A preliminary mechanical design evaluation of the Wikispeed car: for light-weighting implications

Purpose Road passenger transportation faces a global challenge of reducing environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions because of the vehicle weight increases needed to enhance passenger safety and comfort. This paper aims to present a preliminary mechanical design evaluation of the Wikispeed Car (with a focus on body bending, body torsion and body crash) to assess light-weighting implications and improve the vehicle’s environmental performance without compromising safety. Design/methodology/approach For this research, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to examine the Wikispeed chassis for light-weighting opportunities in three key aspects of the vehicle’s design, namely, for body bending the rockers (or longitudinal tubes), for body torsion (again on the rockers but also the chassis as a whole) and for crash safety – on the frontal crash structure. A two-phase approach was adopted, namely, in phase one, a 3D CAD geometry was generated and in phase, two FEA was generated. The combination of analysis results was used to develop the virtual model using FEA tools, and the model was updated based on the correlation process. Findings The research revealed that changing the specified material Aluminium Alloy 6061-T651 to Magnesium EN-MB10020 allows vehicle mass to be reduced by an estimated 110 kg, thus producing a concomitant 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy. The initial results imply that the current beam design made from magnesium would perform worst during a crash as the force required to buckle the beam is the lowest (between 95.2 kN and 134 kN). Steel has the largest bandwidth of force required for buckling and also requires the largest force for buckling (between 317 kN and 540 kN). Originality/value This is the first study of its kind to compare and contrast between material substitution and its impact upon Wikispeed car safety and performance

Strategies for handling uncertainty in tactical distribution planning - an empirical study

International audienc

Model and Combinatorial Optimization Methods for Tactical Planning in Closed-Loop Supply Chains

International audienc

Smallholder irrigation productivity for sustainable intensification: Water balances for high value crops in northern Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Agro-climatic and hydrological characterization of selected watersheds in northern Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Совершенствование критериальной и оценочной базы комплексного эколого-экономического учета

На современном этапе развития экономических отношений особенно актуальной становится проблема вхождения Украины в мировое сообщество в качестве ее полноправного партнера. В этом отношении неоспоримым является тот факт, что экономические проблемы, решаемые нашим государством, являются не только национальными, но и общемировыми. При цитировании документа, используйте ссылку http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/1588

A Metaheuristic for Tactical Inventory Planning in Closed-Loop Supply Chains

International audienc

Tactical Supply Chain Distribution Planning In The Telecommunications Service Industry

Supply chains are ubiquitous across industries and a considerable e ort has been invested in supply chain management techniques over the last two decades. In equipment-intensive service industries, it often involves repair operations. In this context, tactical inventory planning is concerned with optimally planning supplies and repairs based on demand forecasts and in face of con icting business objectives. It is based on a case study in the telecommunications sector where large quantities and varieties of spare parts are required for service maintenance and repair tasks at customer premises or company exchanges. Speci cally, we consider a multi-echelon spare parts supply chain and tackle the problem of determining an optimal stock distribution plan given a demand forecast. We propose a mixed integer programming and a metaheuristic approach to this problem. The model is open to a variety of network topologies, site functions and transfer policies. It also accommodates multiple objectives by the means of a weighted cost function. We report experiments on pseudo-random instances designed to evaluate plan quality and impact of cost weightings. In particular, we show how appropriate weightings allow to emulate common planning strategies (e.g., just-in-time replenishment, minimal repair). We also assess plan quality and system performance against di erent classes of pseudo-random instances featuring different volume and distribution of stock and demand

Varicella-zoster virus induces apoptosis in cell culture

peer reviewedaudience: researcherApoptosis is an active mechanism of cell death which can be initiated in response to various stimuli including virus infections. In this work, we demonstrate that lytic infection by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a human herpesvirus, is characterized by nuclear fragmentation of DNA into oligonucleosomal fragments and by chromatin condensation. In vitro, VZV-induced cell death is actually mediated by apoptosis. The mechanisms developed by cells to protect themselves against apoptosis could be one of the parameters allowing the establishment of virus latency. In the case of VZV, which can remain latent in sensory ganglia, we have not yet identified a cellular or viral protein which could play this protective role, since the observed apoptosis mechanism seems to be independent from Bcl-2, the most frequently described inhibitor of apoptosis

Which health research gets used and why? An empirical analysis of 30 cases

Background: While health research is considered essential for improving health worldwide, it remains unclear how it is best organized to contribute to health. This study examined research that was part of a Ghanaian-Dutch research program that aimed to increase the likelihood that results would be used by funding research that focused on national research priorities and was led by local researchers. The aim of this study was to map the contribution of this research to action and examine which features of research and translation processes were associated with the use of the results. Methods: Using Contribution Mapping, we systematically examined how 30 studies evolved and how results were used to contribute to action. We combined interviews with 113 purposively selected key informants, document analysis and triangulation to map how research and translation processes evolved and contributions to action were realized. After each case was analysed separately, a cross-case analysis was conducted to identify patterns in the association between features of research processes and the use of research. Results: The results of 20 of the 30 studies were used to contribute to action within 12 months. The priority setting and proposal selection process led to the funding of studies which were from the outset closely aligned with health sector priorities. Research was most likely to be used when it was initiated and conducted by people who were in a position to use their results in their own work. The results of 17 out of 18 of these user-initiated studies were translated into action. Other features of research that appeared to contribute to its use were involving potential key users in formulating proposals and developing recommendations. Conclusions: Our study underlines the importance of supporting research that meets locally-expressed needs and that is led by people embedded in the contexts in which results can be used. Supporting the involvement of health sector professionals in the design, conduct and interpretation of research appears to be an especially worthwhile investment