Shih-I Tai, Tzu-Ling Huang, Hsin-Yi Huang, Chieh-Ni Wu, T.C.E. Cheng and Ching-I Teng
Online games are highly popular Internet applications. Some games enable players to save game progress and accumulate experiences or changes to avatars during gameplay, whereas…
Abstract
Purpose
Online games are highly popular Internet applications. Some games enable players to save game progress and accumulate experiences or changes to avatars during gameplay, whereas some other games do not, requiring players to restart from the beginning each time. That is, games differ in avatar accumulability. However, we do not know whether games should be designed to permit avatar accumulability or not and how it affects players’ gameplay experience and therefore game outcomes, indicating gaps. Research addressing these gaps can inform game makers in designing games that effectively strengthen their players’ game loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
We used social identity theory (SIT) to construct a theoretical model. To test this model, three waves of survey data were gathered from the same 778 participants.
Findings
These findings uniquely indicate that avatar accumulability fosters avatar identification and increases players’ focused immersion, thus increasing players’ loyalty.
Practical implications
Game providers could include game features that enable players to accumulate their avatars’ in-game skins, levels, items (weapons and equipment) and experience points. This accumulability can help strengthen players’ game loyalty.
Originality/value
Overall, our study extends SIT by adding a new trigger (avatar accumulability) and two novel consequences of avatar identification (image protection and focused immersion) in avatar-related systems (games or gamified systems). The new trigger offers an actionable means to apply SIT, while the novel consequences verify the value of applying SIT to study online games.
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Jun Li, Nikmatul Adha Nordin and Melasutra Md Dali
This study aims to explore the value of pocket parks and associated factors, as well as the differences between pocket parks and other green spaces, and finally to identify the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the value of pocket parks and associated factors, as well as the differences between pocket parks and other green spaces, and finally to identify the role of pocket parks in cities.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a systematic literature review method to identify 85 articles from the Web of Science and other sources. The Nvivo12plus software was employed to qualitatively analyse the value of pocket parks, and the key associated factors were visualised via the NVivo word cloud function.
Findings
As a result, pocket parks reflected high social, environmental ecological, cultural aesthetic values but low economic value. Compared to other large-scale green spaces, the particularity of pocket parks lies in their ambiguity and temporality of space and high reliance on the surrounding environment. Small and scattered pocket parks in the city are like “convenience stores” and “green magnets”, and connectivity should be strengthened to promote urban regeneration.
Originality/value
Compared with previous studies that mostly focused on large urban green spaces, the originality of this study is that it elaborates on the importance and values of pocket parks and proposes the particularity and roles of pocket parks in cities, which enriches the theoretical knowledge of pocket parks. In terms of practical applications, the proposed diverse values and associated factors contribute to guiding the planning, management and operation of pocket parks. Moreover, the roles of pocket parks help enhance park connectivity and establish a park network system.
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Tianyu Yan, Weizhe Yang, Yanyan He and Qinglong Gou
This study aims to investigate the effect of the reference quality on the optimal production strategy of a component manufacturer (CM), which mainly concerns whether to sell its…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effect of the reference quality on the optimal production strategy of a component manufacturer (CM), which mainly concerns whether to sell its high quality self-branded products and whether to supply critical components to a competitive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) who produces low quality products.
Design/methodology/approach
The study considers a supply chain comprising an OEM, a CM and a third-party component manufacturer (TCM), who produces components with uncertain quality. The OEM selects a supplier between the CM and the TCM to produce products. Anticipating the OEM’s supplier selection, the CM chooses among three alternative production strategies. For each alternative strategy of the CM, the authors derive the equilibrium solutions between the OEM and the CM with or without the reference quality effect. Then, the authors obtain the effect of the reference quality on the CM by comparing the CM’s optimal strategy between the two situations.
Findings
First, the reference quality has opposite effects on the CM’s production strategy depending on the competition results. A high reference quality effect motivates the CM to solely sell the self-branded products if the OEM can always enter the final product market when purchasing from the TCM, and to sell both self-branded products and components if the OEM cannot enter the market when using the TCM’s low quality components. Second, the reference quality effect motivates the OEM to accept a higher wholesale price from the CM. Third, the reference quality effect can make the CM benefit from a more stable TCM in competition.
Originality/value
This paper first considers the impact of the reference quality effect on the CM’s production strategy. By considering consumers’ behavior in a co-opetitive supply chain, this paper contributes to both literature and practice.
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Paras Khullar, Gurmeet Singh and Satish Kumar
The paper aims to investigate the effects of slurry erosion on hydro turbine components, focusing on the experimental analysis of SS-304 using sand as the erodent material. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate the effects of slurry erosion on hydro turbine components, focusing on the experimental analysis of SS-304 using sand as the erodent material. The study was conducted on a tester under varying parameters to assess the material’s erosion behavior. In this work, the experimental investigation of SS-304 with sand was done with sand as the erodent material on a tester with various parameters. Further, the materials were made more resistant to wear by a WC-10Co-4Cr coating, done by the high-velocity oxygen fuel method. The mass loss of the specimens with and without coating was calculated. SEM was carried out on the specimens. The specimens with coating showed greater erosion resistance than the base material; however, wear mechanisms such as craters, lip formation, pores, etc. were discovered on the specimens.
Design/methodology/approach
The wear tests were carried out on the specimens with parameters of rotating speeds of 1,000, 1,150, 1,300 and 1,450 rpm; time duration 80, 130 and 180 min with sand concentrations of 30% and 50% in water. The base material was coated with WC-10Co-4Cr by the HVOF method of thermal spray.
Findings
In the results, it was observed that the wear resistance of the coated specimen increased significantly as compared to the uncoated material. Concentration proved to be the major factor influencing the wear erosion followed by rotational speed and time period. Various surface defects such as ploughing, crater formation, lip formation and micro-cutting were also found.
Originality/value
Slurry concentration was found to be the more dominant factor in increasing the wear of the specimens. The tests proved that the coating proved to be highly wear-resistant as compared to the uncoated base material and increased the wear resistance up to 3 times.
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Xinhui He, Kun Huang, Guihao Ran, Xiaobiao Mao, Qin Hu, Zhennan Lin, Shuangquan Ran and Tao Hu
This study aims to improve the sensitivity of magnetic detection. In this article, a multi-frequency modulation technique is used to increase the magnetic detection sensitivity of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to improve the sensitivity of magnetic detection. In this article, a multi-frequency modulation technique is used to increase the magnetic detection sensitivity of diamond nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers sensors.
Design/methodology/approach
In the field of magnetic detection, NV centers have corresponding advantages due to their unique long coherence property at room temperature. The important indicators for NV centers magnetometers are the magnetic detection sensitivity of the NV centers and the integration of the magnetometer. To solve this problem, the authors propose a multi-frequency modulated magnetic detection technique, using an integrated probe as well as a lock-in amplifier for the double enhancement of sensitivity as well as integration.
Findings
The following results can be obtained by processing and calculating the experimental data with an integrated lock-in amplifier circuit with an area of 27.50 cm2 and a probe volume of 3.12 cm3. The multi-frequency modulation technique was used to increase the magnetic detection sensitivity of the NV centers from 8.59 nT/Hz1 / 2–2.42 nT/Hz1 / 2.
Research limitations/implications
The authors propose a signal modulation technique with an integrated design, which achieves an improvement in the sensitivity of the sensor’s magnetic detection through practical testing.
Originality/value
The authors propose a signal modulation technique with an integrated design, which achieves an improvement in the sensitivity of the sensor’s magnetic detection through practical testing. This technique provides new research solution for the subsequent improvement of the magnetic detection sensitivity.
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Alessio Pricci and Gianluca Percoco
This study aims to describe the effect of ironing process parameters on mixing efficiency and gradient generation in Y-micromixers and microfluidic gradient generators (MGGs)…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to describe the effect of ironing process parameters on mixing efficiency and gradient generation in Y-micromixers and microfluidic gradient generators (MGGs), respectively.
Design/methodology/approach
Material extrusion (MEX) enables the production of miniaturized devices with the advantage of lower manufacturing costs and higher design freedom. However, surface finishing is the most important drawback when it comes to microfluidic applications where flow splitting is not required. First, the effect of ironing line spacing (LS) and speed (IS) on mixing efficiency in Y-micromixers was experimentally investigated. Then, the best ironing settings were chosen to further study the spatial stability of the normalized concentration gradient in MGGs.
Findings
Lower ironing LS and IS enhance the microchannel surface smoothness. The best combination of ironing parameters (lowest values of LS and IS) leads to an increase in mixing length of 191% at Q = 10 µL/min and 198% at Q = 20 µL/min, with respect to a similar Y-micromixer geometry where ironing was not performed. These findings were applied in the production of a MGG, showing that the normalized concentration gradient in the crosswise flow direction does not depend on the streamwise position when ironing is performed.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, the possibility of optimizing ironing parameters to enhance the surface roughness in MEX microfluidic devices has been investigated. Ironing of the channel bottom surface allows to reduce ridges-induced flow convection, thus delaying mixing in Y-micromixers and achieving stable concentration gradient in MGGs.
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This paper aims to investigate and analyze the air-gap field modulation (AGFM) effect on torque contribution in a 6-slot/4-pole high-speed permanent magnet (HSPM) machine. To…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate and analyze the air-gap field modulation (AGFM) effect on torque contribution in a 6-slot/4-pole high-speed permanent magnet (HSPM) machine. To further illustrate the torque generation mechanism, the torque contribution is quantified using the Maxwell stress tensor (MST) method.
Design/methodology/approach
First, a simplified permanent magnet (PM) magnetomotive force model is established to identify the effective main-order working field harmonics. Then, the MST method is used to determine the average torque contributions of the effective main-order working field harmonics. Finally, the influences of various stator and rotor parameters on the AGFM effect are analyzed and optimized to enhance the torque density.
Findings
Apart from the fundamental harmonics, the AGFM harmonics contribute non-negligible average torque on the HSPM machine, and the optimized machine has higher torque density. Finally, a prototype of the 10 kW HSPM machine is manufactured and experimented with to validate the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.
Originality/value
In this paper, the torque generation mechanism of the HSPM machine is investigated and analyzed. Meanwhile, the AGFM effect of the HSPM machine with different design parameters is analyzed and optimized to enhance the torque density.
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Genghuan Li, Qingxian Jia, Yunhua Wu, He Liao and Zhong Zheng
This paper aims to investigate the attitude synchronization issue of multi-spacecraft formation flying systems under the limited communication resources.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the attitude synchronization issue of multi-spacecraft formation flying systems under the limited communication resources.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose a distributed learning Chebyshev neural network controller (LCNNC) combining a dynamic event-triggered (DET) mechanism and a learning CNN model to achieve accurate multi-spacecraft attitude synchronization under communication constraints.
Findings
The proposed method can significantly reduce the internal communication frequency and improve the attitude synchronization accuracy.
Practical implications
This method requires the low communication resources, has a high control accuracy and is thus suitable for engineering applications.
Originality/value
A novel DET mechanism-based LCNNC is proposed to achieve the accurate multi-spacecraft attitude synchronization under communication constraints.
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Hong Xue, Sujie Zhang, Zezhou Wu and Lin Zhang
Despite smart construction technology's great potential to improve the productivity of the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, the implementation of smart…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite smart construction technology's great potential to improve the productivity of the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, the implementation of smart construction technology has failed to achieve the expected benefits due to the negative usage behaviors of construction enterprise employees. This study aims to identify the determinants and their configuration effects on the smart construction technology usage behavior (SCTUB) based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework. This study then verifies the practical paths to improve the employee's SCTUB from the configuration perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach involving survey and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is conducted in this study. Based on the detailed literature review and semi-structured interview, this study identifies the factors and proposes the TOE framework to determine the configuration conditions affecting employee's SCTUB and verify practical paths to promote this user behavior.
Findings
The TOE framework's technical, organizational and environmental elements are interdependent. The emergence of a high SCTUB is not determined by a single determinant but by configuration conditions. Four equifinal conditions (e.g. organization-technology type, technology-organization type, environment type and organization-technology balanced type) are verified to promote construction enterprise employee's SCTUB.
Practical implications
The four verified configuration conditions could guide construction enterprises to formulate complementary strategies for promoting the construction enterprises' employees to implement smart construction technology and achieve the enterprise's digital transformation.
Originality/value
The inter-dependence of the three-dimension factors, namely technical, organizational and environmental elements are explored to enrich the literature on the TOE framework. Meanwhile, the configuration effects of these factors on usage behavior are identified, expanding the literature on the information technology acceptance model.
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Miaomiao Chen, Alton Y.K. Chua and Lu An
This paper seeks to address the following two research questions. RQ1: What are the influential user archetypes in the social question-answering (SQA) community? RQ2: To what…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to address the following two research questions. RQ1: What are the influential user archetypes in the social question-answering (SQA) community? RQ2: To what extent does user feedback affect influential users in changing from one archetype to another?
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a sample of 13,840 influential users drawn from the Covid-19 community on Zhihu, the archetypes of influential users were derived from their ongoing participation behavior in the community using the Gaussian mixture model. Additionally, user feedback characteristics such as relevance and volume from 222,965 commenters who contributed 546,344 comments were analyzed using the multinomial logistic regression model to investigate the archetype change of influential users.
Findings
Findings suggest that influential users could be clustered into three distinctive archetypes: touch-and-go influential users, proactive influential users and super influential users. Moreover, feedback variables have various impacts on the influential user archetype change, including a shift toward creating higher-quality content and fostering increased interaction, a shift toward generating lower-quality content and decreased interaction but improved speed and having mixed effects due to differences in information processing among these archetypes.
Originality/value
This study expands the existing knowledge of influential users and proposes practical approaches to cultivate them further.