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The paper aims to investigate how a tablet's design features, namely, its navigation design and visual appearance, influence users' enjoyment, concentration and control, when using tablets for problem-solving, and thereafter how their core flow experiences impact their perceived performance and efficiency with problem-solving.

This study uses a field survey approach to engage 87 participants in a decision sciences class to use eTextbooks and a few other associated educational apps including CourseSmart app for e-notes and highlighting, sketchbook app and a calculator app in tablets to resolve class problems at a large US university.

This study finds that the tablet's interface design features (navigation and visual appearance) make users engrossed in their problem-solving processes with perceived enjoyment, concentration and control. This, in turn, impacts their perceived performance and efficiency. Moreover, visual appearance plays the most significant role in arousing users' affective emotions (i.e. enjoyment), while interface navigation is crucial to engage users' deep concentration (i.e. cognition) and control for problem-solving.

Modern tablets are being used widely in various sectors. More in-depth user flow experience design associated with tablet use for problem-solving contexts should be further advocated in order to provide more engaging and meaningful flow experiences to users.

This study shows that the design of the tablet interface can engage users in problem-solving processes in both affective and cognitive ways. It provides valuable insights on tablet interface design for problem-solving.

The study aims to find potential method to enhance the stability and antioxidant activity of vitamins.

Vitamin E (VE) and β-cyclodextrin (CD) were used to prepare the VE-β-CD inclusion complex via a solution method. The yielded VE-β-CD obtained from optimal experimental conditions was characterized. The mechanism of complex formation and the properties of the complex was investigated by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence techniques. The antioxidant activity of VE-β-CD was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and compared with pure VE.

Three experimental factors – reaction temperature (T), molar ratio of VE to β-CD (rm) and inclusion time (t) – were studied for the preparation of VE-β-CD. At experimental conditions of T = 60°C, rm = 1:3 and t = 3 h, a maximum inclusion rate of VE (78.62%) was obtained. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) shows that VE molecule was physically encapsulated by β-CD in the yielded product. Subsequentially, the steady-state fluorescence intensity of VE was found to increase upon encapsulation by β-CD due to the hindrance of fluorescence quenching of VE molecules inside the hydrophobic cavity of β-CD, and an inclusion constant K was determined to equal 3.58 × 103 L/mol from the fluorescence results. The fluorescent observation was confirmed by time-resolved fluorescence experiment as the lifetime of VE increased with an increase in β-CD concentration.

The ability of removing radicals by VE was significantly enhanced after the formation of inclusion complex with β-CD.

The purpose of this research is to investigate individual perceptions of time and time management strategies that professionals utilize to achieve their productivity in the execution of their daily tasks, projects and routines. Projects have specific time durations from the beginning to the end, which often need to be broken down into smaller temporal elements (e.g. milestones), and require learning and knowledge capture throughout different project phases. It aims to observe how knowledge management processes tie to personal time management, and how this observation could contribute to project management practices in organizations. The understanding of individual time management strategies, especially when they are connected to the capture, storage, transfer and application of knowledge, can create operational efficiencies in projects.

Two sets of in‐depth semi‐structured interviews and field observations were designed and conducted with 20 busy professionals at an academic institution in the USA. All interviews were audio‐taped and transcribed generating over 350 pages of individual time management strategy statements. An extensive content analysis was performed to categorize the types of knowledge being used by professionals when engaged in daily organizational tasks and projects based on their roles and job hierarchy. Alavi and Leidner's knowledge taxonomies were used as the main coding scheme in order to classify types of individual temporal behaviours uncovered in this study.

This study shows that both explicit and tacit practices of individual time management are an important component of how professionals complete project tasks within their daily routines. Project managers play an important role in leading a successful project, and their time orientations directly affect all project phases.

Although good time management strategies may be one of the key determinants of organizational productivity (driving increased output per unit of time), limited knowledge management research has been conducted within the context of professionals' time management practices. The findings reveal that individual time management is shaped by organizational temporal structures and norms, which organizations use to govern their employees and resources around clock time.

This paper presents best practices of global and local initiatives for social and economic capital development. It introduces the notion of “megacommunities” representing broad multilateral stakeholder groups that work together for the resolutions of large‐scale health, environmental and social problems. The paper also takes a more local view by discussing a few regional and municipal examples of “intelligent communities” at the forefront of the knowledge economy. These mega and intelligent communities are often the first to adopt information and communication technologies (ICT), especially pervasive broadband technologies services, for achieving superior social, human and economic wellbeing. The objective of the paper is to identify common drivers and characteristics of these communities and how they utilize ICT to promote higher‐level growth.

The paper takes the form of a general review. The paper introduces the notions of wellbeing, human, social and economic capital. It presents examples of mega and intelligent communities that represent the best practices in the achievement of wellbeing.

The review finds that technological empowerment – in particular information and communication technologies (ICT) – is fundamental to integrate mega and intelligent communities for social, human and economic wellbeing. Through the best practice examples presented in this research, ICT is regarded as the key driver for supporting a sustainable economic development at the global, regional and local levels. Through ICT, it is viable (and essential) to establish a global knowledge base, shared and contributed to by a variety of experts and professionals throughout the world in different fields.

The paper presents examples based on case studies conducted by the authors and based on reviews of the best practice approaches. Based upon the observation of the key success factors and commonalities among the cases, ICT plays an essential role for the sustainable outcomes from the current mega and intelligent community initiatives. Further empirical testing is needed to demonstrate the success factor relationships introduced in this paper.

The paper raises awareness of relevant initiatives that could be adopted and replicated to facilitate sustainable development.

The value of the paper stems from the link between the macro and micro dimensions of different communities. Using the best practice cases as examples, this paper presents worthy lessons to policy makers, governments, global knowledge management, other practitioners and professionals. In particular, it opens up potential opportunities for more effective and efficient global collaborations through highlighting the role of information and communication technologies in the successful management of community practices.

To propose a new investment-income valuation model by real options approach (ROA) for old community renewal (OCR) projects, which could help the government attract private capital's participation.

The new model is proposed by identifying the types of options private capital has in the OCR project, selecting the option model most suitable for private capital investment decisions, improving the valuation model through the triangular fuzzy numbers to take into account the uncertainty and flexibility, and demonstrating the feasibility of the calculation model through an actual OCR project case.

The new model can valuate OCR projects more accurately based on considering uncertainty and flexibility, compared with conventional methods that often underestimate the value of OCR projects.

The investment-income of OCR projects shall be re-valuated from the lens of real options, which could help reveal more real benefits beyond the capital growth of OCR projects, enable the government to attract private capital's investment in OCR, and alleviate government fiscal pressure.

The proposed OCR-oriented investment-income valuation model systematically analyzes the applicability of real option value (ROV) to OCR projects, innovatively integrates the ROV and the net present value (NPV) as expanded net present value (ENPV), and accurately evaluate real benefits in comparison with existing models. Furthermore, the newly proposed model holds the potential to be transferred to various social welfare projects as a tool to attract private capital's participation.

The study aims to pioneer an innovative approach for the evaluation of government portal websites (GPWs) by introducing an eye-tracking-based method. The research meticulously pinpoints and analyses the distinct usability issues and challenges that users encounter while navigating and interacting with GPWs.

This study devises an eye-tracking-based GPW usability evaluation approach, which focuses on the major functions (i.e. government information disclosure, government services and interactive responses) of GPWs. An Entropy Weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (EW-TOPSIS) method is employed to process eye-tracking indicator results for deriving GPW usability results.

The proposed approach is demonstrated to assess the usability of 12 GPWs in pilot smart cities in China, and it is found that most GPWs have lower-than-average usability. GPWs with low usability require more cognitive load that exhibit increased fixation and saccade. The comparisons among the GPW usability results from (1) the eye-tracking experiment, (2) questionnaire surveys and (3) the ready-made performance evaluation report validate the effectiveness of eye-tracking-based GPW usability evaluation.

The work contributes to shifting the GPW usability evaluation approach from a subjective judgment paradigm to an objective paradigm, as well as provides implications for enhancing GPW usability, including improving search function, reducing website complexity and prioritizing user needs.

Although there have been many discussions on the status and development of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), theory on how they survive is minimal. Little is known about how OEMs survive and upgrade to other business models, such as original design manufacturers (ODMs) and original brand manufacturers (OBMs), in emerging economies. The purpose of this paper is to extend the theory on the survival path of OEMs from the perspective of emerging countries by examining how OEMs survive cost pressures and upgrade to ODMs or OBMs.

Using a multi-case study method, this study analyzes the survival path employed by OEMs by examining eight firms in the Chinese toy industry.

This study shows that OEMs remain weak in the global toy industry chain due to labor costs. While some OEMs move to low-cost regions, others turn to OBM management, after transitioning through an ODM model, by investing in research and development and marketing.

This study explores the survival paths of OEM enterprises, showing that OEMs can first upgrade to ODMs and then to OBMs, or they can directly upgrade to OBMs. Shifting from OEM to ODM is an important step in the transition process, although the contract that OEMs have with their foreign partners does not change significantly.

This study aims to evaluate the rheological properties of aviation lubricating oil under conditions of heavy load, high speed and high temperature and the applicability of the classical rheological model under severe conditions.

A Chinese aviation lubricating oil was used and its traction curves were obtained using a new two-disk tribotester. Its rheological parameters were calculated based on empirical formulae. Moreover, the traction force was calculated based on the classical Eyring rheological model.

The traction curves are obtained with respect to contact pressure, temperature and rolling speed. The rheological parameters are significantly influenced by environmental factors, especially viscosity. The traction force calculated using the Eyring model is consistent with the experimental results.

A novel two-disk tribotester was designed using a gas bearing and speed–force closed-loop control to ensure measurement accuracy. The mechanism of rheological properties was analyzed and the applicability of the classical rheological model under severe conditions was verified. It provided an experimental and theoretical basis for expanding the application of classical rheological models under extreme conditions.

The purpose of this paper is to solve the reactive power adjustment and the overvoltage suppression problems in the extra high voltage (EHV) long distance grid, which often appears transient overvoltage, light load loss and other issues.

One 800 kV EHV magnetically saturation controllable reactor (MSCR) used self-power supply control system is designed. The structure and the working mechanism of the novel MSCR are analyzed in detail. Then the control and capacity step adjustment characteristics are obtained by experiments. The harmonic characteristic is studied by theoretical analysis and low voltage test.

To solve the problem of harmonics in the working current of nets windings, the fifth and the seventh filers are equipped between the compensation windings and the control system. The effectiveness of the harmonic suppression method is proved by simulation and experiments.

It proves that the 800 kV EHV MSCR design in this paper can achieve the purpose of the reactive power continuous linear adjustment, and the capacity adjustment is sensitive. After filtering, the harmonics level of the working current meets the standard of the EHV grid.