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The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of temperature on Zn–Ni alloys in ChCl–Urea.

Based on cyclic voltammetry experiments, the deposition behavior and kinetics of the Zn–Ni alloy are studied. The nucleation process of the Zn–Ni alloy is studied in detail via chronoamperometry experiments. The effects of the deposition temperature on the microstructure, Ni content and phase composition of Zn–Ni alloy coatings are investigated via scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) combined with classical thermodynamics.

The results show that with increasing temperature, the reduction peak shifts toward a more positive electric potential, which is beneficial for the co-electric deposition process, and the diffusion coefficient is estimated. With increasing temperature, the nucleation process of the Zn–Ni alloy becomes a three-dimensional instantaneous nucleation, the typical kinetic parameters are determined using the standard 3D growth proliferation control model and the Gibbs free energy is estimated. The Zn–Ni alloy coatings are prepared via normal co-deposition. With increasing temperature, the degree of crystallinity increases, the coating gradually becomes uniform and compact and the XRD peak intensity increases.

The nucleation process of the Zn–Ni alloy at different temperatures is analyzed. The diffusion coefficient D and Gibbs free energy are calculated. The contribution of the three processes at different temperatures is analyzed. The effect of temperature on the morphology of the Zn–Ni alloy coatings is studied.

The purpose of this paper is to add expanded perlite (EP) immobilized microorganisms that replace part of the standard sand in mortar to improve the self-healing ability of mortar cracks and reduce the water absorption of mortar after healing.

Bacillus pseudofirmus spores were immobilized with EP particles as self-healing agents. The effects of adding self-healing agents on the compressive strength of mortar specimens were observed. The ability of mortar specimens to heal cracks was evaluated using crack microscopic observation and water absorption experiments. The filler at the cracks was microscopically analyzed by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction experiments.

First, the internal curing effect of EP promotes the hydration of cement in mortar, which generates more amount and denser crystal structure of Ca(OH)2 at mortar cracks and improves the self-healing ability of mortar. Second, the self-healing ability of mortar improves with the increase of self-healing agent admixture. Adding a self-healing agent of high admixture makes the planar undulation of calcite crystal accumulation at mortar cracks more significant. Finally, the initial crack widths that can be completely healed by adding EP and self-healing agents to the mortar are 200 µm and 600 µm, respectively.

The innovation points of this study are as follows. (1) The mechanism of the internal curing effect of EP particles on the self-healing ability of mortar cracks was revealed by crack microscopic observation tests and microscopic experiments. (2) The effect of different self-healing agent amounts on the self-healing ability of mortar cracks has been studied. (3) The effects of EP particles and self-healing agents on healing different initial widths were elucidated by crack microscopic observation tests.

The aim of this paper is to research the acceptance mechanism of building information modeling (BIM) technology and to explore the differences among Architecture/Engineering/Construction (A/E/C) professionals with different individual characteristics. The proposed acceptance mechanism of BIM technology is intended to be used by industry stakeholders to propose decisions and measures, and improve the degree of BIM adoption.

Traditional hypothesis testing is adopted by the current study to empirically research the specific mechanism of A/E/C professionals accepting BIM technologies. In the one phase, a conceptual model based on technology acceptance model (TAM) and technology organization environment (TOE) theory was established and a large-scale questionnaire survey was conducted. In the other phase, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze acquired sample data, so as to empirically test the validity of the proposed linkage.

The results show first that perceived ease of use has no significant influence on perceived usefulness, and perceived usefulness has no significant effect on behavior intention as well. Second, BIM technical features and government BIM policies have positive effects on perceived usefulness, BIM technical features and organization supports have positive effects on perceived ease of use. Third, the BIM acceptance mechanism of A/E/C professionals is diverse from respondents with different characteristics, e.g. regions and working time.

The authors highlight the large sample size, as well as the nationwide context, of the questionnaire survey. Meanwhile, acceptance differences among A/E/C professionals with different demographic characteristics have been clarified using profound data and t-test. The findings of this study enrich the research on the acceptance mechanism of BIM technology, and contribute to relevant stakeholders taking targeted measures to promote the effective application of BIM technology nationwide.

A cross-domain intelligent software-defined network (SDN) routing method based on a proposed multiagent deep reinforcement learning (MDRL) method is developed.

First, the network is divided into multiple subdomains managed by multiple local controllers, and the state information of each subdomain is flexibly obtained by the designed SDN multithreaded network measurement mechanism. Then, a cooperative communication module is designed to realize message transmission and message synchronization between the root and local controllers, and socket technology is used to ensure the reliability and stability of message transmission between multiple controllers to acquire global network state information in real time. Finally, after the optimal intradomain and interdomain routing paths are adaptively generated by the agents in the root and local controllers, a network traffic state prediction mechanism is designed to improve awareness of the cross-domain intelligent routing method and enable the generation of the optimal routing paths in the global network in real time.

Experimental results show that the proposed cross-domain intelligent routing method can significantly improve the network throughput and reduce the network delay and packet loss rate compared to those of the Dijkstra and open shortest path first (OSPF) routing methods.

Message transmission and message synchronization for multicontroller interdomain routing in SDN have long adaptation times and slow convergence speeds, coupled with the shortcomings of traditional interdomain routing methods, such as cumbersome configuration and inflexible acquisition of network state information. These drawbacks make it difficult to obtain global state information about the network, and the optimal routing decision cannot be made in real time, affecting network performance. This paper proposes a cross-domain intelligent SDN routing method based on a proposed MDRL method. First, the network is divided into multiple subdomains managed by multiple local controllers, and the state information of each subdomain is flexibly obtained by the designed SDN multithreaded network measurement mechanism. Then, a cooperative communication module is designed to realize message transmission and message synchronization between root and local controllers, and socket technology is used to ensure the reliability and stability of message transmission between multiple controllers to realize the real-time acquisition of global network state information. Finally, after the optimal intradomain and interdomain routing paths are adaptively generated by the agents in the root and local controllers, a prediction mechanism for the network traffic state is designed to improve awareness of the cross-domain intelligent routing method and enable the generation of the optimal routing paths in the global network in real time. Experimental results show that the proposed cross-domain intelligent routing method can significantly improve the network throughput and reduce the network delay and packet loss rate compared to those of the Dijkstra and OSPF routing methods.

This study aims to explore the unique and synergistic effects of green human resource management (GHRM) and corporate environmental ethics (CEE) on the environmental performance (EP) of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Yemen, a less developed country (LDC).

Through a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 262 manufacturing SMEs in Yemen and analyzed using “hierarchical regression analysis” via PROCESS Macro.

The empirical results showed that GHRM and CEE positively affect EP and, more importantly, that CEE and GHRM have a synergistic effect on EP.

This study makes a theoretical contribution by integrating GHRM, CEE and EP into a single framework, taking into account the perspectives of the resource-based view and the ethical theory of organizing. The results corroborate the unique and synergistic effects of GHRM and CEE on EP of SMEs in the manufacturing sector.

The results of this study offer valuable insights for SME managers/decision-makers, who are anticipated to become more interested in integrating environmental ethics into their companies. This has implications that with the consideration of CEE, SMEs can benefit from GHRM practices to improve their EP.

The study highlights the positive economic and social impact of SMEs adopting eco-friendly practices like GRHM. In today’s economy, it is not sufficient to simply strive for economic growth. It is possible for SMEs to achieve well-rounded performance by implementing the recommended framework that emphasizes the importance of social and environmental well-being.

This study advances the existing work on the impact of GHRM on EP by demonstrating the crucial role of CEE in predicting EP of manufacturing SMEs in LDCs like Yemen. Previous research on GHRM has mainly been conducted on SMEs in developed nations, which may not be entirely applicable to LDCs. It is crucial to understand this aspect in the context of LDCs so that SMEs can adopt environmental practices effectively in the future: how SMEs conserve the environment through their environmental practices.

To understand the mechanisms underlying social media discontinuance behavior, this study explores factors affecting social media discontinuance behavior from the perspective of social cognitive theory (SCT).

Based on SCT, this study puts forward a theoretical model incorporating habit, excessive use and negative emotions to predict social media discontinuance behavior. The proposed research model was empirically tested with 465 responses collected from WeChat users in China via an online survey. WeChat is one of the most popular social media in China. However, WeChat also faces the challenges of reduced or terminated usage among its users. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to analyze the data.

The research results in this study show that habit exerts a negative effect on social media discontinuance behavior, while exhaustion and regret have positive influences. In addition, habit positively affects excessive use, which further leads to negative emotions of social media exhaustion and regret. Moreover, gender moderates the relationship between habit and social media discontinuance behavior.

This study adds to the literature of information system (IS) use lifecycle by investigating user behavioral changes regarding a transition from habituated to excessive use and further to discontinuance behavior. This study also helps elucidate the complex role of habit by explaining social media discontinuance from the social cognitive view. Furthermore, this study advances the current understanding of gender difference in social media discontinuance in the Chinese context. The study also offers insights to practitioners on how to prevent individuals from discontinuing their use of social media.

This study aims to identify an antecedent that hinders knowledge sharing, namely, the perceived climate of Cha-xu. Based on the social exchange perspective, the authors propose a theoretical model that links the perceived climate of Cha-xu to employee knowledge sharing. This model focuses on the mediating role of two types of trust (vertical and horizontal trust) and the moderating role of task interdependence in influencing the mediation.

Using a sample of 509 Chinese employees, this study carried out a survey on an online platform. This study developed a structural equation model and tested the moderated mediation hypothesis by using Mplus 8.0.

The results showed that two types of trust act as mediators in the relationship between the perceived climate of Cha-xu and knowledge-sharing processes. The mediating effect of horizontal trust is stronger. Most significantly, findings show that this mediated relationship is contingent on the level of task interdependence.

This paper provides evidence for distinguishing vertical trust and horizontal trust in the field of knowledge management. From a managerial perspective, this study identifies traditional cultural factors for hindering knowledge-sharing processes within Chinese organizations.

This study aims to explore the key challenges and drawbacks of smart contracts (SCs) and how they impact digital resilience within small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Whilst this type of technology is seen as a step forward in terms of traceability, transparency and immutability to increase digital resilience, we argue that it should be approached with trepidation.

In developing this paper, the authors conduct a systematic literature search using the Scopus database. Through this, we identified 931 relevant articles, of which 30 were used as the focus of this article. Thematic analysis was used as the analytical approach to develop themes and meaning from the data.

In this paper, there is an emphasis on the importance of understanding the potential risks associated with SC implementation, as well as identifying appropriate strategies for mitigating any negative impact. In our findings, we puts forward three key themes, namely legality, security and human error, which we argue are key smart contract challenges that impact SME digital resilience.

In this paper, we propose the notion of “centralised control in decentralised solutions”. This comes from the research highlighting SC weaknesses in digital resilience for SMEs. We argue that there is a need for standards, regulations and legislation to address these issues, advocating, ironically, a centralised approach to decentralised technology.

While researchers recognize the significance of philanthropic donations in disaster relief and recovery, the benefits that firms derive from such donations remain unclear, particularly when firms are adversely impacted by the disaster. To address this gap, this study seeks to elucidate the impact of various donation strategies on firm resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the hand-collected data on donations, the authors employ ordinary least squares regressions to investigate the effectiveness of various donation strategies – including type, timing and location – in enhancing firm resilience in terms of the severity of stock price losses during the pandemic. To address potential endogeneity concerns, the authors use a two-stage least squares regression with instrumental variables.

This study finds robust evidence that certain donation strategies are more effective at mitigating stock price losses during the pandemic. Specifically, the authors find that in-kind donations (compared to monetary ones), earlier donations (compared to later ones) and donations targeting severely impacted areas (Hubei province vs. other places) are more effective methods to reduce the severity of stock price losses.

This study points out an alternative mechanism through which donations influence firm resilience during a crisis context and provides important managerial implications for firms to better engage in disaster donations.