Rui Jia, Zhimin Shuai, Tong Guo, Qian Lu, Xuesong He and Chunlin Hua
This study aims to analyze the influence of farmers’ degree of participation in collective action on their adoption decisions and waiting time regarding soil and water…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the influence of farmers’ degree of participation in collective action on their adoption decisions and waiting time regarding soil and water conservation (SWC) measures.
Design/methodology/approach
The Probit model and Generalized Propensity Score Match method are used to assess the effect of the degree of participation in collective action on farmers’ adoption decisions and waiting time for implementing SWC measures.
Findings
The findings reveal that farmers’ engagement in collective action positively influences the decision-making process regarding terrace construction, water-saving irrigation and afforestation measures. However, it does not significantly impact the decision-making process for plastic film and ridge-furrow tillage practices. Notably, collective action has the strongest influence on farmers’ adoption decisions regarding water-saving irrigation technology, with a relatively smaller influence on the adoption of afforestation and terrace measures. Moreover, the results suggest that participating in collective action effectively reduces the waiting time for terrace construction and expedites the adoption of afforestation and water-saving irrigation technology. Specifically, collective action has a significantly negative effect on the waiting time for terrace construction, followed by water-saving irrigation technology and afforestation measures.
Practical implications
The results of this study underscore the significance of fostering mutual assistance and cooperation mechanisms among farmers, as they can pave the way for raising funds and labor, cultivating elite farmers, attracting skilled labor to rural areas, enhancing the adoption rate and expediting the implementation of terraces, water-saving irrigation technology and afforestation measures.
Originality/value
Drawing on an evaluation of farmers’ degree of participation in collective action, this paper investigates the effect of participation on their SWC adoption decisions and waiting times, thereby offering theoretical and practical insights into soil erosion control in the Loess Plateau.
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Tao Wang, Shaoliang Wu, Hengqiong Jia, Shanqing Peng, Haiyan Li, Piyan Shao, Zhao Wei and Yi Shi
During the construction process of the China Railway Track System (CRTS) I type filling layer, the nonwoven fabric bags have been used as grouting templates for cement asphalt…
Abstract
Purpose
During the construction process of the China Railway Track System (CRTS) I type filling layer, the nonwoven fabric bags have been used as grouting templates for cement asphalt (CA) emulsified mortar. The porous structure of nonwoven fabrics endowed the templates with breathability and water permeability. The standard requires that the volume expansion rate of CA mortar must be controlled within 1%–3%, which can generate expansion pressure to ensure that the cavities under track slabs are filled fully. However, the expansion pressure caused some of the water to seep out from the periphery of the filling bag, and it would affect the actual mix proportion of CA mortar. The differences in physical and mechanical properties between the CA mortar under track slabs and the CA mortar formed in the laboratory were studied in this paper. The relevant results could provide important methods for the research of filling layer materials for CRTS I type and other types of ballastless tracks in China.
Design/methodology/approach
During the inspection of filling layer, the samples of CA mortar from different working conditions and raw materials were taken by uncovering the track slabs and drilling cores. The physical and mechanical properties of CA mortar under the filling layer of the slab were systematically analyzed by testing the electrical flux, compressive strength and density of mortar in different parts of the filling layer.
Findings
In this paper, the electric flux, the physical properties and mechanical properties of different parts of CA mortar under the track slab were investigated. The results showed that the density, electric flux and compressive strength of CA mortar were affected by the composition of raw materials for dry powders and different parts of the filling layer. In addition, the electrical flux of CA mortar gradually decreased within 90 days’ age. The electrical flux of samples with the thickness of 54 mm was lower than 500 C. Therefore, the impermeability and durability of CA mortar could be improved by increasing the thickness of filling layer. Besides, the results showed that the compressive strength of CA mortar increased, while the density and electric flux decreased gradually, with the prolongation of hardening time.
Originality/value
During 90 days' age, the electrical flux of the CA mortar gradually decreased with the increase of specimen thickness and the electrical flux of the specimens with the thickness of 54 mm was lower than 500 C. The impermeability and durability of the CA mortar could be improved by increasing the thickness of filling layer. The proposed method can provide reference for the further development and improvement of CRTS I and CRTS II type ballastless track in China.
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Jianqi Qiao, Suicheng Li and Antonio Capaldo
Although buying firms increasingly adopt supplier development to help suppliers enhance their ability to deal with environmental issues, little is known about the mechanisms by…
Abstract
Purpose
Although buying firms increasingly adopt supplier development to help suppliers enhance their ability to deal with environmental issues, little is known about the mechanisms by which buyer-led environmental supplier development (ESD) affects the environmental management capabilities (EMC) of suppliers. Focusing on the supplier perspective and specifically on the role of psychological mechanisms at the supplier level, the authors adopt the stimulus–organism–response framework from functionalist psychology to investigate the mediating role of environment-related supplier perceived relationship value in the association between ESD, in the form of environmental requirements and audits (indirect development – ID) vs. direct development projects (direct development – DD), and supplier EMC.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used structural equation modeling and regression analysis to test the hypotheses using survey data from 221 supplying organizations in China.
Findings
Results reveal that each of the three considered dimensions of the environment-related supplier perceived relationship value (i.e. economic, strategic and co-creation) helps enhance EMC. However, while DD influences positively all three dimensions, ID has a positive effect on only the economic and strategic dimensions. Moreover, the mediation analysis suggests that, while DD affects EMC both directly and via the three dimensions of environment-related supplier perceived relationship value (partial mediation), ID affects EMC only through its impact on environment-related supplier perceived relationship economic and strategic value (full mediation).
Originality/value
The study sheds light on the psychological mechanisms that drive suppliers’ involvement in green supplier development activities. By doing so, it contributes to the understanding of ESD practices and processes and their effectiveness.
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Ruhao Zhao, Xiaoping Ma, He Zhang, Honghui Dong, Yong Qin and Limin Jia
This paper aims to propose an enhanced densely dehazing network to suit railway scenes’ features and improve the visual quality degraded by haze and fog.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose an enhanced densely dehazing network to suit railway scenes’ features and improve the visual quality degraded by haze and fog.
Design/methodology/approach
It is an end-to-end network based on DenseNet. The authors design enhanced dense blocks and fuse them in a pyramid pooling module for visual data’s local and global features. Multiple ablation studies have been conducted to show the effects of each module proposed in this paper.
Findings
The authors have compared dehazed results on real hazy images and railway hazy images of state-of-the-art dehazing networks with the dehazed results in data quality. Finally, an object-detection test is taken to judge the edge information preservation after haze removal. All results demonstrate that the proposed dehazing network performs better under railway scenes in detail.
Originality/value
This study provides a new method for image enhancing in the railway monitoring system.
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Tao Wang, Shaoliang Wu, Hengqiong Jia, Zhao Wei, Haiyan Li, Piyan Shao, Shanqing Peng and Yi Shi
The construction of cement asphalt (CA) emulsified mortar can obviously disturb the slab status after the fine adjustment. To decrease or eliminate the influence of CA mortar…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction of cement asphalt (CA) emulsified mortar can obviously disturb the slab status after the fine adjustment. To decrease or eliminate the influence of CA mortar grouting on track slab geometry status, the effects of grouting funnel, slab pressing method, mortar expansion ratio, seepage ratio and grouting area on China Railway Track System Type (CRTS I) track slab geometry status were discussed in this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
Combined with engineering practice, this paper studied the expansion law of filling layer mortar, the liquid level height of the filling funnel, the pressure plate device and the amount of exudation water and systematically analyzed the influence of filling layer mortar construction on the state of track slab. Relevant precautions and countermeasures were put forward.
Findings
The results showed that the track slab floating values of four corners were different with the CA mortar grouting and the track slab corner near CA mortar grouting hole had the maximum floating values. The anti-floating effect of “7” shaped slab pressing device was more efficient than fixed-joint angle iron, and the slab floating value could be further decreased by increasing the amount of “7” shaped slab pressing devices. After CA mortar grouting, the track slab floating pattern had a close correlation with the expansion rate and water seepage rate of CA mortar over time and the expansion and water seepage rate of the mortar were faster when the temperature was high. Furthermore, the use of strip CA mortar filling under the rail bearing platform on both sides could effectively reduce the float under the track slab, and it could also save mortar consumption and reduce costs.
Originality/value
This study plays an important role in controlling the floating values, CA mortar dosage and the building cost of projects by grouting CA mortar at two flanks of filling space. The research results have guiding significance for the design and construction of China's CRTS I, CRTS II and CRTS III track slab.
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In this chapter, rephrasing Spivak's question into ‘can subaltern children speak?’, I reorient the research on China's gigantic population of children and youths in rural migrant…
Abstract
In this chapter, rephrasing Spivak's question into ‘can subaltern children speak?’, I reorient the research on China's gigantic population of children and youths in rural migrant families towards a critical interpretative approach. Based on life history and longitudinal ethnographic interview gathered with three cases, I unpack the multiple meanings migrants' children attach to mobility in their childhood experiences. First, despite emotional difficulties, children see their parents' out-migration more as a ‘mobility imperative’ than their abandonment of parental responsibilities, which should be contextualized in China's long-term urban-biased social policies and the resultant development gaps in rural and urban societies. Second, the seemingly ‘unstable’ and ‘flexible’ mobility patterns observed in migrant families should be understood in relation to a long-term family social mobility strategy to promote children's educational achievement and future attainment. The combination of absent class politics in an illiberal society with an enduring ideology of education-based meritocracy in Confucianism makes this strategy a culturally legitimate channel of social struggle for recognition and respect for the subaltern. Last, children in migrant families are active contributors to their families' everyday organization amidst mobilities through sharing care and household responsibilities, and developing temporal and mobility strategies to keep alive intergenerational exchanges and family togetherness. The study uncovers coexisting resilience and vulnerabilities of migrants' children in their ‘doing class’ in contemporary China. It also contributes insights into our understanding of the diversity of childhoods in Asian societies at the intersection of familyhood, class dynamics and cultural politics.
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Yunfei Li, Shengbo Eben Li, Xingheng Jia, Shulin Zeng and Yu Wang
The purpose of this paper is to reduce the difficulty of model predictive control (MPC) deployment on FPGA so that researchers can make better use of FPGA technology for academic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reduce the difficulty of model predictive control (MPC) deployment on FPGA so that researchers can make better use of FPGA technology for academic research.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the MPC algorithm is written into FPGA by combining hardware with software. Experiments have verified this method.
Findings
This paper implements a ZYNQ-based design method, which could significantly reduce the difficulty of development. The comparison with the CPU solution results proves that FPGA has a significant acceleration effect on the solution of MPC through the method.
Research limitations implications
Due to the limitation of practical conditions, this paper cannot carry out a hardware-in-the-loop experiment for the time being, instead of an open-loop experiment.
Originality value
This paper proposes a new design method to deploy the MPC algorithm to the FPGA, reducing the development difficulty of the algorithm implementation on FPGA. It greatly facilitates researchers in the field of autonomous driving to carry out FPGA algorithm hardware acceleration research.
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Qingdan Jia, Xiaoyu Xu, Minhong Zhou, Haodong Liu and Fangkai Chang
This study embraces the call for exploring the determinants of continuous intention in TikTok. Taking the perspective of social influence, this study not only tries to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study embraces the call for exploring the determinants of continuous intention in TikTok. Taking the perspective of social influence, this study not only tries to explore the contextual sources of two types of social influence but also aims to unveil the influence mechanism of how social influence affects TikTok viewers’ continuous intention.
Design/methodology/approach
This study empirically analyzes how TikToker attractiveness, co-viewer participation, platform reputation and content appeal affect informative and normative social influence and then lead to the continuous intention of TikTok. Based on 547 valid survey data, this study adopts a mixed analytical approach for data analysis by integrating structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).
Findings
SEM results unveil that content appeal is the most critical antecedent of informational social influence, while the TikToker attractiveness and platform reputation have no effect on it. Differently, all four external sources positively lead to normative social influence. Among them, content appeal and co-viewer participation influence the most. The influences of both two types of social influence on continuous intention are demonstrated. FsQCA results reveal seven alternative configurations that are sufficient for influencing continuance intention and further complement and reinforce the SEM findings.
Originality/value
Addressing the critical contextual elements of TikTok, this study explores and confirms the sources which may engender social influence. The authors also demonstrate the critical role of social influence in affecting TikTok viewers’ continuous intentions by the hybrid analytical approach, which contributes to existing academic literature and practitioners.
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Gehan Wishwajith Premathilake, Hongxiu Li, Chenglong Li, Yong Liu and Shengnan Han
Humanoid social robots (HSRs) are an innovative technology revitalizing various service sectors, such as the hospitality industry. However, limited research has explored how…
Abstract
Purpose
Humanoid social robots (HSRs) are an innovative technology revitalizing various service sectors, such as the hospitality industry. However, limited research has explored how anthropomorphic features of HSRs influence user satisfaction with the services delivered by HSRs. To address this, a research model was proposed to evaluate how three distinct anthropomorphic features: appearance, voice and response, impact the perceived values (i.e. utilitarian, social and hedonic values) of HSRs, which, in turn, influence user satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from an online survey of hotel customers was utilized to test the research model (N = 509).
Findings
The results indicated that appearance, voice, and response affect perceived utilitarian, hedonic and social values differently. The response feature of HSRs demonstrated the strongest impact on perceived utilitarian, social and hedonic values. In addition, voice affected all three perceived values, while appearance only affected perceived utilitarian and social values. Furthermore, perceived utilitarian, hedonic and social values showed positive impacts on user satisfaction, with hedonic value being the most influential factor.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on HSRs and anthropomorphism by explaining how different anthropomorphic features affect users’ value perceptions and user satisfaction with HSR services by utilizing the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework.
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Xuejun Zhao, Yong Qin, Hailing Fu, Limin Jia and Xinning Zhang
Fault diagnosis methods based on blind source separation (BSS) for rolling element bearings are necessary tools to prevent any unexpected accidents. In the field application, the…
Abstract
Purpose
Fault diagnosis methods based on blind source separation (BSS) for rolling element bearings are necessary tools to prevent any unexpected accidents. In the field application, the actual signal acquisition is usually hindered by certain restrictions, such as the limited number of signal channels. The purpose of this study is to fulfill the weakness of the existed BSS method.
Design/methodology/approach
To deal with this problem, this paper proposes a blind source extraction (BSE) method for bearing fault diagnosis based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and temporal correlation. First, a single-channel undetermined BSS problem is transformed into a determined BSS problem using the EMD algorithm. Then, the desired fault signal is extracted from selected intrinsic mode functions with a multi-shift correlation method.
Findings
Experimental results prove the extracted fault signal can be easily identified through the envelope spectrum. The application of the proposed method is validated using simulated signals and rolling element bearing signals of the train axle.
Originality/value
This paper proposes an underdetermined BSE method based on the EMD and the temporal correlation method for rolling element bearings. A simulated signal and two bearing fault signal from the train rolling element bearings show that the proposed method can well extract the bearing fault signal. Note that the proposed method can extract the periodic fault signal for bearing fault diagnosis. Thus, it should be helpful in the diagnosis of other rotating machinery, such as gears or blades.