Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of internal audit function (IAF) quality on the operational efficiency of Chinese firms. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use regression models with a sample of Chinese listed companies to test their research hypotheses....

We consider the Potts model on a hierarchical lattice. A multifractal analysis of the Julia set associated with the renormalization-group transformation, which gives the Fisher zeros of the partition function in the complex temperature plane, is performed. The behavior of the singularity...

We have studied two generalized Frenkel-Kontorova (FK) models. In one of them the interatomic potential is changed from simple harmonic to Toda; in the other the external potential is changed from sinusoidal to nonanalytic. Their critical behaviors are found to be markedly different. In the Toda...

When arriving at a busy port, a container ship usually need to queue in anchorage waiting for a berth. If the port establishes a toll scheme, the ship may rationally adjust sailing speed and time to save the cost, otherwise she has to pay for berthing on time. Consequently container ships'...

In September 1997, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an international convention protocol to reduce air pollution from ships, in order to achieve sustainable maritime development. This protocol has been approved by 15 member countries and will be enforced in May 2005....

The marine ecological environment and fishery resources can be severely polluted or destroyed by waste oil from fishing vessels if they are emitted directly into the ocean without any proper pre-treatment process. International conventions such as MARPOL 73/78 regulate waste-oil emissions and...