Game-Theoretic Approach to Tourism Supply Chain Coordination under Demand Uncertainty For Package Holidays

Demand uncertainty is one of the most significant characteristics of the tourism industry. In a typical tourism supply chain (TSC) for package holidays, multiple tour operators reserve rooms from a hotel chain in advance according to their demand predictions. Discrepancies between demand predictions and actual demand lead to shortages or unused room reservations, which inevitably leads to reduced profits for the tour operators concerned. This article examines different TSC coordination strategies to determine how they can be used to help alleviate such negative effects. A game-theoretic approach is used to analyze the different coordination relationships between TSC players. Two coordination programs are discussed. The first is a horizontal coordination program in which tour operators exchange shortages or unused reservations with each other. The second is a vertical coordination program in which tour operators trade shortages or unused reservations with hotel chains. Game models are established and analyzed for the two coordination strategies and uncoordinated conditions, respectively. The analytical results suggest that both coordination strategies can be used to reduce the negative impacts of the demand uncertainty. The results also show that the horizontal coordination is preferred to the vertical coordination when the competition among tour operators is fierce.published_or_final_versio

Game-theoretic study of the dynamics of tourism supply chains for package holidays under quantity competition

2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Naming Objects in BIM: A Convention and a Semiautomatic Approach

A consistent and easily recognizable name is the primary identifier of an object in building information modeling (BIM). Existing naming conventions vary significantly and require extensive manual work that is often tedious and error-prone. This study (1) develops a standardized naming convention for BIM objects and (2) devises a semiautomatic naming approach for saving manual work. In the proposed naming convention, each segment is included by referencing BIM standards with a consideration of BIM users’ actual needs, and the semiautomatic approach is formalized for both completed and ongoing BIM models. Validated by a control experiment and feedback from the project manager and BIM engineers of a real-life project, this research can be immediately applied to realize standardized BIM object names. This study also generates practical implications for BIM-based project management, where standardized BIM object names are required for supporting object identification and information incorporation throughout a project lifecycle. - See more at: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0001314#sthash.XOoOaKep.dpufpostprin

Smart Construction Objects

The primary aim of this research is to define smart construction objects (SCOs), the fundamental building blocks of future construction. SCOs are construction resources (e.g., machinery, device, and materials) that are made smart by augmenting them with technologies conferring autonomy, awareness, and the ability to interact with their vicinity. This smartness can enable better decision making in construction. Understanding of SCOs, however, is still in its infancy. Informed by theories on ubiquitous computing and general smart objects, this paper first defines the panoramic and interconnected properties that differentiate SCOs from conventional construction objects. Second, representative scenarios of the use of SCOs are given to illustrate the new workflow with enhanced smartness in the future. Next, using prefabrication construction as an example, this paper further elaborates SCOs using Industry Foundation Classes Extensible Markup Language and exploring their software/hardware representations. This is the first-ever research to articulate canonical SCOs and their core properties, computing applications, and representations. More specific and applicable SCOs are compellingly desired as the future study. Properly linked to building information modeling and Internet of Things, SCOs can enable a safer, greener, more efficient, and more effective construction system that has ever been seen.postprin

Case based polishing process planning with fuzzy set theory

It is difficult to make optimal process planning for polishing product because of the complex processes and the multi-criteria, attributes and vagueness of process parameters. To solve this problem, this paper combines the methodologies of Case Based Reasoning (CBR) and fuzzy Set Theory (FST) to support process planners in planning processes and making decisions effectively for polishing product. Moreover, various mathematical models are designed and integrated to the Web Based Portal System (WBPS) which supports the optimization computation of process parameter settings and case reasoning for polishing product. Finally, some cooker samples from the collaborating company have been collected to demonstrate the effectiveness of Case Based Process Planning (CBPP) model. © 2008 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM 2009), Singapore, 8-11 December 2008. In Proceedings of IEEM, 2008, p. 326-33

Iron-Catalyzed Nitrene Insertion Reaction for Facile Construction of Amide Compounds

A facile method for the construction of amide compounds from aldehydes by an iron-catalyzed nitrene insertion reaction has been developed. Both aryl and aliphatic aldehydes can directly afford the corresponding amides with an iron(II)-terpyridine (tpy) complex formed in situ as catalyst, and PhI=NTs as nitrogen source under mild reaction conditions. An ESI-MS study revealed the formation of [Fe(tpy)NTs)]+ as a reaction intermediate. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart - New York.postprin

Study on fruit quality measurement and evaluation based on color identification

A non-destructive measuring and evaluating method for fruits is proposed based on color identification. The color images of fruits are taken firstly. Then, images' RGB histograms are calculated and used as quality parameters for fruits. A BP neural network with three layers is established. Its input and output are the RGB histograms and evaluating results, respectively. After training, the qualities of fruits are identified by the BP network according to the histogram of RGB of fruits' images. For verifying the proposed method, the qualities of bananas are measured and evaluated. Experiment results show the reliability and feasibility of proposed method. © 2009 SPIE.published_or_final_versio

The TOC-Based Algorithm for Solving Multiple Constraint Resources: a Re-examination

published_or_final_versio

Meta-analysis of scalp acupuncture for acute hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage

Objectives: Scalp acupuncture (SA) is a commonly used therapeutic approach for primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but the efficacy and safety of SA therapy are still undetermined. The aim of this study is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of SA therapy for the treatment of acute hypertensive ICH. Methods: Literature reports with randomized controlled clinical trials and controlled clinical trials on SA therapy for acute hypertensive ICH were searched, and the efficacy and safety of SA therapy were evaluated by using the Cochrane systematic review methods. The primary outcome measures were death or dependency at the end of long-term follow-up (at least 3 months) and adverse events. The secondary outcome measure was neurological deficit improvement at the end of the treatment course. Results: Seven (7) independent trials (230 patients) were included in this study. All trials described the methods of randomization in which four trials had adequate concealment of randomization at the level of grade A, but no trial included sham acupuncture as a control group. None of the trials included "death or dependency" as a primary outcome measure. Four (4) trials contained safety assessments and stated that no adverse event was found, whereas the other three trials did not provide the information about adverse events. By using random effects statistical model, it was found that patients with acute hypertensive ICH who received SA therapy had significantly improved neurological deficit scores (Z=4.97, p<0.01). Conclusions: Although SA therapy is widely used to treat acute hypertensive ICH in TCM, the efficacy and safety of SA therapy remain to be further determined. No evidence is available on whether SA therapy can be used to treat acute ICH according to the primary outcome measure. However, SA therapy appears to be able to improve neurological deficit in patients with acute hypertensive ICH. © 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.published_or_final_versio

Establishing production service system and information collaboration platform for mold and die products

This paper investigates how the new concept of product service systems can be used and extended to transform, elevate, and revitalize traditional equipment manufacturing industry such as the Mold and Die (MD) sector. A mold and die production service systems (MPSS) framework is established based on recent developments within our industrial collaborators. Within the MPSS framework, MD manufacturers become more specialized in producing MD products and components while sharing and outsourcing manufacturing-oriented services (MOS) from a service provider. Typical services include collaborative order pooling and release, collaborative project progress status tracking, contractor-managed collaborative outsourcing, collaborative product design, collaborative production planning and scheduling, and after-sales technical supports. MOSs are designed, developed, and deployed as SaaS (software as application services) following the service-oriented architecture. Collectively, they form iMPSS-an Information and Collaboration Platform that enables MPSS. The use of iMPSS leads to benefits for stakeholders involved in providing mold and die functionality including better shopfloor decisions and reduced IT investments. © 2010 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201