Search results

This paper aims to numerically study the effects of boundary conditions, pre-stress, material constants and thickness on the dynamic performance of a wrinkled thin membrane.

Based on the stability theory of plates and shells, the dynamic equations of a wrinkled thin membrane were developed, and they were solved with the Lanczos method

The effects of wrinkle-influencing factors on the dynamic performance of a wrinkled membrane are determined by the wrinkling stage. The effects are prominent when wrinkling deformation is evolving, but they are very small and can hardly be observed when wrinkling deformation is stable. Mode shapes of a wrinkled membrane are sensitive to boundary conditions, pre-stress and Poisson’s ratio, but its natural frequencies are sensitive to all these five factors.

The research work in this paper is expected to help understand the dynamic behavior of a wrinkled membrane and present access to ensuring its dynamic stability by controlling the wrinkle-influencing factors.

Very few documents investigated the dynamic properties of wrinkled membranes. No attention has yet been paid by the present literature to the global dynamic performance of a wrinkled membrane under the influences of the factors that play a pivotal role in the wrinkling deformation. In view of this, this paper numerically studied the global modes and corresponding frequencies of a wrinkled membrane and their variation with the wrinkle-influencing factors. The results indicate that the global dynamic properties of a wrinkled membrane are sensitive to these factors at the stage of wrinkling evolution.

This paper aims to present a method for improving the performance of the visual-inertial navigation system (VINS) by using a bio-inspired polarized light compass.

The measurement model of each sensor module is derived, and a robust stochastic cloning extended Kalman filter (RSC-EKF) is implemented for data fusion. This fusion framework can not only handle multiple relative and absolute measurements, but can also deal with outliers, sensor outages of each measurement module.

The paper tests the approach on data sets acquired by a land vehicle moving in different environments and compares its performance against other methods. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for reducing the error growth of the VINS in the long run.

The main contribution of this paper lies in the design/implementation of the RSC-EKF for incorporating the homemade polarized light compass into visual-inertial navigation pipeline. The real-world tests in different environments demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed approach.

Grey target decision making is one of the important problems of decision-making theory. It is critical to express uncertain information effectively and depose them in a reasonable and simple way. The purpose of this paper is to solve the grey target problem by the grey potential degree method without whiten value and without distribution function. Furthermore, this new approach has an advantage of realizing both comparing and standardization work during the process of treating the data.

First, this paper makes a brief overview of the existing method for grey target decision. Then, the conception of a grey potential degree system is introduced and the conception of standard grey potential degree is build up, and a new grey potential-based method based on the grey target multiple attribute decision method is proposed. At the same time, the standard grey potential and its application in multiple resource data are studied.

At the same time the standard grey potential and its application in multiple resource data are studied. Standard grey potential is presented by means of three examples together with the comparison with the existing method to demonstrate that the grey potential-based method could be used to solve the problem of grey target decision conveniently and effectively.

It is very important to compare grey numbers to obtain scientific and reasonable results for a grey target decision-making problem. However, in the actual application of grey numbers, it is difficult to find out the probability density function or the whiten function of grey numbers. When grey numbers are compared and deposed through the whiten value, much information regarding grey numbers will be lost and, at the same time, the value of grey numbers in uncertainty is partly lost. The method discussed in this paper is reasonable and feasible.

This study aims to provide a systematic review about the Internet of Things (IoT) and its impacts on happiness. It intends to serve as a platform for further research as it is sparse in in-depth analysis.

This systematic review initially observed 2,501 literary articles through the ScienceDirect and WorldCat search engines before narrowing it down to 72 articles based on subject matter relevance in the abstract and keywords. Accounting for duplicates between search engines, the count was reduced to 66 articles. To finally narrow down all the literature used in this systematic review, 66 articles were given a critical readthrough. The count was finally reduced to 53 total articles used in this systematic review.

This paper necessitates the claim that IoT will likely impact many aspects of our everyday lives. Through the literature observed, it was found that IoT will have some significant and positive impacts on people's welfare and lives. The unprecedented nature of IoTs impacts on society should warrant further research moving forward.

While the literature presented in this systematic review shows that IoT can positively impact the perceived or explicit happiness of people, the amount of literature found to supplement this argument is still on the lower end. They also necessitate the need for both greater depth and variety in this field of research.

Since technology is already a pervasive element of most people’s contemporary lives, it stands to reason that the most important factors to consider will be in how we might benefit from IoT or, more notably, how IoT can enhance our levels of happiness. A significant implication is its ability to reduce the gap in happiness levels between urban and rural areas.

Currently, the literature directly tackling the quantification of IoTs perceived influence on happiness has yet to be truly discussed broadly. This systematic review serves as a starting point for further discussion in the subject matter. In addition, this paper may lead to a better understanding of the IoT technology and how we can best advance and adapt it to the benefits of the society.

A qualitative development is discernible in China’s pursuit of global influence in knowledge following the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has embarked on expanding the frontiers of its higher education and research enterprise in different geographies, a subset of its global power project. This paper employs the geointellect concept to analyze this phenomenon.

The paper applies the geointellect model, formed inductively, to illuminate China’s geographical expanse in higher education and research.

The BRI has provided a platform for China to shape the educational architecture of the participating countries, apart from receiving a boost in its prestige by leading educational alliances and opening overseas research centres. In quantitative terms, it has made progress in specific knowledge metrics. Nevertheless, certain challenges and limitations need to be overcome.

The role of a foreign policy in boosting a country’s knowledge profile has been identified. Future research directions have been provided in using the geointellect model.

This study provides a direction to evaluate the implications of China’s foreign policy for its knowledge segment, especially in terms of capturing its leading prowess in higher education and research.

It contributes a conceptual model to capture the different facets of China’s geointellect, with foreign policy, geography, higher education, and research being its constituents.

Understanding costumer requirements is a precondition for clothing design and manufacturing. A good shapewear designer should know women’s preferences for their buttock shapes before making patterns. The purpose of this paper is to figure out factors affecting the beauty of women’s buttock shapes and the effect of ethnic background to buttock shapes preference.

The approach utilized both 3D virtual models and 3D printed models to detect women’s preference for their buttock shapes. As a first stage, a two-step K-means cluster method was used to classify female buttock shapes into ten groups and these ten kinds of buttock shapes were output as 3D virtual models and printed out as 3D plastic models. In a subsequent stage, 51 Caucasians, 35 African-Americans and 49 Asians were selected to rank the models separately based on their preference and choose the factors which they thought could influence the beauty of buttock shapes. Kendall’s W coefficient was tested to help assessing the ranking results. Finally, a sample girdle was designed based on the buttock shape preferences of Asian females as an example, and was tested by a model.

Results showed some correlation between ethnicity and buttock shape preference. Both methods of presentation of the shapes were equally preferred by participants. Caucasian women preferred a full, round buttock shape, which was coordinated to other parts of the body. The attractive buttock shape as judged by Asian women was curvy, not drooping and not too big. African-American women choose buttock shapes that were very full with high buttock bumps as beautiful. A sample girdle was made based on the preferences of Asian females and it proved to perform well in creating the desired shape during the trial test.

Current research in the literature about women’s buttock beauty is based on plastic surgeons’ experiences. This study provides a novel method to analyze female’s preference for their buttock shapes; a method that can also be used for other body parts. The results can also be used as an indicator for underwear designers to improve shapewear pattern designs and for consumers to evaluate the shaping ability of shapewear.

An exact pattern prototype is a prerequisite for female girdle pattern-making. The purpose of this paper is to develop new ways to make girdle pattern prototypes based on 3D technology.

This paper presented two novel methods for creating girdle pattern prototypes. The first one was the girdle's parametric foundation pattern developing method based on 3D geometric modeling. In this method, considering the different characteristics of a female's lower body shape, several models were created to define the relationship between the female's lower body shape and the pattern, such as a side-waist curvature model, an interior-posterior waist-warping model, a buttocks' parametric model and an abdomen parametric model. Then, parameters of drawing the prototype were abstracted to facilitate transforming the 3D geometric model into the 2D pattern. Another method was implemented by 3D virtual modeling and unwrapping. The whole process included surface division, surface reconstruction and surface unwrapping.

The prototypes created by these two methods were tested using the 3D virtual trying-on examination. Trial tests showed that the patterns can be dressed in the right positions on the virtual model with little pressure. This means that the proportions and shapes of the pattern are correct. The prototypes obtained through the methods proposed in this paper have good effects and high precision. Both methods can be used for making the girdle's foundation pattern.

Two pragmatic approaches of girdle's prototype building have been put forward. The parametric prototype designing method has changed the unconstrained state of free modeling. The pattern structure can be controlled by parameter constraints. In the other method, with 3D scanning and surface modeling technology, personalized girdle's pattern is generated, and the segmentation lines of the girdle can be designed flexibly according to the requirements. These findings also can be used in other tight garments' prototype making.

This study aims to analyse the scientific relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions. Taking the Chinese electric power industry as the empirical research object, this study examined the effect of power technological innovation on carbon emissions and proposed policy recommendations for the development of technological innovation in China.

This study first calculated the energy consumption and carbon emission level of the Chinese electric power industry from 2005 to 2018. Secondly, this study built an evaluation index system for technological innovation of electric power with six indicators: average utilisation hours of power generation equipment; power consumption rate of power plant; line loss rate; standard coal consumption for power generation; standard coal consumption for power supply; and number of patent applications granted for generation, conversion or distribution of electric power in China. Finally, from a practical point of view, the relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions of the Chinese electric power industry from 2005 to 2018 is evaluated and analysed.

Power technology innovation has been found to have a long-term and relatively large effect on carbon emissions, and carbon emissions have a short-term and insignificant impact on power technology innovation.

This study puts forward relevant suggestions for developing technological innovation and technology transfer, which is essential to establishing a low-carbon or zero-carbon power system in China.

This study provides empirical evidence for clarifying the relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions in the power industry and further develops research theories on technological innovation and carbon emissions.

Relevant authorities will adopt measures to promote technological innovation and development in the power sector to reduce carbon emissions.

This study built an evaluation index system with six indicators for technological innovation of electric power. The evaluation method was used to measure the technological innovation level of the Chinese electric power industry. The causal link between technological innovation and carbon emissions in China was analysed.

Optimized plating conditions, included proper designs of insulating shield (IS), auxiliary cathode (AC) and different patterns, contribute to the uniformity enhancement of copper deposition.

Plating experiments were implemented in vertical continuous plating (VCP) line for manufacturing in different conditions. Multiphysics coupling simulation was brought to investigate and predict the plating uniformity improvement of copper pattern. In addition, the numerical model was based on VCP to approach the practical application.

With disproportionate current distribution, different plating pattern design formed diverse copper thickness distribution (CTD). IS and AC improved plating uniformity of copper pattern because of current redistribution. Moreover, optimized plating condition for effectively depositing more uniformed plating copper layer in varied pattern designs were derived by simulation and verified by plating experiment.

The comparison between experiment and simulation revealed that multiphysics coupling is an efficient, reliable and of course environment-friendly tool to perform research on the uniformity of pattern plating in manufacturing.

This paper aims to develop sliding mode control (SMC) methods for second-order multi-agent systems (MAS) in the presence of mismatched uncertainties.

Based on the disturbance observer (DOB), discontinuous and continuous sliding mode protocols are designed to achieve finite-time consensus in spite of the disturbances.

Compared with integral SMC, numerical simulation results show that the proposed control methods exhibit better performance with respect to reduction of chattering.

The main contributions are the following: MAS described with mismatched uncertainties are considered; both discontinuous and continuous sliding mode controllers are considered; with the proposed sliding mode controller, the desired sliding surface can be reached in finite time and the DOB is introduced in the controller to alleviate the chattering phenomenon.