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The increasing energy shortage leads to worldwide attentions. This paper aims to develop a mathematical model and optimization algorithm to solve the energy-oriented U-shaped assembly line balancing problem. Different from most existing works, the energy consumption is set as a major objective.

An improved flower pollination algorithm (IFPA) is designed to solve the problem. The random key encoding mechanism is used to map the continuous algorithm into discrete problem. The pollination rules are modified to enhance the information exchange between individuals. Variable neighborhood search (VNS) is used to improve the algorithm performance.

The experimental results show that the two objectives are in conflict with each other. The proposed methodology can help manager obtain the counterbalance between them, for the larger size balancing problems, and the reduction in objectives is even more significant. Besides, the experiment results also show the high efficiency of the proposed IFPA and VNS.

The main contributions of this work are twofold. First, a mathematical model for the U-shaped assembly line balancing problem is developed and the model is dual foci including minimized SI and energy consumption. Second, an IFPA is proposed to solve the problem.

The purpose of this paper is to research the impact of hybrid series‐parallel and parallel‐series system configurations on system performances based on system reliability and to develop a configuration model to meet the requirement of reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS).

Based on the criterion of system reliability, a RMS configuration model is presented – the hybrid parallel‐series model with waiting system characteristics. The configuration model is evaluated from reliability, productivity, and cost by combining system engineering theory, Boolean algebra methodology with statistical analysis theory. The model reliability has been used to ameliorate by adopting the integrated algorithm based on Shrama and Misra optimization algorithm.

The need for application of this method and model – some constraints must be limited, the hybrid parallel‐series configuration is superior and the integrated algorithm is effective to RMS system configuration.

Cost constraints, equipment weight constraints, and function independency of equipment are main limitations.

The model and method have been used to ameliorate the reconfigurable automobile parts product line in SH automobile motor company of Shanghai. The operation result illustrates the validity of this configuration model and algorithm.

The new RMSs configuration model has been proposed. The new algorithm is proposed to ameliorate and optimize a reconfigurable product line with the integrated algorithm based on Shrama and Misra algorithm. The actual running effect is significant.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a parallel partition of unity method (PPUM) to solve the nonstationary Navier-Stokes equations.

This paper opted for the nonstationary Navier-Stokes equations by using the finite element method and the partition of unity method.

This paper provides one efficient parallel algorithm which reaches the same accuracy as the standard Galerkin method but saves a lot of computational time.

In this paper, a PPUM is proposed for nonstationary Navier-Stokes. At each time step, the authors only need to solve a series of independent local sub-problems in parallel instead of one global problem.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a new composite model using structural equation modelling (SEM) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for the selection of suppliers.

In this paper the authors have made an attempt to arrive at the supplier selection score using SEM and AHP. An attempt has been made to develop a new composite model using SEM and AHP technique, based on the survey of 151 respondents. Attributes' weightage are found out using cluster analysis.

Based on the output from the composite model, cluster analysis has been carried out to find out the strengths and weakness of each supplier on the influencing factors. Based on these findings, the supplier can improve on factors where they lag and can maintain the factors where they excel.

In this paper the authors have made an attempt to arrive at the supplier selection score using SEM and AHP.

Recently, both practitioners and researchers are beginning to recognize the great potential of social gamification in green information technology (IT) services. This study focuses on the roles of three social gamification affordances (interactivity, cooperation and competition) in gamified green IT services use, from the perspectives of recognition and social overload.

An online survey is conducted to examine the research model using structural equation modeling with users of Ant Forest, which is an example of green IT services in China.

Results indicate that interactivity, cooperation and competition can positively affect recognition, which further positively affects green IT services use; however, interactivity and cooperation can increase social overload, which negatively affects green IT services use.

This study provides new insights into the effects of social gamification affordances in green IT services by investigating the effects of interactivity, cooperation and competition on recognition and social overload. In addition, this study highlights the positive effect of recognition and negative effect of social overload on gamified green IT services use, extending the literature reviews surrounding gamified services use.

Global climate change speeds up ice melting and increases flooding incidents. China launched a sponge city policy as a holistic nature-based solution combined with urban planning and development to address flooding due to climate change. Using Weibo analytics, this paper aims to study public perceptions of sponge city.

This study collected 53,586 sponge city contents from Sina Weibo via Python. Various artificial intelligence tools, such as CX Data Science of Simply Sentiment, KH Coder and Tableau, were applied in the study.

76.8% of public opinion on sponge city were positive, confirming its positive contribution to flooding management and city branding. 17 out of 31 pilot sponge cities recorded the largest number of sponge cities related posts. Other cities with more Weibo posts suffered from rainwater and flooding hazards, such as Xi'an and Zhengzhou.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the public perception of sponge city in Sina Weibo.

Under the new media environment, while enjoying the convenience brought by the propagation of public opinion information (referred to as public opinion), learning the evolution process of public opinion and strengthening the governance of the spreading of public opinion are of great significance to promoting economic development and maintaining social stability as well as effectively resisting the negative impact of its propagation.

Thinking about the results of empirical research and bibliometric analysis, this paper focused on introducing key factors such as information content, social strengthening effects, etc., from both internal and external levels, dynamically designed public opinion spreading rules and netizens' state transition probability. Subsequently, simulation experiments were conducted to discuss the spreading law of public opinion in two types of online social networks and to identify the key factors which influencing its evolution process. Based on the experimental results, the governance strategies for the propagation of negative public opinion were proposed finally.

The results show that compared with other factors, the propagation of public opinion depends more on the attributes of the information content itself. For the propagation of negative public opinion, on the one hand, the regulators should adopt flexible guidance strategy to establish a public opinion supervision mechanism and autonomous system with universal participation. On the other hand, they still need to adopt rigid governance strategy, focusing on the governance timing and netizens with higher network status to forestall the wide-diffusion of public opinion.

The research conclusions put forward the enlightenment for the governance of public opinion in management practice, and also provided decision-making reference for the regulators to reasonably respond to the propagation of public opinion.

Our research proposed a research framework for the discussion of public opinion propagation process and had important practical guiding significance for the governance of public opinion propagation.

Many online merchants today have adopted web personalization in the form of personalized product recommendations (PPRs) to improve consumer’s decision quality. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the roles of PPRs on consumer decision quality in online shopping from the theoretical perspective of information load.

To explore the dual roles of PPRs on consumer decision quality, this paper develops a research model for it. A 2 (information load: high vs low) × 2 (web personalization: PPRs vs non-PPRs) between-subjects design is conducted to empirically test the model.

The results indicate that: first, information load can increase perceived information overload and decrease perceived information underload; second, PPRs can weaken (enhance) the positive (negative) effect of information load on perceived information overload (perceived information underload); third, both perceived information overload and perceived information underload are negatively associated with consumer’s decision quality.

This paper originally develops a research model that explains the roles of PPRs on consumer decision quality from the theoretical perspective of information load in the online shopping context, which could add new insights to the field of web personalization, especially the impact of web personalization on consumer decision making.

This study aims to develop a facile ligand-exchange strategy to promote nano-sintering of oleylamine (OAM)-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). By using ligand exchange process with NH₄OH to remove OAM from the surface of AgNP, this study reports effectively reducing the sintering temperature of AgNPs to achieve low-temperature nano-sintering. Compared with untreated AgNPs of OAM-capped, NH₄OH-treated AgNPs possess superior sintering performance that could be applied to a fractional generator device as conductor and in favour of the fabrication of flexible circuit modules.

First, oleylamine is used as reductant to synthesize monodisperse AgNPs by a simple one-step method. Then ligand exchange is used with NH₄OH at different treating times to remove OAM, and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and contact angle test are applied to clear the mechanism and structure characteristics of these processes. Finally, NH₄OH-treated AgNPs sediment sintering is used at different temperatures to test electrical resistivity and use ex situ scanning electron microscopy combined with in situ X-ray diffraction to study changes in microstructure in the whole nano-sintering process.

The AgNPs are always capped by organic ligands to prevent nanoparticles agglomeration. And oleylamine used as reductant could synthesize desirable size distributions of 8–32 nm with monodisperse globular shapes, but the low-temperature nano-sintering seemed not to be achieved by the oleylamine-capped AgNPs because OAM is an organic with long C-chain. The ligand exchange approach was enabled to replace the original organic ligands capped on AgNPs with organic ligands of low thermal stability which could promote nano-sintering. After ligand exchange treated AgNPs could be sintered on photo paper, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyethylene terephthalate flexible substrates at low temperature.

In this research, the method ligand exchange is used to change the ligand of AgNPs. During ligand exchange, NH₄OH was used to treat AgNPs. Through the treatment of NH₄OH, the change of hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of AgNPs was successfully realized. The sintering temperature of AgNPs can also be reduced and the properties can be improved. Finally, the applicability of the AgNPs sediment with this nano-sintering process at low temperature for obtaining conductive patterns was evaluated using PDMS as substrates.

Green supply chain management (GSCM) has become an important issue with increasing awareness of environmental protection. A firm's environmental approach is not only relevant to its inner efforts, but its suppliers' environmental performance is also important. The aim of this study is to propose an integrated multi‐criteria decision‐making (MCDM) approach based on intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) and grey relational analysis (GRA) for green supplier selection.

Green supplier selection is a MCDM process that contains different kinds of uncertainties. Because of the vagueness and imprecision of decision makers' evaluations and subjectivity of the criteria, IFS and GRA are exploited to handle these uncertainties.

A numerical example is presented for the proposed approach. The analyses of the results show that fuzzy set theory and grey theory can be used jointly for green supplier selection problems in uncertain environments.

There are different kinds of uncertainties in the supplier selection process. The novelty of this study is to use proper uncertainty methods in different steps instead of denoting the whole selection process by the same uncertainty theory. Supplier selection problems occupy wide space in operations research literature. Different criteria are used in different papers. In this study, detailed literature review has been carried out and some criteria among frequently confronted ones proposed for green supplier selection.