Conservation of Resources

A polymer-modi ed cement formulation with self-healing capability at ambient temperature is reported. The polymer used is a copolymerization product from the crosslinking reaction between N, N-methylenebis-acrylamide (MBA) and 1,4-butanediamine (BDA) (MBA-BDA). Results show that the added polymer homogeneously distribute in the cement matrix without phase separation or water segregation. The polymer-modi ed cement has better workability than conventional cement and self-healing capability as demonstrated by the recovery of compressive strength after multiple damage/healing events. From 13 C NMR data a mechanism for self-healing of MBA-BDA-modi ed cement is proposed based on multiple hydrogen bonding interactions between the oxygen of the carbonyl in the polymer and the hydrogen of the calcium silicate hydrates of cement. Unlike any other polymer-cement technologies reported in the open literature, such as cement modi ed with superabsorbent polymers or encapsulated polymers where fractures are lled without any apparent chemical bond formation, this self-healing polymer-modi ed cement represents a true self-healing cement formulation since chemical bonds are formed between the polymer and the surface of a crack restoring the structural integrity of cement as demonstrated by its multiple self-healing capability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the rst polymer-modi ed cement technology with true self-healing capability at ambient temperature.

Often times, in academia world, academics report to superiors who are not from similar backgrounds and do not share the same standards, points of view or needs. Hence, to be effective, any particular academic staff must understand that upward power is partly based on the ability and willingness to use influence tactics. The aim of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the relationship between upward influence strategies and employees' career success. All three dimensions of upward influence strategies i.e. soft, hard and rational tactics have different effects towards career progression due to the nature of the tactics. The paper argues that career advancement, assuming that all other factors are equal, is a very subjective matter which lies upon three main influencing factors of ingratiation, assertiveness and reasoning.

In the contemporary landscape of organizational dynamics, it is imperative to understand the nuance of social undermining behaviors in the workplace for effective strategy and decision-making. In this regard, this study reviews, identifies, and critically evaluates the social undermining literature and offers new avenues for future research. The systematic literature review methodology has been used to select and

The information and views set out in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission. The Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on the Commission's behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. (2) The report is based on information collected up to 2015. Acknowledgements This report benefitted from valuable insights provided by numerous experts and practitioners. The authors would like to thank all the external experts that participated to the project. The authors would in particular like to acknowledge the contributions of the regional and national experts (public institutions, NGOs, farmers associations, researchers) from the eight studied regions who offered valuable contributions to the case studies.

The global community is concerned about the environmental degradation caused by plastic waste, particularly Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) used in food packaging materials. Utilizing plastic in road construction can conserve energy, reduce pollution, and enhance the performance of asphalt mixes at high temperatures. Many research studies have inspected the impact of various types of plastic, such as LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE, and others, on the physical-rheological and chemical characteristics of the base binder. This study assesses how BOPP and Graphene Oxide (GO) work together to develop the performance of the base binder. The modified binder's physical-rheological and chemical structure was evaluated using different percentages of BOPP and Graphene oxide. Penetration, Softening Point, Rotational Viscosity, Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), and temperature sweep tests were conducted to examine the modified binder's properties changes. The findings indicate that the combination of GO and BOPP significantly improved the physical-chemical and rheologic properties of the base binder. The trial rheological results for 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6% of GO and 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5% of WBOPP (GWBOPP) modified bitumen demonstrate that the modification of the base binder with this combination improved its elastic capacity at higher temperatures and rutting resistance. These results suggest a positive correlation between the chemical-physical-rheological parameters.

The information and views set out in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Commission. The Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study. Neither the Commission nor any person acting on the Commission's behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. (2) The report is based on information collected up to 2015. Acknowledgements This report benefitted from valuable insights provided by numerous experts and practitioners. The authors would like to thank all the external experts that participated to the project. The authors would in particular like to acknowledge the contributions of the regional and national experts (public institutions, NGOs, farmers associations, researchers) from the eight studied regions who offered valuable contributions to the case studies.

Purpose– Despite the abundance of dispositional affect, work-family, and leadership research, little has been done to integrate these literatures. Based primarily on conservation of resources theory, which suggests individuals seek to acquire and maintain resources to reduce stress, the purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical examination of the relationships between leader dispositional affect, leader work-family spillover, and leadership.Design/methodology/approach– Survey data were collected from a diverse sample of managers from a broad set of occupational groups (e.g. financial, government, library). Regression and Monte Carlo procedures were used to estimate model direct and indirect effects.Findings– The results indicate that dispositional affect is a strong predictor of both work-family spillover and leadership. Further, the relationship between negative/positive affect and leadership was partially mediated by work-family conflict/enrichment.Research limitations/impl...

In this study, we investigate whether teleworking can increase employees' job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and decrease employees' turnover intention. We collected surveybased data in Thailand, where widespread teleworking arrangements had been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of our analysis confirm that (1) teleworking was positively associated with job satisfaction, (2) job satisfaction was positively associated with organizational commitment and negatively associated with turnover intention, and (3) job autonomy, job burnout, and work-to-family conflict played mediating roles in the relationship between teleworking and job satisfaction. Our findings can help public-sector policymakers and private-sector managers to implement rigorous teleworking arrangements in Thailand.

The negative effects of in-person workplace bullying (WB) are well established. Less is known about cyber-bullying (CB), in which negative behaviours are mediated by technology. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the current research examined how individual and organisational factors were related to WB and CB at two time points three months apart. Data were collected by means of an online self-report survey. Eight hundred and twenty-six respondents (58% female, 42% male) provided data at both time points. One hundred and twenty-three (15%) of participants had been bullied and 23 (2.8%) of participants had been cyber-bullied within the last six months. Women reported more WB, but not more CB, than men. Worse physical health, higher strain, more destructive leadership, more team conflict and less effective organisational strategies were associated with more WB. Managerial employees experienced more CB than non-managerial employees. Poor physical health, less organisation...

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The massive consumption of plastic material and its waste worldwide has made it necessary to find alternative solutions to reduce the size of landfill areas and recover their energy content. Pyrolysis is one of the chemical recovery technologies for plastics whose return on investment is estimated between 16% and 21%. This article aims to use the Triple Layer Business Model Canvas tool, which considers the elements of a business model visually and dynamically based on the three pillars of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social). This approach allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the sustainability-oriented business model. As a result, we concluded that pyrolysis is viable as a complementary process to other means of mechanical recycling and energy recovery. 

Despite the growing prevalence of employee exemplification in the workplace, there is limited understanding of this assertive self-focused tactic. This study proposes to expand the exemplification research domain by exploring the emotional and behavioral conditions under which this impression management tactic is effective. Data analysis from 206 supervisor-employee dyads reveals that the indirect relationship between exemplification and individual performance through a supervisor's liking is conditional on an employee's emotional intelligence. Specifically, the exemplification effect on performance is sharply negative when a salesperson's emotional intelligence is low, and it becomes insignificant when a salesperson is highly emotionally intelligent. This moderating effect is also strengthened by a supervisor's age. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The present editorial scope of the Journal of Civil Engineering, Science, and Technology (JCEST) emphasizes one of the main disciplines of civil engineering: waste management and recycling. Waste management studies provide insights into new waste management techniques, such as recycling, composting, and waste-toenergy technologies, all of which are essential in reducing the volume of waste in landfills. In this brief editorial paper, information is gathered from the freely-accessible Scopus database to identify common keywords found in published papers related to waste management and recycling in the past decade. Based on the analysis, "waste" is found to be the top keyword in articles published on this topic in JCEST. The primary aim of this exercise is to provide researchers with a brief guide to explore the latest knowledge and advancements in waste management and recycling, in safeguarding the cleanliness and safety of our environment.

In this work natural rubber (NR) was blended with polystyrene (PS) at various weight ratio: 10:0, 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, 5:5 and modified using maleic anhydride (MA: at constant concentration of 7 php, per hundred polymer), and sand aggregate binder, using reflux technique in toluene solution. After solvent evaporation and drying under vauum at 60 o C to constant weight, the mixtures were compression moulded to form filmt specimens based on ASTM D638-4. Mechanical testing of the film specimens at optimum condition showed tensile strength of 12.81 MPa, when used weight ratio of 6:4, due to grafting of MA in PS/NR matrix. This was supported by FTIR analysis of the specimen after exhaustive washing in acetone-methanol solvent, which showed absorption peak of maleic carbonyl (>C=O) group at 1710 cm-1. Efficiency of the PS/NR-grafted MA (PS/NR-g-MA) as binder for sand aggregate was estimated by mixing of the binder matrix with sand aggregate using mechanical stirrer in toluene at various weight ratio (3:7, 4:6, 5:5, and 6:4). The mixtures were then compression moulded to 3-point bending test specimens according to ASTM D790-2, and then drying under vacuum at constant temperature 60 o C. It was found that at optimum composition (weight ratio of matrix to aggregate: 3:7), in which modulus of elasticity (MoE) was 15895.9 MPa and modulus of rupture (MoR) of 19.85 MPa. This was due to improved adhesion of MA-grafted PS/NR matrix on the sand aggregate surface. Thermal analysis of the optimum specimen (PS/NRg-MA/Sand) showed no substantial difference on decomposition temperature (465 0 C), when compared to that of matrix without sand aggregate (PS/NR-g-MA).

The researcher carried out this study to examine the predictive power of perceived organizational politics (POP) on their political skills regarding networking ability, interpersonal skills, social astuteness, and apparent sincerity. To investigate the given hypotheses, this study used a survey methodology, deductive reasoning technique, and positivist research philosophy. Data were collected from the seven hundred and twenty-five employees working in the Nepali Banking industry. Cross-sectional and perceptual data (Likert scale measure) were screened and analyzed employing SPSS. Regression analysis was carried out, keeping the demographic variables' effect constant. Regression analysis revealed that employees' POP enhanced the employees' political skills (i.e., networking ability, interpersonal skills, social astuteness, and apparent sincerity). Though POP significantly boosted all the factors of political skills (i.e., networking ability, interpersonal skills, social a...