Low-cost Plant Landscape Design of Small-scale Residential Area——A Case Study of Huayu Residential Area on Baoping Road in Baoji City of Shaanxi Province

Modern landscape emphasizes the resource conservation and sustainable development.Simple and fine residential green areas should be the development trend.Taking the landscape design of Huayu residential area on Baoping Road in Baoji City of Shaanxi Province as an example,the way how to create a fine view and a good ecological environment for the people living in the bustling city with less investment and simple maintenance was analyzed.

Design and Development of a Competitive Low-Cost Robot Arm with Four Degrees of Freedom

The main focus of this work was to design, develop and implementation of competitively robot arm with en- hanced control and stumpy cost. The robot arm was designed with four degrees of freedom and talented to accomplish accurately simple tasks, such as light material handling, which will be integrated into a mobile platform that serves as an assistant for industrial workforce. The robot arm is equipped with several servo motors which do links between arms and perform arm movements. The servo motors include encoder so that no controller was implemented. To control the robot we used Labview, which performs inverse kinematic calculations and communicates the proper angles serially to a microcontroller that drives the servo motors with the capability of modifying position, speed and acceleration. Testing and validation of the robot arm was carried out and results shows that it work properly.

Highway Planning and Design in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau of China: A Cost–Safety Balance Perspective

Engineering designs for mountainous highways emphasize compliance checking to ensure safety. However, relying solely on compliance checking may lead designers to minimize costs at the expense of high risk indicators, since the overall risk level of the highway design is unknown to the designers. This paper describes a method for the simultaneous consideration of traffic safety risks and the associated cost burden related to the appropriate planning and design of a mountainous highway. The method can be carried out in four steps: First, the highway design is represented by a new parametric framework to extract the key design variables that affect not only the life-cycle cost but also the operational safety. Second, the relationship between the life-cycle cost and the operational safety risk factors is established in the cost-estimation functions. Third, a fault tree analysis (FTA) is introduced to identify the traffic risk factors from the design variables. The safety performance of the design solutions is also assessed by the generalized linear-regression model. Fourth, a theory of acceptable risk analysis is introduced to the traffic safety assessment, and a computing algorithm is proposed to solve for a cost-efficient optimal solution within the range of acceptable risk, in order to help decision-makers. This approach was applied and examined in the Sichuan–Tibet Highway engineering project, which is located in a complex area with a large elevation gradient and a wide range of mountains. The experimental results show that the proposed approach significantly improved both the safety and cost performance of the project in the study area.

Application of Grey System Theory in Design For Cost (DFC)

Design For Cost (DFC) is a branch of Design For X (DFX). In this paper, wedefined DFC as a design method that analyzed and evaluated the product's life cycle cost (LCC), thenmodified the design to reduce the LCC. Nowadays it is a very difficult thing to obtain LCC data inChina or in developing countries. Statistical methods can not be used because available LCC data arefew. In order to solve this problem, we used grey system theory. Then relations of cost factorswere analyzed in LCC using grey relevant methods, and a GM(1,1) model between design parameters andLCC was established. Using this model, we can estimate and control LCC by changing design parametersat the beginning of the design stage.

决策树和Design to Cost在纺织品开发中的应用

采用决策树分析的方法,并应用Design to Cost的概念,对某服装公司产品成本进行了分析,找出了影响产品成本的关键因素,进而降低产品的成本,使产品在市场上更加具有竞争力。

决策树和design to cost在纺织品开发中的应用

本文采用决策树分析的方法，应用Design to cost的概念。对某服装公司产品成本进行了分析．从而找出影响产品成本的关键因素，进而降低产品的成本，使得产品在市场上更加具有竞争力。 决策树是用二叉树形图来表示处理逻辑的一种工具。决策树有一个决策图和可能的结果（包括资源成本和风险）组成，用来创建到达目标的规则。决策树建立并用来辅助决策，是一种特殊的树结构。 Design to cost理念使得人们认识在纺织品的开发中，上游的产品的设计与开发在对产品成本或者最终价格的影响最为重要，而不完全是后期物流、管理方面的花费。 本文巧妙的将这两种分析法结合运用在纺织品开发这样一个复杂的环节中，从而清晰了产品开发的思路，简化复杂的开发过程，最终提高产品的竞争力。

Structural Design of Asphalt Pavement for Low Cost Rural Roads

On the basis of the equivalent axle load action frequency, the traffic classifications of rural roads as well as their corresponding types are classified. The asphalt pavement structure, road surface types and thickness of the rural roads are suggested for the various action frequency of the equivalent axle load. Furthermore, the roadbase thickness graphs are provided according to different equivalent axle load action frequency with different roadbed modulus and road surface modulus taken into account.

Large Cohort Data Based Cost-Effective Disease Prevention Design Strategy: Strong Heart Study

Background and Objective: A multitude of large cohort studies have collected data on incidence and covariates/risk factors of various chronic diseases. However, approaches for utilization of these large data and translation of the valuable results to inform and guide clinical disease prevention practice are not well developed. In this paper, we proposed, based on large cohort study data, a novel conceptual cost-effective disease prevention design strategy for a target group when it is not affordable to include everyone in the target group for intervention. Methods and Results: Data from American Indian participants (n = 3516;2056 women) aged 45 - 74 years in the Strong Heart Study, the diabetes risk prediction model from the study, a utility function, and regression models were used. A conceptual cost-effective disease prevention design strategy based on large cohort data was initiated. The application of the proposed strategy for diabetes prevention was illustrated. Discussion: The strategy may provide reasonable solutions to address cost-effective prevention design issues. These issues include complex associations of a disease with its significant risk factors, cost-effectively selecting individuals at high risk of developing disease to undergo intervention, individual differences in health conditions, choosing intervention risk factors and setting their appropriate, attainable, gradual and adaptive goal levels for different subgroups, and assessing effectiveness of the prevention program. Conclusions: The strategy and methods shown in the illustrative example can also be analogously adopted and applied to other diseases preventions. The proposed strategy provides a way to translate and apply epidemiological study results to clinical disease prevention practice.

The Design of Stall-Regulated Wind Turbine Blade for a Maximum Annual Energy Output and Minimum Cost of Energy Based on a Specific Wind Statistic

The design of a stall-regulated wind turbine to achieve a maximum annual energy output is still a formidable task for engineers. The design could be carried out using an average wind speed together with a standard statistical distribution such as a Weibull with k = 2.0. In this study a more elaborated design will be attempted by also considering the statistical bias as a design criterion. The wind data used in this study were collected from three areas of the Lamtakong weather station in Nakhonratchasima Provice, the Khaokoh weather station in Phetchaboon and the Sirindhorn dam weather station in Ubonratchathani, Thailand. The objective is to design a best aerodynamic configurations for the blade (chord, twist and pitch) using the same airfoil as that of NREL Phase VI wind turbine. Such design is carried out at a design wind speed point. Wind turbine blades were optimized for both maximum annual energy production and minimum cost of energy using a method that take into account aerodynamic and structural considerations. The work will be carried out by the program “SuWiTStat” which was developed by the authors and based on BEM Theory (Blade Element Momentum). Another side issue is the credibility of the Weibull statistic in representing the real wind measurement. This study uses a regression analysis to determine this issue.

China's Development Modeli:the Costs and Benefits of the Decentralization Approach to Transition

This article provides a coherent framework within which to understand China’s development model,as well as the successes and the failures of China’s decentralization approach to reform.The combination of political centralization and economic decentralization provide local government with enough incentives to develop local economies,in particular incentives to promote market privatisation locally.However,the relative evaluation-based incentive schemes lead to inter- regional market segmentation,increasing inter-regional development gaps and the unequal provision of certain public goods.The success of early-stage reform can be attributed to the benefits of the decentralization approach.The next stage reform should however focus on minimizing the associated costs.China’s gradualist reform can be seen as a mechanism design issue under the control of central government.Therefore,it is essential to take both the costs and benefits of the decentralization approach into account in the design of the next-stage reform package.

An estimation method for direct maintenance cost of aircraft components based on particle swarm optimization with immunity algorithm

A particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm improved by immunity algorithm (IA) was presented. Memory and self-regulation mechanisms of IA were used to avoid PSO plunging into local optima. Vaccination and immune selection mechanisms were used to prevent the undulate phenomenon during the evolutionary process. The algorithm was introduced through an application in the direct maintenance cost (DMC) estimation of aircraft components. Experiments results show that the algorithm can compute simply and run quickly. It resolves the combinatorial optimization problem of component DMC estimation with simple and available parameters. And it has higher accuracy than individual methods, such as PLS, BP and v-SVM, and also has better performance than other combined methods, such as basic PSO and BP neural network.

Constraints Based Decision Support for Site-Specific Preliminary Design of Wind Turbines

This study presents a decision-support tool for preliminary design of a horizontal wind turbine system. The function of this tool is to assist the various actors in making decisions about choices inherent to their activities in the field of wind energy. Wind turbine cost and site characteristics are taken into account in the used models which are mainly based on the engineering knowledge. The present tool uses a constraint-modelling technique in combination with a CSP solver (numerical CSPs which are based on an arithmetic interval). In this way, it generates solutions and automatically performs the concept selection and costing of a given wind turbine. The data generated by the tool and required for decision making are: the quality index of solution (wind turbine), the amount of energy produced, the total cost of the wind turbine and the design variables which define the architecture of the wind turbine system. When applied to redesign a standard wind turbine in adequacy with a given site, the present tool proved both its ability to implement constraint modelling and its usefulness in conducting an appraisal.

Design and Development of a House-Mobile Security System

The objective of this work is to design, develop and implement an alarm system that triggers the alarm and alerts the owner via a mobile text message if the house has been opened or an attempt has been made to open it illegally. The system will also feature two different forms of activation/deactivation and will automatically open or close the door for the user. The advantages of this house-mobile security system (HMSS) are its high security level, robustness, low cost and ease of use (uncomplicated) and that there is no distance limitation for contact. The system integrates different sensors via a microcontroller, which is the brain of the system, in order to avoid the problem of false alarms sent by other alarm monitoring systems to ‘Alarm Receiving Centers’ or Police departments. The HMSS is useful in homes, small businesses, offices, warehouses, etc.

A Comparison of Within-Subjects and Between-Subjects Designs in Studies with Discrete-Time Survival Outcomes

Crossover designs are well-known to have major advantages when comparing the effects of various non-curative treatments. We compare efficiencies of several crossover designs along with the Balaam’s design with that of a parallel group design pertaining to longitudinal studies where event time can only be measured in discrete time intervals. With equally sized sequences, the parallel group design results in the greater efficiency if the number of time periods is small. However, the crossover and Balaam’s designs tend to be more efficient as the study duration increases. The degree to which these designs add efficiency depends on the baseline hazard function and effect size. Additionally, we incorporate different cost considerations at the subject level when comparing the designs to determine the most cost-efficient design. Researchers might consider the crossover or Balaam’s design more efficient if the duration of the study is long enough, especially if the costs of applying the baseline treatment are higher.

Regression Models of the Impact of Rockmass and Blast Design Variations on the Effectiveness of Iron Ore Surface Blasting

The desired economics of hard rock surface mining is mainly determined by the parameters of process design which minimize the overall cost per tonne of the rock mined in drilling, blasting, handling and primary crushing in given rockmass conditions. The most effective parameters of process design could be established based on the regression models of the cumulative influence of rockmass and mine design parameters on the overall cost per tonne of the rock drilled, blasted, handled and crushed. These models could be developed from the huge data accumulated worldwide on the costs per tonne of hard rock surface mining in drilling, blasting, handling and primary crushing vs the parameters of rockmass and mine design. This paper only dwelt on the development of regression models for oversize generation, blasthole productivity and blasting cost for iron ore surface mines, whose data is available. The SPSS standard statistical correlation – regression analysis software was used in the analysis. Interpretation of the models generated shows that the individual effects of the determinant rockmass and blast design parameters on oversize generation, blasthole productivity and blasting cost are all in compliance with the findings of other researchers and the theory of explosive rock fragmentation and could be used for the estimation of oversize generation, blasthole productivity and blasting cost in rockmass and blast design conditions similar to those of the iron ore surface mines examined in this study. However, the regression models obtained here could not be used alone for the optimization of blast design because most of the determinant parameters also have conflicting effect on the other processes of drilling, handling and primary crushing the blasted rock. Also, the quality and content of the regression models could be enhanced further by increasing the content of rockmass and blast design parameters and the volume of data considered in the regression analysis.

Manufacturing feature-based cost estimation of cast parts

Seventy percent of new product cost is committed in the design phase. Therefore, the cost needs to be minimized. Incorporating accurate cost estimation capabilities into manufacturing processes can help industries to minimize the cost and optimize the design. The casting process has been employed as a key process to manufacture parts having the advantage of low cost and customized products in foundry industry. This paper presents a cost estimation system for the casting process based on the design features, which incorporates the casting information at the design stage of castings. It aims to deliver the best cost-effective choice for casting design features of a product. Two kinds of knowledge, namely economical knowledge(describing the relation between the casting design considerations and the cost) and technical knowledge(involving the material of the casting features) were structured in this research work. On the basis of the minimum product cost, casting material selection can be carried out in detail. The developed system has been validated through an industrial case study.

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of UAV Considering Development Costs

The paper establishes a multidisciplinary design and optimization framework that aims at minimizing Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) development costs. This framework integrates development costs as an equally important factor alongside weight and aerodynamic disciplines within the UAV design process. The OpenMDAO paradigm is employed to facilitate a standalone design and optimization application. A comprehensive multidisciplinary analysis module is developed, encompassing initial geometrical sizing, weight analysis, aerodynamic performance evaluation, and estimation models for development costs. The effectiveness of the framework is validated through a low-cost, high-performance UAV case study. The results demonstrate that neglecting the influence of UAV development costs would be imprudent. By appropriately adjusting design parameters using the optimization algorithm, significant reductions in UAV development costs can be achieved with minimal performance losses.

Reliability-Based Full-Life Cycle Optimum Design of Offshore Jacket Platform

Based on the consideration of operation environment and structural property, an optimum design model of offshore jacket platform is developed in this paper, namely, the reliability-based full-life cycle optimum design model. In this model, the time-dependent reliability assessment method for structural members is established by combination of the decrease of sectional size and performance deterioration of material. The initial investment, maintenance cost and failure loss cost are assembled into the model. The total cost of the platform structure system in its full service period is chosen as the objective function, and the initial reliabilities of the layer elements partitioned in advance are taken as the design variables. Different models are obtained, depending on whether the system reliability constraint is considered or not. This optimum design model can result in the lowest full-life cost and the optimal initial layer reliability of an offshore jacket platform in the design of marine structures. The feasibility of this model is illustrated with an actual jacket platform in the Liaodong Gulf as an example.

A User Friendly Approach for Design and Economic Analysis of Standalone SPV System

This paper presents the use of solar energy for generation of electrical energy through solar pho-tovoltaic (SPV) system to meet the load requirement of a domestic building. Complete design and economic analysis of SPV system for different costs of SPV module is done and compared with grid electricity for with and without storage conditions. The results of the study encourage the use of SPV system for a residential building and show that SPV system is an economically viable option to meet the exponentially growing electricity requirement for household applications in India.

A Wireless Sensor Network Ad-Hoc Designed as Anti-Theft Alarm System for Photovoltaic Panels

Photovoltaic (PV) systems have attracted increasing attention in last years as well as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), which have been used in many application fields. In PV plants, especially in ground installations, a lot of thefts and damages occur due to the still high cost of the modules. A new experimental WSN ad-hoc has been designed to be an anti-theft alarm system. Each node of the network is directly installed under each PV string and it is equipped with an accelerometer sensor capable to detect a minimum displacement of the panel from its steady position. The WSN presents a star topology: a master node cyclically interrogates the slave nodes through RF link. It collects all the nodes responses and communicates though a RS-232 interface with a control PC checking the network status. When a slave node detects an alarm, continuous messages are sent to the control PC which turns on all the alarm signaling systems. The control PC is equipped with an open source operative system and software and provides for SMS, e-mail and sound-light signaling in case of alarm. It also communicates with a remote server where all the WSN information is stored. A first low cost experimental WSN has been already installed and it is working properly.