Open-source High-precision Autonomous Suturing Framework With Visual Guidance

Autonomous surgery has attracted increasing attention for revolutionizing robotic patient care, yet remains a distant and challenging goal. In this paper, we propose an image-based framework for high-precision autonomous suturing operation. We first build an algebraic geometric algorithm to achieve accurate needle pose estimation, then design the corresponding keypoint-based calibration network for joint-offset compensation, and further plan and control suture trajectory. Our solution ranked first among all competitors in the AccelNet Surgical Robotics Challenge. The source code is opened here to accelerate future autonomous surgery research

Molecular characterization of chicken prolactin gene

published_or_final_versionZoologyMasterMaster of Philosoph

Service quality of online food delivery mobile application : an examination of the spillover effects of mobile app satisfaction

Purpose: Given the complicated service delivery process of online food delivery service, this study drew on the mSERVQUAL model and spillover theory to examine the mechanism through which food-ordering mobile app service quality influences users’ mobile app satisfaction, food satisfaction, and repurchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach: Online surveys were completed by 1,000 customers who used a food-ordering mobile app to order fast food on the day they completed the online survey. Structural equation modelling was then used to examine the proposed mechanism. Findings: Results showed that the effects of food-ordering mobile app service quality on customer satisfaction (i.e., mobile app satisfaction and food satisfaction) and repurchase intention varied widely across service quality dimensions. Mobile app service quality had significant spillover effects on food satisfaction and repurchase intention. Originality/value: Rather than examining online food delivery service quality based on the service delivery process in the during-consumption stage or the service outcomes in the post-consumption stage, this study focused on the service quality in the pre-consumption stage to highlight the important role of online food delivery mobile apps. From a longitudinal perspective, this study drew on the Associate Network Theory to explain the spillover effect of mobile app satisfaction in the pre-consumption stage on food satisfaction in the during-consumption stage and repurchase intention in the post-consumption stage. Practical implications: Online food-delivery platforms should find the results insightful to better design their food-ordering mobile app. The findings can also assist restaurateurs and mobile payment companies with supporting the whole online food delivery process

Labor market transformation in the hospitality gig economy in a post-pandemic era : impacts of institutional governance

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the food delivery sector to boom as people continue to rely on services provided by online catering platforms (OCPs). However, due to the nature of sharing economy employment, gig workers’ contributions went largely ignored until intervention from institutional governance. This study explores the impacts of labor market transformation after the Chinese government issued guidance to promote gig workers’ welfare as a focal case. Methodology: Focus groups and the Delphi technique were used to explore associated impacts on OCPs and gig workers based on governance theory. Findings: Results show that institutional governance negatively affected OCPs’ operating cost structure but sustained gig workers’ welfare. The dual effects of market mechanism and institutional governance in the sharing economy are needed to be balanced for labor market transformation. Originality: We suggest that moving from market governance to stakeholder governance, as mediated by state governance, could transform gig workers’ labor structure in the gig economy. This study presents an integrated governance theory to enhance the epistemology of institutional governance. Research Implications: Long-term equilibrium can be fulfilled given the growing food-related demand for the market mechanism. Social reciprocity is expected to be realized through institutional governance for gig workers’ welfare. Limitations: Qualitative in-depth investigations limit findings’ broader generalizability

Membrane Repairing Capability of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Is Regulated by Drug Resistance and Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition

The plasma membrane separates the interior of the cells from the extracellular fluid and protects the cell from disruptive external factors. Therefore, the self-repairing capability of the membrane is crucial for cells to maintain homeostasis and survive in a hostile environment. Here, we found that micron-sized membrane pores induced by cylindrical atomic force microscope probe puncture resealed significantly (~1.3–1.5 times) faster in drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines than in their drug-sensitive counterparts. Interestingly, we found that such enhanced membrane repairing ability was due to the overexpression of annexin in drug-resistant NSCLC cells. In addition, a further ~50% reduction in membrane resealing time (i.e., from ~23 s to ~13 s) was observed through the epithelial-mesenchymal-transition, highlighting the superior viability and potential of highly aggressive tumor cells using membrane resealing as an indicator for assessing the drug-resistivity and pathological state of cancer

Lower Posterior Cingulate N-Acetylaspartate to Creatine Level in Early Detection of Biologically Defined Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was recently defined as a biological construct to reflect neuropathologic status, and both abnormal amyloid and tau are required for a diagnosis of AD. We aimed to determine the proton MR spectroscopic (1H-MRS) patterns of the posterior cingulate in biologically defined AD. A total of 68 participants were included in this study, comprising 37 controls, 16 early AD, and 15 late AD, who were classified according to their amyloid and tau status and presence of hippocampal atrophy. Compared with controls, early AD showed lower N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) (p = 0.003), whereas late AD showed lower NAA/Cr and higher myoInositol (mI)/Cr (all with p < 0.05). Lower NAA/Cr correlated with a greater global amyloid load (r = −0.47, p < 0.001) and tau load (r = −0.51, p < 0.001) and allowed a discrimination of early AD from controls (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that NAA/Cr also allowed a differentiation of early AD from controls in the cognitively unimpaired subjects, with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.96, 100%, and 83.8%, respectively. Lower posterior cingulate NAA levels may help to inform underlying neuropathologic changes in the early stage of AD