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The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the (in)congruence between team leader self-evaluation and follower evaluation about the leader's transformation leadership (TL) on team performance, as well as the conditions under which the impact can be strengthened or weakened.

This study adopts a survey method to collect data from matched sales team leaders and sales team members in 81 teams. A multi-level polynomial regression analysis was conducted.

Team performance was higher in teams with balanced or high TL than with balanced or low TL. Among the teams with incongruence, no difference was found between leader underestimation and leader overestimation. TL congruence plays a moderating role in the relationship between team follower evaluation of TL and team performance, such that the relationship is stronger when team leader self-evaluation and follower evaluation are congruent than incongruent.

This study extends the authors' current understanding of TL literature by combining and contrasting the different perceptions of TL from both the leaders themselves and the followers towards leaders. The findings highlight the importance of congruence versus incongruence rather than just the high or low levels of follower TL evaluation. It provides a more complete understanding of the TL and team performance relationship than the traditional view that promotes a linear relationship between TL and performance.

This study’s aim is to introduce a high-performance sorbent for the removal of both anionic (Congo red; CR) and cationic (methylene blue; MB) dyes from aqueous solutions.

Sodium silicate is adopted as a substrate for GO and AgNPs with positive charge are used as modifiers. The synthesized nanocomposite is characterized by FTIR, FESEM, EDS, BET and XRD techniques. Then, some of the most effective parameters on the removal of CR and MB dyes such as solution pH, sorbent dose, adsorption equilibrium time, primary dye concentration and salt effect are optimized using the spectrophotometry technique.

The authors successfully achieved notable maximum adsorption capacities (Qmax) of CR and MB, which were 41.15 and 37.04 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The required equilibrium times for maximum efficiency of the developed sorbent were 10 and 15 min for CR and MB dyes, respectively. Adsorption equilibrium data present a good correlation with Langmuir isotherm, with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.9924 for CR and R2 = 0.9904 for MB, and kinetic studies prove that the dye adsorption process follows pseudo second-order models (CR R2 = 0.9986 and MB R2 = 0.9967).

The results showed that the proposed mechanism for the function of the developed sorbent in dye adsorption was based on physical and multilayer adsorption for both dyes onto the active sites of non-homogeneous sorbent.

The as-prepared nano-adsorbent has a high ability to remove both cationic and anionic dyes; moreover, to the high efficiency of the adsorbent, it has been tried to make its synthesis steps as simple as possible using inexpensive and available materials.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influences of positive-framed and negative-framed green advertising on pro-environmental WTP. This study also explores the impacts of regulatory focus, environmental concern and pleasant level on green advertising effectiveness.

Data are collected from a within-participant between-group online experiment in China. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) is employed to investigate the impact of green advertising on WTP. Grouped regression and mediation analyses are conducted to explore the influences of regulatory focus, environmental concern and pleasure on advertising efficacy.

The experimental outcomes indicate that green advertising significantly increases participants’ pro-environmental WTP, and negative-framed advertising is more effective than its positive-framed counterpart. Prevention focus heightens receptivity to green advertising, and the relation of environmental concern to advertising effectiveness is inverted U-shaped. Pleasure mediates the effect of green advertising on the WTP, and this mediating role is influenced by emotional intensity when advertising is negatively framed.

Evidence suggests that green advertising may propel pro-environmental WTP by raising environmental awareness, but such a relationship remains severely understudied. As such, this study pioneers in exploring the impact of different-framed green advertising on pro-environmental WTP, extending the concept of green advertising to environmental management. By considering the influences of regulatory focus, environmental concern and pleasure, this study raises practical implications for designing green advertisements, such as increasing the usage of visual elements.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of political relations on trade in strategic emerging industries (SEIs) in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) associated countries. This investigation encompasses not only from the perspective of bilateral political relations but also the political intervention of third parties.

The study employs the temporal exponential random graphmodel to analyze the dynamic structure and influencing factor of SEIs trade network among 150 BRI-associated countries from 2015 to 2020.

The results indicate that the trade of SEIs in the BRI-associated countries exhibits a pattern of concentrated exporters and decentralized importers. Amicable bilateral political relations foster trade cooperations in SEIs, while political pressure from the United States has the opposite effect. Furthermore, compared with the influence of third parties, the BRI has created a more robust trade environment characterized by political mutual trust.

BRI-associated countries should strengthen their political communication, and endeavor to transform political consensus and shared vision into concrete collaborative projects, while mitigating geopolitical uncertainties through a sound risk evaluation system. Moreover, they should establish a more transparent and consistent consultation mechanism and leverage the BRI trade network to foster balanced and mutually beneficial partnerships that minimize rivalry and dependence on a single market.

This study goes beyond observed trade cost and incorporates the political factor into the determinants of the BRI trade, thereby expanding the theoretical boundaries of existing BRI research. Also, this study employs bilateral trade data to construct SEIs trade networks (SEITNs) along the BRI route. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic determinates of the SEITNs will provide valuable practical guidance for enhancing and expanding trade and cooperation among BRI-associated countries.

This study aims to provide a salt ready-mix to instant fried noodles manufacturers.

Response surface methodology was used to get optimized salt ready-mix based on carbonate salt, disodium phosphate, tripotassium phospahte, sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium chloride. Peak viscosity of flour and yellowness, cooking loss and hardness of noodles were considered as response factors for finding optimized salt formulation.

The results showed that salts have an important role in governing quality of noodles. Optimum levels of five independent variables of salts, namely, carbonate salt (1:1 mixture of sodium to potassium carbonate), disodium phosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, tripotassium phosphate and sodium chloride were 0.64%, 0.29%, 0.25%, 0.46% and 0.78% on flour weight basis, respectively.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to assess the effect of different combinations of different salts on the quality of noodles. These findings will also benefit noodle manufacturers, assisting in production of superior quality noodles.

Sustainability has become the topic of the era, and the world is moving toward a circular economy. As part of it, companies are also integrating sustainability in supply chain management. Therefore, this study conducts a technology-empowered systematic literature review to examine the state of the literature on the technologies in the sustainable supply chain. The review reveals that limited studies have been conducted in the area. There is still scope for the researchers to explore new innovative technologies, many clusters in author collaboration, and involve more sectors in the study. Future studies can enrich the field by employing other methodologies like meta-analysis review.

This paper aims to compare and analyze the effect of the dual-credit policy and product substitution rate on the automakers’ operational strategies under different production modes (e.g. centralized and independent), and further illustrate which production mode is more conducive to improving new energy vehicle (NEV) development.

The decision-making models for a centralized production mode where an integrated automaker produces both NEVs and fuel vehicles (FVs) and for independent production mode where an NEV automaker faces competition from a traditional FV automaker were formulated. The equilibrium solutions of each production mode were obtained by extreme value and game theory methods. The conclusions of the theoretical analysis were further verified with numerical analyses using IBM-MATLAB R2019a. Some management insights could be obtained by comparison analysis.

Under the dual-credit policy, an increase in the NEV credit trading price will always raise production quantity of NEVs, but only in an independent production mode where a higher trading price will also bring higher total profits to NEV automakers. In addition, only when the NEV credit trading price is high enough, a rising product substitution rate will be more favorable to NEV production and restrain FV production. Furthermore, an independent production mode is more favorable for the initial production of NEVs, but as each of the two vehicle types captures a certain amount of market share, a centralized production mode will be more conducive to the full replacement of FVs by NEVs.

The main contributions of this study include the formulation of decision-making models for FVs and NEVs in not only a centralized production mode but also an independent production mode. Moreover, this paper comprehensively analyzes how the dual-credit policy and product substitution relationship affect automakers’ production and pricing decisions. Then, the specific conditions under which each production mode is more conducive to NEV production and sales are summarized. The results proposed in this study provide scientific managerial insights for automakers and policy makers.

The aim of this study is to report the effect of different content of calcium oxide on the process of electromelting magnesia.

The process of molten magnesia was analyzed by finite element simulation and proved by scanning electron microscope.

The results show that with the increase of CaO content, the maximum temperature appreciation increases from 3,616°C To 3,729°C, showing an approximate nonlinear evolution. Low thermal conductivity and low specific heat of CaO result in higher temperature. With the increase of CaO content and temperature, the maximum flow velocity of MgO slag increases from 0.043 to 1.34 mm/s. Under different initial CaO contents, the distribution trend of CaO volume fraction is basically the same, and the CaO volume fraction is evenly distributed between 50 and 225 mm in the furnace.

The influence of different contents of impurity calcium oxide on the process of electromelting magnesia was analyzed and a theoretical system was established.

This paper aims to concentrate on recent innovations in flexible wearable sensor technology tailored for monitoring vital signals within the contexts of wearable sensors and systems developed specifically for monitoring health and fitness metrics.

In recent decades, wearable sensors for monitoring vital signals in sports and health have advanced greatly. Vital signals include electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, electromyography, inertial data, body motions, cardiac rate and bodily fluids like blood and sweating, making them a good choice for sensing devices.

This report reviewed reputable journal articles on wearable sensors for vital signal monitoring, focusing on multimode and integrated multi-dimensional capabilities like structure, accuracy and nature of the devices, which may offer a more versatile and comprehensive solution.

The paper provides essential information on the present obstacles and challenges in this domain and provide a glimpse into the future directions of wearable sensors for the detection of these crucial signals. Importantly, it is evident that the integration of modern fabricating techniques, stretchable electronic devices, the Internet of Things and the application of artificial intelligence algorithms has significantly improved the capacity to efficiently monitor and leverage these signals for human health monitoring, including disease prediction.

This study aims to optimize the preparation conditions and modify the nanofiltration (NF) membranes to prepare high-performance polysulfone/sulfonated polysulfone composite nanofiltration (PSF/SPSF-NF) membranes through interfacial polymerization.

Investigating the impacts of anhydrous piperazine (PIP) concentration, trimesoyl chloride (TMC) concentration and basement membrane type on NF membrane performance, the optimal membrane was prepared. In addition, nano-SiO₂ was added to the active separation layer to modify the NF membranes.

The comprehensive performance of PSF/SPSF-NF membranes was optimized when the concentration of PIP was 0.75 Wt.% and the concentration of TMC was 0.15 Wt.%, at which time the water flux was 66.1 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ and the retention rate of Na₂SO₄ was 98.1%. The comprehensive performance of polysulfone/sulfonated polysulfone-SiO₂ nanofiltration (PSF/SPSF-SiO₂-NF) membranes was optimized when the blending ratio of nano-SiO₂ to PIP was 2:3, with a pure water flux of 81.9 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ and a Na₂SO₄ retention rate of 95.9%. Compared to polysulfone nanofiltration (PSF-NF) membranes and PSF/SPSF-NF membranes, NF membranes with nano-SiO₂ increased the flux recovery rate by 22.9% and 8.7%.

PSF/SPSF-SiO2-NF membrane exhibits excellent antifouling properties.

There is currently no literature available on the preparation of NF membranes using polysulfone/sulfonated polysulfone (PSF/SPFS) as a substrate. This provides a method for modifying NF membranes, starting with the modification of the basement membrane and then modifying the active separation layer.