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This study aims to propose and evaluate the progress in the basic-pixel (a strategy to generate continuous trajectories that fill out the entire surface) algorithm towards performance gain. The objective is also to investigate the operational efficiency and effectiveness of an enhanced version compared with conventional strategies.

For the first objective, the proposed methodology is to apply the improvements proposed in the basic-pixel strategy, test it on three demonstrative parts and statistically evaluate the performance using the distance trajectory criterion. For the second objective, the enhanced-pixel strategy is compared with conventional strategies in terms of trajectory distance, build time and the number of arcs starts and stops (operational efficiency) and targeting the nominal geometry of a part (operational effectiveness).

The results showed that the improvements proposed to the basic-pixel strategy could generate continuous trajectories with shorter distances and comparable building times (operational efficiency). Regarding operational effectiveness, the parts built by the enhanced-pixel strategy presented lower dimensional deviation than the other strategies studied. Therefore, the enhanced-pixel strategy appears to be a good candidate for building more complex printable parts and delivering operational efficiency and effectiveness.

This paper presents an evolution of the basic-pixel strategy (a space-filling strategy) with the introduction of new elements in the algorithm and proves the improvement of the strategy’s performance with this. An interesting comparison is also presented in terms of operational efficiency and effectiveness between the enhanced-pixel strategy and conventional strategies.

This study aims to investigate the possible defects and their root causes in a soft-termination multilayered ceramic capacitor (MLCC) when subjected to a thermal reflow process.

Specimens of the capacitor assembly were subjected to JEDEC level 1 preconditioning (85 °C/85%RH/168 h) with 5× reflow at 270°C peak temperature. Then, they were inspected using a 2 µm scanning electron microscope to investigate the evidence of defects. The reliability test was also numerically simulated and analyzed using the extended finite element method implemented in ABAQUS.

Excellent agreements were observed between the SEM inspections and the simulation results. The findings showed evidence of discontinuities along the Cu and the Cu-epoxy layers and interfacial delamination crack at the Cu/Cu-epoxy interface. The possible root causes are thermal mismatch between the Cu and Cu-epoxy layers, moisture contamination and weak Cu/Cu-epoxy interface. The maximum crack length observed in the experimentally reflowed capacitor was measured as 75 µm, a 2.59% difference compared to the numerical prediction of 77.2 µm.

This work's contribution is expected to reduce the additional manufacturing cost and lead time in investigating reliability issues in MLCCs.

Despite the significant number of works on the reliability assessment of surface mount capacitors, work on crack growth in soft-termination MLCC is limited. Also, the combined experimental and numerical investigation of reflow-induced reliability issues in soft-termination MLCC is limited. These cited gaps are the novelties of this study.

This study aims to increase the novelty of clothing design and fabric texture. The element library that can be used for design is systematically summarized. The element database can also be continuously filled according to the existing logic to realize the diversity of design. Improve the theory of fashion design, expand the designer's design ideas and improve design efficiency. Clear design steps and logic can help students and machines learn the design process and promote the development of intelligent design. And verify the feasibility of the simulation software to assist pleated clothing design.

Firstly, according to the logical framework of origami theory, different innovative designs and combined designs are made for the basic units of hyperbolic paraboloid, and the element library that can be used for design is systematically summarized. This database can also be continuously filled according to the existing logic to realize the diversity of design. Secondly, it summarizes three methods of pleated element filling clothing – uniform filling method, the irregular filling method and geometric addition method – that improve the theory of fashion design, expand the designer's design ideas and improve design efficiency. Clear design steps and logic can help students and machines learn the design process and promote the development of intelligent design. Finally, the virtual software is used to simulate the effect of pleated clothing, and the three-dimensional simulation software 3dclo is used to make an empirical study on the application of hyperbolic paraboloid origami in clothing pleated design to verify the feasibility of the simulation software to assist pleated clothing design.

The theoretical results of hyperbolic paraboloid origami are collected and arranged to establish the element library of hyperbolic paraboloid origami. The results expand the designer's design ideas and auxiliary design technology and improve the design efficiency using a sample of hyperbolic paraboloid fabric to verify its practicability and three-dimensional clothing simulation software for exploring the design. The design rules of hyperbolic paraboloid clothing and the realization method of fabric are summarized, including the expansion and combing of elements, the application of size and shape and the method of combination.

Owing to the hyperbolic paraboloid origami’s length shrinkage, the loose computation of clothing requires targeted computation. This paper solely applies a paper model for estimating the shrinkage, and then we tend to subsequently explore the way to precisely compute the porosity, to determine the existing differences in the two-dimensional shrinkage of hyperbolic paraboloid creases of varying materials and to know if the clothing after large-scale production is capable of reaching the anticipated value.

The exploration of this experiment brings a new 3D experiment process to the design process.

This experiment brings new possibilities for the development of virtual fitting and virtual display in the industry.

This study combines hyperbolic paraboloid origami and clothing and combs and expands the unit with logical thinking to expand the designer's design ideas.

The present study assesses the impact resistance of the shear thickening fluids-filled (STFs-filled) foam through drop-hammer impact tests.

The maximum residual impact load and specific impact energy absorption rate of STF-filled foam are studied with varying thickness (4–14 mm), densities (0.35–0.6 g/cm3) and hardness (40–50 Rockwell Hardness C Scale (HRC)) under different ambient temperatures (−20−20 °C) and impact energies (25–75 J).

The following conclusions are obtained from this study: (1) the higher the impact energy, the greater the maximum residual impact force and energy absorption efficiency of the material; (2) the impact resistance of STF-filled foam can be improved with the decrease of ambient temperature, achieving the highest energy absorption rate at −10?. (3) STF-filled foam substrate has the highest impact resistance, the lowest maximum residual impact force and the highest energy absorption coefficient when the density is 0.35  g/cm3, the hardness is 45HC and the thickness is 10 mm.

This is the first paper to analyze the impact of both environmental factors and material properties on the impact resistance of STF-filled foam. The results show that the decrease in temperature and the increase in hardness can enhance the impact resistance of STF-filled foam.

The cadaster goes through its fifth wave of updating, seeking agility and efficiency in cadastral registration. However, despite recent advances in remote sensors and the low cost of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), on-site visits are still used to complete the cadastral form. Thus, this work aims to employ techniques and methodologies for remote characterization of buildings for cadastral updating purposes, reducing the need to enter the parcels.

The research tools used were: RPAS and MMS (mobile mapping systems), making a three-dimensional model with RPAS data, and analyzing the results from these platforms. With the 3D model, it was possible to extract measurements and characteristics.

The analysis of the 3D model with the aerial photographs obtained better results in the characterization of the buildings and is the most indicated according to the study. There were difficulties in identifying some features, such as windows frames, and it was proposed to analyze the photographs without processing, to mitigate these identifications. The cadaster form was successfully completed using a combination of the techniques in this study.

This study brings a first proposal for the characterization of parcels for cadastral purposes, by remote sensing techniques, reducing the entry in the parcels for filling cadastral forms, with the evaluation of the proposal in the Brazilian case.

The phenomenal proliferation of crowdfunding platforms raises concerns on the heightened occurrence of financial crimes since billions of funds are exchanged through these online systems frequently. Accordingly, some countries have implemented legislative responses to address these risks, although each countries’ laws have varying degrees of severity. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess the efficiency and robustness of Mauritian laws to combat financial crimes that may arise from a crowdfunding transaction with a particular emphasis on money laundering and tax evasion.

To achieve this research objective, the black letter approach was used to analyse Mauritian rules and regulations on the researched topic and a comparative analysis was carried out against the corresponding laws on crowdfunding in some other jurisdictions, notably the UK and the USA with the view of suggesting the policy recommendations to Mauritian authorities.

It was found that there is still scope for improving the existing legal and regulatory framework on crowdfunding in Mauritius to prevent instances of money laundering and tax evasion. The paper suggests that a crowdfunding operator must be categorised as a reporting person and must carry out regular due diligence checks. There must also be more collaboration in terms of information exchanges and training sessions among the tax authority of Mauritius, crowdfunding operators, fund seekers and investors to shed light on the tax treatment of income and deductions to avoid issues of tax evasion.

At present, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is amongst the first academic writings on the efficiency of Mauritian laws in dealing with the risk of financial crimes through crowdfunding, and also, because existing literature is quite scarce on assessing the adequacy of crowdfunding rules in developing countries, this research aims at filling in the gap in literature. The study is carried out with the aim of combining a large amount of empirical, theoretical and factual information that can be of use to various stakeholders and not only to academics.

This study investigates the role of market concentration and efficiency in banking system stability during the COVID-19 pandemic. We empirically test the hypothesis that market concentration and efficiency are significant determinants of bank performance and stability during the time of crises, using a sample of 575 banks in 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The main sources of bank data are the BankScope and BankFocus (Bureau van Dijk) databases, World Bank development indicators, and official websites of banks in MENA countries. This study combined descriptive and analytical approaches. We utilize a panel dataset and adopt panel data econometric techniques such as fixed/random effects and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator.

The results reveal that market concentration negatively affects bank profitability, whereas improved efficiency further enhances bank performance and contributes to the banking sector’s overall stability. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that during the COVID-19 pandemic, bank stability strongly depended on the level of market concentration, but not on bank efficiency. However, more efficient banks are more profitable and stable if the banking institutions are Islamic. Similarly, Islamic banks with the same level of efficiency demonstrated better overall financial performance during the pandemic than their conventional peers did.

The main limitation is related to the period of COVID-19 pandemic that was covered in this paper (2020–2021). Therefore, further investigation of the COVID-19 effects on bank profitability and risk will require an extended period of the pandemic crisis, including 2022.

This study provides information that will enable bank managers and policymakers in MENA countries to assess the growing impact of market concentration and efficiency on the banking sector stability. It also helps them in formulating suitable strategies to mitigate the adverse consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our recommendations are useful guides for policymakers and regulators in countries where Islamic and conventional banking systems co-exist and compete, based on different business models and risk management practices.

The authors contribute to the banking stability literature by investigating the role of market concentration and efficiency as the main determinants of bank performance and stability during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is the first to analyze banking sector stability in the MENA region, using both individual and risk-adjusted aggregated performance measures.

The emphasis on short-term by project-based firms (PBFs) implies the adoption of project efficiency and impact on the team as project success drivers in PBFs context. Good performance by employees, as individuals in a team, can be explained by their behaviors, associated with goal orientation theory. Learning and performance orientations are associated with teams’ effectiveness and overall project performance. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationships between the dimensions of goal orientation, especially learning orientation, and project efficiency and impact on the team, in PBFs context.

A quantitative approach was adopted, based on data from a survey of 714 respondents, representing project managers, that turned into a valid sample of 315 composed only by PBFs respondents. The results were analyzed through multiple linear regression and, mainly, mediation analysis methods.

Performance-avoid orientation is a predictor of project efficiency; performance-prove orientation, a predictor of impact on the team. Learning orientation relates positively to both project success criteria. Project managers should balance/induce the proper orientation within the team, favoring learning orientation according to the results, to have short-term project success in PBFs.

There is a direct relationship between learning orientation and project efficiency, but it is fully mediated by impact on the team, which it was not found in previous studies. This study argues that they are not parallel constructs, constituent parts of equal weight in project success, but that impact on the team precedes project efficiency when learning orientation is considered.

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting technological innovation intentions at banks listed in Vietnam, a developing country, to develop business activities and accounting benefits according to the trend of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

To collect and analyze the data for this study, qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Specifically, 20 finance and banking experts and 45 managers in the field of information technology were interviewed in qualitative research over a period of three months. Then, 1,000 questionnaires were sent to banks within six months, with the final sample for quantitative research being 324 respondents. Finally, the structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to check the hypotheses. Regarding the tools used, the qualitative study used a semistructured questionnaire to collect information. Meanwhile, SPSS software was used to analyze quantitative research information, including checking common method bias, nonresponse bias, evaluating scale quality and checking SEM.

The findings show that the usefulness, ease of application, credibility, innovation and efficiency of technology have certain impacts on technological innovation intentions at banks listed in Vietnam. Using the SEM analysis, the results showed that the five factors had a favorable influence on the technological innovation intentions. More specifically, this study proposed adding an efficiency factor, and the results showed that it has the greatest impact on technological innovation intentions.

This study would be considered a continuation of prior studies because it provides empirical evidence for business models at banks listed in developing countries (for example, Vietnam) and so provides useful advice for bank management not only in Vietnam but across Asia. In fact, bank managers should consider introducing new technology as appropriate to make their reports more clear and up-to-date, therefore improving their performance. Banking managers, in particular, should focus on enhancing the bank’s application technology indicators to obtain a competitive edge.

This is a pioneering study that uses a combination of the reasoned action theory, planned behavior theory, transaction cost theory and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to expand knowledge about technological innovation intentions at listed banks in the context of a developing country. The study also discovered and added the efficiency factor as a key factor affecting the intention to innovate technology at listed banks. These contribute to improving the literature of technological innovation intentions.

This paper proposes a new metric, named Operational Space Efficiency (OpSE), intended to diagnose and quantify the inefficient use of floor space for stocking materials in industrial workstations. OpSE presents a formulation analogous to the well-known Overall Equipment Effectiveness and can be obtained as the product of three distinct indicators: Standard Compliance Effectiveness, Standards Selection Effectiveness and Design Space-usage Effectiveness.

This indicator scrutinizes how usefully floor space in workstations is used to temporarily stock materials in the form of raw materials, semi-finished products, parts and components. It is suited for analyzing fixed-position layouts as well as product layouts typical of repetitive manufacturing settings, such as assembly lines in the automotive sector. The proposed indicator leverages an appropriate loss structure that features those factors affecting floor space utilization in workstations with regard to supplying and stocking materials.

An Italian manufacturer in the field of electro-technology was used as an industrial case study for the application of the methodology. The application shows how the three indicators work in practice, the effectiveness of OpSE and the methodology as a whole, in diagnosing floor space usage inefficiencies and in properly addressing improvement actions of the internal logistics in industrial settings.

The paper scrutinizes some important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) dealing with space usage efficiency and identifies some significant drawbacks. Then it suggests a new, inclusive structure of losses and a KPI that not only measures efficiency but also allows to identify viable countermeasures.