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This paper aims to propose a fast machine compression scheme, which can solve the problem of low-bandwidth transmission for underwater images.

This fast machine compression scheme mainly consists of three stages. Firstly, raw images are fed into the image pre-processing module, which is specially designed for underwater color images. Secondly, a divide-and-conquer (D&C) image compression framework is developed to divide the problem of image compression into a manageable size. And extreme learning machine (ELM) is introduced to substitute for principal component analysis (PCA), which is a traditional transform-based lossy compression algorithm. The execution time of ELM is very short, thus the authors can compress the images at a much faster speed. Finally, underwater color images can be recovered from the compressed images.

Experiment results show that the proposed scheme can not only compress the images at a much faster speed but also maintain the acceptable perceptual quality of reconstructed images.

This paper proposes a fast machine compression scheme, which combines the traditional PCA compression algorithm with the ELM algorithm. Moreover, a pre-processing module and a D&C image compression framework are specially designed for underwater images.

This paper aims to address the issue of model discontinuity typically encountered in traditional Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) models. To achieve this, we propose the use of a local Product of Exponentials (POE) approach. Additionally, a modified calibration model is presented which takes into account both kinematic errors and high-order joint-dependent kinematic errors. Both kinematic errors and high-order joint-dependent kinematic errors are analyzed to modify the model.

Robot positioning accuracy is critically important in high-speed and heavy-load manufacturing applications. One essential problem encountered in calibration of series robot is that the traditional methods only consider fitting kinematic errors, while ignoring joint-dependent kinematic errors.

Laguerre polynomials are chosen to fitting kinematic errors and high-order joint-dependent kinematic errors which can avoid the Runge phenomenon of curve fitting to a great extent. Levenberg–Marquard algorithm, which is insensitive to overparameterization and can effectively deal with redundant parameters, is used to quickly calibrate the modified model. Experiments on an EFFORT ER50 robot are implemented to validate the efficiency of the proposed method; compared with the Chebyshev polynomial calibration methods, the positioning accuracy is improved from 0.2301 to 0.2224 mm.

The results demonstrate the substantial improvement in the absolute positioning accuracy achieved by the proposed calibration methods on an industrial serial robot.

As a key basic component used in machining, high-speed steel (HSS) tools often prone to wear and failure during machining. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to adopt a suitable approach to improve the stability of the cutting force, the service life and the wear resistance.

Laser shock processing (LSP) was used to process the tool rake face and the tribological test was performed with ball-on-disk wear tester.

Experimental results show that cutting force of the LSP-treated tool is lower than untreated tool under the same cutting conditions. Wear rate of the tool nose treated by LSP decreases obviously and the tool life increases by 40 per cent.

HSS is often used in the manufacture of complex cutting tools. The main value of this article is to improve the tool surface wear resistance, thereby extending the service life of cutter. This paper is valuable not only in theory but also with reference value in engineering practice.

As a relationship‐oriented culture, customer‐firm relationship plays an important role in consumer decision making process in China. Moreover, there are significant regional differences of Chinese consumers in terms of relationship proneness and its impact on relationship marketing outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences of relationship proneness and its effect on relational satisfaction, relationship commitment and benefits between consumers from north and south of mainland China.

Based on previous research and relationship marketing theories, a series of hypotheses were developed comparing the two populations on relationship‐related variables. Data were collected from two cities of China using survey method.

Regional differences exist between the two groups of Chinese consumers in relationship proneness, commitment, trust, and relationship benefits perceptions. Gender differences also exist. Relationship proneness interacts with region resulting in moderating effects on relationship marketing outcomes.

This research has treated two groups of Chinese consumers as cohorts and individual differences are not taken into consideration. The sample includes only graduate students whose attitudes toward relationship marketing may deviate from average consumers of the country as they have higher education levels but lower income levels.

The findings of the research provide managerial implications for marketing segmentation in China. International and domestic marketers should consider using different marketing strategies on consumers from different regions of China.

The paper confirms the regional differences of Chinese consumers in relationship proneness, trust, relationship benefits and commitment. The paper contributes to the relationship marketing literature by relating consumer relationship proneness to relationship benefits, and confirming the moderating effect of relationship proneness on relationship benefits and relationship commitment.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the construction of national heritage through the interpretation of sites and events, with a particular focus on hot interpretation at difficult heritage sites. 

This paper examines the processes of difficult heritage interpretation at the Memorial Hall of the Nanjing Massacre over the past 30 years, and examines the resulting political implications.

Aligning with contemporary national social and political agendas, heritage interpretation at the Memorial Hall actively serves as an authorised educational tool. Despite the hot interpretation techniques used to stimulate the emotional impact of visitor experiences, this particular traumatic past has been utilised in nation building practices that legitimise specific histories and form a national image on an international stage.

Heritage interpretation of difficult history will benefit from open dialogue and assessment of the past from multiple perspectives. This requires all stakeholders to work together to develop interpretation strategies that acknowledge and prioritise the needs of post-conflict societies. Without this form of open dialogue and reflection, the official claims of heritage interpretation achieving reconciliation between conflicted peoples remain superficial. 

This study offers a novel contribution to the discussion of heritage interpretation. The results shed light on the cultural processes surrounding state interpretation of traumatic pasts for specific political uses. The study suggests ways in which heritage sectors and authorities can achieve social goals, such as public education, reconciliation and peacebuilding, through such processes of heritage interpretation.

This paper aims to study vehicle-type strategies for the manufacturer's car sharing by accounting for consumers' behavior and the subsidy.

The authors develop a game model, in which a monopoly manufacturer that can produce gasoline vehicles (GVs) or energy vehicles (EVs) not only sells vehicles in the sales market, but also rents them out in the sharing market by the self-built platform. The manufacturer strategically chooses which type of vehicles based on consumers' behavior and whether the government provides the EVs’ subsidy.

When consumers' low-carbon awareness is relatively high or the marginal cost is low, the manufacturer chooses EVs. The manufacturer chooses GVs when the low-carbon awareness and the marginal cost are low. Only when the low-carbon awareness and the subsidy are not too low, the manufacturer who originally chose GVs launches EVs. When the low-carbon awareness is high, the excessive subsidy discourages the manufacturer from entering the sharing market. If the government provides the subsidy, the manufacturer launches high-end EVs. Otherwise, the manufacturer launches low-end EVs. Moreover, the subsidy increases consumer surplus and social welfare since the high subsidy makes EVs’ sharing market demand be negative.

This study enriches the literature on vehicle-type strategies for the manufacturer's car sharing, owns a practical significance to guide the manufacturer's operation management in the car sharing market and provides advice on whether the government should provide EVs’ subsidy.

Because of the multiple design elements and complicated relationship among design elements of complex products design, it is tough for designers to systematically and dynamically express and manage the complex products design process.

To solve these problems, a supernetwork model of complex products design is constructed and analyzed in this paper. First, the design elements (customer demands, design agents, product structures, design tasks and design resources) are identified and analyzed, then the sub-network of design elements are built. Based on this, a supernetwork model of complex products design is constructed with the analysis of the relationship among sub-networks. Second, some typical and physical characteristics (robustness, vulnerability, degree and betweenness) of the supernetwork were calculated to analyze the performance of supernetwork and the features of complex product design process.

The design process of a wind turbine is studied as a case to illustrate the approach in this paper. The supernetwork can provide more information about collaborative design process of wind turbine than traditional models. Moreover, it can help managers and designers to manage the collaborative design process and improve collaborative design efficiency of wind turbine.

The authors find a new method (complex network or supernetwork) to describe and analyze complex mechanical product design.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the heterogeneity and correlations of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions among provinces in China, and then policy implications are proposed.

After agricultural GHG accounting and a pre-analysis of inter-provincial heterogeneity, improved gravity model and the Social Network Analysis (SNA) methods are introduced to construct the network, being carried out from three aspects of the whole network, individual provincial characteristics and cluster analysis.

(1) There are significant regional variations in agricultural GHG scale among provinces owing to the layout of agricultural production, and the temporal trends show that the direction and speed of agricultural GHG scale change vary among provinces; (2) In terms of inter-provincial correlations, there exists a complex spatial network of agricultural GHG among provinces, which tends to be more complex, intensive and stable, while the status of the provinces in the network also has gradually become more balanced. All provinces played their respective roles in the four clusters of the network with agricultural layout and comparative advantages, and the distribution has continuously optimized.

The inter-provincial network characteristics of agricultural GHG emissions and its evolution have practical implications for differentiated and coordinated agricultural GHG reduction policies at the provincial levels.

This paper innovatively study inter-provincial agricultural GHG correlations in China with the SNA methods used to study economic and social connections in the past. There is some originality in the introduction of network theory and application of the SNA methods, which can provide some reference for researches in similar fields.

Tactile sensation is an important sensory function for robots in contact with the external environment. To better acquire tactile information about objects, this paper aims to propose a three-layer structure of the interdigital flexible tactile sensor.

The sensor consists of a bottom electrode layer, a middle pressure-sensitive layer and a top indenter layer. First, the pressure sensitive material, structure design, fabrication process and circuit design of the sensor are introduced. Then, the calibration and performance test of the designed sensor is carried out. Four functions are used to fit and calibrate the relationship between the output voltage of the sensor and the contact force. Finally, the contact force sensing test of different weight objects and the flexible test of the sensor are carried out.

The performance test results show that the sensitivity of the sensor is 0.93 V/N when it is loaded with 0–3 N and 0.23 V/N when it is loaded with 3–5 N. It shows good repeatability, and the cross-interference between the sensing units is generally low. The contact force sensing test results of different weight objects show that the proposed sensor performs well in contact force. Each part of the sensor is a flexible material, allowing the sensor to achieve bending deformation, so that the sensor can better perceive the contact signs of the grasped object.

The sensor can paste the surface of the paper robot’s gripper to measure the contact force of the grasping object and estimate the contour of the object.

In this paper, a three-layer interdigital flexible tactile sensor is proposed, and the structural parameters of the interdigital electrode are designed to improve the sensitivity and response speed of the sensor. The indenter with three shapes of the prism, square cylinder and hemisphere is preliminarily designed and the prism indenter with better conduction force is selected through finite element analysis, which can concentrate the external force in the sensing area to improve the sensitivity. The sensor designed in this paper can realize the measurement of contact force, which provides a certain reference for the field of robot tactile.

This study aims to explore how specific cues with new manifestations (i.e. herding message and price discount information) and customer cognitive style influence attention allocation and purchase intention.

To empirically validate the research hypotheses, an eye-tracking experiment with a 2 × 2 × 2 mixed design was conducted on a sample of 44 participants recruited from a university in China. Repeated measures analysis of variance was employed for data analysis.

The results show that herding message and price discount information play different roles in viewers' attention and have an interactive effect on attention. Moreover, individual cognitive styles moderate the impact of herding message on attention allocation. Still, two cues positively affect customer purchase intention.

This study guides future research by applying cue utilization theory to investigate the effects of two cues in live streaming. Findings offer practical implications for how live streaming cues affect viewers' attention allocation and purchase intention.