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Bridging Theory and Practice: Transforming Product Design Education with Real Clients, Market Feedback, and Eco-Sand 3D Printing
Full text linkI present an innovative project-based learning (PBL) module implemented with third-year product design students, focusing on sustainable product development and commercialization. Sponsored by Ka Shui Ltd., the module challenged students to design products primarily using eco-sand 3D printing technology, incorporating functionality, sustainability, and a distinctive aesthetic to appeal to modern consumer preferences. The initiative offered students practical experience in sustainable design, technical material applications, and market commercialization, supported by prizes and free 3D printing for their prototypes. Eco-sand 3D printing, a cutting-edge technology that uses 95% natural sand as its primary material, was central to the project. This sustainable process creates products with a unique black, rough, sandy texture and requires minimal post-processing. Students explored the technical capabilities of eco-sand printing while building on prior knowledge of other sustainable materials, such as eggshell-PLA composites. The project brief tasked students with designing innovative products that leveraged eco-sand’s properties while addressing market demands. Outcomes included a diverse range of prototypes, such as lighting fixtures, vases, wine racks, candle holders, self-watering plant pots, and automated plantariums combining misting and watering functions. The educational framework incorporated master lectures on eco-sand material properties, processing requirements, and design considerations. Students conducted market analyses to develop compelling value propositions for their designs, gaining insights into consumer behaviour and sustainability-driven product development. Despite the challenging and seemingly narrow scope of the brief, tailored support and guidance enabled students to craft innovative concepts that exemplified the potential of sustainable manufacturing processes. A class competition culminated in professional evaluations of the students’ designs, with top-scoring projects receiving prizes and the opportunity to be commercialized through Ka Shui Ltd.’s online store. This provided students with invaluable real-world experience, allowing them to test their value propositions in the marketplace and receive actionable feedback on both their designs and marketing strategies. This module demonstrates the effectiveness of project-based learning in product design education, offering students a holistic experience that integrates technical skill development, sustainable innovation, market analysis, and commercialization. It provides a compelling model for equipping future designers with the tools to address real-world challenges while fostering creativity, technical expertise, and entrepreneurial thinking
Managing Interconnected Production in a Dynamic Network A Fair Gain-sharing Collaborative Solution
No full textThis paper presents an analysis on the optimal management of interconnected production networks Collaboration represents the best posssibility of achieving a group optimal solution that enhances payoffs of the companies in a network. Since companies are not identical, some of them may capture substantially less gain through interconnection than their conttributions to other providers. An optimality principle in gain-sharing that reflects the contributions of the participating companies is needed. This papper developed a novel dynamic fair gain-sharing solution for interconnected production networks that fulfills the requirements of a sustainable scheme — individual rationality, group optimality, time consistency and fair-sharing principle
Carbon capture and storage and infrastructure innovation in the presence of transboundary pollution: a differential game analysis
No full textThis study employs a differential game approach to examine the
carbon capture and storage (CCS) and infrastructure innovation strategies of
two countries in the context of transboundary pollution. The game model
incorporates three key elements: (i) the quantity of CO2 captured by each
country depends on its capital stock of CCS infrastructure; (ii) both countries
engage in infrastructure innovation activities; and (iii) an incentive equilibrium mechanism is developed to foster sustained cooperation between the two
countries. Our findings reveal that when emission levels remain constant, the
system exhibits a steady-state equilibrium with a saddle point in both non[1]cooperative and cooperative game scenarios. However, when emission levels
grow at a constant rate, a balanced growth path emerges, wherein both infrastructure investment and infrastructure capital stock experience the same
growth rate. To ensure the sustainability of cooperative outcomes, we introduce an incentive equilibrium that necessitates the achievement of the maxi[1]mum utility function at the cooperative equilibrium. This research contributes
to the understanding of the interplay between CCS deployment, infrastructure innovation, and transboundary pollution. The findings provide valuable
insights into the benefits of collaborative investment in CCS infrastructure
among nations, enabling policymakers to formulate cooperative strategies and
agreements to reduce pollution and enhance CO2 capture. Moreover, the research highlights the advantages of cooperative investment, including reduced
pollution and increased CO2 capture, serving as a catalyst for countries to foster collaboration in addressing transboundary CO2 emissions and facilitating
more effective solutions
Development of Chinese Medicinal Ointment with Antibacterial Properties from Tripterygium wilfordii
No full textBackground: Chinese medicinal ointment was first recorded in the Shan Hai Jing (The Classic of Mountains and Seas). Different formulations of Chinese medicinal ointments have been made based on the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. Many TCMs possessed antibacterial properties that were used as microecological regulators to inhibit the growth of gram-negative bacteria, “Escherichia coli.” Purpose: To develop and make an antibacterial ointment by Tripterygium wilfordii (TW) and evaluate its antibacterial function. Materials and Methods: The methodologies included physical (cream selection), chemical [ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD)], and biological (agar assay) experiments for making TW ointment. Results: An active ingredient, “celastrol,” was extracted from TW. Aqueous Cream BP was chosen as the base for ointment making since it did not have any smell and contained only natural substances. UV–Vis and HPLC-DAD identified the active ingredient of “celastrol” from TW with an absorption peak at 230 nm and a symmetrical peak at a retention time of 19.855 min. The 1%, 2%, and 5% TW ointments with antibacterial properties and inhibitory effects on the colony formation units of E. coli were 109.33 ± 14.32, 85.67 ± 10.22, and 44.00 ± 6.66, respectively. Conclusion: The Chinese medicinal ointment with antibacterial properties from TW was successfully developed using an Aqueous Cream BP and the Chinese medicinal plant “TW.” An active ingredient, “celastrol,” from “TW,” was determined by using UV–Vis and HPLC-DAD studies. The 1%, 2%, and 5% TW ointments were evaluated for its effectiveness for antibacterial properties. These Chinese medicinal ointments were the starting milestone for further studying the biological mechanisms or applications on human skin