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Our study is the first to empirically analyze the nonlinear relationship between digitalization and export value and diversification. This paper measures the digital transformation process in terms of digital connectivity, uses of the internet, e-business, e-commerce, and e-government. The various econometrics techniques are applied for the database of 23 European countries during the period 2015-2020. The vital findings should be conveyed here. First, the bottlenecks of export values could be resolved by promoting digital transformation. However, the non-linear reverted U-shaped relationship between digitalization and export diversification suggests that positive effects only appear when the digital activities, especially in digital connectivity, humans with digital skills, use of internet services, or digital public services reaches a certain threshold. Second, the positive influence of digitalization on exports stems from a reduction in export cost and export time to deal with documentary and border compliance as well as improvements in competence and quality of logistic services and quality of trade and transport-related infrastructure, thus enhancing exports. Third, the role of digital connectivity and the integration of digital technology into business and commerce become especially important for export diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the separation of fats from paper waste packaging. The method is based on interaction with boiling water and greaseproof paper. The cooking process is considered the formation of emulsions according to different slots. The research data are presented and discussed obtained from the analysis of ready-made samples. 20 different fat-coated paper samples have been prapared for research. Ten of them have been selected for printing paper, and another dozen cartons. The half of the samples analyzed are covered with vegetable fat, the remaining samples are vegetable fat. It was found that the carton samples were less opposed to the separation of fat. During the experiment, it was determined that by cooking the cardboard samples coated with olive oil for 5 minutes, 30% of the total fat content was removed. The most effective samples of this type were heated for a long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the digital economy's impact on rural household consumption upgrading. Existing studies remain mainly at the level of rural consumption scale and rarely address the consumption structure. The specific impact of the development of the digital economy on rural consumption upgrading and its mechanisms of action deserves in-depth study and consideration. We analyzed the related content using the fixed-effect model, the instrumental variable method (IV), the mediation effect model, and three-year panel data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). This study found that, at the scale level, the digital economy contributes to expanding rural household consumption. At the structural level, the digital economy significantly increases the share of enjoyment-oriented household consumption but has no significant effect on development-oriented consumption. Income is an important transmission mechanism for the digital economy to improve rural household consumption. Besides, the impact of the digital economy on the upgrading of rural consumption varies according to income level and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper waste sludge (PWS) is the main and the greatest by-product in paper production process, and its elimination as well as destruction is a primary environmental problem. This research explores the feasibility of such wastes to be used in polyurethane foam composites. It is well known that using water as a sole blowing agent has major drawbacks such as long demould time, shrinkage, high diffusion rate of carbon dioxide and etc.; therefore, the bio-based propylene glycol (RPG) is used in order to solve such problems. The addition of 20 parts by weight (pbw) of RPG eliminates the primary shrinkage of the foam composites when PWS is used in the amount varying from 5% to 20%, and improves the dimensional stability at 70°C and 90% relative humidity conditions. The addition of titanate coupling agent modified PWS particles increases the compressive strength of the final composites from ∼26% to ∼53%, from ∼17% to ∼31% and from ∼3% to ∼23% for, respectively, 10 pbw, 15 pbw and 20 pbw RPG extended foam composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the construction industry worldwide has shown significant interest in Building Information Modeling (BIM). This study aims to analyze the dissemination of knowledge about BIM in construction engineering applications using Main Path Analysis (MPA). The research sample comprises 3,761 papers related to BIM's application in the construction industry, sourced from the ISI Web of Science database. Initially, we investigate trends in paper publications, conduct country and journal analyses, and examine author statistics. Subsequently, we calculate traversal counts along the search path links to reveal the development trajectory of BIM. The trajectory of BIM's evolution in the construction industry can be divided into four stages as identified through the global key-route main path analysis: 1) BIM standardization; 2) Integration of completed building projects using BIM; 3) BIM applications in precast construction projects; and 4) BIM applications in land management. These findings provide a clear understanding of how BIM has been applied and evolved within the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building and other construction assets constitute a significant part of a country's physical and economic infrastructure. According to several writers, the knowledge of reliable data of building and other construction assets of a specific country or region is a crucial element for the long-term management of these assets. Built capital stock statistics at the national or international levels have been available for most countries of the world, both developed and less developed ones, for some time, but construction infrastructure stock statistics at the disaggregated level are very scarce, even for most developed countries. Furthermore, the methodologies to produce the estimates of built capital stock, at the international level, do not consider countries' specificities. This paper discusses the methodologic issues for producing construction infrastructure stock statistics for Cape Verde, and makes estimates for the period 1980-2019. The paper outlines the Perpetual Inventory Method (PIM) used to produce capital estimation, data employed, and the assumptions made to estimate missing data. The paper analyses the level of the construction infrastructure stock estimates for Cape Verde, as well as their impact on the development pattern of the country's construction industry, and suggests how further studies can enhance our comprehension of the relationship between construction investment and economic growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some recent analytical papers have explored limiting behaviors of Landau- de Gennes models for liquid crystals in certain extreme ranges of the model param- eters: limits of "vanishing elasticity" (in the language of some of these papers) and "low-temperature limits." We use simple scaling analysis to show that these limits are properly interpreted as limits in which geometric length scales (such as the size of the domain containing the liquid crystal material) become large compared to intrin- sic length scales (such as correlation lengths or coherence lengths, which determine defect core sizes). This represents the natural passage from a mesoscopic model to a macroscopic model and is analogous to a "London limit" in the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity or a "large-body limit" in the Landau-Lifshitz theory of ferromagnetism. Known relevant length scales in these parameter regimes (nematic correlation length, biaxial coherence length) can be seen to emerge via balances in equilibrium Euler-Lagrange equations associated with well-scaled Landau-de Gennes free-energy functionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of pensions has become increasingly topical. This paper presents the ordered weighted averaging real average pension (OWARAP) operator. The OWARAP operator is based on the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator and calculates the future average retirement benefit taking into account price changes. Moreover, this work extends the OWARAP operator by using order-inducing variables, generalized means, and probabilities. This paper ends by analyzing the applicability of the OWARAP operator and its extensions in forecasting the real average Social Security benefits for retired workers in each state of the United States (U.S.). The results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach in retirement decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the characteristics of four straw-filled beetle elytron plate (BEPsc) nonload-bearing walls, with their thermal and mechanical properties ascertained by the finite element method, focusing on structural parameters reported in previous studies and further optimized in this paper. The results are as follows: 1) The sequence of the four models' mechanical and thermal insulation properties with the reported structural parameters is given. The mechanical properties are mainly affected by the core layer's out-of-plane bending moment of inertia Ix. The insulation capability is mainly governed by the minimum cross section of the core concrete. Based on this result, a BEP with nonuniform cross-sectional honeycomb walls is proposed. 2) Further optimization is conducted on the two models with the weakest mechanical and thermal properties. The I-beam beetle elytron plate (IBEPsc) is proven most suitable for nonload-bearing walls. The potential for end-trabecular beetle elytron plate (EBEPsc) in hollow floors is expected. 3) As biomimetic models emerge constantly, it is of great significance to conduct parallel comparisons between new and old models to determine their performance levels and advantages. This paper provides an example for selecting suitable BEPs for applications and an inspiration for more work on screening outstanding biomimetic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Circular Economy (CE) is receiving more attention, especially in Industry 4.0 (I4.0). In the face of several ambiguous and uncertain information, fuzzy techniques based on Fuzzy Set Theory (FST) are essential for developing CE strategies. This paper uses bibliometric methods to analyze the characteristics of the authors, nations/regions, institutions of the literature of FST and CE, and the collaborations relations between them, and then summarize the literature on fuzzy techniques in the CE and identify the specific role that FST can play in each stage of CE, its primary effects on the CE's pre-preparation stage, design and production stage, and recycling and reuse stage. Meanwhile, the paper explores the advantages of I4.0 technologies for CE and analyzes the research on the role of fuzzy techniques based on FST for CE and I4.0 technologies. Last but not least, this paper is concluded by summarizing the knowledge gained from the bibliometric and content analyses of the literature and suggesting further research directions of investigation. This research will draw attention to FST's contribution and encourage its advancement in CE and I4.0 technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the empirical studies on project management teaching in higher education, examining to what extent teaching methods are oriented towards creativity. The systematic review is based on an analysis of relevant papers published between 1983 and 2019 and extracted from the electronic the ProQuest database and International Journal of Project Management. Literature suggests diverse benefits creativity can bring about to project environment including communication, conflict management, goal setting, and addressing increasing complexity of projectification impacted environment. However, the systematic review revealed that creativity is virtually not addressed at all in teaching of project management in higher education, even though overall diverse teaching methods and learning methods are used in the education of future project managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes that occur often in the world around us in accordance with each period's change. It is a common trend in writing to introduce new tendencies, and the Gothic subgenre exhibits this tendency. The term Gothic has its roots in the early 16th century and refers to a mysterious quality that appears in some metaphysical items. This paper is a humble attempt to explore the history of the Gothic novel and demonstrate how mystery alone recreates this genre in British literature. The ability of intangible components to incite fear in readers was lessened with the rise of the mysterious portrayal of a story in day-to-day life. As the Gothic novel began to examine reality, readers' desire to learn the truth increased. This paper investigates to understand the reasons for the abrupt disappearance of metaphysical components and increased focus and importance on existential and social issues by examining a few randomly chosen modern novels and comparing them to the earlier Gothic classics. It highlights the differences occurring in readers' views according to the various times while also evaluating the variance occurring within the Gothic genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing academic interest in respect for critical game studies from the domains such as cultural studies, literature, ludology, and gender studies. However, the research done on videogames from the perspective of the political discourse is not broad enough. Rocksteady Studios' Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009, director Sefton Hill) is a franchise that has redefined the superhero videogame genre. Although previous Batman transmedia adaptations would usually portray Gotham City as the prime location to narrate the story from the perspective of Batman, the videogame utilizes the carceral setting of Batman to subvert the traditional narratives and makes it completely a Joker's (character) game. Therefore, this version of storytelling carries a character with a more nuanced demeanor and a setting with socio-political influence. The current paper examines the underlying structural inequality present in Batman using Giorgio Agamben's bare life theory and the subsequent discourse of resistance using the theoretical framework of Mikhail Bakhtin. The analysis reveals the various carnivalesque elements present in the game and illustrates how the game takes advantage of them to mount an attack against the bare life status of the antagonists that are usually seen in Batman transmedia universe. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on the posthuman traits of Joker's becoming through a Gilles Deleuze-inspired perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper shows that mechanical vibrations occur in a wide frequency range in the hydraulic systems operating in the real world. Hydraulic valves are also exposed to these vibrations. The paper gives examples of vibration sources and suggests that the influence of vibrations on hydraulic valves could be reduced. Particular attention was paid to the vibrating proportional distributor. The amplitude-frequency spectrum of pressure pulsation in a hydraulic system with a vibrating proportional distributor was analysed. During the tests, the frequency of external mechanical vibrations acting on the proportional distributor and their direction was changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For users of Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Multi-GNSS Advanced Orbit and Clock Augmentation PPP signals provide corrective data. When using the PPP approach and/or PPP-Ambiguity Resolution (AR) method, the QZSS signal provides globally applicable error corrections on satellite orbit, clock offset, and code/phase biases. In addition, from FY2024, as a part of the MADOCA-PPP technology demonstration, wide-area ionospheric correction data will be provided for the Asia-Oceania region. A software estimator of precise satellite information developed by JAXA, Multi-GNSS Advanced Demonstration Tool for Orbit and Clock Analysis (MADOCA), allows u-blox CO99-ZED-F9P and MSJ 3008-GM4-QZS utilizing MADOCA-PPP to be used in GNSS applications that need sub-decimetre precision but don't have to be expensive. Errors caused by positioning satellites are computed by using observation data from domestic and overseas GNSS monitoring station networks such as IGS and MIRAI, and obtained correction data is transmitted from QZSS signal to provide highly precise positioning augmentation services that can be used in the Asia-Oceania Region. Users may utilize the PPP technique for high-precision locating by employing a GNSS receiver that supports the QZSS signals. This paper describes an experiment carried out with the static method to combine GPS, GLONASS, and QZSS signals in the project site (ISHI, USUD and MIZU stations in Japan). This paper examines the GPS/GLONASS/QZSS obtainable accuracy. These obtained results indicate that integrating GPS system with GLONASS and QZSS is favoured for surveying applications. It appears that integrating GPS/GLONASS/QZSS (MADOCA precise ephemeris file) static measurements in the study area between 0-4 millimetres accuracy can be guaranteed on all occasions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the recent evolution of the electricity price of one of the East-European countries' Balancing Markets (BM) - Romania, aiming to understand the prices trend and predict them in the current economic and geopolitical context. This is especially important as the electricity producers have to allocate their output between wholesale electricity market, ancillary services markets and BM targeting to maximize value and achieve a sustainable economic development. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an AI-powered electricity price forecast using several types of standout Machine Learning (ML) algorithms such as classifiers and regressors to predict the electricity price on BM. This approach, consisting of two steps, identifies the imbalance sign and significantly enhances the performance of the price forecast. The proposed method offers valuable insights into the market participants' trading opportunities using two prediction solutions. The first prediction solution consists of averaging the results of five ensemble ML algorithms. The second one consists in weighting the results of the five forecasting ML algorithms using either a linear regression or a decision tree algorithm. Thus, we propose to combine supervised and unsupervised ML algorithms and find the fundamentals for creating optimal bidding strategies for electricity market players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, sustainable economic performance (SEP) has been the foremost requirement due to uncertainty of the economy and environment. This issue needs best practices and governance and also needs researchers' focus. Thereby, the paper aims to assess green supply chain (SC) practices, green SC governance and their role in the achievement of SEP in the manufacturing sector of China. The paper also attempts to explore the moderating effect of organizational support in proposed framework. PLS-SEM model was employed to test model's reliability and validity. The very same method has applied to test the linkage among outlined constructs. Obtained results confirms the moderating impact of organizational support among traditional governance, relational governance and the achievement of SEP in the manufacturing industry in China. This article provides guidelines to the regulators in developing policies related to the achievement of SEP using green SC practices and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social sustainability is a global necessity because of environmental and economic uncertainty. This issue needs the foremost solution, and for this purpose, researchers' and policymakers' emphasis is required. Thereby, the present paper investigates sustainable energy technologies such as solar and hydroelectric, eco-innovation and EG and their impact on social sustainability in China. The study also used industrialization and inflation as the control variables in the time span of 1981 to 2020. The present study also applied the Dynamic Auto-regressive Distributed Lags (DARDL) model to evaluate the association between the outlined variables. The results indicated that sustainable energy technologies such as solar and hydroelectric, eco-innovation, economic growth, industrialization and inflation are significantly associated with social sustainability in China. The present paper offers standard policies to regulators in making regulations related to maintaining social sustainability by using effective sustainable energy technologies and eco-innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite green building and BIM technology being hot spots in the construction industry, most research remains at the technical level. Leading to exploring the fundamental driving reason and mechanism of BIM for green buildings is still lacking. This paper explored BIM's impact mechanism and driving path on green buildings from the management's perspective to fill this gap. Based on a literature review, 18 expert interviews, and three case studies of green buildings, the influence mechanism was analysed via a qualitative method (ISM). Then, the importance of driving factors was evaluated via quantitative analysis (ANP). Specifically, this study probed the driving path by combining qualitative and quantitative analysis (ISM-ANP). The research findings show that the driving force of BIM for green buildings comes from the fundamental factor layer and is transferred to the intermediate and direct factors layer. The critical driving path of BIM for green building is to promote the visualization of building information, collaborative management, and expand real estate investment through the guidance of policies and standards. Based on research results, this paper puts forward five suggestions: 1) Improving the policy and standard system; 2) Striving to research native software; 3) Adopting an informatization project management mode; 4) Accelerating the construction and improvement of the green building industry chain; 5) Promoting government enterprise cooperation. These results may benefit not only the coupling and coordination of the two but also the construction industry's green transformation and high-quality development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of a country's entry into the monetary union on its economic variables growth rate of real GDP as well as on GDP per capita growth for the period from 2010 to 2020. The clustering method and the ANFIS method were used in the data analysis. A total of two cluster analyses were performed. The first cluster includes countries that joined the EU in 2004 and became EZ members by 2010. The second cluster refers to those countries that joined the EU in 2004 but are not yet members of the EZ. For the first individual cluster analysis two models were analysed and for the second individual cluster three models were analysed using the ANFIS method. As expected, the results showed that GDP growth is connected with trade, inflation and gross investments in fixed capital in the observed countries, while GDP per capita is connected with unemployment, interest rates and public debt. With regard to GDP growth, the difference between countries that are in the eurozone and those that are not is not significant, which is in line with other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread and substantial effect of the global financial crisis in history underlines the importance of forecasting financial crisis effectively. In this paper, we propose temporal convolutional network (TCN), which based on a convolutional neural network, to construct an early warning system for financial crises. The proposed TCN is compared with logit model and other deep learning models. The Shapley value decomposition is calculated for the interpretability of the early warning system. Experimental results show that the proposed TCN outperforms other models, and the stock price and the real GDP growth have the largest contributions in the crises prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's constantly rapid economic growth accompanying by a low overall inflation has long been mysterious in macroeconomics. The core purpose of this paper is to solve this puzzle. Therefore, we integrate overdetermined set of equations into a MUCSVO model to explore the volatility mechanism of the overall inflation from a sectoral perspective. Our key findings include: 1) the hedging effect of sectoral inflation fluctuations principally accounts for China's long-run stable overall inflation; 2) the main contradiction of China's inflation has been shifting from high price levels in the traditional food and residence categories to rising prices in the health care category; 3) as the proportions of inflation in the food and residence categories fall steadily, sectoral inflation weights become more evenly distributed. In conclusion, China's overall inflation and deflation will be much less likely to occur, while inflation is still of sectoral imbalance. Unusual price fluctuations in the food and health care categories, which are highly relevant to basic living standards of the low-income group, deserve close attention in particular. Overall, besides solving the puzzle of China's low inflation, our model is applicable to economies that do not publish inflation weights, which is a useful extension of core inflation measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current situation of the Romanian economy must be understood beginning from the analysis of the main measures of fiscal-budgetary policy applied over the last years by the public authority. In general, the Romanian fiscal policy (before and after accession) was procyclical. However, we continue by presenting some of its characteristics for the past years when we underwent the last ascending phase of the economic cycle. Actually, Romania's GDP exceeded constantly the potential level, and the demand surplus became predominant, generating inflationary pressures. Maintaining the expansionist level of the fiscal policy, in the conditions of a positive deviation of GDP, as of 2017, and opting-out regarding the structural deficit target contributed to affecting the stability of public finances, on short-and medium-term. Romania entered into an extremely difficult economic context, generated by the pandemic, with an extremely narrow fiscal space which limited a lot the possibilities of combating the effects of the pandemic. In this paper we analyzed a period limited to the year 2020, because we consider this time as marking the end of an economic cycle in a period of peace and economic calm, as another is about to begin based on the new realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the equation -div (a(x, u,Du)=H(x, u,Du) +a0(x) |u|θ + χ{u̸=0} f(x) in Ω, with boundary conditions u = 0 on ∂Ω, where Ω is an open bounded subset of RN, 1 < p < N, -div(a(x, u,Du)) is a Leray-Lions operator defined on W1,p0 (Ω), a0 ∈ LN/p(Ω), a0 > 0, 0 < θ ≤ 1, χ{u̸=0} is a characteristic function, f ∈ LN/p(Ω) and H(x, s, ξ) is a Carath'eodory function such that -c0 a(x, s, ξ)ξ ≤ H(x, s, ξ) sign(s) ≤ γ a(x, s, ξ)ξ a.e. x ∈ Ω, ∀s ∈ R, ∀ξ ∈ RN. For ∥a0∥N/p and ∥f∥N/p sufficiently small, we prove the existence of at least one solution u of this problem which is moreover such that the function exp(δ|u|) - 1 belongs to W1,p0 (Ω) for some δ ≥ γ. This solution satisfies some a priori estimates in W1,p0 (Ω). Keywords: nonlinear problems, existence, singularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, we consider simultaneous approximation of a pair of analytic functions by discrete shifts ζuN (s + ikh1; a) and ζuN (s + ikh2, α; b) of the absolutely convergent Dirichlet series connected to the periodic zeta-function with multiplicative sequence a, and the periodic Hurwitz zeta-function, respectively. We suppose that uN → ∞ and uN ≪ N2 as N → ∞, and the set {(h1 log p: p ∈ P), (h2 log(m + α): m ∈ N0), 2π} is linearly independent over Q. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the solvability of nonsmooth generalized equations in Banach spaces using a modified Newton-secant method, by assuming a Hölder condition. Also, we generalize a Dennis-Mor'e theorem to characterize the superlinear convergence of the proposed method applied to nonsmooth generalized equations under strong metric subregularity. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on the well-posedness problem of the threedimensional incompressible viscous and resistive Hall-magnetohydrodynamics system (Hall-MHD) with variable density. We mainly prove the existence and uniqueness issues of the density-dependent incompressible Hall-magnetohydrodynamic system in critical spaces on R3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, our focus lies in addressing the Dirichlet problem associated with a specific class of critical anisotropic elliptic equations of Schrodinger-Kirchhoff type. These equations incorporate variable exponents and a real positive parameter. Our objective is to establish the existence of at least one solution to this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lerch zeta-function L(λ, α, s), s = σ + it, depends on two real parameters P λ and 0 < α ⩽ 1, and, for σ > 1, is defined by the Dirichlet series ∞ m=0 e2πiλm(m + α)-s, and by analytic continuation elsewhere. In the paper, we consider the joint approximation of collections of analytic functions by discrete shifts (L(λ1, α1, s+ikh1), . . ., L(λr, αr, s+ikhr)), k = 0, 1, . . ., with arbitrary λj, 0 < αj ⩽ 1 and hj > 0, j = 1, . . ., r. We prove that there exists a non-empty closed set of analytic functions on the critical strip 1/2 < σ < 1 which is approximated by the above shifts. It is proved that the set of shifts approximating a given collection of analytic functions has a positive lower density. The case of positive density also is discussed. A generalization for some compositions is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the problem we investigate is to simultaneously identify the source term and initial value of the time fractional diffusion equation. This problem is ill-posed, i.e., the solution (if exists) does not depend on the measurable data. We give the conditional stability result under the a-priori bound assumption for the exact solution. The modified Tikhonov regularization method is used to solve this problem, and under the a-priori and the a-posteriori selection rule for the regularization parameter, the convergence error estimations for this method are obtained. Finally, numerical example is given to prove the effectiveness of this regularization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the inverse problem of recovering the time dependent source term in a time fractional diffusion equation, in the case of nonlocal boundary condition and integral overdetermination condition. The boundary conditions of this problem are regular but not strongly regular. The existence and uniqueness of the solution are established by applying generalized Fourier method based on the expansion in terms of root functions of a spectral problem, weakly singular Volterra integral equation and fractional type Gronwall's inequality. Moreover, we show its continuous dependence on the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased complexity of construction projects has caused various management challenges. To clarify the mechanism of construction system complexity and improve the ability to manage the complexity of construction projects, the Agent-based modeling (ABM) method has been introduced and used in the construction management field. Nevertheless, a systematic, holistic, and panoramic understanding of the use of the ABM model in the construction management field is still lacking. To address this research gap, this study reviewed 133 historical explorations retrieved from the database of Web of Science. By using the multiple objectives of construction management as the literature classification framework, the study described the research status of the agent-based modeling method in the field of construction management. On this basis, this paper suggested the improvement paths in the application of this method from three aspects. It is expected that this study will provide a theoretical basis for enhancing understanding of the use of the ABM method in construction management, and also provide insights for future explorations in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual impact is defined as the modification of a visual resource of the landscape, generating an effect on the perception of potential observers. This effect is evaluated using the value of the landscape that has not been altered or destroyed (visual quality of the landscape), as is the case with building projects that generate visible changes in residential areas. Numerous authors have developed methodologies to evaluate visual intrusion; however, deficiencies exist, such as the predominance of subjectivity in procedures and the lack of evaluations for buildings. Therefore, this paper proposes a methodology to evaluate and quantify the visual impact of a new building in a high population density environment. This research is divided into a description of the basic methodology, the proposal of the methodology to capture and process photographs and information, and the application of a case study of a high-rise building in a sector of Valparaíso, Chile. The main contribution of this work is the delivery of a methodological proposal that allows the evaluation and quantification of the visual quality before and after the new structure to complement structural and urban design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper and prints on it are analyzed as composite materials. Printing, varnishing and lamination are described in terms of the formation of the composite material. The article discusses why and how the properties of a print should differ from the properties of paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality innovation is an inevitable requirement for high-quality economic development, and an accurate grasp of the regional distribution characteristics of the level of highquality innovation development (HQID) can better understand and simulate high-quality innovation. This paper constructs a dataset of high-value inventions based on the Chinese patent database using textual analysis methods and the criteria for High-Quality Inventions proposed by the State Intellectual Property Office, and explores inter-provincial variability and convergence by using the Theil index, α convergence, and β convergence. This paper finds that High-Quality Inventions are significantly and positively correlated with various indicators measuring the quality and value of patents. In general, the overall level of HQID is on an upward trend with clear differences among provinces, which shows a regional unbalanced but overall rapid development. From the regional differences of HQID, the regional differences of HQID have been narrowed, mainly within the region. In terms of the convergence of HQID, α convergence, absolute β convergence, conditional β convergence, and club convergence exist nationally and within each region, which indicates that the gap between the national and regional levels of HQID has been narrowing over time. HQID has a positive promotion effect on the relationship between HQID and economic growth, economic growth rate, and total factor productivity. High-quality innovation can improve the quality of input factors, cultivate new dynamic energy for economic development, and then promote high-quality economic development. In the context of the shift of IP work from pursuing quantity to improving quality, the scientific understanding of high-quality innovation, the development status, and the differences of regional innovation high-quality development is of great significance for improving innovation quality and efficiency, and effectively supporting high-quality economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the convergence of the Peaceman-Rachford Alternating Direction Implicit method for the system of difference equations, approximating the two-dimensional elliptic equations in rectangular domain with nonlocal integral conditions. The main goal of the paper is the analysis of spectrum structure of difference eigenvalue problem with nonlocal conditions. The convergence of iterative method is proved in the case when the system of eigenvectors is complete. The main results are generalized for the system of difference equations, approximating the differential problem with truncation error O(h4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce a Halpern iteration process for computing the common solution of split generalized equilibrium problem and fixed points of a countable family of Bregman W-mappings with multiple output sets in reflexive Banach spaces. We prove a strong convergence result for approximating the solutions of the aforementioned problems under some mild conditions. It is worth mentioning that the iterative algorithm employ in this article is designed in such a way that it does not require the prior knowledge of operator norm. We also provide some numerical examples to illustrate the performance of our proposed iterative method. The result discuss in this paper extends and complements many related results in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction between different papers, inkjet and flexographic prints has been experimentally investigated. Flexographic prints have been made using an anilox roller, and inkjet prints have been produced covering paper with one and four toner layers. Static (SCOF) and kinetic (KCOF) friction coefficients between paper and paper, paper and prints, prints and prints have been determined. Friction properties have been discovered to be different in flexographic and laser prints. The dependence of SCOF and KCOF on pressure (both decrease) together with roughness measurements enables to conclude that the friction of prints is mainly governed by adhesion forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We correct the proof of Theorem 2 in the mentioned paper concerning finite-difference equilibrium solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting emergency suppliers from a wide range of candidates based on their performance under each criterion can be regarded as a multi-criterion decision making (MCDM) problem. Existing MCDM models to solve the emergency supplier selection problem ignored situations where large-scale suppliers exist, the influence of criteria weights on the robustness of ranking results, and the influence of psychology of regret aversion and disappointment aversion on decision results. To make up for these deficiencies, this paper proposes an MCDM model to solve emergency supplier selection problem with large-scale alternatives. Firstly, to avoid the influence of criteria weights on ranking of alternatives, the Robustness, Correlation, and Standard Deviation (ROCOSD) method is introduced to determine objective weights of criteria based on three objectives. Secondly, the τ-balanced clustering method is applied to cluster large-scale alternatives into balanced clusters. Next, considering the psychology of regret aversion and disappointment aversion of decision makers, a two-stage method is proposed to rank alternatives, which identifies the optimal alternative within each cluster and forms a new cluster consisting of these optimal alternatives in the first stage, and selects the optimal alternative from the new-formed cluster in the second stage. A numerical case is given to validate the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reverse mortgage is one of the products (perhaps the main one) that is good to obtain additional income by using the habitual residence as collateral. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the effects that reverse mortgage contracting has on household finances over the lifetime of a family according to the socioeconomic group to which it belongs in Spain. Four indicators are employed to measure the immediate and long-term effects. We use a stochastic model with a double source of randomness, survival and entry into dependency, and apply it to the three socioeconomic groups obtained with cluster methodology from the 2017 Spanish Household Financial Survey data. We conclude that the effects are very different depending on the group: regarding only the effects of hiring a reverse mortgage on the income of the family, widowed women aged between 81 and 85 years, with low income and expenses as well as little net wealth, and a habitual residence that represents half of her net wealth (Cluster 1) are the most benefited; considering that the highest impact indicators are on the probability of illiquidity and on the value of lack of liquidity, the use of reverse mortgages benefits more the families in Cluster 3 (high income and expenses and really high net wealth, head of household aged between 76 and 80 years) and less the families in Cluster 2 (medium income, net wealth and expenses, head of household aged between 65 and 75 years). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify the differences in the employment rate dynamics in economy sections, considering gender, in the European Union countries in 2020, compared to the 2008–2019 period. Two methods were used. The first method compares forecasts from models describing employment changes in the pre-pandemic periods with information concerning the actual employment rate in 2020, using three indices measuring the significance of the observed discrepancies. The second method uses dynamic cluster analysis for the 2008–2020 period, and evaluates the changes in composition of groups that occured in 2020. The proposed methods were applied separately to the data concerning the employment of females and males (employment rates) in the EU countries, always divided into economy sections and section groups (A, B-E, F, G-I, J, K, L, M and N, O-Q, R). The application of the “Triple 2 Rule” helped to identify the changes in the previous employment trends (“Interventions”). The evaluation of changes in the dynamics of the employment rate in total and in section groups and according to gender in the EU countries in 2020 – compared to the forecasts from the 2013–2019 trends – revealed that the EU labour market responded differently to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superiority of BWM over other weighting methods for obtaining the weight values of the attributes is that it achieves high-confidence results with a reasonable number of pairwise comparisons. Although the best-worst method (BWM) is a well-known multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method that has been successfully utilized in almost all scientific areas to solve challenging real-life problems, no research has comprehensively examined the state-of-the-art in this regard. The present study depicts a detailed overview of publications concerned with BWM during the period 2015–2022. Based on the information obtained from the Scopus database, this work presents a big picture of current research on BWM. In other words, this paper analyzes the existing literature about BWM and identifies thematic contexts, application areas, emerging trends, and remaining research gaps to shed light on future research agendas aligning with those gaps. Further, the most recent BWM research is analyzed in the top ten scientific areas, from engineering to materials science. “Engineering”, “computer science”, and “business, management, and accounting” are the hottest fields of BWM research. China is the most active country regarding “engineering” and “computer science”, whereas India is the leader in “business, management, and accounting”. The study also reveals that there are still many research gaps in BWM research. The big picture taken in this study will not only showcase the current situation of BWM research but will also positively impact the direction and quality of new research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the use of vibration measurements for the purpose of cost-effective performance evaluation for the safety management and maintenance of Japan's social infrastructure like bridges. Since modal properties are often used to diagnose damage of structures by analysing their changes, various modal identification methods have been developed in the past few decades. Among these, the FDD method has still attractive attention because of its simplicity and practicality. It is also highly applicable to simultaneous observation at multiple points and even complex modes can be identified instantly. On the other hand, the applicability of this method to impact tests applied to evaluate the condition of structures has not been sufficiently discussed to date. In this study, we will clarify the applicability to impact tests by reconstructing the theoretical background of the FDD method. Furthermore, we will show from theory that when there is a correlation between inputs, higher-order singular values, which should be noted when applied to impact tests, will be affected. The conclusions obtained from the reconstruction of the theoretical background will be verified based on numerical experiments and actual observation records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses some inaccurate uses of pronominal forms, certain terms, syntactical and lexical mistakes in papers on welding. The article also provides the examples of mistakes found in welding papers. The use of nonpronominal forms in the denoted terms is one of the typical morphological mistakes in treating the process of welding. Another problem is the inaccurate use and wrong formation of terminology. The main lexical mistakes are semantic mistakes and calque. The article also focuses on the syntactical mistakes – the mistaken expression of purpose, the wrong use of preposition prie, redundant use of abstract nouns in treatises, also inaccurate use of infinitive with conjuction kad in dependent clauses. Causes for language mistakes and correction of errors are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital economy is a great route to promote the efficient utilization of natural resources and promote sustainability due to its high-tech, rapid growth, extensive penetration, deep integration and other characteristics. Existing study on the influencing factors of the digital economy is not deep enough and lacks the analysis on the relationship structure of factors influencing the digital economy, which is not conducive for an overall grasp of the digital economy. To correctly understand how to better develop the digital economy, this paper studies its influencing factors and the relationships between them. Based on the time-series data of China from 2002 to 2018, grey correlation analysis was applied to calculate the correlation between these influencing factors and the digital economy, and determine the major influencing factors of digital economy development in China. The Granger causality test and a review of existing research were used to judge the interrelationship of various factors. The interpretative structure model was utilized to determine the relationship structure of the main factors affecting the development of China's digital economy. The results show that the number of digital talents, state of the technology market, and degree of digitalization are direct influencing factors of the digital economy. The results help to better understand the development of the digital economy and will enable the implementation of policies to improve towards more sustainable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern "Supply Chains (SCs)" have recently been introduced as value networks of high complexity, and firms have focused on its efficiency as an important support for staying competitive in the market. Firms are currently capable of observing, tracking, and monitoring their products, activities, and processes throughout their value chain networks using new technologies, namely the "Internet of Things (IoT)". Though, the influencing factors of IoT are highly complex and diverse, which result in the information-intensiveness of the SCs processes. This, in turn, leads to lots of barriers to SCs. In this paper, we evaluate and rank the IoT risks for "Supply Chain Management (SCM)" by utilizing "Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA)" and "Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS)" under "q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Sets (q-ROFSs)". A case study is presented for investigating the IoT risks for SCM in the q-ROFSs setting. Moreover, the obtained results were compared to those of some methods currently used in the literature. The outcomes of the study show that the security and privacy risks with a weight value of 0.0572 is the main IoT risk factor for the SCM and the organization-I with the utility degree 0.8208 is the best option with diverse IoT risks for SCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the concept of the circular economy and its connection to emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0. It emphasizes the significance of the circular economy in promoting sustainability and the reuse of materials. The article also discusses the potential benefits of IoT technologies in implementing circular economy practices. It presents various research papers that delve into the challenges, risks, and advantages of utilizing the IoT for the circular economy. The overall aim of the research is to contribute to the existing knowledge on the circular economy and inspire further progress in the field. [Extracted from the article]

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been widely applied in infrastructure development around the world. However, reasonable concessionary items are critical to compromise interest conflicts between government agencies and sponsors to ensure project success. A broad literature review centering on PPP transaction structuring revealed two significant research gaps: (1) a lack of attention to the 'availability payment only' (APO) funding method and (2) negligence of the public side's perspective in determining concessionary items. The research objective was to develop a methodological framework for determining concessionary items in APO PPP projects while considering the interests of the public side. This study proposed a value-for-money (VFM) and social values integrated framework which accommodates discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis, bargaining game modeling, and multi-objectives decision-making (MODM). This framework enables a decision-making process based on both an indifferent feasible interval of concessionary items under a discount rate agreed upon by both parties and an optimal set of concessionary items. Additionally, results of a sensitivity analysis indicated that project construction profit can significantly affect feasible and optimal concession items, and the optimal concession period is less sensitive to changes in risk allocation. The application of proposed model indicated that this paper successfully provides a methodology for determining a feasible interval and an optimal concession items group tailored to APO PPP projects. This study paves the way towards a platform for the public and private partners to jointly and quickly come up with sound PPP concessional items in light of the win-win principle, particularly under the APO funding mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of performance measurement need to be carried out throughout the project life cycle to ensure the successful transfer of public-private partnership (PPP) assets and meet stakeholder needs. More and more water projects are stepping into the transfer phase, but less studies carry out in-depth and systematic discussion on the performance measurement of PPP water projects at the transfer phase. Hence, to fill this gap, this research establishes a new performance measurement system (PMS) for evaluating the performance of the PPP projects stepping into the transfer phase based on the key performance indicators (KPIs). Through case study, expert interview and questionnaire, this paper formulates the logical basis behind PPP water projects at the transfer phase and subsequently constructs the transfer performance measurement system (TPMS) of these projects. Then, it conducts a confirmatory analysis of the impact relationship between the indicators based on structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings of expert interview and questionnaire indicate that there are 7 primary and 26 secondary indicators, and the model has a good fit. The TPMS will provide governments, operators and other stakeholders with a comprehensive and complete understanding as to indicators required of an effective performance measurement of PPP water projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]