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Paper waste in the mockups design with regular, irregular, and amorphous patterns is a critical problem in digital printing presses. Paper waste reduction directly impacts production costs, generating business and environmental benefits. This problem can be mapped to the two-dimensional irregular bin-packing problem. In this paper, an iterated local search algorithm using a novel neighborhood structure to detect overlaps between amorphous shapes is introduced. This algorithm is used to solve the paper waste problem, modeled as one 2D irregular bin-packing problem. The experimental results show that this approach works efficiently and effectively to detect and correct the overlaps between regular, irregular, and amorphous figures.

This short paper concerns the analysis of the M/M/k queueing system with customer abandonment. In this system, service managers provide a finite buffer space, which is a waiting area that prevents customers from abandoning the system. Abandonment of the system can occur from reneging (exiting from the queue while waiting), and/or balking (leaving the system without waiting). We derive an analytical expression to represent the impact of the buffer space capacity on the delay probability and the abandonment probability for a system with deferred abandonment. The result indicates the provision of the buffer space in a large system could only increase the delay probability while the abandonment probability remains unchanged. Despite the benevolent intentions of service managers, providing a buffer space may exacerbate the performance of larger systems.

In this paper, we consider parallel-machine scheduling with release times and submodular penalties (P|rj,reject|Cmax+π(R)), in which each job can be accepted and processed on one of m identical parallel machines or rejected, but a penalty must paid if a job is rejected. Each job has a release time and a processing time, and the job can not be processed before its release time. The objective of P|rj,reject|Cmax+π(R) is to minimize the makespan of the accepted jobs plus the penalty of the rejected jobs, where the penalty is determined by a submodular function. This problem generalizes a multiprocessor scheduling problem with rejection, the parallel-machine scheduling with submodular penalties, and the single machine scheduling problem with release dates and submodular rejection penalties. In this paper, inspired by the primal-dual method, we present a combinatorial 2-approximation algorithm to P|rj,reject|Cmax+π(R). This ratio coincides with the best known ratio for the parallel-machine scheduling with submodular penalties and the single machine scheduling problem with release dates and submodular rejection penalties.

Swirling has a significant effect on the main characteristics of flow and can lead to its fundamental restructuring. On the flow axis, a stagnation point with zero velocity is possible, behind which a return flow zone is formed. The apparent instability leads to the formation of secondary vortex motions and can also be the cause of vortex breakdown. In the paper, a swirling flow with a velocity profile of the Batchelor vortex type has been studied on the basis of the linear hydrodynamic stability theory. An effective numerical method for solving the spectral problem has been developed. This method includes the asymptotic solutions at artificial and irregular singular points. The stability of flows was considered for the values of the Reynolds number in the range 10≤Re≤5×106. The calculations were carried out for the value of the azimuthal wavenumber parameter n=−1. As a result of the analysis of the solutions, the existence of up to eight simultaneously occurring unstable modes has been shown. The paper presents a classification of the detected modes. The critical parameters are calculated for each mode. For fixed values of the Reynolds numbers 60≤Re≤5000, the curves of neutral stability are plotted. Branching points of unstable modes are found. The maximum growth rates for each mode are determined. A new viscous instability mode is found. The performed calculations reveal the instability of the Batchelor vortex at large values of the swirl parameter for long-wave disturbances.

This paper studies the solution procedure of a bus transit system with a rectangular service area that had been cited more than two hundred times. We will point out that they applied relations suitable for continuous variables, which are not held for a discrete variable and will result in invalid results. We provide our solution procedure to the same example proposed by the original paper to illustrate that their results are less accurate. Our findings will help researchers understand this kind of bus transit system.

In this paper, the Painlevé integrable property of the (1 + 1)-dimensional generalized Broer–Kaup (gBK) equations is first proven. Then, the Bäcklund transformations for the gBK equations are derived by using the Painlevé truncation. Based on a special case of the derived Bäcklund transformations, the gBK equations are linearized into the heat conduction equation. Inspired by the derived Bäcklund transformations, the gBK equations are reduced into the Burgers equation. Starting from the linear heat conduction equation, two forms of N-soliton solutions and rational solutions with a singularity condition of the gBK equations are constructed. In addition, the rational solutions with two singularity conditions of the gBK equation are obtained by considering the non-uniqueness and generality of a resonance function embedded into the Painlevé test. In order to understand the nonlinear dynamic evolution dominated by the gBK equations, some of the obtained exact solutions, including one-soliton solutions, two-soliton solutions, three-soliton solutions, and two pairs of rational solutions, are shown by three-dimensional images. This paper shows that when the Painlevé test deals with the coupled nonlinear equations, the highest negative power of the coupled variables should be comprehensively considered in the leading term analysis rather than the formal balance between the highest-order derivative term and the highest-order nonlinear term.

Wildfires are complex natural events that cause significant environmental and property damage, as well as human losses, every year throughout the world. In order to aid in their management and mitigate their impact, efforts have been directed towards developing decision support systems that can predict wildfire propagation. Most of the available tools for wildfire spread prediction are based on the Rothermel model that, apart from being relatively complex and computing demanding, depends on several input parameters concerning the local fuels, wind or topography, which are difficult to obtain with a minimum resolution and degree of accuracy. These factors are leading causes for the deviations between the predicted fire propagation and the real fire propagation. In this sense, this paper conducts a literature review on optimization methodologies for wildfire spread prediction based on the use of evolutionary algorithms for input parameter set calibration. In the present literature review, it was observed that the current literature on wildfire spread prediction calibration is mostly focused on methodologies based on genetic algorithms (GAs). Inline with this trend, this paper presents an application of genetic algorithms for the calibration of a set of the Rothermel model’s input parameters, namely: surface-area-to-volume ratio, fuel bed depth, fuel moisture, and midflame wind speed. The GA was validated on 37 real datasets obtained through experimental prescribed fires in controlled conditions.

The problem of the dual synchronization of two different fractional-order chaotic systems with uncertain parameters is studied. This paper introduces a synchronization method in accordance with Lyapunov stability theory, and the adaptive controllers and adaptive laws are designed to realize the dual synchronization of fractional order chaotic systems. Finally, two numerical examples of unknown different fractional-order chaotic systems are also given to prove the accuracy of the theory in the paper, and the effectiveness and performance of the proposed adaptive dual synchronization strategy are verified by simulation.

This paper deals with the measurement of the compatibility in a local AHP-Group Decision Making context. Compatibility between two individuals or decision makers is understood as the property that reflects the proximity between their positions or preferences, usually measured by a distance function. An acceptable level of incompatibility between the individual and the group positions will favour the acceptance of the collective position by the individuals. To facilitate the compatibility measurement, the paper utilises four indicators based on log quadratic distances between matrices or vectors which can be employed in accordance with the information that is available from the individual decision makers and from the group. The indicators make it possible to measure compatibility in decision problems, regardless of how the collective position and the priorities are obtained. The paper also presents a theoretical framework and a general, semi-automatic procedure for reducing the incompatibility measured by the four indicators. Using relative variations, the procedure identifies and slightly modifies the judgement of the collective matrix that further improves the indicator. This process is undertaken without modifying the initial information provided by the individuals. A numerical example illustrates the application of the theoretical framework and the procedure.

In this paper we study the existence of a mild solution of a periodic boundary value problem for fractional quasilinear differential equations in a Hilbert spaces. We assume that a linear part in equations is a self-adjoint positive operator with dense domain in Hilbert space and a nonlinear part is a map obeying Carathéodory type conditions. We find the mild solution of this problem in the form of a series in a Hilbert space. In the space of continuous functions, we construct the corresponding resolving operator, and for it, by using Schauder theorem, we prove the existence of a fixed point. At the end of the paper, we give an example for a boundary value problem for a diffusion type equation.

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a classic research object in genetics and systems biology. In the genetic analysis of flies, a routine task is to determine the offspring size and gender ratio in their populations. Currently, these estimates are made manually, which is a very time-consuming process. The counting and gender determination of flies can be automated by using image analysis with deep learning neural networks on mobile devices. We proposed an algorithm based on the YOLOv4-tiny network to identify Drosophila flies and determine their gender based on the protocol of taking pictures of insects on a white sheet of paper with a cell phone camera. Three strategies with different types of augmentation were used to train the network. The best performance (F1 = 0.838) was achieved using synthetic images with mosaic generation. Females gender determination is worse than that one of males. Among the factors that most strongly influencing the accuracy of fly gender recognition, the fly’s position on the paper was the most important. Increased light intensity and higher quality of the device cameras have a positive effect on the recognition accuracy. We implement our method in the FlyCounter Android app for mobile devices, which performs all the image processing steps using the device processors only. The time that the YOLOv4-tiny algorithm takes to process one image is less than 4 s.

The management control system in an industry is managerial, directional, hindrance, and cohesive action in order to cohere and regulate various branches and sub-branches. In fact, it is a system that supports the real state of matters in the right way. This method is intended at assuring that the purposes and activities carried out have the desired outcomes and eventually lead to the objects and purposes of the company. In this matter, the financial and non-financial management control system is essential both when it comes to strategy community; Consequently, in this paper, the management control system is classified into financial and non-financial categories because such analysis gives a chance to get a broad assessment of a management control system relationship in organizations. In this paper, we evaluate the relationship between business strategy and management control system and their influences on financial performance measurement of a manufacturer (a case study of Maral Co.) with the use of Merchant’s theory. Furthermore, In this case, a decision-making strategy centered on the FMEA is used to identify and prioritize risk factors financial of the control system in companies. Nevertheless, because this strategy has some significant limitations, this research has presented a decision-making approach depending on Z-number theory. For tackle, some of the RPN score’s drawbacks, the suggested decision-making methodology combines the Z-SWARA and Z-WASPAS techniques with the FMEA method. The findings reveal that in the non-financial management control system element, customer satisfaction, and in the financial component, cost standards are at the largest level of weight. Furthermore, the strategic planning factor with a rate of 2.95 and the deviation analysis factor with a rate of 2.87 is at the lowest level, respectively. In sum, market or industry changes are the primary cause of risk in businesses, according to FMEA methodology and the opinions of three professionals.

Based on the Szirtes’ modern dimensional analysis (MDA), the authors apply the theory to a real structure in order to validate by experimental measurements its applicability. After a presentation of the basic elements of the model law (ML), deduced for two relevant cases, the authors conceived the set of prototypes and models, based on the case of an actual construction pillar, physically performed at scales of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4. The combination of these structural elements, made at different scales, resulted in three sets of prototypes and models. In this paper, taking into consideration the ML for two relevant cases, the following are presented: the original test stand of these structural elements; block diagram of the original electronic heating and control system; the basic considerations regarding the particularity of this heating system from the point of view of heat transfer; measurement data, obtained for both nonthermally protected elements and for those protected with layers of intumescent paints. In the last part of the paper, the values obtained by rigorous direct measurements with those offered by the ML on the elements considered as prototypes and models are compared. Almost identical values were obtained from the direct measurements with those provided by the ML, thus resulting in the validation of these laws. The same thermal regimes were applied to all these structural elements, with registration of every parameter related to these thermal regimes. Depending on the role of a structural element within a certain set (prototype-model), some of the measurement data were considered as data acquired directly through measurements, and others served as reference elements for those for which we had to obtain through the model law. In the last part of the paper, the sizes obtained by rigorous direct measurements are compared with those offered by the model law on the elements considered as prototypes and models. Identical practical values of the quantities were obtained from the direct measurements with those provided by the model law, thus resulting in the validation of these laws.

Contemporary literature continues to foster discussion whether financial development is important for economic growth. In the clash of theoretical arguments, the prevailing idea is that finance exerts a direct positive influence on GDP growth. However, the presence of theoretical counterarguments and contradictory results of empirical studies suggest that scientists, in search of an answer about the direction and power of the net effect, should develop methods of empirical analysis, and the very mystery of the relationship between finance and growth will finally be solved exclusively empirically. In this paper, the authors contribute to the development of the ‘finance-growth’ literature by answering some existing questions concerning the transmission channels from finance to growth, relying on more recent data compared to already conducted studies. We use panel data covering the period 1995 to 2019 for 168 countries. In addition, the paper touches on the problem of studying the exogenous conditions of such channels, considering the assumption that among these conditions there may be those that hinder the impact of financial deepening on economic growth. Our focus is on monetary conditions, and in the empirical part of the study, we touch upon the problem of the influence of price stability on the operation of these transmission channels. The methods of the conducted study are based on the dynamic panel data analysis techniques (System GMM). The novelty of this paper lies in the development of the modern theory of the financial sector transmission mechanism in the economic growth context. The main result of the study is that productivity channel is the most reliable transmission channel of financial deepening to economic growth. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this channel remains virtually unaffected by inflation. The channel of capital accumulation should be considered less reliable (in terms of statistical reliability of estimates obtained), but it has turned out to be a more economically significant transmission channel. This channel is sensitive to the inflation factor in certain categories of countries. Finally, as follows from the estimates gained, the non-linearity of the “finance-growth” relationship can be explained by the non-linearity of the variable responsible for the capital accumulation channel.

Image segmentation technology is dedicated to the segmentation of intensity inhomogeneous at present. In this paper, we propose a new method that incorporates fractional varying-order differential and local fitting energy to construct a new variational level set active contour model. The energy functions in this paper mainly include three parts: the local term, the regular term and the penalty term. The local term combined with fractional varying-order differential can obtain more details of the image. The regular term is used to regularize the image contour length. The penalty term is used to keep the evolution curve smooth. True positive (TP) rate, false positive (FP) rate, precision (P) rate, Jaccard similarity coefficient (JSC), and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) are employed as the comparative measures for the segmentation results. Experimental results for both synthetic and real images show that our method has more accurate segmentation results than other models, and it is robust to intensity inhomogeneous or noises.

This paper is devoted to the identification of the parameters of discrete fractional systems with errors in variables. Estimates of the parameters of such systems can be obtained using generalized total least squares (GTLS). A GTLS problem can be reduced to a total least squares (TLS) problem. A total least squares problem is often ill-conditioned. To solve a TLS problem, a classical algorithm based on finding the right singular vector or an algorithm based on an augmented system of equations with complex coefficients can be applied. In this paper, a new augmented system of equations with real coefficients is proposed to solve TLS problems. A symmetrical augmented system of equations was applied to the parameter identification of discrete fractional systems. The simulation results showed that the use of the proposed symmetrical augmented system of equations can shorten the time for solving such problems. It was also shown that the proposed system can have a smaller condition number.

According to the Frenet equations of the null curves in semi-Euclidean 4-space, the existence conditions and the geometrical characterizations of the Bertrand curves of the null curves are given in this paper. The examples and the graphs of the Bertrand pairs with two different conditions are also given in order to supplement the conclusion of this paper more intuitively.

This paper mainly focuses on some notions of the lightlike rectifying curves and the centrodes in Minkowski 3-space. Some geometrical characteristics of the three types of lightlike curves are obtained. In addition, we obtain the conditions of the centrodes of the lightlike curves are the lightlike rectifying curves. Meanwhile, a detailed analysis between the N-type lightlike slant helices and the centrodes of lightlike curves is provided in this paper. We give the projections of the lightlike rectifying curves to the timelike planes.

In this paper, targeting efficient authentication and key agreement in an IoT environment, we propose an Elliptic Curve Cryptography-(ECC) based lightweight authentication protocol called BCmECC which relies on a public blockchain to validate the users’ public key to provide desired security. We evaluate the security of the proposed protocol heuristically and validate it formally, which demonstratse the high level of the security. For the formal verification we used the widely accepted formal methods, i.e., BAN logic and the Scyther tool. In this paper we also analyse the security of recently proposed blockchain-based authentication protocols and show that this protocol does not provide the desired security against known session-specific temporary information attacks in which the adversary has access to the session’s ephemeral values and aims to retrieve the shared session key. In addition, the protocol lacks forward secrecy, in which an adversary with access to the server’s long-term secret key can retrieve the previous session keys, assuming that the adversary has already eavesdropped the transferred messages over a public channel in the target session. The proposed attacks are very efficient and their success probability is ‘1’, while the time complexity of each attack could be negligible. Besides, we show that BCmECC is secure against such attacks.

In comparison with other respiratory viruses, the current COVID-19 pandemic’s rapid seizing the world can be attributed to indirect (contact) way of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus in addition to the regular airborne way. A significant part of indirect transmission is made through cash bank notes. SARS-CoV-2 remains on cash paper money for period around four times larger than influenza A virus and is absorbed by cash notes two and a half times more effectively than influenza A (our model). During the pandemic, cryptocurrencies have gained attractiveness as an “epidemiologically safe” means of transactions. On the basis of the authors’ gallop polls performed online with social networks users in 44 countries in 2020–2021 (the total number of clear responses after the set repair 32,115), around 14.7% of surveyed participants engaged in cryptocurrency-based transactions during the pandemic. This may be one of the reasons of significant rise of cryptocurrencies rates since mid-March 2020 till the end of 2021. The paper discusses the reasons for cryptocurrency attractiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, there are fear of SARS-CoV-2 spread via cash contacts and the ability of the general population to mine cryptocurrencies. The article also provides a breakdown of the polled audience profile to determine the nationalities that have maximal level of trust to saving and transacting money as cryptocurrencies.

This paper presents a variant scheme of the cubic exponential B-spline scheme, which, with two parameters, can generate curves with different shapes. This variant scheme is obtained based on the iteration from the generation of exponentials and a suitably chosen function. For such a scheme, we show its C2-convergence and analyze the effect of the parameters on the shape of the generated curves and also discuss its convexity preservation. In addition, a non-uniform version of this variant scheme is derived in order to locally control the shape of the generated curves. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the performance of the new schemes in this paper.

In this paper, we prove a Sehgal–Guseman-type fixed point theorem in b-rectangular metric spaces which provides a complete solution to an open problem raised by Zoran D. Mitrović (A note on a Banach’s fixed point theorem in b-rectangular metric space and b-metric space). The result presented in the paper generalizes and unifies some results in fixed point theory.

This paper is concerned with certain non-linear unperturbed and perturbed systems of integro-delay differential equations (IDDEs). We investigate fundamental properties of solutions such as uniformly stability (US), uniformly asymptotically stability (UAS), integrability and instability of the un-perturbed system of the IDDEs as well as the boundedness of the perturbed system of IDDEs. In this paper, five new and improved fundamental qualitative results, which have less conservative conditions, are obtained on the mentioned fundamental properties of solutions. The technique used in the proofs depends on Lyapunov-Krasovski functionals (LKFs). In particular cases, three examples and their numerical simulations are provided as numerical applications of this paper. This paper provides new, extensive and improved contributions to the theory of IDDEs.

Vehicle Re-identification (re-id) over surveillance camera network with non-overlapping field of view is an exciting and challenging task in intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Due to its versatile applicability in metropolitan cities, it gained significant attention. Vehicle re-id matches targeted vehicle over non-overlapping views in multiple camera network. However, it becomes more difficult due to inter-class similarity, intra-class variability, viewpoint changes, and spatio-temporal uncertainty. In order to draw a detailed picture of vehicle re-id research, this paper gives a comprehensive description of the various vehicle re-id technologies, applicability, datasets, and a brief comparison of different methodologies. Our paper specifically focuses on vision-based vehicle re-id approaches, including vehicle appearance, license plate, and spatio-temporal characteristics. In addition, we explore the main challenges as well as a variety of applications in different domains. Lastly, a detailed comparison of current state-of-the-art methods performances over VeRi-776 and VehicleID datasets is summarized with future directions. We aim to facilitate future research by reviewing the work being done on vehicle re-id till to date.

The block cyclic reduction method is a finite-step direct method used for solving linear systems with block tridiagonal coefficient matrices. It iteratively uses transformations to reduce the number of non-zero blocks in coefficient matrices. With repeated block cyclic reductions, non-zero off-diagonal blocks in coefficient matrices incrementally leave the diagonal blocks and eventually vanish after a finite number of block cyclic reductions. In this paper, we focus on the roots of characteristic polynomials of coefficient matrices that are repeatedly transformed by block cyclic reductions. We regard each block cyclic reduction as a composition of two types of matrix transformations, and then attempt to examine changes in the existence range of roots. This is a block extension of the idea presented in our previous papers on simple cyclic reductions. The property that the roots are not very scattered is a key to accurately solve linear systems in floating-point arithmetic. We clarify that block cyclic reductions do not disperse roots, but rather narrow their distribution, if the original coefficient matrix is symmetric positive or negative definite.

Max-plus algebra is the similarity of the classical linear algebra with two binary operations, maximum and addition. The notation Ax = Bx, where A, B are given (interval) matrices, represents (interval) two-sided (max, plus)-linear system. For the solvability of Ax = Bx, there are some pseudopolynomial algorithms, but a polynomial algorithm is still waiting for an appearance. The paper deals with the analysis of solvability of two-sided (max, plus)-linear equations with inexact (interval) data. The purpose of the paper is to get efficient necessary and sufficient conditions for solvability of the interval systems using the property of the solution set of the non-interval system Ax = Bx. The main contribution of the paper is a transformation of weak versions of solvability to either subeigenvector problems or to non-interval two-sided (max, plus)-linear systems and obtaining the equivalent polynomially checked conditions for the strong versions of solvability.

The aim of this paper is to compute the exact solutions and conservation of a generalized (1 + 1) dimensional system. This can be achieved by employing symbolic manipulation software such as Maple, Mathematica, or MATLAB. In theoretical physics and in many scientific applications, the mentioned system naturally arises. Time, space, and scaling transformation symmetries lead to novel similarity reductions and new exact solutions. The solutions obtained include solitary waves and cnoidal and snoidal waves. The familiarity of closed-form solutions of nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations enables numerical solvers and supports stability analysis. Although many efforts have been dedicated to solving nonlinear evolution equations, there is no unified method. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Lie point symmetry analysis in conjunction with an ansatz method has been applied on this underlying equation. It should also be noted that the methods applied in this paper give a unique solution set that differs from the newly reported solutions. In addition, we derive the conservation laws of the underlying system. It is also worth mentioning that this is the first time that the conservation laws for the equation under study are derived.

The traditional set stability of Boolean networks (BNs) refers to whether all the states can converge to a given state subset. Different from the existing results, the set stability investigated in this paper is whether all states in a given initial set can converge to a given destination set. This paper studies the set stability and set stabilization avoiding undesirable sets of BNs and Boolean control networks (BCNs), respectively. First, by virtue of the semi-tensor product (STP) of matrices, the dynamics of BNs avoiding a given undesirable set are established. Then, the set reachability and set stability of BNs from the initial set to destination set avoiding an undesirable set are investigated, respectively. Furthermore, the set stabilization of BCNs from the initial set to destination set avoiding a given undesirable set are investigated. Finally, a design method for finding the time optimal set stabilizer is proposed, and an example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the results.

In this paper, the attitudes of experts are observed for the possible changes after taking a certain decision. The decision is taken by two persons with different fields of expertise. There is also an annotation of such changes due to the interference of a third person, which is main idea of this paper. These observations are done by developing fuzzy soft differential equations with the help of optimum fuzzy soft constants (OFSCs), which are obtained through the ranking coefficients. The ranking of alternatives is based on the coefficients, which are obtained through a decision-making process. Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is exploited to rank the alternatives, and the attitudes of resource persons are examined through phase portraits and line graphs of the respective system of differential equations. The utilization of TOPSIS is a practice of multi-criteria decision-making in the analysis of human behaviours. Dual hesitant fuzzy soft sets are taken to represent the initial data.

The work continues a series of articles devoted to the peculiarities of solving coefficient inverse problems for nonlinear singularly perturbed equations of the reaction-diffusion-advection-type with data on the position of the reaction front. In this paper, we place the emphasis on some problems of the numerical solving process. One of the approaches to solving inverse problems of the class under consideration is the use of methods of asymptotic analysis. These methods, under certain conditions, make it possible to construct the so-called reduced formulation of the inverse problem. Usually, a differential equation in this formulation has a lower dimension/order with respect to the differential equation, which is included in the full statement of the inverse problem. In this paper, we consider an example that leads to a reduced formulation of the problem, the solving of which is no less a time-consuming procedure in comparison with the numerical solving of the problem in the full statement. In particular, to obtain an approximate numerical solution, one has to use the methods of the numerical diagnostics of the solution’s blow-up. Thus, it is demonstrated that the possibility of constructing a reduced formulation of the inverse problem does not guarantee its more efficient solving. Moreover, the possibility of constructing a reduced formulation of the problem does not guarantee the existence of an approximate solution that is qualitatively comparable to the true one. In previous works of the authors, it was shown that an acceptable approximate solution can be obtained only for sufficiently small values of the singular parameter included in the full statement of the problem. However, the question of how to proceed if the singular parameter is not small enough remains open. The work also gives an answer to this question.

In a previous paper, the problem of how the preventive maintenance organization for the k-out-of-n: F system could be used, in order to maximize system availability, was considered. The current paper continues these investigations using a different optimization criterion. The proposed approach is based on decision making theory for regenerative processes. We propose a general procedure for comparing different preventive maintenance strategies based on the ordered statistics distributions, aiming to choose the best one with respect to cost-type criterion. The lifetime distributions of system units are usually unknown and only one or two of their moments are available. For this reason, we pay special attention to the sensitivity analysis of decision making about preventive maintenance, taking into account the shape of the system unit lifetime distributions. A numerical study of two examples based on a real-world system illustrates the results of the proposed approach.

This study presents a systematic review (SR) of the literature on the use of Augmented Reality (AR) for the development of spatial skills of secondary and higher education students in the teaching of subjects related to the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Numerous researchers have confirmed that students tend to have difficulties in acquiring learning content with a high visual load, which is why AR is being used to improve teaching–learning processes. This paper aims to present information of interest to researchers, teachers and software developers about the advantages and limitations of AR in the development of spatial intelligence, the integration and development of AR applications, as well as the predominant spatial skills and assessment methods. In this regard, an initial search was carried out which returned 242 articles. After reviewing and assessing their eligibility, a total of 17 papers published since 2002 were selected. The findings reveal an increase in the number of investigations over the last few years. Some of the most notable findings are the improvement of spatial skills of students through the inclusion of AR in educational environments, the need for teacher training, the lack of personalization in the applications developed and the scarcity of augmented materials in the form of Open Educational Resources (OER).

This paper centers on a discrete-time retrial queue where the server experiences breakdowns and repairs when arriving customers may opt to follow a discipline of a last-come, first-served (LCFS)-type or to join the orbit. We focused on the extensive analysis of the system, and we obtained the stationary distributions of the number of customers in the orbit and in the system by applying the generation function (GF). We provide the stochastic decomposition law and the application bounds for the proximity between the steady-state distributions for the queueing system under consideration and its corresponding standard system. We developed recursive formulae aimed at the calculation of the steady-state of the orbit and the system. We proved that our discrete-time system approximates M/G/1 with breakdowns and repairs. We analyzed the busy period of an auxiliary system, the objective of which was to study the customer’s delay. The stationary distribution of a customer’s sojourn in the orbit and in the system was the object of a thorough and complete study. Finally, we provide numerical examples that outline the effect of the parameters on several performance characteristics and a conclusions section resuming the main research contributions of the paper.

There has been a persistent requirement for safeguarding documents and the data they contain, either in printed or electronic form. This is because the fabrication and faking of documents is prevalent globally, resulting in significant losses for individuals, societies, and industrial sectors, in addition to national security. Therefore, individuals are concerned about protecting their work and avoiding these unlawful actions. Different techniques, such as steganography, cryptography, and coding, have been deployed to protect valuable information. Steganography is an appropriate method, in which the user is able to conceal a message inside another message (cover media). Most of the research on steganography utilizes cover media, such as videos, images, and sounds. Notably, text steganography is usually not given priority because of the difficulties in identifying redundant bits in a text file. To embed information within a document, its attributes must be changed. These attributes may be non-displayed characters, spaces, resized fonts, or purposeful misspellings scattered throughout the text. However, this would be detectable by an attacker or other third party because of the minor change in the document. To address this issue, it is necessary to change the document in such a manner that the change would not be visible to the eye, but could still be decoded using a computer. In this paper, an overview of existing research in this area is provided. First, we provide basic information about text steganography and its general procedure. Next, three classes of text steganography are explained: statistical and random generation, format-based methodologies, and linguistics. The techniques related to each class are analyzed, and particularly the manner in which a unique strategy is provided for hiding secret data. Furthermore, we review the existing works in the development of approaches and algorithms related to text steganography; this review is not exhaustive, and covers research published from 2016 to 2021. This paper aims to assist fellow researchers by compiling the current methods, challenges, and future directions in this field.

In this paper, we propose an approach to inverse spectral problems for the n-th order (n≥2) ordinary differential operators with distribution coefficients. The inverse problems which consist in the reconstruction of the differential expression coefficients by the Weyl matrix and by several spectra are studied. We prove the uniqueness of solution for these inverse problems, by developing the method of spectral mappings. The results of this paper generalize the previously known results for the second-order differential operators with singular potentials and for the higher-order differential operators with regular coefficients. In the future, the approach of this paper can be used for constructive solution and for investigation of solvability of the considered inverse problems.

In this paper, the mixed performance and reachable set of uncertain discrete systems with slow variation interval time-varying delay are considered. The original uncertain discrete systems with interval time-varying delay are first transformed into a switched system. Then, the proposed improved results are used to guarantee the stability and reachable set of the uncertain system with slow variation interval time-varying delay. The mixed performance (H2/H∞) can be derived in the same formulation simultaneously. The design scheme of robust switched control is also developed in this paper. The gains of the controller can be designed and switched to achieve stabilization and mixed performance of the system according to the delay value. Some comparisons with published results are made to show the main contribution of the proposed approach. Finally, some numerical examples are illustrated to show the main results.

Helicopters are extraordinarily complex mechanisms. Such complexity makes it difficult to model, simulate and pilot a helicopter. The present paper proposes a mathematical model of a fantail helicopter type based on Lie-group theory. The present paper first recalls the Lagrange–d’Alembert–Pontryagin principle to describe the dynamics of a multi-part object, and subsequently applies such principle to describe the motion of a helicopter in space. A good part of the paper is devoted to the numerical simulation of the motion of a helicopter, which was obtained through a dedicated numerical method. Numerical simulation was based on a series of values for the many parameters involved in the mathematical model carefully inferred from the available technical literature.

The processing of a sparse matrix is a hot topic in the recommendation system. This paper applies the method of hesitant fuzzy set to study the sparse matrix processing problem. Based on the uncertain factors in the recommendation process, this paper applies hesitant fuzzy set theory to characterize the historical ratings embedded in the recommendation system and studies the data processing problem of the sparse matrix under the condition of a hesitant fuzzy set. The key is to transform the similarity problem of products in the sparse matrix into the similarity problem of two hesitant fuzzy sets by data conversion, data processing, and data complement. This paper further considers the influence of the difference of user ratings on the recommendation results and obtains a user’s recommendation list. On the one hand, the proposed method effectively solves the matrix in the recommendation system, on the other hand, it provides a feasible method for calculating similarity in the recommendation system.

Starting with the interactive relationship between electronic money and household consumption stimuli, this paper deeply analyzes the changes in the behavior of each monetary subject under the impact of electronic money, and establishes a DSGE model based on the three economic sectors of family, commercial bank and central bank under the New Keynesian framework. On this basis, the impact of electronic money on savings, loans, output and the interest rate, and its impact on monetary policy, are described by numerical simulation. The simulation results show that: (1) electronic money has asymmetric effects on savings and loans, but an irrational deviation on households, (2) the influence of electronic money on the interest rate has a reverse effect, and the “inverse adjustment” of the interest rate increases the management difficulty of the micro subject to a certain extent, and affects the effectiveness of monetary policy, (3) the regulatory effect of price monetary policy is better than that of quantitative monetary policy, and electronic money has the effect of its risk restraining impact. Finally, based on the analysis, this paper gives policy recommendations.

This paper deals with the problem of managing the risks of complex systems under targeted attacks. It is usually solved by using Defender–Attacker models or similar ones. However, such models do not consider the influence of the defending system structure on the expected attack outcome. Our goal was to study how the structure of an abstract system affects its integral risk. To achieve this, we considered a situation where the Defender knows the structure of the expected attack and can arrange the elements to achieve a minimum of integral risk. In this paper, we consider a particular case of a simple chain attack structure. We generalized the concept of a local risk function to account for structural effects and found an ordering criterion that ensures the optimal placement of the defending system’s elements inside a given simple chain structure. The obtained result is the first step to formulate the principles of optimally placing system elements within an arbitrarily complex network. Knowledge of these principles, in turn, will allow solving the problems of optimal allocation of resources to minimize the risks of a complex system, considering its structure.

Much applied research uses expert judgment as a primary or additional data source, thus the problem solved in this publication is relevant. Despite the expert’s experience and competence, the evaluation is subjective and has uncertainty in it. There are various reasons for this uncertainty, including the expert’s incomplete competence, the expert’s character and personal qualities, the expert’s attachment to the opinion of other experts, and the field of the task to be solved. This paper presents a new way to use the Bayesian method to reduce the uncertainty of an expert judgment by correcting the expert’s evaluation by the a posteriori mean function. The Bayesian method corrects the expert’s evaluation, taking into account the expert’s competence and accumulated long-term experience. Since the paper uses a continuous case of the Bayesian formula, perceived as a continuous approximation of experts’ evaluations, this is not only the novelty of this work, but also a new result in the theory of the Bayesian method and its application. The paper investigates various combinations of the probability density functions of a priori information and expert error. The results are illustrated by the example of the evaluation of distance learning courses.

The paper is devoted to the comparison of different one-dimensional models of blood flow. In such models, the non-Newtonian property of blood is considered. It is demonstrated that for the large arteries, the small parameter is observed in the models, and the perturbation method can be used for the analytical solution. In the paper, the simplified nonlinear problem for the semi-infinite vessel with constant properties is solved analytically, and the solutions for different models are compared. The effects of the flattening of the velocity profile and hematocrit value on the deviation from the Newtonian model are investigated.

In this paper, a single-species population model with distributed delay and Michaelis-Menten type harvesting is established. Through an appropriate transformation, the mathematical model is converted into a two-dimensional system. Applying qualitative theory of ordinary differential equations, we obtain sufficient conditions for the stability of the equilibria of this system under three cases. The equilibrium A1 of system is globally asymptotically stable when br−c&gt, 0 and η&lt, 0. Using Poincare-Bendixson theorem, we determine the existence and stability of limit cycle when br−c&gt, 0 and η&gt, 0. By computing Lyapunov number, we obtain that a supercritical Hopf bifurcation occurs when η passes through 0. High order singularity of the system, such as saddle node, degenerate critical point, unstable node, saddle point, etc, is studied by the theory of ordinary differential equations. Numerical simulations are provided to verify our main results in this paper.

A nonlinear approach to identifying combinations of CpGs DNA methylation data, as biomarkers for Alzheimer (AD) disease, is presented in this paper. It will be shown that the presented algorithm can substantially reduce the amount of CpGs used while generating forecasts that are more accurate than using all the CpGs available. It is assumed that the process, in principle, can be non-linear, hence, a non-linear approach might be more appropriate. The proposed algorithm selects which CpGs to use as input data in a classification problem that tries to distinguish between patients suffering from AD and healthy control individuals. This type of classification problem is suitable for techniques, such as support vector machines. The algorithm was used both at a single dataset level, as well as using multiple datasets. Developing robust algorithms for multi-datasets is challenging, due to the impact that small differences in laboratory procedures have in the obtained data. The approach that was followed in the paper can be expanded to multiple datasets, allowing for a gradual more granular understanding of the underlying process. A 92% successful classification rate was obtained, using the proposed method, which is a higher value than the result obtained using all the CpGs available. This is likely due to the reduction in the dimensionality of the data obtained by the algorithm that, in turn, helps to reduce the risk of reaching a local minima.

In the last decade, the United Nations took important steps for the creation of a new instrument for biodiversity protection in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This put under discussion the central issues of international commons management and of the governance model for the High Seas. The aim of this paper is to discuss and evaluate critically the political negotiations already made and yet to come, as well as their rationale. For this purpose, the paper applies game theory to fisheries management to get insights. This research aims to contribute toward more qualified and grounded decisions. The key role of cooperation in the sustainable use of common resources is stressed. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Let $A$ and $B$ be rings, $U$ a $(B,A)$-bimodule and $T=\begin{pmatrix} A&0\\U&B \end{pmatrix}$ the triangular matrix ring. In this paper, several notions in relative Gorenstein algebra over a triangular matrix ring are investigated. We first study how to construct w-tilting (tilting, semidualizing) over $T$ using the corresponding ones over $A$ and $B$. We show that when $U$ is relative (weakly) compatible we are able to describe the structure of $G_C$-projective modules over $T$. As an application, we study when a morphism in $T$-Mod has a special $G_CP(T)$-precover and when the class $G_CP(T)$ is a special precovering class. In addition, we study the relative global dimension of $T$. In some cases, we show that it can be computed from the relative global dimensions of $A$ and $B$. We end the paper with a counterexample to a result that characterizes when a $T$-module has a finite projective dimension., 39 pages

Ranking of interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IVIFNs) is an important task for solving real-life Decision-Making problems. It is a potential area of research that has attracted the researchers working in fuzzy mathematics. Researchers worldwide are looking for a unique ranking principle that can be used to discriminate any two arbitrary IVIFNs. Various ranking functions on the set of IVIFNs have been proposed. However, every method has some drawbacks in ranking arbitrary IVIFNs due to the partial ordering. This paper introduces a new ranking principle for comparing two arbitrary IVIFNs by defining a new score function based on the non-membership value of IVIFNs. In this paper, firstly, the limitations of a few well-known and existing ranking methods for IVIFNs have been discussed. Secondly, a new non-membership score on the class of IVIFNs has been introduced. Thirdly, the superiority of the proposed score function in ranking arbitrary IVIFNs over the existing methods has been demonstrated. Finally, the proposed non-membership score function has been utilized in interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy TOPSIS (IVIF-TOPSIS) using numerical examples.

The fractional integral of confluent hypergeometric function is used in this paper for obtaining new applications using concepts from the theory of fuzzy differential subordination and superordination. The aim of the paper is to present new fuzzy differential subordinations and superordinations for which the fuzzy best dominant and fuzzy best subordinant are given, respectively. The original theorems proved in the paper generate interesting corollaries for particular choices of functions acting as fuzzy best dominant and fuzzy best subordinant. Another contribution contained in this paper is the nice sandwich-type theorem combining the results given in two theorems proved here using the two theories of fuzzy differential subordination and fuzzy differential superordination.

The existing multi-layer tree is of dynamic linked list type which has many limitations and is complicated due to the pointer-node structure. Static array representation gives more flexibility in programming of algorithms and operations like insertion, deletion, and search. It also reduces the storage space. This paper presents a new method for representing multi-layer forest data structure in array format. It also explains various tree operations, unique data compression algorithm and migration algorithm between traditional approach and the proposed data structure. Most of the fundamental algorithms like those from artificial intelligence that employ decision trees are based on trees/forest data structure. The current paper brings a completely new idea in the representation of these data structures without employing recursion and targeting memory optimizations with reduced code complexities. The applications of forest data structures are many and span over various interdisciplinary areas of Engineering, Medicine, Aviation, Locomotive, Marine, etc. The proposed novel approach not just introduces a new method to look at the tree data structure but also provides the flexibility to adapt to the existing methods as per the user needs. A few such applications in Simulink debugging and the Forest visualisation have been discussed in detail in this paper.

The research paper is devoted to developing a mathematical approach for dealing with time-varying parameters in rolling window logit models for credit risk assessment. Forecasting coefficients yields a better model accuracy than a trivial approach of using computed past statistics parameters for the next time period. In this paper, a new method of dealing with time-varying parameters of scoring models is proposed, which is aimed at computing the default probability of a borrower. It was empirically shown that in a continuously changing economic environment factors’ influence on a target variable is also changing. Therefore, forecasting coefficients yields a better financial result than simply applying parameters obtained by accumulated statistics over past time periods. The paper develops a new theoretical approach, incorporating a combination of the ARIMA class model, the DCC-GARCH model and the state–space model, which is more accurate, than using only the ARIMA model. Rigorous simulation testing is provided to confirm the efficiency of the proposed method.