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Across the social science and humanities disciplines, there has been an increased interest in questions of value and valuation. This article responds to the new emphasis by scrutinising the evolution of real estate valuation techniques over time, their embedded nature, and the implication of this for the (re)production of the built environment. This is achieved through the lens of two conceptual positions which are rarely used in the realm of real estate valuation. These are (a) path dependency which in this case charts the evolution of the discipline of valuation as it relates to retail related real estate assets; and (b) lock – in, which seeks to understand how valuation techniques and attitudes have become embedded during this evolution. This position sits alongside a series of investigatory interviews with professional valuers in international real estate organisations specialising in the commercial real estate market. This is often a missing voice in recent research into real estate and the wider subject of valuation. Findings suggest that valuation practice is reliant on confirmatory market practices that do not necessarily capture the contemporary affordability-based requirements of tenants. Instead, practice is locked into reinforcing the nature of zone-based market values for landlords and investors. The geographical implications of this situation at the micro-level can be vacant or poorly performing properties that undermine local areas in the interest of maintaining the headline value of properties in macro-level global capital markets. This new conceptual analysis provides understanding of how the physical built environment is developed and reproduced over time through notions of value, helps to connect often hidden practices of real estate valuation into existing academic debates in urban studies and geography, and in conclusion sheds some light on how practices of real estate valuation can be improved in the disrupted world of retail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "sustainable urbanism" has been criticized over its inconsistent and imprecise definition, leading to challenges in implementing actionable reforms and achieving urban sustainability goals. A clearer approach may be to identify its opposite: specifically, forms of urbanism that cause an unacceptable buildup of toxic or climate-altering emissions, deplete resources beyond sustainable levels, progressively destroy critical ecologies, and cause other identifiable sources of potentially catastrophic harm to human and urban welfare. Here, we present a model of such an "unsustainable urbanism", and we further observe that it is in fact the dominant model of urban structure to this day. Its features include an over-reliance on low-occupancy vehicular transport, at the expense of other modes including walking; inefficient envelope, size, orientation and adaptability of buildings; ecologically destructive infrastructure systems for handling water, energy and other resources; and—under-appreciated but fundamentally important, as we will explore—the decline of a well-connected, walkable, functionally and aesthetically appealing public realm. This model remains dominant in spite of the many goals, agendas and declarations on sustainable urbanism at the highest policy level. We observe that the lack of progress is in large part the result of system "lock-in"—economic and professional incentives and disincentives, standards, laws, codes, and other forms of feedback that reinforce "business as usual" and create barriers to reform. Therefore, the agenda ahead must address the specific levers of change to overcome this systemic lock-in, drawing insights from economics, technology and the social sciences to do so. We present the outlines of this agenda and make conclusions for the necessary steps ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lock-in to existing assets and business practices is a major obstacle to the global objective of phasing out coal-fired power to accelerate decarbonization towards Paris Agreement goals. Japan has attracted attention in previous literature, with several studies demonstrating how market and political conditions have propelled investments in new coal-fired power plants while raising barriers to achieving a phase-out. But in addition to market-level conditions, firm-level characteristics – including assets, commitments, investment behaviour and future-oriented innovation activities – are also critical determinants of lock-in vulnerability. To deepen understanding of how such firm-level dynamics might affect the power industry, this empirical study takes the case of ten incumbent utilities in Japan to identify and compare potential sources of coal lock-in. We leverage diverse quantitative and qualitative data to assess the state of: (1) management, assets and operational factors; and (2) the development and deployment of next-generation coal technologies. Through this two-fold approach, we demonstrate how current conditions and future-oriented activities are likely to reinforce tendencies to continue using coal in coming decades, thereby hampering the emergence of phase-out ambitions. These findings harbour important implications for climate policy and the urgent need to end coal burning in the power sector. Japan's major power utilities all intend to maintain coal in power mixes while transitioning to net-zero by 2050, aiming to eliminate carbon emissions rather than coal-fired power per se. Ambitions to reduce dependence on coal are weakened by a multitude of potential lock-in sources across individual utilities. All utilities are attempting to commercialize next-generation technologies such as co-firing with ammonia and biomass, carbon capture and coal gasification. Phasing out coal in Japan thus requires climate policies that incentivize the development and diffusion of non-emitting power sources that offer faster emissions reduction than expensive and unproven technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geopolitical conflicts, particularly economic ones, introduce significant uncertainties into the global supply chain. The impact of these conflicts on cross‐border buyer–supplier transactions remains underexplored, as does the capability of global suppliers to mitigate such risks by locking in their foreign buyers. Employing a combined perspective of resource dependence theory and transaction cost economics, we examine a natural experiment to investigate the effects of the 2018 U.S.–China trade war on the transactional relationships between Chinese suppliers and their U.S. buyers. Our study reveals that the trade war generally adversely affected these buyer–supplier transactional relationships, leading to a negative abnormal transaction value in the affected dyads, which amounted to 18.42% of their pre‐event level. However, we find that this adverse impact can be attenuated when Chinese suppliers demonstrate superior innovation capabilities, higher corporate social responsibility performance, or fewer local political ties. These findings yield insights for international suppliers and buyers on strategies to maintain buyer–supplier transactions and minimize the detrimental effects on global supply chain relationships during geopolitical conflicts. Highlights: The U.S.–China trade war slashed transactions between sampled U.S. buyers and Chinese suppliers by 18.42%.Innovative and socially responsible Chinese suppliers showed more resilient, effectively retaining U.S. buyers amid the trade war.U.S. buyers distanced themselves from Chinese suppliers with local political ties to navigate geopolitical uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Collingridge dilemma, technology is easy to control when its consequences are not yet manifest; once they appear, the technology is difficult to control. This article examines the development of keyboard layout design from the perspective of the Collingridge dilemma. For this purpose, unlike related studies that focus on a limited period of time, the history of keyboard development is explored from the invention of the typewriter and the QWERTY to brain–computer interfaces. Today, there is no mechanical problem of the typewriter for which the QWERTY was designed. On the other hand, better layouts have been designed for various situations so far, that can be easily implemented especially on virtual keyboards, but QWERTY has not been replaced. The present study shows how various factors as heterogeneous engineering have shaped QWERTY, prevented the prevalence of superior layouts, and led to Lock-in. Then, unlike other studies related to the Collingridge dilemma, which provide a qualitative description of it, a quantitative description is proposed that helps to better understand the Collingridge dilemma and Lock-in. Finally, the case study of the QWERTY keyboard illustrates that the theory of human-technology co-construction can provide a more comprehensive explanation of technology development, while the Collingridge dilemma can better provide some details of technology development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discontent is an important feature of 'left-behind places', often reflected by a high percentage of voting for populist parties. Drawing on insights from psychology, we extend previous analyses by focusing on collective embitterment as the central underlying emotional state in a region. Arguing that such negative emotions do not arise 'out of the blue', we develop a four-phase model of regional embitterment that accounts for the emotional characterisation of and the level of embitterment among the population, as well as the role of policy interventions. Based on a case study in East Thuringia, we conclude that emotions should be given more attention in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022 has had a dramatic impact on the energy policy of the European Union and its member states. Nonetheless, not all EU members have radically overhauled their energy sectors and policies. Looking at the period between February 2022 and December 2023, this paper argues that Slovakia’s energy sector has remained unchanged in comparison to developments within the EU and beyond. Slovakia has continued to purchase natural gas from Russia, having negotiated an exemption from the EU sanctions on Russian oil, and gas consumption decreased only minimally in the winter of 2022/2023. Furthermore, it maintained at best a lukewarm position on renewable energy sources and even struggled to implement those energy efficiency measures that were included in the post-pandemic recovery plans. Slovakia also did not reconsider its coal phase-out deadline of 2023 and its (already very supportive) nuclear policy. We explain this policy persistence with the help of a revised lock-in concept which, in the case of Slovakia, is mostly connected to nuclear energy (ʻnuclear lock-in’), which locks out alternative energy sources, especially renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates an application of the wavelet transform to identify the characteristics of a nonlinear system of an elastically supported cylinder in cross-flow under uniform airflow. The envelope of the time response and instantaneous frequency is extracted using the wavelet transform to identify the nonlinear characteristics of the system. Responses within the range of the lock-in and nonlinear jump phenomena were investigated. Flow-induced vibration in a cylinder supported by two beams shows that the wavelet transform can identify the lock-in phenomena in both forward-sweep and backwardssweep experiments. The study shown that the vibration phenomenon caused by a flow in a beam supported cylinder medium with forward-sweep and backwards-sweep does not affect the damping characteristic due to the stiffness. The result will be beneficial in controlling vibration effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the Sulcis coal region in Italy and illustrates how discursive dynamics can impede energy transition by delegitimizing coal decline and the diffusion of renewable energies. Combining quantitative analyses of textual data and argumentative discourse analysis, we analyze newspaper articles published between 2011 and 2021 in the national, regional, and local press. Our findings reveal that shifts in topic salience and storylines reflect different transition phases (coal legitimacy, regime destabilization, and reconfiguration). Throughout the analyzed period, newspapers have cultivated a discursive environment that weakens efforts to phase out coal and promote low-carbon energy by amplifying particular storylines endorsed by competing discourse coalitions. Media discourse consistently portrays decarbonization and coal phase-out as threatening, anticipating disruption to regional livelihoods and traditions. Over time, renewable energies are marginalized or hindered by storylines promoting regime stability (coal legitimacy), soft transformation (coal-to-gas transition), and, finally, a reconfiguration (utility-scale renewable transition) promoted by incumbents and resisted by locally based discourse coalitions perceiving it as a form of colonialism. This study sheds light on the interplay between discourse dynamics and the complexities and challenges of the destabilization–reconfiguration pathway of coal regions. It contends that approaches combining both build-up and break-down dynamics into the analysis of transitions can offer a more nuanced, politically sensitive understanding and practical insights to instigate and navigate more equitable destabilization–reconfiguration pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the EU, evaluations are built into most modern laws, creating windows for policy feedback and new interpretations accounting for a constantly shifting society and environment. One issue often addressed by evaluators is whether a given policy should be retained in its original form, especially when new information is inconsistent and may upend former policy compromises. To what extent, then, are EU evaluations a legitimate opportunity for learning, adaptation and transformation? This article shows how evaluators engage in an activity known as transcoding, which involves translating expert knowledge into actionable recommendations to maintain a functioning policy system. Based on a study of the Water Framework Directive and its two evaluations – Water Blueprint (2012) and Fitness Check (2019) – we argue that transcoding has employed conflict-averse strategies, sidestepping difficult implementation dilemmas. Such strategies may have contributed to the development of lock-ins, that is, a persistence of the status quo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe heat transfer and hydrodynamic properties of two rigid cylinders in series with fluid disturbance at the laminar flow under vortex-induced vibration were studied numerically. The six DOF model was chosen and combined with user-defined functions (UDF) to seek a solution for the cylindrical equations of motion. The coupled calculation between fluid flow and rigid body motion was realized by combining the dynamic mesh technique. The effects of two types of motion conditions of the upstream cylinder, i.e. fixed (referred to as model A) and with two degrees-of-freedom (referred to as model B), on the flow field and heat transfer of the downstream cylinder with two degrees-of-freedom were investigated. The numerical results showed that in the reduced velocity (Ur) range considered in this work, the heat transfer and motion conditions of the downstream cylinder were subjected to the self-shedding vortices and the shedding vortices of the upstream cylinder. The comparison of models A and B at Ur = 4 and Ur = 5, respectively, displayed that the force frequency of the downstream cylinder was close to the natural frequency when it was impacted by the tail vortices shedding of the upstream cylinder and the self-shedding vortices. This resulted in the maximum transverse amplitude and strongest heat transfer of the downstream cylinder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, path dependence has gained increasing scientific attention in many disciplines, leading to various new concepts and notations, such as path creation or path plasticity. However, if mathematical arguments are used, they are based on the early works by Brian W. Arthur and Paul A. David, usually referring to the mathematical concept of ergodicity. We extend their mathematical framework and develop a graphical representation of systems that allows for a metaphorical discussion of system behaviors beyond the original cases, especially in evolving systems, and the inclusion of the recently developed concepts within path dependence. Visualizations are used to explain the definition and characteristics of seven types of path dependence: lock-in, path-breaking, path-furrowing, path plasticity, path formation, path creation, and path selection. Although these visualizations are explained verbally and can be understood without a mathematical expertise, a mathematical model is used to generate them. The deduction of the metaphorical concept from a mathematical model guarantees the completeness of the identified processes and the rigor in their categorization as well as the identification of respective characteristics for their distinction. However, the aim of the paper is to provide an illustrative concept that allows researchers to classify and structure the various path-dependent processes they observe in their application. While five of the identified processes are in line with concepts from the literature and are defined accordingly, we also detect a sixth process that is new to the literature so far: path-furrowing. Moreover, slightly deviating from the literature, we define path selection as the possibility to choose a path intentionally, thereby focusing on the mindful choice of options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a software implementation of a multi-channel, multi-frequency Lock-in Amplifier (SILIA) to extract modulated signals from noisy data distributed over multiple channels of arbitrary number and size. This software implementation emulates the functionality of a multi-channel, multi-frequency lock-in amplifier in a post-processing step following data acquisition. Unlike most traditional lock-in amplifiers, SILIA can work with any number of input channels and is especially useful to analyze data distributed over many channels. We demonstrate the versatility and performance for extracting weak signals in spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. We also discuss more general applications and exhibit a method to automatically estimate error from a lock-in result.

When establishing national climate change response policies, conflicts between various stakeholders may arise. Therefore, we need a collaborative climate change governance to coordinate stakeholders’ opinions. Many countries have formed and operated committee-type governance to respond to climate change. Climate change policies require long-term responses. However, the politicization of climate change issues results in rapid policy changes and policy discontinuities. In Korea, climate change policies are showing differences according to partisan polarization. Past conservative and liberal governments formed committees to respond to climate change. Conservative governments operated the Green Growth Committee, and liberal governments operated the Carbon Neutrality Committee. This study analyzed the impact of changes in the Korean political system on climate change governance. We examined whether the difference in political orientation between liberal and conservative governments affected climate change governance, and if not, what factors prevented the path from changing. No significantly different outcome was found between the governance of the conservative and the liberal governments in response to climate change. The cause was the “lock-in” of climate change policies in Korea. Specifically, the response to climate change in Korea has not changed significantly due to political, industrial, institutional, and diplomatic lock-in.

Este texto tem como objetivo descrever um caso de ensino de administração de tecnologia, para ser utilizado como material didático em cursos de pós-graduação em administração e áreas afins. A elaboração do texto seguiu metodologia apropriada para casos de ensino. Os personagens centrais do caso são o João, gerente de tecnologia da Tradição Ltda., um escritório de contabilidade, e o Afonso, representante de uma solução de tecnologia utilizada pela Tradição Ltda. O caso aborda um momento difícil na relação entre cliente e fornecedor de tecnologia, quando o cliente se torna dependente de uma tecnologia e os custos dela começam a subir: decidir se mantém a solução ou se a substitui por outra. O texto relata a resposta de uma empresa tradicional para se manter competitiva frente às novas tecnologias, assim como a decisão e implantação de uma primeira etapa de um plano de transformação. Os dados apresentados visam esclarecer tanto o cenário relacionado aos custos quanto os aspectos qualitativos do mercado de tecnologia. Ressalta-se que o cenário estabelecido carece de uma análise multicritério para a tomada de decisão.

The operation of submerged rotating machines, such as marine current or tidal turbines, can present deleterious fluid phenomena that may provoke extreme structural vibrations. To predict their dynamic responses, it is necessary to know the added modal coefficients of their runners under a whirling motion. For that purpose, a bespoke test rig was designed to investigate the added modal coefficients of a submerged cylinder, which could rotate at different speeds both in air and completely submerged in water inside a cylindrical tank. First, the modes of vibration were experimentally measured by exciting the cylinder with a push-release method during steady tests or with ramps in rotating speed during transient tests. The calculated natural frequencies and damping ratios were then used in a mathematical model of the dynamic system to calculate the added modal coefficients. During steady tests, the natural frequencies and damping ratios of the whirling modes changed significantly as a function of the rotating speed. Additionally, a whirling mode was observed to change its direction at a given rotating speed. During transient tests, rotating speed ramps with high accelerations were found to present lower lock-in amplitude and frequencies. Moreover, fast downward ramps presented lock-in amplitudes four times higher than fast upward ramps. Consequently, the added modal coefficients changed accordingly as a function of the rotating speed, ramp acceleration, and ramp direction. For these reasons, it was confirmed that the modal responses of submerged rotating bodies must be calculated for each operational rotating speed, even at low velocities, and for each transient event in order to precisely predict their vibration behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The philosophical goal is to characterize ‘path dependence’ (PAD) in science by comparison to PAD in technology where the concept was initially introduced. I rely on quantum mechanics to substantiate the analyses, exploiting the contrast between standard versus Bohmian quantum physics (NQP/BQP). To achieve the goal, counterfactual history is mobilized as a means to generate instructive virtual alternatives to the actual scientific path: I design a ‘permuted-situations counterfactual scenario’ in which it is BQP, instead of NQP, that first acquires a monopoly on physics and is exclusively practiced in science education, before NQP is introduced. Then, I endeavor to ‘reenact’ – as forensic investigators carry out the re-enactment of a crime scene – how virtual mainstream Bohmians would assess NQP. Contrasting the two ‘views from inside’ – ‘what it is like to be’ a standard quantum physicist in our world (a physicist trained in NQP) and what it would be like to be a physicist exclusively trained in BQP – I attempt to come as close as possible to an ‘experience’ of the gestalt switch involved when shuttling back and forth between one scientific worldview to the other. The effects of PAD in physics are discussed on this basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitions to sustainability require not only structural policy reforms, but a rethinking of how policy-relevant expertise is produced. Scholars of Science and Technology Studies have used the concept of boundary work to examine how governments mobilize experts to establish epistemic and political authority for public policies. Less attention has been paid to the ways in which boundary work affects the scope of policy options to advance sustainability transitions, notably in the context of sociotechnical lock-in of dominant technologies. This article analyzes French pesticide regulation on alternatives to glyphosate in agriculture to reveal the governance implications of the construction of expertise. It examines how state actors and scientific experts performed cognitive and sociopolitical boundary work to affect both the framing of government-commissioned scientific reports and the institutions and policy instruments through which the government addressed the glyphosate problem. The article analyzes the factors that shaped the development of a novel regulatory instrument which restricts the use of glyphosate based on the availability and costs of alternatives, rather than on health or environmental risks alone. This process limited the framing of glyphosate alternatives to practices considered economically and practically feasible by selected experts and excluded more systemic alternatives from policy debate and instrumentation. The adoption of this regulatory instrument reflects specific institutional contexts, power differentials between governmental ministries, and the hidden political influence of a powerful agricultural sector and agrochemical industry. This article shows how expertise design plays a key role in defining the scope of policy options and determining allocations of political power. • The construction of expertise is critical in shaping governance outcomes. • France's new glyphosate policies reflect a depoliticized, farm-level framing. • A technical framing of glyphosate closes down policy options for transformation. • Government-mandated expertise could guide knowledge production for transitions. • Mobilization of expertise for transitions must consider power dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fashion industry has developed into a complex global system with persistent social and environmental sustainability challenges. Private, public, and civil society actors have condemned these persistent problems and called for system change toward sustainable fashion. While alternative practices and industry collaborations have emerged throughout the system, they have not added up to a sustainability transition. Instead, the system shows signs of being locked into unsustainability. The aim of this article is to examine the state of transition of the fashion industry through a multi-level perspective system analysis, based on a co-creative research project with the former C&A Foundation, which became the Laudes Foundation in 2020. This transition analysis shows that the fashion system is locked into a state of disconnection, uncontrollability, extraction, growth-focus, and disposability. We build from analysis and present a set of strategic transition pathways that can be pursued today throughout the fashion system to accelerate the transition to sustainable fashion.

Thermography using a period light stimulation. However, the results are highly dependent on the accuracy of the stimulation source and its dynamic response. This work aimed to evaluate the quality of a light source as a thermal stimulation and its influence on the quality of the lock-in tests performed in PMMA samples. For this purpose, it was developed an enhanced technique, feedback lock-in thermal testing (FLTT), which uses a light sensor to measure the real light stimulation. With this solution, it was possible to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the amplitude and phase images by approximately 2.5 times. Although only one commercial stimulation source has been tested, others may present similar behavior. Thus, this technique may be considered for lock-in systems using light stimulation, as the increment of the cost is rather small.

The work aims at validating a methodology for 3D printing of gears with involute gearing and evaluating their mechanical properties using infrared camera. A general methodology for the setup of 3D printing of gears made of polymeric materials has been developed, which can be used in technical practice in order to replace parts produced by conventional methods. An experiment was prepared determination of the distribution of the 1st invariant of the stress tensor and phase shift using a modal exciter and an IR camera. The values of the 1st invariant of the stress invariant were found. For these measurements, the lock-in thermography method was used, using a modal exciter we force loaded a gear in which the response to the load was registered. The aim was to obtain the distribution of the strain or stress field on the loaded tooth. The experimental method used also belongs to the field of non-destructive testing (NDT), and with suitable experimental parameters we can also obtain information from the layers below the surface, as demonstrated in the phase images. The practical benefit is to provide a competitive advantage to companies that will exploit the properties of polymeric materials by knowing the mechanical properties of these materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the question of accessibility of de jure standards considering a contractual FRAND obligation based on the FRAND commitment, as well as Art. 102 TFEU. It shows that the contractual entitlement to FRAND licensing negotiations is required for the standardisation process to be in compliance with Art. 101 TFEU. Still, the contractual FRAND obligation may vanish in consequence of an SEP transfer. Art. 102 TFEU cannot compensate for that loss because its applicability depends on the existence of a dominant position. Although lock-in effects are to be considered within the market definition, which can widen the provision's scope of applicability in SEP-related cases, the prohibition of an abuse of dominant position is not capable to ensure effective access to the standard sufficiently. The proof of a dominant position may require detailed market analysis, which is not in accordance with the requirement of effective access. On the one hand, implementers who are already locked into a standard are exposed to the risk of patent holdup. On the other hand, implementers who have not yet decided to implement the standard may hesitate to do so in order not to risk patent holdup. This impairs fast and widespread dissemination of standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which structures and preconditions stimulate or hinder regional development is of interest in economic geography, as is the renewal of 'left-behind' peripheral regions. However, few studies have addressed how and to what extent peripheral regions differ. To disentangle the notion of peripheral regions as homogeneous and lacking knowledge sources, capital and networks, the paper discusses the characteristics of four types of peripheral regions: resilient regional service centres; locked-in specialized regions; vulnerable rural regions; and locked-in and vulnerable resource-based regions. By detailing the nuances of periphery, we systematize regions' challenges and opportunities and link these to local agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inherited system features and challenges that can hinder urban planning initiatives must be taken into consideration before a path towards a sustainable future can be established. By putting the lock-in effect under scrutiny, it is possible to gain valuable insight to emphasize positive lock-ins and to prevent maladaptation and unsustainable solutions. This paper aims to review the current trends of urban studies regarding sustainability, resilience, and the lock-in effect, focusing on both hot topics and mutual integration by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR protocol) and analyzing the top-cited articles on these topics from 2015 to 2021 in the Web of Science database. Based on the revised literature, the potential lock-ins of climate-friendly and sustainable urban development are not adequately discussed. Moreover, while urban sustainability and resilience are often treated as overlapping areas, there is a lack of publications that carefully examine their interlinked long-term perspectives for any hindering effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building barriers to lock in customers and improving the affective customer experience are two key strategies employed by firms to enhance customer retention. Although pursuing the same goal, these strategies work differently: the former relies more on a calculative, cost–benefit approach to the exchange, while the latter promotes affective aspects of the relationship. Integrating experiential learning theory with social exchange theory, we provide a conceptual framework to understand the impact of lock-in and affective customer experience on customer retention, and the moderating role of relationship depth. Using a comprehensive data set for a sample of 13,761 customers covering all firms in one telecom market for two different services, we empirically test the framework via multinomial logit modeling. The results offer novel insights into the interplay between the two strategies. For poor affective customer experience (i.e., a score below five on a 0–10 scale), lock-in helps firms reduce customer churn (between 49.03% and 47.86%). However, the impact of lock-in decreases when affective customer experience improves and turns to be insignificant once the experience reaches the "acceptable level" (i.e., a score above seven on a 0–10 scale). Importantly, the separate and joint effects of the two strategies are stronger when there is a low relationship depth, and weaker when heavy relationships are established. The findings offer useful practical advice to manage these strategies in an efficient and optimal way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing legume diversity in food will significantly contribute to sustainable and healthy agrifood systems. But this seems difficult to achieve due to strong path-dependency in the agrifood sector and needs to be better assessed to define sound sustainability transition policies. We analysed 100,000 food product innovations with legume ingredients (soya and fourteen different pulses) over 2010–2019 in North America and Europe to get an overall view of how legumes are developing. Using the Mintel Global-New-Product-Database, we observed that food product innovations containing soya represent six times more than those containing pulses. Therefore, while soya is a major crop for feed, it is also becoming so for food, when compared with the low development of pulses. This confirms that encouraging markets to increase crop diversity and overcome lock-in is still a challenge. Beyond the case of legumes, those methods can be extended to measure biodiversity regarding any other species in food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lock-in thermal tests (LTTs) are one of the best ways to detect defects in composite materials. The parameter that most affects their performance is the cycle period of the stimulation wave. Its influence on the amplitude-phase results was determined by performing various numeric simulations and laboratory tests. The laboratory tests were used to infer part of the simulation parameters, namely the input and output heat, corresponding to the stimulation and natural convection. The simulations and the analysis of their results focus on the heat flow inside the sample and the manner they change for different geometries. This was performed for poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs). The simulation of these materials was also used to create prediction surfaces and equations. These predict the amplitude and phase for a sample with a thickness l and a cycle period. These new findings were validated with new laboratory tests and two new samples. These validated the prediction surfaces and equations and can now be used as a reference for future works and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We present a straightforward and reliable single-beam configuration designed for the assessment of two-photon absorption (2PA) through the utilization of the loss modulation technique. Mechanical rotation of a half-wave plate induces a sinusoidal modulation in the envelope of the probe pulse train. The elimination of spurious signals is achieved by determining the difference of the lock-in amplifier output at the focused and defocused positions of the sample. Our findings, based on measurements with dye solutions and crystalline silicon, demonstrate the feasibility of determining the 2PA coefficient, subject to preliminary calibration of the setup with reference samples. Remarkably, the acquisition of the 2PA signal in silicon at 1030 nm is accomplished with less than 200 pJ energy of the laser pulse, overcoming the challenge posed by concurrent linear absorption. Additionally, a signal of 3PA is revealed despite the presence of 2PA and linear absorption. • Single-beam loss-modulation setup sensitively detects 2 PA and 3 PA • Mechanical HWP rotation modulates laser beam sinusoidally. • Only 200 pJ pulse energy is enough for 2 PA signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrofoils are widely applied in the maritime domain, and their vibrational characteristics significantly influence the genesis and evolution of vortices. Consequently, modulating vortex shedding through the active vibration of hydrofoils may lead to the enhancement of the hydrodynamic performance of bluff bodies. In order to study the influence of structural oscillations on vortex shedding, both Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wake oscillator models were used to simulate the modulations of vortex shedding caused by an actively oscillating hydrofoil. By altering the vibration frequency and amplitude, the shedding frequency of vortices can be locked onto the structural vibration frequency. Another important discovery is that the dominant frequency of noise at the trailing edge of the actively vibrated hydrofoil has significantly shifted. Alongside the shift, there is a marked reduction in noise amplitude, denoting a dual acoustical modulation stemming from the vibratory intervention. These advancements provide pivotal contributions to the understanding of fluid-structure interactions and their resultant acoustic phenomena. • NACA0009 Hydrodynamic modelling of hydrofoils demonstrates excellent concordance between the predicted vortex shedding frequencies and experimental observations, affirming the accuracy of the simulations. • Numerical simulation evidence robustly supports that active vibration of the hydrofoil effectively alters the vortex shedding frequency. • Successfully delineated the vortex shedding locking boundaries for the NACA0009 active vibrating hydrofoil, providing a pivotal reference for wake oscillator model investigations. • Identified a significant shift in the noise dominant frequency at the trailing edge of the actively vibrating hydrofoil, accompanied by a noticeable attenuation in the corresponding noise amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]