Complementary Convergence Research Articles

Pivot to the South: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through China's Belt and Road Initiative

AbstractWhilst China's aid and development model has been traditionally understood as divergent from the dominant post‐1945 liberal development model, scholars are also increasingly exploring convergence between features of the two development models. Recently, scholars from a range of disciplines including development studies, development geography and international (business, environment and legal) studies have explored a process whereby China's Belt and Road Initiative and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals converge (‘BRI‐SDG integration’). This paper brings these multidisciplinary strands of scholarship together and places them in dialogue with social sciences convergence theory to understand how BRI‐SDG integration aligns with or challenges previous conceptualisations of Chinese‐dominant development convergence. The paper first demonstrates that BRI‐SDG integration proposes a novel and deliberate convergence process ‐ which the paper names ‘complementary convergence’. However, BRI‐SDG integration also underscores the need for more multidirectional frameworks that reject Eurocentricity for evaluating the contemporary Chinese‐dominant relationship, and an enhanced focus on how China is influencing dominant development institutions. Finally, BRI‐SDG integration reiterates the methodological difficulties of delineating between ‘development models’ in an increasingly interrelated global governance of development.

Towards convergence of central grid and decentralised electricity solutions – Assessment of Indian rural electrification cases using a socio-technical framework

The paper examines the dynamics of rural electrification in India and explores the transition to a complementary convergence of decentralised and centralised electricity systems for sustainable rural electricity services. A novel socio-technical framework of analysis for assessment of cases of rural electricity systems is developed and applied in Indian villages to explore the interplays of different elements of rural electricity systems, enabling and hindering factors, and actors and institutions that affect the governance and sustenance of rural electrification. A mixed research method, along with document analysis, was applied to study the socio-technical perspectives, using 21 indicators representing nine different interplays of elements of rural electricity systems. The analysis reveals there is a significant effect of governance on technology performance, which in turn affects customer practices. There is also a significant correlation between customer practices and governance. Policy enablers along with strong institutions and actors - both at the subnational and local level - are key drivers to effective governance. Furthermore, irrespective of centralised or decentralised technology, adequacy and reliability of electricity supply and effective customer service delivery at the local level are important i.e., both supply reliability and quality, and customer service quality are equally important. The findings have clear policy implications for the governance of the electricity sector in India.

Revisiting the Fundamental Analytical Solutions of Heat and Mass Transfer: The Kernel of Multirate and Multidimensional Diffusion

AbstractThere are two types of analytical solutions of temperature/concentration in and heat/mass transfer through boundaries of regularly shaped 1‐D, 2‐D, and 3‐D blocks. These infinite‐series solutions with either error functions or exponentials exhibit highly irregular but complementary convergence at different dimensionless times, . In this paper, approximate solutions were developed by combining the error‐function‐series solutions for early times and the exponential‐series solutions for late times and by using time partitioning at the switchover time, . The combined solutions contain either the leading term of both series for normal‐accuracy approximations (with less than 0.003 relative error) or the first two terms for high‐accuracy approximations (with less than 10−7 relative error) for 1‐D isotropic (spheres, cylinders, slabs) and 2‐D/3‐D rectangular blocks (squares, cubes, rectangles, and rectangular parallelepipeds). This rapid and uniform convergence for rectangular blocks was achieved by employing the same time partitioning with individual dimensionless times for different directions and the product of their combined 1‐D slab solutions. The switchover dimensionless time was determined to minimize the maximum approximation errors. Furthermore, the analytical solutions of first‐order heat/mass flux for 2‐D/3‐D rectangular blocks were derived for normal‐accuracy approximations. These flux equations contain the early‐time solution with a three‐term polynomial in and the late‐time solution with the limited‐term exponentials for rectangular blocks. The heat/mass flux equations and the combined temperature/concentration solutions form the ultimate kernel for fast simulations of multirate and multidimensional heat/mass transfer in porous/fractured media with millions of low‐permeability blocks of varying shapes and sizes.

Formation of Substitution or Complementary Convergence in ICT

This paper offers a framework for understanding the dynamics formation of complementary industry convergence and substitution industry convergence from the respective of industry evolution, according to convergence may involve changes in competitive and/or complementary relations between two or more industries. Based on the characteristics of ICT-intensive industry, this paper describes the relationship between industry convergence, industry symbiosis and industry evolution. Through the evolution modeling of industry system and analyzing of symbiosis stability, we find that complementary industry convergence and substitution industry convergence occur when subsystems cooperate mutually or the degree of substitution isn’t strong, and complementary integration mechanisms dominate substitution mechanisms. In the complementary industry convergence, converging industry and original industry are symbiotic, and the industry system has more room for development.

Measuring convergence of China's ICT industry: An input–output analysis

The convergence of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry is ubiquitous phenomena, which can be classified from the supply/demand side or complementary/substitute relation. According to the classification, the paper measures the convergence of China's ICT sectors based on its 2002 input–output (IO) table, including five manufacturing sectors and two service sectors. Then, using IO table cross-entropy updating technique, the paper investigates the convergence evolution of four ICT manufacturing sectors from 1997 to 2002. The research finds the following conclusions. In 2002, the supply side convergence of manufacturing sectors was higher than that of service sectors, while service sectors featured a higher degree of the demand side convergence. The year of 2002 witnessed high complementary convergence between some China's ICT manufacturing and service sectors. During the period from 1997 to 2002, the supply side convergence dominated the convergence of China's ICT industry, while the demand-side convergence experienced little structural change.

Industrial evolution through complementary convergence: the case of IT security

The article addresses the dynamics through which product markets become derailed from early product life cycle (PLC)-tracks and engaged in complementary convergence with other product markets or industries. We compare and contrast the theories that can explain, respectively, the PLC and the derailing of this cycle into a process of complementary convergence. The article challenges the standard industry conception and proposes a distinction between the emergent industrial sector, the emergent product market (or niche) and the industry as a more well-established entity. Based on empirical evidence from the IT security sector, two trajectories of complementary convergence are identified, the integration of different product markets in a sectoral context, and higher-end the integration of product markets into the offerings of established industries. While young ventures dominate lower-order integration, incumbents in established industries dominate higher-order integration. For both trajectories mergers and acquisitions represent a central means for realizing convergence. Copyright 2011 The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Associazione ICC. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.

Measuring Convergence of China's ICT Industry: An Input-Output Analysis

The convergence of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry is ubiquitous phenomena, which can be classified from the supply/demand side or complementary/substitute relation. According to the classification, the paper measures the convergence of China’s ICT sectors based on its 2002 input-output (IO) table, including five manufacturing sectors and two service sectors. Then, using IO table cross-entropy updating technique, the paper investigates the convergence evolution of four ICT manufacturing sectors from 1997 to 2002. The research finds the following conclusions. In 2002, the supply side convergence of manufacturing sectors was higher than that of service sectors, while service sectors featured a higher degree of the demand side convergence. The year of 2002 witnessed high complementary convergence between some China’s ICT manufacturing and service sectors. During the period from 1997 to 2002, the supply side convergence dominated the convergence of China’s ICT industry, while the demand-side convergence experienced little structural change.

Characterization of the shape stability for nonlinear elliptic problems

We characterize all geometric perturbations of an open set, for which the solution of a nonlinear elliptic PDE of p-Laplacian type with Dirichlet boundary condition is stable in the L ∞ -norm. The necessary and sufficient conditions are jointly expressed by a geometric property associated to the γ p -convergence. If the dimension N of the space satisfies N − 1 < p ⩽ N and if the number of the connected components of the complements of the moving domains are uniformly bounded, a simple characterization of the uniform convergence can be derived in a purely geometric frame, in terms of the Hausdorff complementary convergence. Several examples are presented.

Analytical continuation by numerical means in spectral analysis using the Fast Padé Transform (FPT)

A numerical method is used to assess the practical usefulness of the Cauchy concept of analytical continuation of a formal power series T(z −1)=∑ n c nz −n for a frequency spectrum, which is originally divergent i.e. undefined for | z|<1. Here, z is a dependent variable, z=exp(i ωτ), where ω is any real or complex angular frequency and τ is a fixed parameter in the role of a real time lag. The present implementation of analytical continuation is accomplished for a class of response rational functions given as a ratio of two polynomials. For a given Taylor or Laurent series T( z −1) in the expansion variable z −1, we introduce a rational polynomial A +( z)/ B +( z), not in the original, but rather in the reciprocal variable z. Nevertheless, the ansatz A +( z)/ B +( z) is still recognised as a variant of the Padé approximant defined in the complementary convergence or stability region inside the unit circle (| z|<1) relative to the input series which does not exist for | z|<1. For Iω>0 , the rational polynomial A +( z)/ B +( z) is equivalent to the causal z-transform whose inverse Fourier integral contains only the exponentially decaying components as the building blocks of generic time signals. Therefore, the response function A +( z)/ B +( z) is very well suited for adequate physical representations of both Lorentzian and non-Lorentzian spectra. For the purpose of illustration, we presently perform parametric estimations by generating magnitude spectra | A +( z)/ B +( z)| using experimentally measured in vivo time signals from Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. An equivalent parametric analysis is also done in the time domain. Many experimentally measured data stem from mechanisms that intrinsically describe the time evolution of the studied system. Such physical time functions have their customary meaning as probability amplitudes and, therefore, are expected to decay exponentially with the passage of time. The most prominent examples are auto-correlation functions in signal and image processing or activity curves in decays of radionuclides encountered in e.g. Positron Emission Tomography (PET), etc. For the given experimental data, the task is to retrieve the exact number of the constituent components of the measured time functions as well as the individual parameters of each exponential, i.e. the amplitudes and the time decaying constants. The unique answer to this difficult inverse problem is shown to be the Padé approximant which, as such, can be used in very diverse applications ranging from spectral decomposition of time signals to spectroscopic analysis of PET data leading to a novel medical tool called spectroscopic PET as presently acronymed by sPET.

Theorizing the Strategic Architecture of a Broadband Television Industry

The emerging broadband environment is pushing forward a new phase of development for the television medium. Just as the introduction of cable television added the multichannel, narrow-casting capability to broadcast television, the arrival of the Internet and the broadband infrastructure brought more enhanced functions such as interactivity and personalization to cable television. This article introduces a strategic architecture that depicts the roles of various channel members and the interrelationships between them in the emerging broadband television industry by incorporating the concepts of value chain and complementary convergence. Contrary to the belief that the broadband industry would present a truly converged system in which firms from the multichannel television and telephone sectors compete in one another's market with bundled services, this article anticipates a broadband market that continues to offer telecommunications and video programming products under two separate interfacing devices and different distribution infrastructures because of the importance of preserving the unique characteristics of each product.

Evaluation of integrals over STOs on different centers and the complementary convergence characteristics of ellipsoidal-coordinate and zeta-function expansions

Evaluation of integrals over STOs on different centers and the complementary convergence characteristics of ellipsoidal-coordinate and zeta-function expansions

Combining genetic algorithm and simulated annealing: a molecular geometry optimization study

We introduce a new hybrid approach to determine the ground state geometry of molecular systems. Firstly, we compared the ability of genetic algorithm (GA) and simulated annealing (SA) to find the lowest energy geometry of silicon clusters with six and 10 atoms. This comparison showed that GA exhibits fast initial convergence, but its performance deteriorates as it approaches the desired global extreme. Interestingly, SA showed a complementary convergence pattern, in addition to high accuracy. Our new procedure combines selected features from GA and SA to achieve weak dependence on initial parameters, parallel search strategy, fast convergence and high accuracy. This hybrid algorithm outperforms GA and SA by one order of magnitude for small silicon clusters (Si 6 and Si 10). Next, we applied the hybrid method to study the geometry of a 20-atom silicon cluster. It was able to find an original geometry, apparently lower in energy than those previously described in literature. In principle, our procedure can be applied successfully to any molecular system.

NUMERICAL MODELING OF BUOYANCY-DRIVEN FLOWS IN A ROTATING CYLINDRICAL CAVITY: COMPARISON OF A FINITE ELEMENT MODEL WITH A SPECTRAL MODEL

A finite element model is developed for the prediction of the motion of rotating Boussinesq fluid driven by buoyancy. The computations are performed for the axisymmetric regime in an annular cavity for Reynolds number varying from 0 to 2,500. The results are compared with those of an earlier study of this problem using a spectral Tau-Chebyshev method. The good agreement found assesses the finite element model. Finally, a complementary convergence analysis gives the sensitivity of the model to mesh refinement.

Progressing and oscillatory waves for hybrid synthesis of source excited propagation and diffraction

Progressing and oscillatory waves provide alternative building blocks for constructing source-excited time-harmonic or transient fields in various propagation and scattering environments. Progressing waves describe the field in terms of direct and multiple reflected-diffracted wavefront or ray arrivals, while oscillatory waves describe the field in terms of body resonances and (or) guided modes. Each description is convenient and physically incisive when it requires few constituent elements but inconvenient and physically more obscure when it requires many elements. Collective summation of many inconvenient elements into fewer convenient ones, when possible, provides a means of switching from a poorly to a more rapidly convergent field representation. Rays (wavefronts) and modes (resonances) fall into the category of such bilaterally convertible wave fields. They not only have complementary convergence properties but furnish, respectively, local and global environmental discriminants. When combined in self-consistent hybrid form, where the number retained of the one uniquely determines the grouping required of the other, there emerges a rigorous theory of propagation and diffraction with high versatility. Groupings can be chosen so as to eliminate "difficult" elements (for example, caustic forming or transitional ray fields) and replace these by "well behaved" ones (modes) of the complementary species, or to model multiple interference in the one as simple interference in the other. The theory, based on Poisson summation or on alternative treatment of wave spectral representations, is presented and applied to numerous coordinate separable, but also weakly nonseparable, environments in electromagnetics, underwater acoustics and elastic motion, with numerical comparisons to highlight the salient features of the hybrid appraoch.