NFTs will have wide applications once hype settles

Significance Yet NFTs divide opinion over whether they are a bubble waiting to burst or will redefine ownership of digital assets and become a core element of the metaverse. The two outcomes are not mutually exclusive. Impacts Digitisation will increase the need to replicate physical properties such as scarcity, uniqueness and proof of ownership of digital assets. An NFT's value is based on what a buyer is willing to pay for it, making it a speculative alternative asset class for investors. NFTs mostly require a cryptocurrency to purchase, thus tying their value to another volatile asset.

Subject Cryptocurrencies outlook Significance The market capitalisation of cryptocurrencies has increased tenfold from a year ago to more than 120 billion dollars. A bitcoin, at par with an ounce of gold as recently as May, now costs nearly three times as much. This year capital raisings from Initial Coin Offerings have significantly surpassed venture capital investment into blockchain-based technologies. Impacts New cryptocurrencies will be blockchain-based cryptographic tokens that represent digital assets such as storage space or computing power. Cryptocurrencies will become their own asset class as values rise across the board with little correlation to other assets. Bitcoin will continue to undergo the transformation necessary for it to retain its dominance, which is reducing. Cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings will test the limits of existing laws and regulations.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baneswar Sarker ◽  
Shankar Chakraborty

Purpose Like all other natural fibers, the physical properties of cotton also vary owing to changes in the related genetic and environmental factors, which ultimately affect both the mechanics involved in yarn spinning and the quality of the yarn produced. However, information is lacking about the degree of influence that those properties impart on the spinnability of cotton fiber and the strength of the final yarn. This paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes the application of discriminant analysis as a multivariate regression tool to develop the causal relationships between six cotton fiber properties, i.e. fiber strength (FS), fiber fineness (FF), upper half mean length (UHML), uniformity index (UI), reflectance degree and yellowness and spinning consistency index (SCI) and yarn strength (YS) along with the determination of the respective contributive roles of those fiber properties on the considered dependent variables. Findings Based on the developed discriminant function, it can be revealed that FS, UI, FF and reflectance degree are responsible for higher YS. On the other hand, with increasing values of UHML and fiber yellowness, YS would tend to decrease. Similarly, SCI would increase with higher values of FS, UHML, UI and reflectance degree, and its value would decrease with increasing FF and yellowness. Originality/value The discriminant functions can effectively envisage the contributive role of each of the considered cotton fiber properties on SCI and YS. The discriminant analysis can also be adopted as an efficient tool for investigating the effects of various physical properties of other natural fibers on the corresponding yarn characteristics.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinchai Chinvorarat ◽  
Pumyos Vallikul

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a novel retractable main landing gear for a light amphibious airplane, while the design, synthesis and analysis are given in details for constructing the main landing gear. Design/methodology/approach The constraint three-position synthesis has given the correct path of all linkages that suitably fit the landing gear into the compartment. The additional lock-link is introduced into the design to ensure the securement of the mechanism while landing. Having the telescopic gas-oil shock strut as a core element to absorb the impact load, it enhances the ability and efficiency to withstand higher impact than others type of light amphibious airplane. Findings By kinematics bifurcation analysis, the optimized value of the unlock spring stiffness at 90 N/m can be found to tremendously reduce the extended-retracted linear actuator force from 500 N to 150 N at the beginning of the retraction sequence. This could limit the size and weight of the landing gear actuator of the light amphibious airplane. Practical implications The drop test of the landing gear to comply with the ASTM f-2245 (Standard Specification for Design and Performance of a Light Sport Airplane) reveals that the novel landing gear can withstand the impact load at the drop height determined by the standard. The maximum impact loading 4.8 G occurs at the drop height of 300 mm, and there is no sign of any detrimental or failure of the landing gear or the structure of the light amphibious airplane. The impact settling time response reaches the 2% of steady-state value in approximately 1.2 s that ensure the safety and stability of the amphibious airplane if it subjects to an accidentally hard landing. Originality/value This paper presents unique applications of a retractable main landing gear of a light amphibious airplane. The proposed landing gear functions properly and complies with the drop test standard, ensuring the safety and reliability of the airplane and exploiting the airworthiness certification process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 5143-5167
Author(s):  
Moataz Alosaimi ◽  
Daniel Lesnic ◽  
Jitse Niesen

Purpose This study aims to at numerically retrieve five constant dimensional thermo-physical properties of a biological tissue from dimensionless boundary temperature measurements. Design/methodology/approach The thermal-wave model of bio-heat transfer is used as an appropriate model because of its realism in situations in which the heat flux is extremely high or low and imposed over a short duration of time. For the numerical discretization, an unconditionally stable finite difference scheme used as a direct solver is developed. The sensitivity coefficients of the dimensionless boundary temperature measurements with respect to five constant dimensionless parameters appearing in a non-dimensionalised version of the governing hyperbolic model are computed. The retrieval of those dimensionless parameters, from both exact and noisy measurements, is successfully achieved by using a minimization procedure based on the MATLAB optimization toolbox routine lsqnonlin. The values of the five-dimensional parameters are recovered by inverting a nonlinear system of algebraic equations connecting those parameters to the dimensionless parameters whose values have already been recovered. Findings Accurate and stable numerical solutions for the unknown thermo-physical properties of a biological tissue from dimensionless boundary temperature measurements are obtained using the proposed numerical procedure. Research limitations/implications The current investigation is limited to the retrieval of constant physical properties, but future work will investigate the reconstruction of the space-dependent blood perfusion coefficient. Practical implications As noise inherently present in practical measurements is inverted, the paper is of practical significance and models a real-world situation. Social implications The findings of the present paper are of considerable significance and interest to practitioners in the biomedical engineering and medical physics sectors. Originality/value In comparison to Alkhwaji et al. (2012), the novelty and contribution of this work are as follows: considering the more general and realistic thermal-wave model of bio-heat transfer, accounting for a relaxation time; allowing for the tissue to have a finite size; and reconstructing five thermally significant dimensional parameters.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvinija Petrulyte ◽  
Deimante Vankeviciute ◽  
Donatas Petrulis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the physical properties of smart aromatherapic ramie/cotton terry fabrics containing microcapsules (MC) with essential Eucalyptus oil. Design/methodology/approach – Terry fabrics are manufactured by changing the weft density. The air permeability is determined for grey and microencapsulated textile. The factorial designs are made. For informative experiment the linear type of regression is analysed. Development of physical properties of microencapsulated terry fabrics is discussed. Findings – The air permeability of aromatherapic terry fabrics is determined. All statistical analysis is performed. Appropriate conclusions about the influence of fabric’s structure and microencapsulating process on terry fabric quality are made. Originality/value – To date there are no investigations concerning terry textiles with fragrance MC. This study developed analysis and empiric mathematical equations suitable for evaluating and designing terry fabrics with the air permeability required. Assessment of the influence of fabric’s weft density and binder concentration for the air permeability of terry textile is proposed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shameer Hisham ◽  
Hairul Anuar Tajuddin ◽  
Norazilawati Muhamad Sarih ◽  
Nur Zarith Diana Diana Zakaria ◽  
Zul Hazrin Zainal Abidin ◽  
...  

Purpose In this work, the blends of poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA and poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid monoethyl ester), PMVEMA-ES are studied as organic coatings to evaluate the impact of intermolecular hydrogen bonding on the physical and thermal characteristics of the prepared coatings. Design/methodology/approach PMMA (Mw = 120,000 g mol-1) was chosen as our binder material. Due to the low adhesion property of PMMA on polar substrates, it was blended with PMVEMA-ES, which contains polar –COOH groups, to improve the adhesion and thermal properties of the coatings by forming intermolecular hydrogen bonds. A cross-hatch adhesion test was carried out to evaluate the adhesion strength of different ratios of PMMA/PMVEMA-ES blends as coatings. In addition, changes in the glass-transition temperature, Tg as the composition varies were studied using Differential Scanning Calorimetry, DSC. Then, glossiness and hiding power tests were also conducted to evaluate the physical properties of the prepared coatings. Findings Upon a closer look at the DSC results, it was found that blends consisting of 12.5, 25.0 and 87.5 wt. % PMMA were completely compatible due to the presence of only a single Tg in their thermograms. Other blend compositions showed two distinct Tgs, indicating partial compatibility. Furthermore, the addition of PMVEMA-ES caused the Tg of PMMA to shift to lower temperatures, a strong indication of intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between the two components. From the cross-hatch adhesion results, the addition of PMVEMA-ES improved the adhesion properties of PMMA coating, except for blends consisting of 62.5 and 75.0 wt. % PMMA possibly due to the partial incompatibility between the two components. These findings were further corroborated with the results of glossiness and hiding power measurements. The superior result was seen for the blend consisting of 12.5 wt. % PMMA with strong adhesion property, high glossiness, compatibility and high translucency. Practical implications PMVEMA-ES can potentially be used as an adhesion promoter in PMMA-based coating formulations. Originality/value This is the first report on the properties of PMMA/PMVEMA-ES blends as coatings.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darya Ewaznezhad Fard ◽  
Saeideh Gorji Kandi ◽  
Marziyeh Khatibzadeh

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in the performance of ink formulations caused by the addition of compounds that improve the ink’s physical properties to achieve an optimum formulation for inkjet printing, because of the importance and simplicity of this method. Design/methodology/approach Ink samples were formulated using Acid Red 14 as ink colorant, different percentages of polymeric compounds including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone and Carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) as viscosity modifier compounds and surfactant as the surface tension enhancer. Formulated samples were adjusted in terms of fluid physical properties e.g. viscosity, density and surface tension, and the effect of used compounds on the improvement of both physical and colorimetric properties such as viscosity, surface tension, colorimetric coordinates and lightfastness has been evaluated to achieve the optimum printing inks to be printed on three different substrates. Findings The experimental observations showed that CMC was the most compatible compound as the viscosity modifier as its viscosity value was in the printable range of 2–22 cP. Moreover, a flow-curve test was applied to the ink samples and their Newtonian behavior was approved. Based on the spectrophotometric test results of printed samples, the samples containing PVA provided acceptable lightfastness in comparison to other ink samples on every used substrate. Originality/value An optimum relation between colorimetric coordinates of the printed samples and ink formulation could be considered and achieved.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Liu ◽  
Chunyu Zhang ◽  
Chih-Cheng Fang

PurposeEmployee health is a major challenge for enterprises. Fostering a healthy work environment and promoting employee engagement are key to addressing this challenge. Health-promoting leadership and employee health are the driving forces of corporate development; at the same time, employability is the core element of employee relations. Based on self-determination theory, this study aims to explore the effects of health-promoting leadership and employee health on employee engagement in light of employee employability.Design/methodology/approachThe data of this study encompass 723 valid questionnaires from employees of MSME in China. This study focuses on health-promoting leadership and employee health, engagement relationship and the above relationship moderating by employability.FindingsHealth-promoting leadership plays a key role in the workplace, results show that health-promoting leadership has a positive impact on employee health and employee engagement, while employee health did not have a positive effect on employee engagement. Employability negatively moderated the relationship between employee health and employee engagement.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based on cross-sectional survey data collected at the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic rapidly and continuously changed the organizational responses to employee health. Future studies could utilize longitudinal methods or focus on measurement instruments of the culture of health, to create additional insights about health promoting.Originality/valueThis study adds important knowledge regarding health-promoting leadership and employee health in Chinese MSMEs, an area for which limited research exists. The findings provide insights and knowledge about health-promoting leadership how to affect employee health and to improve engagement outcomes. The findings also identify the moderating role of employability.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 237-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trine Lise Bakken ◽  
Vibeke Gjersoe ◽  
Espen Matre ◽  
Tone Kristiansen ◽  
Arvid Ro ◽  
...  

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss interventions of stabilisation of emotions and behaviour in adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This topic is understudied in persons with intellectual disability. Design/methodology/approach – The aim of this study was to investigate interventions of stabilisation in persons with more severe intellectual disability; i.e. persons with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities. Five patients in a specialised psychiatric inpatient unit for patients with intellectual disabilities were included. Information about treatment of the patients was collected through case files, observations, and interviews. The authors of this paper followed a training programme for trauma therapists in addition to the inpatient treatment of the five patients. Findings – Six main areas of stabilisation of emotions and behaviour were identified: validation, anxiety relief, treatment of depressed mood, increased mastering of daily activities, protection against anxiety triggers, and facilitated staff communication. Protection from anxiety triggers seems to be a core element of milieu therapy interventions. Interventions for neurotypical PTSD patients, such as exposure therapy may be contraindicated for patients with more severe intellectual disabilities. Originality/value – Research on interventions of stabilisation towards adults with more severe intellectual disabilities is still in its infancy. The case reports may help milieu therapists to facilitate interventions towards patients with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Feng ◽  
Lei Yin ◽  
Yanfeng Han ◽  
Jiaxu Wang ◽  
Ke Xiao ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to explore the possibility of converting the nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) water-lubricated bearing material into a self-lubricating bearing material by the action of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles and water lubrication. Design/methodology/approach A group of experimental studies was carried out on a ring-on-block friction test. The physical properties, tribological properties and interface structure of PTFE-NBR self-lubricating composites filled with different percentages of PTFE particles were investigated. Findings The experimental results indicated that the reduction in friction and wear is a result of the formation of the lubricating film on the surface of the composites. The lubricating film was formed of a large amount of PTFE particles continuously supplied under water lubrication conditions and the PTFE particles here can greatly enhance the load capacity and lubrication performance. Originality/value In this study, the tribological properties of PTFE particles added to the NBR water-lubricated bearing materials under water lubrication were investigated experimentally, and the research was carried out by a ring-on-block friction test. It is believed that this study can provide some guidance for the application of PTFE-NBR self-lubricating. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-05-2020-0187/


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