Status and Challenges on Design and Implementation of Camber Morphing Mechanisms

This paper presents state-of-the-art technologies of camber morphing mechanisms from the perspectives of design and implementation. Wing morphing technologies are aimed at making the aircraft more energy or aerodynamically efficient during flight by actively adjusting the wing shape, but their mechanism designs and implementation aspects are often overlooked from practical sense in many technical articles. Thus, it is of our interest that we thoroughly investigate morphing mechanisms and their nature of design principles and methodologies from the implementation and test flight aspects, navigate the trends, and evaluate progress for researchers’ methodology selection that possibly turns to design and build stages. This paper categorizes the camber morphing mechanisms from a wide collection of literature on morphing wings and their mechanisms, and the defined classifications are based on mechanism’s design features and synthesis methodology, i.e., by the tools and methods used to solve the design problem. The categories are (1) structure-based, (2) material-based, and (3) hybrid. Most of the structure-based camber morphing mechanisms have distinctive structural features; however, the material-based camber morphing mechanisms make use of material properties and tools to enhance the elastic nature of its structures. Lastly, the hybrid morphing mechanisms are a combination of both the aforementioned categories. In summary, this review provides researchers in the field of morphing mechanisms and wings with choices of materials, actuators, internal and external structure design for wings, and overarching process and design methodologies for implementation with futuristic and practical aspects of flight performance and applications. Moreover, through this critical review of morphing mechanism, selective design criteria for appropriate morphing mechanisms are discussed.

Physical–spatial–technological environments and successful ageing

In this chapter the authors argue that physical, spatial, and technological environments are relevant to successful ageing both in a conceptual and in a practical sense. Conceptually, efforts towards ageing successfully cannot be discussed separately from the various external forces that serve as constraining or enhancing influences in this respect. From a practical point of view, interventions aimed at improving one’s environment become increasingly relevant as an individual’s resources and reserve capacities dwindle. Environments for ageing successfully may be characterized in terms of person–environment docility vs proactivity, person–environment fit vs lack of fit, and person–environment agency vs belonging. The authors link these concepts with various models of successful ageing and discuss practical implications for housing, long-term care environments, neighbourhoods, municipalities, and use of digital technology.

Taking a Just Transition Approach to Practical Decision Making

A just transition that achieves decent work for all, social inclusion and poverty eradication is unlikely to occur without active guidance. Much of the focus for making a just transition a reality is at a more abstract policy scale, and a gap exists for concrete guidance in achieving a just transition in a practical sense. This article provides two frameworks – at a project scale, and at an organisational scale – for assessing alignment with a just transition. It uses the example of energy to illustrate both the scale of the challenge being faced, and how such frameworks could be applied in practice.

Familiarity as a practical sense of place

Familiarity is an elusive concept, capturing what we know intimately and what we only recognize from having seen before. This article aims to disambiguate these interpretations by proposing a sociological conceptualization of familiarity as a dynamic relationship to the world that develops over time and through experience, and that allows one to progressively disattend from what appears as “usual.” Focusing on how urban environments and their human entities become familiar and stop being familiar, I propose that familiarity be thought of as an ongoing relational and interactional achievement, allowing us to focus on our daily activities while relying on a practical knowledge of our surroundings. The conceptualization process unfolds via five questions: What is familiarity? Where does it come from? What threatens it? What does it produce? How can it be operationalized and studied empirically?

Familiarity as a Practical Sense of Place

Familiarity is an elusive concept, capturing what we know intimately and what we only recognize from having seen before. This article aims to disambiguate these interpretations by proposing a sociological conceptualization of familiarity as a dynamic relationship to the world that develops over time and through experience and that allows one to progressively disattend from what appears as “usual.” Focusing on how urban environments and their human entities become familiar and stop being familiar, I propose that familiarity be thought of as an ongoing relational and interactional achievement, allowing us to focus on our daily activities while relying on a practical knowledge of our surroundings. The conceptualization process unfolds via five questions: What is familiarity? Where does it come from? What threatens it? What does it produce? How can it be operationalized and studied empirically?

A Deliberative Orientation to Governing Carbon Dioxide Removal: Actionable Recommendations for National-Level Action

Effective and legitimate governance of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) requires that the needs, interests, and perspectives of those liable to bear the burdens of CDR's effects be present in decision-making and oversight processes. This ideal has been widely recognized in prior academic work. How, though, in a practical sense, is this deliberative aspect of CDR governance to be understood? In this policy brief, we look at the future incorporation of carbon removal pledges into the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of countries under the Paris Agreement, and we argue for and explore a deliberative orientation when it comes to the inclusion of CDR into country-level climate change response goals. The aim is to provide practical guidance on deliberation as a toolkit and set of practices.

16. Locus Standi

This chapter focuses on the concept of locus standi, perhaps the most important way in which administrative law deals with the question of how to balance the protection of individual citizens’ rights and interests with the desire to ensure that government decision-making remains within legal limits and that government bodies (including the courts) are protected from vexatious litigants. It is organised as follows. The first section addresses the law that existed prior to the introduction of the Order 53 reforms in 1977 whilst the second covers the short period between the introduction of those reforms and the House of Lords’ decision in IRC v National Federation of Self-Employed and Small Businesses. The third section runs from the mid-1980s to the present day. The pervasive analytical concerns are to explore the way the law of locus standi interacts with the question of the choice of procedure issues which were addressed in chapter fifteen, and—more broadly—to assess how those two matters both singly and in combination structure in a practical sense the way our constitution gives effect to the various values inherent in theories relating to the rule of law and sovereignty of Parliament.

Review on EMG Acquisition and Classification Techniques: Towards Zero Retraining in the Influence of User and Arm Position Independence

The surface electromyogram (EMG) is widely studied and applied in machine control. Recent methods of classifying hand gestures reported classification rates of over 95%. However, the majority of the studies made were performed on a single user, focusing solely on the gesture classification. These studies are restrictive in practical sense: either focusing on just gestures, multi-user compatibility, or rotation independence. The variations in EMG signals due to these conditions present a challenge to the practical application of EMG devices, often requiring repetitious training per application. To the best of our knowledge, there is little comprehensive review of works done in EMG classification in the combined influence of user-independence, rotation and hand exchange. Therefore, in this paper we present a review of works related to the practical issues of EMG with a focus on the EMG placement, and recent acquisition and computing techniques to reduce training. First, we provided an overview of existing electrode placement schemes. Secondly, we compared the techniques and results of single-subject against multi-subject, multi-position settings. As a conclusion, the study of EMG classification in this direction is relatively new. However the results are encouraging and strongly indicate that EMG classification in a broad range of people and tolerance towards arm orientation is possible, and can pave way for more flexible EMG devices.

The Mediterranean

This chapter discusses Dante’s relationship with major issues of interest to scholars of Mediterranean history, including his knowledge of Mediterranean geography; his understanding of the ships used to cross the Mediterranean from Italian ports; and his references to literature, philosophy and technology that reached Italy from across the Mediterranean. In particular, the chapter considers Dante’s knowledge of the mi ‘raj (the traditional narratives of the Prophet Muhammad’s miraculous journey to Hell and Heaven), as well as Islamic stories of the opening of the heart of Muhammad in preparation for his role as prophet. It reviews Dante’s references to the philosophy of Averroes. It argues that the new papermaking technologies that had reached Italy from the eastern Mediterranean during the century before Dante’s life, and Italian papermaking innovations like the watermark, were of particular importance to Dante in a practical sense and as source of poetic imagery.

Trump, truth and the 25th Amendment: Australian reflections on presidential inability and removal

This article critically assesses a key question raised repeatedly during the tenure of US President Donald Trump – could (or should) the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution have been invoked to suspend him from office? Although moot in a practical sense following the 2020 US presidential election, exploring this question from an Australian perspective provides the opportunity to reflect on fundamental questions of constitutional design and the capacity of our own democratic institutions to respond when tested. The article suggests that the US experience with President Trump highlights some advantages offered by Australia’s parliamentary system.