Distributed ledger technology in supply chains: a transaction cost perspective

With the emergence of distributed ledger technology (DLT), numerous practitioners and researchers have proclaimed its beneficial impact on supply chain transactions in the future. However, the vast majority of DLT initiatives are discontinued after a short period. With the full potential of DLT laying far down the road, especially managers in supply chain management (SCM) seek for short-term cost-saving effects of DLT in order to achieve long-term benefits of DLT in the future. However, the extant research has bypassed grounding long-term as well as short-term effects of DLT on supply chain transaction with empirical data. We address this shortcoming, following an abductive research approach and combining empirical data from a multiple case study design with the corresponding literature. Our study reveals that the effects of DLT on supply chain transactions are two-sided. We found six effects of DLT solutions that have a cost-reducing or cost avoidance impact on supply chain transactions. In addition, we found two effects that change the power distribution between buyers and suppliers in transactions and a single effect that reduces the dependency of supply chain transactions on third parties. While cost-reducing and avoidance as well as dependency-reducing effects are positive effects, the change in power distribution might come with disadvantages. With these findings, the paper provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of DLT on supply chain transactions, which will enable managers to improve their assessment of DLT usage in supply chains.     

带有蓄热型直接冷凝式加热板的空气源热泵系统性能研究

针对现有的空气源热泵冬季供热系统，提出了一种使用新型蓄热型直接冷凝式加热板（RHP）的空气源热泵供热系统，并测试了RHP的热性能和系统的运行特性，同时分析了系统的效率和经济性。实验结果表明，在39℃的冷凝温度下，RHP的热容量高达1044 W，RHP的蓄热量大于1000 kJ。在室外空气温度为8℃时，系统COP高达3.7。此外，对于20 m²的居住房间而言，该系统的供暖初始投资成本和总运行成本分别为3174.7 CNY和510.7 CNY，在居住建筑冬季供暖领域具有较大的竞争力。     

An architecture to support scalable distributed virtual environment systems on grid

A Distributed Virtual Environment (DVE) system offers a computer-generated virtual world in which individuals located at different places in the physical world can interact with one another. In order to achieve real-time response for a large user base, DVE systems need to have a scalable architecture. In this paper, we present the design of a grid-enabled service oriented framework for facilitating the construction of scalable DVE systems on computing grids. A service component called “gamelet” is proposed, whose distinctive mark is its high mobility for supporting dynamic load sharing. We propose a gamelet migration protocol which can ensure the transparency and efficiency of gamelet migration, and an adaptive gamelet load-balancing (AGLB) algorithm for making gamelet redistribution decisions at runtime. The algorithm considers both the synchronization costs of the DVE system and network latencies inherent in the grid nodes. The activities of the users and the heterogeneity of grid resources are also considered in order to carry out load sharing more effectively. We evaluate the performance of the proposed mechanisms through a multiplayer online game prototype implemented using the Globus toolkit. The results show that our approach can achieve faster response times and higher throughputs than some existing approaches. This research is supported in part by the China National Grid project (863 program) and the HKU Foundation Seed Grant 28506002.     

网格资源管理系统模型研究

网格资源管理系统是网格计算系统的重要组成部分。文章分析了网格资源管理系统的功能需求，具体论述了该模型的原型系统，最后介绍了相关研究工作。     

试论循环水装置的经济性及其成本分析

通过对循环水装置的投资和成本分析，阐述了建设该装置的经济性和社会意义。     

坚持管理与科技两个轮子齐驱动

大乘资氮集团有限公司狠抓管理和科技，使企业由经营型向效益型转变，同时加速了企业经济增长方式的转变。     

Agglomeration and networks in spatial economies

We consider the parallel developments in the economics of agglomeration and the economics of networks. We explore the complementarities between the productivity benefits of agglomeration and those of network linkages, arguing that networks of actors dispersed over space may substitute for agglomerations of actors at a single point.JEL Classification: D20, L14, R30     

DILIGENT: integrating digital library and Grid technologies for a new Earth observation research infrastructure

This paper introduces DILIGENT, a digital library infrastructure built by integrating digital library and Grid technologies and resources. This infrastructure allows different communities to dynamically build specialised digital libraries capable to support the entire e-Science knowledge production and consumption life-cycle by using shared computing, storage, content, and application resources. The paper presents some of the main software services that implement the DILIGENT system. Moreover, it exemplifies the provided features by presenting how the DILIGENT infrastructure is being exploited in supporting the activity of user communities working in the Earth Science Environmental sector. This work is partially funded by the European Commission in the context of the DILIGENT project, under the 2nd call of FP6 IST priority.     

The complexity of economic equilibria for house allocation markets

We prove NP-completeness of deciding the existence of an economic equilibrium in so-called house allocation markets. House allocation markets are markets with indivisible goods in which every agent holds exactly one copy of some good.     

网格技术综述

网格技术被认为是互联网技术发展的下一次浪潮，目前对网格的研究已经成为信息领域的热点。本文首先介绍了网格的产生背景，接着阐述了网格的概念和目的，然后分析了网格的系统构成，最后展望了网格技术的应用前景。