A failsafe network design recovering from the stressed condition against a massive supply disruption is generally useful for various applications. Water flow in plants under a tension is inherently vulnerable to an embolism, a water supply cut off, causing a death. However, the function of the network structures of leaf veins and xylem stems effectively reduces the embolism-induced failure. In this study, water transport in plants under the pressurized conditions compared to the normal physiological conditions is observed by X-ray imaing. By examining embolism-induced water supply limits in the architecturally diverse leaf and stem networks, a progressive hydraulic rule has been found: the limited flows in the selected parts of the network structures against a total fail. For a scientific explanation on nanoscale water flow dynamics occurring in plants, temporal meniscus development in the nanomembrane model system is investigated. The pressure-driven hydrodynamic transport phenomena can be explained to follow network dynamics of the modified imbibition typically occuring in nanostrutcures. This study contributes to a variety of design technologies of networked materials against the spread of flow damages under the stressed conditions.

In this paper, a detailed mineralogical and genesis investigation have been carried out in the seven locations of the Iron Ore in Hazara area. Thick bedded iron ore have been observed between Kawagarh Formation and Hangu Formation i.e., Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary. At the base of Hangu Formation, variable thickness of these lateritic beds spread throughout the Hazara and Kohat-Potwar plateau. This hematite ore exists in the form of unconformity. X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), detailed petroghraphic study and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques indicated that those iron bears minerals including hematite, chamosite and quartz, albite, clinochlore, illite-montmorillonite, kaolinite, calcite, dolomite, whereas ankerite are the impurities present in these beds. The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results show that the total Fe₂O₃ ranges from 39 to 56%, with high silica and alumina ratio of less than one. Beneficiation requires for significant increase in ore grade. The petroghraphic study revealed the presence of ooids fragments as nuclei of other ooids with limited clastic supply, which indicate high energy shallow marine depositional setting under warm and humid climate. The overall results show that Langrial Iron Ore is a low-grade iron ore which can be upgraded up to 62% by applying modern mining techniques so as to fulfill steel requirements of the country.

Rapidly changing business environments and fierce competition are making it increasingly difficult for modern companies to maintain competitive advantage and accomplish business longevity. This study can fill the research gap in mission research and longevity research, and provides implications on what form and content of mission should be selected when determining the direction of a company’s corporate strategy. Although a company’s mission is a communication tool that represents the company’s strategic priorities and unique values, it has rarely been considered an important factor in business longevity. This study conducts a content analysis of the mission statements of 43 companies in the Henokiens Association to clarify the linkage between a company’s mission and business longevity and the configurations of long-lived firms’ missions. Our results show most long-lived firms have clear missions and perceptions of familism expansion. The firms’ past, present, and future additions to their concern for products, business growth, unique philosophy, and stakeholders are highlighted in their mission statements. Therefore, the main theoretical contribution of focusing on the corporate mission as a factor of business longevity in this study is not only a new approach to the longevity factor, but also the discovery of new values of the mission in strategic management research. The practical contribution of this study is that it reveals that companies seeking long-term competitive advantage in the market need to design, possess, and share a high-quality mission from a long-term perspective and instill the ideology of extended familyism. It can also provide hints about strategic priorities for small, family-run businesses facing threats to their survival.

This study examines the interaction between foreign direct investment (FDI), idiosyncratic risk, sectoral GDP, economic activity, and economic growth in ASEAN countries using structural equation modeling (SEM) performed using AMOS software. The analysis uses data from the ASEAN Statistics Database 2023 to distinguish the significant direct and indirect impacts of FDI on idiosyncratic risks, sectoral GDP, economic activity and aggregate economic growth can. ASEAN, which includes ten Southeast Asian countries, has experienced rapid economic growth and increasing integration in recent decades, making it an interesting area to study these relationships. The study covers a comprehensive period to capture trends and differences among ASEAN member states. Applying SEM with AMOS allows a detailed examination of complex relationships between important economic variables. The results show a clear link between FDI inflows, idiosyncratic risks, industry GDP performance, economic activity, and overall economic growth. More specifically, FDI inflows have a notable direct influence on idiosyncratic risks, which then impact GDP growth by sector, and the level of economic activity and ultimately contribute to economic growth trends. economy more broadly in ASEAN countries. These findings highlight the importance of understanding and effectively managing the dynamics between FDI and various economic indicators to promote sustainable economic development across ASEAN. This information can inform policymakers, investors, and stakeholders in developing targeted strategies and policies that maximize the benefits of FDI while minimizing related risks to promote strong and inclusive economic growth in the region. This study highlights the multifaceted relationships in the ASEAN economic context, emphasizing the need for strategic interventions and policy frameworks to exploit the potential of foreign investment directed at ASEAN, to the Sustainable Development Goals and long-term economic prosperity in the region.

It is critical for urban and regional planners to examine spatial relationships and interactions between a port and its surrounding urban areas within a region’s spatial structure. This paper seeks to develop a targeted framework of causal relationships influencing the spatial structure changes in the Bushehr port-city. Hence, the study utilizes Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs), a computational technique adept at analyzing complex decision-making processes. FCMs are employed to identify concepts that act as drivers or barriers in the spatial structure changes of Bushehr port-city, thereby elucidating the causal relationships within this context. Additionally, the study evaluates these concepts’ relative significance and interrelationships. Data was collected through interviews with ten experts from diverse backgrounds, including specialists, academics, policymakers, and urban managers. The insights from these experts were analyzed using FCMapper and Pajek software to construct a collective FCM, which depicts the influential and affected concepts within the system. The resulting collective FCM consists of 16 concepts, representing the varied perspectives and expertise of the participants. Among these, the concepts of management and planning reform, economic growth of the city-port, and port development emerged as the three most central concepts. Moreover, the effects of all influential concepts on the spatial structure change in Bushehr port-city were evaluated through simulations conducted across four different scenarios. The analysis demonstrated that the system experiences the most significant impact under the fourth scenario, where the most substantial changes are observed in commercial and industrial growth and the planning of port-city separation policies.

This study uses the annual financial data of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2020 to investigate the relationship between multiple large shareholders (MLS) and earnings management (EM). After analyzing the samples using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model and endogenous switching regression (ESR) model, the empirical results show that the presence of MLS can increase corporate EM activities and the MLS have a significantly positive effect on EM in both the treatment and control groups. In addition, this conclusion still holds after conducting multiple robustness tests. The cross-section analysis shows that the external audit supervision quality, institutional shareholders, and the uncertainty of the external economic environment have significant impacts on the baseline model results. Lastly, mediation effect analysis shows that the presence of MLS increases the corporate operating risk through EM activities. The conclusions of this paper are critical for policymakers to supervise China’s capital market, improve the level of corporate governance of China’s listed firms, and further promote reform of ownership structure.