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The purpose of this paper is to present an algorithm for an additive/subtractive rapid pattern manufacturing (RPM) process where thick slabs of material are sequentially stacked and then cut to 3D shapes. Unlike traditional rapid prototyping processes where layer thickness is typically uniform, this process is able to vary the layer thickness in order to most effectively generate feature shapes.

This paper discusses the factors affecting layer thickness decisions and then presents an algorithm to determine layer thicknesses for a given part model. The system is designed to import a computer‐aided design file and use the algorithm to automatically generate the set of layers based on the slab height, material and bonding properties and the process parameters used in the system.

The layer thickness algorithm is implemented and tested using an additive/subtractive manufacturing system developed in the laboratory. The algorithm has proved effective in determining appropriate layer heights for thick slab machining, taking into account a variety of geometries. Several sand casting patterns have been successfully created using the proposed system, which could significantly improve traditional sand casting pattern manufacturing.

The proposed RPM process is a new process presented by the authors, developed for rapid sand castings. The layer thickness algorithm is an original contribution that enables automatic process planning for this new process.

This paper aims to explore the impact of a firm’s political connections on its economic value added (EVA) performance while treating connection heterogeneity and product diversification as moderators.

Based on data collected from 1,143 Chinese manufacturing listed firms in China’s A-share market from 2012 to 2017, this study conducted panel data analysis to investigate proposed relationships.

The findings provide evidence that political connections promote EVA performance of enterprises and both connection heterogeneity and product diversification negatively moderate the political connections – EVA performance relationship.

Drawing sights from the resource-based view, this study investigates the influence of corporate political connections on EVA performance, considering contingent factors of connection heterogeneity and corporate strategy (i.e. product diversification). It, thus, contributes to the literature on political connections by providing additional evidence to explaining the inconclusive findings on the political connections–firm performance relationship and extending prior research by emphasizing the moderating roles of connection heterogeneity and corporate strategy. It also complements prior research on EVA performance by exploring its antecedents.

Examines the fifteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Anti-epidemic Emergency Projects (AEEPs) have unique characteristics such as a short construction period, high-quality requirements, complex construction environment, many construction participants and many uncertain affecting factors. The purpose of this paper was to propose the establishment method for the Construction Community (CC) of AEEPs (CC-AEEPs) by analyzing the management features of AEEPs, to establish the method of the Social Network Analysis (SNA) for CC-AEEPs, and to apply this method and the framework to Wuhan Huoshenshan Hospital for their verification.

According to the CC theory, this paper explored the member composition and the establishment method for CC-AEEPs. The optimal management factors of CC-AEEPs were proposed by combining the management features of AEEPs and the SNA method for CC-AEEPs was further established. Finally, the applicability of the method was verified through a case study, and some countermeasures for the CC-AEEP social networks were proposed.

The establishment of CC-AEEPs is an important guarantee to complete AEEPs with top speed and high quality. Ten types of CC-AEEP members all played different but irreplaceable roles in cooperative construction, among which the Government, the Contractor, and the Supervisor had outstanding performances. The SNA method could effectively analyze the complexity and cooperative relationship among the members in four aspects. The case study of Huoshenshan Hospital validated the important role of CC-AEEP and its social network in the AEEP research providing beneficial enlightenment for the cooperative optimization path of the AEEP construction participants.

The new establishment method for CC-AEEPs was proposed from the perspective of “cooperation among human, society, and engineering” according to the theories of the engineering sociology and the CC. In this paper, the SNA method was applied to the research on the AEEP construction for the first time and the SNA method for CC-AEEPs was purposed. The optimal management factors of CC-AEEPs and the expansion path of the CC-AEEP social networks were proposed according to the whole-process tracking of AEEPs in Wuhan.

This paper aims to examine mixed methods research (MMR) that appeared in eight tourism and hospitality journals (“Annals of Tourism Research”, “Tourism Management”, “Journal of Travel Research”, “Journal of Sustainable Tourism”, “International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management”, “International Journal of Hospitality Management”, “Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management” and “Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research”) from 1998 to 2019.

This review paper was a mixed methods design and was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, a content analysis was performed to determine if each article could be classified as non-empirical, qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In the second phase, descriptive statistics was used to present the number and characteristics of MMR articles. In the third phase, the contributions of MMR to addressing particular issues in tourism and hospitality studies were investigated.

This study identified 753 mixed methods articles, wherein 482 articles (64%) were published in the chosen tourism publication outlets and 271 (36%) in the chosen hospitality publication outlets. MMR studies having a dominant focus on specific methods (459 articles; 61%) outnumbered those having an equal focus on the qualitative and quantitative parts (294 articles; 39%). In case one method was dominant, this was typically the quantitative. Sequential data collection was prevalent in most of the cases (94.2%). The contributions of MMR to addressing generic and specific research problems were also analyzed.

This is the first comparison of MMR in major tourism and hospitality journals.

Under the global climate change, carbon footprint has become a hot issue at home and abroad. However, there is no consensus on the concept, measurement and application of carbon footprint.

In this paper, first, the concept and connotation of carbon footprint are reviewed; then, different methods of carbon footprint measurement are compared, and it is found that “bottom-up” life cycle assessment and “top-down” input–output analysis are applicable to different research scales.

Finally, the problems in the process of carbon footprint assessment in textile industry are analyzed and further research directions are proposed.

Analyzed and further research directions are proposed.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a human activity-aware adaptive shared control solution for human–robot interaction in surgical operation. Hands-on control and teleoperation are two main procedures switched frequently in teleoperated minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The detailed human activity in the procedures can be defined and recognized using the sensor information. In this paper, a novel continuous adaptive shared control method is proposed for manipulators with Cartesian impedance control in the surgical scenario.

A human activity-aware shared control solution by adjusting the weight function is introduced to achieve smooth transition among different human activities, including hands-on control and teleoperation. Instead of introducing various controllers and switching among them during the surgical procedures, the proposed solution integrated all the human activity-based controllers into a single controller and the transition among the procedures is smooth and stable. The effectiveness of the proposed control approach was verified in a lab setup environment. The results prove that the robot behavior is stable and smooth. The algorithm is feasible and can achieve a human activity-aware adaptive shared control solution for human–robot interaction in surgical operation.

Based on the experiment, the results confirm that the proposed human activity-aware adaptive shared control solution can switch the device behavior automatically using the real-time sensor information. The transition between different activities is smooth and stable.

For teleoperated surgical applications, the proposed method integrated different controllers for various human activities into a single controller by recognizing the activities using the real-time sensor information and the transition between different procedures is smooth and stable. It eases the surgical work for the surgeon and enhances the safety during the transition of control modes. The presented scheme provides a general solution to address the switching of working procedures in teleoperated MIS.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to propose human activity-aware adaptive shared control solution for human–robot interaction in surgical operations.

This paper aims to propose a diverless weld bead maintenance welding technology to prevent the leakage of subsea oil and gas pipeline and solve the key problems in the maintenance of subsea pipeline.

Based on the analysis of the cross-section of the fillet weld, the multi-layer and multi-pass welding path planning of the submarine pipeline sleeve fillet weld is studied, and thus a multi-layer and multi-pass welding path planning strategy is proposed. A welding seam filling method is designed, and the end position of the welding gun is planned, which provides a theoretical basis for the motion control of the maintenance system.

The trajectory planning and adjustment of multi-layer and multi-pass fillet welding and the motion stability control of the rotating mechanism are realized.

It provides the basis for the prototype design of the submarine pipeline maintenance and welding robot system, and also lays the foundation for the in-depth research on the intelligent maintenance system of submarine pipeline.

The maintenance of diverless subsea pipeline is a new type of maintenance method, which can solve the problem of large amount of subsea maintenance work with high efficiency.

Examines the fourteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the seventeenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.