Coal pitch mainly consists of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic substances, and aliphatic hydrocarbons, the macromolecular structures formed by these cyclic and chain hydrocarbons through chemical bonding possess diversity and complexity. In this study, medium- and low-temperature coal tar pitch (LCTP) served as the primary material for the production of mesophase pitch via co-carbonization with hydrogenated tail oil (HTO). Aimed to clarify the effects of different amounts of HTO addition and analyze the mechanism of introducing naphthenic and aromatic hydrocarbons on the liquid phase carbonization process. When HTO additive amount is 30%, the carbonized product with the largest content of mature graphite crystals at 25.01%, and the smallest degree of defects. The analytical mechanism demonstrates that the condensation of naphthenic hydrocarbons introduced by HTO produces hydrogen radicals, the hydrogen transfer reaction saturates a significant quantity of free radicals generated within the system, thereby impeding further rapid condensation and curing, and decreasing the viscosity of the system. On the other hand, the aromatic hydrocarbons introduced undergo dehydrogenation and condensation to produce additional polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, thereby contributing to a more abundant carbon structure conducive to the development of mesophase pitch. The combined effect of aromatic hydrocarbons and naphthenic hydrocarbons facilitates the slow development of the mesophase structure into a broad-area optical structure. This study provides an effective method for improving the performance of coal-based mesophase pitch, which reduces the production cost and promotes the clean and high value-added utilization of limited resources.

Developing advanced anode materials is one of the effective strategies to enhance the electrochemical performance of sodiumion batteries (SIBs). Herein, inspired by the biological central nervous system structure, we report a facile and efficient strategy to fabricate the three-dimensional hierarchical neural network-like carbon architectures, where the glucose-derived hard carbon (HC) nanospheres are in situ assembled and embedded in carbon nanotube (CNT) network nanostructure (HC/CNT hybrid networks). The HC nanospheres with large carbon interlayer spacing help to decrease the diffusion length of sodium ions and the interconnected CNT networks enable the rapid electron transfer during charge/discharge process. Benefiting from these structure merits, the as-made HC/CNT hybrid networks can deliver a superior rate capacity of 162 mA h g− 1 at the current density of 5 A g− 1. Additionally, it exhibits excellent cycling performance with a capacity retention rate of 86.3% after 140 cycles. This work offers a promising candidate anode material for SIBs and a new prospect towards carbon-based composites design, simultaneously.

Biomass-derived carbon materials have attracted considerable attention in electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption applications due to their advantages of low cost, light weight, and sustainability. Herein, bagasse-based porous carbon (BPC) was prepared by canonization and activation process from natural waste bagasse. The porous flower-like MoS2/ BPC composites were successfully prepared for efficient microwave absorption via hydrothermal process by in-situ formation of flower-like MoS2 into the porous structure of BPC. The effect of hydrothermal time and hydrothermal temperature on surface morphology, degree of graphitization, surface chemical composition and impedance matching of the prepared samples was investigated. Results demonstrated that when the hydrothermal temperature was 220 °C, and the hydrothermal time was 24 h, the obtained MoS2/ BPC sample (named as MoS2/ BPC-220 ℃) showed the minimum reflection loss value (RL) of − 41.6 dB at 8.96 GHz and exhibited effective microwave absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 4.32 GHz at a relatively thin thickness of 1.5 mm. This work provides a promising way to prepare novel biomass-derived porous carbon for strong broadband electromagnetic absorption.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) is a persistent aromatic compound widely associated with environmental pollutants. Given its persistence and possible bioaccumulation, exploring a feasible technique to eradicate BDE209 efficiently is critical for today’s environmentally sustainable societies. Herein, an advanced nanocomposite is elaborately constructed, in which a large number of titanium dioxide ( TiO2) nanoparticles are anchored uniformly on two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets ( TiO2/GO) via a modified Hummer’s method and subsequent solvothermal treatment to achieve efficient photocatalytic degradation BDE209. The obtained TiO2/ GO photocatalyst has excellent photocatalytic due to the intense coupling between conductive GO nanosheets and TiO2 nanoparticles. Under the optimal photocatalytic degradation test conditions, the degradation efficiency of BDE209 is more than 90%. In addition, this study also provides an efficient route for designing highly active catalytic materials.

This paper probes the elements of theoretical necessity, starting with the word ruo (若) in Duan Yucai’s Shuo Wen Jie Zi Zhu (段玉裁《說文解字註》). From the prospective of theoretical methods of “Ruo (若) ,” the theoretical necessity of “Ruo (若) ,” the exegesis functions of “Ruo (若) ” and different intonations with different modal particles, the author conducted multi-level and multi-dimensional analysis on “Ruo (若) ” in Duan Yucai’s Shuo Wen Jie Zi Zhu (段玉裁《說文解 字註》) so as to explore the concepts of theoretical necessity from Duan Yucai.

Core–shell ZIFs wrapped CuO hybrid materials (CuO@ZIF-67(Co)) were designed, synthesized, characterized, and employed as peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activators to degrade methylene blue (MB). It demonstrated outstanding catalytic activity on account of the unique structure and the synergistic effect between CuO cores and ZIF-67(Co) shells, resulting in complete degradation of MB (10 mg/L) in 1 min. Reactive oxygen species (ROSs) research showed that both SO4 − and OH were responsible for the removal of MB. The synergistic activation mechanisms in the CuO@ZIF-67(Co)/PMS system were investigated, which mainly involved the effective electron transfer of CuO and ZIF-67(Co) for accelerating the cycle of CuII/ CuI and CoIII/ CoII. This study broadens the application of MOF-derived materials for wastewater treatment.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) programs based on motion capture camera are the most convenient and cost-effective approaches for remote rehabilitation. Assessment of physical function is critical for providing optimal VR rehabilitation training; however, direct muscle strength measurement using camera-based kinematic data is impracticable. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method to indirectly estimate the muscle strength of users from the value obtained using a motion capture camera. Objects: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the pedaling speed converted using the VR engine from the captured foot position data in the VR environment can be used as an indirect way to evaluate knee muscle strength, and to investigate the validity and reliability of a camera-based VR program. Methods: Thirty healthy adults were included in this study. Each subject performed a 15-second maximum pedaling test in the VR and built-in speedometer modes. In the VR speedometer mode, a motion capture camera was used to detect the position of the ankle joints and automatically calculate the pedaling speed. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to assess the isometric and isokinetic peak torques of knee flexion and extension. Results: The pedaling speeds in VR and built-in speedometer modes revealed a significantly high positive correlation (r = 0.922). In addition, the intra-rater reliability of the pedaling speed in the VR speedometer mode was good (ICC [intraclass correlation coefficient] = 0.685). The results of the Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant moderate positive correlation between the pedaling speed of the VR speedometer and the peak torque of knee isokinetic flexion (r = 0.639) and extension (r = 0.598). Conclusion: This study suggests the potential benefits of measuring the maximum pedaling speed using 3D depth camera in a VR environment as an indirect assessment of muscle strength. However, technological improvements must be followed to obtain more accurate estimation of muscle strength from the VR cycling test.

To meet the increased performance and cost requirements of commercial supercapacitor, a N and O self-doped hierarchical porous carbon is fabricated via a green and simple self-activation route utilizing leaves of wild hollyhock as raw materials. Comparing to commercial activated carbon, the reported material exhibits some marked merits, such as simple and green fabrication process, low cost, and superior capacitance performance. The specific surface area of the obtained N and O codoped hierarchical porous carbon arrives 954 m2 g−1, and the content of the self-doped nitrogen and oxygen reaches 2.64 at.% and 7.38 at.%, respectively. The specific capacitance of the obtained material reaches 226 F g− 1 while the specific capacitance of the symmetric supercapacitor arrives 47.3 F g− 1. Meanwhile, more than 90.3% of initial specific capacitance is kept under a current density of 20 A g− 1, and no arresting degradation is observed for capacitance after 5000 times cycle, perfectly demonstrating the excellent cycle and rate capability of the obtained material. The obtained N and O co-doped hierarchical porous carbon are expected to be an ideal substitution for commercial activated carbon.

Previous research has found that taking photos during travel for the purpose of sharing with others via SNS (social networking sites) induces self-presentational concerns, which can decrease engagement and enjoyment of the experience. However, the previous studies have defined travel engagement and enjoyment too narrowly and failed to consider the heterogeneity in terms of the importance of photo-taking. While some travelers are reluctant photo takers and regard taking photos as a bother, others place more importance on photo-taking than sightseeing, and may therefore find it difficult to enjoy the travel experience without taking photos. To address these deficiencies, we modeled not only negative, but also positive relationships between photo-taking and travel engagement and enjoyment. The results showed that when taking photos, travelers who regard photo-taking as important were more engaged in the experience and enjoyed it more than travelers who regarded photo-taking as less important. Thus, this study provides a theoretical contribution to research on travel engagement.

Employee innovation is critical to business success and draws knowledge and ideas from customer engagement (CE). In particular, customer interaction, a key aspect of CE, offers opportunities for, and act as a source of, hotel employees’ innovative behaviors (Jaakkola & Alexander, 2014; Li & Hsu, 2016). Focusing on the hotel industry, this study investigates the role of customer interaction, positive affect, and employee motivations in enhancing employees’ innovative behaviors. A structural model was developed based on relevant literature and pilot tested on data collected via a quantitative survey of 196 hotel employees who were in a position requiring interactions with customers. The findings provide support for the proposed model and suggest customer interaction, positive affect, and intrinsic and extrinsic motivations as influential factors impacting on employees’ innovative behaviors directly and/or indirectly. This pilot study forms the basis of a larger project modeling the customer interaction - employee innovation relationship (findings to be presented at the conference). The study contributes to the limited literature on innovation through enhancing CB and employee emotional welfare, addressing the call to strengthen research on the antecedents and outcomes of CB (So, King, Sparks, & Wang, 2016). Practically, the results highlight a need for hotels’ benefit and reward systems to incorporate measures of employee performance in relation to CB.

Ever since the notion of a sharing economy was highlighted by Time Magazine as one of the ten ideas that will one day change the world, there has been a significant increase in scholarly attention dedicated to investigating the impact sharing economies will have on individuals, organizations and society as a whole. Particularly, sharing economy has revolutionized the landscape of the tourism industry through Airbnb (Fang, Ye, & Law, 2016). Academic research has focused on studying consumption practices and behaviors from a recipient perspective, but relatively little attention has been given to understand what impacts sharing economy has, from a sharer point of view (Fagerstrøm, Pawar, Sigurdsson, Foxall, & Yani-de-Soriano, 2017). Specifically, the existing literature has yet to explore in what ways and to what extent sharers are engaged with sharing economy platforms, and explore what consequences accrue from engaging in sharing economy activities. As a result, this paper seeks to fill this gap by proposing a framework drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), in conjunction with a tourism well-being perspective to examine how sharers’ perception of extrinsic rewards indirectly influences their well-being through the mediating role of engagement in tourism sharing economy activities. Data from Airbnb hosts in London were analyzed through PLS. The findings show that hosts’ engagement with Airbnb fully mediates the relationship between extrinsic rewards and their wellbeing. In other words, extrinsic rewards from using the sharing platform have a positive effect on sharers’ engagement in sharing economy activities (Tussyadiah & Pesonen, 2016; Guttentag, 2015). In turn, engagement in sharing economy activities has been found to have a positive effect on the sharers’ well-being (Kim, Uysal, & Sirgy, 2013; Ganju, Pavlou, & Banker, 2016). The paper has some important managerial implications.

In the context of the consumption of luxury goods, WOM generation seems to be an important way for individuals to express their identity. It has long been implied that luxury goods should be “conspicuous” because, generally, individuals are motivated to consume particular goods to communicate their social identity (cf. Belk, 1988; Berger & Health 2007). However, once individuals send positive messages about a luxury good, that item may be adopted by others whom they dislike. Thus, individuals may use moderation in generating positive WOM and prevent use of their favorite luxury brands from trickling down (Berger & Ward, 2010). In this regard, recent research has examined the effects of need-for-uniqueness (NFU) on consumers’ intention to generate word-of-mouth (WOM) and suggested that high-NFU consumers are unwilling to generate (positive) WOM because WOM results in the adoption of the product and would harm the consumers’ unique image (Cheema & Kaikati, 2010). However, they have focused on only one (avoidance-of-similarity) of the three types of NFU: avoidance of similarity (AS), unpopular choice counter-conformity (UCC), and creative choice counter-conformity (CCC) (Tian, Bearden, & Hunter, 2001). The purpose of this study is to examine how different types of NFU affect consumers’ willingness to generate WOM, considering the moderating role of product domain in the relationship between NFU and WOM. We examined the effects of types of NFU and product domain on positive WOM generation using a 3 (WOM sender type: high-AS/high-UCC/high-CCC consumers) × 2 (product domain: more identity-relevant, luxury vs. less identity-relevant, ordinary goods) between-subjects experimental design. The participants were 80 university students. We selected a high-quality coat as a luxury item and a high-end flash drive as an ordinary product. The former was represented as more identity-related than the latter. The results of ANOVA showed that three types of NFU have different effects on consumer’ willingness to generate positive WOM. High-AS consumers, as well as high-UCC consumers, are more unwilling to generate positive WOM, whereas high-CCC consumers are more willing to generate WOM; moreover, these effects are more pronounced when the consumers were referencing a more identity-relevant, luxury good. The implications of this study may help firms understand the factors that elicit or prevent WOM generation.

This paper introduces a nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NOMC) derived from glucosamine with hybrid capacitive behaviors, achieved by successfully combining electrical double-layer capacitance with pseudo-capacitance behaviors. The nitrogen doping content of the fabricated NOMC reached 7.4 at% while its specific surface area (SBET) and total pore volume reached 778 m2 g−1 and 1.17 cm3 g−1, respectively. A dual mesoporous structure with small mesopores centered at 3.6 nm and large mesopores centered at 9.9 nm was observed. The specific capacitance of the reported materials reached up to 328 F g−1, which was 2.1 times higher than that of pristine CMK-3. The capacitance retention rate was found to be higher than 87.9% after 1000 charge/discharge cycles. The supplementary pseudocapacitance as well as the enhanced wettability and conductivity due to the incorporation of nitrogen heteroatoms within the carbon matrixes were found to be responsible for the excellent capacitive performance of the reported NOMC materials.

There has been an increasing trend of using code-switching to enhance ad persuasion among local and global brands. Ads that include two or more languages are referred to as code-switched ads (Luna and Peracchio 2005a; 2005b). It is noted that previous studies investigating code-switched ad effectiveness have focused on bilinguals, not monolinguals. Due to the emerging use of code-switching in ads in monolingual markets, more research efforts are required to understand its effectiveness and boundaries among the monolinguals. The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating role of consumer local-global identity in the effectiveness of code-switched ads among monolinguals. Two experiments were conducted and the results confirmed our hypothesis that consumer local-global identity moderates the effect of code-switched ads. The results indicated that congruence between consumer local-global identity and code-switching enhanced persuasiveness. In addition, the mediating effect of ad involvement was identified. These findings provide managerial implications for marketers.

The present work reports a systematic study of using carboxymethylated cellulose (CMC) as water-bornebinder to produce Li4Ti5O12-based anodes for manufacture of high rate performance lithium ion batteries. When theLTO-to-CB-to-CMC mass ratio is carefully optimized to be 8:1:0.57, the special capacity of the resulting electrodes is144 mAh·g−1 at 10 C and their capacity retention was 97.7% after 1000 cycles at 1C and 98.5% after 500 cycles at5C, respectively. This rate performance is comparable or even better than that of the electrolytes produced using con-ventional, organic, polyvinylidene fluoride binder.