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Immersion is one of the key steps during the preparation of silane-based hybrid films, which has important effects on the performance of films after curing. In this paper, the formation process of Zr-doped silane film (i.e. the adsorption of silane and deposition of zirconium compounds) on carbon steel immersed in Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solutions was investigated.

The method of in situ monitoring the open circuit potential of a two-electrode system, consisting of carbon steel and saturated calomel electrode, was used. The effects of immersion conditions (i.e. the concentration of Zr(NO₃)₄ and pH of Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solution) on the open circuit potential were investigated in detail. Furthermore, the surface coverage rate of different cured films (i.e. Zr cured film, silane cured film and Zr/silane composite cured film) after curing on carbon steel was calculated according to the results of polarization curves. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to study the self-healing property of Zr-doped silane cured film.

The results indicate that in Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solutions, most zirconium compounds deposit on the surface of carbon steel at the initial immersing stage, then the adsorption of silane on the residual surface of carbon steel dominates the following immersing stage. EIS results show that the Zr-doped cured film has improved self-healing property.

First, the method of in situ monitoring the open-circuit potential of two-electrode system was applied to investigate the deposition of Zr and the adsorption of silane on carbon steel immersed in Zr(NO₃)₄/silane mixed solutions. Second, the formation process of Zr-doped silane film was proposed.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO), despite being a critical organization member responsible for ensuring quality of financial reporting, audit and compliance, is under-researched. Grouped as a member of top management teams (TMS) in studies, factors influencing decision making in this group rely on static measures of characteristics without regard for dynamic and longitudinal influences of career trajectories and industry occupational group memberships. The relationship between the high-tech industry as a site of notable reported internal control (IC) weakness and influences on CFOs requires closer examination. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The study draws together the upper echelons theory and occupational communities (OCs) to explore the impact of shared values and behavioral norms from different sources on executive decision making. Internal and external sources of OC are proposed and their influence on activities with respect to corporate IC is tested. The sample of 1,573 firm/year observations includes high-tech firms listed on major US exchanges was developed using data from five distinct databases. Executives’ biographic information was manually collected.

Results indicate that senior financial executives belong not only to their firm and its culture but also to OCs that extend beyond the firm. Membership in professional credential granting occupational groups has less impact on effective IC than experience in the high-tech industry. In combination, multiple OCs show evidence of compound and counteracting effects on IC. The OC that arises in the high-tech industry makes a measurable positive difference in the quality of IC in sample firms, in contrast with the OC among credentialed accounting and financial professionals.

This quantitative study of OC reveals the differential impact of different sources of OC and contributes to the literature on TMS a new framework for examining decision making. OC is typically studied through qualitative methods and, thus, potential exists to further explore the specific nature and dynamics of the OCs identified in this study.

The study highlights the role of broad affiliations and networks among senior financial executives which may have bearing on their ability to effectively manage IC. The role of these networks may also partially explain instances of CFO failure and thus dismissal. Knowledge of the role of OC may help boards of directors in the selection and promotion of senior financial officers of the firm.

The paper offers a different perspective on professional accounting expertise in one specific industry where incidence of IC weakness is high relative to other industries. Study results expand recent research on TMS to include sociological impacts of cohort groups. Despite generally weaker IC in the high-tech sector, this study demonstrates the value of exploring group membership within the industry as an important predictor of behavior. The result is a new perspective to CFO decision making which illustrates the relevance of OCs among upper echelons. The implications of findings for CFO recruitment and promotion are borne out in recent instances of senior financial executive failure in the sector.

This paper aims to explore the extent of adequacy and confidence that can be enjoyed by minority shareholders in the supervisory controls on Boards in listed companies in China.

This study draws upon the legislative controls and case‐studies in China.

Being the cornerstone of the development of capital markets, listed companies are in complementary relationship with the latter, which in turn serves as the financing tool for the former. Recently, the financial markets all over the world have been thrown into deep crisis and the financing functions of the domestic capital markets have almost been paralyzed. In this context, it is high time for us to exert more efforts to improve the institutional arrangements of the supervisory functions in the governance of listed companies in China, to strengthen corporate governance, to restrain the actions and behaviors of major shareholders, directors and the executives, to strengthen their concerned responsibilities, to put greater attention and more protection on the promotion of minor shareholders' confidence on capital markets, and to maintain the steady and sustainable development of capital markets in the long run.

This study and findings should be of interest to those seeking to assess the adequacy of minority protection in China.

The sudden COVID-19 epidemic in 2019 has frustrated China's overall economy, and the implementation and development of the National Fitness Program has encountered huge obstacles. At a new historical starting point, in order to realize the dream of becoming a powerful country in sports, it is necessary to transform the successful experience gained since the reform and opening up into regular understanding and systematic theories, so as to make a theoretical response to the new contradictions and challenges faced in development and give full play to the National Fitness has comprehensive values and multiple functions in improving people's health, promoting people's all-round development, promoting economic and social development and demonstrating the country's cultural soft power.

Taking the topic of national fitness as an example, this paper sets out from the three dimensions of knowledge input, knowledge output and knowledge production, using citation analysis, social network analysis, co-word analysis and cluster analysis, to measure the characteristics and knowledge structure of interdisciplinary knowledge exchange.

China's national fitness is still in the primary development stage, and the strong boost of the national top-level policy is the biggest driving force of its development, driven by the policy together with the settlement of many major events, constantly improving and enriching the wings. The main body of knowledge production on the topic of national fitness is mainly colleges and universities, with low participation of government and enterprises, high degree of cooperation among authors, obvious interdisciplinary characteristics and strong application of research themes.

This study provides a strong theoretical basis for the promotion of the Healthy China strategy. Especially under the influence of COVID-19, this paper can contribute to the comprehensive value and multimodal functions of national fitness in improving the health of people, promoting economic and social development and demonstrating the soft power of national culture.

Limited research has paid attention to the physical attractiveness stereotype in peer-to-peer sharing accommodation settings. Since the high-risk situations in sharing accommodations, this paper aims to exam whether beauty premium is still relevant in peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation.

The mixed method, including 2,506 secondary data analysis and two scenario experiments, is carried out to test the research framework.

The results show that both beauty premium and beauty penalty exist in the e-commerce context. Excessively high attractiveness and plain looking of hosts are likely to decrease consumers’ booking decision while moderately attractive hosts will stimulate more booking behaviors. Moreover, perceived trustworthiness mediates the effect of physical attractiveness on booking decision. Additionally, similarity between hosts and consumers plays a moderating role in the relationship between physical attractiveness and perceived trustworthiness.

This study reveals the physical attractiveness stereotype effects in P2P accommodation and carry implications to P2P platforms and hosts for providing moderately attractive profile photos, enhancing trustworthiness and similarity between hosts and consumers. Further studies can investigate the robustness of the findings as well as more possible reasons for its occurrence.

The research provides a clearer understanding of physical attractiveness stereotype effect in peer-to-peer sharing accommodation platforms. Besides, the linkage between physical attractiveness and perceived trustworthiness is dynamic; a high host – consumer similarity weakens the negative impact of both excessively high attractiveness and plain looking on consumers’ perceived trustworthiness.

The Chemical Integrated Information Service Network (Chl2Net) is a comprehensive information service system which includes chemical, technical, economic, market, news and management information based on computer and modern communication technology, and built by the China National Chemical Information Centre (CNCIC). This system provides varied services for users both at home and abroad through an online service, a hotline call service, a consulting service and publishing service.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether, when and how customer orientation may contribute to success in introduction of new products (SINP).

With a multi-phase and multi-source data collection approach, this study tested the proposed theoretical model by applying multiple regression with SPSS Process Macro.

Customer orientation positively influences cross-functional integration (CFI), which in turn facilitates SINP; a firm’s new product introduction (NPI) strategy moderates customer orientation–CFI link.

This study empirically tests whether, why and when customer orientation may contribute to SINP. By suggesting the important role of customer orientation in improving SINP, the mediating effect of CFI and the moderating effect of NPI strategy, the current study should enrich the extant literature on customer orientation, CFI and NPI.

The internal force is more complicated in a combined load case than in a single load case, and the influence of the combined load on the stress cannot be neglected. The purpose of this paper is to study the mechanical behavior of the flexible riser under combined load conditions of tension and internal pressure or external pressure.

The mechanical behavior of the flexible riser under combined load conditions is studied by numerical simulation with a nine-layer detailed finite element model. The layers of flexible riser are modeled separately, and the interactions between layers have been taken into consideration in numerical simulation.

Under tension and internal pressure or external pressure, the pressure armor will bear extra external pressure because of the squeezing actions between layers caused by tension, and the extra external pressure will increase proportionately with the increase of the tension. Under internal pressure and tension, the internal stress for tension armor was nearly unchanged compared to that under unique tension load, whereas under external pressure and tension, the change of internal stress for tension armor was significant. Prediction methods of internal force for pressure armor and tension armor under pressure and tension are given, and the result from the formula agrees well with the simulation results.

The prediction methods on the internal force of flexible riser proposed in this study are proven accurate, with numerical simulation results, and the prediction methods are convenient for engineering applications.

This paper extends the current literature on app engagement to identify dynamic factors that affect app engagement and the value-creation pathway that connect these factors with app engagement.

Survey data were collected from 299 app users to test the proposed research model.

The study found that the perceived effectiveness of evolution content and that of evolution speed impose both individual and joint positive effects on app identity, which serves as the mediation mechanism that connects these dynamic factors with app engagement.

This study takes the user perspective to explore how user perceptions of the effectiveness of app evolution content and speed, which represent unique user experiences in the app context, cultivate app engagement by enhancing app identity. Specifically, this study reveals the intertwined relationship among perceived effectiveness of app evolution, app identity, and app engagement.

This paper aims to investigate the influence of stearate types on the thickening ability, dropping point and fiber structure of greases.

Several greases were prepared from polyolefins and various stearates. The melting point of the stearates and the dropping point of the resultant greases were measured, and the intermolecular binding energies of the thickener and the radial distribution function of the metal–oxygen in the thickener were determined with the aid of molecular simulation. The microstructures of the greases were also analyzed via scanning electron microscopy.

A higher stearate binding energy was found to correlate to a higher dropping point of the resultant greases. The thickening ability of the stearate is related to the group and period of the constituent metal ion. Within a group, greater atomic numbers of the metal were correlated to lower thickening ability. In a period, as the atomic number of the metal increased, the thickening ability was enhanced. The radial distribution functions of metal and oxygen can explain the aggregation of the stearate thickeners in the grease.

This work compared the thickening capacity of several stearates. Guidelines for preparing stearates to tailor the resultant grease are presented.