Customer entrepreneurship on digital platforms: Challenges and solutions for platform business models

Drawing on the mixed methods of qualitative research and agent‐based simulation, this study examines: (a) how end‐users use digital platforms to become customer–entrepreneurs undertaking commercial activities on platforms; and (b) how platform providers can convert this customer entrepreneurship into a revenue stream. Considering that end‐users have traditionally been defined as passive and uncharged actors in platform business models, an in‐depth understanding of their commercial activities and the viable revenue model to monetize this emerging customer practice is warranted. Our qualitative study reveals that customer–entrepreneurs make substantial use of platform offerings to advertise their products; communicate with end‐consumers; and accept payments. These commercial activities are largely exercised for free on platforms, even though they could otherwise serve as a source of revenue. On this point, our simulation results identify two pricing models achieving the generation of nearly identical revenues over time. First, platform providers may charge both advertising and transaction fees, which maximize the survival of professional customer–entrepreneurs. Second, platform businesses may levy advertising fees only, which maximizes the survival of informal customer–entrepreneurs operating on a micro‐scale and part‐time basis. This study offers theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications for platform studies.     

Nodal ant colony optimization for solving profit based unit commitment problem for GENCOs

This paper proposes a nodal ant colony optimization (NACO) technique to solve profit based unit commitment problem (PBUCP). Generation companies (GENCOs) in a competitive restructured power market, schedule their generators with an objective to maximize their own profit without any regard for system social benefit. Power and reserve prices become important factors in decision process. Ant colony optimization that mimics the behavior of ants foraging activities is suitably implemented to search the UCP search space. Here a search space consisting of optimal combination of binary nodes for unit ON/OFF status is represented for the movement of the ants to maintain good exploration and exploitation search capabilities. The proposed model help GENCOs to make decisions on the quantity of power and reserve that must be put up for sale in the markets and also to schedule generators in order to receive the maximum profit. The effectiveness of the proposed technique for PBUCP is validated on 10 and 36 generating unit systems available in the literature. NACO yields an increase of profit, greater than 1.5%, in comparison with the basic ACO, Muller method and hybrid LR-GA.     

Thermophysical properties data on molten semiconductors

Thermophysical properties of molten semiconductors are reviewed. Published data for viscosity, thermal conductivity, surface tension, and other properties are presented. Several measurement methods often used for molten semiconductors are described. Recommended values of thermophysical properties are tabulated for Si, Ge, GaAs, InP, InSb, GaSb, and other compounds. This review shows that further measurements of thermophysical properties of GaAs and InP in the molten state are required. It is also indicated that a very limited amount of data on emissivity is available. Space experiments relating to thermophysical property measurements are described briefly.Nomenclature Density - C _p Specific heat - Kinematic viscosity - Dynamic viscosity= - Thermal diffusivity - Thermal conductivity=C_p - Volumetric thermal expansion coefficient - Surface tension - d/dT Temperature coefficient of surface tension - g Gravitational acceleration - T Temperature - T Temperature difference - L Characteristic dimension     

基于滤波的SAR影像去噪方法分析

根据SAR(Synthetic Aperture Radar)影像相干噪声的特点,对现在广泛应用的各种抑制噪声的滤波方法如均值滤波、Frost滤波、增强型Lee滤波、Lee滤波、中值滤波等进行分析,并提出适合本研究区影像的基于小波变换的分量滤波处理去噪方法,利用均值、标准差、平滑指数、PM值、信息熵和平均梯度等评价指标对各种滤波去噪后的影像质量进行评价,并对去噪效果进行对比分析,证明本文所采用的滤波方法对SAR影像噪声有很好的抑制作用,并且较好的保存了图像纹理信息。     

选择性集成算法分类与比较

选择性集成是当前机器学习领域的研究热点之一。由于选择性集成属于NP"难"问题,人们多利用启发式方法将选择性集成转化为其他问题来求得近似最优解,因为各种算法的出发点和描述角度各不相同,现有的大量选择性集成算法显得繁杂而没有规律。为便于研究人员迅速了解和应用本领域的最新进展,本文根据选择过程中核心策略的特征将选择性集成算法分为四类,即迭代优化法、排名法、分簇法、模式挖掘法;然后利用UCI数据库的20个常用数据集,从预测性能、选择时间、结果集成分类器大小三个方面对这些典型算法进行了实验比较;最后总结了各类方法的优缺点,并展望了选择性集成的未来研究重点。     

Site occupations and ordering behaviour of O phase in Ti2AlNb—based intermetallics

1　ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＴｈｅｏｒｔｈｏｒｈｏｍｂｉｃａｌｌｏｙｓａｒｅｏｆｇｒｅａｔｔｅｃｈ ｎｏｌｏｇ ｉｃａｌｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｉｎｈｉｇｈｔｅｍｐｅｒａｔｕｒｅａｐｐｌｉｃａｔｉｏｎｓｓｉｎｃｅｔｈｅｙｈａｖｅａｇｏｏｄｂａｌａｎｃｅａｍｏｎｇｓｔ     

硅对定向凝固Ni3Al基合金IC6A微观组织和性能的影响

利用扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、电子探针(EPMA)、能谱(EDS)和X射线衍射(XRD)技术研究了硅对定向凝固Ni3Al基合金IC6A微观组织的影响。结果表明在IC6A合金中添加0．10％～0．20％Si(质量分数,下同)会使合金的枝晶间区析出块状的Mo1.24Ni0.76相和Mo6(Ni0.75Si0.25)7相,当硅的添加量达到0．30％时,合金的枝晶间区除了析出这两种相外,还有针状的δ-NiMo相析出。这相的析出不利于合金的高温持久性能,它们的硬度较大,只能通过孪晶的方式变形。硅有利于提高IC6A合金的高温抗氧化性能,而对合金的抗腐蚀性能和瞬时拉伸性能无明显影响。     

Borides at interfacial zone of IC6 TLP bonded joints

1　INTRODUCTIONTransientliquidphase (TLP)bondingtechniquehasbeensuccessfullyusedinjoiningheatresistantal loys ,likeHastelloyX ,Inconel713C ,In10 0 ,Udimet5 0 0 ,70 0 ,MarM 2 0 0 ,0 0 7,2 4 7,30 2 ,Rene′80 ,TD NiCr ,MA75 4,6 0 0 0 ,PWA14 2 2 ,CSMX 2etc ,whicharesusceptibletohotcrackingor post weldheat treatmentcrackingproblemsduringfusionweld ing[14 ] .Inaddition ,therewerereportsofjoiningNiAlandTiAlintermetallicsbyTLPbondingmethod[510 ] .Forexample ,Galehadinvestigatedthemic…     

Benchmarking Fluvial Dynamics for Process‐Based River Restoration: the Upper Rhine River (1816–2014)

Multi‐temporal analysis of river‐floodplain processes is a key tool for the identification of reference conditions or benchmarks and for the evaluation of deviations or deficits as a basis for process‐based river restoration in large modified rivers. This study developed a methodology for benchmarking fluvial processes at river segment level, focusing on those interrelations between morphodynamics (aggradation, erosion, channel shift) and vegetation succession (initial, colonization, transition) that condition habitat structure. Habitat maps of the free‐flowing Upper Rhine River downstream from Iffezheim dam (France–Germany border) were intersected with a geographic information system‐based approach. Patches showing trajectories of anthropization, changeless, progression and regression allowed for the identification of natural and human‐induced processes over almost 200 years. Before channelization, the riverine system was characterized by a shifting habitat mosaic with natural heterogeneity, high degree of surface water connectivity and equilibrium between progression and regression processes. On the other hand, the following 175 years of human interventions led to severe biogeomorphologic deficits evidenced by loss of natural processes and habitat heterogeneity, hydrological disconnection between the river and its floodplain and imbalance of progression versus regression dynamics. The main driving forces of change are found in hydromorphological impacts (channelization, regulation and hydropower plant construction). Regression processes are now almost absent and have to be the objective of process‐based river restoration measures for the studied river‐floodplain system. A sustainable view on water management and river restoration should aim at a more resilient riverine system by balancing the recovery of natural processes with societal needs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.