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This article attempts to contribute to medical dispute resolution by examining the adoption of medical judicial expertise opinions in determining medical malpractice responsibility and its coordination with the judge’s legal opinions.

This article examines the legal basis and empirical data to demonstrate the decisive effect of medical judicial experts’ opinions in allocating medical malpractice responsibility and corresponding dispute resolution effectiveness.

High reliance on medical judicial expertise in medical dispute litigation not only unifies the judicial standards but also limits judges’ discretion, which brings the risk of contradiction between factual and legal findings, which currently ends in judges’ compromise.

The current medical malpractice provisions neglect the divergence of medical judicial expertise and judges’ opinions in determining medical malpractice responsibility, which produces difficulties in harmonizing awarded compensations and parties’ expectations, leading to problematic medical dispute litigation in Mainland China.

This paper aims to try to develop new, environmentally friendly and efficient lubricating additives; study the compatibility of carbon-based additives with different base oils [Polyalphaolefin (PAO)-3, PAO-20 and NPE-2]; and explore the lubrication mechanism.

Oleylamine modified carbon nanoparticles (CNPs-OA) were prepared and the dispersion stability of CNPs-OA in PAO-3, PAO-20 and NPE-2 base oils was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Universal Mechanical Tester (UMT) platform was used to carry out experiments on the effects of different additive concentrations on the lubricating properties of base oil.

The mean friction coefficient of PAO-3, PAO-20 and NPE-2 reduced by 32.8%, 10.1% and 11.4% when the adding concentration of CNPs-OA was 1.5, 2.0 and 0.5 Wt.%, respectively. Generally, The CNPs-OA exhibited the best friction-reducing and anti-wear performance in PAO-3.

The agglomeration phenomenon of carbon nanoparticles as lubricating additive was improved by surface modification, and the lubricating effect of carbon nanoparticles in three synthetic aviation lubricating base oils was compared.

Financing the capital-constrained farmers to facilitate the production of agri-products is one of the greatest challenges facing the farming supply chain in the developing countries. In this study, we investigate the optimal financing scheme for the farming supply chain under random yield and investment information asymmetry environment to support rural economic development.

We analyze a stylized model of farming supply chain where the capital-constrained farmer produces and sells agri-products through the agribusiness firm, and investigate the optimal financing scheme incorporating the investment information asymmetry and the challenge of yield uncertainty.

The results show that there is no one financing scheme equilibrium dominates for all situations, the financing scheme equilibrium is affected by the bank’s supervision cost to monitor the farmer’s moral hazard behavior, the variance of random yield and the farmer’s initial capital. The preference of the financing scheme for the agribusiness firm may be different from that for the farmer. The agribusiness firm might suffer from overfinancing problem under trade credit financing when the bank’s supervision cost is larger and the farmer’s own initial capital is lower; the higher variance of random yield will flare up the effect.

This study sheds light on the choice of financing scheme under random yield and investment information asymmetry environment. This problem is particularly important for developing economies. Financing the capital-constrained farmers not only increases supplies of food and industrial raw materials, but also reduces poverty. The findings provide managerial implications for practitioners for how to leverage different financing scheme to support rural economic development.

This study develops new theoretical model for farming supply chain financing incorporating the challenge of yield uncertainty and investment information asymmetry, the two prominent factors that would impact the financial risk significantly. We analyze the equilibrium under both bank financing and trade credit financing schemes, and the results suggest that the financing scheme equilibrium is affected by the bank’s supervision cost to monitor the farmer’s moral hazard behavior, the variance of random yield and the farmer’s initial capital. The agribusiness firm might suffer from overfinancing problem under trade credit financing.

The human body has the same basic size data but has different surface morphology, resulting in the unfitness even under the same size specification. The purpose of this study was to solve the local fitness problems by representing and quantifying the human surface morphological difference.

Firstly, the 3D point cloud for 323 female students was scanned, and the cross-section layers of the “waist-to-thigh” zone were determined. Secondly, the space vector based on the space Euclidean distance was extracted to represent and quantify the surface morphological difference. And the Principal Component Analysis and K-means were adopted to subdivide the target zone. Thirdly, the pattern based on the subdivision results and surface flattening was generated. Additionally, the fitness was evaluated by the subjective and objective assessments, separately.

The space vector could represent and quantify the shape morphology of the “waist-to-thigh” zone. It had successfully achieved the human body subdivision and corresponding pattern generation for the “waist-to-thigh” zone. And the pattern based on the shape subdivision and surface flattening of the space vector could effectively improve the wearing fitness. Particularly in the waist and crotch area of trousers, the obvious wrinkles had been solved because the space vector is more in line with the shape morphology characteristics.

The proposed method could represent and quantify the difference in human surface morphology in a 3D manner. It solved the unfitness problem caused by the same body size but different shape surface morphology. And it will contribute to the fitness improvement of the trousers.

Motivated by the significant role of uncertainty in affecting investment decisions and China's economic leadership in Asia, this paper investigates the predictive role of exposure to Chinese economic policy uncertainty at the individual stock level in large Asian markets.

We estimate the monthly uncertainty exposure (beta) for each stock and then employ the portfolio-level sorting analysis to investigate the relationship between the China’s uncertainty exposure and the future returns of major Asian markets over multiple trading horizons. The raw returns of the high-minus-low portfolios are then adjusted using conventional asset pricing models to investigate whether the relationship is explained by common risk factors. Finally, we check the robustness of the portfolio-level results through firm-level Fama and MacBeth (1973) regressions.

Applying portfolio-level sorting analysis, we reveal that exposure to Chinese uncertainty is negatively related to the future returns of large stocks over multiple trading horizons in Japan, Hong Kong and India. We discover this is unexplained by common risk factors, including market, size, value, profitability, investment and momentum, and is robust to the specification of stock-level Fama and MacBeth (1973) regressions.

Our analysis demonstrates the spillover effects of Chinese economic policy uncertainty across the region, provides evidence of China's emerging economic leadership, and offers trading strategies for managing uncertainty risks.

The findings of the study significantly improve our understanding of stock return predictability in Asian markets. Unlike previous studies, our results challenge the leading role of the US by providing a new intra-regional return predictor, namely, China’s uncertainty exposure. These results also evidence the continuing integration of the Asian economy and financial markets. However, contrary findings for some Asian markets point toward certain market-specific features. Compared with market-level research, our analysis provides deeper insights into the performance of individual stocks and is of particular importance to investors and other market participants.

Advances in digital technologies and the growing number of touch points have had a significant impact on the shopping behaviour of omnichannel customers. Several research papers have explored different facets of omnichannel, but only a few have thoroughly explored the literature on showrooming and webrooming simultaneously. This paper aims to identify the key groups of antecedents influencing customer buying behaviour in omnichannel, under the influence of digital technologies, with a particular focus on showrooming and webrooming.

Our study conducted a systematic literature review to identify the factors influencing customers’ buying behaviour in omnichannel, which have been the subject of academic discussion over the last decade. We finalized 149 articles for the thematic analysis and identified three groups of antecedents: channel-related, product-related and consumer-related with their subgroups.

Under channel-related antecedents, cost and perceived benefits, search convenience, need for interaction and situational circumstances have been identified as major attributes. The expressiveness of the product, product demonstration and search and experienced products have been identified under product-related antecedents, followed by price consciousness, past experiences, perceived risks and shopping motivations as leading attributes under consumer-related antecedents. The study revealed the multifaceted influence of digital technologies on omnichannel buying behaviour. Digital technologies are shaping the antecedents related to channels, products and consumers. Digital technologies simultaneously mediate between antecedents and the selection of a specific path within an omnichannel environment. Showrooming and webrooming should no longer be seen as general concepts. The rise of digital technologies has led to the development of new consumer journey patterns and the blurring of distinctions between showrooming and webrooming. A conceptual framework has been proposed to understand consumers' omnichannel behaviour, having considered the identified antecedents and the role of digital technologies.

This study advances the academic understanding of consumer behaviour in omnichannel under the influence of digital technologies and provides important implications for omnichannel management. With the advancement of digital technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality, retailers should implement channel integration strategies to bridge the gap between online and offline channels, providing a memorable shopping experience for omnichannel customers.

This study is unique because it identifies and analyses the antecedents of consumer behaviour in omnichannel settings under the influence of digital technologies. It also uncovers new potential combinations of showrooming and webrooming patterns. The proposed framework can help retailers in their future planning of omnichannel strategies.

The purpose of this paper is to address the urgent need for transformation and upgrading in the construction industry amid the accelerating industrialization process. The focus is on understanding how value-added for construction enterprises can be achieved through servitization.

Grounded in the perspective of added value of construction enterprises, this paper uses a multicase analysis method, selecting four internationally renowned construction enterprises as the research subjects. The analysis investigates how these case study enterprises transition toward servitization and explores the trends in servitization in construction.

The research results indicate that servitization manifests in two aspects: contractor transition to servitization, and the shift of the construction industry toward integrated delivery. Furthermore, servitization in construction can achieve value-adding through three pathways: increasing product value, creating market demand and providing customized services.

This study contributes by providing insights into the manifestations of servitization and pathways for value-added. It provides a reference for the overall direction and basic strategy of servitization in construction.

This paper aims to examine the role of local/provincial government in influencing corporate social and environmental reporting (CSER) in China, and more specifically, how the underlying economic and political factors associated with local government have influenced the quality of CSER.

The authors used 234 environmentally sensitive companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges during 2013 and 2015 as the research sample to test the relationship between CSER and local government’s political connection and economic prioritisation and the potential mediating effect of local economic prioritisation.

The analysis provides evidence that local/provincial government’s political geographical connectedness with the central government has directly and positively influenced the level of CSER, while local prioritisation of economic development has a direct but negative effect on CSER in China. In addition, local/provincial prioritisation of economic development has mediated the relationship between local–central political geographical connectedness and CSER.

While local/provincial governments are heavily influenced by the coercive pressure from the central government, they also act in their own political and economic interests in overseeing CSER at the local level. This study raises the question about the effectiveness of the top-down approach to improving CSER in China and suggests that the central government may need to focus more on coordinating and harmonising different local/provincial governments’ interests to enable achieving a common sustainability goal.

The authors provide evidence revealing how the economic and political contexts of local government have played a significant role in shaping CSER in China. More specifically, this paper addresses a gap in the literature by highlighting the importance of local government oversight power for CSER development and how such oversight is determined by local prioritisation of economic development and political geographical connectedness of local and central governments.

A successful process of design concept evaluation has positive influence on subsequent processes. This study aims to consider the evaluation information at multiple stages and the interaction among evaluators and improve the credibility of evaluation results.

This paper proposes a multi-stage approach for design concept evaluation based on complex network and bounded confidence. First, a network is constructed according to the evaluation data. Depending on the consensus degree of evaluation opinions, the number of evaluation rounds is determined. Then, bounded confidence rules are applied for the modification of preference information. Last, a planning function is constructed to calculate the weight of each stage and aggregate information at multiple evaluation stages.

The results indicate that the opinions of the evaluators tend to be consistent after multiple stages of interactive adjustment, and the ordering of design concept alternatives tends to be stable with the progress of the evaluation.

Updating preferences according to the bounded confidence rules, only the opinions within the trust threshold are considered. The attribute information of the node itself is inadequately considered.

This method addresses the need for considering the evaluation information at each stage and minimizes the impact of disagreements within the evaluation group on the evaluation results.

In the context of innovation-driven development strategy, open innovation has become an important way for enterprises to gain competitive advantages on the path of innovation and development. However, with the increasing competition, enterprises' open innovation is restricted by some constraints. How to promote open innovation in the restricted situations has become an existing research gap. Based on the perspective of digital transformation, this paper discusses how to promote the open innovation of enterprises under the restricted situations and find its breakthrough path, and analyzes the moderating effect of innovation persistence and political relevance.

Due to the complexity and confidentiality of military–civilian integration enterprises, they have become typical innovation-restricted enterprises. In this study, it selects a-share listed companies in the field of military–civilian integration in China in 2016–2020 as the research sample, and uses the two-way fixed-effect model to analyze the proposed variables. Finally, the robustness of the results in this paper is verified by a series of robustness tests and endogeneity tests.

The results show that digital transformation facilitates open innovation in military–civil integration enterprises, and that innovation persistence and political relevance positively moderate the relationship between the two. Further, digital transformation can promote open innovation in military–civil integration enterprises by easing the financing constraints and reducing information asymmetry. Innovation persistence has a more pronounced positive moderating effect among civilian-to-military and SMEs, and digital transformation of firms in the South has a negative effect on open innovation, but innovation persistence and political relevance dampen this negative effect.

Previous studies on the restrictions of open innovation or its dark side are mostly case studies and qualitative research. In contrast, the superiority and novelty of this study is in the form of a typical innovation-restricted enterprises “civil-military integration enterprise” as the research sample, based on the perspective of digital transformation, through empirical analysis method to explore how to better implementation of open innovation in the restricted situations. The findings of the study can not only enrich the application of digital transformation and open innovation theory, but also provide practical guidance for military–civil integration innovation in restricted situations.