Challenges and conceptual framework to develop heavy-load manipulators for smart factories

Industry 4.0 has been one of the emerging topics in recent years, covering a wide range of concepts and applications as well as political, economic and technological views. Manufacturing is becoming smarter and smarter at all levels, moving toward the concept of Smart Factory (SF), based on the advancements of digital transformation technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bigdata analytics, and abilities to learn, configure and execute with cognitive intelligence of smart machines and automation systems. However, the SF adoption in practice, especially in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), is still in the early stage. In addition, there are growing demands of product personalisation, mass-customisation and diversification. Therefore, the involvement of humans is still importantly required in many production processes in SF models, where smart machines, smart manipulators, collaborative robots and Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are required to co-work with humans, leading to an important concern of safety, reliability, productivity and quality of smart manufacturing systems. In this paper, challenges and a proposed conceptual framework to develop smart heavy-load manipulators are presented, with the focus on the cost-effectiveness and applicability in industrial practices of SF for SMEs

Aquilaria yunnanensis S.C. Huang (Thymelaeaceae), A New Record for the Flora of Vietnam

Aquilaria yunnanensis S.C. Huang (Thymelaeaceae), known to be endemic to Yunnan, is recorded for the first time from Dong Son Ky Thuong Nature Reserve, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. A taxonomic description and DNA analysis based on our Vietnamese collections are presented, together with information on its distribution, habitat and colour photographs

Adoption of agile software development in Vietnam

Agile software development method is considered as an essential for software companies, bringing critical benefits. The adoption and implementation of agile software development method enable organizations to adapt to the dramatically changing business environment. This thesis aims at investigating the adoption practices of agile development methods in companies in Vietnam, with three main goals. The first one is to explore the reasons and motivations determining the adoption of agile development methods. Secondly, this study examines the adoption process within software companies in Vietnam. Lastly, the thesis identifies the obstacles associated with the agile development adoption process. The deductive approach, the qualitative research method, and the semi-structured interview are employed to conduct the research on the agile development adoption of selected case companies in Vietnam. A comparison of empirical evidence and existing literature was made to find answers for the research questions. Also, new themes which emerged from the data were identified as the generalization for multiple cases. The research results indicate the reasons for adopting agile software development, the adoption process, and the obstacles occurring during the adoption in software companies in Vietnam. The biggest motivation for the adoption is the limitations of the old development process of the companies. Besides, the most challenging obstacles are the staff knowledge, the team cooperation and communication, and the management issue. Additionally, the authors discovered the common adoption process of the companies in Vietnam, containing four stages, namely decision, planning, training and experimentation

Import Competition and U.S. Sentiment Toward China

We empirically examine how import competition affects sentiment toward China in local communities in the United States using a news-based index for sentiment. Results are threefold. First; U.S. sentiment toward China peaked in 2007 before turning negative. Second; communities more exposed to import competition from China have experienced a greater deterioration in sentiment. Third; the trade-induced U.S. sentiment toward China is broad-based; encompassing political; military; and national security issues. These findings suggest that competition over trade may have important geopolitical implications through sentiment of local communities

Import Competition and U.S. Sentiment Toward China

We empirically examine how import competition affects sentiment toward China in local communities in the United States using a news-based index for sentiment. Results are threefold. First; U.S. sentiment toward China peaked in 2007 before turning negative. Second; communities more exposed to import competition from China have experienced a greater deterioration in sentiment. Third; the trade-induced U.S. sentiment toward China is broad-based; encompassing political; military; and national security issues. These findings suggest that competition over trade may have important geopolitical implications through sentiment of local communities

Early outcomes of total hip arthroplasty using point-of-care manufactured patient-specific instruments: a single university hospital’s initial experience

Abstract Background The use of 3D-printed Patient-Specific Instruments (PSI) has been investigated to enhance the postoperative functional results in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and has been recognized as an innovative approach for the optimal alignment of hip implant components. Point-of-care production is gradually becoming the norm for PSI manufacturing. The purpose of this article is to assess the accuracy and safety of PSI for total hip arthroplasty performed at the point-of-care in Vietnam. Methods 34 THA cases were assessed in this prospective study. A template for the size and orientation of the implant and the design of the PSI was generated using data from preoperative 3D computed tomography (CT) scanning of the lower limb. The principal surgeon determined the implants’ position and PSI design directly using the software. The PSI is then produced using a 3D-compatible resin printer in our manufacturing hospital. The PSI, consisting of an acetabulum and a femoral component placed press-fit on the bony surface, guided surgeons to precisely ream the acetabulum and cut the femoral neck according to the pre-planned plane. Postoperative CT scanning was obtained and superimposed onto the 3D model of the implant to evaluate the accuracy of the procedure by comparing the orientation values of the cup and the alignment of the stem between the planned and the actual results. Intra- and postoperative clinical parameters of surgery, including surgical time, intra-operative blood loss, complications, and the first ambulation, were also recorded to evaluate the safety of the surgery. Results The preparation for PSI required an average of 3 days. 94% of cup size and 91% of stem size were correctly selected. The mean values of postoperative inclination and anteversion were 44.2° ± 4.1° and 19.2° ± 5.6°, respectively. 64.7% of cases deviated from planned within the ± 50 range and 94.1% within the ± 10° range. There was no significant statistical difference between the planned and the achieved values of stem anteversion, osteotomy height, and leg length discrepancy (p > 0.05). The average surgical time was 82.5° ± 10.8 min, and the intraoperative blood loss was estimated at 317.7° ± 57.6 ml. 64.7% of patients could walk on the day of surgery. There were no complications reported. Conclusions The point-of-care manufactured PSI is a useful solution for improving the accuracy of total hip arthroplasty surgery, especially in restoring implant orientation and reducing leg length discrepancy. However, long-term clinical follow-up evaluation is needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this approach

Energy-Aware Rate and Description Allocation Optimized Video Streaming for Mobile D2D Communications

The proliferation problem of video streaming applications and mobile devices has prompted wireless network operators to put more efforts into improving quality of experience (QoE) while saving resources that are needed for high transmission rate and large size of video streaming. To deal with this problem, we propose an energy-aware rate and description allocation optimization method for video streaming in cellular network assisted device-to-device (D2D) communications. In particular, we allocate the optimal bit rate to each layer of video segments and packetize the segments into multiple descriptions with embedded forward error correction (FEC) for realtime streaming without retransmission. Simultaneously, the optimal number of descriptions is allocated to each D2D helper for transmission. The two allocation processes are done according to the access rate of segments, channel state information (CSI) of D2D requester, and remaining energy of helpers, to gain the highest optimization performance. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed method (named OPT) significantly enhances the performance of video streaming in terms of high QoE and energy saving. 2015 IEEE.Scopus2-s2.0-8495377489