Conceptual Framework For Design Research Articles

Investigating Sustainability of the Traditional Courtyard Houses Using Deep Beauty Framework

In Pakistan, power outages have become frequent over the past two decades, due to a continuing energy crisis. Reliance on machines for thermal comfort of buildings has led to high energy demands of the increasing population. The negative impacts of artificial environments have, also, diminished the sense of place, biophilia and cultural values. Moreover, globalization has standardized the built environments, causing a lack of regional identity and an absence of climate sensitivity in design. Keeping all these issues in focus, this article re-examines the fundamental aspects of traditional architecture and aims to stimulate architects and designers to create sustainable and life-enriching designs, which are appropriate for contemporary times. In this research, the first two levels of Deep Beauty (functional and typological) are used, as a conceptual framework for sustainable design, to analyse a representative of a traditional courtyard house. In conjunction with the theoretical underpinnings of the Deep Beauty framework, the analysis utilizes photographs, drawings, and diagrams to support the arguments. The research shows that the traditional courtyard house possesses numerous attributes of sustainable design, which can be incorporated into contemporary house design.

Temperature-driven phase transformation of Ca-rich boron waste into CaB2O4: Investigation of microstructure, crystallinity and thermal characteristics

Large-scale mining and mineral processing, as well as increasing industrialization, generate a significant volume of boron wastes (BWs), necessitating waste recycling management. This research proposes a conceptual framework for circular production design based on the increased utilization of commercially valuable BWs including large amounts of B2O3, CaO, and MgO. In this study, BW is a non-calcined waste, whereas BW40, BW50, BW60 and BW90 are boron wastes calcined at 400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C and 900 °C, respectively. Chemical, structural, thermal, and morphological characteristics and alterations depending on the calcination temperatures of BWs are investigated using XRF, XRD, FTIR, TG-DTA, and SEM techniques. BW which is non-calcined boron waste comprises Ca[B(OH)4]2.2H2O and HCaBO3 crystalline phases, whereas BW40 treated at 400 °C has HCaBO3 and CaCO3 crystalline phases as well as amorphous structure. CaCO3 and Ca2B2O5 crystalline phases and amorphous structure are present in the BW50 and BW60 samples, calcined at 500 and 600 °C. At 900 °C, all phases were transformed into Ca2B2O5 and CaB2O4 crystalline phases. We demonstrated that BW40, BW50, and BW60 have comparable chemistry and morphologies, but increasing calcination temperature to 900 °C resulted in a fundamentally different microstructure.

Initial weight estimation of twin-fuselage configuration in aircraft conceptual design

The Ultra-High Aspect Ratio Wing (UHARW) concept can improve the aircraft’s aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. The Twin-Fuselage (TF) configuration is one of the promising concepts for the UHARW design to reduce the wing bending moments and shear forces. This paper presents the development of a semi-empirical method for the weight estimation of TF aircraft in the initial sizing stage. A physics-based wing weight estimation method is improved for higher fidelity aerodynamic analysis and modified for composite material structures of TF aircraft. This method is used in the design of experiments and the results are applied for regression analysis to establish a semi-empirical method. Eventually, the established semi-empirical weight estimation method is integrated into a TF aircraft conceptual design and performance analysis framework. A mid-range TF aircraft and a long-range TF aircraft are designed and sized to illustrate its application and efficiency in rapidly estimating the TF aircraft weight breakdown.

Proposal of a Conceptual Framework for Collaborative Design of Immersive Professional Training: Application to the Textile Industry

AbstractImmersive technologies have an increasing use in professional training. However, the usability of applications has limits due to a lack of consideration of end users in the design of these new supports. This paper reviews the literature and discovers that few approaches offer to include different collaborators' work, or the end user, in the design process. This study proposes a conceptual framework design for immersive professional training (IPT) and its application in the textile industry.

Service design for the destination tourism service ecosystem: a review and extension

ABSTRACT This paper aims to synthesize two emerging streams of literature in tourism, i.e. service design and destination ecosystem, and develops a conceptual framework for service design for the destination tourism service ecosystem (DTSE). Three core themes revealed from the literature review include service concept, service ecosystem and service process. Based on the thematic findings, we built a two-level nested framework of a DTSE and developed an integrated model for the service design. A case study of Tangbu Village in China was used to expound the practical application of the model. Finally, we propose an agenda for future research.

Creating Sustainable Buildings: Structural Design Based on the Criterion of Social Benefits for Building Users

Sustainable building involves reducing negative environmental impacts with a simultaneous increase in life quality. The aim is to optimize building performances while considering all aspects of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. The building structure determines the building’s performances, and it should be designed and evaluated as a subsystem of the building, in line with the objectives of the system–building. This paper investigates structural design based on integrated design objectives within the criterion of social benefits for users throughout the use phase of the building, focusing on protection and safety, aspects of comfort, spatial organization, spatial adaptability, and maintenance. The problem was studied using integrative literature review methodology and system theory. The main findings of the research are a review and critical analysis of the representative literature and the derived conceptual framework for structural design based on the criterion of social benefits for building users, which should support more comprehensive and more efficient decision-making during systemic design and optimization of buildings. The presented integrated literature review indicates the need for the application of a systemic approach to structural design in order to create sustainable buildings.

The changing activities of business incubation clients: an Irish case study

PurposeThis paper presents a conceptual framework based on a literature review and the findings from an empirical study using data collected from entrepreneurs (business incubatees) over a 15-year period (2004–2019). This paper aim is to discuss and propose areas to consider when (re)designing business incubation.Design/methodology/approachThe data set is based on the experiences of five different cohorts (n = 100), each of which spent 18–24 months participating in a start-up programme sponsored by a business incubation centre (BIC) located in Ireland. To add further depth and nuance to this paper’s findings, an expert focus group was undertaken.FindingsThe findings highlight the importance of different activities and skills in a BIC over time and recommend the inclusion of a number of activities in a BIC framework. The activities include continued professional development (CPD), action research, participation in a simulation, development of emotional intelligence, leadership skills and mindset and critical reflection.Practical implicationsThis paper presents an appropriate conceptual framework for the (re)design of business incubation. The framework facilitates an improved understanding of the evolution of entrepreneurial activities and outcomes associated with engagement with a BIC.Originality/valueBIC 4.0, as described in this paper, proposes success as multi-faceted and including space, facilities, networks, mentors, professional development, reflective practice, emotional development and engagement with continuous professional development.

Uncertainty propagation in flight performance of multirotor with parametric and model uncertainties

This paper focuses on the uncertainty propagation in the flight performance of multirotor-type unmanned aerial vehicles from the systematic perspective in conceptual design phase. The multirotor performance is estimated by a conceptual design and analysis framework which is capable of predicting the performance for given mission profiles and multirotor specifications. In this study, not only are parametric uncertainties considered in multirotor components such as rotor, motor and battery, but also model uncertainties in aerodynamics and electric propulsion system analysis models of the framework are taken into account. The model uncertainties in the analysis methods are considered by adopting model uncertainty parameters calculated from experimental data, which is particularly important in conceptual design phase where mathematical methods have relatively lower accuracy. The performance variance under various flight conditions with different multirotor configurations is quantified using Monte Carlo Simulation with 10,000 samples determined by Latin Hypercube Sampling. It is found that the uncertainties in the electric components and circuit analysis are far more dominant than those related with the rotor aerodynamics. Also, the uncertainty effect is nearly independent of the multirotor configuration, yielding similar results in the quadrotor and hexarotor configuration.

Conceptual design and comparative study of strut-braced wing and twin-fuselage aircraft configurations with ultra-high aspect ratio wings

Sustainable and fuel-efficient next-generation air transportation demands a step change in aircraft performance. The ultra-high aspect ratio wings (UHARW) configuration is one key enabling strategy for improving aircraft aerodynamic efficiency and reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Unconventional aircraft configurations and advanced airframe technologies are required to address the large bending moment and shear stresses in the UHARW structure. This paper considers two promising unconventional configurations for adopting UHARW design, including strut-braced-wing (SBW) and twin-fuselage (TF), with advanced airframe technologies, i.e., active flow control, active load alleviation, and advanced airframe structures and materials. Three typical missions, including short-range (SR), medium-range (MR), and long-range (LR), are considered for aircraft design. A conceptual design and performance analysis framework for SBW and TF configurations is developed in this paper. According to the mission profile and top-level requirements proposed for each mission, an SBW and a TF configuration are designed, respectively. A comparative study is carried out to determine the best-in-class configuration of the corresponding mission to evaluate the potential of SBW and TF configurations for next-generation sustainable aviation applications. The results showed that the TF configuration has a better wing weight reduction effect than the SBW configuration, and the MR-TF and LR-TF aircraft have lower takeoff weight and fuel weight than those of the SBW aircraft for the same mission. However, due to the adjustment of the cabin dimensions for the SR-TF aircraft, the SBW configuration outperforms the TF configuration in this mission.

Conceptual Framework of Toilet Seats Design from Hygiene Perspective for the Society of the ‘Islamic Republic of Iran’

The human being is the noblest of all the creations by Allah Rabbul-Izzat. Allah gave special commands to humans which made differences over other species, the hygiene practice is one of them. The researches on toilets, defecation, urination and self-cleansing may be supposed as unthinkable subjects in daily discussions, but these topics are important for health and hygiene perspectives. Designers and manufacturers are busy making aesthetically attractive, ergonomically and anthropometrically defined toilet seats. But there is a need for some adjustments in the size and design of modern toilet seats as per the hygiene perspective. This paper presents a conceptual design framework aimed, increasing the level of hygiene and introduced the three-dimensional designs of sitting and squatting types of toilet seats with some amendments as compared to modern designs, concerning hygiene perspective. The present conceptual design of toilet seats can become the integration of human hygiene practice. In this study, Solidworks Designing Software was used for three-dimensional designs. This framework study dedicates to Iranian society.

An Introduction to Musical Interactions

The article presents a contextual survey of eight contributions in the special issue Musical Interactions (Volume I) in Multimodal Technologies and Interaction. The presentation includes (1) a critical examination of what it means to be musical, to devise the concept of music proper to MTI as well as multicultural proximity, and (2) a conceptual framework for instrumentation, design, and assessment of musical interaction research through five enabling dimensions: Affordance; Design Alignment; Adaptive Learning; Second-Order Feedback; Temporal Integration. Each dimension is discussed and applied in the survey. The results demonstrate how the framework provides an interdisciplinary scope required for musical interaction, and how this approach may offer a coherent way to describe and assess approaches to research and design as well as implementations of interactive musical systems. Musical interaction stipulates musical liveness for experiencing both music and technologies. While music may be considered ontologically incomplete without a listener, musical interaction is defined as ontological completion of a state of music and listening through a listener’s active engagement with musical resources in multimodal information flow.

Design optimization of urban typologies: A framework for evaluating building energy performance and outdoor thermal comfort

• A computational workflow is implemented, and a multi-phase optimization framework is developed for evaluating building energy performance and outdoor thermal comfort. • The framework is tested for various low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise theoretical urban typologies in Syracuse, New York. • Tradeoffs between energy performance and outdoor thermal comfort are studied by energy use and outdoor thermal comfort autonomy, respectively. In the physics-based simulation of urban geometries, the outdoor environment was usually simulated separately from buildings – until recently, when the holistic assessment of the urban environment began to attract more attention. Although analyzing design alternatives with multiple objectives is still a challenge, computational tools enable generating thousands of scenarios to rapidly assess performance corresponding to a specific goal. In this study, we developed a multi-phase optimization framework for conceptual urban design. We tested this framework for urban typologies in Syracuse. The energy performance of each alternative was compared with a baseline. The alternatives that generate wasteful energy performance were filtered out first, then remaining scenarios that performed better than the baseline were analyzed using outdoor thermal comfort autonomy (OTCA). Mid-rise multifamily buildings showed the best performance (55.8% energy improvement compared to the baseline). Although hot week outdoor comfort satisfaction among selected mid-rise typologies was high (92.9–98.5%), the satisfaction in cold week was very low (between 8.4–11.6%) among them. This framework contributes to identifying an acceptable range of design solutions by broadening the perspective of the field toward using a more customized optimization framework in early design that will further guarantee the requirements of energy efficient and sustainable cities.

Creating more sustainable social housing in Serbia: A conceptual framework for architectural and urban design

The basic research problem is the insufficient application of sustainability criteria in urban and architectural programs and projects for social housing in post-socialist Serbia, which may lead to inadequate and low-quality new housing stock. This paper emphasizes the importance of considering social, economic and environmental sustainability aspects integrally in the further development of the existing, highly residual social housing model, with a focus on improving guidelines, rules and parameters in the design domain. Relevant criteria in the architectural and urban design of sustainable social housing were identified, systematized and interpreted, based on the analysis of scientific knowledge, applicable models and international recommendations. A conceptual multicriteria framework was designed with the aim of contributing to the improvement of methodological approaches in the design and evaluation of social housing settlements and buildings in Serbia, as well as in related housing systems.

Myth, Memory, and Placemaking

The contested site of Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya, India, has been reclaimed for building a Hindu temple following years of litigation and occupation of the site by Babri Mosque for more than three centuries. This temple is projected to be a monumental complex, a grand statement of Hindu faith in the divine king Rama. The site, while of immense significance as his birthplace, is projected to be a theme park designed as a visual spectacle. The article outlines an alternative conceptual framework for site design predicated on the idea of placemaking as a process for memory retrieval in the present and encoding memories for the future. Place images in literary and pictorial narratives depicting Rama’s life are building blocks of collective memory and have shaped actual landscapes in their likeness in the past. They are integral to memory formation and recall, and as such they have a significant role in reclaiming Ramjanmabhoomi as the legendary place of his birth and domicile. The temple is proposed to be situated in a narrative landscape that can speak of Rama’s person and deeds, its design language inspired by place images and ritual practices. Collective memory of Rama’s story can be recalled and reconstituted with the amplification of memory traces in site design, anchoring the emergent landscape narrative. The mnemonic landscape of Ramjanmabhoomi can be sustainably managed and become a model for reclaiming other sites across India that are associated with Rama’s story and help communicate the lost environmental ethos of living in harmony with nature.

Design of operational application system of cruise missile supported by meteorological and marine information

In information war, the concept of “digital battlefield” is put forward, and battlefield meteorological and marine information has become an important part of digital battlefield. Based on the in-depth analysis of the impact of meteorological marine information on cruise missile, this paper puts forward the multi-dimensional demand analysis method of meteorological marine information supporting cruise missile combat application and the architecture design method based on MBSE, and gives the conceptual design framework of combat application system to provide information support for cruise missile combat application.

A Conceptual Framework to Improve the Symbol Implementation of 4D Printing Communication between Designers and Engineers

This research investigates the communication barriers between designers and engineers in designing 4D Printing parts. We have proposed a conceptual design framework for 4D Printing symbols as the communication tool. Then, we have recruited sixty-fifty designers and engineers who participated in our online experiments. The focus of the online survey is to find out how designers and engineers understand reciprocal communication by using the proposed symbols. Our results showed that 85% of participants could understand the 4D Printing symbols correctly. The study concludes that using the conceptual framework can help designers and engineers communicate 4D Printing element information and stimulate design ideas effectively.

Targeting cancer metabolism in the era of precision oncology.

One hundred years have passed since Warburg discovered alterations in cancer metabolism, more than 70 years since Sidney Farber introduced anti-folates that transformed the treatment of childhood leukaemia, and 20 years since metabolism was linked to oncogenes. However, progress in targeting cancer metabolism therapeutically in the past decade has been limited. Only a few metabolism-based drugs for cancer have been successfully developed, some of which are in — or en route to — clinical trials. Strategies for targeting the intrinsic metabolism of cancer cells often did not account for the metabolism of non-cancer stromal and immune cells, which have pivotal roles in tumour progression and maintenance. By considering immune cell metabolism and the clinical manifestations of inborn errors of metabolism, it may be possible to isolate undesirable off-tumour, on-target effects of metabolic drugs during their development. Hence, the conceptual framework for drug design must consider the metabolic vulnerabilities of non-cancer cells in the tumour immune microenvironment, as well as those of cancer cells. In this Review, we cover the recent developments, notable milestones and setbacks in targeting cancer metabolism, and discuss the way forward for the field.

"Japan LIVE Dashboard" for COVID-19: A Scalable Solution to Monitor Real-Time and Regional-Level Epidemic Case Data.

Under pandemic conditions, it is important to communicate local infection risks to better enable the general population to adjust their behaviors accordingly. In Japan, our team operates a popular non-government and not-for-profit dashboard project - "Japan LIVE Dashboard" - which allows the public to easily grasp the evolution of the pandemic on the internet. We presented the Dashboard design concept with a generic framework integrating socio-technical theories, disease epidemiology and related contexts, and evidence-based approaches. Through synthesizing multiple types of reliable and real-time local data sources from all prefectures across the country, the Dashboard allows the public access to user-friendly and intuitive disease visualization in real time and has gained an extensive online followership. To date, it has attracted c.30 million visits (98% domestic access) testifying to the reputation it has acquired as a user-friendly portal for understanding the progression of the pandemic. Designed as an open-source solution, the Dashboard can also be adopted by other countries as well as made applicable for other emerging outbreaks in the future. Furthermore, the conceptual design framework may prove applicable into other ehealth scaled for global pandemics.

Toward the Development of Key Competencies: A Conceptual Framework for the STEM Curriculum Design and a Case Study

National attention has been given to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, which is well recognized as an effective way to cultivate the key competencies of 21st-century talents. However, current STEM education falls short of the desired results. The fundamental reason is that there has not been a clearly and structurally explained systematic construction and effective implementation of STEM curricula. Accordingly, this article systematically expounds on the construction of the STEM curricula system from four aspects. Specifically, we first proposed the components of the STEM competencies as the goal of STEM education to provide a guiding direction for other parts of the design of the STEM curricula. Then, we elaborated on how to cultivate the STEM competencies from two aspects: the design principles of the STEM curricula content and the implementation strategies of STEM teaching. Finally, we explained how to effectively evaluate to monitor and improve the implementation of the STEM curriculum. In addition to the above mentioned, we then presented a case study of STEM courses constructed under the guidance of “think-based instruction theory” (TBIT) to help readers further understand the nature of the STEM curricula.

Intercluster Exchange-Stabilized Novel Complex Colloidal χc Phase.

Designing complex cluster crystals with a specific function using simple colloidal building blocks remains a challenge in materials science. Herein, we propose a conceptually new design strategy for constructing complex cluster crystals via hierarchical self-assembly of simple soft Janus colloids. A novel and previously unreported colloidal cluster-χ (χc) phase, which resembles the essential structural features of α-manganese but at a larger length scale, is obtained through molecular dynamics simulations. The formation of the χc phase undergoes a remarkable two-step self-assembly process, that is, the self-assembly of clusters with specific size dispersity from Janus colloids, followed by the highly ordered organization of these clusters. More importantly, the dynamic exchange of particles between these clusters plays a critical role in stabilizing the χc phase. Such a conceptual design framework based on intercluster exchange has the potential to effectively construct novel complex cluster crystals by hierarchical self-assembly of colloidal building blocks.