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Effective energy price prediction using LSTM and ARIMA in the smart grid
Full text linkIn the Smart Grid, demand response plays a fundamental role due to the 70% energy wastage in the current power grid. This paper utilizes Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models to predict electricity prices. The study incorporates seasonal energy variations in both demand and electricity prices. The forecasting models were implemented and evaluated using various performance metrics. The deep learning LSTM model demonstrated lower error rates compared to the traditional statistical ARIMA model. Several challenges were encountered during the research, including unexpected negative Regional Reference Prices (RRP), model limitations, and unpredictable price fluctuations. In terms of accuracy, statistical models like Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (SPSA) were also implemented, revealing significant prediction variations. Both statistical models and machine learning approaches were used in the prediction process. However, there is potential for improved accuracy by employing different techniques, such as alternative models, hybrid approaches, and dynamic hyperparameter tuning. This research has important implications for future work in enhancing model accuracy, demand response modeling, and Smart Grid optimization
Numerical transient thermal analysis of 316 L stainless steel/C18400 copper alloy powder layers deployed with multi-track and bi-directional laser based powder bed fusion
Full text linkThe most significant challenge in printing one object comprised of two dissimilar powder materials is to form a strong bond at the interface associated with high quality of surface finish using Laser based Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF). Therefore, it is mostly important to study the most important parameters controlling the L-PBF process including the laser power, laser beam radius and laser scanning speed. In this paper, non-linear thermal transient finite element models have been developed in ANSYS codes by deploying subroutines coded in ANSYS parametric design language (APDL). This simulates a moving micro-laser beam with a Gaussian distribution over four metallic powder layers built on one powder bed, two layers made of 316 L stainless steel followed by two layers made of C18400 copper alloys. The micro-laser beam scans multi-layer, bi-directional multi-track and multi-materials to enhance the in-depth understanding of this L-PBF process to find significant parameters. It is found that the absorptivity of the powder material plays a key role in the total heat intensity. This in turn requires resetting the L-PBF parameters with depositing a layer of another material. The findings highlight that changing the laser power is much more efficient than other parameters to fuse the interface between the 316 L stainless steel layer and the C18400 copper layer
Numerical transient thermal analysis of 316 L stainless steel/C18400 copper alloy powder layers deployed with multi-track and bi-directional laser based powder bed fusion
Full text linkThe most significant challenge in printing one object comprised of two dissimilar powder materials is to form a strong bond at the interface associated with high quality of surface finish using Laser based Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF). Therefore, it is mostly important to study the most important parameters controlling the L-PBF process including the laser power, laser beam radius and laser scanning speed. In this paper, non-linear thermal transient finite element models have been developed in ANSYS codes by deploying subroutines coded in ANSYS parametric design language (APDL). This simulates a moving micro-laser beam with a Gaussian distribution over four metallic powder layers built on one powder bed, two layers made of 316 L stainless steel followed by two layers made of C18400 copper alloys. The micro-laser beam scans multi-layer, bi-directional multi-track and multi-materials to enhance the in-depth understanding of this L-PBF process to find significant parameters. It is found that the absorptivity of the powder material plays a key role in the total heat intensity. This in turn requires resetting the L-PBF parameters with depositing a layer of another material. The findings highlight that changing the laser power is much more efficient than other parameters to fuse the interface between the 316 L stainless steel layer and the C18400 copper layer
The impact of supply chain management (SCM) on total quality management (TQM) practices in the United Kingdom (UK)
Full text linkThe research reveals how SCM and TQM integration concepts improve operational performance while supporting sustainable organizational growth. The primary goal is to determine how SCM practices enhance the deployment and effectiveness of TQM within organizational structures. This research aims to pinpoint essential SCM factors that strengthen TQM initiatives and evaluate the combined effects of these frameworks on business performance and customer satisfaction. This analysis utilizes a combination of quantitative research methods along with qualitative research approaches. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and researchers tested their hypotheses using quantitative methods such as regression analysis and correlation. Through the interview results, we gained an understanding of individual and organizational perspectives while thematic data analysis helped identify recurring themes and patterns. The results presented demonstrate a strong positive relationship between SCM practices and TQM initiatives with organizational performance outcomes. SCM supported TQM implementation through a mediating role that facilitated better execution of TQM practices. The qualitative variables identified enhance the examination of employee engagement and process improvement effects on the relationship between SCM and TQM. These elements significantly contributed to the improvement of customer satisfaction levels and operational effectiveness in businesses. The study stresses that organizations must combine SCM practices with TQM methods to achieve competitive advantages in the modern business environment. By systematically integrating these frameworks organizations achieve enhanced productivity through improved operations and customer satisfaction which serves as a foundation for sustainable development. This research provides valuable insights for managers and decision-makers who plan to implement SCM and TQM to enhance organizational performance
SSCATeR:sparse scatter-based convolution algorithm with temporal data recycling for real-time 3D object detection in LiDAR point clouds
Full text linkThis work leverages the continuous sweeping motion of LiDAR scanning to concentrate object detection efforts on specific regions that receive a change in point data from one frame to another. We achieve this by using a sliding time window with short strides and consider the temporal dimension by storing convolution results between passes. This allows us to ignore unchanged regions, significantly reducing the number of convolution operations per forward pass without sacrificing accuracy. This data reuse scheme introduces extreme sparsity to detection data. To exploit this sparsity, we extend our previous work on scatter-based convolutions to allow for data reuse, and as such propose Sparse Scatter-Based Convolution Algorithm with Temporal Data Recycling (SSCATeR). This operation treats incoming LiDAR data as a continuous stream and acts only on the changing parts of the point cloud. By doing so, we achieve the same results with as much as a 6.61-fold reduction in processing time. Our test results show that the feature maps output by our method are identical to those produced by traditional sparse convolution techniques, whilst greatly increasing the computational efficiency of the network
Black hole spectroscopy and tests of general relativity with GW250114
Full text linkThe binary black hole signal GW250114, the loudest gravitational wave detected to date, offers a unique opportunity to test Einstein’s general relativity (GR) in the high-velocity, strong-gravity regime and probe whether the remnant conforms to the Kerr metric. Upon perturbation, black holes emit a spectrum of damped sinusoids with specific, complex frequencies. Our analysis of the postmerger signal shows that at least two quasinormal modes are required to explain the data, with the most damped remaining statistically significant for about one cycle. We probe the remnant’s Kerr nature by constraining the spectroscopic pattern of the dominant quadrupolar (ℓ = =2) mode and its first overtone to match the Kerr prediction to tens of percent at multiple postpeak times. The measured mode amplitudes and phases agree with a numerical-relativity simulation having parameters close to GW250114. By fitting a parametrized waveform that incorporates the full inspiral-merger-ringdown sequence, we constrain the fundamental (ℓ = =4) mode to tens of percent and bound the quadrupolar frequency to within a few percent of the GR prediction. We perform a suite of tests—spanning inspiral, merger, and ringdown—finding constraints that are comparable to, and in some cases 2–3 times more stringent than those obtained by combining dozens of events in the fourth Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog. These results constitute the most stringent single-event verification of GR and the Kerr nature of black holes to date, and outline the power of black-hole spectroscopy for future gravitational-wave observations
Trust, religion and responsible leadership:how employees judge leaders in fragile institutional contexts
Full text linkPurpose Recent research has increasingly focused on the moral and ethical dimensions of leadership. This paper examines how the evolving concept of responsible leadership fosters employees’ trust within ethically fragile and institutionally unstable business environments. Rather than treating responsible leadership as a fixed normative framework, this study repositions it as a dynamic arena where diverse stakeholders hold conflicting expectations.Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an exploratory qualitative design, drawing on 22 in-depth semi-structured interviews within a case study framework. This methodology enabled a nuanced and thorough analysis of how employees perceive and navigate the complexities of trust dynamics in the organisational context.Findings Empirical evidence reveals diverse expectations of responsible leadership, shaped by multidimensional contextual factors such as religion and cultural norms. It argues that both relational and contextual factors illuminate the evolving processes through which leadership is legitimised, trust is sustained, and organisational cohesion is maintained amidst fragile formal systems and unstable societal institutions.Research limitations/implications While this paper broadens the concept of responsible leadership beyond a Western-centric perspective, its findings are largely drawn from a single organisational context. Given Nigeria’s considerable diversity, additional research is needed to strengthen these claims and improve the generalisability of the conclusions.Practical implications This paper provides actionable insights for enhancing leadership and organisational development, especially in settings where institutional safeguards are fragile or uncertain.Originality/value By examining responsible leadership through the lens of the Nigerian context, this study underscores the role of local context in organisational research. Its findings emphasise the importance of developing leadership theories attuned to and adaptable to distinct cultural realities
Agile project management for economic sustainability:a time-lagged mediation model of strategic agility and agile leadership among software professionals
Full text linkThis research examines how agile project management affects economic outcomes, with agile leadership and strategic agility serving as mediators. Data were collected using a time-lagged approach (T1 = 304; T2 = 236) from managers at five major IT and telecommunications companies via a questionnaire, yielding 236 usable responses for analysis. The study uses structural equation modeling (Smart-PLS) to investigate these relationships. The findings suggest that agile leadership and strategic agility serve as mediators between agile project management and economic sustainability. This work contributes to the field by empirically examining the balance between control and flexibility in agile project management. It also expands the definition of strategic agility to include the ability to switch business partners and broadens agile leadership to encompass coordination between partners. The findings suggest that while agile leadership enhances customer value creation, strategic agility is crucial for achieving economic sustainability
Coproducing an evaluation of a dementia education programme for family carers
Full text linkProviding education and support to family carers of people with dementia is advocated in dementia policies across the globe. Family carers of people with dementia receive variable support and often little education to enable them to sustain family caring. An international review of dementia education standards found family carer education to be absent. Although several types of educational interventions have been piloted, few are co-produced with family carers or encompass skills-based education to support them with the complex and progressive changes that dementia brings.This study took a multi-method approach following a three-phase co-production framework, with family carers co-designing the evaluation. The aims were to assess whether the Carers’ Academy, a skills-based education programme delivered by a university, NHS and third sector partnership, improved carer wellbeing. It also measured the extent to which carers felt they had increased their dementia knowledge and developed practical care skills. Family carers participating in the Carers’ Academy were invited to complete Part B of the psychometric validated Carer Wellbeing and Support Scale (CWS) pre, and six weeks post programme participation, and a co-designed questionnaire immediately after participation. The Carers’ Academy is a unique intervention, and findings demonstrated it made a statistically significant impact on family carers perceptions of wellbeing and an improvement their dementia knowledge and care skills. This paper describes the methodological process of involving family carers of people with dementia in a process of cooperative enquiry to co-design an evaluation. By doing so it contributes to the scare literature documenting the involvement of family carers of people with dementia in research and evaluation. Family carers need tailored, effective dementia education and, as experts by experience, should be supported to have their voices heard not only as participants in research but also as co-researchers
Problematising scripted curricula:Stenhouse's vision of teacher enquiry in new times
Full text linkThis paper critically examines the proliferation of scripted curricula across Anglophone educational systems. Building on Nikolaidis, Fitz and Warnick’s (2024) prescriptive continuum, we identify three distinct but interconnected script typologies: pedagogical, curricular, and behavioural. Drawing on examples from the United States, England and Australia, we analyse four interrelated problem framings - efficiency, quality assurance, expertise, and consistency - that construct scripted curricula as solutions to perceived educational deficiencies. We interrogate how these framings construct particular conceptions of teaching and teacher development, while marginalising or foreclosing alternatives. Stenhouse's vision of teachers as curriculum researchers serves as a critical counterpoint, highlighting what is at stake across the prescriptive spectrum when professional judgement is subordinated to external direction. This discursive analysis advances understanding of how scripted curricula affect teacher professionalism, contextual responsiveness, and educational equity