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The structures laboratory is a crucial facility for supporting research development related to the construction industry. This kind of laboratory has several components, and one of its key components is the reaction wall. The reaction wall supports the execution of experimental tests on structural elements under specific configurations and loads. Constructing a reaction wall presents challenges due to the highest standards to be met. This research analyzes the construction process of a reaction wall at a private university in Peru. Initially, a schedule was proposed by a contractor. However, the client, knowing the complexity of such construction, asked to review the initial schedule to ensure that it would meet the constructability requirements under the integrated product-organization-process approach given by the virtual design and construction (VDC) methodology. The result of this study pointed out the need to revise the original proposed schedule, extending the construction time to 66% due to the lack of construction processes compatible with the requirements for the reaction wall's execution. Finally, a survey was conducted to observe the learning curve associated with implementing the VDC methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interface stability is a key to practical applications of high‐rate sodium metal batteries (SMBs). The general sodium metal anode (SMA), for example, suffers from an unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI), which may induce severe dendrite growth and continuous Na consumption, particularly under high rates. At the same time, the cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) of a widely adopted cathode material Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) has to tolerate the massive volume changes during the rapid Na+ ion intercalation/extraction, resulting in structural degradations and the capacity loss. Here, a facile strategy is reported by introducing aluminum ethoxide to a conventional ether‐based electrolyte, to promote the formation of an alumina‐rich SEI and CEI, which facilitates the rapid Na+ ion transport across the interface and promotes the uniform Na deposition. The resultant Na || Na symmetric cell demonstrates a stable cycling of 4800 h at 10 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2, and a Na || NVP full cell exhibits a high capacity retention of 81.28% after 6000 cycles at 40C. The simultaneous interface engineering of both the Na metal anode and the NVP cathode via the facile organic aluminum additive opens up a new avenue toward practical application of high‐rate SMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Given-Find-Solution (GFS) method is a widely used procedure to systematically understand "what the problem is" in engineering problems. Nevertheless, the GFS method does not provide a clear guide on how to handle uncertainty, feasibility, and preference for design problems. Addressing this issue is crucial since the designer usually requires making assumptions to be able to propose functional solutions. The Given-Find-In Order To-Subjected To (GFIS) method and roadmap are here proposed to systematically state a design problem and requirements using fuzzy desirability functions to handle uncertainty, feasibility, and preference. The GFIS method lists the parameters, variables, specifications, restrictions, and preferences to facilitate the decision-making process. A comparative study was conducted with undergraduate students from Tecnológico de Monterrey enrolled in the course Design Methodologies. The students solved a band brake design problem before and after applying the GFIS method, and their performance was compared. The results showed a significant improvement in their decision-making ability, their capability to find feasible solutions, and the time required to make a design proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the three-dimensional concurrent engineering and presents an integrated mathematical model to determine design and production process of each part of product and its supply chain network with a sustainable approach. Demand is assumed to be design-dependent, and supply chain under study is closed-loop. From sustainability viewpoint, total profit in planning horizon is considered as economic index, and an approach based on life cycle assessment is implemented to calculate environmental index. In this approach, the eco-costs method is utilized to quantify life cycle environmental impact of activities. Also, a ratio based on job creation opportunity and employment rate is considered as social index. To show the performance of the proposed mathematical model, data for a home appliance producer from Iran is utilized. Eventually, a sensitivity analysis is presented to examine the effects of variations in demand on the resulted solutions and the values of triple objective functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Automotive Digest is the property of Automotive Digest Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since 2019, research into MXene derivatives has seen a dramatic rise; further progress requires a rational design for specific functionality. Herein, through a molecular design by selecting suitable functional groups in the MXene coating, we have implemented the dual N doping of the derivatives, nitrogen‐doped TiO2@nitrogen‐doped carbon nanosheets (N‐TiO2@NC), to strike a balance between the active anatase TiO2 at low temperatures, and carbon activation at high temperatures. The NH3 reduction environment generated at 400 °C as evidenced by the in situ pyrolysis SVUV‐PIMS process is crucial for concurrent phase engineering. With both electrical conductivity and surface Na+ availability, the N‐TiO2@NC achieves higher interface capacitive‐like sodium storage with long‐term stability. More than 100 mAh g−1 is achieved at 2 A g−1 after 5000 cycles. The proposed design may be extended to other MXenes and solidify the growing family of MXene derivatives for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market trends in the space sector suggest a notable increase in satellite operations and market value for the coming decade. In parallel, there has been a shift in the industrial and academic sectors from traditional Document-Based System Engineering to Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) combined with Concurrent engineering (CE) practices. Due to growing demands, the drivers behind this change have been the need for quicker and more cost-effective design processes. A key challenge in this transition remains to determine how to effectively formalize and exchange data during all design stages and across all discipline-specific tools; as representing systems through models can be a complex endeavor. For instance, during the Preliminary design (PD) phase, the integration of system models with external mathematical models for simulations, analyses, and system budgeting is crucial. The introduction of CubeSats and their standard has partly addressed the question of standardization and has aided in reducing overall development time and costs in the space sector. Nevertheless, questions about how to successfully exchange data endure. This paper focuses on formalizing a CubeSat model for use across various stages of the PD phase. The entire process is conducted with the exclusive use of open-source tools, to facilitate the transparency of data integration across the PD phases, and the overall life cycle of a CubeSat. The paper has two primary outcomes: (i) developing a generic CubeSat model using Systems modeling language (SysML) that includes data storage and visualization through the application of Unified modeling language (UML) stereotypes, streamlining in parallel information exchange for integration with various simulation and analysis tools; (ii) creating an end-to-end use case scenario within the Nanostar software suite (NSS), an open-source framework designed to streamline data exchange across different software during CE sessions. A case study from a theoretical academic space mission concept is presented as the illustration of how to utilize the proposed formalization, and it serves as well as a preliminary validation of the proposed formalization. The proposed formalization positions the CubeSat SysML model as the central data source throughout the design process. It also supports automated trade-off analyses by combining the benefits of SysML with effective data instantiating across all PD study phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the tremendous impact of extreme workloads, arduous working conditions, and disorganization disrupt humane job definitions in some industries, the need for workplace re-articulation was interfered to ameliorate psycho-social factors and suggest organizational intervention strategies. Especially for colossally wounded health-care (HC) systems, today it is now even more unrealizable to retain workforce resilience considering the immense impact of overwhelming working conditions. Methods: This study introduces employment of concurrent engineering tools to re-design humane workplaces annihilating abatement over devoured resources. The study handles HC-workforce resilience in a pioneering motive to introduce transformation of well-known motivators and proposes solutions for retention and resilience issues grounding on HC workers’ own voice. Results: The proposed adjustable approach introduces integral use of focus group studies, SWARA, and QFD methods, and was practiced on a real-world case regarding Turkish HC workforce. The paper also presents widespread effects of findings by tendering generalized psycho-social rehabilitation strategies. Results confirmed the modifications of the most potent incessant motivators. Conclusion: “Burn out issues” and “Challenging work” were found as the most important motivator and satisfier, respectively, to be exigently fulfilled. Corrective interventions, required resolutions, and workplace articulation connotations were arbitrated in terms of entire outcomes on four dimensions in three different planning periods considering the current status, repercussions of pandemic, and contingency of similar catastrophes. Descriptive illustrations were additionally presented to support deducted interpretations.

The functional tolerancing process involves the allocation of the tolerance derived from each functional requirement, expressed at the assembly level, into multiple functional tolerances at the part level. For each part, the manufacturing tolerancing process transfers each functional tolerance into multiple manufacturing tolerances on the dimensions produced throughout the entire process. However, this transfer faces challenges when dealing with tight functional tolerances and constrained process capability. This article proposes an innovative method for adaptively optimizing the production process to enhance its capabilities. Rather than relying on a static manufacturing transfer, this approach involves intermediate measurements of each workpiece during production, modelling its digital shadow. By dynamically adjusting the targets of the upcoming manufacturing dimensions, individual adjustments aim to maximize the likelihood of conformity. This adaptive strategy allows for the allocation of tighter functional tolerances while ensuring workpiece conformity and maintaining the same manufacturing process. Concurrent engineering is thereby facilitated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: New product development (NPD) is necessary for business sustenance and customer satisfaction. Six Sigma and Design for Lean Six Sigma (DLSS) efficiently employ the repetitive stages for NPD, leading to quality performance and profitability. This study aims to map the quality performance through NPD attributes through the Lean methodology. Design/methodology/approach: The data on NPD were collected from 267 respondents from manufacturing companies to map the relationship between Six Sigma and DLSS for NPD. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to confirm model fit, while structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the empirical data for framework testing. The study included nine variables and fourteen hypotheses identified from the literature. Findings: The statistical results of this study show that NPD attributes such as innovation, marketing, organization, customer, product and technology positively influence the Lean Six Sigma structured improvement process (LSSSIP) and DLSS. Moreover, integrating these attributes in Lean planning enhance quality performance. This empirical investigation's findings indicate that ten of the 14 hypotheses were supported, giving the study a strong foundation. Research limitations/implications: The data collection was limited to northern India; therefore, the results may not be generalizable to other areas of the world. Practical implications: NPD involves handling technical issues and factors such as cost, operational bottlenecks, economic changes, competitors' strategy and company policy. This study helps understand the various NPD parameters and their relationship to Lean, which enables an effective NPD implementation strategy. Originality/value: The current philosophy of NPD calls for a concurrent engineering approach; therefore, the entire organization must be part of this process. This study uses the holistic framework by optimizing NPD with Lean Six Sigma (LSS) principles. The study is unique in that, to date, research does not integrate NPD attributes with the objectives of LSS to develop an efficient NPD implementation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research aims to use the latest technology, namely "Concurrent Engineering ", to redraw production and assembly lines to be more efficient and take less time in manufacturing and delivery. Which will help to earn more money, reduce the cost, achieve quality standards, and continue the production line in the assembly lines of the General Company for Mechanical Industries / Automotive Assembly Line, calculating the workstations and stages until the final production and presenting it to the customer. It was noted that there were multiple problems that led to losses on the assembly line as a result of the lack of distribution and timing of activities across the stages of the production line, causing bottlenecks in some workstations. This was reflected in a loss of about (398) minutes at a cost of about $3,900 per minute, which led to insufficient use of human or material resources (machinery and equipment). The current study presented a proposal through which the assembly line can be restructured and the implementation of some activities that are close in completion time can be synchronized, which in turn leads to reducing the total completion time from (937.5 to 772 minutes), that is, by 16.75%, in addition to maximizing working times and machine operating efficiency. And reduce wasted time at most stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concurrent engineering approach necessitates integrating material selection into the product design to effectively align with client specifications. Premature product failure, leading to substantial losses, frequently arises as a consequence of inadequate material selection due to conflicting demands. The Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) procedures are essential for making wise decisions since choosing materials is complicated. This study employs fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) techniques to determine which bio-composite filaments will be the most effective for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). The requirements and available factors of egg carton packaging material determine the selection criteria for bio-composite filaments. These factors serve as the foundation for identifying ten essential features. The acquired data showed that the sugar palm fiber/polylactic acid composite (SPF/PLA) 7.5 wt.% fiber loading exhibited the highest priority score, 19.80%. The kenaf/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (Kenaf/ABS) composite, with a fiber loading of 7.5%, exhibited the lowest ranking, scoring 4.4%. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to further corroborate the findings. It was observed that the SPF/PLA 7.5 wt.% fiber loading consistently ranked highest throughout all four examined scenarios. The study determined that a bio-composite filament material with a weight ratio of 7.5% SPF/PLA fiber loading is the optimal choice for utilizing FDM technology in the design of egg carton packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2Te3‐based materials have drawn much attention from the thermoelectric community due to their excellent thermoelectric performance near room temperature. However, the stability of existing n‐type Bi2(Te,Se)3 materials is still low due to the evaporation energy of Se (37.70 kJ mol−1) being much lower than that of Te (52.55 kJ mol−1). The evaporated Se from the material causes problems in interconnects of the module while degrading the efficiency. Here, we have developed a new approach for the high‐performance and stable n‐type Se‐free Bi2Te3‐based materials by maximizing the electronic transport while suppressing the phonon transport, at the same time. Spontaneously generated FeTe2 nanoinclusions within the matrix during the melt‐spinning and subsequent spark plasma sintering is the key to simultaneous engineering of the power factor and lattice thermal conductivity. The nanoinclusions change the fermi level of the matrix while intensifying the phonon scattering via nanoparticles. With a fine‐tuning of the fermi level with Cu doping in the n‐type Bi2Te3–0.02FeTe2, a high power factor of ~41 × 10−4 Wm−1 K−2 with an average zT of 1.01 at the temperature range 300–470 K are achieved, which are comparable to those obtained in n‐type Bi2(Te,Se)3 materials. The proposed approach enables the fabrication of high‐performance n‐type Bi2Te3‐based materials without having to include volatile Se element, which guarantees the stability of the material. Consequently, widespread application of thermoelectric devices utilizing the n‐type Bi2Te3‐based materials will become possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Signos is the property of Universidad Santo Tomas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cu2Se‐based binary compounds have recently fetched the attention of researchers due to their remarkable electrical and extremely low thermal properties. In addition, Cu2Se‐based quaternary chalcogenides are expected to present exceptional thermoelectric performance. Cu2Se1−x−ySxTey‐like compounds are synthesized via microwave‐assisted hydrothermal method and their respective thermal and electrical transport properties are studied in this research work. The phase purity and homogeneity are examined by X‐ray diffraction and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry analysis. The introduction of S and Te elements into Cu2Se matrix enhances Seebeck coefficient resulting in improved electrical performance illustrating a maximum power factor of 989.4 μWK−2 m−1 at 673 K. Furthermore, S‐ and Te‐co‐doped samples exhibit reduced total thermal conductivity values with lowest value of 0.808 WK−1 m−1 for Cu2Se0.96S0.02Te0.02 sample in comparison to 1.18 WK−1 m−1 for the pristine sample. The simultaneous improvement in electrical and thermal properties results in enhanced figure of merit of 0.82 for Cu2Se0.96S0.02Te0.02 sample at 673 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coordinating the collaboration within sub-structured teams created for large engineering projects presents several challenges. Set-based concurrent engineering (SBCE), by maintaining several candidate designs for each subproblem throughout the process, may alter the best ways to coordinate subteams in these projects, compared to point-based concurrent engineering (PBCE) processes in which only one candidate design is maintained for each subproblem. Previous studies have introduced SBCE to industry with positive results and have corroborated its stated benefits through computational study, but researchers have yet to systematically study how SBCE interacts with sub-structured teams. This work augments a multi-agent model developed to simulate and study SBCE, the Point/Set-Organized Research Teams (PSORT) platform, to model sub-structured teams with different forms of intra-subteam collaboration, including joint iteration, design sharing, or no collaboration at all. Design projects are then simulated using these collaboration methods with PBCE and SBCE conditions to investigate how SBCE affects team performance under different modes of intra-subteam collaboration. These studies find that SBCE enables nominal subteams to combine the efforts of multiple designers on individual subproblems with minimal losses, while high levels of collaboration during development are found to assist designers in overcoming design barriers, which SBCE facilitates by maintaining many design options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional (3D) product model has become a tool that has transitioned from a legacy instrument, used in design, to an emerging technology applied to production and assembly processes. As this evolution has occurred, the need has developed to understand the value of deploying the 3D product model beyond the design phase. This research answers the question and solves the problem, does electronic documentation inclusive of the 3D product model add to the production workers' ability to complete the production task? To answer this question, the methods used were that the research team tested how accurately and quickly a production and assembly team could build the product using interactive, electronic documentation, including the 3D product model, as a means to understand the design intent as opposed to printed bills of materials (BOMs) and two-dimensional (2D) paper drawings. The conclusions that can be drawn from this research are that the research found statistically significant improvements in the production throughput time (~10%), reductions in the direct labor hours per unit (~14%), and retained quality levels, when deploying electronic documentation, including the 3D product model, into the production and assembly processes. Through the deployment of the interactive 3D product model electronic documentation to the production floor, the organization also took a step towards creating a digital twin of the produced product and laid a foundation for the further adoption of Industry 4.0 practices. The novelty of the work and the areas where it goes beyond previous efforts in the literature concerns the current body of knowledge that does not demonstrate a repeatable methodology through which industry and other researchers can replicate the experiment on demonstrating economic value when deploying the 3D product model to production and assembly processes. In this paper, the authors aim to build on prior work to demonstrate a repeatable methodology for determining the economic value of 3D product model deployment in production and assembly processes through applied research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional (3D) product model has become a tool that has transitioned from a legacy instrument, used in design, to an emerging technology applied to production and assembly processes. As this evolution has occurred, the need has developed to understand the value of deploying the 3D product model beyond the design phase. This research answers the question and solves the problem, does electronic documentation inclusive of the 3D product model add to the production workers’ ability to complete the production task? To answer this question, the methods used were that the research team tested how accurately and quickly a production and assembly team could build the product using interactive, electronic documentation, including the 3D product model, as a means to understand the design intent as opposed to printed bills of materials (BOMs) and two-dimensional (2D) paper drawings. The conclusions that can be drawn from this research are that the research found statistically significant improvements in the production throughput time (~10%), reductions in the direct labor hours per unit (~14%), and retained quality levels, when deploying electronic documentation, including the 3D product model, into the production and assembly processes. Through the deployment of the interactive 3D product model electronic documentation to the production floor, the organization also took a step towards creating a digital twin of the produced product and laid a foundation for the further adoption of Industry 4.0 practices. The novelty of the work and the areas where it goes beyond previous efforts in the literature concerns the current body of knowledge that does not demonstrate a repeatable methodology through which industry and other researchers can replicate the experiment on demonstrating economic value when deploying the 3D product model to production and assembly processes. In this paper, the authors aim to build on prior work to demonstrate a repeatable methodology for determining the economic value of 3D product model deployment in production and assembly processes through applied research.

A key enabler for personalised product design is an open product architecture that allows the integration of personalised modules to create unique products. Decisions regarding product variety, module combinations, and configurations for personalised modules need to be coordinated with the decisions of manufacturing process and supplier selection when developing personalised product architectures. Conventionally, product architecture, processes, and suppliers are independently determined at different product development stages. However, this sequential design process lacks connection between product architecture, process, and supplier, and may lead to suboptimal or even infeasible design solutions with compromised performance. In this study, a concurrent optimisation approach is proposed to integrate manufacturing process and supplier selection into personalised product architecture design. A cost model is developed as a nexus of product architecture, process, and supplier. Then, a mixed-integer optimisation model is established to maximise the potential profit of a product family based on a profit formulation that incorporates customer preference, process resource, supplier, and manufacturing cost. A genetic algorithm is utilised to solve this optimisation problem. The method is demonstrated on the architecture design for a family of personalised bicycles. The result shows that concurrent optimisation can achieve design solutions with higher profitability compared to sequential design strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterologous tRNAs used for noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) mutagenesis in mammalian cells typically show poor activity. We recently introduced a virus‐assisted directed evolution strategy (VADER) that can enrich improved tRNA mutants from naïve libraries in mammalian cells. However, VADER was limited to processing only a few thousand mutants; the inability to screen a larger sequence space precluded the identification of highly active variants with distal synergistic mutations. Here, we report VADER2.0, which can process significantly larger mutant libraries. It also employs a novel library design, which maintains base‐pairing between distant residues in the stem regions, allowing us to pack a higher density of functional mutants within a fixed sequence space. VADER2.0 enabled simultaneous engineering of the entire acceptor stem of M. mazei pyrrolysyl tRNA (tRNAPyl), leading to a remarkably improved variant, which facilitates more efficient incorporation of a wider range of ncAAs, and enables facile development of viral vectors and stable cell‐lines for ncAA mutagenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by a technological transition, paradigms such as Lean, Green, and Circular Economy are increasingly being addressed by manufacturers to provide increasingly complex solutions. Whether considering products or services, design plays a decisive role in this context. Concurrent engineering and approaches to Design for X (DFX) have become commonly related to products and services, revealing the prominent potential to enhance product quality, improve sustainability performance, increase consumer satisfaction, and support the design of products, processes, and systems. However, many researchers have developed several DFX techniques with modified applications for different domains. This diversity makes it hard for practitioners and researchers when considering advanced technologies, to suit the current DFX with an integrated lean, green, and circular design perspective. In this regard, this paper aims to present a literature analysis concerning a potential model for the integration of four paradigms of management: lean, green, circular economy, and Industry 4.0 while considering DFX approaches. As a result, a framework that illustrates the connection between the fourth paradigm considered and the DFX approaches is presented. Our analysis would be useful to academics and practitioners since it indicates the field's key limitations and research lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulating site‐to‐site interactions between active sites can effectively tailor the electrocatalytic behavior of single‐atom catalysts (SACs). The conventional SACs suffer from low density of single atoms and lack of site‐to‐site interactions between them. Herein, a series of interactive Pt SACs with controllable Pt–Pt spatial correlation degree and local coordination environment is developed by integrating densely populated Pt single atoms in the sub‐lattice of a Co3O4 matrix. The obtained interactive Pt‐Co3O4 catalysts demonstrate remarkable electrocatalytic performance toward hydrogen production, outperforming those of isolated single atom‐ and nanoparticle‐based catalysts. The intrinsic catalytic activity of interactive Pt‐Co3O4 catalysts is closely dependent on the spatial structure of Pt sites with the adjusted d‐band center by regulating contents and atomic configuration of Pt sites. This work provides fundamental insights for the structure‐property relationship on interactive single active sites, which is expected to direct the rational design of highly efficient SACs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concurrent engineering through overlapping of activities (i.e., fast-tracking) has been used as a schedule acceleration technique. Fast-track construction projects are generally recognized as riskier and subject to risks arising due to the concurrency of work. This work reports the risk perception of construction professionals to three different degrees of overlapping. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data, and the analysis applied data transformation and descriptive statistics. The risks were mainly perceived in the middle degree of overlapping and in activities occurring earlier in the schedule. The low and high degrees of overlapping were mainly perceived as having no risk or not being feasible, respectively. The four risk types accounted for most of the perceived threats: construction error, design change, crew interference, and poor construction productivity. The findings of this study suggest that construction professionals perceive risks differently based on the amount of activity overlapping. It is consistent with previous studies that found that risks decrease as the project advances and that fast-track projects face additional risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of product design and supply-chain management can lead to an increase in the profitability and efficiency of companies. However, considering manufacturing, supply chain, and aircraft criteria in the early design phase increases the size of the solutions' trade space and, thus, the complexity of performing the decision-making process. This paper demonstrates how to leverage value-model theory to simplify the decision-making process when multiple criteria related to multiple systems are considered at the same time. The proposed concurrent approach is formalized from a systems-engineering perspective, considering the interactions between the lifecycle stages of the System of Interest, i.e., the aircraft, and Enabling Systems like the supply chain and manufacturing. A value-based interactive dashboard, called VALORISE, is developed to automatize the process, support decision-makers in modeling their expectations, analyze real-time strategic scenarios, and easily explore the value-driven trade space for best-solution identification. An aeronautical application case highlights the advantages of leveraging the proposed concurrent approach to overcome the limits of traditional approaches, in which decisions about supply chain and manufacturing are addressed once the aircraft configuration is decided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research activity proposed in this paper is framed within the context of the concurrent engineering applied to the complex aeronautical system development. The main objective is to extend the aircraft design parameters with those of manufacturing and supply chain including, among others, logistics aspects, quality management, risk production, resources and materials availability. This surely complicates the design problem due to an enlargement of the alternatives populating the solutions tradespace. However, it provides a great opportunity to gain agility, variety and competitive advantages in the nowadays global market. The formulation and implementation of the new value-driven methodology, here-proposed, offers advantageous benefits to the decision-maker, as also highlighted by the aeronautical application case addressed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within a constantly competitive scenario, productive organizations have been looking for alternatives to improve all their internal processes in order to try to stay alive among competitors, in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Thus, it is no longer common for someone or some isolated sector of a company to make a decision on their own. The decisions became collegiate. However, some sectors end up having more relevant arguments at each stage of a product's great journey. At every moment of the process, from conceptualization (cradle) to disposal (grave or reuse), some departments become protagonists, while others become supporting actors. In this approach, the great journey of a product could be divided into "triangle of forces" structured by stakeholder representatives. The objective of this specific paper is to evaluate the activities of the conceptualization phase of a product that is observed as the first of these triangles whose vertices are formed by representatives from the Marketing, Industrial Design and Product Engineering areas. The proposed triangle model aims to organize the decision-making process during the development of a new product. Assigning leadership responsibilities and support functions to each sector at each stage of the project. This proposal would transform the great product journey into a star formed by these triangles of power, creating an agile and interactive environment of simultaneous engineering. As a result, this study presents a proposal of fundamental activities involved in the initial triangle of the task force conceptualization phase and the interrelationships among the areas of Marketing, Industrial Design and Product Engineering that happen along these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concurrent engineering through overlapping of activities (i.e., fast-tracking) has been used as a schedule acceleration technique. Fast-track construction projects are generally recognized as riskier and subject to risks arising due to the concurrency of work. This work reports the risk perception of construction professionals to three different degrees of overlapping. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data, and the analysis applied data transformation and descriptive statistics. The risks were mainly perceived in the middle degree of overlapping and in activities occurring earlier in the schedule. The low and high degrees of overlapping were mainly perceived as having no risk or not being feasible, respectively. The four risk types accounted for most of the perceived threats: construction error, design change, crew interference, and poor construction productivity. The findings of this study suggest that construction professionals perceive risks differently based on the amount of activity overlapping. It is consistent with previous studies that found that risks decrease as the project advances and that fast-track projects face additional risks.

Abstract The solution space methodology, as presented in 2013, was meant to guide developers at the very beginning of the development process of a new mechanically crashworthy car. Several attempts were already made to use this methodology at later development stages. However, they all encountered problems related to its very strict and demanding corridors, thus constricting the design parameters. To allow more flexibility, two different approaches were proposed to relax the initial strict conditions. The first introduced temporal dependencies to widen the corridors. The second locally changed the corridors to adapt to the needs of the development, introducing dependencies between components. We, on the contrary, propose a new method to increase flexibility without introducing any kind of dependencies. We manage this by computing the intervals of solution space under user-defined conditions, hence selecting a custom set of independent corridors that fits the data gathered during development; i.e.: force-deformation curves that can be measured during a drop-tower test simulation. This new methodology of the adaptive solution space allows designers to edit the corridors, in order to have more flexibility for fulfilling high-level requirements when independently designing new components.

ABSTRACTThe research activity proposed in this paper is framed within the context of the concurrent engineering applied to the complex aeronautical system development. The main objective is to extend the aircraft design parameters with those of manufacturing and supply chain including, among others, logistics aspects, quality management, risk production, resources and materials availability. This surely complicates the design problem due to an enlargement of the alternatives populating the solutions tradespace. However, it provides a great opportunity to gain agility, variety and competitive advantages in the nowadays global market. The formulation and implementation of the new value-driven methodology, here-proposed, offers advantageous benefits to the decision-maker, as also highlighted by the aeronautical application case addressed in this paper.

Precise manipulation of the coordination environment of single‐atom catalysts (SACs), particularly the simultaneous engineering of multiple coordination shells, is crucial to maximize their catalytic performance but remains challenging. Herein, we present a general two‐step strategy to fabricate a series of hollow carbon‐based SACs featuring asymmetric Zn−N2O2 moieties simultaneously modulated with S atoms in higher coordination shells of Zn centers (n≥2; designated as Zn−N2O2−S). Systematic analyses demonstrate that the synergetic effects between the N2O2 species in the first coordination shell and the S atoms in higher coordination shells lead to robust discrete Zn sites with the optimal electronic structure for selective O2 reduction to H2O2. Remarkably, the Zn−N2O2 moiety with S atoms in the second coordination shell possesses a nearly ideal Gibbs free energy for the key OOH* intermediate, which favors the formation and desorption of OOH* on Zn sites for H2O2 generation. Consequently, the Zn−N2O2−S SAC exhibits impressive electrochemical H2O2 production performance with high selectivity of 96 %. Even at a high current density of 80 mA cm−2 in the flow cell, it shows a high H2O2 production rate of 6.924 mol gcat−1 h−1 with an average Faradaic efficiency of 93.1 %, and excellent durability over 65 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous engineering of sulfur cathode and Li anode is critical for electrolyte‐starved high energy density Li–S batteries, in which slow electrochemical conversions and side chemical reactions of dead sulfur are found to be the determining factors in limiting the sulfur utilization, corresponding to the poor reversible capacity of Li–S batteries. Herein, this work challenges the conventional wisdom of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalyses in Li–S batteries and proposes the concept of integrated–heterogeneous catalysis to simultaneously scavenge the dead sulfur and dead lithium to compensate the active materials sulfur and lithium loss simply through adding a small amount of ZnI2 into conventional electrolyte of Li–S cells. Regulated by integrated–heterogeneous catalysis, over 1300 h of cycling is realized in Li||Li symmetric cells, revealing superb compatibility of the ZnI2‐incorporated electrolyte with lithium metal. Meanwhile, the ZnI2 shows good prospects in promoting the reutilization of dead sulfur in both theoretical calculation and experimental tests. Practically, a high initial capacity of 1170 mAh g−1 with decent cycling stability is achieved in electrolyte‐starved and high‐loading pouch cells (5.0 µL mg−1 and 5.2 mg cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the study of a nitrogen supply system for cooling an experimental device designed for testing in a pulsed reactor with a graphite moderator. To analyze emergency situations caused by disruption of the nitrogen supply system in the cooling paths of the fuel assembly cover and the experimental device power housing, a mathematical model has been developed to describe thermodynamic processes in a system of interconnected tanks that simulate individual sections of the experimental device hydrodynamic cooling system in a pulsed graphite reactor and implemented in the mathematical interactive package for engineering calculations in MATLAB/Simulink. To study the normal operation of the system and analyze possible emergencies, the cooling system of the experimental device was presented in the form of groups of interconnected sections of the hydrodynamic system-tanks, with specified volumes and hydraulic resistances of pipelines connecting these tanks. Verification of the model, calculations of the experimental device cooling system normal operation mode, calculations of emergency situations caused by a violation of the nitrogen supply system normal operation in the cooling paths of the fuel assembly cover were carried out, in particular, it was found that for the cooling system of the experimental device WF-2, the breakdown of the gearbox P-12 can cause depressurization of the fuel assembly cover and an increase in pressure in the power housing, the opening of the safety valve prevents exceeding the pressure limit in the housing, the device maintains integrity even in emergency situations, without being subjected to destruction of the power elements of the structure at a pressure of up to 8 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solution space methodology, as presented in 2013, was meant to guide developers at the very beginning of the development process of a new mechanically crashworthy car. Several attempts were already made to use this methodology at later development stages. However, they all encountered problems related to its very strict and demanding corridors, thus constricting the design parameters. To allow more flexibility, two different approaches were proposed to relax the initial strict conditions. The first introduced temporal dependencies to widen the corridors. The second locally changed the corridors to adapt to the needs of the development, introducing dependencies between components. We, on the contrary, propose a new method to increase flexibility without introducing any kind of dependencies. We manage this by computing the intervals of solution space under user-defined conditions, hence selecting a custom set of independent corridors that fits the data gathered during development; i.e.: force-deformation curves that can be measured during a drop-tower test simulation. This new methodology of the adaptive solution space allows designers to edit the corridors, in order to have more flexibility for fulfilling high-level requirements when independently designing new components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realisation of pharmaceutical product and production systems capable of delivering product customisation cost-effectively is essential for adding value to patients and society through improved tailoring of therapies to individuals relative to current mass-produced products. To address the continued lack of evidence-based system solutions, this study presents a holistic design framework and a novel computational platform for enabling design explorations of integrated pharmaceutical product and supply chain (SC) reconfiguration. The design and modelling framework developed herein takes an end-to-end SC perspective, adapts the mass customisation strategies of product modularisation and postponement, and demonstrates case study simulations based on real-life therapy and SC archetypes. The cost-effectiveness assessment with the derived integrated systems computational platform confirm that product modularisation drives patient benefit through variety provision and that postponement drives cost reduction in an end-to-end SC. A novel insight is therefore that both product modularisation and postponement, in an integrated manner, are required for maximising cost-effective customisation. Moreover, the computational simulations, founded and modelled on real-life scenarios, provide design requirements for reconfigurable product and SC systems in a pharmaceutical context. In all, these findings are imperative for providing guidance on integrated pharmaceutical product and production systems design and mass customisation/ mass personalisation/mass individualisation realisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering design problems are often decomposed and distributed among design teams so that their components may be developed concurrently in a project. Set-based concurrent engineering (SBCE) details a development process that reduces the need for communication and rework, often considered limiting factors to concurrency, by maintaining many candidate designs for each subproblem throughout the design process. This ensures that candidates have some compatible options to combine with as the project progresses rather than needing constant coordination and adaptation. Previous studies of SBCE found positive results in industry and corroborated its claimed benefits with computational models but have yet to study how it interacts with problem decomposition. This work uses the Point/Set-Organised Research Teams (PSORT) platform, a computational model developed to simulate and study SBCE, to investigate how SBCE interacts with a problem decomposed to different degrees to understand its impact on the limits of concurrency. Problem decompositions are also formulated with varying amounts of coupling to further test the interactions of SBCE and concurrency in different situations. Simulations with PSORT find that SBCE becomes more beneficial as problem decomposition increases, suggesting that SBCE expands the limits of concurrency; however small teams may prefer not to use SBCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]