The honeycomb sandwich structures are extensively utilized in the satellite load bearing structure due to their superior mechanical properties. Investigating such structures and establishing their failure map implies the estimation of their equivalent elastic parameters as well as the experimental measurements of their ultimate strengths. Through a comprehensive study, this article discusses thoroughly the mechanical behavior of an aluminum honeycomb structure exposed to flat-wise compressive and flexural testing. Furthermore, an equivalent finite element model, based upon the sandwich theory, is proposed for simulating the elastic behavior of the flexural testing and comparing computational and experimental results. The comparison of results confirms accurately the usage of the sandwich theory and its related shell-volume-shell approach in the efficient modeling of honeycomb sandwich structures. In addition, the aforementioned honeycomb structure is parameterized from the geometry and material perspective. The outcome of such study reveals that the honeycomb core thickness has the greatest influence on the maximum displacement value. In addition, aluminum alloys are optimum choice for facing sheets material of the honeycomb structure.

There are huge amounts of emissions associated with construction industry during its different stages from cradle till building demolition. This study presents a methodology that integrates multi-objective optimization and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) in order to enable construction decision-makers to select the most sustainable construction alternatives. Four objectives functions are investigated, which are: construction time, lifecycle cost, environmental impact and primary energy in order to construct the Pareto front. A novel hybrid MCDM is designed based on seven multi-criteria decision making techniques to select the best solution among the set of the Pareto optimal solutions. Sensitivity analysis is performed in order to determine the most sensitive attribute and construction stages that influence environmental emissions. The analysis illustrates that WSM, COPRAS and TOPSIS provided the best rankings of the alternatives, primary energy is the most sensitive attribute for different MCDM methods. Moreover, PROMETHEE II is the most robust MCDM method.

Fintech, characterized by the intersection of finance and technology, has globally transformed the financial landscape, reshaping traditional banking models as its innovations continue to unfold. The current study seeks to provide a comprehensive examination of the impact of fintech on the financial performance of Saudi banks. Nine Saudi national banks were investigated. The data were gathered from the annual reports from 2017 to 2022. The study followed multiple regression to test the relationship between factors. The study found that there was no notable impact of FinTech tools, such as Banking messages, Internet banking, Mobile applications, and Digital transfers, on return on assets (ROA) and return on equities (ROE) when looking at each tool individually. Nevertheless, when considering all these tools collectively, there is a considerable influence of 93.2% on ROA, and 84.2%, on ROE.

This study investigates the impact of game-based (gamification) e-Learning techniques on students' engagement, thereby, their satisfaction with e-learning in Jordanian private universities. A conceptual model was developed based on existing empirical evidence from the literature. Data was then collected through a self-administered questionnaire survey from 198 private university students, who were conveniently selected for the study. The data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with smart PLS 23. Data analysis revealed a positive effect of gamification on both student engagement and satisfaction, suggesting that incorporating gaming elements into the e-learning process in Jordanian private universities led to higher levels of student engagement, thereby greater student satisfaction with the e-learning experience. A mediating role was also found for student engagement on the effect of gamification on student satisfaction. The findings provide insights to practitioners on how gamification can be utilized as an effective strategy to deliver a more enjoyable and interactive e-learning experience. Research findings were discussed, and conclusions and implications were lastly provided.

The satellite structural mass is considered a crucial parameter during the process of satellite structural design. Sandwich structures acquire a considerable role in minimizing such mass while maintaining structural integrity. This article discusses the structural configuration, design, and analysis of a small satellite. A small Earth remote sensing satellite is chosen from the published data as a case study. Its structural design configuration is of a rectangular box that is based upon metallic alloys. Through a comprehensive study, the most suitable design configuration for the given mission is selected. A contribution has been made in developing a novel hexagonal primary structure that is based upon Aluminum honeycomb sandwich panels. The satellite configuration process and structural design procedure are thoroughly presented. The finite element modeling of honeycomb sandwich panels according to sandwich theory is introduced. Such modeling is validated numerically in comparison with published data. The analysis process is implemented using finite element analysis considering the loads during the ground and launch phases. The proposed structural design results in a significant mass reduction of 15% when compared with the baseline case study.

The implementation of major projects is complicated by the multiplicity of beneficiaries, owners, and all participants in the project as well as the technical overlap between the various engineering, financial and administrative works, while the specific features of the construction activity have a clear influence in shaping the nature of construction projects because the implementation processes were associated with a deep and long-term intervention in the natural environment, where construction is a burden on the environment, both in the construction phase and during the maintenance and liquidation phases: it requires depreciation of a large number of material resources. Through that, this study focused on clarifying the most important concepts of risk management and modern strategies in risk analysis and how to respond to them and monitor projects. The study then presented a questionnaire for the risks facing major projects in Egypt. Through analyzing the results of the questionnaire, a qualitative risk analysis was conducted that can be used to prioritize response to risks, in addition to conducting a Monte Carlo simulation based on theoretical foundations and providing a new process for prioritizing project risks related to sustainability, where the (Primavera Risk Analysis) program was used to clarify the impact of risks on project time and cost. All analyses are based on the theoretical background regarding risk, risk management process, and project life cycle approach in the sustainable construction sector. with the help of this study, it is possible to address ways of mitigating the harmful effects on the environment through the implementation of sustainable management in the planning of future projects and better management of current projects.

The metaverse is an imaginary network of parallel universes. Using this technology might liven up dull lecture halls. By expanding synchronous communication into the "metaverse," many individuals may have meaningful conversations and exchange perspectives. This research focuses on finding out how medical students in the UAE feel about the metaverse system. The conceptual model incorporates elements from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), including perceived value and perceived ubiquity as adoption determinants. To test the validity of the suggested framework, a survey was developed and distributed to 369 full-time students at one of the universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Machine learning (ML) and structural equation modeling using partial least squares (PLS-SEM) are used for data analysis. According to the results, the extent to which users saw value in and adoption of the metaverse system was a significant factor in whether or not they intended to participate. This study was helpful since it elucidated the relative significance of various healthcare components, allowing professionals to prioritize their efforts better.

This paper aims to examine the effect of audit committee characteristics on audit report lag, and also explores whether this effect will vary between before and after mandatory adoption of IFRS in Saudi listed companies. Based on a Saudi sample of 388 firm-year observations from 2015 to 2018, the Poisson regression analysis shows that among audit committee characteristics, only audit committee financial experience significantly influences the timing of financial reporting. The result indicates a weak influence of audit committees on timeliness of financial reporting, which is consistent with the results of most of previous studies. On the other hand, the results show a strong impact of the adoption of IFRS on the context of that relationship, where the results show the impact of IFRS on audit report lag, audit committee quality and the association between them.

The purpose of this study is to verify the impact of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) adoption on the quality of accounting performance and efficiency of investment decisions in the Saudi business environment as an emerging economy. In this study, content analysis approach is adopted for examining the annual reports of Saudi companies listed in Saudi stock exchange market during two periods: the pre-adoption of IFRS period during the year of 2016 and the post-adoption of IFRS period during the period 2017-2018. The study uses accounting information, accounting conservatism, earning management as alternative variables of accounting performance quality. In addition to accounting profit quality, liquidity and cost of capital are also used as alternative variables for the efficiency of investment decisions. The study finds that there was a positive impact of IFRS adoption on the quality of accounting performance, since it was positively related to both the qualitative characteristics of information and accounting conservatism, while it was negatively related to earning management. IFRS also improves the efficiency of investment decisions, as it was positively related to both profit quality and liquidity while it was negatively related to cost of capital.

The existence of hydroelectric plants along Amazon River tributaries is a solution to satisfy the energy demand in Brazil. However, these plants are subjected to multiple risk events because of the geographic and socioeconomic characteristics of this region. In helping to address these escalating challenges, this paper presents a framework that assesses the risk events of service packs relevant to the plant. This framework presents a transparent approach for prioritizing risk events in large projects. The weights of importance of risk events are estimated using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Chang’s extent analysis method takes into consideration the vagueness and imprecision of subjective human judgments. The convergence of decisions is evaluated using two aggregation approaches, namely the maximum-minimum method based on an arithmetic mean and a geometric mean. The performances of the original and modified extent analysis methods are compared using group Euclidean distance and distance between weights metrics. The degree of similarity between the evaluation metrics is examined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and average overlap approaches. Due to the inconsistency of the reported results, the final rankings of the aggregation approaches are determined using a new aggregated multiple criteria decision making method. The results indicate that the original extent analysis method using the maximum-minimum method (arithmetic mean) is the best aggregation method. A Santo Antonio hydroelectric plant in Brazil is used to demonstrate the application of the proposed framework.