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The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among affective loyalty, perceived benefits, attitude towards co‐branded products and the intention to use such products.

In total, 433 valid responses were collected from active bank/department store co‐branded credit card holders, from four major Chinese cities. Regression and t‐test analyses were used to test the hypotheses.

The findings revealed that affective loyalty to the bank and the department store, as well as perceived credit card benefits, all positively influence consumers' attitude toward bank/department store co‐branded credit cards. Additionally, results showed a positive relationship between attitude and intention. Moreover, gender differences were also found to be significant in affective loyalty to the bank and the department store, as well as with the intention to use co‐branded credit cards.

The paper contributes to the co‐branding literature by gaining a better understanding of co‐branded partners in symbiotic marketing collaboration.

This study intends to explore the configuration that affects the active degree of written questions in the Macau Legislative Assembly.

This study takes the members elected by the sixth Legislative Assembly of Macau as samples and uses the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method. Five conditional factors are discussed, including multiple concurrent factors and complex causal mechanisms, which lead to the difference in the active degree of written questions.

The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Not Serving in the government is a necessary condition for a high active degree of the written question, and (2) The driving mechanism of a high active degree of written question can be divided into two paths. Among them, direct election into the Legislative Assembly is the crucial factor.

Traditional research mainly uses quantitative research methods. This study uses qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), which is a hybrid method designed to bridge the qualitative (case-oriented) and quantitative (variable-oriented) research gap.

The geological conditions of Longyang Reservoir are complex and it is located in strong earthquake area. In order to determine its seismic characteristics, the seismic response and residual deformation of embankment dam should be studied to provide calculation basis for dam design and construction.

Based on the geological survey data of Longyang Reservoir, the dam filling materials are tested by dynamic deformation tests, and the equivalent linear constitutive model parameters of the filling materials are obtained. Based on Duncan-Chang E-B model, the stress state of embankment dam in Longyang Reservoir before earthquake is calculated, and the dynamic response and earthquake residual deformation of embankment dam in Longyang Reservoir under earthquake condition are calculated by using equivalent linear model and Shen Zhu-jiang’s residual deformation model.

The results show that with the increase of dynamic shear strain, the dynamic shear modulus decreases and the damping ratio increases. The scatter plot between dynamic shear modulus and dynamic shear strain, and the scatter plot between damping ratio and dynamic shear strain under different confining pressures show strips. The calculation results shows that the acceleration of embankment dam in Longyang Reservoir increases with the increase of dam height, and the acceleration distribution has obvious amplification effect. Combined with the maximum dynamic shear strain during the earthquake and the state before the earthquake, the maximum vertical residual deformation of embankment dam in Longyang Reservoir is 2.98 cm which occurs at the top of the dam, calculated by the Shen Zhu-jiang’s residual deformation model.

Finite element calculation model parameters of embankment dam are obtained by dynamic triaxial tests. Seismic dynamic responses and residual deformation of embankment dam are analyzed. With the increase of dam height, the acceleration distribution shows an obvious amplification effect. The vertical displacement of embankment dam is larger along the dam axis and decreases in the upstream and downstream direction. The maximum horizontal displacement of embankment dam occurs in the middle of upstream and downstream dam slopes.

• (1)

  Finite element calculation model parameters of embankment dam are obtained by dynamic triaxial tests.

• (2)

  Seismic dynamic responses and residual deformation of embankment dam are analyzed.

• (3)

  With the increase of dam height, the acceleration distribution shows an obvious amplification effect.

• (4)

  The vertical displacement of embankment dam is larger along the dam axis and decreases in the upstream and downstream direction.

• (5)

  The maximum horizontal displacement of embankment dam occurs in the middle of upstream and downstream dam slopes.

Finite element calculation model parameters of embankment dam are obtained by dynamic triaxial tests.

Seismic dynamic responses and residual deformation of embankment dam are analyzed.

With the increase of dam height, the acceleration distribution shows an obvious amplification effect.

The vertical displacement of embankment dam is larger along the dam axis and decreases in the upstream and downstream direction.

The maximum horizontal displacement of embankment dam occurs in the middle of upstream and downstream dam slopes.

Laser point clouds are a 3D reconstruction method with wide range, high accuracy and strong adaptability. Therefore, the purpose is to discover a construction point cloud extraction method that can obtain complete information about the construction of rebar, facilitating construction quality inspection and tunnel data archiving, to reduce the cost and complexity of construction management.

Firstly, this paper analyzes the point cloud data of the tunnel during the construction phase, extracts the main features of the rebar data and proposes an M-E-L recognition method. Secondly, based on the actual conditions of the tunnel and the specifications of Chinese tunnel engineering, a rebar model experiment is designed to obtain experimental data. Finally, the feasibility and accuracy of the M-E-L recognition method are analyzed and tested based on the experimental data from the model.

Based on tunnel morphology characteristics, data preprocessing, Euclidean clustering and PCA shape extraction methods, a M-E-L identification algorithm is proposed for identifying secondary lining rebars in highway tunnel construction stages. The algorithm achieves 100% extraction of the first-layer rebars, allowing for the three-dimensional visualization of the on-site rebar situation. Subsequently, through data processing, rebar dimensions and spacings can be obtained. For the second-layer rebars, 55% extraction is achieved, providing information on the rebar skeleton and partial rebar details at the construction site. These extracted data can be further processed to verify compliance with construction requirements.

This paper introduces a laser point cloud method for double-layer rebar identification in tunnels. Current methods rely heavily on manual detection, lacking objectivity. Objective approaches for automatic rebar identification include image-based and LiDAR-based methods. Image-based methods are constrained by tunnel lighting conditions, while LiDAR focuses on straight rebar skeletons. Our research proposes a 3D point cloud recognition algorithm for tunnel lining rebar. This method can extract double-layer rebars and obtain construction rebar dimensions, enhancing management efficiency.

The Communist revolution in China has led to the appearance in this country of increasing numbers of Chinese books in Russian translation. The Chinese names in Cyrillic transcription have presented many librarians and students with a new problem, that of identifying the Cyrillic form of a name with the customary Wade‐Giles transcription. The average cataloguer, the first to meet the problem, has two obvious lines of action, and neither is satisfactory. He can save up the names until he has a chance to consult an expert in Chinese. Apart altogether from the delay, the expert, confronted with a few isolated names, might simply reply that he could do nothing without the Chinese characters, and it is only rarely that Soviet books supply them. Alternatively, he can transliterate the Cyrillic letters according to the system in use in his library and leave the matter there for fear of making bad worse. As long as the writers are not well known, he may feel only faintly uneasy; but the appearance of Chzhou Ėn‐lai (or Čžou En‐laj) upsets his equanimity. Obviously this must be entered under Chou; and we must have Mao Tse‐tung and not Mao Tsze‐dun, Ch'en Po‐ta and not Chėn' Bo‐da. But what happens when we have another . . . We can hardly write Ch'en unless we know how to represent the remaining elements in the name; yet we are loth to write Ch'en in one name and Chėn' in another.

Although MOOCs have become a pervasive online learning model, the problem of high dropout rates still persists. Gathering the reasons for the high dropout rate can help to improve the platform design and management of the MOOCs.

A total of 74 studies was extracted from the Web of Science and Scopus. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, the open-source program CiteSpace is employed to review and induce the studies on the antecedents of MOOC dropout.

The antecedents of the MOOC dropout rate are the psychological, social, personal, course-related, and time factors, and the unexpected hidden cost. Motivation and interaction, which have a decisive impact on the dropout rate of MOOCs, interact with each other. Interaction helps to strengthen the motivation, and appropriate course design enhances the degree of interaction.

From the perspective of a learner, the more knowledge and skills the learners acquire, the more likely they will complete the course. Possessing adequate foundational knowledge is one way to arrest the dropout rate. On the part of the MOOC platform, better course design eases the dropout rate. Further, the course duration and hidden cost in MOOCs contribute to the dropout rate.

The purpose of this paper is to research the interaction between multiple bubbles and their noise radiation considering the influence of compressibility. The influences of bubble spacing, initial inner pressure, buoyance and phase difference are presented with different bubbles arrangements.

Based on wave equation, the new boundary integral equation considering the compressibility is given by the matching between prophase and anaphase approximation of bubble motion and solved with boundary element method. The time-domain characteristics of noise induced by multiple bubbles are obtained by the moving boundary Kirchhoff integral equation. With the surface discretization and coordinate transformation, the bubbles surface is treated as a moving deformable boundary and noise source, and the integral is implemented on the surface directly.

Numerical results show the manner of jet generation will be affected by the phase difference between bubbles. With the increasing of phase difference, the directive property of noise becomes obvious. With the enlargement of initial inner pressure, the sound pressure will arise at the early stage of expanding, and the increasing of buoyance parameter will reduce the sound pressure after the generation of jet. Since the consideration of compressibility, the oscillation amplitude of bubbles will be weakened.

The paper could provide the reference for the research about the dynamics and noise characteristics of multiple bubbles in compressible fluid. And the new method based on boundary integral equation to simulate the multiple bubbles motion and noise radiation is presented.

This paper aims to explore the role of international quality assurance and accreditation on higher education quality improvement and competitiveness, as well as assessing the associated benefits and challenges in the Asian context with reference to Taiwan.

The paper used a qualitative approach to examine the case study of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (STUST) accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The paper collected survey responses from service providers (i.e. STUST faculty and AACSB) and focus group discussions with students to bridge the perception-expectation gap.

The qualitative results highlighted 10 key success factors and performance indicators which were later used to build a balanced scorecard (BSC) strategy for STUST quality improvement and competitiveness. Findings show that education quality assurance (via AACSB process) can directly influence the competitive advantage (i.e. for AACSB, STUST and Students) or indirectly via education quality enhancement. The results from faculty and students are consistent with the value co-creation trend to achieve continuous quality improvement more effectively and efficiently.

This research paper is unique as the first qualitative in-depth study to discuss assurance related factors that positively or negatively affect competitiveness and quality improvement for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Asia and Taiwan. The paper also contributed by designing a BSC framework and strategy-map applicable to HEIs.

The aim of the current research is to assess the personal competency level of women project managers in the Malaysian construction industry.

The study used stratified random sampling design on the listed Grade 7 contractor companies in Peninsular Malaysia. The questionnaire survey approach was used to collect data on 15 women project managers in Peninsular Malaysia.

The results revealed that experience is the first criterion being used in selecting women project managers, whereas the three main personal competencies they exemplify are honesty and integrity, alertness and quickness, and decision-making ability.

The result can be used as a guidance to measure the level of personal competency of women project managers.

The current study provides insight into the competency exemplified by women project managers in Malaysia.

The purpose of this study is to borrow from a limited resource view of job embeddedness to argue that ethical leadership can hurt salespeople’s growth of sales performance by a latent growth model.

This work surveyed 825 salespeople in Greater China at three points over six months to test the latent growth model.

The findings reveal that as salespeople perceive more ethical leadership at the initial point, they may show more increases in job embeddedness behavior development that lead to decreases in social capital and human capital behavior development, which consequently decreases sales performance over time.

These findings unearth a novel idea that ethical leadership may erode growth of sales performance over time.