Journals Published by Vilnius Tech
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Creative writing on gender and caste in Dalit autobiographies and biographies: a view from within
Get PDFThis paper critically examines the oeuvre of Kaushalya Baisantry and Sharmila Rege, focusing on their creative writing, Twice Cursed (orig. Dohra Abhishaap, originally published in 1999) and Writing Caste/Writing Gender: Narrating Dalit Women’s Testimonios (originally published in 2006), respectively. The writings discuss the empirical reality of caste and gender-divided society. The difficulties and problems that come with being a member of a lower caste in society and being a woman primarily concentrate on gender and caste, which become subjects for investigation and analysis in everyday life. This contrasts standard academic debates regarding gender, which display an anxious curiosity about their own experiences. Critical content analysis is utilized to analyze the data. In order to analyze the intersectionality of gender and caste, several works have been combined. It examines the idea that being a woman and belonging to a lower caste is akin to having “twice cursed” on one’s life. However, autobiographies, biographies, and life narratives have attempted to challenge the hegemony of patriarchy and shed light on the oppression experienced in everyday life on the basis of gender and caste
The value of creative activities in the recreational field: the grounded theory perspective
Get PDFThe current article employs a constructivist grounded theory approach to analyze the relationship between recreation and creativity. Researchers explore how engaging in imaginative recreational activities foster and sustain social connections, emphasizing the importance of social settings and interactions. In the context of recreation, creativity is highlighted as a crucial process enriched with educational and developmental elements, characterized by originality and usefulness. The value of creative activities is particularly stressed, noting their ability to transform emotions, replace negative feelings with positive ones, and enhance self-confidence among young people. This self-confidence serves as a medium for socialization and self-development. Additionally, the role of communication is emphasized, as creative activities provide youth with opportunities to communicate and build social ties
Possibilities for evaluation to foster the soft skills of critical thinking, creativity, and communication in higher education
Get PDFSoft skills are the foundation of a solid and consistent lifelong education in a changing world. Students’ self-reported achievement motivation is a good indicator of their level of self-awareness. A rigorous assessment of the process’ results is necessary for an effective soft skill education program. There are significant flaws in the way the university’s curriculum handles soft skill assessments. Therefore, the question is: given the resources at hand, how can one properly ascertain which soft skills requirements change the most over a university education? To identify changes at the start and finish of studies and prepare instruction for soft skill suggestions during university studies, this study intends to measure the differences in self-assessment indicators of students’ creativity, critical thinking, and communicative abilities in university settings. The purpose of this study is to verify a variety of tools for assessing students’ soft skills and figure out how effectively they can recognize variations throughout multiple university study stages. This could aid in the preparation of recommendations for soft skill instruction in courses, which could be beneficial for university graduates’ future employment. Among first- and last-year university students, a self-assessment study on soft skills was conducted. The results show that students’ soft skills are not equally impacted by their university education. The critical thinking abilities of first- and fourth-year students only tend to improve but do not differ reliably
Geodetic monitoring of landslide processes in coastal territories
Get PDFThe study is devoted to the methodology and features of geodetic monitoring of territories to provide analytical and predictive information regarding predicting the danger of coastal strip landslide processes. The causes, consequences, and risks of the development of landslide processes are analysed. The purpose of the study was to justify the need and to consider the methodology of stable high-precision observations of the coastal fortification structure, to identify the zone of active landslides, and to provide suggestions regarding the features and conditions of further observations. To conduct direct observations, it was necessary to lay benchmarks on the territory of the research object. The method using GNSS technologies was chosen for determining the coordinates of benchmarks at the research object. The advantages of using GNSS equipment for monitoring slope deformations compared to traditional geodetic methods have been determined. To achieve the maximum accuracy of measurements, it was decided to install a constantly operating satellite station of the “System.NET” network directly in the work area. During the study period, 33 geodetic soil benchmarks and 53 benchmarks were installed on the coastal fortification structure in the coastal zone. In combination with the methods of geodetic observations, such a density and distribution of benchmarks both in the soil and on the coastal fortification structure made it possible to obtain accurate data on the dynamics of landslide processes and to prevent the negative consequences of the landslide
Do actors’ incentives obstruct sector-wide long-term productivity in the design and production of bridges in Sweden?
Get PDFAn increase in productivity is necessary to reduce economic costs in bridge projects. Previous research indicates that construction productivity has decreased since the 1960s. A quantitative study was performed to find out how the incentives of the three major actors (client, contractor, and design engineer) could be obstacles to long-term productivity in the Swedish bridge construction industry. The study was performed as a self-completed questionnaire and received 151 responses. The results show that the contractors’ employees find profit in a single project more important than the company’s profit over time. Thus, the project´s incentives obstruct innovation and standardization, which could benefit future projects and thereby increase long-term productivity and the company’s profit over time. In contrast to contractors, design engineers and clients value company profit more than profit in a single project, and they value the quality of delivered products as the most important factor for increased long-term productivity.
First published online 10 December 202
How emotional intelligence affects inter-organizational relationships in megaprojects: the boundary spanning perspective
Get PDFBoundary Spanners (BSs) substantially impact relationship development in megaprojects. Yet, previous research only focused on the emotional intelligence (EI) of single-level BSs, e.g., megaproject managers and decision-makers. By clustering BSs into higher-level BSs (HBSs) and middle-lower-level BSs (M&LBSs), this article aims to investigate how to enhance inter-organizational relationships through different-level BSs’ EI and boundary-spanning behaviors including ambassadors, coordination and information scanning behaviors. Data from 119 HBSs and 171 M&LBSs in 15 megaprojects were first collected with a questionnaire survey. 18 semi-structured interviews were then undertaken to give a deeper explanation to the underlying mechanism. The results show that HBSs’ EI is directly and positively associated with inter-organizational relationships. However, the benefit of M&LBSs’ EI in megaprojects can only be realized through the mediating effect of their boundary-spanning behaviors. HBSs’ EI is effective in improving external ambassadors’ activities. In contrast, M&LBSs’ EI is effective in improving information scanning. This study advanced EI and relationship study in megaprojects, stating the mechanism between these two variables varies for different-level boundary spanners
Corporate social responsibility, work engagement and hospital image: the roles of hospital reputation, organizational trust and information technology application
Get PDFThis study investigates the mediating role of hospital reputation (HOR), organizational trust (ORT), and the moderating role of perceived usefulness of information technology application (ITA) in the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), work engagement (WOE), and hospital image (HOI). Using survey data from 586 healthcare workers employed at public hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the study employs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the measures and hypotheses. The results reveal that effective CSR practices not only foster a positive work environment and enhance WOE but also significantly improve HOI. HOR and ORT partially mediate the impact of CSR on WOE and, alongside WOE, act as crucial mediators in the CSR-HOI relationship. These findings confirm that organizational reputation and trust are foundational to building sustainable relationships between organizations and employees while also strengthening the hospital’s image in the community. Furthermore, the study identifies perceived usefulness of ITA as a significant benefit that positively modifies the impact of CSR on HOI. From these results, practical managerial implications are proposed for hospital leaders to enhance WOE and HOI through the implementation of CSR and ITA practices
Automatic monitoring of treated water released from wastewater treatment plants using model-based clustering with density estimation
Get PDFOne of the most promising efforts to fight against the water scarcity threat is to reuse the treated water released from WasteWater Treatment Plants (WWTP). The objective of this paper is to propose an integrated approach for continuously evaluating the performance of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), with a focus on treated wastewater quality assessment and reuse of treated water for beneficial purposes like irrigation, aquarium, groundwater recharge, and in river water discharge based on pollution level in treated water. This paper implemented a model-based clustering with density estimation to generate the non-overlapped clusters to categorize the clusters. Cluster analysis using the Euclidean distance resulted in three clusters labeled under a specified category of water polluted: non-polluted, lightly polluted, highly polluted or slightly polluted. Unlike standard clustering algorithms like K-means, hierarchical that produce optimized clusters in statistical terms that deviate from naturally categorized clusters, model-based clustering with density estimation operates on the assumption that each data object originates from the mixture of underlying probability distributions. Water quality parameters like suspended solids (SS) have been considered for the analysis. Our experimental results conclusively show the polluted levels of wastewater from WWTP using a model-based clustering approach. The Dataset used in this work has been derived from the wastewater treatment plant located in Manresa, a town of 100,000 inhabitants near Barcelona (Catalonia). The plant treats a flow of 35,000 m3/day, mainly domestic wastewater, although wastewater from industries located inside the town is received in the plant too. In this research, the plant’s behavior over 527 days are under consideration. Model-based density clustering algorithm discovers 3 clusters, with half lying in size range of 14–89 and a maximum size of 352. With the help of natural clusters generated, our results show that out of 445 days, in 352 days, the treated water is almost non-polluted. By this, we can assess the performance of the wastewater treatment plant
Determination of suitable recreational areas in Adana Province Cukurova district by AHP technique
Get PDFRecreation is people’s whole activity to regain their lost energy. In urban recreation areas, today’s people can escape city life and reach themselves and nature at some point. In this context, the distribution, size, and accessibility of recreation areas in cities gain importance. The research aims to determine potential recreation areas by considering the natural and physical characteristics of the Adana Province Cukurova district.
The criteria and importance weights of the criteria related to the natural and physical characteristics of Cukurova district, which is the research area, were determined by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. The data layers of the criteria were overlapped using the “Weighted Linear Combination Technique” in ArcMap program using the importance weights and a map of potential recreation areas was created.
The results show that 2.6% of the region has low, 72.2% has medium, and 25.2% has high recreational potential. The western part of Seyhan Dam Lake has been identified as the most suitable area for recreation. Providing a holistic green space system will enable the development of the city’s natural potential. In addition, the areas proposed to be planned as recreational areas will contribute to urban ecosystem services and improve the quality of urban life. To define recreational suitable areas provides effective and quick solutions to manage urban sprawl on ecological. (Referee 1)
The operational resilience evaluation method as a tool for decision-making during traffic disruptions in the railway system
Get PDFBasically, node connections and arc capacity issues are taken into account for resilience evaluation. Then, resilience investigation is mainly limited to catastrophic events with focus on the system layer. Nevertheless, from the operation point of view it is not enough to keep the correct node connection of the system but also to keep the appropriate process schedules. Thus, it is important to go beside the classical network (system) resilience and to develop the concept of operational resilience. In the typical resilience analysis, the main function necessary for resilience evaluation is the performance or functionality in time. Normally it is defined by one criterion, for example available railway lines, or number of trains, or hardly ever also punctuality. Therefore, the 1st aim of this article is to propose a multi properties functionality function, that takes into account operation process parameters like punctuality, delay probability, number of launched trains, and correctly assigned resources. 2nd, the article shows a tree stage fuzzy model to calculate the performance function using the incoherent process parameters. The multidimensional character of the functionality function is well covered by the proposed 3 stage fuzzy model. It makes it possible to put together different measures, and to calculate in an effective way the synthetic functionality/performance value. The model is in detail described as well as its developed including theoretical works, operational data analysis, as well as the experience of experts. The model description is followed by a railway case study, where scenarios elaborated by Experts are evaluated and compared, looking for the best one in terms of resilience. A resilient solution will be that one with the smallest performance/functionality loss in time. Basing on the case it can be concluded that the method is a step forward in resilience research. It has also a high practical potential due to simplification of very complex prediction issues. For example, possible further lack of crews or vehicles is represented as negative influence on the functionality function, without the need to make in short decision time complicated and not maybe incomplete