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1 – 10 of over 3000
Article
Publication date: 16 September 2024

Zhou Zhong and Jing Zong

The study conceptualises universities as “cities of flows” to examine the East-West University Partnership (EWUP) in China, which is a pioneering initiative of cross-regional…

Abstract

Purpose

The study conceptualises universities as “cities of flows” to examine the East-West University Partnership (EWUP) in China, which is a pioneering initiative of cross-regional university collaboration linking over 220 institutions across China since 2001. The study explores the strategic enhancement of connective and collaborative capacity of universities to facilitate diverse flows of talent, knowledge and other resources within the broader context of China's sustainable development in higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs a qualitative single-case study design to investigate the EWUP within its real-life context using participant observation and documentary research. As an analogical inquiry, the study merges the insider and outsider perspectives of the researchers to identify patterns between theoretical constructs and empirical evidence.

Findings

The EWUP as a policy entrepreneurship has significantly contributes to coordinated, inclusive and sustainable development. Its spatial dynamics consists of structural, temporal and collaborative dynamics. They are characterised by centrality, connectivity and adaptability which are generated through the interplay among the nodes, linkages and fields of influence within the EWUP network. These dynamics showcase EWUP as a novel approach to managing long-term university partnerships between more and less developed regions.

Originality/value

The study reimagines universities and higher education systems through vivid analogies of cities and transportation networks and elucidates connectivity as a pivotal dimension of sustainability. It advocates for reexamining spatial theories in higher education, deepens insights into the dynamics of cross-regional university partnerships in coordinating educational and territorial development, and enriches discussions on Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD).

Details

International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2396-7404

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 July 2021

Zhou Zhong

This study describes and elucidates higher education internationalisation with an in-depth case study of China and its Tsinghua University using international entrepreneurship…

Abstract

Purpose

This study describes and elucidates higher education internationalisation with an in-depth case study of China and its Tsinghua University using international entrepreneurship concepts. The study examines internationalisation as a dynamic reciprocal interplay between opening-up policy and higher education policy, especially world-class university policy.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative mixed-method single case study. In desktop research, the study reviewed China's national policy documents on educational opening-up, Tsinghua's institutional strategy papers and research literature concerning internationalisation, entrepreneurship, Chinese higher education and Tsinghua University. In fieldwork research, the present researcher engaged in action, participatory and collaborative research about university internationalisation in her capacity as both a faculty and an international office administrator at Tsinghua.

Findings

Entrepreneurial internationalisation in Chinese higher education has served multiple purposes simultaneously: (1) a pillar to support domestic confidence in educational opening-up for modernisation while also contributing to global development; (2) a cost-effective way to cultivate Chinese talent by accessing the international education market; (3) a quality imperative to stimulate domestic reform and innovation through Sino-foreign exchange and collaboration; (4) a public diplomacy measure building a global network of educational engagement; and (5) a differentiation strategy to stretch the capacity of the nation's top universities by benchmarking their global competitiveness.

Originality/value

Conceptualising opening-up as entrepreneurial internationalisation is key to understand China's higher education development. This study expounds this special term by connecting it with basic concepts in international entrepreneurship research. The analyses at system and institutional levels reinforce one another to forge a synthetic view by integrating policy and practice.

Details

International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2396-7404

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2019

Yandong He, Xu Wang, Fuli Zhou and Yun Lin

This paper aims to study the vehicle routing problem with dynamic customers considering dual service (including home delivery [HD] and customer pickup [CP]) in the last mile…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to study the vehicle routing problem with dynamic customers considering dual service (including home delivery [HD] and customer pickup [CP]) in the last mile delivery in which three decisions have to be made: determine routes that lie along the HD points and CP facilities; optimize routes in real time, which mode is better between simultaneous dual service (SDS, HD points and CP facilities are served simultaneously by the same vehicle); and respective dual service (RDS, HD points and CP facilities are served by different vehicles)?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper establishes a mixed integer linear programing model for the dynamic vehicle routing problem considering simultaneous dual services (DVRP-SDS). To increase the practical usefulness and solve large instances, the authors designed a two-phase matheuristic including construction-improvement heuristics to solve the deterministic model and dynamic programing to adjust routes to dynamic customers.

Findings

The computational experiments show that the CP facilities offer greater flexibility for adjusting routes to dynamic customers and that the SDS delivery system outperforms the RDS delivery system in terms of cost and number of vehicles used.

Practical implications

The results provide managerial insights for express enterprises from the perspective of operation research to make decisions.

Originality/value

This paper is among the first papers to study the DVRP-SDS. Moreover, this paper guides the managers to select better delivery mode in the last mile delivery.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 49 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2023

Jianbo Yuan, Yerui Fan and Yaxiong Wu

This study aims to propose a novel lightweight tendon-driven musculoskeletal arm (LTDM-arm) robot with a flexible series–parallel mixed skeletal joint structure and modularized…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to propose a novel lightweight tendon-driven musculoskeletal arm (LTDM-arm) robot with a flexible series–parallel mixed skeletal joint structure and modularized artificial muscle system (MAMS). The proposed LTDM-arm exhibits human-like flexibility, safety and operational accuracy. In addition, to improve the safety and stability of the LTDM-arm, a control method is proposed to solve local artificial muscle overload accidents.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed LTDM-arm comprises seven degrees of freedom skeletons, 15 MAMSs and various sensor systems (joint sensing, muscle tension sensing, visual sensing, etc.). It retains the morphology of a human skeleton (humerus, ulna and radius) and a simplified muscle configuration. This study proposes an input saturation control with full-state constraints to reduce local artificial muscle overload accidents caused by redundant muscle tension calculations.

Findings

3D circular trajectory experiments were conducted to verify the stability of the control method and the flexibility of the LTDM-arm. The results showed that the average error of the muscle length was approximately 0.35 mm (0.38%), which indicates that the proposed control scheme can make the output follow the target trajectory while ensuring constraint satisfaction.

Originality/value

The human arm is capable of performing compliant operations rapidly, flexibly and robustly in unstructured environments. Existing musculoskeletal arm robots lack simulations of the full morphology of the human arm and are insufficient in dexterity. However, the flexibility and safety features of the proposed LTDM-arm were consistent with that of the human arm. Therefore, this study offers a new approach for investigating the advantages of the musculoskeletal system and the concepts of muscle control.

Details

Robotic Intelligence and Automation, vol. 43 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-6969

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 November 2022

Shuai Gan, Yang Liu and Ziyu Chen

The paper aims to propose a method to build environmental constraint region online in complex-shaped peg-in-hole assembly tasks.

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to propose a method to build environmental constraint region online in complex-shaped peg-in-hole assembly tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

Compared with conventional way which using computer-aided design (CAD) models of assembly parts to construct the environmental constraint region offline, the paper provides an online approach that consists of three aspects: modeling assembly parts through visual recognition, decomposing complex shapes into multiple primitive convex shapes and a numerical algorithm to simulate the peg-in-hole insertion contact. Besides, a contrast experiment is performed to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the method.

Findings

The experiment result indicates that online construction takes less time than the offline way under the same task conditions. Furthermore, due to the CAD models of the parts are not required to be known, the method proposed in the paper has a broader application in most assembly scenarios.

Originality/value

With the improvement of customization and complexity of manufactured parts, the assembly of complex-shaped parts has drawn greater attention of many researchers. The assembly methods based on attractive region in environment (ARIE) have shown great performance to achieve high-precision manipulation with low-precision systems. The construction of environmental constraint region serves as an essential part of ARIE-based theory, directly affect the formulation and application of assembly strategies.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 42 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2023

He Wan, Jialiang Fu and Xi Zhong

Although the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) on firms' innovation has attracted attention, the existing research findings diverge. The authors believe that…

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Abstract

Purpose

Although the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) on firms' innovation has attracted attention, the existing research findings diverge. The authors believe that failure to consider both innovation input and output is an important reason for the divergence of conclusions in the extant literature when discussing the impact of ESG and firm innovation. Thus, based on signaling theory, this study aims to reconcile these divergent findings by examining the impact of ESG performance on firms' innovation efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

To seek empirical evidence to support the authors’ theoretical view, the authors conduct an empirical test based on the Tobit model using 8 years of data from Chinese listed companies.

Findings

Although ESG performance effectively improves firms' innovation efficiency, the institutional-level signaling environment (including state-owned firms and regional market development) weakens the positive effect of ESG performance on firms' innovation efficiency. Further tests suggest that financing constraints partially mediate the relationship between ESG performance and firms' innovation efficiency.

Originality/value

By systematically revealing whether, how and under what circumstances ESG performance improves firms' innovation advantages, this study bridges the gap in the existing literature and highlights important implications to suggest how firms can better capture the value associated with ESG.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 December 2024

Haomin Zhou, Ruxue Han, Jiangtao Zhong and Chengzhi Zhang

Peer review plays a crucial role in scientific writing and the publishing process, assessing the quality of research work. As the volume of paper submissions increases, peer…

Abstract

Purpose

Peer review plays a crucial role in scientific writing and the publishing process, assessing the quality of research work. As the volume of paper submissions increases, peer review becomes increasingly burdensome, highlighting the importance of studying the duration of peer review. This study aims to explore the correlation between review aspect sentiment and the duration of peer review as well as the differences in this relationship across different disciplines and review rounds. Thus helping authors make targeted revisions and optimizations to their papers while reducing the duration of peer review, which enables authors’ research findings to reach the academic community and public domain more rapidly.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs a two-step approach to understand the impact of review aspects on the duration of peer review. First, it extracts fine-grained aspects from peer review comments and uses sentiment classification models to classify the sentiment of each review aspect. Then, it conducts a correlation analysis between review aspect sentiment and the duration of peer review. Additionally, the study calculates sentiment scores for various review rounds to explore the differences in the impact of review aspect sentiment on the duration of peer review across different review rounds.

Findings

The study found that there is a weak but significant negative correlation between the sentiment of the review and the duration of peer review. Specifically, the aspect clusters, such as Evaluation & Result and Impact & Research Value, exhibit a relatively stronger correlation with the duration of peer review. Additionally, the correlation between review aspect sentiments and the duration of peer review varies significantly in different review rounds.

Originality/value

The significance of this study lies in connecting peer review comments text with the peer review process. By analyzing the correlation between review aspects and the duration of peer review, it identifies aspects that have a greater impact on the duration of peer review. This helps improve the efficiency of peer review from the perspectives of authors, reviewers and editors. Thus alleviating the burden of peer review and accelerating academic exchange and knowledge dissemination.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 August 2010

Jiang Qin and Björn Albin

Due to social transformation in China, more than 100,000,000 people are migrating within the country. Many parents are forced to leave their children behind when they migrate. In…

Abstract

Due to social transformation in China, more than 100,000,000 people are migrating within the country. Many parents are forced to leave their children behind when they migrate. In 2008, 58,000,000 children were living as left‐behind children, mainly in the rural parts of China (Zhang, 2009).Migration and its accompanying stressors may affect the mental health of the left‐behind children. This unique literature review of Chinese literature summarises the present state of knowledge and reviews the influential factors. Possible approaches to intervention and system reforms are discussed.A literature review was performed of published studies between 2001 and 2008. Databases used were Fujian Medical University Library Interface, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and VIP Information. The Chinese word for ‘left‐behind’ was used as a key word. Books, book chapters, monographs and studies on caring were searched electronically and by hand. Altogether, 53 items were found, discussed and grouped together. Migration affected the mental health of the left‐behind children in a passive way, especially their emotions and social behaviour.There is still controversy over how serious mental health problems are among children who have been left behind. Life events, personality, coping strategies and social suppor t can be regarded as four main factors that are predictive of mental health, which provides theoretical guidance for intervention. Suppor t and prevention of mental health problems in schools, in families and in primary care should be developed and studied.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 March 2016

Zhe Liu, Xiuchen Wang, Yongheng Zhang and Zhong Zhou

No adequate study on scientific analysis of surface metal fiber (SMF) arrangement of electromagnetic shielding fabric (EMSF) and influence on shielding effectiveness (SE) is…

Abstract

Purpose

No adequate study on scientific analysis of surface metal fiber (SMF) arrangement of electromagnetic shielding fabric (EMSF) and influence on shielding effectiveness (SE) is available at present.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper recognizes the SMF region and constructs a binary feature matrix according to edge condition, width condition and gray condition using the computer image analysis technique based on the construction of the surface digitized image of the EMSF. Three parameters of coverage, dispersion and uniformity are proposed to describe the SMF arrangement. Then experiments and testing samples are designed to analyze the relationship between the three parameters and the SE.

Findings

Results show that the proposed method can accurately recognize the SMF of the EMSF, the coverage, dispersion and uniformity can describe three aspects of the SMF arrangement of percentage content, porosity and orientation, and the three parameters are positively, negatively and positively correlated to the SE, respectively.

Originality/value

The research in this paper provides the basis for further description of the SMF arrangement of the EMSF, possesses the significance for the study of the shielding mechanism, transmission model, electromagnetic performance and rapid non-destructive evaluation of the EMSF and provide a new idea for the study on the shielding theory and application of the EMSF.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2013

Shu‐yan Jiang, Gang Luo, Su Chen, Wen‐han Zhao and Qi‐zhong Zhou

The purpose of this paper is to introduce several synchronization test methods of Network‐on‐Chip (NoC) at multi‐clock domains by digital logic circuits.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce several synchronization test methods of Network‐on‐Chip (NoC) at multi‐clock domains by digital logic circuits.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors gave the structure of NoC, the test methods for NoC in multi‐clock domains, including Built‐in Self Test (BIST) structure and the architecture of embedded core test. Then the authors approached four different synchronization structures: two‐level trigger, two kinds of lock methods, toggle and pulse synchronization methods. Based on the NoC work conditions, the authors built the experiment structures of different methods, and obtained the experiment results at high frequencies.

Findings

From the experiments at high frequency, it can be seen that the methods of toggle and the pulse methods are prone to failed synchronization. Therefore, the lock method is more appropriate for NoC under multiple clock domains.

Originality/value

In this paper, several synchronization test methods of NoC at multi‐clock domains are discussed and compared, and the best one determined.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

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