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The world population is getting older and housing decisions matter to the security of retirement life and well-being. However, senior housing and financing decisions are largely overlooked in the literature. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the senior housing and financing decisions in the USA.

Using 2021 American Housing Survey data and ordinary least squares estimates, this paper studies senior housing and financing decisions in the 15 most populous US metropolitan areas. Multiple regressions are used to analyze the whole sample as well as various subsamples.

This paper finds strong evidence that seniors are more likely to own a house with a higher market value compared with nonseniors. More specifically, although race and gender do not matter in this relationship, it is less pronounced among those with higher education. Also, seniors, especially white senior homeowners, are more likely to have a lower mortgage debt burden due to a higher upfront down payment than nonseniors. Last, seniors are more likely to refinance their homes and receive cash than nonseniors.

Constrained by the data limitations, this study specifically focuses on seniors’ housing and mortgage decisions. Future research could involve exploring seniors’ mortgage decisions by considering factors such as mortgage loan terms, borrower credentials and the evolving landscape of the senior housing market, among other aspects.

The findings would help policymakers and contractors in the construction industry better understand the uniqueness of challenges in the senior housing market and develop effective housing policies and programs that cater to the needs of the elderly. A comprehensive understanding of the senior housing market would also help seniors make informed purchase and financing decisions.

The authors propose providing financial education to the elderly, particularly those of disadvantaged status, to improve their expertise and bargaining skills in the mortgage loan application process.

This paper contributes to understanding the dynamic senior housing market, which encounters challenges and opportunities associated with the aging population. The study fills the gap of limited research regarding seniors’ housing decision and their financing choices in the USA and would help policymakers and contractors in the construction industry develop effective housing policies and programs that cater to the needs of the elderly.

The purpose of this paper is to study a fractional grey model FAGM(1,1,t^α) based on the GM(1,1,t^α) model and the fractional accumulated generating operation, and then predict the national health expenditure, the government health expenditure and the out-of-pocket health expenditure of China.

The presented univariate grey model is systematically studied by using the grey modelling technique, the fractional accumulated generating operation and the trapezoid approximation formula of definite integral. The optimal system parameters r and α are evaluated by the particle swarm optimisation algorithm.

The expressions of the time response function and the restored values of this model are derived. The GM(1,1), NGM(1,1,k,c) and GM(1,1,t^α) models are particular cases of the FAGM(1,1,t^α) model with deterministic r and α. Compared with other forecasting models, the results of the FAGM(1,1,t^α) model have higher precision.

The superiority of the new model has high potential to be used in the medicine and health fields and others. Results can provide a guideline for government decision making.

The univariate fractional grey model FAGM (1,1,t^α) successfully studies the China’s health expenditure.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel multivariate fractional grey model termed GM(a, n) based on the classical GM(1, n) model. The new model can provide accurate prediction with more freedom, and enrich the content of grey theory.

The GM(α, n) model is systematically studied by using the grey modelling technique and the forward difference method. The optimal fractional order a is computed by the genetic algorithm. Meanwhile, a stochastic testing scheme is presented to verify the accuracy of the new GM(a, n) model.

The recursive expressions of the time response function and the restored values of the presented model are deduced. The GM(1, n), GM(a, 1) and GM(1, 1) models are special cases of the model. Computational results illustrate that the GM(a, n) model provides accurate prediction.

The GM(a, n) model is used to predict China’s total energy consumption with the raw data from 2006 to 2016. The superiority of the GM(a, n) model is more freedom and better modelling by fractional derivative, which implies its high potential to be used in energy field.

It is the first time to investigate the multivariate fractional grey GM(α, n) model, apply it to study the effects of China’s economic growth and urbanization on energy consumption.

Ciliated microelectromechanical system (MEMS) vector hydrophones pick up sound signals through Wheatstone bridge in cross beam-ciliated microstructures to achieve information transmission. This paper aims to overcome the complexity and variability of the marine environment and achieve accurate location of targets. In this paper, a new method for ocean noise denoising based on improved complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise combined with wavelet threshold processing method (CEEMDAN-WT) is proposed.

Based on the CEEMDAN-WT method, the signal is decomposed into different intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and relevant parameters are selected to obtain IMF denoised signals through WT method for the noisy mode components with low sample entropy. The final pure signal is obtained by reconstructing the unprocessed mode components and the denoising component, effectively separating the signal from the wave interference.

The three methods of empirical mode decomposition (EMD), ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and CEEMDAN are compared and analyzed by simulation. The simulation results show that the CEEMDAN method has higher signal-to-noise ratio and smaller reconstruction error than EMD and EEMD. The feasibility and practicability of the combined denoising method are verified by indoor and outdoor experiments, and the underwater acoustic experiment data after processing are combined beams. The problem of blurry left and right sides is solved, and the high precision orientation of the target is realized.

This algorithm provides a theoretical basis for MEMS hydrophones to achieve accurate target positioning in the ocean, and can be applied to the hardware design of sonobuoys, which is widely used in various underwater acoustic work.

The purpose of this paper is to verify the mediating role of commitment between market-oriented organizational culture and international market performance, and to discuss the moderator effect of national institutional environment on this mediating role.

The research design follows a mixed methodology, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. In the first phase, research hypotheses are proposed based on a literature analysis. In the second phase, sample data are collected through interviews and questionnaires sent to domestic contractors in China and South Korea, and a validity analysis of the results is carried out. Correlation and regression analyses are then performed on the valid data to verify hypotheses to prove the existence and influence of mediating effects. Hayes PROCESS Macro is used on the regression results to test the mediating effect of commitment on international project performance and the moderation effect of institutional environment.

The results reveal that the commitment between partners has a mediating effect on the relationship between market culture and international project performance; however, no hierarchy culture is revealed. The mediating effect of commitment is regulated by the institutional environment.

Although the reliability and validity of the questionnaire data in this study are in line with research standards, a larger sample size would improve the reliability of the results. Further, the interviewed samples are mainly from China and South Korea; large representative samples from additional countries, such as Japan, should be considered to gain a fuller understanding and more comprehensive results.

By emphasizing the differences between the two institutional environments of developing and developed countries in East Asia, a theoretical and empirical basis is provided. International construction enterprises in other countries can apply the findings to improve their international market performance in different institutional environments. The findings also provide an empirical reference that international construction enterprises in China and South Korea may use to adjust their organizational cultures and commitments to improve market performance.

While supply chain scholars concur on the need to integrate supply chain finance (SCF) processes to meet ever-changing customer demands, it is unclear how SCF influences business performance in the presence of perceived opportunistic behavior. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the moderating role of perceived partner opportunism in the supply chain.

Drawing on the dynamic capability theory (DCT), this study investigates how perceived supply chain partner opportunism moderates the mediating role of supply- and demand-oriented performances on the link between SCF and business performance, from the retail industry perspective. Data was collected from Australian retailing firms. In all, 293 completed surveys were received. Moderated mediation analysis was conducted.

The results of this study indicate that supply- and demand-oriented performances serially mediate the relationship between SCF and business performance. The study also found that the effect of SCF on performance was higher when perceived partner opportunism was lower.

To respond to changes in consumer preferences and demand effectively, supply chain and marketing managers need to understand the complex interaction between supply- and demand-oriented performances and the key role of SCF in developing such capabilities.

The current study theorizes and demonstrates the effects of supply- and demand-oriented performances that can facilitate the effects of SCF on business performance. Also, the study reveals the effect of each dimension of SCF (accounts payable, accounts receivable and inventory finance) on supply- and demand-oriented performances. Additionally, the study shows the key role of perceived partner opportunism in supply chain management.

This study analyses the relationship between the networks of business incubators (BIs) and new venture performance. It proposes an integrated model for identifying the influence of BIs' internal and external networks on new venture performance through the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and environmental dynamism.

The study uses multiple regression analysis on a sample of 205 new ventures in Chinese BIs.

Both the internal and external networks of BIs positively affect new venture performance and EO has a mediating effect in this relationship. Environmental dynamism plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between BIs' internal and external networks and EO.

Based on the results of this study, incubator managers should focus on creating internal and external networks and leveraging network embeddedness to influence new venture performance. Further, new ventures should focus on strengthening their EO and fully consider the impact of environmental dynamism on EO implementation.

To address the research gaps in understanding how BI networks can support new venture growth, this study integrates BIs' internal and external networks and explores their impacts on new venture performance using co-production theory and the resource-based view. It thus opens the black box on how BI's networks affect performance from the EO perspective. Moreover, this study fully clarifies chain relationships by identifying and analysing the moderating role of environmental dynamism.

Previous studies have shown that the application of information technology (IT) can help break through the innovation boundaries of firms and has undoubtedly become a key enabler of collaborative innovation. These studies, however, are mainly based on theoretical analysis and case studies, and little is empirically known about the relationship between IT investments and collaborative innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically explore how firms' IT investments affect the firms' collaborative innovation performance. The authors also examine the moderating roles of the top management team's (TMT's) educational background and absorptive capacity in this relationship.

The authors collected data on 2,097 listed Chinese manufacturing companies and used the ordinary least squares (OLS) method to perform regression analysis. In addition, the authors conducted robustness tests using the propensity score matching (PSM) method and the instrumental variable method.

The results show that the relationship between IT investments and collaborative innovation is inverted, U-shaped and curvilinear. In addition, the TMT's educational background and absorptive capacity positively moderate the inverted U-shaped relationship between IT investments and collaborative innovation.

The study's findings on the relationship between IT investments and collaborative innovation differ from previous mainstream findings that recognized a positive linear relationship. The authors' findings deepen the understanding of the dual role of IT investments. Moreover, this research helps expand the contingency perspective in IT investments and collaborative innovation research.

PET fiber is widely used in many fields, such as clothing and decorative materials. However, the high flammability and dripping problem restrict its applications. It is vital for PET fiber to overcome these two main drawbacks for practical applications.

In this paper nacre-mimetic flame retardant coating of chitosan (CH) and Montmorillonite (MMT) was fabricated on PET fabrics through the layer-by-layer assembly method. The flame retardancy and anti-dripping performance of the treated PET fabric were investigated.

The results of limiting oxygen index (LOI) value and vertical burning test revealed the anti-dripping performance of PET fabrics which was greatly improved, while the flame retardancy has not been improved. The dripping phenomena was eliminated when the CH/MMT bilayers were over 5 BL. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) results revealed that nacre-mimetic coated CH/MMT bilayers on PET fabrics would promote the char formation both under nitrogen atmosphere and under air atmosphere indicating the obviously condensed phase flame retardant action. scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the char residues revealed that coated PET fabrics would promote the formation of char.

However, the char was an unstable char which would further combust to change the thermal degradation and combustion process of PET fabric. Though PET fabric coated by this CH/MMT nacre-mimetic system had no flame retardancy, the anti-dripping performance was greatly improved. This research would provide experimental basis for improving the anti-dripping performance for thermoplastic materials.

This research is the original research for the flame retardant treatment by fabrication nacre-mimetic CH/MMT coating on PET fabric, which has not been reported previously. This research would provide experimental basis for improving the anti-dripping performance for thermoplastic polymer fabrics.

This paper aims to offer a comprehensive description and analysis of electronic reserve services in academic libraries in China. It also seeks to describe possible solutions for libraries to build multi‐functional e‐reserve services in order to face the challenge of the vast expansion in both academia and the economy in modern China.

The paper reviews the recent literature on the practices of e‐reserve services, and analyses the results of the online surveys conducted in the 112 key university libraries in the China 211 Project, especially the top 15 university libraries.

The paper reveals that three‐level (national, regional, and campus‐wide) e‐reserve resource systems have been developed jointly or individually by Chinese academic libraries. Their development, implementation and implications are discussed; existing problems and possible solutions are identified.

The paper provides insights into the recent development of e‐reserving services in Chinese academic libraries, offers useful information about e‐reserving resources for students and faculty, and recommends solutions to libraries for e‐reserve services.