A Framework Supporting Life-Cycle Guidance for Fabricating Micro Components by Compression Moulding

Author(s):  
P. J. Farrugia ◽  
P. Vella ◽  
M. Mifsud

Micro-products and components are rapidly increasing in a range of sectors. This demand requires industrial technologies capable of mass producing polymer micro products at a reasonable price. These two requirements are satisfied by the use of replication technologies such as micro compression moulding (μCM). A literature review that we conducted revealed that there is indeed little if any work explicitly related to the domain of micro compression moulding. In addition, a design methodology in micro manufacturing is still in its infancy and that there is a shortage of relevant DFX guidelines. Thus, this research aims at developing a framework for a computer-based tool whereby micro-product stakeholders are guided to select the correct mould features, material, machine and process parameters for fabricating components via micro compression moulding. The paper presents a framework developed to meet this goal. A proof-of-concept tool has also been implemented based on this framework. This tool was evaluated by typical case studies and also presented to a number of experts in the field. Preliminary evaluation results provide a degree of evidence that technology based on the framework contributes a step towards providing guidance for the design and manufacture of mould tools for fabricating μ-components by compression moulding. Another contribution of this paper is the preliminary fabrication platform using μCM. Future work is however required mainly to assess the economic feasibility of the fabrication platform, to address the limitations of the implemented tool, and to assess its effectiveness in practice.

Author(s):  
Verónica Lango-Reynoso ◽  
Karla Teresa González-Figueroa ◽  
Fabiola Lango-Reynoso ◽  
María del Refugio Castañeda-Chávez ◽  
Jesús Montoya-Mendoza

Objective: This article describes and analyzes the main concepts of coastal ecosystems, these as a result of research concerning land-use change assessments in coastal areas. Design/Methodology/Approach: Scientific articles were searched using keywords in English and Spanish. Articles regarding land-use change assessment in coastal areas were selected, discarding those that although being on coastal zones and geographic and soil identification did not use Geographic Information System (GIS). Results: A GIS is a computer-based tool for evaluating the land-use change in coastal areas by quantifying variations. It is analyzed through GIS and its contributions; highlighting its importance and constant monitoring. Limitations of the study/Implications: This research analyzes national and international scientific information, published from 2007 to 2019, regarding the land-use change in coastal areas quantified with the digital GIS tool. Findings/Conclusions: GIS are useful tools in the identification and quantitative evaluation of changes in land-use in coastal ecosystems; which require constant evaluation due to their high dynamism.


Author(s):  
Ashwini Kotrashetti ◽  
B. K Lande ◽  
Ajay Poddar

Abstract Conventional multiband antennas suffer from strong interactions among different operating frequencies, complex configurations, low bandwidth, and reduced efficiencies. A design concept for a multibeam multiband antenna in wireless devices is proposed in this paper. The design concept provides a promising approach to augment transmission and reception. The principle of design involves a primary radiating element embedded in a triplate conformation which excites a passive array of multiple frequency secondary radiators, forming a frequency selective structure in triplate (FSST). The higher order mode behavior of the parent antenna characterizes the design of FSST placed in its nearfield. The mathematical modeling and analysis of the design methodology is also presented. As proof of concept, the proposed design methodology is validated with simulations and experiments at four unlicensed communication bands and the results are compared.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Girolamo ◽  
Stephen Politzer-Ahles ◽  
Samantha Ghali ◽  
BRITTANY WILLIAMS

Purpose: Little is known about how others evaluate applicants to master’s programs in speech-language pathology along criteria used during holistic review, despite more programs adopting holistic review. This knowledge gap limits our understanding of whether holistic admissions may offer a more equitable pathway to entering speech-language pathology. This study investigated how faculty and Ph.D. students evaluated applicants to master’s speech-language pathology programs along criteria used during holistic review.Method: We administered a survey online through a Qualtrics platform. Respondents (N = 66) were faculty and Ph.D. candidates in U.S. speech-language-hearing departments. Survey blocks included demographics, professional background, and vignettes. Vignettes featured profiles of applicants to master’s programs in speech-language pathology. Vignettes systematically varied in the indicators of applicant criteria, which were specified at low, moderate, or high levels, or not specified. After reading each vignette, respondents rated the applicant and indicated their admissions decision. Analysis included descriptives.Results: Relative to an applicant who was at a high level for all indicators except cultural and linguistic diversity, respondents ranked applicants who varied in their indicators of criteria levels lower. Respondents were also less likely to make an explicit “accept” decision (versus “waitlist” or “reject”) for this latter group of applicants. Conclusion: Even when implementing criteria used during holistic review, applicants who vary from a “high-achieving” stereotype may still face barriers to entry. Future work is needed to understand the precise nature of how holistic admissions review may play out in actual practice and help increase diversity in the profession.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 582-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Ratten ◽  
Carlos Costa ◽  
Marcel Bogers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on emerging research avenues for artisan entrepreneurship. The key findings of the articles in the special journal issue are discussed in terms of potential research issues that need to be discussed in future work. Design/methodology/approach An overview of the main themes of artisan entrepreneurship in terms of cultural and tourism perspectives is undertaken. This helps to establish artisan entrepreneurship as a new and emerging field of entrepreneurship studies. Findings There is more interest in artisan entrepreneurship due to its role in revitalizing economies and placing emphasis on cultural heritage and traditions. Originality/value This paper will provide directions for future research on artisan, cultural and tourism entrepreneurship.


2018 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Haspel ◽  
Asma M. Ali ◽  
Grace C. Huang ◽  
Matt H. Smith ◽  
James B. Atkinson ◽  
...  

Context.— Developing skills related to use of computer-based tools is critical for practicing genomic pathology. However, given the relative novelty of genomics education, residency programs may lack faculty members with adequate expertise and/or time to implement training. A virtual team-based learning (TBL) environment would make genomic pathology education available to more trainees. Objective.— To translate an extensively implemented in-person TBL genomic pathology workshop into a virtual environment and to evaluate both knowledge and skill acquisition. Design.— Using a novel interactive simulation approach, online modules were developed translating aspects of the TBL experience into the virtual environment with a goal of acquisition of necessary computer-related skills. The modules were evaluated at 10 postgraduate pathology training programs using a pre-post test design with participants deidentified. A postmodule anonymous survey obtained participant feedback on module quality and efficacy. Results.— There were 147 trainees who received an email request to voluntarily participate in the study. Of these, 43 trainees completed the pretest and 15 (35%) subsequently completed the posttest. Mean overall scores were 45% on the pretest compared with 70% on the posttest (P < .001; effect size = 1.4). Posttest improvement of results was similar for questions testing acquisition of knowledge versus skills. Regarding the 19 participants who took the survey, 18 (95%) would recommend the modules to others and believed they met the stated objectives. Conclusions.— A simulation-based approach allows motivated pathology trainees to acquire computer-related skills for practicing genomic pathology. Future work can explore efficacy in a nonvoluntary setting and adaptation to different specialties, learners, and computer tools.


2020 ◽  
Vol 121 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 401-409
Author(s):  
Sonia Tiwari

Purpose Information about the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine can be challenging to communicate to children. The purpose of this study is to understand how a children’s eBook can help facilitate conversations between children, families and educators about the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach A children’s eBook Q-Bot: The Quarantine Robot was shared by the researcher with parents and teachers through social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). The story provides information (based on CDC guidelines) on the best health and hygiene practices to avoid catching the virus, while also drawing attention to the hardworking people who are helping us through this experience. Data was collected as public comments on the eBook. Secondary data included other children’s eBooks available on the same theme and their public reviews. Findings Through open coding of comments, the researcher found that the children’s eBook helped in facilitation of discussion between children, parents and teachers; around the pandemic’s effects on health and hygiene practices; and remote learning experiences. A content analysis of other children’s books on this theme revealed a set of guidelines for designing helpful eBooks for pandemic quarantine situations in general. Research limitations/implications Education, media and health researchers may find this study helpful in understanding the potential of children’s eBooks as probes, prompts or communication tools. Practical implications Experts in pandemic-related issues, educators, illustrators and authors may find this study helpful in understanding guidelines for creating educational children’s eBooks for similar situations in the future. Originality/value Both theoretical and practical values are addressed through this study, as it provides helpful literature from past research, offers new insights from current study and guidelines for future work in narrative media design for the pandemic and other similar situations.


The accurate representation of shape which is essential to engineering design and manufacture conventionally has been achieved by two-dimensional drafting but new computer-based methods are being developed. The mathematical representation, manipulation, analysis and synthesis of shape information in a computer is termed computational geometry. A mathematical representation must take into account not only the capabilities and limitations of computer hardware and software but also those of a mathematically unsophisticated user. A distinction is drawn between the fitting of a mathematical representation to a predesigned object and the design of an object ab initio or by modification of an existing mathematical model. Conventional curve and surface fitting techniques have been found to be unsuitable. Several methods of representation which are intended to overcome these problems are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-103
Author(s):  
Tho Thanh Quan ◽  
Xuan H. Luong ◽  
Thanh C. Nguyen ◽  
Hui Siu Cheung

Purpose – Most digital libraries (DL) are now available online. They also provide the Z39.50 standard protocol which allows computer-based systems to effectively retrieve information stored in the DLs. The major difficulty lies in inconsistency between database schemas of multiple DLs. The purpose of this paper is to present a system known as Argumentation-based Digital Library Search (ADLSearch), which facilitates information retrieval across multiple DLs. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed approach is based on argumentation theory for schema matching reconciliation from multiple schema matching algorithms. In addition, a distributed architecture is proposed for the ADLSearch system for information retrieval from multiple DLs. Findings – Initial performance results are promising. First, schema matching can improve the retrieval performance on DLs, as compared to the baseline technique. Subsequently, argumentation-based retrieval can yield better matching accuracy and retrieval efficiency than individual schema matching algorithms. Research limitations/implications – The work discussed in this paper has been implemented as a prototype supporting scholarly retrieval from about 800 DLs over the world. However, due to complexity of argumentation algorithm, the process of adding new DLs to the system cannot be performed in a real-time manner. Originality/value – In this paper, an argumentation-based approach is proposed for reconciling the conflicts from multiple schema matching algorithms in the context of information retrieval from multiple DL. Moreover, the proposed approach can also be applied for similar applications which require automatic mapping from multiple database schemas.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-330
Author(s):  
K. Stanley

Purpose – Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder characterised by excessive appetite and progressive obesity. The causes of hyperphagia are unknown and this has implications on treatment limiting the options available. The purpose of this paper is to systematically synthesise the latest evidence regarding all causes as well as management of hyperphagia in people with PWS. Design/methodology/approach – A computer-based literature search, citation tracking and related articles search was undertaken. Primary research studies using genetically confirmed Prader-Willi participants specifically focused on the causes and treatment of overeating was included. Studies were described, critically analysed, presented and discussed in the review. Findings – In total, 18 relevant studies were identified. Nine studies were included in the causes of hyperphagia and focused largely on the roles of secretory hormones, and reward-related areas of the brain. Nine studies were included in the management of hyperphagia and related to physical exercise and food control, antidiabetic agents and weight loss surgery. Originality/value – The causes and the management of hyperphagia are still to be determined despite promising findings. The small number and heterogeneity of the included studies and participants limits conclusions. There is the need for future research to use larger systematic studies to validate findings so far.


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