bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
WILL MODEL-BASED DEFINITION ACCELERATE THE INSPECTION PHASE IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS?
Authors: Uski Pekka , Nieminen Joni , Ellman Asko
Published: June 2023

Model-Based Definition provides several benefits for communicating between engineering and other downstream stakeholders. Particularly, semantic PMI information included in 3D models benefits both CAM programming and inspection phases. However, the efficiency of generating CAM- and CAI codes automatically according to the semantic PMI information varies due to the compatibility of different systems. This paper focuses on the experiment that we made on inspecting three different parts with the Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). We compared four different programming methods and found that the efficiency of inspecting depends on the serial size of the parts. The completely automatic CAI-programming method does not necessarily produce the most effective CAI code compared to the competent human programmer. This is notable, especially in large series due to achieved cumulative time savings in the inspection of each part. With small series, fully automatic PMI method and human-assisted automatic PMIfp method provide significant benefits in the inspection process due to time savings in CAI-programming work.
A BOUNDARY OBJECT FOR MAPPING, COMPARING, AND INTEGRATING PRODUCT DESIGN METHODS
Authors: Velleu Jesse , Brei Diann , Gonzalez Richard , Luntz Jonathan
Published: June 2023

There are innumerable design methods that exist across a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from engineering, to marketing, to psychology. However, the organic, multidisciplinary nature of methodological development in design leads to challenges in comparing or combining methods. Disciplinary perspectives can create conceptual 'boundaries' that may not align with the fluidity of the problems that designers may need to address. It is challenging to work between the boundaries of these design methods due to the unclear delimitation of exactly where and how methods may be integrated. Nomenclature is unstandardized and different terminologies may describe similar phenomena. To address this, a boundary object—the Actor-Abstraction matrix—is developed to recontextualize each of these divergent methods onto a common scale so they may be better understood in reference to their peers. A meta-analysis of four established design methods is performed to demonstrate the flexibility of this conceptual device. With this tool, existing design methods may be more easily examined to identify points of compatibility and gaps in their coverage, and could also serve as a powerful platform for the creation of new design methods in the future.
A VALUE-DRIVEN DESIGN APPROACH FOR THE VIRTUAL VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SOLUTIONS
Authors: Bertoni Marco , Thorn Stefan
Published: June 2023

Autonomous vehicle solutions (AVS) are regarded as a major enabling technology to support the realization of 'total site solutions' in the construction equipment industry. Their full-scale deployment is hindered today by the need to test autonomous driving capabilities against the varying conditions an AVS is expected to be exposed to during its lifetime. Therefore, using virtual simulation environments is common to overcome the cost and time limitations of physical testing. A caveat in this virtual verification and validation (V&V) work is how to trade off the ‘realism’ of the V&V output (using high-fidelity models across many scenarios) against computational time. This research investigates expectations and needs for value-driven decision support in the virtual V&V process, proposing an approach and a tool to raise awareness among decision-makers about the value associated with using selected simulation models/components in the virtual verification and validation task for AVS. Verification activities performed on the initial prototype show that its main benefit lies in facilitating cross-domain negotiations and knowledge sharing when negotiating the desired features of the virtual simulation environment.
ACCESSIBLE SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY FOR DOMESTIC APPLICATIONS IN THE UK: EDGE SOLAR
Authors: Heaton Alex , Sung Kyungeun , Isherwood Patrick
Published: June 2023

Renewable energy is increasingly used and promoted. In the UK, for example, large scale renewable energy farms have been used to supply electricity with great effect. Given the large number of homes, there is considerable impact to be made by small scale residential renewable energy systems. Despite solar panels being the most common form of residential renewable energy technology, only 4% of buildings in the UK support solar technology of any kind. For direct electricity generation, silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) arrays are the most utilised, and when used in a residential setting, they are typically mounted on the sloped roofs. This is where the problem lies. The technology comes with a high cost, and there is further financial burden of installation and maintenance, making solar energy inaccessible for many UK homeowners. This paper presents a research and design innovation project to make PV technology more accessible in the UK. Edge Solar, the innovative, affordable, new PV system concept for UK homes may become a promising solution to significantly improve the accessibility to the PV technology and renewable energy at the household level in the UK and beyond with further development and commercialisation.
AFFECTIVE LEARNING GOALS – KEY FOR TEACHING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Heide Ludger , Syré Anne Magdalene , Grahle Alexander , Göhlich Dietmar , Kattwinkel Daniela , Bender Beate
Published: June 2023

Sustainability in engineering sciences is of rapidly growing importance. However, its integration into engineering education is still in its infancy. This paper is based on the finding that, in addition to conventional cognitive learning outcomes, affective outcomes like mindset and attitude play a major role in teaching sustainability effectively. We present the didactical theory behind this and the evaluation of two university courses which serve as practical examples and research objects. These course puts high importance on affective learning outcomes, teaching not only design and assessment methods but also encourages students to reflect sustainability goals in broader contexts. We describe the theoretical course design following the principle of constructive alignment and conducted a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the learning outcomes. The evaluation results confirm the importance of affective learning goals but also point out the need for further improvements to the course, which were implemented and re-evaluated.
A CASE STUDY OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL NON-PNEUMATIC TIRE DESIGN FOR THE VALIDATION OF META-LEVEL DESIGN PARAMETER IN DOMAIN INTEGRATED DESIGN (DID) METHOD
Authors: Velivela Pavan Tejaswi , Letov Nikita , Kong Lingchen , Zhao Yaoyao Fiona
Published: June 2023

The work introduced two novel multiscale multifunctional tire designs developed using the Domain Integrated Design (DID) method and modelled with the LatticeQuery geometric modelling software. Furthermore, this research validates the meta-level parameter “interaction area” proposed for selecting biological analogy in the DID method. These two use cases were simulated with Abaqus. The concepts covered in this work are an example of multi-functional design. The obtained results validate the meta-level parameter derived from the DID methodology.
AN APPROACH FOR THE INCLUSION OF LOADING CONDITIONS IN A POLYHEDRAL-BASED METHOD FOR EARLY VARIATION MANAGEMENT
Authors: Restrepo Garcia Carlos Andres , Teissandier Denis , Anwer Nabil , Ledoux Yann , Delos Vincent , Pierre Laurent , Garcia Gomez Sonia Carolina
Published: June 2023

The variation management and product quality processes are important tasks to guarantee the assemblability of the systems, the scrap reduction and to avoid delays on production and launching. The compound of activities in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) are necessary, especially in the early design stages, to take into account variations of different nature and from different sources. In this paper, an approach for considering the loading conditions in a polyhedral-based approach in tolerancing design is presented. The load boundary conditions are represented as additional displacement restrictions in the deviation space. The restrictions imposed by the physical limits of a system, the ones coming from the loading conditions and the degrees of freedom (DoF) can be all described and represented with a single polyhedron operand. The approach is illustrated using a simplified 2-D model for both ideal and non-ideal geometry. A 3-D model describing an unilateral contact is presented as a case study using Skin Model Shapes. By taking into account geometrical form defects, external loads, and the kinematics of the system, its sensitivity to variations can be reduced even from early design stages.
AN SE BASED MARITIME VESSEL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK FOR CHANGEABLE PROPULSION SYSTEMS
Authors: Sullivan Brendan , Rossi Monica
Published: June 2023

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from vessels is one of the greatest challenges the maritime industry is currently facing. International Maritime Organization has set the goal of reducing CO2 emissions from international shipping by at least 40% by 2030, compared to 2008. Emissions regulations are also leading to a progressive reduction of ships life span, together with a decrease in economic value. To cope with these challenges, the preferred strategy suggested by IMO for new vessels -Energy Efficiency Design Index- aims at increasing the energy efficiency over time by stimulating innovation and continuous development of technical elements. In this context, ship builders are indirectly led to develop vessels that will be “changeable” in terms of propulsion systems over time. This paper presents a conceptual framework to maritime vessels for propulsion system changeability, which integrates contributions from literature review with the knowledge of design thinking experts and precious insights of maritime industry professionals. The aim of this framework is support the integration of renewable fuel sources for vessel propulsion systems through an extended value approach, while improving propulsion efficiency over time.
ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICATION OF SYNAESTHESIA CONCEPT IN MODERN PRODUCT DESIGN
Authors: RuiKun Yang , Abidin Shahriman Zainal , Vermol Verly Veto
Published: June 2023

Objective To analyze and discuss the application of synaesthesia theory in modern product design and emphasize the important position and necessity of synaesthesia in modern product design. Methods Based on the concept of synesthesia, the value, significance and design principles of synesthesia in modern product design were further analyzed and summarized through the study of concrete examples of shape, color, material and using methods. Conclusion When the concept of synesthesia is applied to product design, it can enhance the expressive force of products, realize users' synesthetic perception, mobilize users' senses to give psychological suggestions, meet users' various psychological needs, and bring users a richer physical and mental experience.
A CASE STUDY OF THE DECISION-MAKING BEHIND THE AUTOMATION OF A COMPOSITES-BASED DESIGN PROCESS
Authors: Khanolkar Pranav Milind , Vrolijk Ademir , Olechowski Alison
Published: June 2023

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly seen as appealing tools to perform design tasks traditionally accomplished by human designers. In today's digital economy, industries aim to adopt these tools to improve the efficiency of their complex design processes. But how does one decide what parts of their existing design process should be automated and which automation/AI tool to implement? With these questions in mind, we present a case study highlighting a company's decision-making process in converting its existing designer-dependent design process to one supported by automation. In this case study, we observed the company's decisions in selecting and rejecting certain automation and AI methods before finalizing a heuristics-based automation method that proved highly efficient compared to the company's traditional human-driven design program. In addition, we present three key discussion points observed in this case study: (1) the importance of implementing the designer's heuristics in the automation framework, (2) the importance of a uniform and modular design automation framework, and (3) the challenges of implementing AI methods.
APPLICATION OF ANAMORPHISM IN PRODUCT DESIGN
Authors: Kettley Calum , Wodehouse Andrew
Published: June 2023

This research aims to investigate the incorporation of anamorphism into product design and has resulted in the creation of a series of handheld objects with embedded anamorphic information. Anamorphism is a phenomenon typically applied to images, where it appears distorted from all but one angle. Often associated with optical illusions, its history and viability for application to product design are reviewed. This includes an assessment of different designs’ impact on the overall recognition of hidden anamorphic objects, focusing on their design attributes to determine the best at concealment. With the creation of 3D anamorphic objects, experiments were conducted to allow correlations between object visibility and design features to be identified. Analysis of the results showed that objects with vertically stretched text and wider cuts within the characters were hardest to recognise and therefore more secure. Objects with the least material made it more difficult to interpret the hidden information from positions that were not the “privileged viewing zone”. The creation of these anamorphic objects highlighted that this function of anamorphism is possible and could be incorporated within products in future.
APPLICATION OF BIO-BRICKS & ITS BENEFITS
Authors: Rautray Priyabrata , Roy Avik , Eisenbart Boris
Published: June 2023

The practice-led research focuses on how agro-waste can be used to build a structure, gather relevant knowledge, and identify its various challenges. Based on the compressive strength of Bio-Bricks, it was decided to use a frame structure, and instead of using Bio-Bricks as a modular unit, the material used was cast in situ with the help of a specially designed mould. The roofing of the structure was also built using Bio-Bricks material over an MS frame. The prototype was plastered with cement mortar and finished with two coats of distemper paint. After the completion of the prototype structure, comprehensive documentation was done to analyse the data generated from the process to identify the desired improvements. A secondary study of sustainable building materials was done to understand the comparative strength and weaknesses of Bio-Bricks as construction materials. Based on the work done at different stages of construction, detailed lists of findings and inferences were drawn to improve the overall manufacturing process. The research project findings will help guide the future development of Bio-Bricks as a commercial building material.
APPLICATIONS OF ROTATIONAL MANIPULATORS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HIGHLY CURVED THIN FILMS
Authors: McIntyre Finn , Sellier Mathieu , Gooch Shayne , Nock Volker , Sharplin Nigel
Published: June 2023

What do common devices such as smartphones, CD’s and solar panels all have in common? They are all examples of innovative technology that is still limited to flat, rigid geometries. This is primarily due to the limitations of the manufacturing processes used to create components within these devices, key among them the thin polymer films produced through spin coating.

Spin coating is a technique used due to its ability to effectively create uniform films on the scale of micro or nanometres. However, it relies on a planar substrate to produce uniform layers, thus restricting the design of components manufactured using this process to simple, flat objects. As the requirement for curved device geometries expands, complex alternative fabrication methods are being implemented in industry.

For spin coating to remain relevant, a viable process for controlling the fluid flow over curved surfaces must be developed. This research investigates the hypothesis that coating distributions can be controlled through optimized rotation of a curved substrate. Where a multi-axis rotational manipulator and novel characterization system have been developed to investigate the fabrication of curved devices using the improved spin coating technique.
AUTOMATED CONDITION DETECTION IN REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING
Authors: Gärtner Alexander Elenga , Göhlich Dietmar , Fay Tu-Anh
Published: June 2023

In product development, it is of great importance that a complete, unambiguous, and, as far as possible, contradiction-free target system is defined. Requirements documents of complex systems can contain several thousand individual requirements, derived in an interdisciplinary manner and written in natural language by many different stakeholders. Hence, errors, in the form of contradictions, cannot be completely avoided in these documents and today they must be corrected manually with high effort.

This paper presents an important building block for automated contradiction detection and quality analysis of requirements documents. We discuss the necessary identification of conditions in requirements and the extraction of the verbal expressions associated with condition and effect, respectively. We applied and analyzed natural language processing methods based on grammatical versus machine learning models. The models have been applied to 1,861 real-world requirements. Both approaches generate promising results, with an accuracy partly over 98%. However, in structured specification texts, a grammatical model is preferable due to lower effort in preprocessing and better usability.
BARRIERS AND DRIVERS FOR AN EFFICIENT INTEGRATION OF ECO-DESIGN OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS: A CASE STUDY IN THE FRENCH MILITARY INDUSTRY
Authors: Dupont Elise , Cluzel François , Yannou Bernard
Published: June 2023

The defense industry tends to anticipate environmental issues through eco-design integration in the overall design process. This leads to focus on the impact of technological and design choices of complex systems while maximizing operational performance. Such development involves long and complex processes and is constrained in a project owner and industrial project manager context. In this context poorly described in the literature, the objective of this paper is to identify barriers and drivers to achieve an efficient application of eco-design. A comprehensive analysis of the interactions and the current design processes is performed in the context of the French defense industry. Through internal documentation and semi-structured interviews with the key actors, the generic design process of a project owner is analysed (including relationships with industrial project manager). The failure modes that currently limit the integration of eco-design in projects are also identified.
BEYOND THE OVERVIEW EFFECT: A VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS IN DECISION-MAKING
Authors: Scurati Giulia Wally , Dozio Nicolò , Ferrise Francesco , Bertoni Marco
Published: June 2023

The challenges of sustainable development require a consistent transformation of decision-making practices in society and in the industry. In this regard, Virtual Reality (VR) is an effective tool, providing experiences that are not accessible in the real world. The overview effect is a feeling of interconnectedness and responsibility towards our planet and its inhabitants described by astronauts after seeing the Earth during spaceflights. We present a VR application merging the overview effect with data visualization. We illustrate the design process and perform a pilot test to assess the emotions raised by the VR experience. Furthermore, we report feedback from design engineering and sustainability experts discussing the applications' potential in decision-making contexts, including product development processes.
CHALLENGES OF USING AUGMENTED REALITY TO SUPPORT AN EFFICIENT AND ERROR-FREE ASSEMBLY IN COMPLEX VARIANT ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Dausch Valesko Cedrik , Roth Daniel , Kreimeyer Matthias , Bohr Sebastian
Published: June 2023

As part of the digital transformation towards Industry 4.0, the tasks of staff on the shop floor are changing. Despite increasing automation, complex assembly steps still have to be carried out by humans, especially when it comes to complex products rich in variants, whose assembly cannpt be fully automated for various reasons. Due to increasing individualization and the steadily growing complexity of products, providing the right information at the right time and in the right place is becoming more important. In this context, the visualization of information via novel technologies such as augmented reality plays a crucial role towards an efficient and error-free production process. This paper compiles existing challenges when using augmented reality as a visualization form for an assistance system. On the one hand, the challenges found originate from a systematic literature review and are organized according to predefined categories. On the other hand, these challenges are complemented and compared through findings gained from expert interviews, which are conducted with employees of two European commercial vehicle manufacturers in the field of production. The analysis of the two methods highlights the need for further research.
COMBINING EXPLORATION/EXPLOITATION WITH DOMAIN THEORY: A TWO-DIMENSIONAL CATEGORIZATION OF DESIGN RESEARCH AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Authors: McMahon Chris , Eckert Claudia
Published: June 2023

This viewpoint paper uses two established classifications – March's distinction between exploration and exploitation and Andreasen's Domain Theory – to develop a classification matrix to map industrial challenges and design research topics. Exploration/exploitation and the organ, part and activity domains of Domain Theory are respectively the two dimensions of this classification matrix. Examples are given of the fit of design research and industrial innovation topics into each cell of this matrix, and the need for change in industrial emphasis towards exploration across the range of domains to meet current challenges is discussed. We show how design research covers all categories in the matrix, and argue that using a simple classification may assist the research community in explaining its activities to a wider world, and in organising and directing these activities. We conclude by making suggestions for topics for debate in the design research community.
Environmental toxicology of marine microplastic pollution
Authors: Wang Wen-Xiong
Published: June 2023

Over the past decade, there have been increasing recognition and concern of the toxicological impacts of microplastics (MPs) in the environment, which have been widely found in various marine environments from estuary to deep oceans. Numerous toxicological studies have been conducted on the impacts of MPs on various marine organisms, especially phytoplankton, zooplankton, bivalves, and fish of different trophic levels. These studies mainly focused on the measurements of MPs bioaccumulation and their resulting biological impacts at molecular, metabolic, biochemical, physiological, and organismic levels. This review examines the various studies conducted over the recent years on the toxicology of MPs in different marine organisms, particularly on the bioaccumulation and toxicity of MPs. The impacts of MPs on marine organisms are diverse, and the complexity of organism physiology as well as MPs physical and chemical properties need to be considered. Future studies should consider the environmental relevance of toxicological research and the development of quantitative tools to model the transport, bioaccumulation, and toxicity of MPs. These are important for the real environmental risk assessments of MPs in the marine environments.
Assessing common bean genotypes for resistance to Diabrotica speciosa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
Authors: Costa Eduardo Neves , Gomes Elias Soares , Reis Lucas Coutinho , Foresti Andressa Caroline , Scalon Silvana de Paula Quintão , Fernandes Marcos Gino
Published: June 2023

Diabrotica speciosa (Germar) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a major pest of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.; Fabales: Fabaceae), and adults can defoliate plants during the whole crop cycle. This study was conducted to evaluate the resistance to D. speciosa in 16 common bean genotypes (14 landraces and 2 cultivars), through three different experiments. In the laboratory, choice and no-choice feeding tests were performed to evaluate the percentage of leaf consumption. In the greenhouse, plant height, numbers of leaves, percentage of injured leaves, percentage of injury per leaf, weight of seeds, and D. speciosa survival were evaluated. Furthermore, trichome density, levels of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and protein content in common bean leaves were assessed. In the laboratory, the genotypes Chumbinho Branco, Dobalde, Manteigado, IPR Tuiuiú, and 90D Mouro were the least consumed by D. speciosa. In the greenhouse, the genotypes Dobalde, Manteigado, and IPR Tuiuiú expressed tolerance to the pest, which was associated with a higher plant height and/or unchanged POD and SOD levels and protein content following insect feeding, and no reduction in seed production. The landrace 90D Mouro exhibited antixenosis and tolerance to D. speciosa, observed as a lower leaf injury, higher trichome density, lower protein contents, higher SOD level and no reduction in seed weight. Overall, we have shown that antixenosis and tolerance can help overcome damages resulting from D. speciosa feeding, with emphasis on four common bean genotypes that may be useful in plant breeding programs aimed at controlling D. speciosa in common bean crops.
Continuously many quasi-isometry classes of residually finite groups
Authors: Chong Hip Kuen , Wise Daniel T.
Published: June 2023

We study a family of finitely generated residually finite small-cancellation groups. These groups are quotients of
$F_2$
depending on a subset
$S$
of positive integers. Varying
$S$
yields continuously many groups up to quasi-isometry.
Cultural adaptations and tailoring of public health nutrition interventions in Indigenous peoples and ethnic minority groups: opportunities for personalised and precision nutrition
Authors: Livingstone Katherine M. , Love Penelope , Mathers John C. , Kirkpatrick Sharon I. , Olstad Dana Lee
Published: June 2023

Indigenous peoples and ethnic minority groups often experience poor diet quality and poor health outcomes. Such inequities may be partially due to nutrition interventions not meeting the unique cultural and linguistic needs of these population groups, which could be achieved using co-creation and/or personalised approaches. Cultural adaptation or tailoring of nutrition interventions has shown promise in improving some aspects of dietary intake, but this requires careful consideration to ensure it does not inadvertently exacerbate dietary inequities. The aim of this narrative review was to examine examples of cultural adaptations and/or tailoring of public health nutrition interventions that improved the dietary intake and to consider implications for the optimal design and implementation of personalised and precision nutrition interventions. This review identified six examples of cultural adaptation and/or tailoring of public health nutrition intervention in Indigenous peoples and ethnic minority groups across Australia, Canada and the US. All studies used deep socio-cultural adaptations, such as the use of Indigenous storytelling, and many included surface-level adaptations, such as the use of culturally appropriate imagery in intervention materials. However, it was not possible to attribute any improvements in dietary intake to cultural adaptation and/or tailoring per se, and the minimal reporting on the nature of adaptations limited our ability to determine whether the interventions used true co-creation to design content or were adapted from existing interventions. Findings from this review outline opportunities for personalised nutrition interventions to use co-creation practices to design, deliver and implement interventions in collaboration with Indigenous and ethnic minority groups.
How should IR deal with the “end of the world”? Existential anxieties and possibilities in the Anthropocene
Authors: Simangan Dahlia
Published: June 2023

The Anthropocene, a proposed new geological age marking the planetary impact of humanity, is no longer a newcomer to the field of International Relations (IR). Several scholars have recognised the value, as well as the danger, of the Anthropocene for theorising international relations. This article focuses on the existentialist questions and ideas derived from IR’s engagement with the Anthropocene, particularly on the anxieties surrounding the extinction of the human species, the meaning of the Anthropos, and humanity’s planetary stewardship. By drawing on scholarly discourses on these physical, spiritual, and moral anxieties, I argue that existentialist thinking helps expose IR’s anthropocentric, universalist, and hubristic tendencies, which are also prevalent in the broader Anthropocene discourse. It also serves as a reminder of the freedom to explore possibilities, albeit with a lack of certainty, for reimagining the place of humanity and IR as a discipline in this new geological age. Therefore, existentialism reveals IR’s dissonance with the paradoxes and uncertainties that the Anthropocene brings while offering a path toward theorising the “end of the world”.
Indigenous resistance at the frontiers of accumulation: Challenging the coloniality of space in International Relations
Authors: Hesketh Chris
Published: June 2023

Latin America has long been subjected to colonial development that has negated Indigenous territory. In the present conjuncture, the region is home to the largest volume of environmental conflicts in the world. These conflicts are intrinsically connected to the wider model of neo-extractivist development that has been embraced throughout the continent since the early 2000s. Indigenous communities have frequently been the victims of this model of extractive development, with their territories becoming the primary sites for the aggressive expansion of the resource frontier. This has generated new political conflicts, as Indigenous communities conversely assert claims to territory and resources. In this article, I link these conflicts to what I term the ‘coloniality of space’, whereby Indigenous territorial forms have been theoretically elided from traditional spatial imaginaries within International Relations and concretely negated through practices within the global political economy. Moving beyond the territorial trap of nation-state centrism, Indigenous forms of resistance raise important questions about the subject and actors of International Relations.
Decision making for early surgical technology adoption into Canada’s healthcare system: a scoping review of the decision-making criteria, challenges, and opportunities
Authors: Shoman Haitham , Tanzer Michael
Published: June 2023

Objectives

In 2020, Canada spent 12.9 percent of its GDP on healthcare, of which 3 percent was on medical devices. Early adoption of innovative surgical devices is mostly driven by physicians and delaying adoption can deprive patients of important medical treatments. This study aimed to identify the criteria in Canada used to decide on the adoption of a surgical device and identify challenges and opportunities.

Methods

This scoping review was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. The search strategy included Canada’s provinces, different surgical fields, and adoption. Embase, Medline, and provincial databases were searched. Grey literature was also searched. Data were analyzed by reporting the criteria that were used for technology adoption. Finally, a thematic analysis by subthematic categorization was conducted to arrange the criteria found.

Results

Overall, 155 studies were found. Seven were hospital-specific studies and 148 studies were from four provinces with publicly available Web sites for technology assessment committees (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec). Seven main themes of criteria were identified: economic, hospital-specific, technology-specific, patients/public, clinical outcomes, policies and procedures, and physician specific. However, standardization and specific weighted criteria for decision making in the early adoption stage of novel technologies are lacking in Canada.

Conclusions

Specific criteria for decision making in the early adoption stage of novel surgical technologies are lacking. These criteria need to be identified, standardized, and applied in order to provide innovative, and the most effective healthcare to Canadians.
Local existence of strong solutions to micro–macro models for reactive transport in evolving porous media
Authors: Gärttner Stephan , Knabner Peter , Ray Nadja
Published: June 2023

Two-scale models pose a promising approach in simulating reactive flow and transport in evolving porous media. Classically, homogenised flow and transport equations are solved on the macroscopic scale, while effective parameters are obtained from auxiliary cell problems on possibly evolving reference geometries (micro-scale). Despite their perspective success in rendering lab/field-scale simulations computationally feasible, analytic results regarding the arising two-scale bilaterally coupled system often restrict to simplified models. In this paper, we first derive smooth dependence results concerning the partial coupling from the underlying geometry to macroscopic quantities. Therefore, alterations of the representative fluid domain are described by smooth paths of diffeomorphisms. Exploiting the gained regularity of the effective space- and time-dependent macroscopic coefficients, we present local-in-time existence results for strong solutions to the partially coupled micro–macro system using fixed-point arguments. What is more, we extend our results to the bilaterally coupled diffusive transport model including a level-set description of the evolving geometry.
Pragmatism and Experimental Bioethics
Authors: Rydenfelt Henrik
Published: June 2023

Pragmatism gained considerable attention in bioethical discussions in the early 21st century. However, some dimensions and contributions of pragmatism to bioethics remain underexplored in both research and practice. It is argued that pragmatism can make a distinctive contribution to bioethics through its concept, developed by Charles S. Peirce and John Dewey, that ethical issues can be resolved through experimental inquiry. Dewey’s proposal that policies can be confirmed or disconfirmed through experimentation is developed by comparing it to the confirmation of scientific hypotheses, with a focus on the objection that the consequences of following a moral view or policy do not provide guidance on choosing among competing ethical perspectives. As confirmation of scientific hypotheses typically relies on evidence gathered from observation, the possibility of ethically relevant observation is then explored based on Peirce’s views on feelings as emotional interpretants. Finally, the connection between Dewey’s experimental ethics and democracy is outlined and compared to unfettered ethical progressivism.
Linguistically aware evaluation of coreference resolution from the perspective of higher-level applications
Authors: Žitkus Voldemaras , Butkienė Rita , Butleris Rimantas
Published: June 2023

Coreference resolution is an important part of natural language processing used in machine translation, semantic search, and various other information retrieval and understanding systems. One of the challenges in this field is an evaluation of resolution approaches. There are many different metrics proposed, but most of them rely on certain assumptions, like equivalence between different mentions of the same discourse-world entity, and do not account for overrepresentation of certain types of coreferences present in the evaluation data. In this paper, a new coreference evaluation strategy that focuses on linguistic and semantic information is presented that can address some of these shortcomings. Evaluation model was developed in the broader context of developing coreference resolution capabilities for Lithuanian language; therefore, the experiment was also carried out using Lithuanian language resources, but the proposed evaluation strategy is not language-dependent.
Pancreatic cancer, depression, and spirituality in therapy: “Unio Mystica” and “Achrayut,” 2 case reports
Authors: Ganguly Amvrine , Bengtsen Erik
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Pancreatic cancer is a major site of gastrointestinal tumors and remains a leading cause of cancer death in adults in the United States. There is also a strong association between pancreatic cancer and depression. When struggling with cancer, along the different phases of illness, a human being is confronted with manifold issues, which might profoundly interfere with their sense of meaning and purpose.

Methods

From this standpoint, several different therapeutic techniques have been designed to manage the psychological needs of the patients. Here we provide 2 clinical scenarios, where there was a strong religious correlation to the therapeutic techniques employed with patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Results

The 2 cases described showed some improvement in their overall life view and could recalibrate their expectations based on a strong religious foundation.

Significance of results

The role of religion and spirituality in health has also received increasing attention in literature. Religion and spirituality can help patients with cancer find meaning in their illness, provide comfort in the face of existential fears, and receive support from a community of like-minded individuals. In effect, they also provide evidence toward the scope of and integrating the domain of spirituality into holistic cancer care.
Gender and LGBT Affinity: The Case of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne
Authors: Albaugh Quinn M. , Baisley Elizabeth
Published: June 2023

When a party selects an out lesbian as its leader, do women and LGBT people evaluate that leader more positively? And do they become more likely to vote for that party? We answer these questions using the case of Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario, Canada, from 2013 to 2018. We draw on four large-sample surveys conducted by Ipsos before and after the 2011 and 2014 Ontario elections. We compare shifts in best premier choice and vote choice among non-LGBT men, non-LGBT women, LGBT men, and LGBT women from 2011 to 2014. We find gender and LGBT affinity in leader evaluations. However, we find that only non-LGBT women and LGBT men were more likely to vote Liberal after Wynne became leader. This article contributes to research on affinity by examining LGBT affinity in a real-world election and the intersection of gender and LGBT affinity.
Magnetotelluric Imaging of the Lithospheric Structure of the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen: Evidence for Long‐Term Weakening Caused by Rifting
Authors: Chase B. F. W. , Unsworth M. J. , Atekwana E. A. , Evans R. L. , Zhu J.
Published: June 2023

Magnetotelluric data were used to study the lithosphere structure of the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen (SOA). Inversion of the data revealed two low resistivity anomalies beneath the SOA. The first is located in the depth range 0–90 km in the crust and upper lithospheric mantle. The second extends from a depth 100 km to the base of the lithospheric mantle and extends away from the SOA to the ends of the profile. The cause of low resistivity anomalies is discussed in relation to the tectonic evolution of the region and recent laboratory experiments on rock conductivity. The first anomaly is attributed to the combination of (a) water present in mantle minerals and (b) the formation of hydrous mineral phases by interactions between a plume and the lithosphere during rifting. Grain size reduction and fabric alignment from deformation during the Ancestral Rocky Mountain (ARM) orogeny may have also contributed to the low resistivity. This enrichment phase may have mechanically weakened the lithosphere and allowed deformation to occur during the ARM orogeny. The low resistivity of the deeper anomaly is attributed to a fluorine‐enriched phlogopite layer that is also coincident with an observed seismic mid‐lithosphere discontinuity (MLD). A lithosphere keel of mantle minerals enriched in water underlies this layer and may have formed by accretion of the plume head to the lower lithosphere after rifting, which also rethickened the lithosphere to its present‐day depths. The MLD may then reflect a melt layer along a paleo lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary entombed during the accretion.
piRNA-1742 promotes renal cell carcinoma malignancy by regulating USP8 stability through binding to hnRNPU and thereby inhibiting MUC12 ubiquitination
Authors: Zhang Wentao , Zheng Zongtai , Wang Keyi , Mao Weipu , Li Xue , Wang Guangchun , Zhang Yuanyuan , Huang Jianhua , Zhang Ning , Wu Pengfei , Liu Ji , Zhang Haimin , Che Jianping , Peng Bo , Zheng Junhua , Li Wei , Yao Xudong
Published: June 2023

Accumulating studies have confirmed that PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are considered epigenetic effectors in cancer. We performed piRNA microarray expression analysis on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumor tissues and paired normal tissues and performed a series of in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore piRNAs associated with RCC progression and investigate their functional mechanisms. We found that piR-1742 was highly expressed in RCC tumors and that patients with high piR-1742 expression had a poor prognosis. Inhibition of piR-1742 significantly reduced tumor growth in RCC xenograft and organoid models. Mechanistically, piRNA-1742 regulates the stability of USP8 mRNA by binding directly to hnRNPU, which acts as a deubiquitinating enzyme that inhibits the ubiquitination of MUC12 and promotes the development of malignant RCC. Subsequently, nanotherapeutic systems loaded with piRNA-1742 inhibitors were found to effectively inhibit the metastasis and growth of RCC in vivo. Therefore, this study highlights the functional importance of piRNA-related ubiquitination in RCC and demonstrates the development of a related nanotherapeutic system, possibly contributing to the development of therapeutic approaches for RCC.
Direct electrification of silicon microfluidics for electric field applications
Authors: Monserrat Lopez Diego , Rottmann Philipp , Puebla-Hellmann Gabriel , Drechsler Ute , Mayor Marcel , Panke Sven , Fussenegger Martin , Lörtscher Emanuel
Published: June 2023

Microfluidic systems are widely used in fundamental research and industrial applications due to their unique behavior, enhanced control, and manipulation opportunities of liquids in constrained geometries. In micrometer-sized channels, electric fields are efficient mechanisms for manipulating liquids, leading to deflection, injection, poration or electrochemical modification of cells and droplets. While PDMS-based microfluidic devices are used due to their inexpensive fabrication, they are limited in terms of electrode integration. Using silicon as the channel material, microfabrication techniques can be used to create nearby electrodes. Despite the advantages that silicon provides, its opacity has prevented its usage in most important microfluidic applications that need optical access. To overcome this barrier, silicon-on-insulator technology in microfluidics is introduced to create optical viewports and channel-interfacing electrodes. More specifically, the microfluidic channel walls are directly electrified via selective, nanoscale etching to introduce insulation segments inside the silicon device layer, thereby achieving the most homogeneous electric field distributions and lowest operation voltages feasible across microfluidic channels. These ideal electrostatic conditions enable a drastic energy reduction, as effectively shown via picoinjection and fluorescence-activated droplet sorting applications at voltages below 6 and 15 V, respectively, facilitating low-voltage electric field applications in next-generation microfluidics.
Age and sex associate with outcome in older AML and high risk MDS patients treated with 10-day decitabine
Authors: Hilberink Jacobien R. , van Zeventer Isabelle A. , Chitu Dana A. , Pabst Thomas , Klein Saskia K. , Stussi Georg , Griskevicius Laimonas , Valk Peter J. M. , Cloos Jacqueline , van de Loosdrecht Arjan A. , Breems Dimitri , van Lammeren-Venema Danielle , Boersma Rinske , Jongen-Lavrencic Mojca , Fehr Martin , Hoogendoorn Mels , Manz Markus G. , Söhne Maaike , van Marwijk Kooy Rien , Deeren Dries , van der Poel Marjolein W. M. , Legdeur Marie Cecile , Tick Lidwine , Chalandon Yves , Ammatuna Emanuele , Blum Sabine , Löwenberg Bob , Ossenkoppele Gert J. ,   Dutch-Belgian Hemato-Oncology Cooperative Group (HOVON), Chitu D. A. , Klein S. K. , Griskevicius L. , Valk P. J. M. , Cloos J. , van de Loosdrecht A. A. , Breems D. , van Lammeren-Venema D. , Boersma R. , Jongen-Lavrencic M. , Söhne M. , van Marwijk Kooy R. , Deeren D. , van der Poel M. W. M. , Legdeur M. C. , Tick L. , Ammatuna E. , Löwenberg B. , Ossenkoppele G. J. , Huls G. ,   Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK), Pabst T. , Stussi G. , Fehr M. , Manz M. G. , Chalandon Y. , Blum S. , Huls Gerwin
Published: June 2023

Treatment choice according to the individual conditions remains challenging, particularly in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The impact of performance status, comorbidities, and physical functioning on survival is not well defined for patients treated with hypomethylating agents. Here we describe the impact of performance status (14% ECOG performance status 2), comorbidity (40% HCT-comorbidity index ≥ 2), and physical functioning (41% short physical performance battery < 9 and 17% ADL index < 6) on overall survival (OS) in 115 older patients (age ≥ 66 years) treated on a clinical trial with a 10-day decitabine schedule. None of the patient-related variables showed a significant association with OS. Multivariable analysis revealed that age > 76 years was significantly associated with reduced OS (HR 1.58; p = 0.043) and female sex was associated with superior OS (HR 0.62; p = 0.06). We further compared the genetic profiles of these subgroups. This revealed comparable mutational profiles in patients younger and older than 76 years, but, interestingly, revealed significantly more prevalent mutated ASXL1, STAG2, and U2AF1 in male compared to female patients. In this cohort of older patients treated with decitabine age and sex, but not comorbidities, physical functioning or cytogenetic risk were associated with overall survival.