Product Concept Research Articles

Food Safety Policy, Implications for MSME Green Economy Based Product Processing

Processed food production plants are implementing the Food Safety Risk Management Program in accordance with BPOM Regulation Number 10 of 2023. Indonesian food safety surveillance is based on a preventive, risk-based paradigm where producers bear the main responsibility for food safety. The research's objective is to offer solutions to micro, small, and medium-sized firms (MSMEs) so that these businesses may also guarantee the quality and safety of their goods while working within the constraints of available facilities and resources for manufacturing and distribution.The study's conclusions imply that MSMEs should receive risk management training for food safety, which should include instruction on how to integrate halal practices into their production processes. Through zero waste, environmental friendliness, and energy efficiency, this research presents a strategy for implementing technological innovation based on a green economy. The basic concept of halal products requires business operators to manage the food processing in a series that includes zero waste activities, environmentally friendly practices, and energy efficiency within a single production process. This process is ensured to be an implementation of food safety risk management programs. The research's conclusions suggest that MSME actors could find it easier to understand and implement this strategy. Now that the risks to food security have been eliminated, the halal certification procedure can proceed.

Research on the Influencing Factors of Consumption Intention of Psychological Tourism Products and Marketing Strategies

In response to the growing mental health challenges faced by individuals in modern society, psychological tourism products have emerged as a significant area of interest. This paper aims to define the concept of psychological tourism products, highlighting their critical importance in the contemporary market. It explores the factors influencing consumer purchase intentions regarding these products, focusing on cognitive aspects, pricing strategies, precise customer identification, and innovative product design. Additionally, the paper delves into the corresponding marketing strategies that can effectively enhance consumer engagement and satisfaction. By examining these factors, the study offers valuable insights for the tourism industry, providing targeted directions for marketing optimization. The goal is to facilitate the successful positioning and promotion of psychological tourism products in a competitive market. This paper holds both theoretical and practical significance, contributing to the ongoing innovation and development of marketing strategies within the tourism sector. By addressing the nuanced needs of consumers seeking psychological benefits from their travel experiences, it aims to foster a deeper understanding and better implementation of effective marketing approaches. The findings can ultimately support the industry in creating meaningful and impactful tourism products that resonate with consumers’ psychological well-being.

Digital Rebirth and Design of China's Cultural Heritage

This paper discusses the rebirth and design of China's cultural heritage in the digital era, focusing on the concept and characteristics of digital virtual products and their application in cultural heritage. Digital products are defined as contents exchanged based on digital formats or transmitted via the Internet, characterized by immortality, mutability, rapid distribution and high replenishment. Video plays an important role in digital virtual products by combining visual and audio elements to create a rich experience for consumers. The field of design has experienced a shift from traditional physical design to virtual product design, which utilizes digital technologies and virtual reality to create a virtual objective presence. Digital technologies have shown great potential for cultural heritage preservation, such as the Dunhuang Research Institute's use of AR technology to provide immersive experiences for tourists. The rise of the meta-universe concept has further expanded the digital world, with blockchain and NFT technologies providing uniqueness, traceability and authentication for digital assets. The Dunhuang Research Academy has begun exploring digital NFT to transform mural elements into traceable and collectible visual artworks, promoting the global dissemination of Dunhuang culture.

Stability Studies of a Tetraethyl Orthosilicate-Based Thixotropic Drug Delivery System

Background/Objectives: This study assessed the effects of formulation components on the long-term stability of a previously described tetraethyl orthosilicate-based drug delivery system. Early stability studies of a product concept are crucial not only to provide information on the overall system stability and individual components’ contributions to it, but also to identify opportunities for dosage form optimization and to define its use case. Methods: We assessed the time-dependent thixogel properties—specifically, mechanical strength, thixotropy, release of model drug, and dry substance—in both real-time and accelerated shelf-life determination set-ups. Results: Our findings indicate that the concentration and molecular weight of hyaluronic acid, one of the main constituents of the investigated thixotropic systems, are key determinants of formulation stability. We further showed that changes in both of these parameters reflect on the drug release properties and stiffness of the formulation and could inform subsequent product development based on several use cases. Conclusions: Overall, this study provides an understanding of some key factors that would need to be considered prior to and in the final product development process of thixogels in preparation for commercialization.

Pengembangan Makanan Tradisional Apem Kesesi Menggunakan Metode Quality Function Deployment (QFD) dan Konsep Green Product Sebagai Upaya Meningkatkan Kualitas Produk

Apem kesesi is a traditional wet cake food in Pekalongan district. Apem kesesi cake has the problem of not being long-lasting, the packaging and appearance of the product is less attractive, less hygienic, impractical and the taste is not suitable for the younger generation. Therefore, it is necessary to develop apem kesesi products according to needs to improve product quality. Apem kesesi product development uses the quality faction deployment (QFD) method and the green product concept. Based on survey results, consumers want apem kesesi products that are hygienic, practical, unique, have attractive packaging and are durable. The main ingredient for making apem cake is rice flour. Add tapioca flour to give the apem cake a chewy texture, palm sugar to produce a distinctive taste and aroma, then vanilla to strengthen the taste, and sodium benzoate as a preservative. The product packaging design consists of primary packaging and secondary packaging. Based on validation tests and different tests, the results showed that the product design developed met consumer needs and was better than existing products.

Attitudes and preferences of the Chinese public towards products made from recycled materials: A text mining approach

Products made from recycled materials, as an environmentally friendly option, have attracted public attention. Understanding public attitudes and preferences towards such products is crucial for their market development. In order to explore the Chinese residents’ attitude and emotional tendency, we analyzed public discussions and topics on products made from recycled materials from Sina Weibo. Meanwhile, LDA and BERT deep learning models were employed to assess the level of public attention, hot topics, and sentiment tendencies in China. Results show a significant upward trend in public interest in products made from recycled materials. Although the fact that most people have a positive attitude towards the environmental concept of products made from recycled materials and support such products, there is not a significant demand for products made from recycled materials, i.e., there is a green attitude-behaviour gap. Results further reveal that factors such as the price of products made from recycled materials, branding, and public skepticism about the sustainability of the products are the main reasons for the gap between environmental awareness and consumer behaviour. By analyzing the public's cognitive structure and psychological characteristics regarding products made from recycled materials through social media data, this paper can help recycling manufacturers understand consumers' needs and expectations, as well as assist policymakers in formulating better circular economy policies.

A study on generalized balanced split drift stochastic Runge- Kutta methods for stochastic differential equations

To reduce computational complexity, the balanced numerical approximations of the general split drift stochastic Runge-Kutta methods are analyzed. The primary reasons for considering the numerical approximations of these balanced split stochastic Runge-Kutta methods are their improved stability characteristics and lower mean square error compared to other methods. By balancing the drift and diffusion components, the splitting techniques outperform the mean square error over longer time increments. For Ito multi-dimensional stochastic differential equations, we propose a novel family of balanced universal split stochastic Runge-Kutta procedures. The Kronecker product concept is utilized to derive the mean-square stability conditions. We conduct numerical tests to evaluate these methods against an existing weak order 2 split drift method. Ultimately, a specific numerical example validates the theoretical outcomes of the balanced general split stochastic Runge-Kutta procedures.

Designing with words: exploring the integration of text-to-image models in industrial design

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effectiveness of Text-to-image (T2I) models in assisting industrial designers with the visualization of product concepts. Using action research and a reflection-in-action, this research conducts a series of experiments utilizing Stable Diffusion for generating chair concepts. The research findings are positioned within an existing framework of computational tools usage, and assess the quality of the generated images in supporting industrial design activities during the define and develop phases of the design process. While T2I models provide competent support to ambiguity and sketch improvement, their efficacy in generating coherent solutions for further development is limited. This study provides guidelines for the effective application of T2I models in industrial design practice. It discusses the T2I models’ suitability for specific design activities, addresses associated risks, and proposes a taxonomy of prompt modifiers that ensures a closer match between input prompts and generated product concepts.

Embracing plant–plant interactions—Rethinking predictions of species range shifts

Abstract Interactions among plants are changing across the globe resulting from a multitude of changes in the environment. Obtaining accurate predictions of plant species' range dynamics requires us to account for plant–plant interactions, but this remains challenging using the existing species distribution modelling (SDM) techniques. Advanced SDM techniques facilitate the integration of plant species interactions based on species‐to‐species associations. However, for uncharted environmental conditions in which the formerly derived species' correlations potentially no longer hold, a more process‐based alternative is expected to become increasingly relevant. We first review the most common SDM techniques that integrate plant–plant interactions and then present the concept for a novel map product: a spatial plant–plant interaction index (PII) depicting the link between a focal species’ performance and the trait signature of the interacting vegetation. The latest developments in remote sensing and the increasing availability of vegetation plot data facilitate PII mapping based on vegetation trait–environment relationships. Synthesis: PII mapping holds the potential to advance next‐generation biogeographical analyses as it can serve as a pivotal missing covariate layer necessary for the integration of plant–plant interactions into SDM applications. This data product adds flexibility to the ecologists’ toolbox to analyse species range shifts and the formation of novel communities as a response to multiple environmental changes.

A SUSTAINABLE FRAMEWORK MANUFACTURING IN A DIGITAL ERA BASED ON LEAN SIX SIGMA AND INDUSTRY 4.0

Industry 4.0 technology coordinates intelligent equipment throughout the manufacturing process, and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) improves production efficiency and effectiveness. The marriage of Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 makes for a solid partnership that supports sustainable production development. Integrating LSS with Industry 4.0 is critical for organizations to leverage diverse interactions and use advanced technology for employee improvement. LSS tools can facilitate Industry 4.0 technology implementation and sustainable innovation in manufacturing. The concept of customized mass production and innovative products offers opportunities for advancements in LSS techniques, as workers can utilize technology's potential for customization and product development. The aim of this study is to enhance knowledge of the synergistic relationship between Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Industry 4.0 by reviewing current literature and gathering information through a thematic review. The objective is to generate new frameworks and viewpoints. The goal is to propose a framework for sustainable manufacturing based on the significant key elements that result from the issues raised.

Hundred Years of Inheritance and Innovation: The Historical Evolution of Huang Feihong's Cultural Heritage and Cultural and Creative Designs

This paper delves into the historical evolution of Huang Feihong's cultural heritage and its intersection with cultural and creative design. It seeks a profound comprehension of Huang Feihong's life achievements, the cultural traditions he embodied, and his contributions to Lingnan culture. The study specifically examines the relationship between Huang Fei-hong's cultural legacy and cultural and creative design, focusing on the concepts of cultural and creative products, the application of design, and the dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity. Through a comprehensive analysis of Huang Feihong's culture, this paper unveils the intricate connection between tradition and modernity, highlighting the role of cultural and creative design in both preserving and innovating. This dynamic research field not only enhances our understanding of Huang Feihong's cultural heritage but also imparts valuable insights for the practical aspects of cultural preservation and creative design. The findings offer fresh avenues and possibilities for the continued inheritance and promotion of Chinese cultural traditions.

Integrating GRA with intuitionistic fuzzy VIKOR model to explore attractive design solution of wickerwork cultural and creative products

ABSTRACT With the popularisation of the concept of sustainable traditional wickerwork, wickerwork cultural and creative products have become the most popular craft production. Kansei consensus on the design of wickerwork lamps has become a key factor influencing the communication between manufacturers and customers. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop a product evaluation model for wickerwork cultural and creative products that meet the emotional satisfaction of users. Firstly, this paper could build a three-level evaluation grid diagram driven by user attractiveness through EGM, and extracts key dimensions in the perceptual vocabulary using FA. Secondly, evaluation indicators are constructed and grey relation analysis (GRA) is used to synthetically assess the priority order of evaluation indicators based on the obtained weight values. Finally, in order to effectively deal with uncertain product evaluation information, the intuitionistic fuzzy VIKOR method was used to evaluate representative product design solutions, and the most perceptually attractive product design solution was preferentially selected. This study selected wickerwork lamps as the design case of cultural and creative products, the results of the study enable designers to accurately grasp customers’ emotional perceptions of wickerwork products and obtain the best wickerwork production design solution.

Selecting the best-value biosimilar in emerging countries

The aim of biosimilars is to alleviate the financial burden of biological medicinal products. A most relevant challenge for emerging countries is how to select the best option available. In most cases, price is the major determinant, as budgets are chronically scarce. However, initial savings due to price reductions can be overridden if there is a lack of supply due to product shortages or withdrawals. These events can be prevented by a best-value strategy. According to the concept of best-value medicinal products, price is only one of the various criteria to be considered. The purpose of the present paper is to provide suggestions of criteria that can be useful for selecting the best-value biological in emerging countries. Six criteria, that are not limitative, have been selected as follows: standards of regulatory approval, quality of the product, good distribution practices, security of supply, pharmacovigilance, and price.

A Knowledge Graph-Based Implicit Requirement Mining Method in Personalized Product Development

In the context of crowd innovation and the generative design driven by big language models, the exploration of personalized requirements has become a key in significantly improving product innovation, concept feasibility, and design interaction efficiency. To mine a large number of vague and unexpressed implicit requirements of personalized products, a domain knowledge graph-based method is proposed in this research. First, based on the classical theory of design science, the characteristics and categories of personalized implicit requirements are analyzed, and the theoretical basis of implicit requirement mining is formed. Next, in order to improve the practicability and construction efficiency of the domain knowledge graph, a more informative ontology is constructed, and better-performing natural language processing (NLP) models are proposed. Then, a multi-category personalized implicit requirement mining method based on a knowledge graph is proposed. Finally, a platform was developed based on the technical solution proposed in this study, and an example verification was conducted in the field of electromechanical engineering. The efficiency improvement of the training model proposed in the research was analyzed, and the practicality of implicit requirement mining methods are discussed.

Understanding normal and restricted normal products in soft directed graphs

This paper extends the framework of soft set theory to directed graphs by introducing and analyzing the concepts of the normal product and restricted normal product of soft directed graphs. Building on Molodtsov’s foundational work in developing soft set theory to address uncertainty in data, this study presents new methods for modeling and understanding complex systems where uncertainty plays a significant role. Soft directed graphs, which enhance traditional graph models by incorporating parameters and uncertain relationships, serve as the foundation for this investigation. The normal product, defined as a combination of two soft directed graphs based on their respective parameter sets, and the restricted normal product, which combines soft directed graphs only where their parameter sets intersect, provide a comprehensive framework for these new operations. This paper also establishes the structural properties of these products, ensuring they are well-defined and retain the key features of soft directed graphs. Furthermore, we derive combinatorial identities related to vertex and arc counts, as well as degree sums, offering deeper insights into the composition and behavior of these graph products.

Towards Sustainable Consumption: Quantitative Insights into Consumer Behaviour on Circular Food Products

Abstract The concept of Circular Food Products, focusing on sustainability and waste minimization throughout the production and consumption cycle, has garnered significant attention recently. This research aims to provide empirical insights into factors influencing consumer behaviour regarding sustainability in the food industry. Using quantitative analysis techniques such as the questionnaire to measure attitudes, preferences and behaviours among consumers, and employing structural modeling for the collected data, the study yields important findings that advance knowledge in sustainable food consumption. These findings promote environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices within the food industry and among consumers. One key finding is the low level of consumer awareness about circular food products and their benefits. Perceptions varied, with some viewing these products as innovative and eco-friendly, while others considered them inferior to conventional products. This suggests the need for effective marketing campaigns to shape consumer awareness and perception of circular food products. Additionally, the research highlighted varying levels of awareness regarding the environmental impact of food production and consumption, with some consumers demonstrating strong concern for sustainability.These insights underscore the importance of targeted marketing and education to enhance consumer understanding and acceptance of circular food products, ultimately supporting the shift towards more sustainable consumption patterns.

A parametric life cycle framework to promote sustainable-by-design product development: Application to a hydrogen production technology

The European Ecodesign Directive is an effective normative framework that has been extensively proven to support the energy transition of numerous European industrial sectors. From an analytical standpoint, it provides practitioners with the EcoReport tool, a simplified life cycle spreadsheet that is aimed at guiding the development of ecodesign measures of mandatory compliance in European countries. In this regard, several studies have highlighted the limitations of the EcoReport tool when addressing emerging technologies like those tied to the hydrogen sector. These works also propose to further integrate material criticality and social metrics in order to enlarge the scope of the European Directive and foster the shift from ecodesign to sustainable-by-design product development. In this situation, building upon the principles of the EcoReport tool and recognizing the outcomes of the aforementioned critical analyses, the conceptualization of a novel sustainable-by-design framework is presented and applied to a Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) stack for hydrogen production. The operationalization of the framework is conducted, for the first time in the context of sustainable design, by combining the use of the Brightway2 and lca_algebraic Python packages. Overall, the proposed approach succeeds in providing a complete sustainability perspective to the design of emerging technologies. Regarding the tangible lessons learned on the hydrogen-related case study, product concepts are proven to progressively improve the sustainability performance of the technology. It is noticeable that the enhancement of the economic competitivity is more limited than that achieved at the remaining sustainability indicators (i.e., environmental, social and material criticality metrics). In line with the outcomes of the life cycle contribution assessment, multi-criteria decision analysis ratings lead to concluding that a sustainable-by-design SOEC stack product concept should prioritize limiting its material intensity.

Concept Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis Using System Level Assessment

AbstractDesign Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) is a process to identify and mitigate risks of failure of a product to perform the intended function(s) for the customer. DFMEAs can be performed at all stages of design from product concept to system to component. Several issues with concept level design FMEAs have been identified by Henshall, et al in 2014: large documents, focus on components with poorly defined connections, focus on hardware rather than integrated electro‐mechanical systems. As a result of these challenges, improvements to the system‐level product concept are unlikely. In 2023 Genter and Bauer described a novel approach to eliciting design considerations representing the needs of both the customer and business using System Level Assessment. These design considerations form the basis for a concept level design FMEA. This approach was applied to a design concept for a technology that had not been previously developed. When compared to a concept DFMEA approach as part of Inclusive Customer Driven Conceptual Design defined by Hari and Weiss, the System Level Assessment based approach took 4.5 hours for the Critical System compared to 8 hours per concept for Inclusive Customer Driven Conceptual Design. When compared to a traditional Concept FMEA yielding 67% prevention tasks, the System Level Assessment Concept FMEA yielded 95% prevention tasks.

When Moving Backward Means Moving Forward – Educating Systems Engineers in Designerly Ways of Thinking

AbstractSystems Engineering as a discipline provides many tools for managing complexity and reducing risks. However, these tools come with drawbacks when ideating new product concepts in early lifecycle phases when the problem and solutions spaces are open. This paper suggests that methods from the Design field have a complementing role early in the systems lifecycle, but that those methods need to be accompanied by a different way of approaching problems, something that takes time to learn. We present experiences from a hybrid university course, where regular students were mixed with professional systems engineers for more rapid development of Design method experience in both groups.

Analysis of the Role of the Creative Economy in Advancing Product Business at MTs Al-Jauhariyah

This study aims to analyze the role of the creative economy to improve product business in MTs Al-Jauhariyah. In addition to being an educational center, secondary schools also have the potential as a locus of local economic development through creative products. The creative economy is the main focus to increase competitiveness and economic contribution from product businesses in the school environment. Using qualitative research methods, data were collected through in-depth interviews with related parties, direct observation, and documentation studies. The results showed that creativity, innovation, and invention play a key role in the development of product business in this school. In terms of product concept, innovation and differentiation through the creative economy provide significant added value. Factors such as local community involvement, utilization of local resources, and integration of curriculum with creative economy aspects also strengthen the positive impact on the development of product business at MTs Al-Jauhariyah. This research contributes to the practical and theoretical understanding of how the creative economy can be implemented in secondary education environments, exactly in MTs Al-Jauhariyah. This finding can be a foundation for policy makers, schools, and education practitioners to optimize the role of the creative economy in developing product businesses in similar institutions. In addition, this research also opens opportunities for further research related to the integration of creative economy concepts in the context of formal education.