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Malaysian rice wines (tapai) manufactured in small-scale industries are usually formulated based on personal experiences under minimally controlled conditions for generations, especially in Sabah, one of the East Malaysian states. However, the quality and safety of rice wines were receiving increased attention to ensure better quality control, particularly those produced on an industrial scale. Therefore, this research aims to determine the fermentation dynamics and consumers’ acceptance of Malaysian rice wines produced using different sasad (a local term for starter culture from Sabah).

The physicochemical [total soluble solids (TSS), alcohol content, total titratable acidity (TTA) and pH] and microbiological [total yeast and mould count (TYMC) and total lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count] changes in Malaysian rice wines were determined to better understand the fermentation process for future process optimisation. Additionally, sensory evaluations were conducted to determine the consumers’ preferences for the rice wines.

The overall fermentation dynamics of rice wines exhibited similar trends with slight variations between the samples, demonstrating the effect of microbial compositions of sasad on the quality of final rice wines. Additionally, consumer acceptance tests showed that rice wines with darker shades of yellow and a stronger alcoholic aroma were preferable.

This is the first research that provides important insights into both the fermentation dynamics and consumers’ acceptance of Malaysian traditional rice wines, enriching the rice wine literature from the academic perspective and contributing to the production of safe and high-quality rice wines.

The reinforced concrete open-web sandwich slab is composed of upper rib, lower rib, surface plate and shear key and was applied to long-span structure crossing at 18–30 m. The shear-bearing capacity of shear key, having vital effects on the slab’s bearing capacity, is analysed to present its calculation formula used for the engineering application of the slab.

The shear-bearing capacity of shear key is analysed by the strut-and-tie model and the benchmark model established by the finite element method. Furthermore, the design formula of its shear capacity is given by the parametric analysis of FEM to adjust the result of the strut-and-tie model, using multivariate linear regression analysis of these parameters.

The calculation result of the benchmark model is compared with those of the strut-and-tie model and the standard formula, which indicates that the result of the strut-and-tie model is closer to that of the benchmark model than that of the standard formula. Moreover, the parametric analysis of the finite element model indicates that the volume–stirrup ratio of the shear key and the compression strength of the concrete have lesser effect on the shear capacity compared with the longitudinal reinforcement ratio and the shear-to-span ratio of the shear key and the relative section height of the rib.

The shear capacity of the shear key is provided in the paper by combining the finite element method and the strut-and-tie model, which is different from the calculation of the shear key in local codes and Chinese code, based on the theory of short corbel and the experiment of member. Furthermore, the formula of the shear capacity could be employed in the design and construction of the RC open-web sandwich slab, mainly used in the public and industrial multi-story building with long span to save the dwindling land resource currently.

We are interested in how and why people use or take part to crowdfunding projects.

Over the past four years, we have interviewed over 120 crowdfunding requesters and supporters of over 15 project types from dance to technology to publishing.

The key contributions of this research are: An understanding of the work involved, an understanding of motivations for participation, and an understanding of how the design of platforms influences engagement.

We adopt a computer-supported cooperative work approach from sociology, computer science, and design to provide a new perspective to researchers who seek to understand user behavior, motivations, and the mechanisms in place to support engagement with crowdfunding technology.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the existing differential evolution (DE) mutation operator so as to accelerate its convergence.

A new general donor form for mutation operation in DE is presented, which defines a donor as a convex combination of the triplet of individuals selected for a mutation. Three new donor schemes from that form are deduced.

The three donor schemes were empirically compared with the original DE version and three existing variants of DE by using a suite of nine well‐known test functions, and were also demonstrated by a practical application case – training a neural network to approximate aerodynamic data. The obtained numerical simulation results suggested that these modifications to the mutation operator could improve the DE's convergence performance in both the convergence rate and the convergence reliability.

Further research is still needed for adequately explaining why it was possible to simultaneously improve both the convergence rate and the convergence reliability of DE to that extent despite the well‐known “No Free Lunch” theorem. Also further research is considered necessary for outlining more distinctively the particular class of problems, where the current observations can be generalized.

More complicated engineering problems could be solved sub‐optimally, whereas their real optimal solution may never be reached subject to the current computer capability.

Though DE has demonstrated a considerably better convergence performance than the other evolutionary algorithms (EAs), its convergence rate is still far from what is hoped for by scientists. On the one hand, a higher convergence rate is always expected for any optimization method used in seeking the global optimum of a non‐linear objective function. On the other hand, since all EAs, including DE, work with a population of solutions rather than a single solution, many evaluations of candidate solutions are required in the optimization process. If evaluation of candidate solutions is too time‐consuming, the overall optimization cost may become too expensive. One often has to limit the algorithm to operate within an acceptable time, which maybe is not enough to find the global optimum (optima), but enough to obtain a sub‐optimal solution. Therefore, it is continuously necessary to investigate the new strategies to improve the current DE algorithm.

A hypersingular boundary integral method is proposed for the numerical solution of a quasi‐static antiplane problem involving an elastic bimaterial with an imperfect interface. The interface exhibits viscoelastic behaviors and is modeled as comprising linear springs and dashpots. The proposed method is applied to solve a specific test problem.

Genetic algorithms have been extensively used in different domains as a type of robust optimization method. They have a much better chance of achieving global optima than conventional gradient‐based methods which usually converge to local sub‐optima. However, convergence speeds of genetic algorithms are often not good enough at their current stage. For this reason, improving the existing algorithms becomes a very important aspect of accelerating the development of the algorithms. Three improved strategies for genetic algorithms are proposed based on Holland’s simple genetic algorithm (SGA). The three resultant improved models are studied empirically and compared, in feasibility and performance evaluation, with a set of artificial test functions which are usually used as performance benchmarks for genetic algorithms. The simulation results demonstrate that the three proposed strategies can significantly improve the SGA.

The purpose of this paper, based on the institution change theory, is to analyze the factors which influence the auditees' demand for government performance auditing (GPA).

This study acquired the data by survey. The author investigated the government officials and the state‐owned enterprises and institutions' senior managers from 28 provinces and cities, then used the econometrics model to test the hypotheses.

By analyzing the survey data, it is found that the respondents who come from the region where the economy is less developed and the legislative level is lower have more demand for the performance auditing; the respondents' knowledge about the GPA has not increased their demand; the auditing penalty effects has negative impact on the demand for performance auditing and the organizational support has positive effects on their demand.

The findings in this study suggest that there is not enough GPA supply in the region where the economy is less developed and the legislative level is lower, and that the auditees have not realized the benefits of GPA, although they know something about the GPA.

The national audit office and its branches should pay more attention to the region where the developmental level of GPA is lower and allocate the auditing resources more efficiently. The government officials should learn more about GPA to realize its benefits and distinguish GPA from the other kinds of government auditing, such as the financial revenues and expenditures auditing. Moreover, the government at all levels should give substantial support to GPA.

The paper empirically analyzes, for the first time, the government auditees' demand for GPA. The paper extends previous studies in this field by surveying auditees who have been neglected but have important impact on the development of GPA.

To present and validate a new differential evolution (DE) method for multi‐objective optimization method.

A new selection scheme was designed to replace the existing one in DE to enable DE applicable to either single objective or multi‐objective optimizations.

The new method was validated with three simple multi‐objective optimization problems. The simulation results show that the approach is capable of generating an approximated Pareto‐front for each selected problem. The new DE method was used to optimize a prototype air mixer subject to two objective functions to be minimized. The results demonstrate that the new DE approach can handle this practical multi‐objective problem successfully.

The new method is an easy‐to‐implement evolutionary method and has the potential for application for any complicated engineering optimizations.

This study reveals the green building development path and analyzes the optimal government subsidy equilibrium through evolutionary game theory and numerical simulation. This was done to explore the feasible measures and optimal incentives to achieve higher levels of green building in China.

First, the practice of green building in China was analyzed, and the specific influencing factors and incentive measures for green building development were extracted. Second, China-specific evolutionary game models were constructed between developers and homebuyers under the market regulation and government incentive mechanism scenarios, and the evolutionary paths were analyzed. Finally, real-case numerical simulations were conducted, subsidy impacts were mainly analyzed and optimal subsidy equilibriums were solved.

(1) Simultaneously subsidizing developers and homebuyers proved to be the most effective measure to promote the sustainability of green buildings. (2) The sensitivity of developers and homebuyers to subsidies varied across scenarios, and the optimal subsidy level diminished marginally as building greenness and public awareness increased. (3) The optimal subsidy level for developers was intricately tied to the building greenness benchmark. A higher benchmark intensified the developer’s responsiveness to losses, at which point increasing subsidies were justified. Conversely, a reduction in subsidy might have been appropriate when the benchmark was set at a lower level.

The expeditious advancement of green buildings holds paramount importance for the high-quality development of the construction industry. Nevertheless, the pace of green building expansion in China has experienced a recent deceleration. Drawing insights from the practices of green building in China, the exploration of viable strategies and the determination of optimal government subsidies stand as imperative initiatives. These endeavors aim to propel the acceleration of green building proliferation and materialize high-quality development at the earliest juncture possible.

The model is grounded in China’s green building practices, which makes the conclusions drawn more specific. Furthermore, research results provide practical references for governments to formulate green building incentive policies.