Relative Demand Research Articles

Preliminary considerations on the selective weakening of RC columns through rocking systems

Most of the research on seismic retrofit approaches focuses on the development of innovative retrofit solutions with the aim to improve the seismic performance of existing buildings through either local or global strengthening. An effective alternative approach is controlling the seismic performance of existing buildings through the selective weakening of specific portions of the structure, particularly to reduce stiffness irregularities. The present research focuses on a possible weakening approach dealing with the transformation of the existing reinforced concrete (RC) columns of a given story, specifically at the ground level, into rocking columns. This solution will lead to a global behavior like the one of an isolated system. The advantages of such a solution are, among others: the reduction of the relative displacement demand at the stories above the rocking system (i.e., damage reduction at the upper stories), the reduction of damage in the RC columns through a confined rocking region, the lumping of the construction works at just one story, the possibility to couple the rocking columns with additional energy dissipation or recentering systems. The effectiveness of the proposed solution has been preliminarily evaluated through the application to a reference case study.

The Green Transition Impact on Mineral Raw Materials Supply

Minerals are an essential component of many parts of today's fast-growing clean energy technologies – from wind turbines and power grids to electric vehicles. Demand for these minerals will grow rapidly as the clean energy transition accelerates. The paper examines some prospects for the transformation of the complex relationships between minerals and the energy sector in the green transition, focused mainly on electric vehicles expansion and related mineral resources demand increase.

Substitute running outputs in elite youth male soccer players: less peak but greater relative running outputs.

Coaches consider substitute players to be a substantial factor in influencing the outcome of a soccer match. Substitute players are expected to make physical impact on the match by superseding the running output of the player they replaced and are a key tool for managing in-game fatigue and influencing the outcome of a game. This study investigated the physical impact and internal response of substitute players, compared to starting and full-match players. We also sought to determine if differences between substitution statuses were influenced by playing position. Players wore 15-Hz global positioning system tracking devices across 29 competition matches and were categorised according to their substitution status (full-match, starters, substitutes) and playing position (external defender, midfield, external attacker and central attacker). Peak total (TD) and high-speed running (> 5.0 m/s) distance (HSRD) were calculated using 1-, 2- and 5-minute rolling epochs. Relative running demands were reported as TD and HSRD per minute of total playing time. Substitute players performed less peak TD and HSRD in 1-, 2- and 5-minute epochs, and reported lower RPE compared to starting and full-match players. In contrast, substitutes performed greater relative HSRD per minute than starting and full-match players (p < 0.001, |d| range = 0.35-1.34). In conclusion, substitute players may have a relative physical impact but do not replicate or supersede the peak demands of full-match players. Coaches and practitioners should implement targeted warm-up interventions to enhance substitute readiness to meet the peak running demands in order to have a more effective physical impact.

Research on the application of computer software technology in the era of big data

By optimizing and innovating CST (computer software technology) in the era of BD(big data), BD can be realized as an effective support for the development of CST. Therefore, in the era of BD, the use of CST has a very important practical role. With the advent of the era of BD and cloud computing, CST can process data content in batches, define the application characteristics of data carriers in different application scenarios according to the demand relationship presented by data information ontology, and combine with the preset standards of the system to realize autonomous driving processing. In this case, it is undoubtedly necessary to comprehensively improve the application ability of CST and explore reasonable application methods. The article discusses this. Firstly, this paper summarizes the development status of BD and analyzes the expression of CST. Secondly, it expounds the types of CST in the era of BD; Finally, the application scenarios of CST in the era of BD are analyzed.

The Impact of urbanization on banking development: Evidence from the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)

The paper aims to investigate the extent to which urbanization and industrialization affect bank development in the WAEMU (West African Economic and Monetary Union). To meet the goal of this study, we used the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimator, which requires long run coefficients to be similar but allows short run coefficients and error variances to fluctuate among groups. The sample of the study is composed of 7 countries, with Guinea-Bissau excluded, due to the absence of data on the period from 1980-2016. The results revealed that urbanization has a positive effect on banking development in the WAEMU. This intuitive relationship is linked to the fact that, as the urban population grows, the relative demand for financial services also grows. Also, industrialization has a good impact on banking development. In terms of policy implications, the study calls on governments to create the necessary conditions for successful urbanization to benefit the development of banks in the WAEMU zone.

Analyzing the Democratic Peace Theory on US-French Foreign Policy in Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria in 21st Century.

The main thrust of this paper is to critically analyze the relevance and potential of Democratic Peace Theory in promoting peace, security and stability in international relations. United States of America and France as the cradles of contemporary democracy, in this paper shall be used as models of democratic peace theory. This analysis and evaluation is merely based on designated secondary material or paper review. France and America have analogous foreign policy which for bilateral or multilateral relations demand democracy, rule of law, accountability, transparency, decentralization, devolution of power and respect for human rights in recipient regimes. The study wants to comprehend how French and American foreign policies in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria complied with tenants of democratic peace theory. Contemporary academic contributions are lacking consensus on whether French and American foreign policies are idealist (pro-democratic) or realist (pro-authoritarian) in international relations. The formation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which the two are the most influential members is widely debatable between realists and idealists. The organization has very dreadful since Cold War and particularly promotes the self-interests of the Allies, the Capitalist world. In light of fighting dictatorship and restore democracy, America and France are highly criticized for promoting internal political instability, gross human abuse, environmental insecurity, endless fighting and infrastructural destruction.

Work Engagement and Burnout Relationship with Adaptive Job Performance: Role of Psychological Ownership

This study aims to check the effect of job demands on employees' burnout and job resources on employees' work engagement with the moderating role of psychological ownership. Moreover, the direct and mediating role of burnout and work engagement in adaptive job performance. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire from a total of 311 four and five-star hotel employees and structural equational modeling was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings demonstrate the positive relation of job demands with burnout and job resources with work engagement. Furthermore, burnout has a direct negative as well as mediating relation with adaptive job performance whereas, work engagement has a direct positive as well as mediating relation with adaptive job performance. Lastly, the study has also found that psychological ownership weakens the relationship of job demands and employees’ burnout whereas, it strengthens the relationship among job resources and employees’ work engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

The Relationship of Foreigners' Housing Demand with Financial Factors in Turkiye: Quantile Regression Application

Yabancıların Türkiye’den konut alımları, ülkenin jeopolitik yapısı, turizm cazibesi, kültürel yakınlığı, yatırım imkanı gibi faktörlerden etkilenmektedir. Yakın yıllardaki sağlanan vatandaşlık ayrıcalıklarının kolaylaştırması konut talebini arttıran etkenlerden sayılmaktadır. Özellikle son yıllarda Türk Lirasının yabancı paralar karşısında negatif ayrışması yabancıların konut taleplerini arttıran önemli bir etken olmuştur. Bu çalışmada yabancıların konut talebinin USD/TRY üzerinden ilişkisi kantil modeller yardımıyla incelenmiştir. Kantil modeller sayesinde farklı seviyelerdeki konut alımı değişimlerinin dolar ile ilişkileri araştırılmıştır. Medyan ve üst kantil seviyelerinde USD/TRY katsayı değerleri anlamlı sonuçlar verirken katsayı büyüklüklerinin de arttığı görülmüştür. Yabancı konut alımlarının artışlarında doların etkisinin daha büyük ve anlamlı olduğu görülmüştür. Küresel ölçekteki kur dinamiklerinin yanında Türkiye’deki konut fiyatları ve konut kredi faizlerinin ilişkileri de yabancı konut talebi üzerinde araştırılmış, bu değişkenlerin yabancıların konut talebinde negatif etkisi olmadığı görülmüştür.

Spatiotemporal pattern and influencing mechanism of the flood-regulating ecosystem service capacity and demand in China’s Yellow River basin, 2000–2020

Study regionThe Yellow River basin (YRB), China. Study focusTo alleviate flood risks and safeguard human well-being, understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of and factors influencing flood-regulating ecosystem service capacity and demand relationship is crucial. This study quantifies the capacity-demand ratio and identifies the regions where capacity did not meet demand from 2000 to 2020. The spatial Durbin models (SDM) were employed to detect the spillovers and assess the direct and indirect effects of factors influencing the capacity-demand relationship in the YRB and across different reaches. New hydrological insights for the regionThe results show that regions with unmet demand has increased since 2000 due to a dramatic increase in demand and a reduction in capacity in the YRB. The SDM results reveal that wetlands and forests had positive direct effects, and cropland and built-up land had adverse effects on the capacity-demand ratios. Heterogeneity tests show that wetland, forest and low-coverage grassland were the biggest contributors to the capacity-demand ratios across upper-, mid- and downstream areas, respectively. Forest in the upper reach had positive direct effects and spillovers on the capacity-demand ratio. Cropland and low-coverage grassland negatively affected the capacity-demand ratio in the middle reach. The capacity-demand relationship in the lower reach needs to be improved by restoring ecologically functional land and enhancing the capacity of artificial hydro facilities.

Characterization of Multilayer Coupling Based on Square Complementary Split Ring Resonator for Multiport Device Implementation.

The advent of context-aware environments and related applications demands a high degree of connectivity, with new spectral bands and related radio resource management functionalities in the current 5G bands and foreseen in future 6G wireless communication systems. This, in turn, poses new challenges in the implementation of wireless transceivers and radiating systems, in terms of device integration, miniaturization and element isolation, among others. High-performance miniature devices are presented and studied in this work, aided by metamaterial-inspired complementary resonators. A single particle is used to build a single layer, double layer, double frequency resonators and power dividers. A complete characterization of each equivalent circuit is also analyzed, showing great agreement between analytical circuit models and full-wave electromagnetic simulations. By adding more particles, different diplexers and triplexers in the multi-layer configuration are proposed. The flexibility in the design is the key advantage, as all devices are easily tunable and the output lines can be built in different layers, enabling frequency scalability from RF to millimeter wave ranges. Nevertheless, they are only a sample of all possible combinations of devices that can be designed for integration in future wireless communication systems.

Toward efficient waste electric vehicle battery recycling via auction-based market trading mechanisms

This paper proposes an auction-based market trade mechanism for the electric vehicle battery recycling (EVBR) problem, which aims to realise the optimal resource allocation and pricing of EVBR. The main motivation of this paper is to attempt to explore an approach to achieving efficient battery recycling. We first consider an EVBR market with m buyers and n sellers, and develop the multi-unit trade reduction (MTR) mechanism in the EVBR market. According to the supply and demand relationship in the EVBR market, we consider three market scenarios of supply and demand balance, oversupply, and overdemand, and formulated corresponding auction allocation rules. Numerical study results show that the proposed MTR mechanism can achieve efficient resource allocation. We also observed that not all results increased with the number of sellers/buyers. Second, considering the distance between sellers and buyers, we developed a stochastic multiple MTR (SM-MTR) mechanism to enable sellers and buyers within the region to conduct transactions. Finally, we propose an integrated MTR, SM-MTR and one-sided Vickrey–Clarke–Groves auction mechanism that is feasible in both one-sided and bilateral environments. Furthermore, our work can provide novel managerial implications for EVBR market stakeholders in terms of practical application.

A Method of Multi-Criteria Assessment of the Building Energy Consumption

The aim of this study is to develop a universal method for the unequivocal selection of the optimal combination of components determining the energy efficiency of buildings by means of an introduced global building energy consumption indicator. The basis of this method is a multi-criteria optimization of the components influencing the energy efficiency of buildings. The method requires the development of a detailed description of the set of components influencing the energy efficiency of buildings and the definition of the analysis criteria. The following analysis criteria were adopted: relative annual demand for final energy, cost, durability, and investment outlays payback time. The normalized values of these criteria are calculated in relation to the structure of a reference building. The proposed method makes it possible to explicitly indicate the most advantageous solution from the point of view of the weighted share of the individual criteria. The verification of the method was presented on the basis of the thermo modernization case study analysis for the adopted reference building. As a result, the most advantageous variant of modernization was determined, defined by the lowest value of the global building energy consumption indicator. A high effectiveness of the proposed method has been shown in relation to both the selection of the modernization option and the assessment of the individual component share in each modernization solution.

The Impact of Occupational Stress on Employees’ Somatic Symptoms, Job Anxiety and Employee’s Turnover Intention—An Empirical Study

The aim of this study is to analyse the reliability and validity of job factors in relation to the impact of occupational stress on employees’ somatic symptoms, job anxiety and turnover intention through a two time cross-sectional study of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). The method employed consisted of two times self-reported cross-sectional surveys that covered 420 respondents at T1 and 388 respondents at T2. Results: Appropriate internal consistencies of the seven scales i.e. demands, control, job stress, social supports, employees’ somatic symptoms, job anxiety and turnover intention were obtained. Zero-order correlation and linear and multiple regressions analysis replicated the theoretically assumed structure of the job factors and employees’ somatic symptoms, job anxiety and turnover intention construct in men and women collectively. Evidence of criterion validity was obtained from cross-correlations of the scales and from their linear and multiple regression analysis. Finally, all seven measures were associated with a highly significant ratio of job stress, and the effect was strongest for the job stress ratio as predicted by the fundamental theory of Karasek. Conclusion: We examine how users, who are assimilating job factors into their work, experience the level of work related demands in their jobs, the level of autonomy/control they have over their work, and how these relate to outcomes, such as employees’ somatic symptoms, job anxiety and turnover intention. Based on the results of this study the seven-version scale is considered reliable and serves as a valid instrument for measuring psychosocial pressure in work environment. These outcomes and measures are applicable to all services and manufacturing industries. Keywords: Work Overload, Work Control, Organisational Support, Job Stress, Somatic Symptoms, Job Anxiety, and Employees Turnover Intention (ETI)

Traffic Stream Characteristics Analysis for Roadway Linking to Pick-up Zone of Passenger Transportation Hub: A Fundamental Diagram Derived from Threshold Queueing Theory

A pick-up zone links a hub of inter-city transportation (e.g., airplane and rail, etc.) with a connected roadway belonging to the city road network. Passengers depart through the pick-up zone and the interactions between passengers and vehicles lead to delays and queues of vehicles on the connected roadway. A better understanding of the unique traffic characteristics of the connected roadway can help to reveal the collecting or dispersing capacity of the hub. This paper treats passenger boarding in a pick-up zone as a service process in a queue system and uses a fundamental diagram model derived from M/M/1 threshold queueing theory with two service phases to investigate the supply–demand relationship of the system. A calibration method is proposed to determine the parameters of the model. Numerical experiments showed that the model can capture a unique capacity drop in the pick-up zone. Moreover, analyses on the impacts of designed parameters on the model features, such as capacity and degree of capacity drop, were performed, and the comparisons showed that the model used performs better than other classical methods with a 0.69 mean squared error and a 0.90 sum of squares due to error). The results will be important supports for hub capacity management.

Decision on Mixed Trading between Medium- and Long-Term Markets and Spot Markets for Electricity Sales Companies under New Electricity Reform Policies

The introduction of the new round of electricity reform policies has made the electricity sales companies’ trading environment increasingly complex. In the medium- and long-term market and spot market, following the new policy-oriented optimization of trading decisions is the focus of electricity sales companies. The main objective of this study is to consider the impact of the latest policies of China’s current electricity reform on each subject of electricity trading and to propose a method for electricity sales companies to make optimal decisions on renewable energy source (RES) power and conventional energy source (CES) power mixed with power trading in the medium- and long-term and spot markets to improve the efficiency of electricity market trading, promoting the consumption of renewable energy and helping the synergistic development of the electricity market and the tradable green certificate (TGC) market. This paper first discusses the impact of the new electricity reform policies on the transactions of various subjects in the electricity market and constructs the model of the consumer utility function, the profit model of an electricity sales company, and the profit model of power generators with energy storage. Considering the complex power supply and demand relationship among the various subjects of the electricity market, a game model is established for the decision on mixed trading between the medium- and long-term market, the spot market, and the tradable green certificate market to minimize the comprehensive power purchase cost of an electricity sales company. To reduce the decision-making risk caused by the uncertainty of spot price, the prophet model is used to predict the spot price; finally, through the analysis of the decision-making model of the electricity sales companies, the optimal transaction decisions of the electricity sales companies in different trading periods and different scenarios are solved. The test results show that the proposed model can significantly improve the profitability of the electricity sales companies and provide a decision-making reference for electricity sales companies to participate in the medium- and long-term market and spot market.

Trends in College–High School Wage Differentials in China: The Role of Cohort-Specific Labor Supply Shift

The wage gap between 4-year college (BA) and high school (HS) graduates narrows down among young workers from 2002 to 2009 in urban China, despite steadily increasing BA–HS wage gaps for older workers during the same time. This period corresponds to the labor market entry of a radically increasing number of college-educated labor stimulated by China’s higher education expansion program initiated in 1999. This study examines how cohort-specific relative supply of college-educated labor affects the cohort-specific college wage premiums and the overall BA–HS wage gaps in the labor market. Incorporating an aggregate labor supply model with imperfect substitution across labor with the same education level but in different age groups, changes in age-group-specific BA–HS wage gaps over time are decomposed into changes in aggregate and age-group-specific relative labor supply and demand factors. Findings suggest that the substantially expanded opportunities to attend college contribute to the falling BA–HS income inequality among young post-expansion cohorts: a 1-percent increase in the relative supply of BA-educated workers within one’s own cohorts depresses cohort-specific BA–HS wage gap by 0.2%. Policies that substantially boost educational attainment for certain cohorts could reduce education-related wage gaps for these cohorts and have spillover effects to the wage structure in the labor market.

Comparing Examination Standards without Graded Candidate Scripts

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Comparative judgement methods are commonly used to explore standards in examination papers over time. However, studies are limited by a paucity of graded candidate scripts from previous years, as well as the expense and time required to standardise scripts. We present three studies that attempted, without the use of graded candidate scripts, to replicate and extend previous results about standards in mathematics examination papers. We found that re-typesetting examination papers into a consistent format was necessary, but that comparative judgement of examination papers without an archive of graded candidate scripts offered a reliable and efficient method for revealing relative demand over time. Our approach enables standards comparison where previously this was not possible. We found a reasonable correlation between judgments of actual student scripts and judgments of the items only, meaning that conclusions may be drawn about the demand of examination papers even when graded candidate scripts are not available.&lt;/p&gt;

Evolution of spatial and temporal patterns of railway container transportation: A case study of China cities.

The healthy development of railway container transport is an important part of railway freight transport and is key for promoting the green transformation of China's transport and supporting a new pattern of transport development. In this study, railway container handling station (RCHS) data, kernel density analysis, standard deviation ellipse, Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI), trend surface analysis (TSA), and R index were applied to examine the evolution characteristics of container transport patterns after the market-oriented reform of China's railway freight transport in 2013. The results are as follows: First, the overall scale growth trend is obvious, and the double-center effect of transport scale on the Bohai Rim region and Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone is evident, with the transport center of gravity moving northward. Second, the amount of attraction/occurrence is consistent in spatial distribution, and the aggregation effect of both is similar, essentially exhibiting a tendency of being high in the northwest and low in the southeast. Third, the pattern of "export-oriented in the north and import-oriented in the south" has taken shape; nearly half of cities in China have stable traffic functions, stable traffic supply, and demand relationships, and the change of functions shows that the industrial structure is constantly upgrading. This study elucidates the pattern of railway container transport in cities in China and provides empirical guidance for adjusting the functions of urban freight transport, thereby promoting the healthy development of urban freight transport and optimizing urban transport planning.

Using Ultra-Wide Band to Analyze Soccer Performance through Load Indicators during a Full Season: A Comparison between Starters and Non-Starters

The objectives of this study are: (1) to compare match load demands through load indicators between starters and substitutes, and (2) analyze the degree of correlation in the variables analyzed in this investigation. Twenty-two semi-professional soccer players were analyzed during a full season’s 38 official matches. Participants were assigned to two different groups according to their participation in the game: (a) starting-up players (≥90 min played) vs. substitute players (≥45 min played in the second half). Statistical analysis was performed by using Mann–Whitney U test to conduct pairwise comparison and Spearman correlation to demands correlation in each group. Significant differences in both absolute and relative variables in player load (P, p &lt; 0.01; p &lt; 0.01), metabolic power (MP, p &lt; 0.01; p = 0.15), equivalent distance index (EDI, p = 0.87; p &lt; 0.01), dynamic stress load (DSI, p &lt; 0.01; p = 0.977), energy expenditure (EE, p &lt; 0.01; p &lt; 0.01), high metabolic load events (HMLE, p &lt; 0.01; p &lt; 0.01), and high metabolic load distance (HMLD, p &lt; 0.01; p = 0.09). Overall, high direct correlations in the starting-up group in absolute and relative demands of PL, PM, HMLD, EE, and DSL were found, as well as high inverse correlation in the substitute group in all variables, excluding DSL and HMLD. In conclusion, the absolute differences found suggested a different training load management during training sessions.

Constructing healthcare services markets: networks, brokers and the China-England engagement

Healthcare services is an expanding international market with which national healthcare systems engage, and from which they benefit, to greater and lesser degrees. This study examines the case of the China-England engagement in healthcare services as a vehicle for illuminating the way in which such market relationships are constructed. China and England have different approaches to the international healthcare services market. Aware of the knowledge and technology gaps between itself and the leading capitalist nations of the West in healthcare, as in other sectors, the Chinese leadership has encouraged a variety of international engagements to facilitate the bridging of these gaps including accessing new supply and demand relationships in international markets. These engagements are situated within an approach to health system development based on establishing broad policy directions, allowing a degree of local innovation, initiating and evaluating pilot studies, and promulgating new programmatic frameworks at central and local levels. The assumption is that the new knowledge and technologies are integrated into this approach and implemented under the guidance of Chinese experts and leaders. England's healthcare system has the knowledge resources to provide the supply to meet at least some of the China demand but has yet to develop fully the means to enable an efficient market response, though such economic engagement is supported by the UK's trade related departments of state. As a result, the development of China-England commercial relationships in patient care, professional education and hospital and healthcare service development has been led largely by high status NHS Trusts and private sector organisations with the entrepreneurial capacity to exploit their market position. Drawing on their established international clinicians and commercial teams with experience of domestic private sector provision, these institutions have built trust-based collaborations sufficiently robust to facilitate demand-supply relationships in the international healthcare services market. Often key to the development of relations required to make commercial exchange feasible and practicable are a range of international brokers with the skills and capacity to provide the necessary linkage with individual healthcare consumers and institutional clients in China. Integral to the broker role, and often supplied by the broker itself, are the communication technologies of telemedicine to enable the interaction between consumer and healthcare provider, be this in patient care, professional education or healthcare service development. Although England's healthcare system has the knowledge required to respond to China's market demand and such economic engagement is supported and actively encouraged by the UK's trade related departments of state, the response is constrained by multiple domestic demands on its resources and by the limits of the NHS approach to marketisation in healthcare.