Mass-market Products Research Articles

Tool surface with a supporting plateau of hard particles for deep drawing of high alloy steel

Sheet metal forming normally requires the application of lubricants to protect the tool and the sheet against wear. The parts must be cleaned to remove the lubricants before joining and coating. This process step wastes energy and water resources. In the case of non-lubricated sheet metal forming, cleaning processes would not be necessary anymore and the process chain could be optimized regarding ecological and economical aspects. However, forming without lubrication leads to an intensive contact between the tool and the sheet. Thus, higher wear occurs and process reliability cannot be ensured for industrial mass production. High alloy steels are applied for mass-market products e.g. for appliances. Because of the higher strength, strain hardening and galling effects the austenitic steels are comparatively difficult to form. For dry metal forming of high alloy steels new tool concept must be developed to withstand the higher loads. In this work, a laser generated tool surface with a supporting plateau of hard particles (metal matrix composite (MMC-surface)) is presented. Spherical fused tungsten carbides were injected into the surface by laser melt injection. The metallic matrix of the composite was rejected by applying laser ablation. In consequence, the hard particles stood out of the matrix and were in direct contact with the sheet material. The surface of hard particles had a high hardness about 3000 HV and less metallic character. Cold working steel and aluminium bronze were tested as reference tool materials. Dry and lubricated forming experiments were carried out by strip drawing with bending and deep drawing of cups. Dry deep drawing of cups was not possible by using cold work tool steel. This can be traced back to the occurrence of wrinkles and cup base fracture at the same time. Applying aluminium bronze as tool material for dry metal forming resulted in high adhesive wear. Within this work the feasibility of dry metal forming of high alloy steel could be demonstrated by applying the MMC-surface whereby adhesive wear could be reduced.

CMOS Front-End of LNA for GPS and GSM wireless applications

This paper describes a layout of a CMOS Low Noise Amplifier for reconfigurable packages which include GPS, GSM Wi-Fi applications. The improvement of a notably linear Radio front-stop, able to function with Galileo and GPS satellite signals suitable for coexisting in a mobile opposed environment for area based offerings, pleasing the fundamental necessities for a mass market product which includes low cost, low footprint, good accuracy, low strength intake and high sensitivity. primarily based on a wideband enter matching, the LNA stages cowl all band of hobby even as reaching a great change-off between excessive gain, low noise parent and coffee electricity intake. The complete simulation analysis of the circuit results in the frequency range of 1.4 GHz to 2 GHz. The noise figure is 1.8 dB at 1.4GHz and rises to 3.4 dB at 2 GHz. The input return and output return losses (S11, S22) of the LNA at a frequency range between 1.4 GHz and 2 GHz are S11= -12 dB, S22 =-44.73 dB at 1.77 GHz and S22 =-26.47 dB at 2 GHz. The overall gain of the LNA (S21) is 13 dB at 1.4025 GHz, 3rd order input intercept point (IIP3) = -3.16 dBm and -1dB compression point is -12.56 dBm. Input Impedance of 50Ω, 3dB Power Bandwidth of 450MHz, and Power Dissipation of 2.7mW at 1.2V power supply.

The ethics of doing research with vulnerable populations

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products. --- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor

Development of a Novel Indoor Positioning System With mm-Range Precision Based on RF Sensors Network

Indoor localization has become increasingly important for sports analysis, automation, and for mass market products like entertainment systems. For such applications, an increasing accuracy of a few centimeters or even millimeters is desired, but it is a huge challenge to develop a positioning system of that high accuracy in an indoor environment with severe multipath characteristics. A high precision real-time indoor positioning system was designed, implemented, and tested, which is capable of achieving a position accuracy in subcentimeter range. The proposed system implements the positioning based on time difference of arrival technology with the usage of on-off keying modulated ultrahigh frequency signals in order to deal with multipath interference and achieve high positioning precision. This paper describes the design and evaluation of the demonstrator system. The first measurements are performed within a fully furnished laboratory environment and already prove a positioning precision of a radio frequency source with a root-mean-square error of 8 mm. Moreover, the low latency of less than 2 ms and the high update rate of 100 Hz make the system suitable for real-time applications.

Cases of brand name genericization in nautical English

Abstract – The widely disseminated use of a brand name is commonly regarded by marketing specialists as an indicator of brand success in a highly competitive marketplace. From a linguistic perspective, it may result in a type of change called genericization , the linguistic process whereby a brand name is gradually turned from a proper noun into a common noun (Kleenex → a kleenex) thus becoming commonly used to identify a whole category of products; in some instances, it may even be converted into a verb (Google → to google, Facebook → to facebook). The analysis of linguistic aspects involved in genericization are also relevant to legal disputes for trademark protection, in which forensic linguists may be consulted to examine the linguistic status of brand names and their usage amongst speakers. Indeed, in legal terms, inappropriate, genericized use of brand names may result, especially in some countries, in trademark dilution, or genericide . Although the literature on genericization in the English language is quite abundant, previous studies have mainly been concentrated on brand names designating mass-marketed products or services, that is names largely used in everyday general language. This paper is, therefore, aimed at investigating the process of genericization of brand names found in the niche market of marine equipment for anchoring and mooring operations in recreational boating, thus falling within the broader research area of the specialised domain of Nautical English.

The myth of the stay-at-home family firm: How family-managed SMEs can overcome their internationalization limitations

The prevalent view among family-firm internationalization scholars is that family management discourages internationalization. This is because selling abroad is said to require more specialized managers and more resources than selling at home, and yet family firms are unwilling to recruit non-family managers with the required international skills and to dilute their control to obtain the necessary finance. We hypothesize that this argument overlooks the possibility that managers of family-managed SMEs choose business models that both minimize the above-mentioned limitations and leverage the strengths of family governance. Specifically, we argue that selling quality products in global niches allows family-managed SMEs to internationalize without the cosmopolitan managers and the high financial investments required for selling mass-market products abroad; at the same time a global niche business model requires the long time horizon and the high level of social capital that family governance can provide. Modeling a firm’s foreign sales through a gravity model, we test this hypothesis on a large sample of SMEs from four European Union countries. We find that family-managed SMEs have fewer foreign sales than other type of SMEs, but that the difference is partially bridged if family-managed SMEs have adopted a global niche business model.

The 3Cs for preschool children's technology

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products. --- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor

Produkty regionalne i tradycyjne jako element budowania konkurencyjnej oferty produktów żywnościowych w Polsce i innych krajach Europy

Celem opracowania było ukazanie współczesnego miejsca produktów regionalnych i tradycyjnych na współczesnym jednolitym rynku europejskim. Przybliżono zmiany zachodzące na tym rynku w ilości zarejestrowanych produktów regionalnych zarówno w Polsce jaki i innych krajach europejskich. Ponadto podkreślono projakościową i prozdrowotną rolę jaką przypisuje się tego typu żywności, na zróżnicowanym i zdominowanym przez masowe produkty rynku. Uwypuklono także marketingowy wymiar funkcjonowania tego rynku, zwracając uwagę na współczesne sposoby promowania tego typu produktów, jak również pokazano główne sposoby sprzedaży tej żywności. Ponadto zwrócono uwagę na główne czynniki brane pod uwagę w procesie zakupu jak również identyfikacji żywności tradycyjnej i regionalnej przez nabywców. Rozważania teoretyczne zostały poparte badaniami ankietowymi na grupie 360 przypadkowo dobranych osób za pośrednictwem internetu.

Особенности наименования товаров сегмента масс-маркет в XXI веке (на примере номинации брюки тематической микрогруппы «Мужская одежда»)

Особенности наименования товаров сегмента масс-маркет в XXI веке (на примере номинации брюки тематической микрогруппы «Мужская одежда»)

From the BBC micro to micro:bit and beyond

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products. --- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor

Delivering on spider silk’s promise

Adidas, The North Face, and Patagonia are among the brands jostling to become the first to launch a mass-market product made from synthetic spider silk. Adidas is racing to introduce a biodegradable running shoe made from the silk later this year. The North Face’s Moon Parka with waterproof spider silk fiber could become a must-have for eco-minded fashionistas. But don’t ditch your old nylon running shoes and jackets quite yet. Behind the scenes, manufacturers are having problems translating lab-based processes for the novel material to commercial scale. Spider silk developers Bolt Threads and Spiber—both keen on explaining how their silk will change the world—have stumbled and been forced to delay initial product rollouts. While the grind toward commercialization continues, companies are abuzz about possible uses for spider silk. It is made using renewable raw materials. It’s biodegradable yet waterproof. It’s strong and elastic. Spider silk is even garnering interest from

The battery business: Lithium availability and the growth of the global electric car industry

This article presents a spatial analysis of lithium availability from the mid-twentieth century to the present time in order to clarify and contribute to the growing body of scholarship on the relationship between the global lithium supply and the viability of a modern, mass-market electric vehicle industry. Drawing on archival research conducted in Bolivia in 2012, this article advances the argument that the concept of ‘lithium scarcity’ is much more nuanced than is often portrayed. In addition, perceptions of a worldwide lithium shortage are more entangled with business demands for certain grades of lithium at certain price points rather than actual scarcity. This analysis of lithium availability is defined in terms of the basic tension between the supply of extractable lithium deposits on the one hand and the quality and price demands of battery manufacturers on the other. This tension has played a role in determining the evolution of the electric car from a luxury to a mass-market product and involves a host of complementary and competitive business and geopolitical actors.

Selling Marvel’s Cinematic Superheroes Through Militarization

The Marvel comics film adaptations have been some of the most successful Hollywood products of the post 9/11 period, bringing formerly obscure cultural texts into the mainstream. Through an analysis of the adaptation process of Marvel Entertainment’s superhero franchise from comics to film, I argue that militarization has been used by Hollywood as a discursive formation with which to transform niche properties into mass market products. I consider the locations of narrative ambiguities in two key comics texts, The Ultimates (2002-2007) and The New Avengers (2005-2012), as well as in the film The Avengers (2011), and demonstrate the significant reorientation towards the military of the film franchise. While Marvel had attempted to produce film adaptations for decades, only under the new “militainment” discursive formation was it finally successful. I argue that superheroes are malleable icons, known largely by the public by their image and perhaps general character traits rather than their narratives. Militainment is introduced through a discourse of realism provided by Marvel Studios as an indicator that the property is not just for children.
 Keywords: militarization, popular film, comic books, adaptation

A conceptual framework for the analysis and visualization of Uruguayan internet for education

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products. --- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor

Whose Body Is It?: The body as physical capital in a techno-society

In today's postmodern Western world, there is a greater propensity toward consumerism. Mass-market production coupled with international trade means that you can buy just about anything made anywhere with the simple click of a mouse. Not only are we seeing the commoditization of things (i.e., material objects), but also businesses and industries are capitalizing on this consumerist mentality, studying individuals? buying habits to demographically target their market. This data mining is done through a multiplicity of ways, such as through technological monitors called sensors. Sensors capture humancentric data at discrete intervals, generating big data that draws out patterns. Behavior can actually be seen as a type of commoditization, not of the product or service but rather of the consumers themselves. And yet, despite these trends toward mass consumption of material goods and monitoring consumer behavior, sociologists are grappling with how Western civility is radically turning from the accumulation of external commodities, such as goods and services, to viewing one's own body as a form of human capital-to utilize as an outer expression of the self-whether in part or in whole.

How to survive creating an intergenerational co-design group

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products. --- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor

A University-NGO partnership to sustain assistive technology projects

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products. --- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor

Applications of TRIZ and Axiomatic Design: A Comparison to Deduce Best Practices in Industry

In the first decade of 2000s, several contributions have illustrated methods combining TRIZ and Axiomatic Design (AD). The strength of the connection was found in the complementary objectives AD and TRIZ pursue. AD is supposed to analyze the problem and structure it in the most convenient way, while TRIZ should solve the minimum number of design conflicts that are intrinsically present in a case study.Nevertheless, despite the promising match between AD and TRIZ, no conjoint application strategy has emerged as a reference, neither in academia, nor in industry. Conversely, the quantity has dropped of scientific papers contextually making reference to both methodologies.Some studies attempt to remark the methodological problems concerning the combination of AD and TRIZ. In a different perspective, the authors performed an application-oriented study, in order to point out the industrial domains for which the methodologies result the most suitable. The survey highlights that TRIZ is mostly employed for mass-market products, while AD is basically used to develop systems that industrial organizations make use of. The authors discuss the consequences of these findings, inferring how design can benefit from TRIZ and AD heuristics and the practical cases in which they are likely to be combined successfully.

Writing about accessibility

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products. --- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor

When Memory “Sees Signs” and “Plays Games”: An Analysis of Two Sports Shoe Controversies

This article explores the interplay of collective memory and semiotics in two sports shoe controversies: The “Nike Air” and Adidas “JS Roundhouse Mids” affairs. It explores how two “memory communities”–Muslims and African Americans–successfully resisted objectionable corporate sports shoe products by playing “memory games.” Muslims accused Nike of inserting the sacred symbol for the word Allah on the heels of its sneakers, while African Americans accused Adidas of affixing shackles, a symbol of slavery, into its sneakers. The Nike controversy showed how Muslim groups used religious signifiers of the past to counter sacrilege in the present, while the Adidas controversy showed how African Americans used the negative memories of the past to resist an objectionable mass-market product in the present.