阿肯色大学

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is an important waste-to-energy technology, but its operation is challenged by nonlinear combustion dynamics, variable waste properties, and the conflicting objectives of high combustion efficiency (CE) and low nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. This study proposes a data-driven dynamic optimization framework, termed Koopman-DMOO, that integrates a residual-corrected controlled Koopman surrogate with dynamic multi-objective optimization and a residual-based Dynamic Response Strategy. A time-delay augmented state represents short-term process memory while preserving a leakage-free chronological prediction structure, and the dynamic response mechanism supports Pareto-front tracking under changing operating conditions. The framework was evaluated using dynamic multi-objective benchmark problems and data from a full-scale industrial MSWI facility. Under the same chronological prediction protocol, the residual-corrected Koopman model reduced RMSE by 75.1% for CE and 73.4% for NOx relative to the persistence baseline and achieved lower prediction errors than XGBoost, LSTM, GRU, and TCN. On the FDA1-FDA5 dynamic benchmarks, Koopman-DMOO achieved a mean hypervolume of 0.851, a mean inverted generational distance of 0.022, and the best average rank of 1.1 among the evaluated algorithms. Over the 120-sample chronological industrial evaluation window, the recommended trajectories increased mean physical CE from approximately 99.575-99.724% (+0.149 %age points) and reduced mean NOx from approximately 274.84-239.77 mg/ Nm3 (-35.07 mg/Nm3, approximately 12.76%). The optimized decision trajectories remained within the implemented feasible domain and were smoother than the corresponding historical controls. These results support Koopman-DMOO as a computationally efficient supervisory decision-support framework for dynamic CE-NOx trade-off optimization, while plant-level closed-loop validation remains necessary.

Leaders need diversity intelligence (DQ) to effectively manage all employees in the workplace but specifically, they need better knowledge, education, training, and behavior to lead protected class employees. This DQ scale was developed to help leaders assess their knowledge, education, training, and behavior towards protected class employees. This study sought to (1) advance DQ theory by developing and testing the DQ scale; (2) investigate the relationship between leaders’ knowledge and behaviors based upon validation of the scale. The qualitative results and the pilot study helped us to create the factors for the DQ scale that is comprised of three subscales. The quantitative results, using both confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, validated the factor structure of the DQ scale.

Aeolian dune morphology commonly reflects the cumulative effects of persistent wind regimes, although less frequent high-magnitude events may contribute substantially to sediment redistribution where entrainment thresholds are exceeded. Their relative geomorphic influence remains difficult to evaluate where complex topography modifies regional airflow. This preliminary field investigation examines relationships among dune morphology, sediment characteristics, topographic setting, and contrasting wind regimes within Wadi Rum, southern Jordan. Field investigations during 2023 and 2024 combined dune-scale sediment sampling, morphometric observations, wind measurements, and remote sensing of dune and slip-face orientations at Umm Ishrin and Bint Brashaman. The regional wind regime includes persistent northwesterly winds and less frequent southwesterly Khamsin conditions, including a high-magnitude Khamsin event directly observed in 2023. Dune and slip-face orientations indicate that sediment transport cannot be explained solely by prevailing northwesterly winds, while spatial variations in grain-size composition are consistent with repeated sediment entrainment, sorting, and redistribution under variable transport conditions. These patterns occur within a landscape where sandstone massifs, inselbergs, and confined wadis locally modify airflow. Although the observations cannot quantify the long-term contribution of Khamsin events or uniquely attribute sedimentological signatures to either wind regime, the combined geomorphic evidence indicates that episodic southwesterly transport should be considered alongside persistent northwesterly winds. The findings suggest that contrasting wind regimes interact with complex topography to influence sediment redistribution and dune morphology in Wadi Rum.

Large-scale climate oscillations modulate spring precipitation across the south-central United States, but their hydroclimatic response at the watershed scale remains poorly quantified. We evaluate how the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are associated with spring (March–May) precipitation across three watersheds in Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma from 1950 to 2025, accounting for antecedent winter (December–February) precipitation. Watershed-aggregated precipitation was analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear mixed-effects models. Sensitivity analyses evaluated temporal dependence and residual dependence among watersheds within the same year. Neutral ENSO conditions show the highest median precipitation across all three watersheds. Mean precipitation is higher during Positive than Negative NAO conditions in the pooled descriptive analysis. Although the original model indicates a negative La Niña x NAO interaction, this term is not significant with year-clustered standard errors (β = −66.10 mm per NAO index unit; p = 0.118). Adjusted ENSO coefficients and the positive temporal trend also lose significance under year-clustered inference. Antecedent winter precipitation is not a significant predictor of spring totals once ENSO, NAO, and time are accounted for. Fixed effects explain 10.9–13.7% of the variance in spring precipitation. The study characterizes watershed-scale precipitation contrasts among climate states and demonstrates the importance of accounting for shared annual variability when assessing teleconnection associations.

Retailers struggle with late deliveries, thus motivating research to improve e-fulfillment performance. Studies have primarily investigated order processing and delivery individually but have ignored the interplay between these two e-fulfillment activities. The Theory of Swift and Even Flow (TSEF) provides a useful frame for examining the e-fulfillment process, yet it neglects important behavioral factors. We elaborate the TSEF using logic from the Queue-Length Visibility and Misperception of Feedback Dynamics perspectives to unveil how behaviors in order processing and delivery contribute to delivery performance. We analyze 11,241 orders from a major Vietnamese retailer using econometric methods informed by practitioner interviews. We find a concave relationship between order processing time (OPT) ratio (defined as the proportion of planned lead time consumed by order processing) and lateness. Late orders have OPT ratios exceeding 25% of the planned lead time, and they exhibit higher OPT variance. We also find a U-shaped relationship between OPT ratio and order delivery time (ODT); expediting deliveries mitigates delays until OPT ratios reach a threshold of 58%. Finally, we argue that workers and managers prioritize the processing of focused orders. Understanding behaviors in the e-fulfillment process offers insights that extend the TSEF, new research areas, and managerial implications.