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Severe accuracy loss may occur when finite element comes to the distorted mesh model, and the calculation may fail when element mesh degenerates into concave quadrangle or the element boundary is curved. This is a valuable research topic, and many efforts have been made to develop new finite element models. This paper aims to propose two quasi-conforming membrane elements based on the assumed stress quasi-conforming method and fundamental analytical solutions to overcome the difficulties.

First, the fundamental analytical solutions which satisfied both the equilibrium and the compatibility relations of plane stress problem are used as the initial assumed stress of both elements. Then, the stress-function matrices are used as the weighted functions to weaken the strain-displacement equations, which makes only string-net functions on the boundary of the elements are needed in the process of strain integration. Finally, boundary interpolation functions expressed by unknown nodal displacement parameters are adopted to the process of strain integration.

The formulations of both elements are simple and concise, and the elements are immune to the distorted mesh, which can be used to the mesh shape degenerates into a triangle or concave quadrangle and curved-side element. The results of the numerical tests have proven that the new models possess high accuracy.

New formulations of quasi-conforming method are described is detail, and the new strategy exhibits advantages of both analytical and discrete methods.

Numerous finite elements are proposed based on analytical solutions. However, it is difficult to find the solutions for complicated governing equations. This paper aims to present a novel formulation in the framework of assumed stress quasi-conforming method for the static and free vibration analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates.

Firstly, an initial stress approximation ruled by 17 parameters, which satisfies the equilibrium equations is derived to improve the performance of the constructed element. Then the stress matrix is treated as the weighted function to weaken the strain-displacement equations. Finally, the Timoshenko’s laminated composite beam functions are adopted as boundary string-net functions for strain integration.

Several numerical examples are presented to show the performance of the new element, and the results obtained are compared with other available ones. Numerical results have proved that the new element is free from shear locking and possesses high accuracy for the analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates.

This paper proposes a new QC element for the static and free vibration analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates. In contrast with the complicated analytical solutions of the equilibrium equations, an initial stress approximation ruled by 17 parameters is adopted here. The Timoshenkos laminated composite beam functions are introduced as boundary string-net functions for strain integration. Numerical results demonstrate the new element is free from shear locking and possesses high accuracy for the analysis of anisotropic and symmetric laminated plates.

A higher-order Reissner-Mindlin plate element method is presented based on the framework of assumed stress quasi-conforming method and Hellinger-Reissner variational principle. A novel six-node triangular plate element is proposed by utilizing this method for the static and free vibration analysis of Reissner-Mindlin plates.

First, the initial assumed stress field is derived by using the fundamental analytical solutions which satisfy all governing equations. Then the stress matrix is treated as the weighted function to weaken the strain-displacement equations after the strains are derived by using the constitutive equations. Finally, the arbitrary order Timoshenko beam function is adopted as the string-net functions along each side of the element for strain integration.

The proposed element can pass patch test and is free from shear locking and spurious zero energy modes. Numerical tests show that the element can give high-accurate solutions, good convergence and is a good competitor to other models.

This work gives new formulations to develop high-order Reissner-Mindlin plate element, and the new strategy exhibits advantages of both analytical and discrete methods.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the trading behaviors of retail investors and investigate their impacts on stock returns.

As retail investors are considered as the main noise traders in the capital market, using the trading records of Chinese retail investors from 2005 to 2009, the authors study their trading preferences and the correlation of their trades. Then, they use a multifactor model to test whether the co‐movement of stock returns could be explained by individual sentiment.

The authors' results show that the small‐cap stocks are obviously preferred by retail investors. Meanwhile, the net stock demands of retail investors are systematically correlated, even when the effect of market risk is excluded. In the perspective of the net stock demands, the authors use BSI to measure the individual sentiment, finding that individual sentiment plays an important role in the formation of the cross‐section of stock returns. However, the authors' results imply that BSI is a reverse indicator to predict the future returns, which implies that the trading behaviors of retail investors are irrational.

Consistent with behavioral theory, the authors' findings support the viewpoint that stock returns could be affected by the systematic correlated trading of retail investors. To some extent, their findings highlight the need to know more details of individual investors' trading behaviors through which the fluctuations of asset prices can be better understood.

Internal audit executives instruct the internal audit department to supervise corporate business management activities, evaluate internal controls and risks and provide recommendations for operating. Therefore, this paper aims to confirm whether and how the supervisory ability of the chief internal audit executive enhances the internal audit department’s function to prevent corporate fraud. Based on the results, this paper further researches the role of the supervisory board position in this relationship.

This paper examines 922 small and medium-sized listed enterprises in China from 2010 to 2017 and empirically investigates the influence of the internal audit executive’s supervisory ability (IAESA) on the occurrence of corporate fraud.

The results reveal that the IAESA is significantly negatively correlated with the occurrence of corporate fraud. This suppression effect is more pronounced when the internal audit executive is also the company’s supervisor. However, if the internal audit executive is the chairman of the board of supervisors, the suppression effect no longer exists. This paper therefore confirms that the IAESA curbs corporate fraud via the improvement of the internal corporate control level.

Because the sample data was limited by the information disclosure level of the included companies, the sample size was relatively small as compared with those of other studies.

This study not only expands the research perspective in the field of internal audit functions but also provides a decision-making reference for the prevention of corporate fraud.

This paper extends an approach that might be able to curb corporate fraud.

A comprehensive index was developed using data envelope analysis to quantify the supervisory ability of internal audit executives. Based on this, this research confirms that the internal audit department performs a “firewall function” to prevent corporate fraud.

This paper aims to clarify the size and morphology of transition metal dichalcogenides has an impact on lubrication performance of Cu-based composites. This study is intended to show that Cu-based electrical contact materials containing Nb_0.91Ti0.09Se₂ have better electrical and tribological properties than those containing NbSe₂. The tribological properties of Cu-based with different Ti-dopped NbSe₂ content were also discussed.

The NbSe₂ and Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ particles were fabricated by thermal solid state reaction method. The powder metallurgy technique was used to fabricate composites with varying Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ mass fraction. The phase composition of Cu-based composites was identified by X-ray diffraction, and the morphology of NbSe₂/Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ and the worn surface of composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the tribological properties of composites were appraised using a ball-on-disk multi-functional tribometer. The data of friction coefficient and resistivity were analyzed and the corresponding conclusion was drawn.

In comparison with the pure copper, Cu-based composites containing Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂/NbSe₂ had a lower friction coefficient, illustrating the Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ with nano-size particles prepared in this work is a perfect choice for the fabrication of excellent electrical contact composites. Compared to composites with NbSe₂, composites containing Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ have better tribological and electrical properties.

Because of the use of thermal solid state reaction method, the size of NbSe₂ and Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ is relatively large. Therefore, the fabrication of finer particles of Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ is encouraged.

In this paper, the authors discuss the tribological and electrical properties of Cu-based composites, and the value of optimum obtained as Nb_0.91Ti_0.09Se₂ content is 15 Wt.%.

Since their inception in late 2007, the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) funds, which help Chinese investors to invest in foreign capital markets, have experienced significant portfolio losses and persistent fund outflows. While these losses are large in absolute terms, QDII funds, on average, performed better than Chinese A-share funds, but slightly worse than a group of foreign mutual funds. Our study focuses on the QDII industry, and asks three interrelated questions: (1) why have there been large fund outflows from the industry? (2) what explains QDII funds’ poor performance? and (3) why have QDII funds been so heavily exposed to the Hong Kong market? Our empirical analysis shows that the persistent capital outflows were primarily a result of disappointing fund performance. This poor performance can, in turn, be explained by the deficiency of knowledge required of QDII fund managers to successfully invest in foreign capital markets and manage global portfolios. Finally, our study goes some way to explain the phenomenon of QDII funds’ large asset allocation in the Hong Kong market. This ‘Hong Kong bias’ is shown to be consistent with the well-documented ‘home bias’ behaviour in cross-border portfolio investment, but is greatly exacerbated by the lack of global investing experience of QDII managers.

This study aims to understand how abusive supervision influences employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). In particular, the mediating effect of moral disengagement and moderating role of traditionality on this relationship were examined.

This study conducted a two-wave questionnaire survey using data collected from 629 employees from different companies in China. Moderated mediation analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses.

The results show that moral disengagement mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and employees’ UPB. Employee traditionality enhances the relationship between abusive supervision and moral disengagement as well as the indirect effect of abusive supervision on employees’ UPB via moral disengagement.

First, by exploring the positive impact of abusive supervision on UPB, the authors enhance the current understanding of the role of negative leadership in the development of UPB and enrich the research on the antecedents of UPB and outcomes of abusive supervision. Second, based on social cognitive theory, this study enriches the literature on abusive supervision and employee UPB by identifying moral disengagement as a mediator. Third, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the authors are among the first to incorporate traditionality to tell a Chinese story about how traditional employees respond to the effects of abusive supervision on UPB, providing a new lens for the cultural boundary condition in the occurrence mechanism of UPB.

The purpose of this paper is to solve the maintenance management problems of generating units under the reliability criterion.

The problem has been formulated as a combinatorial optimization task, with explicit and simultaneous treatment of multiple objectives: maximization of reliability, minimization of fuel costs and minimization of constraint violations. This paper formulates a general generator maintenance management (GMM) problem using a reliability criterion and a novel bio‐inspired search technique, namely, artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is applied to determine the optimal generator maintenance schedule.

A novel meta‐heuristic search technique based algorithm has been developed to determine the optimal maintenance schedule of generating units to improve the system reliability.

The contribution of the paper is that an efficient bio‐inspired algorithm based solution technique has been developed to solve a very important problem for a power utility, i.e. the economical and reliable operation of a power system.