Research Issues Research Articles

A Comparative Analysis of Outdoor Thermal Comfort Indicators Applied in China and Other Countries

Outdoor thermal comfort is an important criterion for evaluating the quality of outdoor activity environments and is also a significant indicator for assessing sustainable building design. Over the past century, more than 165 indoor and outdoor thermal comfort indexes have been developed to define human thermal comfort conditions under various circumstances and to quantify indoor and outdoor thermal environmental conditions. However, in the process of outdoor thermal comfort indicators becoming widely used worldwide, it remains a pressing research issue to compare the current state of application in China and other countries, identify the key areas of application for both sides, and outline the trends in outdoor thermal comfort index application. This study analyzed 346 articles on outdoor thermal comfort indicators. Employing bibliometric methods, we outline the general landscape of outdoor thermal comfort index applications in China and other countries. Additionally, we utilize comparative analysis to uncover similarities and differences in the research focus on outdoor thermal comfort. The research findings indicate the following: (1) Compared to China, other countries started outdoor thermal comfort index application research earlier. Their papers have higher average citation counts and engage in close academic collaborations. However, the quantity of published papers is fewer than in China. (2) The top five frequently used indexes in both China and other countries are PET (including mPET), UTCI, PMV, SET* (including OUT_SET*), and THI (including DI). China tends to use PET and UTCI more frequently than other countries. (3) The potential future directions for outdoor thermal comfort index applications in both China and other countries include: “monitoring and controlling regional outdoor thermal comfort at the temporal and spatial scales”, “multi-factors coupling effects on outdoor thermal comfort”, “human health assessment and prediction based on outdoor thermal comfort”, and “utilizing computational algorithms to calculate outdoor thermal comfort”. This study can serve as a reference for researchers and designers in the industry, contributing to the creation of sustainable outdoor environments.

An Energy-Efficient Multimode Transmission Scheme for Underwater Sensor Network

Underwater sensor network plays a critical role in the ocean data collection owing to its capability of providing reliable and wide communication coverage. How to assure lifetime performance of the network with limited energy supply has always been a key research issue. In this paper, we propose an underwater acoustic sensor network model which supports data delivery from each underwater sensor node (USN) to sea surface sink node (SN) in either direct or relay-assisted transmission mode, i.e., transmission mode between each USN and the SN can be dynamically selected according to network’s current state. To optimize its lifetime performance, we model the mode selection and resource allocation issue jointly into a non-convex and mixed integer programming problem. In order to efficiently solve it, we further divide the original problem into two subproblems: resource allocation subproblem and joint mode and relay selection subproblem. We prove that the reformulated non-convex resource allocation problem can be equivalent to a convex optimization problem, and its optimal solution can be found by using Lagrange dual decomposition method. For the second subproblem, some critical conditions are analyzed to determine optimal relays with the criterion of balancing energy consumption between USNs and a matching approach is designed to obtain the mode and relay selection results based on USNs’ priorities. Simulation results validate that the proposed transmission scheme is effective and superior to the traditional time division multiple access scheme.

Open Datasets in Human Activity Recognition Research—Issues and Challenges: A Review

Open Datasets in Human Activity Recognition Research—Issues and Challenges: A Review

High-capacity hydrogen storage in lithium decorated penta-BN2: A first-principles study

The development of solid hydrogen storage materials is an important part of the large-scale application of hydrogen energy. The gravimetric density of hydrogen storage materials and modified metal atoms agglomeration are the key research issues in two-dimensional hydrogen storage materials. Based on first-principles calculations, lithium-modified penta-BN2(P-BN2) is developed as a new hydrogen storage material. The geometric and electronic structures of lithium-modified P-BN2 (Li-P-BN2) have been calculated. P-BN2 has strong binding ability to lithium metal atoms, preventing the formation of lithium metal clusters, and the material has a strong stability. Twenty-eight hydrogen molecules can be stably adsorbed by the Li-P-BN2 system, and the theoretical storage gravimetric density of hydrogen is 13.27 wt%. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) shows that the material has a useable capacity of 8.95 wt% at 300 K. The mean desorption temperature is 437.13 K. The excellent hydrogen adsorption capacity and high gravimetric density of Li-P-BN2 may make it a promising hydrogen storage material.

A REVIEW OF HIGHER VOCATIONAL COLLEGE ENGLISH TEACHING STUDIES BASED ON PRODUCTION-ORIENTED APPROACH IN CHINA

A literature review on the implementation of the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) in higher vocational college English teaching is provided by this study. Since the Production-Oriented Approach was proposed, although there have been many studies on the implementation of POA in college English, there is still a lack of systematic literature and implementation research on POA in domestic higher vocational colleges English teaching. Therefore, a total of 30 academic articles published between 2017 and 2022 from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) was reviewed by this study to fill the gap. According to the Metrological visualization analysis, five categories can be identified: (1) specific teaching areas, (2) English Curriculum ideological and Political Education, (3) application of POA in English blended teaching model, (4) Benefit of POA in English teaching, (5) Challenges to POA implementation in English teaching. The review results also reveal that the implementation of POA can enhance the English teaching’s effectiveness at higher vocational college. Besides, the results of domestic POA’s research will be summarized and its main problems also be noted by the paper. In the end, this study identifies several future research issues needed to be examined, which may provide useful enlightenment for teachers and researchers.

A Cross-Cultural Research on Natural Tourists’ Behavioral Intentions

Comparative research on park patrons with distinctive cultures or ethnicities has been one line of cross-cultural research in the recreation field in recent decades. The critical issue for such research is between-group homogeneity as most cross-cultural studies use culture or nation as their unit of analysis. This study employed the between-group comparison approach to identify different perceptions of service quality among three major socio-culture groups, Hoklos, Hakkas, and Mainlanders, in the context of outdoor recreation in Taiwan. A total of 2,433 respondents, 1,719 from Hoklos, 499 from Hakkas, and 215 from Mainlanders, were collected from an outdoor recreation visitor survey conducted in the Huisun National Forest Recreation Area and Taroko National Park. The findings revealed that the differences in service quality perceptions, satisfaction judgment, and behavioral intention derived from the between-group examination. A discussion of cultural heterogeneity across the subgroups and its implications for park and recreation management is included.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Circular Economies through Sustainable Smart Cities

The rapid pace of urbanization has presented cities worldwide with a range of complex issues pertaining to the management of resources, reduction of waste, and promotion of sustainable practices. The concepts of circular economies and sustainable smart cities have arisen as viable solutions, converging to establish a revolutionary framework for the future of urban living. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis using literature focusing on the past ten years (2013–2022) of research on the circular economy and smart cities using VOSviewer. The most frequently used Scopus database was used to extract bibliometric data. 163 articles were considered for the analysis. This study utilizes co-authorship, co-occurrence, citation analysis and bibliographic coupling of author keywords while grap0hically mapping the bibliographic material using VOS viewer software Version 1.6.19. The bibliographic analysis reveals that the significant themes published in journals revolve around “circular economy”, “Sustainable development”, “sustainability”, “smart city”, “waste management”, “recycling”, “Sustainability”, “climate change”, “smart technologies”, “municipal solid waste”, “renewable energy”, and “planning”. The results would provide a robust base for more research in this area. The research work paves the way for future research in the related areas and issues of the domain, as it is an emerging issue in research, and many problems are untapped.

Visualising spatial equity of park-access for the elderly from a multidimensional perspective in Yangzhou, China

ABSTRACT Urban parks provide critical ecosystem services and satisfy residents’ recreational needs. As the population ages, whether the elderly can enjoy park resources equally has become an important issue in spatial justice research. However, most research on park equity is based on accessibility evaluation at spatial scales. Insufficient attention has been paid to selectivity and convenience in accessing parks for the elderly, as well as the importance of their perceptions and preferences in park-selection decision-making. Thus, this study constructed a multidimensional model to assess park equity for the elderly that included accessibility (Ai), proximity (Pi), quality (Qi), and diversity (Di). Our analysis of Yangzhou, China, revealed the following: (1) In Yangzhou central districts, only 21.46% of the elderly in the community could have a high level of park access, while entering parks was difficult or almost impossible for them in 28.34% of the communities. (2) The demographic distribution of the elderly was complete mismatched with all four assessment dimensions, among which accessibility was the most unequal. (3) The number and types of facilities inside parks were the most important considerations for the elderly when choosing parks, and the comfort level of parks had the most influence on their decision-making. The research results aim to make targeted recommendations to ameliorate inequalities in park access for the elderly and contribute to the construction of “age-friendly” cities.

Does environmental pollution liability insurance affect corporate green innovation? New evidence from China

The effect of the development of green finance (GF) on the green transformation of corporations has been a key research issue in recent years. This study is based on a list of companies insured under the environmental pollution liability insurance (EPI) announced by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (formerly the Ministry of Environmental Protection) in 2014 and 2015. Considering A-share listed companies in China as research samples and using the DID model, we investigate the impact of EPI on corporate green innovation (CGI). The results show that EPL can significantly promote the green innovation level of insured corporations, mainly reflected in two aspects of green invention patents and green utility model patents; this positive effect is more obvious in non-state-owned, heavily polluting, and patent-intensive corporations. These results hold after the robustness test. The mechanism analysis reveals that EPL promotes corporate green innovation by alleviating corporate financing constraints. This study provides new evidence for the role of GF in promoting green innovation and transformation in China.

Regulating the use of generative AI in academic research and publications

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a category of AI technology capable of producing various types of content, including text, images, audio, video, 3D models, simulations and synthetic data. Although it has been present for some time, it has been popularised in the recent months due to text and image GenAI tools, such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, LaMDA, BlenderBot, DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, some of which have already received new and upgraded versions.
 The main issue for the scholarly research and publications relates to the fact that because of the technology breakthrough the AI tools, based on machine learning models and usually fed with large volumes of data, no longer only assist researchers in recognising patterns and predicting, but also in generating content. This raises questions such as: On a general level, is it acceptable to use the generated content in academic publications? Does the use of such tools in research and publications violate academic honesty? Is a researcher violating another person’s intellectual property right when using these tools?
 This paper seeks to answer these questions with the aim of suggesting whether and to what extent there is a need for GenAI to be regulated within the academic institutions or beyond. Additionaly, the paper is aimed at investigating the models for such regulation as there are already some attempts to do so at various academic institutions in the world and many such processes are ongoing.

Reflections on Cross-Modal Correspondences: Current Understanding and Issues for Future Research.

The past two decades have seen an explosion of research on cross-modal correspondences. Broadly speaking, this term has been used to encompass associations between and among features, dimensions, or attributes across the senses. There has been an increasing interest in this topic amongst researchers from multiple fields (psychology, neuroscience, music, art, environmental design, etc.) and, importantly, an increasing breadth of the topic's scope. Here, this narrative review aims to reflect on what cross-modal correspondences are, where they come from, and what underlies them. We suggest that cross-modal correspondences are usefully conceived as relative associations between different actual or imagined sensory stimuli, many of these correspondences being shared by most people. A taxonomy of correspondences with four major kinds of associations (physiological, semantic, statistical, and affective) characterizes cross-modal correspondences. Sensory dimensions (quantity/quality) and sensory features (lower perceptual/higher cognitive) correspond in cross-modal correspondences. Cross-modal correspondences may be understood (or measured) from two complementary perspectives: the phenomenal view (perceptual experiences of subjective matching) and the behavioural response view (observable patterns of behavioural response to multiple sensory stimuli). Importantly, we reflect on remaining questions and standing issues that need to be addressed in order to develop an explanatory framework for cross-modal correspondences. Future research needs (a) to understand better when (and why) phenomenal and behavioural measures are coincidental and when they are not, and, ideally, (b) to determine whether different kinds of cross-modal correspondence (quantity/quality, lower perceptual/higher cognitive) rely on the same or different mechanisms.

Visual integration across fixation: automatic processes are split but conscious processes remain unified in the split-brain.

The classic view holds that when "split-brain" patients are presented with an object in the right visual field, they will correctly identify it verbally and with the right hand. However, when the object is presented in the left visual field, the patient verbally states that he saw nothing but nevertheless identifies it accurately with the left hand. This interaction suggests that perception, recognition and responding are separated in the two isolated hemispheres. However, there is now accumulating evidence that this interaction is not absolute; for instance, split-brain patients are able to detect and localise stimuli anywhere in the visual field verbally and with either hand. In this study we set out to explore this cross-hemifield interaction in more detail with the split-brain patient DDC and carried out two experiments. The aim of these experiments is to unveil the unity of deliberate and automatic processing in the context of visual integration across hemispheres. Experiment 1 suggests that automatic processing is split in this context. In contrast, when the patient is forced to adopt a conscious, deliberate, approach, processing seemed to be unified across visual fields (and thus across hemispheres). First, we looked at the confidence that DDC has in his responses. The experiment involved a simultaneous "same" versus "different" matching task with two shapes presented either within one hemifield or across fixation. The results showed that we replicated the observation that split brain patients cannot match across fixation, but more interesting, that DDC was very confident in the across-fixation condition while performing at chance-level. On the basis of this result, we hypothesised a two-route explanation. In healthy subjects, the visual information from the two hemifields is integrated in an automatic, unconscious fashion via the intact splenium, and this route has been severed in DDC. However, we know from previous experiments that some transfer of information remains possible. We proposed that this second route (perhaps less visual; more symbolic) may become apparent when he is forced to use a deliberate, consciously controlled approach. In an experiment where he is informed, by a second stimulus presented in one hemifield, what to do with the first stimulus that was presented in the same or the opposite hemifield, we showed that there was indeed interhemispheric transfer of information. We suggest that this two-route model may help in clarifying some of the controversial issues in split-brain research.

Topical Issues of Forensic Research of Firearms with Oval-Screw Drilling of the Bore “Lancaster” and Its Traces on the Bullets

The article discusses the issues of developing the legal, scientific, and methodological foundations of the forensic investigation of firearms with oval-screw drilling of the Lancaster barrel bore. The author makes some proposals on how to bring the norms of the regulatory and technical regulations in the field of arms and ammunition trafficking in line with the modern concepts of rifled firearms. The mechanism of formation of traces of the barrel bore on the fired bullets is revealed. The author notes that the drilling of the Lancaster barrel bore determines the appearance of traces from its oval-screw profile in the form of two areas of abrasion along the small axis of the oval (traces of rifling lands) and two areas of less intense abrasion along the large axis of the oval (traces of rifling) on the bullets. The traces of the rifling lands and the traces of the rifling are fused with each other, and have a small angle of inclination (about 3° ).The dependence of the display of traces of the barrel bore with the Lancaster drill on the fired bullets on the design of the bullets of the cal cartridges has been established. .366 TCM, 9.6x53 Lancaster. When using cartridges with FMJ shell bullets and SP “KION” semi-shell bullets, the traces of the barrel bore are displayed sufficiently well, which, in general, makes it possible to identify the weapon. Firing cartridges with an all-metal bullet made of zinc alloy “ECO” dramatically reduces the display of traces of the barrel bore on the fired bullets and complicates the firearms identification. The author proposes to ban shooting cartridges with lead bullets with a polymer antifriction shell “DERI” in firearms with a Lancaster channel drill, since when firing, the traces of the barrel bore on the fired bullet are not displayed. This contradicts the legislator’s requirement for civilian models of firearms on mandatory formation of traces suitable for identifying weapons on fired bullets.

Factors That Influence Repurchase Intention: A Systematic Literature Review

This research is a systematic literature review of factors that influence repurchase intention. Repurchase intention is important for companies because it will shape customer behavior to become loyal, customers usually tend to have an interest in buying products or services repeatedly so that the company will benefit from products or services that have been sold. The aim of this research is to provide insights into the research trends and issues in the studies of Repurchase Intention. The literature search focused on finding journals published between 2018 and 2023. Only English-language journals with the keyword Repurchase Intention were used in this research. Researchers found 80 journals that matched these keywords but after reading the collected articles thoroughly and removing duplicate and irrelevant articles, the authors produced 50 articles to be used in this research. The findings highlight key drivers for increasing sales: Satisfaction, Trust, Perceived Value, Price, and Word of Mouth. Additionally, 14 moderating factors were identified, with Age being the most prominent in four articles. Korea, India, and Indonesia lead research contributions, each with six articles. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is the prevailing measurement method, while other approaches persist. Companies are recommended to prioritize these core factors for consumer engagement. Future research should delve into unexplored moderating factors and alternative measurement methods, enriching our understanding of this vital field.

Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Halogen Batteries: Fundamental Mechanisms, Research Issues, and Future Perspectives.

Aqueous zinc-halogen batteries (AZHBs) have emerged as promising candidates for energy storage applications due to their high security features and low cost. However, several challenges including natural subliming, sluggish reaction kinetics, and shuttle effect of halogens, as well as dendrite growth of the zinc (Zn) anode, have hindered their large-scale commercialization. In this review, first the fundamental mechanisms and scientific issues associated with AZHBs are summarized. Then the research issues and progresses related to the cathode, separator, anode, and electrolyte are discussed. Additionally, emerging research opportunities in this field is explored. Finally, ideas and prospects for the future development of AZHBs are presented. The objective of this review is to stimulate further exploration, foster the advancement of AZHBs, and contribute to the diversified development of electrochemical energy storage.

Linking supply chain performance with organizational strategic performance – a review and research agenda

PurposeThis article aims to comprehensively review the measurement and management of supply chain performance (SCP) and strategic performance (SP). It strives to identify integrable features regarding frameworks, measurement approaches, practices and emerging research issues in these areas to integrate SCP and SP for measuring and managing performance. It intends to develop a dynamic-integrated-performance-system by incorporating integrable aspects of SCP and SP to link these domains for organizational performance improvement.Design/methodology/approachUsing systematic-literature-review, this study analyzes 154 articles published in selected peer-reviewed international journals from 2000 to 2023 regarding SCP and SP. It assesses existing knowledge regarding research-design followed, challenging areas and imperatives in these critical business domains to investigate the prior conceptual, empirical, case study-based and literature-review-based articles.FindingsThe study identifies integrable features regarding key theoretical and measurement frameworks, critical objectives, significant measures, effective practices for measuring and managing SCP and SP and emerging research issues common to these areas. The findings help develop a dynamic-integrated-performance-system that uses the theoretical lenses of resource-based-view/dynamic-capability-theory and adopts a comprehensive framework like DBSC (system-dynamic-model with BSC perspectives). It incorporates identified integrable measures and best practices to monitor, measure, manage and improve organizational performance for sustainable competitive advantage. The article reveals that earlier studies have overlooked analyzing SCP and SP integration aspects.Research limitations/implicationsFrom the theoretical viewpoint, the present SLR is unique in three ways: first, in investigating both the measurement and management of SCP and SP holistically; second, in identifying integrative features of these two; and third, in proposing a DIPS to link SCP and SP for performance improvement. The study reveals that existing literature has focused on measuring and managing SCP and SP in isolation without attempting a comprehensive and unified approach to integrate the respective domains. The present SLR adopts a holistic approach to link SCP and SP from SCM and strategic-management perspectives. The study proposes a dynamic-integrated-performance-system to measure, manage and improve performance in a unified method.Practical implicationsThis study provides SC and strategy practitioners with an understanding of strategy-performance pathways for achieving strategic objectives and executing risk mitigation initiatives to counter disruptions. It enables SC managers to comprehend SC practices and SCP leading to dynamic SC capabilities development. Operationalizing the proposed DIPS will help firms link SCP and SP, align operational SC practices with strategic sustainability and circularity objectives and meet sustainable development goals while benefiting social and environmental stakeholders.Originality/valueAssessing relationships and identifying a unified approach integrating SCP with SP have not been addressed earlier. This study's uniqueness is finding integrable features of SCP and SP and constructing a dynamic-integrated-performance-system to link these domains for achieving strategic competitiveness.

Routing approaches in named data network: a survey and emerging research challenges

Named Data Networking (NDN) has emerged as a promising information-centric networking paradigm that addresses the limitations of the traditional IP-based Internet architecture. The core principle of NDN relies on content naming instead of host addressing, to provide efficient, secure, and scalable content delivery. Routing is a critical component of NDN and is responsible for discovering and maintaining optimal paths to named content. This paper presents a comprehensive review of routing techniques in NDN, focusing on the design principles, algorithms, and performance metrics, especially in wired network architecture. We first summarize the NDN architecture and discuss its key components. We then delve into the fundamental routing concepts in NDN and categorize and examine various routing techniques, including link state, distance vector, and centralized approaches based on Software Defined Network. We also summarize the relevant research efforts proposed to address NDN routing challenges by focusing more on wired network architecture. Finally, we identify open research issues and future directions in NDN routing, emphasizing the need for scalable, efficient, and secure routing techniques that can fulfill the growing demands of the modern Internet. In conclusion, this review serves as a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners in NDN, offering a comprehensive understanding of the current state-of-the-art routing techniques, limitations, and potential future advancements.

A Comparative Study on Teaching Methods Used in Government and Private Colleges in Nagaland

To ensure students understand the material delivered in the class and to support their learning, a variety of procedures are employed by teachers known as teaching methods. Utilizing effective teaching strategies helps students to learn and communicate the concepts and abilities. It is the responsibility of the teachers to select the teaching method that is best suited for the topic to make the teaching-learning interesting. Using appropriate teaching techniques is a key component of the teacher's effective teaching-learning. This paper examines teaching methods that are used in both the Government and private colleges in Nagaland. In the present study, a descriptive survey was used to address the research issues and data were provided by 650 teachers.

A Multi-Objective Optimization-Algorithm-Based ANFIS Approach for Modeling Dynamic Customer Preferences with Explicit Nonlinearity

In previous studies, customer preferences were assumed to be static when modeling their preferences based on online reviews. However, in fact, customer preferences for products are dynamic and changing over time. Few research has been conducted to model dynamic customer preferences as the time series data of customer preference are difficult to be obtained. Based on online reviews, an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was introduced to model customer preferences, which can take into account the fuzzy nature of customers’ emotions and the nonlinearity of the model. However, ANFIS is plagued with black box problems, and the nonlinearity of the model cannot be directly demonstrated. To address the above research issues, a multi-objective chaos optimization algorithm (MOCOA)-based ANFIS approach is proposed to generate customer preferences models by using online reviews, which has explicit nonlinear inputs. Firstly, a sentiment analysis approach is used to derive information from online reviews by periods, which is used as the time series data sets of the proposed model. A MOCOA is combined into ANFIS to identify the nonlinear inputs, which include single items, interactive items, and terms of second order and/or higher-order terms. Consequently, the fuzzy rules in ANFIS are expressed in polynomial form, which allows for the explicit representation of the nonlinearity between customer preferences and product attributes. A case study of sweeping robots is used to compare the validation results of the proposed approach with those of ANFIS, subtractive cluster-based ANFIS, fuzzy c-means-based ANFIS, and K-means-based ANFIS. Moreover, the proposed approach provides better performance than the other four approaches in terms of mean relative error and variance of error.

Model-Based Testing Approaches using UML Diagrams: A Systematic Literature Review

Software Unit Testing (SUT) is the starting point for Model-Based Testing (MBT), a testing method. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) has become the standard for modelling software in professional and academic settings. There are various uses for the modelling language known as UML. The findings of an SLR on UML-based model-based testing methodologies are presented in this paper. Thirty-five primary articles about six research issues were examined using selection and exclusion criteria. Methods, model class, intermediate format use, and testing methodology are the primary points of examination. The review outcomes identify future research needs and avenues of inquiry.