Pei Jia, Huosheng H. Hu, Tao Lu and Kui Yuan
This paper presents a novel hands‐free control system for intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) based on visual recognition of head gestures.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a novel hands‐free control system for intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) based on visual recognition of head gestures.
Design/methodology/approach
A robust head gesture‐based interface (HGI), is designed for head gesture recognition of the RoboChair user. The recognised gestures are used to generate motion control commands to the low‐level DSP motion controller so that it can control the motion of the RoboChair according to the user's intention. Adaboost face detection algorithm and Camshift object tracking algorithm are combined in our system to achieve accurate face detection, tracking and gesture recognition in real time. It is intended to be used as a human‐friendly interface for elderly and disabled people to operate our intelligent wheelchair using their head gestures rather than their hands.
Findings
This is an extremely useful system for the users who have restricted limb movements caused by some diseases such as Parkinson's disease and quadriplegics.
Practical implications
In this paper, a novel integrated approach to real‐time face detection, tracking and gesture recognition is proposed, namely HGI.
Originality/value
It is an useful human‐robot interface for IWs.
Details
Keywords
Yicheng Liang, Marcus W. Feldman, Shuzhuo Li and Gretchen C. Daily
The aim of this paper is to address a local separability character partly identified by non‐farm participation behaviors in the context of multiple market imperfections.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to address a local separability character partly identified by non‐farm participation behaviors in the context of multiple market imperfections.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper develops a model to analyze agricultural household's non‐farm participation based on heterogeneous asset endowments. The model is applied to recent data from Zhouzhi, a mountainous county in rural western China.
Findings
The paper shows that human capital, social capital and other capital assets have significant but different effects on the agricultural household's participation in non‐farm activities, and they help to break down non‐farm labor constraints. Nonseparability holds only for those households unable to participate in non‐farm activities due to poor asset endowments.
Originality/value
The agricultural household model developed in this paper and its application in China provide insights into theory and empirical analysis of agricultural households' behavior and rural development.
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Xiwei Wang, Dan Zhao, Mengqing Yang, Lian Duan, Meng Meng Xiang and Qiuyan Guo
This study aims to improve disaster management. Social media, particularly microblog, has become a new platform for public opinion dissemination. However, few studies have been…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to improve disaster management. Social media, particularly microblog, has become a new platform for public opinion dissemination. However, few studies have been conducted to explore the structure of public opinions, the approaches for facilitating the spread of public opinions and the results of public opinion dissemination in the context of mobile internet for the purpose of improving disaster management.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper chooses Ebola as the research topic and extracts 14,735 Ebola-related data items from Sina Microblogs to examine the information nodes of public opinion and the characteristics of propagation paths on mobile internet. Particularly, nodes of public opinion between mobile terminals and non-mobile terminals are compared.
Findings
The results of this paper reveal the characteristics of public opinion propagation on mobile internet and verify the effectiveness of public opinion propagation on mobile internet. This study shows that public opinions propagate quickly, widely and efficiently and further generate great impacts on mobile internet.
Research limitations/implications
The methods used in this study can be useful for the government agencies and other relevant organizations to monitor public opinions, identify issues and problems proactively and develop strategies in a more efficient manner to improve disaster management.
Practical implications
The results of this paper are helpful for related departments to monitor public opinions and to further improve disaster management.
Originality/value
This paper explores the mechanism of public opinion dissemination on mobile internet and further investigates how to improve disaster management through a case study related to Ebola.
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Chenxia Zhou, Zhikun Jia, Shaobo Song, Shigang Luo, Xiaole Zhang, Xingfang Zhang, Xiaoyuan Pei and Zhiwei Xu
The aging and deterioration of engineering building structures present significant risks to both life and property. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, acclaimed for their…
Abstract
Purpose
The aging and deterioration of engineering building structures present significant risks to both life and property. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, acclaimed for their outstanding reusability, compact form factor, lightweight construction, heightened sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference and exceptional precision, are increasingly being adopted for structural health monitoring in engineering buildings. This research paper aims to evaluate the current challenges faced by FBG sensors in the engineering building industry. It also anticipates future advancements and trends in their development within this field.
Design/methodology/approach
This study centers on five pivotal sectors within the field of structural engineering: bridges, tunnels, pipelines, highways and housing construction. The research delves into the challenges encountered and synthesizes the prospective advancements in each of these areas.
Findings
The exceptional performance of FBG sensors provides an ideal solution for comprehensive monitoring of potential structural damages, deformations and settlements in engineering buildings. However, FBG sensors are challenged by issues such as limited monitoring accuracy, underdeveloped packaging techniques, intricate and time-intensive embedding processes, low survival rates and an indeterminate lifespan.
Originality/value
This introduces an entirely novel perspective. Addressing the current limitations of FBG sensors, this paper envisions their future evolution. FBG sensors are anticipated to advance into sophisticated multi-layer fiber optic sensing networks, each layer encompassing numerous channels. Data integration technologies will consolidate the acquired information, while big data analytics will identify intricate correlations within the datasets. Concurrently, the combination of finite element modeling and neural networks will enable a comprehensive simulation of the adaptability and longevity of FBG sensors in their operational environments.
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Yuan-pei Kuang, Jia-li Yang and Meseret-Chanie Abate
The multidimensional effects of farmland transfer in China have been profoundly unstudied. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the effects of the intermediary role…
Abstract
Purpose
The multidimensional effects of farmland transfer in China have been profoundly unstudied. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the effects of the intermediary role of agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) of farmland transfer on agricultural economic growth in China.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the agricultural data of 30 provinces in China over the period 2005–2018, this paper uses the intermediary effect model to test the relationship between farmland transfer, agricultural TFP and agricultural economic growth. This paper employed an intermediary effect test model to investigate the intermediary role of agricultural TFP in the influence of farmland transfer on agricultural economic growth.
Findings
The findings indicated that farmland transfer has a significant effect on promoting agricultural economic growth. There is a significant “inverted U-shaped” relationship between farmland transfer and agricultural TFP. The sample value of 84.3% of farmland transfers in China is still within the TFP promoting effect range. In addition, farmland transfer has an indirect impact on agricultural economic growth through the channel of agricultural TFP. Agricultural TFP plays a significant intermediary role, but the effect is relatively low
Originality/value
This paper is the first to provide fundamental evidence on the impact of farmland transfers on agricultural economic growth in China, driven by agricultural TFP as an intermediary factor. Agricultural TFP can reduce the involution effect of farmland transfer and promote an indirect effect on agricultural economic growth.
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Keywords
Lei Wei, Pan Xie, Jing Guang Hu, Zhen Hao Zeng, Pei Yang, Feihui Yang, Jia Jun He and Song Chen
The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between high temperature oxidation and temperature rise rate of engine oil attempted to explore a new indicator to evaluate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between high temperature oxidation and temperature rise rate of engine oil attempted to explore a new indicator to evaluate oil degradation.
Design/methodology/approach
Accelerated oxidation test combined with molecular simulation and road test is carried out in this paper. The temperature rise characteristics of mineral oil and synthetic oil under different oxidation temperatures (140°C, 155°C and 170°C) and time (50 h, 100 h, 150 h and 200 h) were determined by accelerated oxidation. The mechanism of temperature change characteristics of used oils was analyzed with molecular simulation. Two experimental vehicles carried six road tests with synthetic and mineral oil.
Findings
The results of this study show that the temperature rise rate of oxidized mineral and synthetic oil is higher than the new oil. The temperature rise rate is proportional to the oxidation time and oxidation temperature. The synthetic engine oil temperature rise rate is lower than that of the mineral engine oil. The same result was obtained in road tests. Molecular simulation verifies that small molecules were generated after oil oxidation which results in intermolecular friction and increased heat generation.
Originality/value
This paper indicates that temperature rise rate has potential to be taken as an indicator to evaluate oil oxidation which provides a new way for engine oil analysis.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-05-2024-0177/
Details
Keywords
Szu-Yu Kuo, Ya-Ling Kao, Jia-Wei Tang and Pei-Hsuan Tsai
Given the increasing intensity of highly competitive markets, this study aims to evaluate the effect of salespeople's emotional regulation, adaptive selling and customer-oriented…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the increasing intensity of highly competitive markets, this study aims to evaluate the effect of salespeople's emotional regulation, adaptive selling and customer-oriented behavior on sales performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A research model was tested by using a sample of 288 respondents from the logistics industry in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between emotional regulation, adaptive selling, job resourcefulness, customer-oriented behavior and sales performance.
Findings
The results indicate that emotional regulation, adaptive selling and job resourcefulness can improve customer-oriented behavior, and that customer-oriented behavior and job resourcefulness can enhance sales performance. By highlighting the role of job resourcefulness, the authors find a positive moderating effect among these four dimensions.
Originality/value
The findings can help salespeople integrate customer-oriented behaviors into strategic changes to regulate their own emotions and those of others to productively address and resolve difficult business conditions. The theoretical and managerial implications of this work's contributions to international logistics are also discussed.
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Jia Chen Tu, Xiao Ming Qian and Pei Huang Lou
The paper aims to propose general design rules and route plan for automated guided vehicle system (AGVS). The AGVS is applied to automated meter verification areas through a case…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to propose general design rules and route plan for automated guided vehicle system (AGVS). The AGVS is applied to automated meter verification areas through a case study of meter verification shop floor to verify the feasibility.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper gives an appropriate route design for AGVS and proposes an optimized strategy for designed routes and a control system to manage traffic conflict.
Findings
This case study indicates that the application of AGVS can highly improve the efficiency of manufacturing and production. Besides, a reasonable transportation plan is beneficial in making the system run smoothly and in cutting conveying time.
Practical implications
The application of AGVS integrates a variety of advanced technologies (i.e. information technology, artificial intelligence, etc.) into the electricity meter verification system, which brings great economic and social benefits via enhancing the verification efficiency and reducing the total labor costs.
Originality/value
The application proposed in the paper solves the problem that the verification almost relies on workers, labor intensity is high and work efficiency is hard to improve. Furthermore, the general rules and strategies of AGVS transportation can be applied not only to the automated electricity meter verification but also in other industrial areas.
Details
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Xu Jia, Yang Ou Xiang, Hu Yuan Pei and Song Wei
The investigations could guide the structural design and fatigue life prediction of air-conditioning compressor valve plates.
Abstract
Purpose
The investigations could guide the structural design and fatigue life prediction of air-conditioning compressor valve plates.
Design/methodology/approach
The High-Cycle Fatigue (HCF) and Very-High-Cycle Fatigue (VHCF) behaviors of stainless steel used for air-conditioning compressor valve plates were investigated. Monotonic and cyclic loading conditions were designed to explore the fatigue responses according to the load characteristics of the structure.
Findings
The crack initiation can be observed as the arc-shaped cracks at both sides of specimens and Y-shaped crack bifurcation in the specimens. Moreover, the middle section and the cracks at both ends are not connected to the surface of the specimen. The stress-life results of the materials under two directions (vertical and horizontal) were provided to examine the difference in fatigue strength.
Originality/value
Monotonic and cyclic loading conditions were designed to explore the fatigue responses according to the load characteristics of the structure. Based on the experimental data, the results indicate that specimens under cyclic loading conditions could demonstrate better mechanical performance than static loadings.
Details
Keywords
Ya-Peng Jia, Wan-Chang Sun, Yan Xiao, Jing-Pei Liu, Cong-Xiao Zhang, Tong-Qiang Zhang and Ze-Feng Hou
This paper aims to research the effect of different concentrations for Nd(NO3)3 and Ce(NO3)3 on the microstructures and corrosion resistance of Ni-W-P composite coatings through…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to research the effect of different concentrations for Nd(NO3)3 and Ce(NO3)3 on the microstructures and corrosion resistance of Ni-W-P composite coatings through electroless plating method.
Design/methodology/approach
Scanning electron microscope, attached energy dispersive spectroscopy system and X-ray diffraction were used in this work. Meanwhile, the immersion test and electrochemical tests were used to characterize the corrosion behavior of the coating.
Findings
The coatings prepared at 1.00 g·L−1 Nd(NO3)3 exhibit a dense structure and high phosphorus content (12.38 wt.%). In addition, compared to the addition of Ce(NO3)3, when Nd(NO3)3 was introduced at a concentration of 1.00 g·L−1, the minimum corrosion rate of the coating was 1.209 g·m−2·h−1, with a noble Ecorr (−0.29 V) and lower Icorr (8.29 × 10−4 A·cm−2).
Originality/value
The effects of rare earths on the deposition and corrosion resistance mechanisms of Ni-W-P composite coatings were explored, with the rare earth elements promoting the deposition of nickel and tungsten atoms. Simultaneously, the amorphization of the coating increases, which excellently enhances the corrosion resistance of the coating.