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The purpose of this paper is to propose a robotic system for percutaneous surgery. The key component in the system, a robotic arm that can manipulate a puncture needle is presented. The mechanical design, the motion control and the force control method of the robotic arm are discussed in the paper.

The arm with an arc mechanism placed on a 3D Cartesian stage is developed as a puncture needle manipulator to locate the position of the needle tip, tune the needle’s posture and actuate the puncture motion under the visual guidance of two orthogonal X-ray images of a patient by a surgeon. A focusing method by using two laser spots is proposed to automatically move the needle tip to a surgery entry point on the skin. A dynamics model is developed to control the position of the needle mechanism and an explicit force control strategy is utilized to perform the needle insertion.

With the surgical system, a surgeon can easily perform puncture operation by taking two orthogonal real-time X-ray images as a visual feedback and accurately navigating the needle insertion. The laser-guided focusing method is efficient in placement of the needle tip. The explicit force control strategy is proved to be effective for holding constant and stable puncture force in experiments.

The robotic arm has an advantage in easy redirection of the needle because the rotation and the translation are decoupled in the mechanism. By adopting simple laser pens and a well-developed kinematics model, the system can handle the entry point, locating task automatically. The focusing method and the force control method proposed in the paper are useful for the present system and could be intuitive for similar surgical robots.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and summarize the development of science and technology (S & T) policies in China from a government-driven perspective in chronological order. To develop knowledge-based economy, China enacts a range of S & T policies since “Reform and Open Policy” started in 1978. Furthermore, it investigates the overall effects of these S & T policies on university-industry linkages (UILs).

This paper conducts an analysis framework of S & T policies in historical sequence to explain how government drives UILs to stimulate technological progress and economic growth in China.

More than a site for high-quality workforce education and knowledge spread, universities as an important part of national innovation are required to participate in economic activities. Considering that most Chinese universities are national, S & T policies with particular regard to university technology transfer would be more important and essential. This research finds that S & T policies enacted by government have made critical contributions to UILs in economic transition period, such as improving academic faculty, enhancing university–industry collaborations and supporting university spin-off formation. The experiences of China suggest that government should enact more effective S & T policies in the knowledge-based economy era.

First, universities need to educate high-level human resources that are important for economic growth and social development. Second, universities need to engage in R & D activities and enhance their collaboration with industries, such as consulting services, research contracts with industry, patent licensing and other general knowledge commercial mechanisms. Third, universities also can directly transfer commercial knowledge to start up new businesses by itself or in partnership with industrial sectors. Without doubt, a series of S & T policies or programs enacted by China’s government to drive entrepreneurship continuously played critical role in the UILs over the past 26 years.

This paper is a pioneering work on how S & T policies enacted by government drive UILs to stimulate technological progress in transitional China.

This study aims to probe the applicability of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) as additives in lithium complex grease (LCG) by researching the corrosion inhibiting, rheological and tribological performances.

Electrochemical tests such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization curves were used on Gamry electrochemical workstation to research the corrosion inhibition properties of ILs in 1.0 M HCl corrosive solution. The rheological properties of different grease samples were tested on a rheometer. The tribological properties were investigated on SRV-V oscillating reciprocating friction and wear tester. Scanning electron microscope, X-ray spectrometer and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer were used to characterize the lubricating mechanism.

The 2-MBT functionalized ILs have excellent corrosion inhibition properties. When used as additives in LCG, they both exhibited enhancing effects on thermostability, colloid stability and structural recoverability, and furthermore, outstanding friction-reducing and antiwear properties were also obtained. Surface analysis indicated that the superior lubricating performances of 2-MBT functionalized ILs were mainly ascribed to the formation of tribochemical products on wear tracks, including organic compounds with C–O bond, Fe₂O₃ and FeS₂.

The 2-MBT-based ILs synthesized in this study were multifunctional additives with excellent corrosion inhibiting and tribological properties, which would have a very broad application prospect in lubricating grease industry.

This paper aims to answer the following four research questions: Where do tourists gaze at the destination? What do tourists gaze at the destination? How do tourists gaze differently? Why do tourists gaze differently referring to relevant theory?

With a computer vision approach, this study illustrated a series of maps that reflect where and what do tourists gaze at and compared the differences in the visual perceptions among Asian, European and North American tourists in Hong Kong.

The findings confirm that the “tourist gaze” is influenced by geographical and cultural conditions. The conclusions provided three types of implementations for destination management strategies and advocated a high engagement with computer vision technology.

In theory, this study proves that the “tourist gaze” is influenced by geographical and cultural conditions. The study’s methodological contribution lies in applying advanced technology of visual content analysis for big data relevant to the issue of the tourist gaze. Practically, the finding that has not been achieved via previous questionnaire surveys will serve as a reference for tourism recommendations and precision marketing. In addition, its practical contribution is that it offers a means by which to explore tourists’ perceptions of destinations and understand the attractiveness of destinations to tourists.

研究一方面使用计算机视觉深入学习模型对游客照片内容进行识别, 比较了亚洲、欧洲和北美游客在香港不同空间场景的视觉感知差异。另一方面, 研究借助ArcGIS软件对游客凝视地点和内容差异进行了具体可视化分析。

这项研究有四个研究子问题：

• （1） 游客在哪里凝视？

• （2） 游客凝视了什么？

• （3） 游客凝视内容有什么不同？

  （4） 为什么游客凝视不同？

（1） 游客在哪里凝视？

（2） 游客凝视了什么？

（3） 游客凝视内容有什么不同？

（4） 为什么游客凝视不同？

不同游客在旅游目的地的“凝视”存在差异, 差异表征具体体现在地点选择和内容偏好等维度。同时, 研究结果显示计算机视觉技术在旅游研究领域呈现较好的应用潜力。

理论上, 本研究佐证了”游客凝视”受地理和文化条件影响的理论。技术上, 本研究探索了视觉分析技术在游客凝视议题上应用, 为旅游目的地感知评估提供了新的视角。应用层面, 研究结论为旅游目的地精准营销提供了参考。

Resumen

Con un enfoque de visión artificial, este estudio ilustra una serie de mapas que reflejan dónde y qué miran los turistas, y compara las diferencias en las percepciones visuales entre los turistas asiáticos, europeos y norteamericanos en Hong Kong.

El estudio tiene cuatro preguntas de investigación:

• (1) ¿Dónde miran los turistas en el destino?

• (2) ¿Qué miran los turistas en el destino?

• (3) ¿Cómo miran los turistas de forma diferente?

• (4) ¿Por qué los turistas miran de forma diferente en referencia a la teoría pertinente?

(1) ¿Dónde miran los turistas en el destino?

(2) ¿Qué miran los turistas en el destino?

(3) ¿Cómo miran los turistas de forma diferente?

(4) ¿Por qué los turistas miran de forma diferente en referencia a la teoría pertinente?

Las conclusiones confirman que la “mirada del turista” está influida por las condiciones geográficas y culturales. Las conclusiones aportan tres tipos de aplicaciones para las estrategias de gestión de destinos y abogan por un alto compromiso con la tecnología de visión artificial.

En teoría, este estudio demuestra que la “mirada del turista” está influenciada por las condiciones geográficas y culturales. La contribución metodológica del estudio radica en la aplicación de tecnología avanzada de análisis de contenido visual para big data relevante para el tema de la mirada del turista. En la práctica, los hallazgos que no se han logrado a través de encuestas anteriores servirán de referencia para las recomendaciones turísticas y el marketing de precisión. Además, su contribución práctica es que ofrece un medio para explorar las percepciones de los turistas sobre los destinos, y comprender el atractivo de los mismos para los turistas.

Based on the involvement and customer-delivered value theories, this paper proposes a comprehensive framework with which to examine the relationships between food traceability system, consumer perceived value and purchase intention. The study also investigates the moderating role of consumer expertise in the relationship between food traceability system and perceived value.

Survey approach is the primary data collection tool, through which a total of 238 useable responses were obtained. Structural equation modelling is employed to examine the hypothesized relationships among all variables.

The findings show that the information quality, perceived reliability and product diagnosticity of food traceability system affect consumer perceived value, and the perceived value and purchase intention are positively associated, while consumer expertise acts as a moderator on the relationship between food traceability system and consumer perceived value.

This study sheds light on how consumer perceived value of food traceability system can enhance their intention to purchase traceable food. It contributes to the theory of customer-delivered value and involvement as well as traceable product marketing strategies. From a managerial perspective, guidelines are provided for traceable food producers and marketers to implement reasonable strategies to attract consumers to purchase and promote the sustainable development of food industry.

This study aims to conduct an empirical investigation of differing perceptions of nine types of urban space and nine visual elements among tourists in destination using a computer vision (CV) approach.

The data for this study was extracted from YFCC 100 M dataset. Nine types of urban space in Beijing were initially identified using a scene recognition model. Subsequently, a semantic segmentation model was applied, which yielded substantial evidence relating to nine visual elements that were used to elicit differing perceptions among tourists from different continents.

Tourists from three continents had different perceptions about corridors, old buildings, overlooks and traffic spaces, reflecting their cultural convention. Asians, Europeans and North Americans diversely gazed at the landscape element of buildings, foliage, sky and people in urban space. All those provided evidence to contribute to the tourist gaze theory's construction.

This study firstly depicted how tourists perceive the tourism symbol of urban space. The novel approach of employing two CV models offer methodological insights to tourism research relevant to visual perception.

游客对城市空间的感知:计算机视觉途径

本研究采用计算机视觉方法, 探究游客对旅游目的地九种城市空间类型及九种视觉元素的感知差异。

本研究数据提取自YFCC 100M图片数据集。首先, 利用场景识别模型识别了游客图片中的九种城市空间类型。其次, 应用语义分割模型识别了游客图片的九个视觉元素。这些分析结果被用于探究不同大洲游客的视觉感知差异。

来自不同大洲的游客对城市空间有不同的感知偏好。亚洲人更喜欢拍摄自己与著名的城市建筑, 欧洲人和北美人更喜欢自然元素, 如水、树叶和天空。不同大洲游客对视觉元素的偏好佐证了旅游凝视理论。

本研究选取了独特的城市空间为研究对象, 来验证游客凝视理论。此外, 两种计算机视觉模型为旅游研究提供了新的方法论视角。

La percepción de los turistas del espacio urbano: Un enfoque de vision artificial

Resumen

Los datos para este estudio se extrajeron del conjunto de datos YFCC 100 M. Inicialmente se identificaron nueve tipos de espacio urbano en Pekín mediante un modelo de reconocimiento de escenas. Posteriormente, se aplicó un modelo de segmentación semántica, que aportó pruebas sustanciales en relación con nueve elementos visuales que se utilizaron para suscitar percepciones diferentes entre turistas de distintos continentes.

El objetivo de este estudio es llevar a cabo una investigación empírica sobre las diferentes percepciones de nueve tipos de espacio urbano y nueve elementos visuales entre los turistas en destino, utilizando un enfoque de visión artificial (CV).

Los turistas de tres continentes tenían percepciones diferentes sobre los pasillos, los edificios antiguos, los miradores y los espacios de tráfico, lo que refleja su convención cultural. Los asiáticos, los europeos y los norteamericanos observaron de forma diversa el elemento paisajístico de los edificios, el follaje, el cielo y las personas en el espacio urbano. Todos ellos aportaron pruebas para contribuir a la construcción de la teoría de la mirada turística.

Este estudio describe por primera vez cómo los turistas perciben el símbolo turístico del espacio urbano. El novedoso enfoque de emplear dos modelos de vision artificial ofrece conocimientos metodológicos para la investigación del turismo relacionados con la percepción visual.

This study aimed to examine beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia from a cross-cultural perspective.

Chinese (n = 123) and Belgian student participants (n = 270) received several statements tapping into various dimensions of repressed memory and dissociative amnesia. Participants provided belief ratings for each of these statements. Because the field of psychoanalysis is less well developed in China, it was expected that Chinese participants would believe less in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia than their Belgian counterparts.

Overall, beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia were high among all participants. Although confirmatory analyses revealed that most belief ratings concerning statements did not statistically significantly differ between the two samples, Chinese participants did statistically believe less that therapy can recover lost traumatic memories than Belgian participants. Also, exploratory analyses showed that Chinese participants were more critical towards the idea that traumatic memories can be unconsciously repressed and that these memories can be accurately retrieved in therapy than Belgian participants. Many participants also confused repressed memory with plausible memory mechanisms such as ordinary forgetting.

The current study extends previous surveys on repressed memory and dissociative amnesia by comparing their beliefs in different cultures.

Although researchers have long recognized the importance of participating organizations’ (POs) relational behavior for mega construction projects (MCPs) performance, relational behavior may not be executed by POs without effective leadership from project owners. However, little is known about the mechanisms linking owners’ leadership styles to POs’ relational behavior. This study draws on full range leadership theory and role theory to examine the relationships between owners’ leadership styles (i.e. transformational and transactional) and relational behavior. POs’ role orientations (i.e. normative and economic) are considered as potential mediators.

Data were collected from 175 managers deeply involved in MCPs. Hierarchical regression model and bootstrapping methods were performed on the data to examine the direct effects of owners’ leadership on POs’ relational behavior and the mediating effects of POs’ role orientations.

The results revealed that both owners’ transformational and transactional leadership positively affect POs’ relational behavior, despite the former being higher than the latter, and indirectly influence relational behavior via POs’ normative and economic role orientation, respectively.

This study provides a clear picture of how owners’ leadership can motivate POs’ relational behavior to achieve high-quality inter-organizational relationships in MCPs. The findings can guide owners’ top manager selection by prioritizing those with transformational leadership, which is beneficial to achieving high-level relational behavior of POs. The results also imply that owners should pay greater attention to cultivating POs’ normative role orientation by encouraging teamwork and open communication to enhance their implementation of relational behavior.

Unlike previous research focusing more on intra-organizational leader–follower relationship within one PO, this study is one of the first to empirically confirm owners’ leadership as a critical antecedent of POs’ relational behavior, thus enhancing the theoretical understanding of inter-organizational relationship management in MCPs. Based on role theory, this study considers a novel organizational psychology mechanism, i.e. POs’ role orientations, as the mediator to unravel how owners’ leadership affects POs’ relational behavior, which was rarely invoked in MCP leadership literature.

This study aims to investigate the relationships between the different strengths of ties (strong ties and weak ties), types of trust and project performance in megaprojects.

A questionnaire survey was conducted with various experts and professionals involved in megaprojects, and 350 valid responses were received. Data was analyzed by means of structural equation modeling.

The results show that both strong ties and weak ties have positive impacts on trust in megaprojects, but weak ties have a more significant positive effect than do strong ties. Unexpectedly, the introduction of interorganizational trust significantly weakens the effect of the strength of ties on project performance. The indirect influence of the strength of ties on performance has different paths. Weak ties have an indirect effect via calculative trust and relational trust. However, in a strong ties network, inferior stakeholders lack the information necessary to complete a megaproject, and they believe that calculative trust will not promote project performance until the megaproject is successfully delivered. Thus, the effect of calculative trust on project performance is not significant.

These findings provide evidence in regard to strength of ties governance being a part of the effective strategy in improving megaprojects’ performance. It also demonstrates the mediating function of trust and advances the current understandings of the underlying mechanism of the strength of ties on project performance, thus providing implications for researchers and practitioners. However, this study has some limitations. For example, the strength of ties and trust between organizations are a dynamic process in megaprojects. This study does not conduct in-depth analysis of the evolution mechanism and investigate the different levels of trust at different stages of the megaproject. Future research can be guided by these directions.

The main contribution of this study is fourfold. First, this study enriches the literature on strength of ties by accentuating the roles of trust in megaproject context. Second, this study contributes to the theoretical development of a conceptual model for explaining the interrelationships among strength of ties, types of trust and project performance. Third, this study responds to the call “which dimension (i.e. strong ties or weak ties) is more influential” by exploring the direct and indirect effects of strength of ties on project performance. Finally, this study breaks through the limitation of traditional cognition that megaproject management can be met by relying on rigid contracts. In other words, trust can supplement the weakness of rigid contract by forming contract flexibility with different strength of ties. Meanwhile, the specific strategies to establish and maintain trust are given, such as building information model (BIM) collaboration platform and reputation management mechanism.

It remains unclear how environmental scanning (ES) can generate firm performance through supply chain management (SCM) practices. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of ES on operational performance through supply chain integration (SCI) and supply chain responsiveness (SCR).

The scanning–interpretation–action–performance (SIAP) model and organization information processing theory (OIPT) are used to explain the ES–SCI–SCR–performance (S–I–A–P) relationships, which were tested by structural equation modeling of survey data of 329 manufacturing firms in China.

The results indicate that ES has a significant positive effect on SCI and SCR. SCI is significantly and positively related to SCR. SCR partially mediates the relationship between ES and operational performance, and fully mediates the relationship between SCI and operational performance.

Supply chain managers should collaborate with senior executives to obtain signals from ES activities, as input for building SCI and SCR and use SCI as a joint interpretation mechanism of ES signals for developing SCR to reap operational advantages in the rapidly changing business environment.

Strategic management academics and practitioners have explicitly emphasized the importance of ES in developing strategic plans but are unsure about the role of SCM in creating operational advantages through ES. Using the SIAP model, this study theorizes and demonstrates how SCI and SCR transform signals from ES into operational performance. In doing so, a more precise application of OIPT is explicated in the supply chain context.