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Honey peaches are rich in a variety of vitamins and are well known in China as the queen of fruit. However, as highly climacteric fruit, peach is too easy to affect its economic value. In this paper, a new passive modified atmosphere packaging system was proposed to solve the lack of water vapour removal capacity – which is still the technical bottleneck of passive modified atmosphere packaging. This paper aims to address this issue.

Under the conditions of relative humidity 85−90% and temperature 28°C−38°C, the influence of new passive modified atmosphere packaging on the shelf life and quality of 70% ripe peaches was studied in the paper. The effect of the new passive modified atmosphere packaging (PMAP) on fruit appearance, colour, taste, flavour, soluble solids, Vitamin C and titratable acid was investigated.

Regardless of whether 1-Methylcyclopropene is added or not, the research results show that the new PMAP has a significant effect on extending the shelf life and maintaining the quality of peaches. Compared with the control group, the shelf life of peaches treated with modified atmosphere packaging and 1-Methylcyclopropene was prolonged by 7 and 11 days, increasing the retailer's revenue by 44 and 75%.

A new integrated structure, which is composed of two types of films with high oxygen and high water vapour permeability was designed for the retail of peaches at room temperature. The former was mainly responsible for regulating the concentration of O₂ and CO₂, while the latter was for removing water vapour and regulating the relative humidity in PMAP.

This paper aims to establish a lattice Boltzmann (LB) method for solid-liquid phase transition (SLPT) from the pore scale to the representative elementary volume (REV) scale. By applying this method, detailed information about heat transfer and phase change processes within the pores can be obtained, while also enabling the calculation of larger-scale SLPT problems, such as shell-and-tube phase change heat storage systems.

Three-dimensional (3D) pore-scale enthalpy-based LB model is developed. The computational input parameters at the REV scale are derived from calculations at the pore scale, ensuring consistency between the two scales. The approaches to reconstruct the 3D porous structure and determine the REV of metal foam were discussed. The implementation of conjugate heat transfer between the solid matrix and the solid−liquid phase change material (SLPCM) for the proposed model is developed. A simple REV-scale LB model under the local thermal nonequilibrium condition is presented. The method of bridging the gap between the pore-scale and REV-scale enthalpy-based LB models by the REV is given.

This coupled method facilitates detailed simulations of flow, heat transfer and phase change within pores. The approach holds promise for multiscale calculations in latent heat storage devices with porous structures. The SLPT of the heat sinks for electronic device thermal control was simulated as a case, demonstrating the efficiency of the present models in designing and optimizing SLPT devices.

A coupled pore-scale and REV-scale LB method as a numerical tool for investigating phase change in porous materials was developed. This innovative approach allows for the capture of details within pores while addressing computations over a large domain. The LB method for simulating SLPT from the pore scale to the REV scale was given. The proposed method addresses the conjugate heat transfer between the SLPCM and the solid matrix in the enthalpy-based LB model.

The study sets to summarise managerial requirements, analyse practices and tools to measure food safety management system (FSMS) implementation. Also, underpinned by critical success factors (CSFs) theory, the authors explore when food firms manage FSMS and which factors are critical to their implementation to identify promising research directions for researchers and suggestions for practitioners through a comprehensive analytical lens.

It is difficult to ensure food safety from farm to fork worldwide. The paper addresses this challenge from the angle of how firms measure and improve the implementation of the FSMS in global food supply chains by a systematic review combined with biological mapping analysis (VOS viewer) on 81 peer-reviewed papers published from 2005 to 2020.

Mandatory and voluntary regulations and standards are the most critical part of international requirements to assure integrated, proactive, risk-based approaches as well as continuous improvement in the FSMS in global food chains. To measure the FSMS, only a limited number of measurement tools for the FSMS have been identified. External and internal factors, and technology adoption that significantly impact the management of the FSMS implementation still require more future works.

Several FSMS research gaps observed during the content analysis of selected papers within 15 years are presented along with ten future research questions.

A systematised list of published papers that have been studied and reported in this research could be a useful reference point for practitioners in the food industry.

This study set out to summarise managerial requirements for the FSMS from the existing research, analyse practices and tools to measure FSMS implementation, explore when food firms manage the FSMS, which factors are critical to their implementation, and identify promising research directions for researchers and useful suggestions for practitioners.

This study examines how maturity mismatch, a specific type of financial structure of firms, affects corporate outward foreign direct investment (OFDI).

Using the number of newly established foreign subsidiaries in a given year as firm-level OFDI and utilizing data from Chinese listed firms between 2007 and 2022, we employ a negative binomial regression model to examine the impact of corporate maturity mismatch on the OFDI. We also make efforts to ensure the robustness of the result, such as employing an exogenous policy to establish a difference-in-difference model.

The empirical result indicates that maturity mismatch inhibits firms' OFDI. Additional test shows that maturity mismatch increases firms' financing costs and reduces firms' research and development (R&D) investment and that the negative impact of maturity mismatch on OFDI is predominantly observed in firms with high financial constraints and low R&D intensity, indicating that maturity mismatch may affect firms' OFDI through the financing cost channel and the R&D investment channel.

Corporate maturity mismatch is common in China and similar emerging markets. However, research on the economic consequences of maturity mismatch, especially its impact on firms' overseas expansions, is rare. This study establishes the relationship between corporate maturity mismatch and OFDI, contributes to the literature on the relationship between financial factors and OFDI, and provides policy implications for emerging market countries.

Growth of China’s sport industry has brought tremendous opportunities to sport and non-sport organizations domestically and globally; nonetheless, the enlargement has also raised many challenges. To a great extent, China has chartered into unprecedented new sport business territories. Because of social, cultural, historical, and governmental differences, many theories and knowledge, professional experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in Western countries may or may not be directly applicable to the diverse setting(s) in China. Until now, only limited empirical evidence is available to address these challenges. Thus, formulating a special issue in the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship to examine contemporary subject matters and concerns would be significantly meaningful to help understand, stimulate, and improve sport business operations in China, provide guidance to transnational organizations for doing sport-related business in China, offer constructive suggestions for Chinese corporations going global, and ultimately build up theories and best practices to address unique perspectives of China’s sport industry. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper is conceptual and presents a review of literature.

In addition to this leading paper, there are a total of eight manuscripts selected for this special issue inquiring on contemporary matters and development of China’s sport industry, including four short articles that were formulated based on qualitative research information derived from case studies and interviews and four full-length articles that adopted a quantitative research protocol or a mixed research design involving both qualitative and quantitative information.

While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China.

While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China.

While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China.

While it is impossible to capture all contemporary topics in the development of China’s sport industry within one journal issue, articles selected in this special issue of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship have provided useful highlights into some of the critical issues faced by the industry and research directions by academicians. It is sincerely expected that studies in this special issue would help inspire more scholarly inquires and ultimately improve the continued formulation and advancement of a strong sport industry in China.

Compared to other areas in China, Chaoshan region in Guangdong province has a more developed clan system set within a rural landscape. This paper aims to explore the relationship between the social structure (family–clan) and spatial form (housing settlement) of clan-organized rural China to understand the spatial form represented by “family and clan.”

By examining Dongli village and Huayao village, this paper outlines the typical path of spatial representation: dwelling of individual’s core family → mansion of the big family → settlement of a single clan → co-settlement of several clans. Moreover, it identifies three critical elements of the spatial representation: prototype (the spatial representation of the etiquette system); order (a hierarchical space set by the patriarchal system); and boundary (constructed on both physical and mental facts).

All elements indicate that descendants of migrants from the North maintain their self-identity and discipline clan members by planning the ideal space.

The findings contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding how local cultural and historical experiences can influence renewed designs of traditional settlement areas (Aksulu and Eryildiz, 2003) and how digital means can facilitate updating designs of traditional buildings (Han et al., 2017). Such planning and design should involve greater public participation, considering the impact on residents’ daily lives (Pandya, 2005).

This paper contributes to the understanding of the relationship between cultural values and the spatial form of residential settlements in Chinese history.

The safety and reliability of high-speed trains rely on the structural integrity of their components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system. This paper aims to define and substantiate the assessment of the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains in both theory and practice. The key principles and approaches will be proposed, and their applications to high-speed trains in China will be presented.

First, the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains are defined, and their relationship is introduced. Then, the principles for assessing the structural integrity of structural and dynamical components are presented and practical examples of gearboxes and dampers are provided. Finally, the principles and approaches for assessing the dynamical integrity of high-speed trains are presented and a novel operational assessment method is further presented.

Vehicle system dynamics is the core of the proposed framework that provides the loads and vibrations on train components and the dynamic performance of the entire vehicle system. For assessing the structural integrity of structural components, an open-loop analysis considering both normal and abnormal vehicle conditions is needed. For assessing the structural integrity of dynamical components, a closed-loop analysis involving the influence of wear and degradation on vehicle system dynamics is needed. The analysis of vehicle system dynamics should follow the principles of complete objects, conditions and indices. Numerical, experimental and operational approaches should be combined to achieve effective assessments.

The practical applications demonstrate that assessing the structural integrity and dynamical integrity of high-speed trains can support better control of critical defects, better lifespan management of train components and better maintenance decision-making for high-speed trains.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP) of the rotor of traction motor and the influence of the UMP on thermal characteristics of traction motor bearing.

The unbalanced magnetic pull on the rotor with different eccentricity was calculated by Fourier series expansion method. A bearing thermal analysis finite element model considering both the vibration of high-speed train caused by track irregularity and the UMP of traction motor rotor was established. The validity of the model is verified by experimental data obtained from a service high-speed train.

The results show that thermal failure of bearing subassemblies most likely occurs at contact area between the inner ring and rollers. The UMP of rotor of traction motor has a significant effect on the temperature of the inner ring and roller of the bearing. When the eccentricity is 10%, the temperature can even be increased by about 12°C. Therefore, the UMP of rotor of traction motor must be considered in thermal analysis of traction motor bearing.

In the thermal analysis of the bearing of the traction motor of high-speed train, the UMP of the rotor of the traction motor is considered for the first time

Manufacturers face increasing demands to address inefficiencies and improve environmental performance across their supply chains. However, there remains a significant gap in empirical research examining how collaboration in the supply chain affects various environmental practices and their consequent impacts on performance. This study aims to address the gap by examining how shared goals and vision drives compliance-oriented and prevention-oriented practices, subsequently affecting environmental performance and operational costs—critical for fostering antifragility and resilience in today’s environment.

An empirical study has been performed based on a sample of survey data from 279 manufacturers from fifteen countries and regions. Applying structural equation modeling analysis to the sample dataset, this study examines the mediating role of two distinct types of environmental practices between shared goals and visions and manufacturers’ environmental performance and operational cost.

This study delineates distinct pathways through which shared goals and vision affect various types of environmental practices, and consequently lead to different performance outcomes: (1) environmental impact of manufacturing activities depends on the collective efforts of the manufacturers and their supply chain partners; (2) shared goals and vision among supply chain partners facilitates both environmental performance and operational cost through prevention-oriented practice; (3) shared goals and vision in supply chain benefits operational cost performance primarily through prevention-oriented practice, but less likely through compliance-oriented practice.

This study reveals two distinct pathways through which the shared goals and vision impact various performance outcomes, providing valuable guidance to businesses aiming to balance operational cost and environmental performance — crucial for resilience in today's turbulent environment.

This study not only corroborates existing theories of the Natural Resource-Based View and collaborative networks but also provides a detailed depiction of how collaboration across the supply chain promotes a diverse range of environmental practices and yields varied performance outcomes. It offers vital insights for supply chain participants to effectively navigate environmental challenges, enabling them to cultivate resilience and proactively address environmental issues.

This study aims to analyze the changes in the ecosystem service value (ESV) in response to land use and contribute significantly to ecological construction and sustainable development.

The present study was conducted in the upper Zhanghe River region based on the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer Land Cover Type product MCD12Q1 by using geographic information system (GIS) methods to process and re-classify the land-use data and using the Chinese ESV equivalent weight factors to investigate changes in land use and resulting changes in ESV between 2001 and 2013.

The results showed significant fluctuations in ESV between 2001 and 2013: there was a decline in ESV from 2001 to 2004, followed by a gradual rise after 2004, and the overall ESV exceeded 2001 levels by the end of 2013. However, the pattern of ESV change differed across geographic locations, and each administrative region contributed differently to the overall trend. The analysis confirmed that the land-use change was closely related to the change in its ESV, and the coefficients of sensitivity of ESV for all types of land use were less than one, indicating that the coefficient value of ESV lacked elasticity.

Therefore, to promote sustainable development in the upper Zhanghe River region, ESV should be taken into consideration when planning land use, especially for land types with high ESV, such as water bodies and forestlands.

The results can provide scientific support for the sustainable development of the ecological, economic and societal aspects of the upper Zhanghe River region. In addition, county-level administrative divisions were set as the basic research unit for the analysis and discussion of ESV changes in each unit within the research period and its impact on the overall ESV of the entire area to lay down a foundation for the analysis of the ESV spatial dynamic distribution in the entire research site.