Topic Review
Methanol as a Biochemical and Bioenergy Carrier
There is a growing interest in the production of biofuels and biochemicals from renewable biomass. Biomass in the form of woody and agricultural residues, municipal solid waste and other organic refuse is becoming popular as a feedstock for biofuel and biochemical production through thermochemical and biological routes. Methanol, a widely used industrial chemical, also has clean fuel properties due to its high-octane number, low flammability, low emissions and high engine performance.
  • 119
  • 04 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Flight Scheduling, Fleet Assignment, and Aircraft Routing Problems
Airlines face the imperative of resource management to curtail costs, necessitating the solution of several optimization problems such as flight planning, fleet assignment, aircraft routing, and crew scheduling. These problems present some challenges.
  • 167
  • 03 Jan 2024
Topic Review
MLA for Electric Arc Furnace in Steel Industry
The steel industry has been forced to switch from the traditional blast furnace to the electric arc furnace (EAF) process to reduce carbon emissions. However, EAF still relies entirely on the operators’ proficiency to determine the electrical power input. 
  • 124
  • 29 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Over-the-Top Platforms’ Usability
OTT (over-the-top) streaming is a subscription-based video service model that delivers video-on-demand content, films, and series directly to end-users over the Internet, bypassing the need for traditional satellite receiver systems. The most popular OTT service providers include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the viewership rates and subscriber numbers for OTT platforms rapidly increased. Like various other products and systems, usability problems can substantially impact user satisfaction, loyalty, and the intention to continue using OTT services. Therefore, this study aimed to conceptualize the usability of OTT platforms and develop an OTT Usability Measurement Scale for the usability evaluation of OTT platforms based on the Apple tvOS Guidelines and the literature. OTT platform usability was conceptualized with nine constructs, including Accessibility and Customization, Account Management, Data Entry and Search, Branding, Privacy, Navigation, Help, Content, and Design, and the concepts were measured with a scale including 48 items. The validity of the developed scale was tested through two separate survey studies conducted with Netflix web application users.
  • 151
  • 25 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Paint Atomization and Paint Film Formation
The special surface appearance of complex surfaces restricts the coating film quality of spraying. The study of the atomization and film formation characteristics of typical complex surfaces, as well as the spraying mechanism, is essential for planning the spraying robotic trajectory and improving the spraying efficiency. Modeling and characteristics of the atomization and film formation process, based on CFD numerical simulations in previous studies, are systematically reviewed, focusing especially on airless spraying. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of the existing research from the perspective of numerical models and methods are discussed. Finally, a further research direction for spraying on complex surface is prospected. Overall, a comprehensive and up-to-date review of spray atomization and film formation characteristics is considered valuable to practitioners and researchers in these fields, and will facilitate the further application of robotic spraying in the mechanical, automotive, marine, aerospace, petrochemical and other industries.
  • 129
  • 22 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Sectors of the Glass Industry
The glass industry is highly diverse, both in terms of products and production processes, making articles ranging from artistic handmade glass goblets to large flat glass plates for the construction and automotive sectors. 
  • 243
  • 20 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Performance and Efficiency of Cross-Flow Fans
Cross-Flow Fans (CFFs) have been widely applied in the automotive and domestic air conditioning industries in recent decades. They are high-pressure coefficient turbomachines compacted diametrically, and thus, the complex interactions of these fans require thorough evaluation. Their innovation has opened up new directions in turbomachinery, and both academic research and industry have seen numerous efforts to develop these types of fans. Despite extensive work, optimizing and improving their performance remains a challenge. Enhancing their efficiency necessitates improvements in structural characteristics, aerodynamic features, and acoustic properties.
  • 116
  • 19 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Customer Shopping Behavior Analysis by RFID Models
Analyzing customer shopping habits in physical stores is crucial for enhancing the retailer–customer relationship and increasing business revenue. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has emerged as a solution and has been implemented in physical stores for purposes such as smart trolleys and analyzing customer shopping paths. Additionally, previous research has demonstrated that the phase readings and received signal strength (RSS) of RFID, combined with machine-learning algorithms, can effectively track customer activity within the physical store, including product browsing. Therefore, employing machine learning models for identifying customer behavior inside the store is crucial to enhance the efficiency of customer behavior analysis.
  • 182
  • 18 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Working Principle of Hydraulic Control System
Hydraulic control systems are a feedback control system that uses hydraulic components as control and execution components, and hydraulic oil as the working medium for energy transmission. The movement of hydraulic actuators refers to the system output (including displacement, velocity, acceleration, and force), which is transmitted to the controller through feedback components. The input signal of the control component is adjusted according to the error size, so that the system output can automatically, quickly, and accurately track the system input instructions. Hydraulic control systems are classified into pump-controlled hydraulic control systems and valve-controlled hydraulic control systems based on their various control modes and valve components.
  • 939
  • 18 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Factors Affecting Human Errors in Manual Assembly Processes
Human errors (HEs) are common problems in manual assembly processes, impacting product quality and resulting in additional costs. HEs refer to mistakes or deviations from intended actions made by individuals when implementing some tasks. These errors can occur due to various reasons, such as a lack of training, fatigue, poor work instructions, etc.
  • 623
  • 15 Dec 2023
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