Evaluation of investments into housing renovation

The relevant objectives of a housing strategy is to vouch the effective usage of the present housing, maintenance and renovation. The selection of the means for building and residential environment renovation is dictated by the drawbacks of their present state, out‐of‐date designed decisions, natural physical deterioration. While fixing the optimal renovation prices from the aspect of market value increase, the main indicator, limiting the size of investments into building renovation, is the difference between market values after and before renovation. The difference between 1m2 of market value of a building of new construction and the average price of 1m2 of a building of old construction and the cost of renovation means for it will decide the size of the packet of the investments into renovation. First Published Online: 18 Oct 201

The determination of rents in shopping centers during recession period in Lithuania

This research examines how to relieve the economical pressure to the market of shopping centers by choosing one of the percentage rent forms. Retail rents have two rental components typically: base rent and overage rent, which is equal to some predetermined percentage on sales and is paid once the tenant reaches some level of sales. Both of these components are related to many factors which are considered in international practice. The determination of the percentage rents in Lithuania is much more complicated because the most important information about retail segments of the shopping centers (sales per square meter, gross leasable area and rental prices) is not publicly available. The goal of this research was to analyze the US experience and data that is available on percentage rent determination and to adapt it to the Lithuanian market by implementing required adjustments

Evaluation of combined heat and power (CHP) systems using fuzzy shannon entropy and fuzzy TOPSIS

Combined heat and power (CHP) or cogeneration can play a strategic role in addressing environmental issues and climate change. CHP systems require less fuel than separate heat and power systems in order to produce the same amount of energy saving primary energy, improving the security of the supply. Because less fuel is combusted, greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants are reduced. If we are to consider the CHP system as "sustainable", we must include in its assessment not only energetic performance but also environmental and economic aspects, presenting a multicriteria issue. The purpose of the paper is to apply a fuzzy multicriteria methodology to the assessment of five CHP commercial technologies. Specifically, the combination of the fuzzy Shannon's entropy and the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approach will be tested for this purpose. Shannon's entropy concept, using interval data such as the α-cut, is a particularly suitable technique for assigning weights to criteria — it does not require a decision-making (DM) to assign a weight to the criteria. To rank the proposed alternatives, a fuzzy TOPSIS method has been applied. It is based on the principle that the chosen alternative should be as close as possible to the positive ideal solution and be as far as possible from the negative ideal solution. The proposed approach provides a useful technical–scientific decision-making tool that can effectively support, in a consistent and transparent way, the assessment of various CHP technologies from a sustainable point of view

What do project managers need to know to succeed in face-to-face communication?

Despite emphasising the great importance of project communications to enhance success in the literature, there are few studies underlining the application of psychology to project communications, and no studies regarding the identification and analysis of factors affecting face-to-face communications with stakeholders in different situations. The research here aims to fundamentally address this shortcoming. The factors affecting face-to-face communications and different communication situations have been identified by interview with several experts in psychology and project managers working in oil and gas megaprojects. The data have been analysed by using two questionnaires and the hybrid Fuzzy DEMATEL-ISM and BWM methods. The final results show that the importance of each of these effective factors in face-toface communication varies in different situations, and that some of these factors influence each other and some are influenced by one or another. Proxima has the greatest influence on other factors. Also, body language has great influence on other factors. The results of the current study could still serve as a reflection of what might be expected at a more general level for face-to-face communications to support good communications planning. The Video Neuro advertising Recommender System improved by applying the obtained research results

Land value tax in the context of sustainable urban development and assessment. Part i ‐ policy analysis and conceptual model for the taxation system on real property

This article on issues related to real property taxes has two parts. Part One deliberates the concept of sustainable development as well as Lithuania’s real property taxation system and possible ways to improve it. Part Two analyses various methods of land assessment. The objectives of this paper are to analyze the importance of a tax on real property within the taxation system of Lithuania and to plan the implementation of such a reform in the future. A tax on land is presented as one alternative for a reform of the taxation system on real property in Lithuania

Studies in: entanglement entropy of two dimensional quasi-topological quantum field theory and geometry of the exact renormalization group and higher spin holography

Part I: Entanglement Entropy of 2d Quasi-Topological Quantum Field Theory We compute the entanglement entropy of two-dimensional quasi-topological quantum field the- ories (QTFTs). These are theories in which the correlation functions depend on the topology and on the total area of the underlying space-time, but are blind to all local details of the geometry, and include topological quantum field theory (TFT) as their limiting case. We use two complimentary methods to compute the entanglement entropy; the first method is the replica trick and the other is to devise a novel tensor network representation, or more precisely, matrix product state (MPS) representation, of the quantum states of QTFT. We demonstrate that the two calculations are in agreement. Part II: Geometry of the Exact Renormalization Group and Higher Spin Holography We consider the Wilson-Polchinski exact renormalization group (RG) applied to the generating functional of single-trace operators at a free-fixed point in d = 2 + 1 dimensions. By exploiting the rich symmetry structure of free-field theory, we study the geometric nature of the RG equations and the associated Ward identities. The geometry, as expected, is holographic, with anti-de Sitter spacetime emerging correspondent with RG fixed points. In particular, we are able to cast the renormalization group equations as Hamilton equations of radial evolution in AdSd+1. We solve these bulk equations of motion in terms of a boundary source and derive an on-shell bulk action. We demonstrate that it correctly encodes all of the correlation functions of the field theory, written as “Witten diagrams.” Going further, we show that the field theory construction gives us a par- ticular vector bundle over the (d + 1)-dimensional RG mapping space, called a jet bundle, whose structure group arises from the bilocal transformations of the bare fields in the path integral. The sources for quadratic operators constitute a connection on this bundle and a section of its endomor- phism bundle. We make comparisons to Vasiliev-type higher spin theories. Detailed calculations are carried out for the case of Majorana fermions. Results and comments are presented for complex scalars. Additional details can be found in [1, 2]

Neighborhood selection for a newcomer via a novel BWM-based revised MAIRCA integrated model: a case from the Coquimbo-La Serena conurbation, Chile

Nowadays, cities are developing differently according to their needs, limitations and certain strategic plans. Moreover, conurbation areas will be more common in so many countries like Chile when there are two or more cities developing one next to another, leaning on each other. In this atmosphere, typical residents live in a region or a neighborhood based on certain criteria, so they know how and where they are going to live. From another point of view, a newcomer is usually faced with a city full of contrasts which make things completely and surprisingly complicated. In order to illustrate this, a real case was selected based on the research field, qualitative and quantitative (real) data. The Coquimbo-La Serena conurbation and it’s regions as “Comuna (in Chile)” is a really suitable case to show the complexity of the study. In order to face the challenge, a new hybrid Multiple-Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) method is introduced based on the Best-Worst Method (BWM) and Multi-Attributive Ideal-Real Comparative Analysis (MAIRCA). The five best different neighborhoods as Comunas of the conurbation were analyzed based on the two main scenarios: having a private car or using only public transportation. To obtain more reliable results, a sensitivity analysis was made so as to determine the behavior of the proposed model against weight changes. Besides, the final results were compared with the other MADM methods, for example: Multi-Attributive Border Approximation Area Comparison (MABAC), VIsekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) and COmbinative Distance-based ASsessment (CODAS)

Land value tax in the context of sustainable urban development and assessment. Part II ‐ analysis of land valuation techniques: The case of Vilnius

Part Two of this article deals with problems related to land valuation. For that purpose, a site of 6.89 ares located in Švitrigailos Street XX, Vilnius, was selected as the research object and appraised using three approaches: the sales comparison approach, the MAMVA method and the mass valuation approach. Peculiarities of these methods in land valuation were reviewed and the recommendations were provided for land valuation for taxation purposes applicable in a new Model for Lithuanian Real Property Taxation System. Santruka Antroje šio straipsnio dalyje nagrinejamos problemos, susijusios su žemes sklypu vertinimu. Tuo tikslu buvo parinktas konkretus 6,89 aru ploto žemes sklypas, esantis Švitrigailos g. XX, Vilniuje, ir ivertintas trimis būdais: lyginamosios vertes, MAMVA metodais ir masinio vertinimo būdu. Apžvelgti šiu metodu taikymo ypatumai vertinant žemes sklypus, pateiktos rekomendacijos, kaip nustatyti mokestines žemes sklypu vertes ir pritaikyti siūlomam naujam Lietuvos nekilnojamojo turto apmokestinimo modeliui. First Published Online: 09 Jun 201

Sustainable development of real estate: decision support model and recommendations for the period of crisis

The aim of this paper is to propose a decision support model for real estate development and recommendations that could help Lithuania during economic crises. Research, theoretical and practical tasks of sustainable real estate development process were revised, particular examples presented. Different models and methods for analysis of real estate development discussed. Decision support model, encompassing extensive analysis of the global trends, best crisis management practices, assessment of the factual situation and provision of recommendations for different stakeholders under conditions of market instability presented. According to proposed model, the research was performed by studying the expertise of advanced industrial economies and by adapting such to Lithuania while taking into consideration its specific history, development level, needs and traditions. Basing on these findings, accumulated know-how, the results of previous scientific studies and practical insights of the other authors, specific recommendations to avoid crisis and minimize its consequences in macro-, meso- and micro- levels were provided. Recommendations illustrate holistic point of view and assumption that real estate development consists of creativity, research and art