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Describes current research work into the design of a 3‐D vision sensor for use in the field of robot navigation and autonomous vehicles. Outlines the development of a stereo vision system which uses fast data processing to extract feature points in the stereo images and a new fast stereo matching algorithm. Gives results of experiments performed using this system and concludes that the applications require fast, self‐adaptive algorithms which can be processed by parallel processors. This was obtained by means of a special configuration and a highly parallelizable stereo vision process based on the declivity feature matched by dynamic programming.

The following list of contracts placed by the Air Ministry during July is extracted from the August issue of The Ministry of Labour Gazette.

Under this heading are published regularly abstracts of all Reports and Memoranda of the Aeronautical Research Committee, Reports and Technical Notes of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and publications of other similar research bodies as issued

The purpose of this paper was to provide a general survey of the ground effect machine (GEM) or air cushion vehicle including concepts, accomplishments and some of the problems which remain to be solved. These are considered under the headings of effect of size, planform loading and operating height, effects of jet geometry, propulsion and control, and stability. Two typical missions were: (a) a utility vehicle capable of providing air‐cushion capability at every echelon on the battlefields, from which was selected for the first preliminary design study a vehicle having a payload of 2½ tons, a speed of 40 m.p.h., ground clearance of 5 ft., range of 100 miles and a grade capability of 17 deg.; (b) a logistics‐over‐the‐shore (LOTS) vehicle capable of permitting economical off‐loading of cargo vessels dispersed at large depths from the shoreline, from which the second design was selected having a payload of 22,000 lb., a speed of 80 m.p.h., ground clearance of 5 ft., range of 300 miles and a grade capability of 17 deg. Operating cost comparisons are carried out for a variety of operating conditions. It is concluded that the air cushion vehicle offers itself as a new and complementary mode of surface transportation for military applications if considerable work is done in the fields of stability, control, internal flow efficiency, structural and propulsion design, and operating techniques when operating over unprepared terrain.

Introduces the notion of Distributed Competence and Performance Base Learning. Notes that cannot always learn for the future and asserts that DC ensures that people learn for the present. Provides examples of Distributed Competence Intervention and Performance Base Learning in practice.

This paper aims to identify the scale efficiency of dry ports in Brazil and its main technological drivers.

This paper uses the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model in two stages. The first stage of the DEA was used to measure the efficiency of the dry ports. In the second stage, the Bootstrap Truncated Regression (BTR) was applied to explore the relationship between efficiency and the factors analyzed. The inputs, outputs and contextual variables for this analysis were extracted from the secondary database provided by Revista Tecnologística.

In the first analysis stage, a high level of idleness was verified in the operations. The contextual variables in the second stage were significant: Certification, Warehouse Management System (WMS), barcode and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Results corroborate the positive impact of Information Technology (IT) coordination processes on logistics performance.

Results show that dry ports operate below their technical and operational capacity and that the sector's lack of regulation in Brazil can facilitate and encourage the use of ports and marine terminals by importers and exporters.

Application of two-stage DEA measures efficiency as a sectoral benchmarking tool.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the origins and the business model of department stores in Mexico between 1891 and 1910.

Primary and secondary source material support an historical and comparative study of retailing and marketing evolution in a market on the global periphery.

This paper finds that Mexico's vanguard position in establishing the first purpose‐built department stores in Latin America is closely linked to the strong presence of an immigrant entrepreneurial class from the Barcelonnette region of France in the retailing and textile manufacturing sectors. Mexican department stores followed Parisian models, policies, and innovations closely, yet accommodated local customs and conditions. The stores served as showcases for the success of the national government's economic and cultural modernization program and as cultural primers for Mexican consumers.

Scholarly work on department stores, consumerism, and the influential French community in Mexico is extremely limited, especially so in English. This is the first work that brings these together and analyzes them within – and in relation to – the context of Mexico's rapid modernization during the era of President Porfirio Díaz from 1876 to 1911. It also undermines the notion that the USA is the first and most influential foreign influence on modern Mexican consumer culture.

VIBu – Virtual Teams in International Business – is the name of a training concept, which is aimed at familiarizing participants with collaborating in a virtual environment. Based on the online business simulation RealGame™, participants are assigned to multicultural virtual teams that represent different companies. These companies are either competing with or depending on each other in typical business processes of an internationally operating manufacturing company. Interaction and negotiation are required throughout the whole simulation. All communication takes place via information and communication technology, mainly Skype and Skype chat. The main challenge in the environment is that participants are located in different countries and time zones all over the world. The book chapter first outlines some of the challenges of global teamwork that organizations face. We argue that students need to learn how to navigate in global teams before they leave university as they are bound to become involved in organizational global teamwork sooner rather than later. We draw on frameworks for experiential learning (e.g., Kolb's learning model, Kolb, 1984) and the constructivist learning paradigm (Lainema, 2009) to outline the learning experiences that students need to gather in order to become effective global team members. In addition, we highlight the potential for learner engagement that this approach offers. The chapter concludes by highlighting the key learning and teaching outcomes from incorporating this cutting-edge simulation technology. Furthermore, we direct the reader's attention to ways in which the simulation can be used for research purposes, international inter-university collaborations, and multidisciplinary research on teaching practices and engaged learning.

Haptic interfaces enable person‐machine communication through touch, and most commonly, in response to user movements. We comment on a distinct property of haptic interfaces, that of providing for simultaneous information exchange between a user and a machine. We also comment on the fact that, like other kinds of displays, they can take advantage of both the strengths and the limitations of human perception. The paper then proceeds with a description of the components and the modus operandi of haptic interfaces, followed by a list of current and prospective applications and a discussion of a cross‐section of current device designs.

This paper aims to attempt to investigate if the now-existing upstream Sost Dry Port in Gilgit-Baltistan and the prospective midstream Havelian Dry Port in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both part of One Belt One Road (OBOR), are expected to compete against or complement each other in terms of port efficiency and location, and which of the two ports should first be developed in the wake of uninterrupted logistics flow of cargo on the Economic Corridor.

Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been used for multi-criteria decision making by the stakeholders. Five main criteria for transhipment port selection, ranging from port location, port efficiency, intermodal connectivity, port costs and cargo volume were used with three sub-criteria each.

This study demonstrates the results that favour physical infrastructural development initiatives prioritized for the Sost Dry Port in view of its strategic location as the upstream supply chain node on the Economic Corridor, imparting efficiency to the logistics flow.

Results of this study may assist policymakers in achieving goals like enhancing trade facilitation, reducing congestion and increasing cargo security on OBOR.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind that analyzes priority for immediate development intervention for either Sost or Havelian Dry Port, both located on CPEC – OBOR supply chain.