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Considering typical self‐adjoint and non‐self‐adjoint problems that are governed by differential equations with predominant lower order derivatives, a comparison is presented of their finite element solutions by Ritz, Galerkin, least square (LSQ) and discrete least square (DLSQ) methods.

We present a combined or mixed method for the dynamic analysis of thin‐walled structures, based on the superposition of beam and shell strains and displacements. Polynomial or exact shape functions are used for the interpolation of the shell displacements, while discrete degrees of freedom are introduced instead of the generalized von Karman coefficients. Special attention has been given to the integration schemes, because of the combined beam and shell behaviour of the considered structures. The stability and accuracy of the four‐point integration scheme are studied by using the z‐transform. The method is applied to thin‐walled pipes and is also compared to the von Karman approach.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimum design of a quarter car passive suspension system using a particle swarm optimization algorithm in order to minimize the applied loads and vibrations.

The road excitation is assumed as zero-mean random field and modeled by single-sided power spectral density (PSD) based on international standard ISO 8608. The variance of sprung mass displacements and variance of dynamic applied load are evaluated by PSD functions and used as cost function for the optimization.

The advantages in using this methodology are emphasized by an example of the multi-objective optimization design of suspension parameters and the results are compared with values reported in the literature and other gradient based and heuristic algorithms. The paper shows that the algorithm effectively leads to reliable results for suspension parameters with low computational effort.

The procedure is applied to a quarter car passive suspension design.

The proposed procedure implies substantial time savings due to frequency domain analysis.

The paper proposes a procedure that allows complex optimization designs to be feasible and cost effective.

The design optimization is performed in the frequency domain taking into account standard defined road profiles PSD without the need to simulate in the time domain.

“Library + cultural tourism” (LCT) is a new direction for the sustainable development of libraries, but few scholars have researched it from a tourist perspective. The purpose of this paper is to identify what factors affect tourist satisfaction (TS) with LCT, reveal the interaction among these factors and provide strategies for better library services.

This study collected 5,308 comments on Tianjin Binhai Library from three popular online travel communities. Grounded theory was adopted to identify what factors affect TS with LCT and reveal the interaction among these factors.

The results indicated that TS with LCT was affected by complex factors related to tour plans, tour expectations, cultural characteristics, environment, support services and emotions. Cultural characteristics, environment and support services were impacted by tour plans and tour expectations, which directly or indirectly affected TS mediated by emotions. TS further influenced their expectation of their next tour.

This paper uncovered critical problems with LCT using a case study of Tianjin Binhai Library. The results provide a reference for library practitioners to develop better library services for tourists and regular users/readers.

Manufacturers face increasing demands to address inefficiencies and improve environmental performance across their supply chains. However, there remains a significant gap in empirical research examining how collaboration in the supply chain affects various environmental practices and their consequent impacts on performance. This study aims to address the gap by examining how shared goals and vision drives compliance-oriented and prevention-oriented practices, subsequently affecting environmental performance and operational costs—critical for fostering antifragility and resilience in today’s environment.

An empirical study has been performed based on a sample of survey data from 279 manufacturers from fifteen countries and regions. Applying structural equation modeling analysis to the sample dataset, this study examines the mediating role of two distinct types of environmental practices between shared goals and visions and manufacturers’ environmental performance and operational cost.

This study delineates distinct pathways through which shared goals and vision affect various types of environmental practices, and consequently lead to different performance outcomes: (1) environmental impact of manufacturing activities depends on the collective efforts of the manufacturers and their supply chain partners; (2) shared goals and vision among supply chain partners facilitates both environmental performance and operational cost through prevention-oriented practice; (3) shared goals and vision in supply chain benefits operational cost performance primarily through prevention-oriented practice, but less likely through compliance-oriented practice.

This study reveals two distinct pathways through which the shared goals and vision impact various performance outcomes, providing valuable guidance to businesses aiming to balance operational cost and environmental performance — crucial for resilience in today's turbulent environment.

This study not only corroborates existing theories of the Natural Resource-Based View and collaborative networks but also provides a detailed depiction of how collaboration across the supply chain promotes a diverse range of environmental practices and yields varied performance outcomes. It offers vital insights for supply chain participants to effectively navigate environmental challenges, enabling them to cultivate resilience and proactively address environmental issues.

Although businesses face various types of risks because of climate change, the level of concern among managers seem to lag behind the institutional pressure to deal with the climate change issue. This paper aims to bridge this gap in perceptions by presenting a framework to assist business leaders in translating the climate change issue into a format that managers can appreciate.

Drawing from the supply chain literature, this paper presents a model that shows how climate change-related policy and resource risks affect a firm’s supply, operations and demand domains and the risk management approaches appropriate for each type of risk. Excerpts from 10-K annual reports filed by US automotive and food retailers are used to show how the model works.

Although majority of companies examined do not report climate change-related risks, the evidence from those that do affirm the framework’s ability to translate these risks into manager-friendly supply chain terminology.

Managers can participate in sustainability actions by focusing on the risks and effects of climate change. Business leaders, researchers and policymakers can adopt supply chain risk management terminology to connect with otherwise indifferent managers.