Controlling Au electrode patterns for simultaneously monitoring electrical actuation and shape recovery in shape memory polymer

This paper presents an effective approach to achieve efficient electrical actuation and monitoring of shape recovery based on patterned Au electrodes on shape memory polymer (SMP). The electrically responsive shape recovery behavior was characterized and monitored by the evolution change in electrical resistance of patterned Au electrode. Both electrical actuation and temperature distribution in the SMP have been improved by optimizing the Au electrode patterns. The electrically actuated shape recovery behavior and temperature evolution during the actuation were monitored and characterized. The resistance changes could be used to detect beginning/finishing points of the shape recovery. Therefore, the Au electrode not only significantly enhances the electrical actuation performance to achieve a fast electrical actuation, but also enables the resistance signal to detect the free recovery process.     

On tapered warp-free laminates with single-ply terminations

This article reviews the current state of the art in the design of traditional uni-directional fibre laminate construction; beyond the ubiquitous balanced and symmetric design. A ply termination algorithm is then employed to develop permissible tapered designs, with single-ply terminations and ply contiguity constraints, which are free from undesirable changes in mechanical coupling characteristics. More importantly however, is the fact that all tapered designs have immunity to thermal warping distortion; which include all combinations of anti-symmetric (or cross-symmetric), non-symmetric and symmetric angle- and cross-ply sub-sequence symmetries. Tapered designs are presented for laminates with fully uncoupled properties, and those possessing extension–shearing and/or bending–twisting coupling. Such designs represent typical fuselage skin thicknesses, i.e., with between (n =) 12 and 16 plies, but due consideration is also given to new fuselage design concepts with grid-stiffeners and/or geodesic stiffener arrangements, for which thinner designs (n ⩾ 8) are of interest.     

New nanocomposite based on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer and magnetite. Synthesis and characterization

The study presents the preparation of the new magnetic nanocomposite based on PLGA and magnetite. The PLGA used to obtain the magnetic nanocomposites was synthesized by the copolymerization of lactic acid with glycolic acid, in the presence of tin octanoate [Sn(Oct)₂] as catalyst, by polycondensation procedure. Magnetite was obtained by co-precipitation from aqueous salt solutions FeCl₂/FeCl₃. The particles size of magnetite was 420 nm, and the saturation magnetization 62.78 emu/g, while the PLGA/magnetite nanocomposite size was 864 nm and the saturation magnetization 39.44 emu/g. The magnetic nanocomposites were characterized by FT-IR, DLS technique, SEM, VSM and simultaneous thermal analyses (TG–FTIR–MS). The polymer matrix PLGA acts as a shell and carrier for the active component, while magnetite is the component which makes targeting possible by external magnetic field manipulation. Based on the gases resulted by thermal degradation of PLGA copolymer, using the simultaneous analysis TG–FTIR–MS, a possible degradation mechanism was proposed.     

Systematic packaging design tools integrating functional and environmental consequences on product life cycle: Case studies on laundry detergent and milk

This study presents systematic packaging design tools integrating functional and environmental consequences on product life cycle. To design packaging for sustainability, the trade-offs between functional and environmental aspects of packaging throughout the product life cycle should be considered. However, it is difficult for packaging designers to understand the overall trade-offs because the extent of the design consequences on the entire life cycle of packaging and its contents is unclear. We developed two tools for packaging design: the Life Cycle Association Matrix (LCAM) and the Function Network Diagram (FND). The following three steps, based on literature reviews and interviews with industrial experts, were applied. Firstly, we listed the product functions and design variables related to the functions as the attributes allocated to the product life cycle. Secondly, the attributes were connected appropriately based on causal relationships. Lastly, we identified the factors to support decision making in the packaging design procedure. As a result, the LCAM depicts the design consequences on the life cycle, and the FND determines the stakeholders affected by the design consequences. Two case studies were demonstrated to analyze the trade-offs by using our tools. In the case studies, a liquid laundry detergent bottle and a milk carton were redesigned. The tools identified the design consequences and stakeholders affected by the redesign of the usability and protective function for the detergent and milk cases, respectively. The results showed the significance of understanding the design consequences on the product life cycle by integrating the functional and environmental aspects.     

Synergistic effect of co-alloying elements on site preferences and elastic properties of Ni3Al: A first-principles study

The site preferences of co-alloying elements (Mo–Ta, Mo–Re, Mo–Cr) in Ni₃Al are studied using first-principles calculations, and the effects of these alloying elements on the elastic properties of Ni₃Al are evaluated by elastic property calculations. The results show that the Mo–Ta, Mo–Re and Mo–Cr atom pairs all prefer Al–Al sites and the spatial neighbor relation of substitution sites almost has no influence on the site preference results. Furthermore, the Young's modulus of Ni₃Al increases much higher by substituting Al–Al sites with co-alloying atoms, among which Mo–Re has the best strengthening effect. The enhanced chemical bondings between alloying atoms and their neighbor host atoms are considered to be the main strengthening mechanism of the alloying elements in Ni₃Al.     

An optimization model for evaluating the economic impact of availability and maintenance notions during the synthesis and design of a power plant

In this paper, we introduce an optimization strategy in order to comprehensively quantify the impact of availability and maintenance notions during the early stages of synthesis and design of a new natural gas combined cycle power plant. A detailed state-space approach is thoroughly discussed, where influence of maintenance funds on each component's repair rate is directly assessed.In this context, analysis of the reliability characteristics of the system is centered at two designer-adopted parameters, which largely influence the obtained results: the number of components which may fail independently at the same time, and the number of simultaneous failure/repair events.Then, optimal solutions are evaluated as the availability-related parameters and the amount of resources assigned for maintenance actions are varied across a wide range of feasible values, which enable obtaining more accurate and detailed estimations of the expected economic performance for the project when compared with traditional economic evaluation approaches.     

面向航空通信应用的边沿触发器教学设计

研究和分析了面向航空通信应用的边沿触发器教学设计。以边沿触发电路实现原理为核心,引导边沿触发机制的探究式学习；以航空机载网络通信为具体应用背景,引入科学研究和工程实现中实际问题,设计曼切斯特码检测系统实验；使得边沿触发器教学成为“知识再创造”的过程和创新实践的新载体,以期培养新工科背景下的独立、创新和实践精神。     

The effectiveness of adaptive versus non-adaptive learning with digital educational games

For the training of academic skills, digital educational games with integrated adaptivity are promising. Adaptive games are considered superior to non-adaptive games, because they constantly assess children's performance, and accordingly adapt the difficulty of the tasks corresponding to the children's individual level. However, empirical evidence with regard to the effectivity of adaptive compared to non-adaptive games is limited. A study was conducted with 191 children from the third year of Kinder garten who were enrolled in one of three conditions, that is, playing an adaptive version of the reading game (RG), a non-adaptive version of the RG or training with pen-and-paper exercises. In all three conditions, children trained emergent reading (phonological awareness and letter knowledge) once a week for 30 min over a period of 5 weeks. Children's performance on cognitive (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, reading fluency) and non-cognitive (motivation, self-concept) factors was assessed. Results revealed a significant improvement in phonological awareness and letter knowledge in all conditions. However, no differences between the conditions were observed with respect to children's improvement on phonological awareness and letter knowledge or on their post-test scores for reading fluency. With regard to motivation and self-concept, again, no differences in these non-cognitive factors were observed across conditions.     

Crossing the Border: From Keto- to Imine Reduction in Short-Chain Dehydrogenases/Reductases

The family of NAD(P)H-dependent short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) comprises numerous biocatalysts capable of C=O or C=C reduction. The highly homologous noroxomaritidine reductase (NR) from Narcissus sp. aff. pseudonarcissus and Zt_SDR from Zephyranthes treatiae, however, are SDRs with an extended imine substrate scope. Comparison with a similar SDR from Asparagus officinalis (Ao_SDR) exhibiting keto-reducing activity, yet negligible imine-reducing capability, and mining the Short-Chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase Engineering Database indicated that NR and Zt_SDR possess a unique active-site composition among SDRs. Adapting the active site of Ao_SDR accordingly improved its imine-reducing capability. By applying the same strategy, an unrelated SDR from Methylobacterium sp. 77 (M77_SDR) with distinct keto-reducing activity was engineered into a promiscuous enzyme with imine-reducing activity, thereby confirming that the ability to reduce imines can be rationally introduced into members of the “classical” SDR enzyme family. Thus, members of the SDR family could be a promising starting point for protein approaches to generate new imine-reducing enzymes.     

A new decomposition based evolutionary algorithm with uniform designs for many-objective optimization

For many-objective optimization problems, how to get a set of solutions with good convergence and diversity is a difficult and challenging work. In this paper, a new decomposition based evolutionary algorithm with uniform designs is proposed to achieve the goal. The proposed algorithm adopts the uniform design method to set the weight vectors which are uniformly distributed over the design space, and the size of the weight vectors neither increases nonlinearly with the number of objectives nor considers a formulaic setting. A crossover operator based on the uniform design method is constructed to enhance the search capacity of the proposed algorithm. Moreover, in order to improve the convergence performance of the algorithm, a sub-population strategy is used to optimize each sub-problem. Comparing with some efficient state-of-the-art algorithms, e.g., NSGAII-CE, MOEA/D and HypE, on six benchmark functions, the proposed algorithm is able to find a set of solutions with better diversity and convergence.