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Found 6327 publications
Vibration Diagnostic Methods of Automatic Transmission Service Requirement Prediction
Publication Name: Infrastructures
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Automatic transmission is a key factor for autonomous driving. The transmission condition is highly affected by the quality and quantity of transmission oil in the system. However, the oil condition is not monitored in the system, and the oil change interval and method are still a subject of discussion. This paper analyzes the effects of oil changes in automatic transmissions. The measurements were carried out before and after the oil change with the same external conditions. With the vibration measurement method, data can be collected without disassembling the parts and during operational conditions. Furthermore, time- and frequency-based analyses were conducted to compare different transmissions’ operations. The results have shown that the effect of oil degradation is measurable on the amplitude of the signals and, therefore, predictable with vibration diagnostics. During the evaluation, the maximum values were compared on measurements with at least a 2-s length.
Open Access: Yes
Feeding Mixed Silages of Winter Cereals and Italian Ryegrass Can Modify the Fatty Acid and Odor Profile of Bovine Milk
Publication Name: Agriculture Switzerland
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 13
Issue: 2
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The utilization of corn silage in animal diets is becoming a challenge, due to the crop’s reduced yield as a result of climate change. Alternative silage types, such as mixtures of Italian ryegrass and winter cereals, may be a good complement to corn silage in diet formulation. Therefore, it is important to investigate how these alternative sources influence milk fatty acid and odor profile, as well as how these quality parameters could be efficiently evaluated. In this study, a corn silage-based control (CTR) and four experimental (EXP) diets—which contained winter cereals (WC), as well as WC with Italian ryegrass (IRG) silages in different proportions—were fed to Holstein-Friesian cows (n = 32) in a single-blinded efficacy study during a series of 4-week periods, with 2 weeks of adaption to each feed before the main trial. Milk from each trial was subjected to fatty acid (FA) analysis and odor profiling through the utilization of gas chromatography and an electronic nose, respectively. The results show that milk FAs in the EXP-3 and EXP-4 groups (which contained mixed silages using WC) changed the most when compared with other groups. Moreover, with a 7 kg/day inclusion rate of WC + IRG and of the WC silages in the diets of the EXP-2 and EXP-3 groups, respectively, the milk from these groups had their n6:n3 ratio reduced, thus indicating possible health benefits to consumers. The odor variation between the milk of the WC + IRG and WC groups was greater than the variation between the milk of the CTR and EXP groups. The main volatile compound responsible for the odor of the CTR milk was ethyl-butyrate, whereas 2-propanol and butan-2-one dominated the WC milk; the milk samples of the WC + IRG groups were influenced largely by ethanol. The study proved that with a 7 kg/day inclusion of mixed silages including winter cereals plus Italian ryegrass, the FA and odor profile of bovine milk could be modified.
Open Access: Yes
Investigation of Track Gauge and Alignment Parameters of Ballasted Railway Tracks Based on Real Measurements Using Signal Processing Techniques
Publication Name: Infrastructures
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
This paper deals with the time-frequency characteristic analysis for track geometry irregularities using field data recorded by a comprehensive track inspection train. The parameters of the track gauge and the left and right rail alignment are considered to identify their characteristic wavelengths and the locations of their waveforms. In addition to the conventional time and frequency domain analysis, auto-adaptive signal decomposition techniques are used on four pre-selected track sections. During the time series analysis of the track gauge, the cumulative difference from the mean value is calculated, which makes it possible to distinguish the track section constructed with non-standard initial track gauges. The sensitive wavelengths of the track irregularities are obtained from the proper allocation of wavelength ranges in the Fourier Amplitude Spectrum of the original signal and the Fourier transform of the components detected by the Variational Mode Decomposition. This analysis can elucidate the wavelengths and positions of track irregularities that affect vehicle responses.
Open Access: Yes
Exploring the role of blockchain technology in value creation: a multiple case study approach
Publication Name: Quality and Quantity
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 57
Issue: 1
Page Range: 427-451
Description:
The value creation potentials of blockchain technology have attracted significant attention from academia and industry. To address how blockchain technology could impact value creation at the business level, this study adopted an inductive multiple case study approach. As part of this focus, fifty-five (55) cases were selected based on maximum-variation and theoretical sampling methods. Selected cases were investigated by conducting with-in case analysis, constant comparative analysis, cross-case analysis, and synthesis and thematic analysis methods. Initially, potential sources of value creation were explored and then the business model innovations were examined to exploit pre-identified value drivers. The findings revealed that blockchain has five potential sources of value creation, including access domain extension, cost reduction, reinforcement and enrichment, new business practices, and social base enrichment. Further, several business model innovations were proposed based on the data-driven exploration to help practitioners exploit identified opportunities or value drivers. This study not only applies the current body of strategic, economics and entrepreneurship knowledge in a new field, but it also adds conceptually and empirically to the current body of blockchain literature. Furthermore, business practitioners could increase their understanding of blockchain’s opportunities to address current business challenges, make operations more efficient, foster innovation, and co-create value with stakeholders.
Open Access: Yes
Temperature-Dependent Ferromagnetic Loss Approximation of an Induction Machine Stator Core Material Based on Laboratory Test Measurements
Publication Name: Energies
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 16
Issue: 3
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The accurate measurement and modeling of ferromagnetic material losses are vital issues during the design and analysis of electrical machines. Higher loss values can describe the manufactured rotor and stator machine plates better than the catalog data obtained by standardized measurements using the Epstein frame. In this paper, different temperature-dependent models based on the loss-separation principle are introduced and compared with the measurements. The model parameters are computed from customized laboratory and standardized measurements. The customized measurements based on the stator part of an induction machine in the range of the automotive industry standard, i.e., in [−40 (Formula presented.) C, ⋯, 180 (Formula presented.) C]. The proposed model and measurement process can be used in the post-processing stage of numerical field analysis to obtain electromagnetic losses according to the agreement between measured and simulated results. During a numerically expensive optimization process, this model can be used to consider the temperature dependence of the losses more accurately. The study shows that more than 50% of loss increase can be measured, compared with the catalog data, if we use the manufactured, stator-based, customized measurements based on the estimation of the iron loss parameters.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/en16031116
Limited Optimal Plastic Behavior of RC Beams Strengthened by Carbon Fiber Polymers Using Reliability-Based Design
Publication Name: Polymers
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The plastic behavior of strengthened haunched beams utilizing carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) was investigated using a probabilistic design that took into account random concrete properties, CFRP properties, and complementary strain energy values, with the reliability index serving as a limiting index, as the proposed method considers a novel method that deals with probabilistic parameters for models with limited plastic behavior designed based on the reliability index. The data used in this research were gathered and evaluated in a recent study on simply supported haunched beams reinforced with carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. The purpose of this research was to use the reliability limitation index for simulated strengthened haunched beams by taking into account randomness in concrete and CFRP properties and the complementary strain energy value, which is considered a plastic behavior controller that provides an illustration of the damage amount within the reinforcement steel bars. The results indicate how randomness affects the behavior of the presented models, which are chosen to have different numbers of CFRP strips. The variable randomness affects load and deflection values where the reliability index value increases as the corresponding load value decrease, reflecting the increased probability of failure in models subjected to higher loading conditions, while tension concrete damage percentages are reflected in the damage pattern presented in the results, showing that as the produced load increases, so does the damage intensity. It is also obvious that the reliability index served as a limitation index while taking concrete characteristics and complementary strain energy as random variables.
Open Access: Yes
Biocontrol Activity of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants and Their Bioactive Components against Soil-Borne Pathogens
Publication Name: Plants
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 12
Issue: 4
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Soil-borne phytopathogens can have detrimental effects on both cereal and horticultural crops resulting in serious losses worldwide. Due to their high efficiency and easy applicability, synthetic pesticides are still the primary choice in modern plant disease control systems, but stringent regulations and increasing environmental concerns make the search for sustainable alternatives more pressing than ever. In addition to the incorporation of botanicals into agricultural practices, the diversification of cropping systems with aromatic and medicinal plants is also an effective tool to control plant diseases through providing nutrients and shaping soil microbial communities. However, these techniques are not universally accepted and may negatively affect soil fertility if their application is not thoroughly controlled. Because the biocontrol potential of aromatic and medicinal plants has been extensively examined over the past decades, the present study aims to overview the recent literature concerning the biopesticide effect of secondary metabolites derived from aromatic and medicinal plants on important soil-borne plant pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and nematodes. Most of the investigated herbs belong to the family of Lamiaceae (e.g., Origanum spp., Salvia spp., Thymus spp., Mentha spp., etc.) and have been associated with potent antimicrobial activity, primarily due to their chemical constituents. The most frequently tested organisms include fungi, such as Rhizoctonia spp., Fusarium spp., and Phytophthora spp., which may be highly persistent in soil. Despite the intense research efforts dedicated to the development of plant-based pesticides, only a few species of aromatic herbs are utilized for the production of commercial formulations due to inconsistent efficiency, lack of field verification, costs, and prolonged authorization requirements. However, recycling the wastes from aromatic and medicinal plant-utilizing industries may offer an economically feasible way to improve soil health and reduce environmental burdens at the same time. Overall, this review provides comprehensive knowledge on the efficiency of aromatic herb-based plant protection techniques, and it also highlights the importance of exploiting the residues generated by aromatic plant-utilizing sectors as part of agro-industrial processes.
Open Access: Yes
Xylopentose production from crop residue employing xylanase enzyme
Publication Name: Bioresource Technology
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 370
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
To produce xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) from the agriculture waste, which included, green coconut and vegetable cocktail. The two pretreatment – hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid (HP-AC) and sodium hypochlorite-sodium hydroxide (SH-SH) – were used for this study. The optimal conditions for the pretreatment were 80 °C, 4.0 % NaClO, and 2 h, followed by 0.08 % NaOH, 55 °C, and 1 h. Further enzymatic hydrolysis of green coconut (GC) and vegetable cocktail (VC) were performed and found in case of GC, the best outcomes were observed. Different types of XOS were obtained from the treated biomass whereas a single type of XOS xylo-pentose was obtained in high quantity (96.44 % and 93.09 % from CG and VC respectively) with the production of other XOS < 2 %. This study presents a reasonably secure and economical method for turning secondary crop residue into XOS and fermentable sugars.
Open Access: Yes
Environmental Sustainability, Digitalisation, and the Entrepreneurial Perception of Distances as Drivers of SMEs’ Internationalisation
Publication Name: Sustainability Switzerland
Publication Date: 2023-02-01
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The complex relationship between sustainability, digitalization, entrepreneurship and internationalization has received less academic attention, although each of these topics is an important research area on its own. Thus, our research aims to understand the effect of environmental sustainability, the usage of digital systems, and the entrepreneurial perception of distances on the intention to export in the case of SMEs. The authors have developed a survey to examine three main hypotheses. Based on the answers of 315 SMEs, the article highlights that the communication of environmental sustainability, the usage of ERP systems, and the perception of cultural distance as opportunities to foster internationalisation.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/su15032487
