Innovation under constraints: the role of open innovation in Ghana

This paper analyses Low-Income Country (LICs) firms’ use of open innovation (OI) in overcoming various innovation constraints. We disaggregate local and foreign sources of innovation using a new measure of international openness. A survey of 501 manufacturing firms in Ghana reveals that OI is employed to address cost, knowledge, management, and market barriers. Knowledge and cost constraints lead to a broader and deeper search whereas cost barriers lead to a greater domestic search. Firms that faced market barriers significantly search more internationally while those facing infrastructure barriers tend to search less broadly and deeply for external knowledge. The substantial informal sector in Ghana hampers OI. Results also indicate an inverted-U-shaped relationship between the breadth of openness and innovation performance. This paper contributes to the literature by providing the first large firm-level survey-based evidence of OI in a LICs context, and by introducing a new measure of international innovation openness

Design and operation of a Peucedani Radix weeding device based on YOLOV5 and a parallel manipulator

To avoid excessive use of herbicides in the weeding operations of Peucedani Radix, a common Chinese herb, a precision seedling avoidance and weeding agricultural robot was designed for the targeted spraying of herbicides. The robot uses YOLOV5 combined with ExG feature segmentation to detect Peucedani Radix and weeds and obtain their corresponding morphological centers. Optimal seedling avoidance and precise herbicide spraying trajectories are generated using a PSO-Bezier algorithm based on the morphological characteristics of Peucedani Radix. Seedling avoidance trajectories and spraying operations are executed using a parallel manipulator with spraying devices. The validation experiments showed that the precision and recall of Peucedani Radix detection were 98.7% and 88.2%, respectively, and the weed segmentation rate could reach 95% when the minimum connected domain was 50. In the actual Peucedani Radix field spraying operation, the success rate of field precision seedling avoidance herbicide spraying was 80.5%, the collision rate between the end actuator of the parallel manipulator and Peucedani Radix was 4%, and the average running time of the parallel manipulator for precision herbicide spraying on a single weed was 2 s. This study can enrich the theoretical basis of targeted weed control and provide reference for similar studies

Feeling Happy and Sad at the Same Time? Subcultural Differences in Experiencing Mixed Emotions between Han Chinese and Mongolian Chinese

In some occasions, people experience pleasant and unpleasant emotions at the same time in a single emotional event. Previous cross-cultural studies indicated that such mixed emotions are more prevalent in China and highly related to the attitudes toward happiness and individual’s affective motivation. However, as a multi-ethnic country, not much is known about the subcultural differences in mixed emotions in China. Thus, we examined the role that implicit attitudes toward happiness and affective motivation may play in regard of the subcultural differences in mixed emotions between Han (N = 61) and Mongolian Chinese (N = 46). Results indicated that, compared with Mongolian Chinese, Han Chinese had a stronger association between implicit contra-hedonic attitudes toward happiness and mixed emotions in a pleasant emotional event. Also, Han Chinese who reported contra-hedonic motivation in a pleasant emotional event had higher level of mixed emotions than who had hedonic motivation. No significant difference was found in the mixed emotions between Mongolian Chinese who had contra-hedonic and hedonic motivation. These results suggested that the psychological mechanisms underlying the differences in mixed emotions require a comprehensive understanding not only in cross-cultural context but also from subcultural perspective

The Optimization of Passengers’ Travel Time under Express-Slow Mode Based on Suburban Line

The suburban line connects the suburbs and the city centre; it is of huge advantage to attempt the express-slow mode. The passengers’ average travel time is the key factor to reflect the level of rail transport services, especially under the express-slow mode. So it is important to study the passengers’ average travel time under express-slow, which can get benefit on the optimization of operation scheme. First analyze the main factor that affects passengers’ travel time and then mine the dynamic interactive relationship among the factors. Second, a new passengers’ travel time evolution algorithm is proposed after studying the stop schedule and the proportion of express/slow train, and then membrane computing theory algorithm is introduced to solve the model. Finally, Shanghai Metro Line 22 is set as an example to apply the optimization model to calculate the total passengers’ travel time; the result shows that the total average travel time under the express-slow mode can save 1 minute and 38 seconds; the social influence and value of it are very huge. The proposed calculation model is of great help for the decision of stop schedule and provides theoretical and methodological support to determine the proportion of express/slow trains, improves the service level, and enriches and complements the rail transit operation scheme optimization theory system

The Optimization of Passengers’ Travel Time under Express-Slow Mode Based on Suburban Line

The suburban line connects the suburbs and the city centre; it is of huge advantage to attempt the express-slow mode. The passengers’ average travel time is the key factor to reflect the level of rail transport services, especially under the express-slow mode. So it is important to study the passengers’ average travel time under express-slow, which can get benefit on the optimization of operation scheme. First analyze the main factor that affects passengers’ travel time and then mine the dynamic interactive relationship among the factors. Second, a new passengers’ travel time evolution algorithm is proposed after studying the stop schedule and the proportion of express/slow train, and then membrane computing theory algorithm is introduced to solve the model. Finally, Shanghai Metro Line 22 is set as an example to apply the optimization model to calculate the total passengers’ travel time; the result shows that the total average travel time under the express-slow mode can save 1 minute and 38 seconds; the social influence and value of it are very huge. The proposed calculation model is of great help for the decision of stop schedule and provides theoretical and methodological support to determine the proportion of express/slow trains, improves the service level, and enriches and complements the rail transit operation scheme optimization theory system

Effects of Elevated CO₂ Concentration and Temperature on the Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of <i>Populus simonii</i> × <i>P. nigra</i> ‘1307’ Leaves

This study aimed to establish the effects of elevated CO2 concentration and temperature on the photosystem II (PSII) performance and photosynthetic characteristics of Populus simonii × P. nigra ‘1307’ leaves. Different CO2 concentrations (400 and 800 µmol·mol−1) and temperatures (room temperature and room temperature +2 °C) were set in artificial climate change simulation and control chambers, and the rapid chlorophyll fluorescence induction kinetics curve (OJIP curve) of Populus simonii × P. nigra ‘1307’ was determined. The generated OJIP curve was used to analyze the change characteristics in photosynthetic performance. The results revealed that under elevated temperature conditions, the concentrations of chlorophyll a, b in Populus simonii × P. nigra ‘1307’ leaves were significantly increased. At the same time, there were no significant changes in the chlorophyll concentration under the superimposed effect of elevated CO2 concentration and temperature. The PSII comprehensive performance index (PIABS) of Populus simonii × P. nigra ‘1307’ was significantly inhibited under elevated temperatures due to the increased closure degree (Vj) of the PSII reaction center and the damage of the receptor side. This reduced the electron transfer capacity per unit reaction center (ETo/RC) and unit cross-sectional area, which decreased the quantum yield of the electron transfer. Under the elevated CO2 concentration, ETo/RC was also inhibited. Still, PIABS was enhanced owing to the increased number of active PSII per unit area and the low reduction rate of the primary quinone receptor (QA). Under the superimposed effect of the two factors, the electron transfer performance of the donor and receptor sides of PSII was improved compared to the treatments only subjected to elevated temperature; thus, PIABS was not significantly reduced compared to the control. Therefore, the continuous increase in temperature by 2 °C significantly inhibits the electron transfer capacity of the photosynthetic system of Populus simonii × P. nigra ‘1307’ leaves. On the other hand, an increase in CO2 concentration expands the PSII reaction center, while enhancing the electron transfer capacity of the donor and receptor sides, which alleviates the photosynthetic inhibition caused by the elevated temperature

Laser Cladding of Al0.5CoCrCuFeNiSi High Entropy Alloy Coating without and with Yttria Addition on H13 Steel

Al0.5CoCrCuFeNiSi high entropy alloy coating without and with a 1 wt.% Y2O3 addition was fabricated by laser cladding technique on H13 substrate. The results showed that the laser cladding coatings without and with Y2O3 addition consist of a mixture of body centered cubic (BCC) dendrites and face centered cubic (FCC) interdendrites. With the addition of Y2O3, the peaks of BCC dendrites in the coating shifted to leftwards, which is caused by the distortion of lattice due to the dissolution of Y with larger atomic radius. There exist cracks and porosities in the coating without Y2O3 addition. With Y2O3 addition, the cracks and porosities in the laser cladding coating were inhibited greatly. In addition, the microstructure of the coating with Y2O3 addition was refined due to the improving of the ratio of nucleation. The enhancement of properties, such as hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance, of the coating with Y2O3 addition came from the inhibition of cracks and porosities and the refinement of microstructure

Field Tests of Super-Long and Large-Diameter Drilled Shaft Pile Foundations

This study investigated the compressive behaviour of super-long pile foundations with large diameters. Three 52 m, 73 m, and 83 m long piles with a diameter of 1500 mm, 1500 mm, and 1800 mm were cast and tested, respectively. Given that large loading was required, an improved compressive static load test was introduced, and the load transfer mechanism, shaft resistance development, and distribution were analysed. This study found that the transferred load decreased along the pile during each applied load, but the gradients were different. For most layers, when increasing the load, the shaft resistance developed in the upper layers first, while the shaft resistance from the lower part did not always fully develop. Moreover, the “mutual compensation” phenomenon was discovered, which was when the shaft softening occurred from one soil layer, the shaft hardening of the other soil would occur simultaneously. Under consideration of the soil layer differences around these piles, it was recommended that shaft and base grouting should be applied on 52 m and 73 m piles, while only shaft grouting should be applied on the 83 m pile. For this longest pile design, whose toe resistance was discovered to be very small, increasing the pile length was not appropriate; thus, it was preferable to increase the pile diameter to increase the ultimate bearing capacity

The power of a healthy lifestyle for cancer prevention: the example of colorectal cancer

Objective: We aimed to directly compare the estimated effects of adherence to a healthy lifestyle with those of risk predisposition according to known genetic variants affecting colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, to support effective risk communication for cancer prevention. Methods: A healthy lifestyle score (HLS) was derived from 5 lifestyle factors: smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, physical activity, and body adiposity. The association of lifestyle and polygenic risk score (PRS) (based on 140 CRC-associated risk loci) with CRC risk was assessed with multiple logistic regression and compared through the genetic risk equivalent (GRE), a novel approach providing an estimate of the effects of adherence to a healthy lifestyle in terms of percentile differences in PRS. Results: A higher HLS was associated with lower CRC risk (4,844 cases, 3,964 controls). Those adhering to all 5 healthy lifestyle factors had a 62% (95% CI 54%–68%) lower CRC risk than those adhering to ≤ 2 healthy lifestyle factors. The estimated effect of adherence to all 5 compared with ≤ 2 healthy lifestyle factors was as strong as the effect of having a 79 percentile (GRE 79, 95% CI 61–97) lower PRS. The association between a healthy lifestyle and CRC risk was independent of PRS level but was particularly pronounced among those with a family history of CRC in ≥ 1 first-degree relative (P-interaction = 0.0013). Conclusions: A healthy lifestyle was strongly inversely associated with CRC risk. The large GRE indicated that CRC risk determined by polygenic risk may be offset to a substantial extent by adherence to a healthy lifestyle