Chinese visual traditions encountered on Safavid furniture

This paper investigates the design patterns derived from the Chinese tradition of wood-based crafts which were applied on furniture as found in the illustrated books of “The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasb” and “The Shahnama of Firdausi” during the Safavid period. The intimate connections between the Middle East and Asia over the past centuries (1501 to 1722) raised interest in both the handcrafts and decorative design motifs of the two regions. This resulted in the appearance of Chinese decorative motifs in Safavid miniatures which commenced in early Islam when Shah Ismail became a Chinese art appreciator. The Shah’s patronage is explicit through the painters and designers working in the court workshops where the practice of Chinese structural composition and designed patterns are evident with continued production during the following Safavid kings

Study on group technology efficiency gains for solid wood seating furniture

Group Technology (GT) a concept started in the 1920s to reduce transportation by standardising products in machine manufacturers is used here in the production technology of manufacturing furniture. The similarity in structural shape and technology of parts are classified arranging product parts into groups in order to organise and manage multiple varieties, small and medium-sized batches. This article aims to resolve the polarity between the demand for mass production of solid wood chairs & stools and the market demands for small batches and multiple varieties of seating furniture. The study classifies and organises the wooden components according to the managed data. Following analysis the results are used to gain efficiencies of manufacturing by adopting the GT method

A study on three dimensional scanning and mapping and implementation key technology of wenge bench parts

The paper mainly applies three-dimensional (3D) scanners to carry out mapping for traditional furniture parts, making a systematic study on the parts size, recognising the application potential of 3D furniture mapping. In the course of the study, firstly an historic wenge bench is selected with its components acting as measurable objects, and then secondly we carry out specific work for the experimental study. Combined with advanced 3D scanning equipment and the measuring process study, details are described using 3D mapping methods, mapping key technologies to acquire a series of data through the mapping experiment on the antique furniture. The purpose of this research is to enable furniture design to be better integrated with advanced technologies; the study and design of traditional furniture can be further developed using high-tech means. It can provide basic design parameters and image data to inform digital furniture development and design systems

A room temperature polyaniline nanofiber hydrogen gas sensor

Abstract—Electro-conductive polyaniline (PANI) nanofiber based Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) gas sensors have been investigated with hydrogen (H2) gas. A template-free, rapidly mixed method was employed to synthesize polyaniline nanofibers using chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. The nanofibers were deposited onto a layered ZnO/64º YX LiNbO3 SAW transducer for gas sensing applications. The novel sensor was exposed to various concentrations of H2 gas at room temperature. The sensor response, defined as the relative variation in operating frequency of oscillation due to the introduction of the gas, was 3.04 kHz towards a 1 % H2 concentration. A relatively fast response time of 8 sec and a recovery time of 60 sec with good repeatability were observed at room temperature. Due to room temperature operation, the novel gas sensor is promising for environmental and industrial applications. I

Using an inertial motion unit to find the optimal location to continuously monitor for near falls

The world population is ageing and a key hazard to healthy ageing is falls. The consequences of falls can be costly to health and social care systems. Falls can be prevented by continuously monitoring of older people for near falls, as they are a major risk factor for falls. This preliminary study’s aim was to find the optimal placement of a monitoring device to detect falls, as this is the first step towards understanding how to detect a near fall. This study involved one participant wearing four commercially available motion trackers simultaneously. The participant performed five controlled sideways falls onto a crash mat. The motion trackers were controlled using the associated software that also logged the data. The results presented display the accelerometer and gyroscope data for falls at the four locations (wrist, waist, ankle, and thigh). The data shows monitoring at the thigh gives the most consistent pattern per fall for both the accelerometer and gyroscope data

Polyaniline nanofiber based surface acoustic wave gas sensors – effect of nanofiber diameter on H2 response

Kourosh and Kaner, Richard B. 2007, Polyaniline nanofiber based surface acoustic wave gas sensors – effect of nanofiber diameter on H2 response, IEEE sensors journal, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 213-218. Available from Deakin Research Online

DIgital Alcohol Management ON Demand (DIAMOND) feasibility randomised controlled trial of a web-based intervention to reduce alcohol consumption in people with hazardous and harmful use versus a face-to-face intervention: protocol.

BACKGROUND: "Hazardous and harmful" drinkers make up approximately 23 % of the adult population in England. However, only around 10 % of these people access specialist care, such as face-to-face extended brief treatment in community alcohol services. This may be due to stigma, difficulty accessing services during working hours, a shortage of trained counsellors and limited provision of services in many places. Web-based alcohol treatment programmes may overcome these barriers and may better suit people who are reluctant or unable to attend face-to-face services, but there is a gap in the evidence base for the acceptability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these programmes compared with treatment as usual (TAU) in community alcohol services. This study aims investigate the feasibility of all parts of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a psychologically informed web-based alcohol treatment programme called Healthy Living for People who use Alcohol (HeLP-Alcohol) versus TAU in community alcohol services, e.g. recruitment and retention, online data collection methods, and the use and acceptability of the intervention to participants. METHODS: A feasibility RCT delivered in north London community alcohol services, comparing HeLP-Alcohol with TAU. Potential participants are aged ≥18 years referred or self-referred for hazardous and harmful use of alcohol, without co-morbidities or other complex problems. The main purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of recruiting participants to the study and will test online methods for collecting baseline demographic and outcome questionnaire data, randomising participants and collecting 3-month follow-up data. The acceptability of this intervention will be measured by recruitment and retention rates, automated log-in data collection and an online service satisfaction questionnaire. The feasibility of using tailored text message, email or phone prompt to maintain engagement with the intervention will also be explored. Results of the study will inform a definitive Phase 3 RCT. RESULTS: Recruitment started on 26 September 2014 and will run for 1 year. CONCLUSION: The proposed trial will provide data to inform a fully powered non-inferiority effectiveness and cost-effectiveness RCT comparing HeLP-Alcohol with TAU. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN31789096

New Developments in Brief Interventions to Treat Problem Drinking in Nonspecialty Health Care Settings

The delivery of brief interventions (BIs) in health care settings to reduce problematic alcohol consumption is a key preventive strategy for public health. However, evidence of effectiveness beyond primary care is inconsistent. Patient populations and intervention components are heterogeneous. Also, evidence for successful implementation strategies is limited. In this article, recent literature is reviewed covering BI effectiveness for patient populations and subgroups, and design and implementation of BIs. Support is evident for short-term effectiveness in hospital settings, but long-term effects may be confounded by changes in control groups. Limited evidence suggests effectiveness with young patients not admitted as a consequence of alcohol, dependent patients, and binge drinkers. Influential BI components include high-quality change plans and provider characteristics. Health professionals endorse BI and feel confident in delivering it, but training and support initiatives continue to show no significant effects on uptake, prompting calls for systematic approaches to implementing BI in health care

Wafer-scale two-dimensional semiconductors from printed oxide skin of liquid metals

A variety of deposition methods for two-dimensional crystals have been demonstrated; however, their wafer-scale deposition remains a challenge. Here we introduce a technique for depositing and patterning of wafer-scale two-dimensional metal chalcogenide compounds by transforming the native interfacial metal oxide layer of low melting point metal precursors (group III and IV) in liquid form. In an oxygen-containing atmosphere, these metals establish an atomically thin oxide layer in a self-limiting reaction. The layer increases the wettability of the liquid metal placed on oxygen-terminated substrates, leaving the thin oxide layer behind. In the case of liquid gallium, the oxide skin attaches exclusively to a substrate and is then sulfurized via a relatively low temperature process. By controlling the surface chemistry of the substrate, we produce large area two-dimensional semiconducting GaS of unit cell thickness (∼1.5 nm). The presented deposition and patterning method offers great commercial potential for wafer-scale processes