Efficient Collaboration Research Articles

Exploring Business Environment Policy Changes in China Using Quantitative Text Analysis

A conducive business environment is crucial for establishing a sustainable market economy. This paper aims to quantitatively analyze the evolution of China’s business environment policy, offering valuable insights for future optimization. Focusing on 1335 national-level business environment policies from 2006 to 2023, this study employed a social network analysis (SNA) and the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model to investigate policy changes in terms of the issuing rhythm, collaborating departments, and policy attention. The findings reveal: (1) China has established a mature policy system for its business environment, with both an increasing number and improving impact of related policies. (2) A governance network of the business environment has gradually formed, with the participation of differentiated departments and the domination of one central unit, ensuring efficient collaboration and clear instruction. (3) The attention of the business environment policy has shifted from attracting foreign investment and developing the industrial chain to simplifying bureaucratic approval procedures, smoothing trade circulation, and ensuring legal reliability. This paper’s results serve as an empirical contribution to the field of business environment policy research.

Driving Organizational Effectiveness: Implementing Safe Agile Framework for Team Alignment in Large Organisations

Implementing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in large organizations is crucial for achieving organizational effectiveness, especially as they expand globally. The SAFe framework, initially designed for software development, has evolved to cater to diverse industries like health, manufacturing, engineering, and financial services. The study elaborates the significance of implementing SAFe agile framework for team alignment in large organisations. SAFe operates at four levels: Team, Program, Large Solution, and Portfolio. Efficient collaboration, communication, and coordination, the three Cs of SAFe Agile, are essential for synergy across these levels. To practically implement SAFe and achieve team alignment, organizations should follow ten SAFe principles. These principles include taking an economic view, applying systems thinking, assuming variability, building incrementally with fast learning cycles, basing milestones on objective evaluation, ensuring uninterrupted value flow, applying cadence, unlocking intrinsic motivation, embracing decentralized decision-making, and organizing around value. Balancing bottom-up and top-down approaches through a middle-out method ensures effective SAFe implementation. This approach combines the strengths of methods, fostering cross-functional collaboration and effective communication channels from teams to the portfolio level. In conclusion, large-scale businesses may enhance organizational success through the transformational process of applying the SAFe framework for team alignment, which improves alignment, cooperation, efficiency, flexibility, and continuous improvement.

Gringotts: An Encrypted Version Control System With Less Trust on Servers

Version Control System (VCS) plays an essential role in software supply chain, as it manages code projects and enables efficient collaboration. For a private repository, where source code is a high-profile asset and needs to be protected, VCS' security is extremely important. Traditional (unencrypted or encrypted) VCS solutions rely on a trusted service provider to host the code and enforce access control, which is not realistic enough for real-world threats. If the service provider peep in or the hackers break into the repository, the read & write privilege to the sensitive code is totally lost. Therefore, we consider whether one can relax the assumption on the server by introducing a <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">covert adversary</i> , namely, it may act maliciously, but will not misbehave if it can be caught doing so. However, protecting sensitive code and enforcing access control on a covert adversarial server is a challenging task. Existing encryption-based VCS solutions failed to address this challenge, as they offered limited access control functionalities, introduced heavy key management overhead or storage overhead. Moreover, the crucial feature of compression of the source files were missing in an encrypted and versioned storage. To address these problems, we introduce <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Gringotts</small> , an end-to-end encrypted VCS, tailored for read & write access control, version control and source file compression. We present a formal model and propose a scheme with detailed analysis. We also implement and evaluate <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Gringotts</small> on top-10 most starred code projects on GitHub. The results demonstrate that <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Gringotts</small> introduces low latency (less than 0.3 s) for commit encryption and decryption, supports fine-grained access control and rich version control functionalities with practical performance.

Navigating the Complexity of Construction Contracts and the value of Blockchain Technology: A Systems Dynamics Perspective - Review Paper

This paper examines the integration of systems thinking and blockchain technology in construction contract management. It addresses the complexities inherent in construction contracts, which are often exacerbated by issues in transparency, efficiency, and stakeholder collaboration. Systems thinking is applied to understand the dynamic interactions within contracts, while blockchain technology is explored as a solution for enhancing contract management, focusing on its capabilities for improving transparency, streamlining execution, and facilitating dispute resolution. The paper critically analyzes the potential benefits and challenges of blockchain implementation in construction, including technological complexities, regulatory uncertainties, and industry adoption barriers. Through a synthesis of current literature and case studies, the paper highlights the transformative potential of combining systems thinking and blockchain in construction contracts, offering insights into future research directions and technological advancements needed for effective integration. This approach promises a more efficient, transparent, and collaborative future in construction contract management, aligning with the industry’s evolving needs in an era of rapid technological change.

The Construction and Implementation of a Cross border E-commerce Talent Training Mechanism for Business English Empowered by Digital Intelligence

The Construction and Implementation of a Cross border E-commerce Talent Training Mechanism for Business English Empowered by Digital Intelligence Abstract: The business English application-oriented talent training mode under the digital intelligence empowerment is to train business English talents with language+cross-border e-commerce practice+cross-cultural communication skills, which is in line with the national development strategy of "new liberal arts", "interdisciplinary" and "the Belt and Road". Through the linkage between schools and enterprises, the training mechanism adopts a cross integration approach of virtual context+ thinking activities +application activities by collaborating with enterprises to build a small seed studio. The course mechanism can deeply integrate experimental courses with other related courses, organically combine project-based learning with personalized training, explore students' comparative advantages, and create a full process and multi-stop teaching practice center. The course mechanism can cultivate the talent with national confidence, innovative concepts and risk awareness by promoting efficient collaboration between business English language courses and professional courses in terms of instrumental, humanistic, and business aspects.

Research on dual robot collaboration method based on improved double ant colony algorithm

Purpose This study aims to propose an efficient dual-robot task collaboration strategy to address the issue of low work efficiency and inability to meet the production needs of a single robot during construction operations. Design/methodology/approach A hybrid task allocation method based on integer programming and auction algorithms, with the aim of achieving a balanced workload between two robots has been proposed. In addition, while ensuring reasonable workload allocation between the two robots, an improved dual ant colony algorithm was used to solve the dual traveling salesman problem, and the global path planning of the two robots was determined, resulting in an efficient and collision-free path for the dual robots to operate. Meanwhile, an improved fast Random tree rapidly-exploring random tree algorithm is introduced as a local obstacle avoidance strategy. Findings The proposed method combines randomization and iteration techniques to achieve an efficient task allocation strategy for two robots, ensuring the relative optimal global path of the two robots in cooperation and solving complex local obstacle avoidance problems. Originality/value This method is applied to the scene of steel bar tying in construction work, with the workload allocation and collaborative work between two robots as evaluation indicators. The experimental results show that this method can efficiently complete the steel bar banding operation, effectively reduce the interference between the two robots and minimize the interference of obstacles in the environment.

Natural hazard risk analysis in the framework of water safety plans.

The available literature on natural hazard risk analysis focused on the implementation of water safety plans (WSPs) is surprisingly quite poor, despite the significant increase in the number and severity of disasters and adverse effects on drinking water supply systems generated by natural hazards. At the same time, WSPs that conveniently account for natural hazards with a comprehensive approach 'from source to tap' are still scarce as they typically occur at larger spatial scales and adequate prevention, mitigation and adaptation require efficient inter-institutional collaborations. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main bottlenecks for water utilities to include natural hazards in the development of their WSPs. The research adopted a stakeholders-oriented approach, involving a considerable number of water utilities (168), water sectoral agencies (15) and institutions (68) across the Adriatic-Ionian Region through a stepwise process that generated joint SWOT analysis, the development of a decision support system (DSS) focused on WSPs procedures and tabletop exercises. The final outcomes generated strategic documents (REWAS - Adrion Road map for resilient water supply) that highlighted the necessity for efficient cross-sectoral and inter-institutional cooperation in the development of well-founded and robust WSPs to address natural hazard risk analysis for water supply systems (DWSS).

VFL-Chain: Bulletproofing Federated Learning in the V2X environments

Federated Learning (FL) has gained significant traction as a promising approach to enable collaborative machine learning (ML) while safeguarding data privacy across diverse applications, with the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) environment being a notable use case. However, conventional FL systems remain susceptible to model poisoning attacks, wherein malicious participants can introduce inaccurate or deliberately misleading local model updates to the central aggregator. In the context of V2X, such attacks could spawn catastrophic outcomes and jeopardize safety-critical applications. To tackle this pressing concern, we introduce a privacy-preserving and verifiable FL framework, dubbed VFL-Chain, designed to facilitate secure and efficient collaboration among intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs). VFL-Chain aspires to deliver a privacy-centric, verifiable FL experience complemented by a robust incentive mechanism tailored for ICVs. Our proposed solution leverages Bulletproofs to enable efficient verification of model update integrity, which are assimilated within smart contracts on an underlying permissioned blockchain. Furthermore, VFL-Chain presents a fair incentive mechanism that rewards honest participation, fostering a resilient and efficient FL implementation. We conduct an exhaustive security analysis and performance assessment of our proposed system, which underscores its efficacy in countering data poisoning attacks and augmenting the accuracy of FL.

A collaborative decision support framework for sustainable cargo composition in container shipping services

AbstractThis paper proposes a decision support system (DSS) for optimizing cargo composition, and resulting stowage plan, in a containership of a shipping company in collaboration with en-route ports in the service. Due to considerable growth in transportation over years, an increasing number of containers are being handled by containerships, and ports consequently. Trade imbalances between regions and recent disruptions, such as LA/LB/Shanghai port congestion, blocking of Suez canal, drought in Panama canal, typhoons at ports, COVID-19 restrictions and the lack- and then over-supply of empty containers, have resulted in an accumulation of containers in exporting ports around the world. These factors have underscored the urgency of sustainability and circular economy within the shipping industry. The demand for container transportation is higher than the ship capacities in the recent times. In this regard, it is essential for shipping companies to generate a cargo composition plan for each service by selecting and transporting containers with relatively high financial returns, while offering a realistic stowage plan considering ship stability, capacity limitations and port operations. Ultimately, the selected containers should enable a ship stowage plan which keeps the ship seaworthy obeying complex stability considerations and minimizes the vessel stay at the ports, and port carbon emissions consequently, through efficient collaboration with en-route ports. This study provides a bi-level programming based DSS that selects the set of containers to be loaded at each port of service and generates a detailed stowage plan considering revenue, stowage efficiency and quay crane operational considerations. Numerical experiments indicate that the proposed DSS is capable of returning high-quality solutions within reasonable solution times for all ship sizes, cargo contents and shipping routes, supporting the principles of the circular economy in the maritime domain.

Fusion of Time-of-Flight Based Sensors with Monocular Cameras for a Robotic Person Follower

Human-robot collaboration (HRC) is becoming increasingly important in advanced production systems, such as those used in industries and agriculture. This type of collaboration can contribute to productivity increase by reducing physical strain on humans, which can lead to reduced injuries and improved morale. One crucial aspect of HRC is the ability of the robot to follow a specific human operator safely. To address this challenge, a novel methodology is proposed that employs monocular vision and ultra-wideband (UWB) transceivers to determine the relative position of a human target with respect to the robot. UWB transceivers are capable of tracking humans with UWB transceivers but exhibit a significant angular error. To reduce this error, monocular cameras with Deep Learning object detection are used to detect humans. The reduction in angular error is achieved through sensor fusion, combining the outputs of both sensors using a histogram-based filter. This filter projects and intersects the measurements from both sources onto a 2D grid. By combining UWB and monocular vision, a remarkable 66.67% reduction in angular error compared to UWB localization alone is achieved. This approach demonstrates an average processing time of 0.0183s and an average localization error of 0.14 meters when tracking a person walking at an average speed of 0.21 m/s. This novel algorithm holds promise for enabling efficient and safe human-robot collaboration, providing a valuable contribution to the field of robotics.

Towards Human-like Walking with Biomechanical and Neuromuscular Control Features: Personalized Attachment Point Optimization Method of Cable-Driven Exoskeleton.

The cable-driven exoskeleton can avoid joint misalignment, and is substantial alterations in the pattern of muscle synergy coordination, which arouse more attention in recent years to facilitate exercise for older adults and improve their overall quality of life. This study leverages principles from neuroscience and biomechanical analysis to select attachment points for cable-driven soft exoskeletons. By extracting key features of human movement, the objective is to develop a subject-specific design methodology that provides precise and personalized support in the attachment points optimization of cable-driven exoskeleton to achieve natural gait, energy efficiency, and muscle coordination controllable in the domain of human mobility and rehabilitation. To achieve this, the study first analyzes human walking experimental data and extracts biomechanical features. These features are then used to generate trajectories, allowing better natural movement under complete cable-driven exoskeleton control. Next, a genetic algorithm-based method is employed to minimize energy consumption and optimize the attachment points of the cable-driven system. This process identifies connections that are better suited for the human model, leading to improved efficiency and natural movement. By comparing the calculated elderly human model driven by exoskeleton with experimental subject in terms of joint angles, joint torques and muscle forces, the human model can successfully replicate subject movement and the cable output forces can mimic human muscle coordination. The optimized cable attachment points facilitate more natural and efficient collaboration between humans and the exoskeleton, making significant contributions to the field of assisting the elderly in rehabilitation.

Towards harmonized standards for freshwater biodiversity monitoring and biological assessment using benthic macroinvertebrates

Monitoring programs at sub-national and national scales lack coordination, harmonization, and systematic review and analysis at continental and global scales, and thus fail to adequately assess and evaluate drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation and loss at large spatial scales. Here we review the state of the art, gaps and challenges in the freshwater assessment programs for both the biological condition (bioassessment) and biodiversity monitoring of freshwater ecosystems using the benthic macroinvertebrate community. To assess the existence of nationally- and regionally- (sub-nationally-) accepted freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate protocols that are put in practice/used in each country, we conducted a survey from November 2022 to May 2023. Responses from 110 respondents based in 67 countries were received. Although the responses varied in their consistency, the responses clearly demonstrated a lack of biodiversity monitoring being done at both national and sub-national levels for lakes, rivers and artificial waterbodies. Programs for bioassessment were more widespread, and in some cases even harmonized among several countries. We identified 20 gaps and challenges, which we classed into five major categories, these being (a) field sampling, (b) sample processing and identification, (c) metrics and indices, (d) assessment, and (e) other gaps and challenges. Above all, we identify the lack of harmonization as one of the most important gaps, hindering efficient collaboration and communication. We identify the IUCN SSC Global Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Sampling Protocols Task Force (GLOSAM) as a means to address the lack of globally-harmonized biodiversity monitoring and biological assessment protocols.

Construction synergetic adsorption and activation surface via confined Cu/Cu2O and Ag nanoparticles on TiO2 for effective conversion of CO2 to CH4

High-performance photocatalysts for catalytic reduction of CO2 are largely impeded by inefficient charge separation and surface activity. Reasonable design and efficient collaboration of multiple active sites are important for attaining high reactivity and product selectivity. Herein, Cu-Cu2O and Ag nanoparticles are confined as dual sites for assisting CO2 photoreduction to CH4 on TiO2. The introduction of Cu-Cu2O leads to an all-solid-state Z-scheme heterostructure on the TiO2 surface, which achieves efficient electron transfer to Cu2O and adsorption and activation of CO2. The confined nanometallic Ag further enhances the carrier’s separation efficiency, promoting the conversion of activated CO2 molecules to •COOH and further conversion to CH4. Particularly, this strategy is highlighted on the TiO2 system for a photocatalytic reduction reaction of CO2 and H2O with a CH4 generation rate of 62.5 μmol∙g−1∙h−1 and an impressive selectivity of 97.49 %. This work provides new insights into developing robust catalysts through the artful design of synergistic catalytic sites for efficient photocatalytic CO2 conversion.

Project coordination success factors in European Union-funded research, development and innovation projects under the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes

Success factors for managing European Union-funded research, development and innovation projects is rather uncharted territory and scarce publications exist, even though considering that the H2020 funding was nearly €80 billion, and Horizon Europe is €95,5 billion. Managing these types of projects has been referred to as ‘managing the unmanageable’, which indicates importance of our study. The aim of this study was to gather input via survey from both project coordinators and partners by assessing factors in five categories of good practices, skills, characteristics and tools of project management, and coordination for successful project implementation. A total of 118 persons replied to the survey who have experience from Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe funded project(s). Over 80 factors were assessed and rated by the participants. Via standard statistical analysis, a top three lists were created for the different categories from both project partners and coordinators perspectives. A combination of 15 top success factors was formed. Furthermore, to emphasise the practicality of the results, an overarching framework was formed where we propose three prioritised key success factors that research, development, and innovation project management of should focus on. The three key success factors are communication, trust, and collaboration. Communication and trust are further traced down to the coordinator and consortium levels. Active communication and good listening skills are key. Mutual trust is built through high motivation, competence, and active approach to dedicated project activities and roles. Efficient collaboration is reached by nourishing inclusivity and culture, creating a productive environment, and good administrative practices.

Confined bismuth single atoms and nanoparticles dual-sites constructed via reverse etching for CO2 photoreduction to CH4

Synchronizing the directional photogenerated transfer of electrons and regulating the CO2 photocatalytic reduction process are key to achieving the efficient and highly selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2. The design of highly-dispersed active sites and the efficient collaboration of multiple sites are of great importance in attaining the above target. Herein, a reverse etching route was first proposed to confine Bi single atoms and nanoparticles as dual-sites for assisting CO2 photoreduction on TiO2, avoiding the mutual masking of the active sites. The Synergism of the dual-sites achieves the hydrodeoxygenation of * COOH and ushers the directional conversion of CO2 to CH4. Highly dispersed single Bi atoms could induce the transfer of photogenerated electrons, enhance CO2 absorption, and further provide active sites for reducing CO2 to *COOH intermediates. Besides, appropriate Bi nanoparticles could promote the separation and transfer of photogenerated and inhibit the formation of hydroxyl groups; more importantly, they could promote the release of protons, which would further accelerate the conversion of *COOH to CH4. After being integrated, the optimized dual-Bi/TiO2 catalyst achieves a CH4 generation rate of 103.89 μmol·g−1·h−1 with an impressive selectivity of 96.87 % as well as remarkable durability for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. This work provides new insights into developing robust catalysts through the artful design of synergistic catalytic sites for efficient photocatalytic CO2 conversion.

Digital technologies in the AEC sector: a comparative study of digital competence among industry practitioners

The successful implementation of digital technologies (DT) in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) projects necessitates workflow adjustment, crew scheduling, equipment optimization, and efficient collaboration among project parties. Understanding the digital capabilities of industry professionals is essential for the effective deployment of DT. This paper examines the competence of AEC practitioners in 14 types of DT through a questionnaire survey involving 428 participants. Descriptive statistics, including mean scores and standard deviations, were calculated to understand the competence levels of different DT. Specific inferential statistical tests, such as chi-square tests and Mann–Whitney U tests investigated disparities in competence across different business types, operational years, and company sizes. The results indicate that cloud technology, global positioning systems, and building information modeling were predominantly recognized and utilized, whereas blockchain remained underexplored. Notably, building contractors, small and medium-sized enterprises, and start-ups lagged behind their counterparts in digital competence, with large-scale enterprises exhibiting better knowledge but limited implementation of DT. The findings underscore the need for targeted upskilling efforts to harness DT knowledge effectively and manage digital resources within organizations undergoing digital transformation. The research contributes to the literature on digital competence within the AEC sector and sets the stage for further research into effective DT adoption and deployment interventions.

Reform and resurgence: The transformation of Islamic movements in the 21st century

This paper studies the development in the thought and praxis of Islamic movements that aim to revive a political system governed by Islamic law. Post-Caliphate Islamic movements - the subject of the current study - have undergone recent reforms in thought, approach, and even branding since the Arab Spring. Notwithstanding the movements? legal and theological diversity, the author argues that they share common features of reform characterized by (a) appeal to public opinion and grassroots work; and (b) willingness to work with groups outside their movement. These reforms were shaped in tandem with and in reaction to the War on Terror, the Arab Spring, and the Taliban?s victory in Afghanistan. The author argues that these changes gave rise to dynamic reform in the latest generation of Islamic movements, leading to substantive revisions in their approach (manhaj) to achieving Islamic change. Despite tightening proscription and censorship, the author argues that the fruit of these reforms has been a resurgence in the form of highly efficient and creative collaboration between movements. Examples studied include collaboration between the Muslim Brothers (MB) and Hizb ut Tahrir in the West, and between former-al-Qaeda and MB affiliates in Syria. The author estimates these strategies - following a period of political failure and internal skepticism - have precipitated a resurgence that makes the future of Islamic movements highly potent, despite resulting in a dilution of each group?s identity and possible decline in membership. As a result of this trajectory, this study argues for the need to theorize contemporary Islamic movements beyond historical categories that have fossilized in Western academia, and often do not capture the dynamic, fluidity and comprehensiveness of Islamic struggle. This study utilizes a mixed methodology, including archival analysis and intellectual genealogy.

Cloud Usage for Manufacturing: Challenges and Opportunities

Due to its potential to improve agility, efficiency, innovation, and global collaboration, cloud manufacturing is probably going to be an essential part of the manufacturing sector in the future. In a manufacturing environment that is becoming more and more competitive and changing quickly, businesses that strategically use cloud technologies could effectively broaden their capabilities. This research review demonstrates the possible development of cloud computing transformative effects on the manufacturing sector and highlights the advancements in cloud usage for manufacturing. The research examines various manufacturing uses for cloud computing, including cooperative production, data management, analytics, process optimization, and supply chain management. It also delves into some disadvantages of using the cloud in the manufacturing industry and estimates future developments in cloud-based manufacturing solutions. Finally, a simple use case is shown, using a typical commercial application.

Generative Shopfloor Layout Design: Challenges and Proposed Modelling Approach

This paper explores the transformative impact of generative design principles on layout design and organization. The paper provides insights into the practical use of generative design in layout environments, emphasizing the optimization of spatial arrangements, workflow efficiency, and human-machine collaboration. The paper presents a novel generative approach proposed for optimizing manufacturing shop floor layouts, utilizing a three-stage process that integrates Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). The first stage focuses on exploration and learning using VAE to generate a diverse pool of solutions, guided by a fitness profile encompassing characteristics such as travel distance, adjacency score, space utilization, ergonomic score, and aesthetics. The second stage employs GANs for intensive layout improvements, introducing a competitive training process where the generator aims to produce layouts surpassing the quality of previous iterations. The third stage fine-tunes the best layouts identified by the GAN.A much more detailed model is required, and a VAE with higher resolution than the one used in the first phase. The manuscript presents a comprehensive methodology, paving the way for future research into dynamic layout adaptation in manufacturing settings.

A pipeline for estimating human attention toward objects with on-board cameras on the iCub humanoid robot.

This research report introduces a learning system designed to detect the object that humans are gazing at, using solely visual feedback. By incorporating face detection, human attention prediction, and online object detection, the system enables the robot to perceive and interpret human gaze accurately, thereby facilitating the establishment of joint attention with human partners. Additionally, a novel dataset collected with the humanoid robot iCub is introduced, comprising more than 22,000 images from ten participants gazing at different annotated objects. This dataset serves as a benchmark for human gaze estimation in table-top human-robot interaction (HRI) contexts. In this work, we use it to assess the proposed pipeline's performance and examine each component's effectiveness. Furthermore, the developed system is deployed on the iCub and showcases its functionality. The results demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach as a first step to enhancing social awareness and responsiveness in social robotics. This advancement can enhance assistance and support in collaborative scenarios, promoting more efficient human-robot collaborations.