6,305 research outputs found
Piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting from airflow in HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems
This study focuses on the design and wind tunnel testing of a high efficiency Energy Harvesting device, based on piezoelectric materials, with possible applications for the sustainability of smart buildings, structures and infrastructures. The development of the device was supported by ESA (the European Space Agency) under a program for the space technology transfer in the period 2014-2016. The EH device harvests the airflow inside Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, using a piezoelectric component and an appropriate customizable aerodynamic appendix or fin that takes advantage of specific airflow phenomena (vortex shedding and galloping), and can be implemented for optimizing the energy consumption inside buildings. Focus is given on several relevant aspects of wind tunnel testing: different configurations for the piezoelectric bender (rectangular, cylindrical and T-shaped) are tested and compared, and the effective energy harvesting potential of a working prototype device is assessed
Is Gastronomy A Relevant Factor for Sustainable Tourism? An Empirical Analysis of Spain Country Brand
Tourism has become a fundamental industry for the economic growth of many countries. Due to this, there is growing competitiveness among the different destinations to attract as many tourists as possible. As a result, disciplines such as marketing have developed tools to differentiate some destinations from others and concepts such as place branding and country brand have emerged. One of the key factors forming the country brand is gastronomy, as food tourism is one way to reduce
the growing problem of sustainability in tourism, as it impacts different aspects of the countryâs environment. However, there is a great lack of scientific works that relate both variables. In this paper, we propose to establish that, in the case of Spain, touristsâ perception of Spanish gastronomy is a key element of its country brand. To do that, this study relies on the use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM) using a 496 cases data set
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Troubling children's families: who's troubled and why? Approaches to inter-cultural dialogue
This article draws on multi-disciplinary perspectives to consider the need and the possibilities for inter-cultural dialogue concerning families that may be seen by some to be âtroublingâ. Starting from the premise that âtroublesâ are a ânormalâ part of childrenâs family lives, we consider the boundary between ânormalâ troubles and troubles that are troubling (whether to family members or others). Such troubling families potentially indicate an intervention to prevent harm to less powerful family members (notably children). On what basis can such decisions be made in childrenâs family lives, how can this question be answered across diverse cultural contexts, and are all answers inevitably subject to uncertainty? Such questions arguably re-frame and broaden existing debates about âchild maltreatmentâ across diverse cultural contexts. Beyond recognizing power dynamics, material inequalities, and historical and contemporary colonialism, we argue that attempts to answer the question on an empirical basis risk a form of neo-colonialism, since values inevitably permeate research and knowledge claims. We briefly exemplify such difficulties, examining psychological studies of childrearing in China, and the application of neuroscience to early childhood interventions in the UK. Turning to issues of values and moral relativism, we also question the possibility of an objective moral standard that avoids cultural imperialism, but ask whether cultural relativism is the only alternative position available. Here we briefly explore other possibilities in the space between âfacileâ universalism and âlazyâ relativism (Jullien, 2008/2014). Such approaches bring into focus core philosophical and cultural questions about the possibilities for âhappinessâ, and for what it means to be a âpersonâ, living in the social world. Throughout, we centralize theoretical and conceptual issues, drawing on the work of Jullien (2008/2014) to recognize the immense complexities inter-cultural dialogue entails in terms of language and communication
Barry Smith an sich
Festschrift in Honor of Barry Smith on the occasion of his 65th Birthday. Published as issue 4:4 of the journal Cosmos + Taxis: Studies in Emergent Order and Organization. Includes contributions by Wolfgang Grassl, Nicola Guarino, John T. Kearns, Rudolf LĂŒthe, Luc Schneider, Peter Simons, Wojciech Ć»eĆaniec, and Jan WoleĆski
Zadeh's Centenary
This is the introductory paper in a special issue on fuzzy logic dedicated to the centenary of the birth of Lotfi A. Zadeh published by International Journal of Computers Communications & Control (IJCCC). In 1965, Lotfi A. Zadeh published in the journal âInformation and Controlâ the article titled âFuzzy setsâ, which today reaches over 117 thousand citations. The total sum of citations for all his papers is above 253 thousand. Based on the notion of fuzzy sets, fuzzy logic and the concept of soft computing emerged, bringing extremely important implications to the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In 2017, I published, whith F.G. Filip and M.J. Manolescu, a 42-page long paper in the IJCCC about the life and masterwork of Lotfi A. Zadeh, from which I will use some information in this material [15]
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