Robustness of stress focusing in soft lattices under topology-switching deformation

Recent developments in topological mechanics have demonstrated the ability of Maxwell lattices to effectively focus stress along domain walls between differently polarized domains. The focusing ability can be exploited to protect the lattice bulk from accidental stress concentration -- and eventually onset and propagation of fracture -- at structural hot spots such as defects and cracks. A recent study has revisited the problem for structural lattices featuring non-ideal hinges, showing that the focusing remains robust, albeit diluted in strength. Realizing that the problem of domain wall localization has been traditionally framed in the context of linear elasticity, in this work we extend the study to the realm of soft structures undergoing nonlinear finite deformation. Through experiments performed on silicone hyperelastic prototypes, we assess and quantify the robustness of the phenomenon against the macroscopic shape changes induced by large deformation, with special attention to deformation levels that alter the topology of the bulk, lifting the topological protection. Furthermore, we identify a simple geometric indicator for this transition.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, +1 supplemental materials figur

Selected donor profiles : environmental research and capacity development; background paper 1

Meeting: Donor Consultation on Agenda 21 Research and Capacity - Building Initiatives, 8-11 Nov. 1993, Bellagio, ITDocument prepared with assistance from Brenda Lee Wilson, IDR

Levande varumärkestillgångar - en studie av internt varumärkesbyggande i en teknikintensiv bransch

En sammanfattning av uppsatsen på maximalt 8000 tecken

The SmithVent Experience and a Framework for Collaborative Distributed Design and Fabrication

This paper addresses the collaborative journey of the SmithVent team, a 30-person distributed group of volunteers, who designed, fabricated, and tested a simplified and cost-efficient ventilator over a three-month period, and won the CoVent19 Challenge in July 2020. The paper first presents the SmithVent experience through a co-constructed narrative that describes the team’s approaches to collaborative distributed design and fabrication. The paper next reviews frameworks from five theoretical lenses and then details the process of extracting, synthesizing, and organizing relevant factors to create a new and emergent framework reflective of the SmithVent experience. Lastly, the paper discusses educational implications of the SmithVent experience and proposed framework, emphasizing that the team’s strategies provide a model for educational and industry settings for future collaborative and distributed design and fabrication

Corporate political activity in less developed countries:The Volta River Project in Ghana, 1958-66

The article expands existing categorisations of political and economic governance by including literature on less developed countries (LDCs). In four consecutive negotiations between the US multinational Kaisers and the US and Ghana governments in the early 1960s, it is argued that the company reached levels of influence that are at odds with existing explanations. In order to understand corporate political activities in LDCs, analysis needs to go beyond static factors (political risk) and include dynamic factors such as diplomatic relations and 'arenas of power', and consider the role of the investor's home country relative to the host economy

Sammanhang och självständighet : Konnektivbindning i gymnasieelevers utredande texter

Att uppnå en lyckad textbindning i sin text är en del av den anpassning som gymnasieelever förväntas klara av i sina utredande texter i den avslutande gymnasiekursen svenska 3. Syftet med uppsatsen är att belysa textbindningen i elevtexter från det nationella provet och relatera denna till betygsbedömningen. Den typen av textbindning som analyseras är satskonnektionen, vilken har analyserats dels genom att kategorisera och räkna identifierade konnektiver efter konnektivtyp och konnektivgrupp, dels genom att studera användandet av dessa i texterna med hjälp av fyra analysfrågor. Resultatet visar att elever från alla betygsgrupper hanterar och varierar konnektivbindningen på ett fungerande sätt. Skillnaderna mellan texter som fått högre respektive lägre betyg går i första hand att finna i hur skribenterna använt konnektiverna i texten, inte i vilka ord de valt. Detta visar sig inte minst i texternas självständighet i förhållande till refererade texter

"Det är mycket lättare att lösa konflikter där flickor är inblandade..." : En kvalitativ studie om hur fyra förskollärare beskriver könets betydelse i konflikter mellan barnen i förskolan

The purpose of this study is to examine how four teachers in preschool describe their view of conflicts between children from gender perspective. The theories associated with the study conclude that sex can be considered as being either biologically or socially engineered. The study consists of empirical material by the means of qualitative research based on interviews. The results of the study show different views on whether children's gender plays a role in a conflict. Furthermore, I have chosen to find out whether gender plays a role in conflict management as well as in the children's play at preschool, this to come to as qualitative conclusions as possible