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The suddenness, urgency and social publicity of emergency events lead to great impacts on public life. The deep analysis of emergency events can provide detailed and comprehensive information for the public to get trends of events timely. With the development of social media, users prefer to express opinions on emergency events online. Thus, massive public opinion information of emergencies has been generated. Hence, this paper aims to conduct multidimensional mining on emergency events based on user-generated contents, so as to obtain finer-grained results.

This paper conducted public opinion analysis via fine-grained mining. Specifically, public opinion about an emergency event was collected as experimental data. Secondly, opinion mining was conducted to get users’ opinion polarities. Meanwhile, users’ information was analysed to identify impacts of users’ characteristics on public opinion.

The experimental results indicate that public opinion is mainly negative in emergencies. Meanwhile, users in developed regions are more active in expressing opinions. In addition, male users, especially male users with high influence, are more rational in public opinion expression.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to identify public opinion in emergency events from multiple dimensions, which can get in-detail differences of users’ online expression.

Expressional anomie (e.g. obscene words) can hinder communications and even obstruct improvements of national literacy. Meanwhile, the borderless and rapid transmission of the internet has exacerbated the influences. Hence, the purpose of this paper is detecting online anomic expression automatically and analyzing dynamic evolution processes of expressional anomie, so as to reveal multidimensional status of expressional anomie.

This paper conducted expressional anomie analysis via fine-grained microblog mining. Specifically, anomic microblogs and their anomic types were identified via a supervised classification method. Then, the evolutions of expressional anomie were analyzed, and impacts of users’ characteristics on the evolution process were mined. Finally, expressional anomie characteristics and evolution trends were obtained.

Empirical results on microblogs indicate that more effective and diversified measures need to be used to address the current large-scale anomie in expression. Moreover, measures should be tailored to individuals and local conditions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first research to mine evolutions of expressional anomie automatically in social media. It may discover more continuous and universal rules of expressional anomie, so as to optimize the online expression environment.

This study aims to investigate the effect of acquisition modes on customer behavioral loyalty to enrich our knowledge of the effectiveness of acquisition modes and how to better target customers in the service industry.

Using a data set from a large commercial bank in China, this study conducts a series of empirical analyses to examine the impacts of two types of acquisition modes (i.e. the gift acquisition mode and customer referral) on customer behavioral loyalty.

Gift acquisition has a negative effect on customer behavioral loyalty, as measured by the dropout probability, consumption amount and consumption frequency. Furthermore, this negative relationship could be weakened if the customer is referred by an existing customer.

Although prior studies have investigated the effectiveness of some acquisition modes in terms of customer loyalty, customer acquisition through the provision of gifts, which is widely implemented in marketing practice, has not been well investigated. This study addresses this research gap and identifies the joint influence of acquisition modes on customer behavioral loyalty, further enriching our knowledge of the effectiveness of different acquisition modes.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of transplanting the institution of homeowner associations or similar to existing urban neighbourhoods in order to correct imbalances in patterns of incentives and responsibilities that threaten the liveability and sustainability of cities.

The paper compares a recent published proposal for privatising existing neighbourhoods with the current Taiwan Government's attempt to assist shops on retail streets to create their own micro‐governance associations. The paper takes a strongly normative approach, using propositions from economic theory.

The paper identifies several crucial factors in designing an institution for privatising existing commercial neighbourhoods; notably the usage of coercive power and the efficient alignment of property rights.

The discussion in the paper rests on a small number of case studies in Taiwan and on qualitative information collected by interviews with key informants. This information is sufficient to illustrate our normative theoretical arguments about institutional design.

The paper offers some useful insights for public officials and private entrepreneurs seeking solutions to the problem of regeneration using voluntary urban neighbourhoods management.

The paper is the first published work to explore the adoption of homeowner associations in commercial neighbourhoods. It is one of the few papers to analyse the issues arising, using an institutional framework based on the new institutional economics.

Purpose – This chapter examines how drug prescribing behavior in Taiwanese hospitals changed after the government changed reimbursement systems. In 2002, Taiwan instituted a system in which hospitals are reimbursed for drug expenditures at full price from a fixed global budget before the remaining budget is allocated to reimburse all other expenditures, often at discounted prices. Providers are thus given a financial incentive to increase prescriptions.

Methodology – We isolate the effect of this system from that of other confounding factors by estimating a difference-in-difference model to analyze monthly drug expenditures of hospital departments for outpatients during the years 1999–2006.

Findings – Our results suggest that hospital departments which use drugs more heavily as part of their regular medical care increased their drug prescription expenditures after the implementation of the global budget system. In addition, we find that the response was stronger among for-profit than not-for-profit and public hospitals.

Implications – Hospital doctors responded to the financial incentive created by the particular global budgeting system adopted in Taiwan by increasing expenditures on drug treatments for outpatients.

The main objective of the paper is to explore the theoretical correlation of base oil viscosity in grease and to study the effect of grease grade on mechanical vibrations associated with the damaged rolling bearings.

For theoretical purposes, formulation theory of dimensional analysis was implemented. Experiments were then performed on the test bearings lubricated with three different types of greases, namely, SKF LGHP2, SKF LGMT3 and SKF LGWA2.

The numerical results obtained from the theoretical model along with the results of experiments show that the vibration amplitudes of the defective bearings come down to a lower level when it is lubricated with the grease of a higher base oil viscosity.

The promising results from the theoretical model make it usable for the practical rotating machineries applying a variety of the rolling bearings. Consequently, if the bearing is not severely damaged, its performance can be increased by lubricating it with thicker grease.

Despite many significant contributions in the field to detect the presence of defects, not many studies have been performed that relate the lubrication condition of the rolling bearings with the vibration response, because around 50-75% of the bearing failures are attributed to be lubrication related. Hence, there is need to develop a mathematical model that can correlate the vibration severity of the bearings with viscosity of the lubricant oil in the greases along with other design and operating parameters.

This paper focuses on the quality characteristics of steamed and boiled blue whiting fish (Micromesistius poutassou) cracker, with the aim of encouraging and promoting the use of this small pelagic inexpensive, readily available fish in food production and reducing post-harvest losses of the fish.

The blue whiting fish cracker was developed using boiling and steaming methods. Minced blue whiting fish meat was mixed with cassava starch in the ratio of 50:50, and other ingredients were incorporated. The dough obtained was divided into two and stuffed into two different muslin cloths. One of the stuffed dough was steamed (100°C for 15 min), whereas the other was boiled in water for 90 min. The boiled and steamed doughs were cooled at 4°C for 12 h, sliced at 2 mm thickness and oven dried at 50°C for 12 h to obtain non-expanded blue whiting fish crackers. The non-expanded blue whiting fish crackers were fried in vegetable oil to obtain expanded blue whiting fish crackers. The quality characteristics of the expanded crackers were determined using standard methods, and data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance; the mean scores were compared using Turkey’s (HSD) test. The sensory evaluation was done using 25 untrained panellists, and results were analysed statistically.

The study revealed the steamed fish cracker has significantly higher nutritional composition in terms of the proximate, mineral, fatty acid and amino acid compositions. Potassium was the most predominant mineral in the crackers, and copper was the least predominant mineral. The saturated fatty acid contents were 43.2 per cent (steamed) and 48.6 per cent (boiled), whereas the unsaturated fatty acid contents were 55.5 (steamed) and 48.5 per cent (boiled). The n6/n3 ratio obtained for steamed and boiled fish cracker was 4.0. The steamed fish cracker had a higher L* value, whereas the Brown index (100 − L*) of the steamed fish cracker was lower (33.4) than that of the boiled fish cracker. The linear expansion was higher for the boiled blue whiting fish crackers (41.8 per cent). The boiled blue whiting fish cracker had higher expanded starch structure than the steamed blue whiting fish cracker. The aroma and taste were highly correlated with overall acceptability.

The paper reports the quality characteristics and overall acceptability of steamed and boiled blue whiting fish crackers.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for hand measurement based on image and marker watershed algorithm, and combine the data to analyze the shape and characteristics of the hand.

A portable hand image capturing instrument was designed and manufactured, and the hand images and dimensions of 328 young men in Zhejiang area were obtained. The outer contour curve of the hand and the key points of finger root, fingertip, wrist and knuckle position were extracted. Then, the size of each hand part was calculated. The hand data obtained from the two-dimensional image was compared with the manual measurement data. Finally, the hands were classified according to the measurement data, and the relationship between hand control size and hand length, hand width and the relationship between hand length and height were explored.

The data comparison results show that the two measurement methods have high data consistency and are replaceable. In addition, analyzing the data obtained four major characteristic factors that affect the shape of the hand, divided the hands of young men in Zhejiang into five categories, and obtained the regression equations of basic hand size, hand length and hand width, and obtained the regression equation of hand length and height.

The method proposed in this study to obtain hand size based on the image and mark watershed algorithm has lower requirements on the external environment and testers, conforms to the development trend of applying artificial intelligence to anthropometric engineering and provides a useful reference value for data collection of gloves specification design. In addition, the results of data analysis can provide a valuable reference basis for consumer hand shape predictions, which can be used to guide the research and production of hand instruments, the design of specifications series and the purchase of hand products.

Yi Jing is one of the most archaic works among the Chinese classics. Various schools of thought developed their philosophies from the philosophical perspectives in this book and its influence is wide ranging and far reaching. This paper attempts to show how leaders can approach the Yi Jing beneficially by identifying the principles, values and virtues in each of the 64 scenarios, deriving insights about change and leadership. It also aims to show how the Yi Jing compares with Western management literature.

This paper provides an analysis of Qian Gua of Yi Jing as an example of how leaders can draw insights from Yi Jing about change and leadership.

Qian Gua, which is the first scenario in the Yi Jing, offers us powerful insights about change and leadership by offering: a framework of understanding change and human enterprises, considering the aspects of beginning, process, benefit and sustainability; a framework to understand the leadership development process; and leadership principles of conscientious self‐cultivation, transformational leadership through virtues and riding the tides of change.

A change and leadership model inspired by the Yi Jing should interest business leaders both in the east and the west, and help Westerners gain success in doing business in China or collaborating with the Chinese on a joint venture.

This is the first paper to draw insights about change and leadership through an analysis of Qian Gua of Yi Jing.