A novel approach to computer-aided configuration design based on constraint satisfaction paradigm

The trend in today’s manufacturing industry is changing from mass production to mass customization. The companies which win the markets are those which can deliver highly customized products at the fastest rate and allow for life-cycle participation of customers regardless of where they are and when they participate. One of the strategies for implementing the mass customization paradigm is to implement the product development according to the assemble-to-order (ATO) pattern. Under the ATO pattern, the design of a product becomes the determination of a configuration which contains a set of pre-developed components – configuration design for short. The configuration design problem can be well treated as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP). The mature methods are available for CSP, but there are several limitations with CSP for configuration design. This thesis proposes a novel approach to configuration design. This approach is based on a CSP but adds a wrapper (product data model, PDM for short) over the CSP model. Consequently, both the customer and the other life cycle development programs only communicate with the PDM, and a more intelligent and user-friendly computer system for configuration design can then be implemented. Both the conceptual design and implementation of such a wrapper are discussed in this thesis. A computer prototype system for elevator design is developed for demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach

A Review of Log Grapples Used in China

The history and development of log grapples used in China and their working parameters are given. An analysis is made of the main technical features. Results show that the electro-mechanical log grapple, driven by an electric drum, is the most suitable for the special working conditions found in Chinese forestry at the present time

The Life and Works of George Carter Stent

Many English-Chinese dictionaries have been compiled since the publication of Robert Morison\u27s A Dictionary of the Chinese Language. Among these dictionaries, George Carter Stent\u27s A Chinese and English Vocabulary in The Pekinese Dialect stands out with a number of unique features. G. C. Stent came to China in the 1860s as a guard for the new British Legation. He translated many works of Chinese literature into English, and published three dictionaries. Unfortunately, at the present very little research about Stent\u27s life and work has been undertaken. There are many questions still to be answered, such as Stent\u27s family and educational background, his motivation for learning Chinese, and his experience studying the language and so on. This paper investigates Stent\u27s life, then looks at the influence of his life experiences on his understanding of Chinese

Becoming a Teacher: A Case Study on Student Teacher Professional Identity Construction During the Education Practicum in a Normal University in China

Previous studies have presented a clear link between teachers’ professional identity construction and teacher effectiveness and have considered the teacher professional identity as a pivotal factor to teachers’ effectiveness, decision-making about their career, commitment to the profession, as well as engagement in professional development (Beijaard et al., 2004; Day et al., 2005; Lasky, 2005; H. Y. Wang, 2020). Positive experiences in terms of teacher professional identity construction during education practicum holds potential to promote student teachers’ professional commitment, specifically, their belief in the value of the teaching profession (Hong, 2010; M. R. Zhao, 2013). This case study examined teacher professional identity construction among student teachers of a normal university in China during their education practicum. Guided by a synthesized theoretical framework of three sociocultural theories for understanding teacher professional identity construction (Davies & Harre, 1990; Engeström, 2015; Lave & Wenger, 1991), this study focuses on two overarching research questions: 1. What is the status of the Chinese student teachers’ professional identity construction during the education practicum?, and 2. How do the Chinese student teachers construct their teacher professional identity during the education practicum? This case study adopted a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design (Creswell, 2012) to explore the process of Chinese student teachers’ professional identity construction through examining their education practicum experiences. The participants were senior students who were completing 12-week education practicum at the assigned placement schools. The data included responses from 275 questionnaires, six focus group interview transcripts, and 51 student-generated education practicum reports. The findings from this study showed that within the placement school context, student teachers constructed a high level of student teacher professional identity during education practicum. Student teachers constructed teacher professional identity by forming an understanding of the teaching profession, gaining teacher knowledge, interacting with people, and acting as role models and classroom managers. This study addresses the need of adjusting the ratio of theoretical curriculum and practicum curriculum in curriculum design, and providing opportunities in which student teachers can participate in classroom teaching and prepare to be a teacher

Simulating Cut-to-Length Harvesting Operations in Appalachian Hardwoods

Cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting systems involving small and large harvesters and a forwarder were simulated using a modular computer simulation model. The two harvesters simulated were a modified John Deere 988 tracked excavator with a single grip sawhead and a Timbco T425 based excavator with a single grip sawhead. The forwarder used in the simulations was a Valmet 524 machine with 2.4-meter log bunks. Production rates and costs were examined for a wide range of even-age oak forest stand conditions. The simulation results suggest that when the tree's DBH is less than 26 cm, harvesting using the Timbco T425 is about 30% more expensive than using the John Deere 988. However, if the tree is larger than 26 cm of DBH, the unit cost of the Timbco T425 was about 8% less than that of the John Deere 988. The balanced John Deere 988 CTL system was 31% more productive and 8% more expensive than the balanced Timbco T425 CTL system in the 20 to 36 cm DBH range. General regression equations were developed for estimating the productivity and cost for the range of conditions simulated. The results should be valuable to managers, planners, and loggers considering the use of CTL systems in this region