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Robot vision is a fundamental device for human–robot interaction and robot complex tasks. In this paper, the authors aim to use Kinect and propose a feature graph fusion (FGF) for robot recognition.

The feature fusion utilizes red green blue (RGB) and depth information to construct fused feature from Kinect. FGF involves multi-Jaccard similarity to compute a robust graph and word embedding method to enhance the recognition results.

The authors also collect DUT RGB-Depth (RGB-D) face data set and a benchmark data set to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of this method. The experimental results illustrate that FGF is robust and effective to face and object data sets in robot applications.

The authors first utilize Jaccard similarity to construct a graph of RGB and depth images, which indicates the similarity of pair-wise images. Then, fusion feature of RGB and depth images can be computed by the Extended Jaccard Graph using word embedding method. The FGF can get better performance and efficiency in RGB-D sensor for robots.

Complex system modeling requires not only understanding of modeling framework but also domain knowledge of the system. The purpose of this paper is to present an approach which separates the domain knowledge from the modeling framework with different views.

By establishing the mechanism of association and fusion among the views, the description and characterization of system from different aspect and point of view can form a complete system model. Based on the approach, a modeling and simulation (M&S) platform named SimFaster is developed. Modeling environment and simulation engine are the most important parts of the platform. The modeling environment provides multi‐views and multi‐layers to help the developers to modeling the structure, layers, composition, behavior, and interactions of an application system. The simulation engine provides mechanism of integration and interaction for components and objects, and provides runtime support for the concepts and terms from modeling environment. The simulation engine organizes the objects in the memory of distributed system as reflective object database system, so it is repository centered architecturally.

Based on the approach of multi‐views modeling, the platform is a flexible framework and supports top‐down design, model reuse and interoperation, dynamic refinement of models, corporative design among different users in different stages, and the rebuilt of application rapidly.

This paper deals with high‐level models of the complex systems.

This platform helps to design, modeling, and simulation complex system (especially for weapon combat system). It can participate into all the stages of the development of complex product/system, and can support the validation, refinement, optimization of models, and systems.

This paper presents a multi‐views modeling approach for the modeling of complex system.

The purpose of this study is to develop an output model to extract surface microstructure characteristics of different objects, so as to predict the response of the output voltage obtained from tactile texture sensor.

The model is based on the consideration of the inverse-magnetostrictive effect, the flexure mode, the linear constitutive equations and the strain principle.

This research predicts and investigates the effect of the texture properties on the tactile texture sensor output characteristics.

The surface texture characteristic is regarded to be important information to evaluate and recognize the object.

This study aims to reveal the room-temperature effect of a superconducting gravimeter prototype, which will guide its subsequent optimization to improve its gravimetric measurement accuracy.

Without leveling, the prototype output signal, tilt data and room temperature were measured under steady operating conditions. After analyzing the correlations of the three data sets, the residuals of the prototype’s output signal were compensated using the tilt data and the geodynamic effects (ocean tide loading, atmospheric loading and the gravitational effect of polar motion) were then corrected.

The remaining residuals after correction may be caused by small tilt variations that are due to the sensor chamber temperature and radiation shield temperature changes. These small tilt variations were submerged in the tilt signal noise. Although the peak-to-peak noise of the tiltmeter does not exceed 15 µrad, it can still produce gravimetric deviations above 60 µGal when the prototype is significantly tilted.

This study analyzes in detail the room-temperature effect of a superconducting gravimeter prototype, introduces the tilt effect of the relative gravimeters to compensate for the gravimetric deviations and emphasizes that the improvement of fine leveling and the accuracy of the tiltmeter are key requirements for the prototype to perform high-accuracy gravity measurement tasks.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the combustion characteristics, including the combustion pressure, heat release rate (HRR), coefficient of variation (COV) of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), flame development period and combustion duration, of aviation kerosene fuel, namely, rocket propellant 3 (RP-3), and gasoline on a two-stoke spark ignition engine.

This paper is an experimental investigation using a bench test to reflect the combustion performance of two-stroke spark ignition unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) engine on gasoline and RP-3 fuel.

Under low load conditions, the combustion performance and HRR of burning RP-3 fuel were shown to be worse than those of gasoline. Under high load conditions, the average IMEP and the COV of IMEP of burning RP-3 fuel were close to those of gasoline. The difference in the flame development period between gasoline and RP-3 fuel was similar.

Gasoline fuel has a low flash point, high-saturated vapour pressure and relatively high volatility and is a potential hazard near a naked flame at room temperature, which can create significant security risks for its storage, transport and use. Adopting a low volatility single RP-3 fuel of covering all vehicles and equipment to minimize the number of different devices with the use of a various fuels and improve the application safeties.

Most two-stroke spark ignition UAV engines continue to combust gasoline. A kerosene-based fuel operation can be applied to achieve a single-fuel policy.

Users often struggle to select choosing among similar online services. To help them make informed decisions, it is important to establish a service reputation measurement mechanism. User-provided feedback ratings serve as a primary source of information for this mechanism, and ensuring the credibility of user feedback is crucial for a reliable reputation measurement. Most of the previous studies use passive detection to identify false feedback without creating incentives for honest reporting. Therefore, this study aims to develop a reputation measure for online services that can provide incentives for users to report honestly.

In this paper, the authors present a method that uses a peer prediction mechanism to evaluate user credibility, which evaluates users’ credibility with their reports by applying the strictly proper scoring rule. Considering the heterogeneity among users, the authors measure user similarity, identify similar users as peers to assess credibility and calculate service reputation using an improved expectation-maximization algorithm based on user credibility.

Theoretical analysis and experimental results verify that the proposed method motivates truthful reporting, effectively identifies malicious users and achieves high service rating accuracy.

The proposed method has significant practical value in evaluating the authenticity of user feedback and promoting honest reporting.

Smart card-based E-payment systems are receiving increasing attention as the number of implementations is witnessed on the rise globally. Understanding of user adoption behavior of E-payment systems that employ smart card technology becomes a research area that is of particular value and interest to both IS researchers and professionals. However, research interest focuses mostly on why a smart card-based E-payment system results in a failure or how the system could have grown into a success. This signals the fact that researchers have not had much opportunity to critically review a smart card-based E-payment system that has gained wide support and overcome the hurdle of critical mass adoption. The Octopus in Hong Kong has provided a rare opportunity for investigating smart card-based E-payment system because of its unprecedented success. This research seeks to thoroughly analyze the Octopus from technology adoption behavior perspectives.

Cultural impacts on adoption behavior are one of the key areas that this research posits to investigate. Since the present research is conducted in Hong Kong where a majority of population is Chinese ethnicity and yet is westernized in a number of aspects, assuming that users in Hong Kong are characterized by eastern or western culture is less useful. Explicit cultural characteristics at individual level are tapped into here instead of applying generalization of cultural beliefs to users to more accurately reflect cultural bias. In this vein, the technology acceptance model (TAM) is adapted, extended, and tested for its applicability cross-culturally in Hong Kong on the Octopus. Four cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede are included in this study, namely uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and Confucian Dynamism (long-term orientation), to explore their influence on usage behavior through the mediation of perceived usefulness.

TAM is also integrated with the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) to borrow two constructs in relation to innovative characteristics, namely relative advantage and compatibility, in order to enhance the explanatory power of the proposed research model. Besides, the normative accountability of the research model is strengthened by embracing two social influences, namely subjective norm and image. As the last antecedent to perceived usefulness, prior experience serves to bring in the time variation factor to allow level of prior experience to exert both direct and moderating effects on perceived usefulness.

The resulting research model is analyzed by partial least squares (PLS)-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The research findings reveal that all cultural dimensions demonstrate direct effect on perceived usefulness though the influence of uncertainty avoidance is found marginally significant. Other constructs on innovative characteristics and social influences are validated to be significant as hypothesized. Prior experience does indeed significantly moderate the two influences that perceived usefulness receives from relative advantage and compatibility, respectively. The research model has demonstrated convincing explanatory power and so may be employed for further studies in other contexts. In particular, cultural effects play a key role in contributing to the uniqueness of the model, enabling it to be an effective tool to help critically understand increasingly internationalized IS system development and implementation efforts. This research also suggests several practical implications in view of the findings that could better inform managerial decisions for designing, implementing, or promoting smart card-based E-payment system.

Prior investigations concerning misalignment resulting from journal deformation typically relied on predefined misaligned angles. Nevertheless, scant attention has been devoted to the determination of these misaligned angles. Furthermore, existing studies commonly treat the journal as rigid under such circumstances. Therefore, the present study aims to introduce a framework for determining misaligned angles and to compare outcomes between rigid and flexible journal configurations.

The bearing forces are considered as an external load leading to journal deformation. This deformation is calculated using the finite element method. The pressure distribution producing the bearing force is solved using the finite difference method. The mesh grids in the finite element and finite difference methods are matched for coupling calculation. By iteration, the pressure distribution of the lubricant film at the equilibrium position is determined.

Results show that the deformation-induced misalignment has a significant influence on the performance of the bearing when the journal flexibility is taken into account. The parametric study reveals that the misalignment relies on system parameters such as bearing length-diameter ratio and static load.

The investigation of this work provides a quantification method of misalignment of hydrodynamic bearings considering the elastic deformation of the journal, which assists in the design of bearing in a rotor-bearing system.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2023-0337/

This study aims to understand Chinese consumers’ perceived barriers to using peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 and the negotiation strategies they applied in overcoming the barriers and enabling consumption.

A qualitative research design with 28 semi-structured interviews was used. Data were analysed by content analysis.

Five psychological barriers and four functional barriers were found to inhibit consumers from using P2P accommodation both before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. In overcoming the perceived barriers, consumers applied both behavioural negotiation strategies, including seeking information, behavioural adaptation, selective choice and seeking social support, and cognitive negotiation strategies, including cognitive adaptation and trusting agents. COVID-19 was found to serve as both a barrier and a facilitator for using P2P accommodation. A barriers–negotiation framework was developed in the context.

Theoretically, this study advances consumer resistance and perceived barriers literature by integrating negotiation and developing a barriers–negotiation framework of P2P accommodation usage. This study also offers insights for practitioners in the P2P accommodation industry.

This study showcases the role of negotiation in understanding barriers to using P2P accommodation, paving the way to extend relevant knowledge to advance consumer resistance research, which is an emerging topic in the broader management domain.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of rotational speed on the oil film stability of the hydrostatic rotary table having double rectangular oil pads. The oil film stability is evaluated based on the oil film stiffness under constant load condition and the displacement response amplitude of the oil film under disturbance load condition.

The oil film stability theoretical equations of the double rectangular oil cavity are deduced such as oil film stiffness, damping and dynamic equations. A simulation model is developed to analyze the relationship among oil film temperature, oil film pressure fields and oil film stability. The user-defined function programs are used to control the rotational speed, lubricant viscosity and oil film thickness during the simulation. In addition, an experimental rig is built to test the simulation results.

This study shows that oil film stability decreases with increasing rotational speed under constant load and disturbance load. The trend of oil film stability decreased slowly within 30 r/min, and then rapidly. However, since the hydrodynamic pressure effect, the decrease rate of stability is mitigated under constant load and high rotational speeds.

The conclusions can provide a theoretical basis for improving the oil film stability of machines with similar hydrostatic support structure.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-07-2024-0267/