Search Results (12)

In the near future, urban air mobility (UAM) will let an old dream of human society come true: affordable and fast air transportation for almost everyone. Among the various existing designs, the multicopter configuration best combines the advantages of compactness, simplicity, and maturity. These aspects are important for actual use, particularly during the early stage of this market. This study elaborates on the design principles of UAM multicopters by examining existing models in terms of their configuration, weight, and range specifications. In particular, the weights of the different components are estimated based on empirical models, aerodynamic fundamentals for the analysis of UAM multicopters are derived from momentum theory, and the power and energy requirements for hovering and cruise flight are evaluated, thereby enabling estimation of the maximum hovering time and flight range. Finally, a sizing method is introduced and validated against an actual UAM design. Full article

The current study investigates economic expectations and socio-psychological factors influencing individuals’ residential photovoltaic (RPV) adoption intentions in Thailand. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the diffusion of innovation theory provide a framework for our predictor selection. We obtained the data from a nationwide survey on electricity prosumer infrastructure. RPV non-users (N = 760) were asked to rate their RPV knowledge, attitudes, perceived behavioral controls (PBCs), norms, and innovativeness. They then read scenarios describing the current RPV installation cost and payback rate. They rated their adoption intention and specified their intended system capacity, affordable installation cost, and desirable payback period. The gaps between the actual and desired installation costs and the internal rate of return were calculated. These economic expectation gaps, attitudes based on financial benefits, PBC based on perceived financial barriers, social norms, and innovativeness significantly predicted the adoption intention. On the other hand, perceived knowledge, attitudes based on environmental and image benefits, and PBC based on anticipated troubles and inconveniences failed to predict intention. The implications of the TPB model for RPV adoption were discussed. Full article

The emergence of artificial-intelligence (AI)-powered information technology, such as deep learning and natural language processing, enables human to shift their behaving or working diagram from human-only to human–AI synergy, especially in the decision-making process. Since AI is multidisciplinary by nature and our understanding of human–AI synergy in decision-making is fragmented, we conducted a literature review to systematically characterize the phenomenon. Adopting the affordance actualization theory, we developed a framework to organize and understand the relationship between AI affordances, the human–AI synergy process, and the outcomes of human–AI synergy. Three themes emerged from the review: the identification of AI affordances in decision-making, human–AI synergy patterns regarding different decision tasks, and outcomes of human–AI synergy in decision-making. For each theme, we provided evidence on the existing research gaps and proposed future research directions. Our findings provide a holistic framework for understanding human–AI synergy phenomenon in decision-making. This work also offers theoretical contributions and research directions for researchers studying human–AI synergy in decision-making. Full article

In today’s world, the contradiction between water supply and demand is becoming increasingly pronounced, with a particular emphasis on the severe shortage of water for agricultural purposes. As a result, it has become imperative to promote the comprehensive reform of agricultural water pricing and increase water conservation awareness among water users. However, during the actual promotion process, the conflicting interests among stakeholders often create a behavioral game that seriously hinders the effective implementation of the agricultural water price reform. Therefore, it is crucial to address this conflict of interest and find ways to overcome it in order to ensure the successful implementation of the agricultural water pricing reform. In order to explore the dynamic evolution process of the behavior and decision making of the stakeholders in the comprehensive agricultural water price reform and the influencing factors and to propose relevant strategies to effectively promote the reform. This article constructs a three-party game model based on MA-PT theory with the government, farmers, and water supply units as the main subjects, solves the equation with the perceived benefit matrix instead of the traditional benefit matrix, and calculates the objective conditions for reaching the steady state. The simulation results show that the behavioral decision of the game subject to participate in the reform will be influenced by their perception of gains and losses, and there is a mutual influence between the three strategic choices. Therefore, the reform of agricultural water prices should consider the affordability of farmers and water supply units. The government appropriately adopts a reward system to encourage farmers and water supply units to actively participate in the reform to play a positive role and appropriate penalties for promoting the reform, the early realization of the reform goals, and the development of water-saving agriculture. Full article

This paper takes Taoxichuan Cultural and Creative Street as a case study. It explores how enterprises activate the value of “industrial heritage” resources and achieve sustainable development from the perspective of affordance theory. Research findings indicated that: (1) the creation of a culturally recognized context performs a vital role in activating the industrial heritage; (2) the evocation of industrial heritage resources is a dynamic process from the realization of fundamental values to the actualization of high-level values; and (3) the evoked industrial heritage resources can achieve sustainable corporate development. Additionally, the research findings provide reference for enterprises to realize high-level values of industrial heritage resources by creating contexts to transform them into sources of innovation in the post-pandemic era. Full article

Neutral (n) and zwitterionic (z) forms of cysteine monomers are combined in this work to extensively explore the potential energy surfaces for the formation of cysteine dimers in aqueous environments represented by a continuum. A simulated annealing search followed by optimization and characterization of the candidate structures afforded a total of 746 structurally different dimers held together via 80 different types of intermolecular contacts in 2894 individual non-covalent interactions as concluded from Natural Bond Orbitals (NBO), Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) and Non-Covalent Interactions (NCI) analyses. This large pool of interaction possibilities includes the traditional primary hydrogen bonds and salt bridges which actually dictate the structures of the dimers, as well as the less common secondary hydrogen bonds, exotic X⋯Y (X = C, N, O, S) contacts, and H⋯H dihydrogen bonds. These interactions are not homogeneous but have rather complex distributions of strengths, interfragment distances and overall stabilities. Judging by their Gibbs bonding energies, most of the structures located here are suitable for experimental detection at room conditions. Full article

The evolution of the biosphere unfolds as a luxuriant generative process of new living forms and functions. Organisms adapt to their environment, exploit novel opportunities that are created in this continuous blooming dynamics. Affordances play a fundamental role in the evolution of the biosphere, for organisms can exploit them for new morphological and behavioral adaptations achieved by heritable variations and selection. This way, the opportunities offered by affordances are then actualized as ever novel adaptations. In this paper, we maintain that affordances elude a formalization that relies on set theory: we argue that it is not possible to apply set theory to affordances; therefore, we cannot devise a set-based mathematical theory to deduce the diachronic evolution of the biosphere. Full article

Heterospin systems have a great advantage in frontier orbital engineering since they utilize a wide diversity of paramagnetic chromophores and almost infinite combinations and mutual geometries. Strong exchange couplings are expected in 3d–2p heterospin compounds, where the nitroxide (aminoxyl) oxygen atom has a direct coordination bond with a nickel(II) ion. Complex formation of nickel(II) salts and tert-butyl 2-pyridyl nitroxides afforded a discrete 2p–3d–2p triad. Ferromagnetic coupling is favored when the magnetic orbitals, nickel(II) dσ and radical π*, are arranged in a strictly orthogonal fashion, namely, a planar coordination structure is characterized. In contrast, a severe twist around the coordination bond gives an orbital overlap, resulting in antiferromagnetic coupling. Non-chelatable nitroxide ligands are available for highly twisted and practically diamagnetic complexes. Here, the Ni–O–N–C_sp² torsion (dihedral) angle is supposed to be a useful metric to describe the nickel ion dislocated out of the radical π* nodal plane. Spin-transition complexes exhibited a planar coordination structure in a high-temperature phase and a nonplanar structure in a low-temperature phase. The gradual spin transition is described as a spin equilibrium obeying the van’t Hoff law. Density functional theory calculation indicates that the energy level crossing of the high- and low-spin states. The optimized structures of diamagnetic and high-spin states well agreed with the experimental large and small torsions, respectively. The novel mechanism of the present spin transition lies in the ferro-/antiferromagnetic coupling switch. The entropy-driven mechanism is plausible after combining the results of the related copper(II)-nitroxide compounds. Attention must be paid to the coupling parameter J as a variable of temperature in the magnetic analysis of such spin-transition materials. For future work, the exchange coupling may be tuned by chemical modification and external stimulus, because it has been clarified that the parameter is sensitive to the coordination structure and actually varies from 2J/k_B = +400 K to −1400 K. Full article

Smart cities are especially suited for improving urban inclusion by combining digital transition and social innovation. To be smart, a city has to provide every citizen with urban spaces, public services, and common goods that are effectively affordable, whatever the citizen’s gender, culture, origin, race, or impairment. Based on two design workshops, the “Vibropod” and the “Pointe-aux-Lièvres”, this paper aims at highlighting the contributions of design fiction to the improvement of the spatial capability of hearing impaired people. This research draws its originality from both its conceptual framework, built on an interdisciplinary and intersectoral composition of arts and sciences, and its operational approach, based on the use of the DeafSpace markers and the TRIZ theory (Russian acronym for Inventive Problem Solving Theory) principles. The two design fiction workshops demonstrate that considering the singularity of the human being as an actual acoustic material constitutes an innovative opportunity to improve the role of universal design in a smart city project. By reversing the classic posture, and defining disability by looking at characteristics of the environment rather than as limits of the people themselves (their bodies or their senses), this research proposes an innovative way of addressing smart city inclusivity issues. This paper shows how increasing spatial enablement and having better control of spatial skills can offer deaf people new skills to improve the use of technology in support of urban mobility, as well as give them tools for feeling safer in urban environments. Full article

Over the past 25 years, magnetic actinide complexes have been the object of considerable attention, not only at the experimental level, but also at the theoretical one. Such systems are of great interest, owing to the well-known larger spin–orbit coupling for actinide ions, and could exhibit slow relaxation of the magnetization, arising from a large anisotropy barrier, and magnetic hysteresis of purely molecular origin below a given blocking temperature. Furthermore, more diffuse 5f orbitals than lanthanide 4f ones (more covalency) could lead to stronger magnetic super-exchange. On the other hand, the extraordinary experimental challenges of actinide complexes chemistry, because of their rarity and toxicity, afford computational chemistry a particularly valuable role. However, for such a purpose, the use of a multiconfigurational post-Hartree-Fock approach is required, but such an approach is computationally demanding for polymetallic systems—notably for actinide ones—and usually simplified models are considered instead of the actual systems. Thus, Density Functional Theory (DFT) appears as an alternative tool to compute magnetic exchange coupling and to explore the electronic structure and magnetic properties of actinide-containing molecules, especially when the considered systems are very large. In this paper, relevant achievements regarding DFT investigations of the magnetic properties of actinide complexes are surveyed, with particular emphasis on some representative examples that illustrate the subject, including actinides in Single Molecular Magnets (SMMs) and systems featuring metal-metal super-exchange coupling interactions. Examples are drawn from studies that are either entirely computational or are combined experimental/computational investigations in which the latter play a significant role. Full article

The construction of a new facility in an urban area, such as a downtown area, involves considerable earthwork excavation most of the time. Measuring the actual productivity of earthwork operations that involve heavy machinery can be a complex task for project managers. The complexity contributes to the impact of the many factors involved, the required accuracy, and the uncertainties associated with such operations. Traditionally, measuring actual productivity is carried out manually by measuring the actual quantities of the excavated earth. Measuring actual productivity manually is time-consuming and not necessarily accurate. The paper presents a case study project in Montreal to investigate the application of a developed methodology that is affordable for small to medium size contractors. It integrates the GPS and fuzzy set theory as an alternate effective methodology for measuring actual onsite productivity during the construction stage in an urban area. The developed methodology combines GPS data that are collected in near real time, fuzzy set theory (FST), and Google Earth. FST is used to define the variability and uncertainty which exists in the duration of the main activities of the earthwork (loading, traveling, dumping, and returning). Google Earth is used for graphical presentation and to store the collected GPS data of the moving hauling units. The productivity estimated by the developed methodology was compared with that provided by a simulation-based model, in which the collected GPS data are used to define the duration of earthmoving moving operations, and with that measured manually by contractor. The developed methodology proves that the utilization of GPS data and FST can yield a more accurate estimation of onsite actual productivity compared to that provided by simulation-based approaches, but in much a simpler way regarding the computation effort and time. Full article

All scientists use data visualizations to discover patterns in their phenomena that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Likewise, we also use scientific visualizations to help us describe our verbal theories and predict those data patterns. But scientific visualization may also constitute a hindrance to theory development when new data cannot be accommodated by the current dominant framework. Here we argue that the sciences of language are currently in an interim stage using an increasingly outdated scientific visualization borrowed from the box-and-arrow flow charts of the early days of engineering and computer science. The original (and not yet fully discarded) version of this obsolete model assumes that the language faculty is composed of autonomously organized levels of linguistic representation, which in turn are assumed to be modular, organized in rank order of dominance, and feed unidirectionally into one another in stage-like algorithmic procedures. We review relevant literature in psycholinguistics and language acquisition that cannot be accommodated by the received model. Both learning and processing of language in children and adults, at various putative ‘levels’ of representation, appear to be highly integrated and interdependent, and function simultaneously rather than sequentially. The fact that half of the field sees these findings as trivially true and the other half argues fiercely against them suggests to us that the sciences of language are on the brink of a paradigm shift. We submit a new scientific visualization for language, in which stacked levels of linguistic representation are replaced by trajectories in a multidimensional space. This is not a mere redescription. Processing language in the brain equates to traversing such a space in regions afforded by multiple probabilistic cues that simultaneously activate different linguistic representations. Much still needs to be done to convert this scientific visualization into actual implemented models, but at present it allows language scientists to envision new concepts and venues for research that may assist the field in transitioning to a new conceptualization, and provide a clear direction for the next decade. Full article