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1 – 10 of 67Guanzheng Wang, Yinbo Xu, Zhihong Liu, Xin Xu, Xiangke Wang and Jiarun Yan
This paper aims to realize a fully distributed multi-UAV collision detection and avoidance based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). To deal with the problem of low sample…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to realize a fully distributed multi-UAV collision detection and avoidance based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). To deal with the problem of low sample efficiency in DRL and speed up the training. To improve the applicability and reliability of the DRL-based approach in multi-UAV control problems.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a fully distributed collision detection and avoidance approach for multi-UAV based on DRL is proposed. A method that integrates human experience into policy training via a human experience-based adviser is proposed. The authors propose a hybrid control method which combines the learning-based policy with traditional model-based control. Extensive experiments including simulations, real flights and comparative experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the approach.
Findings
A fully distributed multi-UAV collision detection and avoidance method based on DRL is realized. The reward curve shows that the training process when integrating human experience is significantly accelerated and the mean episode reward is higher than the pure DRL method. The experimental results show that the DRL method with human experience integration has a significant improvement than the pure DRL method for multi-UAV collision detection and avoidance. Moreover, the safer flight brought by the hybrid control method has also been validated.
Originality/value
The fully distributed architecture is suitable for large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms and real applications. The DRL method with human experience integration has significantly accelerated the training compared to the pure DRL method. The proposed hybrid control strategy makes up for the shortcomings of two-dimensional light detection and ranging and other puzzles in applications.
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Xiaohui Yu, Fei Wang and Lina Wang
City wall is an important symbol of ancient Chinese cities with unique geographical and cultural characteristics. Thus, the preservation of this historic landmark is considered…
Abstract
City wall is an important symbol of ancient Chinese cities with unique geographical and cultural characteristics. Thus, the preservation of this historic landmark is considered significantly important. However, numerous residential construction activities and changes in ecological environment have destructed a great portion of the city walls in recent years. This study looks into the preservation of the ancient city walls from the systematic perspective and in line with the actual characteristics of Longdong Region to provide guideline measures for the protection and restoration of such landmark. Cognition and preservation are adopted extensively to investigate the specific situation of and the factors that influence the ancient city walls in this region. Preservation strategies for the city walls, including the “Axis-Point” system, planning control, and authenticity readability, are presented. The ancient city walls in Longdong Region can be preserved by protecting the entire region, the city, and the main wall body. The systematic method and preservation strategies at the “macro perspective,” “medium perspective” and “micro perspective” levels can solve the preservation problems of the ancient city walls in Longdong Region effectively.
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Zhihong Du, Xinhua Ni, Xiequan Liu and Cheng Chen
According to the microstructural characteristics of composite ceramic, the strain field distribution regularity of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic is obtained from the…
Abstract
Purpose
According to the microstructural characteristics of composite ceramic, the strain field distribution regularity of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic is obtained from the stress field distribution regularity of three-phase element in composite ceramic. In allusion to the damage of composite eutectic, it is introduced as a variable in this paper with the aim to determine the strain field distribution regularity of triangular symmetrical composite eutectic with damage behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
On the basis of the relationship between strain field and fiber inclusions volume fraction, the strain field of composite eutectic is analyzed.
Findings
The strain field of composite ceramic is distinctly dependent on the fiber inclusions volume fraction, fiber diameter and damage behavior of composite eutectic by quantitative analysis. The strain in matrix parallel to eutectic is the maximum linear strain and the main factor for the damage and fracture of eutectics.
Originality/value
The foundation of the strength research of composite eutectic is laid.
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Lulu Zhou, Yan Liu, Zhihong Chen and Shuming Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to explore how a perceived ethical climate influences employees’ intention to whistle-blow through internal organizational channels and incorporates…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how a perceived ethical climate influences employees’ intention to whistle-blow through internal organizational channels and incorporates the mediating role of organizational identification and moral identity as well as the moderating role of individual risk aversion.
Design/methodology/approach
The five proposed hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis with two waves of data collected in 2016 from 667 employees in Chinese organizations.
Findings
The findings indicate that perceived ethical climate had a positive effect on employees’ internal whistle-blowing intention, which was mediated by organizational identification and moral identity. Furthermore, employees’ risk aversion weakened the effect of organizational identification, while the moderating role by moral identity on internal whistle-blowing intention was not validated.
Originality/value
This study explains the psychological mechanism of whistle-blowing intention from the perspective of social identity, which contributes to opening the “black box” of the transmitting processes from the perceived ethical climate to whistle-blowing intention. This study also extends the literature by defining a boundary condition of risk aversion that hinders organizational identification influence on employee whistle-blowing intention.
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Since the outbreak of COVID-19, tremendous changes have taken place in the US economy – the economic growth in the whole year of 2020 was negative, and though it enjoyed a…
Abstract
Purpose
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, tremendous changes have taken place in the US economy – the economic growth in the whole year of 2020 was negative, and though it enjoyed a significant rebound for the first half of 2021, the growth rate began to decline rapidly by the third quarter, and inflation suddenly rises rapidly, which after came the all-time highs of the “misery index” consisted of the inflation rate and unemployment rate. All signs indicate that the US economy will likely enter a “stagflation” crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyzes the institutional and social contradictions in the United States during the neoliberal era from the perspectives of domestic social structure of accumulation (SSA) and international SSA based on the SSA theory.
Findings
The current risk of stagflation in the US economy is a concentrated outbreak of the long-term accumulated contradictions in neoliberal SSA under the impact of the epidemic, which is the product of the irreconcilable contradictions inherent in the capitalist mode of production.
Originality/value
Based on this analysis, the paper points out that with the deepening of the crisis, the neoliberal SSA is likely to end and a new SSA will be established gradually.
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Abubakar Sadiq Ismail, Zhihong Nie, Abdulaziz Ahmad, Shamshad Ali and Rengui Lai
This paper investigates the vibration compaction mechanism and evaluates the impact of vibration frequencies on the stability of coarse-grained soil, aiming to optimize the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the vibration compaction mechanism and evaluates the impact of vibration frequencies on the stability of coarse-grained soil, aiming to optimize the subgrade filling process.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines the vibratory compaction behavior of coarse-grained soils through indoor vibration tests and discrete element simulations. Focusing on angular gravel (breccias) of varying sizes, the simulations were calibrated using parameters such as Young’s modulus, restitution and friction coefficients. The analysis highlights how particle shape influences compaction, revealing mesoscopic mechanisms that drive macroscopic compaction outcomes.
Findings
This study investigates the influence of vibration frequency on the compaction behavior of coarse-grained soils using discrete element simulation. By analyzing particle contact and motion, the mesoscopic mechanisms driving compaction are explored. The study establishes a positive linear correlation between contact force anisotropy (Cv) and deformation, demonstrating that higher anisotropy leads to greater structural disruption. Additionally, the increase in sliding contact percentage (SCP) at higher frequencies indicates instability in the skeletal structure, driven by uneven contact force distribution. These findings reveal how frequency-induced stress concentration affects the stability and deformation of the soil skeleton.
Originality/value
This research explores the effect of various vibration frequencies on the compaction behavior of coarse-grained soils, examining microscopic interactions to reveal their impact on soil stability and deformation.
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Tien-Shih Hsieh, Zhihong Wang and Mohammad Abdolmohammadi
This study aims to investigate whether eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) disclosure management solution improves public companies’ earnings release efficiency and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate whether eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) disclosure management solution improves public companies’ earnings release efficiency and mitigates earnings management.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a unique survey data set from the Financial Executives Research Foundation 2013 to identify companies’ XBRL implementation strategies. Earnings release efficiency is measured by earnings announcement time lag. Multiple indicators of both accruals- and real activities-based earnings management are adopted to examine the research hypotheses.
Findings
The authors find that the disclosure management solution (DMS) XBRL implementation is positively associated with earnings release efficiency for companies with good news. The authors also find that DMS implementation strategy is negatively related to accruals-based earnings management, but positively related to real activities-based earnings management measured by abnormal cash flows.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study can inform regulators, investors and corporate management on how XBRL adoption is associated with corporate financial reporting.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the XBRL literature by providing empirical evidence on how the strategies adopted by companies to implement XBRL may affect the results of XBRL mandatory adoption.
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Fubing Bao, Zhihong Mao and Limin Qiu
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gas flow characteristics in near wall region and the velocity slip phenomenon on the wall in nano-channels based on the molecular…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gas flow characteristics in near wall region and the velocity slip phenomenon on the wall in nano-channels based on the molecular dynamics simulation.
Design/methodology/approach
An external gravity force was employed to drive the flow. The density and velocity profiles across the channel, and the velocity slip on the wall were studied, considering different gas temperatures and gas-solid interaction strengths.
Findings
The simulation results demonstrate that a single layer of gas molecules is adsorbed on wall surface. The density of adsorption layer increases with the decrease of gas temperature and with increase of interaction strength. The near wall region extents several molecular diameters away from the wall. The density profile is flatter at higher temperature and the velocity profile has the traditional parabolic shape. The velocity slip on the wall increases with the increase of temperature and with decrease of interaction strength linearly. The average velocity decreases with the increase of gas-solid interaction strength.
Originality/value
This research presents gas flow characteristics in near wall region and the velocity slip phenomenon on the wall in nano-channels. Some interesting results in nano-scale channels are obtained.
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This paper aims to examine how the official discourse of frugality evolved in China between 1979 and 2015.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how the official discourse of frugality evolved in China between 1979 and 2015.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses historical and textual analysis. It divides the Chinese official discourse on frugality between 1979 and 2015 into four periods: 1979-1992, 1993-2002, 2003-2012 and 2013-2015.
Findings
A Chinese official discourse on frugality persisted between 1979 and 2015, even though during the same period, China transformed from a socialist economy of central planning and insufficient supply to a market economy of excessive supply and weak consumer demand. The intensity of this official discourse frequently vacillated, adjusting to both economic and political conditions of the time as part of the larger political-economic contestation between competing ideas and policies.
Originality/value
There have been calls for more studies on how frugality discourses have evolved in international markets, especially in terms of how they are shaped by local historical antecedents and long-standing tensions. Through the Chinese case, this article illuminates why some traditional values persist and obtain a paradoxical co-existence with consumerist ethos in our modern society.
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Wenbin Tang, Xia Chen, Xue Zhang and Zhihong Peng
This study aims to explain the market-oriented transformation dilemma of Chinese urban investment and development companies (UIDCs; also known as local government investment and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explain the market-oriented transformation dilemma of Chinese urban investment and development companies (UIDCs; also known as local government investment and financing companies) and objectively evaluate their transformation efficiency from both static and dynamic perspectives. The results of the research provide methodological bases for improving the transformation efficiency of UIDCs, thus pointing out the direction for the rational planning of their transformation path.
Design/methodology/approach
This study takes Chinese UIDCs in market transformation during 2015–2019 as the research object and uses principal component analysis to screen the index system for measuring the efficiency of market transformation. It then uses a three-stage data envelopment analysis model and the Malmquist productivity index to evaluate the market transformation efficiency of these companies during 2015–2019 and comprehensively analyzes the influence of external environmental factors on the market transformation of Chinese UIDCs.
Findings
Research results show that the transformation efficiency of Chinese UIDCs is low and slow overall and that large spatial and temporal differences exist. The transformation efficiency of UIDCs located in eastern China is higher than that of UIDCs in central and western China. The higher the external environmental factors of regional GDP, local debt service pressure and credit rating, the more likely they are to cause input redundancy in the transformation process of Chinese UIDCs, which is not conducive to their market-oriented transformation. In addition, the higher the urbanization rate, the more effective it is to improve the efficiency of market-oriented transformation of UIDCs. If the influence of environmental factors is stripped away, both the overall efficiency value and pure technical efficiency value of market-oriented transformation of Chinese UIDCs will increase while the scale efficiency value becomes smaller.
Originality/value
This research measures the transformation efficiency of Chinese UIDCs and comprehensively analyzes the influence of external environmental factors on their market-oriented transformation. The goal is to enrich the study of the market-oriented transformation efficiency evaluation index system of Chinese UIDCs at the theoretical level and provide important reference values for improving the efficiency of market-oriented transformation of Chinese UIDCs at the practical level.
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