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1 – 10 of over 1000Dongdong Song, Wenxiang Qin, Qian Zhou, Dong Xu and Bo Zhang
The anticorrosion coatings used in marine and atmospheric environment are subjected to many environmental factors. And the aging failure has been puzzling researchers. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
The anticorrosion coatings used in marine and atmospheric environment are subjected to many environmental factors. And the aging failure has been puzzling researchers. The purpose of this study is to find the correlation between the initial aging of epoxy coatings and the typical marine atmospheric environmental factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The epoxy coatings were subjected to a one-year exposure in three typical marine atmospheres. Meanwhile, principal component analysis, linear regression and Spearman and gray correlation analysis were applied to quantify the environmental characteristics and establish correlations with the coating aging.
Findings
The results indicate that the coating will undergo macroscopic fading and chalking upon exposure to the marine atmosphere, while microscopic examination reveals holes, cracks and partial peeling. The adhesion performance and electrochemical properties of the coating deteriorated with prolonged exposure, coating aging mainly occurs with the generation of O-H bonds and the breakage of molecular chains such as C-N and C-O-C. The coating was most deeply aged after exposure to the Xisha, followed by Zhoushan and finally Qingdao. Environmental factors affect the photooxidative aging and hydrolytic degradation processes of coatings and thus coating aging. To further demonstrate the correlation between environmental factors and coating aging, principal component analysis was used. The correlation model between environmental factors and coating aging was subsequently obtained. The correlation model between the rate of coating adhesion loss (E) and the comprehensive evaluation parameter of environmental factors (Z) is expressed as E = 0.142 + 0.028Z. Meanwhile, the Spearman correlation analysis and gray correlation method were used to investigate the impact of each environmental factor on coating aging. Solar irradiation, relative humidity and wetting time have the highest correlation with coating aging, which are all above 0.8 and have the greatest influence on coating aging; wind speed and temperature have the smallest correlation with coating aging, which are about 0.6 and have the least influence on coating aging.
Originality/value
This paper establishes a correlation between typical marine environmental factors and coating aging performance, which is crucial for predicting the service life of other coatings in diverse environments.
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Check-Teck Foo, Weiwei Wu and Tachia Chin
The purpose of this paper is to utilize a multi-method design for research on corruption in China. Corruption in any society is inimical to good governance. Singapore, despite her…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to utilize a multi-method design for research on corruption in China. Corruption in any society is inimical to good governance. Singapore, despite her size, is argued to be a plausible model for China.
Design/methodology/approach
Taking a multi-method approach, the phenomena of corruption is investigated from: etymological analyses for corruption (European roots) and its Chinese equivalent, 贪污 (pinyin: tan wu) case studies taken from three periods: current, Qing Dynasty and to founding of China (zhong guo, Qin Dynasty) to ground our policy recommendation of China be modeling after Singapore on the basis of our analysis of statistical (2013 and longitudinal) data. In the process, the authors embark on inter-country comparisons (mainly Confucian China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan).
Findings
Here are the key insights: scholars are unaware the English word corruption is narrower in scope than the Chinese equivalent tan wu贪污. As far back as 3,000 years, the Chinese had attributed wu, 污 as filthy, polluting, dirty to psychological concept of greed tan, 贪. In English, corruption does not denote greed per se. Falsification of facts as a political ploy dates back to Qin dynasty. Destabilizing corrupt cases occurred in China today as in Qing Dynasty. Singapore rather Hong Kong is a better model for China in reforming society.
Practical implications
This paper illustrates a distinctively, in-depth approach to research on Chinese management. It shows why it is important to clarify key concepts: corruption in the West and tan wu贪污in the East. Historical cases are utilized to show the presence of a continuing Chinese mind set. The authors argued for China to embark on a city-by-city strategy (modeling after Singapore) toward becoming a corruption-free society. Now, as 3,000 years ago, the Chinese conceptualization of corruption embeds the psychology of greed.
Social implications
China is at a crossroad of her economic development. There is a possible risk of China being destabilized through the corruption of the top rung of leadership. Chinese authorities must with urgency, rein in corruption. An approach is proposed in this paper.
Originality/value
In terms of style, approach and method of research, this paper is highly original. The integrative research here provides a rationale and basis for the Chinese leaders to implement a policy for a less corrupt society.
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Yucheng Zhang and Stephen J. Frenkel
This paper aims to analyse two ways in which Chinese workers attempt to resist unjust treatment: exit through quitting and voice via collective action. This is in the context of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse two ways in which Chinese workers attempt to resist unjust treatment: exit through quitting and voice via collective action. This is in the context of rapid economic growth, rising economic inequality (Lu and Gao, 2011; Qin et al., 2009; Reed, 2012) and escalating industrial conflict (Pringle, 2011).
Design/methodology/approach
A model is developed and hypotheses formulated in the light of qualitative data analysis that included archival data, workplace observation and interviews with employees and managers at a large factory. A mediated chain model was tested based on a survey of 234 semi-skilled and skilled manual workers and 353 service employees employed in the same city in Western China.
Findings
Organisational identification and organisational cynicism were found to mediate the relationship between interactional justice and the two outcomes, intention to quit and collective opposition.
Originality/value
The authors’ interpretation of these relationships challenge previous research by showing that social identification is a more powerful explanation than social exchange in accounting for variations in these two outcomes. Implications are drawn for human resource theory and practice.
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Hongyu Zhao, Zhelong Wang, Hong Shang, Weijian Hu and Gao Qin
The purpose of this paper is to reduce the calculation burden and speed up the estimation process of Allan variance method while ensuring the exactness of the analysis results.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reduce the calculation burden and speed up the estimation process of Allan variance method while ensuring the exactness of the analysis results.
Design/methodology/approach
A series of six‐hour static tests have been implemented at room temperature, and the static measurements have been collected from MEMS IMU. In order to characterize the various types of random noise terms for the IMU, the basic definition and main procedure of the Allan variance method are investigated. Unlike the normal Allan variance method, which has the shortcomings of processing large data sets and requiring long computation time, a modified Allan variance method is proposed based on the features of data distribution in the log‐log plot of the Allan standard deviation versus the averaging time.
Findings
Experiment results demonstrate that the modified Allan variance method can effectively estimate the noise coefficients for MEMS IMU, with controllable computation time and acceptable estimation accuracy.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a time‐controllable Allan variance method which can quickly and accurately identify different noise terms imposed by the stochastic fluctuations.
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Keywords
Guoqin Gao, Jun Sun and Yuanyuan Cao
This paper aims to solve the problems of the synchronization between branches and the uncertainties such as joint friction, load variation and external interference of a hybrid…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to solve the problems of the synchronization between branches and the uncertainties such as joint friction, load variation and external interference of a hybrid mechanism. The controller is used to improve the synchronization and robustness of the hybrid mechanism system and achieve both finite time convergence and chattering-free sliding mode.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the dynamic model of hybrid mechanism containing lumped uncertainties is formulated by the Lagrange method, and a composite error based on coupling synchronization error and the end-effector tracking error is set up in the task space. Then, by combining the finite time super twisting sliding mode control algorithm, a composite error-based finite time super twisting sliding mode synchronous control law is designed to make the end-effector tracking error and coupling synchronization error achieve better tracking performance and convergence performance. Finally, the Lyapunov stability of the control law and the finite-time convergence of the composite error are proved theoretically.
Findings
To verify the effectiveness of the proposed control method, simulations and experiments for the prototype system of the hybrid mechanism are conducted. The results show that the proposed control method can achieve better tracking performance and convergence performance.
Originality/value
This is a new innovation for a hybrid mechanism containing lumped uncertainties to improve the robustness, convergence performance, tracking performance and synchronization of the system.
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Keywords
Hongyu Zhao, Zhelong Wang, Qin Gao, Mohammad Mehedi Hassan and Abdulhameed Alelaiwi
The purpose of this paper is to develop an online smoothing zero-velocity-update (ZUPT) method that helps achieve smooth estimation of human foot motion for the ZUPT-aided…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an online smoothing zero-velocity-update (ZUPT) method that helps achieve smooth estimation of human foot motion for the ZUPT-aided inertial pedestrian navigation system.
Design/methodology/approach
The smoothing ZUPT is based on a Rauch–Tung–Striebel (RTS) smoother, using a six-state Kalman filter (KF) as the forward filter. The KF acts as an indirect filter, which allows the sensor measurement error and position error to be excluded from the error state vector, so as to reduce the modeling error and computational cost. A threshold-based strategy is exploited to verify the detected ZUPT periods, with the threshold parameter determined by a clustering algorithm. A quantitative index is proposed to give a smoothness estimate of the position data.
Findings
Experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the smoothness, robustness, efficiency and accuracy of pedestrian navigation.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen smoothing algorithm, a delay no longer than one gait cycle is introduced. Therefore, the proposed method is suitable for applications with soft real-time constraints.
Practical implications
The paper includes implications for the smooth estimation of most types of pedal locomotion that are achieved by legged motion, by using a sole foot-mounted commercial-grade inertial sensor.
Originality/value
This paper helps realize smooth transitions between swing and stance phases, helps enable continuous correction of navigation errors during the whole gait cycle, helps achieve robust detection of gait phases and, more importantly, requires lower computational cost.
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Li Si and Caiqiang Guo
This paper aims to explore the characteristics of knowledge diffusion in library and information science (LIS) to reveal the impact of knowledge in LIS on other disciplines and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the characteristics of knowledge diffusion in library and information science (LIS) to reveal the impact of knowledge in LIS on other disciplines and the disciplinary status of LIS.
Design/methodology/approach
Taking the 573 highly cited papers (HCP) of LIS during the years 2000–2019 in Web of Science and 85,638 papers citing them from non-LIS disciplines as the analysis object, this paper analysed the disciplines to which the citing papers belonged regarding the Biglan model, and the topics and their characteristics of the citing disciplines using latent Dirichlet allocation topic clustering.
Findings
The results showed that the knowledge in LIS was exported to multiple disciplines and topics. (1) Citations from other disciplines were overall increasing, and the main citing disciplines, mainly from applied science disciplines, were medicine, computer science, management, economics, education, sociology, psychology, journalism and communication, earth science, engineering, biology, political science, chemistry and agronomy. However, those disciplines had fewer citations to LIS during for the years from 2000 to 2004, with rapid growth in the next three time periods. (2) The citing papers had various topics and showed an increasing trend in quantity. Moreover, topics of different disciplines from 2000 to 2019 had various characteristics.
Originality/value
From the perspective of discipline and topic, this study analyses papers citing the HCP of LIS from non-LIS disciplines, revealing the impact of knowledge in LIS on other disciplines.
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Keywords
Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry, Bindi Varghese, N Elangovan and H Sandhya
The leisure industry is colossally impacted by varied types of crisis. Assessing the volatility; an attempt is made towards disaster planning and a response system. This chapter…
Abstract
Purpose
The leisure industry is colossally impacted by varied types of crisis. Assessing the volatility; an attempt is made towards disaster planning and a response system. This chapter indicates an all-inclusive integrated approach to deal with disasters and narrates conceptual and latest factual findings in the space of disaster management. An efficient and self-equipped attraction demands a competent and efficient disaster management system in place.
Methodology
This chapter devises measures to deal with the capacity of a destination during pandemic and proposes recovering strategies for the leisure business. Destination governance and disaster management techniques are well explored in the proposed chapter.
Findings
An imperative study of this nature will determine the role of cultural perceptions of varied risk and threats in a pandemic scenario. Innovative practices of disaster governance and Post-disaster recovery strategies are crucial mechanisms for the sustenance of tourism and hospitality sector.
Originality-Value
The conceptual ideas and outcomes obtained in this chapter helps policy makers not only to find new strategies to placate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the organic image of tourist destinations but also assists in accelerating the recovery timeframe just after the pandemic.
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Ruiyang Ma, Chao Mao, Jiayin Yuan, Chengtao Jiang and Peiliang Lou
With the development of a new generation of digital technologies, digital transformation (DT) has become an inevitable trend for enterprises to achieve development in various…
Abstract
Purpose
With the development of a new generation of digital technologies, digital transformation (DT) has become an inevitable trend for enterprises to achieve development in various industries. Nevertheless, the contradiction between the “fragmented” use of digital technologies and the “systematic” transformation of the industry leads to the underperformance of DT in the construction industry. Whilst previous studies have examined why DT is needed and how separate digital technologies can be used in construction projects, they failed to specify effective tools that can help enterprises identify key resources that facilitate DT from the organisational perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This study established an objective assessment framework for evaluating the digital transformation capability (DTC) of construction enterprises in identifying limitations in their transformation efforts. This study also established a management entropy quantitative model and a comprehensive capability evaluation model of DT to analyse the DT performance of construction enterprises from the internal and external perspectives. Data were collected from 95 listed enterprises in China’s construction industry in 2020 as a case study.
Findings
This study concluded that enterprise profitability provides a strong endogenous driving force for DT. Research and development capabilities and DT proficiency of enterprises are the most critical factors in facilitating DT. In addition, China’s construction enterprises' DT was characterised by uneven development and low orderliness. The lack of a unified digital integration platform is key to cracking the dilemma.
Originality/value
This paper systematically identified key DTC in construction enterprises and proposed an objective framework for measuring DTC to enhance the DT performance of these enterprises.
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