Variety Of Services Research Articles

The Essence of Commercial Bank, principles and functions

The paper describes the relevance of the topic, sets the goal and objectives, specifies the theoretical and methodological foundations, specifies that the banking system guides the country's payments and settlements system, defines the essence, principles and functions of a commercial bank. The banking system is a wide range of diverse services, starting from traditional savings-loan and settlement-cash operations, ending with modern monetary credit and financial instruments. The bank is an intermediary link that attracts the temporarily free resources of economic subjects and supplies them to those subjects of the economy who experience a temporary shortage of these resources. The bank assumes the risk of non-return of resources. The effective operation of the payment system in any country requires the improvement of settlement operations and their technologies. Banks are the centers through which the majority of settlement and payment transactions are carried out. Settlements and payments of an individual or a legal entity, as well as of the entire economy, are carried out through banks. The theoretical and methodological basis of the work is - the researches of Georgian and foreign scientists on the regulation of the banking sector, the analytical works of various authors, the information-statistical and analytical materials of the National Bank of Georgia. Key words: Banking system, active bank transactions, passive operations.

Cost Optimization in Sintering Process on the Basis of Bulk Queueing System with Diverse Services Modes and Vacation

This research investigated a single bulk server queuing model where service modes and server vacations are dependent on the number of clients. The server operates in three different service modes: single service, fixed batch service, and variable batch service. Modes will be determined by queue length. The service starts only when the minimum number of customers, say ‘a’, has accumulated in the queue. At this point, the server selects one of three service modes. Transitions between duty modes are permitted only at the beginning of a duty period. At the end of the service, the server can go on vacation if the queue length drops below ‘a’. When returning from vacation, if threshold ‘a’ is not reached, the server will remain inactive until it is reached. A special technique called the Supplementary Variables Technique (SVT) was used to determine the probability-generating function when estimating the queue size at a given time. Appropriate numerical examples exemplify the method developed in the paper. An optimal cost analysis was performed to set the threshold values for different server modes with the intention of minimizing the aggregate average cost.

An empirical study on web API usability: The consumer-developer perspective

The ease with which web APIs facilitate access to diverse resources and services has led to their widespread adoption, consequently giving rise to a new business paradigm: the “API economy”. Given this, usability has become a pivotal attribute for API adoption, and within a competitive market, it merits detailed investigation. This exploratory study presents the findings of a survey targeting both consumers and developers of web APIs. The primary objectives of this survey were (1) to ascertain how respondents perceive various usability factors and (2) to identify potential correlations between specific characteristics of participant profiles and their expressed opinions. To fulfill these objectives, descriptive statistical parameters and independence tests were employed. Results indicate that documentation is regarded as the most influential factor on usability, while the quantity of consecutive parameters of the same type is perceived as the least influential. Furthermore, the findings reveal that expert opinions do not deviate significantly from those of non-experts, and that a respondent's experience as a software developer and with web APIs can influence their perceptions regarding certain factors.

Elevating the human experience through service standards: insights from the global refugee crisis

PurposeThis article proposes a set of three service standards for serving humanity; develops the Agency, Dignity and Diversity (ADD) Service Standards Framework; integrates these standards with human experience; and then applies this framework to refugee service experiences.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on Transformative Service Research (TSR), we propose service standards for humanity and connect these standards to elevating the human experience. Subsequently, the ADD Service Standards Framework for serving humanity is presented and applied to the human experiences of refugees.FindingsThree service standards for serving humanity are proposed: empowering human agency, respecting human dignity and honoring human diversity. Further, we apply these three standards to offer a set of standard-specific practical actions adapted to the plight of refugees.Practical implicationsThe practical implications affect all aspects of humanity’s service systems. Service standards should be universal, responsive to various needs of individuals and groups and adaptable to changing needs.Originality/valueThis paper contributes service standards for guiding service systems of any kind in serving humanity and provides a comprehensive framework for designing and implementing service standards that can elevate the human experience.

Social-ecological system trajectories of peri-urban watersheds based on a spatial analysis of vulnerability components: A case study in Mexico City, 1999-2039.

Urban periphery watersheds play a crucial role in providing diverse ecosystem services, especially hydrological services (HES), for society at different temporal and spatial scales; moreover, local populations directly influence ecosystem functionality through their decisions and actions. The interactions between social and ecological factors create social-ecological systems (SESs), whose trajectories continuously change in response to internal factors such as land use cover change (LUCC) and external factors such as climate change (CC). This situation influences the vulnerability of SESs in terms of exposure, sensitivity and adaptation capacity. In this study, the social-ecological vulnerability (SEV) of the periphery of Mexico City was investigated based on the Collaborative Protocol for Ecosystem Services Assessment and Social-ecological Vulnerability Mapping (ECOSER) and a quantitative method approach. For this purpose, spatial analysis was performed using the ecological and social spatial data for LUCC tendencies calculated for 1999-2019 and projected for short-term CC scenarios and using LUCC calculated for 2039 in trend-based (TREND) and restrictive (REST) scenarios. The results reveal that increases in the SEV in 2039 will be related to important decreases in the HES; furthermore, the REST scenario suggests decreases in the SEV due to decreases in the HES, assuming that environmental public policy instruments will be preserved in this region. The present work aims to contribute to decision-making for HES preservation at local and regional scales and to help develop adaptation strategies under LUCC and CC scenarios.

Engaging with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities to Promote Palliative Care That Exceeds Expectation.

Given longstanding barriers that obstruct integrated palliative care, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, this article demonstrates a way to engage with Syrian, Bhutanese and African communities to learn about brilliant palliative care with and from members of these communities. This study involved the methodology of POSH-VRE, which combines positive organisational scholarship in healthcare (POSH) with video-reflexive ethnography (VRE). Members of the Syrian, Bhutanese, and African communities (n = 14) participated in a focus group or an interview to consider understandings of palliative care; conceptualisations of a good death; how and why palliative care was typically enacted in their communities; the associated effects; as well as the relationship between culturally and linguistically diverse communities and public palliative care services. Discussions were aided by video recordings captured during the previous study on brilliant palliative care, which participants were invited to review. Video recordings and transcripts of the focus groups and interview were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The participants demonstrated considerable variability in the ways that palliative care was understood and enacted. For some, death was a taboo topic, while for others, it was a reality that was required to face, particularly in war-torn regions. Similarly, while doctors were held in high regard, participants held different views about how they should enact palliative care and the anticipation of death, particularly because family members were deemed to be a pivotal part of palliative care. To improve the care of people of culturally and linguistically diverse communities who experience a life-limiting illness, participants highlighted three opportunities. These included the avoidance of generalisations, prioritising the needs and preferences of cultural groups, and leveraging the community network. This study demonstrated how reciprocal understandings of palliative care were potentiated using POSH-VRE. Specifically, the members of the Bhutanese, African and Syrian communities demonstrated diversity in the needs, preferences, and customs of culturally and linguistically diverse communities. As such, integrated palliative care is likely to be bolstered by relinquishing assumptions about how cultural groups wish to be referred to and cared for and adopting a public health approach to palliative care that embraces both a population-based and person-centred approach to care. Members of the Bhutanese, African and Syrian communities contributed to this study as participants and co-researchers, contributing to the analysis and interpretation of the data and in the preparation of the article.

End-to-end latency upper bounds and service chain deployment algorithm based on industrial internet network

The diverse service requests in industrial Internet networks require flexible and efficient service chain deployment to ensure the quality of service (QoS). However, current deployment algorithms for service chains are primarily designed to guarantee only low end-to-end latency; they often overlook the amount of service chains that can be accommodated by the network and could lead to severe network load imbalances, significantly reducing service efficiency and causing serious network congestion issues. To address the above issues, we develop a mathematical model of the network topology and service request chains by integrating Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN). Utilizing network calculus theory, we derive the upper bound of end-to-end delay for service chain routing and analyzed the relationship between the upper bound of service chain routing delay and the resource allocation of Virtual Network Function (VNF) nodes. Based on the aforementioned model, we propose a novel service chain deployment algorithm named the Delay-Aware Load-Balanced Routing Algorithm (DLBRA). DLBRA comprehensively considers network traffic load balancing and end-to-end latency of service chains, rationally allocating VNF node resources to complete the determined service chain routing deployment. Experimental results indicate that, compared to the shortest path and load balancing algorithms, DLBRA not only ensures that the end-to-end delay of the service chain meets its QoS requirements, but also effectively reduces network load imbalance, significantly increasing the number of service chain requests that the network can accommodate. Additionally, DLBRA provides tailored deployment guidance for different types of service chains, such as latency-sensitive and data-intensive service chains, ensuring optimal utilization of network resources. This algorithm enhances the efficiency of service chain deployment in industrial internet scenarios and possesses broad application potential in other network environments where delay optimization and load balancing are critical, such as intelligent transportation, cloud computing, and 5G networks.

Performance evaluation of pigmented fair-faced concrete under various environments: mechanical properties, apparent properties, and color stability

Fair-faced concrete is green concrete that is directly decorated by its texture. For a more stunning visual impact, pigmented fair-faced concrete with more colors on the surface is prepared. However, the effects of different pigments and service environments on pigmented fair-faced concrete need to be explored. Therefore, four iron oxide inorganic pigments were employed to prepare pigmented fair-faced concrete, and the changes in its fresh properties and mechanical properties were studied through slump, slump flow, and compressive strength tests. Meanwhile, camera analysis and colorimetry were utilized to evaluate the changes in its apparent properties and color stability under four different distinct service environments in this experiment. Results indicate that incorporating pigments reduces both the slump and slump flow of the fresh mixture, and its fresh properties gradually decrease as the pigment content increases. The slump and slump flow of concrete with 6% iron oxide yellow (IOY) were 30.00% and 44.00% lower than the control. Adding IOY and iron oxide red (IOR) can improve the 7-d and 28-d compressive strength of concretes. The 28-d compressive strength of concrete with 2%-6% IOY increased by 7.72%, 11.78% and 15.09% over the control. Meanwhile, the surface pore area of concrete with IOY is the lowest and that of concrete containing 2% IOY is 3.97 cm2/m2. Additionally, the color stability of concrete performs best in water immersion environments and worst in natural environments. It is noteworthy that the concrete added with IOY exhibits excellent color stability under all four service environments. This study aims to evaluate the effects of different pigments on concrete properties and investigate the color stability of four types of concrete under diverse service conditions. The findings will promote the application of pigmented fair-faced concrete in construction and provide technical insights for future research.

Centering equity, diversity, and inclusion in youth digital mental health: findings from a research, policy, and practice knowledge exchange workshop.

Youth mental health service organizations continue to rapidly broaden their use of virtual care and digital mental health interventions as well as leverage artificial intelligence and other technologies to inform care decisions. However, many of these digital services have failed to alleviate persistent mental health disparities among equity-seeking populations and in some instances have exacerbated them. Transdisciplinary and intersectional knowledge exchange is greatly needed to address structural barriers to digital mental health engagement, develop and evaluate interventions with historically underserved communities, and ultimately promote more accessible, useful, and equitable care. To that end, the Digital, Inclusive, Virtual, and Equitable Research Training in Mental Health Platform (DIVERT), the Maritime Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) SUPPORT (Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials) Unit and IWK Mental Health Program invited researchers, policymakers, interprofessional mental health practitioners, trainees, computer scientists, health system administrators, community leaders and youth advocates to participate in a knowledge exchange workshop. The workshop aimed to (a) highlight local research and innovation in youth-focused digital mental health services; (b) learn more about current policy and practice issues in inclusive digital mental health for youth in Canada, (c) participate in generating action recommendations to address challenges to inclusive, diverse and equitable digital mental health services, and (d) to synthesize cross-sector feedback to inform future training curriculum, policy, strategic planning and to stimulate new lines of patient-oriented research. Eleven challenge themes emerged related to white-colonial normativity, lack of cultural humility, inaccessibility and affordability of participating in the digital world, lack of youth and community involvement, risks of too much digital time in youth's lives, and lack of scientific evidence derived from equity-deserving communities. Nine action recommendations focused on diversifying research and development funding, policy and standards, youth and community led promotion, long-term trust-building and collaboration, and needing to callout and advocate against unsafe digital services and processes. Key policy, training and practice implications are discussed.

Concurrent Direct Inter-ONU and Upstream Communications in IMDD PONs Incorporating P2MP Flexible Optical Transceivers and Advanced Passive Remote Nodes

Driven by a large number of emerging diversified services, in the 5G and beyond era, concurrent direct inter-ONU and upstream communications inside a PON-based mobile access network are highly desirable to provide dynamic, ultra-dense, and fast ONU-to-ONU (without involving an OLT) and ONU-to-OLT connections. To cost-effectively deliver highly dynamic and low latency direct inter-ONU communications, this paper proposes and experimentally demonstrates novel concurrent direct inter-ONU and upstream communications in an upstream 27 km, >62.47 Gbit/s IMDD PON. For supporting inter-ONU communications between a large number of ONUs, an advanced passive remote node is also proposed. Based on different passive optical components, this remote node can be implemented using two approaches, which can, respectively, reduce the inter-ONU signal power losses by >12.2 dB and >16.6 dB (for 128 ONUs) in comparison with existing inter-ONU communication techniques’ remote nodes. In each ONU and OLT, a single pair of cascaded IFFT/FFT-based point-to-multipoint (P2MP) flexible optical transceivers are employed to simultaneously and dynamically establish multiple ONU-to-ONU and ONU-to-OLT communications according to actual users’ requirements. Experimental results show that the proposed network has excellent robustness against various transmission system impairments, including chromatic dispersion, the Rayleigh and Brillouin backscattering effects, and the channel interference effects. For each ONU, dynamic channel allocation can be made without compromising its overall performance.

Growing green: Exploring the drivers of citizens’ participation in Italian urban and peri-urban forestation governance

Urban and peri-urban forests (UPUFs) are essential components of urban landscapes that offer multiple benefits to local communities, above all to those who live in large cities. This realization has fueled the interest of the scientific community in understanding citizens’ attitudes and perceptions towards UPUFs, focusing on the diverse ecosystem services they provide in social and environmental terms. However, less attention has been paid to the citizens’ perceptions and attitudes about UPUFs in relation to their willingness to participate in their governance. This quantitative study aims to address this gap by identifying the main factors that affect citizens’ participation in UPUFs governance. Conducted in large Italian Metropolitan Functional Urban Areas, composed of a city and its commuting zone, with a population above 500,000 inhabitants, this study provides valuable insights into citizens’ willingness to participate in UPUFs governance. Results indicate that citizens' socio-demographic factors (especially education, age, and income) and the frequency of visits impact their perception of UPUFs. High positive perceptions of environmental quality and low perceptions of the negative impact of UPUFs promote active participation in governance, especially among young citizens with heightened green space sensitivity, among those dissatisfied with current green space management and those advocating for effective communication campaigns. These findings can provide a practicable scientific reference for municipalities to refine their corresponding decision-making and communication, and to devise effective urban forest programs.

Shared Mobility's Role in Sustainable Mobility: Past, Present, and Future

This article reviews shared mobility, a prominent urban transportation concept with considerable potential to contribute to more sustainable urban mobility. Shared passenger mobility spans diverse services, often leveraging technological advances and disruptions such as smartphones and data analytics to optimize transport resources. Given the broad range of services, a shared mobility taxonomy is proposed, accommodating evolving services. Key challenges for delivering efficient and effective shared mobility services with lower environmental impacts are also identified. Finally, the International Transport Forum transport demand models are used to analyze policy implications and potential effects quantitatively. This article presents a possible scenario for the global evolution of these services to 2050. Results emphasize shared mobility's role in transport decarbonization in the present and future and show that shared mobility may reduce resource use and mobility externalities (e.g., CO2, local pollutants, congestion, urban space use) but that the uptake will differ between Global South and Global North cities.

The Dragon's Overwatch: Chinese Private Security Expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean

This scholarly disquisition furnishes a comprehensive exploration of the burgeoning presence of Chinese private security companies (PSCs) across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), delving into the strategic repercussions for regional security architectures and national sovereignty imperatives. Employing a meticulous qualitative methodology encompassing a thorough literature review, policy document analysis, and an examination of Chinese-language sources, the research elucidates the salient drivers catalyzing this phenomenon. These precipitating factors span cultural affinities, economic motivations, geopolitical ambitions, and the exigent security challenges besetting Chinese commercial entities operating within the LAC region. The operational modes of Chinese PSCs are subjected to forensic scrutiny, illuminating their diverse service offerings, geographical permeation across the region, and the obstacles they confront. Furthermore, the inquiry contextualizes the issue within the broader geopolitical milieu, accentuating concerns regarding transparency lacunae, regulatory deficiencies, and potential avenues for Chinese intelligence and military machinations, thereby potentially destabilizing the regional equilibrium. Ultimately, the research culminates in a series of substantive policy prescriptions aimed at mitigating risks, fortifying regional stability, and safeguarding national sovereignty through capacity-building initiatives, constructive engagement with Beijing, enhanced transparency mechanisms, and robust regional cooperation frameworks.

Isolation to stabilization: A Housing First approach to address homelessness in Kingston, Ontario.

Homelessness is a significant and growing public health concern across Canada. In Kingston, Ontario, the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness has more than doubled from 136 people in 2020 to 296 in 2023. An emergency shelter-in-place hotel program was established in April 2020 to provide non-congregate shelter to people experiencing homelessness and vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infections. Beyond preventing COVID transmission, the unintentional consequence was that a population that experienced chronic homelessness reduced drug consumption and became stable. In 2022, with increased funding from the Ministry of Health and the City of Kingston, a new Housing First program was implemented to transition individuals from homelessness to long-term stable housing. Between November 2022 and June 2023, a total of 34 clients initiated the program. Of these clients, 10 completed the program and were successfully housed, 10 remained active participants, and 14 were discharged before completion. Strengths and challenges were identified. Diverse services provided to meet the population's needs and strong collaborations with various community partners were facilitating factors. Inadequate external resources, a lack of evening and prosocial activities, and outside peers (not part of the program) who influenced recovery plans were identified as challenges. This program illustrates that simultaneously integrating housing, community building, mental health, and addiction services is possible and provides an innovative way to stabilize this vulnerable population of people experiencing homelessness. Results from this program and the knowledge generated through implementation are being used to further scale up the program.

Research status and development direction of smart heritage: a bibliometric review (1994-2024)

ABSTRACT Smart heritage, an emerging and sustainable paradigm, utilises technology to conserve and enhance cultural heritage. Despite integration into smart city development, full implementation remains unrealised. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the status and trends of smart heritage research, explore the development direction of smart heritage, bridge existing knowledge gaps, and guide its integration into smart city development. This study employs a bibliometric analysis method, supported by machine algorithms, to obtain scientific and quantifiable results. The study utilises the bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace 6.2R6 to analyze 981 articles from the Web of Science Core Collection, covering 1994 to 2024. We observe a notable increase in scholarly output over time, especially in smart cities and digital cultural strategies, where smart heritage has emerged as a research hotspot across various disciplines and domains. Smart heritage crosses three stages: digital technology application, technology integration, and multidisciplinary integration, showcasing diverse technological applications, service scenarios, and application domains. Moving forward, we must prioritize a comprehensive research agenda, including theoretical constructs, smart cultural infrastructure, robust policy, public engagement, and expanded application realms. Additionally, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between international entities and driving technological innovation is vital for promoting the sustainable development of cultural heritage.

Empirical Mode Decomposition Based Amplify and Forward Technique for Cooperative Cognitive Radio System

The rapid growth in the mobile industry due to increase in number of users accessing diverse services causes a high demand for radio spectrum. Nonetheless, the radio spectrum allocated for different wireless communication services is restricted. Cooperative Cognitive Radio (CCR) technique with Amplify and Forward (AF) relaying protocol used to address the problem suffers from noise amplification resulting in poor reception at the destination. Hence, in this paper, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) based AF technique for CCR system was carried out to improve the performance of the existing CCR with AF relaying protocol. The transmitted signal from Primary User (PU) was received at the Secondary User (SU) where SU superimposed its own signal using Exclusive OR (XOR) rule. The combined signal from XOR was made to pass through EMD and amplified using AF by multiplying with the relay gain. The amplified signal was radiated to PU and SU receivers during the second hop transmission. The multiple copies of the receive signal at the SU receiver at different number of path (L = 2, 4) were combined at destination using Maximal Ratio Combiner (MRC). Mathematical expression for Bit Error Rate (BER) and Throughput (TP) were derived using the Probability Density Function (PDF) of the Nakagami-m fading distribution. Extensive simulations using MATLAB R2021a were employed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed technique and evaluated using BER and TP by comparing with the existing AF CCR. The EMD based AF technique proposed gave better performance with 75.2% reduction in BER and 21.86% increase in TP over the existing AF technique for CCR. The proposed technique can be deployed to improve the performance of cooperative cognitive radio system.

The Future Trends and Innovative Directions of Public Storage in High Density Cities

This study explores the future development trend of public storage in high-density cities, focusing on three major trends: technological innovation leads the intelligent development, green and low-carbon becomes an important direction, and diversified service model innovation. In terms of technological innovation, it emphasizes the importance of technological R&D investment in driving the industry forward; in terms of green and low-carbon, key measures such as environmentally friendly materials and technologies and the application of energy-saving equipment are proposed; and in terms of service model innovation, the concept of social participation and shared construction is emphasized. The article also discusses strategies to implement these trends, including policy guidance and support, investment in technology R&D, and promotion of social participation, aiming to provide theoretical references and practical guidance for the future development of the public storage industry

Valuing ecosystem services of community gardens in developing countries: a case study of Dezful City in Iran

Allotment (AGs) and community gardens (CGs) are types of urban gardens that provide diverse ecosystem services (ESs) such as climate regulation, beautiful landscapes, biodiversity and food security. Despite this, there are no AGs or CGs in many developing countries such as Iran. One of the main reasons for the lack of development of CGs in developing countries is the lack of proper understanding by policy-makers and citizens regarding the economic value of the ESs provided and the lack of disclosure of the benefits of its construction in urban areas. The purpose of this study is to analyse the preferences of citizens, to examine the existence of a potential market, to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for the creation and operation of CG services and to investigate the factors affecting residents’ WTP in Dezful, Iran. For this purpose, a choice experiment, based on the stated preferences valuation approach, was applied through interviews with 170 respondents living in Dezful urban area. The data were collected during the autumn of 2022 and analysed using conditional logit model. The results indicated that the responding citizens are willing to pay 4.57 USD per month to create CG and operate its ESs in Dezful. Amongst the attributes and ESs of the community garden, citizens valued cultural services the most, followed by provisioning services. In addition, the variables “age”, “being native”, “education”, “household expenditure level” and “awareness and recognition of CG ecosystem services” had a significant effect on WTP. According to the results, it is suggested to follow the policy of creating CGs with the participation of citizens instead of focusing only on the creation of urban green space with a government budget and heavy financial burden. CGs, while providing diverse ESs, can generate sustainable incomes for municipalities and accelerate the movement toward sustainable urban development.

Evidence-Based Technology Tools to Support Diverse Learners, Educators, and Service Providers Across Instructional Settings

Evidence-Based Technology Tools to Support Diverse Learners, Educators, and Service Providers Across Instructional Settings

Creating open innovation through API-enabled simultaneous centralization and decentralization

Application Programming Interface (APIs) have increasingly become crucial to digital ecosystems, facilitating interconnectivity and data exchange essential for digital transformation and open innovation in today's business landscape. In this article, we introduce a perspective on how APIs can be viewed as a means of achieving a dynamic equilibrium between centralization and decentralization for value creation in business ecosystems. Unlike common perspectives that regard APIs solely as technological tools, we examine them as a new way of thinking and organizing and as strategic mechanisms that facilitate both the unbundling and rebundling of business offerings. We also highlight their flexibility in adapting to changing business environments and outline various organizing models ranging from internal coordination to open platforms. This approach enables organizations to dynamically integrate diverse innovative services while maintaining a balance between control and autonomy. Our article draws on insights from open-innovation organizational structures with practical examples from leading edge use and application of APIs, demonstrating the transformative power of APIs on business models and ecosystems. In doing so, we provide a detailed framework and multiple examples, guiding business leaders to strategically incorporate APIs into their offerings.