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Context-awareness has emerged as an important principle in the design of flexible business processes. The goal of the research is to develop an approach to extend context-aware business process modeling toward location-awareness. The purpose of this paper is to identify and conceptualize location-dependencies in process modeling.

This paper uses a pattern-based approach to identify location-dependency in process models. The authors design specifications for these patterns. The authors present illustrative examples and evaluate the identified patterns through a literature review of published process cases.

This paper introduces location-awareness as a new perspective to extend context-awareness in BPM research, by introducing relevant location concepts such as location-awareness and location-dependencies. The authors identify five basic location-dependent control-flow patterns that can be captured in process models. And the authors identify location-dependencies in several existing case studies of business processes.

The authors focus exclusively on the control-flow perspective of process models. Further work needs to extend the research to address location-dependencies in process data or resources. Further empirical work is needed to explore determinants and consequences of the modeling of location-dependencies.

As existing literature mostly focusses on the broad context of business process, location in process modeling still is treated as “second class citizen” in theory and in practice. This paper discusses the vital role of location-dependencies within business processes. The proposed five basic location-dependent control-flow patterns are novel and useful to explain location-dependency in business process models. They provide a conceptual basis for further exploration of location-awareness in the management of business processes.

This study aims to improve the corrosion resistance of TA2-welded joints by superhydrophobic surface modification using micro-arc oxidation technology and low surface energy substance modification.

The microstructure and chemical state of the superhydrophobic film layer were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, three-dimensional morphology, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. The influence of the superhydrophobic film layer on the corrosion resistance of TA2-welded joints was investigated using classical electrochemical testing methods.

The characterization results showed that the super hydrophobic TiO₂ ceramic membrane was successfully constructed on the surface of the TA2-welded joint, and the construction of the super hydrophobic film greatly improved the corrosion resistance of the TA2-welded joint.

The superhydrophobic TiO₂ ceramic membrane has excellent corrosion resistance. The micro nanostructure in the superhydrophobic film can intercept air to form an air layer to prevent the corrosion medium from contacting the surface, thus, improving the corrosion resistance of the sample.

This study aims to assess the default risk of borrowers in peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platforms. The authors propose a novel default risk classification model based on data cleaning and feature extraction, which increases risk assessment accuracy.

The authors use borrower data from the Lending Club and propose the risk assessment model based on low-rank representation (LRR) and discriminant analysis. Firstly, the authors use three LRR models to clean the high-dimensional borrower data by removing outliers and noise, and then the authors adopt a discriminant analysis algorithm to reduce the dimension of the cleaned data. In the dimension-reduced feature space, machine learning classifiers including the k-nearest neighbour, support vector machine and artificial neural network are used to assess and classify default risks.

The results reveal significant noise and redundancy in the borrower data. LRR models can effectively clean such data, particularly the two LRR models with local manifold regularisation. In addition, the supervised discriminant analysis model, termed the local Fisher discriminant analysis model, can extract low-dimensional and discriminative features, which further increases the accuracy of the final risk assessment models.

The originality of this study is that it proposes a novel default risk assessment model, based on data cleaning and feature extraction, for P2P online lending platforms. The proposed approach is innovative and efficient in the P2P online lending field.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the galvanic corrosion behavior of a simulated X80 pipeline steel welded joint (PSWJ) reconstructed by the wire beam electrode (WBE) and numerical simulation methods.

The galvanic corrosion of an X80 PSWJ was studied using WBE and numerical simulation methods. The microstructures of the coarse-grained heat affected zone, fine-grained heat affected zone and intercritical heat affected zone were simulated in X80 pipeline steel via Gleeble thermomechanical simulation processing.

Comparing the corrosion current density of coupled and isolated weld metal (WM), base metal (BM) and heat-affected zone (HAZ), the coupled WM exhibited a higher corrosion current density than isolated WM; the coupled BM and HAZ exhibited lower corrosion current densities than isolated BM and HAZ. The results exhibited that the maximum anodic galvanic current fitted the Gumbel distribution. Moreover, the numerical simulation results agreed well with the experimental data.

This study provides insight into corrosion evaluation of heterogeneous welded joints by a combination of experiment and simulation. The method of reconstruction of the welded joint has been proven to be a feasible approach for studying the corrosion behavior of the X80 PSWJ with high spatial resolution.

Currently, the vision and depth information obtained from the eye-to-hand RGB-D camera can apply to the reconstruction of the three-dimensional (3D) environment for a robotic operation workspace. The reconstructed 3D space contributes to a symmetrical and equal observation view for robots and humans, which can be considered a digital twin (DT) environment. The purpose of this study is to enhance the robot skill in the physical workspace, although the artificial intelligence (AI) technique has high performance of the robotic operation in the known environments.

A multimodal interaction framework is proposed in DT operation environments.

A fast image-based target segmentation technique is combined in the 3D reconstruction of the robotic operation environment from the eye-to-hand camera, thus expediting the 3D DT environment generation without accuracy loss. A multimodal interaction interface is integrated into the DT environment.

The users are supported to operate the virtual objects in the DT environment using speech, mouse and keyboard simultaneously. The humans’ operations in 3D DT virtual space are recorded, and cues are provided for the robot’s operations in practice.

The purpose of this paper is to design a smart handheld device with force regulating function, which demonstrates the concept of patient-specialized tools.

This handheld device integrates an electrical bioimpedance (EBI) sensor for tissue measurement and a constant force regulation mechanism for ensuring stable tool–tissue contact. Particular focuses in this study are on the design of the constant force regulation mechanism whose design process is through genetic algorithm optimization and finite element simulation. In addition, the output force can be changed to the desired value by adjusting the cross-sectional area of the generated spring.

The following two specific applications based on ex vivo tissues are used for evaluating the designed device. One is in terms of safety of interaction with delicate tissue while the other is for compensating involuntary tissue motion. The results of both examples show that the handheld device is able to provide an output force with a small standard deviation.

In this paper, a handheld device with force regulation mechanism is designed for specific patients based on the genetic algorithm optimization and finite element simulation. The device can maintain a steady and safe interaction force during the EBI measurement on fragile tissues or moving tissues, to improve the sensing accuracy and to avoid tissue damage. Such functions of the proposed device are evaluated through a series of experiments and the device is demonstrated to be effective.

This paper aims to focus on the preparation of Kevlar fiber (KF) and alkaline hydrolyzed KF (KF-H) to improve the dispersed condition of polyaniline (PAn), as the aggregation of PAn would lead to some adsorption sites buried. And then the materials were used to enrich anionic dye Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution.

The materials (KF@PAn and KF-H@PAn) were designed by means of “diffusion-interfacial-polymerization” under mild condition as high affinity due to the structural properties of PAn, KF and KF-H. The dispersed degree of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H was validated according to adsorption efficiency for CR.

The content of PAn introduced was not beyond 20 wt.%, while adsorption capacity for CR was significantly enhanced by 4–8 times (on the basis of kinetic data) according to the calculation only by the content of PAn due to KF and alkaline hydrolyzed KF exhibited almost no adsorption for CR, indicating dispersed situation of PAn coating was greatly enhanced and more active sites exposed, which was favorable for the adsorption process. Presence of NaCl would exhibit a more or less positive effect on CR uptake, suggesting the materials could be used for high salt environment.

The investigated means of dispersed degree of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H are the further and future investigation.

This study will provide a method to improve the dispersed situation of PAn and a theoretical support to treat anionic dyes from aqueous solution especially for salt environment.

The results showed that the dispersed condition of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H was greatly improved. According to the adsorption capacities for CR, it can be concluded that part of adsorption sites were buried due to the aggregation of PAn, and introduction of KF and KF-H, buried adsorption sites decreased greatly. This study will provide a method to decrease buried adsorption sites of PAn and a contribution for their convenient application in wastewater treatment especially for high salt environment.

This paper seeks to explore the evolution of a third generation mobile communications (3G) industry based on TD‐SCDMA technical standard in China through the lens of network analysis.

The authors argue that inter‐firm alliances help companies gain and integrate internal and external resources and foster technical innovation. The paper analyzes alliance governance structures and governance mechanisms in particular, and shows how they protect and improve network‐based innovation capabilities and competitive advantages during a ten‐year period with the method of social network analysis and case studies.

The authors offer a theoretical model that incorporates cooperation among organizations, the maturity of the industrial chain, and the accumulation of organizational knowledge and social capital.

The paper offers a theoretical model of factors that contributes greatly to the development of technical innovation.

Smart community construction (SCC) and efficiency require resident participation. This paper aims to explore the determinants of residents’ participation intention (RPI) in the SCC.

Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study proposed an extended conceptual model to deeply analyze the RPI in the SCC. The relationship between all constructs was verified by processing and analyzing online survey data using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation model (SEM), and bootstrapping method.

Participation attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norm, and perceived usefulness significantly and positively affected the RPI. Furthermore, intermediary effects in the extended conceptual model had been confirmed.

To fill the critical gap in the research on the determinants of the RPI in the SCC context, this study developed a novel conceptual model by extending the TPB to analyze the effects of self-driven and externally-driven factors on the RPI from the perspectives of residents’ psychology and external environment. The findings not only clarify the complex process of forming the RPI in the SCC but also provide a theoretical foundation for studying the RPI in similar community construction projects. Additionally, several strategies have been proposed to encourage residents’ participation in the SCC and promote the development of smart communities, such as clarifying residents’ participation obligations, improving the convenience services of smart communities, and diversifying residents’ participation approaches.

A unified framework for solving the bending, buckling and vibration problems of rectangular thin plates (RTPs) with four free edges (FFFF), including isotropic RTPs, orthotropic rectangular thin plates (ORTPs) and nano-rectangular plates, is established by using the symplectic superposition method (SSM).

The original fourth-order partial differential equation is first rewritten into Hamiltonian system. The class of boundary value problems of the original equation is decomposed into three subproblems, and each subproblem is given the corresponding symplectic eigenvalues and symplectic eigenvectors by using the separation variable method in Hamiltonian system. The symplectic orthogonality and completeness of symplectic eigen-vectors are proved. Then, the symplectic eigenvector expansion method is applied to solve the each subproblem. Then, the symplectic superposition solution of the boundary value problem of the original fourth-order partial differential equation is given through superposing analytical solutions of three foundation plates.

The bending, vibration and buckling problems of the rectangular nano-plate/isotropic rectangular thin plate/orthotropic rectangular thin plate with FFFF can be solved by the unified symplectic superposition solution respectively.

The symplectic superposition solution obtained is a reference solution to verify the feasibility of other methods. At the same time, it can be used for parameter analysis to deeply understand the mechanical behavior of related RTPs. The advantages of this method are as follows: (1) It provides a systematic framework for solving the boundary value problem of a class of fourth-order partial differential equations. It is expected to solve more complicated boundary value problems of partial differential equations. (2) SSM uses series expansion of symplectic eigenvectors to accurately describe the solution. Moreover, symplectic eigenvectors are orthogonal and directly reflect the orthogonal relationship of vibration modes. (3) The SSM can be carried to bending, buckling and free vibration problems of the same plate with other boundary conditions.