Designing a good MAC protocol remains a challenge. Such a protocol has to guarantee access to the medium while reducing energy consumption. With the appearance of energy harvesting-wireless sensor networks (EH-WSNs), energy is no longer a problem but the challenge now is that each sensor remains in its energetically sustainable state as much as possible. This paper proposes a formal study of on demand MAC (ODMAC) one of the well-known protocols proposed for EH-WSNs. An analysis through statistical model checking is made where properties that guarantee the protocol's correctness are verified and a performance evaluation of important aspects is achieved.

Recently, robotic process automation (RPA) has become increasingly adopted by different institutions in an endeavour to improve business performance. However, banking and financial institutions are still considered a slow-developing sector lacking sufficient experience with different aspects of process automation. Therefore, the main aim of this work is to examine how RPA adoption can affect the performance of banking processes by conducting a case study on the mortgage loan application process of a bank located in Saudi Arabia. A well-established methodology inspired by the business process management (BPM) lifecycle has been followed. We utilise the Bizagi (BPM) Suite to model and analyse AS-IS and TO-BE scenarios of the process. UiPath software has been used to build and configure the RPA bot. The simulation results revealed that the adoption of the RPA within the mortgage loan application process has reduced the overall cycle time of the process by approximately 14 days.

Three-phase separators are increasingly used in fields such as the pretreatment of oilfield produced fluids and the treatment of oily sewage in the chemical production process. As the core component of the three-phase separator, the inlet structure can make the relatively stable flow field obtained by the separator provide strong guarantee for subsequent separation. An advanced design of inlet structure can improve the separation effect of the separator to a certain extent. In this paper, the Fluent software was used to numerically simulate the inlet structure of the three-phase separator. Through the analysis of different types of inlet structures, the general rules were summarised. Finally, combined with related research results, a bottom cylindrical inlet structure was developed and designed to improve the rectification performance of the inlet structure and effectively prevent the blocking of the distribution cylinder from occurring.

Inadequate training and lack of risk awareness are among the main causes of work-related accidents in industrial facilities. Although new learning methods, such as virtual reality (VR), have been deployed, they still do not find implementation on a large-scale. This research proposes the concept of 'virtual training pills' (VTP), i.e. delivering learning content in the form of short educational games by using a common technological platform based on virtual, interactive and immersive reality. An application study has been conducted in the case of a decommissioned nuclear power plant, which is classified as confined and pollution-suspected space. These areas represent a challenging environment for maintenance and inspection activities. The results proved the potential of this novel game-based learning approach: short 'learning pills' are much more effective than long role-playing games. This work also discusses the benefits of workforce training based on VTP as an integration to live exercises for safety management.

In recent years, interest in blockchain technology has grown considerably, due to its multiple properties, such as transparency, immutability, traceability, security. Considering the significant number of recently published contributions about the use of blockchain-based solutions in the agri-food sector, in this paper we aim to collect and catalog them. The main purpose is the identification of research trends and possible barriers to the large-scale spreading of this disruptive technology. Through a well-structured four-step research methodology, we systematically review 48 papers. The main result is that blockchain can be used not only to ensure complete food traceability, but also to protect workers' rights, limit the power of supply chain intermediaries and protect market prices, enable reward mechanisms for the development of sustainable initiatives. However, there are still some open issues that limit its large-scale diffusion: lack of shared standards, limited number of real case studies, resistance by stakeholders, restricted scalability.

In view of the challenge in autonomous navigation of unmanned ships where environmental conditions are complicated, this paper proposes a global trajectory planning model with local risk collision ...

This paper, focuses on details about pre-cast construction logistics management. Specifically, the management of the precast stockyard layout in precast concrete products industry. Designing an effective precast stockyard with effective storage and structural precast element retrieval is a complex process. The paper will discuss how to ensure efficient storage, precast elements dispatch, ease of rotation of precast elements within precast stockyard, and a smooth precast element retrieval process from any stockyard. In addition, the paper will show how effective stockyard layout can reduce the dispatch time, loading time, and queuing time of the precast elements within the stockyard. Finally, the paper will include simulation modelling using 'ARENA' software to optimize, design, and test the new stockyard layout that we established and compare it with the current status of the precast stockyard. A 'what if' analysis will be implemented from the simulation model in order to cover various stockyard conditions.

This study aims to use discrete event simulation (DES) to minimise the processing cost of a leading optics business in Saudi Arabia. Data is collected from three branches to calculate the operating cost and delivery time of the products. A proposed solution is developed to replace three technical workshops inside every branch with one central workshop in the city. Numbers of replications are carried out to reach the optimal solution. Cost analysis is done to compare the process cost, delivery time and idle working hours of the two options. A significant reduction is observed in the process cost and delivery time of the products besides increasing the idle working hours of the technicians. These improvements can be utilised to enhance the productivity and profitability of the organisations.