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The purpose of this paper is to study and report the effects of silver (Ag) content, glass phase particle size and Ag/antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) particle size on the properties of ATO thick film resistor pastes, especially on the microstructure, square resistance, temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), resistance temperature curve and other properties of the pastes.

Thick film resistor pastes with different Ag content, glass phase particle size and ATO particle size were printed on stainless steel substrates by screen printing technology, and a series of Ag/ATO thick film resistors (TFRs) were obtained after high-temperature sintering. The electrical properties of TFRs were evaluated. The microstructure development, square resistance, TCR and other properties of the developed TFRs were evaluated with the change in Ag content and the particle size.

The results show that with the increase of Ag content, the square resistance of the pastes decreases and the TCR increases. The change rate of resistance after resintering is less than 4%, and the pastes show excellent antiaging properties. Meanwhile, with the increase of the particle size of the glass phase, the square resistance decreases first and then increases, and the TCR increases first and then decreases, which has little effect on the conductive behavior. The increase in ATO particle size leads to an increase in the square resistance of TFRs and a decrease in the TCR.

This paper provides a useful evaluation of the square resistance, TCR and other properties of Ag/ATO thick film resistor pastes, which are related to the Ag content, glass phase particle size and ATO particle size of the developed TFRs. The thick film resistor pastes with zero TCR can be obtained using Ag/ATO as the functional phase without Pd or Pt.

The purpose of the study is to propose a new perspective to explain how China's rapid growth in patenting is partially driven by corporate strategic patenting to influence local governments. The authors highlight the role of strategic patenting and local government-business relations in creating the gap between the patent boom and underlying technological progress in China.

The authors investigate the relationship between local government-business relations and corporate strategic patenting behaviors, measured as a higher ratio of patent filings to patent awards, by collecting data from three successive NADS surveys of government-business relations in 292 Chinese municipalities, paired with detailed patenting and subsidy data of 3,756 publicly listed corporations obtained through text mining.

The authors find that, while R&D investment and patent subsidies do drive corporate patenting, firms in jurisdictions with lower-quality government-business relations are more likely to engage in strategic patenting. Moreover, the negative impact of government-business relations on strategic patenting is moderated by political connections, as the strategic patenting of firms without political connections is more sensitive to government-business relations. The authors further show that firms obtain significant benefits from patenting in the form of additional subsidies from local innovation and industrial policies in the years following.

Rolling back patent subsidies will reduce strategic patenting to a limited extent. The local governments in emerging markets need to increase the capacity to implement industrial policy and provide market-based opportunities for firms to access innovation inputs.

The authors provide an updated and fresh perspective to understand the phenomenon of China's patent boom by showing that patenting can be driven by corporate strategies to adapt to local institutions and influence government policy. The authors extend the analysis of strategic patenting to emerging markets.

This paper aims to elucidate the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, reverse innovation and international performance of emerging economy multinational enterprises (EMNEs).

The authors analyze archival data of Chinese limited companies between 2010 and 2016, including 11,230 firm-year observations about 1708 firms. In order to test the study’s mediation hypotheses, the authors apply an ordinary least square (OLS) regression.

The authors find evidence that the entrepreneurial orientation of EMNEs has a positive effect on reverse innovations. Furthermore, the authors find positive effects of reverse innovation on the international performance of EMNEs. This pattern of results suggests that the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and international performance is partially mediated by reverse innovation.

The study’s findings help managers in EMNEs to promote reverse innovation by building and using their entrepreneurial orientation. It also helps them to set out and gauge the chances of success of their internationalization strategies. The findings also hold relevance for firms in developed economies as well, as they may understand which emerging economy competitors stand to threaten their positions.

The strategic role of reverse innovations – i.e. clean slate, super value and technologically advanced products originating from emerging markets – has generated considerable research attention. It is clear that reverse innovations impact the international performance of EMNEs. Yet how entrepreneurial orientation influences international performance is still underexplored. Thus, the current study clarifies the mechanism by examining and testing the mediating role of reverse innovation among the entrepreneurial orientation–international performance link.

This study aims to investigate the influence of inventors’ abilities to acquire external knowledge, provide broad and professional knowledge and patenting output (i.e. different types of inventors) on the formation of structural holes.

The authors collected 59,798 patents applied for and granted in the USA by 33 of the largest firms worldwide in the pharmaceutical industry between 1975 and 2014. A random-effects tobit model was used to test the hypotheses.

The inventors’ ability to acquire external knowledge contributes to the formation of structural holes. While inventors’ ability to provide broad knowledge positively affects the formation of structural holes, their ability to provide professional knowledge works otherwise. In addition, key inventors and industrious inventors are more likely to form structural holes than talents.

The results identify individual factors that affect the formation of structural holes and improve the understanding of structural hole theory. This study is unique in that most scholars have studied the consequences of structural hole formation rather than their antecedents. Studies on the origin of structural holes neglect the effect of inventors’ knowledge abilities and patenting output. By addressing this gap, this study contributes to a more comprehensive theoretical understanding of structural holes. The results can guide managers in managing structural holes in accordance with inventors’ knowledge abilities and patenting outputs, which optimize the allocation of network resources.

This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of thin-film temperature sensors (TTS), focusing on the interplay between material properties and fabrication techniques. It evaluates the current state of the art, addressing both low- and high-temperature sensors, and explores the potential applications across various fields. The study also identifies challenges and highlights emerging trends that may shape the future of this technology.

This study systematically examines existing literature on TTS, categorizing the materials and fabrication methods used. The study compares the performance metrics of different materials, addresses the challenges encountered in thin-film sensors and reviews the case studies to identify successful applications. Emerging trends and future directions are also analyzed.

This study finds that TTS are integral to various advanced technologies, particularly in high-performance and specialized applications. However, their development is constrained by challenges such as limited operational range, material degradation, fabrication complexities and long-term stability. The integration of nanostructured materials and the advancement of wireless, self-powered and multifunctional sensors are poised to drive significant advancements in this field.

This study offers a unique perspective by bridging the gap between material science and application engineering in TTS. By critically analyzing both established and emerging technologies, the study provides valuable insights into the current state of the field and proposes pathways for future innovation in terms of interdisciplinary approaches. The focus on emerging trends and multifunctional applications sets this review apart from existing literature.

This paper aims to introduce a novel structure for the physical internet (PI)–enabled sustainable supplier selection and inventory management problem under uncertain environments.

To address hybrid uncertainty both in the objective function and constraints, a novel interactive hybrid multi-objective optimization solution approach combining Me-based fuzzy possibilistic programming and interval programming approaches is tailored.

Various numerical experiments are introduced to validate the feasibility of the established model and the proposed solution method.

Due to its interconnectedness, the PI has the opportunity to support firms in addressing sustainability challenges and reducing initial impact. The sustainable supplier selection and inventory management have become critical operational challenges in PI-enabled supply chain problems. This is the first attempt on this issue, which uses the presented novel interactive possibilistic programming method.

The application of galvanized steel is widespread across industries due to its protective zinc coating that protects against atmospheric corrosion. However, previous studies have primarily focused on long-term corrosion rates rather than the full-scale corrosion behavior of the zinc. This paper aims to study the full-scale corrosion evolution of galvanic steel under simulated marine atmospheric environment using real-time EIS measurement.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) provides an advanced method in monitoring such behavior. Therefore, the EIS method has been used to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the corrosion behavior of galvanic steel in a full-time manner.

The results indicate that the corrosion process of galvanic steel can be divided into three stages: an initial stage with an increased corrosion rate, a subsequent stage with a reduced corrosion rate, and finally a third stage with the lowest and constant corrosion rate. The evolution of corrosion resistance is closely related to changes in composition and structure of the patina layer. In the initial stage, galvanized steel undergoes the formation of soluble ZnCl₂ and needle-like Zn₅(OH)₈Cl₂·H₂O, which promotes the generation and maintenance of an electrolyte layer, consequently leading to an increase in corrosion rate. With prolonged corrosion time, there is a continuous accumulation of Zn₅(OH)₈Cl₂·H₂O within the patina layer, which reduces the content of soluble components and promotes the development of a denser inner layer, thus enhancing corrosion resistance.

This work holds significance in the monitoring of corrosion, understanding the evolution of corrosion and predicting the lifespan of galvanized steel.

The paper aims to clarify the operation rationality of high speed trains (HSTs) under tunnel condition with the speed of 400 km/h through representative aerodynamic factors including running drag, eardrum comfort, carriages noise, aerodynamic loads on tunnel ancillary facilities and HST, micro-pressure waves, and then put forward engineering suggestions for higher speed tunnel operation based on the analysis.

Based on the field measurement data of CR400AF-C and CR400BF-J tunnel operation, correlations between each aerodynamic indicators with HST speed were established. By analyzing the safety reserve of aerodynamic indicators at 350 km/h and the sensitivity of each indicator to HST speed increasing and the indicators’ formation mechanism, the coupling relationship between various indicators was obtained.

The sensitivity of different aerodynamic indicators to speed variation differed. The aerodynamic indicators representing flow field around HST showed a linear relationship with HST speed including noise, eardrum comfort, aerodynamic load on HST body. The positive aerodynamic load on tunnel auxiliary facilities and the micro-pressure wave at the entrance of the tunnel have the same sensitivity to the 3th-power relation of HST speed. The over-limit proportion of micro-pressure wave was the highest among the indicators, and aerodynamic buffering measures were recommended for optimization. The open tunnel pressure relief structure is recommended, while allowing trains to pass through the tunnel at an unconditional speed of 380 km/h.

Comprehensive evaluation of multiple aerodynamic indicators for HST tunnel operation with higher speeds was realized. The main engineering requirements to release aerodynamic effect were identified and the optimization scheme is proposed.

Given the widespread adoption of empowerment in the workplace, increasing research has investigated the influences of empowering leadership. However, previous research has found confounding effects of it. This study aims to examine how and when empowering leadership exhibits “double-edged sword” effects on followers’ work outcomes.

The authors used a three-wave survey with a final sample of 215 full-time employees to test the research model.

The results indicate that followers’ role-breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) interacted with empowering leadership to predict their hindrance-related stress, subsequently influencing their turnover intention. Specifically, empowering leadership is found to elicit hindrance-related stress among followers with low RBSE. Furthermore, empowering leadership indirectly affects turnover intention by eliciting hindrance-related stress only among followers with low RBSE.

This study broadens the exploration of the “dark side” of empowering leadership, offering a more nuanced explanation of how it can lead to both beneficial and detrimental outcomes. It refines the understanding of empowering leadership’s effectiveness by highlighting the role of followers’ RBSE rather than focusing solely on the degree of empowerment. In addition, by contributing to the stress theory, this research demonstrates how individual differences influence followers’ cognitive appraisal of stress, shaping distinct stress experiences and driving the adoption of varying work-related coping strategies.

In this paper, we explore the role of education in household financial technology (FinTech) adoption.

Using representative nationwide household data from the 2017 China Household Finance Survey, we employ the change in China’s compulsory schooling law in the 1980s as an instrumental variable for educational attainment.

We find that among Chinese households, education has statistically significant and economically important effects on the use of various FinTech services, including digital banking, mobile payment, digital wealth management and digital consumer credit. Further analysis indicates that exogeneous increases in education lead to higher levels of financial literacy and social trust, both of which are potential drivers of FinTech adoption. Our findings provide new insights into the importance of education for household financial decision-making and technology adoption.

The contribution of our study is mainly twofold. First, we provide evidence on the role of education in household financial decision making. Second, this study adds to the literature on household adoption of technological innovation in finance. Our findings are also policy-relevant.