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The automotive industry is responsible for about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, and it is under notable pressure to meet the reduction targets set by the European Union for the next decades. In this context, lightweighting is a very effective design strategy for which materials selection plays a key role. One of the main challenges of lightweighting is selecting materials with enhanced structural properties but a reduced weight in comparison with traditional solutions. The spectrum of available materials is very large, and the choice needs to be carefully evaluated based on multiple factors, such as mechanical behavior, raw materials cost, the availability of manufacturing processes, and environmental impact. This article presents an innovative methodology for materials selection in the lightweight automotive field based on the Ashby approach for mechanical performance coefficients as an initial filtering criterion. Following this preliminary screening, this study adopts the VIKOR (Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) MCDA (Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis) technique to rank feasible design solutions based on case study boundary conditions. The evaluation criterion of different design options encompasses crucial factors, such as mechanical properties, cost considerations, and environmental impact measures. The method is finally validated by the application of a redesign case study, a motor bracket of an electric commercial car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The automotive industry is responsible for about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, and it is under notable pressure to meet the reduction targets set by the European Union for the next decades. In this context, lightweighting is a very effective design strategy for which materials selection plays a key role. One of the main challenges of lightweighting is selecting materials with enhanced structural properties but a reduced weight in comparison with traditional solutions. The spectrum of available materials is very large, and the choice needs to be carefully evaluated based on multiple factors, such as mechanical behavior, raw materials cost, the availability of manufacturing processes, and environmental impact. This article presents an innovative methodology for materials selection in the lightweight automotive field based on the Ashby approach for mechanical performance coefficients as an initial filtering criterion. Following this preliminary screening, this study adopts the VIKOR (Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) MCDA (Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis) technique to rank feasible design solutions based on case study boundary conditions. The evaluation criterion of different design options encompasses crucial factors, such as mechanical properties, cost considerations, and environmental impact measures. The method is finally validated by the application of a redesign case study, a motor bracket of an electric commercial car.

This paper presents a method-based investigation on the application of low dimensional materials like graphene, carbon nanotube (CNT), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) in tunnel field effect transistors (TFETs) for high on-current requirements. Three multi-criteria decision making methods (MCDM) are employed to arrive at a consensus on the appropriate material. The Ashby technique, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and VlseKriterijumska Optimazicija I Kompromisno Resenjein in Serbian (VIKOR) are utilized using constraints which decide a TFET's performance. In order to select the material, dominant parameters have been included in the formulation which includes intrinsic material properties like the band gap, dielectric constant and electron effective mass along with an extrinsic parameter, namely, the on-state current to the off-state current ratio. The analysis demonstrates a remarkable agreement between the results of Ashby, TOPSIS and VIKOR methods, and concludes that carbon nanotube (CNT) has the most potential amongst all the candidates to be employed in the next generation TFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After reviewing the past half century of definitions of higher cognitive pedagogy, this paper presents a new approach rooted in brain function. We define higher cognitive pedagogy as indicating the presence of executive function. Executive function in turn is defined by the presence of multiple disciplinary areas and multi-parameter subject matter. We show this approach unifies the approaches of the great pedagogists such as Bloom, Anderson, Van-Hiele, Gagne, Webb, Piaget, Marzano, Bruner, Yazdani, Pegg and Hess etc. We illustrate the applicability of this executive function approach to several disciplines including mathematics, writing, law, music, and literary analysis. The proposed executive function definition is simpler to use than previous definitions and approaches and is equally discriminatory.

This paper analyzes various high-κ dielectrics for low leakage AlGaN (Aluminium Gallium Nitride)/GaN (Gallium Nitride) MIS-HEMT (Metal Insulator Semiconductor—High Electron Mobility Transistor) device. The investigation is carried out by examining different attributes such as the dielectric constant, conduction band offset, and energy band gap of the dielectric which are crucial for a good dielectric-AlGaN interface. This work also computes the values of band offsets of different dielectrics to AlGaN analytically. The selection of the most promising dielectric is done using three different multi-criteria decision making methods (MCDM) namely the Ashby, VIKOR (VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje in Serbian, meaning Multicriteria Optimization and Compromise Solution) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). All the analyses point to La2O3 as the best gate dielectric for AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faulty Theory proposes a few means by which theory may be operative in media ecology, providing capacities for inducing and experimenting with a range of media dynamics. The article develops accounts of the work of Alfred Jarry and Charles Fort, alongside a discussion of a certain current of thought experiment carried out in cybernetics through the development of robots and other devices by Gordon Pask, Grey Walter and W. Ross Ashby. The article proposes possible resonances between theoretical exploration of the construction of media and Nietzsche’s discussion of perspectivalism in thought in order to recognise theory’s tendencies as a creative, partial and faulty form of mediatic life.

The great interest in spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) has led to a wealth of SDI definitions in SDI debates. The article aims to contribute to both theory-oriented and practice-oriented SDI research by providing a critical re-examination of the SDI literature. Ashby's formal theory of regulation, which sees infrastructures as regulatory devices, is used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of several SDI definitions. This exercise shows how debates of the SDI objectives and the roles of users get caught in mantraps and also opens the door for a way out of this confusion by distinguishing between functional and adoption objectives. It also highlights the emphasis on technological components in the SDI definitions, which sidestep the importance of structural and human resource components in SDI. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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Abstract: Differing experimental findings with respect to “low dose” responses in the mouse prostate after in utero exposure have generated considerable controversy. An analysis of such controversies requires a broad strength and weight of the evidence approach. For example, a National Toxicology Program review panel acquired the raw data from nearly 50 studies and then statistically reanalyzed these data in a common and comparable approach. However, the statistical power of the various studies was not calculated and the quantitative p values were not reported in this reanalysis. Such calculations and values address vital strength- and weight-of-the-evidence questions: (1) how sensitive were the various studies to detect changes in prostate weight, particularly the negative replicate studies and (2) what were the p values; were negative studies robust or only marginal in their inability to find an effect? We first examined the statistical power of the studies to detect a positive effect on prostate weight. Preliminary calculations indicated that the two subsequent replicating studies were indeed more sensitive to changes in prostate weight in comparison to the original study, having reasonable power to detect an effect at only 50% of the response reported in the original study. Additional calculations were performed using the raw data available from one negative replicating study and the methods recommended by the statistics subpanel of the original review. This analysis used Dunnett’s multiple comparison procedure for groups with p <0.05 to infer statistical significance, employed an analysis-of-covariance model with body weight as a covariate, and addressed litter as a nested random effect. The quantitated p values for this replicated study, comparing the two Bisphenol A treatment groups (2 and 20μg/kg/day) to the control, were 0.821 and 0.972, respectively. This indicates this study was indeed robust in finding no treatment-related effect. Thus, the weight and strength of the evidence, based on sensitivity and quantitative p value, was that it is highly unlikely for this negative replicating study to have missed a true effect. In the future, we recommend a similar use of statistical power analysis for those designing experimental studies and for those conducting weight-of-the-evidence reviews, and we also recommend the clear quantitation and reporting of p values to support the review’s interpretation and conclusions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]