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Open Access
Research article
Experimental Model of Direct Tensile Strength of Pyrite and Chalcopyrite Veins: Implications for Rock Mass Stability
ccatamayo barrios johnny-henrry ,
victor felix flores-moreno ,
josé agustín esparta-sanchez ,
amilcar tacuri-gamboa ,
jaime palomino-claudio ,
luis alfredo vargas-moreno ,
humberto pehovaz-alvarez ,
enrique guadalupe-gomez ,
jesus alberto torres-guerra
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Available online: 12-04-2025

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Despite their influence on the stability of underground excavations, mineralized veinlets, particularly those composed of pyrite and chalcopyrite, are often underestimated in traditional geomechanical models. The lack of experimental data on their tensile behavior under direct stress represents a critical gap in rock mass characterization. This study experimentally evaluated the direct tensile strength of pyrite and chalcopyrite veinlets from the El Teniente mine, in order to enhance the accuracy of geotechnical models for complex geological contexts. Following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 203 (2019) guidelines, a fully randomized experimental design was employed to conduct direct tensile testing of 19 veinlet samples. The results showed that chalcopyrite veinlets exhibited greater internal cohesion with significantly higher tensile strength, reaching up to 3.17 MPa, compared to pyrite veinlets of lower values. Furthermore, chalcopyrite veinlets demonstrated a more homogeneous and cohesive failure behavior compared to pyrite, which displayed greater surface roughness and interfacial failure. This study highlights the importance of incorporating veinlet mineralogy into geotechnical models to improve underground design and safety.

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The effectiveness of risk management within the Jordanian banks’ internal control systems and internal auditing is the focus of the study considering the moderate impact of AI in the form of expert systems and neural networks. This study aims to examine the impact of integrating AI in auditing and corporate governance in order to improve the organization’s ability to withstand adversity and endure over time. The study obtained data from 350 internal auditors from Jordanian conventional and Islamic banks through a structured survey. Using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the study established a positive correlation between the effectiveness of internal auditing and the control of internal systems with risk management. Moreover, while neural networks have a weaker moderating impact, expert systems have a moderating impact on the relationship between the control internal systems and risk management. The study concludes that AI in the form of expert systems enhances the ability to recognize and eliminate risks through the development of internal control and audit functions. It also proposes that the study enhances the understanding of agency theory and the theory of technological superiority by demonstrating the role of AI in aiding human auditors to improve the governance systems in an organization. Moreover, the results assist bank managers, policymakers, and regulators to inform the integration of AI systems and tools to improve risk management practices.

Open Access
Research article
Corporate Social Responsibility, Internal Control, and Corporate Reputation in Light of Digital Transformation Techniques
ahmed fadhil saleh ,
ayad jumaah khalaf ,
sinan raheem jasim ,
mohammed ibrahim al-rifai ,
abdulsamad sabah mahdi ,
abdulsattar salih al-bilawi ,
dheyab ahmed abdulateef
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Available online: 12-03-2025

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This study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and internal control (IC) on corporate reputation (CR) in the context of digital transformation (DT), which serves as a moderating variable. Furthermore, a sample of 324 individuals was selected from the research community of accountants, auditors, and other specialists working in the Iraqi environment, and data were collected using a list of questionnaires analyzed based on a Likert scale. The stability and reliability of the scale were verified using Cronbach’s alpha and the split-half method according to Spearman-Brown’s value, and several statistical tests were used to verify data distribution and potential bias. In addition, regression models were designed to test four main hypotheses. The results showed a positive impact of both corporate social responsibility and internal control on corporate reputation. Digital transformation technologies (DTT) strengthens the relationship between CSR, IC, and CR. This study offers academic value as it empirically analyzes the impact of those variables in the light of DT as a moderating variable. It also provides management, regulators, and stakeholders with possible strategies in accordance with the business environment, and provides policy implications for promoting institutional development and ESG requirements.

Open Access
Research article
Modelling the Effects of Road Network Connectivity Using SEM: Evidence from Aceh Province, Indonesia
sofyan m. saleh ,
yusria darma ,
muhammad isya ,
muhammad ahlan ,
faiza mauladea ,
khalisha zahra
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Available online: 12-01-2025

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Aceh Province is a critical case for freight and infrastructure studies due to its geographic isolation, post-disaster recovery context, and heavy dependence on roads for over 95% of commodity transport. Despite its rich agricultural output, limited multimodal infrastructure hampers efficient distribution. This study aims to (1) analyze the effect of road network connectivity on commodity transportation and regional development, and (2) develop a forecasting model to predict future commodity transportation needs in Aceh Province. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the relationships among Road Network Connectivity (RNC), Freight Transport (FT), and Regional Development (RD), using data from 400 respondents across 23 districts. The SEM results show all latent variables are interconnected. FT plays a strong mediating role, linking connectivity improvements to development benefits. The study also develops forecasting models for commodity generation and attraction based on population, expressed as $Y$ = 2.209 $X_1$ and $Y$ = 2.807 $X_1$. These models highlight population as a reliable predictor of freight demand and can be generalized to other regions with similar geographic and infrastructure constraints. This research introduces a novel SEM-based framework for freight analysis in Indonesia and offers policy insights for integrating road infrastructure planning with regional development strategies.

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Pavement distress is a critical factor in road maintenance planning, directly influencing transportation safety, serviceability, and infrastructure costs. While traditional mechanistic and statistical models provide limited accuracy, they often fail to capture the nonlinear and multi-factorial nature of pavement deterioration. This study addresses this gap by proposing an integrated machine learning (ML) framework that incorporates real-time traffic and climatic variables for predicting pavement roughness. The framework draws on multiple open-source datasets, Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) traffic volumes, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate records, to construct a multidimensional feature space. Four predictive algorithms were benchmarked: Random Forest (RF), XGBoost (XGB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP). Ensemble-based models achieved superior predictive accuracy, with Random Forest attaining R$^2 \approx$ 0.89 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) $\approx$ 0.61, outperforming traditional regression baselines. The findings highlight that ensemble learning can more effectively capture non-linear dependencies between structural, traffic, and climatic factors than alternative approaches. Beyond technical performance, the study illustrates the potential of integrating continuously updated environmental and traffic data into pavement management systems, offering a pathway to more cost-efficient, reliable, and sustainable maintenance planning.

Open Access
Research article
Toward Sustainable Energy Consumption: Identifying Barriers to Household Adoption of Photovoltaic Solar Technology
tuan duong vu ,
phuong thao vu ,
hoang nam nguyen ,
thu ha nguyen
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Available online: 11-30-2025

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The key target of developing renewable energy systems is critical for countries to combat the impact of climate change and bolster energy security. Among the many available green powers, solar energy generation has been developed worldwide. The exponential acceleration of this technology has stimulated household customers in particular, to switch from the role of consumers to suppliers by selling electricity generated from their home panels. It is anticipated that this change would form a new business model for electricity sales and promote a sustainable energy supply chain, yet the change is still confined to a certain extent in developing markets. In this light, this study identified and evaluated the impact of seven barriers on the household intention to adopt photovoltaic (PV) solar systems. The results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, based on the data from 288 households in Vietnam, revealed that six barriers, namely uncertain government policies, financial barriers, brand trust barriers, product knowledge barriers, location-based barriers and technical barriers had significant negative impacts on PV adoption intention, while the hypothesized influence of environmental knowledge barriers on this intention was insignificant. Among the validated barriers, uncertain government policies and financial barriers were the most critical factors hindering the household intention to adopt PV solar systems. Notably, while rural surveyed households had the higher means in adoption intentions, technical barriers and financial barriers, their results in location-based barriers and brand trust barriers were lower than the urban ones. Theoretically, this study contributed to expansion of pro-environmental behavior theory and barriers to adoption intention of household consumers. Besides, the findings of this study suggested policy makers, enterprises and technology providers how to promote household adoption thanks to the raised awareness of which barriers are concerned in Vietnam market.

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The optimization of tunnel blasting parameters and support designs is critical for enhancing both structural stability and engineering efficiency. This study employs the Holmquist-Johnson-Cook (HJC) numerical model to simulate the blasting process of the Xiahong Tunnel in China, with a particular focus on the vibration velocity and damage zones at various locations. A fluid-solid coupling method is applied to model the interaction between the surrounding rock and blasting forces, and the effects of different detonation sequences and radial uncoupling coefficients on the peak vibration velocities and damage domains are thoroughly examined. The results indicate that blasting from the outside to the inside results in a more cohesive damage domain compared to the traditional inside-out approach. Specifically, the peak vibration velocity of the surrounding rock during inside-out blasting reaches 161.4 cm/s, which is higher than the 82.2 cm/s observed with outside-in blasting. Therefore, the outside-in blasting sequence is identified as the more optimal strategy. Furthermore, an increase in the radial decoupling coefficient gradually reduces the damage domain, with the coefficient k = 2.0 showing no significant improvement in damage domain reduction. However, a decoupling coefficient that is too small leads to excessive over-excavation. Based on this analysis, the optimal radial decoupling coefficient is found to be k = 1.5, offering the most balanced damage domain reduction without causing over-excavation. The analysis also explores the influence of the initial lining thickness of sprayed concrete on the vibration characteristics of the surrounding rock. Both structural stability and economic considerations suggest an ideal thickness for the initial lining. The findings of this study provide valuable guidance for the subsequent implementation of tunnel blasting and support optimization in engineering practices.
Open Access
Research article
Application of the FUCOM and MARCOS Methods for Selecting Logistics Service Providers
marko blagojević ,
dimitrije blagojević ,
algimantas danilevičius ,
evelin krmac ,
salvatore antonio biancardo
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Available online: 11-28-2025

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Selecting an optimal logistics service provider is a complex multi-criteria decision-making problem that directly affects a company’s competitiveness. This paper proposes a hybrid MCDM model that integrates the Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) and Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution (MARCOS) methods. FUCOM was used to determine the weight coefficients of seven criteria, while MARCOS was applied to rank ten potential logistics providers in the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The case study was conducted for the company Hygiene Pro Team from Banja Luka. The results showed that provider P9 represents the most favorable solution, which was confirmed by an extensive sensitivity analysis that verified the stability of the model. The proposed FUCOM–MARCOS model provides a robust framework for strategic decision-making in logistics.

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The rapid growth of global trade has heightened the importance of efficient container handling, environmentally responsible operations, and high-performing equipment selection in sustaining the competitiveness of modern supply chains. Container Freight Stations (CFS) serve as critical operational hubs where loading, unloading, inspection, and temporary storage activities are conducted, thereby requiring equipment capable of safely and efficiently handling heavy-tonnage cargo while aligning with green port transformation goals. Forklifts, which constitute one of the core equipment groups in CFS yards, differ significantly in terms of lifting capacity, power systems, maneuverability, hydraulic performance, ergonomics, and environmental impact, transforming forklift selection into a complex, multi-dimensional decision problem shaped by both technical and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)-oriented considerations. Incorrect equipment choices may lead to operational downtime, energy inefficiency, equipment failures, and occupational safety risks, particularly in operations involving loads exceeding 25 tons. To address these challenges, this study proposes a hybrid decision-making framework that integrates expert-driven fuzzy assessments with sustainability-based evaluation using the FF-Hamacher-MEREC-ARLON methodology. In the first stage, expert weights and criterion importance values were calculated through the FF-MEREC approach, while alternative forklifts were ranked using the FF-ARLON method in the second stage. Two sensitivity analysis scenarios were applied: one by modifying the tradeoff ratio within ARLON and the other by sequentially removing each criterion. In both scenarios, the fourth alternative consistently emerged as the most suitable option. Furthermore, comparative analyses using eight established MCDM techniques; ALWAS, AROMAN, ARTASI, MABAC, MARCOS, RAM, SAW, and WASPAS; demonstrated complete agreement with the proposed model, confirming the fourth alternative as the top-ranked choice. The findings highlight the robustness, reliability, and sustainability alignment of the proposed framework for high-stakes heavy-duty equipment selection in port-based logistics operations.

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Global research trends on Over-The-Top (OTT) media services were examined through a bibliometric and systematic review of 176 peer-reviewed documents published between 2010 and 2024, sourced from 117 journals and books. The analysis conducted using Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and the PRISMA methodology identified a compound annual growth rate of approximately 34% in scientific output from 2010 to 2023, indicating rapid expansion in OTT research. The most prolific contributors by publication count are Chakraborty, Soren, and Sridevi. The leading countries in this field are India, South Korea, and the United States. Key research themes include platform dominance, consumer behaviour, and the impact of COVID-19 on OTT adoption, with “OTT” and “Netflix” as dominant topics in scholarly discussions. Although the data were sourced exclusively from Scopus, the findings offer a comprehensive overview of the evolution of themes, principal research networks, and prevailing trends in the OTT research domain.

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