Working Cycle Research Articles

Von Neumann Entropy and Evolution

In this paper I outline a hypothesis where quantum information in the form of von Neumann entropy provides a universal driving force for increasing complexity of systems and for evolutionary processes. Interference between quantum states of interacting systems allows storage of free energy that can be used to overcome kinetic barriers and accelerate reactions. This informational work cycle is analogous to entanglement in quantum Carnot engines where energy is stored as phase or so-called phaseonium fuel. The von Neumann entropy subadditivity and Araki-Lieb inequality properties of combined states can lower effective entropy and favour routes to increasing complexity of systems. It is proposed that observed macroscopic evolutionary processes are the emergent manifestation of this microscopic informational drive to complexity.

Optimization and performance assessment of Ag@SiO2 core–shell nanofluids for spectral splitting PV/T system: Theoretical and experiment analysis

Ag@SiO2 nanofluid is widely used in spectral splitting PV/T system. Its core–shell structure has great influence on the optical properties. In this work, we focus on the comprehensive analysis and structure optimization of Ag@SiO2 nanofluid to achieve its optimal spectral performance. DDA method is used to predict the optical properties of Ag@SiO2 nanofluid and an optimization model based on filter efficiency is proposed. The effect of the SiO2 shell thickness and Ag core mass concentration is analyzed. It indicates that the spectral performance of Ag@SiO2 nanofluid can be improved with SiO2 shell thickness of 15–40 nm and Ag core mass concentration of 81–135 mg/L. To achieve the same theoretical merit function of 1.46, the usage of Ag mass can be reduced by 25/33/44/62 % with SiO2 coating of 10/20/40/70 nm. The optimal structure to achieve the highest filter efficiency η of 37.8 % is with a shell thickness of 20 nm and a mass concentration of 113.9 mg/L. An indoor PV/T operation testing is conducted to verify the optimization results. The merit function of Ag-based nanofluids increases from 1.58 to 1.598 and a reduction in Ag usage of 17 % is achieved with a SiO2 coating shell of 17.8 nm. Operation stability is also enhanced with no aggregation observed during the working cycle and 7-day static experiment.

Parametric identification of coefficients for a model of fatigue stiffness degradation of a composite material

The problem of finding the fatigue characteristics of a composite material based on test results is considered. The results of endurance tests of unidirectional polymer composite materials with different initial stiffness, breaking stress and working cycle stress were used as the initial data. As a mathematical model of stiffness degradation, a nonlinear ordinary differential equation with five unknown parameters is used, reflecting characteristic changes in the properties of the material. It is required to find such parameter values that the solution of the differential equation should describe the available test results with sufficient accuracy. The solution procedure is reduced to the problem of optimizing the objective function, the value of which characterizes the achieved accuracy. As optimization methods, a method simulating the behavior of a flock of moths and a method of sequential reduction of the search set were used. A step-by-step algorithm for finding unknown model parameters is proposed, and numerical results of processing input data containing information on changing the elasticity modulus of the composite material in the course of applying load cycles are presented.

Mobile Application Development for Prepaid Water Meter Based on LC Sensor

This study presents a novel low-cost and low-power prepaid water meter system that combines tokenization and LC sensors to monitor water consumption accurately with mobile application via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity compared to conventional meters. Water meters play a vital role in monitoring water usage in Indonesia. Postpaid billing methods that rely on manual data recording are a source of concern due to potential inaccuracies caused by human error. This study presents the development of a prepaid water meter system that integrates LC sensors, BLE connectivity, a tokenization mechanism, and a mobile application to address this issue. The system offers a cost-effective solution by utilizing BLE + Global System for Mobile (GSM) from the user’s mobile phone. Using the design thinking methodology, the mobile application for the prepaid water meter achieved a usability testing score of 80. The load testing results for the back-end server, conducted with a sample size of 515 users, revealed a back-end latency of 1.973 milliseconds and an error rate of 8.74%. Furthermore, the LC sensors integrated into the PWM device showed an average error rate of 1.33%. The power consumption during each work cycle was measured at 129 mA and each battery is expected to last six years. Overall, with simple LC sensors, this system can precisely measure water usage.

Radiative heat transfer to enhance the performance of liquid metal-based phase change heat sink under natural convection condition

Liquid metal phase change materials have the advantages of high thermal conductivity and high volumetric latent heat, which are expected to address the growing challenges of thermal management of advanced electronics. In previous studies, the effect of radiative heat transfer from fins of a phase change heat sink on thermal management performance has rarely been considered. In this study, radiative coating materials with high emissivity were prepared and coated on the fins of the liquid metal phase change heat sink. The effect of radiative heat transfer on the performance of liquid metal phase change heat sink was investigated. The experimental results of continuous heating under natural convection conditions show that the introduction of the radiative coating with an emissivity of 0.9298 can extend the time for the surface temperature of the heat source to reach 100 °C by 9.4%, while shortening the recovery time of the phase change heat sink by 14.9%. The results of high-power cyclic heating indicate that the high emissivity coating can reduce the peak temperature by 16.6 °C in the tenth working cycle. A simplified numerical model was subsequently developed and validated to determine the specific effects of phase change and radiative heat transfer on the overall thermal control performance. The radiation-enhanced liquid metal phase change heat sink proposed in this study is simple and maintenance-free. It is expected to address the thermal management issues of electronic devices that cannot use active cooling or operate in thin-air environments.

Even if you build it, they may not come: challenges in the uptake of workplace mental health toolkits

BackgroundStrategies to promote workplace mental health can target system, organization, team, and individual levels exclusively or in concert with each other. Creating toolkits that include these different levels is an emerging innovative strategy to support employees working in various sectors. Our paper describes the development, implementation, and refinement of two different online toolkits: the Healthy Professional Worker Toolkit for Education Workers and the Health Worker Burnout Toolkit.MethodsThe Knowledge to Action Framework guided the team during the development and early interventions phases of toolkit development. Stakeholder engagement regarding the intended use of the toolkit of promising practices for workplace interventions was integrated throughout with different forms of feedback in a research capacity between 2022 and 2024.ResultsReflecting on the different phases of the KTA Framework, we describe first the engagement involved in building the toolkits and then on their utilization. Our toolkits were built to include different resources aimed at empowering workers, teams, and employers offering innovative ideas to address the mental health-leaves of absence and return to work cycle in one case and the different forms and consequences of burnout in the other. Criteria for inclusion were informed by ongoing research with a range of stakeholders and other intended toolkit users including managers, supervisors, executives, human resource specialists, staff, and others in healthcare and educational organizations and settings. In the implementation phase, the volume of resources available in each toolkit considered a strength by some was overwhelming for some partners and individual workers to navigate. Capacity, engagement, time, and readiness for change, are themes that heavily influenced if and when organizations interacted with each toolkit, and how much time they spent exploring the resources provided.ConclusionIt is critical to ground toolkits in the experiential evidence of workplace mental health as is linking these to evidence-informed interventions that correspond to workplace concerns. Organizational readiness to adopt and adapt resources and implement changes is a key consideration. Ultimately, user engagement is what brought these toolkits to life.

Мебель «Лесной серии» С. Т. Конёнкова как образец синтезированного художественного языка

The research relies on a comprehensive approach, a formally stylistic analysis of over 60 pieces from the “Forest Series” by S. T. Konenkov, including furniture, as well as statements by its author. The aim of the study is to reveal the multi-level synthesized nature of the works, namely the synthesis of art forms, styles, genres, technical and methodological dominants, and deep generalizations of historical and religious content. The synthesis of genres is particularly evident in the investigated cycle of works as a whole, and their complex combinations are found in a number of individual pieces of furniture. As a result, the conclusion is made that it is precisely this specificity of the artistic language that allowed the sculptor to express the deep symbolic content, preserving the centuries-old connotations of Russian national art. The research is novel in that it is the first one to analyze the multi-level synthesized character of the works of furniture in the “Forest Series” by S. T. Konenkov, namely the synthesis of art forms, styles, genres, technical and methodological dominants, and deep generalizations of historical and religious content.

Integration of Agile Technologies in Internal Audit

The study is devoted to the processes of integration of Agile technologies in internal audits. It was determined that Agile is a method and a way of thinking simultaneously, which ensures timeliness of receiving information, quick response to risks, and acceleration of audit cycles, thanks to which the effect of value creation is achieved for both top management and stakeholders. The analysis of statistical studies of the implementation of Agile technologies allowed the authors to conclude that the Agile approach is increasingly used in enterprises to achieve planned results, and to single out key changes in the concepts of internal audit, which became possible thanks to the implementation of the Agile approach. It is noted that there is no single path for transitioning to the use of Agile methodology for all organisations. In addition, such a transition can cause difficulties associated with rethinking the audit process. That is why the authors attempted to unify the work cycles of the internal Agile audit.

Real-Time Detection of Internal Short Circuits in Lithium-Ion Batteries using an Extend Kalman Filter

Concerns over fuel scarcity and environmental degradation largely drive the increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs). Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), known for their high energy and power densities, are the favored power source for EVs. Over the past few decades, research has been concentrated on ensuring these batteries operate efficiently, safely, and reliably. A key issue impacting the safety of Li-ion batteries is thermal runaway (TR), which can lead to hazardous battery fires. Internal short circuits (ISCs) are often the primary cause of these TR incidents, making the early detection of spontaneous ISC formation a pivotal diagnostic task. This research introduces an innovative ISC detection technique for cylindrical Li-ion battery cells. This technique is based on the augmentation of the model state vector in an extended Kalman filter (EKF), combining both classical voltage measurements to surface temperature observations. This framework enables real-time estimation of the internal ISC state while maintaining computational efficiency. The proposed method is tested numerically considering a high-fidelity numerical plant cycled using charge-depleting tests that mimic a practical battery cell working cycle at various C rates and at different ambient temperatures to account for both load and environmental uncertainties. The results demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of the method. In addition, the method has been proven to be computationally efficient, demonstrating the feasibility of its real-time implementation.

The Study of the Balancing Process for Starting Rotors in Heavy-Duty Vehicles: An Industrial Application

In the heavy-duty vehicle industry, unbalance in the armature is one of the most common problems affecting starters’ performance and durability. This research presents a comprehensive study to improve the balancing process for starting rotors in heavy-duty vehicles. The complete manufacturing process of armatures was analyzed to understand the contribution of assembly processes to unbalancing. The analysis revealed that the primary factor leading to high unbalance in these parts is the misalignment of conductors within the armature winding. During assembly, these conductors experience axial movements, resulting in non-uniform mass distribution and causing unbalanced values ranging from 150 to 350 g·mm. These values surpass the permissible limit, making rectification during the balancing process at the end of the assembly impossible. Consequently, a novel alignment tool was designed to address this issue, significantly reducing the effect and achieving the maximum allowable unbalance of 100 g·mm. This allowed the balancing machine used in the process to correct the initial unbalance of the reinforcements in a single work cycle, improving operation efficiency by about 15%.

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Innovative Ejectors Plant Technology for Sediment by-Pass in Harbours and Ports

Sedimentation is the natural process of sediment transportation and deposition in quiescent water conditions. Sedimentation can affect the functionality of ports, harbours and navigation channels by reducing water depth, making navigation difficult, if not impossible. Different solutions are available to guarantee infrastructure functionality against sedimentation, with maintenance dredging being the most widely adopted. Alternative technologies for dredging have been developed and tested to reduce the environmental concerns related to dredging operations. Among other solutions, applying a sediment by-pass system based on a jet pump emerged as one of the most promising. While the existing literature covers the techno-economic aspects of sediment by-pass systems, the environmental impacts must be better evaluated and assessed. This paper aims to resolve this gap by evaluating, through the ReCiPe2016 life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the environmental impact of an innovative sediment by-pass system called an “ejectors plant”. The LCA results are based on the demonstrator established in Cervia Harbour in Italy, which was extensively monitored for 15 months during its operation. This paper shows how energy consumption during the operation phase highly affects the considered midpoint and endpoint categories. For example, the GWP100 of the ejectors plant, considering the Italian electricity mix, equals 1.75 million tons of equivalent CO2 over 20 years, while under a low-carbon scenario, it is reduced to 0.17. In that case, material consumption in the construction phase becomes dominant, thus highlighting the importance of eco-innovation of ejectors plants to minimise oxidant formation. Finally, this paper compares the ejectors plant and traditional dredging through environmental LCA. The ejectors plant had a lower impact in all categories except for GWP-related categories. The sensitivity analysis showed how such a conclusion may be mitigated by considering different electricity mixes and maintenance dredging working cycles.

Research on energy consumption evaluation and energy-saving design of cranes in service based on structure-mechanism coupling

Aiming at the problem that the life cycle energy consumption index of hoisting machinery is difficult to be objectively quantified, a crane energy consumption evaluation calculation method based on the working cycle of the service period is proposed, the typical service working mode of the crane is analyzed, and the working cycle process of the mechanism is clarified. On this basis, the stress cycle characteristics of the crane structure during the service period are determined based on the coupling relationship between the mechanism and the structure, which lays the foundation for accurately evaluating the life index of the crane. According to the relationship between the load rate and effective power of each mechanism during the service period of the crane, the calculation method for the evaluation and calculation of the structure energy consumption during the service period of the crane is studied. Finally, the crane is designed based on the concept of absolute service safety, and an optimal design model of the main girder structure of the crane with the goal of the lowest energy consumption in service is established. Using the research method of this paper to study a certain type of bridge crane, the energy consumption of the hoisting machinery during its service period is not only related to the accumulation of the operating characteristics of the mechanism but also related to the characteristic parameters such as the structure self-weight. The comprehensive evaluation of energy consumption provides an effective quantitative method and a reliable green design theory for crane design.

The effect of spatial non-uniformity on multiple transient modes of detonation onset in a three-dimensional channel

The study of the transient combustion modes is one of the key topics when considering the safety of space flights. Control of detonation onset has a dual application. First, the search for ways to prevent detonation modes in case of accidental fuel releases for fire safety issues of launch systems and the avoidance of accidents with rocket engines at a launch site and in near-Earth space. Second, the study of detonation and the possibility of using it to create propulsion systems based on detonation combustion of fuel. The paper shows the effect of the presence of spatial non-uniformities on the promotion of detonation in the chamber. Various geometries with and without obstacles and cavities are considered. It is demonstrated that the presence of obstacles accelerates the transition to the detonation process on the one hand, but on the other hand the presence of obstacles in combustion chamber could be the cause of incidental uncontrolled ignition, which ruins stable operation of an engine. The results of theoretical studies of the working cycle of the combustion chamber of a pulsed detonation engine are presented. Theoretical estimates for thrust characteristics are obtained.

Psychological Stress Reduction and Their Impact on Workplace Productivity in Chinese Corporations

Objectives: The workplace is a complete living environment comprised of various supportive, constructive and nonsupportive, demotivating and negative components. In all these multi-dimensional working environments, the employees are the main components that endeavor everything. In such a deliberate matter, their well- being is highly crucial and any negative factor like stress, anxiety and burnout can deteriorate the workplace's effective working cycle. Methods: This study has examined the same narrated dilemma with the external supportive role of psychological in increasing the workplace productivity of the Chinese corporations. Results: The study adopted a quantitative strategy and used a purposive sampling technique under the nonprobability sampling to effectively assess the employees for data collection. The survey approach was utilized, and 312 responses were finalized as valid for data analysis. Conclusion: The structural equational modelling revealed significant influences of the job burnout and situational anxiety in decreasing the workplace productivity of the Chinese corporations and in this myriad, the constructive voice behavior is to some extent supportive for the employees' psychological components and the workplace productivity, however, the moderation of mindfulness hasn't provided no additional support to the constructive voice and productivity.

Environment Aspects and Daily Life-Threatening Risk Prediction for Improving Public Health Using Ensemble Learning Techniques

Increasing work nature in the fastest world need relaxing to maintain public health is important. But the continuous imbalance of work nature in human daily life doesn’t have time to consecrate the health with leads life threatening facts such as work tension, management stress, job professional, family needs, improper periodic work cycle, and soon. By analyzing the daily public life threatening risk prediction based on Feature selection and classification to category the public health to recommend for phycological treatment. By suggesting treatment schedule are important to balance the public health Lifecyle to make stress free life to spent with nature. Most of prevailing techniques analyse the life-threatening issues, but the features are improperly to taken without the mutual relation cause poor accuracy in precision and classifications rate with more false prediction rate. To tackle this issue, to propose an optimized ensemble learning Techniques based on multi scalar support vector machine (MSSVM) with deep scaled XGboost classifier (DSXG-boost) to improve the prediction accuracy. Initially the public life Cycle dataset is collected and to make normalization using Min-max normalization. Then the Public Life Threat Impact Rate (PLTIR) is analysed to marginalize the heath affecting features. Then then stress margin dependencies feature limits are selected with support of MSSVM. The selected features are grouped in cluster margins and classified with deep scaled XG boost algorithm to predict the active and inactive heath margin be categorized by risk threaten class. The proposed system prove the prediction accuracy in higher precision are by selecting mutual dependencies of health affection feature limits and best recall rate to improve the performance. Based on the predicted class, the categorized life threaten risk peoples are recommends to make phycological treatment to protect the public life cycle.

Novel energy savings method considering extra sensor battery discharge time for fish farming applications

Energy savings in Wireless Sensor Networks for fish farms is necessary and beneficial. We present a novel energy savings method that minimizes the interpolation errors of sensors' measurements. Sensors follow a working cycle in which they are active when measuring data, and inactive or suspended when data is interpolated from the above measurements and consumed energy is reduced. To our knowledge, we are the first to implement interpolation for energy savings. We improved that model to describe the non-linear property of the consumed energy in the batteries, adding a new variable that explains their real behavior. Several experiments with a prototype of a Wireless Sensor Network with pH, water temperature, and ambient temperature sensors are implemented to validate our method. We made a series of measurements to determine the actual energy savings at each sensor and compared these savings with those predicted by each theory model. The results show that the model is more accurate, presenting less than 5 % prediction errors which does not affect fish growth. Furthermore, our paper introduces an energy-saving method for extending WSN lifetime by modeling the non-linear power consumption of sensors' batteries. We propose a new mathematical optimization formulation using an efficient interpolation mechanism that operates in real-time. A real-scale WSN prototype installed over water validates and refines our method. Finally, we showed that the number of interpolated values is of a broader range for aquatic sensors than for outdoor sensors such as ambient temperature. That is, energy savings for fish farming is acceptable.

Study of the relationship of vascular problems in the orthostatic position - municipal guard of the city of Rio de Janeiro - a proposal for personal protection equipment

This article discusses the etiology of Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), with a study of the posture adopted by a group of workers (Municipal Guard), which can have medium-and long-term consequences, and which is so little discussed this kind of group. Through a literature review, it will be analyzed whether the position adopted during the work cycle is sitting or standing, for long periods can be a supporting factor in the etiology of the CVI.

Numerical investigation of bucket wear and excavation performance with non-spherical materials

Wear significantly affects equipment performance at mining sites, especially when excavating materials with diverse shapes, leading to increased bucket wear and reduced service life. This work combines the co-simulation of multibody dynamics and discrete element method with the Archard wear model to investigate the dynamic interactions between the bucket and non-spherical materials, and the impact of bucket wear on excavation performance. The results indicate that wear is evident on the bottom surface, side surface, and teeth of the bucket throughout the working cycle. The wear patterns observed for different teeth vary, highlighting the importance of maintenance for the middle and side teeth. Compared to spherical particles, ellipsoidal ones cause greater excavating resistance, bucket wear, and hydraulic fluctuations. As wear intensifies, the teeth become blunt, and the bottom surface exhibits unevenness, resulting in reduced payload and increased resistance and hydraulic power. Proposed wear mitigation strategies can help uphold satisfactory operating performance.

Optimal maintenance policies for a k-out-of-n system with replacement bias costs

In this paper, the issue of determining an optimal age replacement is explored by incorporating minimal repair, preventive replacement, and corrective replacement into a k-out-of-n system subject to shocks. The k-out-of-n system in question consists of n identical components, and functions if at least k components function. Each shock causes the failure of a random number of components; if at least n-k + 1 components fail, the system fails and implements corrective replacement, otherwise the system is minimally repaired. The system is scheduled to implement preventive replacement before failure at age T or at the complement of a random working cycle, whichever occurs first or last. In order to balance the bias time between preventive replacement and corrective replacement, a replacement bias cost is also taken into account for planning replacement policies. The present paper develops a two-phase maintenance methodology and determines the optimal number of components and preventive replacement age that minimize the expected cost rate functions. For each model, the expected cost rate function is formulated analytically and optimized theoretically, and a numerical example is given to illustrate the applicability of the proposed methodology.

Study on direct ventricular assist loading mode based on a finite element method

To investigate the biomechanical effects of direct ventricular assistance and explore the optimal loading mode, this study established a left ventricular model of heart failure patients based on the finite element method. It proposed a loading mode that maintains peak pressure compression, and compared it with the traditional sinusoidal loading mode from both hemodynamic and biomechanical perspectives. The results showed that both modes significantly improved hemodynamic parameters, with ejection fraction increased from a baseline of 29.33% to 37.32% and 37.77%, respectively, while peak pressure, stroke volume, and stroke work parameters also increased. Additionally, both modes showed improvements in stress concentration and excessive fiber strain. Moreover, considering the phase error of the assist device's working cycle, the proposed assist mode in this study was less affected. Therefore, this research may provide theoretical support for the design and optimization of direct ventricular assist devices.