Search

There is a growing acknowledgment in research and policy that populations, especially in wealthy nations, have undesirably high levels of meat consumption seen from a climate change perspective. Many studies on the subject have focused on the characteristics and choices of individual consumers to explain their food consumption habits. Instead, this paper focuses on the interrelated everyday food practices of shopping, cooking, and eating, and what practice-demands processes of transition pose for practitioners when they reduce their meat consumption. We do this by analyzing interview data from 27 interviews with young people in Denmark (which has a very high meat consumption per capita) who have reduced or are in the process of reducing their meat consumption. We show how the transition of food practices is a gradual and non-linear process, which entails that the practitioner develop the elements necessary to successfully perform the modified food practice. We also show that this transition process demands work of the practitioner, in the form of time and effort. Finally, we show that while the explicit intention to reduce meat is widespread among practitioners, such an "intention to change" is not a prerequisite element of food practice transitions that result in reduced meat consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scotch yoke inerter (SYI) is a new geometrically nonlinear vibration isolator with a smaller maximum transmissibility than linear inerter systems. The influence of internal friction and the damping effect on the response of the SYI system for seismic isolation can be significant and needs to be studied. In this study, a small-scale SYI is designed and tested, and an accurate model of SYI is developed for describing its dynamic behavior. Then, the motion equation of the coupled structure-SYI system is established, and several dynamic analyses are studied, including the amplitude-frequency response, the critical excitation amplitude, the backbone curve, the peak response, the starting frequency, and the linearization design, and many fitting expressions for engineering applications are proposed. Finally, the vibration isolation performance of SYI is investigated when friction and damping effects are considered or not, using a single-degree-of-freedom system and a building structure as examples. For harmonic excitations, the maximum transmissibility of the SYI system is superior to that of the linear inerter system, and its advantage becomes more obvious as the excitation amplitude increases. Its seismic isolation effect is slightly better than that of a linear inerter for seismic excitations, where the SYI considering friction and damping effects is better. Practical Applications: A scotch yoke inerter is a geometrically nonlinear inerter that is simple to construct, easy to implement, and has the advantage of variable inertance. The variation of inertance is reflected in two aspects: first, its nominal inertance can be changed by adjusting the location of the pin; second, its dynamic inertance is related to its deformation, which can provide greater negative stiffness effects for larger external excitations. The precise and simplified output force model of the scotch yoke inerter is provided, which can be applied to the calculation and verification of the output force in the design of scotch yoke inerters. Fitting expressions for the critical excitation amplitude, starting frequency, and linearization design are proposed, which can provide a theoretical basis for the application of scotch yoke inerters in base-isolated structures. Compared with traditional linear inerters, scotch yoke inerters have a better isolation control effect, and this control effect can be further improved by making reasonable use of the internal friction and the damping in SYI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual engineering involves revising our concepts. It can be pursued as a specific philosophical methodology, but is also common in ordinary, non-philosophical, contexts. How does our capacity for conceptual engineering fit into human cognitive life more broadly? I hold that conceptual engineering is best understood alongside practices of conceptual exploration, examples of which include conceptual supposition (i.e. suppositional reasoning about alternative concepts), and conceptual comparison (i.e. comparisons between possible concept choices). Whereas in conceptual engineering we aim to change the concepts we use, in conceptual exploration, we reason about conceptual possibilities. I approach conceptual exploration via the linguistic tools we use to communicate about concepts, using metalinguistic negotiation, convention-shifting conditionals, and metalinguistic comparatives as my key examples. I present a linguistic framework incorporating conventions that can account for this communication in a unified way. Furthermore, I argue that conceptual exploration helps undermine skepticism about conceptual engineering itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I consider a number of philosophical critiques of language and describe how their criticisms compare. In particular, I discuss how the current trend in the philosophy of language known as conceptual engineering fits into this tradition and to what extent it can be considered a critique of language per se, rather than a method of addressing dissatisfactions with certain individual terms. I suggest that philosophical criticisms of language can be divided into allegations of two types of shortcoming: dangers and deficiencies. In the category of dangers, I consider some well-known examples from the history of philosophy, and suggest that they partly rely on an unexpressed form of Linguistic Determinism. I then move on to the deficiencies highlighted in the critiques offered by Wittgenstein in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, and Mauthner in his Contributions to a Critique of Language. These form a pair of apparently opposite ways of considering the flaws in language, but I shall argue that they have much in common. I then describe the conceptual engineering movement and its mission to provide "improved" meanings of certain terms. I show that implicit in the assumptions behind conceptual engineering are criticisms of language of both varieties--current meanings are seen as dangerous as they represent a threat to social justice, and the system of allocation of meaning is seen as flawed and in need of external intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonlinear mechanical oscillator with X-shaped-spring suspension has attracted relevant attention in the past couple of years due to its ability to tailor the corresponding stiffness characteristic on purpose and fit diverse engineering needs. This paper deeply investigates the conditions for such a configuration to exhibit a quasi-zero stiffness behaviour with both the linear and cubic elastic term of the force-displacement curve equal to zero. The resulting quintic characteristic leads to a vibration isolator with a much larger isolation frequency band respect to the classical isolator with non-zero cubic elastic term only. A systematic comparison between the quintic and cubic characteristics is performed, emphasizing the asymptotic trends, and thus showing the fundamental behaviours. It is found that the critical damping for an unbounded response of the quintic isolator is proportional to the square of the normalized excitation amplitude, while that of the cubic isolator is directly proportional to the normalized displacement amplitude. This makes the critical damping of the quintic isolator much lower, and thus more favourable in practical engineering applications, where the values of the normalized excitation amplitude are less than one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of current sizing systems adopted by brands, for an athletic female population and try to identify areas of improvement in current sizing and grading methods used. This information can be used to engineer accurately fitting lower-body sports compression leggings for the target demographic. Size and shape data of sixty-three athletic females was collected using 3D body scanning. The data was compared to size charts of three commercially available sports compression leggings manufactured by different brands as well as Alvanon's UK sizing and grading standards. Results show that athletic females are not catered for by current products. 28 women (44.44%) fell between sizes for at least one measurement across the three brands. Participant's measurements indicate differing body shapes to the standard 'hourglass' shape presented by the Alvanon UK sizing standards, used by companies as a basis for their sizing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the rate-dependent non-aging constitutive model and the rate-independent aging constitutive model, a rate-dependent aging constitutive model is proposed to explain the changes in mechanical properties of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber under different strain rates and aging states. In order to simulate the actual use state of rubber, accelerated aging tests are conducted on the samples in a hot air aging environment. The grey wolf algorithm is utilized to accurately fit the engineering stress–strain curve obtained from the experiment, obtaining specific coefficient values that represent the effects of strain rate, aging time, and aging temperature in the constitutive model. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed rate-dependent aging constitutive model in accurately predicting the mechanical property changes of EPDM rubber under different strain rates and aging states. The consistency between the experimental data and the calculated results is within the acceptable error range. It is worth noting that the stress in the model shows the dependence on strain rate, aging time and aging temperature, emphasizing the mechanical property changes of EPDM rubber at high temperatures and low strain rates simulated in the uniaxial tensile state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In manufacturing shops in practice, machine capacity is often constrained by more than one type of resource. Yet research mainly focusses on the effects of only one type of resource that constrains machine capacity, e.g. labour, tooling or auxiliary constraints. In response, we use simulation to assess the impact of order release, dispatching and resource assignment rules in make-to-order job shops with multiple resource constraints. The capacity wasted while a machine stands idle waiting for other resources increases with the number of constraints, and all three production planning and control functions have little impact on this waiting time. Effective production planning and control can however improve operational performance in terms of time and tardiness-related measures. In general, combining order release control with a dispatching rule that prioritises jobs for which all resources are available at dispatching and a longest queue resource assignment rule leads to the best performance. Most importantly, and rather counterintuitively, prioritising orders with the fewest missing resources worsens the performance of both the dispatching and resource assignment rule since it reduces resource utilisation during periods of high load. Results from dual resource-constrained shops are consequently not directly transferable to more complex resource-constrained shops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the impact of cutting blasting on the surface, a vibration waveform prediction function was constructed, and a method of dividing the affected area was proposed. Based on the equivalent spherical charge theory, it is possible to establish a connection between the fitting coefficient and the engineering parameters in the equivalent source intensity function. Furthermore, a blasting vibration waveform function suitable for engineering can be constructed. Secondly, the reliability of the method introduced is verified through the data monitored on-site. Finally, the affected partitions of blasting vibration are divided based on the peak particle velocity and vibration displacement as standards. The results show that the vibration waveform prediction system introduced can restore the vibration waveform corresponding to cutting blasting. In addition, the zoning method can reasonably divide the scope of the affected area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a 6×6 MIMO array optimized for sub-6 GHz mobile and wireless applications. Utilizing a partial ground plane (PGP), the array incorporates a single-element half-circle-slotted monopole antenna to achieve a wideband response. The compact design, measuring 75 × 150 mm² and only 0.508 mm thick, is engineered to fit 6.6-inch display smartphones. Operating between 2.82 and 5.95 GHz, the array offers a -10 dB bandwidth and a VSWR of less than 2. It also delivers port-to-port isolation less than -20 dB and a peak realized gain of 5.3 dBi, with an antenna efficiency of 71%. Comprehensive far-field radiation patterns are observed across all 6 ports. The array maintains an envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) under 0.004 and a diversity gain (DG) above 9.98, demonstrating robust performance. Specific absorption rate (SAR) results at 3.5 GHz confirms compliance with MIMO standards, with values as low as 0.13 W/kg. This high-performance MIMO array is a strong contender for sub-6 GHz 5G applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we suggest a brand new extension of the inverse Lomax distribution for fitting engineering time data. The newly developed distribution, termed the transmuted Topp–Leone inverse Lomax (TTLILo) distribution, is characterized by an additional shape and transmuted parameters. It is critical to notice that the skewness, kurtosis, and tail weights of the distribution are strongly influenced by these additional characteristics of the extra parameters. The TTLILo model is capable of producing right-skewed, J-shaped, uni-modal, and reversed-J-shaped densities. The proposed model's statistical characteristics, including the moments, entropy values, stochastic ordering, stress-strength model, incomplete moments, and quantile function, are examined. Moreover, characterization based on two truncated moments is offered. Using Bayesian and non-Bayesian estimating techniques, we estimate the distribution parameters of the suggested distribution. The bootstrap procedure, approximation, and Bayesian credibility are the three forms of confidence intervals that have been created. A simulation study is used to assess the efficiency of the estimated parameters. The TTLILo model is then put to the test by being applied to actual engineering datasets, demonstrating that it offers a good match when compared to alternative models. Two applications based on real engineering datasets are taken into consideration: one on the failure times of airplane air conditioning systems and the other on the active repair times of airborne communication transceivers. Also, we consider the problem of estimating the stress-strength parameter R = P (Z 2 < Z 1) with engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probability distributions have prominent applications in different sectors. Among these sectors, probability models are mostly used to analyze datasets in engineering. Among the existing probability distributions, the two-parameter Weibull model plays an important role in providing the best fit for engineering and other related datasets. This paper introduces a new method called a novel updated-W (denoted by "NU-W") family of distributions that is used to develop a new updated form of the Weibull distribution. The proposed updated extension of the Weibull model is referred to as a novel updated Weibull (denoted as NU-Weibull) distribution. Distributional properties such as identifiability, heavy-tailed characteristic, and rth moment of the NU-W family are derived. The residual life analysis of the NU-Weibull distribution is provided. Finally, two physical applications from civil engineering and reliability sectors are analyzed to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the NU-Weibull distribution. The data fitting results show that the NU-Weibull distribution is a more suitable and best fit for engineering datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drill bits with internal cooling capabilities are still not employed in stone machining practices within shop floor environments. Therefore, a conventional industrial drill bit used in stone machining was subject to a redesign wherein an axial cooling channel was machined throughout its body. A comparison was drawn between the standard drill bit without cooling capabilities and the redesigned drill bit, which used compressed air as a cooling medium. The experiment was performed by drilling three types of stone samples varying in hardness with nine combinations of cutting speed and feed rate. During the machining process, two types of process signals were continuously measured—namely, cutting forces and vibrations. Additionally, the cutting edges of the drill bits were inspected after a specific number of drilling cycles using a vision system. The primary objective of this study was to compare the cutting forces and tool wear dynamics achieved by those two drill bits. Furthermore, the usage of vibration signals in the classification of stone hardness during machining with an internally cooled drill bit was additionally analyzed. The results of this study unveiled improvement in minimizing cutting forces, vibrations, and the intensity of tool wear when utilizing an internally cooled drill bit. Even though the machining system generally exhibited lower vibrations, vibration signals again demonstrated commendable efficacy in classifying stone hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most manufacturing shops in practice have limited physical space in front of each workstation, due, for example, to physical, economical or operational constraints. As a result, a job may cause blocking because it has to remain at a given station after an operation has been completed until space in front of the next station in its routing becomes available. Despite this practical reality, the Workload Control literature typically assumes infinite buffer limits and therefore neglects the impact of blocking. Using simulation, we highlight the direct, detrimental impact of blocking in both the pure and general flow shop. Workload Control order release dampens the effect of blocking and improves overall performance. This makes Workload Control order release even more important in the context of shops with blocking or physical space constraints. Further analysis reveals that the impact of blocking is less pronounced in the pure flow shop given its directed routing. Finally, most of the blocking that occurs is because jobs cannot enter the shop, i.e. there is no space in front of the gateway station. This re-emphasises the close relationship between blocking and release methods that limit the workload, and it highlights the importance of workload balancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most shops in practice are constrained by more than one resource. Consequently, a large body of literature on dual resource constrained shops has emerged. This research typically focuses on worker assignment rules, with attention being on when and where to move workers. In contrast, the decision concerning who to reallocate to a station has received limited attention. The limited prior work assumes workers are assigned to a new station as soon as they become available or seeks to minimise the risk of worker idleness. Using simulation, we question this assumption and show that it can be beneficial to introduce additional worker idleness to ensure workers only work at their most efficient station(s). In general, it is less likely that there are several workers available for one station than it is for there to be multiple stations available for one worker. Consequently, the Who Rule is used less frequently than the Where rule and has less of an impact on performance. Finally, considering the criticality of work orders as part of the Where Rule is important in assembly shops; but if labour is heterogeneous then the focus should be on efficiency. The findings have important implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, women are a minority in the engineering profession. Various initiatives are adopted by employers to support women's career progression and retention in the profession. This paper examines the effectiveness of the common initiatives. Focus groups were conducted with 25 New Zealand based female engineers to explore their experiences and perceptions of women in engineering initiatives. Women discussed the effectiveness, and unintended consequences, of the initiatives. Their responses were coded using the NVivo software to identify key themes, which were then categorized using the universal/selective/indicated model. The findings show that universal initiatives which encompass men and women are well supported with few unintended consequences. These initiatives (e.g., subconscious bias training) focus less on changing or supporting women and more on changing the environment. In contrast, selective initiatives (e.g., female leadership programs) which focus on women, had mixed support and more unintended consequences. Specifically, they emphasize societal stereotypes that men are a better fit for the role of engineer and that women need help to adapt to the male-dominated environment. This study concludes with recommendations for employers to implement that will increase the participation and advancement of women in engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local food movements rely on engaged farmers, gardeners, and shoppers to challenge the conventional food system through consumer-based tactics by advocating food systems change to reduce social injustice and environmental harm. While much literature engages in debate over the efficacy of such "lifestyle movements" to effect change, little analysis to date considers the rationale for and contexts in which lifestyle politics are used as an approach to address the socio-ecological impacts of conventional food production and consumption. Using interview data and participant observation collected from 57 leaders in eat-local initiatives in three Canadian cities, we analyze why leaders in the movement rely on consumer-based strategies to both initiate and sustain engagement from actors that might not otherwise engage in social movement mobilizations for food system change. We found that many "eat-local" leaders are aware of the political limitations of shopping for change tactics, but withhold explicit critiques of power in the food system from public debate. They do so in order to maintain a perception of optimism that they perceive as central to maintaining and increasing engagement of consumer actors in eat-local initiatives. This study advances research on informal participation in food movements by demonstrating how convivial engagement at the everyday level can sustain political participation and simultaneously obscure critical political talk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, nanosheet deformation during channel release has been investigated and discussed in Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors. Structures with different source/drain size and stacked Si nanosheet lengths were designed and fabricated. The experiment of channel release showed that the stress caused serious deformation to suspended nanosheets. With the guidance of the experiment result, based on simulation studies using the COMSOL Multiphysics and Sentaurus tools, it is confirmed that the stress applied on the channel from source/drain plays an important role in nanosheet deformation during the fabrication process. The deformation of Si nanosheets would cause a serious degradation of the device performance due to an inability to control the work function of the metal gate. This study proposed that the uniformly stacked GAA nanosheets structure could be successfully demonstrated with suitable channel stress engineering provided by fitting S/D size and an appropriate channel length. The conclusions provide useful guidelines for future stacked GAA transistors' design and fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese outbound tourist shopping was a prominent phenomenon in many destinations worldwide before the COVID-19 pandemic, but smartphone usage in it had rarely been addressed. This study draws upon social practice theory and the theory of affordances to examine how Chinese tourists use smartphones during their shopping process in Australia. Based on a combination of participant observations and semi-structured interviews, the study argues that Chinese outbound tourists use smartphones not only to improve their shopping competences but also to regulate the meaning making of their shopping practices. Further, these links are made through the actualized affordances of smartphones including, among others, looking for products based on stored images, accessing product information in Chinese, and communicating with others at home on shopping for them. This study unravels the entanglement of smartphones, Chinese outbound tourists and their shopping practices, and provides directions for maximizing the value of smartphones in shopping-related tourism management and marketing, especially to the Chinese market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to deepen the understanding of elderly consumers' grocery shopping practices during Covid-19. Drawing on the shopping-as-practice approach within social practice theory, we show how the practices unfold as the pandemic evolves and the situation of the elderly change, which implies new possibilities and limitations in grocery shopping. Qualitative telephone interviews with elderly consumers were conducted in 2020 and followed up during 2021. By analysing the elderly's grocery shopping as a social practice, we show how different modes of shopping practices (in-store, online and assisted shopping), came about, how they were reconfigured, and what made them work smoothly or not during the corona pandemic. We also show how the grocery shopping practices, and the modes involved were situated and synchronised in everyday life. The paper also discusses the implication for retailers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A disconnectable coupling joint with double row wedges (DCJD) is a crucial component of the prestressed internal bracing in subway foundation pits. However, only a few studies have been conducted on the bearing capacity of the joints; moreover, the yield load and compression stiffness of DCJDs are typically determined from experience. The aim of this study was to quantitatively determine the bearing capacity and propose accurate formulas for calculating the yield load and compression stiffness of DCJDs. Hence, a DCJD was selected from a foundation pit in Beijing, China, and loading experiments were conducted under axial force. Load-displacement and load-strain curves were obtained, and the failure modes of the joint were analyzed. The experimental results were verified through several finite element models. Subsequently, parametric analyses were performed to investigate the effects of the dimensions of the key position on the DCJD's bearing capacities. Moreover, regression analysis was used to obtain the formulae for estimating the initial compression stiffness and yield load of the DCJD. Finally, the fitting formulae results were compared with the numerical and experimental results. The comparisons showed that the fitting formulae were highly accurate in estimating the bearing capacity of the DCJD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted consumer food shopping. This paper aims to conceptualise, illustrate and explain how and why online grocery shopping has changed during the pandemic. Taking a shopping-as-practice approach and drawing on ethnographic interviews with 31 Swedish households, we analyse how online grocery shopping was performed during the pandemic. Our findings show that online grocery shopping was reinvented during the pandemic, it was no longer only a convenient mode of shopping, but became also a way to cope with the crisis brought about by Covid-19. This change, however, was demanding as developing and routinizing a new mode of shopping practice required substantial work on the part of consumers. Consumers had to engage in detailed planning, to learn to shop anew, and to develop temporal sensitivity. By developing this new mode of online grocery shopping consumers were able to cope, both practically and emotionally, with the challenges brought on by the restrictions. This study provides insights into consumers' capacities to manage a food crisis, showing that this capacity depends on both retailers' digital food platforms as well as consumers' pre-existing shopping competencies and social networks. We conclude by discussing both the managerial and societal implications of these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural resources are rich in collagen and growth factors that can perfectly fit in tissue engineering and contribute to the extracellular matrix of many tissues. The thin membrane that coats the inner surface of the eggshell is one of these resources that meets the need of tissue engineering as it contains high collagen, growth factors, and glycosaminoglycans. With advanced technology, eggshell membrane (EgS-M) has been available in many forms like powder, solution, and thin sheets for broad applications. Furthermore, integrating nanoparticles has provided a broad-spectrum EgS-M biomaterial with antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, biocompatible, and biodegradable properties. Herein, we discuss the status of EgS-M's contribution to tissue engineering of skin, cartilage, bone, periodontal tissue, myocardium, and nerve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women and underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduates declare and complete science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors at different rates in comparison to majority groups. Explanations of these differences have long been deficit oriented, focusing on aptitude or similar characteristics, but more recent work focuses on institutional contexts, such as academic climate and feelings of belonging (fit). This study examines the experiences of women and URM students in engineering undergraduate programs, focusing on how they fit, experiential factors affecting fit, and how fit is mitigated by social relationships from their networks and organizations in which they participate (i.e., social capital). Thematic analysis of 55 women and URM interviewee responses shows that students who fit well were those with majority characteristics, including race (i.e., White, White‐passing) and gender (i.e., men, masculine appearance), and those in groups well represented in their programs numerically (i.e., men, Asian). In contrast, women and Black students encountered threats to their fit due to stereotyping from bias and differential treatment from others (i.e., being excluded from group work). However, students received advice from their social networks (i.e., family, professors) in which they were warned to expect discrimination, or through organizations in which they participated (i.e., National Association of Black Engineers) where their sense of community was expanded. The advice and resources provided through this network‐based and participatory social capital mitigated fit for women and Black students, albeit in different ways, helping to preserve their feelings of belonging and promote their persistence in engineering. We offer suggestions to enact university policies to increase access to social capital with homophilious alters and educational opportunities for majority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian traditional architectural practice 'Vastusastra' (Vāstuśāstra) recommends some particular ratios as auspicious for the proportioning of domestic buildings. Similar ratios are found in some ancient buildings belonging to the classical ages in other parts of the world. Recent studies conducted by Dhileep, Kottuppillil, and Kurian [2019. "Orientation and Proportion in Indian Traditional Domestic Architecture." Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 44 (1): 97–109], show that the square and the rectangle formed by the basic auspicious ratio (breadth:length) are geometrically related to a circle with a diameter equal to the length of the rectangle. The mathematical aspects behind these geometrical relationships and other ratio groups given in 'Vastusastra' (Vāstuśāstra) are investigated in this paper. The study reveals that the auspicious ratios help to convert the area of a circle to a rectangle and vice versa, without any loss in accuracy, while using the methods of their age. The traditional social practices are incorporated into these ratios and are modified adequately to fit into the traditional engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop lightweight and high-strength curved beetle elytron plates (CBEPs), an algorithm to extract a cross-section point set based on three-dimensional point cloud data measured from a beetle forewing and to reconstruct its outer surface was designed. This approach was used to study three beetle species. The curve fitting method and the curvature distribution characteristics of the corresponding forewings during the reconstruction were investigated. (1) Two algorithms, namely, the median surface separation method and segmented microstrip method, were established. (2) Two types of fitting methods were proposed: judging the consistency of the curvature curve peaks to determine higher-degree polynomials (clusters) and implementing k-fold cross-validation to determine the optimal engineering fitting curve. The optimal fitting curves for the cross-section point sets of the various beetle forewings involved in this paper were discovered to be elliptic equations. (3) The curvature characteristics of the forewing cross-sections vary depending on the type of fitting curve used; accordingly, researchers can choose the most appropriate fitting curve. For the research and development of CBEPs, elliptic equations can be used to establish the required bionic structure model, the important structural parameters of which include not only the long and short axes of the ellipse but also the position and length of the segment. This paper, therefore, lays a foundation for the development of CBEPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a novel adaptive trochoidal (TR) toolpath model for complex pocket machining. The proposed model is able to adjust its TR radius, while simultaneously offers an adaptive trochoidal step for generation of each toolpath cycle. With the varying radius, complex regions can be machined by a single strip of TR toolpath. Moreover, the step of each TR cycle can be adjusted with reference to the varied radius so as to maintain a constant radial depth of cut, and hence more stable material removal rate among all TR cycles can be achieved. For the pocket machining cases with complex inner and outer boundaries, experimental study has shown that the proposed TR toolpath can effectively minimise the fluctuation of cutting forces, and achieve better toolpath efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A more flexible neural network (NN) method using the fundamental invariants (FIs) as the input vector is proposed in the construction of potential energy surfaces for molecular systems involving identical atoms. Mathematically, FIs finitely generate the permutation invariant polynomial (PIP) ring. In combination with NN, fundamental invariant neural network (FI-NN) can approximate any function to arbitrary accuracy. Because FI-NN minimizes the size of input permutation invariant polynomials, it can efficiently reduce the evaluation time of potential energy, in particular for polyatomic systems. In this work, we provide the FIs for all possible molecular systems up to five atoms. Potential energy surfaces for OH3 and CH4 were constructed with FI-NN, with the accuracy confirmed by full-dimensional quantum dynamic scattering and bound state calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 and the consequent implications of facing it have substantially impacted consumer behavior. New habits emerge from this impact and new research opportunities are arising. Given this context, this paper aims to explore the use of practical lenses to examine the emergence of shopping cleanup practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian consumers. We developed a qualitative study with 34 'solicited daily' drawn up digitally using visual, audio, and written records. The main results indicated that the incorporation of cleaning practices for purchases before consumption has aroused feelings of negative impact on consumer behavior, making it mandatory to use products that already existed in the market, but that was not part of the routine. Despite resistance moments of some informants facing these new habits, all of them recognized the importance of the cleaning practices. Then, they expressed reflections and positions that point to the desire for its incorporation after the pandemic period. The emerging purchasing cleaning practices presented to demonstrate the remarkable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on how the cleaning of purchased products is configured between the processes of buying and using consumer behavior, with the possibility of impact or even perpetuation and incorporation into habits after this period of world outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creature consciousness provides a physicalist account of the first-person awareness (contra Rosenthal). I argue that non-reductive consciousness is not about phenomenal qualia (Nagel’s what it is like to feel like something else); it is about the stream of awareness that makes any objects of perception epistemically available and ontologically present. This kind of consciousness is central, internally to one’s awareness. Externally, the feel about one’s significant other’s that “there is someone home” is quite important too. This is not substance dualism since creature consciousness and functional consciousness are both at different generality levels of physicalism. Surprisingly, pre-Hegel philosophy of pure subject is more fitting with the current engineering approach than analytical phenomenalism. The complementary view of subject- and object-related perspectives, may come from Fichte’s Wissenschaftslehre; but here it is placed, securely within the physicalist paradigm. It is essential to the Engineering Thesis in Machine Consciousness, which helps us understand under what general conditions a machine would be first-person conscious, but when it is merely functionally conscious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting modern gene-editing technologies for trait improvement in agriculture requires important workflow developments, yet these developments are not often discussed. Using tropical crop systems as a case study, we describe a workflow broken down into discrete processes with specific steps and decision points that allow for the practical application of the CRISPR-Cas gene editing platform in a crop of interest. While we present the steps of developing genome-edited plants as sequential, in practice parts can be done in parallel, which are discussed in this perspective. The main processes include 1) understanding the genetic basis of the trait along with having the crop's genome sequence, 2) testing and optimization of the editing reagents, development of efficient 3) tissue culture and 4) transformation methods, and 5) screening methods to identify edited events with commercial potential. Our goal in this perspective is to help any lab that wishes to implement this powerful, easy-to-use tool in their pipeline, thus aiming to democratize the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to optimize the indoor lighting effect and reduce the energy consumption of indoor lighting, the light source layout of conventional rooms and special rooms is studied in this paper. Firstly, the indoor space lighting model is analyzed, and the expressions of light source output and illumination on the target plane are derived. Secondly, in order to improve the search ability of the algorithm in specific areas, combined with the artificial bee colony algorithm, an improved artificial bee colony algorithm suitable for indoor lighting optimization is proposed. Using the average square difference of the illuminance of the target plane as the adaptation function, a penalty function is introduced, and the minimum circle surrounding strategy is used to search the specific location of the light source. Finally, the obtained layout is fitted by engineering standardization, and the indoor light source layout is obtained. Through the simulation of illuminance effect in conventional room and irregular room, it is proved that the proposed method can effectively improve the lighting effect and reduce the energy consumption of indoor lighting under the same number of light sources and the same illuminance index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the machining of free-form surfaces using three-axis numerically controlled machine (NC), several parameters are chosen arbitrary and one of the most important is the feed motion direction. The main objective of this study is to minimise the machining time of complex surfaces while respecting a scallop height criteria. The analytical expression of the machining time is not known and by hypothesis, it is assumed to be proportional to the path length crossed by the cutting tool. This path length depends on the feed direction. To have an optimal feed direction at any point, the surface is divided into zones with low variation of the steepest slope direction. The optimization problem was formulated aiming at minimizing the global path length. Furthermore, a penalty reflecting the time loss due to the movement of the tool from one zone to another one is taken into account. Several heuristics are used to resolve this problem: Clarke and Wrights, Greedy randomized adaptive search procedure, Tabu search and Nearest neighbour search. An example illustrates our work by applying the different heuristics on a test surface. After simulations, the results obtained present a significant saving of paths length of 24% compared to the machining in one zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the metal cutting industry, manufacturers have strived to increase energy efficiency and to reduce environmental burdens through the use of dust collectors and waste disposers. It is more beneficial and efficient to apply the front-of-pipe technology that prevents the sources of pollutants and minimises energy use through the redesign of products and the change of process planning and machining operations. In particular, process planning for the environment, called eco-process planning, is central to increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental burdens because process planning decisions greatly influence machining performance. At present, greenability, a term used to indicate environmental friendliness, has been little considered as a major concern in the process planning stage because process planning decisions have focused on improving productivity aspects that include speed, cost and quality. Thus, it is essential to develop an eco-process planning approach that enables the harmonisation and enhancement of greenability performance while improving productivity performance, termed green productivity (GP). This paper presents the development of a GP-based process planning algorithm that enables the derivation of process parameters for improving GP in machining operations. The core mechanism of the algorithm is the realisation of the process improvement cycle that measures GP performance by the collection of machining data, quantifies this performance by categorical representation and predicts the performance through prediction models. To show the feasibility and applicability of the proposed algorithm, we have conducted an experiment and implemented a prototype system for a turning machining process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]