It is proposed that by adopting design for the environment (DFE) principles, US companies can easily comply with the environmental portion of the International Standards…
Abstract
It is proposed that by adopting design for the environment (DFE) principles, US companies can easily comply with the environmental portion of the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14000 standards and become competitive in today’s global market. DFE concepts present unique challenges to designers and introduce significant changes in the company’s market share and profitability without sacrificing sustainable development. The design engineers must ask and answer questions about the life cycle of the product and its production process. Their goal is reducing overall production costs and environmental impact of waste production and disposal by optimizing energy and material consumption, minimizing waste generation, or by reusing process output waste streams as raw materials for other processes. Application of DFE principles in the first stages of process design can change a product life cycle by not only reducing overall cost, but also the environmental impact of production and disposal.
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Ensuring high water quality is crucial for safeguarding public health, as contaminated water can pose significant risks to consumers’ well-being. This study aims to evaluate the…
Abstract
Purpose
Ensuring high water quality is crucial for safeguarding public health, as contaminated water can pose significant risks to consumers’ well-being. This study aims to evaluate the microbiological and chemical quality of bottled water brands commonly consumed in Dodoma, Tanzania.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 36 samples from 12 brands were collected between January and March 2023 and analyzed for microbiological and general water quality parameters.
Findings
Microbial analysis found that 42% of brands tested positive for coliform bacteria, while opportunistic pathogens Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were detected in 25% and 17% of samples, respectively. For chemical composition, 42% of brands exceeded the World Health Organization guideline value of 1.5 mg/L for fluoride. However, no other parameters exceeded national drinking water standards. Statistical analysis revealed significantly higher measured fluoride levels compared to values declared on product labels (paired t-test, p = 0.003). A moderate positive correlation between fluoride and conductivity (r = 0.52, p = 0.045) indicated possible geological influences on water chemistry.
Research limitations/implications
To enhance the study’s comprehensiveness, exploring temporal and spatial variations among water brands, including samples from typically clean environments such as supermarkets, could have been beneficial in identifying underlying factors. Additionally, investigating the entire manufacturing process, from production to end-user, could have provided insights into unforeseen deviations in quality. Furthermore, the use of pour plating techniques at 37°C for microbial analysis, while suitable for resource-limited settings, may not have fully captured coliform diversity compared to membrane filtration and differential temperature incubation as per standard methods. This could partly explain the detection of heterotrophs without higher coliform counts in some samples.
Practical implications
This study provides baseline data on the bacteriological and inorganic chemical quality of bottled water in Dodoma. Detectable microbial contaminants and significant exceedances of fluoride guidelines in some products raise public health concerns.
Originality/value
While existing studies focus on bottled water quality at production facilities, this research highlights the overlooked risks at retail points, where consumers are directly affected.
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Ewa Dostatni, Jacek Diakun, Adam Hamrol and Waldemar Mazur
The paper aims to describe ideas and implementation of the computer tool for computer‐aided and recycling‐oriented design. Currently, there is a strong tendency to take into…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to describe ideas and implementation of the computer tool for computer‐aided and recycling‐oriented design. Currently, there is a strong tendency to take into account the impact of a product on the natural environment. The authors concentrated on the issue of the recycling process of the product, taking into account the phase of its design. The purpose, structure, technology and example results are presented in this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
It was assumed that analysis will be performed based on a set of measures of a product. These measures (developed by the authors), describing the product from the recycling point of view, are calculated automatically, according to the changes (variants) in the product's model. The presented tool is based on agent technology. The structure of the system – the agents, its roles and communication between them – has been described.
Findings
The main achievement of the work presented in this paper is the method supporting eco‐design based on agent technology. Based on the analysis of the process of recycling‐oriented eco‐design, the authors designed and then implemented the tool that aids designers' activities in the area of eco‐design. The drawn‐up method supports decision making concerning designing environmental‐friendly products. Thanks to agent technology, the design process can be conducted in the distributed design environment.
Research limitations/implications
The usage of the presented computer‐aided and recycling‐oriented system during the design process requires the duplication of some of the engineer's work. The analysis is performed within the presented tool, outside the typical contemporary design environment, such as CAD 3D systems. As a consequence, there is a need to enter the product structure into the described system, which can be inconvenient. The further work of the authors assumes implementation of this concept into a CAD 3D system.
Originality/value
There has been a limited amount of research work regarding application agent technology in the field of end‐of‐life oriented design. The structure of the system, the measurements and idea of extension of product structure are the original results of the work. The results could be implemented into commercial computer‐aided design systems, especially into its PLM (product lifecycle management) group, due to the weak representation of end‐of‐life phases in these tools.
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Mirza Rayana Sanzana, Mostafa Osama Mostafa Abdulrazic, Jing Ying Wong, Jaya Kumar Karunagharan and Jason Chia
This paper presents two educational gamified virtual labs and investigates different methods of including gamified elements in virtual labs used for teaching. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents two educational gamified virtual labs and investigates different methods of including gamified elements in virtual labs used for teaching. The purpose of this study is to investigate if immersive gamified virtual labs can be used as effective pedagogical tools by properly incorporating them into higher education curricula to assist low-risk active learning and student engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
This research design comprises two gamified virtual labs including nine essential experiments of biology and chemistry integrated into the higher education curriculum of the Foundation of Science at an international University. Students filled in a survey after participating in the lab to shed light on appropriate ways of using gamification approaches in virtual labs.
Findings
From the predominant findings of the study, gamified virtual labs increase student involvement thereby enhancing knowledge development with active learning and may be a potentially suitable pedagogical tool for low-risk interactive learning.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of the study include findings based on gamified virtual labs but not comparing the gamified virtual labs to simple virtual simulations to further investigate the pedagogical approach and understand the student perceptions in a simple virtual simulation and a gamified virtual lab.
Practical implications
The findings of this study will provide evidence that gamified virtual labs integrated into higher education curricula as supplementary tools for laboratory experimentation improve the educational delivery process.
Originality/value
This research highlights an appropriate way of integrating 3D virtual labs into practical curricula while discussing the benefits.
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Jayson W. Richardson and Sara Heintzelman
Young professors Baxter, Jim, and Robert are eager to start a new graduate certificate in educational leadership with a focus on technology. The department supports their…
Abstract
Synopsis
Young professors Baxter, Jim, and Robert are eager to start a new graduate certificate in educational leadership with a focus on technology. The department supports their initiative. The department is even supportive of offering this certificate fully online. Support waned when, in an effort to boost student enrollment, it is suggested that additional graduate courses and programs within the department also move fully online. In department meetings, faculty members argue about the rigor of online courses and if it is possible to convert existing courses and programs to an online delivery format. Tammy and Larry are veteran faculty members who do not want to teach online and have made it clear to the rest of the faculty they are not eager to change. When there are not enough students to offer their programs in the traditional format, all faculty members are forced to begin teach online.
Research methodology
This is a disguised field-researched case.
Relevant courses and levels
This case may be used in a variety of graduate business or education courses, such as introduction to business, business ethics, educational leadership, technology leadership, or higher education.
Theoretical bases
Students should have some understanding of systems change, ethical decision making, and human resources development.
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Marco O. Bertelli, Michele Rossi, Daniela Scuticchio and Annamaria Bianco
Diagnosing psychiatric disorders (PD) in adults with Intellectual Disability (ID) presents several issues and need specific skills and tools. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Diagnosing psychiatric disorders (PD) in adults with Intellectual Disability (ID) presents several issues and need specific skills and tools. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of the current status of art through a systematic mapping of the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors reviewed the international literature on the basis of the following questions: what are the issues in the psychiatric diagnostic process for adults with ID? What methods and procedures have been used for psychiatric assessment in ID? To date, is it possible to identify some most effective procedures?
Findings
The analysis of the literature indicates that main issues of the psychiatric diagnostic process in adults with ID are the following: identification of psychiatric symptoms, behavioural equivalents, diagnostic criteria, setting, source of information, screening, and diagnostic tools. The evidence base is only emerging and although many relevant achievements have been reached in the last two decades, no definitive guideline has been produced. Most recent acquisition also allowed to identify some assessment procedures that are currently considered the most effective. Individualised assessment remains the best way to meet the needs of this heterogeneous and variable patient group.
Originality/value
This paper offers a comprehensive and updated description of current achievements and issues towards the assessment of PD in people with ID.
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The Equal Pay Act 1970 (which came into operation on 29 December 1975) provides for an “equality clause” to be written into all contracts of employment. S.1(2) (a) of the 1970 Act…
Abstract
The Equal Pay Act 1970 (which came into operation on 29 December 1975) provides for an “equality clause” to be written into all contracts of employment. S.1(2) (a) of the 1970 Act (which has been amended by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975) provides:
Yanjiang Huang, Yanglong Zheng, Nianfeng Wang, Jun Ota and Xianmin Zhang
The paper aims to propose an assembly scheme based on master–slave coordination for a compliant dual-arm robot to complete a peg-in-hole assembly task.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to propose an assembly scheme based on master–slave coordination for a compliant dual-arm robot to complete a peg-in-hole assembly task.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed assembly scheme is inspired by the coordinated behaviors of human beings in the assembly process. The left arm and right arm of the robot are controlled to move alternately. The fixed arm and the moving arm are distinguished as the slave arm and the master arm, respectively. The position control model is used at the uncontacted stage, and the torque control model is used at the contacted stage.
Findings
The proposed assembly scheme is evaluated through peg-in-hole assembly experiments with different shapes of assembly piece. The round, triangle and square assembly piece with 0.5 mm maximum clearance between the peg and the hole can be assembled successfully based on the proposed method. Furthermore, three assembly strategies are investigated and compared in the peg-in-hole assembly experiments with different shapes of assembly piece.
Originality/value
The contribution of this study is that the authors propose an assembly scheme for a compliant dual-arm robot to overcome the low positioning accuracy and complete the peg-in-hole assembly tasks with different shapes parts.