Ming Jiang, Mengyang Shi, Jiamao Li, Juan Liu, Lei Zhang, Jian Qin, Yongtao Jiu, Bin Tang and Dong Xu
This paper aims to study the effects of MnO2 on the ZnO–Bi2O3-based varistor prepared via flash sintering (FS)
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the effects of MnO2 on the ZnO–Bi2O3-based varistor prepared via flash sintering (FS)
Design/methodology/approach
MnO2-doped ZnO–Bi2O3-based varistors were successfully prepared by the FS with a step-wise increase of the .current in 60 s at the furnace temperature <750°C under the direct current electric field of 300 V cm−1. The FS process, microstructure and the electrical performance of ZnO–Bi2O3-based varistors were systematically investigated.
Findings
The doping of MnO2 significantly decreased the onset temperature of FS and improved the electrical performance of FS ZnO varistor ceramic. The sample with 0.5 mol% MnO2 doping shows the highest improvement, with the nonlinear coefficient of 18, the leakage current of 16.82 µA, the threshold voltage of 459 V/mm and the dielectric constant of 1,221 at 1 kHz.
Originality/value
FS is a wonderful technology to enhance ZnO varistors for its low energy consumption, and a short sintering time can reduce grain growth and inhabit Bi2O3 volatilize, yet few research studies work on that. In this research, the authors analyzed the FS process and improved the electrical characteristics through MnO2 doping.
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Haiyan Xie, Ying Hong, Mengyang Xin, Ioannis Brilakis and Owen Shi
The purpose of this study is to improve communication success through barrier identification and analysis so that the identified barriers can help project teams establish…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to improve communication success through barrier identification and analysis so that the identified barriers can help project teams establish effective information-exchange strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The recent publications on construction communication about time management are reviewed. Then, the semi-structured interviews are performed with both questionnaires and audio recordings (n1 = 18). Next, the collected data are analyzed using both statistical measures on the questionnaire survey and qualitative coding analysis on the text transcripts from an audio recording. Particularly, the identified barriers are substantiated using a scientometrics approach based on the published articles (2011–2020, n2 = 52,915) for purposeful information-sharing solutions in construction time management. Furthermore, the intervention strategies from the top 10 most-cited articles are analyzed and validated by comparisons with the results from construction surveys and relevant studies.
Findings
Based on the discussed communication difficulties, five main barriers were identified during time-cost risk management: probability and statistical concepts, availability of data from external resources, details of team member experiences, graphics (and graphical presentation skills), and spatial and temporal (a.k.a. 4D) simulation skills. For the improvement of communication skills and presentation quality regarding probability and statistical concepts, project teams should emphasize context awareness, case studies and group discussions. Details of communication techniques can be adjusted based on the backgrounds, experiences and expectations of team members.
Research limitations/implications
The dataset n1 has both size and duration limits because of the availability of the invited industry professionals. The dataset n2 considers the literature from 2011 to 2020. Any before-the-date and unpublished studies are not included in the study.
Practical implications
A thorough comprehension of communication barriers can help project teams develop speaking, writing and analytical thinking skills that will enable the teams to better deliver ideas, thoughts and meanings. Additionally, the established discussion on barrier-removal strategies may enhance time management effectiveness, reduce project delays, avoid confusion and misunderstanding and save rework costs.
Social implications
This research calls for the awareness of communication barriers in construction project execution and team collaboration. The identified barriers and the established solutions enrich the approaches of construction companies to share information with communities and society.
Originality/value
This is the first identification model for communication barriers in the time management of the construction industry to the authors' knowledge. The influencing factors and the countermeasures of communication difficulties highlighted by the research were not examined systematically and holistically in previous studies. The findings provide a new approach to facilitate the development of powerful communication strategies and to improve project execution.
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Mengyang Gao, Jun Wang and Ou Liu
Given the critical role of user-generated content (UGC) in e-commerce, exploring various aspects of UGC can aid in understanding user purchase intention and commodity…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the critical role of user-generated content (UGC) in e-commerce, exploring various aspects of UGC can aid in understanding user purchase intention and commodity recommendation. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of UGC on purchase decisions and proposes new recommendation models based on sentiment analysis, which are verified in Douban, one of the most popular UGC websites in China.
Design/methodology/approach
After verifying the relationship between various factors and product sales, this study proposes two models, collaborative filtering recommendation model based on sentiment (SCF) and hidden factors topics recommendation model based on sentiment (SHFT), by combining traditional collaborative filtering model (CF) and hidden factors topics model (HFT) with sentiment analysis.
Findings
The results indicate that sentiment significantly influences purchase intention. Furthermore, the proposed sentiment-based recommendation models outperform traditional CF and HFT in terms of mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE). Moreover, the two models yield different outcomes for various product categories, providing actionable insights for organizers to implement more precise recommendation strategies.
Practical implications
The findings of this study advocate the incorporation of UGC sentimental factors into websites to heighten recommendation accuracy. Additionally, different recommendation strategies can be employed for different products types.
Originality/value
This study introduces a novel perspective to the recommendation algorithm field. It not only validates the impact of UGC sentiment on purchase intention but also evaluates the proposed models with real-world data. The study provides valuable insights for managerial decision-making aimed at enhancing recommendation systems.
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Lijuan Shi, Zuoning Jia, Huize Sun, Mingshu Tian and Liquan Chen
This paper aims to study the affecting factors on bird nesting on electronic railway catenary lines and the impact of bird nesting events on railway operation.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the affecting factors on bird nesting on electronic railway catenary lines and the impact of bird nesting events on railway operation.
Design/methodology/approach
First, with one year’s bird nest events in the form of unstructured natural language collected from Shanghai Railway Bureau, the records were structured with the help of python software tool. Second, the method of root cause analysis (RCA) was used to identify all the possible influencing factors which are inclined to affect the probability of bird nesting. Third, the possible factors then were classified into two categories to meet subsequent analysis separately, category one was outside factors (i.e. geographic conditions related factors), the other was inside factors (i.e. railway related factors).
Findings
It was observed that factors of city population, geographic position affect nesting observably. Then it was demonstrated that both location and nesting on equipment part have no correlation with delay, while railway type had a significant but low correlation with delay.
Originality/value
This paper discloses the principle of impacts of nest events on railway operation.
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Jiaxuan Li, Xihong Zhang and Mengyang Wang
This paper aims to explore how two dimensions of trust, calculative trust and benevolent trust, affect supplier opportunism, and further investigates how information technology…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how two dimensions of trust, calculative trust and benevolent trust, affect supplier opportunism, and further investigates how information technology (IT) infrastructure capability moderates the relationship between calculative trust, benevolent trust and local supplier opportunism.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses ordinary least square regression to test the hypotheses, using survey data from 164 buyer–supplier relationships.
Findings
The findings suggest that both rational and emotional dimensions of trust, calculative trust and benevolent trust, have negative effect on the opportunistic behavior of suppliers. Furthermore, IT infrastructure capability amplifies the inhibitory effect of calculative trust on supplier’s opportunism, while diminishing the effect of benevolent trust on suppressing supplier’s opportunism.
Originality/value
This study investigates the impacts of both rational and emotional dimensions of trust on opportunistic behavior, thereby enhancing the comprehension of the multifaceted nature of trust in interfirm relationships and contributing valuable insights into interorganizational relationship governance. Moreover, this study reveals the double-edged moderating roles of IT infrastructure capability in supply chain relationships, presenting innovative perspectives within the research on exploring the role of IT capability in business-to-business marketing relationships.