Design Applications Research Articles

RGP: Neural Network Pruning Through Regular Graph With Edges Swapping.

Deep learning technology has found a promising application in lightweight model design, for which pruning is an effective means of achieving a large reduction in both model parameters and float points operations (FLOPs). The existing neural network pruning methods mostly start from the consideration of the importance of model parameters and design parameter evaluation metrics to perform parameter pruning iteratively. These methods were not studied from the perspective of network model topology, so they might be effective but not efficient, and they require completely different pruning for different datasets. In this article, we study the graph structure of the neural network and propose a regular graph pruning (RGP) method to perform a one-shot neural network pruning. Specifically, we first generate a regular graph and set its node-degree values to meet the preset pruning ratio. Then, we reduce the average shortest path-length (ASPL) of the graph by swapping edges to obtain the optimal edge distribution. Finally, we map the obtained graph to a neural network structure to realize pruning. Our experiments demonstrate that the ASPL of the graph is negatively correlated with the classification accuracy of the neural network and that RGP has a strong precision retention capability with high parameter reduction (more than 90%) and FLOPs reduction (more than 90%) (the code for quick use and reproduction is available at https://github.com/Holidays1999/Neural-Network-Pruning-through-its-RegularGraph-Structure).

Ventilation effectiveness and incomplete mixing in air distribution design for airborne transmission

How ventilation should be arranged to be effective at reasonable air change rates is one key question as ventilation criteria and standard airborne disease transmission models are based on the well-mixed assumption, but air distribution patterns lead to non-uniform spatial concentrations. In this study a new method for ventilation effectiveness application in ventilation design for airborne transmission was developed and tested with tracer gas measurements in 22 rooms. Contrary to existing ventilation effectiveness values measured with distributed source, the developed method uses a couple of point source locations corresponding to an infector to quantify infection risk for each occupant. Novelty of the method is new ventilation effectiveness indicator that makes it possible to describe the effect of spatial variation of concentration and risk with single parameter. Quanta were used as input data to calculate the ventilation rate supplied by air distribution system corresponding to a specified risk level, but the differences between studied cases do not significantly depend on the quanta values. Application of the method to measured rooms showed that simple ventilation effectiveness calculation from average concentration at the breathing height, not requiring quanta data, provided lower ventilation effectiveness and higher ventilation rate in all cases. In many cases the difference in required ventilation rates was only a few percent, but in some large spaces it exceeded 10% with maximum of 39% in large open plan office with high concentration differences. Measured ventilation effectiveness values ranging from 0.5 to 1.4 indicate a substantial improvement potential in many cases.

Development of automatic CNC machine with versatile applications in art, design, and engineering

The area of computer numerical control (CNC) machines has grown fast, and their use has risen significantly in recent years. This article presents the design and development of a CNC writing machine that uses an Arduino, a motor driver, a stepper motor, and a servo motor. The machine is meant to create 2D designs and write in numerous input languages using 3-axis simultaneous interpolated operations. The suggested machine is low-cost, simple to build, and can be operated with merely G codes. The performance of the CNC writing machine was assessed by testing it on a range of solid surfaces, including paper, cardboard, and wood. The results reveal that the machine can generate high-quality text and images with great accuracy and consistency. The proposed machine's ability to write in several input languages makes it appropriate for various applications, including art, design, and engineering.

Customer Behavior Analysis and Reinforcement Learning Application in Tourism Service Design

Customer Behavior Analysis and Reinforcement Learning Application in Tourism Service Design

Novel Concepts of Bipolar Picture Fuzzy Graphs With Applications in Image Segmentation and Road Maps Designs

Novel Concepts of Bipolar Picture Fuzzy Graphs With Applications in Image Segmentation and Road Maps Designs

Towards gradient design of TPMS lattices and laser powder bed fusion processing– Role of laser strategies and lattice thickness

The ability to manufacture complex design geometries via Additive Manufacturing (AM) has led to a rapid growth in advancing the design methods, fabrication, and application of Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) lattices with minimal surface topologies. Due to its zero-mean curvature, TPMS lattices can be additively manufactured without any sacrificial support structures and offer both design and manufacturing engineers, unprecedented control over the local physical properties (surface area, relative density, etc.) and local mechanical properties (flexural strength, Young’s modulus, etc.). TPMS lattices are of high interest for a wide range of applications such as biomedical implants, energy absorption, and surface fluidic applications such as heat exchangers, and energy storage. Recent advancements in functionally graded TPMS lattice design by varying local lattice geometry has shown to result in different mechanical performance. However, there have been limited studies in understanding the functional grading of AM process conditions (e.g., Laser-Powder Bed Fusion in this study) and lattice sheet thickness to better map the design-processing conditions-properties. The goal of this study is to achieve similar mechanical properties in TPMS sheet lattices with two different TPMS sheet thicknesses by varying laser processing conditions (e.g., contour and hatch conditions in this study). Quasi-static tensile testing of solid samples with corresponding AM conditions and 3-point bending tests of TPMS lattices were performed in accordance with ASTM E8 and ASTM E290, respectively. It was observed that the flexural properties of the 0.75 mm and 0.25 mm TPMS lattices are similar and exhibit different properties with different scan strategies and speed variations under contour-only and hatch-only laser scanning strategies. Also, the 0.75 mm TPMS sheet lattices exhibited 79 % higher flexural stiffness than the 0.25 mm sheet lattices. It was also observed that this observed trend was reversed in the case of tensile properties. Findings from this study can provide new directions towards achieving gradient TPMS lattice designs with varying local mechanical performance by grading the laser scanning strategies to achieve desired mechanical properties and surface topologies.

Effect of particle size and replacement ratio on mechanical performance of cementitious mortar containing ground recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (GRABS) waste plastics

While waste plastics have been used as a natural sand aggregate replacement in cementitious mortar as a sustainable option to mitigate global accumulation of plastic waste in landfills, fundamental mechanical properties like compressive, tensile, and shear must be known to advance design and practical application of these cement-concrete composites as suitable building construction materials. Experimental testing is conducted to reveal to what extent the cementitious composite properties are altered, thereby influencing their overall mechanical performance, when both ungraded and graded ground recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (GRABS) plastic are employed as substitutes for natural aggregates. The novelty of this research lies in its pioneering investigation to quantify the effects of varying particle sizes and volume fractions of waste plastics acquired through mechanical recycling and their influences on the mechanical properties of mortars containing plastics as a composite material. The results from fresh and hardened material properties are compared to conventional mortar properties to examine the impact of various GRABS particle sizes and volume fractions on the overall material strength. While replacing sand with waste plastic generally reduced mechanical properties, the resulting mixes still met the minimum compressive strength (4060 psi [28 MPa]) as per ASTM C150 standards for Portland cement. Notably, graded plastic particles with sizes less than 0.024 in [0.6 mm] demonstrated an overall improvement in mechanical properties compared to ungraded particles. Failure mechanisms responsible for compressive, tensile, and shear damage development are discussed by analyzing the fracture surfaces, which provide insight into the intricate relationship between waste plastic size and distribution on the mechanical behavior of mortar. The findings indicate that GRABS waste plastics, when combined with sand at appropriate particle sizes and volume fractions, have the potential to create tailored mixes to meet minimum mix design standards for construction applications.

Failure signal of high orientation Poly(L-lactic acid) monofilament for self-expanding stent during lifetime: Disappeared amorphous connections

The premature failure of bioresorbable self-expanding stents for peripheral arterial disease could lead to form thrombosis and threaten patients′ lives. Predicting the time and cause of mechanical and structural failure is crucial to prevent premature failure of implanted stents. Herein, we report a situ accelerated hydrolysis to investigate the degradation properties of self-expanding stents braided by high-performance Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) monofilaments in an accelerated term over a formal long one. Degradation, microstructure, and mechanical properties were comprehensively evaluated to identify key factors of the failure during lifetime. The results show that the upper temperature limit for accelerated hydrolysis is 50 °C. The mechanical properties undergo multiple stages of functional holding, decreasing, and eventual failure. It is attributed to uneven degradation and distribution of crystalline and amorphous regions. Specifically, the disappearance of amorphous chains between fibrils at 6 months leads to mechanical failure. Further disappearance of amorphous chains within fibrils at 18 months results in structural disintegration. Additionally, the degradation behavior of the stents and potential effects of degradation products on vascular tissues are validated for predictive accuracy. These insights provide valuable experimental references for optimizing design and clinical application of PLLA-based self-expanding stents.

Economic optimization of sustainable soil management: a Dutch case study

Soil quality is pivotal for crop productivity and the environmental quality of agricultural ecosystems. Achieving sufficient yearly income and long-term farm continuity are key goals for farmers, making sustainable soil management an economic challenge. Existing bio-economic models often inadequately address soil quality. In this study, we apply the novel FARManalytics model, which integrates chemical, physical, and biological indicators of soil quality indicator, quantitative rules on how these indicators respond to farmers’ production management over time, and an economic calculation framework that accurately calculates the contribution of production management decisions towards farm income. This is the first study applying this model on existing arable farms. FARManalytics optimizes crop rotation design, cover crops, manure and fertilizer application and crop residue management. Nine Dutch arable farms were analyzed with a high variation in farm size, soil type, and cultivated crops. First, we assessed farm differences in soil quality and farm economics. Second, we optimized production management to maximize farm income while meeting soil quality targets using farm-specific scenarios. Third, we explored the impact of recent policy measures to preserve water quality and to increase the contribution of local protein production. The results show that the case farms already perform well regarding soil quality, with 75% of the soil quality indicators above critical levels. The main soil quality bottlenecks are subsoil compaction and soil organic matter input. We show that even in front-runner farms, bio-economic modeling with FARManalytics substantially improves economic performance while increasing soil quality. We found that farm income could be increased by up to €704 ha−1 year−1 while meeting soil quality targets. Additionally, we show that to anticipate on stricter water quality regulation and market shift for protein crops, FARManalytics is able to provide alternative production management strategies that ensure the highest farm income while preserving soil quality for a set of heterogenous farms.

Electric transport and topological properties of binary heterostructures in topological insulators

The design of devices with coupled hybrid structures offers an approach to creating synthetic topological materials. This work discusses the topological and transport properties of low-dimensional binary heterostructures of topological and trivial materials. By adjusting the parameters of each component, we control the global topological properties to enhance tunneling and optimize the transmission of the topological edge states (TES). Considering a one-dimensional tight-binding model, we build heterostructures of coupled chains employing Green’s functions (GF) formalism. We determine the topological characteristics of chains and couple them together, applying Dyson’s equation to generate the heterostructure. The intensity and decay length of the TES vary depending on the coupling parameters and the size of each chain. We investigate the topological diagrams phase using the energy bands of the periodic system and calculating the invariant from the Zak phase. Using cross-band condition, we derive analytical functions of the parameter space to get the phase topological diagram, which can be compared with the LDOS maps at zero energy. Finally, we calculate the differential conductance with the Keldysh GF technique to demonstrate the tunneling of the TES at the zero bias voltage and discuss potential design and experimental applications.

CFD investigation of supersonic two parallel expansions nozzles

This paper aims to validate the design contours and result parameters of the newly developed Dual Expansion Nozzle (DEN) using the Fastran software when it enters the non-adaptation regime with the increase in altitude and variation of the Nozzle Pressure Ratio (NPR). DEN design and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) application utilize the High Temperature (HT) model defined by a calorically imperfect and thermally perfect gas, providing good accuracy compared to PG model. The computational domain is decomposed into subdivisions of structured grids using the algebraic grid generator software CFD-GEOM. The mesh convergence was analyzed using three mesh resolutions: coarse, medium, and fine. A comparison was made between the two conventional nozzles, MLN and the newly developed BPN, as both are currently used in aerospace propulsion to enhance aerodynamic performance. If a rocket engine operates under strongly over-expanded conditions with ambient pressure considerably higher than the nozzle exit pressure, and by increasing NPR value, the flow separates from the wall and can lead to high side loads. These loads are reduced in DEN. The flow separation point is observed close to the exit section for the DEN in comparison with Minimum Length Nozzle (MLN) and Best Performance Nozzle (BPN) for the same NPR, resulting in low flow separation and low side load effects for DEN. This result demonstrates a small loss in the exit Mach number, leading to less loss in the thrust coefficient and a small effect of boundary layer friction for DEN. Enhanced over-expanded aerodynamics is observed in DEN compared to MLN and BPN. The application is made for air with an exit Mach number equal to 3.00.

Mechanism of the Dynamic Response Amplification of Cable Transport Lines: Design Applications Based on Cable Tension Signal Analysis

Mechanism of the Dynamic Response Amplification of Cable Transport Lines: Design Applications Based on Cable Tension Signal Analysis

Territorial Patterns of European Innovation in the Context of Different Innovation Output Proxies: A Spatial MGWR-SAR Approach

AbstractThe paper seeks to explore the drivers of European innovation represented by three innovation outputs (patent, trademark, and design applications), emphasizing spatial autocorrelation and heterogeneity. It includes data from 202 regions from 22 European Union (EU) Member States, along with 18 regions from Switzerland, Norway, and Serbia in 2019, providing a more comprehensive geographic scope. By considering multiple indicators of innovation output, including patents, trademarks, and design applications, the main objective is to examine spatial innovation spillovers and the heterogeneous responses of regional innovation output to innovation inputs in the context of European regions. To achieve this goal, the main instrument of the analysis is a newly proposed methodological framework called Mixed Geographically Weighted Regression-Spatial Autoregressive (MGWR-SAR) models. The analysis suggests that while all innovation inputs (most-cited publications, research and development expenditure in the business sector, human resources in science and technology, and population density) are justified in increasing all innovation outputs, the strength of particular determinants of innovation might vary across regions. Moreover, the analysis reveals valuable insights into how spatial spillovers influence regional innovation. The impact of spatial connections varies across the regions, with patents showing the strongest linkages, affecting about 92.27% of regions. Although trademarks and designs have fewer spatial connections (approximately 50% of regions), they still play a significant role in innovation. Although patents have traditionally dominated discussions of innovation, the findings reveal the importance of incorporating designs and trademarks as complementary indicators. Overall, the study highlights the need for multiple metrics to comprehensively evaluate innovations.

다이나믹어포던스와 디지털파라메트릭 융합디자인 연구 - 공기 청정기 홀커버 디자인을 중심으로

This study was inspired by the trend in contemporary production design that is encapsulated by the term “convergence.” Design, technology, and sensibility are extensively integrated into product design, forming a new methodology that enables designers to effectively attract and engage consumers. This methodology uses behavior induction, based on the concept of affordance from cognitive psychology, and a mathematical-function method called digital parametrics to amplify the affordance. This allows designers to focus on logical, mathematical methods and move away from traditional sensitive approaches. This represents the merging of analog and digital technologies and serves as a foundational effort to integrate artificial intelligence into the design field. A new concept for an air-cleaner design was developed by incorporating various functions into the basic pattern design. This parametric concept is expected to find wide application in product design in the future, as user diversity and cultural shifts become even more pronounced.

Achieving high efficiency and bandwidth enhancement of DRA arrays: Synergic effects of LiMg4AlO6 microwave dielectric ceramic and 2D metamaterials

In this paper, LiMg4AlO6 ceramics with a sintering temperature of 1380 °C to 1460 °C are prepared, and the microwave dielectric properties of the ceramics and their potential application in dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) arrays are investigated. Analysis techniques such as XRD and Rietveld refinement reveal that the LiMg4AlO6 ceramics are rock salt structures and the space group is Fm-3 m (225). The ceramic obtained excellent microwave dielectric properties (εr = 10.17, Q×f = 172, 558 GHz, and τf = - 32.5 ppm/ °C) at 1440 °C. The εr of LiMg4AlO6 ceramics exhibits minimal variation across a wide temperature range (-100 °C to 400 °C) without phase transition. Furthermore, the 2D metamaterials (metasurfaces) are introduced in the DRA, which can significantly improve the radiation efficiency and bandwidth of the antenna. Measured results demonstrate that the antenna has a wide bandwidth ranging from 8.07 GHz to 8.57 GHz, with a maximum realized gain of 8.9 dBi and a peak radiation efficiency of 97%. The proposed ceramic antenna array combines the superior properties of 2D metamaterials and ceramic materials, which opens up a new avenue for ceramic antenna design and satellite communication applications.

3D Covalent Organic Framework Membranes for Molecular Separations.

Membrane separation has become an indispensable separation technology in social production, playing an important role in drug production, water purification, etc. The key core of membranes lies in achieving efficient and precise sieving between substances. As a result, a typical trade-off arises: highly permeable membranes usually sacrifice selectivity and vice versa. To address this dilemma, long-term research has focused on comprehensive understanding and modelling of synthetic membranes at various scales. A significant advancement in this arena is the advent of three-dimensional covalent organic framework (3D COF) membranes, a novel category of long-range ordered porous organic polymer materials. Characterized by an abundance of interconnected channels, diverse pore wall properties, tunable structures, and robust thermal and chemical resilience, 3D COF membranes offer a promising approach for efficient substance separation. This review undertakes a meticulous investigation of the synthesis and physicochemical properties of 3D COF membranes, accentuating the underlying design principles, fabrication methods, and application attempts. A comprehensive assessment of their research trajectory and current standing in the field of membrane processes is provided. The review culminates in a forward-looking outlook, summarizing future research directions and highlighting the substantial potential of this innovative work to shape the future of efficient membrane separation processes.

공공환경 관점에서의 통학로 주변 공사안전 가설시설물 공공디자인 적용에 관한 탐색적 연구

This study aims to empirically explore the necessity of expanding the application of public design to facilities affected by social changes, and to explore operational and management directions accordingly. Through this research, it identifies the target facilities around schools where public design should be applied in construction sites, proposes directions for applying public design, and provides foundational data for future local governments and regional education offices to implement. The study aims to propose practical plans for the concrete realization of public design while diagnosing issues and suggesting improvements, drawing from domestic discussions on the social role of public design and related legislation and manuals. It proposes operational directions for the application of public design to hypothetical facilities around school construction sites in three dimensions: expanding types of public design applications and developing standard designs, establishing operational management systems, and advancing basic and operational plans for promoting public design. Through these efforts, it is expected that public sentiment regarding the impact on educational facilities due to construction will expand in terms of the right to education, thereby fostering community interest and achieving social prescriptions through regional environmental management.

Design Principles and Applications of Ionic Liquids for Transdermal Drug Delivery.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are salts with melting points typically <100°C, composed of specific anions and cations. Recently, IL application has expanded into material engineering and biomedicine. Due to their unique properties, ILs have garnered significant interest in pharmacological research as solubilizers, transdermal absorption enhancers, antibacterial agents, and stabilizers of insoluble pharmaceutical active ingredients. The improvement of skin permeability by ILs is closely associated with their specific physicochemical characteristics, which are identified by their ionic composition. However, the existing literature on transdermal medication administration is insufficient in terms of a comprehensive knowledge base. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of the design principles involved in IL synthesis. Additionally, it discusses the methods utilized to assess skin permeability and provides a focused outline of IL application in transdermal drug administration.

Assembled self-centering brace with replaceable friction damper for seismic resilience: Development and mechanical behavior research

A novel seismic resilient brace, integrating a replaceable friction damper mechanism with an assembled self-centering device of combination disc springs, has been developed and investigated through experimental research. This brace can be named as the Assembled Pre-pressed Disc-springs Self-centering Replaceable Energy Dissipation (APD-SRED) brace. The working principles, structural configurations, fabrication process and mechanical behaviors of this bracing system were discussed and analyzed firstly in detail. Subsequently, five brace specimens were designed incorporating different axial pre-compression forces within a combination disc springs system and varying friction forces in the damper device. Test results exhibit a stable and repeatable flag-shaped hysteretic responses with satisfactory energy dissipation, which can be implemented under the low cyclic reversed loading. Additionally, it can be noted that the excellent seismic resilience performance can be obtained by maintaining a relative balance between self-centering and energy dissipation characteristics. The stiffness and strength of this brace can withstand cyclical loading without degradation, making superiorities against sequential design earthquakes without the replacement or repair, and facilitating replacement of the friction energy dissipation components to meet different demands. Moreover, the proposed calculation model can be validated accurately predicting the mechanical behavior of the APD-SRED brace by considering friction effects in disc-springs. This validation was achieved through comparisons with experimental results, and several crucial design factors influencing the brace's behavior were analyzed and discussed for practical application in a parametric design. Finally, drawing upon a combination of experimental and analytical studies, this study ultimately presented practical design recommendations.

Integrating Traditional Craftsmanship in Modern Product Design

In today's rapidly advancing globalisation, the protection and inheritance of regional culture is particularly important. Art design, as an important form of cultural expression, is responsible for transmitting and reviving regional culture. Han embroidery in the Jingchu region is one of the intangible cultural heritages in China, which is a display of skills and a carrier of emotions and philosophies of Jingchu culture. With this in mind, this study explores the specific case of Jingchu Han embroidery and analyses how regional culture expresses and transmits emotions in art design. By analysing the historical background of Han embroidery, its technical characteristics, and its application in modern art design, this paper reveals how regional cultural elements can achieve emotional penetration and stylistic influence in art design. The study also focuses on how the emotional aspects of Jingchu Han embroidery can be borrowed and innovated in modern design practice to enhance artworks' cultural depth and emotional resonance. Jing Chu is one of the important birthplaces of China's history and culture, with a rich cultural heritage and unique regional characteristics. Han embroidery is an important part of Jingchu culture. It is not only a kind of traditional handicraft but also a medium for the people in the Jingchu area to express their emotions and transmit their culture. In modern art design, elements of Han embroidery are widely used, showing its unique artistic charm and cultural value. However, academic and practical circles are still exploring how to express better and convey regional culture's emotions in art design.