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An uncertainty analysis is required to be carried out in formal safety assessment (FSA) by the International Maritime Organization. The purpose of this article is to introduce the uncertainty analysis technique into the FSA process. Based on the uncertainty identification of input parameters, probability and possibility distributions are used to model the aleatory and epistemic uncertainties, respectively. An approach which combines the Monte Carlo random sampling of probability distribution functions with the a-cuts for fuzzy calculus is proposed to propagate the uncertainties. One output of the FSA process is societal risk (SR), which can be evaluated in the two-dimensional frequency–fatality (FN) diagram. Thus, the confidence-level-based SR is presented to represent the uncertainty of SR in two dimensions. In addition, a method for time window selection is proposed to estimate the magnitude of uncertainties, which is an important aspect of modeling uncertainties. Finally, a case study is carried out on an FSA study on cruise ships. The results show that the uncertainty analysis of SR generates a two-dimensional area for a certain degree of confidence in the FN diagram rather than a single FN curve, which provides more information to authorities to produce effective risk control measures.

Giant urban rail transit (GURT) systems have been formed in many metropolises and play a critical role in addressing serious traffic congestion. Unfortunately, as a dynamic and complex system, the vulnerability of GURT networks under various failure scenarios will be more prominent as the network expansion continues. Thus, it is imperative to explore the complex structural characteristics of the network and improve the ability to deal with the disturbance of emergencies. In this study, the destruction resistance of GURT networks with scale growth is illustrated from a vulnerability perspective. Specifically, taking Shanghai rail transit (SHRT) system as an example, the network topology model is constructed using the Space L method, and the network structure characteristics are analyzed based on the complex network theory. In addition, five attack strategies are developed to represent random and targeted attacks during the simulation of network failure, and two metrics are determined to evaluate the network vulnerability. Some meaningful results have been obtained: (i) The Shanghai rail transit planning network (SHRTPN) has increased the network efficiency by more than 10% over the Shanghai rail transit operating network (SHRTON) and has effectively enhanced the network destruction resistance. (ii) The SHRT network is a small-world network and shows significant vulnerability under the targeted attacks. The failure of only 3% high betweenness stations in SHRTON can lead to a 66.2% decrease in the network efficiency and a 75.8% decrease in the largest connected component (LCC) ratio. (iii) Attacking stations will cause more severe network failures than attacking edges, and it is necessary to focus on preventing catastrophic network failure caused by the critical station’s failure breaking the threshold. Finally, the strategies for improving the destruction resistance of GURT networks are proposed. The findings of this research can provide an essential reference for the rational planning, safety protection, and sustainable construction of GURT systems.

Although the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocate, through SDG 4 and SDG 10, equitable quality education and the reduction of inequalities within and between countries, respectively, few studies have examined how inequalities in regional sustainability influence higher education. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between regional sustainability and higher education in China using fixed-effects panel modelling. A systematic force framework showing how regional sustainability drives higher education was constructed from economic, social, and environmental perspectives, and the endogeneity in the process of how regional sustainability affects higher education was explored by introducing one-year lagged values as instrumental variables. Our results show that regional sustainability has a significant impact on higher educational attainment in China, with differing effects in the eastern, central, and western regions, respectively. In central China, economic sustainability plays a significant positive role in higher educational attainment; in the western region, economic and social sustainability have stronger positive effects, while environmental sustainability has significantly negative effects. In terms of policy implications, our findings can be used to support regional development policies to promote regional higher education.

This study explores the role of information technology (IT) in supporting sustainability efforts in Saudi Arabia. Through an analysis of four case studies, we examine how technology has been implemented by Saudi Arabian companies to advance sustainability goals. The findings demonstrate a notable shift towards green initiatives in the country, with the adoption of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and artificial intelligence. These technologies have been instrumental in enhancing energy efficiency and waste reduction. The study highlights the significance of policy interventions and public-private partnerships in achieving both environmental sustainability and economic growth. To ensure widespread adoption of sustainable practices, it is crucial for the government to focus on building digital capacity in companies and removing technological barriers. The case studies of four companies serve as illustrative examples of sustainable practices and the corresponding technological support in Saudi Arabia. The research underscores the importance of leveraging information technology and collaboration to accelerate progress towards the nation's sustainability goals.

The output of municipal solid waste is growing rapidly, which has brought tremendous pressure to urban development. The supply chain of municipal solid waste (MSW) in China mainly contains three processes: collection, transportation, and disposal. The waste is sorted at the collection and disposed of according to the classification. However, it is mixed at the transportation stage. Mixed transportation remixes the separately collected waste, which seriously affects the disposal effect. The supply chain of MSW urgently needs to be redesigned to improve the MSW disposal effect. First of all, on the ground of the waste treatment situation, we redesigned the supply chain of MSW in China. Secondly, combined with the redesign of the MSW supply chain, this paper established the function allocation model for collection stations, making a collection station only gather one type of waste, and built the transportation path planning model for vehicles, reducing the impact of waste storage on residents. Finally, based on the data of Xuanwu District in Beijing, the supply chain redesigning practical example of incinerable waste was given. The supply chain redesigning model in this paper not only makes full use of the existing infrastructure but also improves the disposal effect of waste. The supply chain redesigning model has practical application value.

The Chinese electric power industry, including its coal industry and other energy industries that are not efficient, contributes to China’s serious energy shortages and environmental contamination. The governing authority considers energy conservation to be one of the most prominent national targets, and has formulated various plans for decarbonizing the power system. Applying the trans-log cost function, this paper examined the trans-log cost function to analyze the potential inter-factor substitution among energy, capital and labor. We also investigated what role human capital played in energy substitution for the electric power sector during the period from 1981 to 2017. Three key results were derived: (1) energy is price-insensitive, (2) there exists large substitution sustainability between both capital and labor with energy, and (3) human capital input not only enhances the extent of energy substitutability with capital and labor but also is a substitute to energy itself. These findings imply that the liberalization of the electric price mechanism is conducive to lessening energy use and augmenting non-energy intensiveness, and that energy conservation technology could become more sustainable by investing more capital in the electricity sector, thereby achieving a capital–energy substitution and a decrease of CO2 emissions. We further suggest that the priority for the Chinese electric power industry should be to attach more importance to increasing human capital input.

The aim of this study is to simulate the self-organized evolution mechanism of inner innovation of large-scale construction enterprises (LSCE) under different contexts. Based on NK stochastic combinatorial optimization model with two parameters (N, K), this study proposes three modules—ambidexterity, punctuated equilibrium, and automation—to simulate the change behaviors of the inner innovation system. Furthermore, this study analyses the influence of factor correlation on inner innovation performance under discusses nine different combination situations. The research results show that (a) regardless of how the relationship strength changes, fitness increases with an increasing K value; and (b) the comparison of optimization modes show that the punctuated equilibrium mode can guarantee the long- and short-term inner innovation performance LSCE. This study therefore reveals the mutual effects of the factors in the inner innovation system in LSCE and provides an effective model for internal systems analyses in the construction industry and in other sectors.

Various national and international standards for building structures and other common structures specify a design working life of 50 years. Therefore, the statistical parameters of loads and the design expressions in current design codes are also based on a design reference period of 50 years. When the design working life is not 50 years, the variable load adjustment factor for the design working life needs to be considered. The corresponding load adjustment factors of office building live load, residential live load, snow load, and wind load are given in (GB50153-2008), (GB50009-2012), and (GB50068-2018) with different design working life (5, 10, 20, 30, 75 and 100 years), respectively. However, the recommended values presented in these documents are inconsistent and no provisions are found in those specifications for the selection of load design parameters in the design expression, which will result in designers having doubts in choosing design parameters, especially for building structures designed for a working life of 100 years. Using different design parameters in the design expression, the implied reliability level of the members with a design working life of 100 years was clarified in the paper. Furthermore, guidance for the specification in actual design is provided. For structural members designed for working life of 100 years, 14 representative structural members were selected to calculate their partial factors of resistance. Considering two simple combinations (dead load and wind load, dead load and snow load) and common load effect ratios, the reliability analysis of each member are carried out according to the load partial factors in China’s old and new codes. The study indicated that the structural importance coefficient of 1.1 needs to be taken in the design expression to increase all the load effects on the structural members designed for 100 years. The basic wind pressure and snow pressure should be taken with a return period of 100 years and the variable load adjustment factor for the design working life should not be considered.