual system conditions, it is known that there are 25 workers with 8 working hours per day, and an average production capacity of 957 barrels per month is obtained month with an average demand of 1005 barrels /month. The results of the alternative simulation I, have an average production capacity of 1,080 barrels/month. The results of the scenario II simulation show that the average production capacity is 1,230 barrels/month. From the simulation results of alternative scenarios, it can be seen that for production demand below 1,080 barrels/month, the alternative used is to add 1 hour (60 minutes) of overtime, while for requests above 1,079 barrels/month with a maximum production demand of 1,255 barrels/month, alternative scenarios can be used. II with the addition of 2 hours 30 minutes (150 minutes) of overtime.

Aging characteristic of solar coating and their cost-effectiveness

Pyromark 2500 high-temperature coatings are widely used on the surface of solar power tower (SPT) receivers. However, the optical properties of these coatings decrease with increasing working time. Experimental conditions for aging tests, such as aging temperature and temperature change, were obtained using a three-dimensional model. The isothermal temperature was 630 °C for constant high-temperature aging test. The temperature variation rate was 20 °C/min and 330 °C/min for slow- and extreme-temperature-variation aging tests, respectively. The absorptance of the coating on Inconel 625 decreased by 0.18 %, 1.49 %, and 1.09 % after 2800 h at constant-high-temperature, after 2000 cycles under slow-temperature-variation, and after 100 cycles under extreme-temperature-variation, respectively. Moreover, the aged coating was characterized via scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. An innovative on-site test method for determining the absorptivity by mining operational data is proposed in this study. The absorptivity is 92.44 % and 90.74 % after 580 days and 1117 days of operation, respectively, obtained from the test data and the simulation results of the Solar Two receiver. The electricity loss due to coating absorptivity attenuation was 24447.6 MWh over three years without reapplication. Furthermore, the optimal reapplication interval ranged from 2 to 3 years, which is determined by the levelized cost of energy (LCOE).

Associations of the Sleepiness With Physiologic Changes in Night Shift Rehabilitation Healthcare Workers

Background: Sleepiness and the changes in vital signs affect the quality of work of hospital staff. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleepiness and physiological changes and vital signs in night shift workers in rehabilitation staff. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study performed on night shift personnel of Rafideh Hospital in Tehran City, Iran, in 2018. A questionnaire, including demographic information and the Stanford sleepiness scale, was used for data collection. The results were analyzed using repeated measures analysis in SPSS software v. 21. Results: The Mean±SD age of the participants was 38.23±5.96 years, comprising 33 men (64.7%) and 18 women (35.3%). Most personnel were married (72.5%) and non-smoker (82.4%). The amount of sleepiness increased significantly with increasing working time. Demographic characteristics had no significant association with sleepiness. However, there was a significant negative association between sleepiness and heart rate, and oral temperature. Blood pressure showed a decreasing trend with increasing working time until midnight. Also, an increase in blood pressure was recorded at 2 AM. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that sleepiness might have a significant association with vital signs in night work personnel. Hence, proper planning of shift work schedules and compatibility with physiological conditions might result in better working conditions for medical staff.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Doctors' Work-Family Balance at German University Clinics.

The measures taken to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic by governments worldwide have vast consequences on all areas of life. To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term career development, we evaluated the work-family balance of medical doctors at nine German university clinics. The results indicate a severely disturbed work-family balance, which was mostly due to insufficient childcare, based on restrictions in school operations and childcare. Despite the newly created emergency childcare options, aiming to ensure the functioning of the “systematically important” professional groups, medical doctors feel that they are not sufficiently supported by the measures taken by local governments. Women, in particular, see their professional development at risk. Our results underline that proper and flexible childcare is essential for the career advancement of female medical doctors and is particularly important in times of crises such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. At university medicine clinics, increased work time flexibility and optimized schooling and childcare are needed to promote the career development of female as well as male medical doctors in the early stage of their careers.

Experimental study of the performance of hemispherical solar still with optimum value of rocks as heat transfer enhancers

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;Transformation of salty seawater into fresh water by the aid of solar energy is one of the solutions for overcoming the lack of these waters with an eco-friendly procedure. The use of solar stills is one of the solutions that use solar energy with a simple design to produce fresh water in small to moderate amounts. Hemispherical solar stills are one kind of still design that does not require a particle rotational orientation, and they have proved to be more efficient than traditional designs. Solar stills generally possess a low thermal efficiency, with limitations of working hours, i.e., only daytime. To overcome these problems, rocks placed in the saline water basin are used as heat storage materials to increase the working period of the design. In the present work, different amounts of river rocks are utilized to study the effect of this addition experimentally. Steady state tests are conducted to study the influence of these additive rocks on the enhancement of solar energy absorption, since increased working time is assured by published research. Two volumes of rocks (300 mL and 600 mL) were tested, and both increased water productivity, by 52% and 58%, respectively. The increases are explained by the increases in solar energy absorption, since steady state cases were used.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;