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This paper aims to develop ring resonator type optical sensors for high-sensitive detection of biomaterials and a solution concentration surrounding sensor devices. The sensing characteristics of a proposed device are investigated.

The proposed device structure is multi-slot ring resonator where the horizontal slots are arranged in vertical direction called as stacked multi-slot ring resonator. The ring resonator consists of silicon nitride because of several advantages such as easy integration of Si photo-detectors. A high sensitivity is expected in this structure because the slot height is precisely controlled by the thickness of stacked silicon nitride and etched silicon oxide layers. Sensing characteristics are evaluated from the simulated effective refractive index using the finite element method and sucrose solution sensing is confirmed using polydimethylsiloxane fluid channel.

In the simulation for the solution concentration sensor, the detection sensitivity is enhanced with increasing the slot height and the number of slots. On the other hand, for the biomaterial sensor such as the adsorbed antigen-antibody reaction, the sensitivity increases with decreasing the slot height. In this case, more than four times higher sensitivity is expected compared with the slot ring resonator sensor with vertical single slot and 0.1-0.2 μm slot width.

This paper presents an improved new structure of ring resonator type sensors and its optimum design parameters. The sensing characteristics are evaluated, and, for the biomaterial sensor, the sensitivity is high in comparison to the previous slot ring resonator.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of annealing on photochromic performance of (E)‐dicyclopropylmethylene‐(2, 5‐dimethyl‐3‐furylethylid‐ene)‐succinicanhydride doped in polyacrylic acid thin film.

(E)‐dicyclopropylmethylene‐(2,5‐dimethyl‐3‐furyl‐ethylidene)‐succinic‐anhydride (DMDFS‐E) fulgide doped in polyacrylic acid thin films was prepared. DMDFS‐E fulgide doped in polyacrylic acid thin films was heated at various annealing temperatures. Photocoloration, photobleaching and photochemical fatigue resistance for the desired DMDFS‐E fulgide doped in polyacrylic acid thin films were studied.

Upon irradiation with UV light (366 nm), fulgide DMDFS‐E undergoes a conrotatory ring closure to the pinkish colored closed form C (523 nm). The later color was switched back to the original color when the films were irradiated with white light. The kinetics of photocoloration and photobleaching processes were followed spectrophotometrically by monitoring the absorbance of the ring closed product DMDFS‐C at its λmax of 523 nm. The first‐order plots of photocoloration reaction showed distinct linear line at different temperatures. The slope of these first‐order lines corresponding to the rate constants k. It was found that for photocoloration reaction, the rate constant of the photocoloration reaction was slower than the photobleaching reaction and both reactions decrease with increasing the annealing temperatures. It was found that there was almost improvement of photochemical fatigue resistance of fulgide DMDFS‐E doped in polyacrylic acid thin film at several of the annealing temperatures.

The results obtained in this work showed that the photochromic properties of DMDFS fulgide E were improved upon annealing the film at 100°C. Therefore, it would be recommended for improvement to apply fulgides as annealed polymer films.

This chapter explores the multifaceted relationship between quantum computing (QC) and sustainability, with a focus on the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation (QUBO) framework. The manuscript delves into the theoretical underpinnings of QUBO and its formulation as a quantum annealing problem, identifying the quantum principles that facilitate the resolution of such optimisation challenges. It offers a critical analysis of the suitability of QUBO for unconstrained problems and its efficacy in consistently locating the global minimum – a pivotal concern in optimisation tasks. Further, this study provides a nuanced discussion on the intersection of QC and sustainability. It delineates the types of optimisation problems within sustainability initiatives that are amenable to formulation as QUBO problems, while also highlighting sustainability challenges that elude the QUBO framework. It argues for the integration of quantum solutions into business operations, highlighting the potential for QC to play a transformative role in achieving sustainability objectives. The critique of the current hype surrounding QC provides a balanced viewpoint, ensuring a grounded approach to the adoption of quantum technologies in tackling pressing global issues.

This paper aims at identifying perceived factors and measuring opinions about the factors' impact on academic staff development (ASD) at Tay Nguyen University (TNU), Dak Lak, Vietnam.

The research used the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) method, the multiple regression model (ordinary least squares (OLS)) and a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. A sample of 70 managerial staff, 374 lecturers and 512 students of TNU was surveyed to obtain data.

The EFA showed that opinions concerning university autonomy (UA) and university social responsibility (USR) were positively correlated. With the above two factors united as responsible autonomy (RA), the OLS indicated perceptions that RA and internal driving factor (IF) had significant and positive impacts on the ASD, while external driving factor (EF) was found to have a perceived negative influence on ASD.

The results indicated that there appears to be a close relationship between UA and USR, and these can be considered as a factor that has apparent impacts on the ASD of the university.

The degree of UA and USR of TNU should be enhanced through awareness of the university's academic staff, the application of a suitable evaluation system and the efficiency of university's regulations. In addition, efforts should be made to improve internal factors such as the dissemination of educational philosophy, the suitability of strategic plans, the development of key performance indicators KPIs and the building of organizational culture – all of which will help to heighten the university’s ASD. At the same time, TNU should endeavor to quickly transform aspects of administration and management to meet the shifting requirements of the autonomous environment and competitive features of the market economy. In particular, there is a need for the academic staff themselves to have increased capacity to adapt to these changes.

The authors' results have a broader application to not only the case of TNU but to other situations in developing countries where universities are in transitional stages as governments assign increasing autonomy and responsibility to them.

This paper suggests that the academic staff of TNU should be provided with both professional autonomy and adaptive capacity to foster research and educational innovation in the market-based higher education system of Vietnam. More generally, if true, the paper suggests that an increase in the degree of UA and USR should be combined with the efforts to improve the internal environments such as disseminating educational philosophy, mission, vision and strategies and building organizational culture.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the photochromic performance of photochromic compounds in polymer matrices.

The poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA and epoxy resin doped with photochromic spirooxazine (SO) are prepared and the effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation are studied using spectrophotometer. The reversible reaction is effected using white light. Photochemical fatigue resistance of these films is also studied.

Irradiation of colourless 7′,8′‐dichloro‐1,3,3‐trimethylspiro[indoline‐2,3′‐[3H]benzo[b][1,4]oxazine] (SO) doped in PMMA and epoxy resin with UV light (366 nm) results in the formation of an intense purple‐red coloured zwitterionic photomerocyanine (PMC). The reverse reaction is photochemically induced by irradiation with white light. Photocolouration and photobleaching reactions follow a first‐order rate equation. It is found that photocoloration rate constant of (SO) in both matrices is almost the same, which is unexpected. On the other hand, the rate of photobleaching reaction of (PMC) in PMMA is twice slower than that in the epoxy resin. It seems that the presence of the two chlorine atoms at positions 7′ and 8′ of the benzooxazine moiety destabilise the PMC in epoxy resin film and results in speeding up the fading process compared to that in PMMA. SO doped in epoxy resin shows much better fatigue resistance than that doped in PMMA.

The PMMA and epoxy resin polymers doped photochromic spirobenzooxazine described in this paper were prepared and studied. The principle of study established can be applied to any type of polymer or to any type of photochromic compounds.

The photochromic materials developed can be used for different applications, such as coatings and holography.

The method developed may be used to enhance the performance of photochromic materials.

The purpose of this study is to showcase that the valuation of startups is still considered to be more “art than science”. Moreover, such non-rigorous approaches often lead to valuations, which turn out to be too high, which in turn has become a well-known phenomenon to a broader audience due to shining examples such as We Work. This is reason enough to revisit the important topic of where we stand today with startup valuation procedures and methodologies.

Literature synthesis and exploratory analysis.

While some studies describe sound results about how to assess startups, what the authors found was that many questions remain open or have not been covered at all. This is the reason why the authors needed to apply a substantial amount of reasoning in the analysis of studies, which do not exactly deal with startup companies. The authors provided some interesting impulses for future research.

Based on an original overview of the current state of research about the valuation of startup companies, this paper makes the following principal contribution to both the literature and practice: on the one hand, the authors assess four impact factors on startup values critically; on the other, the authors provide an outlook on promising future research avenues.

The transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and technological advancements has captured the attention of various stakeholders, from researchers to policymakers and the general public. Despite the promise of AI's benefits, concerns persist regarding its ethical, privacy, security, and societal implications. Public trust in AI remains low, with fears surrounding its future use and governance growing among scholars and the public. These anxieties are fueled by media narratives raising scenarios such as the “AI revolution” or “AI apocalypse.” Moreover, the prospect of technology-driven unemployment adds to this climate of anxiety. Meanwhile, AI's increasing geopolitical influence has shifted its focus from innovation to dominance, with national governments viewing it as a tool for competitive repositioning. However, AI also poses threats to democracy, as it facilitates the spread of misinformation and undermines electoral integrity. In this chapter, we explore further the challenges AI presents to modern society and democracy, focusing on political practices and electoral risks. Our analysis focuses on the political and social dimensions of AI, arguing that its impacts are shaped by specific political decisions rather than abstract technological dynamics. We emphasize the need to acknowledge and address the political implications of AI to foster a more informed discourse surrounding its deployment and regulation.

An omni-channel is a retailing strategy that the behavior of companies adopts many retail channel types to combine and integrate cross-channel sales to meet the comprehensive needs of customers in shopping, entertainment and social networking both online and offline. This leads to several research questions of retailing omni-channel in this study. First, do channel brand trust (CBT) and store image (SI) affect re-patronage intentions through customer satisfaction (CS)? Second, regarding online rating (OR) and online involvement (OI), will CS be determined by consumer perception as well as the relevance of those attributes to the customer's re-patronage intentions? Third, do OR and OI have a role in exploring the moderating effect in the research model? Fourth, if there are positive effects from this relationship, it can generate a positive power return online. In addition, online-to-offline moves on a path for case firm omni-channel with customers' OR and OI with a reciprocal positive influence.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between CBT, SI, CS and re-patronize intention in an omni-channel. By using structural equation models (SEMs), this study aims to investigate offline-to-online and online-to-offline re-patronizing in the Taiwan Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) omni-channel (N = 1,642). Two moderated mediation models are investigated in this study.

This study first found that CBT and CS use SI to influence re-patronize intention in the omni-channel. SI plays a mediating role in this process; OR and OI influence the relationships of CBT, CS and re-patronize intention with two moderating roles.

This study first found that there is a reciprocal way with two paths in an omni-channel, starting with offline-to-online, in terms of confirming the relationship of CBT, CS and re-patronize intention in an omni-channel. There are positive effects from this relationship, and it can generate a positive power return online. In addition, we found that online-to-offline moves on a path that has a stronger influence of re-patronize intention for omni-channel with customers' OR and OI.

In an economy where firms compete for limited resources, focusing internally to boost efficiency and reduce waste is critical. In particular, the kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement in small sustainable increments has spread in the manufacturing industry with mixed results. However, the knowledge management requirements of kaizen have not yet been formalized for practitioners to easily check the necessary pre‐conditions of their organization. The objective of this paper is to explore the successful implementation of kaizen in terms of its organizational design and knowledge management preconditions.

Using a case‐study approach building on previous in‐depth research of New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) in Fremont, California, this study assesses the organizational and knowledge preconditions of kaizen.

The results show that the success of NUMMI may reside as much in Toyota's production system as in the alignment of kaizen and the organizational characteristics that support suitable knowledge management practices.

The findings highlight the need for practitioners who plan to implement kaizen to review their firm's organizational characteristics and knowledge management practices and ensure their congruence with the requirements of kaizen.

The paper shows how kaizen cannot be reduced to an add‐on grafted onto existing processes and aimed at temporarily fixing the bottom line. Instead, kaizen is deeply rooted in, and therefore strongly dependent on, the processes it intends to improve.

Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.