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[EN] Non-uniform heating in structures under fire involves the appearance of 3D-phenomena and typically requires the use of complex models built with finite elements shell or solid. Although different procedures have been developed to model the complex thermo-mechanical phenomenon, there is no simple, accurate, and low-cost computational methodology involving the space-time variation of the temperature and displacement fields that opens the path advancing more easily towards modeling more complex structural problems in a fire situation. To overcome this knowledge-gap, this paper presents a new methodology that fulfills those conditions, making it possible to carry out more complex analyses that require many simulations in a short time and at low computational costs. The new methodology to obtain the thermo-mechanical response to non-uniform heating and mechanical loads is general, simple, accurate, and avoids using complex and high-cost finite elements, simplifying the structural modeling, and reducing the computational analysis cost. As a result, complex structural fire engineering problems such as probabilistic and optimization analysis can be handled much more easily, representing a significant step toward the generalized application of performance-based approaches to deal with fire effects on structures. The procedure uses simple but advanced Timoshenko¿s beam-type finite elements and represents the non-uniform temperature space-time field through a mean value of the temperature and the two mean values of the section thermal gradients which are variable in time during the fire. The methodology is satisfactorily validated with results (experimental and numerical) of the Cardington frame test and captures 3D-phenomena such as buckling, flexural-torsional buckling, and warping., Thanks are due to the Fundación Carolina, the Universitat Politècnica de València, and the Universidad Surcolombiana for the support given to this research through the 2018-2019 Ph.D. scholarship.

Online media-assisted learning is becoming a necessity at this time, where users have a level of interest in using mobile devices. YouTube has been used by several universities as a learning medium that complements conceptual understanding. This study develops learning media in the curriculum of maintenance of chassis and power (MCP) and measures the perspective of students after online-based MCP media is applied. Researchers involved material experts, media experts, and expert practitioners in improving the quality of MCP media and involved 163 respondents as users to assess the feasibility of MCP media, thus determining the media to use YouTube is acceptable. The results confirm that all aspects of material understanding, language use, benefits and graphics on MCP media are recommended according to YouTube usage. Researchers summarize that the online media "YouTube" is effective as a learning methodology and relevant to user needs. The involvement of experts is important in the acceptance and suitability of quality media. It is recommended that practical or abstract competencies can be mastered easily using online media, YouTube.

The determination of minimum residual flow (MRF) follows diverse methodology in Europe due to differing hydrological conditions, ecosystem requirements, water abstraction requirements, and legislation. Methodologies in individual countries are difficult to compare qualitatively. However, individual approaches can serve as examples for countries undergoing the process of developing new methodologies, either for legislative purposes or to improve environmental standards on watercourses. This is exactly the situation in the Czech Republic which, has been working on the Regulation of the Government of the Czech Republic for ten years, since the amendment to the Water Act in 2010, defines the methods and criteria for determining the MRF on watercourses. T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, p.r.i., was commissioned to develop a new methodology to serve as the basis for the wording of aforementioned regulation. The new methodological approach took into account modern trends concerning the preservation of ecological standards, and used standard hydrological characteristics for its calculations. The newly proposed approach is undergoing a complicated approval process as the authors seek to increase the MRF compared to the current approach. The new approach assumes an MRF setting between Q97 and Q90. It defines four areas within the Czech Republic, by their hydrological and hydrogeological conditions, where the MRF is determined in different ways. This article describes the development of a new methodological approach, including the use the available Czech Hydrometeorological Institute data sets, the proposed regional division for MRF calculations, the determination the MRF below reservoirs, and the current state of the issue.

The daily requirements and needs imposed on the executors of logistics services imply the need for a higher level of quality. In this, the proper execution of all sustainability processes and activities plays an important role. In this paper, a new methodology for improving the measurement of the quality of the service consisting of three phases has been developed. The first phase is the application of the Delphi method to determine the quality dimension ranking. After that, in the second phase, using the FUCOM (full consistency method), we determined the weight coefficients of the quality dimensions. The third phase represents determining the level of quality using the SERVQUAL (service quality) model, or the difference between the established gaps. The new methodology considers the assessment of the quality dimensions of a large number of participants (customers), on the one hand, and experts’ assessments on the other hand. The methodology was verified through the research carried out in an express post company. After processing and analyzing the collected data, the Cronbach alpha coefficient for each dimension of the SERVQUAL model for determining the reliability of the response was calculated. To determine the validity of the results and the developed methodology, an extensive statistical analysis (ANOVA, Duncan, Signum, and chi square tests) was carried out. The integration of certain methods and models into the new methodology has demonstrated greater objectivity and more precise results in determining the level of quality of sustainability processes and activities., This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques for Improvement Sustainability Engineering Processes

Submission is focused on completing the information system about quality, operation, automatic testing and new evaluating method of vehicle subsystem. Numeric analysis is carried out on the base of automatic collection and systematic recording of commercial car operation. Proposed new information system about operation and trial process allows verification according to the proposed method. Critical components verified in laboratory conditions are detected by numeric analysis of reliability. Quality level increasing not only for final product, but also related automatic test laboratory for cars is the result of respecting these principles. ENDENCY TO ensure high technical and operational parameters of a car, and consequently successful realisation of any difficult technical system and mechanism comes out from perfect knowledge of operational conditions, knowledge of operation - technical characteristics and parameters of the system as such. This fact requires increasing requests for technical level of measurement, actual time of measurement results, precision of measurement results, possibility of measurement result processing, level of measurement automation, i.e. measurement as method of objective quantification of physical values, or about relation between two or more physical values. Analysis of achieved results from dealing with the car security area in whole scale of connectivity and relations confirms that the role of laboratory verification is not replaceable in new quality management system. The overall approach to the issue of the test questions in new quality management system, persistent in car production concept, is getting necessary and the car production process as well as the analysis of development trends in car industry shows, the solution to automated testing has an objective need (4), (8). It is necessary to be concerned about automation data gathering about component operation mode in real conditions. It is possible to define their reliability based on gathered data about operating and component failure accepting. It is possible to design a device for test tracing of components and a test method after defining critical elements. We gather data about component operation this way, as the difficult system is in accordance with science and development principles, thus, preventing un=controlled production of non=verified elements in industrial production (6). Based on gathered data, it is possible to increase component reliability and to reach a higher level in planned car production.