Flexible Process Research Articles

Evaluation Resources for Asthma Programs and Beyond.

Evaluation can ensure the quality of public health programs. Systematic efforts to identify and fully engage everyone involved with or affected by a program can provide critical information about asthma programs and the broader environment in which they operate. To assist evaluators working at programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC's) National Asthma Control Program (NACP), we developed a package of tools that build on the CDC's 1999 Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health. The resulting suite of evaluation tools guides evaluators through a structured but flexible process, engaging a diverse array of interest holders and actively involving them in evaluation planning and implementation, all while strengthening their capacity to meaningfully contribute to the evaluation process. For our newest tool, our team reviewed the recent evaluation literature to create an enhanced version of the 1999 framework that describes important elements of professional evaluation practice. Although the original framework describes the steps to take in conducting an evaluation and the standards for a high-quality evaluation, our enhanced framework includes an explanation of how evaluators should approach their work: by incorporating critical reflection, interpersonal competence, situational awareness, and cultural responsiveness. In this article, we highlight many of the evaluation resources our team has created since the NACP's inception, culminating in a free e-text called Planting the Seeds of High-Quality Program Evaluation in Public Health. Public health professionals working in many types of programs - not just asthma - may find these resources useful.

Implementation of a soft grading system for chemistry in a Moodle plugin: reaction handling

Here, we present a new method for evaluating questions on chemical reactions in the context of remote education. This method can be used when binary grading is not sufficient as some tolerance may be acceptable. In order to determine a grade, the developed workflow uses the pairwise similarity assessment of two considered reactions, each encoded by a single molecular graph with the help of the Condensed Graph of Reaction (CGR) approach. This workflow is part of the ChemMoodle project and is implemented as a Moodle Plugin. It uses the Chemdoodle engine for reaction drawing and visualization and communicates with a REST server calculating the similarity score using ISIDA fragment descriptors. The plugin is open-source, accessible in GitHub (https://github.com/Laboratoire-de-Chemoinformatique/moodle-qtype_reacsimilarity) and on the Moodle plugin store (https://moodle.org/plugins/qtype_reacsimilarity?lang=en). Both similarity measures and fragmentation can be configured.Scientific contribution This work introduces an open-source method for evaluating chemical reaction questions within Moodle using the CGR approach. Our contribution provides a nuanced grading mechanism that accommodates acceptable tolerances in reaction assessments, enhancing the accuracy and flexibility of the grading process.

Perancangan Aplikasi Midori Clon (Midori Class Online) Berbasis Mobile dengan Metode Design Thinking

Online learning is widely used by various groups, especially in higher education/schools. Online learning has many benefits for students and lecturers due to its practical and flexible learning process. However, there are complaints in online learning, such as students having difficulty understanding the material shared by lecturers and the lack of interaction between lecturers and students, making the lessons monotonous and boring. Students also cannot review the targeted lecturers. Therefore, the Midori Clon application was created to address students' problems in online learning. The application design was developed using the Design Thinking method. The Midori Clon application offers several advantages, including a Live Video feature for more interactive sessions between students and lecturers, a Bot feature to summarize materials and translate languages, and a Lecturer Review feature to review the targeted lecturers. With these advanced features, it is expected that online learning issues can be resolved and online learning can meet the desired expectations.

Research on dimple suppression in multi-point flexible stretch forming of parabolic spherical part

Multi-point flexible stretch-forming process applies the idea of discretization to the die and clamp of stretch-forming, so that the die and clamp have high flexibility at the same time. Because the surface of the multi-point die is discontinuous, the sheet metal will produce the dimple during the forming process, which will affect the forming effect. To suppress the dimple, this paper takes parabolic spherical parts as the research object, and discusses the influence of swinging unit and discrete elastic cushion on the dimples of forming parts by numerical simulation. The results show that the strain and thickness distribution are more uniform and the dimples on the surface of the forming parts are obviously reduced when the swinging unit is used. The use of discrete elastic cushions on the fixed unit and the swinging unit can further suppress the dimples of the forming part and improve the forming accuracy. To verify the correctness of the numerical simulation, the multi-point die for swinging unit with discrete elastic cushion was used to carry out the flexible stretch-forming test of the parabolic spherical part. The test results are in agreement with the numerical simulation results, which shows that the methods are reliable and feasible.

The All Together Group: Co-Designing a Toolkit of Approaches and Resources for End-of-Life Care Planning With People With Intellectual Disabilities in Social Care Settings.

Support staff within social care settings have expressed a need for resources to facilitate end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities. This study aimed to co-design a preliminary toolkit of end-of-life care planning approaches and resources that can be implemented in adult social care services for people with intellectual disabilities. An adapted Experience-Based Co-Design process was applied to develop a toolkit for end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities. A co-design group (the 'All Together Group') met six times from January to October 2023. The group comprised nine people with intellectual disabilities (including four researchers with intellectual disabilities, who also co-facilitated the workshops), five family members, five intellectual disability support staff, two intellectual disability service managers,and five healthcare professionals. The All Together Group tested resources for and approaches to end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities, based on findings from a scoping review and a focus group study. Easy-read end-of-life care planning forms were deemed overwhelming and complicated, whilst visual and creative approaches were welcomed. Three new visual resources to support illness planning and funeral planning with people with intellectual disabilities were developed: (i) 'When I'm ill' thinking cards; (ii) 'Let's Talk About Funerals' conversation-starter pictures; and (iii) 'My funeral' planning cards. These three resources, alongside three positively evaluated existing resources, were included in a new toolkit for end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities. Through an iterative, flexible, inclusive,and comprehensive co-design process, a toolkit of three newly developed and three existing resources was created to facilitate support staff in doing end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities. Following a trialling process with support staff, the final toolkit was made freely available online. The research team included four researchers with intellectual disabilities (A.C., D.J., L.J., and R.K.-B). Researchers with intellectual disability have been part of every step of the research process; from study design to data collection and analysis to dissemination of study findings.Intellectual disability service provider representatives (M.W., N.P., and S.S.) were part of the co-design group as well. Two of these representatives were also co-applicants in the overall project (N.P. and S.S.). The co-design group included people with intellectual disabilities, families, intellectual disability support staffand health and social care professionals. The study was supported by a Research Advisory Group comprising a variety of stakeholders, including people with intellectual disabilities families, intellectual disability researchers, representatives from intellectual disability organisations,and policymakers.

A polyelectrolyte-induced highly processable pigment-like photonic crystal ink

Developing a straightforward strategy for constructing highly processable photonic crystals (PCs) is crucial for various applications, yet remains a challenge. Here, we present a simple polyelectrolyte-induced self-assembly strategy for producing novel photonic crystal (PC) inks with outstanding processing flexibility by adding the polyelectrolytes into the ultralow concentration of colloidal nanoparticle solution. The polyelectrolyte can cover the nanoparticles through the hydrogen bond interaction to induce the aggregation and mutual repulsion of them simultaneously, enabling the self-assembly of ultralow concentration (0.01–1.0 v/v%) of nanoparticles into short-range ordered arrays with angle-independent structural colors. The resulting PC inks present unprecedented pigment-like color modulation capacity, as well as ultrahigh freedom in processing methods due to the fact that the rheological behaviors of PC inks can be widely adjusted by varying the properties of polyelectrolytes. Consequently, the PC inks can be easily shaped into complex and exquisite multicolor patterns/3D structures using various techniques, including injection molding, writing, drawing, and 3D printing. This general approach paves the way for quick and scalable production of advanced PC materials deeply required in practical applications.

A multi-image encryption scheme based on a new [formula omitted]-dimensional chaotic model and eight-base DNA

At present, multi-image encryption schemes usually require the type, quantity and size of images to be fixed, and there are many restrictions. Therefore, this paper proposes a multi-image encryption scheme based on a new n-dimensional(nD) chaotic model and eight-base DNA, which can encrypt any type, quantity and size of images. Firstly, an nD chaotic model is designed, which can generate different chaotic systems according to individual requirements, simplify the complexity of chaotic system design, and solve the problems of uneven chaotic trajectory and limited range. Secondly, some new eight-base algebraic operations are proposed, which opens up a new calculation method for DNA calculation and information processing. These algebraic operations are applied to the bidirectional diffusion process to achieve bidirectional DNA diffusion. Finally, multiple images are fused, and different keys are generated by the SHA-512 algorithm to ensure that each fused image has a unique key. Moreover, SCAN is utilized to scramble the fused image, which provides more flexibility and selectivity for image encryption and processing. Experimental simulation and security analysis verify that the proposed scheme has a superior effect and good anti-attack when encrypting multiple images with different types, quantities and sizes.

Strain‐Modulated Hydrogen Production Performance in Monolayer MoS2 Electrocatalysis Nanodevices

AbstractThe integration of flexible micro‐ and nanodevices plays a pivotal role in investigating stress‐enhanced performances and underlying intrinsic mechanisms for two‐dimensional materials. This study presents the fabrication of single‐crystal flexible devices using monolayer MoS2 and its catalytic activities for the hydrogen evolution reaction under stress conditions. A metallic conductive layer was deposited on the photoresist surface via magnetron sputtering, overcoming the challenges associated with lithography on insulating substrates using electron beam lithography (EBL). The results demonstrate optimal etch patterns with a metal modification layer thickness of 10.97 nm. Leveraging this flexible device fabrication process, a single‐layer MoS2 single‐nanosheet flexible micro/nano device was developed and subsequently strain‐modulated (stretched along the zigzag lattice direction with the armchair lattice direction as the axis). A significant enhancement is observed in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance as the strain increases from 0 % to 0.40 %. Notably, the onset overpotential decreased from 155.6 to 95.7 mV, and the Tafel slope decreased from 175.3 to 98.6 mV dec−1. This study provides new insights into the design and performance of strain devices for two‐dimensional (2D) monocrystalline/polycrystalline materials.

Improving Process Mining Maturity – From Intentions to Actions

Process mining is advancing as a powerful tool for revealing valuable insights about process dynamics. Nevertheless, the imperative to employ process mining to enhance process transparency is a prevailing concern for organizations. Despite the widespread desire to integrate process mining as a pivotal catalyst for fostering a more agile and flexible Business Process Management (BPM) environment, many organizations face challenges in achieving widespread implementation and adoption due to deficiencies in various dimensions of process mining readiness. The current Information Systems (IS) knowledge base lacks a comprehensive framework to aid organizations in augmenting their process mining readiness and bridging this intention-action gap. The paper presents a Process Mining Maturity Model (P3M), refined through multiple iterations, which outlines five factors and 23 elements that organizations must address to increase their process mining readiness. The maturity model advances the understanding of how to close the intention-action gap of process mining initiatives in multiple dimensions. Furthermore, insights from a comprehensive analysis of data gathered in eleven qualitative interviews are drawn, elucidating 30 possible actions that organizations can implement to establish a more responsive and dynamic BPM environment by means of process mining.

How to take a comprehensive patient history.

A significant proportion of diagnoses are made based on history taking, often alongside physical assessments and laboratory investigations. Taking a thorough patient history is fundamental for the accurate diagnosis and effective management of health conditions. This article outlines a step-by-step process for taking a comprehensive patient history and discusses the evidence for this procedure. • History taking is a structured but flexible process of gathering relevant information from patients to inform diagnosis and treatment. • Important communication skills for nurses when history taking include active listening, empathetic communication and cultural sensitivity. • By actively engaging the patient in a conversation about their health issues, the nurse facilitates their participation and autonomy. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: • How this article might improve your practice when taking a patient history. • How you could use this information to educate nursing students or colleagues on taking a patient history.

Solution-processed 10 nm thick ferroelectric polymer film on a TiO2 nanolayer for flexible nonvolatile memories

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based ferroelectric polymers, known for their exceptional flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ease of processing, have garnered significant attention in the field of nonvolatile data storage. However, a persistent challenge lies in their elevated driving voltage and subpar thermal stability, leading to excessive power consumption and restricted operational conditions. Herein, we propose a flexible ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) based on a ceramic/polymer bilayer consisting of a solution-processed ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] nanofilm on top of a TiO2 nanolayer. The polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra and piezoresponse force microscopy phase signals demonstrate that the surface effect of the underlying TiO2 induces a consistent dipole orientation along the out-of-plane direction in the P(VDF-TrFE) nanofilm. These aligned dipoles in the P(VDF-TrFE) can be efficiently switched by a low driving voltage of 5 V while maintaining a high thermal stability exceeding 100 °C. Furthermore, the FeRAM based on the TiO2/P(VDF-TrFE) bilayer exhibits a remarkable storage density of approximately 60 GB in.–2, coupled with exceptional flexibility, high transparency, and superior read/write durability. These outstanding performances indicate that the TiO2/P(VDF-TrFE) bilayer holds significant potential for applications in high-density information storage within flexible electronics.

Super tough, electrochemical stability and puncture resistant electrolyte for lithium‐metal batteries

AbstractPolymer electrolytes (PEs) are widely used in the field of flexible energy storage due to their high safety, good flexibility, and ease of processing. Developing PEs with both high mechanical properties, high ionic conductivity and wide electrochemical stability window (ESW) for lithium‐metal batteries (LMBs) is an urgent issue to be addressed. In this work, we designed and synthesized the poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)‐polyacrylic acid (PAA)‐LiCl electrolyte for LMBs with a high ionic conductivity, wide ESW, high modulus and puncture resistance simultaneously. Through the construction of dual cross‐linking networks, the PVA‐PAA‐LiCl exhibits a wide ESW (6.2 V), achieves a notable ionic conductivity (1.08 × 10−4 S cm−1) at room temperature and can realize a high cycle stability of Li symmetric battery more than 300 h at 1 mA cm−2/1 mA h cm−2. Furthermore, it demonstrates exceptional puncture resistance, capable of withstanding pressures up to 5.73 × 108 Pa exerted by a steel nail, while simultaneously exhibites a commendable tensile strength of 4.9 MPa. Hence, this conceptual framework featuring dual‐crosslink network structure offers profound implications for the progression of next‐generation flexible energy storage.

Calamine in the ophthalmic external treatment prescription in ancient times

Calamine and its related medicines came into China as articles of tribute from other countries in ancient times. It was not recorded in the books of Chinese materia medica before the Song Dynasty but was widely used in ophthalmology, dermatology and traumatology and was, recorded specifically in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. This paper systematically examines the evolution of calamine herb in the archives of traditional Chinese medicine in terms of ophthalmic eternal treatment prescriptions. It was found that a total of 320 ophthalmic treatment formulas or prescriptions involved calamine, mainly finding its expression in 67 books on herbal medicines, formula and prescriptions, clinical syndrome comprehension and ophthalmic monographs. It was also found that calamine, as an important ophthalmic external medicine, had a wide range of clinical applications, covering internal and external obstructive eye diseases. Its flexibility, diverse compatibility and use in various processing are of great value and significance for in-depth exploration of its current application, its further use in ophthalmic treatment formulas or prescriptions and the redevelopment of classic formulas and prescriptions as well.

3D printing of sustainable wood-based bio-composites for high-end custom carton

This research delves into an upscale, personalised packaging paradigm employing 3D printing and a bio-composite derived from esteemed rosewood. The study incorporates a design for additive manufacturing, enhancing designers’ flexibility, and fostering innovation. To address global sustainability imperatives, including efficiency, energy conservation, a low carbon footprint and ecological compatibility, a premium and sustainable rosewood/polyethersulfone (PES) composite is developed. Laser sintering (LS), renowned for its processing flexibility, is applied for crafting intricate packages. A weight ratio of 1:4 of rosewood to PES is highly suitable for LS processing. The resultant custom carton, embodying natural rosewood aesthetics and fragrance, exhibits commendable mechanical robustness and precision. Tensile and bending strengths reach peaks of 4.880 MPa and 7.870 MPa, respectively, under a 9-W laser power. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis confirms the favourable dispersion of rosewood fibres in LS specimens, providing insights into the microstructure of the composite powder.

Periodic Open Cellular Structures in Chemical Engineering: Application in Catalysis and Separation Processes.

Periodic open cellular structures (POCS) represent a promising new class of structured internals as next-generation catalyst supports in reactors or structured packing elements in separation columns. POCS feature a well-defined morphology and can be fabricated with high reproducibility even for complex geometries by means of additive manufacturing. This results in a uniform and easily controllable flow field, which allows for adjusting the heat and mass transport processes to realize optimal process conditions. We review the fundamentals of POCS, including design and manufacturing as well as transport phenomena for single- and multiphase systems. Moreover, we review recent POCS applications in reaction and separation processes and consider promising future application fields. The exceptional transport characteristics of POCS facilitate the design of highly efficient, flexible, resilient, and safe processes, which is key for achieving process intensification toward a sustainable future.

High-Verdet Constant and Low-Optical Loss Tb3+ Doped Magnetite Nanoparticles.

Magneto-optical (MO) polymer nanocomposites have emerged as alternatives to conventional MO crystals, particularly in nanophotonics applications, thanks to their better processing flexibility and superior Verdet constants. However, a higher Verdet constant commonly comes with excessive optical loss due to increased absorption and scattering, resulting in a constant or reduced figure-of-merit (FOM) defined as the Verdet constant over optical loss. By doping magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles with Tb3+ ions, we report a new strategy to enhance the Verdet constant without increasing the optical loss. The Fe3O4:Tb3+ nanocomposite is one of a kind that simultaneously achieves a state-of-the-art Verdet constant of 5.6 × 105 °/T·m and a state-of-the-art FOM of 31°/T in the near-infrared region.

Human brain dynamics dissociate early perceptual and late motor-related stages of affordance processing.

Affordances, the opportunities for action offered by the environment to an agent, are vital for meaningful behaviour and exist in every interaction with the environment. There is an ongoing debate in the field about whether the perception of affordances is an automated process. Some studies suggest that affordance perception is an automated process that is independent from the visual context and bodily interaction with the environment, whereas others argue that it is modulated by the visual and motor context in which affordances are perceived. The present paper aims to resolve this debate by examining affordance automaticity from the perspective of sensorimotor time windows. To investigate the impact of different forms of bodily interactions with an environment, that is, the movement context (physical vs. joystick movement), we replicated aprevious study on affordance perception in which participants actively moved through differently wide doors in an immersive 3D virtual environment. In the present study, wedisplayed the same environmenton a 2D screen with participants moving through doors of different widths using the keys on a standard keyboard. We compared components of the event-related potential (ERP) from the continuously recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) that were previously reported to be related to affordance perception of architectural transitions (passable and impassable doors). Comparing early sensory and later motor-related ERPs, our study replicated ERPs reflecting early affordance perception but found differences in later motor-related components. These results indicate a shift from automated perception of affordances during early sensorimotor time windows to movement context dependence of affordance perception at later stages, suggesting that affordance perception is a dynamic and flexible process that changes over sensorimotor stages.

Multi-manned disassembly line balancing problems for retired power batteries based on hyper-heuristic reinforcement

Considering the complexity and uncertainty of retired power batteries, worker disassembly can reduce the cost and increase the flexibility of the disassembly process. To address the problem of considerable waste products, we investigate a multi-manned disassembly line balancing problem with different work modes (MWM-DLBP). In addition, we explore the impact of variability in penalizing factors (earliness and tardiness) on costs when products of different scales need to be disassembled. Given the NP-hard of the problem and unpredictable situations, we propose a reinforcement learning-based Hyper-Heuristics (RLHHs) algorithm to solve the practical issues. A Markov model is constructed to generate a sequence of low-level metaheuristic algorithms, and a multi-armed bandit (MAB) method is designed to tune different critical parameters intelligently. The superiority of RLHHs is verified by comparing the optimization results with other algorithms. Further, results reveal that the new disassembly scheme can save an average cost of 9.81% compared to the original system design. Finally, we provide manufacturers with the specific workforce planning and working mode for disassembly tasks under different scenarios.

The consistency discretization adjustment method of interval fuzzy preference relationship based on individual agreement and group consensus

Constrained by the limited knowledge and fuzzy cogitation, it is often difficult to guarantee the consistency of decision makers’ preference judgments. To effectively avoid the distortion of information about the original preferences, a discrete scale consistency adjustment model based on integer variables under the individual interval fuzzy preference relationship is established. The research shows that the proposed method can not only validly enhance the differentiation between alternatives, but also drop the occurrence of zero weights to a larger extent. Furthermore, aiming at the potential multiplicity of optimal adjustment strategies for interval fuzzy preference relations, an efficient algorithm for screening multiple optimal solutions under single-person decision making is proposed by setting multiple screening dimensions. The algorithm makes up for the deficiency of ignoring potential optimal solutions in traditional methods, and greatly raises the decision flexibility of the ranking optimization process. The validity and applicability of the algorithm are verified through filtering and analyzing multiple optimal solutions under different scenarios. Considering the differences in the decision making tendencies of exclusive and altruistic groups in the interval fuzzy environment, a discrete compatible adjustment model of group consensus under different decision making behaviors is established. Finally, the efficient screening system is matched for different groups, which provides a valid path for the optimal solution selection of group consensus.

Flexible plasmonic display featuring differentiated and localized control over transmission and reflection

Structural colors using metal materials, plasmonic color generation, can confine optical excitation beyond the diffraction limit owing to nanoscale metals with high efficiency in light absorption and scattering. They have several advantages over conventional display technology, including superior resolution and long-term preservation. However, most research on plasmonic color generation has been conducted for the development of static color generation, and dynamic tuning remains a challenging issue. To develop dynamic plasmonic colors, electrochemical, liquid crystal, and electromechanical methods have been proposed; however, there have been limitations in repeatability, flexibility, and scale-up processes. To address these problems, this work proposes a flexible dynamic plasmonic display using dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) to isotropically control the interdistance between the metal nanostructures, which can show dynamic coloration without polarization distortion. To replace the expensive and small-scale manufacturing approach, shadow masking and transfer technique with the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane was applied to realize large-scale and uniformly distributed Au nanodisc array. The differentiated and localized color change in the transmission and reflection modes, such as Janus's face, is realized by proper design of Au nanodisc array on the patterned transparent compliant electrodes formed by silver nanowires and PEDOT:PSS composites. Apparent and locally active color changes appeared in the transmission mode, but almost no color changes were observed in the reflection model by DEA actuation. The proposed system has the potential to activate color filters, cryptographic characters, and next generation display technologies.