A Continuous Trust-Region-Type Method for Solving Nonlinear Semidefinite Complementarity Problem

We propose a new method to solve nonlinear semidefinite complementarity problem by combining a continuous method and a trust-region-type method. At every iteration, we need to calculate a second-order cone subproblem. We show the well-definedness of the method. The global convergent result is established

Challenges to China's new stock market for small and medium-size enterprises: trading price falls below the IPO price

This study discusses the development of the Growth Enterprise Board (GEB), a part of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE), which allows small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to raise capital on favourable terms by issuing shares in China. We use all initial public offerings (IPOs) in the GEB market to model the probability of the trading price for new issues that will fall below their IPO price from October 2009 to December 31, 2011. Three probability models (logit, probit and scobit models) are used. The results show that four important factors explain the probability of trading price falling below their IPO price. A high first-day turnover ratio, a small price update, an optimistic stock market, and high average initial returns of other firms prior to an IPO issue all reduce the risk that the trading price will fall below the IPO price. The stock market returns have a non-linear significant effect on that probability. Our results are useful for regulators, underwriters, and issuers in the development of the GEB market

Primary sternal tumour resection and reconstruction with LARS mesh-bone cement sandwich by 3D-printing: Case reports

Background: There are many reconstruction methods after sternal tumor resection, but the method that LARS mesh combines with bone-cement has not been reported.Case report: A 54-year-old female patient and a 55-year-old male patient admitted to our department all presented with sternum masses, but neither presented with respiratory disorders. In women with limited manubrium sternum lesions, we resected the manubrium sternum completely. In men with sternal lesions, we removed part of the sternum and part of the sternocostal joint. The patients recovered well after surgery, and there were no respiratory complications and no tumor recurrence during the 1-year follow-up respectively.Conclusion: We report two cases of sternal defect repair using LARS mesh combined with bone cement. This method is safe and stable, and can achieve satisfactory results

An Agricultural Interval Two-Stage Fuzzy Differential Water Price Model (ITS-DWPM) for Initial Water Rights Allocation in Hulin, China

In recent years, China’s agricultural water consumption has been high, while water inefficiency has restricted the development of the economy. In this study, we developed an agricultural interval two-stage fuzzy differential water prices model (ITS-DWPM) by incorporating the techniques of two-stage programming (TP) and interval-parameter programming (IPP) based on the differential water price. The ITS-DWPM can link the associated economic penalty attributed to the violation of the preregulated water target and the total system benefit under limited data availabilities (expressed stochastic and interval values); meanwhile, inaccurate water quantity data and dynamic economic data would be resolved. The methodology tended to resolve the complexity of initial water rights allocation problems, incorporating the relevant sectors as well as the agricultural irrigation system construction involved in water management decision. Furthermore, the model takes into account the restrictions on water quantity and price. In addition, multiple decision results were calculated under different states of water shortage. The developed method is applied to initial water rights allocation and agricultural irrigation system construction. The results generated can assist decision makers not only in formulating water rights allocation strategies, but also in balancing the contradiction between economic objectives and water resources control indicators. In 2020, the irrigation water utilization coefficient of each agricultural irrigation area in Hulin City should reach 0.55. Hutou needs to increase its agricultural irrigation channels by at least 4.49%, Shitouhe by at least 4.03%, and Daxinancha by at least 4.49%

A Continuous Trust-Region-Type Method for Solving Nonlinear Semidefinite Complementarity Problem

We propose a new method to solve nonlinear semidefinite complementarity problem by combining a continuous method and a trust-region-type method. At every iteration, we need to calculate a second-order cone subproblem. We show the well-definedness of the method. The global convergent result is established

Economic and environmental benefits of reducing standby power loss in DVD/VCD players and copiers in China

With the popularization of household electrical appliances and the rapid development of office automation and networking, a huge number of consumer electronic devices, computers, copiers, and fax machines have been put into use in China over the last two decades. These products almost all use a certain amount of standby power--the power that is consumed when a device is connected but not performing its primary function. The rapid growth of standby energy consumption due to these products--and the consequent environmental problems--has attracted more and more attentions from researchers and from many government and international agencies. Numerous countries have developed policies and measures to restrict and reduce standby energy consumption (US EPA, 2004, IEA, 2001, and GEEA, 2004). However, standby energy consumption is still a new concept for Chinese consumers and the phenomenon of ''unconscious waste of energy'' is still very common in the people's daily life and work. With the goal of reducing China's standby energy consumption, China Certification Center for Energy Conservation Products (CECP) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have, under the sponsorship of the Energy Foundation (EF), entered into a collaboration to develop technical requirements for CECP's labeling program for consumer electronics and office equipment. These technical requirements will be used to qualify products for CECP's energy efficiency endorsement label in China. In the phase I of this collaborative project, CECP and LBNL conducted technical and economic research on televisions and printers in China. Based on the results of this research, CECP developed specifications for, and carried out corresponding energy conservation certifications for these two products. CECP's standby power certification program has made impressive gains in China. Leading manufacturers, such as Haier, Hesons, TCL, Chuangwei, Lenovo, EPSON, Fujitsu, and Brother have participated in CECP's certification activities. Media events organized by CECP have greatly improved the country's awareness of standby power loss. Reducing standby power loss has been formally incorporated into China's energy efficiency policy portfolio and in China's collaboration with the international community on the subject of energy efficiency (IEA, 2001). In phase II of the program, CECP's main task was to assess the market for DVD/VCD (Digital Versatile/Video Disc and Video Compact Disc) players and copiers to analyze the economic and technical benefits of energy conservation potential, and to develop technical specifications for DVD/VCD players and copiers, with technical assistance from LBNL. Having built on the success of Phase I, CECP paid great attention to the appraisal of market conditions and the economic and environmental benefits of reducing standby power loss in DVD/VCD players and copiers, and solicited inputs from stakeholders before finalizing the product certification requirements. This paper summarizes the expected energy conservation and environmental benefits due to the implementation of certification programs for DVD/VCD players and copiers in China

Hotspot Identification for Shanghai Expressways Using the Quantitative Risk Assessment Method

Hotspot identification (HSID) is the first and key step of the expressway safety management process. This study presents a new HSID method using the quantitative risk assessment (QRA) technique. Crashes that are likely to happen for a specific site are treated as the risk. The aggregation of the crash occurrence probability for all exposure vehicles is estimated based on the empirical Bayesian method. As for the consequences of crashes, crashes may not only cause direct losses (e.g., occupant injuries and property damages) but also result in indirect losses. The indirect losses are expressed by the extra delays calculated using the deterministic queuing diagram method. The direct losses and indirect losses are uniformly monetized to be considered as the consequences of this risk. The potential costs of crashes, as a criterion to rank high-risk sites, can be explicitly expressed as the sum of the crash probability for all passing vehicles and the corresponding consequences of crashes. A case study on the urban expressways of Shanghai is presented. The results show that the new QRA method for HSID enables the identification of a set of high-risk sites that truly reveal the potential crash costs to society