The comparison between visual thinking using computer and conventional media in the concept generation stages of design

The computer, the new media, reaches out and influences the behavior of design as it does almost every facet of life. In recent years, much research into the development of computer-aided design has looked at the concept generation stage of the design process. Most of these applied studies have focused on the testing of computer systems. On the other hand, there are also many studies on the visual thinking and cognitive behavior of designers while sketching or drawing in the stage of concept generation. From the synthesis of the two aforementioned disciplines, we can find that there exists a point of deficiency. That is, the cognitive research about designers using computers as sketching media is absent. It is this area that is discussed in the current paper. The fundamental analytic data of this research is the visual process chronicled from the sketching of subjects. The analytic data is the verbal data from the questions that the subjects are asked after sketching. The data is analyzed using three coding schemes. The cognitive appearance while designers generating concepts with computers or conventional media are propounded and discussed in this research.     

Effect of optical properties on oscillatory hydromagnetic double-diffusive convection within semitransparent fluid

The effect of radiative heat transfer on the hydromagnetic double-diffusive convection in two-dimensional rectangular enclosure is studied numerically for fixed Prandtl, Rayleigh, and Lewis numbers, Pr = 13.6, Ra = 10⁵, Le = 2. Uniform temperatures and concentrations are imposed along the vertical walls while the horizontal walls are assumed to be adiabatic and impermeable to mass transfer. The influences of the optical thickness and scattering albedo of the semitransparent fluid on heat and mass transfer with and without magnetic damping are depicted. When progressively varying the optical thickness, multiple solutions are obtained which are steady or oscillatory accordingly to the initial conditions. the mechanisms of the transitions between steady compositionally dominated flow and unsteady thermally dominated flow are analyzed.     

Market,welfare and land-use implications of lignocellulosic bioethanol in Hawai'i

This article examines land-use, market and welfare implications of lignocellulosic bioethanol production in Hawai'i to satisfy 10% and 20% of the State's gasoline demand in line with the State's ethanol blending mandate and Alternative Fuels Standard (AFS). A static computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to evaluate four alternative support mechanisms for bioethanol. Namely: i) a federal blending tax credit, ii) a long-term purchase contract, iii) a state production subsidy financed by a lump-sum tax and iv) a state production subsidy financed by an ad valorem gasoline tax. We find that because Hawaii-produced bioethanol is relatively costly, all scenarios are welfare reducing for Hawaii residents: estimated between −0.14% and −0.32%. Unsurprisingly, Hawaii's economy and its residents fair best under the federal blending tax credit scenario, with a positive impact to gross state product of $49 million. Otherwise, impacts to gross state product are negative (up to −$63 million). We additionally find that Hawaii-based bioethanol is not likely to offer substantial greenhouse gas emissions savings in comparison to imported biofuel, and as such the policy cost per tonne of emissions displaced ranges between $130 and $2100/tonne of CO₂e. The policies serve to increase the value of agricultural lands, where we estimate that the value of pasture land could as well.     

A fuzzy-based genetic approach to the diagnosis of manufacturing systems

This paper describes the development of a hybrid approach that integrates graph theory, fuzzy sets and genetic algorithms for the diagnosis of manufacturing systems. The approach enables the modelling of causal relations of system components in manufacturing systems. Based on the model thus established, a worst-first search technique has been proposed and developed for the identification of probable fault-propagation paths. As manufacturing diagnosis often involves the interpretation of uncertainty, fuzzy-set theory is employed for this purpose. Unlike conventional diagnostic systems which assume that all the system components or nodes of a manufacturing system model are measurable, the genetic-algorithm-based search engine developed in this work is able to deal with nodes that cannot be, or are not, measured. Details of the hybrid approach, the worst-first search technique and the genetic-algorithms-based search engine are discussed. The framework of a prototype fuzzy-based genetic diagnostic system is described. Details of the system validation are also presented.     

冲击座铸造工艺设计及优化

介绍了冲击座铸件的结构及其工艺设计,包括每型件数、浇注系统形式及内浇道、横浇道和直浇道的截面积、浇注时间、冒口及冷铁设计等。初始铸造工艺只采用冒口补缩,模拟发现该工艺未能完全消除缩孔缺陷,据此对铸造工艺进行了改进,在孤立热节区设计冷铁。对改进后的铸造工艺进行模拟,结果显示,缩孔缺陷已完全可以消除。     

挖掘机中燕尾焊缝的有限元分析

燕尾焊缝特殊的结构型式具有良好的疲劳特性.通过考虑不同焊缝的长度、不同焊缝的宽度及不同焊缝与耳板拐点处的过渡的影响,结合ANSYS软件建立了带有耳板尾部燕尾焊缝结构整机结构模型,进行了相应的有限元分析,并对这些影响因素进行了量化分析.     

Exploring elderly users’ MSNS intermittent discontinuance: A dual-mechanism model

Intermittent discontinuance behavior has become one of the significant obstacle factors to hinder the rapid development of elderly user MSNS market. However, most previous studies of intermittent discontinuance ignored the elderly group. Meanwhile, the prior studies rarely explored the inhibitors and disclosed the whole cognitive and emotion forming phase of intermittent discontinuance. To fill these gaps, the present study targets the elderly group and develops a dual mechanism model from both “enabling-inhibiting” and “appraisal-emotional reaction-coping response” perspectives. The empirical study based on the survey of 307 Chinese elderly MSNS users demonstrates that, in enabling mechanism, excluding the social overload, information and system feature overload can increase the elderly users’ fatigue, which will further trigger intermittent discontinuance. In inhibiting mechanism, excepting the autonomy need satisfaction, relatedness and competence need satisfaction from the MSNS have positive association with the elderly users’ emotional attachment towards MSNS, which will further decrease the intermittent discontinuance. The findings imply that, for the coexistence of enabling and inhibiting mechanism, the service providers should not only decrease the overload-fatigue based enablers but also increase the need satisfaction-attachment based inhibitors to control the intermittent discontinuance.     

模块法在财经类高校建筑材料课程教学中的运用

针对财经类高校不能开展实验教学环节问题,文章从建筑材料课程教学特点入手,结合模块法教学和多媒体技术的优势,提出了建筑材料课程模块法教学理念和基本思路。通过模块教学法中的案例教学模块,参数式教学模块和实践教学模块,实现理论教学与实践教学相结合,对和我校有相同背景院校的建筑材料课程教学改革具有指导意义。     

Multi-objective bacterial colony optimization algorithm for integrated container terminal scheduling problem

Natural Computing - This paper proposes a multi-objective integrated container terminal scheduling problem considering three key components: berth allocation, quay cranes assignment and containers...     

我国货币政策的银行间同业拆借利率传导效应研究

通过对银行间同业拆借利率之间及银行间同业拆借利率与宏观经济变量之间反馈关系的分析,揭示了我国货币政策银行间同业拆借利率传导的规律性.中央银行在数量型（货币供给）调控的基础上,运用价格型（利率）工具实现货币政策传导的准确性和稳定性目标,包括应对资产价格的变化.银行间同业拆借市场提供了关于货币供给、均衡信贷量、均衡通货膨胀、均衡利率和均衡资产价格的多种货币政策决策参考信息.货币政策表现出货币供给规则和利率规则混合协调的特征.