Temporal evolution of extreme temperature effects on agriculture is important for understanding adaptation to climate change but has not been sufficiently studied. This study examines the time-varying impacts of extreme temperatures on Chinese agriculture over 1981 to 2010. We estimate a...

Circular economy has been a rapidly growing interest in the manufacturing industry. The concept of 4D printing-enabled active disassemblyis touted as a non-destructive approach with less to no human intervention, which allows multiple elements to be disassembled simultaneously with fewer...

Purpose Several studies have shown that superstitious beliefs, such as beliefs in “lucky” product attributes, influence consumer purchase behaviour. Still, little is known about how social influence, in particular mere social presence, impacts consumer superstition-related purchase...

A network’s transmission capacity is the maximal rate of traffic inflow that the network can handle without causing congestion. Here we study how to enhance this quantity by allocating resource to individual nodes while preserving the total amount of the resource available. We propose a...

In complex social systems such as those of many mammals, including humans, groups (and hence ego-centric social networks) are commonly structured in discrete layers. We describe a computational model for the development of social relationships based on agents' strategies for social interaction...

The process by which genes and memes influence behaviour is poorly understood. Genes generally may have a strong influence as predispositions directing individuals towards certain behaviours; whereas memes may have a less direct influence as information inputs to cognitive processes determining...

A computational model for the development of social relationships is described. The model implements agent strategies for social interaction based on Dunbar's Social Brain Hypothesis (SBH). A trust related process controls the formation and decay of relationships as a function of interaction...

Field experiments were conducted to study the effects of different ridge–furrow plastic-mulching planting patterns (RFM) on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) growth, tuber yield and quality, and water use efficiency (WUE) in an arid area of Northwestern China in 2010 and 2011.

This paper is a tentative endeavor to delineate the potential of the renminbi to become a global currency. It first analyzes the critical economic, financial and policy attributes that are required to support a currency to gain an international role. It then examines whether China has the...

This paper analyzes the state and conditions of aquaculture in South China Sea both from technological and economic perspectives. We state from the basic marginal cost analysis and construct a two sector model for this issue. Base on the comparison on the cost between aquaculture sector and...