Designed To Fail Research Articles

Technologies in School for an accessible, inclusive and competence-oriented education

The current school faces a crucial challenge: preparing today's students to be active, aware and responsible citizens of tomorrow's society, which will be characterized by a growing scientific and technological progress, an increasingly rapid obsolescence of knowledge, a greater transnational mobility and a progressively more competitive labor market (ISTAT, 2018). The competence-based education has been acknowledged, at international and national level, as the best paradigm to address this challenge (EU, 2006; MIUR, 2015; MIUR, 2017).The present work aims to stimulate a reflection on the significant opportunities provided by the technologies in support of the aforementioned paradigm in the perspective of a global improvement of school education in terms of quality, access, equity and inclusiveness. The reflection will be led by a synthetic reconstruction of the introduction of technologies in the Italian school system and by a review of the most recent international and national legal references on the subject of competence-based education, analyzed through the problematizing gaze of special pedagogy and didactic.

Comprehensive characterization of printed circuit boards of various end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment for beneficiation investigation

Comprehensive characterization of printed circuit board (PCB) of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is obligatory for prospective profitable beneficiation. In this study, beneficiation oriented comprehensive characterization of two brands of PCBs each of 16 end-of-life EEE was conducted in terms of their physicochemical characteristics with special emphasis on the content of 16 general elements, 2 precious metals and 15 rare earth elements (REEs). General elements and their highest weight percent composition found in different PCBs of the EEEs were Cu (23% in laptop), Al (6% in computer), Pb (15% in DVD player) and Ba (7% in TV). The high abundant of precious metals such as Au (316 g/ton) and Ag (636 g/ton) in mobile phone and laptop, respectively coupled with rapid obsolescence age makes waste PCBs of information technology and telecommunication equipment the most potent resource reservoir. Additionally, most of the waste PCBs were observed to contain REEs in considerable quantity with Sc up to 31 g/ton and Ce up to 13 g/ton being the major constituents. Comprehensive characterization of waste PCBs therefore will systematically help towards better understanding of e-waste recycling processes for beneficiation purpose and sustainable resource circulation and conservation.

Eko-dizajn električnih i elektronskih proizvoda

During the last decades electronic equipment industry has experienced rapid expansion, which led to increased level of presence of electric and electronic devices in everyday life. Current trends, improvements of performance, design and new software's caused the rapid obsolescence of these products and the creation of ever larger quantities of electrical and electronic waste. To achieve the concept of sustainable development in the industry of electrical and electronic equipment one of the basic conditions is the application of the principles of eco-design. This means, firstly, identifying direct and indirect impact of products on the environment at all stages of the product life cycle. After performing a detailed analysis of the product life cycle designer should approach to choosing a strategy that will be used as the implementation of the concept of eco-design. The aim of this paper is to review the general principles of eco-design of electrical and electronic products and point out the positive results of their implementation. This paper describes a general method of Life cycle analysis of the product, as well as the basic principles of eco-design with whose implementation can be achieved significant progress in reduction of negative impacts on the environment during all phases of the products life cycle.

Odnos između inovacija i uspeha - studija slučaja kompanije Yoox S.p.a.

In the current competitive context, the exponential growth rates of progress and technology lead to a rapid obsolescence of ideas and products, leading to the reduction of the relative life cycles and profit margins. In this context, the intrinsic characteristics of the product are no longer enough, and the ability to interpret and advance the real needs of the market becomes fundamental. The primary purpose of this paper is to highlight the strategic importance of innovation as the main tool with which the company can adapt to change or be its engine. The case study proposed here explores the development's path of an Italian innovation-oriented company: Yoox S.p.a. The analysis, based on sturdy theoretical foundations, retraces the path growth of the company, highlighting its extraordinary propensity for innovation as its main critical success factor. While analyzing this case study, the role played by companies in generating discontinuities that break and redefine the equilibrium in the competitive context is also highlighted. Focusing on this perspective, the original strategic positioning model and the business model that allowed Yoox to reconfigure the traditional market boundaries and redesign the consumers purchasing process are described.

THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL PROCESSES OF INFORMATIZATION THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN EDUCATION SYSTEM IN A DIGITAL ECONOMY

Problem and goal. The article deals with the processes of globalization, which can have a significant impact on the improvement of the modern system of education, especially in the conditions of active introduction of the digital economy. The actual problem of modern development of society is the processes of rapid obsolescence of knowledge, the increasing importance of education. The aim was to justify the need for new pedagogical technologies based on the global trends taking place in the modern world. Methodology. Our views on what education should look like and how it should be implemented depend on goals and experience, education is implemented in various forms depending on how we look at its value meanings. Results. According to various studies, there are several global trends that affect the development of the education system in General and management education in particular. Thus, the modern teacher is faced with the task not only to prepare an educated person, but a person with moral foundations, capable of entrepreneurship, competent, independently make decisions in solving professional problems, predict the consequences of their decision, comprehensive cooperation. The modern education system in the digital economy should have mobility, dynamism, constructiveness, contribute to the formation of a sense of responsibility. Conclusion. The use of new information and telecommunication technologies is crucial for improving the competitiveness of the economy, expanding its integration into the world system, improving the efficiency of management and self-government. In these conditions, means of information and telecommunication technologies offered a unique opportunity to more fully contribute to global information exchange, the formation and choice of future jobs and work, taking into account the uncertainty in the forecasts, to have responsible leadership and, finally, to be able to work in environments of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The article considers the changes taking place in the education system, influencing the formation of management tasks of the modern teacher

Foreword. The Knowledge Economy: The Present Future

All the statistics and evaluations show that the Knowledge Economy is our future. However, a close look at the developed economies demonstrates that the Knowledge Economy is already here, shaping our present time. Although there are many definitions of this new economic framework, their core content stresses the importance of data, information, and knowledge in the production of goods and delivering services in creating value for society. For instance, Powell and Snellman (2004, p.1999) define the knowledge economy as “production and services based on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to an accelerated pace of technical and scientific advance, as well as a rapid obsolescence. The key component of the knowledge economy is a greater reliance on intellectual capabilities than on physical inputs or natural resources”. In the knowledge economy, knowledge becomes a strategic resource (Davenport & Prusak, 2000; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995) and knowledge strategies contribute directly to the competitive advantage (Bratianu & Bolisani, 2015). In this new economy, data, information, and knowledge are the driving forces of development and the knowledge economy is the engine of the global economy growth...

The AGR-3/4 fission product transport irradiation experiment

AGR-3/4 was the combined third and fourth planned irradiations for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program. The primary purpose of the AGR program is to support the development and qualification of tristructural isotropic (TRISO)-coated particle fuel for use in High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors. AGR-3/4 was designed as a fission product transport irradiation experiment whose specific objectives were to: (1) irradiate fuel containing UCO (uranium oxycarbide) designed-to-fail (DTF) fuel particles that provide a fixed source of fission products for subsequent transport through compact matrix and structural graphite materials; (2) assess the effects of sweep gas impurities on fuel performance and fission product transport; (3) provide irradiated fuel and material samples for post-irradiation examination (PIE) and post-irradiation heating; and (4) support the refinement of fuel performance and fission product transport models. The AGR-3/4 test train was irradiated in the northeast flux trap of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for 369.1 effective full power days from December 2011 to April 2014. The experiment was successful in achieving its specification goals in terms of burnup and fast fluence levels reached at the end of irradiation and fuel temperature levels maintained throughout irradiation: peak compact burnup reached 15.27% fissions per initial heavy-metal atom and peak compact fast fluence reached 5.32 × 1025 n/m2 (E > 0.18 MeV), while the time-average volume-average temperatures of the compacts ranged from 854 to 1345 °C. Fission product release–to–birth ratios reached values in the 10−4–10−3 range early during irradiation as the DTF particles started to fail. Subsequent post-irradiation examination will provide information on fission product distributions in matrix and core graphite materials, enabling refinement of fission product transport models.

Premature Obsolescence: Suggestions for Legislative Counter-measures in German and European Sales & Consumer Law

Obsolescence – the premature wear and tear of products – is currently a considered topic. There have been a number of recent developments in this area: the European Consumer Organisation (beuc) has recently launched a flagship campaign on durable goods; the European Economic and Social Committee delivered an own-initiative opinion;, the German Environment Protection Agency (uba) has commissioned two comprehensive studies concerning this issue; the European Commission has suggested a Directive on certain areas relating to contracts for online and other distance sales of goods; and, a law providing explicitly for criminal prosecution of planned obsolescence has been recently enacted in France. This article uses the planned evaluation and review of Directive 1999/44/ec as an opportunity to examine what legislative measures could be adopted to counteract premature wear and tear of consumer goods. The author argues for a new system based on existing warranty rights and the norms of the European product legislation, which will generate consumer- and environment-friendly results, whilst also providing flexible measures for the industry.

Fashioning Green Words and Eco Language: An Examination of the User Perception Gap for Fashion Brands Promoting Sustainable Practices

In today’s marketplace, dominated by business models predicated on continual consumption and globalized production systems creating major environmental and social impact, the contradiction between the socio-economic importance of fashion and its inbuilt obsolescence through its increasingly fast fashion cycle represent a significant problem. Given that fashion consumption appears set to grow with each new generation of consumers, the need to provide a regulatory system for sustainable fashion and to communicate that effectively appears to be essential. Located in Hong Kong, this paper reviews the role of fashion user perceptions toward popularly used words adopted by fashion brands intended to stimulate sustainable behaviors. It is based on research findings determining how users make sense of this complex discourse and the impact on consumption practices. Findings are presented from over 100 on-street surveys and six focus groups with Hong Kong-based participants to determine their understanding of green language used in sustainable fashion brands promotions. Findings suggest confusion and lack of engagement, yet an interest in taking action. Hence, the question of how to devise and communicate sustainable fashion messages using the most effective and understood key words in brand messages is critical in terms of moving people from awareness to advocacy impacting on fashion consumption in a future circular economy.

YouTube como fuente de información sanitaria y divulgación del conocimiento sobre Cuidados Paliativos en el domicilio

Objetivo: Describir las características del material multimedia sobre cuidados paliativos en el domicilio disponible en YouTube, y evaluar la calidad de la información contenida en este material.Método: Estudio descriptivo de la información recuperada en YouTube. Los vídeos se obtuvieron mediante búsqueda simple utilizando como término «cuidados paliativos en el domicilio», determinándose su número mediante muestreo aleatorio simple sin reposición. Las características de los vídeos se estudiaron mediante los indicadores: producción/año, actualidad, duración, número de reproducciones o visionados, e interacción del usuario. Resultados: De los 388 vídeos seleccionados, se pudieron analizar un total de 204 que presentaron un crecimiento lineal de R2 = 0,04; p = 0,005. El número medio de visionados fue de 8.497,9 ± 4.372,09 con mediana de 298 consultas. La obsolescencia presentó una mediana de 3 años. La interacción de usuario se presentó de media con 31,97 ± 13,91 indicaciones favorables, 2,98 ±1,36 comentarios y 10.271,00 ± 1.768,15 suscripciones. Conclusiones: Las características del material multimedia fueron: gran producción y divulgación (consulta), rápida obsolescencia y una escasa participación de usuario. La mayoría de los videos analizados pueden considerarse adecuados con el tema a estudio.

A conceptual chemical process for the recycling of Ce, Eu, and Y from LED flat panel displays

The popularity and rapid obsolescence of electronic devices and products leads to many of these items eventually ending up in various waste streams. Understanding the tradeoffs in processing end-of-life E-waste materials for reuse is an important part of informing decision-makers who are considering recovery and recycle of these materials. An example study presented here is the recovery and recycle of rare earth metals in the light emitting diodes (LED) found in the backlighting unit for liquid crystal displays (LCD) of flat panel televisions. A conceptual and defined commercial-scale process for recycling E-waste is described, including the recycle of rare earth elements from the LED module. Synthesis of a full process, from display dismantling to rare earth separation, is proposed based on engineering principles and fragmented literature. The synthesis defines a process flow diagram, complete with mass and energy transfer modeling. Such a detailed commercial scale process model for recycling rare earth elements provides an advance to the science. Rare earth elements are critically important, but are low-quantity materials in many electronic items. Providing a process model for their recycle is an essential first step towards a sustainability analysis, with social, economic, and environmental implications.

End-of-life (EoL) mobile phone management in Hong Kong households

A questionnaire survey and interviews were conducted in households and end-of-life (EoL) mobile phone business centres in Hong Kong. Widespread Internet use, combined with the rapid evolution of modern social networks, has resulted in the more rapid obsolescence of mobile phones, and thus a tremendous increase in the number of obsolete phones. In 2013, the volume of EoL mobile phones generated in Hong Kong totalled at least 330 tonnes, and the amount is rising. Approximately 80% of electronic waste is exported to Africa and developing countries such as mainland China or Pakistan for recycling. However, the material flow of the large number of obsolete phones generated by the territory's households remains unclear. Hence, the flow of EoL mobile phones in those households was analysed, with the average lifespan of a mobile phone in Hong Kong found to be just under two years (nearly 23 months). Most EoL mobile phones are transferred to mainland China for disposal. Current recycling methods are neither environmentally friendly nor sustainable, with serious implications for the environment and human health. The results of this analysis provide useful information for planning the collection system and facilities needed in Hong Kong and mainland China to better manage EoL mobile phones in the future.

Why on earth did I buy that? A study of regretted appliance purchases.

If targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thereby tackle climate change are to be achieved, it will be necessary to reduce both embodied energy costs (e.g. in terms of producing and manufacturing the products and services that society consumes) and operational energy costs. Reducing the number of purchases that people regret could be a first step in changing the overall dynamic of consumption patterns. This research looks at some potentially adverse effects of consumption on well-being (e.g. negative emotions), applying social practice theory to give insights into why people make purchases that they feel negatively about. This paper draws from: (i) findings of a national survey of over 2000 respondents which found that 53% of adults had reported regretting purchasing an electrical device at some point, and that 23% regretted making such a purchase within the past year; and (ii) a series of walking interviews around people's homes that provide detailed insights into the nature and extent of regretted purchases of electrical goods (e.g. resentment at built-in obsolescence, frustration at the pace of technological change). By combining the qualitative and quantitative data, we develop a typology of regretted consumption and explore the underlying factors that lead to such purchases. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of this research.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Material demand reduction’.

Unbuilding the City: Writing Demolition

Unbuilding the City: Writing Demolition

The Problem of Linguistic Self-Education in World Theory and Practice (Historical and Pedagogical Aspects)

AbstractIn the paper it has been grounded that under the conditions of forming postindustrial epoch, which is characterised by the processes of globalisation and informatisation, there exists a social demand for the specialists who have a formed preparedness for continuous self-education, including linguistic self-instruction. This presupposes developing innovative and strategic thinking as well as realising the objective necessity of continuous enhancing of their proficiency level, which is a key factor of interaction with dynamic and changeable professional environment with rapid obsolescence of knowledge, constant technological advancement, etc. It has been proved that nowadays the role of self-education, as the instrument of forming highly-qualified professionals with sufficient knowledge of foreign languages, is always growing in different countries. Therefore, educators are continually facing the task of improving the theoretical and methodological base of teaching students to be autonomous in their studies. It has been substantiated that, in view of the principle of continuity in science, introducing any innovations into the learning process in linguistic self-education should be preceded by the profound studying of the pedagogically valuable theoretical and practical experience, gained by the previous generations of researchers. Thus, the retrospective analysis of basic historical milestones of evolving the phenomenon “linguistic self-education” has been conducted and its results have been presented in this work.

Cathode Ray Tube Recycling in South Africa

Households and businesses produce high levels of electrical and electronic waste (ewaste), fueled by modernization and rapid obsolescence. While the challenges imposed by e-waste are similar everywhere in the world, disparities in progress to deal with it exist, with developing nations lagging. The increase in e-waste generation highlights the need to develop ways to manage it. This paper reviews global and South African e-waste management practices with a specific case study on Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) waste. CRTs present the biggest problem for recyclers and policy makers because they contain lead and antimony. Common disposal practices have been either landfilling or incineration. Research into South African CRT waste management practices showed there is still more to do to manage this waste stream effectively. However, recent developments have placed e-waste into a priority waste stream, which should lead to intensified efforts in dealing with it. Overall, these efforts aim to increase diversion from landfill and create value-adding opportunities, leading to social and environmental benefits.

Architectures for health: between historical contexts and suburban areas. Tool to support location strategies

The rapid obsolescence of healthcare facilities and the lack of suitable areas to host these services in urban contexts, are forcing their locations outside cities and historical centres. The complexity and variety of crucial aspects, involved in the smooth functioning of healthcare facilities, require, in the longterm, planning decisions supported by appropriate evaluation tools. Starting from the investigation of hospital location trends in Europe and Italy, the analysis of European case studies and a deep systematic review of the literature, the paper aims to define a set of criteria focused on the design of location strategies for new healthcare facilities.

Innovative Techniques and Strategies of Skill Building for Human Resource Development in SMEs, India

India has gradually evolved as knowledge based economy due to the abundance of capable, flexible and qualified human capital. With the constantly rising influence of globalization, India has immense opportunities to establish its distinctive position in the world. However, there is a need to further develop and empower the human capital to ensure the nations global competitiveness. Despite the empathetic stress laid on education and training in this country, there is still a shortage of skilled manpower to address the mounting needs and demands of the economy. Skill building can be viewed as an instrument to improve the effectiveness and contribution of labor to the overall production. It is as an important ingredient to push the production possibility frontier outward and to take growth rate of the economy to a higher trajectory. This paper focuses on skill development in Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) which contribute nearly 8 percent of the country's GDP, 45 percent of the manufacturing output and 40 percent of the exports. They provide the largest share of employment after agriculture. They are the nurseries for entrepreneurship and innovation. SMEs have been established in almost all-major sectors in the Indian industry. The main assets for any firm, especially small and medium sized enterprises are their human capital. This is even more important in the knowledge based economy, where intangible factors and services are of growing importance. The rapid obsolescence of knowledge is a key factor of the knowledge economy. However, we also know that for a small business it is very difficult to engage staff in education and training in order to update and upgrade their skills within continuous learning approach. Therefore there is a need to innovate new techniques and strategies of skill development to develop human capital in SME's.

Novel Design of Heterogeneous Automation Controller Based on Real-Time Data Distribution Service Middleware to Avoid Obsolescence Challenges

Oil and gas processing facilities utilize various process automation systems with proprietary controllers. As the systems age; older technologies become obsolete resulting in frequent premature capital investments to sustain their operation. This paper presents a new design of automation controller to provide inherent mechanisms for upgrades and/or partial replacement of any obsolete components without obligation for a complete system replacement throughout the expected life cycle of the processing facilities. The input/output racks are physically and logically decoupled from the controller by converting them into distributed autonomous process interface systems. The proprietary input/output communication between the conventional controller CPU and the associated input/output racks is replaced with standard real-time data distribution service middleware for providing seamless cross-vendor interoperable communication between the controller and the distributed autonomous process interface systems. The objective of this change is to allow flexibility of supply for all controller’s subcomponents from multiple vendors to safeguard against premature automation obsolescence challenges. Detailed performance analysis was conducted to evaluate the viability of using the standard real-time data distribution service middleware technology in the design of automation controller to replace the proprietary input/output communication. The key simulation measurements to demonstrate its performance sustainability while growing in controller’s size based on the number of input/output signals are communication latency, variation in packets delays, and communication throughput. The overall performance results confirm the viability of the new proposal as the basis for designing cost effective evergreen process automation solutions that would result in optimum total cost of ownership capital investment throughout the systems’ life span. The only limiting factor is the selected network infrastructure.

Manufacturing High-Tech Products Subject to Rapid Obsolescence

We formulate a production problem in high-tech industry as a free-final-time optimal control problem. The instance with linear production cost is equivalent to a problem proposed by Pangburn and Sundaresan. The instance with quadratic production cost allows us to find a solution which is closer to what is seen in the real world. In the latter instance, the optimal production rate is strictly decreasing in a neighborhood of the final time.