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Mechanical properties of paper and flexographic prints madewith different anilox rollers were investigated experimentally.Flexographic prints roughness, breaking force and folding resistancevalues were determined. The results showed that foldingresistance is bigger for machine direction prints than for crossmachine direction prints. Flexographic prints on cardboardsfolding resistance values are different for machine direction andcross machine direction. It was determined that roughness offlexographic prints increases with the amount of ink on aniloxroller. Results were explained by the ink water influence. Santrauka Eksperimentiškai ištirtos įvairių rūšių popieriaus ir fleksografinių atspaudų, gautų dengiant popierių skirtingo plotinio tūrio aniloksiniais voleliais, mechaninės savybės. Nustatytos popieriaus ir fleksografinių atspaudų šiurkštumo, atsparumo tempimui bei atsparumo lenkimui vertės. Gauti rezultatai parodė, kad atspaudų atsparumas lankstymui yra didesnis išilgine nei skersine popieriaus kryptimi. Dengiant kartonus fleksografiniais dažais, atsparumas tempimui keičiasi, ir ši kaita yra skirtinga išilgine ir skersine kryptimis. Nustatyta, kad fleksografinio atspaudo šiurkštumas didėja, storėjant dažų sluoksniui ant aniloksinio volelio. Manoma, kad taip nutinka dėl dažuose esančio vandens. Reikšminiai žodžiai: fleksografiniai atspaudai ant popieriaus, fleksografiniai atspaudai ant kartono, aniloksinis volelis, šiurkštumas, atsparumas lenkimui, atsparumas tempimui.

This paper investigates the relationship between corporate financialization and asymmetric cost behavior using the Chinese listed companies over the period of 2009-2017. To examine the heterogeneous impacts of corporate financialization on asymmetric cost behavior, the paper analyzes the subsamples classified by different internal controls, compensation incentives, and agency problems. The multiple linear regression is used to test the research hypothesis. The research finds a negative relationship between corporate financialization and asymmetric cost behavior, which indicates that corporate financialization significantly weakens asymmetric cost behavior. Further studies show that the negative effect of corporate financialization on asymmetric cost behavior is mainly manifested in firms with good internal control quality, strong compensation incentive and low agency problem. On the contrary, the negative effect is insignificant in firms with poor internal control quality, weak compensation incentive and high agency problem. The results can not only enrich the existing literature, but also provide new evidence and inspiration for how to control asymmetric cost behavior of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Science: Future of Lithuania / Mokslas: Lietuvos Ateitis is the property of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

According to the trading rules and financial data structure of the stock index futures market, and considering the impact of major emergencies, we intend to build a quantitative investment decision-making model based on machine learning. We first adopt the Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN) signal decomposition technology to separate the short-term noise, cycle transformation and long-term trend from the original series, and use the CSI 500 Baidu index series to reflect the investors' attention, which provides data support for establishing a more effective forecasting model. Then, the CEEMDAN-BP neural network model is designed based on the obtained effective information of low-frequency trend series, investor attention index and CSI 500 stock index futures market transaction data. Finally, an Attention-based Dual Thrust quantitative trading strategy is proposed and optimized. The optimized Attention-based Dual Thrust strategy solves the core problem of breakout interval determination, effectively avoids the risk of subjective selection, and can meet investors' different risk preferences. The quantitative investment decision-making model based on CEEMDAN-BP neural network utilizes the advantages of different algorithms, avoids some defects of a single algorithm, and can make corresponding adjustments according to changes in investors' attention and the occurrence of emergencies. The results show that considering investor attention can not only improve the predictive ability of the model, but also reduce the cognitive bias of the market, effectively control risks and obtain higher returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise Equivalent Beta Naught is the different noise influence that beneficence to the radar signal. This type of noise is available in TerraSAR-X satellite images and expressed in forms of scaled polynomial described the noise power. On the other hand, Sigma naught or backscattering coefficient represents the average reflectivity of a horizontal material samples which used to reflect the nature of the land use and land cover in radar images. In this paper, radar satellite images in dual VV and HH polarization were used to study the influence of the noise on backscattering image classification. The result demonstrated that the visual interpretation of sigma naught which is result from the comparison between existence case and absence case (in the other word: with and without noise) of the noise illustrated that there is no different between them. In the other hand, for more details and more precise, an example of small images are used to show the values of obtained backscattering. The result demonstrated that the NEBN plays the main roles in decreasing the values of backscattering coefficient in TSX image. The influence of this noise had usually high in water body surface, because this surface is generally having small backscattering coefficients compared with land cover. [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]

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, 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 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]

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, 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]

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]

The precast concrete (PC) method involves manufacturing reinforced concrete building components in a factory that are then transported to and assembled on a construction site. Compared to conventional methods, PC is widely employed as an advantageous means of creating a sustainable environment and improving construction quality. However, due to time and cost increase, many modern PC factories inspect only randomly selected component samples, for which they write inspection reports using paper-based forms. The storage and management of these documents associated with inspections within factories are essential because any defects that occur during the manufacturing process adversely affect the subsequent delivery and assembly activities. In this study, a mobile application capable of automated documentation and the storage, and input of systematic data was developed to generate a system for comprehensive quality management and assurance within PC factories. The developed system was tested in a PC factory, achieving a 47% time-saving rate compared to the conventional inspection method. Inspection reports of the developed system contain considerably more information than those of the conventional method and fundamentally prevent the risk of document damage and loss as they are automatically archived on a server in digital format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic, challenging, and complex nature of the construction projects environment often cause adversarial culture, disputed claims, and deteriorating relationships between project participants. This paper aims to study the correlation between Relationship Management (RM) and construction project success and to develop a framework that includes practical actions, tools, and strategies for managing relationships in construction projects. Literature review and interviews were used to explore and validate the RM’s relevant associated traits. Subsequently, a piloted questionnaire was used to collect the data from 264 construction experts and assess the effect of RM on the overall project success. The data were analyzed using Partial-Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), where the structural and measurement models of the higher and lower order constructed were assessed. The study findings categorized the RM-associated traits into three main pillars: Contractual Measures, Team Interactions, and Top Management Actions. The findings also confirmed that RM has a significant positive effect on the overall success of construction projects. In addition, this paper proposed an integrated framework for managing relationships in construction projects, allowing construction firms to monitor the relationships in their projects and identify key areas for strengthening the relationships throughout their projects to foster their projects’ success rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amplitudes of the forced oscillations of a nano-structure conveying fluid are the solutions of an inhomogeneous integral-differential system. This is solved by an easily accessible scheme based on the variational iteration method (VIM), Galerkin's method and the Laplace transform techniques. The presented method is accompanied by the study of the convergence of the iterative process and of the errors. In the literature, the dynamic response of a viscoelastic nanotube conveying fluid is frequently obtained by an iterative method. This leads to the double convolution products, whose presence will be avoided in the new method proposed in this paper. Thus, the numerical results will be obtained much faster and more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tenors like "bring in the arts and get the creativity for free" have attracted business practitioners and researchers, and this "intersection" of business and arts has developed into a study field. Metaphorical learning from arts involves musical, also theatrical, and terpsichorean improvisation. Not surprisingly, several subfields in business - entrepreneurship, project, process, and service management - as well as other business and non-business fields - have been "jazzed". Another strengthening trend is linking different (sub)fields and fostering mutual learning. The paper seeks for novel possibilities to learn from jazz and to support further mutual learning and linking of disserted business, also non-business fields. Nowadays traditional business models and services are moving towards problem-solving and adaptation to change, implementing creativity and improvisation. Taking a fresh stock of relevant academic literature and discussion revealed the increasing importance of organizational improvisation. Jazz (music and arts) appeared to be a fruitful metaphor and source of learning. As differences appeared across the examined fields, possibilities for learning from jazz, as well as for mutual learning are not yet depleted. This paper provides insights to further learning from the jazz approach, as well as mutual learning and enrichment between the examined subfields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of implementation of a passive safety feature in the form of an under-fuselage airbag in the rescue systems of small aircraft. The paper presents a multidisciplinary approach for the viability of the implementation. It presents the development of mathematical model for airbag performance analysis. The model is validated against the experimental data to account for various simplifications. Validated mathematical model is used to design a full-scale airbag for the chosen airplane to perform in the designed range. Weight penalty for increased safety is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the coming years, mobility initiatives should focus on sustainability, safety, and social equity. This can be achieved by introducing innovative transportation methods, implementing novel approaches for endusers, and optimizing the utilization of traditional modes of transport. To achieve this goal, it is essential to utilize pervasive sensing and computing technologies, along with intelligent information processing systems, to assist decision makers, managers, and transport operators. To effectively address unforeseen events and disruptions, mobility services should promptly adapt and improve their flexibility. Furthermore, these services should be adaptable to meet the unique needs and evolving demands of individuals. Current research focuses on understanding how individuals make decisions about when and where they engage in walking, driving, and travel activities. Therefore, it is important to develop reliable human mobility models in this context. Big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are important in this context as they enable data generators to identify individual patterns and quickly adapt solutions. This paper aims to conduct a literature review on Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), focusing on personalization, to identify gaps in current MaaS initiatives. This assessment is essential for creating inclusive, user-friendly, personalized, and customizable MaaS solutions. To conclude, the existing challenges have been addressed in comprehending the characteristics of MaaS in terms of personalization. Additionally, they have been proposed further research questions to delve deeper into this aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction sector plays a significant role in national economic development and accounts for a dominant portion of national economic growth. The international construction industry's development has been explored from the perspective of the economy. Internationalization improves awareness about participation in international trade activities. This paper aims to quantify the internationalization of the construction industry in the global value chain. The sectoral participation index and interaction index are conducted to evaluate the internationalized degree of the construction industries. In the results, the distribution of the backward participation indices shows nearly all countries' internationalization processes were still at the stage of benefiting from primary resources. The forward support index is easily influenced by the scale effect. The backward independence index accounts for a small percentage of national imports measured by value added. The main source of value-added supply was the local construction sector. This study proposes a comprehensive indicator to quantify the internationalization of the construction industries in the sight of national and global points. The references have a positive value for policymakers in the management of value-added flows in the international market and adjustment of the foreign trade environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the case of Spain to investigate whether and how disruptive technology impacts banking stock returns under a high volatility regime and a low volatility regime. For this purpose, a two-factor model with heteroscedastic Markov switching regimes has been applied. The results indicate that disruptive technologies have an impact on Spanish banking stock returns and that the effects are volatility regime dependent, having a relevant positive impact in high volatility regimes and a less relevant negative impact in low volatility regimes. These findings suggest that investors are informed about and acknowledge the advantages of disruptive technologies and will use their adoption as a business strategy to offset adverse market circumstances. During stable market conditions, on the other hand, Spanish banking seems to have less expectations about disruptive technology as a business strategy. To summarise, this paper provides insights into the role of the pricing of banking-related assets and has other relevant implications for investors that include disruptive technology or banking exposed investments in their portfolios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the digital economy in economic transformation is increasingly prominent. This paper empirically examines how the digital economy affects TFP and its mechanism using Chinese provincial panel data. The results show that the impact of the digital economy on regional TFP is U-shaped. Further studies show that digital economy development may improve regional TFP through two channels: stimulating innovation and promoting entrepreneurship. In addition, we also discuss the role of active government, effective market, and high-level judicial protection in digital economic policies improving economic growth. Based on our research results, we put forward some policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial structure upgrading plays an important role in improving economic development efficiency. Taking Jiangsu as the study subject, the paper selects panel data from 2005 to 2018 and performs dynamic panel models and threshold models to analyze the influence mechanism of foreign direct investment (FDI) and green technology innovation on industrial structure upgrading (including rationalization and advancement). The results show that FDI acts negatively on industrial structure upgrading, exhibiting U-shaped relationship with advancement, in contrast, green technology innovation shows a positive contribution to upgrading. In addition, rationalization is limited by fixed assets growing but increases with rising education levels. An increase in fixed assets and education both have a positive effect on advancement. Further, FDI plays a facilitating role in advancement considering the positive moderating effect of green technology innovation. Therefore, the study provides a theoretical reference for the development path of foreign investment and industrial structure upgrade breakthrough in Jiangsu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant worldwide decrease in the number of passengers using bus transport in recent years. This phenomenon was caused by travelers’ fears of this disease, and at the same time, people started working from home. The aim of the paper is to analyze the importance of marketing and marketing strategies for bus companies. From our point of view, marketing is a tool for making bus transport more attractive for passengers. For the purposes of this post, we focus on customer perceptions of marketing and marketing strategies. We found that customers prefer Internet advertising the most, and the second most preferred type of advertising is print advertising. Their proposals in the subject area are also based on other findings that we dealt with in the survey. We investigated the motivation of passengers to use public transport, their opinion about the transport company in the Zilina region, and whether they use modern tools such as e-shops, virtual cards, and similar. As part of the papers processing, we used the questionnaire survey method, conducted a statistical evaluation of established hypotheses, and conducted a structured interview with the management of the bus company. From our point of view, it is marketing based on managerial experience and customer preferences that can be beneficial for the overall attractiveness of bus transport and, at the same time, significantly contribute to increasing the competitiveness of these businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the state of the art report on available approaches to predicting the ultimate bearing capacity of two-layered soils. The article discusses three most popular methods, including the classical method, application of the finite element method and artificial neural network. Various approaches based on these three powerful tools are studied and their methodologies are discussed.

This paper describes a new system - Vehicle Kit (VEKIT), which uses a secure web-based interface for the authentication and monitoring of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) infrastructure and for preventing environment pollution. This paper presents the hazards caused by the usage of bags made of plastic material and proposes the design of VEKIT, which is to be installed in the vehicles for reducing the usage of such carry bags up to 75%. The survey results prove that the proposed VEKIT approach is very much relevant to solve the pollution problem faced by various countries. This novel application adds value to the future VANET projects by helping the countries to prevent pollution. The web interface of VEKIT presented in the paper can also be used to monitor the vehicles for their authenticity. A secure architecture is proposed for the usage of VANET in transport related projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of growing complexities in the construction industry, system dynamics modeling (SDM) has been increasingly used in construction management (CM) research to explore complicated causal relationships at the various levels of construction and management processes. Given the rapid growth of SDM applications over the past two decades, a systematic review is needed to ascertain the state of the art and further trends in the area. This paper provides the results of a systematic analysis of 103 papers from 41 selected peer-reviewed journals from 1997 to 2016. The contributions of the papers are first analyzed, structured and formulated in terms of the year of publication, software involved, the combined use with other methods, and research design. With the assistance of the a keyword co-occurrence network analysis, eight research topics involving different internal and external complexities are identified, including: (1) sustainability, (2) project planning and control, (3) performance and effectiveness, (4) strategic management, (5) site and resource management, (6) risk analysis and management, (7) knowledge management, and (8) organization and stakeholder management. The analysis results reveal the pivotal role of SDM in streamlining different complicated casual relationships at the activity, project, and industry levels across the eight topics and its significant potential in uncovering the impact of complicated contextual conditions on project planning and control, effectiveness and performance, strategic management, and sustainability at the project and industry levels. Lastly, trends and recommendations for SDM applications are provided for future CM research. This paper provides a state of the art of SDM in CM applications and insights into opportunities and useful references for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between supply network position and firm performance. A-share manufacturing companies listed from 2013 to 2015 are chosen as the initial samples, and large sample supply networks are constructed with relational embeddedness and structural embeddedness. The location of supply network is depicted by network centrality and structural hole with social network analysis, and the influence of supply network position on the corporate performance is examined with multiple OLS regression analysis. This paper observes that a firms' supply network position is an important factor affecting its performance. The higher the network centrality is, the richer the structural holes are, and the worse the company's performance is. The results suggest that firms that have a high level of centrality or rich structural holes in their supply networks will gain limited information, resource and control benefits and face great business risks that may negatively influence their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of the renewable energy consumption and the tourism investments along with the per capita gross domestic product (GDP), the real effective exchange rate, and trade openness on both tourism revenues (total tourism contribution to GDP) and international tourist arrivals in the sample of the G20 members. The annual data from 1995 to 2015 and the panel econometric techniques are utilized to achieve the objectives of the current paper. The results for the long-run elasticities from the panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) estimations suggest that the renewable energy uses and tourism investments have a considerable positive impact on both the tourism revenues and the tourist arrivals. Given these results, it is argued that promoting both renewable energy and tourism investments should be considered as the major driving forces of tourism development in the G20 countries. Given these arguments, policymakers should initiate more of sustainable tourism development policies, which may assist those countries to expand the tourism industry further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper review "Review of chloride and sulphate attenuation in ground water nearby solid‐waste landfill sites". Journal ofEnvironmental Engineering and Landscape Management 17(1) p. 1-7 First Published Online: 14 Oct 2010

Urban taxi services have been developing year on year, playing an increasingly important role in the economy and the transportation markets of each city. This increases interest in measuring their performance. This paper analysed the relationship among the four stakeholders (including administrative department, operational companies, taxi drivers and customers) for urban taxi passenger transport system in China, and applied System Dynamics (SD) model to explore the dynamic characteristics of urban taxi price system. The main achievements of this paper are as follows, firstly, this paper adopted stakeholder mapping to describe the relationships among the four stakeholders. Then analysed the causal flow diagrams and the different variables of urban taxi passenger transport system operation, and presented the SD model, which considers factors that affect the taxi operation. With the combination of taxi operation data of Harbin city, we simulated eleven urban taxi operation scenarios and proposed kinds of suggestions to improve urban taxi passenger transport system operation, which can provide a good basis for recommending policy decisions for urban taxi market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of fuzzy multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) models have been proposed to solve complicated decision-making problems. Many applications have been achieved, especially in the field of civil engineering. To analyze the developments about the fuzzy MCDM methods and their applications in civil engineering in recent years and further explore the future research directions, this study conducts a state of the art survey in which 52 journal papers focusing on the applications of fuzzy MCDM models in civil engineering from 2016 to 2020 are reviewed. We respectively classify these articles according to research problems and research methods. Through the literature review, we get findings in terms of the most concerned decision-making problem, the most widely-used evaluation criterion and the most popular fuzzy MCDM model. Furthermore, we present four aspects of research challenges and corresponding future research directions in the field of civil engineering, which may be helpful for researchers and practitioners to further investigate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a method to determine the operation route for unmanned aerial vehicles for maritime surveillance. It is well known that there are several methods to make an aircraft path planning for ground related missions. On the other hand, path planning for maritime purposes is unnoticeable. The major problem of path planning for maritime is the abundant number of nodes which can make the route becomes quite long. Hence, reducing the number of nodes is necessary to rectify this problem. The main method is to separate the surveillance area into a smaller area of operation using clustering methods and then analyze the vulnerable area using the database to create an optimum flight path in each operation area. Although this paper specifically addresses a maritime-related mission, the path planning procedures can be applied to other missions as well. In this research, the input is given from satellite recorded data. Natuna Sea is chosen as the main discussion as the Natuna Sea currently is one of the most vulnerable regions in Indonesia for illegal fishing activity. The result shows that the aircraft path able to cover most of the vulnerable areas while optimizing the route distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve energy-saving control of non-hybrid Hydrostatic Transmission Construction Vehicles (HST-CVs) with traditional closed-loop Hydrostatic Transmission (HST) for both propulsion and working systems, this paper presents a control strategy for non-hybrid HST-CVs by referring to the power follower method of the hybrid Energy Management Strategy (EMS). Through the implementation of the presented control strategy by coordinated control of the engine speed and hydraulic pump displacement, the engine can be controlled to operate at the pre-set low Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) area, similar to that of the hybrid vehicles adopting a power follower control strategy but without the additional installation of accumulators in the hydraulic system. The effect of the control strategy is verified via experimental tests and MATLAB/SIMULINK–AMESIM COLlaborative SIMulation (COSIM). The simulation results show that the proposed control strategy can achieve the expected control target under both highway and off-road conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International construction projects are facing various severe risks from country, partner, company, and project. Global contractors have suffered heavy losses. Previous researches have proved that an available organizational risk repository is a reliable knowledge source that can be used to introduce experience-based solutions of how specific risks can be managed in international construction projects. The construction of the organizational risk repository calls for an effective feedback mechanism that dispels the organizational culture of unwillingness to disclose management failure and encourages proactive creation and retention of data and information on historical projects and risk-related knowledge. Hence, this paper proposes a risk causation model for international construction projects (RCM_ICP) to support such a mechanism. RCM_ICP links response measures to the chain of risks to identify management failures and conduct modifications, thereby promoting thinking on the part of the management and capturing key risk management experiences. It includes a category component for the efficient retrieval of relevant knowledge based on country-related factors. Besides, this paper proposes the risk review procedures as the instruction of RCM_ICP. Hence, this research breaks the barriers of sharing information between project and organization levels in a project-based industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital transformation capability (DTC), as an important capability to use digital technology to innovate business and management models, enables retailers reduce costs, and enhance production. It is the main driving force for restructuring the business ecosystem of retailers. To develop the DTC of retailers, an index system is required to provide capability standards. Hence, the construction of an index system for retailers' DTC is of important research value. However, there are few studies on the DTC of retailers, and no representative capability model or index system has been formed. Therefore, based on the definition of related concepts of DTC and literature review, this paper puts forward the research proposition of "index system for retailers' DTC", aiming to build an operable and applicable index system. According to the research process of the Delphi method, the present paper constructs an index system for retailers' DTC through two rounds of expert consultations. The proposed system consists of three primary indices (e.g., technological change capability), 11 secondary indices (e.g., digital infrastructure) and 41 tertiary indices (e.g., datacenter), offering a capability development standard for the digital transformation of retailers. The research results also provide a reference for the digital transformation of retailers in the real world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- in light of the Taiwan New Southbound Policy (NSP), this paper aims to evaluate the performance of bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and its economic partner countries in order to have a better understanding of the coherence of reciprocal relations in the past, present and future. Research methodology -- firstly, both individual forecasting models and combining forecasts were employed to predict the future values based on a period of thirty years (1990-2019). Secondly, the paper proposes non-convex DEA to detect non-convex characteristics of datasets where the volume of inputs and outputs were unevenly allocated in past years. Finally, a DEA window was applied to provide efficiency scores for decision-making units (DMUs) across a period of twelve years (2014-2025). Findings -- the results found that the efficiency of seven out of eight DMUs will improve in the coming years. With a stable performance in both scale and efficiency, Singapore is Taiwan's most successful economic partner, followed by Malaysia. The NSP remained as a vital foreign policy in supporting Taiwan's bilateral trade and outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Research limitations -- more inputs and outputs are required in order to reflect the overall performance of the bilateral cooperation between two economies. Furthermore, more extended models are worth further investigation. Practical implications -- the forecasting values of exports and imports can be used in analysing Taiwan economy's trade deficits. This study provides useful inputs for managers in allocating resources of inbound and outbound values, and reacting rightfully to the uncertain future. Originality/Value -- the paper not only contribute much more than previous ones by evaluating into the relationship between size of scale and efficiency of bilateral economies but also provide advices for policymakers in creating mechanisms that can facilitate the NSP's sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to determine the optimal method of researching the vertical displacements of buildings and stability of the marks, on the basis of which it is possible to make a conclusion about the subsidence of the researched building. Methodology. The main task of geodetic observations for buildings monitoring is to identify changes in the spatial position of load-bearing structures (vertical and horizontal displacements) to assess the risk of structures destruction, dismantling unstable structures, forecasting accidents. In this paper we offered to carry out monitoring by a method of high - precision geometrical leveling on the established geodetic marks, according to one scheme with constant points of devices installation. For testing this method 13 cycles of II class leveling were conducted to determine the vertical displacements of sedimentary marks of the "Shuvar" mall building. To detailed determination of the building deformation, namely its sediment on two floors, we laid 70 marks in the floor on the first floor and 41 marks on the second floor. Stainless steel anchors were used as marks. Findings. According to the results of observations of the laid sedimentary marks we determined their conditional heights. The difference of determined heights of the same marks for a certain period of time allows to determine the vertical displacements. The results of measurements were equilibrated by the nodal point method, and the leveling line was closed on each floor, so the equilibrations were performed separately for each floor. As a result we obtained the heights of sedimentary marks and the mean square errors of their determination. We constructed schedule of heights change of the chosen marks of the first floor within 13 cycles andcarried out the analysis of the reasons of these changes. Practical implications and originality. Observations of landslides, subsidences and deformations of the building have great importance for determining the strength and stability of the building to prevent its destruction or give signal in a timely manner of an emergency, which can become vital. In this paper method for monitoring the vertical displacements of buildings is proposed and tested. The obtained results suggest that proposed method of observations can be recommended to determine the vertical displacements of such buildings and complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic poses several challenges transforming the learning organization. The retention of sustainability in the context of COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty requires immediate response. Therefore, this paper addresses the following research question: how does organizational creativity contribute to managing challenges in the context of COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty as a precondition for resilience? Thus, the paper offers several contributions. First of all, the research dwells on the conceptual attributes of the learning organization: the object is identified and substantiated, the ways the learning organization's vulnerability manifests itself through are presented; the factors creating the learning organization's COVID-19 pandemic vulnerability are discussed; it is identified what capacities are necessary and in what learning processes they develop to reduce the learning organization's COVID-19 pandemic vulnerability. Secondly, the paper identifies and discusses critical challenges to the learning organization caused by COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty, the ones that the organization must react to immediately to reduce its COVID-19 pandemic vulnerability: rapid social innovation cycle, expansion of organizational learning and optimisation of perceived organizational support for employee trust and commitment. Thirdly, the paper discuss how creativity is important for response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a simulation of the Project Portfolio Management (PPM) model usage in evaluation and selection of modernization projects of Serbian Railways. Performance review of the selected projects is conducted in regards to the strategic goals of the company, which have been established during the process of strategic planning. The project selection model is methodologically set up as a two-step selection model. The number of portfolio projects is narrowed down by ranking their importance in regards to the success of the modernization program (benefits, risks, and resources), which is followed by the ranking of the projects on the basis of their contribution to the realization of previously chosen liquidity and rentability goals, which are always a challenge when it comes to railway companies. This selection procedure is simulated by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a mathematical model of linear programming, embedded in the software package "Expert Choice". The simulation results show that, in this way, it is possible to achieve a considerable drop in the amount of necessary financial resources for the realization of modernization projects, which is also the main contribution of this paper. This proves the efficiency of the PPM concept application as a modern model of strategic management. The showcased model of project portfolio selection can find a significant usage among the current processes of railways restructuring, especially in financing of the projects of public-private partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we formulate a cost and safety oriented approach to optimize the motorail transport car loading layout optimization problem. The model has 2 objective functions, one maximizes the wagon loading weight utilization rate, and another minimizes the gravitational center height after loading the cars on the wagons. The calculation results show that: the heaviest cars should be loaded in the middle of the decks, the cars weight loaded on both sides should be gradually reduced; the total weight of cars loaded on lower deck should be larger than the total weight of cars loaded on the upper deck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on calculating resilience index of 282 cities in China from 2012 to 2019, to analysis the regional differences and random convergence. We use the entropy method to calculate the urban resilience index, adopt the Dagum Gini coefficient method to analyze the regional differences and the sources, explore the variation coefficients method and beta convergence model to diagnose the convergence mechanism. The conclusions are: (1) The urban resilience in China is at a medium and low level with a stable growth tendency, with a significant regional unbalance of "higher in east, and lower in other regions". As the sub-resilience, there is a big gap in the regional difference of the resilience structure with good performance in social resilience and economic resilience, poor in ecological resilience and infrastructure resilience. (2) The Gini coefficient of urban resilience continuously decreases with the regional unbalance narrowing accordingly. The Gini coefficients in different regions have a phased convergence tendency, and the hypervariable density contribution and intra-regional differences contribution are the main sources of differences in urban resilience. (3) The urban resilience in China and eastern region has s convergence, while China and all regions have significant absolute ß and conditional ß convergence. Therefore, this paper proposes to continuously accelerate the urban resilient construction, make up for the shortcomings, and narrow the regional development gap, to promote the healthy and orderly development of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the weekly stock market data of the Hungarian stock index BUX, the Czech stock index PX and the Polish stock index WIG20 spanning from January 7, 2001 to April 18, 2021. The period of more than 20 years enabled to analyse the behaviour of returns and their volatility during both the calm as well as various crises/turmoil periods. Besides the traditional GARCH-type models (GARCH and GJR-GARCH) the two-regime Markov Switching GARCHtype models (MS-GARCH and MS-GJR-GARCH) were estimated in order to examine the volatility switches of the Central European transition stock markets. The t-distribution of error terms was used to capture the dynamics of analysed returns more precisely. The results proved high volatility persistence of individual markets which substantially differed across the both regimes. Furthermore, the GJR-GARCH and MS-GJR-GARCH models clearly confirmed the presence of the leverage effect. Consideration of the MS-GARCH-type models enabled to capture various volatility switches during the analysed period attributable mainly to the global financial crisis 2008-2009, to European debt crisis in 2011 and to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Interesting results were received for the Czech market with the strong leverage effect indicating completely different specification of volatility regimes by the MS-GJR-GARCH model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds a complex network of weighted and directed coal trade based on the international coal trade data in the United Nations trade database from 1999 to 2018, specifically analyzes the trade scale, trade relations, and trade distribution and other characteristics of international coal trade, and determines the main trade core countries and trade hub countries. The results show that the scale of international coal trade has grown steadily, but the transformation of trade relations is complicated. Especially in the context of increasing trade frictions, trade links between countries have decreased significantly, trade balance has declined, and trade agglomeration has increased. Australia, the United States, Japan and other countries are big coal trading countries, while the United States, South Africa, India and other countries are important trading hubs. Based on the theory of competitive advantage, this paper proposes corresponding countermeasures for different countries to enhance their competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pension systems around Europe are being reformed for several decades already. Main objectives of the reforms are to enable people to have adequate income at retirement and to ensure the system’s financial sustainability. Many European countries implemented policies aiming at diversification of financing sources of income at older age: risk-sharing between pay-as-you-go and funded pensions is expected to help in achieving social policy objectives towards pension systems. Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) face even more challenges in ensuring adequate income at retirement. First, CEE countries were required to transform radically their economies in 1990s towards market economy, including old age pension systems. Second, in order to ensure diversified future old age pension income and attract more financial means to the system, introduction of funded pensions from scratch and ensuring as wide as possible coverage with funded pension schemes was of primary importance also. The paper discusses latest developments of retirement pension systems in Europe and state involvement in private pension schemes. In doing so, the focus is on the introduction of funded private pension schemes in selected CEE countries. In spite of initially chosen different paths for the reforms, inconsistent state policies towards funded pensions in the CEE countries resulted in similar outcomes of the reforms. The paper starts with discussion on main objectives of pension systems – enabling people to have adequate income at retirement and ensuring financial sustainability of the systems. Further, possibilities to achieve the objectives of pension reforms are analysed – diversification of income at retirement. Third part of the paper discusses prevailing debates on future of welfare state as such and individualisation trends within different European welfare state models. These debates and perceptions of population about responsibilities of a state for individual welfare affect direction of reforms and future shape of old age pension systems. Fourth part of the paper deals with state policies and tools that are used for encouragement of participation in supplementary pensions. Final part of the paper presents more detailed outline of the pension reforms in selected CEE countries and summarises particular challenges of their pension systems. The paper ends with a discussion on policy implications in relation to latest developments of pension systems in CEE countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]