Xiang Li, Keyi Wang, Yan Lin Wang and Kui Cheng Wang
Plantar force is the interface pressure existing between the foot plantar surface and the shoe sole during static or dynamic gait. Plantar force derived from gait and posture…
Abstract
Purpose
Plantar force is the interface pressure existing between the foot plantar surface and the shoe sole during static or dynamic gait. Plantar force derived from gait and posture plays a critical role for rehabilitation, footwear design, clinical diagnostics and sports activities, and so on. This paper aims to review plantar force measurement technologies based on piezoelectric materials, which can make the reader understand preliminary works systematically and provide convenience for researchers to further study.
Design/methodology/approach
The review introduces working principle of piezoelectric sensor, structures and hardware design of plantar force measurement systems based on piezoelectric materials. The structures of sensors in plantar force measurement systems can be divided into four kinds, including monolayered sensor, multilayered sensor, tri-axial sensor and other sensor. The previous studies about plantar force measurement system based on piezoelectric technology are reviewed in detail, and their characteristics and performances are compared.
Findings
A good deal of measurement technologies have been studied by researchers to detect and analyze the plantar force. Among these measurement technologies, taking advantage of easy fabrication and high sensitivity, piezoelectric sensor is an ideal candidate sensing element. However, the number and arrangement of the sensors will influence the characteristics and performances of plantar force measurement systems. Therefore, it is necessary to further study plantar force measurement system for better performances.
Originality/value
So far, many plantar force measurement systems have been proposed, and several reviews already introduced plantar force measurement systems in the aspect of types of pressure sensors, experimental setups for foot pressure measurement analysis and the technologies used in plantar shear stress measurements. However, this paper reviews plantar force measurement systems based on piezoelectric materials. The structures of piezoelectric sensors in the measurement systems are discussed. Hardware design applied to measurement system is summarized. Moreover, the main point of further study is presented in this paper.
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Xuebing Dong, Xin Wen, Kui Wang and Chuangneng Cai
Negative media coverage has important impacts on firm financial performance, but existing studies have inconsistent views of this relationship and lack a unified theoretical…
Abstract
Purpose
Negative media coverage has important impacts on firm financial performance, but existing studies have inconsistent views of this relationship and lack a unified theoretical framework to explain how such impacts arise. This study aims to bridge this gap in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses two sets of data encompassing publicly listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2013 to 2019, which are covered by the China Stock Market and Accounting Research Database.
Findings
This study finds that the number of negative news coverages has an inverted U-shaped relationship with firm financial performance; this relationship is weakened by the proportion of shares held by institutional investors and strengthened by advertising intensity.
Practical implications
This study suggests that corporate executives should be aware of the potential value of a limited amount of negative news coverage and react with tolerance and caution when their companies encounter it.
Originality/value
This study uses two different routes provided in the elaboration likelihood model theory to fully explain the processes underlying changes in investors’ attitudes toward firms experiencing negative media coverage.
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The purpose of this study is to advance and test the idea that product exports and technology imports are complementary cross-border learning approaches for emerging market firms’…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to advance and test the idea that product exports and technology imports are complementary cross-border learning approaches for emerging market firms’ innovation performance. In addition, this paper also seeks to search for contextual variables that affect this complementarity.
Design/methodology/approach
This study takes systems approach to examine complementarity, combining a “productivity” and an “adoption” approach. In addition, interaction approach is also used as robustness check.
Findings
The authors show that the positive effect of export activity on firms’ growth rate is higher for firms that also engage in technology import, and vice versa. Furthermore, they show that, Ceteris paribus, firms’ adoption of one cross-border learning mechanism (e.g. entering export markets) positively influences the adoption of the other (e.g. technology import). Moreover, this complementarity is only significant for firms from province with low level of marketization.
Research limitations/implications
This inconsistency about learning-by-exporting and technology import on innovation can be resolved, at least partially, by the complementarities perspective. This paper also reveals two mechanisms of learning-by-exporting: the indirect effect of export on innovation through increasing the likelihood of adoption decision of importing technology and enhancing the positive effect of technology imports.
Practical implications
The potential of combining the two strategies should not be ignored by managers. To improve regional competitiveness, local governments should try best to improve the efficiency of customs to help firms realize the synergistic effect of learning-by- exporting and learning-by-technology-importing.
Originality/value
This study first explores the positive complementarity between the two cross-border learning mechanism in sharping EEEs 2019 innovation performance and identifies the condition to realize the synergistic effect of learning-by-exporting and learning-by-technology-importing.
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Xiaodan Zhang, Zhanbo Zhao and Kui Wang
This study aims to examine the moment-to-moment (MTM) effects of in-consumption dynamic comments on consumers' responses to digital engagement and the underlying mechanisms…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the moment-to-moment (MTM) effects of in-consumption dynamic comments on consumers' responses to digital engagement and the underlying mechanisms involved, as well as the interactive role of advertisements embedded in short-form online video.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses data extracted from 2,081 videos posted on the prominent Chinese online live platform, Bilibili. The hypotheses are tested using regression models and natural language processing.
Findings
The results indicate that the intensity of live comments at the beginning negatively affects users' digital engagement, while a corresponding increase in live comments at the end elicits a positive effect. A linear trend and peak difference in live comments intensity positively affect digital engagement, while the variability of live comment intensity exerts a negative effect. These MTM effects were driven by sentiments of live comments. Furthermore, in-video advertisements are likely to amplify the negative beginning effect on users' digital engagement and mitigate the negative variability of live comments.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the direct effects of MTM comments from the online temporal sequence perspective, differentiating the process- and performance-based engagement. The mechanism and interactive role of in-video advertisements were identified. These findings contribute to literature on interactive marketing and provide valuable guidance for influencer marketing.
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Rao Zheng, Kui‐Sheng Wang and Yun Wang
Emergence is the kernel concept of complexity science. Lack of precision when people refer to “emergent properties” hinders the research of complex systems. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Emergence is the kernel concept of complexity science. Lack of precision when people refer to “emergent properties” hinders the research of complex systems. The purpose of this paper is to develop a formal definition of emergence to make it intrinsic to a system and to integrate different views on emergence.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the modeling framework of entity grammar systems (EGS), a formal definition of emergence is proposed and a theorem is obtained for exploring the producing conditions of emergence. With the definition and theorem, three views on emergence are unified using the same formalism of EGS.
Findings
The concept of emergence can be formally defined in the framework of EGS to integrate the “downward causation” and “upward causation” views of emergence and makes emergent properties intrinsic to a system. It is possible to control the production of emergence when the system is analyzed using the formalism of EGS.
Originality/value
A formal definition of emergence is proposed in this paper. This work combines the modeling power of EGS with the formal analysis of emergence, which will prompt the further application of EGS in modeling, simulation, and analysis of complex systems in many fields and will provide practical tools for complexity research.
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Noura AlNuaimi, Mohammad Mehedy Masud, Mohamed Adel Serhani and Nazar Zaki
Organizations in many domains generate a considerable amount of heterogeneous data every day. Such data can be processed to enhance these organizations’ decisions in real time…
Abstract
Organizations in many domains generate a considerable amount of heterogeneous data every day. Such data can be processed to enhance these organizations’ decisions in real time. However, storing and processing large and varied datasets (known as big data) is challenging to do in real time. In machine learning, streaming feature selection has always been considered a superior technique for selecting the relevant subset features from highly dimensional data and thus reducing learning complexity. In the relevant literature, streaming feature selection refers to the features that arrive consecutively over time; despite a lack of exact figure on the number of features, numbers of instances are well-established. Many scholars in the field have proposed streaming-feature-selection algorithms in attempts to find the proper solution to this problem. This paper presents an exhaustive and methodological introduction of these techniques. This study provides a review of the traditional feature-selection algorithms and then scrutinizes the current algorithms that use streaming feature selection to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The survey also sheds light on the ongoing challenges in big-data research.
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Xingquan Wang, Xiuyuan Lu, Wei Chen, Fengpeng Wang, Jun Huang, Lingli Liu, Mengchao Li and Kui Lin
This paper aims to improve the general circuit of driving and protection based on insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) in dielectric barrier discharge power supply by…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to improve the general circuit of driving and protection based on insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) in dielectric barrier discharge power supply by designing a novel half-bridge inverter circuit with discrete components.
Design/methodology/approach
With one SG3524 chip, the structure based on discrete components is used to design the IGBT drive circuit. The driving waveform is isolated and sent out by photo-coupler 6N137. The protection circuit is realized by Hall sensor directly detecting the main circuit current, supplemented by a few components, including diodes, resistors, capacitors and triodes. It improves the reliability of the protection circuit.
Findings
In the driving circuit, the phase difference of signals from two channels are 180°. Moreover, when the duty cycle is set at 40%, it can ensure sufficient pulse width modulation response time. In the protection circuit, when over-current occurs, an intermittent output signal is automatically sent out. Furthermore, the over-current response time can be controlled independently. The peak voltage can be adjusted continuously from 0 to 30 kV with its frequency from 8 to 25 kHz and the power output up to 150 W.
Originality/value
The novel circuit of driving and protection makes not only its structure simpler and easier to be realized but also key parameters, such as frequency, the duty cycle and the driving voltage, continuously adjustable. Moreover, the power supply is suitable for other discharges such as corona discharge and jet discharge.
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Shuliu Wang, Qianqian Liu, Jin Wang, Nana Chen, JunHang Chen, Jialiang Song, Xin Zhang and Kui Xiao
This study aims to investigate the role of aluminium (Al) in marine environment and the corrosion mechanism of galvalume coatings by conducting accelerated experiments and data…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the role of aluminium (Al) in marine environment and the corrosion mechanism of galvalume coatings by conducting accelerated experiments and data analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
Samples were subjected to accelerated corrosion for 136 days via salt spray tests to simulate the natural conditions of marine environment and consequently accelerate the experiments. Subsequently, the samples were examined using various test methods, such as EDS, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the obtained data were analysed.
Findings
Galvalume coatings comprised interdigitated zinc (Zn)-rich and dendritic Al-rich phases. Corrosion was observed to begin with a Zn-rich phase. The primary components of the corrosion product film were Al2O3 and Zn5(OH)8Cl2·H2O. It was confirmed that the role of Al was to form a dense protective film, thereby successfully blocking the entry of corrosive media and protecting the iron substrate.
Originality/value
This study provides a clearer understanding of the corrosion mechanism and kinetics of galvalume coatings in a simulated marine environment. In addition, the role of Al, which is rarely mentioned in the literature, was investigated.
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Zhaopeng Wang, Yi Wang, Bowei Zhang, Zhan Zhang, Kui Xiao, Junsheng Wu, Qiong Yao, Guojia Ma and Gang Sun
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the potential of hydrogen (pH) and dissolved oxygen in artificial seawater on the passivation behavior of 316L…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the potential of hydrogen (pH) and dissolved oxygen in artificial seawater on the passivation behavior of 316L stainless steel.
Design/methodology/approach
The corrosion behavior was studied by using electrochemical measurements such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization curve. The passive films were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
Findings
The polarization resistance of the passive film decreases as the pH value drops ascribed to the formation of much more point defects. The donor carrier concentration (ND) in the passive film formed in the deaerated condition is lower than that in aerated conditions. Nevertheless, this phenomenon is the opposite when the pH value is 1 due to the significant decrease of Fe oxides/hydroxides coupled with the stable content of Cr oxides/hydroxides species. In addition, the compositional variation of the passive film also leads to the changes of its semiconductor properties from N-type to bipolar type.
Originality/value
This paper shows the variation of polarization resistance, corrosion potential, passive film composition and semiconductor properties with the pH value and dissolved oxygen. The results can serve as references to the further study on crevice corrosion of 316L in seawater.
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Kui Du and Yuan-May Jaw
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to manage the pace of international expansion through acquisitions based on a case study of a Chinese conglomerate, Wanda Group.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to manage the pace of international expansion through acquisitions based on a case study of a Chinese conglomerate, Wanda Group.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a qualitative study based on the analyses of the series of international acquisitions made by Wanda Group in the global cinema and film studio markets from 2012 through the middle 2017. Comprehensive qualitative data have been collected from public sources, including company press releases, media reports and interviews, for each and every major acquisition made by Wanda during this period. The collected materials are then analyzed to reveal the patterns of Wanda’s serial acquisitions.
Findings
When expanding globally through acquisitions, firms need to carefully pace their different types of acquisitions; managing the speed of post-acquisition integration can be critical; and managing public relations and communications in host countries is also important.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited to one single case, so the generalizability of its findings needs further validation. The research contributes to cross-border acquisition studies by discussing the pacing of acquisitions and their affiliated activities.
Practical implications
The research offers an example of how firms pace their series of international acquisitions, whose lessons are potentially transferrable to other global acquirers.
Originality/value
The research takes a rarely used angle by studying serial acquisitions as a whole and focuses on the pacing of them. It is one of the very few in the acquisition literature to highlight the temporal patterns among serial acquisition moves.