Reusable Components Research Articles

Experimental characterisation of the moment-rotation behaviour of beam-beam connections using compressed wood connectors

The widespread use of energy-intensive metallic connectors and synthetic adhesives in modern timber construction has negative implications for the end-of-life disposal or re-use of the structural timber components. Therefore, it is favourable to substitute metallic connectors and synthetic adhesives with bio-based alternatives such as wood-based connectors. Recent studies have shown that densified or compressed wood (CW) with superior mechanical properties could be suitable for the manufacture of wood-based connectors in the form of CW dowels and CW plates. This study experimentally examines the moment-rotation behaviour of semi-rigid type timber-CW beam-beam connections under pure bending. The study also assesses the suitability of current design rules to predict the moment capacity of timber-CW connections. The comparative study has shown that the moment capacity of the timber-CW connection can be conservatively predicted from the characteristic load-carrying capacity of the connections calculated using the EC 5 strength equations.

An Event-B-Based Approach to Model and Verify Behaviors for Component-Based Applications

Abstract Many disciplines have adopted component-based principles to avail themselves of the many advantages they bring, especially component reusability. In a short time, the component-based architecture became a renown branch in the IT world and the center of interest of many researchers. Much work has been conducted in this context for the verification of component-based applications (CBAs). However, the main focus has been on the structural aspect of such compositions, while the behavioral aspect has seldom been dealt with. In this paper, our goal is to close this gap and propose a formal approach to verify the behavioral correctness of CBAs. We first define a set of requirements to be satisfied by the structure and the behavior of a CBA, represented by a set of interactions that may occur between their components. Then, we build a formal Event-B model to represent these requirements in a rigorous and non-ambiguous way. The use of the Event-B refinement technique allows us to master the complexity of CBAs by introducing their elements in an incremental manner. The correctness of the development is ensured by establishing a set of proof obligations, under the Rodin platform, and also by animating it with the ProB animator/model checker. The approach is illustrated by a running example.

Software component reusability prediction using extra tree classifier and enhanced Harris hawks optimization algorithm

Software component reusability prediction using extra tree classifier and enhanced Harris hawks optimization algorithm

Employing smart materials in beautifying the urban environment from a sustainability perspective

Employing smart materials in beautifying the urban environment from a sustainability perspective Smart materials are that materials who have one or more properties that can be significantly altered in a control manner by external impetus, such as stress, temperature, moisture, pH, electric and magnetic field. Smartness can be describe by self-adaptability, self-sensing and self-repairing. These smart materials offers numerous of application in every field. Smart materials contribute to raising energy efficiency, while using high levels of environmental performance and controlling design surfaces. Smart materials contribute to achieving the use of renewable energy; passive solar self-heating, natural lighting, and natural cooling. With the development of material science, many new, high-quality and cost-efficient materials have come into use in various field of engineering. In the last five to ten decades, the materials became multifunctional and required the optimization of different characterization and properties. With the last evolution, the concept has been driving towards composite materials and recently, the next evolutionary step is being contemplated with the concept of smart materials. smart materials are new generation materials surpassing the conventional structural and functional materials. These materials possess adaptive capabilities to external stimuli, such as loads or environment, with inherent intelligence. The possibility of applying advanced technologies such as controlling kinematic and intelligent systems in designing urban elements to achieve greater environmental compatibility. The research problem stems from the need to monitor smart materials that can be used in beautifying the urban environment that can achieve sustainability considerations. The research aims to monitor and conclude considerations of employing smart materials in beautifying the urban environment from the perspective of sustainability. Materials have become a fundamental pillar upon which all the different design specialties are based, including urban design with its various elements. The technologies associated with the development of materials have emerged as a result of the great development of information technology and nanotechnology and their incorporation into various areas of materials development, where materials can respond to environmental variables and usage variables in a fast and easy manner to meet human needs.Thus, smart materials are considered one of the most important materials in response to sustainability factors and the ability to implement sustainability considerations. Design based on smart materials is a modern design approach to building and sustainable comprehensive development that seeks to reduce the social and environmental burden, which is applied to the entire life cycle of the urban environment, while achieving economic feasibility and encouraging sustainability at the local and global levels, especially with regard to environmental, societal and economic performance. Problem statment The research problem can be identified as follows: The global trend towards creating dynamic models that are compatible with the environmental and climatic characteristics of the urban environment, with efficiency in the use of materials, the possibility of disassembly and installation and functional design flexibility, created the need to monitor smart materials that can be used in beautifying the urban environment that can achieve sustainability considerations, while determining considerations throughout the design and operation stages. Aims and objectives The research aims to monitor and conclude considerations of employing smart materials in beautifying the urban environment from the perspective of sustainability. Methodology The study follows a descriptive approach in presenting and analyzing the sustainable smart materials used in beautifying the urban environment. Conclusions : - The life cycle of sustainable smart materials can be achieved through : reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources, reducing the environmental loads of waste and pollution, improving economic resource management, and the environmental and social performance that is greatly affected by the performance of smart materials. - Sustainability considerations can be achieved in smart materials by employing smart materials that are compatible with the environmental characteristics of the urban environment through the following: - Efficiency in the use of smart materials to achieve the finishing of the urban environment in the best possible functional and environmental performance. - Using smart materials from recyclable materials or reusable components. - The use of smart materials with systems capable of dismantling, installing and extending in the future. - Use of smart materials with ready-made systems and standard sections. - The possibility of applying smart materials in controlling kinematic and intelligent systems when designing the urban environment to achieve greater environmental compatibility

A framework for BIM-based disassembly models to support reuse of building components

Reuse of building components and materials is essential in order to reduce global building waste and resource depletion. Reuse can also improve residual utility for building components and materials. Selective disassembly enables such reuse. Implementation of selective disassembly planning for buildings requires accurate and correct analytical disassembly models for building archetypes, which can be provided using Building Information Modeling (BIM). However, appropriate level-of-detail (LoD) for the required BIM-based parametric disassembly models and a methodology for automatically extracting the corresponding parameters from a BIM are unknown. These knowledge gaps are addressed by developing such a methodology for the appropriate LoD. This study aims to describe and validate a methodology for determining parameters for BIM-based disassembly models to support the reuse of building components towards a circular economy in the construction industry. Taking building structures as an example, disassembly model principles for typical building parts are proposed. Then, a framework of disassembly parametric models is determined and applied for BIM. Based on this framework, a method for automatically determining the necessary parameters is developed, and the critical attributes are suggested. Finally, the disassembly parameters of BIM elements are defined and demonstrated for four case studies in order to validate the consistency and effectiveness of this method. The results indicate useful disassembly models are properly produced within a reasonable amount of time.

The Interplay between Autophagy and NLRP3 Inflammasome in Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is characterized by a limited blood supply to organs, followed by the restoration of blood flow and reoxygenation. In addition to ischemia, blood flow recovery can also lead to very harmful injury, especially inflammatory injury. Autophagy refers to the transport of cellular materials to the lysosomes for degradation, leading to the conversion of cellular components and offering energy and macromolecular precursors. It can maintain the balance of synthesis, decomposition and reuse of the intracellular components, and participate in many physiological processes and diseases. Inflammasomes are a kind of protein complex. Under physiological and pathological conditions, as the cellular innate immune signal receptors, inflammasomes sense pathogens to trigger an inflammatory response. TheNLRP3 inflammasome is the most deeply studied inflammasome and is composed of NLRP3, the adaptor apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and pro-caspase-1. Its activation triggers the cleavage of pro-interleukin (IL)-1β and pro-IL-18 mediated by caspase-1 and promotes a further inflammatory process. Studies have shown that autophagy and the NLRP3 inflammasome play an important role in the process of I/R injury, but the relevant mechanisms have not been fully explained, especially how the interaction between autophagy and the NLRP3 inflammasome participates in I/R injury, which remains to be further studied. Therefore, we reviewed the recent studies about the interplay between autophagy and the NLRP3 inflammasome in I/R injury and analyzed the mechanisms to provide the theoretical references for further research in the future.

Scout-bot: Leveraging API Community Knowledge for Exploration and Discovery of API Learning Resources


 
 
 Application Programming Interface (API) is a core technology that facilitates developers’ productivity by enabling the reuse of software components. Understanding APIs and gaining knowledge about their usage are therefore fundamental needs for developers. Here, API documentation plays a pivotal role in enabling developers to take full advantage of the benefits brought by APIs. The quality of API documentation has therefore become an important concern given the celerity and dynamics at which APIs are now being made available to users. This article aims at exploring existing research in the area of API documentation in order to identify the associated quality dimensions addressed by the literature. The research is carried out as a systematic mapping study where 103 research papers selected from the literature were reviewed and a total of 5 core quality dimensions were identified and analyzed. By focusing on the two most relevant quality dimensions (understandability and completeness), this article presents an approach to enable API users to explore, discover and learn about APIs through API topic issues discussed in Stack Overflow (SO). We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach through Scout-bot, our tool for exploration and discovery of API topic issues.
 
 

Coding the circularity. Design for the disassembly and reuse of building components

The architecture design today has new expressive features due to the parametric and computational modelling software, which greatly amplify the potential of language. This condition makes it possible to generate customised elements and systems through a process of cyber-physical interaction between design and architectural production. As well as the geometric constraints, dictated by manufacturing and assembly processes of materials, they can be incorporated in the generative design codes. The article examines the possibility to also include the main conditions that enable the selective disassembly of the elements and their reuse at the end of life, avoiding the generation of parts that are not remanufacturable or reusable.

Critical technical design principles for maximizing the reuse of building components

The reuse of building components plays a pivotal role in construction and demolition waste reduction. Reuse can be a part of the deconstruction process resulting in cost and environmental benefits. Several studies have identified various design principles that facilitate the deconstruction process. These may consequently maximize the reusability of building components. However, the extent to which these measures are effective is unclear. This study examines the importance of these principles in relation to the reusability of building components. A questionnaire survey investigating design principles based on previous studies was administered to building industry professionals including civil engineers, architects and demolition contractors. It was designed to determine the degree of suitability and relevance of the design principles to the practice of reuse. Over 170 responses were collected and analysed using a number of statistical approaches including ANOVA and factor analysis to identify critical technical design principles (TDPs) and to determine the potential relationships among them. Nine TDPs were identified as highly significant for the practice of reuse. Statistically significant differences between the opinions of demolition contractors and of building designers to eight principles were also determined and are also discussed.

Requirement prioritization framework using case‐based reasoning: A mining‐based approach

AbstractIn the current era of technology and development, component‐based software development (CBSD) has been progressively implemented. Components are used in large products for multiple users with diverse viewpoints and are highly configurable to provide higher satisfaction. Components are reused because of their similar functionality to reduce complexity and ensure the correct interaction between interfaces during product development. However, implementation of component functionalities creates complications due to improper specification, prioritization of components requirements, encapsulated functionalities, and more human interaction. Furthermore, due to configurability and the involvement of multiple stakeholders, ambiguity and semantic issues arise in the behaviour of reusable components. To overcome semantic‐based specification and prioritization components' related issues, we propose a framework that uses text mining and case‐based reasoning (CBR) techniques. Results of our empirical evaluation demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly outperforms the conventional technique.

Decision Framework to Balance Environmental, Technical, Logistical, and Economic Criteria When Designing Structures With Reused Components

The reuse of structural components in new buildings has great potential to reduce the environmental impacts of the construction sector but remains uncommon practice. An obstacle to its wider implementation is the lack of robust assessment methods and decision-making tools that consider the full spectrum of benefits and drawbacks. This paper proposes a multi-criteria decision framework that builds on a simulated set of design alternatives with varying ratios of reused and new structural components. A set of performance criteria is presented, addressing procurement risks, construction technique complexity, environmental impacts, and project costs. As the independent criterion evaluations often deliver conflicting results, a multi-criteria decision analysis helps identify the most appropriate solution. The design of a steel Pratt truss is used as a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the framework. Different alternatives with reuse rates above 65% are recommended for each preference scenario, reducing between 35 and 45% of adverse environmental impacts in comparison to an equivalent design made of new elements only. The study underpins the principle that there is no trivial and unique best option when designing with reused components. Multi-criteria decision analyses applied to structures with varying reuse rates constitute a promising tool to support decision-makers.

DEVELOPMENT OF MODELS FOR ELIMINATION OF EMERGENCIES ON VEHICLES WITH ALTERNATIVE FUELS

Introduction. The growing demand and use of vehicles on alternative fuels pose several challenges to humanity. Starting from the development and implementation of technological processes and algorithms for safe production, transportation, storage in the large capacity of lithiumion elements (batteries) and energy sources under high pressure (hydrogen cylinders) and ending with the process of final processing and reuse of the above-mentioned components of vehicles on alternative sources energy.The purpose and objectives of the study. The purpose of the work is to research the readiness and activities of fire and rescue units for acting as intended, namely - the elimination of possible (potential) threats in the event of emergencies on vehicles with alternative fuels. To achieve this goal it is necessary to determine the current group of vehicles on alternative fuels; describe the main danger of such vehicles; to develop an appropriate conceptual (imitation) model of actions of fire and rescue units in case of actions on purpose on similar vehicles.Methods. To achieve the goal and objectives of the study used theoretical research methods, which included analysis of the main dangers of vehicles on alternative fuels, generalization of the results of the study with their following systematization to achieve the goal of the study.Results. According to the literature review results, the probable hazards associated with the elimination of emergencies at EV and HFCEV were identified. To protect the personal fire and rescue units involved in the elimination of such emergencies, an algorithm of rescuers' actions was developed in case of the threat of fire of the EV battery, the threat of ignition of hydrogen tanks in the HFCEV, the threat of ignition of the battery.Conclusions. The presented conceptual (imitation) model of actions of fire and rescue units in case of possible dangers associated with EV and HFCV provide a scientific basis. For further development and development of a decision support system that can be expressed in the form of application software. For further development of a life cycle model of emergency response projects on vehicles with alternative fuels.

REUTILIZACIÓN DE ELEMENTOS DE ÓSMOSIS INVERSA DE LOS PROCESOS DE DESALACIÓN

This paper is based on the study for the evaluation of the processes of reuse and recycling of reverse osmosis components and membranes in the Canary Islands and Macaronesia, within the DESAL+ project and in the framework of the DESAL+ LIVING LAB platform, coordinated by the Canary Islands Technological Institute (ITC) and the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), with the support of the Interreg-MAC Programme. Reverse osmosis membranes could be reused in the same or another desalination plant by replacing the membranes in the first, dirtier positions with those in the last, less damaged positions. Also, by changing the best first-stage membranes to the second and vice versa, the useful life of these membranes could be extended through chemical cleaning and a second life could be given in tertiary treatment plants, reuse in industrial processes where they use special reverse osmosis membranes and degrade rapidly, in processes with leachate from landfill waste and also an interesting option is the oxidation of reverse osmosis elements to obtain nano-filtration, ultrafiltration or micro-filtration membranes for the removal of physical dirt. The main categories of thermal processing recycling commonly used in industry include incineration and pyrolysis to produce energy, gas and fuel. These processes can be applied to mixed plastic waste, such as the combination of materials used in the manufacture of reverse osmosis membranes. The recycling of reverse osmosis elements from desalination plants is shown as an opportunity, nowadays existing pioneering initiatives in Europe. Energy recovery, via incineration, is feasible but is not considered in accordance with the environmental, social and political problems that this may generate. However, the recycling of the reverse osmosis elements via pyrolytic industry for fuel production can be centralized in a new industry already planned in the Canary Islands and all the osmosis membranes that are obsolete can be sent there. This is a technically and economically viable business opportunity with a promising future in today's recycling market as studied in the paper.

Experience in Designing for Cyber Resiliency in Embedded DoD Systems

AbstractIn DoD systems, software component reuse is highly valued, and development is rarely started from scratch. Most embedded weapon systems are a heterogeneous mixture of new, modified, and legacy components. This mixture drives an increased impetus to improve upon the existing system's model, and also creates an opportunity to assess potential cyber vulnerabilities earlier in the lifecycle. In this paper, we describe our experience in developing an experimental platform, which is a representative testbed that incorporates legacy, modified, and new components, using a process where we address cyber resiliency early in development. We give accounts of where each of the parts of our representative testbed originated, what modeling decisions we made, and how we analyzed cyber vulnerabilities. We also propose a system engineering process, based on architectural modeling of the system, which introduces analysis early in the design for cyber resiliency. We are developing an approach to use advanced tools to find vulnerabilities and to develop cyber resiliency requirements to counter those vulnerabilities. The creation of the model and documentation of cyber resiliency requirements and design decisions provide a positive impact on the system lifecycle and future integration of the system.

Verification of Dual Port RAM using System Verilog and UVM

Verification process place a prominent role in the field of SoC and ASIC design. Several verification methodologies are there apart from those Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) is advanced and it is widely used by the industries due to its special features. UVM provides reusable and well-structured verification components by using System Verilog class library. In this work, Dual Port RAM is considered as Design Under Test (DUT). System Verilog and UVM verification environments are developed to verify the DUT. Assertion and cover group coverage are set up with a goal of achieving 100% from both the environments.

CORBA-Based Class Scheduling Framework Using Decorator and Facade Design Patterns

Class scheduling problem has been regarded as one of the most difficult yet important challenges for developers developing timetabling applications. Different algorithms or schemes were devised to address such problems. Yet, considering the growing complexity of the input factors, it contributes to difficulties in maintaining the said system. In order to aid in the development and maintenance of such a system, this paper presents an object-oriented approach to designing a class scheduling paradigm using decorator and facade design patterns with CORBA architecture. This technique was based on the concepts of several existing object-oriented components of Windows GUI platforms. The paradigm designs are expressed using Unified Modeling Language (UML) and illustrated in a Java programming environment. The result of the study is a simplified method for designing an efficient and reusable component for the class scheduling model.

A Fast and Scalable Heuristic for the Solution of Large-Scale Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problems

In this paper, we propose a fast and scalable, yet effective, metaheuristic called FILO to solve large-scale instances of the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem. Our approach consists of a main iterative part, based on the Iterated Local Search paradigm, which employs a carefully designed combination of existing acceleration techniques, as well as novel strategies to keep the optimization localized, controlled, and tailored to the current instance and solution. A Simulated Annealing-based neighbor acceptance criterion is used to obtain a continuous diversification, to ensure the exploration of different regions of the search space. Results on extensively studied benchmark instances from the literature, supported by a thorough analysis of the algorithm’s main components, show the effectiveness of the proposed design choices, making FILO highly competitive with existing state-of-the-art algorithms, both in terms of computing time and solution quality. Finally, guidelines for possible efficient implementations, algorithm source code, and a library of reusable components are open-sourced to allow reproduction of our results and promote further investigations.

Expandable Houses: An Explorative Life Cycle Cost Analysis

In addition to the environmental burden of its construction and demolition activities, the Flemish housing market faces a structural affordability challenge. As one possible answer, this research explores the potential of so-called expandable houses, being built increasingly often. Through specific design choices that enable the disassembly and future reuse of individual components and so align with the idea of a circular economy, expandable houses promise to provide ever-changing homes with a smaller impact on the environment and at a lower cost for clients. In this paper, an expandable house suitable for various housing needs is conceived through a scenario-based research-by-design approach and compared to a reference house for Flanders. Subsequently, for both houses the life cycle costs are calculated and compared. The results of this exploration support the proposition that designing expandable houses can be a catalyst for sustainable, circular housing development and that households could benefit from its social, economic and ecological qualities. It requires, however, a dynamic perspective on evaluating their life-cycle impact.

Environmentally friendly disposal of used automotive oil filters: legislative aspects and technology

Due to external environmental concerns, new European Union (EU) legislation is currently increasing the requirements for the disposal of vehicles and their used components. Used automotive oil filters (UAOF) are both a threat to the environment and contain valuable components for reuse. Waste minimization, their environmentally safe disposal, neutralization, utilization and conservation of natural resources is an urgent global problem. It is the legislative rationale for solving this problem and the search for an environmentally friendly UAOF recycling technology that is the purpose of this study. The legislative aspects were studied by reviewing the current regulatory and legislative documents of Ukraine and the EU countries, as well as scientific literature. The reviewed scientific literature was collected from three main databases: Scopus, Web of Science, ResearchGate, where the corresponding keywords. It was found that the current legislation in the field of waste management is not perfect and has many gaps and contradiction. The search for environmentally friendly technology was carried out in different temperature conditions and using different amounts of detergents, which made it possible to determine the most effective detergent sodium percarbonate (Na2CO3∙1.5 H2O2) - a chemical compound that is a safe and convenient carrier of hydrogen peroxide. As a result of the conducted theoretical and experimental researches the complex utilization technology of UAOF and the detailed algorithm is presented. The scheme process plant for washing the contaminated filter paper and the washing technology, which allows retrieving resource valuable components, has been developed. It is experimentally proved that pre-treatment of the filter paper with a washing solution allows reducing the number of pollutants, namely the content of waste oil is reduced by 55%, and the number of pollutants in the flue gases by 89% of sulphur (IV) oxide, 15% of nitrogen (IV) oxide, 66% of carbon (ІІ) oxide, 86% of carbon (soot).

Sustainable manufacture of scalable product families based on modularity

This article presents a redesign methodology based on modularity to minimize resource consumption and reuse components, avoiding the need to replace a whole product with another with higher functional performance. The method employs two decision algorithms to modularize product families that offer the same functionality in different levels (i.e., scalable functions) based on design parameters such as geometry, size, and functional relationships among components. The proposed approach's benefits are demonstrated through a case study of a family of upper limb prostheses. Significant improvements in the manufacturing stage, such as raw material and energy consumption, manufacturing cost, and complexity, were obtained from implementing the method. Other benefits in the use stage were also obtained from modularization, increasing the product family's reuse of components.