Qiuying Chen, Ronghui Liu, Qingquan Jiang and Shangyue Xu
Tourists with different cultural backgrounds think and behave differently. Accurately capturing and correctly understanding cultural differences will help tourist destinations in…
Abstract
Purpose
Tourists with different cultural backgrounds think and behave differently. Accurately capturing and correctly understanding cultural differences will help tourist destinations in product/service planning, marketing communication and attracting and retaining tourists. This research employs Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory to analyse the variations in destination image perceptions of Chinese-speaking and English-speaking tourists to Xiamen, a prominent tourist attraction in China.
Design/methodology/approach
The evaluation utilizes a two-stage approach, incorporating LDA and BERT-BILSTM models. By leveraging text mining, sentiment analysis and t-tests, this research investigates the variations in tourists' perceptions of Xiamen across different cultures.
Findings
The results reveal that cultural disparities significantly impact tourists' perceived image of Xiamen, particularly regarding their preferences for renowned tourist destinations and the factors influencing their travel experience.
Originality/value
This research pioneers applying natural language processing methods and machine learning techniques to affirm the substantial differences in the perceptions of tourist destinations among Chinese-speaking and English-speaking tourists based on Hofstede's cultural theory. The findings furnish theoretical insights for destination marketing organizations to target diverse cultural tourists through precise marketing strategies and illuminate the practical application of Hofstede's cultural theory in tourism and hospitality.
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Yunhai Liu, Penghui Xu, Xiaohua Zhu, Ligao Liu, Bo Li and Qingquan Li
Two friction models of Fe-Fe and Diamond-like carbon (DLC)-Fe were established by molecular dynamics (MD) method to simulate the friction behavior of traditional fracturing pump…
Abstract
Purpose
Two friction models of Fe-Fe and Diamond-like carbon (DLC)-Fe were established by molecular dynamics (MD) method to simulate the friction behavior of traditional fracturing pump plunger and new DLC plunger from atomic scale. This paper aims to investigate the effects of temperature and load on the friction behavior between sealed nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and DLC films.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, MD method is used to investigate the friction behavior and mechanism of DLC film on plungers and sealing NBR based on Fe-Fe system and DLC-Fe system.
Findings
The results show that the friction coefficient of DLC-Fe system exhibits a downward trend with increasing load and temperature. And even achieve a superlubricity state of 0.005 when the load is 1 GPa. Further research revealed that the low interaction energy between DLC and NBR promoted the proportion of atoms with larger shear strain in NBR matrix and the lower Fe layer in DLC-Fe system to be much lower than that in Fe-Fe system. In addition, the application of DLC film can effectively inhibit the temperature rise of friction interface, but will occur relatively large peak velocity.
Originality/value
In this paper, two MD models were established to simulate the friction behavior between fracturing pump plunger and sealing rubber. Through the analysis of mean square displacement, atomic temperature, velocity and Interaction energy, it can be seen that the application of DLC film has a positive effect on reducing the friction of NBR.
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Qingquan Xin, Ruitao Li and Sonia Wong
The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the reverse mergers (RMs) conducted in the Chinese stock market by summarizing the regulatory system, surveying the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the reverse mergers (RMs) conducted in the Chinese stock market by summarizing the regulatory system, surveying the literature on RMs and analyzing the major characteristics of 161 RM cases.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper introduces the characteristics and evolution of the regulatory framework governing RM activity in China. Then the paper reviews relevant academic studies on the RMs in China and other countries. Finally, the paper identifies and discusses the major characteristics of 161 RM cases in the Chinese stock market from 2006 to 2016.
Findings
Private companies that go public via RMs in China not only have superior asset quality but also demonstrate good accounting and stock price performance after listing, and these results are unlike those of studies on the quality of RMs in other countries.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is based on a survey of 161 RM cases in China’s stock market, with the major characteristics of the RMs being identified and analyzed. The limitations of previous studies and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Originality/value
This paper suggests that the relative superior performance of RMs in the Chinese stock market is caused by the interplay of market forces and regulatory oversight. The Chinese regulator’s pragmatic and flexible approach plays an important role in formulating regulatory policies that respond to the changing macroeconomic environment and financial markets.
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Zhenyu Ma, Yupeng Zhang, Xuguang An, Jing Zhang, Qingquan Kong, Hui Wang, Weitang Yao and Qingyuan Wang
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of nano ZrC particles on the mechanical and electrochemical corrosion properties of FeCrAl alloys, providing a beneficial…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of nano ZrC particles on the mechanical and electrochemical corrosion properties of FeCrAl alloys, providing a beneficial reference basis for the development of high-performance carbide reinforced FeCrAl alloys with good mechanical and corrosion properties in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
Nano ZrC reinforced FeCrAl alloys were prepared by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering. Phases composition, tensile fractography, corrosion morphology and chemical composition of nano ZrC reinforced FeCrAl alloys were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. Microhardness and tensile properties of nano ZrC reinforced FeCrAl alloys were investigated by mechanical testing machine and Vickers hardness tester. Electrochemical corrosion properties of nano ZrC reinforced FeCrAl alloys were investigated by electrochemical workstation in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution.
Findings
The results showed that addition of nano ZrC can effectively improve the mechanical and corrosion properties. However, excessive nano ZrC could decrease the mechanical properties and reduce the corrosion resistance. In all the FeCrAl alloys, FeCrAl–0.6 wt.% ZrC alloy exhibits the optimum mechanical properties with an ultimate tensile strength, elongation and hardness of 990.7 MPa, 24.1% and 335.8 HV1, respectively, and FeCrAl–0.2 wt.% ZrC alloy has a lower corrosion potential (−0.179 V) and corrosion current density (2.099 µA/cm2) and larger pitting potential (0.497 V) than other FeCrAl–ZrC alloys, showing a better corrosion resistance.
Originality/value
Adding proper nano ZrC particles can effectively improve the mechanical and corrosion properties, while the excessive nano ZrC is harmful to the mechanical and corrosion properties of FeCrAl alloys, which provides an instruction to develop high-performance FeCrAl cladding materials.
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Tao Liu, Zhixiang Fang, Qingzhou Mao, Qingquan Li and Xing Zhang
The spatial feature is important for scene saliency detection. Scene-based visual saliency detection methods fail to incorporate 3D scene spatial aspects. This paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
The spatial feature is important for scene saliency detection. Scene-based visual saliency detection methods fail to incorporate 3D scene spatial aspects. This paper aims to propose a cube-based method to improve saliency detection through integrating visual and spatial features in 3D scenes.
Design/methodology/approach
In the presented approach, a multiscale cube pyramid is used to organize the 3D image scene and mesh model. Each 3D cube in this pyramid represents a space unit similar to a pixel in the image saliency model multiscale image pyramid. In each 3D cube color, intensity and orientation features are extracted from the image and a quantitative concave–convex descriptor is extracted from the 3D space. A Gaussian filter is then used on this pyramid of cubes with an extended center-surround difference introduced to compute the cube-based 3D scene saliency.
Findings
The precision-recall rate and receiver operating characteristic curve is used to evaluate the method and other state-of-art methods. The results show that the method used is better than traditional image-based methods, especially for 3D scenes.
Originality/value
This paper presents a method that improves the image-based visual saliency model.
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Aishath Shakeela and Saju Jose
This study aims to examines the cross-cultural perceptions and satisfaction of international tourists visiting Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, focusing on how cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examines the cross-cultural perceptions and satisfaction of international tourists visiting Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, focusing on how cultural backgrounds influence destination image and tourist experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative, interpretivist approach was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 international tourists between November 2021 and March 2022. A non-probability purposive sampling was used to select participants who had previously visited key attractions in Abu Dhabi. Thematic analysis was applied to extract key insights.
Findings
The findings underscore the pivotal role of Schwartz’s universal values and cultural beliefs in shaping tourist perceptions and satisfaction. Distinct differences emerged among cultural groups: Asian tourists demonstrated a greater awareness of Abu Dhabi’s attributes, while Western tourists often held preconceived notions influenced by comparisons with Dubai. Tourists reported overall satisfaction with Abu Dhabi’s cultural and environmental offerings, but also highlighted gaps in marketing and infrastructure that could enhance destination appeal.
Originality/value
This study contributes novel insights to the relatively underexplored domain of cross-cultural tourism in the Middle East. By exploring the dynamic interplay between cultural values and tourist perceptions, it offers actionable recommendations to enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as a global tourism hub, bridging gaps between academic literature and industry practices.