Material research for environmental sustainability in Thailand: current trends

This article covers recent developments of material research in Thailand with a focus on environmental sustainability. Data on Thailand’s consumption and economic growth are briefly discussed to present a relevant snapshot of its economy. A selection of research work is classified into three topics, namely, (a) resource utilization, (b) material engineering and manufacturing, and (c) life cycle efficiency. Material technologies have been developed and implemented to reduce the consumption of materials, energy, and other valuable resources, thus reducing the burden we place on our ecological system. At the same time, product life cycle study allows us to understand the extent of the environmental impact we impart to our planet.     

Material research for environmental sustainability in Thailand: current trends

Abstract

This article covers recent developments of material research in Thailand with a focus on environmental sustainability. Data on Thailand’s consumption and economic growth are briefly discussed to present a relevant snapshot of its economy. A selection of research work is classified into three topics, namely, (a) resource utilization, (b) material engineering and manufacturing, and (c) life cycle efficiency. Material technologies have been developed and implemented to reduce the consumption of materials, energy, and other valuable resources, thus reducing the burden we place on our ecological system. At the same time, product life cycle study allows us to understand the extent of the environmental impact we impart to our planet.     

Use of geographic information systems in an environmental impact assessment of an overhead power line

Can geographic information systems (GIS) help in power line route selection in the ecologically sensitive and socially complex area of Kranskop in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa? Transforming data into digital form and preparing layers for the GIS was time-consuming. Weights were assigned to layers using a pairwise comparison matrix, and combined into a single composite cost surface using the multi-criteria evaluation module of the IDRISI GIS package, whose ‘automated’ route selector was unsuccessful, so computer-assisted methods were used. Cost indices, area analysis and impacts of routes were readily compared. Changing weights had no major impact. The views of interested and affected parties influenced our results; how can this best be achieved in future? Positive attributes of GIS are its interactive nature and its overlaying and displaying selected information at relevant times.     

Relationship between problem characteristics and the optimal number of genetic algorithm generations

Genetic Algorithms (GAs) have been successfully applied to a wide range of engineering optimization problems. The success of the GA is dependent on the parameter values used, and identifying suitable values to use is a difficult task. Typically, the GA parameters must be calibrated for each application, hence it might be expected that the optimal parameter values are related to the characteristics of each problem. To aid the calibration of GAs, it is proposed that there exists an optimal number of GA generations for a given problem, where from the number of generations, the population size can be determined from the total function evaluations that are available. A number of test functions have been considered with different problem characteristics, such as salience, correlation structure, and epistasis, and statistics are proposed to quantify each of these characteristics. A large-scale parametric study has been undertaken to determine the effect of these characteristics on the optimal number of GA generations necessary in order to solve the problem most efficiently. From these results, two function classes have been identified. The function classes have been tested on two instances of an engineering optimization problem and found to classify the most appropriate population size accurately for solving each problem. Hence, the classification method developed can be used to assist in the calibration of GAs for applications where long simulation times are expected.     

Strategic environmental assessment in Romania: between benefits and constraints

This paper offers an overall picture of the importance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Romania and its opportunities and constraints. The role, scope and effectiveness of SEA in Romania are presented in two good practice examples and examined in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the procedure at national and local scale. In practice, the number of SEA procedures is very high due to the legislation in force, and it is increasingly effective in decision-making about programmes and plans. SEA can be viewed as a great opportunity for the implementation of sustainable development in practice. It also continues to be an important procedural and decisional instrument for management and monitoring of socioeconomic development, spatial planning and environmental protection in Romania.     

Relationship between dynamic characteristics of air film of aerostatic spindle and mid-frequency of surface topography

The dynamic characteristics of the gas film of an aerostatic spindle primary affect workpiece waviness in ultra-precision machining. To improve the machining accuracy of the machine tool and provide a firm theoretical basis for the design of an aerostatic spindle, a simulation model combining transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and transient dynamic analysis is established in this study to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the spindle under unstable operating conditions. Based on a large eddy simulation, a three-dimensional flow model of an air film in an aerostatic spindle is established. The simulation results show that the gas flow in the throttle chamber is turbulent, and that complex vortices are formed. Using dynamic grid modeling technology, a CFD numerical model for the unsteady calculation of the spindle is established, and the dynamic characteristics of the gas film are obtained. A transient dynamic simulation model of an aerostatic spindle is established, and the effect of the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of the gas film on the spindle displacement response is investigated. Subsequently, a surface morphology prediction model is established. Results show that film fluctuation significantly affects the dynamic characteristics of the spindle and subsequently affects the generation of surface ripples on the workpiece.The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-022-00391-4     

The synergistic effect of environmental sustainability and corporate reputation on market value added (MVA) in manufacturing firms

This study is an attempt to explore the predictive effect, in terms of operational capability, of a large manufacturing firm’s environmental greening efforts carried out in the interest of sustainability, and of the firm’s reputation for social responsibility. Through both a traditional and a new, innovative approach, this study investigates the potential synergistic effect of environmental sustainability and the improvement of corporate reputation on a firm’s market performance in terms of shareholders’ equity value (market value added, or MVA) when taken together with the firm’s other key differential business factors. The findings of this study provide notable implications that establish the integrative paradigm for the influence of environmental greening sustainability on firm performance through the use of an innovative methodological approach regardless of a priori theoretical assumptions. Through this, the impact of environmental sustainability and corporate reputation, as well as their synergistic effect, on firm performance push forward a new foundation in business practice. The major findings and new methodological approach (Back-Propagation Neural Networks; BPNN) in this study will open a broad new spectrum of opportunities for further research on these topical issues.     

Assurance of uniformity of measurements of spectral and dispersion characteristics in fiber-optic information transmission systems with wavelength-division multiplexing

The state and problems involved in achieving the uniformity of measurements in the field of fiber-optic information transmission systems and their components are considered. Possible approaches to the solution of these problems and the basic methods and techniques that have been developed in Russia up to this point are analyzed. __________ Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 5, pp. 30–34, May, 2006.     

新旧信息和重音的匹配关系对话语理解的影响

考察新旧信息和重音之间的匹配关系对口语理解的影响,实验采用2(信息状态:新信息与旧信息)×2(重读方式:重读与不重读)被试内设计。被试为23名大学生,在听觉信息的指导下,完成视觉图形的操作。实验结果发现,新信息重读、旧信息不重读时,理解的反应时间较快。新旧信息和重读之间的匹配关系有助于听者口语理解。     

Proactive environmental strategies and performance: role of green supply chain processes and green product design in the Chinese high-tech industry

Though many firms still believe that passive environmental strategies are sufficient, it is pertinent that they move beyond this belief and take a proactive supply chain-wide environmental stance so as to create a sustainable environment. In this paper, we seek to extend current work within green supply chain management by considering multiple green supply chain capabilities and performance measures. We hypothesise the linkage between environmental orientation, green supply chain capabilities and performance by drawing upon stakeholder theory and natural resource-based view. More importantly, our study is the first to distinguish between product and process-related capabilities in the green supply chain area and study their direct and mediating role with respect to environmental and financial performance measures. Using survey data collected from 256 Chinese-based high-tech firms, we analyse several hypothesised relationships. Our results provide strong support for the significant role that green product design and green supply chain processes can play in improving firms’ environmental and financial performance. Interestingly, our results also suggest that green product design may not have a direct impact on financial performance.     

Relationship between employee involvement and lean manufacturing and its effect on performance in a rigid continuous process industry

This research aims to empirically test the effect of employee involvement on lean manufacturing (LM), and the effect of LM on production outcomes. Employee involvement is operationalised through four related variables: empowerment, training, contingent remuneration and communication. The effects are tested by recording management perceptions in a different industrial sector from those usually studied in previous research – ceramic manufacturers, a highly competitive and internationally successful sector. We obtained data from 101 ceramic tile plants (64% of response rate) in the Valencia region of Spain. This approach is developed using a statistical method called partial least squares. All paths are significant except for contingent remuneration; specifically, relationships were found between empowerment, training, communication and LM, and between LM and performance.