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The purpose of the study is to examine the use of alternative information in bank lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Understanding alternative information and its use in bank lending to SMEs is important because it has become a growing part of the future of SME finance. The results and findings of my study not only enrich the finance literature but, more importantly, also address the use of Fintech in the risk management of SME lending, a new and complex problem that is specific to both the information technology and finance field.

To answer the research question, the author used a case study approach that relies upon qualitative data and analysis. By iterating between the existing literature, theoretical pieces and empirical findings, the author explain and interpret in detail how the use of alternative information impacts loan outcomes and develop insights to guide future research.

The case is outlined in two time periods including the prepartnership period and the postpartnership period. It highlights the establishment of a partnership between LoanBank and FintechInc (pseudonym), aimed at SME-focused Fintech lending. The findings underscore how the partnership has enabled a mutually beneficial situation where LoanBank and FintechInc leverage each other’s strengths to provide efficient and effective lending services. The adoption of alternative information in the risk management Fintech (RMF) platform of FintechInc has transformed LoanBank’s lending processes, showcasing how technological innovations can enhance SME lending practices.

The study’s originality mainly lies in the three detailed insights regarding alternative information’s impact on SME lending: information, platform properties and financial inclusion. The information part demonstrates that RMF platforms expand the information used for lending decisions, shifting from traditional hard and soft data to incorporating various alternative information sources. The platform properties part suggests that location, openness and technology also play a pivotal role in shaping lending outcomes. Finally, the financial inclusion part proposes that the use of alternative information has the potential to improve financial inclusion and offer better credit terms to previously underserved borrowers.

The incorporation of phosphide additives is regarded as a highly effective strategy for enhancing the lubricative qualities of base oils. This study aims to assess the lubrication behavior and efficacy of various phosphide additives in polyethylsiloxane (PES) through the employment of the Schwingum Reibung Verschleiss test methodology, across a temperature range from ambient to 300°C.

PES demonstrated commendable lubrication capabilities within the Si3N4/M50 system, primarily attributable to the Si-O frictional reaction film at the interface. This film undergoes disintegration as the temperature escalates, leading to heightened wear. Moreover, the phosphide additives were found to ameliorate the issues encountered by PES in the Si3N4/M50 system, characterized by numerous boundary lubrication failure instances. A chemical film comprising P-Fe-O was observed to form at the interface; however, at elevated temperatures, disintegration of some phosphide films precipitated lubrication failures, as evidenced by a precipitous rise in the coefficient of friction.

The results show that a phosphide reactive film can be formed and a reduction in wear rate is achieved, which is reduced by 64.7% from 2.98 (for pure PES at 300°C) to 1.05 × 10^–9 μm³/N m (for triphenyl phosphite at 300°C).

The data derived from this investigation offer critical insights for the selection and deployment of phosphide additives within high-temperature lubrication environments pertinent to PES.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2024-0139/

Drawing from resource orchestration theory, this research proposed an integrative model that leverages insights into counter resource constraints and uncertainty in start-up business model innovation (BMI). It investigated the influences of entrepreneurial networks and effectuation on BMI through bricolage in uncertain environments.

The research surveyed 481 start-ups in China. LISREL 8.80 and SPSS 22.0 were employed to test the validity and reliability of key variables, respectively. Additionally, hypotheses were examined through multiple linear regression.

First, entrepreneurial networks and effectuation were positively related to BMI, and combining these two factors improved BMI for start-ups. Second, bricolage contributed to BMI and played mediating roles in translating entrepreneurial networks and effectuation into BMI. Third, environmental uncertainty weakened the linkage between bricolage and BMI.

Future research should replicate the results in other countries because only start-ups in China were investigated in the study, and it is necessary to extend this research by gathering longitudinal data. This research emphasized the mediating effects of bricolage and the moderating influence of environmental uncertainty, and new potential mediating and moderating factors should be explored between resources and BMI.

There are three significant theoretical contributions. First, the findings enrich the literature on the complex antecedents of BMI by combining the impacts of entrepreneurial networks and effectuation. Second, an overarching framework is proposed explaining how bricolage (resource management) links entrepreneurial networks and effectuation and BMI. Third, it demonstrates the significance of environmental uncertainty in the bricolage–BMI linkage, deepening the understanding of the bricolage boundary condition.

The rise of interactive fitness games in the post-epidemic era has resulted in the need to establish a quality evaluation index system. This study aims to develop such a system and provide a reference for enhancing the quality of interactive fitness games.

To achieve this, interviews and questionnaires were conducted to identify the factors that influence the quality of interactive fitness games. The Kano model and SII (Satisfaction Increment Index)-Dissatisfaction Decrement Index (DDI) two-dimensional quadrant analysis were then used to explore differences in quality judgment between males and females, as well as their priorities for improving interactive fitness games.

The study revealed that males and females have different quality judgments for “rich and diverse content,” “motivational value,” “sensitive motion recognition detection” and “portability.” However, both genders share similar views on the other quality factors. In addition, the study identified differences in the priority of improvement between men and women. “Very interesting,” “effective fitness achievement,” “motivating fitness maintenance,” “sensitive motion recognition detection,” “portability” and “educational value” were found to be of higher priority for men than women.

These findings provide a valuable theoretical reference for developers and designers of interactive fitness games seeking to enhance the user experience.

Regular cable trench inspection is crucial, and robotics automation provides an efficient and safer alternative to manual labor. However, existing robots have limited capabilities in traversing obstacles and lack a mechanical arm for detecting cables and equipment. This study aims to develop an intelligent robot for cable trench inspection, enhancing obstacle-crossing abilities and incorporating a mechanical arm for inspection tasks.

This study presents an intelligent robot for cable trench inspection, featuring a six-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm mounted on a six-track chassis with four flippers. The robot's climbing and obstacle-crossing stability, as well as the motion range of the mechanical arm, are analyzed. The positioning, navigation and remote monitoring systems are developed. Experiments, including climbing and obstacle-crossing performance tests, along with navigation and positioning system tests, are conducted. Finally, the robot's practicability is verified through field testing.

Equipped with flipper tracks, the cable trench inspection robot can traverse obstacles up to 30 cm high and maintain stable locomotion on 30° slopes. Its navigation system enables autonomous operation, while the mechanical arm performs cable current detection tasks. The remote monitoring system provides comprehensive control of the robot and environmental parameter monitoring in cable trenches.

The front and rear flipper tracks enhance the robot's ability to traverse obstacles in cable trenches. The mechanical arm addresses cable current and equipment contact detection issues. The navigation and remote monitoring systems improve the robot's autonomous operation and environmental monitoring capabilities. Implementing this robot can advance the automation and intelligence of cable trench inspections.

The rapid development of e-commerce live streaming is inseparable from the important role of live-streamer. However, research exploring the impacts of live-streamers’ characteristics on customer engagement in different types of live streaming rooms remains limited. This study aims to examine the impacts of live-streamers’ characteristics (i.e. expertise, moral reputation, popularity, responsiveness) on consumer engagement in e-commerce live streaming, and verify whether there are differences in the impact of live-streamers’ characteristics on consumer experience for different types of live-streamers.

Data were gathered from 266 Chinese adults who have experience watching e-commerce live streaming. Partial least squares techniques were used to verify the model.

The results show that expertise, moral reputation, popularity, and responsiveness of live-streamers have positive impacts on consumer engagement through perceived trust and perceived pleasure. Moreover, through multi-group analysis, this study found that compared with enterprise live-streamers, the moral reputation of individual live-streamers exerts a stronger effect on consumers’ perceived trust, and the popularity of individual live-streamers exerts a stronger effect on consumers’ perceived pleasure. Compared with individual live-streamers, the responsiveness of enterprise live-streamers exerts a stronger effect on consumers’ perceived pleasure.

This study contributes to e-commerce live streaming research by categorizing live-streamers into two types: individual live-streamers and enterprise live-streamers, and verifying the specific difference in the impacts of live-streamers’ characteristics on consumer experience for the two types of live-streamers.

Rhetorical figures are frequently used in English-Chinese advertisement translation, but their impact on consumers is an under-studied issue. This research aims to explore Chinese consumers’ perception of two categories of rhetorical figures in bilingual advertising, namely schemes and tropes, via an eye-tracking experiment.

It takes rhyme and antithesis as representative examples of schemes and takes metaphor as an example of tropes. Eighty-six native Chinese speakers with satisfactory English proficiency participated in the experiment. Thirty English slogans without rhetorical figures were selected for the experiment. Two parallel Chinese versions were prepared, one with rhetorical figures and the other without. Participants were randomly assigned to read the English version and one Chinese version.

Data analyses show that the translations with rhetorical figures generally involve higher fixation duration or count, smaller saccade amplitude and higher subjective ratings. In particular, the impact of metaphor is more prominent than that of rhymes and antitheses. Still, English texts receive higher ratings than Chinese translations except for cases where metaphors are used in translations.

The results suggest that incorporating rhetorical figures particularly tropes into Chinese translations is effective in increasing Chinese consumers’ attention and processing depth and to present English advertisements together with Chinese translations can be helpful for affecting their attitude.

It applies the eye-tracking approach to explore Chinese consumers’ perception of rhetorical figures. It provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of tropes.

In smart cities striving for innovation, development, and prosperity, hydrogen offers a promising path for decarbonization. However, its effective integration into the evolving energy landscape requires understanding regional intricacies and identifying areas for improvement. This chapter examines hydrogen transport from production to utilization, evaluating technologies’ pros, cons, and process equations and using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) tool to assess these technologies based on multiple criteria. It also explores barriers and opportunities in hydrogen transport within the 21st-century energy transition, providing insights for overcoming challenges. Evaluation criteria for hydrogen transport technologies were ranked by relative importance, with energy efficiency topping the list, followed by energy density, infrastructure requirements, cost, range, and flexibility. Safety, technological maturity, scalability, and compatibility with existing infrastructure received lower weights. Hydrogen transport technologies were categorized into three performance levels: low, medium, and high. Hydrogen tube trailers ranked lowest, while chemical hydrides, hydrail, liquid organic hydrogen carriers, hydrogen pipelines, and hydrogen blending exhibited moderate performance. Compressed hydrogen gas, liquid hydrogen, ammonia carriers, and hydrogen fueling stations demonstrated the highest performance. The proposed framework is crucial for next-gen smart cities, cutting emissions, boosting growth, and speeding up development with a strong hydrogen infrastructure. This makes the region a sustainable tech leader, improving air quality and well-being. Aligned with Gulf Region goals, it is key for smart cities. Policymakers, industries, and researchers can use these insights to overcome barriers and seize hydrogen transport tech opportunities.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aging time on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture morphology of Cu/Zn160%SAC0307/Al solder joints produced through solid-state bonding.

Zn particles with a size of 1 µm and Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu (SAC0307) particles ranging from 20 to 38 µm were used to achieve Cu/Al micro-connections using ultrasonic assistance at a temperature of 180 °C, followed by aging treatment at 150 °C to enhance the quality of Cu/Al joints. Scanning electron microscopy was used for observing and analyzing the solder seam, interface microstructure, and fracture morphology. The structural composition was determined using energy dispersive spectroscopy, while a PTR-1102 bonding tester was used to measure the average shear strength.

The results indicated that the intermetallic compounds formed at the interface between Cu substrates and solder metal primarily consisted of smooth Cu5Zn8. The Al-side interface mainly comprises an Al-Sn-Zn solid solution, with Zn-Sn-Cu phases forming between SAC0307 particles at 180 °C. During the aging process, atomic diffusion was accelerated, leading to improved connection quality. The shear strength of the joints initially increased before decreasing as aging time progressed; it peaked at 32.92 MPa after 24 h – an increase of 76.8% compared to as-received joints. After reaching stability at 96 h, there was still a notable increase in shear strength by 48.4% relative to as-received joints.

This study further explores the strengthening mechanisms associated with solid-state bonded Cu/SACZ/Al joints through aging processes. Joints created via solid-state bonding demonstrate superior reliability compared to traditional soldered connections. It is anticipated that insights gained from this research will contribute valuable knowledge toward developing low-temperature soldering methodologies for heterogeneous materials.