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The purpose of this paper is to explain the “good-to-good” app switching phenomenon that has not been specifically addressed in the prior switching literature. Drawing on the consumer learning theory, this study explores how external social word of mouth (WOM) and internal satisfaction influence app users’ switching intention through social learning route and analogical learning route. This study also examines the moderating effect of app heterogeneity.

An online survey was used to collect data. Two categories of mobile apps with different levels of within-category heterogeneity were targeted in survey questions. A total of 525 valid survey responses were collected.

Social WOM about a competing app increases users’ switching intention through both social norm influence and social information influence, resulting in a direct effect on switching intention and an indirect effect through the perceived attractiveness of a competing app. Users’ satisfaction with an adopted app positively influences the perceived attractiveness of an unadopted competing app, offering evidence for analogical learning in user switching. Meanwhile, users’ satisfaction imposes a direct negative effect on switching intention. A higher level of within-category heterogeneity strengthens (weakens) the positive effect of social WOM (satisfaction) on users’ perceived attractiveness of a competing app.

This study complements the existing switching literature by disentangling the “good-to-good” switching phenomenon in the mobile app market from the consumer learning perspective. This study extends the understanding of cross-category user switching by considering different levels of product heterogeneity.

Duplex stainless steel is composed of equal amounts of austenite and ferrite, which has excellent corrosion resistance and strength. However, after the metal was welded, the ratio of austenite and ferrite in the joint is unbalanced, and secondary phase precipitates are produced, which is also an important cause of pitting corrosion in the joint.

This paper aims to study the mechanical and corrosion behavior of welded joints, by adjusting the welding parameters of laser hybrid welding, dual heat sources are used to weld 2205 duplex stainless steel. The two-phase content of different parts of the welded joint is measured to study the influence of the ratio of the two-phase on the mechanical and corrosion properties of the joint.

The ratio of austenite and ferrite in different welded joints has an obvious difference, and from top to bottom, the austenite content decreased gradually, and the ferrite content increased gradually. The harmful phases are precipitated in the middle and lower part of the joint. The strength of welded joints is slightly lower than that of base metal. At the same time, the fracture analysis shows that some ferrite phases are affected by the precipitate in the grain and produce quasi-cleavage fracture. The corrosion results show that the corrosion resistance of the welded joints is lower than that of the base metal, and the concentration of chloride ions affects the corrosion resistance.

In this paper, the authors use the influence of different welding processes on the two-phase ratio of the joint to further study the influence of the microstructure on the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the weld.

As a crucial element of city planning, an adequately planned logistics center for agricultural products can improve the circulation efficiency of agricultural products, thereby contributing to a convenient lifestyle of urban residents. First, this study analyzed the functional zones of urban green logistics centers for agricultural products based on low-carbon idea. A method was also proposed to calculate the area of each functional zone. Moreover, this study proposed a layout planning innovation method of urban green logistics centers for agricultural products based on logistics motion line analysis and logistics intensity calculation. Lastly, this study analyzed the application processes of the layout planning methodology according to the topographical conditions of Huai’an logistics center project case in China. Results of the case study show that the construction innovation method proposed in this study is scientific, reasonable, and practical. The construction innovation method can be also used for the planning and designing of similar urban logistics centers.

Aluminum alloy is susceptible to chloride ion attack in sea water, resulting in pitting damage and hence serious security risks for the related applications. To improve the corrosion resistance of Al alloy, micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technology has been developed to produce a protective dense oxide layer on top of Al alloy. However, the mechanism of MAO-induced corrosion resistance is still not fully understood, particularly on local corrosion issue. This paper aims to focus on comprehensively studying the corrosion-resistance mechanism by a series of technologies.

The corrosion behavior of samples was studied by open circuit potential (OCP), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrode impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and localized electrode impedance spectroscopy (LEIS) tests in NaCl solution.

The MAO-coated Al alloy shows a more positive corrosion potential and a higher corrosion current density compared to the untreated counterpart, indicating a significantly enhanced corrosion-resistance. The study of surface morphology and structure also suggest significantly enhanced corrosion-resistance due to the MAO treatment.

Based on the results, a new corrosion model was proposed to describe the influence of MAO treatment on the corrosion process and corrosion mechanism of Al alloy, providing insights on the design of the corrosion-resistance coating for metallic alloys in marine applications.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the corrosion resistance of the 6061-Al alloy as the battery pack material for electric vehicles, and the nano-SiC/MAO composite coating was prepared.

The corrosion resistance of coatings was evaluated by the global electrochemical test, and the local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (LEIS) was used to study the local corrosion mechanism. The laser confocal microscope, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were used to characterise coatings.

Results showed that the impedance of nano-SiC/MAO coating was 1–2 times higher than MAO coating, and the main corrosion product was Al(OH)₃. LEIS results showed that the impedance of the nano-SiC/MAO coating was two times higher than the MAO coating. The defective SiC/Micro-arc oxidation coating still had high corrosion resistance compared to the MAO coating.

The physical model of the local corrosion mechanism for SiC/MAO composite coating in “cavity-fracture collapse” mode was proposed.

Although an important facet of modernist architecture in which function plays a prominent role, building flexibility is not entirely a new concept. Its relevance transcends generations, allowing space and structure to evolve through time. This paper investigates the relationship among main building structures, infill elements, and space by studying examples in ancient Chinese architecture. It reveals the role of building owners, users, and craftsmen from a survey of historical documentation. In studying these examples, it is concluded that craftsmen in ancient China were involved not only during the construction phase but throughout the period of use as well. Thus, in select cases, the relationship between craftsmen and owners or users had been preserved for generations. Finally, this paper suggests potential strategies for the building industry and technology in the move towards sustainable development.

This study aims to examine the impact of the supplier's coercive and cognitive pressures on a manufacturer's green purchasing decision-making process and the resultant implications in terms of operational and environmental performances.

Path analysis is performed to test the hypothesized linkages.

This study finds that the supplier's coercive pressure, environmental focus and socio-cultural responsibility will lead a firm to more successful implementations of green purchasing, which, in turn, results in improved operational and environmental performances. The study findings reveal that the commercial values of green purchasing in addition to social and political obligations will promote the adoption of green purchasing in supply chain management practice.

This study helps business managers understand the impacts of the supplier's coercive and cognitive pressures on green purchasing and the manufacturer's resultant performances. In particular, coercive pressure is operationalized by the supplier's coercive pressure and environmental regulatory pressure, while cognitive pressure is reflected in the supplier's environmental focus and socio-cultural responsibility. This study contributes to the extant theories and enriches the literature on green purchasing.

Building supply chain resilience is increasingly recognized as an effective strategy to deal with supply chain challenges, risks and disruptions. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how to build supply chain resilience and whether supply chain resilience could achieve a competitive advantage.

By analyzing the data collected from 216 firms in China, the current study empirically examines how information technology (IT) capability and supply chain collaboration affect different forms of supply chain resilience (external resilience and internal resilience) and examines the performance implications of these two forms of supply chain resilience.

Results show that IT capability is positively related to external resilience, whereas supply chain collaboration is positively related to internal resilience. The combination of IT capability and supply chain collaboration is positively related to external resilience. In addition, internal resilience is positively related to firm performance.

This study used only cross-sectional data from China for hypothesis testing. Future studies could utilise longitudinal data and research other countries/regions.

The findings systematically assess how IT capability and supply chain collaboration contribute to supply chain resilience and firm performance. The results provide a benchmark of supply chain resilience improvement that can be expected from IT capability and supply chain collaboration.

The study findings advance the understanding of supply chain resilience and provide practical implications for supply chain managers.

This paper aims to investigate the influence of laser energy density on microstructure and mechanical properties of the selective laser melted (SLMed) Ti6Al4V to complement the existing knowledge in additive manufacturing of Ti6Al4V for future application of selective laser melting (SLM) in fabricating Ti6Al4V parts.

Ti6Al4V alloy is fabricated by SLM by adopting various energy densities. Microstructures and mechanical properties of the Ti6Al4V deposited using different energy densities are characterized.

Both high relative densities and microhardness can be obtained in the optimized processing window. The decrease of martensite width and spacing can improve the microhardness on both XOY and XOZ sections when the applied E_V (defined as the laser energy per unit volume) increases. The width of the columnar grain increases with E_V, resulting in a stronger anisotropy in microhardness between XOY and XOZ sections. Residual tensile stresses exist in the SLMed Ti6Al4V and increase with an increasing E_V. A tensile strength of 1,268 MPa, a yield strength of 1,030 MPa, and an elongation of 4% can be obtained by using the optimized range of E_V.

The microstructure of SLMed Ti6Al4V is quantitatively analysed by measuring the size of columnar grains and the martensites. The anisotropy of microstructures and properties in SLMed Ti6Al4V is characterized and its dependence on laser energy density is established. The residual stress in SLMed Ti6Al4V is characterized and its dependence on laser energy density is established. An optimized processing window to deposit Ti6Al4V alloy by SLM is proposed.

Using the latest census data (2010), this paper investigates housing poverty conditions in Shanghai, the largest city in China. The data shows that a large fraction of Shanghai households are still living in excessively over-crowded housing. Meanwhile, the incidence ratio of housing poverty among migrants is more than five times than among natives. In particular, 45% of rural migrant households were living in housing poverty. Poverty decomposition analysis shows that approximately 70% of total housing poverty in Shanghai is attributable to rural migrants. Our finding is supported by estimating the multidimensional poverty index (MPI). The findings in this paper have significant implications to general housing policy making in urban China.