Qiuping Yang, Huizhi Li, Yubo Zhai, Xiaofeng Li and Peizhi Zhang
To prepare a new type of composite for selective laser sintering 3D printing, the surface of Al2O3 nanoparticles was modified by the coupling agent…
Abstract
Purpose
To prepare a new type of composite for selective laser sintering 3D printing, the surface of Al2O3 nanoparticles was modified by the coupling agent (3-methacryloxypropyl)-trimethoxy silane (KH570) before coated with thermoplastic epoxy resin (TER).
Design/methodology/approach
Laser diffraction confirmed that the size distribution of prepared powder materials in this study ranged between 20 to 80 µm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the loading of organic matter was below 5 per cent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the silane coupling agent molecule bound strongly with the alumina. X-ray diffraction confirmed the prepared powder materials to be α-alumina. Through the angle of repose (AOR) test, the AOR = 18.435º was obtained, suggesting the high flowability of prepared powder materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation demonstrated that the shape of the prepared powder materials was sphere-like grains.
Findings
Molding properties of prepared powder materials were studied on the basis of particle size distribution, particle size, sphericity, crystal structure and the reaction mode of the TER. This prepared powder materials can be well applied to the production of epoxy resin-coated Al2O3 composite parts with high precision and good mechanical performance.
Originality/value
This composite can be well applied to the production of epoxy resin-coated Al2O3 composite parts with high precision and good mechanical performance.
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Zhaofei Wang, Zihao Weng, Jing Wang and Qiuping Wang
COVID-19 has aggregated the need for a non-contact medical logistic system. A non-contact robot with self-navigation ability has greatly enhanced the efficiency of the medical…
Abstract
Purpose
COVID-19 has aggregated the need for a non-contact medical logistic system. A non-contact robot with self-navigation ability has greatly enhanced the efficiency of the medical logistic system. This paper aims to design a new medical logistics robot system for the complex environment of hospitals with dynamic obstacles.
Design/methodology/approach
Targeting a medical logistics robot system for a large-scale hospital environment, this study proposed a dynamic obstacle avoidance system to reduce the robot’s delay time as well as frequent route switching. In the algorithm, this study proposed a new loop closure detection with an artificial correction factor. Moreover, this study presented enhanced 3D object detection, improving detection accuracy in hospital environments.
Findings
Experimental results confirm that the robot can move along its global path and reach its destination without colliding with stationary or moving obstacles.
Originality/value
The medical logistics robot system has safe and stable performance in real hospital scenarios. The implementation verifies that the robot has effectiveness and reliability in both hardware and software design.
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Qiuping Wang, Subing Liu and Haixia Yan
Due to high efficiency and low carbon of natural gas, the consumption of natural gas is increasing rapidly, and the prediction of natural gas consumption has become the focus. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to high efficiency and low carbon of natural gas, the consumption of natural gas is increasing rapidly, and the prediction of natural gas consumption has become the focus. The purpose of this paper is to employ a prediction technique by combining grey prediction model and trigonometric residual modification for predicting average per capita natural gas consumption of households in China.
Design/methodology/approach
The GM(1,1) model is utilised to obtain the tendency term, then the generalised trigonometric model is used to catch the periodic phenomenon from the residual data of GM(1,1) model for improving predicting accuracy.
Findings
The case verified the view of Xie and Liu: “When the value of a is less, DGM model and GM(1,1) model can substitute each other.” The combination of the GM(1,1) and the trigonometric residual modification technique can observably improve the predicting accuracy of average per capita natural gas consumption of households in China. The mean absolute percentage errors of GM(1,1) model, DGM(1,1), unbiased grey forecasting model, and TGM model in ex post testing stage (from 2013 to 2015) are 32.5510, 33.5985, 36.9980, and 5.2996 per cent, respectively. The TGM model is suitable for the prediction of average per capita natural gas consumption of households in China.
Practical implications
According to the historical data of average per capita natural gas consumption of households in China, the authors construct GM(1,1) model, DGM(1,1) model, unbiased grey forecasting model, and GM(1,1) model with trigonometric residual modification. The accuracy of TGM is the best. TGM helps to improve the accuracy of GM(1,1).
Originality/value
This paper gives a successful practical application of grey model GM(1,1) with the trigonometric residual modification, where the cyclic variations exist in the residual series. The case demonstrates the effectiveness of trigonometric grey prediction model, which is helpful to understand the modeling mechanism of trigonometric grey prediction model.
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Ni Qiuping, Tang Yuanxiang, Said Broumi and Vakkas Uluçay
This research attempts to present a solid transportation problem (STP) mechanism in uncertain and indeterminate contexts, allowing decision makers to select their acceptance…
Abstract
Purpose
This research attempts to present a solid transportation problem (STP) mechanism in uncertain and indeterminate contexts, allowing decision makers to select their acceptance, indeterminacy and untruth levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Due to the lack of reliable information, changeable economic circumstances, uncontrolled factors and especially variable conditions of available resources to adapt to the real situations, the authors are faced with a kind of uncertainty and indeterminacy in constraints and the nature of the parameters of STP. Therefore, an approach based on neutrosophic logic is offered to make it more applicable to real-world circumstances. In this study, the triangular neutrosophic numbers (TNNs) have been utilized to represent demand, transportation capacity, accessibility and cost. Then, the neutrosophic STP was converted into an interval programming problem with the help of the variation degree concept. Then, two simple linear programming models were extracted to obtain the lower and upper bounds of the optimal solution.
Findings
The results reveal that the new model is not complicated but more flexible and more relevant to real-world issues. In addition, it is evident that the suggested algorithm is effective and allows decision makers to specify their acceptance, indeterminacy and falsehood thresholds.
Originality/value
Under the transportation literature, there are several solutions for TP and STP in crisp, fuzzy set (FS) and intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) conditions. However, the STP has never been explored in connection with neutrosophic sets to the best of the authors’ knowledge. So, this work tries to fill this gap by coming up with a new way to solve this model using NSs.
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Jieren Guan, Shuhu Luo, Xinfeng Kan, Chao Chen and Qiuping Wang
The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing parameters on the surface quality and dimensional accuracy of FFF-fabricated copper…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing parameters on the surface quality and dimensional accuracy of FFF-fabricated copper green parts using the appropriate filaments. The orthogonal experiments were implemented and the errors in length, width and height were measured and analyzed. The results of range analysis and variance analysis indicated the orders of effect factors. Dissolvent debinding combined with thermal debinding was adopted to remove the binders inside the green part by calculating debinding rate. The influence mechanism of sintering temperatures on the microstructure and shrinkage was elaborated.
Design/methodology/approach
The extrusion-based FFF in manufacturing copper parts can overcome shortcomings for high reflectivity and heat dissipation in laser powder bed fusion process at cost-saving and materials saving. This study makes an attempt to prepare copper/binder composite filaments through mixing, extrusion and flowability evaluation.
Findings
The results showed that the suitable composite filaments applied for FFF should balance rigidity and plasticity. The combination of printing speed and heating temperature impacts on the surface quality significantly, and the major factor in determining the dimensional accuracy is layer thickness. Two-stage debinding procedure was beneficial for binder removal and sintering process. The higher sintering temperature results in less voids, sizes shrinkage and densified microstructure, which is attributed to the occurrence of sintering neck among the fused copper powders.
Originality/value
The self-prepared copper/binder composite filaments were successfully manufactured using the FFF process. This study provides unique approach and print guidance for fabricating complex structures of pure copper components.
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Qiuping Zhang and Jin Li
The complex and changeable working environment makes individual cross-boundary activities inevitable. Yet, how employee's boundary-spanning behavior (BSB) stimulates innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The complex and changeable working environment makes individual cross-boundary activities inevitable. Yet, how employee's boundary-spanning behavior (BSB) stimulates innovation performance remains to be further explored. This study aims to analyze the intermediary mechanism and boundary conditions between employee's BSB and innovation performance based on knowledge integration theory.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected data in two waves (July and August 2017) and from two hierarchical levels (from the final sample of 286 employees and their 29 direct supervisors) within ten manufacturing firms located in Nanjing and Anhui, China.
Findings
The results indicate that creative ideas generation mediates the relationship between employee's BSB and innovation performance. Moreover, employees with higher levels of team task interdependence (TTI) lead to a stronger relationship between ideas generation and innovation performance compared to lower levels of TTI (positively moderates the second stage of mediation).
Practical implications
By verifying the key effects of ideas generation and TTI between employee's BSB and innovation performance, the findings of this study provide practical guidance for enterprises to improve the efficiency of employee's BSB.
Originality/value
First, the authors use knowledge integration theory (Grant, 1996a) to deduce the formation process of the mechanism between employee's BSB and his/her innovation results, which clearly shows the driving forces and integral power of the formation process within an individual knowledge integrating system. The authors’ second contribution is further exploring the conditions under which engaging innovative ideas generated by the integration of employee's BSB is more likely to lead to ideas for implementation by examining TTI as a team-level moderator.
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ShiXiong Liu, YanXiong Lu, QiuPing Liang and ErYue Wei
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study undertaken to investigate the effect of Chinese traditional cultural values on the gift‐giving behavior of consumers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study undertaken to investigate the effect of Chinese traditional cultural values on the gift‐giving behavior of consumers in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and to check the moderating effects of Chinese traditional cultural values on a consumer's purchase intention and self‐consistency.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a survey among a large sample of people in four cities, gift‐giving behavior, purchase intention and self‐consistency of the consumer in purchasing decisions were measured by the scale. The Chinese traditional cultural values include Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were used to analyze the data.
Findings
Results indicates that Chinese traditional cultural values have significant moderating effects on gift‐buying intention accords with gift‐giver's image and purchase intention accords with gift‐receiver's image. Consumers with higher value orientation are more careful about consistency between gifts with self‐image and receiver's image.
Research limitations/implications
Research results should be interpreted with caution as the study was limited to several major cities in the PRC. Also the questionnaire has neglected some people who did not fully understand the questions.
Practical implications
This study points out those Chinese traditional values that play an important role in gift‐buying decisions. Results will provide some professional opinion for some insider engage in gift marketing and add new viewpoints.
Originality/value
The paper develops new scales for measuring constructs such as Chinese traditional cultural values, attitude for gift‐giving and gift‐buying intention.
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Qiuping Wang, Subing Liu and Guoqiang Xiong
The aggregation of information from a group of decision experts for developing collective opinion is the important question in practice. The purpose of this paper is to provide a…
Abstract
Purpose
The aggregation of information from a group of decision experts for developing collective opinion is the important question in practice. The purpose of this paper is to provide a group decision-making method via ordered weighted aggregation (OWA) operator and grey incidence analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, OWA operator provides aggregation of attribute values to form an overall decision for each decision expert, and grey incidence model provides aggregation of decision experts’ evaluations to form overall score for each alternative. The example illustrates the procedure and practicability of the proposed model.
Findings
A new thought for multiple attribute group decision-making problems is given. The proposed method produces an overall desirability score for each alternative.
Practical implications
This is to obtain a more comprehensive and realistic solution to the given group decision-making problem. The proposed analysis method of group decision-making problems reveals vitality of grey systems theory.
Originality/value
This paper combines OWA operator and grey incidence analysis to obtain a novel and effective method for group decision making. It is suitable for group decision-making problems in which the attribute weights are completely unknown, expert weights are completely unknown.
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Min Zhang, Qiuping Huang, Xiande Zhao and Lijun Ma
In this study, we examine the implementation of purchase order finance (POF) which is an innovative supply chain finance (SCF) solution by an innovative SCF lender (i.e. supply…
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, we examine the implementation of purchase order finance (POF) which is an innovative supply chain finance (SCF) solution by an innovative SCF lender (i.e. supply chain service provider (SCSP)). The effect of information integration between the SCSP (lender) and product designers (borrowers) on the lender's POF decisions and the borrowers' new product launch is investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
We conduct a case study in the Chinese smartphone industry. A mixed methods design is used, and data are collected from both the supply chain service provider (SCSP) and product designers. We first conduct a qualitative study. Hypotheses are developed concerning the relationships between information integration, in terms of social interaction and information system integration, POF and new product launch. We then conduct a quantitative study. The multilevel structural equation modelling method is used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
We find that information system integration is positively associated with POF but has no significant effect on new product launch. Social interaction is negatively associated with POF but positively associated with new product launch. POF is positively associated with new product launch.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by empirically examining the implementation of POF from both the lender's and borrower's perspectives. We find that information system integration and social interaction have different effects on POF and new product launch. The results thus provide insights into how a lender makes POF decisions and reveal the benefits of POF for borrowers.
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He Wan, Qiuping Peng and Xi Zhong
Noncontrolling large shareholders can reduce the agency problem of executives and can reduce the expropriation or tunneling behavior of controlling shareholders, thereby promoting…
Abstract
Purpose
Noncontrolling large shareholders can reduce the agency problem of executives and can reduce the expropriation or tunneling behavior of controlling shareholders, thereby promoting corporate innovation. However, too many noncontrolling large shareholders may also lead to excessive supervision, thereby inhibiting innovative activities that contribute to the long-term value of the firm. Research to date, however, has not examined the nonlinear impact of noncontrolling large shareholders on corporate innovation. Based on principal–agent theory and the too-much-of-a-good-thing (TMGT) effect, the authors discuss the inverted U-shaped influence of noncontrolling large shareholders on corporate innovation and the moderating effect of industry competition and corporate product diversification on the above relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the empirical data of Chinese listed companies from 2003 to 2017, the authors use the bidirectional fixed effects model to conduct empirical testing and robustness testing of the research hypotheses.
Findings
There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between noncontrolling large shareholders and corporate innovation; type I and type II agency costs play a mediating role between noncontrolling large shareholders and corporate innovation. In addition, firm product diversification weakens the inverted U-shaped relationship between noncontrolling large shareholders and corporate innovation, but industry competition has no significant moderating effect on the above relationship.
Practical implications
This research has important implications for policy makers, to better activate corporate innovation vitality, and investors, to better choose investment targets. Specifically, investors and policy makers should be aware that an appropriate increase in larger noncontrolling shareholders can maximize the enthusiasm of firms for innovation and enhance corporate value, but they should also realize that having too many noncontrolling large shareholders may backfire.
Originality/value
This research helps the authors to understand the pros and cons of increasing the number of noncontrolling large shareholders more comprehensively and also helps to understand corporate innovation more comprehensively from a supervisory perspective. In addition, this research also enhances the explanatory and predictive power of the TMGT effect.