Economic Path Research Articles

A Novel Reinforcement Learning Collision Avoidance Algorithm for USVs Based on Maneuvering Characteristics and COLREGs

Autonomous collision avoidance technology provides an intelligent method for unmanned surface vehicles’ (USVs) safe and efficient navigation. In this paper, the USV collision avoidance problem under the constraint of the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea (COLREGs) was studied. Here, a reinforcement learning collision avoidance (RLCA) algorithm is proposed that complies with USV maneuverability. Notably, the reinforcement learning agent does not require any prior knowledge about USV collision avoidance from humans to learn collision avoidance motions well. The double-DQN method was used to reduce the overestimation of the action-value function. A dueling network architecture was adopted to clearly distinguish the difference between a great state and an excellent action. Aiming at the problem of agent exploration, a method based on the characteristics of USV collision avoidance, the category-based exploration method, can improve the exploration ability of the USV. Because a large number of turning behaviors in the early steps may affect the training, a method to discard some of the transitions was designed, which can improve the effectiveness of the algorithm. A finite Markov decision process (MDP) that conforms to the USVs’ maneuverability and COLREGs was used for the agent training. The RLCA algorithm was tested in a marine simulation environment in many different USV encounters, which showed a higher average reward. The RLCA algorithm bridged the divide between USV navigation status information and collision avoidance behavior, resulting in successfully planning a safe and economical path to the terminal.

Comparative study on infrastructure and export trade of the host country and OFDI efficiency of China

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides new opportunities and great space for China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) cooperation, as evidenced in 2018 when it financed US$15.64 billion in 56 countries along this burgeoning economic path, targeting Europe, Africa, and Asia as its hot spots. However, most of the countries along the Belt and Road are low-growth, middle-income, and developing economies, and their infrastructure, export trade, and other factors play an important role in the security and efficiency of OFDI. Therefore, this research selects 60 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa as the objects and uses the common boundary SBM model to calculate the investment efficiency of 7 indicators from 2013 to 2017. The results show a significant regional gap in the efficiency of China’s total foreign investment. The efficiency scores of European countries are generally better than those of Asian and African countries, while the technology gaps of countries in Asia and Europe are higher than that in Africa. The efficiencies of three major indicators, FDI, infrastructure development indicator (IDI), and export trade (ET), exhibit four types of distribution. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate and optimise the proper investment layout, enhance China’s investment quality in countries along the Belt and Road, strengthen exchanges and cooperation between think tanks, and promote further construction of BRI.

The blind spot of the policies of the energy transition: the development imperative as the path to solve climate change

Abstract The global discussion about the energy transition has been focused towards electrification given the preferences and possibilities of developed countries. However, that path is unaffordable for most of the world, therefore guaranteeing that if only one model of energy transition is preferred, the full process has a high risk of failure with catastrophic consequences at global level. It seems that developed countries are not aware of this circumstance, and do not realize the complex consequences that failure might bring for their countries and the global community, even if they individually succeed. This is because the development level of the countries is not the same, even though there is a strong political mandate to work on it through the SDG framework, and the focus of the global efforts are not centred in decarbonization. This situation also seems to fail to recognize that oil and gas industry will be a part of human development for the decades and centuries to come, provided that its decarbonization efforts succeed to adapt to a low-carbon world. It is fundamental that the global community recognizes that past cases where one-size-fits-all programmes were applied, they backfired and results were generally negative both for the countries involved and the international community. The energy transition for developing countries, including fossil fuel-rich countries, therefore requires strong, active and committed support from developed countries for the implementation of policies and programmes, design effective economic diversification paths and ensure decarbonization of the oil sector. Collaboration and consensus is essential for the reaching of climate goals, which would most likely be achieved through reaching the development goals.

The governance dilemmas of urban shrinkage: Evidence from Northeast China

ABSTRACT While existing research has deepened our understanding of global urban shrinkage, studies on the governance of urban shrinkage in China remain deficient. Based on extensive field research in Suihua, in Northeast China, and applying an institutionalist perspective, this study explored two critical challenges faced by Chinese political institutions concerning their governance of urban shrinkage. First, the absence of well-articulated opinions and clearly defined policies of the central government render the governance of shrinking cities uncertain and over-dependent on the personal position of the shrinking city’s immediate superior. Second, the local economic development path of China’s shrinking cities often depends on land transactions and pollution-intensive industries, which appear not only to be the main cause of the worsening urban shrinkage, but also the biggest source of locally-generated income. As a result, re-industrialization as the apparently ideal strategy for local development in Northeast China undermines the local government’s attempts to counter urban shrinkage.

Tools for Correlation and Regression Analyses in Estimating a Functional Relationship of Digitalization Factors

Digitalization processes affect all levels and spheres of human activities, from personal communications to public events. The widespread implementation of digital technologies has an ambiguous effect on the personal, social, and economic paths of modern society’s development. At the moment, there is no single approach to the estimation of digitalization’s impact, particularly on the financial and economic properties of a company. The objective of this study was to create multiple models for the assessment of digitalization’s impact on company performance. To accomplish this objective, the following steps were performed: conducting a literature survey on the experience with digital technologies’ implementation; selecting the most appropriate mathematical tools for correlation and regression analyses; determining a functional relationship between the factors and consequences of digitalization in terms of companies’ performance; identifying digitalization factors, risks, and their impact on the financial sustainability of companies; and creating a multiple regression model of the functional relationship between digitalization factors and the financial sustainability of companies. In the course of the study, a correlation analysis of the dependence of companies’ financial sustainability on a number of digitalization factors has been conducted, and different ways of using company performance data as effective features and predictive factors are offered. The article includes sampling data on the parameterization and quality evaluation of multiple regression models. The validity of the multiple models suggested was tested with actual statistical data obtained from 16 Russian companies. The application of the multiple regression model was devised to estimate digitalization’s impact on companies’ performance, and their financial sustainability can be seen as the most important practical implication of this study.

Economic and greenhouse gas analysis of regional bioenergy-powered district energy systems in California

There is an urgent need for building energy services that are not only low-carbon but reliable. District energy systems (DES) have the potential to meet building power, heating and cooling needs efficiently and reliably, but further research is needed to understand their coupling with local renewable energy sources such as biomass. Here we assess the cost and greenhouse gas implications of using bioenergy from local organic waste to power DES in California communities. We describe a set of possible scenarios for bioenergy integration into DES, including fuel switching and retrofitting of existing systems and DES expansion through new projects. In all locations, DES have higher combined capital and operating expenses (ranging from $5–12 million) than conventional fossil fuel building thermal systems. However, the net amortized annual cost of DES can reach as low as 70% that of the conventional system from the sale of excess electricity. Bioenergy-powered DES can offer a cost of carbon abatement on par with distributed solar-powered building thermal systems (50% less to 34% more). Furthermore, upgrading existing DES from fossil to renewable natural gas represents an immediate economical path to decarbonize buildings.

Family policies’ long-term effects on poverty: a comparative analysis of single and partnered mothers

This study investigates whether generous family policies at the transition to parenthood reduce single and partnered mothers’ economic disadvantages later in the life course. Previous research usually focused on the immediate effects of family policies and disregards potential longer-term effects. In this study, we suggest taking a life-course perspective to study the relationships between family policy and mothers’ poverty risks. We empirically investigate how investment in child benefits, childcare services and parental leave measures at the transition to parenthood are associated with poverty outcomes at later life stages and whether these associations hold over time. We draw on pooled EU-SILC data, and an original policy dataset based on OECD expenditure data for child benefits, childcare and parental leave from 1994 to 2015. We find that mothers’ observed increase in poverty over time is slower in countries with high levels of spending for childcare at the transition to parenthood than in lower spending countries. The gap between partnered and single mothers was also diminishing in contexts of high childcare expenditure. For the other two policies, we did not find these links. These results do lend support to the claim that childcare is a prime example of a social investment policy with returns later in the life course and represents a life-course policy that seems to be able to disrupt economic path dependencies. The results for the other two policies suggest, however, a limited potential of family policy spending at transition to parenthood to reduce the poverty gap between partnered and single mothers over the course of life.

The Sustainability in Economics as a Key for Future Prospects

There must be a balance position, a point where the potential and possible harmony can be established between humankind and Nature in terms of development. It should be considered that the human development along the economic path is an absolute and primary need, and this because growth also means well-being and solidarity, but above all, a good growth gives a boost to the progress of science and research. Over time, science will lead us to an absolute compatibility with the environment and in the meantime, we are offered the possibility of minimizing the damage inflicted on Mother Nature. To correct those damages, the conjuncture cycle inserts the recession into the phases of development. The recession i.e., essentially a periodic pause, is necessary to allow nature to digest the excess waste produced by human activities. Moreover, there is the possibility of a serious alteration in the development process during which we can witness the occurrence of monetary alterations (inflation and deflation), which are anyway nothing more than messages sent by nature to the community. The collectivity must in fact realize that the economic train has derailed from the right and linear path. With these premises, we can sustain that the magical balance that brings the values of optimal development and those of the cost of living closer to 2% is a weak approximation of the lasting and constant balance that the economy would achieve in the event, now still away, of a realized neutrality of our presence on the planet. Even while waiting to achieve the stability of our relationship with nature, we can therefore maintain a condition of relative stability, which consists of a linear growth limited to 2% - 2.50% on annual basis, with a long- lasting feature if at the same time the principle of the least possible damage to the environment is respected. A magic combination therefore that contextually may see the convergence of development of economy with the constant value close to 2%, which ensures the potential stability of the relationship with the natural world. This constant value is close to 2%, that is indicated by the Central Banks as equilibrium of economy condition, be considered a constant universal as the great universal constants of physics and matter. At last, how to explain the accelerated pace that some territories have shown over the centuries like, last China. Some indication tells us that the accelerated pace in development may not be a symptom of a good government and good relationship with Nature.

Saarland – Donbass: the policies of economic reintegration after the self-determination referendum

We examine the parallels between the self-determination referendum in the predominantly German-speaking region of Saar in 1955 and Donbass upholding of the right to determine its own political and economic path after the military conflict in 2014-2021. In this regard, we develop a description of the experience of economic reunification of the Saarland with compatriots in the rest of Germany in the areas of maintaining and developing a system of social benefits, intensifying trade, stabilizing regional markets, strengthening the regional economic structure, etc. The unique experience of Saarland integration can play an important role in the development and adaptation of measures of economic and regional policy that are similar in meaning if the population of the people's republics of Donbass approves further integration into the constitutional and economic space of Russia.

Parametric and kinetic study of solvent-free synthesis of solketal using ion exchange resin.

The ketalization reaction of glycerol with acetone for solketal formation was performed using a gel-type ion exchange resin, Indion 225H in a solvent-free medium. The experimental parameters molar ratio, catalyst loading, rate of stirring, and temperature were analyzed and evaluated for their impact on the conversion of glycerol. A kinetic model based on the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) equation described the kinetics of the heterogeneous system. The parameters were evaluated using the ode45 solver and Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization function on MATLAB software. The activation energy for the ketalization of glycerol was found to be 39.3 kJ/mol, the enthalpy of adsorption of water was -23 kJ/mol. The present work provides an economical path for the valorization of biodiesel-derived glycerol.

Central Bank's Independence and the Golden Rule in Nepal: A Concept Analysis with Dynamic Inconsistency of Monetary Policy

This paper attempts to study the concept analysis of the central bank's independence and the golden rule in Nepal in relation with the dynamic inconsistency of monetary policy. In 2007, an optimal inflation-rate was assessed, which suggested that it would be beneficial for Nepal to establish a range for inflation targets centered around the optimal inflation rate identified through analysis which would grant autonomy to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) to ensure price stability. However, concerns have arisen regarding potential political influence on the NRB and fiscal challenges, leading to uncertainties about the country's economic sustainability. The Golden Rule, advocating for balanced budgets, is proposed as a potential solution, but its implementation is complicated by Nepal's unique socio-political context. This research, drawing on economic theories from Kydland, Prescott, Barro, Gordon, and others, delved into the complex relationship between central bank independence, fiscal policy, and consistency in Nepal. The nation's economic path hinges on effectively navigating these complexities to strike a balance between immediate political needs and long-term stability. The concept of dynamic inconsistency underscores the risks associated with prioritizing short-term gains, emphasizing the necessity for strategic decision-making in economic governance. Ultimately, Nepal confronts the challenge of aligning its economic policies to ensure resilience against short-term pressures while promoting enduring long-term stability.

Venezuela foreseen economic path under fire

The paper provides an analysis of one of the feeblest countries that were once one of the richest. The country is actually facing several economic and political crises. This crisis originated from the continuous communist economic system and its’ heavy dependence on oil as a source of revenue. The dependence on oil and the absence of other sources put the country at high risk not for the country only but for the whole region. The paper provides an overview of the reasons for escalating the current situation and its implications on the neighbor countries and a conclusion reflecting the foreseen possible economic situations way out.

Legacy regions, not legacy cities: Growth and decline in city-centered regional economies

ABSTRACT Advocates adopted the term legacy city for older former industrial central cities to shift policy discussions from their social liabilities to their economic and physical assets. In examining this concept, we place U.S. central cities within a regional context, using cluster-discriminant analysis to distinguish between groups of metropolitan statistical areas, which proxy regional economies. Cluster analysis subsets metropolitan areas according to their position on several theory-driven dimensions. Discriminant analysis then identifies the variables most closely associated with each subset’s statistical grouping. The results respond to three questions: (1) Are regions with legacy characteristics homogeneous in population size? (2) Do socioeconomically troubled regions share legacy characteristics? (3) Does the typology of metropolitan regions provide insights into the performance of regional clusters? The findings suggest that private investment and public policy must change regional economic development paths while intentionally including distressed jurisdictions and populations before the futures of central cities that experienced severe population losses can shift to a positive trajectory.

Challenges and risks in the process of Russia’s post-pandemic economic recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has had a negative impact on economies around the world. The article analyses the macroeconomic indicators characterising the Russian economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this action on Russia’s global indicators have been compared with those of some countries in the world. The objectives and activities of the “National Action Plan for Employment and Income Recovery, Economic Growth and Long-Term Structural Changes in the Economy” (hereinafter the “National Action Plan”) have been considered. This document sets out the country’s development over the next two years and measures to recover the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of the Russian Federation is allocating 5 trillion roubles for the implementation of the “National Action Plan”. Meanwhile, the main objective is to ensure a sustainable economic development and income growth path within two years. The indicators of the main goal to be achieved by the end of 2021 are: sustainable growth of the personal income; reduction of unemployment to 5%; growth of the gross domestic product by 2.5% per annum. In conclusion, the challenges and risks in implementing the “National Action Plan” have been formulated.

An adaptive bi-level task planning strategy for multi-USVs target visitation

This paper considers a task planning problem, which dispatches multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to visit a set of targets located in ocean environments. The problem is modeled as a bi-level optimization to reduce the total and the individual navigation costs simultaneously. The upper-level allocates targets and schedules target visitation sequences, while the lower-level plans safe and economical paths between two targets under the current influence. Subsequently, a novel nested strategy is proposed to solve the bi-level problem, which modifies each level initialization process and can adaptively give the lower-level function evaluation number according to the problem complexity. Besides, the proposed strategy can adopt general metaheuristics as optimizers. Thus, two upper-level and five lower-level algorithms are employed in combination, which covers most kinds of metaheuristics. Finally, the ten combinations of algorithms are tested on three large-scale and complex cases, and the results verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and strategy.

Ship Motion Planning for MASS Based on a Multi-Objective Optimization HA* Algorithm in Complex Navigation Conditions

Ship motion planning constitutes the most critical part in the autonomous navigation systems of marine autonomous surface ships (MASS). Weather and ocean conditions can significantly affect their navigation, but there are relatively few studies on the influence of wind and current on motion planning. This study investigates the motion planning problem for USV, wherein the goal is to obtain an optimal path under the interference of the navigation environment (wind and current), and control the USV in order to avoid obstacles and arrive at its destination without collision. In this process, the influences of search efficiency, navigation safety and energy consumption on motion planning are taken into consideration. Firstly, the navigation environment is constructed by integrating information, including the electronic navigational chart, wind and current field. Based on the environmental interference factors, the three-degree-of-freedom kinematic model of USVs is created, and the multi-objective optimization and complex constraints are reasonably expressed to establish the corresponding optimization model. A multi-objective optimization algorithm based on HA* is proposed after considering the constraints of motion and dynamic and optimization objectives. Simulation verifies the effectiveness of the algorithm, where an efficient, safe and economical path is obtained and is more in line with the needs of practical application.

Economic component interactions between projects in urban regeneration plans: A network theory framework for plan quality evaluation applied to three French metropolitan cities in Normandy

The evaluation of urban regeneration plan quality is a key issue for scholars and practitioners who are searching for a good urban regeneration plan. While a regeneration plan is intuitively perceived as a bundle of different rationally selected projects, there is no indication of the degree of interrelations and differences among projects in the literature. This study addresses those interactions in the economic development dimension and highlights the implicit economic component networking framework embedded in a plan's “vision.” Using urban economic development theory and the quality plan evaluation method, any project in a plan is classified according to its main urban economic purpose, servicing the “base” approach, fostering “agglomeration” economies, or promoting “clusters” between firms. The presented methodology is upward on a coding process assisted by word counting and downward on a network analysis from which the plan networking pattern is built. The method is applied to three neighboring Norman cities in France, Caen, Le Havre, and Rouen, each of which was involved in its own regeneration programs between 2006 and 2013. The projections of the economic path performances during 2013–2017 stressed the networking approach's accuracy and interest using indicators related to the three urban economic components.

The Study of Factors having Effect on Engineering Construction Management: A Case Study of CPEC Pakistan

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not only enhance the strategic cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad, but also open up new avenues of economic development for the people of Baluchistan. This financial entry idea was initially offered by China and Pakistan under Musharraf's administration. Then, Chinese Premier. While there, he discussed the significance of the CPEC project and after that on April 20, 2015, China President Xi Jinping toured to Pakistan and officially launched this CPEC project. In the entire time that Pakistan has existed, the Chinese president has only visited Pakistan twice, the first time being Mr. Hu Jintao in 2006 and the second time being Xi in 2015. In 2014, Xi's toured to Pakistan was cut short because of the country's tenuous political and economic situation. Xi agreed to 51 different courses of action with Pakistan, including plans for the Gwadar port, transportation, and energy. Two of these paths are with South Asian nations. "China-Pakistan Economic Path" has its starting point in the Chinese city of Kashgar and connection points in the Pakistani port of Gwadar. Additionally, the passage is anticipated to link CPEC's northern regions with the South Asian maritime Silk Road. The "Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor" is also a lobby in the South Asian nation. According to statistics from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, Baluchistan is estimated to receive $7.1 billion initial investments through the CPEC, ranking second in its share from the total of $46 billion. The CPEC will connect Pakistan to Central Asia via the Eurasian Land Bridge planned under China’s “Belt and Road” initiative.

Visual perception of apparent motion abides by minimization principles of geometry.

Apparent motion is a robust perceptual phenomenon in which observers perceive a stimulus traversing the vacant visual space between two flashed stimuli. Although it is known that the "filling-in" of apparent motion favors the simplest and most economical path, the interpolative computations remain poorly understood. Here, we tested whether the perception of apparent motion is best characterized by Newtonian physics or kinematic geometry. Participants completed a target detection task while Pacmen-shaped objects were presented in succession to create the perception of apparent motion. We found that target detection was impaired when apparent motion, as predicted by kinematic geometry, not Newtonian physics, obstructed the target's location. Our findings shed light on the computations employed by the visual system, suggesting specifically that the "filling-in" perception of apparent motion may be dominated by kinematic geometry, not Newtonian physics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Harnessing the Full Potential of Clean Energy: The Role of Southern California's Utility Distributed Energy Resource Pilots

California is committed to achieving carbon neutrality to reduce the threat of climate change by 2045. This will require deep decarbonization across all economic sectors and necessitate rigorous planning to keep energy safe, reliable, and affordable. Southern California Edison (SCE), a utility that delivers electricity to 15 million people across southern, central, and coastal California, undertook an indepth analysis to identify a feasible and economical path to realizing California's greenhouse gas reduction goals and achieve carbon neutrality at the lowest reasonable cost by 2045.