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The purpose of this study is to develop a robotic hand–arm system for on-orbit servicing missions at the Tiangong-2 (TG-2) Space Laboratory.

The hand–arm system is mainly composed of a lightweight arm, a dexterous hand, an electrical cabinet, a global camera, a hand–eye camera and some human–machine interfaces. The 6-DOF lightweight arm and the 15-DOF dexterous hand adopt the modular design philosophy that greatly reduces the design cycle and cost. To reduce the computational burden on the central controller and simplify system maintenance, an electrical system which has a hierarchical structure is introduced.

The prototypical operating experiments completed in TG-2 space laboratory demonstrate the performance of the hand–arm system and lay foundations for the future applications of space manipulators.

The main contributions of this paper are as follows a robotic hand–arm system which can perform on-orbit servicing missions such as grasping the electric drill, screwing the bolt, unscrewing J599 electrical connector has been developed; a variable time step motion plan method is proposed to adjust the trajectories of the lightweight arm to reduce or eliminate the collision force; and a dexterous hand uses the coordinated grasp control based on the object Cartesian stiffness to realize stable grasp. To solve the kinematic mapping from the cyber glove commands to the dexterous hand, a fingertip-position-based method is proposed to acquire precise solutions.

The purpose of this paper is to transfer the impedance regulation of manual belt grinding to robot belt grinding control.

This paper presents a novel methodology for transmitting human impedance regulation skills to robot control in robot belt grinding. First, according to the human grinding experimental data, the skilled worker’s arm impedance regulation is calculated. Next, the human skills are encapsulated as the statistical learning model where the kernel parameters are learned from the demonstration data by Gaussian process regression (GPR) algorithms. The desired profiles of robot are generated by the task planner based on the learned skill knowledge model. Lastly, the learned skill knowledge model is integrated with an adaptive hybrid position-force controller over the trajectory and force of end-effector in robot belt grinding task.

Manual grinding skills are represented and transferred to robot belt grinding for higher grinding quality of the workpiece.

The impedance of the manual grinding is estimated by k-means++ algorithm at different grinding phases. Manual grinding skills (e.g. trajectory, impedance regulation) are represented and modeled by GMM and GPR algorithms. The desired trajectory, force and impedance of robot are generated by the planner based on the learned skills knowledge model. An adaptive hybrid position-force controller is designed based on learned skill knowledge model. This paper proposes a torque-tracking controller to suppress the vibration in robot belt grinding process.

Land use changes significantly impacts ecosystem services and functions. The estimation of ecosystem services value is conducive to clarifying the ecological changes in response to LULC changes due to urbanization. Chengde was the upper water source of Beijing and Tianjin, the ecosystem is very fragile. After a series of ecology conservation projects like "returning cropland to forestry", the ecosystem service value increased from 5100.17 x 10⁷ Yuan in 1990 to 5104.08 x 10⁷ Yuan in 2008 respectively, with the average increase of 2.3 x 10⁶ Yuan per year. It is indicated that ecosystem service value has the potential to inform policy decisions by emphasizing the benefits of sustainable ecosystem management. So plans on land use management should be made to maintain a balance between urbanization and ecosystem health.

Extant literature has indicated that government support is one of the main drivers of international expansion of Chinese multinational enterprises. However, research on the influence of governors on firm internationalization is still limited. Drawing upon the institution-based view, we theorize a novel concept of institutional enablement to illustrate the influence of a governor's pro-market ideology on Chinese firms' internationalization.

We analyze the relationship between a governor's pro-market ideology (consisting of a pro-market political ideology, an overseas educational background and a business background) and firm internationalization with a sample of Chinese public companies during 2014–2017.

We find a direct and positive effect of a governor's pro-market ideology on firm internationalization. We also find an indirect and positive effect of a governor's pro-market ideology through regional, inward foreign direct investment.

To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to investigate an underexplored question of the impact of governors on firm internationalization and to develop a novel concept of institutional enablement, based on discursive institutionalism.

Vehicle lightweight design has positive implications for reducing energy consumption and abating greenhouse gas emissions. The traditional trailer axle design mainly focuses on the overall performance of the trailer axle. Only when the local performance does not meet the requirements will local performance optimization be done, such as local heat treatment to improve local strength. Such a design results in an uneven distribution of axle performance and excess performance in some local structures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the weight reduction on the premise of ensuring the structural dimensions of the outer surface of the axle remain unchanged and the reliability of the axle.

The axle is parameterized by computer aided design, and the optimized axle finite element model based on computer aided engineering is established and verified by taking the eight dimensions of the axle cavity structure which affect the performance as parameters. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the axle cavity structure size and axle weight based on multiobjective optimization, and eight optimized size parameters of axle cavity structure are obtained.

The total weight of the optimized axle of TM1314 is reduced by 10.2 kg, and the weight reduction ratio reaches 10.7%. According to the optimized structural size of the axle, the specimen was trial-manufactured, and the bench tests of stiffness, strength and fatigue life were carried out according to the test requirements of the trailer axle standard (JT/T 475-2002). The test results show that the maximum deformation of the specimen is 2.46 mm, the strength safety factor of the specimen body and the steel plate spring seat are 6.71 and 6.86 and bear the alternating load more than 1.05 × 106 times, which meets the standard of the trailer axle and is better than the original design requirements of the trailer axle.

In this study, the multiobjective optimization model of the axle is established, the response surface is constructed by the Latin hypercube sampling design method and the optimal solution set is obtained by the multiobjective genetic algorithm. It has been verified by bench tests that it can achieve a weight reduction of 10.7% under the premise of the same structure and size of the outer surface of the axle. The lightweight method based on multiobjective optimization proposed in this paper can provide a reference for the lightweight design of other key vehicle components.

The purpose of this study is to design a new type of cold plate to improve the thermal performance of liquid-cooled thermal management system of lithium-ion batteries.

A cold plate with leaf type channels is proposed to enhance the cooling performance. Effects of the leaf type channel parameters (i.e. channel angle 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°; coolant mass flow rate 0.25 × 10^–3, 0.50 × 10^–3, 0.75 × 10^–3, 1.00 × 10^–3, 1.25 × 10^–3 kg·s⁻¹; channel number 1, 3, 5, 7) on the performance are numerically investigated by using a 3D mathematical model.

Compared to the traditional I type channels, the leaf type channels have better cooling performance. It is found that the battery temperature variation and channel pressure drop are decreased with decreasing channel angle and increasing channel number. In addition, the cooling performance can be improved by increasing the coolant mass flow rate.

This study can provide guidance for the development of novel effective cold plates.

The design of cold plates with leaf type channels can be used in liquid-cooled thermal management system to reduce the battery temperature difference.

The purpose of this study is to improve the thermal management of lithium-ion batteries. The phase change material (PCM) cooling does not require additional equipment to consume energy. To improve the heat dissipation capacity of batteries, fins are added in the PCM to enhance the heat transfer process.

Computational fluid dynamics method is used to study the influence of number of vertical fins and ring fins (i.e. 2, 4, 6 and 8 vertical fins, and 2, 3, 4 and 5 ring fins) and the combination of them on the cooling performance.

The battery maximum temperature can be decreased by the PCM with vertical or ring fins, and it can be further decreased by the combination of them. The PCM with eight vertical fins and five ring fins reduces the battery maximum temperature by 5.21 K. In addition, the temperature and liquid-phase distributions of the battery and PCM are affected by the design of the cooling system.

This work can provide guidelines for the development of new and efficient PCM cooling systems for lithium-ion batteries.

The combination of PCM and fins can be used to reduce the battery maximum temperature and temperature difference.

The advancements of mobile technologies and devices have greatly facilitated the extension of online services from web to mobile environments. Drawing on the categorization theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of perceived entitativity on users’ web-mobile service extension behavior. The research model considers how perceived entitativity serves as a category cue to link the category- and piecemeal-based processing and shape users’ adoption of extended mobile services.

An online survey (n=552) was conducted to empirically test the model. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling approach.

The results offer two major findings. First, performance expectancy, perceived controllability and subjective norm are important antecedents of users’ usage intention. Second, perceived entitativity has three types of effects on usage intention: it exerts a direct and positive influence on usage intention; it indirectly facilitates usage intention through increasing PE and perceived controllability; and it moderates the relationship between subjective norm and usage intention.

This study contributes to the literature by taking into account the interplay of category- and piecemeal-based processing to understand consumers’ web-mobile service extension behavior.

Most previous research assumes that the outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) decisions of multinational corporations (MNCs) are made independently of the actions or characteristics of their peers. Therefore, the important influence of peer effects on the OFDI strategy is often neglected. The purpose of this paper is to identify two broad categories of peer effects, i.e. learning-based and profit-driven imitations and examine the important influence of peer effects on MNCs’ internationalization strategy.

Using Chinese manufacturing firms as the empirical sample, the authors employ an econometric method (logit regression) to test the relationship between peer effects and an internationalization strategy.

Learning-based and profit-driven imitations are positively associated with a focal MNC’s OFDI decision. Policy uncertainty also positively moderates the relationship between peer effects and the OFDI strategy. Moreover, both peer effects are amplified when a firm is equipped with a dense export network.

The study offers researchers and practitioners a detailed view of interorganizational imitation behavior in terms of an internationalization strategy.

Digital transformation is crucial for achieving high-quality development in the construction industry. Assessing the industry's digital maturity is an urgent necessity. The Digital Transformation Maturity Model is a potential tool to systematically evaluate the digital maturity levels of various industries. However, most existing models predominantly focus on sectors such as the Internet and manufacturing, leaving the construction industry comparatively underrepresented. This study aims to address this gap by developing a maturity model tailored specifically for digital transformation within the construction industry.

This study leverages the Capability Maturity Theory and integrates the unique characteristics of the construction industry to construct a comprehensive maturity model for digital transformation. The model comprises five critical dimensions: industry environment, strategy and organization, digital infrastructure, business process and management digitization, and digital performance. These dimensions encompass a total of 25 assessment indexes. To validate the model's feasibility and effectiveness, a digital transformation maturity assessment was conducted within China's construction industry.

The results of the maturity assessment within the Chinese construction industry reveal that it currently operates at the third level of digital maturity (defined level). The industry's maturity score stands at 2.329 out of 5. This outcome indicates that the developed model is accurate and reliable in assessing the level of digital transformation maturity within the construction industry.

This paper contributes both practical and theoretical insights to the field of digital transformation within the construction industry. By creating a tailored maturity model, it addresses a significant gap in existing research and offers a valuable tool for assessing and advancing digital maturity levels within this industry.