Design Methodology Research Articles

A study investigating the integrated application of intelligent construction and assembly building based on BIM technology

The construction industry, is facing the inevitable trend of digital transformation in the new wave of technology. The general production and construction build cycle is long and on-site construction activities is associated with a number of environmental issues. Additionally, the construction progress points and management are not clear, which presents a challenge for the industry. Consequently, the objective of this article is to integrate and apply a range of technologies, including BIM (Building Information Modeling), cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, 5G, RPA (Robotic Process Automation), and others, to on-site operation control by integrating them. This integration will facilitate the analysis of the considerable advantages of intelligent construction and assembly building in its application. The conference center of the Qionglai Talent Service Exchange Center will be used as a case study to demonstrate the potential of these technologies. The paper will also propose new views and ideas for addressing the challenges currently faced by the construction industry. The research findings indicate that the integration of multiple intelligent construction systems and assembly components enhances construction progress, simplifies construction processes, and minimizes construction-related pollution. This evidence supports the viability of efficient, intelligent, and sustainable building design and construction methodologies, and provides a robust foundation for the transformation and advancement of the industry.

Response Surface Methodology (RSM) Design to Optimize the Cathode of Li-Ions Batteries Recycling in Deep Eutectic Solvent and DFT Simulation

Response Surface Methodology (RSM) Design to Optimize the Cathode of Li-Ions Batteries Recycling in Deep Eutectic Solvent and DFT Simulation

Single-molecule tracking technology based on symmetric power exponential phases.

We present a design approach for a symmetric power exponential phase, resulting in a phase-modulated point-spread function with two symmetrical mainlobes that can be steered toward the optical axis opposite the x axis. This design offers nanoscale 3D localization capabilities suitable for 3D single-molecule tracking and localization imaging. The axial probing depth of this symmetric power exponential point-spread function can be adjusted as needed by manipulating specific parameters. Optimization of the symmetric power exponential phase involves truncation filtering to reduce sidelobes and the utilization of a phase inversion-based optimization algorithm to enhance transfer function efficiency and localization precision. A successful multi-molecule 3D tracking experiment was conducted at a 10 µm axial depth using a numerical aperture of 1.4 to validate the efficacy of the proposed design methodology.

Development and Comparison of Model-Based and Data-Driven Approaches for the Prediction of the Mechanical Properties of Lattice Structures

AbstractLattice structures have great potential for several application fields ranging from medical and tissue engineering to aeronautical one. Their development is further speeded up by the continuing advances in additive manufacturing technologies that allow to overcome issues typical of standard processes and to propose tailored designs. However, the design of lattice structures is still challenging since their properties are considerably affected by numerous factors. The present paper aims to propose, discuss, and compare various modeling approaches to describe, understand, and predict the correlations between the mechanical properties and the void volume fraction of different types of lattice structures fabricated by fused deposition modeling 3D printing. Particularly, four approaches are proposed: (i) a simplified analytical model; (ii) a semi-empirical model combining analytical equations with experimental correction factors; (iii) an artificial neural network trained on experimental data; (iv) numerical simulations by finite element analyses. The comparison among the various approaches, and with experimental data, allows to identify the performances, advantages, and disadvantages of each approach, thus giving important guidelines for choosing the right design methodology based on the needs and available data.

Adaptation of the health literacy survey19-Europe-Q12 into Turkish culture: A psychometric study.

Misinformation can lead to adverse outcomes on the health beliefs and behaviors of individuals. Therefore, health literacy skills are needed as a central competency to recognize the trustfulness of health-related knowledge in any resources. To ensure this, a time-efficient, skill-oriented psychometric tools are needed to measure the comprehensive general health literacy level of communities. This research was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 12-item Health Literacy Survey-Europe (HLS19-Q12) regarding Turkish culture. A methodological design was adopted. The population consisted of adult individuals registered to two family health centers in Ankara. The sample was determined based on 5-10 times the number of scale items rule (ntotal = 192). A questionnaire and Health Literacy Survey-Europe-Q12 were used to collect data. Language, content and construct validities and internal consistency reliability tests were performed through IBM-SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0 programs. The content validity was determined via the Davis technique. The construct validity was examined by exploratory (EFA) (n1 = 120) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n2 = 72). Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Time invariance was evaluated by test-retest method (nretest = 32) 4 weeks later. The mean age was 30.17 ± 10.37 (min. 18-max. 61). The Kaiser-Meyer Olkin test result was 0.898, and the Bartlett's Test of Sphericity result was 604.889 (p < 0.001). The model-fit indices showed good fit. The difference between the first and the second measurements was statistically insignificant (t = -1.659, p = 0.107). The Cronbach's alpha was 0.88. The HLS19-Q12-TR was a valid and reliable measurement tool in determining the health literacy level of the Turkish adult population. As one of the social determinants of health, easy measurement and generating a general health literacy map of the population is considered a necessity.

A Conceptual Framework for the Development of Effective Serious Games for Learning

Currently, the interest in using serious games as a tool for learning and teaching in traditional educational processes has increased significantly. Therefore, serious games for learning are gaining increasing attention from researchers and domain experts (educators), as they are both looking for methods and tools to improve the quality of learning. Even though there are many existing design frameworks, models, and methodologies that offer valuable insights into the possibilities and limitations of serious games for learning, they focus mostly on high-level aspects and requirements of these games. Therefore, they do not fully help in understanding how such aspects can be concretely fulfilled. In this research, we investigate, characterize, and categorize the functional requirements and aspects needed for developing effective serious games for learning. This investigation aims to construct a conceptual framework to fill the gap in the current design frameworks. The proposed conceptual framework is used to understand the game´s structure and behavior with a focus on both aspects of serious games (educational and entertainment aspects), in other words, providing a way to think about the relationships between serious game components and the learning objectives of the game. The main contributions of the proposed conceptual framework are to facilitate and support the design and development process of these games as well as to enhance the collaborative work within a multidisciplinary development team. Finally, to show the feasibility and applicability of the conceptual framework, a practical example is presented to demonstrate the use of this framework. Furthermore, we conducted an evaluation process for implementing the conceptual model. The evaluation shows promising results in helping participants, particularly those with gaming experience, to understand and identify the roles of each component in the game and recognize the game's learning objectives. This will eventually lead to design and develop effective learning games in a flexible and easy-to-use way.

Use of active methodologies with ICT in teacher training

The era of knowledge demands educators committed to innovation, which requires providing training to teachers through active methodologies in environments that encourage dialogue, feedback and stimulate their creative and critical thinking. A study is presented that details the experience of upper secondary and higher education teachers, who took part in training that involved the use of active methodologies with the support of technological tools in the classroom. The methodological design was under a qualitative phenomenological approach; A structured interview was applied in which 32 teachers participated. The results show that the combination of active methodologies and the use of ICT in teacher training is effective in providing them with the possibility of transferring their experiences to students. The interviewees agreed that practicing gamification and the flipped classroom method was the most complicated, as it required greater expertise to design and implement it. It is concluded that it is crucial to address the challenges associated with the implementation of these practices, as well as to make the most of the transformative potential of this synergy between innovative pedagogy and digital tools.

Design of experiments investigation into the production of all cellulose composites using regenerated cellulosic textiles

All cellulose composites (ACCs) can be produced from native and man-made cellulosic fibres; use of the latter provides an additional application for waste-derived regenerated fibers. ACCs were prepared using an ionic liquid dissolution method, utilizing a regenerated cellulose (Tencel) textile, with and without an interleaf cellulosic film. A design of experiments methodology was applied to explore process-property relationships; concentration of the ionic liquid and the processing time and temperature were investigated. It was found that the film remained in-between the textile layers, rather than penetrating the fiber assembly, in contrast to our previous work on cotton-based ACCs. This is due to the structural differences between Tencel and cotton fabric. A multi-response optimization was conducted through a central composite face centered strategy, which captured the film system more strongly. Optimized processing conditions were identified, yielding a Young’s modulus and strain-to-failure of 5.3 GPa and 3.5% respectively, validated through in-lab samples.

MICHEL FOUCAULT E A FORMAÇÃO DISCURSIVA ACERCA DA LOUCURA: UMA REVISÃO DE LITERATURA

The production of this article is the result of the theoretical maturation provoked by the readings of Foucaultian works. As a consequence, we measure the depth of knowledge of this philosopher who greatly contributed to several areas of knowledge, such as psychology, history, law, biomedicine, among others. In this sense, this study aims to analyze and understand the discursive formation about madness. To achieve this goal, we propose a literature review and focus our efforts on his main work on this topic: The history of madness in the classical age. We also consider articles, dissertations and theses related to the theme, contemplating our methodological design. We used the main search engines in our investigation: Scielo and Google Scholar. Our results point to three different discourses about madness in three different historical periods that Foucault called a condition of possibility. We conclude that, in the Middle Ages, the discourse of madness was based on demonic possession. Already in the classical age, it was understood by discursive formations as a form of error, a daydream. In the 18th century, with the modern age and the scientific contours of the time, madness came to be understood by the medical psychiatrist discourse as a mental illness.

Decomposition based estimation of distribution algorithm for high-level synthesis design space exploration

High-Level Synthesis (HLS) has evolved significantly due to the increasing complexity of integrated circuit design and the demand for efficient design methodologies. HLS, which raises the abstraction level of design specification, allows designers to focus on hardware functionality, thus enhancing productivity and reducing verification efforts. However, a key challenge in HLS is efficiently exploring the vast design space to find the Pareto-optimal designs. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for multi-objective design space exploration in HLS. Our methodology decomposes the design space exploration problem into simpler sub-problems using the Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm based on Decomposition (MOEA/D) framework and utilizes the Estimation of Distribution Algorithm (EDA) to build a probabilistic model for generating candidate solutions, thereby reducing the required number of expensive synthesis runs. Experimental results show that the proposed method has a faster convergence speed and reduces the number of syntheses by 24.34% to 32.01%, which significantly outperforms state-of-the-art works. Our approach achieves superior Pareto fronts with the lowest average ADRS value, outperforming Lattice-expl, ϵ -Constraint GA, and NSGA-II by 85.64%, 39.90%, and 33.31% respectively.

Multibeam focusing using single-layer checkerboard metasurface

ABSTRACT In this study, a novel design methodology of multibeam focusing using a checkerboard metasurface is proposed and investigated. The metasurface is designed as a single-layer anisotropic surface consisting of two identical electric field coupled resonators (ELCRs) separated by a dielectric substrate. When a circularly polarized (CP) wave is incident on the unit cell of the metasurface and the unit cell is rotated to angle of θ, the unit cell has a transmitted phase shift of 2θ. The multibeam transverse and longitudinal focusing and control easily can be achieved by a structural rearrangement of metasurface in the form of a checkerboard without mathematical method. The feasibility of the proposed methodology is confirmed by full-wave simulation and measurement results at 5.8 GHz.

Fast predesign methodology of centrifugal compressor for PEMFCs combining a physics-based loss model and an interpretable machine learning method

For boosted hydrogen fuel cells, the centrifugal compressor greatly affects the system's efficiency, stack power and costs. However, the design of the centrifugal compressor is a lengthy and high-cost process. To tackle this issue, a new method combining a physics-based loss model and a machine learning method was proposed to achieve a fast and more accurate preliminary design step. A high-precision physics-based loss model was developed and validated for data generation. Furthermore, two gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) models with Bayesian hyperparameter turning were established to construct mapping relationships between geometric parameters and aerodynamic performance. Then, the Sobol sensitivity analysis and Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP)-based interpretability were used to explore the impact of the geometric parameters on the aerodynamic performances. Results showed that the outlet blade angle, impeller outlet diameter, impeller outlet width, inducer shroud diameter, and inducer blade angle (at the shroud) were the five most sensitive parameters. Additionally, some practical design recommendations were extracted using SHAP-based interpretability. The isentropic efficiencies of two redesign cases with optimal geometric parameters were increased by 2.59% and 1.85% compared with the baseline impellers. The performance prediction was completed within a time of 6 s using the proposed new predesign method. This study represents a significant new attempt to advance the preliminary design methodology of centrifugal compressors.

Family entrepreneurship: a bibliometric analysis and future research agenda

The family entrepreneurship regroups family members, family business and the entrepreneurship activities. This makes it a fertile and rich research field, which needs to be explored and analyzed to understand the specific behaviors and orientations of the family entrepreneurial initiatives. The main purpose of this paper is to present a bibliometric analysis and research agenda of scientific publications dealing mainly with the family entrepreneurship field. The bibliometric process is the methodological design adopted to review the previous studies about our problematic. The scope of our study is limited to the scientific articles have been published between 2000 and 2022 (September), in the three data bases: Web of sciences, Scopus and Jstor. 73 out of 181 articles selected have been retained and analyzed after the assessment process taking into consideration different inclusion and exclusion criteria. In addition, the Excel’s tools and the VOSviewer software version 1.6.18 are the main technological devices used to carry out this research. Our study shows that family entrepreneurship is a legitimate area of research, despite the fact that it is still in its pre-paradigmatic and launching stages. Thus, further academic studies dealing with the family entrepreneurship research clusters generated through the thematic and bibliometric analysis (as presented by the figure 5) need to be deepened

The SpeaK methodology for sound design

The first meetings of a sound design project aim to present the request which may concern the identity of a brand or the emotion associated with a new product. It is then crucial to elaborate recommendations for the sound designer. However, the major difficulty encountered is to specify the request in terms of sound features. The Speak methodology is based on an efficient co-design workshop to help participants, ranging from the project manager to the communication manager, to specify their request with words related to sound features. Frist, a lexicon composed of 35 words often used by professionals is presented to the participants; each word is related to a sound feature explained by a definition and highlighted by a corpus of sound examples. Then, a card game is provided to each participant; each card is associated with a word from the lexicon. The rule during the workshop is to use only the cards to describe the desired audible intention; each participant can select or reject a word, and exchange with other participants focusing only on the sound features. Finally, participants are actively involved in the process to develop sound recommendations. During the presentation, we will focus on a specific project.

Soundscape design methodology using a perception model for activity transition in future mobility

In the context of Future Mobility, a methodology for soundscape design using a perception model has been developed to facilitate the implementation of performance spaces among various activity transitions. This approach involved evaluating the soundscape and room acoustics of orchestra performances and solo singing that penetrate the vehicle interior, aimed at comparing with the auditory and visual environments of a concert hall. The performance hall being compared was a large, rectangular concert hall, and the evaluation point was located in the center of the audience. To investigate audio-visual preferences, variables related to sound pressure level and spatial acoustic quality were initially defined. Following this, in-car human perception in Concert Hall mode was assessed, grounded on indoor acoustic parameters relevant to music listening, encompassing acoustic satisfaction and audio-visual components. To enhance the poor audio-visual environmental conditions inside the vehicle from a UX perspective, implementations of transparent displays and stereoscopic sound were implemented. The methodology was validated based on the psychophysiological responses of participants to the audio-visual soundscape factors, aiming for performance enhancement.

Rubber seed shell as low-cost medium to produce lactic acid using Lactobacillus plantarum LB2 and fabrication of a polylactic acid-chitosan composite for fish fillet packing

Rubber seed shell (Hevea brasiliensis) was used as a low-cost substrate to produce lactic acid via Lactobacillus plantarum LB2. The medium components were initially screened by two-level full factorial design. Three variables (pH, moisture, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (PSM)) were used in the central composite design and response surface methodology. The amount of PSM was found to be a significant variable in lactic acid production. Lactic acid was purified and used for the chemical fabrication of a polylactic acid-chitosan composite film. Compared with the polylactic acid, the composite film improved the tensile strength, elongation strength, and tearing strength. The film prepared with 1% chitosan-polylactic acid exhibited the maximum antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus (21 ± 1 mm) and the lowest activity against Escherichia coli (10 ± 1 mm). The polylactic acid-chitosan film prepared with 1% chitosan was used as a packing material to store the fish fillets and presented reduced mesophilic (4.3 ± 0.1 Log CFU/g) and psychrotropic (3.2 ± 0.2 Log CFU/g) bacterial populations compared with those of the control (4.9 ± 0.2 Log CFU/g and 3.7 Log CFU/g). Rubber seed shells can be used as an alternative culture medium for lactic acid production, to reduce the production cost of polylactic acid.

The Conceptual Framework: A Practical Guide.

There is no single definition of the conceptual framework (CF) or consensus on how it is best applied in the research process. However, in this piece, the authors argue that the CF is a tool used to link the literature review, research methodology, and study design. The CF grounds the study in the previous literature, theories, and models. It helps the researcher articulate their rationale for why the study should be performed, justify their study design, and describe the lens through which they analyze a phenomenon or research question. Researchers may find the variable use of terms such as theory, theoretical framework, and CF to be confusing. The authors address the distinction between these terms and present strategies to develop and use the CF throughout the research process. The authors provide practical examples and resources for additional learning.

A comparative study on sequential green hybrid techniques (ultrasonication, microwave and high shear homogenization) for the extraction of date seed bioactive compounds and its application as an additive for shelf-life extension of Oreochromis niloticus

This study focuses on the extraction of bioactive compounds from date seeds using five polyol-based deep eutectic solvents (P-DESs) in combination with hybrid green extraction techniques, specifically microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), homogenization-assisted extraction (HAE), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The optimization of these extraction techniques was achieved using P-DESs showing the highest efficiency for extracting date seed bioactive compounds using response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD) approach. The optimized conditions from three green techniques were further applied in the form of hybrid green extraction techniques, involving six binary and three ternary methods, to assess the percentage increase in the extraction efficiency of date seed bioactive polyphenolics. Among the five P-DESs tested, choline chloride: ethylene glycol (ChCl:Eg) exhibited the highest extraction efficiency for recovering date seed phenolic compounds. Using ChCl:Eg as the P-DES, the highest extraction efficacy was found with MAE, followed by > HAE and > UAE. In addition, all hybrid extraction techniques showed higher extraction efficiencies than the single extraction methods. Notably, the binary hybrid techniques combining UAE and MAE (UMAE), HAE and MAE (HMAE) resulted in significantly higher recovery of bioactive compounds, with 52 % and 49 % increases in total phenolic content, respectively, compared to single extraction techniques. The lowest MIC and MBC of P-DES (ChCl:Eg) and date seed P-DES based extract recorded against all the tested bacterial strains was 40 % and 20 % respectively. Furthermore, the date seed extract from MAE was used to extend the shelf life of Oreochromis niloticus stored at 4 °C for 10 days. The results indicated that the date seed polyphenolic extract effectively inhibited microbial growth in Oreochromis niloticus during refrigerated storage, with the total bacterial count (TBC) of all the treated samples within the recommended acceptability limit of < 6 log CFU/g compared to the untreated samples, which showed a total bacterial count (TBC) > 6 log CFU/g. This study demonstrated that sequential hybrid techniques enhance and intensify the recovery of bioactive compounds more effectively than any single green technique.

Low cost modelling tools for the design of additively manufactured acoustic materials

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods have unlocked new capabilities in the design of acoustic materials and their topologies. This has enabled the design of devices with breakthrough performance in sound absorption and insulation while achieving subwavelength characteristics. However, material fabrication through AM presents its own challenges. These challenges include inherent defects which can be specific to the printing method employed. Examples of defects in low-cost AM include void formation, surface roughness and poor bonding between layers. Each of these features of AM have different acoustic impacts which may degrade the performance of a design. To optimize the production of additively manufactured acoustic materials it is imperative that designers can exploit features, such as surface roughness, to enhance rather than degrade the overall material performance. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of surface roughness in extrusion-based AM on acoustic material performance. A novel, low-cost numerical methodology is used to capture the influence of surface roughness in a subwavelength acoustic absorber. With this approach the impact of roughness can be captured in the design process. The intention is to develop efficient low-cost design methodologies that can be exploited for industrial development of novel additively manufactured acoustic materials.

Modified approach for predicting seismic-induced deformation of landfills considering strength parameters of GMB-GCL interface within the liner system

This study presents an innovative methodology for predicting seismic-induced sliding displacement, a key determinant in evaluating the seismic stability of landfills. The novelty of this research lies in the incorporation of the softening characteristics of the geosynthetic interface within the liner system, a factor that has been largely overlooked in previous studies. A dynamic stability analysis was performed on a landfill using the ABAQUS software, with an emphasis on the impact of coupled parameters, particularly the strength of the interface. The results highlight PGA (Peak Ground Acceleration), PGV (Peak Ground Velocity), Ia (Arias Intensity), and residual interface shear strength (μ) as effective predictors. The study further identifies the combination of PGA and μ as the optimal parameter pairing for predicting the seismic permanent deformation of the landfill. A multi-dimensional data regression approach was employed to propose a calculation formula for seismic permanent deformation, taking into account liner damage. To enhance the seismic design methodology for landfills, the probability density function was integrated into the study. This innovative approach provides a new perspective on seismic stability assessment in landfill engineering and designs.