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The accompanying papers in the first issue of Entropy, volume 5, 2003 were presented at the electronic conference on Foundations of Information Science FIS 2002 (http://www.mdpi.net/fis2002/). The running title of this FIS e-conference was THE NATURE OF INFORMATION: CONCEPTIONS, MISCONCEPTIONS, AND PARADOXES. It was held on the Internet from 6 to 10 May 2002, and was followed by a series of discussions –structured as focused sessions– which took place in the net from 10 May 2002 until 31 January 2003 (more than 400 messages were exchanged, see: http://fis.iguw.tuwien.ac.at/mailings/). This Introduction will briefly survey the problems around the concept of information, will present the central ideas of the FIS initiative, and will contrast some of the basic differences between information and mechanics (reductionism).

This paper combines social fiction and academic analysis to envision hopeful futures for higher education. At the heart of the exploration is Phoebe Wagner's speculative fiction piece, University, Speaking, which personifies a university grappling with environmental, political, and social change. Phoebe Wagner's first-person narrative highlights the power of collective voice, the importance of centering community, and the urgent need to cultivate resilience and adaptability. Through analysis of key themes, this paper connects Phoebe Wagner's fictional vision to contemporary research on the multi-faceted and complex challenges facing universities today. By integrating artistic and academic perspectives, this paper discusses new possibilities for universities navigating disruption and change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many construction projects, a "green premium" must be paid to implement sustainable designs that reduce environmental costs. Design for Adaptability (DfA) is a sustainable design philosophy that facilitates incremental renewal and infrastructure adaptation, thereby delaying future demolition and reconstruction. This paper focuses on the potential economic benefits of DfA. Notably, the paper contributes to answering the following question: is the green premium paid for an adaptable design justified by the potential long-term economic benefits? A modified version of the Black–Scholes financial options model is developed and demonstrated to address this question. A hypothetical case study of a parking garage is explored. This case study compares traditional and adaptable three-level parking garages and their potential expansion to a five-level garage at a future time. The "real option value" (i.e., the economic benefit of having the option to expand in the future) is calculated and compared under various assumptions and input parameters. The selection of reasonable model parameters for a given situation and the limitations of the Black–Scholes approach for valuing adaptable buildings are discussed. The model was developed for institutional (i.e., government or university) owners who consider their buildings as a cost of doing business without a direct relationship to revenue. It is concluded from the case study that the option value from the adaptable features of the parking garage exceeds the green premium given certain conditions. The payoff is most sensitive to the green premium, construction costs, and the owner's inflation value on future additional parking. The work contributes to an economic case for DfA as a sustainability strategy for buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Food supply chain resilience is a critical aspect in ensuring the continuous and reliable flow of food, particularly in the face of disruptions. This study aims to address specific gaps in the existing literature by conducting a bibliometric analysis. The primary objective is to identify key areas of concern and lacunae related to disruptions and resilience within the food supply chain. The study also strives to contribute to the field by developing a comprehensive framework that evaluates the factors influencing resilience. Furthermore, the research intends to propose effective strategies for mitigating and recovering from disruptions, emphasizing the urgency of these measures in light of identified gaps in the current body of literature. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve these objectives, the authors extracted the most relevant papers from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. The analysis parameters included a comprehensive review of current food supply chain practices and an exploration of trending research topics, such as sustainability, adaptability, circular economy and agility. Notably, the study recognized the pervasive impact of COVID-19 on food supply chain disruptions, with a high occurrence in the literature. Using advanced analytics tools like VOSviewer and Biblioshiny, the research delved into the role of modern technologies, including Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and blockchain in addressing disruptions and enhancing resilience. Findings: The research reveals a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food supply chain disruptions, underscoring the critical need for strategies to bolster resilience. Notably, the study identifies the pivotal role of modern technologies (Industry 4.0, IoT, AI, ML and blockchain) in mitigating disruptions and enhancing resilience in the food supply chain. The bibliometric analysis conducted through VOSviewer and Biblioshiny provides valuable insights into research trends and focal areas within the literature. Practical implications: The observed importance of Industry 4.0, IoT, AI, ML and blockchain implies a practical need for integrating these technologies into food supply chain operations. Moreover, the paper discusses strategies for reducing the impact caused by disruptions, providing practical guidance for resilience planning in food supply chains. Researchers can leverage the findings to direct future efforts toward areas with identified gaps and opportunities, fostering advancements in the field and offering practical insights for real-world applications. Originality/value: By amalgamating insights from bibliometric analysis and the developed framework, this study contributes to a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities in fortifying the resilience of the food supply chain. The identified factors and strategies offer valuable insights for researchers and practitioners seeking to address disruptions in food supply chains. The study's unique contribution lies in bridging theoretical perspectives with practical applications, enhancing the relevance of business-to-business/industrial supply chain theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of volume fracturing has revolutionized the conventional limits of low permeability, expanded the effective resource space, and significantly enhanced oil well production in tight oil reservoir development. This paper elucidates the mechanism of volume fracturing technology for tight sandstone reservoirs by considering multiple factors such as the initiation range of multi-fractures, influence of far-well horizontal principal stress on fracture initiation and propagation, degree of natural fractures development, and mechanical parameters of reservoir rock. Through simulation based on the mechanical parameters of reservoir rock, a comparative analysis was conducted between the model-calculated rock fracture pressure value and measured data from fracturing construction wells in the study area. The results revealed that there was a discrepancy within 10% between the model calculations and actual data. By simulating the effects of different injection volumes of fracturing fluid, pumping rates, and perforation methods on the fracture geometry, optimal design parameters for volume fracturing technology were obtained. Additionally, we propose optimization ideas and suggestions for construction parameters applicable to field operations. The simulation results indicate that a minimum recommended fluid volume scale exceeding 1800 m3 is advised for the reservoir. Based on frictional calculations, it is recommended to have an on-site construction rate not less than 18.0 m3/min along with 36–48 holes/section for perforation purposes. The numerical simulation research presented in this paper provides a theoretical reference basis and practical guidance for the application of fracturing network technology in tight sandstone reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Mechanical Engineering / Strojniški Vestnik is the property of University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Journal of Mechanical Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Companies operate in ever faster and more abruptly changing environments. Due to the global interconnectedness of markets and actors, changes in framework conditions often have impacts across industries and geographical borders and constantly present companies worldwide with new challenges; however, they also offer opportunities. Adaptability to abruptly changing conditions and the ability to shape market environments have gained enormous importance as strategic factors for company organizations. How exactly can adaptability be shaped? This paper assumes that today's companies need concepts that help them to successfully adapt to these turbulent business environments and ideally to shape the changes to their own advantage. In addition, this work assumes that companies rely on already established models from science and business, but also (especially currently) develop new ideas themselves to adapt even faster and more effectively to changing conditions. To explore these phenomena, this paper develops a research funnel that can be used to identify companies that are most likely to provide answers to this question. In addition, this paper presents a research design with which the secrets of the adaptability of these companies can be explored in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agathon: International Journal of Architecture, Art & Design is the property of DEMETRA CE.RI.MED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In most discussions, "smart cities" are perceived as a largely positive phenomenon that improves the safety but above all the comfort of its inhabitants. The present paper constructively and critically analyses the approach of de facto unregulated development of "smart cities" with emphasis on the risks associated with this phenomenon. Examples from recent years, not only in the context of developments in Ukraine, show that modern, technological solutions, i.e. e-Government tools, can become a target or even a tool of variously motivated attackers (criminal groups, foreign powers). A "smart" city is often potentially more vulnerable than agglomerations managed more traditionally. This paper aims to demonstrate the possible risks through case studies and determine whether there are more comprehensive theoretical approaches to the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the key role sustainability plays in the agricultural sector and its impact on local communities. With climate change and economic challenges on the rise, it is vital to focus on sustainable agricultural practices to ensure food security and well-functioning ecosystems. Throughout the article we highlight global and local initiatives that encourage sustainable agriculture, as well as the benefits to the environment and society, highlighting our shared responsibility to future generations, highlighting collaboration between farmers, communities, governments and international organizations. For the representativeness of what will be presented we use the creative platform Canva, the basic statistical information comes from the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) and FAOSTAT, the descriptive analysis is performed using the advanced tools offered by Microsoft Excel 365 and in addition to standard reference sources, we have also consulted recognized specialized websites, thus strengthening our perspective and providing readers with up-to-date and verified information. The purpose of this review is to examine the depth and breadth of the implications of sustainability in the context of agricultural work, highlighting the complex interconnections between agricultural practices, the environment and society. In conclusion, this article highlights the need for a collective and integrated approach to achieving sustainability goals in agriculture and building a more resilient and balanced future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cundinamarca Department is located in the Colombian Andean region, and features a variety of bovine production systems dedicated to milk, beef or dual-purpose production in cold, warm and temperate climate areas, respectively. This paper analyses the sustainability of a sample of 35 farms (12 dual-purpose, 13 milk production and 10 beef production) located in some of its municipal areas using MESMIS methodology, which evaluated indicators related to social, environmental and economic factors of the systems during 1 year, grouping them by their productivity, adaptability, equity, self-management and resilience. For productivity, adaptability and equity, the dairy systems scored higher than dual-purpose and beef systems, whereas for the indicators of self-management, stability and resilience, the dairy systems scored lowest, while dual-purpose systems were the best. The indicators of economic sustainability increased in proportion to the intensification of the production system, availability of agricultural machinery and added value, resulting in the best scores being obtained by the dairy system and the worst by the beef system. For social sustainability indicators, the best score was obtained by dual-purpose systems, with dairy systems scoring the lowest, while dairy systems scored highest for environmental indicators. The results could be used to endorse public policies to promote the generation of sustainable agricultural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complex health interventions (CHIs) are increasingly used in public health, clinical research and education to reduce the burden of disease worldwide. Numerous theories, models and frameworks (TMFs) have been developed to support implementation of CHIs. This systematic review aims to identify and critique theoretical frameworks concerned with three features of implementation; adaptability, scalability and sustainability (ASaS). By dismantling the constituent theories, analysing their component concepts and then exploring factors that influence each theory the review team hopes to offer an enhanced understanding of considerations when implementing CHIs. Methods: This review searched PubMed MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for research investigating the TMFs of complex health interventions. Narrative synthesis was employed to examine factors that may influence the adaptability, scalability and sustainability of complex health interventions. Results: A total of 9763 studies were retrieved from the five databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar). Following removal of duplicates and application of the eligibility criteria, 35 papers were eligible for inclusion. Influencing factors can be grouped within outer context (socio-political context; leadership funding, inter-organisational networks), inner context; (client advocacy; organisational characteristics), intervention characteristics (supervision, monitoring and evaluation), and bridging factors (individual adopter or provider characteristics). Conclusion: This review confirms that identified TMFS do not typically include the three components of adaptability, scalability, and sustainability. Current approaches focus on high income countries or generic "whole world" approaches with few frameworks specific to low- and middle-income countries. The review offers a starting point for further exploration of adaptability, scalability and sustainability, within a low- and middle-income context. Trial registration: Not registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of self-adaptive software is becoming increasingly crucial because software has to adapt its behavior at runtime to keep up with dynamic and constantly evolving environments. The ability of software to modify and adjust itself is known as adaptability, which has been acknowledged as an important quality attribute. As software architecture development represents the initial stage of the design process, architectural design has emerged as a critical development activity. The degree to which the architecture can adapt to changes will be the key factor in determining the adaptability of the software ultimately released to users. Existing metrics for software architectural adaptability typically view adaptability as a positive attribute, meaning that any possibility of change in architectural elements is perceived as an improvement in adaptability. However, the application of adaptability that leads to increased costs or complexity can only be seen as a negative attribute. In other words, the side effects brought about solely for the purpose of achieving adaptability are greatly overlooked; that is, the impacts caused by adaptability exhibit both symmetry and asymmetry for software architectural adaptability. On the other hand, the existing measures of adaptability only define it from the perspective of whether a module will change, without considering changes beyond the topological structure under multiple strategies. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive assessment approach to measure software architecture adaptability. Multiple factors are considered, including the number and types of strategies employed, the cost of completing the adaptation, the extent of changes made to the architectural elements, and the overall impact of the adaptation on the architecture. An extended UML (e-UML) component diagram is presented to model software architectural changes under various types of strategies. Finally, an experiment on the znn.com software is conducted to validate the practical feasibility of our proposed method. Our approach can assist software architects in making informed decisions regarding software architecture design options to improve the adaptability and longevity of their software systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the dynamic capabilities of exporters during the pandemic, specifically on export adaptability - since it is core to responding to and enduring the pandemic's turmoil. COVID-19 manifested sudden enduring uncertainty with severe implications for international operations, disrupting global value-chains and impacting world trade with devastating effect - crucially requiring exporting firms to swiftly adapt to cope and surmount havoc. The objectives of the research are twofold: to explore the combined impact of firms' export adaptability dynamic capabilities, together with specific exporter characteristics, on export customer satisfaction in COVID-19 times; to analyse the moderating effect of the firms' competitive advantage on this relationship. Our study investigates agri-food exporting companies in Chile, an export-oriented country in this sector. We adopt a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methodology. This approach offers ideal causality identification, as it is based on the premise that outcomes of interest usually have multiple interdependent causes. We conclude that the presence of exporting firms' adaptability capability, together with characteristics typically inherent in being a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), and a permanent exporter, significantly favour export customer satisfaction, and that having a strong competitive advantage intensifies this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious games (SGs) in industrial engineering education are an established topic, whose implementations are continuously growing. In particular, they are recognized as effective tools to teach and learn subjects like Operations and Supply Chain Management. The research on SGs, however, is primarily focused on displaying applications and teaching results of particular games to achieve given purposes. In this paper, we provide an exploratory research on the flexibility and adaptability of a specific SG to different target groups and students’ needs in the field of operations and supply chain management. We first provide an overview of the SG and introduce its mechanics. Next, we explain how the mechanics has been implemented, by means of a set of parameters and indicators. We report the results of two different game sessions, played by a class of bachelor’s degree students at different levels of difficulty, which were achieved by altering some specific game parameters. By comparing the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the two sessions, we report and discuss the consequences of the modified game parameters, in terms of impact on the difficulty level of the SG measured by the indicators. Experimental results match with our hypothesis, since the increased level of difficulty of sourcing and delivery times only deteriorates the related subset of indicators in the harder game session, without altering the remaining KPIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a system approach to regional economic resilience. This approach argues that regional economies undergo, to varying degrees, changes to their economic system that result from the collective but uncoordinated action of economic actors in an attempt to be resilient to shocks. The system change, particularly focusing on changes to economies' structure and function, which occurs during and following a shock, determines the type of resilience (i.e., engineering, ecological, evolutionary and transformative) employed by regions. The type of resilience employed can influence regions' long-term growth trajectory and resilience to future shocks. This approach advances the examination of regions' resilience capacity, which has largely been ignored in empirical studies of resilience. In doing so, the approach developed in this paper is heuristic rather than deterministic, with the latter characterizing the bulk of the literature. A greater investigation into system change can provide a holistic understanding of resilience. This approach has many advantages, such as developing greater insight into resilience, applying a heuristic method rather than deterministic and examining regions' adaptive capacity. To advance the system approach, this paper provides greater conceptual clarity of resilience, highlighting the notions conceptual parameters and rethinking the oppositional context in which the four main types of resilience are commonly discussed. Specifically, it conceptualizes the main types of resilience as complementary rather than oppositional. The overall contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it establishes a greater conceptual framework of resilience. Second, it develops an approach in which regions' adaptive capacity can be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected higher education globally and disrupted its usual activities, according to differing perspectives. The ability to adapt to online activities was an important factor for many researchers during the pandemic period. Purpose of the article: In this article, the authors are studying the ability of the students to adapt to online activities, and also the direct and indirect effect on their academic performances. Methods: The data was collected with a questionnaire and the respondents are students from Romanian Universities. The analysis was made with an econometric model by using the PLS SEM methodology. The goal of the paper was to find and analyse the factors used to perform academic online activities during the pandemic period. Findings & value added: The results of the paper validate the research hypotheses formulated in the introductory part and confirm that the students' academic performances are a direct result of many factors, such as: system parameters, personal demand, personal commitment, and regulatory environment. The identification of the exogenous variables with significant impact on the students' performances through online activities could help the management of the universities to implement the positive aspects and to reward them for their efforts while preventing from resilience to change. The higher education system has to acknowledge that flexible online learning opportunities are needed by students to fit their coursework around their employment and family responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through shipping service adaptability measurement, selecting shipping services that are more adaptable to preferences such as low cost, high efficiency, safety, and obvious emission reduction can achieve synergistic optimization of green shipping management. The study takes green shipping service adaptability as the research theme; explores three aspects, i.e., shipping safety, shipping rate and shipping choice preference, related to the evaluation and selection of a green shipping service; constructs the green shipping service adaptability evaluation index system including safety index, freight rate index and choice preference index; and applies fuzzy-exact by processing the historical data from H shipping company in Hainan Province, China. Bayesian net is applied to calculate the shipping safety adaptation degree of the transportation object. The theory of shipping service adaptability proposed in the paper can be applied to the fields of shipping supplier selection and shipping company's detection of shipping object status. The fuzzy-exact Bayesian network method chosen in the paper can solve the problem of incomplete state coverage of the Bayesian network and correct the situation that some edge probabilities are unreasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When dealing with the daily demands of a sustainable approach in architecture and the rapid development of society, we must accept change and time as an integral part of a building system. An adaptable approach understands architecture as a non-linear process which enables a dynamic response to changing environmental and contextual conditions with the aim to extend the life of a building. The application of adaptability is as ambivalent as the term itself. Therefore, the paper opens a discussion on differ-ent perceptions of adaptability in architecture. Adaptability cannot be only under-stood as moving partitions or vast open spaces. There is a variety of different princi-ples leading to adaptability that can prove the versatility of use - from the basic un-derstanding of flexibility to comprehensive polyvalence. The paper discusses the relationship between capacity and tendency of an architectural space and its compo-nents. The discussed relationship is based on actual and virtual properties of an ob-ject and their finiteness of interpretation. The paper focuses on non-linear strategies such as a narrative, feed-back and interpretation that could be applied to design to achieve adaptability as part of the proposed strategy called ephemeral occupancies. The manifold of strategies is discussed, and the result of the conceptual analysis is a framework distinguishing non-linear strategy supporting the divergence of capacity and tendency in the context of adaptability.

The construction industry plays a major role in the high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, resource consumption, and waste generation observed nowadays. Key to the circular economy, structural component reuse arises as a promising solution to divert construction waste from landfilling and avoid the production of new components. In this context, this paper presents the conceptual design of a new slab-and-column system called "Re:Slab", optimized for disassembly and open-ended reassembly over multiple building lifespans. Beyond conventional considerations of modular sizing and reversible connections, the proposed system provides designers with a minimum kit of parts that is capable of exceptionally diverse building layouts-e.g., related to floor geometry, span between supports, applied loads, and spatial transformations. Attention is given to easily operable assembly and disassembly techniques, embodied environmental impacts, and manufacturing costs. As a result, the proposed system reaches unprecedented high levels of versatility, making it capable of adapting to future functional design requirements that are hard to predict over long-term social developments. Options for increased economic viability are identified, which are necessary to promote widespread adoption of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trees have developed a broad spectrum of molecular mechanisms to counteract oxidative stress. Secondary metabolites via phenolic compounds emblematized the hidden bridge among plant kingdom, human health, and oxidative stress. Although studies have demonstrated that abiotic stresses can increase the production of medicinal compounds in plants, research comparing the efficiency of these stresses still needs to be explored. Thus, the present research paper provided an exhaustive comparative metabolomic study in Dalbergia odorifera under salinity (ST) and waterlogging (WL). Results: High ST reduced D. odorifera's fresh biomass compared to WL. While WL only slightly affected leaf and vein size, ST had a significant negative impact. ST also caused more significant damage to water status and leaflet anatomy than WL. As a result, WL-treated seedlings exhibited better photosynthesis and an up-regulation of nonenzymatic pathways involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species. The metabolomic and physiological responses of D. odorifera under WL and salinity ST stress revealed an accumulation of secondary metabolites by the less aggressive stress (WL) to counterbalance the oxidative stress. Under WL, more metabolites were more regulated compared to ST. ST significantly altered the metabolite profile in D. odorifera leaflets, indicating its sensitivity to salinity. WL synthesized more metabolites involved in phenylpropanoid, flavone, flavonol, flavonoid, and isoflavonoid pathways than ST. Moreover, the down-regulation of L-phenylalanine correlated with increased p-coumarate, caffeate, and ferulate associated with better cell homeostasis and leaf anatomical indexes under WL. Conclusions: From a pharmacological and medicinal perspective, WL improved larger phenolics with therapeutic values compared to ST. Therefore, the data showed evidence of the crucial role of medical tree species' adaptability on ROS detoxification under environmental stresses that led to a significant accumulation of secondary metabolites with therapeutic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a monotone finite volume element scheme for the diffusion problem on arbitrary polygonal grids inspired by the scheme in the literature ([35]). The main contributions of this paper include three aspects. Firstly, some auxiliary lines or points are introduced for any polygonal element so that it can be partitioned into two or more triangles, and one novel type of its control volume is concomitantly designed. In this paper, we mainly discuss quadrilateral grids. Secondly, some piecewise linear finite element spaces are imported for the trial spaces. Fictitious elements, continuous extensions and the nonlinear two-point flux idea can all be inherited from the triangular case. Therefore, the monotonicity of the scheme is easily proved only by the assembling of some triangles' element stiff matrices. Thirdly, the agreeable adaptability for distorted grids is completely borned. The strict convexity restriction on the grids can also be removed, the concave or severely distorted polygonal (such as quadrilateral) grids are transformed as the convex and general regular triangles. Finally, numerical results confirm its monotonicity, accuracy and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on controlling within companies. Because Covid-19 was a moment of crisis, companies wanted to take a series of measures to ensure the stability of the company. Through the interview and survey as the main research methods, I was able to find out how the companies managed to cope with this situation and how the controlling department, which was responsible for developing many strategies, changed in theface of the Covid-19 pandemic. Topics such as digitalisation, adaptability and the introduction of new technologies were also covered. The paper presents the ways in which the company reacted to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of the controlling department, they were able to adapt quickly and develop new strategies to overcome this period. Therefore, this paper provides updates regarding the development of this department within the company and the technologies they use to develop more accurate strategies and reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business models have been a popular topic in research and practice for more than twenty years. During this time, frameworks for formulating business models have been developed, such as the business model canvas. Moreover, different business model frameworks have been proposed for different sectors. Yet, these frameworks have the fundamental shortcoming of not addressing directly and persistently the primary objective of start-ups: to survive in changing environments. The aim of the action research reported in this paper is to overcome that fundamental shortcoming. This is an important topic because the majority of start-ups do not survive. In this paper, first principles for survival in changing environments are related to business models. In particular, action research to reframe start-ups as adaptable stable systems based on synchronous business models is reported. The paper provides three principal contributions. The contribution to business model theory building is to relate survival first principles revealed through natural science research to business models. Reference to first principles highlight that survival depends on maintaining both external adaptability and internal stability through synchronization with changing environments. The second contribution is to business model practice through describing a simple business modeling method that is based on the scientific first principles. The third contribution is to provide an example that bridges the rigor–relevance gap between scientific research and business practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas are critical for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. In the last few years, there has been growing recognition of the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in the management of government designated protected areas, and thus their perceptions and adaptability were paid much attention. Drawing on a survey of 487 residents in the Qilian Mountain National Park Pilot of Northwestern China, this study used the adaptive analysis framework to study the adaptability of local residents. The main contribution of this paper is to select a typical social-ecological system to study the adaptability of local residents, and using Elinor Ostrom's Social-Ecological System framework to analyze the adaptability mechanism. The results show that different types of residents had different adaptability to environmental change. People whose income mainly depends on work salary with a small part of herding have the highest level of adaptability, while people whose income mostly comes from farming with a small part of herding have the lowest level. This result is related to people's living location, as people living in the core zone and buffer zone of the reserve mainly earned from grazing, and people living in the experimental zone and peripheral zone earned mainly from outside work. Moreover, people living in the core zone and buffer zone are mostly elders and ethnic groups, while people in the experimental zone and buffer zone are Han people. To improve management effectiveness and to avoid conflict between local residents and managers, this paper suggests that more attention should be paid to these who have lived for a long time in the core zone and buffer zone. They are the most vulnerable groups and show low adaptability in almost all domains. For the long run, education quality should be improved to decrease the population in the reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on changes in lifestyles and infill renovation of a multi‐dwelling housing complex built based on the Century Housing System (CHS) in 1987. The purpose of this research is to gain insight into the adaptability and changeability of the infill system to extend the life of such housing. This is the first investigation on CHS housing since it was first occupied. The authors found that the building components that were designed to be used and replaced every 12 to 25 years were actually replaced in many units as planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When dealing with the daily demands of a sustainable approach in architecture and the rapid development of society, we must accept change and time as an integral part of a building system. An adaptable approach understands architecture as a non-linear process which enables a dynamic response to changing environmental and contextual conditions with the aim to extend the life of a building. The application of adaptability is as ambivalent as the term itself. Therefore, the paper opens a discussion on different perceptions of adaptability in architecture. Adaptability cannot be only understood as moving partitions or vast open spaces. There is a variety of different principles leading to adaptability that can prove the versatility of use - from the basic understanding of flexibility to comprehensive polyvalence. The paper discusses the relationship between capacity and tendency of an architectural space and its components. The discussed relationship is based on actual and virtual properties of an object and their finiteness of interpretation. The paper focuses on non-linear strategies such as a narrative, feed-back and interpretation that could be applied to design to achieve adaptability as part of the proposed strategy called ephemeral occupancies. The manifold of strategies is discussed, and the result of the conceptual analysis is a framework distinguishing non-linear strategy supporting the divergence of capacity and tendency in the context of adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture plays a rather important role in the Romanian economy, with the agricultural sector accounting for 4.3% of GDP at the end of 2017. The agricultural sector is represented by different branches and production systems that have an essential and strategic role in improving the quality of life and quality by supplying various Romanian and / or organic products on the market. The agricultural sector is non-indispensable and indispensable to man. But, what is the link between climate change and agriculture, what does this relationship define? Agriculture is the victim of climate change or is agriculture responsible for climate change? This paper seeks to analyze climatic factors with a major influence on agriculture characterized by: temperature and precipitation, but also the role played by agriculture in climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. The paper deals with a topic of national, European and global interest, because these climate changes are reflected in food production, land and marine ecosystems, affecting the economy and the main culprit, the man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agathon: International Journal of Architecture, Art & Design is the property of DEMETRA CE.RI.MED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Feng, H.; Zhu, L.; Wu, J., and Squires, V.R., 2023. A review of disaster risk assessment and mitigation in vulnerable coastal communities: An example from the South China Sea coast. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(2), 328–333. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. This review examines and analyses key issues that underpin the development and successful implementation of risk assessment. The focus is on coastal areas (including the nearshore hinterlands) on the coast of the South China Sea, especially the coastal zone around the Gulf of Tonkin (also known as Beibu Gulf) that borders Vietnam. Consideration is given to aspects of the process of engaging with local communities in areas at risk of disasters and in those sites that are affected with severe consequences on peoples' income, wealth, health, and social state. Vulnerability is an important factor and its nature and implications are examined. This paper first sets out the context for this review, including some key information about the study region. Second, risk assessments and recent developments in mitigation are discussed. Third, the focus shifts to mechanisms (and benefits) of engagement with local peoples from areas that are at risk or have undergone severe damage. Finally, concluding thoughts and a synthesis of the whole paper is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, implementing reinforcement learning in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) has become challenging. Traditional methods face complex trials, long convergence times, and high computational requirements. This paper introduces an innovative strategy using a customized spiking neural network (SNN) for autonomous learning and control of mobile robots (AMR) in unknown environments. The model combines spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) with dopamine modulation for learning. It utilizes the Izhikevich neuron model, leading to biologically inspired and computationally efficient control systems that adapt to changing environments. The performance of the model is evaluated in a simulated environment, replicating real-world scenarios with obstacles. In the initial training phase, the model faces significant challenges. Integrating brain-inspired learning, dopamine, and the Izhikevich neuron model adds complexity. The model achieves an accuracy rate of 33% in reaching its target during this phase. Collisions with obstacles occur 67% of the time, indicating the struggle of the model to adapt to complex obstacles. However, the model's performance improves as the study progresses to the testing phase after the robot has learned. Its accuracy surges to 94% when reaching the target, and collisions with obstacles reduce it to 6%. This shift demonstrates the adaptability and problem-solving capabilities of the model in the simulated environment, making it more competent for real-world applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]