Route planning is usually carried out to achieve a single objective such as to minimize transport cost, distance traveled or travel time. This article explores an approach to multi-objective route planning using a genetic algorithm (GA) and geographical information system (GIS) approach. The...

Large-scale studies of genetic variation may be helpful for understanding the genetic control mechanisms of viral infection and, ultimately, predicting and eliminating infectious disease outbreaks. We propose a new statistical model for detecting specific DNA sequence variants that are...

One of the most important elements of China's economic reform has been the promotion of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow. Government polices on FDI have gone through different stages in their main objectives since the late-1970s, from gradually opening to foreign investors, to actively...

This paper examines whether local protection has hindered China's market integration process using a firm-level data set. Our empirical results show that an industry's geographic concentration level is negatively correlated with its labour productivity while its concentration at plant level is...

Ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs are known for their active business networking practices, particularly in Southeast Asia. This paper empirically investigates the role of ethnic Chinese networks in promoting foreign direct investment (FDI). We further evaluate whether the effectiveness of networking...

Using a firm-level panel dataset which covers over 50,000 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) across China for the years 1998 to 2003, we attempt to answer the question of why some SOEs are privatized while others remain under state control. By applying a Heckman two-stage procedure, we investigate...

China's recent surge in trade has been associated with its deepening but contrasting trade relations with its two groups of key trading partners. On the one hand, China's trade surpluses with the USA and the EU have risen rapidly, reaching US$144bn and US$91bn in 2006, respectively. On the other...

This paper uses a dynamic panel estimation method to investigate the determinants of regional specialization in China’s industries, paying particular attention to local protectionism. Less geographic concentration is found in industries where the past tax-plus-profit margins and the shares of...