Search results

This study investigates the relationship between urbanization and carbon dioxide emission in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community from 1990 to 2019. The literature reveals that the relationship between urbanization and carbon dioxide emissions is still debatable and the existing findings are inconclusive.

Carbon dioxide is the regressand; while, urbanization, gross domestic product (GDP) and financial development (FD), rule of law (ROL) and government effectiveness (GEF) are the regressors. Johansen Fisher and Kao residual co-integration tests alongside the fully modified and dynamic ordinary least squares.

The results show a significant positive relationship between urbanization and carbon dioxide emissions. The causality tests results show that carbon dioxide granger causes urbanization, GDP and FD unit directionally.

The countries' governments should effectively improve their legal systems to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. Urbanization laws should be implemented to limit urbanization environmental deteriorating effects on carbon dioxide emissions. This occurs as the countries practiced unregulated urbanization which increases population's environmental impacts. The study recommends sustainable green urbanization policies for environmental conservation through tree planting and horticulture. Balance development in urban and rural areas is vital to decongest the urban cities' pressure in the states. The governments should motivate the private sector with rural investments captivating policies to limit rural urban migration.

The findings contribute value by supporting a positive link between urbanization and carbon dioxide emissions in the CEMAC zone. The causality tests findings confirm the view that carbon dioxide granger causes urbanization, GDP and FD unit directionally. This value addition is essential to the governments and policy makers to mitigate urbanization and carbon dioxide emissions in the CEMAC region.

The paper aims to design the optimum formulation of the nano-titanium dioxide (TiO2) hydrophilic coating system using the synthetic polypropylene glycol (PPG), which can create the reflection and absorption property.

TiO2 nanoparticles are used as fillers, and PPG has been blended at the proper ratio of 1PPG: 0.2TiO2. The prepared resin has been applied onto the glass substrate at different numbers of glass immersions during the dip-coating fabrication process. One-time glass immersion is labeled as T1 coating, two-time glass immersion is labeled as T2 coating and three-time glass immersion is labeled as T3 coating. All the prepared coating systems were left dry at ambient temperature.

T3 coating showed the lowest reading of WCA value at 40.50°, due to higher surface energy at 61.73 mN/m. The T3 coating also shows the greatest absorbance property among the prepared coating systems among the prepared coating. In terms of reflectance property, the T2 coating system has great reflectance in UV region and near-infrared region, which is 16.47% and 2.77 and 2.73%, respectively. The T2 coating also has great optical transmission about 75.00% at the visible region.

The development of thermal insulation coating by studying the relationship between convection heat and reflectance at different wavelengths of incident light.

The developed coating shows high potential for glass window application.

The application of the hydrophilic coating on light absorption, reflectance and transmission at different wavelengths.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing and unresolved debate in the international business (IB) literature with respect to what drives or impedes multinational company (MNC) success in emerging markets, focusing specifically on the impact of institutional conditions on subsidiary performance.

In the understanding that greater attention to different institutional settings and their diversity has much to offer theory-building in the IB area, this panel study examines the influence of institutional distance on the return on assets (ROA) of 399 foreign subsidiaries in a previously understudied host market, that of Brazil during the period from 2008 to 2011. Regression analysis was carried out on panel data using weighted least squares as estimator.

Similar to research conducted in other national contexts, results revealed significant correlation between institutional distance and firm performance measured by ROA. Unlike previous research, however, these correlations were positive: the greater the institutional distance, the better the performance. Both normative distance and regulatory distance positively influenced ROA, raising questions with regard to the concept of institutional distance, its operationalization and influence.

The paper is of value in showing the institutional distance and the performance of foreign subsidiaries with a positive relationship in an emerging market (Brazil) using a panel perspective rather than the more usual sectional perspective.

The color painting of ancient buildings has high historical and artistic value but is prone to aging due to long-term outdoor exposure. The purpose of this study is to develop a new type of sealing coating to mitigate the impact of ultraviolet (UV) light on color painting.

The new coating was subjected to a 500-h UV-aging test. Compared with the existing acrylic resin Primal AC33, the UV aging behavior of the new coating, such as color difference and gloss, was studied with aging time. The Fourier infrared spectra of the coatings were analyzed after the UV-aging test.

Compared with AC33, the antiaging performance of SF8 was substantially improved. SF8 has a lower color difference value and better light retention and hydrophobicity. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed that the C-F bond and Si-O bonds in the resin of the optimized sealing coating protected the main chain C-C structure from degradation during the aging process; thus, the resin maintained good stability. The hindered amine light stabilizer TN292 added to the coating inhibited the antiaging process by trapping active free radicals.

To address the problem of UV aging of oil-decorated colored paintings, a new type of sealing coating with excellent antiaging properties was developed, laying the foundation for its demonstration application on the surface of ancient buildings.

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of Cl⁻ and direct stray current on the soil corrosion of three grounding grid materials.

The electrochemical corrosion properties of three grounding grid materials, which include the Q235 steel, Q235 galvanized flat steel and copper, were measured by means of the weak polarization curve method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; the corrosion rate of specimens was calculated using the weight loss method; and the specimen surfaces were characterized using the scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis.

Results showed that both factors, Cl⁻ and direct stray current, can accelerate the corrosion rate of grounding grid materials. The magnitude of DC stray current density affected the mass transfer type and response frequency of the anode and cathode reaction of grounding materials, while the Cl⁻ contents of the soil only affect the mass transfer rate of the electrode material from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy diagrams. The electric field generated by the DC stray current caused Cl⁻ directed migration. The larger the DC stray current density, the greater the diffusion process and the greater the weight loss rate of the grounding grid materials that would have a logarithmic relationship with the Cl⁻ content at the same DC stray current density. The corrosion resistance of the three materials is copper > Q235 galvanized flat steel > Q235 flat steel.

The paper provides information regarding the relationship among Cl⁻, direct stray current and corrosion of three grounding grid materials by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Meanwhile the weight loss rate is the logarithmic relationship with the Cl⁻ content, which is useful for understanding the corrosion mechanism of Q235 steel, Q235 galvanized flat steel and copper under the condition of Cl⁻ and direct stray current in soil.

This study aims to explore a new restaurant category’s development from birth to maturity, thereby explaining the rationale for category innovation strategies.

The authors conducted a qualitative case study analysis of the New Chinese-style Fusion Restaurant category’s development from birth to maturity. Thematic analysis was conducted on data collected from semi-structured interviews and textual information.

A new restaurant category’s maturation is determined by the formation of society’s shared knowledge about the category’s crucial attributes, which is an outcome of market participants’ category-related social practices. The authors develop a novel, four-stage framework for the socialized construction of this shared knowledge: a knowledge creation (KC), knowledge diffusion (KD), knowledge integration (KI) and knowledge structuralization (KS). This knowledge evolution along this KC–KD–KI–KS sequence can holistically describe the category maturation process. This framework can help understand the rationale for a restaurant category’s maturation by analyzing the interrelationships among market participants’ social practices, knowledge-related activities and market development.

This study explains how market participants’ knowledge-related activities facilitate a new restaurant category’s maturation. This can help restaurant managers cope with increasingly homogeneous competition by applying a category-innovation strategy.

This study extends product categorization research on restaurants by articulating a product category’s maturation process from a knowledge perspective.

Hydrostatic thrust bearing is a key component of the vertical CNC machining equipment, and often results in friction failure under the working condition of high speed and heavy load. The lubricating oil film becomes thin or breaks because of high speed and heavy load and it affects the high precision and stable operation of the vertical CNC machining equipment; hence, it is an effective way of avoiding friction failure for achieving the oil film shape prediction

For the hydrostatic thrust bearing with double rectangular cavities, researchers solve the deformation of the friction pairs in hydrostatic bearing by using the computation of hydrodynamics, elasticity theory, finite element method and fluid-thermal-mechanical coupled method. The deformation includes heat deformation and elasticity deformation, the shape of gap oil film is got according to the deformation of the friction pairs in hydrostatic bearing, and gets the shape of gap oil film, and determines the influencing factors and laws of the oil film shape, and achieves the prediction of oil film shape, and ascertains the mechanism of friction failure. An experimental verification is carried out.

Results show that the deformation of the rotational workbench is upturned along its radial direction under the working condition of high speed and heavy load. However, the deformation of the base is downturned along its radial direction and the deformation law of the gap oil film along the radius direction is estimated; the outer diameter is close but the inner diameter is divergent wedge.

The conclusion can provide a theoretical basis for the oil film control of hydrostatic thrust bearing and improve the stability of vertical CNC machining equipment.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the repurchase intention of a customer and his/her perception of various aspects of an e-tailer’s product return process, such as leniency, fairness and quality of the return process.

This research focuses on these aspects through the expectation disconfirmation theoretical lens, looking at the relationship between expectations shaped by the product return policy and the repurchase intention. This research collects data using a survey approach and analyzes it using structural equation modeling.

It was found that perceived return policy leniency, perceived fairness of the return experience and perceived quality of the return experience are important and supporting factors that influence a customer’s intention to be a return customer to e-tailers. Perceived leniency was found to not only be the most influential factor for return purchase intention but it also significantly impacted the perceived fairness and the quality of the return process. As a result, perceived leniency of the return policy had a “halo” effect on the other factors.

This suggests that the majority of an e-tailer’s effort should be expended determining a return policy and experience that is widely perceived as lenient as this will overall improve customer perception of the return process and increase repurchase intention.

This research extends research on lenient policy within the growing e-tailer sector by examining the return experience of the customer and subsequent repurchase intention based on multiple factors.

The purpose of this study is to provide a textual approach to quantify the perception of uncertainty from management side and investigate how firms manage their overseas investment dynamics when perceiving an increase in economic policy uncertainty (EPU).

Using a textual analysis approach, the study evaluates firm-level perception of EPU. Based on the data from China's listed firms between 2007 and 2018, it examines the association between firm-level perception of EPU and overseas investment using probit model and fixed effects regression with robust standard error adjusted for heteroscedasticity and clustered by firm.

The study finds that the level of EPU perceived by individual firms is heterogeneous. Moreover, it finds that firm-level perception of EPU is positively associated with firms' overseas investment. When perceiving an increase in EPU, firms are more likely to invest abroad and their overseas investment is more diverse. Further analysis shows that the positive association between firm-level perception of EPU and overseas investment is weaker in firms with higher financing cost, investment irreversibility and management incentive but stronger in firms with more intensive industry competition. However, it does not find significant difference in the impact of firm-level perception of EPU on overseas investment of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs). The results are robust to using alternative measures of primary variables and to endogeneity concerns.

First, although the data on outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) at the national and provincial levels are comprehensive, the data on OFDI at the firm level are still relatively scarce. As the firm-level OFDI data become available, future study could be extended to OFDI flow. Second, future study could use other information disclosed by firms to evaluate their perception of EPU from host countries and examine the impact of bilateral EPU on overseas investment. Third, by evaluating firm-level perception of uncertainty in terms of a particular type of economic policies, such as fiscal policy, monetary policy, trade policy and foreign investment policy, future study could probe the sources of EPU affecting firms' overseas investment.

First, although uncertainty increases the volatility of firms' investment activities, firms can recognize and seize investment opportunities in an uncertain economic environment and make profits through resource integration. Second, as the association between firm-level perception of EPU and overseas investment depends on firm and industry characteristics, firms with higher financing cost, investment irreversibility and management incentive should be more cautious when making overseas investment decisions during uncertainty times. Third, governments should increase the transparency and the stability of their economic policies to help firms plan their investment policies.

The study extends the literature related to EPU measurement by constructing a firm-level perception index of EPU based on firms' annual reports using a textual analysis approach. Moreover, it sheds some light on the mechanism of how firms modulate their overseas investment activities under uncertainty.

During rush hours, many passengers find it difficult to board the first train due to the insufficient capacity of metro vehicles, namely, left behind phenomenon. In this paper, a data-driven approach is presented to estimate left-behind patterns using automatic fare collection (AFC) data and train timetable data.

First, a data preprocessing method is introduced to obtain the waiting time of passengers at the target station. Second, a hierarchical Bayesian (HB) model is proposed to describe the left behind phenomenon, in which the waiting time is expressed as a Gaussian mixture model. Then a sampling algorithm based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is developed to estimate the parameters in the model. Third, a case of Beijing metro system is taken as an application of the proposed method.

The comparison result shows that the proposed method performs better in estimating left behind patterns than the existing Maximum Likelihood Estimation. Finally, three main reasons for left behind phenomenon are summarized to make relevant strategies for metro managers.

First, an HB model is constructed to describe the left behind phenomenon in a target station and in the target direction on the basis of AFC data and train timetable data. Second, a MCMC-based sampling method Metropolis–Hasting algorithm is proposed to estimate the model parameters and obtain the quantitative results of left behind patterns. Third, a case of Beijing metro is presented as an application to test the applicability and accuracy of the proposed method.