Formation of diacrylic acid during acrylic acid storage

Diacrylic acid (β-acryloxypropionic acid) forms spontaneously in bulk acrylic acid by a Michael-addition reaction. Fresh samples of acrylic acid containing 0.08–2.9% (m/m) levels of water were stored at constant temperatures of 15, 25, 35, and 45°C up to 65 days. An empirical equation to predict diacrylic acid formation was generated from the data.     

一种京城物流配送“最后一公里”解决方案

物流配送“最后一公里”是个复杂系统,具有不确定性,已经成为影响京城物流行业发展的瓶颈.“最后一公里”配送是物流活动得以顺畅进行的根本保证,是京城物流发展的重要环节之一.如今在物流配送末端相对滞后的情况下,物流成本不断增加,而“最后一公里”又是导致物流成本上升的主要因素,一方面,在短时间内物流的末端配送难以摆脱对成本的控制,另一方面,高额的人力资源制约着物流行业利润上升空间.本文运用复杂系统理论,并结合物联网信息技术对物流配送“最后一公里”中存在的问题提出对策及实施方案,期望对京城物流行业的发展有所裨益.     

Bamyan: Whose Heritage Was It and What Should We Do About It?

The destruction for ostensibly ideological reasons of the Buddhist statues at Bamyan in Afghanistan by the Taliban (whether or not inspired by Al-Qaeda) raises a number of wider issues. Apart from the problems of minority, dissonant and enclave heritage, there is the question, 'how can relics of the past that are valued in different ways by local, national and international claimants be managed in a way that satisfies all parties?' The idea of world heritage, and its manifestation in international tourism, may conflict with heritage used for local or national purposes. One, if not the most important, actor in this arena, UNESCO, is evaluated on the basis of its goals and efficiency in saving the heritage of mankind in the recent past. The dilemmas inherent in the concept of world heritage and possible solutions for its management are outlined.     

The effect of airline service quality on passengers’ behavioural intentions: a Korean case study

This paper seeks to improving our understanding of air passengers’ decision-making processes by testing a conceptual model that considers service expectation, service perception, service value, passenger satisfaction, airline image, and behavioural intentions simultaneously. For this testing, path analysis via maximum likelihood estimator is applied to data collected from Korean international air passengers. Service value, passenger satisfaction, and airline image are each found to have a direct effect on air passengers’ decision-making processes.     

Opaque Web practices among low-cost carriers

The low-cost airlines' adoption of Web technologies to facilitate direct sales has accelerated their market penetration. However, some low-cost carriers are increasingly using Websites to create distance between themselves and their consumers in specific areas of their operations, while simultaneously developing excellence in sales transaction completion via self-service. The ‘opaque’ practices many low-cost carriers employ appear to be intentional design features and are contrary to the ethos of designing a ‘good system’ to facilitate the full spectrum of customer service. As a result, the low-cost sector has come under increased scrutiny for engaging in unfair practices and violating consumer protection law.