Search results

Soft actuators using pneumatic-chamber (PneuNet)-based designs have been of interest in the area of soft robotics with scope of application in the area of biomedical assistance and smart agriculture. Researchers have attempted to investigate multiple chambers in parallel to examine their deformation characteristics. However, there is a lacuna for investigation of the deformation characteristics of four parallel chambered soft actuators. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively investigate the different possible actuation scenarios and the resulting bending/deformation behaviours.

Therefore, in this study, a four-chambered PneuNet actuator is numerically investigated to evaluate the effects of pressurization scenarios and pressure levels on its performance, operating reaching and working volume.

The results of this study revealed that two-adjacent chamber equal pressurization and three-chamber pressurizations result in increased bending. However, two-opposite chamber pressurization reduces the bending angle with pressure levels in the lower pressure chamber. The maximum bending angle of 97° was achieved for single-chamber pressurization of 300 kPa. The two-adjacent chamber unequal pressurization can achieve a sweeping motion in the actuator along with bending. The working volume and reaching capability analysis revealed that the actuator can reach around 71% of the dimensional operating space.

The results provide fundamental guidance on the output nature of motion which can be obtained under different pressurization scenarios using the four-chambered design soft actuator, thereby making it a practical guide for implementation for useful applications.

The comprehensive pressurization scenarios and pressure level variations reported in this study will serve as fundamental operating guidelines for any practical implementation of the four-chambered PneuNet actuator.

The primary objective was to develop a user-centered mobile health application (app) tailored to the specific health information needs of among immigrant women from diverse backgrounds in Korea.

In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 immigrant women to gain insights into their health information-seeking behavior. Based on the findings, a mobile app was designed and developed. A beta version of the app underwent validation by an MD and seven expert reviewers who assessed the app for content accuracy and conformance to mobile heuristics. Last, immigrant women (n = 12) evaluated the usability of the app.

The study revealed that the interviewed immigrant women had strong health information needs related to pregnancy and parenting. Most of them used multiple sources to find and verify health information. Language barriers were identified as a major obstacle to accessing and evaluating health information. The results of the user test indicated that the app effectively facilitated study participants' search for reliable health information, meeting their specific needs.

This research extended the literature by addressing the limited availability of mobile apps tailored to the health information needs of immigrant women in Korea.

By incorporating multilingual support and focusing on pregnancy and parenting information, the health app serves as a valuable tool to bridge the gap in health information access and to facilitate the well-being of immigrant women in the country.

The tourism industry is undergoing a rapid transformation brought on by artificial intelligence (AI), which is offering a wide range of benefits to both businesses and their customers. Nevertheless, this technological advancement also poses a number of difficulties for which the sector will need to find solutions. This chapter investigates the effects that artificial intelligence (AI) has had on the tourism industry in Europe, with a particular focus on how the hospitality industry has reacted to the advent of this technology. Following an overview of the tourism and hospitality industries in Europe, this chapter begins with an introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) in the tourism industry. The section on the methodology describes the various approaches to research that were utilised in this study, and the section on the conclusion summarises the findings.

This paper aims to explore the matching effect of hospitality brand image (cool vs non-cool) and service agents (Artificial intelligence [AI] vs human staff) on brand attitude, with a focus on assessing the role of feeling right as a mediator and service failure as a moderator.

This paper tested the hypotheses through three experiments and a Supplementary Material experiment, which collectively involved 835 participants.

The results indicated that the adoption of AI by cool brands can foster the right feeling and enhance consumers’ positive brand attitudes. In contrast, employing human staff did not lead to improved brand attitudes toward non-cool brands. Furthermore, the study found that service failure moderated the matching effect between service agents and cool brand images on brand attitude. The matching effect was observed under successful service conditions, but it disappeared when service failure occurred.

The findings offer practical guidance for hospitality companies in choosing service agents based on brand image. Cool brands can swiftly transition to AI, reinforcing their modern, cutting-edge image. Traditional brands may delay AI adoption or integrate it strategically with human staff.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents one of the first studies to address the issue of selecting the optimal service agent based on hospitality brand image. More importantly, it introduces the concept of a cool hospitality brand image as a boundary condition in the framework of AI research, providing novel insights into consumers’ ambivalent responses to AI observed in previous studies.

This paper aims to explore the impact of live streamer authenticity (LSA) on purchase intention in tourism e-commerce live streaming, with a focus on boundary conditions and underlying mechanisms.

The data collected from 451 participants were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

This paper found that four dimensions of LSA – sincerity, truthfulness endorsement, expertise and uniqueness – positively influenced purchase intention, while visibility did not. In addition, sincerity, truthfulness endorsement and uniqueness had an indirect influence on purchase intention through flow experience, while sincerity, truthfulness endorsement, expertise and uniqueness had an indirect effect through perceived trust. Furthermore, self-construal moderated the effect of sincerity and truthfulness endorsement on purchase intention, with the positive effect being stronger for the dependent self-construal.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study to examine LSA dimensions and their consequences. This paper not only provides a better and more detailed understanding of the complexity of LSA but also contributes to the development of authenticity theory by responding to individual authenticity studies.

本文旨在研究旅游直播电商中主播真实性对旅游购买意向的影响, 及其内在机制和边界条件。

本文采用问卷调查的方法收集451名参与者的数据。然后用结构方程模型（SEM）对收集的数据进行分析。

本文发现, 主播真实性的四个维度–真诚性、真实背书、专业性和独特性–对购买意愿有积极影响, 而主播的透明性没有影响。此外, 真诚性、真实背书和独特性通过心流体验对购买意愿产生间接影响, 此外真诚性、真实背书、专业性和独特性还通过感知信任产生间接影响。此外, 自我建构调节了真诚性和真实背书对购买意向的影响。对于依赖型自我建构, 真诚性和真实背书对购买意愿的影响更强。

本文是最早探讨主播真实性维度及其后果影响的研究之一。本文不仅对主播真实性的复杂性有了更好更详细的了解, 而且响应了对个体真实性研究的呼吁, 为真实性理论的发展做出了贡献。

Este artículo explora el impacto de la autenticidad del streamer en la intención de compra en la retransmisión en directo de comercio electrónico turístico, centrándose en las limitaciones y los procesos subyacentes.

Se analizaron los datos recopilados de 451 participantes utilizando un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM).

Este trabajo halló que cuatro dimensiones de la autenticidad de los streamers en directo -la sinceridad, el respaldo a la veracidad, la pericia y la singularidad- influían positivamente en la intención de compra, mientras que la visibilidad no lo hacía. Además, la sinceridad, el respaldo de veracidad y la singularidad influyeron indirectamente en la intención de compra a través de la experiencia de flujo, mientras que la sinceridad, el respaldo de veracidad, la pericia y la singularidad tuvieron un efecto indirecto a través de la confianza percibida. Además, la autoconstrucción moderó el efecto de la sinceridad y el respaldo de veracidad sobre la intención de compra, siendo el efecto positivo más fuerte para la autoconstrucción dependiente.

Es el primer estudio que examina las dimensiones de la autenticidad de los retransmisores en directo y sus consecuencias. Este trabajo no sólo proporciona una comprensión mejor y más detallada de la complejidad de la autenticidad de los streamers en directo, sino que también contribuye al desarrollo de la teoría de la autenticidad al responder a los estudios sobre autenticidad individual.

Drawing on power approach-inhibition theory, this study develops a conditional indirect effect model to explore how team vertical leader position and expert power indirectly impact members’ shared leadership through vertical leader’s empowering behaviors.

Multi-source data was collected using a field survey research design. The final sample includes 944 employees in 164 teams from 14 companies in China.

This study found that the interaction of team vertical leader position power and expert power was positively related to their empowering behaviors, which in turn were positively associated with shared leadership. Moreover, our post hoc-analysis revealed the moderating effect of team power distance orientation on the relationship between vertical leader empowering behaviors and shared leadership.

This study sheds light on shared leadership literature by examining vertical leader position and expert power as antecedents. We also offer new directions for exploring how power functions by discussing leadership through the lens of power approach-inhibition theory.

Integrating additive manufacturing (AM) tools in traditional mold-making provides complex yet affordable sand molds and cores. AM processes such as selective laser sintering (SLS) and Binder jetting three-dimensional printing (BJ3DP) are widely used for patternless sand mold and core production. This study aims to perform an in-depth literature review to understand the current status, determine research gaps and propose future research directions. In addition, obtain valuable insights into authors, organizations, countries, keywords, documents, sources and cited references, sources and authors.

This study followed the systematic literature review (SLR) to gather relevant rapid sand casting (RSC) documents via Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO databases. Furthermore, bibliometrics was performed via the Visualization of Similarities (VOSviewer) software.

An evaluation of 116 documents focused primarily on commercial AM setups and process optimization of the SLS. Process optimization studies the effects of AM processes, their input parameters, scanning approaches, sand types and the integration of computer-aided design in AM on the properties of sample. The authors performed detailed bibliometrics of 80 out of 120 documents via VOSviewer software.

This review focuses primarily on the SLS AM process.

A SLR and bibliometrics using VOSviewer software for patternless sand mold and core production via the AM process.

This study aims to investigate dynamic relations among office property price indices of 10 major cities in China for the years 2005–2021.

Using monthly data, the authors adopt vector error correction modeling and the directed acyclic graph for the characterization of contemporaneous causality among the 10 indices.

The PC algorithm identifies the causal pattern, and the linear non-Gaussian acyclic model algorithm further determines the causal path from which we perform innovation accounting analysis. Sophisticated price dynamics are found in price adjustment processes following price shocks, which are generally dominated by the top tier of cities.

This suggests that policies on office property prices, in the long run, might need to be planned with particular attention paid to the top tier of cities.

Nanotechnology (NT) advancements in personal protective textiles (PPT) or personal protective equipment (PPE) have alleviated spread and transmission of this highly contagious viral disease, and enabled enhancement of PPE, thereby fortifying antiviral behavior.

Review of a series of state of the art research papers on the subject matter.

This paper expounds on novel nanotechnological advancements in polymeric textile composites, emerging applications and fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

As a panacea to “public droplet prevention,” textiles have proven to be potentially effective as environmental droplet barriers (EDBs).

PPT in form of healthcare materials including surgical face masks (SFMs), gloves, goggles, respirators, gowns, uniforms, scrub-suits and other apparels play critical role in hindering the spreading of COVID-19 and other “oral-respiratory droplet contamination” both within and outside hospitals.

When used as double-layers, textiles display effectiveness as SFMs or surgical-fabrics, which reduces droplet transmission to <10 cm, within circumference of ∼0.3%.

NT advancements in textiles through nanoparticles, and sensor integration within textile materials have enhanced versatile sensory capabilities, robotics, flame retardancy, self-cleaning, electrical conductivity, flexibility and comfort, thereby availing it for health, medical, sporting, advanced engineering, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, military, automobile, food and agricultural applications, and more. Therefore, this paper expounds on recently emerging trends in nanotechnological influence in textiles for engineering and fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Drawing on power approach-inhibition theory, this study aims to theorize a cross-level model to examine how team member personal power (i.e. expert power and referent power) impacts shared leadership through activating their taking charge behaviors in R&D teams, as well as the moderating effect of team learning orientation on the relationship between team member taking charge behaviors and shared leadership.

With multisource data collected from 264 employees in 58 R&D teams from 13 companies, this study tested the hypotheses of the cross-level theoretical model using Mplus 7.4.

The results showed that team member expert power was positively related to their taking charge behaviors, which in turn led to shared leadership, while team member referent power was not significantly related to their taking charge behaviors. Furthermore, the positive relationship between team member taking charge behaviors and shared leadership was strengthened by team learning orientation.

This paper offers suggestions regarding how vertical leaders should pay attention to team member power to promote their change-oriented taking charge behaviors and address team learning to strengthen the effect of team member taking charge behaviors on shared leadership.

By echoing the changing focus towards a shared leading process among team members in leadership literature, this paper provides important insights for both scholars and practitioners to understand the role that power plays in activating team member taking charge behaviors which in turn improves shared leadership.