scholarly journals A Research Roadmap for Sustainable Design Methods and Tools

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8174
Author(s):  
Jeremy Faludi ◽  
Steven Hoffenson ◽  
Sze Yin Kwok ◽  
Michael Saidani ◽  
Sophie I. Hallstedt ◽  
...  

Sustainable design methods and tools abound, but their implementation in practice remains marginal. This article brings together results from previous literature reviews and analyses of sustainable design methods and tools, as well as input from design researchers and professional practitioners to identify the needs and gaps in the area. It results in a shared vision of how sustainable design methods and tools can be more tightly integrated into mainstream product design and development, as well as the current state of practice and research in relation to four central questions: What are the needs and values of industry regarding sustainable design? What improvements in sustainable design methods and tools would most drive industry forward? How should researchers move forward with developing more useful sustainable design methods and tools? How can sustainable design be more effectively integrated into industry? A roadmap for the international sustainable design research community is proposed with descriptions of short-, medium-, and long-term tasks for addressing each question. The purpose is to support collective progress and discussions on method and tool development and adoption, and to enable more tangible success in mainstreaming sustainable design practices in industry.

Author(s):  
Kjartan Pedersen ◽  
Jan Emblemsvåg ◽  
Reid Bailey ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
Farrokh Mistree

Abstract Validation of engineering research is typically anchored in the scientific inquiry tradition that is based primarily on logical induction and / or deduction. Since much engineering research is based on mathematical modeling, this kind of validation has worked — and still works — very well. There are, however, other areas of engineering research that rely on subjective statements as well as mathematical modeling, which makes this type of validation problematic. One such area is that of design methods within the field of engineering design. In this paper, we explore the question of how one validates design research in general, and design methods in particular. Being anchored in the scientific inquiry tradition, research validation is strongly tied to a fundamental problem addressed in epistemology, namely, what is scientific knowledge and how is new knowledge confirmed? Thus, we first look to epistemology for answers to why an approach solely based on ‘formal, rigorous and quantifiable’ validation constitutes a problem, and for an augmented approach to research validation. We then propose the ‘Validation Square’ which we validate by testing its internal consistency based on logic in addition to testing its external relevance based on its usefulness with respect to a purpose. We recognize that no one has the complete answer to the question we pose. To help us converge on an answer to these questions we “think aloud” and invite you to join us in doing the same. It is our hope that in so doing we, the members of this design research community, will all be the richer for it.


Author(s):  
Achille Messac ◽  
Wei Chen

Abstract In this paper, we invite the engineering design research community to examine the current state of the engineering design lexicon. We expose the nature and the pervasiveness of practices that often hinder intelligible discourse within the engineering design literature. In particular, we show how such commonly used terms as criterion and metric are used sometimes as synonyms and sometimes not, often leading to material miscommunications. In our view, the engineering design discipline has reached a point in its evolution where clarity and conciseness of its lexicon should be a priority. Today’s design activity takes place in a truly multidisciplinary environment, which often involves engineers of diverse backgrounds. Written and oral design discourse among design researchers does not rely on a generally accepted and documented lexicon. These situations are symptomatic of a communication infrastructure that is not effectively facilitating the vigorous evolution of the engineering design discipline of recent years. In addition to detailing the outlines of the design lexicon deficiency, we also propose some avenues to a constructive and productive community-wide discussion on this subject. We invite readers to contribute their views by participating in the web discussion at http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Research/DBD/.


2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Faludi ◽  
Felix Yiu ◽  
Ola Srour ◽  
Rami Kamareddine ◽  
Omar Ali ◽  
...  

When teaching sustainable design in industry or academia, we should teach design methods, activities, and mindsets that are most effective at driving real change in a industry. However, most studies of design practices are performed on students, not on professionals. How strongly do student perceptions of value predict those of industry teams designing real products? This study provided workshops on three sustainable design methods (The Natural Step, Whole System Mapping, and Biomimicry) for 172 professionals and 204 students, applying the methods to their actual products being developed. It surveyed both populations about which activities or mindsets within each design method provided sustainability value, innovation value, and overall value. Quantitatively, student results did not strongly predict professional opinions; professionals chose clearer favorites and valued more things. However, qualitatively, student results did predict the reasons why professionals would value the design activities and mindsets. Therefore, care should be taken to choose appropriate participants for the questions being asked in sustainable design research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (16) ◽  
pp. 15-34
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Lingling Zhang ◽  
Xin Xu

The act of reading has benefits for individuals and societies, which can be a long-term commitment. While the overload of books information and readers’ specific needs make book recommendation (BR) in demand, BR is receiving great attention from the research community with different perspectives. The increasing amount of research conducted with BR calls for a classification methodology regarding trends and distribution in this field. This paper presents a study of recommender systems in the domain of BR. The main goal of this work is to provide authors with insights on the trends of academic literature reviews in the proposed context and to present a comparison of different research approaches. The authors searched for up-to-date research papers related to recommender systems for BR within a time period of eighteen years, from 2000 to 2018. Starting from 2000, a significant amount of research related to the subject field of recommender systems was conducted, which led to the first ACM Conference on Recommender Systems. After the filtering process, 39 papers were finally selected from journals, conferences and theses in five different academic databases (i.e. IEEE, ACM, Science Direct, Springer and ProQuest). The general classification is presented in this work, in order to describe the recommendation approaches for BR. This work can be extended in the future to include novel methodologies and trends of recommender systems for BR or other fields.


Author(s):  
Tatiana Vasilievna Pomogaeva ◽  
Aliya Ahmetovna Aseinova ◽  
Yuriy Aleksandrovich Paritskiy ◽  
Vjacheslav Petrovich Razinkov

The article presents annual statistical data of the Caspian Research Institute of Fishery. There has been kept track of the long term dynamics of the stocks of three species of Caspian sprat (anchovy, big-eyed kilka, sprat) and investigated a process of substituting a food item of sprats Eurytemora grimmi to a small-celled copepod species Acartia tonsa Dana. According to the research results, there has been determined growth potential of stocks of each species. Ctenophoran-Mnemiopsis has an adverse effect on sprat population by eating fish eggs and larvae. Ctenophoram - Mnemiopsis is a nutritional competitor to the full-grown fishes. The article gives recommendations on reclamation of stocks of the most perspective species - common sprat, whose biological characteristics helped not to suffer during Ctenophoram outburst and to increase its population during change of the main food item. Hydroacoustic survey data prove the intensive growth of common sprat biomass in the north-west part of the Middle Caspian. According to the results of the research it may be concluded that to realize the volumes of recommended sprat catch it is necessary to organize the marine fishery of common sprat at the Russian Middle Caspian shelf.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Fakhoury ◽  
Zaynab Shakkour ◽  
Firas Kobeissy ◽  
Nada Lawand

Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major health concern affecting the neuropsychological health; TBI is accompanied by drastic long-term adverse complications that can influence many aspects of the life of affected individuals. A substantial number of studies have shown that mood disorders, particularly depression, are the most frequent complications encountered in individuals with TBI. Post-traumatic depression (P-TD) is present in approximately 30% of individuals with TBI, with the majority of individuals experiencing symptoms of depression during the first year following head injury. To date, the mechanisms of P-TD are far from being fully understood, and effective treatments that completely halt this condition are still lacking. The aim of this review is to outline the current state of knowledge on the prevalence and risk factors of P-TD, to discuss the accompanying brain changes at the anatomical, molecular and functional levels, and to discuss current approaches used for the treatment of P-TD.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 332
Author(s):  
Luca Fania ◽  
Francesca Sampogna ◽  
Francesco Ricci ◽  
Mariafrancesca Hyeraci ◽  
Andrea Paradisi ◽  
...  

Background: Systemic photoprotection (i.e., administration of substances such as nicotinamide, carotenoids, and vitamin D) may be important to reduce photocarcinogenesis or to support long-term protection against UV irradiation. Clinical trials showed that oral nicotinamide is effective in reducing the onset of new nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), while other oral photoprotectors failed to achieve the reduction of new melanoma or NMSC formation in humans. The aim of this study was to summarize the current state of knowledge of systemic photoprotection and to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of dermatologists regarding these treatments. Methods: The survey was conducted on a sample of dermatologists recruited according to a snowball sampling procedure. The questionnaire consisted of a first part asking for characteristics of the participant and a second part with 12 specific questions on their knowledge about systemic photoprotection, particularly their knowledge of astaxanthin, β-carotene, nicotinamide, and vitamin D3. Results: One hundred eight dermatologists answered the survey. Most of them (85.2%) stated that oral photoprotectors have a role in the prevention of skin cancer, and responses mainly mentioned nicotinamide. More than half of them (54.6%) had prescribed all the considered oral photoprotectors, but the majority of them had prescribed nicotinamide, mainly for 2 to 3 months during summer, almost invariably (n = 106) associated with topical photoprotectors. Most dermatologists (>80%) were aware of scientific publications demonstrating an effect of systemic photoprotectors on NMSC. Conclusions: Most Italian dermatologists have positive views on oral photoprotection in skin cancer and are aware of the demonstrated potential of nicotinamide in the prevention of NMSCs.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Rudaina Banihani ◽  
Judy Seesahai ◽  
Elizabeth Asztalos ◽  
Paige Terrien Church

Advances in neuroimaging of the preterm infant have enhanced the ability to detect brain injury. This added information has been a blessing and a curse. Neuroimaging, particularly with magnetic resonance imaging, has provided greater insight into the patterns of injury and specific vulnerabilities. It has also provided a better understanding of the microscopic and functional impacts of subtle and significant injuries. While the ability to detect injury is important and irresistible, the evidence for how these injuries link to specific long-term outcomes is less clear. In addition, the impact on parents can be profound. This narrative summary will review the history and current state of brain imaging, focusing on magnetic resonance imaging in the preterm population and the current state of the evidence for how these patterns relate to long-term outcomes.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 844
Author(s):  
Armando Tripodi

Lupus anticoagulant (LA) is one of the three laboratory parameters (the others being antibodies to either cardiolipin or β2-glycoprotein I) which defines the rare but potentially devastating condition known as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Testing for LA is a challenging task for the clinical laboratory because specific tests for its detection are not available. However, proper LA detection is paramount for patients’ management, as its persistent positivity in the presence of (previous or current) thrombotic events, candidate for long term anticoagulation. Guidelines for LA detection have been established and updated over the last two decades. Implementation of these guidelines across laboratories and participation to external quality assessment schemes are required to help standardize the diagnostic procedures and help clinicians for appropriate management of APS. This article aims to review the current state of the art and the challenges that clinical laboratories incur in the detection of LA.


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