Search results

The purpose of this study is to explore the interfacial adhesion between superhydrophobic coatings FC-X (X = 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5%) and the concrete substrate, along with the impact of FC-X on the water repellency characteristics of the concrete substrate.

One synthetic step was adopted to prepare novel F-SiO₂ NP hybrid fluororesin coating. The impact of varying mass fractions of F-SiO₂ NPs on the superhydrophobicity of FC-X was analyzed and subsequently confirmed through water contact angle (WCA) measurements. Superhydrophobic coatings were simply applied to the concrete substrate using a one-step spraying method. The interfacial adhesion between FC-X and the concrete substrate was analyzed using tape pasting tests and abrasion resistance measurements. The influence of FC-X on the water repellency of the concrete substrate was investigated through measurements of water absorption, impermeability and electric flux.

FC-4% exhibits excellent superhydrophobicity, with a WCA of 157.5° and a sliding angle of 2.3°. Compared to control sample, FC-X exhibits better properties, including chemical durability, wear resistance, adhesion strength, abrasion resistance, water resistance and impermeability.

This study offers a thorough investigation into the practical implications of enhancing the durability and water repellency of concrete substrates by using superhydrophobic coatings, particularly FC-4%, which demonstrates exceptional superhydrophobicity alongside remarkable chemical durability, wear resistance, adhesion strength, abrasion resistance, water resistance and impermeability.

Through the examination of the interfacial adhesion between FC-X and the concrete substrate, along with an assessment of FC-X’s impact on the water repellency of the concrete, this paper provides valuable insights into the practical application of superhydrophobic coatings in enhancing the durability and performance of concrete materials.

Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.

Recent research has drawn attention to the tension between the Central and local governments in China regarding their roles in environmental protection. This paper aims to explore this tension and examine the extent to which local/provincial government’s environmental oversight has influenced the quality of corporate environmental disclosure in China.

A sample of 198 listed companies in heavily polluting industries were selected to examine the relationship between their environmental disclosure quality and the respective local government’s environmental oversight level.

The results provide evidence that local/provincial government’s environmental oversight significantly influences environmental disclosure in China. Despite the coercive pressure from the powerful Central government on corporate environmental disclosure, local/provincial governments are able to buffer the pressure and adjust the intensity of their environmental oversight on companies during the implementation of central policies to retain local economic and political interests. This may partially explain the persistent issue of low environmental disclosure quality in China.

This study enriches our understanding of the significant role of local governments in China in enhancing or sometimes discounting the regulatory enforcement of the Central government on corporate environmental disclosure, pointing to the need for concerted efforts by both local and Central governments to advance environmental disclosure development.

Research on environmental disclosure in developed countries has been well established in the literature. However, such research in developing nations is still limited, especially in China, the world largest developing country. The existing literature on environmental disclosure in China links it with either market demands, or regulatory enforcement from the Central government. The importance of local/provincial governments and their environmental oversight has long been ignored, which motivates this research.

The purpose of this study is to examine job engagement and creativity of employees in the hospitality industry of Pakistan as outcomes of empowering leadership through the mediating role of creative self-efficacy.

An electronic survey was conducted to collect data from 373 employees of food-chain restaurants in Pakistan. The data was analyzed by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) through Smart PLS 3.

Results indicated that empowering leadership has a positive association with job engagement and employee creativity in the hospitality industry. Further, creative self-efficacy has been found as mediating the relationship of empowering leadership with job engagement and employee creativity.

The study has substantial implications for the employees, managers and organizations of the hospitality industry as well as for the scholars of services industry research.

The goal of this paper is to investigate the relationship between government control and firm value in China.

Government might extract social or political benefits from a state-controlled firm, thus decreases firm value. However, government’s monitoring on firm management reduces managers’ agency problem, which increases firm value. We first build a game-theoretic model to prove the existence of optimal government control given these two roles of government, and we then employ the OLS regression method to test the theory predictions using the length of intermediate ownership chains connecting the listed state-owned enterprises to their ultimate controllers as the measure of government control.

We find that firm values first increase then decrease as government control weakens. Moreover, we find that government usually retains a stronger control over state-owned enterprises than the optimal level. In addition, we show that government control can be further weakened in firms with good corporate governance mechanisms, which serve as a substitution of government monitoring.

Our results demonstrate that government control in China is still a necessary but costly mechanism to mitigate agency costs, especially when corporate governance system is underdeveloped.

We identify the substitution effect between government control and corporate governance using a unique measure of government control.

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the existing point cloud target detection algorithms based on deep learning, and provide reference for researchers in related fields. In recent years, with its outstanding performance in target detection of 2D images, deep learning technology has been applied in light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data to improve the automation and intelligence level of target detection. However, there are still some difficulties and room for improvement in target detection from the 3D point cloud. In this paper, the vehicle LiDAR target detection method is chosen as the research subject.

Firstly, the challenges of applying deep learning to point cloud target detection are described; secondly, solutions in relevant research are combed in response to the above challenges. The currently popular target detection methods are classified, among which some are compared with illustrate advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, approaches to improve the accuracy of network target detection are introduced.

Finally, this paper also summarizes the shortcomings of existing methods and signals the prospective development trend.

This paper introduces some existing point cloud target detection methods based on deep learning, which can be applied to a driverless, digital map, traffic monitoring and other fields, and provides a reference for researchers in related fields.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the electrodeposition of copper coatings directly onto AZ31 magnesium alloy, considered as a substrate of electroplating nickel. The additive, pH, complexing agent, current density, time, and temperature of electrolytic bath were studied to understand electrodepositing copper coating on AZ31 magnesium alloy.

Electrodeposition of copper was carried out in an aqueous solution containing copper hydroxide, citrate, and fluorine ion, which avoids the replacement or corrosion of the magnesium alloy. The morphology, structure, and interface of the electrodeposited copper coating were investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

The copper coating was dense, and there was good adhesion of the copper coating on the AZ31 magnesium alloy. This suggests that successful deposition of copper using an electroplating process could decrease the cost of coating AZ31 magnesium alloy.

This paper will be helpful for the development of coating on magnesium alloy using electroplating processes.

Copper hydroxide and citrate were the main compositions of the electrolyte, combined with sodium poly dipropyl (SP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as brightening agents and can be used to electrodeposit copper directly onto AZ31 magnesium alloy.

In 2017, the Chinese Super League (CSL), the first professional football division in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), became the highest-spending league in the international players’ transfer market, with a total spending of €377m. Moreover, the government of the PRC is backing the CSL with an ambitious football plan. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the governance of the CSL by questioning the organisational viability of the league.

In addition to the relevant international literature, this study is based on 14 recent scholarly articles published in Mandarin from 2013 to 2018 to reflect the national academic debate. Moreover, website research on all CSL clubs has been conducted. The institutional analysis follows the integrative change model of Cunningham (2002) complemented by agency and bureaucracy theory.

The CSL still faces substantial governance problems caused by the divergence of goal setting, organisational inefficiencies and compliance issues. The organisational change is notably constrained by internal competitive value commitments and external power dependency.

The institutional findings on the CSL provide a starting point for empirical studies. The approach contributes to the theory of sport governance processes.

The material and insights are informative for decision makers to evaluate the competitiveness of the CSL.

This paper is the first international in-depth analysis of the governance of the CSL using the body of knowledge published in Mandarin.

By exploring the microimplementation mechanism of common prosperity, this paper aims to offer a strategic direction for Chinese enterprises to achieve sustainable development. It also provides theoretical support and practical guidance for the Chinese Government in exploring feasible paths to common prosperity, starting from the enterprises.

This paper takes the digital business model innovation of Rainbow Planet as a case study, systematically explicating the mechanism through which digital business model innovation fosters common prosperity by constructing a research framework of “digital business model innovation-resource orchestration-common prosperity.”

First, from a microperspective, the role of enterprises in promoting common prosperity in China is confirmed. Second, based on the theory of resource orchestration, it is concluded that digital resources can generate three types of digital effects, such as association, interaction and feedback, through effective resource orchestration under the support of the value elements of the business model. Finally, this paper emphasizes that enterprises should take actions such as demand aggregation, trust building and relationship reshaping to connect with relevant stakeholders, so as to achieve the win-win purpose of improving enterprise competitiveness and deepening common prosperity.

For Chinese enterprises, linking their development with the overall welfare of society is an essential path to sustainable development. Enterprises can promote the integration of their development with social welfare in three aspects: enhancing the efficiency and innovation capability of digital operations, strengthening cooperation with stakeholders and advancing sustainable business models. For the Chinese Government, it is important to encourage enterprises to play a positive role in the fields of economy, environment and society. The government can promote excellent practices in digital innovation, social responsibility and environmental protection among enterprises by publicizing successful cases, inspiring more enterprises to follow suit.