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The purpose of this study is to develop an optimization method for charging plans with the implementation of time-of-day (TOD) electricity tariff, to reduce electricity bill.

Two optimization models for charging plans respectively with fixed and stochastic trip travel times are developed, to minimize the electricity costs of daily operation of an electric bus. The charging time is taken as the optimization variable. The TOD electricity tariff is considered, and the energy consumption model is developed based on real operation data. An optimal charging plan provides charging times at bus idle times in operation hours during the whole day (charging time is 0 if the bus is not get charged at idle time) which ensure the regular operation of every trip served by this bus.

The electricity costs of the bus route can be reduced by applying the optimal charging plans.

This paper produces a viable option for transit agencies to reduce their operation costs.

This paper aim at providing decision support for operational adjustment. In order to effectively reduce the external interference impact on train operation.

According to the reality that there are two kinds of high-speed trains running in China, considering the reality that there are two speed level train running in Chinese high-speed railway, this paper proposed the high-speed railway operation adjustment model based on priority, and the objective function is to minimize interference impact on train operation.

Adjustment strategy based on priority than based on sequence can effectively reduce the interference influence on train operation, which makes the train resume the planned operation back on schedule more quickly.

The solution of large-scale cases is too slow, and the practical application is limited.

The model was verified by a case, and the case results proved that adjustment strategy based on priority than based on sequence can effectively reduce the interference influence on train operation, which makes the train resume the planned operation back on schedule more quickly.

This study aims to explore the traditional plant dyeing of Xinjiang Atlas silk fabrics, providing references for the comprehensive utilization of plant dyes in intangible cultural heritage.

The focus of this study is on dyeing experiments of Atlas silk fabrics using safflower extracts, constrained by regional resources. Safflower dry flowers grown in Xinjiang were selected, rinsed with pure water and rubbed. Yellow pigments were removed by adding edible white vinegar. Red pigments from safflower were extracted using an alkaline solution prepared with Populus euphratica ash, a special product of Xinjiang. The extraction rate was analyzed under varying material-to-liquor ratios, pH values, times and temperatures. Direct dyeing process experiments were conducted to obtain different colorimetric L, a, b and K/S values for comparison. Samples with good color development were selected to test the impact of dyeing immersions on color development, and their color fastness, UV protection and antibacterial effects were verified.

The dyeing experiments on silk fabrics confirmed their UV protection capabilities and antibacterial properties, demonstrating effectiveness against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. As a major producer of safflower, Xinjiang underscores the significance of safflower as an essential plant dyes on the Silk Road. This study reveals its market potential and suitability for use in the plant dyeing process of Atlas silk, producing vibrant red and pink colors.

The experiments indicated that after removing yellow pigments, the highest extraction rate of red pigment from safflower was achieved at a pH value of 10–11, a temperature of 30°C and an extraction time of 40 min. The best bright red color effect with strong color fastness was obtained with a material-to-liquor ratio of 1:20, a temperature of 40°C and three immersions. The best light pink color effect with strong color fastness was a material-to-liquor ratio of 1:80, a temperature of 30°C and two immersions.

The purpose of this paper is to examine millennial customer perceptions of food trucks and to identify factors that can foster their behavioral intentions pertaining to food trucks.

The study is based on a sample of 247 millennial customers of various food truck vendors in the United States and was assessed using ordinary least squares regression analysis.

Food truck image and employee friendliness were found to impact both customer satisfaction and word of mouth behavior; however, the other hypotheses were not supported.

There were two limitations. The first was that one of the constructs did not achieve the minimum average variance extracted. The second was that data collection was done in a single city in the United States; therefore, future research could overcome these limitations through a refinement of the construct’s items and targeting more cities.

There has been limited academic research on the millennial customer perceptions of the food truck phenomenon. This research addresses that gap through a field study that examines factors that contributed to the growth and popularity of food trucks among millennials

The purpose of this systematic literature review (SLR) is to examine the theoretical landscape of knowledge hiding (KH) research, identifies prevailing theories, the different ways KH is understood within these theories and the underlying assumptions that shape these views. Based on this, ideas for further research are derived to advance the theoretical basis of KH studies.

Using a theory-based SLR, the authors analysed 170 scientific papers from Scopus and Web of Science. This involved thematic analysis to categorise theories frequently applied in KH research and a detailed examination to link core assumptions to these theoretical perspectives.

The analysis revealed a reliance on 86 distinct theories, with a notable emphasis on social exchange theory and conservation of resources theory. KH is predominantly conceptualised as a negative, objective, reactive and relational behaviour rooted in social reciprocity and resource conservation. The review uncovers the multifaceted nature of KH, challenging the field to incorporate broader theoretical views that encompass positive aspects, subjective experiences, strategic intentions and non-relational determinants of KH.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to systematically map and analyse the theoretical underpinnings of KH research. It offers a unique contribution by categorising the diverse theories applied in KH studies and explicitly linking these theories to their inherent assumptions about KH. This approach provides a comprehensive overview that not only identifies gaps in the current research landscape but also proposes alternative theoretical perspectives for exploring KH, thereby setting a new direction for future studies in this field.

Based on complex network theory, a method for critical elements identification of China Railway High-speed 2 (CRH2) train system is introduced in this paper.

First, two methods, reliability theory and complex theory, are introduced, and the advantages and disadvantages for their application in identifying critical elements of high-speed train system are summarized. Second, a multi-layer multi-granularity network model including virtual and actual nodes is proposed, and the corresponding fusion rules for the same nodes in different layers are given.

Finally, taking CRH2 train system as an example, the critical elements are identified by using complex network theory, which provides a reference for train operation and maintenance.

A method of identifying key elements of CRH2 train system based on integrated importance indices is introduced, which is a meaningful extension of the application of complex network theory to identify key components.

China is not only the biggest importing country of the raw materials of forest products, but also the biggest exporting country of intermediate and final forest products. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The authors use the Khandelwal (2010) method and trade data from 2000 to 2014 of bilateral forest products between China and ten main developed countries to evaluate the quality of China’s forestry imports and exports. Subsequently, the influencing factors of product quality are analyzed.

The results show that the current export quality of plywood and fiberboard is decreasing, and the export quality of particleboard and paper products is on the rise. A further study finds that several factors have the positive effects on the quality of forestry exports, including gross domestic product of the importing country, forestry export value of the importing country as well as the number of forestry higher education graduates of the exporting country. Moreover, the study also finds that the status of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member has a negative effect on the quality of forestry exports, while the distance cost has a negative influence on fiberboard, paper and paperboard.

The study suggests that China needs to strengthen the research and development investment on forest products, and improve the quality of forest products to promote the trade development of forestry exports.

The existing literature has not shown much research regarding the quality of China’s forestry exports through econometric analysis. Therefore, the research results provide new perspective about the influencing factors on China’s forestry trade activities.

Under the constraints of given passenger service level and coupling travel demand with train departure time, this study optimizes the train operational plan in an urban rail corridor to minimize the numbers of train trips and rolling stocks considering the time-varying demand of urban rail passenger flow.

The authors optimize the train operational plan in a special network layout, i.e. an urban rail corridor with dead-end terminal yard, by decomposing it into two sub-problems: train timetable optimization and rolling stock circulation optimization. As for train timetable optimization, the authors propose a schedule-based passenger flow assignment method, construct the corresponding timetabling optimization model and design the bi-directional coordinated sequential optimization algorithm. For the optimization of rolling stock circulation, the authors construct the corresponding optimization assignment model and adopt the Hungary algorithm for solving the model.

The case study shows that the train operational plan developed by the study's approach meets requirements on the passenger service quality and reduces the operational cost to the maximum by minimizing the numbers of train trips and rolling stocks.

The example verifies the efficiency of the model and algorithm.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a disastrous impact on a substantial number of Filipino seafarers. The government agencies played a crucial role in helping the seafarers. This paper aims to explore the challenges that the Filipino seafarers faced amid the pandemic and initially evaluate the Philippine government’s countermeasures.

This paper reviewed academic literature and secondary data to identify and analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on seafarers. To identify the full range of policies and measures that have been adopted by the Philippines’ government amid the pandemic to mitigate the impact on seafarers, an extensive survey of various sources was conducted. Furthermore, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) survey was conducted from seafarers' perspective to analyze the priority of these government initiatives.

This study identifies four key challenges for seafarers during the pandemic: crew change crisis, healthcare shortages, certification and the derived problems including financial and mental health issues. Notably, mental health problems are prevalent but receive limited government attention. Despite the government’s efforts to assist seafarers, the AHP survey identifies crew change assistance as the most crucial issue, possibly impacting all others.

This paper recognizes the significant information regarding aid in recovery management and provides much-needed assistance to seafarers during the pandemic and similar crisis situations. It bridges the research gaps and contributes knowledge to the government, stakeholders and various entities such as shipping companies, ship management firms and seafarers' manning agencies.

This study aims to comparatively measure the impact factors of financial inclusion and their spillover effects for Belt and Road countries using panel data from 57 countries in 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2021 and relevant indicators from three dimensions: availability, usage and quality to construct a digital empowerment index of financial inclusion.

A spatial Durbin panel model is constructed to empirically test the impact mechanism of financial inclusion under digital empowerment.

Results reveal that improving a country’s quality of regulation, technology and residents’ financial literacy significantly contributes to the development of its financial inclusion, while improving its neighboring countries’ financial literacy also boosts its financial inclusion development. This study provides theoretical support for evaluating the development level of inclusive finance in “Belt and Road” countries, promoting the development of inclusive finance and alleviating the problem of financial exclusion.

This study is original as it creates a research paradigm for “Belt and Road” countries, enabling systematic testing and comparative analysis of inclusive finance development. It incorporates traditional and digital services, evaluating them based on sharing, fairness, convenience and specific group benefits. An inclusive financial index is constructed using the coefficient of variation and arithmetic weighted average methods. Additionally, it introduces a more rational analysis approach for the influence mechanism and spatial effect, using an economic geography nested matrix and spatial Durbin model to explore spatial effects in inclusive finance.