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The current analysis aims to explore the role of cash holdings in the nexus of national governance and capital investment (CIN).

To achieve this aim, the authors sample the nonfinancial enterprises from 5 Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) economies and employ system generalized method of moments(GMM) models as an estimation technique.

The empirical analysis infers that national governance has a positive relationship with CIN and a negative relationship with cash holdings. The cash holdings negatively determine CIN. However, the cash holdings show a positive relationship with CIN in the presence of the national governance index (NGI).

The important policy layout of the current analysis is that corporate managers should reduce cash holdings during better governance situations. Alternatively, corporate managers can disentangle the negative impact of bad country governance conditions on CIN by holding more cash.

The study is innovative as it explores mediating impact of cash holdings in the NGI-CIN nexus.

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the compatibility of titanium dioxide in epoxy resins and thus the corrosion resistance of the coatings.

In this work, TiO₂ was modified by the mechanochemistry method where mechanical energy was combined with thermal energy to complete the modification. The stability of modified TiO₂ in epoxy was analyzed by sedimentation experiment. The modified TiO₂-epoxy coating was prepared, and the corrosion resistance of the coating was analyzed by open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and neutral salt spray test.

High-temperature mechanical modification can improve the compatibility of TiO₂ in epoxy resin. At the same time, the modified TiO₂-epoxy coating showed better corrosion resistance. Compared to the unmodified TiO₂-epoxy coating, the coating improved the dry adhesion force by 61.7% and the adhesion drop by 33.3%. After 2,300 h of immersion in 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution, the coating resistance of the modified TiO₂ coating was enhanced by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to the unmodified coating.

The authors have grafted epoxy molecules onto TiO₂ surfaces using a high-temperature mechanical force modification method. The compatibility of TiO₂ with epoxy resin is enhanced, resulting in improved adhesion of the coating to the substrate and corrosion resistance of the coating.

This study aims to explore the management learning during a long-term crisis like a pandemic. The paper addresses both what health-care managers have learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the management learning is characterized.

The paper is based on a qualitative case study carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic at two different public hospitals in Sweden. The study, conducted with semi-structured interviews, applies a combination of within-case analysis and cross-case comparison. The data were analyzed using thematic deductive analysis with the themes, i.e. sensemaking, decision-making and meaning-making.

The COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by uncertainty and a need for continuous learning among the managers at the case hospitals. The learning process that arose was circular in nature, wherein trust played a crucial role in facilitating the flow of information and enabling the managers to get a good sense of the situation. This, in turn, allowed the managers to make decisions meaningful for the organization, which improved the trust for the managers. This circular process was iterated with higher frequency than usual and was a prerequisite for the managers’ learning. The practical implications are that a combined management with hierarchical and distributed management that uses the normal decision routes seems to be the most successful management method in a prolonged crisis as a pandemic.

The gained knowledge can benefit hospital organizations, be used in crisis education and to develop regional contingency plans for pandemics.

This study has explored learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and found a circular process, “the management learning wheel,” which supports management learning in prolonged crises.

Epoxy zinc-rich coatings are widely used in harsh environments because of the long-lasting cathodic protection of steel surfaces. The purpose of this paper is to use flake zinc powder instead of the commonly used spherical zinc powder to reduce the zinc powder content.

In this paper, the authors have prepared an anticorrosive zinc-rich coating using a flake zinc powder instead of the conventional spherical zinc powder. The optimal dispersion of scaly zinc powder in zinc-rich coatings has been explored by looking at the surface and cross-sectional morphology and studying the cathodic protection time of the coating.

The final epoxy zinc-rich coating with 35 Wt.% flake zinc powder content was prepared using sand-milling dispersions. It has a similar cathodic protection time and salt spray resistance as the 60 Wt.% spherical zinc-rich coating, with a higher low-frequency impedance modulus value.

This study uses flake zinc powder instead of the traditional spherical zinc powder. This reduces the amount of zinc powder in the coating and improves the corrosion resistance of the coating.

The paper tries to investigate the impact of applications of the resource-based view (RBV) theory in the management field to improve the firm’s profitability. Global firms are innovating and adopting new technology, paving the way to improve their performance.

We have adopted RBV in management practices such as marketing, strategy, finance, and human resources.

RBV has gained researchers' attention with the growing competitive world and new challenges to retaining customers and achieving their pre-defined targets. We attempt to identify the issues related to the usage of RBV in management.

Using RBV in management may help researchers create a competitive mindset and be prepared for uncertain challenges in the business world.

This study aims to improve the corrosion resistance of TA2-welded joints by superhydrophobic surface modification using micro-arc oxidation technology and low surface energy substance modification.

The microstructure and chemical state of the superhydrophobic film layer were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, three-dimensional morphology, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. The influence of the superhydrophobic film layer on the corrosion resistance of TA2-welded joints was investigated using classical electrochemical testing methods.

The characterization results showed that the super hydrophobic TiO₂ ceramic membrane was successfully constructed on the surface of the TA2-welded joint, and the construction of the super hydrophobic film greatly improved the corrosion resistance of the TA2-welded joint.

The superhydrophobic TiO₂ ceramic membrane has excellent corrosion resistance. The micro nanostructure in the superhydrophobic film can intercept air to form an air layer to prevent the corrosion medium from contacting the surface, thus, improving the corrosion resistance of the sample.

This study proposes a novel method utilising a speech-word pair bipartite network to examine the correlation structure between members of parliament (MPs) in the context of the UK- China relationship.

We construct MP-word pair bipartite networks based on the co-occurrence relationship between MPs and words in their speech content. These networks are then mapped into monopartite MPs correlation networks. Additionally, the study calculates correlation network indicators and identifies MP communities and factions to determine the characteristics of MPs and their interrelation in the UK-China relationship. This includes insights into the distribution of key MPs, their correlation structure and the evolution and development trends of MP factions.

Analysis of the parliamentary speeches on China-related affairs in the British Parliament from 2011 to 2020 reveals that the distribution and interrelationship of MPs engaged in UK-China affairs are centralised and discrete, with a few core MPs playing an integral role in the UK-China relationship. Among them, MPs such as Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, David Cameron, Lord Hunt of Chesterton and Lord Howell of Guildford formed factions with significant differences; however, the continuity of their evolution exhibits unstableness. The core MP factions, such as those led by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and David Cameron, have achieved a level of maturity and exert significant influence.

The research has several limitations that warrant acknowledgement. First, we mapped the MP-word pair bipartite network into the MP correlation network for analysis without directly analysing the structure of MPs based on the bipartite network. In future studies, we aim to explore various types of analysis based on the proposed bipartite networks to provide more comprehensive and accurate references for studying UK-China relations. In addition, we seek to incorporate semantic-level analyses, such as sentiment analysis of MPs, into the MP-word -pair bipartite networks for in-depth analysis. Second, the interpretations of MP structures in the UK-China relationship in this study are limited. Consequently, expertise in UK-China relations should be incorporated to enhance the study and provide more practical recommendations.

Firstly, the findings can contribute to an objective understanding of the characteristics and connotations of UK-China relations, thereby informing adjustments of focus accordingly. The identification of the main factions in the UK-China relationship emphasises the imperative for governments to pay greater attention to these MPs’ speeches and social relationships. Secondly, examining the evolution and development of MP factions aids in identifying a country’s diplomatic focus during different periods. This can assist governments in responding promptly to relevant issues and contribute to the formulation of effective foreign policies.

First, this study expands the research methodology of parliamentary debates analysis in previous studies. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to study the UK-China relationship through the MP-word-pair bipartite network. This outcome inspires future researchers to apply various knowledge networks in the LIS field to elucidate deeper characteristics and connotations of UK-China relations. Second, this study provides a novel perspective for UK-China relationship analysis, which deepens the research object from keywords to MPs. This finding may offer important implications for researchers to further study the role of MPs in the UK-China relationship.

This study proposes a novel scheme for analysing the correlation structure between MPs based on bipartite networks. This approach offers insights into the development and evolving dynamics of MPs.

This chapter provides an empirical assessment of the effects of infrastructure provision on structural change and aggregate productivity using industrylevel data for a set of developed and developing countries over 1995–2010. A distinctive feature of the empirical strategy followed is that it allows the measurement of the resource reallocation directly attributable to infrastructure provision. To achieve this, a two-level top-down decomposition of aggregate productivity that combines and extends several strands of the literature is proposed. The empirical application reveals significant production losses attributable to misallocation of inputs across firms, especially among African countries. Also, the results show that infrastructure provision has stimulated aggregate total factor productivity growth through both within and between industry productivity gains.

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) play a crucial role in industrial and service fields. The paper aims to build a LiDAR-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) system used by AMRs to overcome challenges in dynamic and changing environments.

This research introduces SLAM-RAMU, a lifelong SLAM system that addresses these challenges by providing precise and consistent relocalization and autonomous map updating (RAMU). During the mapping process, local odometry is obtained using iterative error state Kalman filtering, while back-end loop detection and global pose graph optimization are used for accurate trajectory correction. In addition, a fast point cloud segmentation module is incorporated to robustly distinguish between floor, walls and roof in the environment. The segmented point clouds are then used to generate a 2.5D grid map, with particular emphasis on floor detection to filter the prior map and eliminate dynamic artifacts. In the positioning process, an initial pose alignment method is designed, which combines 2D branch-and-bound search with 3D iterative closest point registration. This method ensures high accuracy even in scenes with similar characteristics. Subsequently, scan-to-map registration is performed using the segmented point cloud on the prior map. The system also includes a map updating module that takes into account historical point cloud segmentation results. It selectively incorporates or excludes new point cloud data to ensure consistent reflection of the real environment in the map.

The performance of the SLAM-RAMU system was evaluated in real-world environments and compared against state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods. The results demonstrate that SLAM-RAMU achieves higher mapping quality and relocalization accuracy and exhibits robustness against dynamic obstacles and environmental changes.

Compared to other SOTA methods in simulation and real environments, SLAM-RAMU showed higher mapping quality, faster initial aligning speed and higher repeated localization accuracy.

This study proposes a predictive neural network model reference decoupling control method for the coupling problem between the leg joints of hydraulic quadruped robots, and verifies its decoupling effect..

The machine–hydraulic cross-linking coupling is studied as the coupling behavior of the hydraulically driven quadruped robot, and the mechanical dynamics coupling force of the robot system is controlled as the disturbance force of the hydraulic system through the Jacobian matrix transformation. According to the principle of multivariable decoupling, a prediction-based neural network model reference decoupling control method is proposed; each module of the control algorithm is designed one by one, and the stability of the system is analyzed by the Lyapunov stability theorem.

The simulation and experimental research on the robot joint decoupling control method is carried out, and the prediction-based neural network model reference decoupling control method is compared with the decoupling control method without any decoupling control method. The results show that taking the coupling effect experiment between the hip joint and knee joint as an example, after using the predictive neural network model reference decoupling control method, the phase lag of the hip joint response line was reduced from 20.3° to 14.8°, the amplitude attenuation was reduced from 1.82% to 0.21%, the maximum error of the knee joint coupling line was reduced from 0.67 mm to 0.16 mm and the coupling effect between the hip joint and knee joint was reduced from 1.9% to 0.48%, achieving good decoupling.

The prediction-based neural network model reference decoupling control method proposed in this paper can use the neural network model to predict the next output of the system according to the input and output. Finally, the weights of the neural network are corrected online according to the predicted output and the given reference output, so that the optimization index of the neural network decoupling controller is extremely small, and the purpose of decoupling control is achieved.