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1 – 10 of 12Hongwei Mo and Lifang Xu
Biogeography‐based optimization algorithm is a new kind of optimization algorithm based on biogeography. It is designed based on the migration strategy of animals to solve the…
Abstract
Purpose
Biogeography‐based optimization algorithm is a new kind of optimization algorithm based on biogeography. It is designed based on the migration strategy of animals to solve the problem of optimization. The purpose of this paper is to present a new algorithm – biogeography migration algorithm for traveling salesman problem (TSPBMA). A new special migration operator is designed for producing new solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper gives the definition of TSP and models of TSPBMA; introduces the algorithm of TSPBMA in detail and gives the proof of convergence in theory; provides simulation results of TSPBMA compared with other optimization algorithms for TSP and presents some concluding remarks and suggestions for further work.
Findings
The TSPBMA is tested on some classical TSP problems. The comparison results with the other nature‐inspired optimization algorithms show that TSPBMA is useful for TSP combination optimization. Especially, the designed migration operator is very effective for TSP solving. Although the proposed TSPBMA is not better than ant colony algorithm in the respect of convergence speed and accuracy, it provides a new way for this kind of problem.
Originality/value
The migration operator is a new strategy for solving TSPs. It has never been used by any other evolutionary algorithm or swarm intelligence before TSPBMA.
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Hongwei Mo, Dongmei Fu and Lifang Xu
The purpose of this paper is to verify that improved immune network can be used to design new controller for engineering.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to verify that improved immune network can be used to design new controller for engineering.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the definition of artificial immune controller is given out. Second, the disadvantage of Varela immune network which is not fit for control system is pointed out. Third, based on the analysis, the Varela immune network is modified for the purpose of designing controller with the mechanisms of immune network. And an immune controller based on improved Varela immune network (improved Varela immune network model (IVINM)‐AIC) is designed out. Its theoretic background is described in detail.
Findings
Based on the theoretic analysis and experiment of motor speed control, it is found that Varela immune work can be used to design immune controller. The experiments results show that IVINM‐AIC is much more robust, stable and anti‐delay and less overshoot than classical proportion, integration, and differentiation controller. It is good at controlling nonlinear system which is single input single output (SISO) system. The limitation of IVINM‐AIC is that it is used for simple SISO system.
Originality/value
The theoretic analysis of improved Varela immune network controller is original and it is useful for the analysis and design of new and complex immune controller. The experiment design is useful for comparison of new test in future.
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Long Yin, Lin Wang, Lifang Huang, Jinxiu Wang, Hui Xu and Milan Deng
The purpose of this paper is to examine how advertising is used by real estate companies as an instrument for managing the adverse effects of a catastrophe.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how advertising is used by real estate companies as an instrument for managing the adverse effects of a catastrophe.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a theoretical analysis, types of post-disaster advertising messages were identified. On the basis of the likely variations in post-disaster advertising, a content analysis was conducted of a sample of 4,150 property print advertisements to identify advertising messages related to the earthquake. Finally, the message changes in these earthquake-related advertisements were evaluated and compared with the dimension of time to explore the development of advertising strategies.
Findings
The authors found that 12 types of advertising messages were used by developers in response to the Wenchuan earthquake. The initial advertising strategy was mainly to manage public relations, then the strategy was to reduce or compensate for the increased earthquake risk perceptions of buyers.
Practical implications
The findings provide valuable references for helping enterprises adopt effective advertising messages and strategies to reduce the negative effects of disasters.
Originality/value
There are only a few studies on advertising campaigns, especially in the real estate industry, that have been conducted in the wake of catastrophes. This study sought to expand upon the scarce findings in this particular field.
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Wei Zhang, Enzheng Xing, Shang Hao, Yonghe Xiao, Ruonan Li, Jiming Yao and Yonggui Li
This study aims to manufacture cotton fabric with thermal regulation performance by using the composite phase change material (CPCM) prepared by coating paraffin doped with…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to manufacture cotton fabric with thermal regulation performance by using the composite phase change material (CPCM) prepared by coating paraffin doped with expanded graphite (EG), and the thermal effect of the fabric material was evaluated and characterized.
Design/methodology/approach
EG/paraffin CPCM with shape stability and enhanced thermal conductivity were prepared by the impregnation method and then finished on the surface of cotton fabric with coating technology. The microstructure, crystal structure, chemical composition, latent heat property and thermal conductivity were analyzed by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter and thermal constant analyzer. The photo-thermal effect of the coated fabric was studied by a thermal infrared imager.
Findings
CPCM prepared with a mass ratio of EG to paraffin of 1:8 showed excellent shape stability and low paraffin leakage rate. The latent heat of the CPCM was 51.6201 J/g and the thermal conductivity coefficient was increased by 11.4 times compared with the mixed paraffin. After the CPCM was coated on the surface of the cotton fabric, the light-to-heat conversion rate of the C-EG/PA3 sample was improved by 86.32% compared with the original fabric. In addition, the coated fabric showed excellent thermal stability and heat storage performance in the thermal cycling test.
Research limitations/implications
EG can improve the shape stability and thermal conductivity of paraffin but will reduce the latent heat energy.
Practical implications
The method developed provided a simple and practical solution to improving the thermal regulation performance of fabrics.
Originality/value
Combining paraffin wax with fabrics in a composite way is innovative and has certain applicability in improving the thermal properties of fabrics.
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Lifang Wu, Lidong Zhao, Meng Jian, Yuxin Mao, Miao Yu and Xiaohua Guo
In some three-dimensional (3D) printing application scenarios, e.g., model manufacture, it is necessary to print large-sized objects. However, it is impossible to implement…
Abstract
Purpose
In some three-dimensional (3D) printing application scenarios, e.g., model manufacture, it is necessary to print large-sized objects. However, it is impossible to implement large-size 3D printing using a single projector in digital light processing (DLP)-based mask projection 3D printing because of the limitations of the digital micromirror device chips.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-projector DLP with energy homogenization (EHMP-DLP) scheme is proposed for large-size 3D printing. First, a large-area printing plane is established by tiling multiple projectors. Second, the projector set’s tiling pattern is obtained automatically, and the maximum printable plane is determined. Third, the energy is homogenized across the entire printable plane by adjusting gray levels of the images input into the projectors. Finally, slices are automatically segmented based on the tiling pattern of the projector set, and the gray levels of these slices are reassigned based on the images of the corresponding projectors.
Findings
Large-area high-intensity projection for mask projection 3D printing can be performed by tiling multiple DLP projectors. The tiled projector output energies can be homogenized by adjusting the images of the projectors. Uniform ultraviolet energy is important for high-quality printing.
Practical implications
A prototype device is constructed using two projectors. The printable area becomes 140 × 210 mm from the original 140 × 110 mm.
Originality/value
The proposed EHMP-DLP scheme enables 3D printing of large-size objects with linearly increasing printing times and high printing precision. A device was established using two projectors to practice the scheme and can easily be extended to larger sizes by using more projectors.
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Zhenkun Liu, Ping Jiang, Jianzhou Wang, Zhiyuan Du, Xinsong Niu and Lifang Zhang
This study/paper aims to reach the core objective of hospitality order cancellation prediction (HOCP), that is, to identify potential cancellers from many customer bases, thereby…
Abstract
Purpose
This study/paper aims to reach the core objective of hospitality order cancellation prediction (HOCP), that is, to identify potential cancellers from many customer bases, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of customer retention campaigns. However, few studies have focused on predicting hospitality order cancellation.
Design/methodology/approach
A novel profit-driven model for predicting hospitality order cancellation is proposed to bridge this research gap. The authors construct profit-driven extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) based on a grid search on HOCP to maximize profit by selecting optimal hyperparameters of XGBoost.
Findings
Real-world data set is analyzed, and the proposed model yields more profits than other predictive models. Sensitivity analysis proves that the proposed model is robust to the key hyperparameter and application scenario. Furthermore, some preventive measures based on visual analysis results are provided to reduce the cancelled probability of orders.
Research limitations/implications
This research will help hotel managers to transfer the modeling goal to profit orientation and encourage relevant researchers to interpret the prediction results of models for hotel order cancellation prediction in a post hoc manner. Besides, the proposed model can be applied to various enterprises with different average order profits and help managers optimize revenue management.
Originality/value
This research expands the relevant literature and offers guidance for predicting hospitality order cancellation from a profit-driven perspective at the customer level. The proposed model can provide macro-control to hotel managers and obtain the most satisfactory profits in micro-control.
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Man Zhang, Liangping Xia, Suihu Dang, Lifang Shi, Axiu Cao and Chunlei Du
The pressure sensors can convert external pressure or mechanical deformation into electrical power and signal, which cannot only detect pressure or strain changes but also harvest…
Abstract
Purpose
The pressure sensors can convert external pressure or mechanical deformation into electrical power and signal, which cannot only detect pressure or strain changes but also harvest energy as a self-powered sensor. This study aims to develop a self-powered flexible pressure sensor based on regular nanopatterned polymer films.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the self-powered flexible pressure sensor is mainly composed of two nanopatterned polymer films and one conductive electrode layer between them, which is a sandwich structure. The regular nanostructures increase the film roughness and contact area to enhance the friction effect. To enhance the performance of the pressure sensor, different nanostructures on soft polymer sensitive layers are fabricated using UV nanoimprint lithography to generate more triboelectric charges.
Findings
Finally, the self-powered flexible pressure sensor is prepared, which consists of sub-200 nm resolution regular nanostructures on the surface of the elastic layer and an indium tin oxide electrode thin film. By converting the friction mechanical energy into electrical power, a maximum power of 423.8 mW/m2 and the sensitivity of 0.8 V/kPa at a frequency of 5 Hz are obtained, which proves the excellent sensing performance of the sensor.
Originality/value
The acquired electrical power and pressure signal by the sensor would be processed in the signal process circuit, which is capable of immediately and sustainably driving the highly integrated self-powered sensor system. Results of the experiments show that this new pressure sensor is a potential method for personal pressure monitoring, featured as being wearable, cost-effective, non-invasive and user-friendly.
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With the analysis of the causes of corruption, this study aims to investigate specific anti-corruption measures that can be implemented to reform the political system and the…
Abstract
Purpose
With the analysis of the causes of corruption, this study aims to investigate specific anti-corruption measures that can be implemented to reform the political system and the social climate of China.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines 97 severe corruption cases of high-ranking officials in China, which occurred between 2012 and 2015. As this insinuates that both institutional and social corruption are major problems in China, the analysis delves into multiple facts of corruption, including different types, four primary underlying causes, and suggestions regarding the implementation of three significant governmental shifts that focus on investigation, prevention tactics and legal regulations.
Findings
China’s corruption is not only individual-based but also it has developed into institutional corruption and social corruption. Besides human nature and instinct, the causes of corruption can be organised into four categories, namely, social customs, social transitions, institutional designs and institutional operations. For the removed high-ranking officials, the formation of interest chains was an important underlying cause behind their corruption.
Originality/value
This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because this study provides a well-rounded approach to a complex issue by highlighting the significance of democracy and the rule of law as ways to regulate human behaviour to combat future corruption.
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Prince Dubey, Naval Bajpai, Sanjay Guha and Kushagra Kulshreshtha
Entrepreneurial marketing is a hybrid concept of entrepreneurship and marketing defining business for future challenges. This study aims to examine the following two issues of…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial marketing is a hybrid concept of entrepreneurship and marketing defining business for future challenges. This study aims to examine the following two issues of entrepreneurial marketing concerning impact of perceived quality on customer delight: first, identifying entrepreneurial marketing factors of delight and customer perceived quality to develop the model; second, applying the aforesaid model to discriminate customer delight in categories of gender as male delight and female delight.
Design/methodology/approach
In this endeavour, the authors examined the data collected from survey of Indian mobile users. In total ten perceived quality predictor variables are used to measure customer delight. Further, for identifying the difference in male delight and female delight, discriminant analysis is used.
Findings
The conceptual and empirical vantage point of study provides a framework to entrepreneurs emphasizing on male and female customers distinctly during marketing.
Research limitations/implications
The results are used to sketch the profile of male and female customer segment, and innovative applications are discussed for business success. Though proposed approach is limited to gender, mobile users still open the avenue for researchers to work on other demographic factors and product categories.
Practical implications
The theoretical underpinnings warrant practical applications of quality dimensions in telecom market for creation of customer delight. The present gender classification of customer delight will assist the entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and product developers in developing the competitive business policy.
Social implications
The classification of male and female delight suggests the female segment of Indian telecom market is socially important and as similar to the male segment.
Originality/value
The study is a novel assessment of customer delight on gender quality perception contributing the newly explored concept of entrepreneurial marketing.
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