Technology Selection Assistance Tool for Positive Energy Districts

Positive energy districts (PEDs) consist of more than three interconnected buildings that annually produce more renewable energy than what is consumed within the district boundaries. To achieve the annual surplus of energy, implementation of renewable-driven and innovative technologies is needed. However, most cities struggle in deciding what technologies are more suitable for their environment due to the lack of information and experience in a holistic approach. A decision-making tool has been developed within MAKING-CITY, with the collaboration of ATELIER project, to assist in the PED technology selection process, empowering cities with information and recommendations, in line with their district context and city objectives.

Optimalisasi Penggunaan WhatsApp Group Sebagai Sarana Komunikasi dan Media Pembelajaran Online Selama Masa Pandemi COVID-19 bagi Guru SD Negeri 10 Pianggu

The readiness of elementary school teachers to use online learning media during the COVID-19 pandemic remains very low. Many teachers are unable to optimize various features of online teaching media, such as the use of WhatsApp. This was also experienced by teachers at SD Negeri 10 Pianggu, IX Koto Sungai Lasi sub-district. Not all teachers can make the best use of WhatsApp as an online learning tool. Some teachers are still unaware of the features accessible on WhatsApp that might be utilized as a learning assistance tool. Therefore it is necessary to provide training for teachers at SD Negeri 10 Pianggu, IX Koto Sungai Lasi sub-district in presenting learning materials through the use of WhatsApp. The implementation of service activities is carried out by providing training through lectures, discussions, and practices. Teachers were given information and knowledge about WhatsApp as a means of online learning medium during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the training activities that were conducted, the teachers demonstrated an eager attitude and a desire to learn more about various features on Whatsapp. Teachers receive training materials fast and can utilize the WhatsApp group as an effective online teaching tool, so the training generates favorable feedback.

Circular economy as assistance for sustainable development in OECD countries

Research background: Circular economy is of great importance, as it plays a vital role in ensuring the reuse of waste created and, therefore, reduces the waste of limited resources, which is the primary goal of the general economic concept. In line with the circular economy, sustainable development gains great attention, as the United Nations announced the sustainable development goals that should be reached by 2030. Hence, the current paper aims at examining whether the circular economy could be treated as an effective assistance tool for sustainable development of OECD countries. Purpose of the article: The paper aims to investigate whether the circular economy could serve as an assistance tool for sustainable development and, therefore, seeks to determine if the circular economy could directly impact a country?s sustainable development. Methods: First, the countries chosen were prioritised using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) methodologies. AHP method was used for weight assignment to the circular economy indicators that were further used for OECD countries? prioritisation procedure for which multi-criteria decision-making method EDAS was employed. Second, to reveal a link between the circular economy ranking results and sustainable development, a comparative analysis was done. Third, the impact of the country?s circular economy on sustainable development was evaluated using the fixed-effect regression model on four years of panel data from 2016 to 2019 for the sample of 32 OECD countries. Findings & value-added: The comparative analysis of the circular economy?s prioritisation results and Sustainable Development Goals Index (SDGI) ranking showed 20 out of 32 matches, assuming a link between the circular economy and sustainable development could be made. The fixed-effect regression equation results demonstrate that the unemployment rate, poverty rate, air pollution exposure, and CO2 emission per capita negatively influence sustainable development. In contrast, indicators such as gross domestic expenditure on R&D, renewable energy, number of passenger cars in use, and households with Internet access positively impact SDGI. The hypothesis that the circular economy is seen as an assistance for sustainable development and directly affects a country?s sustainability was approved. The paper contributes to the scientific literature in the field of circular economy and sustainable development interaction and could be seen as an assumption for new research directions, focusing on the linkage between circular economy and sustainable development. Moreover, the obtained results could contribute to a country?s policy-makers by highlighting the essential indicators of a circular economy that should be considered while forming the strategy of a country?s sustainable development.

Eye-Tracking for Clinical Ophthalmology with Virtual Reality (VR): A Case Study of the HTC Vive Pro Eye’s Usability

Background: A case study is proposed to empirically test and discuss the eye-tracking status-quo hardware capabilities and limitations of an off-the-shelf virtual reality (VR) headset with embedded eye-tracking for at-home ready-to-go online usability in ophthalmology applications. Methods: The eye-tracking status-quo data quality of the HTC Vive Pro Eye is investigated with novel testing specific to objective online VR perimetry. Testing was done across a wide visual field of the head-mounted-display’s (HMD) screen and in two different moving conditions. A new automatic and low-cost Raspberry Pi system is introduced for VR temporal precision testing for assessing the usability of the HTC Vive Pro Eye as an online assistance tool for visual loss. Results: The target position on the screen and head movement evidenced limitations of the eye-tracker capabilities as a perimetry assessment tool. Temporal precision testing showed the system’s latency of 58.1 milliseconds (ms), evidencing its good potential usage as a ready-to-go online assistance tool for visual loss. Conclusions: The test of the eye-tracking data quality provides novel analysis useful for testing upcoming VR headsets with embedded eye-tracking and opens discussion regarding expanding future introduction of these HMDs into patients’ homes for low-vision clinical usability.

Model-based mechanical design of a passive lower-limb exoskeleton for assisting workers in shotcrete projection

Despite the current industrial trend towards automation, many workers are still daily exposed to heavy loads during their duties. Regarding the construction industry, the shotcrete projection results in a particularly arduous whole-body effort for the so-called “concrete reinforcement workers”. In this paper, the design of a passive robotic human assistance tool to assist workers in dealing with the specific task of shotcrete projection will be described. If the design of an effective aid plays a crucial role in improving the job’s quality, following the guidelines given by the French company Eiffage Infrastructures; besides, the acceptance of the proposed solution shall have special consideration. Therefore, starting from an in-site assessment of the scenario, the presented solution has been profoundly adjusted to address the issues coming from this particular task. The exoskeleton adaptability to different lower-limb activities has been preserved without lowering its comfort during daily life in the working area. The developed solution’s operation range has been specifically optimized to assist the worker during specific efforts without hindering the other movements.

Use of 1D mechanical and thermal models to predetermine the heat transferable by a thermal interface material layer in space applications

This paper proposes the use of 1D basic models to build a design assistance tool capable of evaluating the heat transfer between a third-level electronic packaging and its support, considering a conventional configuration where a thermal interface material is placed between these two parts. Using this kind of tool early in the design process may facilitate choices concerning geometry and material. The packaging is modelled by a stepped beam (the equipment) and the interface layer by a nonlinear elastic foundation (the thermal interface material). Considering that the electronic equipment bends under the effect of the forces exerted by the fasteners, the tool makes it possible to determine the contact zone remaining operative after deformation, and the pressure distribution at the interface. Mechanical results are then used to calculate the steady-state heat transfer between the equipment and its support, taking into account the diffusion within the equipment and the thermal interface material, and also the thermal contact resistances, the latter being dependent on the contact pressure. A detailed case study is used to illustrate the utility of the approach. The 1D models are exploited to illustrate the interest of the design assistance tool. The influence of different parameters on the thermal performance is studied and a new innovative proposal is analyzed, which could lead to a significant increase in thermal performance.