Using grey models for forecasting China’s growth trends in renewable energy consumption

This study primarily investigated the forecasting of the growth trend in renewable energy consumption in China. Only 22 samples were acquired for this study because renewable energy is an emerging technology. Because historical data regarding renewable energy were limited in sample size and the data were not normally distributed, forecasting methods used for analyzing large amounts of data were unsuitable for this study. Grey system theory is applied to system models involving incomplete information, unclear behavioral patterns, and unclear operating mechanisms. In addition, it can be used to perform comprehensive analyses, observe developments and changes in systems, and conduct long-term forecasts. The most prominent feature of this theory is that a minimum of only four data sets are required for establishing a model and that making stringent assumptions regarding the distribution of the sample population is not required. However, to address the limitations of previous studies on grey forecasting and to enhance the forecasting accuracy, this study adopted the grey model (1, 1) [GM(1, 1)] and the nonlinear grey Bernoulli model (1, 1) [(NGBM)] for theoretical derivation and verification. Subsequently, the two models were compared with a regression analysis model to determine the models’ predictive accuracy and goodness of fit. According to the indexes of mean absolute error, mean square error, and mean absolute percentage error, NGBM(1, 1) exhibited the most accurate forecasts, followed by GM(1, 1) and regression analysis model. The results indicated that the modified NGBM(1, 1) grey forecasting models demonstrated superior predictive abilities among the compared models.     

What’s in a name?

SomerecentsubmissiontoCARBONhaveindicatedatrendtogetcertain“buzz”wordsintothetitle .Themostcommonbeing“nano” ,andmore recently“fullerene like” .Inthelasteightmonthsover 35 %ofallpaperssubmittedtomehavenanointhetitle .WithrespecttotheformerIhavebeenp     

A mediated model on the adoption of social media and SMEs’ performance in developing countries

PurposeSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can adopt and use social media (SM) for communicating information with stakeholders with minimal cost. The ability to access and share information influences the SMEs' performance, but there is little scholarship on the association between the adoption of social media and SMEs' performance. This research aims to investigate the effects of technology-organizational-environmental (TOE) factors on the adoption of SM and SMEs’ performance in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the TOE framework as determinants affecting the adoption of social media and SMEs' performance. The paper used a closed-ended questionnaire to gather data, through an online survey, from randomly selected respondents from SMEs operating in Pakistan. Partial-least-squares-structural-equation-modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for the path analysis of 423 responses from SMEs' owners, executives, and managers. The present study also explores the mediating role of SM between TOE characteristics and SMEs’ performance.FindingsThe findings revealed a direct positive relationship between TOE constructs, the adoption of SM, and SMEs' performance. Full mediation was found between technological factors and SMEs performance, and partial mediation was found between organizational and environmental factors and SMEs’ performance. Complementary mediation among the variables was also examined.Originality/valueThis paper has implications for practitioners and researchers interested in investigating social media adoption in SMEs. It builds an empirical, multi-dimensional hypothesized model, including several determinants that may influence the adoption of social media.     

On Boussinesq’s problem for a cracked halfspace

This paper examines the axisymmetric elastostatic problem that deals with the action of a concentrated normal force on the surface of an isotropic elastic halfspace containing a penny-shaped crack. The mathematical formulation of the elasticity problem should take into consideration the sense of action of the concentrated force. The paper presents the development of Fredholm integral equations of the second-kind that are associated with this category of problem and indicates the numerical technique that is adopted for their solution. The numerical results are presented for the stress intensity factors generated at the penny-shaped crack experiencing either opening or closure.     

Dynamic Green’s functions for a poroelastic half-space

The dynamic responses of a poroelastic half-space to an internal point load and fluid source are investigated in the frequency domain in this paper. By virtue of a method of displacement potentials, the 3D general solutions of homogeneous wave equations and fundamental singular solutions of inhomogeneous wave equations are derived, respectively, in the frequency domain. The mirror-image technique is then applied to construct the dynamic Green’s functions for a poroelastic half-space. Explicit analytical solutions for displacement fields and pore pressure are obtained in terms of semi-infinite Hankel-type integrals with respect to the horizontal wavenumber. In two limiting cases, the solutions presented in this study are shown to reduce to known counterparts of elastodynamics and those of Lamb’s problem, thus ensuring the validity of our result.     

Beyond Garfield’s Citation Index: an assessment of some issues in building a personal name Acknowledgments Index

To study patterns of personal acknowledgments in life sciences research and assess the feasibility of a formal Personal Acknowledgments Index, two successive 5-year (1995–1999, 2000–2004) sets of original research articles on zebrafish (Danio rerio) were scanned for acknowledgment statements thanking individuals for various “gifts” of research materials, services, and interpersonal communication. Text areas mined included “Materials and Methods” (M&M) and various text locations of “Acknowledgments” (ACK). Acknowledgment statements were coded using a detailed Personal Acknowledgments Classification. Including the M&M sections increased the number of unique personal names, primarily in classes 1a (experimental animals) and 1b (research materials)—with a few highly acknowledged researchers adding substantially to their tallies. The challenges of locating personal acknowledgment statements, harvesting and disambiguating personal names, determining the level of detail useful in characterizing the nature of the “gifts,” and assessing the level of interest in the potential user community are discussed.     

Using normative ethics for building a good evaluation of research practices: towards the assessment of researcher’s virtues

This paper is an attempt of using co-citation analysis to sort out and to analyze the development and evolution of a latest hot area, open innovation from the perspective of network embedding. A dataset of 1437 records published between 1990 and 2019 is collected from Web of Science database. The empirical results show the latest hot topics in the open innovation study focus on innovation performance and value creation. In addition, we make a new interpretation of open innovation from four aspects: innovation and entrepreneurship, resource acquisition, knowledge sharing and innovation performance, then combines the importance of network embedding to the innovation and development of enterprises, and proposes the future research direction of open innovation. Our research in this paper is helpful to systematically sort out the knowledge context of open innovation, which is of great significance to the construction and development of open innovation knowledge system. The conclusions and implications in this paper will be particularly illuminating for both academic research and enterprises’ practice application.

     

The generalized Hamilton’s principle for a non-material volume

Fundamental principles of mechanics were primarily conceived for constant mass systems. Since the pioneering works of Meshcherskii, efforts have been made in order to elaborate an adequate mathematical formalism for variable mass systems. This is a current research field in theoretical mechanics. In this paper, attention is focused on the derivation of the generalized Hamilton’s principle for a non-material volume. First studies on the subject go back at least four decades with the article of McIver (J Eng Math 7(3):249–261, 1973). However, it is curious to note that the extended form of Hamilton’s principle that is derived by McIver does not recover the Lagrange’s equation for a non-material volume which is demonstrated by Irschik and Holl (Acta Mech 153(3–4):231–248, 2002). This does suggest additional theoretical investigations. In the upcoming discussion, Reynolds’ transport theorem is consistently considered regarding the original form of the principle of virtual work, and so the generalized Hamilton’s principle for a non-material volume is properly derived. It is finally shown that the generalization of Hamilton’s principle that is here proposed is in harmony with the Lagrange’s equation which is demonstrated by Irschik and Holl.     

Quantification and integration of Kano’s model into QFD for optimising product design

With increasing concerns on customer needs in today’s competitive market, the issue of incorporating customer requirements into product design arises the interest of both researchers and practitioners. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a well-known methodology for customer-driven product design. However, conventionally, QFD analysis has a major challenge in understanding customer needs accurately. Kano’s model, which studies the nature of customer needs, provides a way for a better classification of customer needs. However, seldom research contributions are found in terms of integrating Kano’s model with QFD quantitatively. In this research, a novel integration approach is proposed. At first, Kano’s model is quantified by identifying relationship between customer needs and customer satisfaction (CS). Next, both qualitative and quantitative results from Kano’s model are integrated into QFD. Finally, a mixed non-linear integer programming model is formulated to maximise CS under cost and technical constraints. In this research, an illustrative example associated with the design of notebook computers is also presented to demonstrate the availability of the proposed approach.     

Arab Spring’s effect on scientific productivity and research performance in Arab countries

This study focuses on the Arab literature published by researchers from all 22 members of the Arab League during the last 5 years before Arab Spring (2006–2010) and the 5 years after Arab Spring (2011–2015), in order to identify effects of the Arab Spring on research in the Arab world both performance and Productivity, based on bibliometrics analysis of the data extracted from Web of Science and InCites Essential Science Indicators provided by Thomson Reuters, and by using the statistical software package SPSS. The total productivity of Arab researchers before the Arab Spring was (103,917) document. Countries that witnessed revolution and government overthrown produced the largest productivity (42.5%). The Arab countries’ production doubled after the Arab Spring (214,864 document). Countries that witnessed Minor protests advanced to second place (30%) as a result of the leap that occurred in Saudi Arabia publications. The extent of collaboration among Arab countries before the Arab Spring was twice the number of publications in which they collaborated with the rest of the world. The number of citations was positive after the Arab Spring for 12 countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt and United Arab Emirates, while it was negative for 10 countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon. There is no significant difference between Arab countries exposed to different levels of protests of Arab Spring, and between Counties’ performance after and before Arab Spring. However, counties’ productivity after Arab Spring has increased higher than before Arab Spring.     

Formulation and optimization of intranasal nanolipid carriers of pioglitazone for the repurposing in Alzheimer’s disease using Box-Behnken design

Growing evidence suggest that Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia among the elderly is a metabolic disorder associated with impaired brain insulin signaling. Hence, the diabetic drug can be a therapeutic option for the management AD. The researches in this area are ongoing and Pioglitazone (PIO) is one of the most investigated diabetic drug in AD. Eventhough PIO treatment was found to improve AD significantly in the preclinical models, the poor blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and serious peripheral side effects limited its success in the clinical trials. The objective of the present study was to formulate and optimize intranasal (IN) nano lipid carriers (NLC) of PIO for its targeted delivery to the brain. A Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize the effect of three independent variables on two dependent variables. The optimized formulation had a particle size (PS) of 211.4?±?3.54?nm and zeta potential of (ZP) of 14.9?±?1.09?mv. The polydispersibility index (PDI) and entrapment efficiency (EE) was found to be 0.257?±?0.108 and 70.18?±?4.5% respectively. Storage stability studies performed has confirmed the stability of NLCs at 4?°C and 25?°C. The in-vitro drug release study has exhibited a sustained release of drug from the NLC. The formulation was observed to improve the nasal permeability of PIO ex-vivo significantly. Toxicity studies were performed to confirm the safety of formulation for the in-vivo administration. In-vivo biodistribution study in rats has shown a direct transport of drug from the nose to brain from the IN-NLC.     

Nanocellulose as a natural source for groundbreaking applications in materials science: Today’s state

Nanocelluloses are natural materials with at least one dimension in the nano-scale. They combine important cellulose properties with the features of nanomaterials and open new horizons for materials science and its applications. The field of nanocellulose materials is subdivided into three domains: biotechnologically produced bacterial nanocellulose hydrogels, mechanically delaminated cellulose nanofibers, and hydrolytically extracted cellulose nanocrystals. This review article describes today’s state regarding the production, structural details, physicochemical properties, and innovative applications of these nanocelluloses. Promising technical applications including gels/foams, thickeners/stabilizers as well as reinforcing agents have been proposed and research from last five years indicates new potential for groundbreaking innovations in the areas of cosmetic products, wound dressings, drug carriers, medical implants, tissue engineering, food and composites. The current state of worldwide commercialization and the challenge of reducing nanocellulose production costs are also discussed.     

Acquisition of customer’s tailor measurements for 3D clothing design using virtual reality devices

Over recent years, various virtual prototyping technologies have been developed to innovate apparel industry. For each step of the garment design process one can find dedicated tools (from body acquisition to garment modelling and simulation) with the aim of making the process easier and faster. However, most of them are based on expensive solutions both for hardware and software systems. In this paper, we focus the attention on the first step of the made-to-measure garment design, i.e. customer’s measures acquisition. We present a plug-in, named Tailor Tracking, which permits to get the measurements by interacting with the customer’s avatar using hands as in the traditional way. Tailor Tracking has been developed using low cost devices, such as Microsoft Kinect sensor, Leap motion device and Oculus Rift, and open source libraries, such as Visualisation Toolkit (VTK) and Qt. The proposed approach is based on the use of multiple Kinect v2 to simultaneously acquire both customer’s body and motion. This permits to emulate the customer’s postures required to take the correct measurements. In addition, a virtual measuring tape is made available to replicate the one commonly used by the tailor. A men shirt has been considered as case study and a tailor and 14 people with no skills in garment design and different levels of experience in virtual reality technology have been involved to preliminary test Tailor tracking. Finally, tests as well as results reached so far are presented and discussed. Results have been considered quite good; however, some critical measures have been identified as well as future developments. Anyway, Tailor Tracking can represent an alternative solution to the existing approaches that automatically extract anthropometric measures from the customer’s avatar.     

Examining supply contracts under cost and demand uncertainties from supplier’s perspective: a real options approach

Supply contracts have been widely utilised by practitioners to mitigate supply chain risks and disruptions while maintaining flexibility and stability. It is, thus, not surprising that buyers’ economically rational decisions towards supply contracts have been well studied. Missing in the literature, however, is examination of potential values and risks of supply contracts from supplier’s perspective. Motivated by this literature vacancy, this paper, using a real options approach, investigates a supplier’s acceptance decision towards a supply contract with variable cost and supply demand uncertainties. Through analytical and numerical examinations, conditions under which it is economically viable for the supplier to accept the supply contract are derived. This study also uncovers the impacts of variable cost and supply demand uncertainties as well as contract duration on the supplier’s acceptance decision. Also, there exists a range of contract duration beyond which the supplier should reject the supply contract offered by the client. To facilitate the understanding of this duration range, the corresponding shortest and longest contract duration is derived through numerical examples.     

Generalized Weissinger’s L-method for prediction of curved wings operating above a free surface in subsonic flow

The classical Weissinger’s L-method is generalized to the lifting problem for steadily advancing curved wings subject to the wing-in-ground (WIG) effect above a large body of water in subsonic flow, and the free surface defines the boundary between the air and water. Unlike the traditional analysis of the lifting problem, the essential techniques focus on finding the three-dimensional free surface Green’s function generated by the isolated horseshoe vortex in the upper layer of the stratified fluid where the air is regarded as weakly compressible and the water is incompressible. The numerical calculation is implemented using Weissinger’s L-method. Finally, the effects of the curved geometry on WIG effect in the vicinity of a free surface in subsonic flow are discussed. Extensive numerical examples are carried out to show the lift properties for three-dimensional swept and dihedral wings operating in the vicinity of a free surface as a function of the sweep or dihedral angle for different clearance-to-chord ratios and Mach numbers. Interestingly, for high Froude numbers, the free surface effectively becomes rigid, and it can safely be treated as a solid surface.     

The impact of retailers’ alliance on manufacturer’s profit in a dual-channel structure

When a manufacturer adds a direct sales channel to its existing retail channel, retailers may cooperate with one another to respond to this new competition. Our study develops a Cournot competition model in a dual-channel supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and multiple retailers. In a Stackelberg decision model, the manufacturer first sets the direct sales quantity and wholesale price, and then the retailers decide the order quantities. The results indicate that forming an alliance is not always beneficial for retailers. When direct sales cost is high, there is less likelihood for retailers to collaborate. On the other hand, retailers will form an alliance when direct sales cost is sufficiently low. This will likely reduce the manufacturer’s profit. As such decreasing direct sales cost is not necessarily beneficial for the manufacturer because of the retailers’ possible collaborative efforts. In addition, the study finds that when demand fluctuation increases or the manufacturer’s information accuracy decreases, it is more likely that retailers will form an alliance. After relaxing the assumption of homogeneous retailers, our numerical study validates the possibility of partial alliance. If some retailers’ marginal costs are sufficiently high, we could see the formation of a partial alliance.     

Tidal current energy potential assessment in the Avilés Port using a three-dimensional CFD method

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Tidal energy is considered as an energy resource of maximum interest in both technical and research fields due to its largely unexploited energy...