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1 – 10 of 82Xiaoxiao Qiu, Shuaitong Liang, Shujia Wang, Shen Qian, Hongjuan Zhang, Xue Mei Ding and Jiping Wang
This paper explores what factors influence household textile washing behaviour and how these factors relate to greenhouse gas emissions during the textile use stage.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores what factors influence household textile washing behaviour and how these factors relate to greenhouse gas emissions during the textile use stage.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey related to textile summer washing and care behavior was conducted among households in 16 administrative districts of Shanghai. This study used the modified Consumer Lifestyle Approach framework of the washing and care ecosystem. The research hypotheses were established by selecting related factors from four aspects: household demographic characteristics, economy and consumption characteristics, washing machines and detergents characteristics.
Findings
First, we have demonstrated how some course factors do not significantly affect greenhouse emissions. None of the demographics, detergent-related activities, economy and consumption constructs significantly affect greenhouse emissions. Second, we have identified that washing machine and related activities has a direct positive effect on GHG emissions. The washing machine is not only the de facto carrier of all washing activities but also the core of washing activities. Washing machine is crucial in reducing greenhouse emissions and adjusting consumer behaviors.
Originality/value
This paper conducts a study related to the washing and care behavior of households in Shanghai. The paper examines the factors influencing household washing behavior and the relationship between these factors and greenhouse gas emissions during the textile use phase.
Details
Keywords
Yuhui Wei, Zhaowei Su, Huashan Lu and Xue Mei Ding
The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient termination control strategy of air-vented dryer in term of energy saving, improving smoothness and reducing microscopic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient termination control strategy of air-vented dryer in term of energy saving, improving smoothness and reducing microscopic damage of fiber.
Design/methodology/approach
A simple, low cost termination control strategy is developed by testing the instantaneous humidity of exhaust air and then deducing the drying degree of fabric in process. The practicability evaluation of this novel strategy was investigated by using both experimental and mathematical approaches. The effect of termination control strategy on drying efficiency and fabric apparent properties were also discussed.
Findings
Termination control strategy significantly affects drying time, energy consumption, smoothness and microscopic of fiber. Specially, a novel termination control strategy that the combination of equilibrium moisture content of fabric in ambient environment and relative humidity of exhaust air in exhaust duct is workable and can save 25.2 percent of energy consumption, 26.7 percent of the drying time and improve 0.7 grade of the appearance smoothness, as well as significantly reduce the microscopic damage of fiber compare to the original control strategy of dryer. This indicates possible ways to minimize drying energy consumption and dryer damage by reducing unnecessary migrate out of the water from the clothes.
Practical implications
The paper is helpful in not only the development of new drying product but also the optimization of appearance smoothness of fabric after drying and reduce the microscopic damage of fiber.
Originality/value
A novel termination control strategy of dryer is applied to improve drying efficiency of dryer and reduce fabric damage.
Details
Keywords
Shuaitong Liang, Xue Mei Ding, Xiong Ying Wu, Fan Wu and Tesfaye Mulu Asmamaw
Smooth appearance of fabrics after ironing with steam, soleplate, ironing speed and their interactions cannot be studied using household ironing machines such as hang steamer and…
Abstract
Purpose
Smooth appearance of fabrics after ironing with steam, soleplate, ironing speed and their interactions cannot be studied using household ironing machines such as hang steamer and flatiron. The purpose of this paper is to present the design and verification of a simple, low-cost test platform based on the fabric materials hang-ironing factors includes temperature, humidity, ironing speed (time).
Design/methodology/approach
This platform achieves adjustable and stable steam flow rate, enabling any ironing speed and any temperature of soleplate below 200°C. Moreover, the whole ironing process is automatically after experiment level set ahead for better observation to the ironing process.
Findings
Regression results of the apparatus are stable, statistical significant which is verified by the statistics under design of experiment.
Originality/value
It is useful in other aspects such as nozzle test and improvement, new products evaluation and smooth appearance level experiment and test for new ironing product and its research. It is also useful in other aspects such as nozzle test and improvement, new products evaluation and smooth appearance level experiment and test for new ironing product and its research.
Details
Keywords
Ndwiga Duncan Kariuki, Xiong-Ying Wu, Chang-Chun Gao and Xue-Mei Ding
Clothing quality, performance, safety and health have become important considerations for consumer welfare. Properties of these aspects are encompassed on standards which…
Abstract
Purpose
Clothing quality, performance, safety and health have become important considerations for consumer welfare. Properties of these aspects are encompassed on standards which regulates clothing products reaching consumers. The purpose of this paper is to categorize these aspects in a common platform by suggesting minimum requirements expected on readymade garments from which clothing standards compliance assessment is performed.
Design/methodology/approach
With the aid of standard compliance assessment model, scored Standard Compliance Rate (SCR) values of the discussed properties of clothing standardization are synthesized from a standard compliance matrix, and the compliance of any clothing standards are assessed and assigned a “Standard Compliance Index/Level (SCI/SCL)” ranging from non compliance to full compliance at six levels.
Findings
In reference to the standard compliance assessment model, 12 children and infant clothing standards, three from Kenya and nine from China, and eight protective clothing standards from Kenya, China, Britain and USA, two from each country, were assessed and the compliance level of each standard evaluated and results presented. The results of the study reveal the importance of every aspect of clothing standardization properties to fulfil the requirements of standard compliance assessment whereby, though they meet their role in developing Standard Compliance Index (SCI), they may have different impact depending with the context applied and the scope of every standard.
Research limitations/implications
The selection of standardization parameters and characteristics, and the criteria for scoring some of the Standard Compliance Rating was subjective and may require mutual agreements between relevant bodies. Furthermore, this method can only be applied on clothing standards and not other textile testing standards.
Practical implications
The proposed method can be applied when evaluating and comparing specific clothing standards between bodies or countries. Clothing SCI would be of primary importance as a guide on required clothing quality specifications to designers, manufacturers, standard regulators and consumer welfare bodies.
Originality/value
This research reports the development of an original framework to assess compliance level of any clothing standard using standardization parameters and characteristics considered when determining the quality of a garment. It establishes a theoretical framework of clothing standards compliance assessment, which has not been reported in the literature to date.
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Ying Kit Cherry Kwan, Mei Wa Chan and Dickson K.W. Chiu
In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation…
Abstract
Purpose
In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation and a heightened emphasis on library marketing. Special libraries, in particular, rely heavily on patrons for survival, often due to their private ownership and limited resources. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper examines the Taste Library, a special library in Hong Kong, and analyzes its current practices based on an interview with its founder, website content, and social media presence. The 7Ps Marketing Mix model is employed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the library's current market position.
Findings
The Taste Library's existing practices exhibit limitations in attracting young patrons. To address this issue, we propose marketing strategies focused on enhancing social network presence, offering digitized content, and engaging in school outreach.
Practical implications
By concentrating on youth marketing, this study offers valuable insights for special libraries in developing strategic plans for transitioning and maintaining sustainability.
Originality/value
Few studies concentrate on marketing small special libraries, particularly in the East, within today's digitized economy.
Details
Keywords
Yanlan Mei, Ping Gui, Xianfeng Luo, Benbu Liang, Liuliu Fu and Xianrong Zheng
The purpose of this paper is to take advantage of Internet of Things (IoT) for intelligent route programming of crowd emergency evacuation in metro station. It is a novel approach…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to take advantage of Internet of Things (IoT) for intelligent route programming of crowd emergency evacuation in metro station. It is a novel approach to ensure the crowd safety and reduce the casualties in the emergency context. An evacuation route programming model is constructed to select a suitable evacuation route and support the emergency decision maker of metro station.
Design/methodology/approach
The IoT technology is employed to collect and screen information, and to construct an expert decision model to support the metro station manager to make decision. As a feasible way to solve the multiple criteria decision-making problem, an improved multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) approach is introduced.
Findings
The case study indicates that the model provides valuable suggestions for evacuation route programming and offers practical support for the design of an evacuation route guidance system. Moreover, IoT plays an important role in the process of intelligent route programming of crowd emergency evacuation in metro station. A library has similar structure and crowd characteristics of a metro station, thus the intelligent route programming approach can be applied to the library crowd evacuation.
Originality/value
The highlights of this paper are listed as followings: the accuracy and accessibility of the metro station’s real-time information are improved by integrating IoT technology with the intelligent route programming of crowd emergency evacuation. An improved MABAC approach is introduced to the expert support model. It promotes the applicability and reliability of decision making for emergency evacuation route selection in metro station. It is a novel way to combine the decision-making methods with practice.
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This paper analyzes the factors that potentially affect grain security in China and reviews the techniques used for prediction. It reviews and compares forecasts for grain…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper analyzes the factors that potentially affect grain security in China and reviews the techniques used for prediction. It reviews and compares forecasts for grain security in 2020 and 2030 with the aim of making some judgments, from the perspective of grain supply and demand, about the future grain security situation in China.
Design/methodology/approach
In this article, the paper will introduce the methods and results of the forecast and also focus on the predictions for grain security in 2020 and 2030 in order to give a clear review of previous researches in this regard.
Findings
The results indicate that the traditional threats to food supply and demand in China still exist, while demand for biomass energy continues to rise. With regard to grain aggregate, the grain supply-demand balance will still be relatively tight for both 2020 and 2030. In terms of structure, grain for feed will experience increase – mainly driven by the supply of corn – adding to the unabated structural issues confronting regional grain supply and demand. In the future, therefore, China should try to preserve favorable factors that increase grain production, optimize grain structure and production, maintain the proper scale and make-up of grain imports and exports, and work for a sound global trading environment for grain.
Originality/value
This article contributes to existing literature by analyzing the factors affecting grain security in China and reviewing prediction techniques and forecasts for grain security in China in 2020 and 2030. The findings suggest that China needs to take appropriate measures to ensure future grain security.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the relationship quality on customer loyalty. The moderating role played by online service recovery in this study is further…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the relationship quality on customer loyalty. The moderating role played by online service recovery in this study is further discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative Web-based survey study was conducted to statistically test these relationships among relationship quality, service recovery and customer loyalty. Data collected from 183 respondents were taken for analysis through partial least squares.
Findings
The findings reveal that relationship quality has significant influence on customer loyalty, whereas service recovery has moderated effect on the relationship between relationship quality and customer loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
The respondents of this study were recruited from online panels; thus, a purposive sample could be a biased indication of the characteristics of the actual population. Therefore, it is suggested that future researchers enroll subjects from a statistical population that accurately represents the entire population and, in addition, that they collect more responses to increase the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications
Because failures in service delivery are inevitable, recovery of such encounters thus represents a significant challenge for service firms. Hence, this study proposes concrete suggestions for firms to manage and operate e-commerce websites, as well as to enhance relationship quality and customer loyalty.
Originality/value
Service failures have been the bane of e-commerce, compelling customers to either abandon transactions entirely or switch to a physical competitor. Many firms have realized the importance of maintaining strong relationships with customers to enhance their loyalty. However, previous literature has a few studies conducted on the relationships among service recovery, relationship quality and customer loyalty in the e-commerce context. Therefore, it is meaningful to identify these relationships.
Details
Keywords
Term suggestion is a very useful information retrieval technique that tries to suggest relevant terms for users' queries, to help advertisers find more appropriate terms relevant…
Abstract
Purpose
Term suggestion is a very useful information retrieval technique that tries to suggest relevant terms for users' queries, to help advertisers find more appropriate terms relevant to their target market. This paper aims to focus on the problem of using several semantic analysis methods to implement a term suggestion system.
Design/methodology/approach
Three semantic analysis techniques are adopted – latent semantic indexing (LSI), probabilistic latent semantic indexing (PLSI), and a keyword relationship graph (KRG) – to implement a term suggestion system.
Findings
This paper shows that using multiple semantic analysis techniques can give significant performance improvements.
Research limitations/implications
The suggested terms returned from the system may be out of date, since the system uses a batch processing mode to update the training parameter.
Originality/value
The paper shows that the benefit of the techniques is to overcome the problems of synonymy and polysemy over the information retrieval field, by using a vector space model. Moreover, an intelligent stopping strategy is proposed to save the required number of iterations for probabilistic latent semantic indexing.
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Keywords
Peichao Li, Linzhong Li and Mengmeng Lu
The purpose of this paper is to present a semi-analytical solution to one-dimensional (1D) consolidation induced by a constant inner point sink in viscoelastic saturated soils.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a semi-analytical solution to one-dimensional (1D) consolidation induced by a constant inner point sink in viscoelastic saturated soils.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the Kelvin–Voigt constitutive law and 1D consolidation equation of saturated soils subject to an inner sink, the analytical solutions of the effective stress, the pore pressure and the surface settlement in Laplace domain were derived by using Laplace transform. Then, the semi-analytical solutions of the pore pressure and the surface settlement in physical domain were obtained by implementing Laplace numerical inversion via Crump method.
Findings
As for the case of linear elasticity, it is shown that the simplified form of the presented solution in this study is the same as the available analytical solution in the literature. This to some degree depicts that the proposed solution in this paper is reliable. Finally, parameter studies were conducted to investigate the effects of the relevant parameters on the consolidation settlement of saturated soils. The presented solution and method are of great benefit to provide deep insights into the 1D consolidation behavior of viscoelastic saturated soils.
Originality/value
The presented solution and method are of great benefit to provide deep insights into the 1D consolidation behavior of viscoelastic saturated soils. Consolidation behavior of viscoelastic saturated soils could be reasonably predicted by using the proposed solution with considering variations of both flux and depth because of inner point sink.
Details