Horizontal Networks Research Articles

Analysis and optimization of photonics devices manufacturing technologies based on Carbon Nanotubes

The analysis and optimization of optical devices manufacturing technologies based on carbon nanotubes intended for work in the visible range were carried out. These processes studied in the work have practical application for the deposition of carbon nanotubes and their subsequent use as materials for prototypes of the waveguide and sensor of the visible range. To obtain a layer of carbon nanotubes, a chemical vapor deposition chamber was used. A dense horizontal network of CNTs was grown on silicon wafer by utilizing sandwich type catalyst structure. The growth was carried out with two variable parameters: flow rate and flow duration. Various aspects of the CNTs synthesis, mechanism of CNTs growth and power dependent laser sensing are considered in this article. The remarkable properties of as developed photo detector are its fast response and recovery time with 8% sensitivity.

Vertical and Horizontal Trophic Networks in the Aroid-Infesting Insect Community of Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico.

Insect-aroid interaction studies have focused largely on pollination systems; however, few report trophic interactions with other herbivores. This study features the endophagous insect community in reproductive aroid structures of a tropical rainforest of Mexico, and the shifting that occurs along an altitudinal gradient and among different hosts. In three sites of the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, we surveyed eight aroid species over a yearly cycle. The insects found were reared in the laboratory, quantified and identified. Data were analyzed through species interaction networks. We recorded 34 endophagous species from 21 families belonging to four insect orders. The community was highly specialized at both network and species levels. Along the altitudinal gradient, there was a reduction in richness and a high turnover of species, while the assemblage among hosts was also highly specific, with different dominant species. Our findings suggest that intrinsic plant factors could influence their occupation, and that the coexistence of distinct insect species in the assemblage could exert a direct or indirect influence on their ability to colonize such resources.

Influence of the Datum Definition on the Accuracy of Horizontal Geodetic Control Networks for Engineering Objects

For the construction of various civil engineering structures, particular care should be taken in the perspective of geodetic control. Therefore, the design and implementation of the geodetic network deserves special attention. This paper is focused on various aspects of datum definitions for tested micro-triangulation network. It was shown that the geometrical distribution of datum points in a minimally constrained solution has a great impact on the accuracy of the geodetic network. Estimates of the accuracies of individual station y-x coordinates, error circles and error ellipses, obtained by free adjustment, where the datum selection was independent of errors in fixed coordinates, revealed much better quality of control points.

It Takes a Village: UN Peace Operations and Social Networks in Postconflict Environments

AbstractWhy are civil society organizations so often unable to make a difference during the transition to peace? I argue that the contributions of local civil society organizations and women's organizations to postconflict peacebuilding should be understood in terms of the networks that emerge during the peacebuilding process. Horizontal network conditions are essential for successful postconflict reconstruction. Yet external actors often implement policies that strengthen hierarchical links at the expense of such horizontal networks. To explore the types of networks that emerge in postconflict reconstruction, I use semistructured interviews conducted in Liberia. The evidence suggests that emerging horizontal networks are more robust in areas where local communities and women have a tradition of organizing. However, these networks remain fairly unstable. The assistance is mostly channeled centrally, strengthening hierarchical ties and leading to distortions in the distribution of resources.

From concept to projects

As cities tend to spread and coalesce into lower density urban regions, public transport systems are evolving from mono-centric hierarchical structures into multinodal horizontal networks. This evolution of metropolitan regions with a multitude of relations and dependencies require not only new forms of transport but also new methods of spatial planning. The biggest danger to an emerging metropolitan area is that of fragmented development and consequently missed opportunities. The project Stedenbaan strives to establish a planning context within which cities are not competitors but partners that work on diverse and complementary developments.

From centralisation to fragmentation and back again: the role of non-state actors in Brazil’s transformed foreign policy

Since the 1990s, Brazil’s foreign policy-making, traditionally a highly centralised and hierarchical process, has become more fragmented, plural and horizontal. In this context, the role of non-state actors has been increasingly relevant. The impact and significance of these actors have been however a matter of debate. While there are authors that consider that non-state actors play only a secondary role in the policy-making process, there are others that assert that these actors work alongside governmental actors and directly influence policy choices. Drawing on the concept of network governance, the paper proposes a different view from the two recurrent approaches in the literature mentioned above. It argues that the recent steps to transform Brazil’s state governance from hierarchy to horizontal networks have indeed expanded the room for the direct participation of non-state actors in the policy process. However, state authorities fought to adjust this tendency, in order to retain control over the decision-making process, by putting in place formal and informal coordinating mechanisms led by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Presidency. This suggests Brazil’s foreign policy was made in the shadow of hierarchy. The paper demonstrates the argument using the case of Brazil’s foreign policy towards China.

Tools of Efficiency Improvement of the Integrated Structures Functioning in Industry

The article presents the results of the problems research in the field of integrated structures management in industry. It proposes new approaches to the modernization of the functioning of these associations. The author sees the ways of improving the efficiency of integrated industrial structures in the application of modern management tools, such as improving the structure of associations through the creation of horizontal network links, through the introduction of multi-agent technologies and through the development of a new model of interaction between participants of associations. The result of the research is identification of a new efficiency indicator of the integrated structures functioning and the development of a model for the functioning of horizontal networked industrial associations, built on the basis of the principles of interaction between members of cluster structures.

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN XXI CENTURY – CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to outline and analyze the main trends in the education system of Bulgaria in the context of contemporary social and economic development. Its subject-matter is the education system as a production process of key importance for the future economic development. The subject of study covers the challenges to the educational system of Bulgaria posed by the contemporary economic conditions.Social and economic reality in the beginning of 21st century can be treated as unique. This attitude is due to all phenomena and processes accompanying human civilization development nowadays. Fundamental factors predetermining relationships between economic entities in processes of production, barter and income distribution are liable to changes. New conditions show that land and assets equipment of production are not enough to guarantee growth of social wealth. Assets transformation from “property” into “function” presupposes knowledge and skills presence. That is why knowledge is considered in the paper as current production foundation. The orientation of economic development to the all-round penetration of knowledge in business processes can be defined as a challenge to the industrial society and its production principles. We think that the signs of change could be outlined in the following directions: annexation to the traditional industrial factors of production - land, labor and capital of knowledge; transition from mass industrial production to demascision of production, markets and society; transition from vertically positioned public and economic structures to horizontal networks; transformation of the production of products with a physical medium into products that can easily be digitized and multiplied technologically, causing structural changes in both the national and global economy. These changes do not exhaust the extensive series of transformations, but only identify the directions in which they could be reasonably devised. The family, political structures and the social culture are changing. Every new socio-economic system needs the appropriate cultural prerequisites to make its development possible.

Exploring human-nature interaction on the coastal floodplain in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta through the lens of Ostrom’s social-ecological systems framework

This study diagnoses temporal and spatial variations in the performance of different social-ecological systems (SES) in coastal floodplain management in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. We go beyond common pool resource management problems and address the management of local public goods. In the assessment, we consider recent developments in the framework initially developed by Elinor Ostrom. The main variables of the framework that we use are resource systems, the environment, the governance system and actors. The focal SES is defined based on guiding questions relating to the definition of the key problem, system boundaries, and action situations. According to our results, the performance of resource systems and the environment deteriorated in 1960–79 compared to the performance prior to 1960. The condition reached a low point during 1980–1999 but improved slightly after 1999. The horizontal network structure of local governance was active until 1960. Due to the introduction of the ‘tidal river management’ approach in the 90 s, the performance of the resource system and the environment has slightly improved, as has the involvement of government and non-government organizations. Our results also show that overall SES performance is comparatively better <in the case of locally managed floodplains than it is for those managed by government agencies. Our new approaches, such as the recent development of the diagnostic framework, the guiding questions for defining focal SES, and application of the framework to local public goods can potentially be used in the fields of sustainability science and SES science. The qualitative performance of each of the selected indicators is useful for identifying intervention options to achieve a sustainable outcome for the coastal floodplain SES.

The limits of mutual aid: Emerging forms of collectivity among app-based transport workers in Indonesia

App-based transport has grown rapidly in Indonesia, and now provides work for over a million private commercial drivers. A large proportion of online drivers have joined self-organised community organisations that operate on a mutual aid logic, characterised by horizontal networks and strong social commitment. This mutual aid-based approach, which builds on a long tradition of associational behaviour in Indonesia’s large informal sector, has facilitated high levels of membership and member participation in small, geographically based driver communities. It is less well suited, however, to staging large-scale protests, negotiating with the app-based transport companies or engaging with government. Drawing on extensive qualitative fieldwork, this article argues that mutual aid-based organising has indeed proved an effective way to reach out to this group of non-traditional workers, but is not in itself enough to effect structural change. Ultimately, everyday forms of collectivism must be complemented by large-scale mobilisation, legal challenges and industrial action if drivers are to challenge the power of their pseudo-employers. To date, however, successful integration between driver communities and larger scale organisations has proven difficult in the face of external hostility and internal divisions.

HMMN: a cost-effective derivative of midimew-connected mesh network

A horizontal midimew-connected mesh network (HMMN) is constructed using multiple mesh-connected basic modules, whereby the basic modules are hierarchically interconnected by a horizontal midimew network for a higher level of hierarchy. In the HMMN, the vertical direction is toroidal connected and the horizontal direction is midimew links connected. This is why it is called HMMN. The architecture of the HMMN, the static network performance, and the dynamic communication performance were evaluated in our previous studies and were found to be good. However, the cost-effectiveness and cost-performance trade-off analysis of the HMMN have not been evaluated yet. Therefore, in this paper, we have evaluated packing density, message traffic density, cost-effective factor, time cost-effective factor, and static cost-performance trade-off factor of the proposed HMMN and compared these with those of mesh, torus, TESH, and MMN networks. Accordingly, the HMMN yields better results than the mesh, TESH, and MMN networks with respect to the above parameters. Even in regard to the extra cost of wrap-around links in all end-to-end nodes, the HMMN is more cost-effective than the torus network. However, this additional path between the end-to-end node using wrap-around links results in a low diameter, which in turn yields a slightly better density parameter and static cost-performance trade of factor for the torus network than for the HMMN.

CONie is not COBie: information exchange differences between network and building handover to asset management

This desktop review of road asset management information requirements at the handover phase of construction studies the different needs of vertical and horizontal infrastructure. The paper considers three specifications for construction information at handover to asset management. COBie (Construction to Operations for Building information exchange), and the proposed CONie (Construction to Operations for Network information exchange). COBie has been successfully used for vertical construction since 2007, but the specification was not intended for use in road construction. However, the UK drive to introduce digital information exchange for all new government projects resulted in in an attempt to development a hybrid COBie-for-All specification to include both vertical and horizontal infrastructure. However, differences in definitions and utilisation of data linked to specific attributes, such as location, cannot be force fitted into a dual-use information exchange specification. Thus, the development of a single-use specification intended for horizontal network assets is deemed the only logical option. That is the purpose of the CONie research project into the development of a handover specification to meet the needs of asset management of a number of road authorities from Australia and New Zealand.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ТА РОЗВИТОК КЛАСТЕРООБ’ЄДНАНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ НА КОНТРОЛЬОВАНИХ УКРАЇНОЮ ТЕРИТОРІЯХ ДОНЕЦЬКОЇ ТА ЛУГАНСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТЕЙ

The paper discusses the research findings on building and developing enterprise clusters along with providing rationale that the economy development, both globally and nationwide, is characterized by the expansion of integration trends and partial competitiveness mitigation by principles of cooperative interaction. These trends occur against the background of the evolving information knowledge economy which also pertains to a certain integration framework. It is proved that this type of integration enhances dissemination of innovative products through a relationships network within a market economic environment. In addition, the diversity of sources of technological knowledge and relationships facilitates the integration of impact factors to achieve company competitive advantages and contributes to boosting the available potential growth. Building a cluster based on vertical integration provides a certain pattern for new knowledge and technologies dissemination. Apparently, an important condition for the effective transformation of inventions into innovations, and innovations into competitive advantages is building a network of sustainable relationships between all cluster participants. It is argued that the core of a cluster is the business network organisation concept, the basic tenet of which is acknowledge that enterprise ability to compete successfully is directly affected by a certain set of robust relationships (interaction) of a particular industry. It is specified that the cluster concept goes beyond simple horizontal networks which assumes that companies acting in the common market for finished product within the same industry group tend to combine their potentials and cooperate in the areas of research and development.

Design and Building of New Softball Sports Equipment in Barcelona: The Last Intervention in The Olympic Area of Historical Mountain of Montjuic

After the designation of Barcelona as an Olympic city in 1992, a process of fervent reconstruction and transformation of the city began. For the development of the games, four strategic zones of the city were chosen, destined to the achievement of sporting events. One of these places was the historic mountain of Montjuïc that hosted the largest sports complex in the city in an architectural and urban macro-project called "Anella Olímpica". After 25 years, Barcelona continues to rebuild the mountain, adapting it to the new requirements with regard to sports facilities and this is how the Softball Barcelona project came about. The design criteria of this equipment have been: The use of the site’s characteristics, the easy communication with the current Baseball, the proper visibility of the field by the public, essentially familiar, the introduction of innovative elements that add value to the installation, and a certain visibility and quality of the installation that does not disregard the magnificent environment, in the most important concentration of sports facilities throughout the country. Other criteria have been: The use of land as a consequence of the construction of the field, the possibility of organizing future events of a certain magnitude, the economy of the media, this new softball field is located next to the current Baseball Olympic Field to the east, under the Olympic Ring, in Montjuïc. The main element is a Marquee, based on six inclined metallic “pillars” that support a structure and also allow the placement of another horizontal network, which serves as security as to configure an awning, very convenient due to the orientation to south. These porticos that form the same curvature on the ground that the track, will support the vertical protection network, and will also be able to accommodate the access lighting and will serve as support for the awning-net. This structure configures the image of the field since it will be seen from the street Pierre de Coubertin.

Local horizontal network membership for accelerated global market reach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain how some born global firms can leverage the rich social capital in their local (home country) horizontal network for accelerated international market entry and growth. Horizontal networks warrant separate attention from their vertical counterparts, which, along with those focussed on external international contexts, dominate most network studies in the realm of born global research.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilises a multi-level qualitative approach in the study of a multi-firm population of animators in Ireland that, due to the small domestic market for their product, needed to pursue global customers from inception. The case study domain was purposely selected as a critical exemplar of a local horizontal network operating in a highly globalised industry. The authors collected data through in-depth interviews with 16 company founders. This primary interview data were complemented by interviews with staff at the apposite industry association and triangulated with secondary data on the local and global industry conditions, members’ international successes and awards.FindingsThe results demonstrate how active membership of a local horizontal network can be leveraged for the acquisition of international market knowledge and customers for born global ventures. This arises from the sharing of collective market knowledge and communal global customer information within the network to mutual benefit.Originality/valueAlthough limited by the specific conditions in this highly globalised, non-competitive industry context, this study is unique in that it finds that cooperative interpersonal and inter-firm relationships embedded in a local horizontal social network, and mediated in part by an institutional support actor, emerge as important levers for a born global’s accelerated acquisition of foreign market knowledge and of global customers.

Evaluating management practices in horizontal cooperation SMEs networks: the Ecuadorian context

Abstract Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the economic growth of a country and of a sector. They seek to be incorporated into permanent productivity and competitiveness dynamics through a cooperation strategy. This article evaluated the application of management practices to horizontal SMEs networks of the dairy sector in Ecuador by following the constructivist methodology. The literature review and exploratory research indicated an understanding of cooperative work in the networks or Milk Collection Centers (MCCs) and identified the need to evaluate performance when applying management practices as an unavoidable element to enhance their operation and development. The construction phase took as reference a model for the evaluation of management practices in cooperation networks and contextualized it to the Ecuadorian environment. In the evaluation phase, three networks were evaluated, from which results and conclusions were obtained. The developed model identified six criteria with which the evaluations of MCCs were made, whose analysis allowed their performance level to be quantified and a proposal of some specific improvement opportunities for this sector and a group of SMEs.

The Study of Position Accuracy Using Precise Point Positioning (PPP) In Perspective of Indonesian National Standard of Horizontal Reference Network

Precise point positioning is a GNSS based positioning method that is known to regaining more precise information about major systematical errors in its functional model. This method is seen as an advanced version of the conventional absolute positioning method that is able to offer higher accuracy of the estimate parameter. Contrarily, the relative positioning method is able to achieve high precise of the estimated parameters by using two or more receiver. Consequently, it utilizes more resources in performing observation. Hence, this contribution attempts to explore some considerable aspects that can make the PPP method has a comparable precision of the National Standard of Horizontal Reference Network (SNI JKH). Based on the experiments, with data rate of 0.03 Hz for GPS and GLONASS observation shown that result of the PPP method is comparable to the relative method, whenever the observation is performed in minimum duration of six hours. Moreover, the 3th order of accuracy can be achieved after a demanding observation period, depends on processing strategy.

The Competitiveness of Hungarian Micro-Enterprises in the Pasta Market

By analysing the long-term competitiveness of Hungarian dry pasta making micro and small businesses, I intend to explore its strategic potential. The changes in the competitiveness of the dry pasta sector in Hungary between 1969 and 2019 were analysed with the help of contemporary periodicals from the database of the Hungarian Agricultural Museum and Library. The changes in the competitiveness of the Hungarian dry pasta market over the period 1969-2019 were analyzed according to the six aspects of diamond model: factor conditions, demand conditions, corporate strategy, structure and rivalry, relating and supporting industries, government regulations, change. Looking at future trends in the dry pasta market, the bidirectional impact on the competitiveness of the pasta market will be affected. One effect is to move towards horizontal networking as a result of globalization, making the pasta company that is able to negotiate better in the food supply chain more competitive. The other effect is the trend of local patriotism, which stimulates the development of micro-regions and originates in the initiative of the locals: innovation of flavours, innovation in raw materials, possibilities of Hungarian ethnocentrism. In addition, retail brands are expected to grow further. As retail chains do not pass on any gains from the increase of their export volume to the processors, the manufacturers’ own brand is weakened. The study provides a long-term overview of the changes in the competitiveness of companies operating in the dry pasta market. There has been a tremendous change over the last eighty years with the innovative transformation of the pasta industry. At that time, almost all pasta products were made at home, and today the pasta group is competing for housewives by employing industrial designers. JEL Codes: M31, M39

The use of evolutionary algorithms for designing an optimum structure of a geodesic measurement and control network

The paper presents an attempt to determine an optimum structure of a geodesic measurement and control network used for geodesic monitoring to determine horizontal displacements of buildings. In geodesy, horizontal networks can be used to determine terrain deformations as well as displacements of engineering structures (dams, water reservoirs, open-cast mines). The network subjected to analysis is a directional network. In order to find a correct solution, its structure should include so-called supernumerary observations. An adequate number of observations should be carried out in the network to obtain a solution with reliable values of horizontal displacements. Moreover, the way in which the observations are carried out and their number should make it possible to show changes taking place in the object and meet the economic criteria of geodesic measurements. In order to optimize the structure of a geodesic measurement and control network, information entropy and evolutionary algorithms are used in the paper. Information entropy is a logarithmic measure of probability, and an optimum number of observations carried out in the network depends on the increment of the content of information in the observation system. Evolutionary algorithms were developed in the 1980s, and they are currently very popular and widely used. Their main principle is based on the evolution or behaviour of the best adapted individuals in subsequent computational cycles.

Modern geodetic techniques in the monitoring of historic buildings

Historic buildings constitute a valuable cultural heritage, and at the same time due to the passage of time, they are exposed to a number of adverse factors. In order to preserve them in a non-deteriorated condition, it is necessary to provide comprehensive control of technical condition for these historic buildings, including regular geodetic measurements. This works includes a brief characterisation of the modern measurement techniques, as well as the presentation of possibilities of using the selected techniques for two historic buildings. The first one is the XIII-century cathedral, for which a network for testing vertical displacements was established and an initial measurement was performed. Moreover, a horizontal geodetic control network was implemented, intended for inventory works and the results of measurements were developed, combining angular-linear observations with GNSS vectors. The second building is the XX-century water tower, for which detailed architectural documentation of external walls was prepared on the basis of terrestrial laser scanning. The performed works confirm the need for geodetic monitoring of historic buildings and confirm the effectiveness of used measurement techniques.