International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The proliferation of smartphones has transformed the modern workplace, blurring boundaries between personal and professional life. While smartphone use facilitates flexibility and real-time communication, it can also intensify job demands and emotional strain. Despite extensive global research on technology-related stress, limited attention has been given to the mediating role of job stress in the relationship between workplace smartphone use and employee well-being in the Iranian context. This study addresses this gap by investigating how smartphone use affects job burnout and engagement through the mediating mechanism of job stress.
METHODS:
This applied, quantitative research adopted a positivist paradigm and a deductive approach, utilizing a descriptive-survey design. Data were collected via an online questionnaire distributed among employees of Mobile Communication of Iran (Hamrah-e Aval), yielding 313 valid responses from a total population of 1,700. Standardized questionnaires adapted from established scales on smartphone use, stress, job burnout, and engagement were employed. The instruments were validated through back-translation and expert review, and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients (all above 0.70). Structural Equation Modeling with Smart Partial Least Squares 3 was employed for hypothesis testing.
FINDINGS:
Findings reveal that smartphone use significantly increases job stress (β = 0.262, p < 0.001). In turn, stress positively affects job burnout (β = 0.296, p < 0.001) and negatively affects job engagement (β = –0.182, p < 0.001). While smartphone use directly increases burnout (β = 0.168, p = 0.000), it does not directly impact job engagement (β = 0.088, p = 0.290). Mediation analysis confirmed that job stress partially mediates the relationship between smartphone use and both burnout and engagement.
CONCLUSION:
Workplace smartphone use has a dual impact: it indirectly contributes to job burnout and disengagement via increased stress. These findings emphasize the importance of managing job stress to mitigate the negative psychological outcomes of ubiquitous mobile connectivity. Organizations should implement targeted interventions—such as flexible work policies, stress-reduction programs, and smartphone usage guidelines—to enhance employee well-being and performance in digitally connected environments.

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Urban managers and local authorities tried to provide public health services to vulnerable groups and establish urban justice during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to evaluate the vaccination services of vulnerable groups at their houses in Tehran during the COVID-19 pandemic through critical rethinking. Then it provides policies for developing an in-house healthcare services system for vulnerable groups.
METHODS: This study applies a multi-methodology and multi-paradigm exploratory approach to design a systemic intervention by using qualitative and quantitative methods. For this purpose, the activists involved in the vaccination services of vulnerable groups in Tehran are primarily interviewed based on Critical Systems Heuristics methodology, and then the responses to the boundary questions in four basic areas, including motivation, control, knowledge, and legitimacy, have been analyzed. Afterward, the Strategic Assumptions Surfacing and Testing methodology, a systems approach for learning in complex problem situations, is used, along with the participation of urban decision-makers, to reveal the strategic assumptions for the development of an in-house vaccination services system for vulnerable populations. Finally, after dialectical discussions, system development solutions have been synthesized and integrated, and based on the importance level and certainty of the right assumption, certain planning regions have been detected.
FINDINGS: Generally, healthcare services to vulnerable groups during the pandemic must be redefined based on the boundaries of control, knowledge, and legitimacy. According to the findings, 34 strategic defaults were identified and 17 defaults were proposed in the secure planning area, including: redefining the provision of healthcare services to vulnerable groups during the pandemics; providing services to all vulnerable groups during disasters through Tehran’s joint emergency response call center; providing stable financial resources to perform services to vulnerable populations during the pandemics; collecting, updating, and integrating the related databases (such as elderlies, patients, people with disabilities, etc.); training service providers (e.g. call center operators, vaccinators, etc.) in accordance with the specific situations of vulnerable groups; developing guidelines for providing in-house services to vulnerable people; obliging the managers to be accountable for obeying protective laws relating to vulnerable groups in disaster; identifying the potential capacities of the private sectors and nongovernmental organizations; considering a medical support team; consulting with advisors and caregivers of vulnerable groups; using temperature recording devices to ensure the cold chain of vaccines; and setting up local disaster management support bases in order to assure the agility of the provided services to the vulnerable populations in Tehran.
CONCLUSION: The current study deals with the critical rethinking of providing health services to vulnerable populations during a pandemic, by designing a systemic intervention. Besides finding learning fields from the COVID-19 experiences, this research explores the strategies for redesigning and developing a more efficient healthcare service system for vulnerable groups in disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Noise pollution is an environmental stressor that is mainly caused due to heavy transportation in urban scenarios. Traffic noise is a growing concern in urban environments, impacting public health and well-being. As urbanization expands, understanding and mitigating traffic-induced noise annoyance becomes increasingly critical. This study aimed to develop a machine-learning model for predicting traffic-induced noise annoyance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The research explored the influence of factors like demographics, noise characteristics, and traffic conditions on noise annoyance.
METHODS: A survey was conducted at 21 locations in Riyadh, collecting data from 928 participants. The survey included questions on demographics (gender, age, education, marital status, profession), traffic conditions (traffic flow), and noise perception (transportation noise, noise sensitivity, perceived noisiness). The sampling method employed was a combination of stratified and random sampling. Stratified sampling was used to ensure that various demographic segments (e.g., different age groups, genders, and education levels) were proportionately represented in the survey. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the collected data and identify factors significantly affecting noise annoyance. These significant factors were then used as input variables for a Support Vector Machine model designed to predict noise annoyance. The performance of the Support Vector Machine model was evaluated using Root Mean Square Error, Mean Absolute Error, and R-squared.
FINDINGS: The Structural Equation Model analysis revealed that gender, age, education level, traffic flow, noise from traffic, and individual noise sensitivity were significant contributors to noise annoyance. The developed Support Vector Machine model achieved a high level of accuracy with a root mean square error of 1.416 and a coefficient of determination of 0.90. Noise sensitivity emerged as the most crucial factor influencing noise annoyance.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of machine learning, specifically the Support Vector Machine, in predicting traffic-induced noise annoyance. The findings highlight the importance of both individual characteristics and environmental factors in noise perception and can be valuable for urban planning and noise mitigation strategies, promoting a more noise-resilient city environment. For the community, urban planners and policymakers can use these findings to design silent areas by implementing noise barriers, optimizing traffic flow, and enforcing stricter noise regulations.
 

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Crises of high uncertainty and complexity provoke discussion about new requirements of crisis management systems, which is of utmost importance in developing a cooperative environment and providing effective responses. This study aims to analyze the cooperative system of Tehran Municipality departments involved in crisis management of the COVID-19 pandemic, who are called actors afterward, and thereby presents the lessons learned through this pandemic.
METHODS: The Social network analysis has been applied in this research to analyze the collaboration system. Accordingly, the crisis management actions taken by Tehran Municipality is first explored and, 38 actors and 11 areas of knowledge are identified. The two-dimensional matrix of actors-actions and the cooperative system of the actors are then analyzed based on the indicators of degree and betweenness centrality in UCINET and NetDraw software to investigate the position of the actors' tacit knowledge power in the cooperative network.
FINDINGS: The actors’ cooperative system generally has high density and coherence; however, it seems that the position of some actors must be strengthened within the structure of the crisis management in Tehran Municipality. The results of degree centrality index identified 7 actors with higher degree centrality (20% of total actors), and 7 actors with lower degree centrality (20% of total actors). Moreover, the betweenness centrality of the network of actors is analyzed to find the highest and lowest betweenness power in the cooperative network. Afterward, a series of recommendations are proposed based on a designed systematic intervention. Moreover, a cooperative system of pandemic crisis management would be developed based on the key actors’ experiences and the lessons learned from failures.  
CONCLUSION: Existing knowledge presents a valuable prospect for policy-makers in urban crisis management to not only establish an organizational cooperative system but also capitalize on the insights gained and contemplate pragmatic collective measures to enhance urban resilience in the face of pandemic crises.

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The influence of smartphones in face-to-face interactions has presently affected the methods of human interaction in various social environments and has led to the emerging phenomenon of phubbing.  Phubbing has been the focus of researchers as the employee's perception that his/her supervisor is distracted by their smartphone while talking or being in close proximity to each other in the work environment. Therefore, it can be stated that phubbing is negatively related to subordinates' trust in their supervisor. So. the present study aimed to identify the antecedents and consequences of phubbing in Yazd municipality.
METHODS: The present study was applied in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of research methodology and based on the grounded theory approach. We decided to apply this method because the core objective is to choose the individuals who are acquainted with such phenomena. Consequently, it will be easier to comprehend the topic so that the samples can provide appropriate answers accordingly. In the present study, for performing data collection, semi-structured in-depth interviews with the 5w1h technique were conducted with 12 people, including managers and employees who respond to citizens’ requests in the central building of Yazd Municipality. The researched community consists of The Experts selected were those who had relevant articles, at least three years of beneficial work experience in Yazd Municipality, and relevant knowledge of phubbing. Targeted sampling has been done based on the researcher's considerations. The present study was performed March 2023.
FINDINGS: The findings show that there are many empirical factors influencing phubbing in organizations, so that the role of employees and their functional duties are considered a very influential factor for phubbing in organizations. Employees should be able to have a detailed understanding of their needs and their behavior in the organization in interactions so that they can convey the best experience to them in order to influence their behavior. If the set of municipality facilities can perform their duties well, a positive experience can be created in the employee's mind. Therefore, human resources, physical space and functional aspect will provide a very effective role in creating a positive experience and provide a suitable mental background for employee preferences. In the present study, data analysis was performed using Maxqda software version 20 in three stages of primary, central, and selective coding, which resulted in the identification of 6 categories, 21 central concepts, and 123 final codes. Therefore, technological factors, social factors, personal/individual factors, cultural factors, and psychological factors were identified in this research.
CONCLUSION: The results of the data analysis indicated that there were many experimental factors influencing phubbing in organizations so the role of employees and their functional responsibility were considered to be a highly influential factor for phubbing in the municipality. The interviewees believed that employees must quickly feel secure and comfortable after becoming a member of the organization and they must adapt themselves to the norms of the environment. Therefore, considering that fobbing has attracted the attention of many researchers, as far as the authors are aware, its antecedents and consequences have not been identified, from this point of view, the research has innovation.

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The lakes in the state of Minnesota (MN) have undergone accelerated changes with the passing of time, where cattle ranching, agriculture, the increase of industrial jobs and urban area development have changed their condition from pristine to critical. To evaluate this problem, secondary data obtained from the public domain of three lakes from a county used for a long period for agriculture and cattle (Carver County) and three lakes from a county where the land has been used more for housing and industrial economy (Hennepin County). The aim of the study was to use the information to evaluate the trophic status, and compare the results of the lakes of rural areas versus lakes in urban areas in order to create a possible mitigation plan to improve the condition of the area.
METHODS: Trophic status was determined to evaluate the water quality of each lake. ANOVA analysis was employed to analyze the data set obtained from the public domain in the official webpage of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
FINDINGS: Data results for total phosphorus, Secchi Disk and Chlorophyll-a, showed that all lakes are under eutrophic-hypereutrophic status with Trophic State Index (TSI) results between 59 to 80. Hennepin County had two of the three lakes evaluated in hypereutrophic states when compared with Carver County lakes. Carver County has only one lake out of the three evaluated under hypereutrophic conditions. Statistical analysis showed that p <α. The results demonstrated that lakes near areas used mainly for urban/industrial purposes are more contaminated than lakes near areas used for agriculture/livestock.
CONCLUSION: The restoration of wetlands that are near the lakes is proposed as a possible bioremediation method to improve water quality. Alternatively, an artificial wetland could be implemented in the lakes that do not have this natural system. Placing a Subsurface Flow System (SFS) artificial wetland in parallel trenches, which bypasses the lake and/or into the mouth of the river, would allow the sedimentation process to occur in these spaces. In addition, the use of Phosphor-Accumulator Organisms (PAO) and specialized aquatic plants, such as Hydrodictyon reticulatum, Elodea canadensis, Eichhornia crasspies, Eleocharis plantaginea, Pistia stratiotes and Hydrilla verticillate will trap contaminants and aid in their removal.

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In this study, an integrated phase change material drying system was designed to evaluate the efficiency of the system with the use of renewable solar energy for different types of sludge with different moisture content.
METHODS: This study was performed on the wastewater treatment plant sludge, paint, and marble sludge. By distributing the screws on the sludge tray, covering the system floor with a black trash bag, and mounting the reflector around the absorber tubes has increased the efficiency of the system.
FINDING: All the types of equipment used in the construction of the system are used as heat storage material and increase the internal air temperature, and the sludge temperature of the system. Temperature is transferred sequentially through air and objects. This research was conducted in winter by 1156 Wh/m² mean internal cumulative solar radiation. Due to the reduction of solar radiation, as the system was upgraded, more water was released from the sludge surfaces. By Scanning Electron Microscopy imaging, the porous surface was observed after sludge drying.
CONCLUSION: In this study, the waste sludge moisture decreased from 80% to 52.2% during three improvement stages. The paint sludge moisture content reduced from 56% to 25%, and marble sludge moisture in the final stage reached from 26% to 5.2%. The proposed solar dryer system is an economical way to reduce the sludge volume in the transportation process.

Abstract The study was conducted with the objective of mapping landscape cover of Nechsar National park in Ethiopia to produce spatially accurate and timely information on land use and changing pattern. Monitoring provides the planners and decision-makers with required information about the current state of its development and the nature of changes that have occurred. Remote sensing and Geographical Information System have gained importance as powerful and efficient tools for land cover mapping of inaccessible area. Digital image classification is generally performed to produce land cover maps from remote sensing data, particularly for large areas. In this project, LANDSAT 7 ETM+ 2000 data was prepared for producing land cover map of study area, Nechisar National Park. Digital image processing techniques were conducted for the processes of radiometric and geometric correction and classification for land cover analysis. Additionally, training data for supervised classification were collected in the study area. Signature development was carried out and evaluated. Training sites were re-defined such that significant separability was obtained for all six bands of LANDSAT 7 EMT+. Finally, Supervised Classification was applied to classify the satellite image using Maximum Likelihood Classifier and five major land class cover were identified and mapped for the Nechsar National park. These are:  grassland, forest land, deciduous bush land, thickets, and water bodies.

Abstract  In this study the quality of Omani and United Arab Emirates bottled water brands which are sold in Oman were assessed by comparing the chemical composition indicated on manufacturer’s label with local and international bottled water standards. Results indicated that all the bottled water brands are complying with local and international standards. According to piper diagram, the most dominant water type among Omani brands is mixed Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-Cl^- and among United Arab Emirate brands is calcium chloride. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided Omani and United Arab Emirate brands in to four groups based on similarity in chemical composition. Some of the Omani and United Arab Emirate brands have same chemical composition, but marketed under different names. Calcium concentration in Omani and United Arab Emirate brands is low compared to imported mineral water brands, and their contribution towards recommended dietary allowances of calcium for adults is only 3%. Both Omani and United Arab Emirate brands used in this study are meeting United States Food and Drug Administration’s very low sodium category requirements and are suitable for individuals on severely restricted sodium diet.

Abstract Heavy metal pollutionis one of the largest problems in the Environment and human being. In industrial and urban areas trees can give better quantifications for pollutant concentrations and atmospheric deposition than non-biological samples. In order to know ability of Fraxinus excelsior­ (Ash tree) to reduce the concentrations of heavy metals and compared with the concentration of these pollutants in falling dust urban green belt. The results showed that the concentration of Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Lead, and Cadmium in falling dust respectively were the highest to the lowest. The distance from the highway in the concentration of pollutants in leaves and bark of the Ash tree showed significant results. Also, the effect of pollutant in the leaf of this plant was higher than that of bark, except for Cobalt. Concentrations of Zinc, Cobalt, and Nickel, increased with increasing distance from the road due to multi-directional winds and the presence of other contaminants. The Pearson correlation analysis between heavy metals found in the falling dust and Ash tree showed that the input and controlling factors of these elements in the Ash tree are probably the same as the dust. The results showed that the Fraxinus excelsior leaf with the amount of accumulation index of 1607 mg/kg has more ability to simultaneously absorb different metals. As a result, since this green belt surrounds Yazd urban area, it is hoped that a significant amount of heavy metals will be absorbed by these trees.

Abstract Heavy metals are one of the dreadful environmental pollutants. Its toxicity is a menace to the ecosystem and has attracted global concern over the decades. The attendant uncontrolled disposal and recycling of electronic-waste (e-waste) has greatly influence the elevated concentration of heavy metals observed in Nigeria waterways. This study was carried out to investigate the frequency of the deadly heavy metals as part of public health intervention. The study was a cross sectional design in which waterways from the three geographical zones of Kwara State, Nigeria were sampled by integrated composite method and analyzed for physical and chemical parameters during the dry and rainy season. High frequency of e-waste generated heavy metals in the waterways was observed with respect to influence of settlement, geographical zones and seasonal variation in the study area. The mean concentrations of the heavy metals analyzed showed a decreasing trend in their quantity as Cr ˃ Cd ˃ Pb ˃ Hg in both seasons. Statistically, no significant difference in densities of Lead, Mercury and Chromium with respect to season (P cal = 0.482 in chromium, P cal = 0.067 in Lead, P cal = 0.146 in Mercury, P > 0.05). However, there was significant difference in frequency of Cadmium by season (P cal = 0.001, P ˂ 0.05). Assessment of the findings with respect to geographical zone revealed a significant difference in the mean distribution of Chromium during both seasons. Heavy metals were also recorded to be higher in the urban areas than the rural areas.

Abstract The current study presents an investigation on the waste management in the cattle slaughterhouse by the following objectives: a) to identify the existing waste management practices in relation to sources, quantity and characteristic of wastes; b) to identify the situation of production, collection, storage, transportation, processing and recycling, and final disposal of wastes and the problems of existing waste management practices. In order to obtain reliable information and filling the check list, site surveys were conducted when the management of the slaughter-house was interviewed in waste management practices. The total produced industrial waste in studying units' was found to be 10252 tons/year. The per capita waste generations were reported to be 54.6 kg/cattle/day and 11.1 kg/sheep/day. Also, more than 98% of the hazardous waste produced can be infectious. However, it is important to keep in mind that setting an operational program and careful monitoring of its optimal execution by the slaughterhouse manager is necessary. Consequently, findings provide useful inputs for decision making processes around construction slaughterhouses waste management.
 

Abstract An appropriate solid waste disposal has been a major problem in municipal environment. The use of landfills is the most economical and environmentally acceptable method for the disposal of solid waste all over the world. The analysis of spatial data and consideration of regulation and accepted criteria are part of the important elements in the site selection. The aim of this paper is to show how application of geographic information system could be used for siting solid waste disposal in Abadan city. In this paper, we consider types of soil suitable for solid waste disposals, land use/ land cover, transportation routes and proximity to surface water. Relative importance weight of each criteria in the geographic information system was determined and finally suitability map was prepared. Based on the final suitability map, appropriate solid waste landfill site was located in north east part of the study area. Select the best landfill site among the candidate ones, and   the output results can enable decision makers to make appropriate decisions to reduce the costs both in   economic and environmental criteria.