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We present a new modeling approach for house price movements as a consequence of the trading behavior of market agents. In our modeling approach, all agents are assumed to assign a personal threshold value to a (standardized) house and update the threshold value permanently by a continuous-time filtering procedure based on observing the quoted house prices and the resulting price movements. The traders then trade according to a threshold price strategy (try to sell if the personal threshold value is lower, try to buy if the personal threshold value is higher than the actually quoted house price). Our modeling approach and its resulting characteristics are illustrated via numerical examples that highlight certain realistic constellations between various traders.

Certain products, such as automobiles, typically have warranty policies that incorporate two dimensions, namely time since purchase of the product and usage based on mileage accumulated. If both of these parameters are less than stipulated values in the warranty policy, in case of product failure, the manufacturer replaces or repairs the product free of charge. In many consumer durable goods, while an initial warranty is offered during purchase of the product, options exist to renew the warranty in the event of no product failure during the initial warranty. In this paper we consider such extended warranties in the context of two-dimensional policies. The decision variables in the formulated model are the warranty time and usage in the initial policy, the warranty time and usage in the extended policy, the product price, and the premium to be charged by the manufacturer for extending the warranty. We assume, however, that not all customers will choose to renew the warranty even if the product did not fail during the initial warranty. Customer propensity to renew warranty could be influenced by the unit product price and the customer's threshold price level, above which the customer is motivated to purchase an extended warranty.

The financial risk information diffuses through various kinds of social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. Individuals transmit the financial risk information which can migrate among different platforms or forums. In this paper, we propose a financial risk information spreading model on metapopulation networks. The subpopulation represents a platform or forum, and individuals migrate among them to transmit the information. We use a discrete-time Markov chain approach to describe the spreading dynamics’ evolution and deduce the outbreak threshold point. We perform numerical simulation on artificial networks and discover that the financial risk information can be promoted once increasing the information transmission probability and active subpopulation fraction. The weight variance and migration probability cannot significantly affect the financial risk spreading size. The discrete-time Markov chain approach can reasonably predict the above phenomena.

Methodology for quantitative evaluation of electron radiation damage and calculation of tolerable electron dose was developed to achieve damage-less scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation of beam-sensitive polymer film. The radiation damage is typically evaluated with visual impressions of SEM images; however, this method may be unreliable because observer’s subjectivity may affect the results. Evaluation with quantitative value is crucial to improve reliability. In this study, the radiation damage was evaluated by using normalized correlative coefficient (RNCC) between an initial frame and latter frames of the multiple SEM images that were taken consecutively. Tolerable dose was obtained by defining a threshold point of RNCC where rapid reduction of RNCC started. A SEM image with less damage and acceptable signal-to-noise ratio was obtained by integrating the images from the initial frame to the tolerable frame.

According to studies of solid-state cooling devices, the elastocaloric cooling device is now considered as a promising future cooling device that will soon reach the market and be competitive, as well as meet the increasing cooling demands of the hot regions in the world. Thus, in this work, the viability of using an elastocaloric cooling device with a solar energy-driven system is assessed and compared thermodynamically to a typical combined cooling and power system for the first time. These two systems are then compared first under the conditions of electricity and cooling demands of a community in Jeddah City. The present results show the overall energy and exergy efficiencies are higher for the novel system than the conventional system by differences of 4.63% and 1.10%, respectively. Also, the elastocaloric cooling device has a lower exergy destruction rate than the absorption chiller by a factor of 1.7. Then, parametric studies are conducted, and the findings show two main things. Firstly, the elastocaloric cooling device is more flexible in meeting higher cooling demands, above 262% cooling percentage, than the absorption chiller is. Secondly, the threshold point for the energetic COP of the elastocaloric cooling device has been identified to be 4.25 so that it becomes competitive in the market of cooling devices.

In this study, the impact damage threshold point of the composite material was determined using the optimum design parameters obtained from Fuzzy Based Taguchi Method (FBTM). It is known that both Taguchi and Fuzzy methods provide optimization of design parameters yet, in Taguchi method, optimization of design parameters is not sufficient in order to solve multi response optimization problem. Therefore, Fuzzy Logic system was combined with the Taguchi system for working out the multi response optimization problem. In this study, the low velocity impact damage analyses were implemented in a LS-DYNA 3D explicit finite element program. ASTM D7136/D7136M standard was considered during the low velocity impact analyses. In explicit finite element analyses, contact algorithms were executed to observe better damage zone shapes. Furthermore, the control parameters (termination and computation time step) were tuned to provide perfect correlation with the force-energy-time histories. Eventually, it was seen that Fuzzy Based Taguchi Method (FBTM) is much more capable of optimizing the design parameters that predict the impact damage threshold point of the composite material.

A new form of the integrable nonlinear exciton–phonon dynamical system characterized by two physically independent parameters is suggested. The system is settled along an infinite one-dimensional regular lattice, and it admits the semi-discrete Lax representation in terms of 3 × 3 auxiliary spectral and evolution matrices. The explicit analytic four-component solution to the system’s dynamical equations found by means of the Darboux–Backlund dressing technique turns out to be of broken PT-symmetry. Each component of the solution consists of two nonlinearly superposed traveling waves that inspires the dipole–monopole crossover for the equal values of two physically distinct spatial scaling parameters of the nonlinear wave packet. The phenomenon of the dipole–monopole alternative for the spatial distribution of pseudoexcitons is shown to initiate the partial splitting between the pseudoexcitonic and vibrational subsystems at the threshold point manifested by the complete elimination of one pseudoexcitonic component and the conversion of another pseudoexcitonic component into the pseudoexcitonic chargeless half-mode., Запропоновано нову форму iнтеґровної екситон-фононної нелiнiйної динамiчної системи з двома фiзично незалежни-ми параметрами. Система заселяє безмежну одновимiрну регулярну ґратку i допускає напiвдискретне представлення Лакса в термiнах спектральної та еволюцiйної допомiжних матриць розмiру 3 × 3. Явний аналiтичний чотири-компонентний розв’язок динамiчних рiвнянь системи, знайдений за допомоги технiки одягання Дарбу–Беклунда, є розв’язком з порушеною PT-симетрiєю. Кожна з компонент розв’язку є певною нелiнiйною суперпозицiєю двох мандрiвних хвиль, що зумовлює дипольно-монопольний перехiд в системi за однакових значень двох фiзично вiдмiнних просторових масштабних параметрiв нелiнiйного хвильового пакету. Показано, що явище дипольно-монопольної альтернативи в просторовому розподiлi псевдоекситонiв iнiцiює часткове розщеплення мiж псевдоекситонною i коливною пiдсистемами за критичного значення параметра локалiзацiї. Це розщеплення полягає в повному вилученнi однiєї з псевдоекситонних компонент та перетвореннi iншої псевдоекситонної компоненти у псевдоекситонну беззарядову напiвмоду.

In this paper, we examine the relationship between house price and Islamicbank stability in Malaysia. In particular, in relating to Islamic bank stability toMalaysian house price changes, we evaluate the nature of the relationship from theperspective of nonlinearities. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) modelis applied to a sample that consists of 9 Islamic banks in Malaysia for the periodof 2000-2016. Our results indicate that there is an inverted U-shaped relationshipbetween house price and Islamic bank stability in the long run. Meanwhile, therelationship is insignificant in the short-run. To put it differently, initially, thehigher house prices, the more stable the bank. Then, the impact of house prices onbank stability becomes negative when house prices surpass the threshold point.As far as the bank-specific characteristics are concerned, the cost to income ratiois found to significantly and negatively related to the bank stability. Such a resulthas policy implications in which it is crucial for achieving balance in the housingmarket, and efficiently managing the cost is equally important to ensure Islamicbank soundness.

Bengal delta experiences immense seasonality of surface water due to its geographical position. This study aims to explore the extent and seasonality of surface water in the southwestern part of Bangladesh (SWB) where human intervention has been rapidly changing the land use for several decades. This explorative study relied on a total of 312 high-resolution Landsat images from 1972 to 2020 and interviews to present crucial months, seasons, and periods for surface water in SWB. The study uses a valid threshold point ‘0′ for Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) to extract water pixels and confirms that the NIR band has better efficacy to separate water pixels. On average, the SWB has faced around 5.5% of surface water between 1972–2001, which increased to 12.8% between 2002 and 2020. Based on the median value, around 6% of surface water was observed in the 1990s, which increased to 16% in the 2010s. The average surface water was detected around 6% and 7% in December and January between 1972 and 2001, which expanded to 18% and 19% between 2002 and 2020, mainly because of human interventions such as mix-cropping. The study strongly suggests considering December and January months for further land use and land class studies which focus on the southwestern part of Bangladesh.

Coffee is a leading commodity export in Indonesia and contributes greatly to the national coffee exports. Indonesia is the world's fourth largest exporter. The objectives of this study are investigating business competitiveness of Indonesian coffee compared to the other of coffee exporting countries and threshold price transmission in importing countries uses Constant Market Share Analysis (CMSA) and ECM models , and threshold cointegration . The results concluded that the most influencing business competitiveness was the effect of market distribution, threshold price transmission of Indonesian coffee in importing markets, the United States amounting to 0.9, Germany at -0.6, Japan at 0.5, Italy at 0.2, and Malaysia at -0.4. This means that when the coffee price of deviation in importing countries and Indonesia in its long-term balance exceeds its threshold value, coffee prices in importers countries will adjust to achieve their balance so that both coffee prices are in the Indonesian market and the markets of countries importers have a cointegration relationship.

Forest fires impact a very serious problem because it could cause health problem, especially respiratory disease such as (ISPA), Asthma and Bronchitis. The study of the health disorders is conducted by consider mathematicaly the spread of disease due to forest fires smoke. The model is constructed by devide the human population into six subpopulations, that is vulnerable S(t), exposed E(t), Asthma infected A(t), Bronchitis infected B(t) and recovered R(t).The governed model is analyted at every critical points using Routh-Hurwitz method. The results gives two critical points that describe a free disease conditions ( ) and an endemic conditions ( ). A stabil ( ) is occured if and where the threshold point of the stability is expressed as and . Endemic conditions will be asymptotically stable when and with . The condition of free disease of forest fires is occured in a long time period, while the endemic conditions is occurred in a short time period. It could be interpreted that the disease spread due to the forest fires smoke is not easy to overcome.

In recent years, renewable energy (RE) has seen rapid development worldwide. However, energy intensity has not declined at the same rate. This study applies a dynamic panel threshold regression model to explore the effects of RE development on energy intensity in 82 major countries. The results show that RE development has a significantly negative impact on energy intensity. Specifically, for every 10.0% increase in RE development, energy intensity reduces by 0.3%. The threshold point of the effect is determined and estimated at 2.3588 (the equivalent RE consumption is 10.58 billion MJ) between the low and the high development regimes of RE. Every 10.0% increase in the development of RE leads to a 2.2% decrease in energy intensity in the high development regime, but only 0.2% decrease in the low development regime. Economic development has a significantly negative impact on energy intensity, while energy consumption structure based on non-renewable energy creates has a significantly positive impact. All countries should increase the consumption of renewable energy to more than 10.58 billion MJ to cut energy intensity and improve the technical content of international trade products, especially in low renewable energy development level regimes.

This paper proposes a cooperative demand response strategy to reduce the electricity costs in electric distribution networks. Using the Cartel mechanism and repeated games, a punishment rule is established to avoid the non-cooperative behaviors of electric consumers. Specifically, the energy provider forces the consumers to quit cooperation if the real-time price exceeds a threshold price. Also, we consider the forecast errors in the demand response formulation and study the robustness of the system. Numerical results show that the cooperative demand response strategy can prevent selfish consumers from deviating the cooperation and reduce the total electricity costs.

Using renowned sociologist John Urry's body of work, specifically the 'mobilities turn' as a fertile threshold point, Jensen, Kesselring, and Sheller have brought together a range of social scientists who have worked and collaborated closely with Urry, in creating this edited collection. This book is organised in five thematic sections and the authors in each of these sections speak to each other well in terms of the ways in which they document their personal encounters with the sociologist and reflect on the potentials of Urry's work in a posthuman world. This collection braids in a range of approaches – from personal anecdotes and intimate encounters that transformed into newer perspectives to speculative reflections on interactions with Urry and his work, thus, celebrating a complex array of ideas. Yet, the book remains faithful to the politics that ground Urry's methodological approach. As Thomas Birtchnell notes, in speculating: 'Will there be an Urryism?', in Chapter 3, he concludes that 'Urry's penchant for plurality does not come at the expense of clarity' (p. 16). The same can be said of the experience of reading this edited collection.

We empirically examine the relationship between traffic congestion and deaths in road accidents at the city level. We use panel data from 129 large cities in Europe for the period 2008–2017. We find strong evidence of a quadratic relationship between congestion and deaths in accidents, using both parametric and non-parametric econometric techniques. The threshold point at which the relationship between congestion and deaths in accidents is reversed and becomes positive occurs when congestion results in about a 30 per cent increase in travel time compared to a free flow situation. For most congested cities, any effective measure to contain congestion may also lead to better safety outcomes.