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Composite materials are effective alternatives for rehabilitating critical members of offshore platforms, bridges, and other structures. The structural response of composite reinforcement greatly depends on the orientation of fibres in the composite material. Joints are the most critical part of tubular structures. Various existing studies have identified optimal reinforcement orientations for a single load component, but none has addressed the combined load case, even though most practical loads are multiplanar.

This study investigates the optimal orientation of composite reinforcement for reducing stress concentration factors (SCF) of tubular KT-joints. The joint reinforcement was modelled and simulated using ANSYS. A parametric study was carried out to determine the effect of the orientations of reinforcement in the interface region on SCF at every 15° offset along the weld toe using linear extrapolation of principal stresses. The impact of orientation for uniplanar and multiplanar loads was investigated, and a general result about optimum orientation was inferred.

It was found that the maximum decrease of SCF is achieved by orienting the fibres of composite reinforcement along the maximum SCF. Notably, the optimal direction for any load configuration was consistently orthogonal to the weld toe of the chord-brace interface. As such, unidirectional composites wrapped around the brace axis, covering both sides of the brace-chord interface, are most effective for SCF reduction.

The findings of this study are crucial for adequate reinforcement of tubular joints using composites, offering a broader and universally applicable optimum orientation that transcends specific joint and load configuration.

The stress concentration factor (SCF) is commonly utilized to assess the fatigue life of a tubular T-joint in offshore structures. Parametric equations derived from experimental testing and finite element analysis (FEA) are utilized to estimate the SCF efficiently. The mathematical equations provide the SCF at the crown and saddle of tubular T-joints for various load scenarios. Offshore structures are subjected to a wide range of stresses from all directions, and the hotspot stress might occur anywhere along the brace. It is critical to incorporate stress distribution since using the single-point SCF equation can lead to inaccurate hotspot stress and fatigue life estimates. As far as we know, there are no equations available to determine the SCF around the axis of the brace.

A mathematical model based on the training weights and biases of artificial neural networks (ANNs) is presented to predict SCF. 625 FEA simulations were conducted to obtain SCF data to train the ANN.

Using real data, this ANN was used to create mathematical formulas for determining the SCF. The equations can calculate the SCF with a percentage error of less than 6%.

Engineers in practice can use the equations to compute the hotspot stress precisely and rapidly, thereby minimizing risks linked to fatigue failure of offshore structures and assuring their longevity and reliability. Our research contributes to enhancing the safety and reliability of offshore structures by facilitating more precise assessments of stress distribution.

Precisely determining the SCF for the fatigue life of offshore structures reduces the potential hazards associated with fatigue failure, thereby guaranteeing their longevity and reliability. The present study offers a systematic approach for using FEA and ANN to calculate the stress distribution along the weld toe and the SCF in T-joints since ANNs are better at approximating complex phenomena than standard data fitting techniques. Once a database of parametric equations is available, it can be used to rapidly approximate the SCF, unlike experimentation, which is costly and FEA, which is time consuming.

The discourse aimed to investigate green finance practices under the assumptions of several notable climate advisors and speculators in Asia and particularly in Southeast Asia. The study intrigues by considering financial specialists to vent government spending on green restoration plans leading toward green bankable venture openings for the public and private sector. This section distinguishes a few of the green fund components and approaches that can be joined by national and neighborhood governments, essentially in Southeast Asia, into their post-COVID-19 techniques, but are too valuable inputs for domestic commercial banks and private corporates.

It can be defined as a functional type for Cobb Douglas development. ARDL technology is a way of calculating complex forces at the classification level at long-term and short-term stages. This ARDL approach has many advantages and can be implemented when incorporated in level I (0) and level I first (1) with the original variable. Still, it offers robust ability to the outcomes and standardizes the lag, considering the number and sample size used. Pooled mean group (PMG) method is becoming a convenient technique for monitoring data over the period and a good approach for energy impact panels – growth ties for creating links between energy emissions and environmental sustainability and businesses in the nation.

There is a positive partnership between creativity and a sustainable world. Corporations are recommended to uphold the principles of CSR in the development process by introducing environmentally friendly advanced technologies. The main objectives of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are economic growth, environmental sustainability and social justice. Several programs have been established to expand businesses' responsibilities to improve their confessions in sustainable growth. SMEs are a primary source of production of innovative products and technologies. The key concerns of stakeholders and politicians in the new competitive business climate are the protection of environmental sustainability and social responsibility, recognizing factors driving economic development for SMEs.

During the COVID-19 era, the prime responsibility of pandemic confronting governments is to spend on help activities (that have been started in earlier phase) and recovery endeavors (yet to start in the situation). Therefore, the governments may devise policies to pool resources from commercial, private, public-private partnerships and other capital market sources. With rising hazard recognitions particularly emerging from at-threat income projections, governments ought to make the correct mechanisms and instruments that can perform this catalytic part of derisking and drawing in such capital. This too can be an opportunity for governments to enhance and execute such financial instruments that offer assistance, quicken their commitments to climate alter beneath the Paris Agreement and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and thus “build back better” is being progressively voiced over the world.

The study aims to empirically estimate the role of public supports for energy efficiency financing and presents the way forward to mitigate the energy financing barriers that incurred during the COVID-19 crisis.

Using the G7 countries data, the study estimated the nexus between the constructs. Generalized method of moments (GMM) and conventional increasing-smoothing asymptotic of GMM are applied to justify the study findings. Wald econometric technique is also used to robust the results.

The study findings reported a consistent role of public support on energy efficiency financing indicators, during the COVID-19 crisis period. G7 countries raised funds around 17% through public supports for energy efficiency financing, and it raised 4% of per unit energy usage to GDP, accelerated 16% energy efficiency and 24% output of renewable energy sources, during COVID-19. By this, study findings warrant a maximum support from public offices, energy ministries and other allied departments for energy efficiency optimization.

The study presents multiple policy implications to enhance energy efficiency through different alternative sources, such as, on-bill financing, direct energy efficiency grant, guaranteed financial contracts for energy efficiency and energy efficiency credit lines. If suggested policy recommendations are applied effectively, this holds the potential to diminish the influence of the COVID-19 crisis and can probably uplift the energy efficiency financing during structural crisis.

The originality of the recent study exists in a novel framework of study topicality. Despite growing literature, the empirical discussion in the field of energy efficiency financing and COVID-19 is still shattered and less studied, which is contributed by this study.

The need to improve energy efficiency as an essential factor for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through green financing is one of the most important issues worldwide. It is even more important for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries because of their potential for economic growth and the challenge of their environmental problems. This paper therefore addresses the question of whether and how green finance (with the proxy of issued green bonds [GBs]) promotes energy efficiency (with the proxy of energy intensity) in the ASEAN member countries.

The paper runs a two-stage generalized method of moments (GMM) system model for the quarterly data over the period 2017–2020. It also uses a linear interaction model to explore how the pandemic may affect the relationship between green finance and energy efficiency in this region.

The main results only demonstrate the short-term negative impact of GBs on energy intensity. Furthermore, per capita income, economic integration and renewable energy supply can be used as potential variables to reduce energy intensity, while modernization in ASEAN increases energy intensity. Establishment of digital green finance, long-term planning of a green finance market, trade liberalization and policies to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 are recommended as golden policy implications.

The present study has several limitations. First, it accounts for explanatory variables by following a number of previous studies. This may lead to omissions or errors. Second, the empirical estimates were conducted for 160 observations due to the repositioning of GBs in ASEAN, which is not bad but not good for an empirical study.

To the best of authors' knowledge, there has not been any in-depth study focusing on the relationship between energy efficiency and green financing for the case of ASEAN economies.

This study presents the state of green bond markets in Africa and green bond funds by some countries in the continent.

The authors adopt a case study approach on four different kinds of countries, namely oil-rich economy, green bond innovator, renewable energy user and carbon vulnerability.

The authors found that Africa's green bond is still at the early stages. However, countries are using innovative ways that are adaptable to their current economic conditions and investment attractiveness in issuing green bonds. While some countries focus on central and local government bonds, others use corporate bonds, few combine government and corporate green bonds. Interestingly, the first green bond globally certified by the Climate Bonds Standard was issued by an Africa country in Africa. In some selected countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Namibia and Kenya, green bond markets have seen massive growth and have contributed to numerous infrastructural energy efficiency projects. To expand this market further in these countries, the authors recommend fostering a public–private partnership backed by policies and political will.

This study provides an original contribution to the green bond and its likelihood of driving energy efficiency in a continent that has attracted little to no attention in the literature.

The aim of this study is to estimate the relationship between technological innovation and corporate environmental performance among energy companies working in Egypt.

The study extended the aim with the intention to assess the role of green financing in enhancing corporate environmental performance. Partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to estimate the nexus among study variables.

The results indicated that technological innovation influenced environmental performance and has a positive impact on company performance. The role of green financing for environmental performance is also significant and positive. Moreover, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has insignificant role in environmental performance of the energy companies in the study context.

The study offers a valuable model for general managers of manufacturing organizations and policymakers to manage CSR, environmental strategy and green innovation in examining environmental performance. It can help to assist general managers of large manufacturing organizations to strengthen their internal resources like CSR, environmental strategy and green innovation to enhance environmental performance.

The findings of this article will help the practitioners to design policies regarding sustainable energy systems and green finance in the presence of any natural calamity.

This study primarily complements the existing literature by establishing how green financing and CSR can augment and/or interact between technological innovation and corporate environmental performance under COVID-19 crises, in a developing country.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of green finance (i.e. green investment, green security and green credit) along with capital formation and government educational expenditures on the economic development of (ASEAN) countries.

The data were gathered from the central banks of all ASEAN countries and the World Bank Indicators between 2008 and 2019. The fixed-effect model and generalized method of moments were used to check the nexus between the constructs.

The results revealed that green finance along with capital formation and government educational expenditures have a positive association with the economic development of ASEAN countries.

The study carries some limitations, even though it addresses the underlying variables comprehensively. These limitations provide opportunities to future researchers and authors to expand the scope and accuracy of their study. This research investigation has been supported by the data collected from a single source. Though data collection is maintained correctly, it is still recommended to the upcoming scholars to acquire data to reconfirm the same findings using multiple data sources. The data collected from using some specific data source may be limited in scope and may hinder the comprehensive elaboration of the underlying variables and their mutual relationship. Therefore, the utilization of multiple sources of data collection gives data sufficient to meet the requirement of an okay quality research study. The study is about the economies of ASEAN countries. It checks the influences of green finance development on economic activities and the country's economic growth in ASEAN countries' economies. Thus, its results are valid only in the economies of these countries, and this research investigation lacks generalizability. For generalizability, the authors must consider the underlying variables in the world's vast economies. They must adopt a standard scale to judge the impacts of green financial development on economic development. Besides, the study analyzes the economic factors, economic conditions and their effects on the country's position in the world economy in the face of a severe epidemic like COVID-19. Thus, the results may be different in the case of the normal situation. So, a general standardized study is recommended to be conducted in the upcoming days.

Green finance has significant capability to improve the global economy, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is beneficial for policymakers to develop policies related to economic development with reference to green finance and also helps future research on a similar topic.

The purposes of the study are to investigate the role of brand experience in the generation of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) in Islamic banking and to identify the important components of brand equity, in light of Aaker (1991) and Keller (1993), who combined effect on brand loyalty to effectively manage CBBE in Islamic banking.

Paper and pencil technique was used to collect data from the consumers of Islamic banking products. In total, 365 respondents were finally considered for data analysis. Convenient sampling technique was used to collect data. Correlation, multiple regression and hierarchical regression techniques were used with the aid of SPSS and AMOS to analyse the data.

The results show that perceived quality, brand image, brand experience, brand loyalty and brand awareness are positively associated and have a significant influence on overall brand equity. Based on the results, the study concludes that perceived quality is an important variable in the management of CBBE in Islamic banking to improve overall brand equity. Hence, it is concluded that perceived quality, brand experience and brand image are the most important focusing areas from CBBE in the management of Islamic banks’ brand equity and cannot be undervalued.

The research findings illustrate the importance of brand experience and effects of overall brand equity dimensions in the process of building strong brand equity of Islamic banks. Therefore, this research has implications not only for experiential marketing but also for human resource managers and brand managers. The scope of the present study is limited only to the consumers of Islamic banks products of Malaysia and Pakistan.

Brand management literature focused on the components of brand equity model and its importance in creating overall brand equity. Previous studies are yet to investigate the combined effect of brand equity components (perceived quality, brand awareness, brand image and brand loyalty) to manage overall brand equity. Therefore, the present research fills the gap by investigating the combination of best brand equity components that are very effective to manage brand loyalty and overall brand equity. Second, this study investigates the impact of brand experience on CBBE components in Islamic banking which has not been tested before in Islamic banking.

China is a significant energy consumer with increasingly severe resource constraints and environmental problems, requiring low-carbon energy transformation and encouraging high-quality energy development (HED). Green finance significantly affects the effect on HED as a cutting-edge financial strategy to support environmental improvement and encourage green development.

Using panel data from 30 provinces from 2007 to 2019 and the system-generalized method of moments method, this paper investigates the impact of green finance on HED, and further explores their threshold effect, heterogeneous and asymmetry analysis.

The main results indicate that: (1) green finance positively affects HED in China; in other words, a 1% increase in the green finance index will boost HED by an average of 0.767%; (2) as the economy improves, the positive impact of green finance on HED will be even more significant and (3) the contribution of green finance to HED is more significant in the northern provinces and areas with lower HED levels.

This paper puts forward relevant policy suggestions to further improve the construction of the green financial system.