Search results
1 – 10 of 20Wenhao Yu, Jun Li, Li-Ming Peng, Xiong Xiong, Kai Yang and Hong Wang
The purpose of this paper is to design a unified operational design domain (ODD) monitoring framework for mitigating Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF) risks triggered…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to design a unified operational design domain (ODD) monitoring framework for mitigating Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF) risks triggered by vehicles exceeding ODD boundaries in complex traffic scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
A unified model of ODD monitoring is constructed, which consists of three modules: weather condition monitoring for unusual weather conditions, such as rain, snow and fog; vehicle behavior monitoring for abnormal vehicle behavior, such as traffic rule violations; and road condition monitoring for abnormal road conditions, such as road defects, unexpected obstacles and slippery roads. Additionally, the applications of the proposed unified ODD monitoring framework are demonstrated. The practicability and effectiveness of the proposed unified ODD monitoring framework for mitigating SOTIF risk are verified in the applications.
Findings
First, the application of weather condition monitoring demonstrates that the autonomous vehicle can make a safe decision based on the performance degradation of Lidar on rainy days using the proposed monitoring framework. Second, the application of vehicle behavior monitoring demonstrates that the autonomous vehicle can properly adhere to traffic rules using the proposed monitoring framework. Third, the application of road condition monitoring demonstrates that the proposed unified ODD monitoring framework enables the ego vehicle to successfully monitor and avoid road defects.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is that the proposed unified ODD monitoring framework establishes a new foundation for monitoring and mitigating SOTIF risks in complex traffic environments.
Details
Keywords
Karima Derdour, Chafia Bouchelta, Amina Khorief Naser-Eddine, Mohamed Salah Medjram and Pierre Magri
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the removal of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] from wastewater by using activated carbon-supported Fe catalysts derived from walnut shell…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the removal of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] from wastewater by using activated carbon-supported Fe catalysts derived from walnut shell prepared using a wetness impregnation process. The different conditions of preparation such as impregnation rate and calcination conditions (temperature and time) were optimized to determine their effects on the catalyst’s characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
The catalyst samples were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption of Cr(VI) by using using activated carbon supported Fe catalysts derived from walnut shell as an adsorbent and catalyst was investigated under different adsorption conditions. The parameters studied were contact time, adsorbent dose, solution pH and initial concentrations.
Findings
Results showed that higher adsorption capacity and rapid kinetics were obtained when the activated walnut shell was impregnated with Fe at 5 per cent and calcined under N2 flow at 400°C for 2 h. The adsorption isotherms data were analyzed with Langmuir and Freundlich models. The better fit is obtained with the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 29.67 mg/g for Cr(VI) on Fe5-AWS at pH 2.0.
Originality/value
A comparison of two kinetic models shows that the adsorption isotherms system is better described by the pseudo-first-order kinetic model.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this stud is to analyze the financialization effect on oil prices.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this stud is to analyze the financialization effect on oil prices.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applied the technique of multibreak point analysis with Bai and Perron test plus VAR methodology.
Findings
Findings revealed that there was no effect on oil prices.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper combining the multibreakpoint analysis with VAR for the period analyzed in the present work.
Details
Keywords
Baodong Cheng, Sitong Liu, Lichun Xiong, Fengting Wang, Guangyuan Qin, Danmeng Yue, Huaxing Zhang and Chang Yu
China is not only the biggest importing country of the raw materials of forest products, but also the biggest exporting country of intermediate and final forest products. The…
Abstract
Purpose
China is not only the biggest importing country of the raw materials of forest products, but also the biggest exporting country of intermediate and final forest products. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the Khandelwal (2010) method and trade data from 2000 to 2014 of bilateral forest products between China and ten main developed countries to evaluate the quality of China’s forestry imports and exports. Subsequently, the influencing factors of product quality are analyzed.
Findings
The results show that the current export quality of plywood and fiberboard is decreasing, and the export quality of particleboard and paper products is on the rise. A further study finds that several factors have the positive effects on the quality of forestry exports, including gross domestic product of the importing country, forestry export value of the importing country as well as the number of forestry higher education graduates of the exporting country. Moreover, the study also finds that the status of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member has a negative effect on the quality of forestry exports, while the distance cost has a negative influence on fiberboard, paper and paperboard.
Practical implications
The study suggests that China needs to strengthen the research and development investment on forest products, and improve the quality of forest products to promote the trade development of forestry exports.
Originality/value
The existing literature has not shown much research regarding the quality of China’s forestry exports through econometric analysis. Therefore, the research results provide new perspective about the influencing factors on China’s forestry trade activities.
Details
Keywords
Diqian Ren, Jun-Ki Choi and Kellie Schneider
Because of the significant differences in the features and requirements of specific products and the capabilities of various additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, selecting the…
Abstract
Purpose
Because of the significant differences in the features and requirements of specific products and the capabilities of various additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, selecting the most appropriate AM technology can be challenging. This study aims to propose a method to solve the complex process selection in 3D printing applications, especially by creating a new multicriteria decision-making tool that takes the direct certainty of each comparison to reflect the decision-maker’s desire effectively.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology proposed includes five steps: defining the AM technology selection decision criteria and constraints, extracting available AM parameters from the database, evaluating the selected AM technology parameters based on the proposed decision-making methodology, improving the accuracy of the decision by adopting newly proposed weighting scheme and selecting optimal AM technologies by integrating information gathered from the whole decision-making process.
Findings
To demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the proposed methodology, this case study describes a detailed industrial application in rapid investment casting that applies the weightings to a tailored AM technologies and materials database to determine the most suitable AM process. The results showed that the proposed methodology could solve complicated AM process selection problems at both the design and manufacturing stages.
Originality/value
This research proposes a unique multicriteria decision-making solution, which employs an exclusive weightings calculation algorithm that converts the decision-maker's subjective priority of the involved criteria into comparable values. The proposed framework can reduce decision-maker's comparison duty and potentially reduce errors in the pairwise comparisons used in other decision-making methodologies.
Details
Keywords
The outbreak of COVID-19 not only had serious negative impacts on the world economy but also on the global mental health because of the psychological disorders associated with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The outbreak of COVID-19 not only had serious negative impacts on the world economy but also on the global mental health because of the psychological disorders associated with the spread of the pandemic, the increased degree of uncertainty and the unprecedented measures taken by different countries to face the pandemic’s spread. This paper analyses the mental health well-being of individuals in selected MENA countries (Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt) during the pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a pooled OLS model using the Economic Research Forum (ERF) COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey panel dataset collected during 2020 and 2021.
Findings
The findings show that there is no association between the mental health of individuals in the selected countries and their age, gender, family size, marital status, receipt of social support and participation in care work. Mental health improved at higher levels of education, being employed, being a rural area resident and living in Morocco or Tunisia compared to living in Jordan while it worsened as income declined, food insecurity and anxiety about being infected with Covid-19 increased, being a resident in camps, and during waves 4 and 5. Based on these results, it is recommended that suitable financial, physical and human resources should be directed towards the provision of mental health care services in the region. Also, mental health care services should be accessible to different population groups, with a special focus towards the most vulnerable since they are more prone to mental illnesses, especially during health crises and economic shocks. This should be accompanied by increasing awareness about the provided services and reducing stigma against mental illnesses. Furthermore, introduction of policies targeted towards reducing food insecurity and income instability can play a key role in enhancing mental well-being.
Originality/value
Although few papers have previously investigated the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in MENA countries, most of them have focused on a country-level analysis and adopted a gender perspective. Hence, this paper aims at exploring the association between mental health well-being and socio-economic factors in selected MENA countries during the pandemic.
Details