154092 research outputs found
Sort by
Knowledge and power in the Anthropocene: Transcending the hegemony of the Enlightenment paradigm in sustainability discourses
No full textIn this article it is argued that scientific sustainability discourses are largely informed by the Enlightenment paradigm. This paradigm, the argument goes, is not only hegemonic but also deeply problematic for sustainability science. Its ontological assumptions about nature as a collection of natural resources that must be mastered for human purposes (such as peace, prosperity, well-being) inform a mastery of nature that is unsustainable and has come to pose existential threats to the whole planet. This article therefore questions this hegemony of the Enlightenment paradigm in sustainability science, to pave the way for a trans-paradigmatic understanding of sustainability. Anthropogenic and academic sustainability discourses, it is argued, are fundamentally pluralistic and therefore informed by rivalling paradigms that come with rivalling ontologies and corresponding understandings of nature, sustainability, and justice. It follows that trans-paradigmatic ecological knowledge requires not so much a shift of paradigm as the transcendence of bounded paradigmatic knowledge through a dialectical process in sustainability science. The dialectical process, however, is still being hindered, or so we argue. To illustrate the attempts at trans-paradigmatic knowledge, we consider the ‘Rights of Nature’ (RoN) movement. As a discourse, RoN may be considered both as an Enlightenment translation of the indigenous worldview and as an indigenous integration of the Enlightenment theories of social contract and natural rights. We argue that this ‘fusion’ might have the potential to inform trans-paradigmatic discourses if RoN evokes non-individualist and non-atomist ontologies and thereby escapes the hegemony of the Enlightenment paradigm
Living a sea change:The role of embodiment in enacting a real utopia
No full textReal utopias are visions of desirable futures that are both aspirational and achievable. As a form of projective agency, they can inspire experimental enactment, in which utopian ideas are tested in real-life contexts. Although earlier research has touched on the practical and visceral experiences associated with such experimental enactment, it has surprisingly undertheorized the role of embodiment therein. Our shared experience of the Sailing Initiative, a collective endeavour to sail to a scientific conference on an island, provided a unique opportunity to explore the role of the body in bringing a real utopia to life. In the Sailing Initiative, we experimentally enacted our shared vision of environmental sustainability and slow academia, aiming to travel to the conference in a sustainable way while using the travel time for slow-paced academic work in an unconventional setting. We extensively documented our expectations and experiences through individual and collective reflections before and after the journey, as well as through photos and videos. Based on an abductive analysis of the rich autoethnographic data, we develop a theoretical model of the role of embodiment in enacting a real utopia that is sensitive to material realities. We argue that viewing agency through the lens of embodiment is significant for three reasons. First, an embodiment perspective highlights the transformative potential of experimental enactment in unconventional settings, helping individuals and collectives overcome embodied institutional norms and create new practices. Second, the body is not merely an instrument for executing envisioned practices or enduring discomforts; rather, bodily experiences continuously shape concrete actions in the process of enacting a desired future. Third, given the importance of bodily memories in crafting shared narratives of desired futures, a real utopia should be viewed not only as visionary thinking but as a projection shaped by both past and present bodily and visceral experiences.</p
No More Cursory Summaries: Rethinking Literature Reviews in Construction Management
No full textiterature reviews are an ideal starting point for scholarly research in construction management. However, when conducting and presenting them, researchers should carefully consider what these reviews are intended to deliver. Are they meant as standalone contributions to knowledge or merely as catalogues of summaries for internal use during initial research phases? To examine this, we (ironically) analyse literature reviews published during the past two decades of the ARCOM conference. Our analysis of intended purposes, methods and outcomes reveals that the role of review articles is frequently reduced to cursory summaries of thematically loosely coupled domains. Few critically engage with existing knowledge, and many fail to generate novel insights. Drawing on the philosophical tenet of mereology, we illustrate that assembling fragmented pieces of knowledge into summaries results in a whole with limited value. We argue that literature reviews derive significance when their components collectively serve distinct functions, such as exposing controversial positions, challenging assumptions, and bridging research fields. By reframing literature reviews as composite objects, we aim to trigger debates on the forms and necessity of literature reviews within our communit
Reporting the Delta:An Exploration of Climate, Space, and Society Through Archival Documentaries
No full textThe Dutch delta tells the story of constant struggle, resistance and negotiation between land, water, and people. It is always in motion - from fluctuating tides and historic floods to flows of global trade and engineering mega works.In Reporting the Delta, archival documentaties by, among others, Bert Haanstra, Louis van Gasteren, and George Sluizer are used as tools to investigate the transformations of the Dutch delta. These films capture the ambition of reshaping nature and mastering water's movements and serve as points of departure for a broader exploration.Through essays, interviews, and visual digests, Reporting the Delta weaves together voices from science, art, and design. The book offers a visual and narrative reflection on the entangled forces of technology, climate, and daily life, resulting in a compelling journey through a delta in a constant state of adaptation
Landslide Hunter: a fully automated EO platform for rapid mapping of landslides in semi-cloudy conditions
No full textLandslides are a common natural hazard mostly triggered by seismic, climatic, or anthropogenic factors. The impacts of landslides on the nature, the built environment, and the society call for effective hazard management to improve our preparedness and resilience. Accurate landslide risk analysis methods are necessary to identify the elements at risk, and effective early warning systems are needed to prevent loss of life and economic damage. Landslide catalogs provide valuable information on past events that can be exploited for better hazard assessment and early warning. However, creating a landslide catalog is a time-consuming process, especially after major disasters. Several semi-automated landslide mapping methods using cloud-free optical satellite images have been developed recently that benefit from the advancements in image processing and AI technologies. However, such methods are mostly tested only in specific study areas, and it is uncertain if they can respond to the analysis needs globally. Compiling cloud-free images by combining many semi-cloudy images also requires significant time. Additionally, most landslides occur in mountainous regions, which are typically characterized by heavy rainfall patterns. As a result, finding cloud-free images that cover these areas in their entirety is quite difficult.The Landslide Hunter is a prototype online platform designed to rapidly detect landslides using an innovative method, which analyzes consecutive partially cloudy optical Earth observation (EO) images to identify visible landslide extents and then automatically integrate these partial extents to determine the complete extent of the landslides. The platform continuously monitors online resources for events capable of triggering landslides (e.g., major earthquakes), pinpoints regions where landslides are likely to have occurred following such events, and initiates the collection of EO data for these identified areas from public EO data portals. Whenever a new image becomes available, it is downloaded and processed automatically to detect landslide areas. Proximity to cloudy regions is used to determine if a landslide is partially visible or not, and partial extents are marked for further tracking. By combining information from successive analyses, the full extents of landslides are determined. This allows timely first detection of landslides and their effective monitoring under cloudy conditions. The platform allows the integration of various models for landslide detection, ranging from simple index-based approaches (e.g., NDVI) to advanced machine learning and deep learning techniques utilizing image segmentation. The results are published in an open-access landslide catalog, available through a user-friendly web portal for individuals and a REST API for machine access. This catalog is continuously updated and offers faster updates compared to any existing conventional catalog. The platform enables stakeholders, such as researchers, public authorities, and international organizations, to receive notifications when new landslides are detected in their areas of interest. In addition to supporting and expediting rapid damage assessment efforts, the data provided can contribute to landslide prediction initiatives, ultimately enhancing the safety of communities and the built environment.This presentation offers an in-depth exploration of the design principles and operational framework of the Landslide Hunter platform. It covers the platform's core features, functional capabilities, and user interface, along with a comprehensive overview of the data access methods designed to enhance interoperability and seamless integration with other systems. Furthermore, a live demonstration of the operational platform highlights its practical applications and effectiveness. The demonstration showcases how the platform enables the automatic identification and tracking of landslides without relying on cloud-free optical satellite imagery and how it facilitates near real-time monitoring of landslide evolution, contributing to the global mapping and cataloging of such events
Effect of Cu Alloying on the Microstructural and Functional Evolution of NiTiCu Shape Memory Alloys
No full textNiTi-based shape memory alloys (SMAs) are gaining prominence as ternary alloying and advanced processing techniques offer improved control over microstructure and functional behavior. This study examines the effect of copper (Cu) alloying on the microstructural and thermoelastic properties of (NiTi)100−xCux alloys with x = 0, 5, 8, 12, and 20 wt.%, synthesized via vacuum induction melting (VIM). Microstructural analysis showed that increasing Cu content significantly altered the phase composition, lowering the onset of martensitic transformation from 70 °C in the binary alloy to as low as − 60 °C. A clear correlation was observed between Cu concentration, secondary phase formation, and the balance of austenite and martensite. Cu induced both B19 and B19ʹ martensitic structures. However, excessive Cu content led to the formation of intermetallic compounds, grain boundary arrest, and partial suppression of the transformation. Hardness increased with Cu addition up to a certain point, then slightly declined due to increased martensite. The 20 wt.% Cu alloy showed the highest B19 content within a complex intermetallic matrix, while intermediate Cu levels produced a balanced B19/B19ʹ microstructure. These findings clarify the composition–microstructure–property relationships in NiTiCu SMAs and guide future design strategies for functional alloy systems.</p
Long and short-term perspectives on space–time landslide modelling
Get PDFData-driven models applied to landslide prediction have historically been mostly confined to the pure spatial context, as per landslide susceptibility requirements. Its standard definition assumes that the occurrence probability is conditional on a broad set of static predictors and that in turn, it does not change with time. To find data-driven models where the probability is temporally dynamic, we need to explore early-warning systems. However, these models traditionally rely only upon rainfall (intensity-duration characteristics) and neglect influences from terrain, geological, and other thematic contributors. Space-time data-driven models can incorporate both static and dynamic predictors, allowing for a rich description of the landslide process and for the susceptibility to change both in space and time. In this work, we present an overview of potential variations of space–time landslide susceptibility models for an area in Chongqing, China. In doing so, we present space–time models suited for long-term (yearly or seasonal models) or short-term (monthly or daily) planning. Therefore, the manuscript presents elements of a review as well as elements of methodological innovation. The method of choice used across all the experiments corresponds to a Generalized Additive Model, whose structure will account for linear, nonlinear, spatial, and temporal effects.</p
Transfer Learning for Battery Cell Manufacturing:Review On Applications, Challenges, and Benefits
Get PDFThe increasing demand for battery cells in the automotive sector forces battery cell manufacturers to accelerate product development and scale-up of their production processes. To achieve this, digitalization expands data acquisition and enables the use of machine learning methods. These methods can be utilized for quality assurance, process optimization, and more. However, the application of machine learning requires a large amount of data, which is especially difficult to acquire in the pre-series production due to the vast number of parameter variations, the complex process chain and the small production quantities. Additionally, these obstacles lead to high costs in pre-series production of battery cells. Therefore, there is a need for methods, which are able to train machine learning models on small datasets and increase their generalization abilities. A possible method for this is transfer learning which can use parts of previous models on a new, but similar problem. This method has scarcely been applied in the context of battery cell manufacturing and motivates a structured literature review about its applicability, challenges, and benefits. This study compares transfer learning methods applied to other industries with machine learning approaches of battery cell manufacturing to identify and evaluate potential use cases.</p
Percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with polyvascular or premature atherosclerosis
Get PDFAtherosclerosis is a chronic vascular disease, characterized by the development of plaques and obstructive lesions in arterial vessels. Polyvascular disease, i.e. clinically apparent atherosclerosis in more than one vascular bed, is present in a substantial proportion of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The treatment of CAD often comprises percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES). Innovation and refinement of DES resulted in a constant supply of novel stents, which were assessed in large-scale randomized clinical studies in unselected patient populations (i.e. all-comers) to evaluate clinical outcome.In all-comers, there has been an improvement in clinical outcome after PCI, yet certain sub-populations such as patients with diabetes, peripheral arterial disease (PADs) and premature CAD are considered high risk. This dissertation assessed the clinical outcome of all-comers as well as these subgroup populations who were treated with new-generation DES for obstructive CAD. The BIONYX trial, which compared Resolute Integrity, Synergy, and Orsiro stents, showed favorable and similar long-term safety and efficacy outcomes in both all-comers and patients with diabetes. Despite the advances in stent technology and medical treatment, PCI patients had a higher 10-year mortality risk than the general population, most pronounced in women. Patients with PADs had higher 3-year risks of repeated revascularization, MACE, and mortality after coronary stenting, as well as an increased 10-year mortality risk. Their risk for repeated revascularization was decreased when being treated with the Orsiro stent, most likely due to a beneficial effect in small vessels. Patients with premature CAD have a high lifetime risk of adverse clinical events because of the early disease onset and have (on average) a lower cardiovascular risk profile than older patients, but higher rates of modifiable risk factors. Compared to older patients, patients with premature CAD had increased risks of repeated coronary revascularization and stent thrombosis.The findings of this thesis indicate the importance of recognizing cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities with major impact on long-term clinical outcome after PCI. This information can be used during Heart Team discussions and when informing patients about their procedural and post-procedural risks and indicates the importance of performing comprehensive secondary prevention