Ao Li, Dingli Zhang, Zhenyu Sun, Jun Huang and Fei Dong
The microseismic monitoring technique has great advantages on identifying the location, extent and the mechanism of damage process occurring in rock mass. This study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
The microseismic monitoring technique has great advantages on identifying the location, extent and the mechanism of damage process occurring in rock mass. This study aims to analyze distribution characteristics and the evolution law of excavation damage zone of surrounding rock based on microseismic monitoring data.
Design/methodology/approach
In situ test using microseismic monitoring technique is carried out in the large-span transition tunnel of Badaling Great Wall Station of Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway. An intelligent microseismic monitoring system is built with symmetry monitoring point layout both on the mountain surface and inside the tunnel to achieve three-dimensional and all-round monitoring results.
Findings
Microseismic events can be divided into high density area, medium density area and low density area according to the density distribution of microseismic events. The positions where the cumulative distribution frequencies of microseismic events are 60 and 80% are identified as the boundaries between high and medium density areas and between medium and low density areas, respectively. The high density area of microseismic events is regarded as the high excavation damage zone of surrounding rock, which is affected by the grade of surrounding rock and the span of tunnel. The prediction formulas for the depth of high excavation damage zone of surrounding rock at different tunnel positions are given considering these two parameters. The scale of the average moment magnitude parameters of microseismic events is adopted to describe the damage degree of surrounding rock. The strong positive correlation and multistage characteristics between the depth of excavation damage zone and deformation of surrounding rock are revealed. Based on the depth of high excavation damage zone of surrounding rock, the prestressed anchor cable (rod) is designed, and the safety of anchor cable (rod) design parameters is verified by the deformation results of surrounding rock.
Originality/value
The research provides a new method to predict the surrounding rock damage zone of large-span tunnel and also provides a reference basis for design parameters of prestressed anchor cable (rod).
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Zhijun Yan, Roberta Bernardi, Nina Huang and Younghoon Chang
Ying Liu, Chenggang Wang, Zeng Tang and Zhibiao Nan
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of farmland renting-in on planted grain acreage.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of farmland renting-in on planted grain acreage.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey data of five counties were analyzed with the two-stage ordinary least squares model.
Findings
Households renting-in land trended to plant more maize, and the more land was rented by a household the more maize was planted, while wheat acreage showed non-response to farmland renting-in.
Practical implications
Overall, the analysis suggests that policy makers should be prepared for different changing trends of grain crop acreage across the nation as farmland transfer continues. Future research should pay attention to the effect of farmland transfer on agricultural productivity and rural household income growth.
Originality/value
As the Chinese Government is promoting larger-scale and more mechanized farms as a way of protecting grain security, it is important to understand whether farmland renting-in will reduce planted grain acreage. This study provides empirical evidence showing the answer to that question may differ across different regions and depend on the particular grain crop in question.
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Shuanbao Yao, Dawei Chen and Sansan Ding
The nose length is the key design parameter affecting the aerodynamic performance of high-speed maglev train, and the horizontal profile has a significant impact on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The nose length is the key design parameter affecting the aerodynamic performance of high-speed maglev train, and the horizontal profile has a significant impact on the aerodynamic lift of the leading and trailing cars Hence, the study analyzes aerodynamic parameters with multi-objective optimization design.
Design/methodology/approach
The nose of normal temperature and normal conduction high-speed maglev train is divided into streamlined part and equipment cabin according to its geometric characteristics. Then the modified vehicle modeling function (VMF) parameterization method and surface discretization method are adopted for the parametric design of the nose. For the 12 key design parameters extracted, combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), support vector machine (SVR) model and multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm, the multi-objective aerodynamic optimization design of high-speed maglev train nose and the sensitivity analysis of design parameters are carried out with aerodynamic drag coefficient of the whole vehicle and the aerodynamic lift coefficient of the trailing car as the optimization objectives and the aerodynamic lift coefficient of the leading car as the constraint. The engineering improvement and wind tunnel test verification of the optimized shape are done.
Findings
Results show that the parametric design method can use less design parameters to describe the nose shape of high-speed maglev train. The prediction accuracy of the SVR model with the reduced amount of calculation and improved optimization efficiency meets the design requirements.
Originality/value
Compared with the original shape, the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the whole vehicle is reduced by 19.2%, and the aerodynamic lift coefficients of the leading and trailing cars are reduced by 24.8 and 51.3%, respectively, after adopting the optimized shape modified according to engineering design requirements.
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Data breaches in the US healthcare sector have more than tripled in the last decade across all states. However, to this day, no established framework ranks all states from most to…
Abstract
Purpose
Data breaches in the US healthcare sector have more than tripled in the last decade across all states. However, to this day, no established framework ranks all states from most to least at risk for healthcare data breaches. This gap has led to a lack of proper risk identification and understanding of cyber environments at state levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the security action cycle, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity framework, the risk-planning model, and the multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) literature, the paper offers an integrated multicriteria framework for prioritization in cybersecurity to address this lack and other prioritization issues in risk management in the field. The study used historical breach data between 2015 and 2021.
Findings
The findings showed that California, Texas, New York, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, and Georgia are the states most at risk for healthcare data breaches.
Practical implications
The findings highlight each US state faces a different level of healthcare risk. The findings are informative for patients, crucial for privacy officers in understanding the nuances of their risk environment, and important for policy-makers who must grasp the grave disconnect between existing issues and legislative practices. Furthermore, the study suggests an association between positioning state risk and such factors as population and wealth, both avenues for future research.
Originality/value
Theoretically, the paper offers an integrated framework, whose basis in established security models in both academia and industry practice enables utilizing it in various prioritization scenarios in the field of cybersecurity. It further emphasizes the importance of risk identification and brings attention to different healthcare cybersecurity environments among the different US states.
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This study aims to assess how ethical sales behaviour affects switching costs typology, mediated by trust and moderated by brand affiliation, monthly contributions and the number…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess how ethical sales behaviour affects switching costs typology, mediated by trust and moderated by brand affiliation, monthly contributions and the number of dependent beneficiaries in medical schemes in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study targeted a non-probability judgement sample of 250 main members of medical schemes, elicited near health-care facilities in South Africa’s Gauteng province. Data was collected in a face-to-face survey and analysed using structural equation modelling on AMOS version 29 and PROCESS procedure for Statistical Package of Social Science release 2.041.
Findings
The results show that ethical sales behaviour negatively affects trust and positively affects evaluation, monetary and personal relational loss costs. Trust positively affects personal relational loss costs, economic risk, evaluation, monetary and benefit loss costs. Moreover, trust mediates the effect of ethical sales behaviour on evaluation, monetary and personal relational loss costs. Finally, the number of dependent beneficiaries, monthly contributions and brand affiliation significantly moderate these interactions.
Originality/value
The paper validates the application of commitment-to-trust theory in mediating how the effects of the general theory of marketing ethics on switching costs typology differ according to the number of dependent beneficiaries, monthly contributions and brand affiliation with medical schemes.
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Telma Mendes, Vítor Braga, Aldina Correia and Carina Silva
Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and knowledge-based view (KBV) theories, this study contributes to deepen the knowledge that corporate social responsibility (CSR) exerts…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and knowledge-based view (KBV) theories, this study contributes to deepen the knowledge that corporate social responsibility (CSR) exerts on firms' innovation, considering the role played by cooperation. The research also seeks to ascertain the factors that influence the development of business cooperation.
Design/methodology/approach
The database used is the Community Innovation Survey (CIS, 2014) applied in the European Union (EU) during the time period 2012–2014. A sample of 7083 Portuguese firms were analyzed through the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The results suggest that CSR positively relates with firms' innovation, and business cooperation partially mediates this relationship. The outcomes also reveal that investing in certain types of innovation activities increases the firms' willingness to cooperate.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to encourage an open innovation strategy as an easy and effective way to cope with rapid trends and changes, since it demonstrates the complementary between innovation and cooperation, as sources of value creation. From a triple bottom line (TBL) perspective, it also highlights that CSR must include social, economic and environmental initiatives, and should be a part of the firms' innovation strategy. As a result, managers who intend to contribute for society in the long term should plan, monitor and manage all CSR dimensions.
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Soo Min Shin, Song Soo Lim and Yongsung Cho
This study aimed to estimate the economic benefits of PM2.5 emission abatement by Red Pine, Pinus Koraiensis and Quercus, using a metering model analyzing the amount of PM2.5…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to estimate the economic benefits of PM2.5 emission abatement by Red Pine, Pinus Koraiensis and Quercus, using a metering model analyzing the amount of PM2.5 absorption in Korea.
Design/methodology/approach
To estimate the economic effects of PM2.5 adsorptions by trees, the frequency of hospital visits resulting from respiratory and circulatory diseases was estimated using a Probit model based on the data from National Health and Nutrition Survey.
Findings
The results show that Quercus and Pinus Koraiensis absorb and eliminate the largest amount of PM2.5. Reducing 1 ton of PM2.5 emission through the planting of trees leads to lower incidences of respiratory and circulatory diseases equivalent to the amount of 95 million won. When the trees planted are 2-year-old Red Pine, Pinus Koraiensis and Quercus, the resulting economic benefits of the PM2.5 abatement would amount to 481 million won, 173 million won and 1,027 million won, respectively. If the trees are 80 years old, the economic benefits are estimated to be 73 billion won for Red Pine, 103 billion won for Pinus Koraiensis and 38 billion won for Quercus.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this study is that the weight of PM2.5 adsorbed by each leaf area entirely depended on the experimental results from a prior study and the values are likely to be different from those actually absorbed in natural surroundings. In addition, because of the lack of data from a domestic survey on the surface of leaf area or the reload flow rate of PM2.5, this study referred to data from foreign research. Unfortunately, this specific data may not reflect climatic and terrain characteristics specific to the target country. We used the annual wind speed to calculate the reload flow rate and elimination volume; however, the figures could be more accurate with hourly or daily climate variations. When estimating the health benefits of changes in PM2.5 emissions on respiratory and circulatory diseases, more segmented access to patients' hospital visits and hospital admissions are desirable. Finally, the study focused on the three major tree species of Korea, however, a more detailed study of PM2.5 reduction by various tree types is needed in the future.
Originality/value
This paper quantitatively assessed the amount of PM2.5 adsorption by each of the three tree species. Then, the economic benefits were calculated in terms of how much money would be saved on hospital visits thanks to the reduced PM2.5 levels and lower incidences of respiratory and circulatory system diseases. The net contribution of this study was to prove the trees' function of reducing PM2.5 as it relates to human health. We focused on the most common trees in Korea and compared them to provide new information on the species.