Design Issues Research Articles

Exploring supply chain capabilities in textile-to-textile recycling – A European interview study

In light of the recent developments in recycling technologies and commercialization, supply chain capabilities are decisive for large-scale textile-to-textile recycling practices. Despite this, the current status and landscape of these practices is surprisingly little researched from a logistics and supply chain management point of view. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore supply chain capabilities required in the textile-to-textile recycling supply chain. The paper is based on an interview study with 20 stakeholders along the textile recycling supply chain, covering various types of collectors, sorters, and recyclers in Sweden and mainland Europe.The findings present eleven specific supply chain capabilities distributed over the three main supply chain activities of collection, sorting, and recycling. By doing this, the study seeks to provide a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the role of logistics and supply chain management in textile-to-textile recycling practices. The findings also provide insights into more general industry-related design issues, including the matching of product supply and demand, the establishment of new supply chains, and balancing global and local interests.

Wildlife fencing at German highways and federal roads – requirements and management implications

In Germany, the high risk of wildlife–vehicle collisions (WVC) is further increasing due to increasing traffic volumes and road densities as well as the growing population densities of common ungulate species. As a result, threats to human health and property as well as wildlife mortality of widely spread and rare species increase. Currently, three basic types of wildlife fences are used in Germany: type A, a conventional galvanized‐high tensile deer fence (made of knot braid); type B, a chain wire (mesh wire) fence; type C, a rigid welded wire mesh fence panels. Since fencing needs to restrict access of many different species with different behaviours (e.g. jumping, climbing, digging), fencing needs to be multifaceted to be effectively. Furthermore, the occurrence of wildlife species with habits such as jumping, climbing or digging determines the optimal (functional) fence design per location. We surveyed road managers in combination with a personal assessment of road sections in Germany and derived the following recommendations for optimal fencing to reduce WVC: 1) To deter digging, use plates made of recycled synthetic materials or a concrete foundation, instead of barbed wire. 2) Fencing should be made of chain wire (mesh wire, type B) fence or rigid welded wire mesh fence panels (type C) instead of knot braid mesh (type A). 3) To restrict climbing, use angled chain wire fence or rigid welded wire mesh fence panels at the top of the fences. 4) Maintain fences so that they are kept free from ingrown vegetation/woods. Maintenance conditions should be considered while planning and building the fence, especially to ensure sufficient space on both sides for accessibility. 5) Fencing should be established preferably near the roadside and moved away from property lines. In conclusion, wildlife fencing could be a very effective mitigation measure to prevent WVC with common as well as protected species, when proper designed and recommendations of the survey will be consequently considered. Currently many wildlife fences lack functionality due to an inappropriate design and maintenance issues in Germany.

Prediction of CO2 emission for the central European countries through five metaheuristic optimization techniques helping multilayer perceptron

One of the most significant issues in urban design is energy-related CO2 emissions, which are rising quickly as cities expand. The GDP of the Central European countries (from 1990 to 2016) based on several energy sources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and renewable energy, are used as inputs in this study. To develop a reliable predictive network considering the problem complexity, multilayer perceptron (MLP) is combined with several nature-inspired optimization algorithms, namely, black hole algorithm (BHA), future search algorithm (FSA), backtracking search algorithm (BSA), biogeography-based optimization (BBO), and shuffled complex evolution (SCE). By applying the approaches mentioned above to the synthesis of the MLP, the recommended BBO, BHA, BSA, FSA, and SCE ensembles are obtained. A series of parametric studies are performed to improve the effectiveness of the employed models. It is found that, by combining the BBO, BHA, BSA, FSA, and SCE algorithms, the MLP's accuracy is increased. The result from this parametric analysis showed that SCE and BBO perform better than the other three algorithms as the CO2 emission was computed with the highest level of accuracy using R2 = 0.9999 and 0.9998, RMSE = 1.6781 and 2.0539 for SCE, and R2 = 0.9999 and 0.9998, RMSE = 1.8689 and 2.3833 for BBO.

Communication design and visualization issues

Communication design and visualization issues

Clothing Design Style Recommendation Using Optimized Semantic-Preserved Generative Adversarial Network

Recommendations for clothing design styles provide a tailored and efficient buying experience, decreasing consumers' decision fatigue and boosting interest. There are a number of obstacles to implementing clothing design style recommendations, including the requirement for diverse and accurate data to train efficient algorithms, the possibility of biases in recommendation systems, the complexity of comprehending subtle customer preferences, and the ever-changing nature of fashion trends. To overcome this complication, Clothing Design Style Recommendation Using Optimized Semantic-Preserved Generative Adversarial Network (ICMA-SPGAN-SFOA-CD) are proposed. Initially, the images collected from the clothing dataset are given as input. Afterward, the data are fed to pre-processing. In pre-processing, Reverse Image Filter (RIF) is used for redundant of data and noise removal. The pre-processing output is fed to Pyramidal Convolution Shuffle Attention Neural Network (PCSANN) for clothing design style recommendation. The recommended clothing design style was given for classification using Semantic-Preserved Generative Adversarial Network (SPGAN) optimized with Sheep Flock Optimization Algorithm (SFOA)for classifying clothing design style as Basic clothing, Looseness Season for clothing, Collar type, Colour and Advanced clothing . MATLAB is used to implement the proposed ICMA-SPGAN-SFOA-CD method. The performance of the proposed ICMA-SPGAN-SFOA-CD approach attains 25%, 21.5%, and 22.5% high precision,25.3%, 27.5%, and 21.8% high recall and 27.6%, 24.8%, and 23.2% high F1-Scorecompared with existing methods such as RCNN Framework Using L-Softmax Loss (CAR-RCNN-LSL) ,Clothing Attribute Recognition Based on Clothing fashion style recognition with design issue graph (CFSR-DCNN-DIG), Personalized Smart Clothing Design Based on Multimodal Visual Data Detection (PSCD-DNN-MVDD) models respectively.

The Many Colors of the AURORA: Trial Design Issues Worth Noting.

The Many Colors of the AURORA: Trial Design Issues Worth Noting.

Current issues in dose-finding designs: A response to the US Food and Drug Adminstration's Oncology Center of Excellence Project Optimus.

With the advent of targeted agents and immunological therapies, the medical research community has become increasingly aware that conventional methods for determining the best dose or schedule of a new agent are inadequate. It has been well established that conventional phase I designs cannot reliably identify safe and effective doses. This problem applies, generally, for cytotoxic agents, radiation therapy, targeted agents, and immunotherapies. To address this, the US Food and Drug Administration's Oncology Center of Excellence initiated Project Optimus, with the goal "to reform the dose optimization and dose selection paradigm in oncology drug development." As a response to Project Optimus, the articles in this special issue of Clinical Trials review recent advances in methods for choosing the dose or schedule of a new agent with an overall objective of informing clinical trialists of these innovative designs. This introductory article briefly reviews problems with conventional methods, the regulatory changes that encourage better dose optimization designs, and provides brief summaries of the articles that follow in this special issue.

DESIGNING AN INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE: CASE STUDY OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT COMBINING MARKETING RESEARCH, ENGINEERING, AND MEDIA ARTS

ABSTRACT Interdisciplinary courses and activities are becoming more popular as the benefits of collaboration have become apparent. For example, collaboration between different disciplines in organizations, such as engineering and marketing, has been shown to significantly enhance the product development process. Various strategies have been used to encourage this collaboration. One strategy is to provide instruction in collaboration across disciplines at the undergraduate collegiate level. This case study discusses an interdisciplinary project between Marketing Research, Engineering, and Media Arts. The basic design of the initial course, strategies used to enhance collaboration, student learning outcomes, identification of key issues affecting the interdisciplinary project, and a revised design for teaching future interdisciplinary projects are included. Also included are some of the major challenges and design issues with interdisciplinary work.

Between Parametricism and Pragmatism Concept Design Problematics in Zaha Hadid Architects’ Digital Projects

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges in Zaha Hadid Architects' parametrical projects, focusing on recent digital technologies in the realms of "Architecture" and "Urban planning." Recently, Zaha Hadid Architects “urban-scale" project has awarded the title of "Parametric-urbanism" introduced a new urban design term to the world. This research delves into the design and implementation issues encountered in the Istanbul Kartal-Pendik Master Plan, parametric design which planned non-realistic, and fluiding plots and parcels not dependent on the city maps. 20<sup>th</sup> century early urban planning doctrines of C. Sitte and some French urbanists known as pragmatists, and realistic. The study expected to contribute design discourse with new approach parametric projects via French pragmatists problem solving methods. A comparative method is used to analyze the late 20th century parametric theories, and urbanism ideologies of 20th century; CIAM, Le Corbusier and French urbanists’ “realistic” and “problem-solving” methods. Zaha Hadid Architects’ “urban-scale” projects created via abstractions of parametric repetitive forms considered problematic. Some inconsistencies are observed in design and implementation process secondary parametric urban elements; road, axis, plot, parcel, block design and dimensions. Also, the urban scale parametric projects can be problematic in complicated, old, historical cities like Rome, Paris, Istanbul.

Development of methods of structural reliability

The growth of structural reliability theory and applications, along with a recognition of its role in guiding the structural engineering profession in addressing some of the most important issues in design of the built environment, represents one of the key engineering achievements during the past five decades. Structural reliability provides a unifying framework for managing uncertainties affecting performance of structures and a quantitative link between the practice of structural engineering and its social consequences. Such links perhaps are most obvious in probability-based codified design and performance evaluation but there are numerous other applications, which are summarized in this special issue. As the field has matured, researchers in reliability have worked with structural engineers to elevate both the practice of structural engineering and the quality of research to levels that otherwise would not have been possible. The Joint Committee on Structural Safety has played a central role in this historic development and it will inspire future opportunities for the reliability community to build upon past successes to improve structural engineering and construction practices. This paper surveys the key theoretical developments and milestones that enable these opportunities.

Effect of Pad Thickness and Width Variations on Plastic Limit Moment in Cylindrical Pressure Vessels Due to Nozzle In-Plane Load

This study investigates how different pad thicknesses and diameters affect the maximum stress a cylindrical pressure vessel can handle without failing, particularly around the areas where nozzles are attached. Nozzles on these vessels often face directional stress from loads applied in a specific plane, and these stresses mustn’t push the nozzle material beyond its breaking point. The research used computer simulations to see how these vessels, with various pad sizes and a set shell and nozzle size, behave under increasing stress until they reach their breaking point. Findings indicate that making the pad thicker or wider increases the vessel’s resistance to breaking up to a certain point; beyond this optimal size, making the pad larger doesn’t provide any additional benefit. This information helps design better and safer pressure vessels by identifying the best pad size to prevent failure. The study contributes to understanding how to avoid design issues and optimize the construction of these vessels, adhering to specific industry standards.

Understanding the limits to animal cognition

The thriving field of comparative cognition examines the behaviour of diverse animals in cognitive terms. Comparative cognition research has primarily focused on the abilities of animals - what tasks they can do - rather than on the limits of their cognition - tasks that exceed an animal's cognitive abilities. We propose that understanding and identifying cognitive limits is as important as demonstrating the capacities of animal minds. Here, we identify challenges that have deterred the study of cognitive limits related to epistemic, practical and publication problems. The epistemic problem is concerned with how we can confidently infer a cognitive limit from null or negative results. The practical problem is how can we be certain our research has identified a cognitive limit rather than failures in tasks due to methodological or experimental design issues. The publication problem outlines the publication bias toward positive and exciting results over negative or null results in animal cognition. We propose solutions to these three challenges and examples of how to conduct research to confidently identify and confirm cognitive limits in animals. We believe a refocus on the cognitive limits of animals is the next step in the field of comparative cognition. Knowing the limits to the intelligence of different animals will aid us in appreciating the diversity of animal intelligence, and will resolve outstanding questions of how cognition evolves.

Exploring the aqueous solubility and intermolecular interactions of diclofenac Diethylammonium: A molecular modeling study in solid state and solvation processes

Diclofenac, a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties, presents a challenge in oral administration due to its low aqueous solubility and subsequent low bioavailability. This issue, primarily attributed to the drug's high hydrophobicity, can lead to adverse side effects. To address this, our study delves into the aqueous solvation process of diclofenac through molecular modeling, employing both Carr-Parrinello molecular dynamics and Density Functional Theory. This combined approach enables a comprehensive investigation of the molecular interactions that influence solubility, encompassing non-polar interactions (van der Waals dispersion forces), dipole interactions, and hydrogen bonding. Our results highlight the formation of intermolecular interactions with water molecules through OH⋯Owater and CO⋯Hwater hydrogen bonds. Additionally, we observe intramolecular hydrogen bonds within diclofenac (NH⋯OH and NH⋯Cl) and weaker interactions involving CH⋯Cl. Notably, the protonation of diclofenac contributes to molecular rigidity, hindering hydrogen bonding with adjacent water molecules further. These insights offer a deeper understanding of the solubility challenges associated with diclofenac, paving the way for improved drug formulations that enhance bioavailability. The application of Carr-Parrinello molecular dynamics and density functional theory in this study highlights their valuable role in addressing complex drug solubility and design issues.

Legislative Power over Mineral Resources in the Ethiopian Federation: Legal and Practical Challenges

The assignment of legislative power over mineral resources is a highly contentious issue in federal constitutional design. This article aims to shed light on this issue by examining the assignment and exercise of legislative powers over mineral resources in the Ethiopian Federation. A qualitative research approach was used which included analysis of laws, examining documents and in-depth interviews. The legal framework, policy documents, and decisions of government officials relating to legislative authority over mineral resources were scrutinized. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with key stakeholders involved in the matter to gain an understanding of the actual challenges and difficulties associated with the exercise of this power. An integrated data analysis approach is used. According to the analysis, the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia lacks clarity regarding legislative power over mineral resources. The study also reveals significant gaps in the institutional and legal frameworks governing the exercise of legislative power over mineral resources. These gaps have also resulted in the development of a legal framework that contradicts the principles laid out in the Constitution. The findings highlight the need to address the legal and practical challenges within the Ethiopian Federation.

Interior design concept of Ukrainian brands clothing store

The issue of retail establishments design and planning is considered based on the example of clothing store interior conceptual development. The relevance of finding new forms of expression of Ukrainian identity in design is justified, in particular, clothing stores of Ukrainian brands, which today are not only trade establishments, but also the popularizes of Ukrainian culture. Based on the results of the analysis of literary sources and design experience, trends regarding the formation of the interior space and content of modern clothing stores were revealed, including: versatility; combination of various functions; a new interpretation of mannequins; change of exposure according to the principle of the gallery. A separate direction of form creation is the combination of national iconic elements of culture and modern requirements for arranging space. The purpose of the research is to develop a concept of a modern, multifunctional retail space, a color and style model that combines modern European trends and a new look at Ukrainian culture and its origins. The main theses of the concept are modeled on the example of the design development of the interior of a clothing store of Ukrainian brands. It is proposed to organize the store space as an exhibition platform for local artists with a new interpretation of elements of Ukrainian culture. Means of expression of the defined task are: space zoning, color model, use of ornament, design of decorative and compositional element. The purpose of the conceptual composition of stylized mannequins is to allegorically and abstractly depict the national idea and peculiarities of the history of the Ukrainian nation with the help of images, shapes, poses, and colors. The color model is based on the connection between Ukrainian culture and the culture of Northern Europe, and the placement of the figures refers to the ancient Slavic understanding of the sides of the world and their symbolism. Stylized ornaments with unconventional presentation are offered as decor on architectural and structural elements. It was concluded that the interior of a Ukrainian clothing store should be formed as an exhibition and presentation platform for Ukrainian designers, combining a recognizable identity with modernity; to represent Ukraine in a new way for Ukrainians and foreigners. The means of expressing the formulated demands should influence the historical national consciousness through indirect associations and symbols, which are based on historical and cultural artifacts.

High-efficiency and low-hazard artillery recoil reduction technology based on barrel gas reflection

Reducing recoil as well as reducing muzzle hazards are important issues in artillery design. This paper presents a barrel gas reflection method for the artillery aiming for efficient recoil reduction while reducing muzzle hazards. The launching process is modeled by coupling the interior ballistic equations and the flow equations of the barrel gas reflection device. The fourth-order Runge–Kutta method was used to solve the model, and the LHS method as well as the Kriging model was used to establish a mapping relationship between the parameters and the effect. To validate the proposed model, shooting experiments are carried out on a 30 mm caliber artillery. The maximum error between the experiment and simulation results was 5.32%. The experiment has demonstrated that the barrel gas reflection method increases the recoil reduction efficiency of artillery by 44.54% and reduces the muzzle hazard by 52.18%. Finally, the barrel gas reflection method can produce effects with the muzzle device at the same time, and it has little effect on the velocity of the projectile muzzle velocity, and it provides a new way of thinking for the development of future artillery recoil reduction technology.

Evaluating the subjective perceptions of streetscapes using street-view images

Developing a model to evaluate urban streetscapes based on subjective perceptions is important for quantitative understanding. However, previous studies have only considered limited types of subjective perceptions, neglecting the relationships between them. Further, accurately measuring subjective perception with low computational costs for large-scale urban regions at high spatial resolutions has been difficult. We present a deep-learning-based multilabel classification model that can measure 22 subjective perceptions scores from street-view images. This model uses the results of a web questionnaire survey encompassing 22 subjective perceptions, with 8.8 million responses. Our model demonstrates high accuracy (0.80–0.91) in measuring subjective perception scores from street-view images and achieves low computational cost by training on 22 subjective perception relationships. The 22 subjective perceptions were analyzed using PCA and k-means analysis. By categorizing the 22 subjective perceptions into a two-dimensional space visualized and grouped into distinct groups—positive, negative, calm, and lively—we unearthed vital insights into the intricate nuances of human perception. In addition, the study used semantic segmentation to extract landscape elements from street-view images and applied ℓ1-regularized sparse modeling to identify the landscape elements structurally correlating with each subjective perception class. The analysis revealed that only seven out of nineteen landscape elements significantly correlated with subjective impressions, and these effects varied by class. Notably, sky coverage positively influences positive subjective perceptions, such as attractiveness and calmness, but negatively affects lively impressions. The proposed model can be used to map the overall image of a city and identify landscape design issues in community development design.

Clinical trial design, endpoints and regulatory considerations in heart failure

Following the withdrawal of flosequinan in the early 1990s due to heightened mortality and fatal arrhythmia risks, regulatory agencies have demanded evidence of the efficacy of novel treatments in managing heart failure, with mortality and morbidity endpoints becoming more stringent criteria for approval. In recent times, regulatory agencies have exhibited a greater willingness to permit the evaluation of functional capacity as an efficacy endpoint, albeit limited to specific patient groupings. Consequently, a novel therapeutic intervention for heart failure may be granted approval provided that it enhances survival rates, decreases length of hospital stays, and/or safely improves functional capacity. This article reviews clinical trial design, trial endpoints and regulatory issues in heart failure trials.

Building orientation radiation analysis: An early design study using Ladybug

AbstractThe role of building orientation in decreasing energy consumption for cooling purposes was examined in this study. A radiation analysis was performed during the early stage of the architectural design process on a proposed four-story apartment building located in Cebu. The building's performance was evaluated using the Grasshopper Ladybug plugin on a 3D model developed in Rhinoceros. Results indicated that the optimal building orientation that produced the lowest total radiation was situated at 290° from the center of the building, with a recorded value of 731,356 kWh m−2. Conversely, the building orientation that resulted in the highest total radiation was recorded at 210°, with a value of 755,596 kWh m−2. The analysis results were utilized to make informed decisions about building orientation based on environmental factors and surrounding areas. The use of computational design tools in the early stages of architecture design improves the process by enabling designers to optimize building performance and identify potential design issues early, thereby avoiding costly problems.

Hybrid System Methods in Industrialised Building Systems (IBS): A Structural Compatibility Study

Hybrid System in Industrialised Building System (IBS) is combining IBS components with conventional method. Delay has become a familiar issue in construction field. The issues pertaining structure stability when using this combination method leads to delay while installing these two different method components. The combination also could cause a defect jointing. In Industrialised Building System (IBS), even though it is one of the technology methods that can save times, cost, and reduce labour in construction, but there still have constraints such as design issues, lack of experienced worker, and internal and external issues that can affect cost problems. In this study, the suitability structure based on combination method is investigated to discover the affected factors of suitability structure by using Hybrid System which is the aim of this study. The data analysis from quantitative survey shows that the top three affecting the building structure are: 1) weather effects with highest mean of 6.25 followed by 2) delay of jointing process at 6.03 and 3) defects from monolithic jointing at 5.93. Therefore, the amount of average data obtained shows that the most affected structure is the Hybrid System.