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Fluctuations of the incoming solar irradiance impact the power generation from photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal power plants. Accurate solar nowcasting becomes necessary to detect these sudden changes of generated power and to provide the desired information for optimal exploitation of solar systems. In the framework of the International Energy Agency's Photovoltaic Power Systems Program Task 16, a benchmarking exercise has been conducted relying on a bouquet of solar nowcasting methodologies by all-sky imagers (ASI). In this paper, four ASI systems nowcast the Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) with a time forecast ranging from 1 to 20 min during 28 days with variable cloud conditions spanning from September to November 2019 in southern Spain. All ASIs demonstrated their ability to accurately nowcast GHI, with RMSE ranging from 6.9% to 18.1%. Under cloudy conditions, all ASIs' nowcasts outperform the persistence models. Under clear skies, three ASIs are better than persistence. Discrepancies in the observed nowcasting performance become larger at increasing forecast horizons. The findings of this study highlight the feasibility of ASIs to reliably nowcast GHI at different sky conditions, time intervals and horizons. Such nowcasts can be used either to estimate solar power at distant times or detect sudden GHI fluctuations. • ASI-based GHI nowcasts outperform persistence model under cloudy conditions. • Under clear skies, three ASIs reveal more accurate nowcasts than persistence. • ASIs forecasts are more accurate from persistence at increasing forecast horizons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food safety risk communication is part of the risk analysis methodology and plays an important role in the increasingly complex food system. Besides shaping consumer risk awareness, risk perception and risk behaviour, risk communication also affects the reputation of the food safety authorities, being especially important for securing operational stability and budget of the concerned organisations. A recent European study highlighted a high variance in risk communication preparedness of official institutions in EU member countries. This paper presents a benchmarking instrument, the Self-evaluation Tool for Risk Communication (SET), designed for food safety authorities. SET helps decision-makers to receive a quick assessment of their preparedness level for risk communication by comparing it with international best practices. SET divides risk communication competencies into three domains: Human capacities, Organisational management, and Risk communication activities. Several elements are assessed in each domain, evaluated on a scale from 0 to 3. The results are delivered instantly, benchmarking the scores in terms of domains and the individual elements. The data wheel visualization highlights strengths and weaknesses and points out logical improvement options for the organisation. • Organisational aspects of risk communication are important for securing stability. • Many food safety authorities need to improve their risk communication practices. • A scoring system was developed to support food safety authorities' benchmarking. • The Self-evaluation Tool (SET) focuses on three domains of risk communication. • SET outlines logical development options and provides easily interpretable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in population and prosperity are linked to a worldwide rise in garbage. The "classification" and "recycling" of solid waste is a crucial tactic for dealing with the waste problem. This paper presents a new two-layer intelligent decision system for waste sorting based on fused features of Deep Learning (DL) models as well as a selection of an optimal deep Waste-Sorting Model (WSM) based on Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). A dataset comprising 1451 samples of images of waste, distributed across four classes – cardboard (403), glass (501), metal (410), and general trash (137), was used for sorting. This study proposes a Multi-Fused Decision Matrix (MFDM) based on identified fusion score level rules, evaluation criteria, and deep fused waste-sorting models. Five fusion rules used in the sorting process and the evaluation perspectives into the MFDM are sum, weighted sum, product, maximum, and minimum rules. Additionally, each of entropy and Visekriterijumska Optimizacija i Kompromisno Resenje in Serbian (VIKOR) methods was used for weighting selected criteria as well as ranking deep WSMs. The highest accuracy rate of 98% was scored by ResNet50-GoogleNet- Inception based on the minimum rule. However, under the same rule, an insufficient accuracy rate of sorting was presented by ResNet50-GoogleNet-Xception. Since Qi = 0 for Inception-Xception, the final output based on MCDM methods indicates that the fused Inception-Xception model outperforms the other fused deep WSMs, which achieved the lowest values of Qi. Thus, Inception-Xception was chosen as the best deep waste-sorting model based on images of waste, multiple evaluation criteria, and different fusion perspectives. The mean and standard deviation metrics were both used to validate the selection findings objectively. The suggested approach can aid urban decision-makers in prioritizing and choosing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-optimized optimal sorting model. • Develop a 2-layer decision system for waste sorting using deep learning. • Construct MFDM using fusion scores, criteria, and deep waste sorting models. • Entropy and VIKOR methods rank criteria and deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variable returns to scale data envelopment analysis (VRS-DEA) benchmarking models are developed by assuming convexity on technology. However, this assumption may be not consistent with the classical microeconomic theory where marginal product initially increases but diminishing returns eventually set in. Accordingly, the selected benchmarks may aggregate best practices, which are less attainable in performance improvement. This paper thus proposes a VRS-DEA benchmarking model with quasiconcave production function, consistent with classical microeconomic theory. A novel approach for determining the returns to scale of Decision-Making Units (DMUs) is developed. The hyperplane of the quasiconcave production function is characterized. Benchmarks are selected by minimizing the weighted distance between the evaluated DMU and the hyperplane. An empirical application of China's tourism sector is used to validate the approach. The empirical results show that Mergers and Acquisitions are beneficial for smaller hotels as the production of most regions in China's tourism sector is subject to increasing returns to scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The energy use at a Swedish chemical wood-pulp mill is compared internationally and for two model mills that aim to use the most efficient available technology. The international comparison is performed between Canadian and Scandinavian pulp-mills on a general level, and on a closer level among eleven Swedish and Finnish non-integrated sulfate pulp-mills, the type of mill considered in the case study. The two model mills that are used for comparison are one Swedish and one Canadian. The Scandinavian pulp-mills are somewhat more energy efficient than the Canadian mills. Still, the variation in energy use is remarkably large among the Scandinavian mills, which indicates that the energy-saving potential is great. If all Swedish freestanding sulfate pulp-mills became as energy efficient as the most efficient Scandinavian mill, electricity savings corresponding to nearly 1% of the national electricity use would be obtained. In the model mills comparison it was found that large amounts of heat could be saved, particularly in the evaporation plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A comprehensive benchmarking study on the performance of continuum models. • Critical discussions on the performance of the models regarding each of the benchmarking criteria. • Models that explicitly account for congestion wave speed in their governing equations perform robustly. • Issues in the calibration procedure are investigated. • The performance index designed for calibration purposes is not a suitable measure for evaluating the real-world performances. Numerous continuum models have been proposed for freeway traffic, but their performance for real-world traffic flows has not been rigorously evaluated and compared in the literature. This paper conducts a comprehensive benchmarking study on single-pipe continuum models by using traffic data from the German A5 autobahn. Model families are examined, and the best representative models are selected within the families. A set of benchmarking criteria is designed, ranging from the operational measures (e.g., delay and travel time) as well as the complex traffic phenomena (i.e., oscillations, capacity drop, and hysteresis phenomena). Suitable real-world traffic scenarios are carefully selected concerning the benchmarking criteria, and the selected models are comprehensively assessed for real-world scenarios. The paper comprehensively discusses the performances of each model regarding each aspect of the benchmarking criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As mobile technology grows rapidly, more and more students use mobile devices for educational purposes. Under this circumstance libraries, especially academic libraries, should try to expand their services and design mobile websites to meet users' needs. The history of mobile library websites is relatively short, especially in Asia. Usability evaluation of mobile library websites is a new issue for study. As such, this paper evaluates the usability of the University of Hong Kong Library (HKUL) mobile website as a case study by benchmarking against two other universities (the Harvard University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong), according to the ten usability heuristics developed by Nielsen (1994). The evaluation result shows that the mobile website contains some usability issues in 5 heuristics, such as unable to inform users the waiting time, some information not provided in a logical way, some consistency problems in displaying contents, lack of advanced searching for expert users, and inadequate helpful error message. The weakness found in this way provides useful hints in making improvement to mobile website. The design of the HKUL mobile website is quite similar to other mobile library websites, and thus, the results are quite useful for many other academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce and formulate the capacitated hybrid truck platooning network design problem. The scope of this research is to benchmark the various parameters that affect the implementation of the hybrid truck platoon concept and the quantification of (any) monetary savings under the assumption that technological advancements and new or updated infrastructure (e.g., dedicated truck corridors) will allow implementation. Cost savings considered in this research are easily verifiable as they are solely derived from driver compensation savings (i.e., fuel savings, emissions reduction, and insurance savings are not considered). The proposed model further considers monetary penalties from truck late arrivals at the destinations. Multiple network instances are developed and used to evaluate the proposed model. Results indicate that significant cost savings can be achieved from the platooning network when compared to the shortest path origin–destination counterpart and suggest that the optimal hybrid truck platoon capacity is between four and six. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We present a benchmark of cultural heritage objects for the evaluation of 3D shape retrieval methods. • We propose two semantically different challenges: retrieval by shape and retrieval by culture. • Ten teams around the world presented techniques to address the challenges, mainly using learning approaches. • Our experiments and results show that learning methods on image-based multi-view representation are suitable for tackling 3D retrieval in a cultural heritage domain. [Display omitted] This paper presents the methods and results of the SHREC'21 track on a dataset of cultural heritage (CH) objects. We present a dataset of 938 scanned models that have varied geometry and artistic styles. For the competition, we propose two challenges: the retrieval-by-shape challenge and the retrieval-by-culture challenge. The former aims at evaluating the ability of retrieval methods to discriminate cultural heritage objects by overall shape. The latter focuses on assessing the effectiveness of retrieving objects from the same culture. Both challenges constitute a suitable scenario to evaluate modern shape retrieval methods in a CH domain. Ten groups participated in the challenges: thirty runs were submitted for the retrieval-by-shape task, and twenty-six runs were submitted for the retrieval-by-culture task. The results show a predominance of learning methods on image-based multi-view representations to characterize 3D objects. Nevertheless, the problem presented in our challenges is far from being solved. We also identify the potential paths for further improvements and give insights into the future directions of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eco-efficiency assessment of municipalities in the provision of solid waste services. • Eco-efficiency evaluation integrates unsorted waste as undesirable output. • Global inefficiency and individual inefficiency scores were computed. • Exogenous variables affecting eco-efficiency scores were investigated. Improving the eco-efficiency of municipalities in the provision of municipal solid waste (MSW) services is fundamental in the context of a circular economy. This study evaluates the eco-efficiency of a sample of Spanish municipalities, integrating the total cost as input, recyclable waste as desirable output, and unsorted waste as undesirable output. Following a pioneering approach, the weighted Russell directional distance model (a non-radial data envelopment analysis model) was employed, which allowed us to obtain a global inefficiency score and individual inefficiency scores for each variable integrated in the model. In the second stage of analysis, the potential factors affecting the previously computed inefficiency scores were investigated. The results indicated that one third of the municipalities evaluated were eco-efficient in the provision of MSW services with the total cost being the variable in which the municipalities exhibited the best performance. Moreover, the size of the municipalities, population served, population density, tourism, and availability of containers for separative collection of paper, glass, and plastic significantly affect the eco-efficiency of the municipalities. The findings of this study provide detailed information to support decision-making for the policy makers to improve the eco-efficiency of the municipalities in managing MSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The control and characterization of a variable stiffness ankle actuator are showed. • The results of simulated walking tests show the assistive ability of the actuator. • The dependence of the obtained results on the testing condition is highlighted. • A novel performance indicator valid in different testing conditions is presented. • More research on benchmarking methods for series elastic actuators is needed. Abstract Despite the increasing interest in using powered ankle-foot orthoses for assistive purposes, their development and benchmarking still present core challenges. Powered orthoses have to be safe and provide adequate torque while keeping limited size and weight. The discordance of these requirements is a challenge for the development of these devices. This paper describes the control strategy and characterization of a compact variable stiffness actuator, to be used in an assistive ankle-foot orthosis for impaired subjects. The results of the characterization experiments show the advantageous behavior of the actuator and its performance in providing different relevant assistive torque profiles, with different actuator stiffnesses, during emulated walking experiments. However, some divergences in the results obtained in different testing conditions highlight the need for more general benchmarking techniques. Towards this objective, the paper also proposes a novel performance indicator that can be used to better evaluate the performance of robotic actuators both in quasi-static and in dynamic conditions. The article concludes with a call for research on new benchmarking techniques, to understand more in-depth series elastic's actuators behavior under dynamic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Disasters have increased exponentially in terms of frequency and impact. • High Reliability Organisations (HROs) continue to operate mindfully with minimal incidents. • Most disasters occur in non HRO's, so learning from HROs must be extended to diverse organisations. • There is no HRO framework of empirical data applied across diverse organisations. • Organisational Reliability Maturity Framework creates a measurable and replicable process. Abstract The increasing havoc wrecked by catastrophic incidents on organisations worldwide, as well as the increasing devastating effects of these incidents, has necessitated the development of a framework to improve the reliability of organisations. Despite operating in tightly coupled and complex technologies, high reliability organisations (HROs) continue to operate mindfully with minimal incidents. Given that most disasters have occurred in organisations and industries not considered as truly HROs, this paper argues that applying organisational learning from HROs across diverse organisations in different industries could potentially reduce organisational disasters. This paper recognised the numerous researches in HRO theory, but noticed the unavailability of a harmonized measurable framework that could be standardized and applied across diverse organisations. Using the HRO principles, this paper conducted a research in 8 organisations, in 3 industries across 2 continents. It developed the organisational reliability maturity model (ORM2) to track the progression organisations through 5 maturity levels. It developed the framework for organisational reliability maturity (FORM) to measure maturity levels of organisations, predict potentials for disasters, benchmark, and improvement organisations. It is hoped that this paper will deepen existing research in disaster prevention and HRO theory, while opening up new areas of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nuclear Decommissioning Projects and Programmes (NDPs) are characterized by high complexity and variety, and a schedule that can take decades. Moreover, NDPs estimates at completion can reach billions of Euro and (for many of these projects) keep increasing, while there is a limited understanding of why this happens. To address this knowledge gap, this paper describes how to statistically test the association between the NDP characteristics and the NDP cost performance. The implementation of statistics on a pool of European NDPs highlights the significance of several country-specific and site-specific characteristics (e.g. respectively, the governance system and the availability of facilities to deal with radioactive material on site). Hence, the original contribution of this paper consists in (i) the selection of statistical tests suitable for analysing small sample sizes (i.e. NDPs) and (ii) the presentation of the results from the implementation of these tests on a pool of 24 European NDPs with an illustrative purpose. Highlights • Nuclear decommissioning projects and programmes often suffer from cost overruns. • There is a limited understanding of what causes these cost overruns. • The association between project characteristics and performance needs investigation. • This paper presents a quantitative approach to statistically test this association. • Some country-specific and site-specific characteristics emerge as relevant results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While project benchmarking based on key performance indicators is regarded as a crucial technique for mature project delivery in the construction industry, incorporating it into an organization's routine is a cumbersome and time-consuming endeavor as it entails considerable time and human efforts for collecting and providing project information, and validating the quality of collected data. To overcome this challenge, this paper introduces an approach that leverages Building Information Modeling (BIM), which allows for a more streamlined benchmarking process. The approach presented in this paper focuses on healthcare projects which have been benchmarked using a comprehensive set of cost, schedule, dimension, and planning performance metrics through a mature sector-specific benchmarking program at Construction Industry Institute (CII). As an initial step in the formulation of such a tool, this paper investigates the potential of leveraging BIM for benchmarking through close scrutiny of contents embedded in real-world models collected from six healthcare projects. Functional requirements were, then, established to realize a BIM-based benchmarking tool for healthcare projects by developing conceptual process flow, use cases, and data flow diagrams. The requirements are further illustrated in mock-ups of a prototype system. Highlights • A new project performance benchmarking approach that leverages BIM data is introduced. • The potential of leveraging BIM for benchmarking is investigated focusing on healthcare projects • Functional requirements are established to create a BIM-based benchmarking tool • Mock-ups of the prototype system are developed to demonstrate the vision of the tool [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union targets for 27% renewable energy share by 2030. At the same time, all new buildings should be nearly zero energy buildings from 2020 onwards. A major obstacle to these objectives is a combination of current economic stagnation and limited investors' confidence, which leads to low investment proportion. Despite many renewable energy technologies are already at a competitive level, the implementation rate in buildings is still low. In this paper, we focus on advances in efficient mechanisms to overcome non-technical barriers to the increase of renewable energy applications in buildings, such as Energy Performance Contracting (EPC). Tertiary sector holds a huge untapped potential for such applications, especially in Southern Europe. The Trust-EPC-South European initiative, implemented in six southern EU countries with a mix of beginner and intermediate energy service markets, aims at encouraging the financing of sustainable energy solutions in the tertiary sector, by creating a framework for standardization, assessment and benchmarking, thus improving trust and confidence in the financing parties. This paper presents three case studies in Greece, a Mediterranean family resort hotel, a resort and spa hotel and an office building. The installation of renewable energy measures, including photovoltaic systems, solar thermal systems and heat pumps, was examined and their EPC potential was rated, by using the described standardization and benchmarking methodology. Their economic savings range from 3 to 23% on yearly energy costs, at a discounted payback of 3–6 years, depending on the measure. A sensitivity analysis shows the impact of the variation of technical and economic parameters on the EPC projects feasibility. The standardization practice applied is expected to support the project actors in securing appropriate financing and eventually proceed with the renewable energy installations through the EPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Feasibility of estimating pertussis vaccination covering using 7 European healthcare databases. • The majority of children were vaccinated at the recommended age of vaccination. • Two estimation methods provided comparable coverage estimates. • Benchmarking using national coverage estimates showed comparable results. • The approached used provided reliable estimates for pertussis vaccination coverage. The Accelerated Development of VAccine beNefit-risk Collaboration in Europe (ADVANCE) is a public-private collaboration aiming to develop and test a system for rapid benefit-risk (B/R) monitoring of vaccines, using existing healthcare databases in Europe. The objective of this paper was to assess the feasibility of using electronic healthcare databases to estimate dose-specific acellular pertussis (aP) and whole cell pertussis (wP) vaccine coverage. Seven electronic healthcare databases in four European countries (Denmark (n = 2), UK (n = 2), Spain (n = 2) and Italy (n = 1)) participated in this study. Children were included from birth and followed up to age six years. Vaccination exposure was obtained from the databases and classified by type (aP or wP), and dose 1, 2 or 3. Coverage was estimated using period prevalence. For the 2006 birth cohort, two estimation methods for pertussis vaccine coverage, period prevalence and cumulative incidence were compared for each database. The majority of the 2,575,576 children included had been vaccinated at the country-specific recommended ages. Overall, the estimated dose 3 coverage was 88–97% in Denmark (birth cohorts from 2003 to 2014), 96–100% in the UK (2003–2014), 95–98% in Spain (2004–2014) and 94% in Italy (2006–2007). The estimated dose 3 coverage per birth cohort in Denmark and the UK differed by 1–6% compared with national estimates, with our estimates mostly higher. The estimated dose 3 coverage in Spain differed by 0–2% with no consistent over- or underestimation. In Italy, the estimates were 3% lower compared with the national estimates. Except for Italy, for which the two coverage estimation methods generated the same results, the estimated cumulative incidence coverages were consistently 1–10% lower than period prevalence estimates. This study showed that it was possible to provide consistent estimates of pertussis immunisation coverage from the electronic healthcare databases included, and that the estimates were comparable with the national estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Acute leukaemia diagnosis is a field requiring automated solutions, tools and methods and the ability to facilitate early detection and even prediction. Many studies have focused on the automatic detection and classification of acute leukaemia and their subtypes to promote enable highly accurate diagnosis. Objective This study aimed to review and analyse literature related to the detection and classification of acute leukaemia. The factors that were considered to improve understanding on the field's various contextual aspects in published studies and characteristics were motivation, open challenges that confronted researchers and recommendations presented to researchers to enhance this vital research area. Methods We systematically searched all articles about the classification and detection of acute leukaemia, as well as their evaluation and benchmarking, in three main databases: ScienceDirect, Web of Science and IEEE Xplore from 2007 to 2017. These indices were considered to be sufficiently extensive to encompass our field of literature. Results Based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 89 articles were selected. Most studies (58/89) focused on the methods or algorithms of acute leukaemia classification, a number of papers (22/89) covered the developed systems for the detection or diagnosis of acute leukaemia and few papers (5/89) presented evaluation and comparative studies. The smallest portion (4/89) of articles comprised reviews and surveys. Discussion Acute leukaemia diagnosis, which is a field requiring automated solutions, tools and methods, entails the ability to facilitate early detection or even prediction. Many studies have been performed on the automatic detection and classification of acute leukaemia and their subtypes to promote accurate diagnosis. Conclusions Research areas on medical-image classification vary, but they are all equally vital. We expect this systematic review to help emphasise current research opportunities and thus extend and create additional research fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of the environment, caused in part by end of life and end of used products, necessitates the set-up of recovery networks. These networks may be owned by the manufacturer or they can be outsourced to third parties. Most manufacturers prefer outsourcing, so this study proposes a benchmarked recovery process for third party reverse logistics providers (3PRLP) by evaluating design criteria, implementation criteria, process control characteristics, and business orientation policies. Expertise efficiency of third party providers dictates their competitiveness and/or survival. In an effort to help third parties enhance value recovery from the process in the market, this paper seeks to establish a meaningful benchmark that will dictate best practices through quality function deployment (QFD). In particular, the paper offers a theoretical background to measure the relative importance among the various types of criteria. The proposed technique also helps to establish guidelines by which to prioritize the various characteristics. This study finds that the main driving factor regarding waste management centers on mandatory laws. It also concludes that when government relaxes its policies, environmentally oriented businesses are able to strengthen their systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bus rapid transit systems (BRT) have evolved in all shapes and sizes around the world in the last 30 years motivated by providing greater efficiency and value for money than potential alternatives. This paper aims to explore and compare the effectiveness (including its determinants) and revenue potential of 58 BRT systems globally. A key research question for this paper is to what extent there is a trade-off between long term capital expenditure and short term operating cost. The results suggest that BRT systems located in developing countries or countries that have high population densities are successful in generating higher revenues per passenger and unit of input than their conventional bus counterparts but are from a community perspective not more cost effective in doing so. Better BRT standards and hence higher capital expenditure, while significantly increasing patronage and input effectiveness do not have a significant impact on either yields or cost effectiveness. In contrast, public ownership and the number of stations are on average associated with higher cost effectiveness scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical-based navigation for space is a field growing in popularity due to the appeal of efficient techniques such as Visual Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (VSLAM), which rely on automatic feature tracking with low-cost hardware. However, low-level image processing algorithms have traditionally been measured and tested for ground-based exploration scenarios. This paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by analysing state-of-the-art local feature detectors and descriptors with a taylor-made synthetic dataset emulating a Non-Cooperative Rendezvous (NCRV) with a complex spacecraft, featuring variations in illumination, rotation, and scale. Furthermore, the performance of the algorithms on the Long Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) is investigated as a possible solution to the challenges inherent to on-orbit imaging in the visible, such as diffuse light scattering and eclipse conditions. The Harris, GFTT, DoG, Fast-Hessian, FAST, CenSurE detectors and the SIFT, SURF, LIOP, ORB, BRISK, FREAK descriptors are benchmarked for images of Envisat. It was found that a combination of Fast-Hessian with BRISK was the most robust, while still capable of running on a low resolution and acquisition rate setup. For large baselines, the rate of false-positives increases, limiting their use in model-based strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the importance of analyzing the efficiency of water utilities and the large number of publications in this area, at least five reviews have already been carried out to identify patterns and trends. These reviews aimed to cover worldwide studies, and the results may not correspond to the reality in developing countries. Therefore, this review provides a literature update on the quantitative studies of water and sanitation services, focusing on studies carried out in developing countries. This overview mainly examines the economies of scale and scope, public versus private ownership, and the impact of regulation. As expected, our results show patterns that differ from those found in worldwide reviews (e.g., the influence of regulatory incentives on operator efficiency and economies of scope). In addition, this paper presents patterns regarding the quantitative methods adopted, as well as some trends and areas for possible future research. • Economies of scale have been found. • There was a tendency of private operators to exhibit better performance. • Regulatory incentives have not promoted performance improvement. • There is a trend in the use of panel data to overcome the restriction of data availability. • Universalization of access and water losses should be addressed in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Swedish district courts have undergone a substantial restructuring process in which the main reform has been to merge. As a result, the number of district courts has declined from 95 in 2000 to only 48 in 2009. All main arguments that support merging concern enhancements of efficiency. However, it has not yet been explicitly examined whether the mergers have the potential to increase efficiency ex ante. Thus, the expectation concerning higher efficiency was built on a subjective view. This paper investigates whether the mergers can be rationalized from a production economic point of view. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to compute a production frontier where the conducted mergers are incorporated to identify the potential ex ante gains. Furthermore, the overall potential is decomposed into learning, scale, and harmony to investigate the source of the potential gain, e.g., an effect of adjusting to best practice or a pure merging effect such as scale. The results show diverse potentials, i.e., a number of mergers did not have the potential to gain in efficiency while others could gain substantially. A conclusion based on the analysis is that the potential production economic effects should be investigated before merger decisions are made in the future. This is also likely to be true beyond the Swedish district courts. • We investigate whether the actual mergers of Swedish district courts can be rationalized based on ex ante information. • The potential ex ante gains of merging are decomposed into learning, harmony and scale. • A substantial number of mergers do not indicate any efficiency gains, while others show large potentials. • This is also likely to be true beyond the Swedish district courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business process management often uses reference models to improve processes or as starting point when creating individual process models. The current academic literature offers primarily deductive methods with which to develop these reference models, although some methods develop reference models inductively from a set of individual process models, focusing on deriving and representing common practices. However, there is no inductive method with which to detect best practices and represent them in a reference model. This paper addresses this research gap by proposing a method by which to develop reference process models that represent best practices in public administrations semi-automatically and inductively. The method uses a merged model that retains the structure of the source models while detecting their common parts. It identifies best practices using query constructs and ranking criteria to group the source models' elements and to evaluate these groups. We provide a conceptualization of the method and demonstrate its functionality using an artificial example. We describe our implementation of the method in a software prototype and report on its evaluation in a workshop with domain and method experts who applied the method to real-world process models. • Inductive reference modeling (IRM) is regarded supportive for process management. • Current IRM methods consider common practices in reference models only. • We build the first IRM method that also allows to detect and include best practices. • We conceptualize the method and demonstrate its functionality using an example. • We implement the method and provide a workshop-based evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Assessment of the plasma shape control for JT60-SA through a selection of an optimal set of gaps. • Approach based on the eXtreme Shape Controller (XSC) permits to control a number of gaps lager than the number of poloidal field coils. • Selection of other configurations for the set of gaps revealed a greater RMSE value. This paper deals with the plasma shape control problem in JT-60SA. An assessment of the plasma shape control performance is presented, aimed at the definition of an optimal set of gaps to be controlled. Indeed, JT-60SA represents a relevant benchmark to further validate this control approach given the high beta regimes that are envisaged during its operation. Moreover, such regimes represent a challenge from the plasma magnetic control perspective. The control approach considered for the assessment is based on the eXtreme Shape Controller (XSC), since such an approach permits to control, in a least mean square sense, a number of shape descriptors that is larger than the number of poloidal field coils. Considering that the design of the XSC is model-based , the CREATE linear model for the plasma-circuit response has been used for the design. In the presented analysis, the capability of tracking different plasma shapes, as well as the one of rejecting disturbances has been considered. The result of this analysis suggests that a set of about 20 gaps equally spaced along the plasma boundary permits to control the shape with a steady-state root-mean square error of less than 1 cm during the flattop of JT-60SA Scenario 2, in the presence of a set of relevant disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In-plane behavior of multi-panel CLT shear walls for modular structures accessed. • Selected intra- and inter-modular CLT connections benchmarked in OpenSees. • Methodology to benchmark material model using simulated annealing algorithm presented. • Recommendations for reusable CLT structures provided based on finite element modeling. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) harvested from restoration forests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States is being considered for use in cross laminated timber (CLT). A prototype modular building was designed and constructed to assess the feasibility of using such CLT panels in emergency housing that can be rapidly assembled, disassembled, and reused. The modular building uses narrow-width CLT panels connected with intra-modular connections (butt joints with inclined screws) that develop the wall modules, which are connected to each other at the corners with point-type inter-modular connections. To accurately predict the behavior of this modular structure under seismic loading, it is necessary to be able to simulate the connections and wall modules under lateral loading. These selected intra- and inter-modular connections in PP CLT have been mechanically characterized in previous experiments. This paper presents the methodology and results from benchmarking the selected in-plane CLT connections against the experimental data in OpenSees. Further, the impacts of the selected connections on the in-plane monotonic and cyclic behavior of multi-panel CLT shear wall modules are also presented. The results show that the Pinching4 material model in OpenSees, when benchmarked using the simulated annealing algorithm, was able to successfully simulate the selected connections. Simulations of multi-panel wall modules indicate that modules with closely spaced screws in the butt joint behave as a single wall panel, while those with widely spaced screws behave as coupled walls. Recommendations on the spacing of intra-modular connections and the applicability of the modular system using the selected connections are provided based on the finite element analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A discernible correlation emerged between global bridge disasters and bridge deterioration in recent years. To assist bridge inspectors in conducting deterioration identification, this paper presents a Pilgrimage Walk Optimization (PWO) algorithm inspired by Taiwan's unique Matsu bobee custom. The search behavior of the PWO algorithm simulates the gathering of devotees following Matsu's palanquin and their collective movements based on folk belief activities, including divination block casting, pilgrimage, the leisure ceremony, crawling beneath the palanquin, palanquin robbing, and the return palanquin ceremony. Analysis results show that the PWO outperformed contemporary metaheuristic algorithms on various multidimensional benchmark functions and was effectively applied to image segmentation for multiple types of bridge deterioration collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle. In the increasing number of engineering problems requiring edge computing to process big data, the proposed PWO algorithm is a low-cost and robust method with fault tolerance. • Presenting the innovative Pilgrimage Walk Optimization (PWO) algorithm, a revolutionary metaheuristic approach. • The new algorithm is tested on benchmark functions and applied to optimize image segmentation. • PWO algorithm outperforms contemporary metaheuristic algorithms in terms of achieving optimal solutions. • Exploring diverse bridge deterioration patterns auto-segmented using metaheuristic clustering algorithms. • PWO algorithm holds potential applications in AIoT technology and automation within the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulations become a necessity when experimental approaches cannot cover the required physical and time scale of interest. One of such area is a simulation of long-term host rock behaviors for nuclear waste disposal and simulation tools involved in the assessment must go through rigorous validation tests. The DECOVALEX project (Development of COupled models and their VAlidation against EXperiments) is dedicated to this purpose by international participants. a a www.decovalex.org. This work is part of the ongoing phase DECOVALEX–2023 (D–2023, Task G) particularly aiming to simulate fracture behaviors under various conditions. Here, we cross-verified a variety of numerical methods including continuous and discontinuous approaches against four benchmark exercises with emphasis on numerical accuracy and parameterization of the various numerical approaches. The systematic inter-comparisons of test cases highlight advantages and disadvantages of the different numerical models. Numerical details on discretization effects (e.g. mesh density and orientation) and domain size were investigated in detail for practical applications. It became evident that meticulous attention to mesh resolution and domain size is imperative for achieving accurate numerical simulations, even for static cracks. Moreover, when comparing numerical methods to closed-form solutions for static cracks, all models successfully reproduced the maximum crack opening but encountered challenges near the crack tips. Finally, the paper discusses how to convert between and therefore compare parameters of various numerical approaches. Our benchmark studies reveal that each model necessitates a distinct number of parameters, even in simple scenarios like static crack aperture benchmarks. It is generally more practical to employ fewer parameters to mitigate model over-parameterization and enhance experimental feasibility. • Systematic benchmarks on numerical accuracy & parameterizations for hydro-mechanical fracture mechanics. • Study explores discretization effects and domain size in practical applications. • Compare various numerical approaches' parameterizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benchmarking, a critical process to compare relative performance of nursing homes, was implemented in an earlier study applying multicriteria measures of operational and quality of care efficiencies. In that study those measures were aggregated and optimized using Data Envelopment Analysis (Shimshak et al., 2009) [1]. The authors concluded that while providing useful analysis, the DEA results did not discriminate well among the nursing homes. In this paper we apply the Order Rated Effectiveness (ORE) model (Klimberg and Ratick, 2018; Klimberg and Ratick, 2020a; Klimberg and Ratick, 2020b) [2,3,4], to the Shimshak et al. data set to address that issue. The ORE model utilizes Order Weighted Averaging (OWA) to aggregate operational and quality performance measures, providing a range of relative performance measures for each nursing home. These aggregates are then used within a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) optimization framework. The use of OWA helps capture the implied preferences of multiple decision makers within the different nursing homes. We compare and evaluate the ORE results to those obtained in the original Shimshak et al. study. The ORE process provided aggregate comprehensive measures of relative performance that addressed both the multi-objective and multi-decision-maker character of this decision problem essential to making effective and actionable comparisons of nursing home performance. • Developed the Order Rated Effectiveness model to compare relative performance. • Order Rated Effectiveness model provides operational and quality performance measures. • The model integrates the multi-objective and multi-decision-maker nature of the problem. • Model results produced discriminating outcomes. • Model results provide areas on which to focus to improve performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear Decommissioning Projects and Programmes (NDPs) are jeopardized by several risks, long schedule and cost estimates that lay in the range of hundreds of billions of pounds. Moreover, in some countries, these estimates keep increasing and key stakeholders have a limited understanding of the determinants that engender this phenomena. Benchmarking refers to the process of comparing projects in order to identify best practices and generate ideas for improvement. However, even if it is the envisaged approach to tackle the decommissioning challenges (and due to the NDPs' uniqueness), until now, benchmarking has been only partially used. This paper proposes an innovative methodology to benchmark decommissioning projects, both from the nuclear and non-nuclear industry, within the UK and worldwide. From this cross-sectorial and cross-country analysis, it is possible to gather a list of key NDPs' characteristic and statistically test their correlation with the project performance. The ultimate aim of the research underpinning this paper is to investigate the possible causation between the NDPs' characteristics and the NDPs' performance and to develop guidelines to improve the selection, planning and delivery of future NDPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New metaheuristic algorithms have soared over the past ten years. A common practice in proposing a new algorithm is validating it on several benchmark functions and engineering problems. Although CEC benchmark problems are specifically designed to validate the performance of new meta-heuristics, engineering design problems from pressure vessels to springs have been used in hundreds of papers to prove algorithm efficiency. To date, no benchmark practices have been established yet, i.e., researchers design their own benchmark to validate their algorithm. Thus, the high number of new algorithms combined with the high number of different benchmarking setups complicates the comparing and validating processes. In this paper, we study benchmark practices related to engineering applications. In particular, our exhaustive qualitative systematic review focuses on metaheuristics applied to the tension/compression spring design problem (TCSDP). The aim of this study is threefold: (i) evaluate where the field stands in regards of algorithm performance on the TCSDP, (ii) evaluate benchmarking practices, and (iii) facilitate future algorithm comparison. For these purposes, we first review all the existing metaheuristics applied to the TCSDP in their first publication. For each paper, we gather the data regarding the problem definition, the simulation setup, and the optimized design. We evaluated the data through several metrics to find the best-optimized design so far. Our findings and analysis concluded that the field of metaheuristics and its benchmarking practice have not reached maturity yet. Thus, we recommend some actions to address the issues and provide future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stationary parcel lockers have established as useful delivery options, especially for those households where nobody is at home during typical parcel delivery times. However, having to move toward a locker, maybe after a tiring workday, can be inconvenient for customers. Mobile parcel lockers, especially when driving autonomously, can be positioned closer to the customers and thus seem as a logical next evolutionary step to reduce customer inconvenience. Until autonomous driving is finally realized, however, mobile parcel lockers depend on human-driven vehicles to reposition them, and this paper compares optional locker–vehicle–driver setups. In the most restrictive case, a parcel locker is fixedly mounted onto a vehicle and equipped with a dedicated driver. But a human driver can also be in charge of multiple lockers, so that the driver must travel, e.g., via public transport, between different lockers in order to reposition them. There are also first concepts without a fixed coupling of lockers that are only loaded onto their vehicles. Hence, a vehicle equipped with an automated handling mechanism can subsequently reposition multiple mobile locker modules between different parking positions. Based on the assumption that a given set of customers is to be serviced with a predefined service level, this paper provides a flexible heuristic multi-stage optimization approach that minimizes the total costs associated with each of these concepts. This algorithm is applied in a benchmark study to compare the alternative mobile parcel locker concepts, and our results reveal substantial differences among them. For instance, we show that mobile locker modules are very effective to provide better customer service (i.e., smaller walking distances and longer parking durations) at low cost • We benchmark five different mobile locker concepts against stationary lockers. • Mobile lockers with autonomous driving and human drivers are compared. • A heuristic framework that can be applied to all locker concepts is introduced. • Service expectations and their impact on locker resources are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the discharge of pollutants, over-exploitation of water resources and large regional imbalances, it is critical to design an effective Reward and Penalty Mechanism (RPM) for the regions in a basin based on the Water Resource Environmental Carrying Capacity (WRECC) performance. To determine how to set the reference points of reward and penalty plans and design the RPM, the following approach is proposed. Firstly, since the evaluated regions always orient their activities towards certain goals at the initial stage of the evaluation period, this paper finds the closest goal for each indicator according to the previous performance using a DEA benchmarking model. Secondly, a reward and penalty plan addressing both reward and penalty within a unified benchmarking framework is designed according to the different alert levels determined from WRECC performances. Thirdly, an extended DEA model is developed to adjust the benchmarking of the current period to the goals to determine DEA targets that are achievable and represent best practices as reference points. The gaps between the DEA targets and actual observed values allow for us to identify the alert level of the evaluated region. The rewards or penalties of the current period can be obtained based on reward and penalty plans at the final stage. A case study concerning the WRECC-based PRM of the top 10 cities in China's Huaihe River basin is selected to demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach. The results indicate that the top 10 cities of the Huaihe River basin in 2016 are benchmarked against Zhengzhou, Yangzhou and Jining; Zhengzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou and Jining should receive rewards and the remainder of the evaluated cities should pay penalties. According to the results, the gap between the actual performance and the DEA targets can be defined; how much improvement the regions should make can be identified; and regions that should be rewarded or punished as well as the specific amount of money required can be determined. • Both reward and penalty plans are addressed within a unified benchmarking framework. • Not only the past performance but also the current situation are considered in the approach. • The proposed model is firstly applied to design an RPM based on the WRECC performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to assess the productivity of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to improve their economic and technical performance over time. In doing so, reliable indexes should be used to avoid biased conclusions leading to unsuccessful policy and managerial measures. Ratio-based indexes are typically employed, but are infeasible when any of the variables are equal or close to zero. To overcome this limitation, this paper presents the innovative approach of applying and comparing two difference-based productivity indicators, Luenberger (LPI) and Luenberger-Hicks-Moorsteen (LHMPI), to evaluate how productivity changes in a sample of WWTPs. Because the LHMPI is an additively complete indicator, the contribution of operational costs (inputs) and pollutant removal efficiency (outputs) to changes in productivity was quantified. The results showed that, on average, LPI and LHMPI estimations were not statistically different, except for at WWTP level. Moreover, for most facilities, there was a trade-off between operational costs and pollutants removed from the wastewater. The results demonstrate that WWTP managers and regulators should focus on the indexes or indicators used to evaluate the performance of facilities to avoid making biased conclusions. • Luenberger-Hicks-Moorsteen was applied to evaluate productivity change of WWTPs. • Input and output contributions to productivity change were quantified. • Trade-off between operational costs and pollutants removed were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel standard methodology for WWTPs energy efficiency estimation is presented. • The methodology is based on KPIs that reflect the plant function (s). • The methodology allows benchmarking and diagnosing energy hotspots. • A case study illustrates the procedure to carry out an energy analysis. This paper describes the first methodology specifically tailored to estimate energy efficiency at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Inspired by the cycle of continuous improvement, the method (i) precisely defines the concept of energy efficiency in WWTPs, (ii) proposes systematic and comparable ways to measure it, and (iii) allows benchmarking and diagnosing energy hotspots. The methodology delivers an aggregated measure of the WWTP energy efficiency defined as the Water Treatment Energy Index, a single energy label that uses universally known illustrations enabling wide communication of standardized information on the WWTP energy status. The accuracy, reproducibility and generality of the methodology were validated by a widespread energy benchmarking method, and a case study is presented to show its capabilities. By promoting dialogue towards the creation of a specific European Standard, the actions accomplished by the H2020 Coordination Support Action ENERWATER should positively contribute to improving the exchange of information on energy saving actions and results between wastewater utilities and towards other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Communicating the results of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies is considered a challenge for researchers and practitioners, that state that one of the main issues refer to the lack of reference to position a product or service among its peers. The use of benchmarking emerges as a possible solution and is being encouraged by initiatives such as the Product Environmental Footprint. Therefore, this article aims to evaluate how benchmarking techniques have been applied in LCA. Specific keywords were investigated in relevant databases and resulted in 478 papers identified, which after refining, were reduced to 43. The techniques were classified in four categories: anchoring, creation of indicators, statistical analyses and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Likewise, two perspectives were identified: a product-oriented, whenever the results are applied to one or more specific goods; and an organization-oriented, in which the data used for comparison refers to a whole production unit. DEA is mostly applied when productivity data is used, while statistical analysis were applied to establish performance classes and creation of indicators to meet specific demands. DEA is adequate for use in organizational-oriented benchmarking, but it is not possible to indicate a more appropriate technique for use in product-oriented studies. The combination of a dimensionality reduction of the LCAs, with an efficiency analysis using DEA and the establishment of performance classes can contribute to improve comparability and reporting of results. The development of LCA studies in line with Product Category Rules (PCRs), allows a greater use of DEA in product-oriented benchmarking. Highlights • Four main benchmarking techniques and two orientation perspectives were identified. • Data Envelopment Analysis was the most used technique in the evaluated studies. • Benchmarking techniques are still poorly used in product-oriented studies. • The combination of techniques have potential to be used in performance rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Convenience stores are known to have higher Energy Use Intensities (EUIs) than most other commercial building types. However, convenience store energy performance analyses have not been systematically investigated. Moreover, current national convenience store benchmarks are inconsistent from one data base to another due to lack of relevant energy data. This paper assesses the energy performance of more than five hundred convenience stores in the same fleet in Eastern United States. The investigation aims to establish benchmarks for convenience stores with and without gasoline pumping stations. The main factors influencing the actual convenience store building energy use were determined. Multiple regression models were developed to find relationships between annual energy consumption per unit area and gross floor area, customer transaction count, building operating year, etc. The statistically characterized results are meant to serve as a reference data set in comparing the whole-building energy performance index for buildings of similar functionality. The statistical correlation analyses can strengthen the robust prediction of energy performance in convenience stores, enabling proper assessment of energy conservation measurements (ECMs) for convenience store operations, as well as guiding additional such energy performance studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A new benchmark problem for granular materials, namely as Couette flow, which is a common example for applications. • Formulation of the rheology for the continuum approach in the framework of the regularized version of a Bingham-like fluid. • Use of advanced numerical methods regarding discretization as well as solution aspects. • A rigid data basis with reference results for validation and also for evaluation. • The study can be extended to the (full) Pouliquen model and 3D geometry. Abstract Dense granular materials are universal in nature and some common examples of this kind of materials in our daily lives are sand, rice, sugar etc. Research in this area is motivated by numerous applications encountered in industrial processes, such as hopper discharge, chute flow, moving beds, sandpipe flow, etc. and also in geophysics for the description and prediction of natural hazards like landslide and rock avalanches. Here, a continuum description of these granular flows is appropriate. Granular materials in liquid-like state show strong non-Newtonian behavior, which is typically described by phenomenological constitutive laws with local rheology. Very often, fluidization and flows of granular materials are localized in thin shear bands, whereas the granular material remains in solid-like state outside these bands. In this paper we establish a benchmark problem for granular materials, namely as Couette flow which is a very common example for granular materials in industrial application. We formulate the rheology for the continuum approach in the framework of the regularized version of a Bingham fluid and use advanced numerical methods regarding discretization as well as solution aspects, so that we can provide mesh independent results with two different software packages, Featflow and Openfoam, which can be used for validation and evaluation of the different methods and approaches. The authors thank the German Research Foundation DFG for funding under the grants TU 102/44-1 and SCHW 1168/6-1 within the pilot for transnational cooperation of the Dutch Technology Foundation STW and the DFG. This work was also supported by DAAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The last two decades have witnessed increasing awareness of the potential of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) in forest applications in both public and commercial sectors, along with tremendous research efforts and progress. It is time to inspect the achievements of and the remaining barriers to TLS-based forest investigations, so further research and application are clearly orientated in operational uses of TLS. In such context, the international TLS benchmarking project was launched in 2014 by the European Spatial Data Research Organization and coordinated by the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute. The main objectives of this benchmarking study are to evaluate the potential of applying TLS in characterizing forests, to clarify the strengths and the weaknesses of TLS as a measure of forest digitization, and to reveal the capability of recent algorithms for tree-attribute extraction. The project is designed to benchmark the TLS algorithms by processing identical TLS datasets for a standardized set of forest attribute criteria and by evaluating the results through a common procedure respecting reliable references. Benchmarking results reflect large variances in estimating accuracies, which were unveiled through the 18 compared algorithms and through the evaluation framework, i.e., forest complexity categories, TLS data acquisition approaches, tree attributes and evaluation procedures. The evaluation framework includes three new criteria proposed in this benchmarking and the algorithm performances are investigated through combining two or more criteria (e.g., the accuracy of the individual tree attributes are inspected in conjunction with plot-level completeness) in order to reveal algorithms’ overall performance. The results also reveal some best available forest attribute estimates at this time, which clarify the status quo of TLS-based forest investigations. Some results are well expected, while some are new, e.g., the variances of estimating accuracies between single-/multi-scan, the principle of the algorithm designs and the possibility of a computer outperforming human operation. With single-scan data, i.e., one hemispherical scan per plot, most of the recent algorithms are capable of achieving stem detection with approximately 75% completeness and 90% correctness in the easy forest stands (easy plots: 600 stems/ha, 20 cm mean DBH). The detection rate decreases when the stem density increases and the average DBH decreases, i.e., 60% completeness with 90% correctness (medium plots: 1000 stem/ha, 15 cm mean DBH) and 30% completeness with 90% correctness (difficult plots: 2000 stems/ha, 10 cm mean DBH). The application of the multi-scan approach, i.e., five scans per plot at the center and four quadrant angles, is more effective in complex stands, increasing the completeness to approximately 90% for medium plots and to approximately 70% for difficult plots, with almost 100% correctness. The results of this benchmarking also show that the TLS-based approaches can provide the estimates of the DBH and the stem curve at a 1–2 cm accuracy that are close to what is required in practical applications, e.g., national forest inventories (NFIs). In terms of algorithm development, a high level of automation is a commonly shared standard, but a bottleneck occurs at stem detection and tree height estimation, especially in multilayer and dense forest stands. The greatest challenge is that even with the multi-scan approach, it is still hard to completely and accurately record stems of all trees in a plot due to the occlusion effects of the trees and bushes in forests. Future development must address the redundant yet incomplete point clouds of forest sample plots and recognize trees more accurately and efficiently. It is worth noting that TLS currently provides the best quality terrestrial point clouds in comparison with all other technologies, meaning that all the benchmarks labeled in this paper can also serve as a reference for other terrestrial point clouds sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the potential benefits of using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for conducting energy-efficiency assessment of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). WWTPs are characteristically heterogeneous (in size, technology, climate, function …) which limits the correct application of DEA. This paper proposes and describes the Robust Energy Efficiency DEA (REED) in its various stages, a systematic state-of-the-art methodology aimed at including exogenous variables in nonparametric frontier models and especially designed for WWTP operation. In particular, the methodology systematizes the modelling process by presenting an integrated framework for selecting the correct variables and appropriate models, possibly tackling the effect of exogenous factors. As a result, the application of REED improves the quality of the efficiency estimates and hence the significance of benchmarking. For the reader's convenience, this article is presented as a step-by-step guideline to guide the user in the determination of WWTPs energy efficiency from beginning to end. The application and benefits of the developed methodology are demonstrated by a case study related to the comparison of the energy efficiency of a set of 399 WWTPs operating in different countries and under heterogeneous environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Republic of Serbia expects to open Chapter 27 for negotiation in the coming year. Comparative analysis in this paper shows current situation in waste management which should meet EU standards. The purpose of this paper is to operationalize current knowledge of waste management practices in order to provide a guideline for implemenetation of future projects and hereby make this knowledge applicable in every municipality. The results were compared with a municipality of similar characteristics from Ireland, in order to compare average situation in wate management in Serbia with one EU country. This paper presents the findings of the waste management benchmarking, and it sets out the policy priorities from development perspective that need to be addressed to ensure that Serbia meets own waste management needs. The results obtained in the study showed the obstacles, real costs and time requirements for establishment of an efficient institutional system able to generate strategic decisions and ensure adequate capacities for infrastructure project development and implementation in the waste management sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement in thermal efficiency for coal to power processes is increasingly important due to concerns on CO 2 emissions. This paper presents a systematic study on direct combustion coal to power processes with respect to thermodynamic, technical and economic factors. Traditional exergy analysis focuses on irreversibilities in existing processes, while the new methodology investigates the thermal efficiency from its theoretical maximum to practical values by adding irreversibilities one by one. As a result of the study presented in this paper, various measures for increasing the thermal efficiency are investigated and the corresponding improvement potential is presented. For a reference power plant, the exergy of the coal feed is calculated to be 1.08 times the lower heating value. The actual thermal efficiency is 45.5%. The irreversibilities are caused by the combustion reaction, heat transfer between flue gas and water/steam, low temperature heat losses, the steam cycle, and other factors. Different measures to increase the thermal efficiency of the reference plant by 0.1% points are presented. The minimum thermal efficiency penalty related to CO 2 capture is 2.92–3.49% points within an air factor range of 1.0–1.4 when the CO 2 is 100% recovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Although critical, less than a quarter of countries make their railway risk data available. • It is encouraged that railway sectors report and document structured and consistent rail safety data. • High variance was found in five risk indicators analysed. • Balancing data coverage and depth facilitates more railways to adhere to benchmarking. Safety is paramount in railway transportation. Learning best practices of risk data reporting and documentation from different railway systems help to better identify safety issues. However, literature shows that comparing statistics between different systems or countries is usually unreliable without comparable data. Globally, railway risk data is not universally collected or published, so the lack of transparency prevents appropriate analyses. In this paper, the authors set out to assess the availability of railway risk data around the world and develop an evaluation framework to support cohesive benchmarks. A total of 148 countries that operate railways were analysed firstly by the public availability of safety statistics, and secondly by their performance against five KPIs in the years between 2015 and 2020. On average, 40 out of 148 countries consistently reported at least three of the five KPIs. It was found that more countries reported data on accident types than on their effects. More importantly, findings highlight the vast disparity of reporting and availability between the Global North and South and demonstrate how applications of the framework showed how the framework can be used to improve overall railway safety. Further work may focus on establishing narrower scope work where countries may benchmark themselves against high-performing counterparts and identify structures and processes that lead to better safety conditions. Moreover, it is anticipated that the framework may also encourage the culture of publishing data to identify whether safety is improving, shifting the stigma of reporting negative events towards a more open approach to benchmarking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid development in data-driven process monitoring has provided a rich selection of models and data preprocessing strategies for applications such as fault detection and diagnosis. However, the development, comparison, and selection of process monitoring algorithms can become complicated and unnecessarily onerous. As a result, numerous publicly available benchmark datasets have emerged in the literature. Unfortunately, benchmark literature often suffers from problems such as low fidelity, inconsistent usage, and lack of transparency. This paper presents a benchmark challenge based on a large-scale industrial dataset that aims to enhance the evaluation and comparison of learning algorithms and overall data preprocessing workflows. We introduce the arc loss challenge, a machine learning benchmark with data from a large-scale mining and pyrometallurgy operation. By providing a supervised learning challenge based on large quantities of raw industrial process data with transparent and consistent evaluation procedures, the arc loss challenge is a unique contribution to fault detection benchmarking. • A publicly available dataset from an industrial process historian. • Machine learning challenge for process monitoring research community. • Transparent and consistent evaluation procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two data-related issues in calibrating lane-changing decision models were solved; • A generally applicable method was developed based on wavelet transform and case-control design; • An analysis time window of 6 s will work reasonably well for evaluating lane-changing model performance; • The optimal control-to-case ratio is 1:1 for evaluating lane-changing model performance; • Time resolution of 2 s should be preferred, while 3 s should be avoided; • The performance ranges for the selected lane-changing models were identified. Lane-changing is a routine but difficult driving task with important implications on traffic flow characteristics. Despite significant progresses in lane-changing decision modeling, lane-changing models are often improperly calibrated due to two issues related to trajectory data processing. First, the time of insertion (i.e., the time instant where a vehicle crossed the lane marking) is incorrectly considered as the lane-changing decision point, since the lane-changing decision is typically made earlier. Secondly, there is an imbalance between the number of non-lane-changing and lane-changing events, where non-lane-changing events typically dominate trajectory data. These issues can overestimate model performance and biased parameters. In this paper, we propose a method that combines (i) the wavelet transform method to pinpoint the correct lane-changing decision point, and (ii) a case–control design to systematically neutralize the dominance of non-lane-changing events in the data. The proposed method is applied to two NGSIM datasets to assess the performance of four representative lane-changing models. Results uncover that (i) lane-changing models are sensitive to various degrees of data imbalance, (ii) regardless of a driver's decision time window (e.g., 1 s, 2 s, or 3 s), an analysis time window of 6 s will work reasonably well for evaluating the performance of a lane-changing model, while the optimal control-to-case ratio is 1:1; and (iii) when possible, a temporal discretization interval (i.e., an approximation of a driver's typical decision time window) of 2 s should be preferred, while 3 s should be avoided. The proposed method also enabled us to outline a performance range for the selected lane-changing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research evaluates the performance of water supply utilities operating at the retail level in Portugal concerning asset management practices. The study's main innovative feature is identifying peers and targets to guide improvements in the sector. Reliable data collected by the regulatory authority for water and waste services in Portugal (ERSAR) are employed to design two composite indicators reflecting different dimensions of asset management: operational conditions and management systems. Based on the Data Envelopment Analysis technique, the Benefit-of-the-Doubt model is employed in robust and conditional formulations. The role of the context on utilities' performance is also investigated. The results show that the direct management model is unfavourable concerning developing structured management systems, whilst urban environments favour managerial advancement. Rural and semi-urban environments favour "good" operational results in infrastructures. The pool of peers obtained for each utility and the quantification of targets based on the observed achievements by those peers facilitates the search for industry best practices and promotes continuous improvement. Given the high heterogeneity in asset management performance within the sector, the utility-specific target-setting approach illustrated in this paper can support a regulatory policy review for determining more realistic goals. • Identification of peers and targets of water utilities related to asset management. • Benefit-of-the-doubt composite indicators can assess asset management performance. • Peer identification facilitates decisions to guide continuous improvement. • A utility-specific target setting approach can support regulation in water sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper recognizes the synergetic relationship and inextricable linkage between conservation and sustainability. Heritage preservation maximizes the use of existing materials and infrastructure, reduces waste, and preserves the historic character of older towns and cities. This paper also presents technical advances in BPS/BES (Building Performance Simulation/Building Energy Simulation), and in co-simulation for energy efficiency optimization, RES integrated historic building's greening and historic neighborhoods, settlements, as well as whole cities urban re-planning. Further, the paper presents initial results of the Aviation Museum in Belgrade preliminary energy refurbishment study focusing results obtained via BPS and co-simulation. Foreseen is the deep energy refurbishment aimed to reach the “total building performance optimization” encompassing multifunctional optimization of building's skin – glazing replacement with the semi-transparent PV glazing and day-lighting control with reference to the artifact preservation, as well as the IEQ (Indoor Environment Quality) control analysis. This study shows that the RES integrated refurbishment can result in the Museum's Zero CO 2 emission and even in the sustainable Energy + status (producing more than using electricity). Finally, needs for most current ICT knowledge use and refurbishment technologies development, as well as integrated design, including particularly relevant benchmarking and rating system development are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the distributed video coding (DVC) context, predictive Intra coding plays an important role not only as one of the most meaningful (low encoding complexity) benchmarks but also as the adopted coding mode for the so-called key frames used in the most popular DVC architectures. While the first DVC codecs adopted the H.263 Intra codec to play this role, it became clear around 2005 that the (standard) Intra coding reference codec had evolved and should become the H.264/AVC Intra codec, which has been used since then by the DVC literature. However, while DVC solutions have been evolving since those times, also predictive video coding has evolved and a new predictive video coding standard has recently emerged, the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. To acknowledge this evolution and be fair with the predictive coding technology, the improved DVC solutions should now integrate and be compared with the improved and more relevant HEVC standard and not anymore with the H.264/AVC 10-year-old standard. In this context, this paper proposes to upgrade the DVC tools and benchmarking by adopting the HEVC Intra codec to take the role that the H.264/AVC Intra standard was previously playing. To assess the impact of this inevitable upgrade, an advanced, representative DVC solution has been adopted and its performance assessed and compared in the context of the H.264/AVC and HEVC standard frameworks. The compression efficiency and computational complexity experiments performed allow concluding that upgrading DVC solutions with HEVC Intra coding allows strengthening the DVC positioning in the video coding landscape. This conclusion highlights how the experiments performed in this paper are critical to define the new DVC status quo . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by a desire to discover how buildings operate in practice and inspired by the pioneering PROBE Studies (post-occupancy review of buildings and their engineering) the author has spent the last decade investigating both the design and the users' perceptions of (mainly) sustainable buildings. This has involved visiting some 60 commercial or institutional buildings worldwide, interviewing the designers, and in most cases personally conducting a questionnaire survey of the users covering operational, thermal, lighting, noise, control and satisfaction issues. This paper highlights some of the key findings from these investigations, including the design features of the sustainable buildings, how their performance compared with that of more conventional buildings, whether refurbishments achieved better or worse perception scores than new designs, and the characteristics of the users' comments. The paper concludes by outlining potential approaches to benchmarking user perception scores and advocating for their inclusion in building sustainability rating tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates how occurrence, transport and fate of pharmaceuticals at trace levels can be assessed when modelling wastewater treatment systems using two case studies. Firstly, two approaches based on: 1) phenomenology; and, 2) Markov Chains, are developed to describe the dynamics of pharmaceuticals with or without clear administration patterns. Additional simulations also show that sewer conditions might have an important effect on the behaviour of the generated compounds and their metabolites. The results demonstrate that different operating conditions in wastewater treatment plants can have opposite effects on the studied pharmaceuticals, especially when they present co-metabolic or inhibitory behaviour in the presence of biodegradable substrate. Finally, the paper ends with: i) a critical discussion of the presented results; ii) a thorough analysis of the limitations of the proposed approach; and, iii) future pathways to improve the overall modelling of micropollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]