Search results

This study aims to focus on the sustainability of prefabricated medical emergency buildings (PMEBs) renovation after the epidemic, to address the problem that large numbers of PMEBs may be abandoned for losing their original architectural functions. This study develops an evaluation system to identify and measure sustainable factors for PMEBs’ renovation schemes. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of PMEBs’ renovation scheme was conducted based on cloud model evaluation method and selected the renovation scheme in line with sustainable development. The study promotes evaluation methods and decision-making basis for the renovation design of global PMEBs and realizes the use-value of building functions again.

By referring to the existing literature, design standards and expert visiting a set of evaluation index systems which combines the renovation of the PMEBs and the sustainability concept has been established, which calculates the balanced optimal comprehensive weight of each indicator utilizing combination weighting method, and quantifies the qualitative language of different PMEBs’ renovation schemes by experts through characteristics of the cloud model. This paper takes Huoshenshan hospital a representative PMEB during the epidemic period as an example, to verify the feasibility of the cloud model evaluation method.

The research results of this paper are that in the PMEBs’ renovation scheme structural reformative (T11) and corresponding nature with the original building (T13) have the most important influence; the continuity of architectural cultural value (T22) and regional development coherence (T23) are the key factors affecting the social dimension; the profitability of renovated buildings (T34) is the key factor affecting the economic dimension; the environmental impact (T41), resource utilization (T42) and ecological technology (T43) are the key factors in the environmental dimension.

This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by supplementing a set of scientific evaluation methods to make up for the sustainability measurement of PMEBs’ renovation scheme. The main objective was to make renovated PMEBs meet the needs of urban sustainable development, retain the original cultural value of the buildings, meanwhile enhance their social and economic value and realize the renovation with the least impact on the environment.

Contractor selection is critical in green buildings (GBs) since the preferred contractor has the responsibility to achieve construction sustainability as well as relationship sustainability. The developer satisfaction reflecting requirements can boost the cooperative relationship among stakeholders and act as an evaluation scale for the success of GB projects, which needs to be emphasized in the selection process but little involved in the existing research. This study explores improving GB contractor (GBC) selection by integrating developer satisfaction into selection procedures.

A systematic framework of GBC selection including twenty-five criteria from literature review and experts survey is firstly constructed. Both tactical and strategic criteria are further classified into Kano categories (must-be, one-dimensional, and attractive categories) using the fuzzy Kano model (FKM), and weighted by the developer satisfaction index. The model proposed by this study combining FKM and TOPSIS divides the selection process into the filtration phase and selection phase by Kano categories. The proposed model is finally verified through performance comparison among multiple methods in a case.

Selection criteria are measured linearly and nonlinearly, showing criteria having nonlinear satisfaction change accounts for two-thirds of all. Criteria at tactical level tend to be must-be or one-dimensional categories for the developer, and most strategic criteria are classed as the attractive category, indicating that adding strategic criteria is necessary for long-term cooperation. The proposed model, using developer satisfaction to improve the selection process, ensures the selected GBC to be the most satisfactory with requirements of the developer and makes the performance of GBCs easily distinguishable.

This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge for promoting relationship sustainability by supplementing an integrated model with emphasis on developer satisfaction in GBC selection, so as to establish a good initial foundation due to the match between performances of GBCs and needs of developers. It not only helps maximize developer satisfaction in GBC selection by applying satisfaction to pre-construction management, but also instructs GBCs to prioritize performance improvements. The framework is also conducive for developers to classify selection criteria and select other participants (like green suppliers) from the satisfaction perspective in GBs.

The purpose of this paper is to derive a comprehensive model with integrated dimensions of trait constructs to understand the shoppers’ dispositional traits in consumption. This study endeavors to gain empirical validation of a motivational network of shoppers’ traits in consumption as well as to ascertain different shoppers’ typology from the configurations of personal factor attributes.

Store-intercept method was used to collect data from a sample of 600 apparel adult shoppers at five shopping malls in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The factor structure of personal factors was achieved using confirmatory factory analysis. The hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis was employed to develop the shoppers’ typology.

A relatively good fit in confirmatory factor analysis validates the applicability of the conceptualized personal factor attributes measurement model. The constitution of personal factor attributes results in three shoppers typology of Confident, Enthusiastic Shoppers; Moderate, Pragmatic Shoppers and Self-Confined, Apathetic Shoppers.

The study provides an understanding of the personal attribute factors and disseminates insightful information about profile of shoppers’ typology. Accordingly, the implementation of the strategy which involving the personality and psychological desires of the consumers, is now possible.

This paper stipulates new insights to discern other dimensions in personality traits to examine the personal factor attributes, by considering the elemental traits, compound traits, situational traits and surface traits in a holistic manner. The findings of this study advance the knowledge on personal factor attributes that shape shopping behavior along with practical applications.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of perceived value of recommended product on consumer’s e-loyalty, based on the proposition of expectation confirmation theory. Vendors’ reputation is tested as the mediator in the perceived value of recommended product and e-loyalty relationship, whereas shopping enjoyment is predicted as the moderator that conditions the perceived value of recommended product and e-loyalty relationship through vendors reputation.

Data were collected via an online survey platform and through a QR code. Partial least squares analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to verify the research proposed model.

The findings revealed that the perceived value of recommended product had a significant positive effect on E-loyalty; in addition, the perceived value of the recommended product and e-loyalty link was partly explained by e-shopper’s confidence in vendor reputation. Therefore, the study established that the direct and indirect relationship between the perceived value of the recommended product and e-loyalty was sensitive and profound to shopping enjoyment.

This study has established that the perceived value of a recommended product can result in consumer loyalty. This has successively provided the e-shop manager and other stakeholders with novel perspectives about why it is necessary to understand consumers’ pre- and postacquisition behavior before recommending certain products to the consumer.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between staff size and perceived organizational support (POS) in early childhood education (ECE) organizations.

A territory-wide questionnaire survey was designed to investigate the perceptions of preschool teachers in Hong Kong on four dimensions of organizational support, namely, teacher participation in decision making, school management support, school performance in organizational support, and organizational negativity in organizational support. In total, 2,066 teachers from 189 schools were sampled with stratified random sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis and latent mean analysis were employed.

There was a significant relationship between staff size and POS. Specifically, teachers working at small schools in terms of staff size reported significantly higher POS than their counterparts in medium and large schools in aspects including teacher participation in decision making, school management support, and school performance in POS. Conversely, both medium and large schools had higher scores on organizational negativity.

There may exist other factors (e.g. principal leadership), which are not investigated in this study, that influence POS. Future studies are needed to capture a fuller structural relationship among an array of factors that influence POS.

Research on staff size and POS has been conducted separately, without one element informing the other. The findings of the present study will stimulate more research on POS and staff size. The study will stimulate thinking about whether larger preschools are more efficient than smaller preschools in terms of scale of economies in a marker driven, ECE context. Building upon the foundation laid by the study, future studies may explore the interaction between staff size and POS on intended student outcomes in ECE.

The purpose of this paper is to segment primary male grocery shoppers based on store and product attribute evaluations. A rich profile for each segment is developed. These developed contemporary shopper typologies are contrasted against earlier works.

Data of 280 male grocery shoppers was attained by a survey questionnaire. Factor analysis, cluster analysis and ANOVA were employed to develop specific segments of male shoppers.

Four distinct cohorts of male shoppers emerge from the data of eight constructs, measured by 46 items. One new shopper type, not found in earlier typology literature, emerged from this research. This shopper presented as young, well educated, at the commencement of their career and family lifecycle, attracted by a strong value offer and willingness to share the family food shopping responsibilities.

Research outcomes encourage supermarket retailers to implement targeted marketing and rationalized operational strategies that deliver on attributes of importance.

This research makes a contribution to segmentation literature and grocery retail practice in several ways. It presents the first retail typology of male supermarket shoppers, employing a cluster analysis technique. The research provides insights into the modern family food shopping behaviour of men, a channel in which men are now recognised as equal contributors. The research provides the basis for further gender comparative and cross‐contextual studies.

This paper aims to report small-signal parameter extraction and simulation of enhanced dual-channel dual-material gate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) for the first time for the characterization of a device in microwave range of frequency.

For parameter extraction, a standard and well-known direct parameter extraction methodology is applied. Extrinsic elements of small-signal circuit model are extracted from measured S-parameters obtained using pinch-off cold field effect transistor (FET) biasing in the first step at a low frequency range and at a higher frequency range in the second step to ensure higher extraction accuracy. Intrinsic elements are extracted from intrinsic Y-parameters that are obtained after de-embedding all the extrinsic parasitic elements of the device. Figure of merits of radio frequency are also derived from the measured results and S-parameters of the proposed device.

Small signal parameters of the proposed device circuit model are extracted using the standard direct parameter extraction technique. Analysis of microwave figure of merits for device include maximum oscillation frequency, cut-off frequency, current gain, transducer power gain, available power gain, maximum stable gain, transconductance, drain conductance, stern stability factor and time delay.

The paper bridges the gaps between theory and experimental practices by validating extracted results with reported results of structurally matching devices.

An enhanced device structure investigated for small signal parameters incorporates field plate over dual metal engineered gate to provide better electric field uniformity, effective suppression of short channel effect, reduction in current collapse, improvement in carrier transport efficiency and enhancement in drain current capabilities.

Forest as a vital natural resource in China plays an irreplaceable important role in safeguarding ecological security and human survival and development. Due to the vast territory, huge population and widespread forest landscape of China, forest management is a complex system involving massive data and various management activities. To effectively implement sustainable forest management, the big data technology has been utilized to analyze China’s forestry resources. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the role of big data technology in China’s forest management.

In this paper, the authors revisited the roles of big data in forest ecosystem monitoring, forestry management system development, and forest policy implementation.

It demonstrates that big data technology has a great potential in forest ecosystem protection and management, as well as the government’s determination for forest ecosystem protection. However, to deepen the application of big data in forest management, several challenges still need to be tackled.

Thus, enhancing modern science and technology to improve big data, cloud computing, and information technologies and their combinations will contribute to tackle the challenges and achieve wisdom of forest management.

In order to improve the engine reliability and efficiency, an effective way is to reform the turbine blade tip conformation. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

The present research provides several novel tip-shaping structures, which are considered to control the blade tip loss. Four different tip geometries have been studied: flat tip, squealer tip, flat tip with streamwise ribs and squealer tip with streamwise ribs. The tip heat transfer and leakage flow are both analyzed in detail, for example the tip heat transfer coefficient, tip flow and local pressure distributions.

The results show that the squealer seal and streamwise rib can reduce the tip heat transfer and leakage loss, especially for the squealer tip with streamwise ribs. The tip and near-tip flow patterns at the different locations of axial chord reflect that both the squealer seal and streamwise rib structure can control the tip leakage flow loss. In addition, the analysis of the aerodynamic parameters (the static pressure and turbine efficiency) also indicates that the squealer tip with streamwise ribs obtains the highest adiabatic efficiency with an increase of 2.34 percent, compared with that of the flat tip case.

The analysis of aerothermal and dynamic performance can provide a reference for the blade tip design and treatment.

This paper aims to investigate the bonding of the photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip with the heat sink using the AlNi self-propagating soldering method.

Compared to industrial optical modules, optical modules for aerospace applications require better reliability and stability, which is hard to achieve via the dispensing adhesive process that is used for traditional industrial optical modules. In this paper, 25 µm SAC305 solder foils and the AlNi nanofoil heat source were used to bond the back of the PIC chip with the heat sink. The temperature field and temperature history were analyzed by the finite element analysis (FEA) method. The junction-to-case thermal resistance is 0.0353°C/W and reduced by 85% compared with the UV hybrid epoxy joint.

The self-propagating reaction ends within 2.82 ms. The maximum temperature in the PIC operating area during the process is 368.5°C. The maximum heating and cooling rates of the solder were 1.39 × 107°C/s and −5.15 × 106°C/s, respectively. The microstructure of SAC305 under self-propagating reaction heating is more refined than the microstructure of SAC305 under reflow. The porosity of the heat sink-SAC305-PIC chip self-propagating joint is only 4.7%. Several metastable phases appear as AuSn3.4 and AgSn3.

A new bonding technology was used to form the bonding between the PIC chip with the heat sink for the aerospace optical module. The reliability and thermal resistance of the joint are better than that of the UV hybrid epoxy joint.