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Engineers make things, make things work, and make things work better and easier. This kind of knowledge is crucial for innovation, and much of the explicit knowledge developed by engineers is embodied in scientific publications. In this paper, we analyze the evolution of publications and citations in engineering in a middle-income country such as Mexico. Using a database of all Mexican publications in Web of Science from 2004 to 2017, we explore the characteristics of publications that tend to have the greatest impact; this is the highest number of citations. Among the variables studied are the type of collaboration (no collaboration, domestic, bilateral, or multilateral), the number of coauthors and countries, controlling for a coauthor from the USA, and the affiliation institution of the Mexican author(s). Our results emphasize the overall importance of joint international efforts and suggest that publications with the highest number of citations are those with multinational collaboration (coauthors from three or more countries) and when one of the coauthors is from the USA. Another interesting result is that single-authored papers have had a higher impact than those written through domestic collaboration.

The integration of online platforms in (bio)chemical engineering education has increasingly become a matter of fact at all educational levels. Examples such as virtual laboratories in tertiary education have shown their benefits, such as the decreased cost and resources needed as well as providing a safer environment for practical experimentation. However, students or stakeholders are not usually involved in developing the virtual laboratory, even if, when given the opportunity, they can provide valuable feedback for improvement and acquire ownership over the platform. Hence, when proposing a novel educational process virtual laboratory that targets teaching bioprocess modeling to undergraduate students, the best approach is to involve the students in the development as its future users. To this end, in this work, four co-participatory design experiences are presented that show the journey from a paper prototype to an online educational virtual laboratory (www.biovl.com). Qualitative and quantitative data have been collected in two different universities through surveys, semi-structured interviews, and informal conversations among the students and the developer. The students’ perspectives were found to provide valuable feedback about the platform’s content, usability, and functionality. For example, interest in adding bioprocess-related coding activities, or suggesting to change the platform name, were opinions collected and carefully considered. These suggestions can be easily integrated since the software is at the early stages of the virtual laboratory prototype. Although the usability and functionality features of the platform are under continuous advancement, this work’s findings show that the students are interested in contributing to the virtual laboratory’s development. Therefore, it opens the door to modifications and improvements, which are strongly based on the users’/students’ perceptions and perspectives as the virtual laboratory’s co-designers. Although the primary target of the BioVL prototype is to teach bioprocessing modelling, several advanced tools such as virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) are being considered to be included at a future stage. Furthermore, the educational strategy proposed in this work can be replicated by those who want to develop other virtual laboratories.

Digital Twin (DT) technology is a pivotal innovation within the built environment industry, facilitating digital transformation through advanced data integration and analytics. DTs have demonstrated significant benefits in building design, construction, and asset management, including optimising lifecycle energy use, enhancing operational efficiency, enabling predictive maintenance, and improving user adaptability. By integrating real-time data from IoT sensors with advanced analytics, DTs provide dynamic and actionable insights for better decision-making and resource management. Despite these promising benefits, several challenges impede the widespread adoption of DT technology, such as technological integration, data consistency, organisational adaptation, and cybersecurity concerns. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration, standardisation of data formats, and the development of universal design and development platforms for DTs. This paper provides a comprehensive review of DT definitions, applications, capabilities, and challenges within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries. This paper provides important insights for researchers and professionals, helping them gain a more comprehensive and detailed view of DT. The findings also demonstrate the significant impact that DTs can have on this sector, contributing to advancing DT implementations and promoting sustainable and efficient building management practices. Ultimately, DT technology is set to revolutionise the AEC industries by enabling autonomous, data-driven decision-making and optimising building operations for enhanced productivity and performance.

Summary: Rime optimization algorithm (RIME) encounters issues such as an imbalance between exploitation and exploration, susceptibility to local optima, and low convergence accuracy when handling problems. This paper introduces a variant of RIME called IRIME to address these drawbacks. IRIME integrates the soft besiege (SB) and composite mutation strategy (CMS) and restart strategy (RS). To comprehensively validate IRIME’s performance, IEEE CEC 2017 benchmark tests were conducted, comparing it against many advanced algorithms. The results indicate that the performance of IRIME is the best. In addition, applying IRIME in four engineering problems reflects the performance of IRIME in solving practical problems. Finally, the paper proposes a binary version, bIRIME, that can be applied to feature selection problems. bIRIMR performs well on 12 low-dimensional datasets and 24 high-dimensional datasets. It outperforms other advanced algorithms in terms of the number of feature subsets and classification accuracy. In conclusion, bIRIME has great potential in feature selection.

Acoustic cavitation, an intriguing phenomenon resulting from the interaction of sound waves with a liquid medium, has emerged as a promising avenue in agri-food processing, offering opportunities to enhance established processes improving primary production of ingredients and further food processing. This comprehensive review provides an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms, design considerations, challenges and scale-up strategies associated with acoustic cavitation for agri-food applications. The paper starts by elucidating the fundamental principles of acoustic cavitation and its measurement, delving then into the diverse effects of different parameters associated with, the acoustic wave, mechanical design and operation of the ultrasonic system, along with those related to the food matrix. The technological advancements achieved in the design and set-up of ultrasonic reactors addressing limitations during scale up are also discussed. The design, engineering and mathematical modelling of ultrasonic equipment tailored for agri-food applications are explored, along with strategies to maximize cavitation intensity and efficiency in the application of brining, freezing, drying, emulsification, filtration and extraction. Advanced US equipment, such as multi-transducers (tubular resonator, FLOW:WAVE®) and larger processing surface areas through innovative designing (Barbell horn, CascatrodesTM), are one of the most promising strategies to ensure consistency of US operations at industrial scale. This review paper aims to provide valuable insights into harnessing acoustic cavitation's potential for up-scaling applications in food processing via critical examination of current research and advancements, while identifying future directions and opportunities for further research and innovation.

This paper conducts a systematic literature review to explore the dynamic interplay among ergonomics, design thinking, and artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML). In a rapidly evolving world, the convergence of ergonomics and design Innovation plays a critical role in creating products and spaces valued for their comfort, usability, and aesthetics. Using Elicit, academic papers are identified to elucidate the relationships among these disciplines. The team reviews and selects relevant papers, employing a large language model (LLM)-enabled platform to extract key points. The analysis emphasizes the pivotal roles of ergonomics and design thinking in integrating AI and ML into product design. It underscores the enduring significance of considering user experiences and aesthetics within the AI/ML framework. The findings reveal that while AI/ML techniques enhance precision and innovation in design, integrating ergonomic principles ensures user comfort and safety. The study highlights the necessity for interdisciplinary collaboration and methodological diversity to fully harness the potential of AI and ergonomic design. Limitations include the reliance on contemporary web crawlers and the varying quality of available literature, potentially affecting the comprehensiveness of the review. Future research should focus on developing more robust search methodologies, expanding the scope of studies, and conducting longitudinal research to examine long-term impacts. Ethical implications of AI/ML in design should also be explored to ensure responsible and sustainable use of these technologies. Overall, this research contributes to a nuanced understanding of the roles played by ergonomics and design thinking in synergy with AI/ML for product design, highlighting their impact on shaping user experiences and aesthetics. Despite potential limitations, the study underscores these disciplines’ resilience and lasting relevance in the evolving design field.

This paper is aimed at determining the prospects for an increase in the quality of teaching lawyers-criminologists with the help of engineering support by technologies of Industry 4.0 to ensure the security of the biosocial essence of a person within the formation of a socially oriented society. The performed modelling of the econometric dependence of the safety index on the human development index showed that the quality of services to ensure the security of the biosocial essence of a person is by 50.61% explained by the quality of education of lawyers-criminologists. The main conclusion of this paper is that the education of lawyers-criminologists plays an important role in the support for the security of the biosocial essence of a person. Based on this, a new – educational – approach to ensuring the security of the biosocial essence of a person was proposed. The advantage of the educational approach is a more targeted influence on offenders and the preventive effect of the security of the biosocial essence of a person. The key conclusion as a result of this research is that technologies of Industry 4.0 are necessary for the modern model of an increase in the quality of teaching lawyers-criminologists to ensure the security of the biosocial essence of a person within the creation of a socially oriented society. The practical significance of this paper consists in the fact that the proposed new - educational – approach to ensuring the security of the biosocial essence of a person allows raising the effectiveness of the quality of the model of education of lawyers-criminologists and increasing the quality of the services to ensure the security of the biosocial essence of a person, thus stimulating the accelerated formation of a socially oriented society.

Summary: Basketball, as one of the most popular sports in the world, has millions of followers and massive economic value. Basketball evolves so fast that it requires teams with smarter strategies, better skills, and stronger players. However, the competition strategies and training methods in basketball are still experience-based, lacking precise data to drive for more efficient training and strategies. On the other hand, flexible sensors, as a new class of sensors, have been a hotspot for scientific research and widely applied in various fields. Due to their excellent characteristics of flexibility, wearing comfort, convenience, and response speed, integrating flexible sensors into basketball has the potential to greatly promote all aspects of the sport. This paper aims to bring more fusion between basketball and flexible sensors. In this perspective, we first perform a review of the history of sensing technologies in the basketball sport and discuss mechanisms of flexible sensors applied on basketball players. Then specific scenarios for flexible sensors applied in basketball were elaborated on in detail. Finally, we envision the potential applications of flexible sensors in basketball and present our views on future development directions. We hope this paper can depict how flexible sensing technology is integrated into basketball systems and point out the future development of basketball with the help of flexible sensors.

Summary: In this paper, we review, compare, and analyze previous studies on agricultural machinery automatic navigation and path planning technologies. First, the paper introduces the fundamental components of agricultural machinery autonomous driving, including automatic navigation, path planning, control systems, and communication modules. Generally, the methods for automatic navigation technology can be divided into three categories: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Machine Vision, and Laser Radar. The structures, advantages, and disadvantages of different methods and the technical difficulties of current research are summarized and compared. At present, the more successful way is to use GNSS combined with machine vision to provide guarantee for agricultural machinery to avoid obstacles and generate the optimal path. Then the path planning methods are described, including four path planning algorithms based on graph search, sampling, optimization, and learning. This paper proposes 22 available algorithms according to different application scenarios and summarizes the challenges and difficulties that have not been completely solved in the current research. Finally, some suggestions on the difficulties arising in these studies are proposed for further research.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as a whole, has seen an in- crease in female participation within recent years. The same trend is not apparent within engineer- ing, with female-identifying student enrolment in post-secondary engineering programs remaining proportionally low. Current research shows little understanding between high school experiences and interest in engineering, especially within the female-identifying population. This study aims to explore female-identifying participants in high school robotics and their post-secondary plans. To fill the gap in research, a mixed-method survey with embedded design, employing Likert scales and short-answer questions, was distributed to female-identifying robotics participants in Ontario Independent Schools. The results of the paper suggest that participation in robotics does not necessarily denote an interest in post-secondary engineering but that the skills and support gathered from robotics are applicable to many related post-secondary disciplines of choice.

The paper focuses on the development of a specific design strategy in a creative process, on multidisciplinary communication, personal experience and teaching methodology at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. A path full of individual effort and initiatives, trodden by both the students and pedagogues, resulted in creating an open design team FAST at the Faculty of Architecture (leader Martin Baláž) in collaboration with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The first conjoint project of the newly founded FAST and the existing FME Racing Team was a Futuristic Prototype for the competition Shell Eco Marathon 2014. The process was a challenge, even though the opportunity to design a functional vehicle was appealing. Despite the team’s differences as to their nature, work environment, design strategies and output expectations, the teams finally matched. The project received a grant “Viac dizajnu” (More Design) and the results have also been exhibited in Germany and the Czech Republic. Numerous presentations and articles have been accomplished concomitantly. The paper also describes a new pedagogical approach, which was subsequently developed. Based on almost 5 years of experience with a new study course Design Strategy in Industrial Design, we would like to emphasize that a multidisciplinary and action-centric approach clearly had a positive impact on students’ works. We also quote student feedback. In conclusion, we present selected outcomes of our pedagogical efforts in the form of various case studies and a publication that has resulted from a multidisciplinary cooperation with Jana Gulanová, a pedagogue at FME STU in Bratislava.

Summary: In an emerging trajectory-based operation (TBO) environment within the advanced autonomous airspace, traffic operation along reference trajectories can function as trajectory-following mechanisms. However, 5G-based following dynamics still remain underexplored, limiting further utilization of lower-latency 5G technology other than data links. This limitation affects air traffic stability when encountering disturbance, preventing autonomous airspeed adjustment, and safe separation without air traffic controller interventions. Thus, this paper addresses these gaps by proposing a generalized 5G-based trajectory-following model to explore microscopic behaviors and traffic stability in a typically connected environment. Three key variables are identified based on the classical optimal velocity model: bi-directional attention distribution, air-to-air communication performance, and communication latency. Finally, the stability criterion is derived by the adopted perturbation method. Typical numerical simulations have verified the air traffic stability under various connectivity degrees. These findings can precisely identify the optimal connectivity, rational attention distribution, and their balance for enhancing stability.

Summary: With the advent of the post-Moore era and the era of big data, advanced data storage and processing technology are in urgent demand to break the von Neumann bottleneck. Neuromorphic computing, which mimics the computational paradigms of the human brain, offers an efficient and energy-saving way to process large datasets in parallel. Memristor is an ideal architectural unit for constructing neuromorphic computing. It offers several advantages, including a simple structure, low power consumption, non-volatility, and easy large-scale integration. The hardware-based neural network using a large-scale cross array of memristors is considered to be a potential scheme for realizing the next-generation neuromorphic computing. The performance of these devices is a key to constructing the expansive memristor arrays. Herein, this paper provides a comprehensive review of current strategies for enhancing the performance of memristors, focusing on the electronic materials and device structures. Firstly, it examines current device fabrication techniques. Subsequently, it deeply analyzes methods to improve both the performance of individual memristor and the overall performance of device array from a material and structural perspectives. Finally, it summarizes the applications and prospects of memristors in neuromorphic computing and multimodal sensing. It aims at providing an insightful guide for developing the brain-like high computer chip.

IntroductionAugmented reality (AR) is a transformative technology that enhances teaching and learning by blending virtual and real environments. While the potential of AR to improve visualization, interaction, and student engagement in engineering education is recognized, its application across various engineering disciplines remains underexplored. This study systematically investigates the use of AR in engineering fields, highlighting its educational impact and identifying gaps for future research.MethodsA systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, analyzing 67 peer-reviewed papers on AR in engineering education. Content analysis was employed to assess AR’s effectiveness in enhancing visualization, interaction, and motivation. A bibliometric analysis identified key AR tools, research trends, geographic distribution, and interdisciplinary collaboration.ResultsAR is extensively applied in civil and mechanical engineering, where tools such as Unity 3D significantly improve visualization and interaction. AR enhances student engagement and comprehension, particularly in complex areas like construction design. However, its adoption in other engineering disciplines remains limited. The analysis also shows the positive impact of AR on motivation and learning outcomes despite challenges such as technical limitations and insufficient training for educators.ConclusionAlthough AR is gaining traction in engineering education, broader adoption is hindered by technical challenges and the need for better curriculum integration. Future research should address these barriers and explore AR’s potential in underutilized engineering disciplines to maximize its educational benefits.

Abstract: Structural simulations play a crucial role in the development of new products, particularly in the early design phase, where insights into performance under different load conditions can significantly influence design choices. This paper explores the application of structural simulations in developing the " Emergencies Safety Capsules", an innovative housing solution, highlighting the necessity and benefits of these simulations in creating safe, reliable, and efficient designs

Abstract: Structural simulations play a crucial role in the development of new products, particularly in the early design phase, where insights into performance under different load conditions can significantly influence design choices. This paper explores the application of structural simulations in developing the " Emergencies Safety Capsules", an innovative housing solution, highlighting the necessity and benefits of these simulations in creating safe, reliable, and efficient designs

Summary: The recovery of spent lithium-ion batteries has not only economic value but also ecological benefits. In this paper, molten-salt electrolysis was employed to recover spent LiCoO2 batteries, in which NaCl-Na2CO3 melts were used as the electrolyte, the graphite rod and the mixtures of the spent LiCoO2 cathode and anode were used as the anode and cathode, respectively. During the electrolysis, the LiCoO2 was electrochemically reduced to Co, and Li+ and O2− entered into the molten salt. The O2− was discharged at the anode to generate CO2 and formed Li2CO3. After electrolysis, the cathodic products were separated by magnetic separation to obtain Co and graphite, and Li2CO3 was recovered by water leaching. The recovery efficiencies of Li, Co, and graphite reached 99.3%, 98.1%, and 83.6%, respectively. Overall, this paper provides a simple and efficient electrochemical method for the simultaneous recovery of the cathode and the anode of spent LiCoO2 batteries.

Post-industrial cities often find themselves at a crossroads as to whether to find a new identity or embrace their industrial past. In late 2017, after the closure of major manufacturing plants in the region, the Australian city of Geelong was designated a UNESCO City of Design and embraced a “Clever and Creative” strategy which acknowledged Geelong’s industrial and design past in responding to contemporary technological, demographic, and economic challenges. However, questions remain as to which versions of the past are valued by the local community and how these stories can be shared. To better understand the social value of design and manufacturing heritage in Geelong as well as to get initial feedback on how to interpret this type of heritage through novel immersive extended reality (XR) experiences, the researchers took a community-led approach. This paper reports on the results of the initial online community surveys (N = 55–137) and in-person stakeholder interviews (N = 5) with carefully selected representatives of the local government, education, heritage, tourism, and engineering sectors. The study’s outcome demonstrates the importance of design and manufacturing heritage for the local community’s identity. Moreover, this type of heritage provides a source of inspiration, learning opportunities for future creative problem-solvers, and economic opportunities through tourism. By engaging with the social value of design and manufacturing heritage, this paper argues that more effective and targeted storytelling, game-like applications, and other digital immersive experiences such as extended reality (XR) can be used to better engage with audiences.

This paper presents the findings from a survey conducted on primary students to map their views toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Greece according to their urban or rural setting and gender. The sample included 281 primary students from different public schools in Attica and 69 primary students from a Greek province. A close-ended questionnaire was digitally distributed to collect the data. The findings revealed that most students, from both settings, consider themselves good at mathematics and science. At the same time, they do not report it to be very likely that they would follow a career that is related either to these subjects or engineering and technology. Regarding their personal skills, most of them stated that they have communication and cooperation skills. Concerning differences between the two settings, there were statistically significant differences in favor of rural students in whether they believed they could improve, both in mathematics and science, their belief that their knowledge in STEM subjects could be useful in their adult life, and their views on the causes and effects of environmental issues. Finally, limited gender differences emerged in favor of the boys’ responses regarding future STEM careers. The implications for further research on geographical, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in STEM education are discussed.

The recent emergence of generative AI technologies is beginning to shape workforce hiring practices. The shift towards skills-based hiring over degree-based hiring has sparked concerns over the ability of college graduates to be prepared for their career roles. One approach to equip students to work with technology and adapt to rapidly changing environments is the development of an entrepreneurial mindset. One way to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking is through the participatory action research methodology, photovoice. This study explores how photovoice promotes discovery, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities in university engineering classrooms. For this study, a literature review was conducted to identify, evaluate, and interpret available research. For the review, a five-step process was used. This process included defining a search criterion, constructing a Boolean logic search query, inserting the query into multiple academic search engines/databases, screening and selecting articles, and categorizing and mapping the literature. The review’s findings were organized based on the type of study, participants, duration of study and photovoice interventions used, study outcomes, and entrepreneurial mindset development. The results discussed in this paper offer insights, guidance, recommendations, and future directions for engineering education research.

In this paper, we consider the evolution of a new probability distribution called the exponential flexible Weibull distribution. The proposed exponential flexible Weibull distribution is obtained by combining the flexible Weibull extension with the exponential T-X strategy. For the exponential flexible Weibull, the estimators of the model parameters are derived mathematically. The appraisal of these parameters is accomplished through a simulation study. The applicability and virtuoso of the exponential flexible Weibull distribution are exemplified via two data sets. Furthermore, we implement the state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms, specifically Artificial Neural Networks and Extreme Gradient Boosting, which are widely employed in real-world applications. A comprehensive comparative analysis is conducted to assess the relative performance of these methodologies.

Textured gradient microstructures can be engineered by tailoring the molten pool cooling rate during additive manufacturing (AM). Here we consider the design of grain structures and crystallographic orientations by controlling the solidification strategy during AM by directed energy deposition (DED). In this paper the textures generated by open loop (fixed scan speed of 100, 200 and 300 mm/min) and closed loop adaptive control to achieve cooling rates of 500, 1100 and 1750 °C/s were compared using electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD). The cooling rate was determined key to eliminating the microstructural gradients or anisotropy for DED parts or to engineer functionality along the desired path. The solidified macro-textures along the building direction were significantly affected by the formation of columnar grains, their growth direction, and morphological transition to equiaxed grains as a result of rapid cooling.

Software engineering (SE) and computer science (CS) programs in universities worldwide are marked by a gender gap, which subsequently translates into a gender gap at the industry level. However, there are positive activities that can help attract more women to these male-dominant professions. This study maps the literature related to the achievement of gender balance in SE and CS university-level education and identifies future research directions. More specifically, this article reports on a systematic mapping study of female-inclusive SE and CS tertiary education programs. The authors collected 882 publications between 2015 and 2022 from five databases (ACM, IEEE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct), selecting 143 peer-reviewed papers for further analysis. The results showed that the main academic contributors were researchers from the USA. The majority of the publications contained observations and explanations regarding the gender gap in computing education. However, an important part of the literature considered proposals and practical activities for achieving gender balance in SE and CS programs. Finally, the authors classified the literature related to female-inclusive SE and CS tertiary education programs, identified the main research focuses and regional distribution, and considered ideas for future research.

Due to the consequences of fires, new and environmentally friendly firefighting techniques are constantly being sought. There are many methods of extinguishing flames around the world. One of them is a technique that uses acoustic waves for extinguishing, which can be seen as repeated sequences of molecular compression and dilation (acoustic waves transfer energy due to the movements of molecules and atoms). This research shows a new approach to the extinguishing of flames. In practice, the extinguishing capabilities of low-frequency modulated and unmodulated acoustic waves were tested on a laboratory station, the main component of which was a high-powered acoustic extinguisher (the nominal power was equal to 1700 W). A B&C 21DS115 woofer was applied as a sound source. A Rigol DG4102 and a Proel HPX2800 were used as an acoustic generator with a modulator and as a power amplifier, respectively. In this paper, the presented results are limited to extinguishing candle flames. The tests made it clear that flames can be extinguished using properly generated and directed acoustic waves. As the results indicate, it becomes possible to effectively extinguish flames with both low-frequency modulated and unmodulated acoustic waves, which brings many benefits.

Natural uranium is an important material basis to ensure the sustainable and stable development of national nuclear energy. Ocean contains abundant natural uranium resources, and the extraction of uranium from seawater is of great strategic and economic significance for supplementing and improving our country’s uranium supply system and realizing the autonomy of natural uranium supply. In this paper, the latest progress in the research direction of seawater uranium extraction technology in recent years is reviewed. This paper mainly summarizes the research results of adsorption materials and field tests for uranium extraction from seawater at home and abroad, and prospects the future development of uranium extraction from seawater.

The paper presents the interdisciplinary approach of two fields - the artistic (musical) and technical (forestry engineering, wood processing engineering, mechanical and physical engineering) apparently opposite but which can be happily exploited for both parties. Thus, we can speak of a new paradigm of education through which art can combine with the technical sciences for the benefit of all. The aim of the paper is to present experimental methods in mechanical and acoustic evaluation of violins from engineering and artistic perspectives. The presented results are part of a larger study carried out within an experimental demonstration research project.

In the current research, problems in engineering are becoming more and more prominent. One of the classes of engineering problems in engineering design problems, where a set of variables is calibrated in order for the optimization function to have a minimal or maximal value. This function considers energy efficiency, cost efficiency, and production efficiency in engineering design. One of the ways such problems are solved is metaheuristics. In this paper, we demonstrate how Dingo Optimization Algorithm (DOA) can be used to solve certain optimization problems in mechanical engineering. Firstly, a brief review of the DOA and its biological inspiration is given, along with the most important formulae. The pseudo-code for this algorithm was written using MATLAB R2020a software suite. Dingo Optimization Algorithm (DOA) was used to optimize engineering problems, such as pressure vessel optimization, stepped cantilever beam, car side-impact, and cone clutch optimization. The results presented in this paper show that the DOA can produce relevant results in engineering design problems.

This paper emphasizes the significant usage of natural fiber as a reinforced composite in the potential engineering field. Mechanical, civil, textile, agricultural, and other engineering sectors have already initiated the utilization of natural fiber in their multiple fields. After going through some processes like treating chemically and synthesizing them accordingly, natural fiber composites are prepared for respective implementation. Unlike other types of composite materials, natural fiber composites have some unique properties like recyclability, adaptability, environmental safety, and easy persuasion. On the other hand, different types of naturally oriented fiber like jute, cotton, silk, linen, hemp, etc. have almost the same kind of mechanical, thermal, and chemical features as traditional composite materials. Additionally; automobile, marine, aerospace, medical, and recreation industries claim a significant realm in this type of material kingdom. Though moisture problems, fiber swelling, and safe reusability are threatening for natural fiber-reinforced composites, more research will certainly reduce these problems. Researchers play a significant role in the permanent solution of different applications of natural fiber composites in every engineering sector.

Summary: This paper presents a multidisciplinary analysis of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Along with the latest observations and simulation studies, we synthesize the time-series and event progressions during the accident across multiple disciplines, including in-plant physics and engineering systems, operators’ actions, emergency responses, meteorology, radionuclide release and transport, land contamination, and health impacts. We identify three key factors that exacerbated the consequences of the accident: (1) the failure of Unit 2 containment venting, (2) the insufficient integration of radiation measurements and meteorology data in the evacuation strategy, and (3) the limited risk assessment and emergency preparedness. We conclude with new research and development directions to improve the resilience of nuclear energy systems and communities, including (1) meteorology-informed proactive venting, (2) machine learning-enabled adaptive evacuation zones, and (3) comprehensive risk-informed emergency planning while leveraging the experience from responses to other disasters.

Summary: Marine activities typically face various risk factors such as marine animal attacks or unexpected collisions. In this paper, we develop underwater smart glasses (USGs) based on visual-tactile fusion for underwater hazard detection in real-time, ensuring operational safety. The proposed USG is composed of the vision module by artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled optical sensing and the tactile module by triboelectric metamaterials-enabled mechanical sensing. The vision module is obtained based on the underwater target detection algorithm you only look once-underwater hazard (YOLO-UH) developed by the dataset to detect toxic marine organisms in the visual field. The tactile module is designed with the kirigami tribo-materials (KTMs) to sensitively detect and warn of collisions outside the visual field. Through numerical simulations, laboratory tests, and real-world experiments, we validated the performance of both modules. The reported USG with its visual-tactile fusion concept enables near-far all-around hazard detection and reduces the danger for divers working underwater.

Abstract Oral and maxillofacial diseases are one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, which not only seriously affect the health of patients’ oral and maxillofacial tissues, but also bring serious economic and psychological burdens to patients. Therefore, oral and maxillofacial diseases require effective treatment. Traditional treatments have limited effects. In recent years, nature exosomes have attracted increasing attention due to their ability to diagnose and treat diseases. However, the application of nature exosomes is limited due to low yield, high impurities, lack of targeting, and high cost. Engineered exosomes can be endowed with better comprehensive therapeutic properties by modifying exosomes of parent cells or directly modifying exosomes, and biomaterial loading exosomes. Compared with natural exosomes, these engineered exosomes can achieve more effective diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillary system diseases, and provide reference and guidance for clinical application. This paper reviews the engineering modification methods of exosomes and the application of engineered exosomes in oral and maxillofacial diseases and looks forward to future research directions. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Effective communication is especially important in the wearable robots (WRs) community, which encloses a great variety of devices across different application domains, e.g., healthcare, occupational, and consumer. In this paper we present a vocabulary of terms with the aim to create a common understanding of terms and concepts among the different fields of expertise relevant in the WRs community. Our goal is to develop shared documentation that could serve as a reference to facilitate the use of accepted definitions in the field. The presented vocabulary is the result of different focus group discussions among experts in the field. The resulting document was then validated by presenting it to the WR community through an online survey. The results of the survey highlight a strong agreement in terms of acceptance of the vocabulary, its usefulness, and applicability of the proposed definitions as well as an overall appreciation for its purpose and target. This work represents a pilot study providing unique material for the WR community, encouraging the use of shared agreed definitions. The reported version of the vocabulary has been made available as a live document in a github repository, for public commenting and further improvements.

Tensegrity structures are prestressed and self-stable pin-connected frameworks built up mainly from two kind of elements, in compression (bars) and in tension (tendons). It has been 75 years since the first official appearance of tensegrity, although the present paper includes proof that states that they are in fact more than 100 years old. Throughout these years, tensegrity structures have been capturing engineers’, architects’ and artists’ attention with their peculiar properties. In the last decade, new applications have been found based on tensegrity, although there are not any compilations about them. This paper aims to fill this gap by giving an overview of all the recent real applications that tensegrity has had during its short life, at the same time exposing its potential in all the fields it has contributed to (AEC, robotics, space, etc.) The methodology for performing this review has been revisiting the most relevant publications in several scientific databases. This has led to a new discovery: the first cable-dome by Snelson. As a conclusion, tensegrity has been providing useful solutions to previous problems since they have appeared, but their potential can still grow in an exponential way due to the new technologies and discoveries of the last decade.

This paper describes a study related to the learning of decision-making heuristics such as preference matrix, break-even point and decision tree from the perspective of using a computational tool. With their respective algorithms, a virtual learning environment through a mobile application (app) aimed at Engineering students was developed. To answer the research questions posed in this report, an empirical study was conducted to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and cost in solving decision-making problems with and without the use of the app. The results in this study suggest that the use of the app in learning decision-making skills facilitates the mathematical process for students, and that by using critical thinking competence, they can make assertive and accurate decisions considering different alternatives.

Microservices have emerged as a prevalent architectural style in modern software development, replacing traditional monolithic architectures. The decomposition of business functionality into distributed microservices offers numerous benefits, but introduces increased complexity to the overall application. Consequently, the complexity of authorization in microservice-based applications necessitates a comprehensive approach that integrates authorization as an inherent component from the beginning. This paper presents a systematic approach for achieving fine-grained user authorization using Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC). The proposed approach emphasizes structure preservation, facilitating traceability throughout the various phases of application development. As a result, authorization artifacts can be traced seamlessly from the initial analysis phase to the subsequent implementation phase. One significant contribution is the development of a language to formulate natural language authorization requirements and policies. These natural language authorization policies can subsequently be implemented using the policy language Rego. By leveraging the analysis of software artifacts, the proposed approach enables the creation of comprehensive and tailored authorization policies.

This paper starts by presenting the concept of a mobile application. A literature review is conducted, which shows that there is still a certain lack with regard to smartphone applications in the domain of engineering as independent simulation applications and not only as extensions of smartphone tools. The challenges behind this lack are then discussed. Subsequently, three case studies of engineering applications for both smartphones and the internet are presented, alongside their solutions to the challenges presented. The first case study concerns an engineering application for systems control. The second case study focuses on an engineering application for composite materials. The third case study focuses on the finite element method and structure generation. The solutions to the presented challenges are then described through their implementation in the applications. The three case studies show a new system of thought concerning the development of engineering smartphone applications.

The usage of knowledge obtained by connecting various scientific areas provides new opportunities for developing multidisciplinary branches to improve processes, procedures, technologies, and products. The present paper is devoted to the description of new approaches to material engineering and its possibilities in the process of the selection of materials intended for the production of dental implants. To ensure the conciseness of the article, a selection of state-of-the-art of scientific contributions is created in the introductory part in the form of a summary table, based on which the following parts of the article are elaborated. The first view of new ways of materials engineering is provided through the elaboration of the categorization of the setting of biological materials used in the production of dental implants, while taking into account current trends, technologies and findings. The second view of new ways of materials engineering is an extended complex process of selection and implementation of biomaterials intended for the production of dental implants originally created and adopted by the American Dental Association. Future studies should investigate the comprehensive analysis of technologies for the production of dental implant materials and also analysis of ways of digitization in the production of dental implants.

Mannan and outer structural yeast cell wall polysaccharides have recently garnered attention for their health defense and cosmetic applications. In addition, many studies have confirmed that yeast cell wall mannans exhibit various biological activities, such as antioxidant, immune regulation, reducing hyperlipidemia, and gut health promotion. This paper elucidates yeast cell wall mannan structural features, biological activities, underlying molecular mechanisms, and biosynthesis. Moreover, mannan-overproducing strategies through yeast strain engineering are emphasized and discussed. This review will provide a scientific basis for yeast cell wall mannan research and industrial applications.

Summary: This study proposed two kinds of tensegrity hopping robots, which were actuated by push-pull electromagnets and servo motors, respectively. Both tensegrity robots are able to conduct stable and consecutive hopping actions. This paper covers the robots’ structural designs, theoretical modeling of the hopping actuators, and detailed analysis of the robot’s self-righting properties, all of which are validated by corresponding experimental and simulational results. The first hopping robot could hop forward at an average speed of 0.641 body length/s. Although the second robot has a lower moving speed of 0.237 body length/s, its average jumping height of 0.301 m is nearly 2.5 times higher than that of the first robot. Then compared with other tensegrity rolling robots, the proposed two robots show obvious advantages in locomotion performance over their counterparts. Therefore, the proposed robots can have large potential in many fields such as space exploration, urban search, military surveillance, etc.

Summary: Aiming at the current SPI (solder paste inspection) system for printing solder paste similar defects detection accuracy is not high, the system intelligence degree is low and so on, design a for the solder paste similar defects and combined with phase modulation profile measurement technique and improve the YOLOX intelligent detection system. The core of the system is the improved YOLOX depth model based on s-mosica and kt-iou algorithms proposed in this paper. The experimental results show that the proposed s-mosica and kt-iou algorithms can effectively improve the detection accuracy of printed solder paste, and when combined with the YOLOX model, the best 90.33% detection accuracy is obtained, which is better than the detection performance of the existing algorithms in the same scenario, and it provides an effective and feasible reference program for the design of the SPI high-precision intelligent detection system.

Summary: China as a major coal-consuming economy faces the challenge of balancing economic development and carbon neutrality goal. This paper incorporates both efficiency-based and equity-based carbon neutrality policies into a numerical model to quantitatively assess how coal reduction under various carbon-neutral policies affects energy mix, economic growth, and industrial structures by 2060. Results show the nationwide coal intensity will ultimately plunge by over 95% from 2017 to 2060, mainly attributed to the coal-phasing-out in most industries. National Gross Domestic Product losses reaches 4,951 billion USD in efficiency-based scenarios by 2060, and the economic losses are even more severe in less developed provinces, especially provinces in Northern China. Although the equity-based policy can reduce the economic burden for the Northern China, the equity-based policy is accompanied by a significant regional shift in coal across the country: eastern coal-intense industries will be relocated northward, leading to increases in embodied coal consumption.

Rose is a beautiful and fragrant plant with a variety of medicinal and substance uses. Various parts of rose such as fruits, flowers, leaves, and bark can be used in various product development, including cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, and engineering. The medical benefits of roses include the treatment of inflammation, diabetes, dysmenorrhea, depression, stress, seizures, and aging. Rose water is precious beauty water for skin care and has antibacterial effects on various microbiota. The surface of a rose petal exhibits a hierarchical structure comprising microscale papillae, with each papilla further featuring intricate nanofolds. With this structural feature, rose petals have high water contact angles together with antagonistic wetting properties. The hierarchical structures of rose petals were shown to have anti-reflection and light-harvesting abilities, which have the potential to be materials for various electronic products. Rose petals are an excellent biomimetic/bioinspired material that can be applied to the popular material graphene. This paper reviews the medical function and material application of roses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical materials or food shortages have become a global issue. Natural biomaterials could be a good alternative. Roses, with so many benefits, definitely deserve more exploration and promotion.

In this paper, we investigated the applicability of ChatGPT AI in electronics research and development via a case study of applied sensors in embedded electronic systems, a topic that is rarely mentioned in the recent literature, thus providing new insight for professionals and academics. The initial electronics-development tasks of a smart home project were prompted to the ChatGPT system to find out its capabilities and limitations. We wanted to obtain detailed information on the central processing controller units and the actual sensors usable for the specific project, their specifications and recommendations on the hardware and software design flow additionally. Furthermore, an extensive literature survey was requested to see if the bot could offer scientific papers covering the given topic. It was found that the ChatGPT responded with proper recommendations on controllers. However, the suggested sensor units, the hardware and software design were only partially acceptable, with occasional errors in specifications and generated code. The results of the literature survey showed that non-acceptable, fabricated citations (fake authors list, title, journal details and DOI—Digital Object identifier) were presented by the bot. The paper provides a detailed qualitative analysis, a performance analysis and critical discussion of the aforementioned aspects while providing the query set, the generated answers and codes as supplied data with the goal to give added value to electronics researchers and developers if trying to reach out for the tools in their profession.

As design practitioners researchers and educators, we constantly find ourselves shuffled between humanities and sciences. In fact, the design departments in the universities around the globe are located within the faculties of engineering, architecture, visual art, liberal are or environmental sciences, thus becoming a meeting point for academics and professionals coming from both the humanities and sciences. The synergy resulting from the varieties of backgrounds and expertise creates a fertile ground for explorations on both a conceptual and a technical level. By briefly compiling and analysing a review of literature and creative works spanning from the renaissance to contemporary art, this paper reflects on the potential benefits of combining engineering and art research. The authors of this paper look at the increasingly delicate role that technicians, engineers and computer programmers play in developing technologies that impact our social, emotional and intimal lives, and advocate for art as a context and tool to help those professional developing their sensitivity and critical sense, besides their skills. In doing so, the paper makes a contribution to the STEM vs. STEAM conundrum, encouraging an education that merges arts and humanities disciplines with scientific and technical subjects. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2021-02-01-04 Full Text: PDF

Due to the substantial development of information and communications technology, the use of E-learning in higher education has become essential to boost teaching methods and enhance students' learning skills and competencies. E-learning in Software Engineering turns out to be increasingly interesting for scholars. In fact, researchers have worked to enhance modern Software Engineering education techniques to meet the required educational objectives. The aim of this article is to analyse the scientific production on E-learning Software Engineering education by conducting a bibliometric analysis of 10,603 publications, dating from 1954 to 2020 and available in the Scopus database. The results reveal some scientific production information, such as the temporal evolution of the publications, the most prolific authors, institutions and countries, as well as the languages used. Besides, the paper evaluates additional bibliometric parameters, including the authors' production, journal productivity, and scientific cooperation, among other bibliometric parameters. The subject of the current study has not been treated by any previous bibliometric studies. Our research is deeper and more specific; it covers a long period of 66 years and a large number of publications, thanks to the chosen search string containing the different spellings of the used terms. In addition, the literature is analysed using several tools such as Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, and Python. The research findings can be used to identify the current state of E-learning Software Engineering Education, as well as to identify various research trends and the general direction of E-learning research.

Abstract Background Co-curricular activities are often touted as valuable STEM learning opportunities in higher education settings. Particularly in engineering, industry encourage and seek students with co-curricular experiences. However, many engineering undergraduates do not regularly participate in those experiences. Some researchers have suggested that the rigors of the curriculum leave little time for co-curriculars. Yet, little research has empirically examined the reality of the undergraduate students’ involvement in co-curriculars. Thus, as an initial study, we situated our study in a large public university to explore students’ motivations for co-curriculars. In this paper we report on our efforts to understand student perceptions about the value and costs of that involvement. We considered how undergraduate engineering students used their time and what motivated them to engage (or not) in co-curriculars using Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT). Students’ motivation was investigated with a quantitative research methodology and complemented by interview data. Results Results of our motivation survey show that students who participated in co-curriculars perceived less cost than those who never participated. We also found that the achievement values of co-curriculars does not necessarily motivate student involvement. Interview data were used to further interpret quantitative data results. Conclusions In the context of study findings and existent literature, we discuss several implications for future research and practice. First, we argue for a more granular investigation of student time use and its impact on co-curricular participation. Second, despite the potential for high impact outcomes, students who have never participated perceived high cost for co-curricular engagement. Those perceptions may aggravate inequitable engagement of student populations, including historically marginalized populations in the STEM field. Third, students do not necessarily associate co-curricular experiences with the types of achievement values and learning that institutions, alumni, and industry might consider most important. Thus, to build and support co-curricular programs that provide the holistic educational experiences and learning that are anticipated, research that supports design of co-curricular programs and policies to improve engagement and persistence in those programs for all students is necessary.

The existence of traditional houses in Banda Aceh has been extinguished in modern times. With globalization's impact, the traditional house connotates as ‘old house style,’ and thus, the house style is not up to date. A large number of house owners demolish them and reconstruct them with new modern houses. Despite that, it is approved that the traditional houses of Aceh were survived the earthquake that frequently hit the region. As Banda Aceh is one of the regions resided on Sumatran's segment, the region has a large number of earthquakes. This paper, which is part of the previous study on the thermal comfort of traditional and modern houses in Aceh, explores a historical architectural example that reveals local experiences that involve local wisdom and expertise. This paper focuses on a traditional house located in a modern housing neighborhood in Banda Aceh city. In doing this, the paper identifies how Acehnese ancestors, through their local knowledge, have constructed a traditional Acehnese house. The article also shows how its architectural form's construction techniques respond to the region's geographical condition. In constructing this study, interview and observation toward the building as primary data collections are conducted. Also, several written sources, as secondary data, related to an Acehnese traditional house, are reviewed. This paper shows that constructing a conventional house is a responsive architecture toward hot climate and earthquake. Therefore, this architectural building type with the local wisdom value's involvement is worthy of being applied and adapted in modern life.

Online learning in higher education is becoming increasingly common as the possibilities of the available digital infrastructure expand. A recent emergent driver for online learning is the closing of universities to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Many educators are now faced with the need to make their teaching digital, though they have little or no experience with online teaching methods. In such a situation, learning outcomes may come second to what can be readily implemented by available digital resources. In this paper, a design for student-active online learning in engineering is proposed as a guide to help take account of learning objectives first, and the digital tools and resources necessary to achieve those objectives second. % in when choosing online learning strategies. In addition, the paper emphasises the social dimension of online learning, and recommends that explicit actions should be taken to increase positive social relations between students in an online course to be able to succeed with student-active learning methods. In the paper, a clear path is followed from objectives to learning activities, and then to assessments and evaluations, and appropriate digital tools and resources are suggested to support activities and evaluations in an online course. Online courses in engineering are targeted in particular, and challenges that arise from common activities such as problem solving and practical work in an online engineering course are addressed. The proposed guide emphasises usability to ensure that it can be used even by inexperienced digital educators, and an example on how the guide can be applied to design an online course in mobile robotics is given. The proposed guide aims to help shift online learning in engineering from traditionally teacher-active lectures to more student-active learning activities.

The transition to digital economy based on new technologies becomes one of the main tools of innovative technological development in Russia. This research examines the means for implementing digital technologies that effectively enable rapid innovative development of the Russian economy. I hypothesise it is necessary to develop a methodological system of techniques and algorithms of artificial intelligence filling neural networks of digital technologies for managing finance in the conditions of uncertainty and risk. A wide variety of methods was used in the study, including dialectic and integrated approaches, fundamental economic laws, deductive and inductive methods, statistical comparisons, descriptive methods of analysis. Moreover, I apply such methodologies as the theory of constraints (TOC), methods of lean manufacturing, Kanban-methods as a tool of IT-management, scrum methodology for software development, and other. The statistical and empirical data confirm the validity of the conclusions and results. The paper considers how to create capital in the form of innovative products and technologies in the digital environment. As a result, the study has revealed relations between digital technologies and engineering account, economic analysis, material production, highly skilled creative work, environmental protection, and sustainable development. The article explains how to include automated information and analytical functions for the compensation and generation of missing information into digital technologies. The transition from the database to the knowledge base, which fills neural networks with the artificial intelligence, provides the generation of management decisions and sustainable innovative development in the conditions of uncertainty and risk. The paper recommends currencies for digital payments. I conclude that applying the suggested recommendations is necessary for providing digital technologies with the algorithms of extraction and implementation of knowledge from the data asset, as well as for compensating for the missing information, generating information flows, and making decisions in the conditions of uncertainty and risk. The research can be of use for PhD students, doctoral students, scholars and practitioners in the field of economy.

Main task of this paper was to design a model which would find incongruence in educational process of capable EFMNS certified engineer. Through designed model, scoreboard matrix tables of incongruence of elements were defined. Also, the model represents contenting elements by value of incongruence and impact. Flexible model was observed in variation of changed congruence of specific element and gap analysis of element itself. Educational process was analysed as a system with several levels of output with main researched output in the lowest level-maintenance engineer able to achieve EFMNS certificate. GAP analysis was set as the method suitable for comparing different approaches, styles and set of educational courses provided in the various educational processes. As a base of the model, Nadler Tushman Congruence model was used and modified for better serving the practice. Base model was analysed in order to best use pros and to avoid main cons of the model. Main goal of the paper was to set appropriate model for comparing different elements of the educational process in order to discover their influence and incongruence with the process. The model designed in this paper provides a strong basis in the future gap analysis of educational process and elements of system. Also, the discovered model could be used in analysis of various processes under stated requirements. As a result of this research and analysis, lists of particular educational courses were defined, both for BSc and MSc levels of studying, which can be used both as a standalone or addition to existing educational program. Analysis of defined lists and their impacts on other elements of educational process itself provided several major conclusions which provide constant development of educational process.