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Voluntary participation (VP) has been identified as one of the characterizing features of mediation. This study aims to examine the value of VP in construction dispute mediation from two perspectives. Firstly, is VP a prerequisite of successful construction mediation. Secondly, does power asymmetry (PA) between the contracting parties marginalize the value of VP in fostering the use of mediation to resolve construction disputes.

Constructs of VP, PA and prerequisites of successful mediation were first developed. Principal component factor analysis was performed on data collected from the construction dispute resolution community to explore the underlying structure of the constructs. The relationships between the constructs were tested by structural equation modelling.

VP is found to be an important attribute of successful mediation. PA is also found to be inherent in construction contracting. This study identified three forms of PA: Resource, Information and Expectation. Moreover, this study found no conclusive empirical evidence to support that PA would marginalize the value of VP in fostering an attempt to construction dispute mediation. It is suggested that VP shall remain one of characterizing features of mediation.

The users, mediators and the judiciary should be aware of the importance of VP in mediation, irrespective of the use of mediation is contractual or court-encouraged. Although the presence of PA between the disputing parties, through participating voluntarily and ensuring the mediation process is flexible and fair, the chance of achieving a settlement would be enhanced.

VP has been viewed as one of the fundamentals of mediation. This study empirically supported this design concept. Furthermore, PA in construction contracting can be expressed as disparities in resource, information and expectation. Their existence presents no significant barrier to attempt of mediation. The flexible approach of mediation has been instrumental in overcoming the paradox between VP and PA. This study affirms the positive value of VP in fostering the use of construction dispute mediation.

The study aims to explore how fashion visual symbols influence consumers' inclination for repurchasing. It attempts to investigate the intricate interplay among three essential variables (social presence, collective excitement and cultural identification) from the perspective of Interaction Ritual Chains theory. Meanwhile, an attempt is made to reveal the underlying patterns in these relationships, fully harnessing the positive impact of fashion brand visual symbols in brand marketing.

This study employs a quantitative research methodology, administering an online survey in China, from which 381 valid responses were collected by simple random sampling. The acquired data were subjected to structural equation model and hypotheses testing.

The analysis reveals that heightened visual symbol perception significantly strengthens consumers' social presence, consequently elevating the probability of collective excitement. This establishes a mediated chain model, reinforcing repurchase intention. Additionally, the moderation effect analysis indicates that cultural identification negatively moderates both direct paths in the mediated chain model, with particularly pronounced effects for low cultural identification.

This study establishes a closed-loop system in fashion brand product marketing, continuously enhancing the intimacy and interactive willingness between consumers, as well as between consumers and the brand. The objective is to increase brand repurchase rates. Additionally, the research provides valuable recommendations and strategies for fashion brands to adapt to Chinese consumer demands, strengthen emotional attachment between consumers and the brand, and achieve sustainable development in the realm of fashion consumption.

The metallic alloys and their components fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) suffer from the microvoids formed inevitably due to the extreme solidification rate during fabrication, which are impossible to be removed by heat treatment. This paper aims to remove those microvoids in as-built AlSi10Mg alloys by hot forging and enhance their mechanical properties.

AlSi10Mg samples were built using prealloyed powder with a set of optimized LPBF parameters, viz. 350 W of laser power, 1,170 mm/s of scan speed, 50 µm of layer thickness and 0.24 mm of hatch spacing. As-built samples were preheated to 430°C followed by immediate pressing with two different thickness reductions of 10% and 35%. The effect of hot forging on the microstructure was analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Tensile tests were performed to reveal the effect of hot forging on the mechanical properties.

By using hot forging, the large number of microvoids in both as-built and post heat-treated samples were mostly healed. Moreover, the Si particles were finer in forged condition (∼150 nm) compared with those in heat-treated condition (∼300 nm). Tensile tests showed that compared with heat treatment, the hot forging process could noticeably increase tensile strength at no expense of ductility. Consequently, the toughness (integration of tensile stress and strain) of forged alloy increased by ∼86% and ∼24% compared with as-built and heat-treated alloys, respectively.

Hot forging can effectively remove the inevitable microvoids in metals fabricated via LPBF, which is beneficial to the mechanical properties. These findings are inspiring for the evolution of the LPBF technique to eliminate the microvoids and boost the mechanical properties of metals fabricated via LPBF.