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This study aims to evaluate how the structure of medical compression stockings, including three compression levels and five cross-sections from the ankle to the thigh part, will be changed after washing in different conditions and further investigate the effect of the washing parameters on the medical compression stockings.

By washing medical compression stockings in different conditions and measuring the structures (including the density, the girth, the transversal and lengthwise dimension, the weight per unit area and the thickness) of medical compression stockings from the knee to the thigh part.

It was concluded that the density, the weight per unit and the thickness increase and the girth, the transversal and lengthwise dimension, the weight per unit and the thickness decrease. The change degree of Class one and Class two is greater than Class 3. Moreover, the washing temperature is the most significant factor affecting all the structures of medical compression stockings. Meanwhile, the mechanical actions of the washing machine, like drum speed and washing time, also influence different medical compression stockings structures to different degrees.

The washing parameter not only includes the temperature and washing cycles but also has other factors, such as the drum speed and washing time. In addition, different kinds of factors will be influenced by each other.

This study can provide consumers advices on the washing of medical compression stockings, and attribute to the optimization of materials and structures to maintain its properties for manufacturers.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/00022660710780641. When citing the article, please cite: Chen Li, Chongzhao Han, Huimin Chen, Hongyan Zhu, (2007), “Data association for target tracking by IR sensors”, Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 Iss: 5, pp. 511 - 517.

This paper aims to study the initial trust of the owner to the contractor, establish the initial trust mechanism, explore the factors that affect the initial trust of the owner to the contractor and analyze its influence mechanism. Based on this, it is easy for the owners and contractors to take targeted measures to improve the initial trust, which is conducive to the sustainable development of the project.

On the basis of reading a large amount of literature, this paper constructs the occurrence mechanism of the owner's initial trust to the contractor from the five factors of trust propensity, trust belief, trustee’s characteristics, institution-based trust, trust motivation and from the perspective of the owner using the structural equation model for questionnaire survey and empirical analysis.

The results of this paper show that the institution-based trust, the trustee’s characteristics and the trust belief of the trustor clearly have a positive effect on trust motivation, and the trustee’s characteristics have the most significant effect on the trust motivation. The influence of trust propensity on trust motivation was not significant.

This paper studies the occurrence mechanism of the owner's initial trust in the contractor, discusses its influencing factors and analyzes the influence of these factors on the initial trust, which enriches the theoretical system of initial trust research. The results of this study can help owners and contractors to develop targeted measures to build good initial trust.

This study aims to expand tourism knowledge by analysing literature review articles published in English Web of Science (WOS) and Chinese China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) language journals and reviewing their influence, interconnection and trends.

A three-stage method was designed to understand the tourism research progress. Performance analysis identified the publication timeline, high-yielding journals and authors that published tourism literature reviews and frequently cited papers. Science mapping visualisation examined the intrinsic connections between co-authorship and co-institution. Finally, emerging trend analysis explored the topic modelling and evolution through Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) and regression.

The key statistics and collaborations relationships of tourism literature reviews were traced. LDA identified 45 and 22 topics, which narrowed the barriers in tourism studies. The regression analysis divided these topics into “hot”, “fresh”, “bell-shaped” and “stable” patterns. These modes represent the progress of tourism studies. The topic “new emerging technologies and the internet” is the focus of tourism literature reviews published in both databases. Future research could pay more attention to the topics in the “hot” and “fresh” patterns. The results enrich the progress of tourism literature reviews and provide a direction for future research.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first literature analysis for tourism literature reviews published in WOS versus CNKI journals. The proposed three-stage systematic method is used for the first time for the literature review and can guide future research.

本研究旨在通过分析英文WOS和中文CNKI语言期刊上发表的文献综述文章, 回顾其影响、相互联系和趋势, 来扩大旅游知识体系。

本研究设计了一个三阶段方法来了解旅游研究进展。绩效分析确定了出版时间线、发表的旅游文献综述的高产期刊和作者以及经常被引用的文章。科学地图可视化审视了合作作者和合作机构之间的内在联系。最后, 新兴趋势分析通过潜在狄利克雷分配和回归探讨了主题建模和演变。

本文追踪了旅游文献综述的关键统计数据和合作情况。潜在狄利克雷分配确定了45个和22个主题, 这缩小了旅游研究中的研究缺口。回归分析将这些主题分为“热门”、“新鲜”、“钟形”和“稳定”模式。这些模式代表了旅游研究的进展。主题“新兴技术和互联网”是不同数据库中发表的旅游文献综述的焦点。未来的研究可以更多地关注“热门”和“新鲜”模式中的主题。研究结果丰富了旅游文献综述的进展, 为今后的研究提供了方向。

这项研究是首次对WOS与CNKI期刊上发表的旅游文献评论进行文献分析。所提出的三阶段系统方法首次用于文献综述, 可以指导未来的研究。

El objetivo de este estudio es ampliar el conocimiento turístico analizando los artículos de revisión documental publicados en revistas, tanto en la versión WOS en inglés cómo en CNKI China, y revisando sus efectos, interconexiones y tendencias.

Se ha diseñado el método de tres etapas para comprender el progreso de la investigación turística. El análisis del desempeño determinó la línea de tiempo de publicación, las revistas de alto rendimiento y los comentarios de la literatura turística publicados por los autores, así como los artículos citados con frecuencia. La visualización de los mapas científicos, examina los vínculos intrínsecos entre los autores colaboradores y las instituciones colaboradoras. Finalmente, el análisis de tendencias emergentes explora el modelado temático y la evolución a través de posibles asignaciones y regresiones de dilick-ray.

Se han analizado las estadísticas clave y las relaciones de cooperación de la revisión de la literatura turística. La asignación potencial de dilich-ray identifica 45 y 22 temas, lo que reduce las barreras en la investigación turística. El análisis de regresión divide estos temas en patrones “populares”, “novedosos”, “en forma de campana” y “estables”. Estos modelos representan el avance de la investigación turística. El tema “tecnologías emergentes e internet” es el foco de la revisión de la literatura turística publicada en diferentes bases de datos. La investigación futura puede centrarse más en temas en modelos “populares” y “novedosos”. Los resultados de la investigación enriquecen el progreso de la revisión de la literatura turística y proporcionan una dirección para futuras investigaciones.

El estudio es el primer análisis documental de los comentarios de la literatura turística publicados en las revistas WOS y CNKI. El método sistemático de tres etapas propuesto se utiliza por primera vez en la revisión documental y puede guiar futuras investigaciones.

Effective and robust motion estimation with sub-pixel accuracy is essential in many image processing and computer vision applications. Due to its computational efficiency and robustness in the presence of intensity changes as well as geometric distortions, phase correlation in the Fourier domain provides an attractive solution for global motion estimation and image registration. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

In this paper, relevant sub-pixel strategies are categorized into three classes, namely, single-side peak interpolation, dual-side peak interpolation and curve fitting. The well-known images “Barbara” and “Pentagon” were used to evaluate the performance of eight typical methods, in which Gaussian noise was attached in the synthetic data.

For eight such typical methods, the tests using synthetic data have suggested that considering dual-side peaks in interpolation or fitting helps to produce better results. In addition, dual-side interpolation outperforms curve fitting methods in dealing with noisy samples. Overall, Gaussian-based dual-side interpolation seems the best in the experiments.

Based on the comparisons of eight typical methods, the authors can have a better understanding of the phase correlation for motion estimation. The evaluation can provide useful guidance in this context.

Following are the learning outcomes: to understand how the tools and frameworks of strategic analysis can be applied to understand the evolution of value creation and capture in the FMCG industry; to analyze the core competencies of a company and understand their relevance in this fast-changing industry; to understand how to evaluate the pros and cons of a certain strategy and business model; and to develop strategic recommendations.

The case series traces the developments in China’s FMCG industry from the early 2010s to 2017, in general, and the efforts of Beijing WinChannel Software Technology Co., Ltd. (WinChannel) and its affiliated company, Huixiadan, in their attempt to apply new digital technologies to transform the traditional trade channel, in particular. The decision point of Case A, in early 2015, is how WinChannel can help improve the reach and efficiency of the traditional trade channel and wonders if the emerging online/mobile B2B FMCG platforms are the right solution for the increasingly digitized FMCG retail industry in China. The decision point of Case B, at the end of 2017, is how could Huixiadan’s business model be sustainable and what it should do to withstand the competitive threats even as it tries to exploit opportunities in the traditional FMCG industry in China.

It can be used with MBAs, EMBAs and senior executives.

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CSS: 11: Strategy.

This paper seeks to examine the dynamic problem of associating measurements at a given period from several IR sensors in the presence of clutter, missed detections.

On the basis of a dynamic S‐D assignment algorithm, a new association algorithm for associating and tracking multiple targets is presented. By considering the special feature of the IR sensor, the dynamic assignment cost coefficient incorporates the radiation intensity information into the association process using a joint probabilistic model for the two separate sources of information (intensity and trajectory).

The simulation results show that the new algorithm can attain almost the same accuracy of tracking estimation with less computational load by utilizing special feature information of the IR sensor into dynamic S‐D assignment.

There are still some parameters to be set in advance, which influence the estimate result to some extent. And the tracking stage follows the image processor, so the tracking performance is also related with the quality of images. Those problems will be considered deeply in the future research based on different maneuvering level of targets and the real tracking environment.

This new algorithm may be adopted by tracking systems based on passive sensors in the future.

This new algorithm utilizes more information and fairly small and stable errors in position and velocity can be obtained. At the same time, it decreases computational load.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key determinants of the information value of enterprises’ micro-blogs, drawing on the consumer’s perspective. This paper examines the effects of such information value on consumers’ purchase intention through the building of online brand equity. The paper also investigates how perceived usefulness intervenes in the relationship between micro-blog information value and consumer purchase intention.

The proposed research model is examined empirically using a survey of 315 users of the Sina micro-blog. The statistical analysis applies a method based on variance using partial least squares.

The results show that online retailers’ micro-blog posts, which are characterized by informativeness and persuasiveness as perceived by customers, positively impact online retailers’ brand equity, which in turn influences consumer purchase intention. In addition, perceived information usefulness is found to be an important contextual factor that moderates the relationship between perceived persuasiveness and online retailer brand equity.

This work adds significance to the literature by extending the research on micro-blog marketing and also provides practical recommendations for online retailers on the operation of micro-blogs.

The optimal payment in the whole operation and maintenance period of water environment treatment PPP projects has become the main approach to realize sustainable development of projects. This study is aimed at constructing an effective payment model for the whole life period of projects to achieve win-win among all stakeholders, so as to provide a theoretical reference and managerial implications for the public sector in the whole operation and maintenance period.

In the whole operation and maintenance period of water environment treatment PPP projects, this article investigates how the public sector optimizes the payment in the whole operation and maintenance period of projects. Firstly, the projects' whole operation and maintenance period is divided into several stages according to the performance appraisal period. And then, the multi-stage dynamic programming model is constructed to design the payment construct model for the public sector in each performance appraisal stage. The payment from the public sector is the decision variable, and the deduction from the private sector is a random variable.

The optimal payment model showed that the relatively less objective weight of public sector leaded to its relatively more total payment and vice versa. Therefore, the sustainable development of the projects can only be ensured when the objective weights both of them should be balanced. Additionally, the deduction from the performance appraisal of private sector plays an important role in the model construction. The larger deduction the private sector undertakes, the smaller profits private sector has. Since the deduction at each stage is a random variable, the deduction varies with the different probability distributions obeyed by the practical deduction in each stage.

The findings from this study have provided theoretical and application references, and some managerial implications are also given. First, the improvement of the pricing system of public sector should be accelerated. Second, the reasonable profit of the private sector must be guaranteed. While pursuing the maximization of social benefits, the public sector should make full use of the price sharing mechanism in the market and supervise the real income situation of the private sector. Third is increasing the public to participate in pricing. Additionally, it is a limitation that the deduction is assumed to conform to a uniform distribution in this study. Other probability distributions on deduction can be essentially further sought, so as to be more line with the actual situation of the projects.

The optimal payment in whole operation and maintenance period of the projects has become an important issue, which is a key to project success. This study constructs a multi-stage dynamic programming model to optimize payment in the whole period of projects. Additionally, this study adds its value through deeply developing the new theories of optimal payment to more suitable for the practical problems, so that to optimize the design of payment mechanism. Meanwhile, a valuable reference for public and private sectors is provided to ensure the sustainable development of the projects.

When the mobile manipulator is traveling on an unconstructed terrain, the external disturbance is generated. The load on the end of the mobile manipulator will be affected strictly by the disturbance. The purpose of this paper is to reject the disturbance and keep the end effector in a stable pose all the time, a control method is proposed for the onboard manipulator.

In this paper, the kinematics and dynamics models of the end pose stability control system for the tracked robot are built. Through the guidance of this model information, the control framework based on active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is designed, which keeps the attitude of the end of the manipulator stable in the pitch, roll and yaw direction. Meanwhile, the control algorithm is operated with cloud computing because the research object, the rescue robot, aims to be lightweight and execute work with remote manipulation.

The challenging simulation experiments demonstrate that the methodology can achieve valid stability control performance in the challenging terrain road in terms of robustness and real-time.

This research facilitates the stable posture control of the end-effector of the mobile manipulator and maintains it in a suitable stable operating environment. The entire system can normally work even in dynamic disturbance scenarios and uncertain nonlinear modeling. Furthermore, an example is given to guide the parameter tuning of ADRC by using model information and estimate the unknown internal modeling uncertainty, which is difficult to be modeled or identified.