Search Results (1,241)

Investigating the stability of and fluctuations in the energy market has long been of interest to researchers and financial market participants. This study aimed to analyze the Chinese energy market, focusing on its volatility and response to financial tensions. For this purpose, data from eight major financial companies, which were selected based on their market share in Shanghai’s and Shenzhen’s financial markets, were collected from January 2014 to December 2023. In this study, stock prices and trading volumes were used as the key variables to build bootstrap-based minimum spanning trees (BMSTs) using ratio mutual information (RMI). Then, using the sliding window procedure, the major network characteristics were derived to create an anomaly-detection tool using the multivariate exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA), along with the Brent crude oil price index as a benchmark and a global oil price indicator. This framework’s stability was evaluated through stress testing with five scenarios designed for this purpose. The results demonstrate that during periods of high oil price volatility, such as during the turbulence in the stock market in 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the network topologies became more centralized, which shows that the market’s instability increased. This framework successfully identifies anomalies and proves to be a valuable tool for market players and policymakers in evaluating companies that are active in the energy sector and predicting possible instabilities, which could be useful in monitoring financial markets and improving decision-making processes in the energy sector. In addition, the integration of other macroeconomic factors into this field could strengthen the identification of anomalies and be considered a field for possible research. Full article

Palmyra palm is a resourceful plant species that can be put to use in superabundance. Its extensive range of use stretches in all directions—making it useful for consumption in countless forms, and the cosmetic industry is not a deviation from this. In accordance with the beneficial molecules generated in it, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and others, the addition of Palmyra raises incentives like reduction and microbe prevention when developed into therapeutic products. Therefore, the virtues of Palmyra fruit, sap, leaves, pulp, bark, haustoria and other parts are being diversely exploited in the beauty and health industry at present. To summarise the compass of Palmyra palm and its products in cosmetology and dermatology, an overview is drafted exploring the extant literature on the topic. Following the description of the available molecules, their adoption into skincare products and in vivo effects was analysed in this study. Aiming to highlight the prospects of Palmyra in skin and personal care formulations, this article discusses the span of its potential in light of its physicochemical attributes. Full article

Using provincial panel data from China spanning 2011 to 2022, this paper analyzes the impact, mechanisms, and regional differences in digital trade’s effects on regional green innovation. It also explores the threshold effect between digital trade and green innovation, with environmental regulation serving as the threshold variable. The results indicate the following: first, after accounting for government intervention, foreign direct investment, human capital, industrialization, information technology infrastructure, and economic development, digital trade significantly promotes regional green innovation. This conclusion remains valid after a series of robustness tests. Second, digital trade promotes regional green innovation through three mechanisms: accelerating industrial structure upgrading, promoting industrial agglomeration, and enhancing technology transfer. Third, environmental regulation leads to a non-linear relationship between digital trade and green innovation. Higher levels of environmental regulation make digital trade’s contribution to green innovation more significant. Finally, the effects of digital trade on green innovation vary by region in China. This impact is more pronounced in eastern provinces, regions with advanced digital economies, areas with well-developed transport infrastructure, and provinces with a higher degree of trade openness. These findings hold substantial implications for advancing green innovation and promoting sustainable social development in China. Full article

Climate change and geological shifts were pivotal in the survival and development of ancient human societies, especially in densely populated regions like the middle and lower Lishui River Basin. This study explored the dynamic interactions between ancient human cultures and the region’s natural environment, using field research alongside geological, geomorphological, and archaeological data spanning from the late Paleolithic to the Neolithic periods. Our findings showed that prehistoric sites in the middle and lower Lishui River Basin were primarily located in the low hilly areas surrounding the lower basin during the Paleolithic era, a pattern shaped by the region’s geomorphology. Early human settlements were strategically positioned near the Lishui River, offering access to vital resources while minimizing flood risk. These locations provided flat terrain, abundant vegetation, and materials for tool-making, factors that supported a hunting and gathering lifestyle. As the coldest phase of the last glacial period approached, the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic eras marked a period of significant behavioral adaptation. In response to the harsher environment, humans began settling on lower terraces and miniaturizing their stone tools, signaling a shift to more specialized hunting techniques. This adaptability and resilience marked the refinement of hunting economies during this period. With the onset of the Holocene epoch and a warmer climate, conditions for human habitation became more favorable. Societies began migrating from the hills to the fertile lower Lishui River Basin, heralding the Neolithic period. This era saw the emergence of settlements and the onset of early rice cultivation, marking the transition from a hunting–gathering economy to one centered on agriculture. By the Daxi period, these settlements had expanded, extending their influence throughout the region. In conclusion, this study underscores the critical roles of climate change and geological features in shaping human settlement patterns, economic activities, and cultural evolution in the middle and lower Lishui River Basin. Our findings offer valuable insights into the evolutionary processes of ancient human cultures in the region and provide a foundation to understand future challenges in sustainable development. Full article

Landslide susceptibility is crucial for assessing the probability and severity of landslide disasters in a region. Previous studies have focused on static landslide susceptibility, using landslide assessment factor data from varying years, making it difficult to estimate spatio-temporal consistency and resulting in low prediction accuracy. Taking Hong Kong, China, as the study region, this study proposes a framework to estimate spatio-temporally consistent landslide susceptibility. The landslide assessment factors are divided into static and dynamic factors, with a temporal resolution of 5 years. Specifically, the dynamic assessment of landslide susceptibility is conducted for the periods 2000–2004, 2005–2009, 2010–2014, and 2015–2019, covering a total span from 2000 to 2019. Results show that the accuracy of the proposed model, defined as the proportion of correctly classified samples relative to the total number of samples, exceeds 0.7 across these four time periods. Both the F1-Score and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve indicate that the proposed research framework exhibits good accuracy and practicality in susceptibility assessment. The proposed framework could capture temporal variations in landslide occurrence, allowing for a more accurate prediction of landslide susceptibility. The findings provide valuable insights for landslide disaster prevention and mitigation in Hong Kong and would also be applicable in other countries or regions. Full article

In this article, we present a terahertz (THz) metamaterial absorber that blends two types of coordinated materials: Dirac semimetals and vanadium dioxide. Compared to other absorbers on the market, which are currently non-adjustable or have a single adjustment method, our absorber is superior because it has two coordinated modes with maximum adjustment ranges of 80.7% and 0.288 THz. The device contains four flawless absorption peaks (M1, M2, M3, and M4) spanning the frequency range of 2.0 THz to 6.0 THz, all with absorption rates greater than 99%. After calculation, the relative impedance of the device matches with that in free space, resulting in perfect absorption. In addition, our absorber has extremely excellent polarization insensitivity but is highly sensitive to changes in the environmental refractive index, with the highest environmental refractive index sensitivity of 716 GHz/RIU (gigahertz per refractive index unit). To sum up, the terahertz metamaterial absorber we showed has four perfect absorption peaks, high sensitivity, and stable polarization. This means it could be useful in areas like changing electromagnetic waves, making new sensors, and switching. Full article

Uniform support from the surrounding soil is important for maintaining the stable operation of buried pipelines. For segmented prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP), localized soil voids around the joint due to leakage or engineering activities make the pipe unsupported partially and threaten its integrity and strength. In this paper, the impact of a localized soil void on a pipe joint is qualitatively assessed using a beam-on-elastic-spring approximation model. It further provides quantitative analysis through a nonlinear finite element (FE) model of PCCPs and the surrounding soil. The derived algebraic solutions indicate that a unilateral local void induces shear force and rotation at the joint, whereas shear force becomes negligible when the void spans the joint, leading to increased rotation. Moreover, the rotation angle shows a positive correlation with soil load and a negative correlation with pipe diameter. Numerical analysis reveals that void elongation along the pipe length has a more pronounced effect on structural response than void depth and angle. When the void length reaches 2.5 m, the maximum principal stress on the mortar layer of the PCCP increases approximately eight-fold compared to the scenario without voids. Due to the rigidity and safety factor of the PCCP, small voids in the bedding typically do not cause immediate pipe damage or joint leakage; however, they can significantly alter the stress distribution within both the pipe and surrounding soil. As the void develops, the soil may collapse and compromise support, leading to additional secondary disaster risks and potential threats to pipeline safety. This research emphasizes the importance of effective pipe-soil interactions and provides theoretical insights for developing repair strategies for PCCP. Full article

This study considers a flexible job-shop scheduling problem where energy cost savings are the primary objective and where the classical objective of the minimization of the make-span is replaced by the satisfaction of due times for each job. An original two-level mixed-integer formulation of this optimization problem is proposed, where the processed flows of material and their timing are explicitly considered. Its exact solution is discussed, and, considering its computational complexity, a comprehensive heuristic, balancing energy performance and due time constraint satisfaction, is developed to provide acceptable solutions in polynomial time to the minimum-energy flexible job-shop scheduling problem, even when considering its dynamic environment. The proposed approach is illustrated through a small-scale example. Full article

This manuscript presents a multidisciplinary study that proposes a methodology for delineating and categorizing vulnerability at rockfall risk areas to avoid human injuries and infrastructure damage caused by rockfalls. The presented workflow includes (i) classical geological mapping, (ii) the interpretation of high-resolution satellite data for observing the spatial distribution of fallen boulders, (iii) analytical hierarchy processing of spatial information within a Geographical Information System (GIS) platform, (iv) close-range remote sensing campaigns with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), and (v) integrated simulation of rockfall events. This methodology was applied to Kalymnos Island, which belongs to the Dodecanese Islands complex of the southeastern Aegean Sea in Greece. It is characterized by unique geomorphological features, including extensive vertical limestone cliffs that span the island. These cliffs make it one of the world’s most densely concentrated areas for sport climbing. The results highlighted the areas that the local authorities need to focus on and suggested measures for increasing the safety of climbers and infrastructure. Full article

The widely recognized measure for resources called resource strength (RS) does not fully capture the resources complexity of a project. Therefore, it cannot be used as a standalone measure to distinguish the complexity of various instances of project scheduling problems. Consequently, additional resource measures such as total amount of overflow (TAO) have been introduced, which should be used in conjunction with the RS. Extensive experimental studies have shown that as the value of TAO increases in a project, scheduling schemes with higher dimensional scheduling schemes such as bi-directional and tri-directional result in schedules with shorter makespans. In this study, an effective approach is proposed for integrating projects in multi-project environments, called the integrated project approach (IPA), taking into account the influence of TAO and building upon the relation between the TAO and the scheduling generation schemes. To assess the performance of IPA, we develop a new random multi-project generator based on the well-known benchmark sets, which utilizes TAO as a control tool to generate instances. The findings indicate that prioritizing the projects and frequency of the projects integration, facilitated by the proposed IPA, have a positive impact on the quality of multi-project schedules. Full article

The selection of a sustainable packaging circular model approach entails numerous obstacles under rapidly developing circumstances, such as environmental factors, market competition, and advancing technology, impacting decision-making processes. We have considered Z-number-based decision-making methods as an alternative to the conventional method. This study presents a selection of circular sustainable packaging models, considering significant challenges from five primary objectives: economic, environmental, social responsibility, sustainability, and time-based, with three circular models: biodegradable, compostable, and recycling. The ZF-DEMATEL-TOPSIS method is used in an integrated manner to address the packaging circular model selection problem. The study results indicate that the mass-customized recyclable packaging circular model is the most highly sustainable among the three models. At the same time, the most significant challenges are production cost, energy efficiency, and makespan. The proposed method was validated using the sensitivity analysis with an 90% consistency ratio. We conducted this study to aid in analyzing and developing a highly sustainable mass-customized circular packaging model. Full article

We report a multilevel investigation of the interplay between neurodivergence and boundary-spanning activities in groups as predictors of social skills and diversity climate. In a sample of 357 group members nested in 70 organizational groups, we show that neurodivergence negatively affects conversational and work-related social skills. We also show that boundary spanning attenuates the association between neurodivergence and social skills. We discuss differences observed for within- as well as between-group effects and discuss the indirect association between neurodivergence and diversity climate as significantly mediated by conversational skills. Our study makes important contributions to the literature on neurodivergence in the workplace, showing the beneficial role of engaging in boundary-spanning activities. Full article

Flood disasters often result in significant losses of life and property, making them among the most devastating natural hazards. Therefore, reliable and accurate water level forecasting is critically important. Rainfall-runoff modeling, which is a complex and nonlinear time series process, plays a key role in this endeavor. Numerous studies have demonstrated that data-driven methods, particularly deep learning approaches such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, and transformers, have shown promising performance in water level prediction tasks. This study introduces the Conformer, a novel deep learning architecture that integrates the strengths of CNNs and transformers for rainfall-runoff modeling. The framework uses self-attention mechanisms combined with convolutional computations to extract essential features—such as water levels, precipitation, and meteorological data—from multiple stations, which are then aggregated to predict subsequent water level series. This study utilized data spanning from 1 April 2006 to 25 July 2021, totaling 5595 days (134,280 h), which were divided into training, validation, and test sets in an 8:1:1 ratio to train the model, adjust parameters, and evaluate performance, respectively. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model are evaluated in the Lanyang River Basin, with a focus on predicting 7-day-ahead water levels. The results obtained from ablation experiments indicate that convolutional computations significantly enhance the ability of the model to capture the local relationships between water levels and other parameters. Additionally, performing convolution computations after executing self-attention operations yields even better results. Compared with other models in simulations, the Conformer model markedly outperforms the CNN, LSTM, and traditional transformer models in terms of the coefficient of determination (R²) and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) indicators. These findings highlight the potential of the Conformer model to replace the commonly used deep learning methods in the field of hydrology. Full article

The conditions in Mira variable atmospheres make them wonderful laboratories to study a variety of stellar physics such as molecule–grain formation, dust production, shock chemistry, stellar winds, mass loss, opacity-driven pulsation, and shocks. We were awarded an NSF grant to analyze over a decade of synoptic observations from the Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI) of 106 Miras to curate a Mira Reference Dataset. The Miras included in this dataset include M-types, S-types, and C-types, and span a wide range of pulsation periods. PTI measured K-band angular sizes that when combined with a distance allow us to directly determine fundamental stellar parameters such as effective temperature, radial size, and bolometric flux. Supplementing observations with interferometric measurements of the stars opens the Mira laboratory to a wealth of different experiments. We provide two case studies to serve as examples of the power of the Mira Reference Dataset. The first case study describes combining PTI measurements with Spitzer IRS spectra of M-type Miras, which allowed us to fully characterize ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ gas in their atmospheres. The second case study examines how PTI narrow-band data can be used to study phase-dependent pulsation effects on the stellar atmosphere. We provide a list of all the Miras (with coordinates) included in the set for anyone who would like to add them to their observing programs. All the data we produce and collate for this Mira Reference Dataset will be hosted and curated on a website open to the public so that other researchers and citizen scientists can participate in expanding the utility and body of knowledge on this set of “wonderful” stars. Full article

Black elder, Sambucus nigra, is a non-native but now partly naturalized shrub in Sweden; it has been cultivated here at least since the Middle Ages. Previously, this plant was associated with a supernatural being to whom sacrifices were made, and its fruits were used in folk medicine and wood for fuel and crafts. Traditional economic uses vanished with industrialization and urbanization and black elder was mostly planted as an ornamental shrub in urban parks. At the end of the 1970s, however, it made a sudden comeback: city dwellers started to gather flowers to make a refreshing non-alcoholic cordial. This diachronic study of Sambucus nigra spanning over a millennium reflects various attitudes and uses within the context of a changing human society. In addition to the simple but popular cordial, side dishes and desserts made of its fragrant flowers are becoming increasingly popular in modern Swedish cuisine. Globally it has also been (re)discovered and the utilization of this plant is growing: its flowers are used to add flavor to soft drinks, salads, desserts and various dishes; berries are used for medicine and in cooking, especially with meats, and its future uses seem to be limited only by human imagination. Full article