Academic literature on the topic 'Metal Fabric Company'

One of the important tasks is to deliver to the consumer a calibrated high-quality metal in a saleable condition, which requires protection from atmospheric corrosion and adverse climatic factors, protection from contamination and mechanical damage for the period of transportation to the consumer by motor transport, and storage at intermediate warehouses before going into production. A comprehensive system approach is needed to preserve the quality and appearance of the products on the way from the manufacturer to the consumer. The use of modern packaging materials, such as paper with corrosion inhibitor and polypropylene fabric reinforcement, will allow to obtain permanent guaranteed protection of the rolled surface and expands the possibilities of transportation and sales markets of metal products. The testing stage of the corrosion inhibitor included the determination of its protective properties. It is established that the advantage of packaging of rolled products in anticorrosive paper is that it, combining the functions of packaging means and means of preservation, allows you to completely abandon the expensive and time-consuming preservation of metal products with oils and greases. The use of a volatile corrosion inhibitor in the composition of the paper provides full protection of rolled products.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to improve productivity by means of lean six sigma, TPM, ECRS, and 5S in the highway engineering industry. The study was conducted from November 2017 to April 2018 from a case study of AAA Co., Ltd. The data were collected from the managers and supervisors and the problems were analyzed by brainstorming, cause and effect diagram, and Pareto chart. Referring to the results, it was found that production problems occurred from the asphalt process. The majority problem was wet rock and rock sticking to the conveyor belt. Methodology: Considering the shed, the shed of stone storage could be changed from construction from net or fabric sieve to construction from the metal sheet. Regarding the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt could be changed from conveyor belt without roof to constructed conveyor roof from metal sheet. The messy construction area was improved by 5S. Essential materials and equipment were sorted in construction area, while the other remained materials and equipment were removed to another area. Main Findings: The findings demonstrated that Lean Six Sigma, ECRS, TPM, and 5S can be seen as an effective technique that can reduce waste and improve business performance which can be applied in any industry as well as any size of the company. It very well may be viewed as the advancement of the improvement strategies among the representatives and as a preparation technique for the workers. The discoveries illustrated, in any case, that there are snags in the viable execution of the improved methods for any improvement reason. Implications/Applications: The findings confirmed that it can be applied in both manufacturing and services business. Due to the lower resource investment, it can be implemented in any company like small, medium, and large company.

This study was conducted to examine the structural behavior of concrete beams reinforced with local steel bars available in Ghana. The concrete was prepared from conventional materials of ordinary Portland-limestone cement, pit sand and granitic stones. Steel bars of sizes 12mm, 10mm, and 8mm from different millers used to reinforce the concrete beams were tested to study the stress-strain relationship of the bars. The main reinforcing steel bars in the concrete beams comprised 12mm high tensile and 12mm mild steel bars produced by four different companies. The four companies from which these steel bars were obtained are Ferro Fabric Limited (FFL), United Steel Company (USC), Sentuo Steel Limited (STS) and Fabrimetal (FAB). The specific objectives of this study were to determine the actual strength and sizes of steel bars used to reinforce concrete (steel bars of nominal sizes 12mm, 10mm and 8mm from different millers), to study the stress- strain relationship of the bars, to study the ultimate limit state characteristics of beams reinforced with different bars and to investigate the deformational behaviour of concrete beams reinforced with different bars (i.e., cracking, deflection). Data collected were analyzed using theoretical and experimental approaches. The experimental results confirmed theoretical analysis that indicated that governing failure loads of the beams were due to steel yielding first with the exception of one beam in which the governing failure load was by shear. On average the experimental cracking and failure loads in the beams reinforced with high-yield steel bars were slightly higher than the theoretical loads, while they were observed to be slightly lower in the beams reinforced with mild steel bars. With regard to cracking, the beam reinforced with FFL ribbed mild steel developed the highest number of cracks at failure which represent a very good bonding between steel and concrete as compared to the other companies. Beams reinforced with FAB high-yield steel had the highest failure load as compared to the other steels. It is important to ensure standardization of the rebars in the Ghanaian market such as the size of the bar, the rib spacing, and the rib height through the dissemination of information to stakeholders including structural and material engineering manufacturing companies and contractors.

IntroductionOccupational stress (OS) is one of the major health hazards of the modern workplace. Poor working conditions are major occupational stressors and have a great impact on employees’ well-being.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the associations between OS and working conditions.MethodsWe conducted an exhaustive cross-sectional study among workers in a shoe and leather company. We used the Job Demand Control model of Karasek to measure occupational stress. Workers were asked about their perception of working conditions such as the noise, heat generated by certain tools and machines, fabric smells and uncomfortable workspaces. Data were analysed using SPSS software.ResultsThe study involved 310 workers (58 men and 252 women) with an average age of 34.2 ± 10.3 years. Workers reported different concerns about working conditions. The noise was the major complaint reported by 73.7% of workers. Workspaces were uncomfortable according to 48.7% of workers. Job strain and isostrain situations were found in 56.5% and 44.5% respectively. Unpleasant smell from leather products was associated with job strain (p= 0.004, OR = 1.9, 95%; CI [1.2-3.1]) and isostrain (p= 0.043, OR = 1.6, 95%; CI [1.03-2.6]) situations. Heat generated by certain tools and machines was associated to isostrain situation (p= 0.009, OR = 2.7, 95%; CI [1.2-5.9]). Perceiving workspaces as uncomfortable was associated with isostrain situation (p= 0.004, OR = 1.9; 95%; CI [1.2-3.09]).ConclusionsWorking conditions have an important impact on workers’ mental health. Thus, improving job conditions is a key way to improve workers’ health and well-being.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Abstract Abstrakt. This paper deals with the application of the 6S method in a selected industrial enterprise, the subject of activity of which is the production, design and development of technical fabrics from synthetic, natural and metallic materials; production of semi-finished products for paper screens. It is an application of the six steps of Separation, Systematization, Purification, Standardization, Self-discipline and Occupational Health and Safety. The analysis of the organization's individual sites revealed deficiencies at three sites in the metal fabrication department and one site in the weaving department of the weave union. The individual steps of the 6S method and the individual actions within these steps are the content of the paper. The proper implementation of the 6S method has led to improvements in the functioning of the individual workplaces in the organisation under study, and the method has become part of the company culture

The present work was carried out in a company in the sector of Metal Imprints that provides parts for automakers of the Two Wheels Sector that needed to improve the productivity of the process of stamping and welding. It intends to present the process of development of the professionals of a company of printed products, from the application of tools associated with the philosophy of lean manufacturing, aiming to carry out activities that reduce the waste in the production process. For this, the methodology used was a case study, in addition to bibliographical research on the themes of lean manufacturing and lean education. The main results achieved were the absorption of the knowledge obtained that enabled the generation of activities that contributed to the reduction of wastes within the analyzed processes. In the end, we can conclude that for companies to remain competitive in the market, they must invest more and more in human capital. In this sense, lean education is a very viable alternative for reaching the goals and objectives of organizations.

Introduction -- Making Sense of the (Virtual) World Computer games are never "just games". Computer games are models of reality and if they were not, we would never be able to understand them. Models serve three functions; they capture important, critical features of that which is to be represented while ignoring the irrelevant, they are appropriate for the person and they are appropriate for the task -- thereby enhancing the ability to make judgements and discover relevant regularities and structures (Norman 1993). Despite the inherently unvisualisable nature of computer code -- the flexible material of which all software constructs are built -- computer code is still the most "salient" ingredient in computer games. Less salient are those assumptions that are "built into" the software. By filtering out those parts of reality that are deemed irrelevant or unnecessary, different sorts of assumptions, different sorts of bias are automatically built into the software, reified in the very computer code (Friedman 1995, Friedman and Nissenbaum 1997). Here I will analyse some of the built-in structures that constitute the fabric of a special sort of game, a MUD. A MUD is an Internet-accessible "multi-participant, user-extensible virtual reality whose user interface is entirely textual" (Curtis, 1992). The specific MUD in question is a nine-year old Swedish-language adventure MUD called SvenskMUD ("SwedishMUD") that is run by Lysator, the academic computer club at Linköping University, Sweden. I have done field studies of SvenskMUD over a period of three and a half years (Pargman, forthcoming 2000). How is the SvenskMUD adventure world structured and what are the rules that are built into the fabric of this computer game? I will describe some of the ways in which danger and death, good and evil, courage, rewards and wealth are handled in the game. I will conclude the paper with a short analysis of the purpose of configuring the player according to those structures. Revocable Deaths Characters (personae/avatars) in SvenskMUD can be divided into two categories, players and magicians. Making a career as a player to a large part involves solving quests and killing "monsters" in the game. The magicians are all ex-players who have "graduated" and gone beyond playing the game of SvenskMUD. They have become the administrators, managers and programmers of SvenskMUD. A watchful eye is kept on the magicians by "God", the creator, owner and ultimate custodian of SvenskMUD. My own first battle in the game, in a sunlit graveyard with a small mouse, is an example of a bit-sized danger suitable for newcomers, or "newbies". I correctly guessed that the mouse was a suitably weak opponent for my newborn character, but still had to "tickle" the mouse on its belly (a euphemism for hitting it without much force) 50 times before I managed to kill it. Other parts of this epic battle included 45 failed attempts of mine to "tickle" the mouse, 39 successful "tickles" of the mouse and finally a wild chase around the graveyard before I caught up with the mouse, cornered it and managed to kill it and end the fight. Although I was successful in my endeavour, I was also more than half dead after my run-in with the mouse and had to spend quite some time engaged in more peaceful occupations before I was completely healed. It was only later that I learned that you can improve your odds considerably by using weapons and armour when you fight... Should a SvenskMUD player fail in his (or less often, her) risky and adventurous career and die, that does not constitute an insurmountable problem. Should such a thing pass, the player's ghost only has to find the way back to a church in one of the villages. In the church, the player is reincarnated, albeit with some loss of game-related abilities and experience. The way the unfortunate event of an occasional death is handled is part of the meta-rules of SvenskMUD. The meta-rules are the implicit, underlying rules that represent the values, practices and concerns that shape the frame from which the "ordinary" specific rules operate. Meta-rules are part of the "world view that directs the game action and represents the implicit philosophy or ideals by which the world operates" (Fine 1983, 76). Despite the adventure setting with all its hints of medieval lawlessness and unknown dangers lurking, SvenskMUD is in fact a very caring and forgiving environment. The ultimate proof of SvenskMUD's forgiveness is the revocable character of death itself. Fair Dangers Another SvenskMUD meta-rule is that dangers (and death) should be "fair". This fairness is extended so as to warn players explicitly of dangers. Before a dangerous monster is encountered, the player receives plenty of warnings: You are standing in the dark woods. You feel a little afraid. East of you is a small dark lake in the woods. There are three visible ways from here: east, north and south. It would be foolish to direct my character to go east in this situation without being adequately prepared for encountering and taking on something dangerous in battle. Those preparations should include a readiness to flee if the expected danger proves to be superior. If, in the example above, a player willingly and knowingly directs a character to walk east, that player has to face the consequences of this action. But if another player is very cautious and has no reason to suspect a deadly danger lurking behind the corner, it is not considered "fair" if that player's character dies or is hurt in such a way that it results in damage that has far-reaching consequences within the game. The dangerous monsters that roam the SvenskMUD world are restricted to roam only "dangerous" areas and it is considered good manners to warn players in some way when they enter such an area. Part of learning how to play SvenskMUD successfully becomes a matter of understanding different cues, such as the transition from a safe area to a dangerous one, or the different levels of danger signalled by different situations. Should they not know it in advance, players quickly learn that it is not advisable to enter the "Valley of Ultimate Evil" unless they have reached a very high level in the game and are prepared to take on any dangers that come their way. As with all other meta-rules, both players and magicians internalise this rule to such an extent that it becomes unquestionable and any transgression (such as a dangerous monster roaming around in a village, killing newbie characters who happen to stray its way) would immediately render complaints from players and corresponding actions on behalf of the magicians to rectify the situation. Meta-Rules as "Folk Ideas" Fine (1983, 76-8) enumerates four meta-rules that Dundes (1971) has described and applies them to the fantasy role-playing games he has studied. Dundes's term for these meta-rules is "folk ideas" and they reflect existing North American (and Western European) cultural beliefs. Fine shows that these folk ideas capture core beliefs or central values of the fantasy role-playing games he studied. Three of Dundes's four folk ideas are also directly applicable to SvenskMUD. Unlimited Wealth The first folk idea is the principle of unlimited good. There is no end to growth or wealth. For that reason, treasure found in a dungeon doesn't need a rationale for being there. This folk idea is related to the modernist concept of constant, unlimited progress. "Some referees even 'restock' their dungeons when players have found a particular treasure so that the next time someone enters that room (and kills the dragon or other beasties guarding it) they, too, will be rewarded" (Fine 1983, 76). To restock all treasures and reawaken all killed monsters at regular intervals is standard procedure in SvenskMUD and all other adventure MUDs. The technical term is that the game "resets". The reason why a MUD resets at regular intervals is that, while the MUD itself is finite, there is no end to the number of players who want their share of treasures and other goodies. The handbook for SvenskMUD magicians contains "design guidelines" for creating quests: You have to invent a small story about your quest. The typical scenario is that someone needs help with something. It is good if you can get the story together in such a way that it is possible to explain why it can be solved several times, since the quest will be solved, once for each prospective magician. Perhaps a small spectacle a short while after (while the player is pondering the reward) that in some way restore things in such a way that it can be solved again. (Tolke 1993, my translation) Good and Evil The second folk idea is that the world is a battleground between good and evil. In fantasy literature or a role-playing game there is often no in-between and very seldom any doubt whether someone encountered is good or evil, as "referees often express the alignment [moral character] of nonplayer characters through stereotyped facial features or symbolic colours" (Fine 1983, 77). "Good and evil" certainly exists as a structuring resource for the SvenskMUD world, but interestingly the players are not able to be described discretely in these terms. As distinct from role-playing games, a SvenskMUD player is not created with different alignments (good, evil or neutral). All players are instead neutral and they acquire an alignment as they go along, playing SvenskMUD -- the game. If a player kills a lot of mice and cute rabbits, that player will turn first wicked and then evil. If a player instead kills trolls and orcs, that player first turns good and then saint-like. Despite the potential fluidity of alignment in SvenskMUD, some players cultivate an aura of being good or evil and position themselves in opposition to each other. This is most apparent with two of the guilds (associations) in SvenskMUD, the Necromancer's guild and the Light order's guild. Courage Begets Rewards The third folk idea is the importance of courage. Dangers and death operate in a "fair" way, as should treasures and rewards. The SvenskMUD world is structured both so as not to harm or kill players "needlessly", and in such a way that it conveys the message "no guts, no glory" to the players. In different places in the MUD (usually close to a church, where new players start), there are "easy" areas with bit-sized dangers and rewards for beginners. My battle with the mouse was an example of such a danger/reward. A small coin or an empty bottle that can be returned for a small finder's fee are examples of other bit-sized rewards: The third folk idea is the importance of courage. Dangers and death operate in a "fair" way, as should treasures and rewards. The SvenskMUD world is structured both so as not to harm or kill players "needlessly", and in such a way that it conveys the message "no guts, no glory" to the players. In different places in the MUD (usually close to a church, where new players start), there are "easy" areas with bit-sized dangers and rewards for beginners. My battle with the mouse was an example of such a danger/reward. A small coin or an empty bottle that can be returned for a small finder's fee are examples of other bit-sized rewards: More experienced characters gain experience points (xps) and rise in levels only by seeking out and overcoming danger and "there is a positive correlation between the danger in a setting and its payoff in treasure" (Fine 1983, 78). Just as it would be "unfair" to die without adequate warning, so would it be (perceived to be) grossly unfair to seek out and overcome dangerous monsters or situations without being adequately rewarded. And conversely, it would be perceived to be unfair if someone "stumbled over the treasure" without having deserved it, i.e. if someone was rewarded without having performed an appropriately difficult task. Taken from the information on etiquette in an adventure MUD, Reid's quote is a good example of this: It's really bad form to steal someone else's kill. Someone has been working on the Cosmicly Invulnerable Utterly Unstoppable Massively Powerful Space Demon for ages, leaves to get healed, and in the interim, some dweeb comes along and whacks the Demon and gets all it's [sic] stuff and tons of xps [experience points]. This really sucks as the other person has spent lots of time and money in expectation of the benefits from killing the monster. The graceful thing to do is to give em [sic] all the stuff from the corpse and compensation for the money spent on healing. This is still a profit to you as you got all the xps and spent practically no time killing it. (Reid 1999, 122, my emphasis) The User Illusion An important objective of the magicians in SvenskMUD is to describe everything that a player experiences in the SvenskMUD world in game-related terms. The game is regarded as a stage where the players are supposed to see only what is in front of, but not behind the scenes. A consistent use of game-related terms and game-related explanations support the suspension of disbelief and engrossment in the SvenskMUD fantasy world. The main activity of the MUD users should be to enter into the game and guide their characters through a fascinating (and, as much as possible and on its own terms, believable) fantasy world. The guiding principle is therefore that the player should never be reminded of the fact that the SvenskMUD world is not for real, that SvenskMUD is only a game or a computer program. From this perspective, the worst thing players can encounter in SvenskMUD is a breakdown of the user illusion, a situation that instantly transports a person from the SvenskMUD world and leaves that person sitting in front of a computer screen. Error messages, e.g. the feared "you have encountered a bug [in the program]", are an example of this. If a magician decides to change the SvenskMUD world, that magician is supposed to do the very best to explain the change by using game-related jargon. This is reminiscent of the advice to "work within the system": "wherever possible, things that can be done within the framework of the experiential level should be. The result will be smoother operation and greater harmony among the user community" (Morningstar and Farmer 1991, 294). If for some reason a shop has to be moved from one village to another, a satisfactory explanation must be given, e.g. a fire occurring in the old shop or the old shop being closed due to competition (perhaps from the "new", relocated shop). Explanations that involve supernatural forces or magic are also fine in a fantasy world. Explanations that remind the player of the fact that the SvenskMUD world is not for real ("I moved the shop to Eriksros, because all magicians decided that it would be so much better to have it there"), or even worse, that SvenskMUD is a computer program ("I moved the program shop.c to another catalogue in the file structure") are to be avoided at all costs. Part of socialising magicians becomes teaching them to express themselves in this way even when they know better about the machinations of SvenskMud. There are several examples of ingenious and imaginative ways to render difficult-to-explain phenomena understandable in game-related terms: There was a simple problem that appeared at times that made the computer [that SvenskMUD runs on] run a little slower, and as time went by the problem got worse. I could fix the problem easily when I saw it and I did that at times. After I had fixed the problem the game went noticeably faster for the players that were logged in. For those occasions, I made up a message and displayed it to everyone who was in the system: "Linus reaches into the nether regions and cranks a little faster". (Interview with Linus Tolke, "God" in SvenskMUD) When a monster is killed in the game, it rots away (disappears) after a while. However, originally, weapons and armour that the monster wielded did not disappear; a lucky player could find valuable objects and take them without having "deserved" them. This specific characteristic of the game was deemed to be a problem, not least because it furthered a virtual inflation in the game that tended to decrease the value of "honestly" collected weapons and loot. The problem was discussed at a meeting of the SvenskMUD magicians that I attended. It was decided that when a monster is killed and the character that killed it does not take the loot, the loot should disappear ("rot") together with the monster. But how should this be explained to the players in a suitable way if they approach a magician to complain about the change, a change that in their opinion was for the worse? At the meeting it was suggested that from now on, all weapons and shields were forged with a cheaper, weaker metal. Not only would objects of this metal "rot" away together with the monster that wielded them, but it was also suggested that all weapons in the whole game should in fact be worn down as time goes by. (Not to worry, new ones appear in all the pre-designated places every time the game resets.) Conclusion -- Configuring the Player SvenskMUD can easily be perceived as a "blooming buzzing confusion" for a new player and my own first explorations in SvenskMUD often left me confused even as I was led from one enlightenment to the next. Not everyone feels inclined to take up the challenge to make sense of a world where you have to learn everything anew, including how to walk and how to talk. On the other hand, in the game world, much is settled for the best, and a crack in a subterranean cave is always exactly big enough to squeeze through... The process of becoming part of the community of SvenskMUD players is inexorably connected to learning to become an expert in the activities of that community, i.e. of playing SvenskMUD (Wenger 1998). A player who wants to program in SvenskMUD (thereby altering the fabric of the virtual world) will acquire many of the relevant concepts before actually becoming a magician, just by playing and exploring the game of SvenskMUD. Even if the user illusion succeeds in always hiding the computer code from the player, the whole SvenskMUD world constitutes a reflection of that underlying computer code. An implicit understanding of the computer code is developed through extended use of SvenskMUD. The relationship between the SvenskMUD world and the underlying computer code is in this sense analogous to the relationship between the lived-in world and the rules of physics that govern the world. All around us children "prepare themselves" to learn the subject of physics in school by throwing balls up in the air (gravity) and by pulling carts or sledges (friction). By playing SvenskMUD, a player will become accustomed to many of the concepts that govern the SvenskMUD world and will come to understand the goals, symbols, procedures and values of SvenskMUD. This process bears many similarities to the "primary socialisation" of a child into a member of society, a socialisation that serves "to make appear as necessity what is in fact a bundle of contingencies" (Berger and Luckmann 1966, 155). This is the purpose of configuring the player and it is intimately connected to the re-growth of SvenskMUD magicians and the survival of SvenskMUD itself over time. However, it is not the only possible outcome of the SvenskMUD socialisation process. The traditional function of trials and quests in fantasy literature is to teach the hero, usually through a number of external or internal encounters with evil or doubt, to make the right, moral choices. By excelling at these tests, the protagonist shows his or her worthiness and by extension also stresses and perhaps imputes these values in the reader (Dalquist et al. 1991). Adventure MUDs could thus socialise adolescents and reinforce common moral values in society; "the fantasy hero is the perfectly socialised and exemplary subject of a society" (53, my translation). My point here is not that SvenskMUD differs from other adventure MUDs. I would imagine that most of my observations are general to adventure MUDs and that many are applicable also to other computer games. My purpose here has rather been to present a perspective on how an adventure MUD is structured, to trace the meaning of that structure beyond the game itself and to suggest a purpose behind that organisation. I encourage others to question built-in bias and underlying assumptions of computer games (and other systems) in future studies. References Berger, P., and T. Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. London: Penguin, 1966. Curtis, P. "MUDding: Social Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Realities." High Noon on the Electronic Frontier. Ed. P. Ludlow. Cambridge, MA: MIT P, 1996. 13 Oct. 2000 <http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/computer-science/virtual-reality/communications/papers/muds/muds/Mudding-Social-Phenomena.txt>. Dalquist, U., T. Lööv, and F. Miegel. "Trollkarlens lärlingar: Fantasykulturen och manlig identitetsutveckling [The Wizard's Apprentices: Fantasy Culture and Male Identity Development]." Att förstå ungdom [Understanding Youth]. Ed. A. Löfgren and M. Norell. Stockholm/Stehag: Brutus Östlings Bokförlag Symposion, 1991. Dundes, A. "Folk Ideas as Units of World View." Toward New Perspectives in Folklore. Ed. A. Paredes and R. Bauman. Austin: U of Texas P, 1971. Fine, G.A. Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1983. Friedman, B. and H. Nissenbaum. "Bias in Computer Systems." Human Values and the Design of Computer Technology. Ed. B. Friedman. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1997. Friedman, T. "Making Sense of Software: Computer Games and Interactive Textuality." Cybersociety: Computer-Mediated Communication and Community. Ed. S. Jones. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1995. Morningstar, C. and F. R. Farmer. "The Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat." Cyberspace: The First Steps. Ed. M. Benedikt. Cambridge: MA, MIT P, 1991. 13 Oct. 2000 <http://www.communities.com/company/papers/lessons.php>. Norman, D. Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1993. Pargman, D. "Code Begets Community: On Social and Technical Aspects of Managing a Virtual Community." Ph.D. dissertation. Dept. of Communication Studies, Linköping University, Sweden, forthcoming, December 2000. Reid, E. "Hierarchy and Power: Social Control in Cyberspace." Communities in Cyberspace. Ed. M. Smith and P. Kollock. London, England: Routledge, 1999. Tolke, L. Handbok för SvenskMudmagiker: ett hjälpmedel för byggarna i SvenskMUD [Handbook for SvenskMudmagicians: An Aid for the Builders in SvenskMUD]. Printed and distributed by the author in a limited edition, 1993. Wenger, E. Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1998. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Daniel Pargman. "The Fabric of Virtual Reality -- Courage, Rewards and Death in an Adventure MUD." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3.5 (2000). [your date of access] <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0010/mud.php>. Chicago style: Daniel Pargman, "The Fabric of Virtual Reality -- Courage, Rewards and Death in an Adventure MUD," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3, no. 5 (2000), <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0010/mud.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Daniel Pargman. (2000) The Fabric of Virtual Reality -- Courage, Rewards and Death in an Adventure MUD. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3(5). <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0010/mud.php> ([your date of access]).

The current research highlights how recreational sports enhance student wellbeing and promote physical and mental health through positive social bonding. The Indian social fabric is culturally and traditionally more interconnected as Indians thrive on social networks and engage in several festivals, celebrations, and get-togethers across the year. Therefore, the pandemic and ensuing lockdown created a vacuum. The study explored how students at higher education institutes (HEIs) engaged in Recreational Sports during the lockdown and its role in increasing social bonds, experiencing a feeling of association, positive emotions, relaxing the mind, and promoting overall wellbeing. Further, the present study identifies factors that influence the intention to continue engaging in recreation sports on an ongoing basis (a behaviour that was picked up during the pandemic to cope with lockdown and isolation). The current need is to understand how learning and developing behavioural competencies can be encouraged through active learning in open spaces to overcome social isolation as all types of physical-sports activities favor psychological wellbeing. The present study uses the TPB (Theory of Planned Behavior) framework to identify factors that influence the intention to continue engaging in recreation sports on an ongoing basis. Social contact time, with many shared experiences, has multiple benefits. It not only helps in stress release but also motivates and provides comfort in the company of friends and colleagues. Therein lies the importance and relevance of Outdoor Behavioral Experiential Learning (OBEL) and recreational sports.

The acoustic modes guided by thin-film metal superlattices have been investigated using Brillouin spectroscopy. Samples were grown on single crystal sapphire by alternately sputtering two different metals to yield a total thickness of ~0.3 μm. Thermally excited acoustic waves in the metal create a surface ripple which weakly interacts with light incident from a single-mode argon laser. The scattered light was then frequency analyzed with a tandem Fabry-Perot consisting of two synchronized three-pass cavities. The contrast ratio of this interferometer exceeds 1010 and provides sufficient stray light rejection to detect the surface Rayleigh wave and thirteen higher-order acoustic modes. We have investigated the dependence of bilayer wavelength on the elastic properties of both Cu/Nb and Mo/Ta superlattices over the 8-320-Å range. We note that the behavior of the Rayleigh velocity of our Cu/Nb samples is significantly different from a previous study of this material.1 An estimate of the elastic constants of the anisotropic superlattices was made by fitting the observed acoustic mode velocities to a parametrized acoustic model. We compare these elastic constants with those predicted from the separate bulk constituents.

The end plates of fuel cell assemblies are used to support the inner stacks, reduce the contact pressure, and provide sealing between membrane-electrode assemblies. They therefore require sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the tightening pressure. The end plates must be stiff enough to resist large deformations, be light enough to ensure a high energy density, have stable electrochemical properties, and provide adequate electrical insulation. In the past, end plates were made from metals such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel alloys. However, due to large thermal losses and excessive weight, alternative materials are now being considered. This paper focuses on replacing the conventional stainless steel end plates of a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell by those made of a glass-fiber/epoxy composite to decrease the startup time. To achieve this goal, following steps were performed. First, glass-fiber/epoxy composite specimens were fabricated to measure their mechanical properties. Then, a finite element analysis was performed using the measured material properties to confirm that the composite end plates could withstand the load conditions and to estimate the startup time. Finally, glass-fiber/epoxy composite end plates were fabricated, assembled, and tested to compare the startup time and generated voltage with the values obtained using stainless steel end plates.

Rita Occhiuto Faculté d’Architecture. Université de Liège, ULG. 1, Rue Courtois 4000 Liège (BE) Tél. +3242217900 e-mail : r.occhiuto@ulg.ac.be Keywords: public space, park system, green and water infrastructure, morphological green writings, landscape memory The rapid transformation and the trivialization of landscapes in Wallonia (BE), require reformulating tools and objectives of morphological studies. Built fabrics and landscapes show the effects of abandoning or losing interest in the interrelations between natural and human actions. This contribution focuses on studies of cities and territories that have ceased to be the object of spatial policies attentive to the relationship between the need to live, maintain or care for green or natural spaces. After the systematic reduction of urban environments to simple green covers, morphological reading allows the recognition of traces of park systems or green infrastructures, whose communities often do not remember. The research's focus has shifted from the building to the green space structure. This displacement of interest makes it possible to find commons cultures that have acted on the territory of Liège (industrial city) on the one hand, through the building’s extension and on the other hand, through the project of forests, walks, squares, parks and public gardens. Now, these fragmented places become the main resource for reorganizing natural and human systems in order to offer new - social and spatial - coherence for tomorrow. Thus the historical green systems become a strong structuring link which serves to seek new dialectics of balance between existing fabrics and green systems. This system’s regeneration stands, on the one hand, to the hybridization of materials - water, green and buildings - and, on the other hand, to the physical and mental memory of the inhabited environments that populations keep. Green systems impose themselves as powerful vectors for the construction of new socio-spatial balances of cities and territories of globalization, as in the study case for the landscape systems in Liège and for the water and landscapes infrastructure in Chaudfontaine.References Foxley, A. (2010), Distance &amp; engagement. Walking, thinking and making landscape. Vogt landscape architects, Lars Müller Publishers Cronon,W., Coll., Uncommon ground. Rethinking the Human Place in Nature. W.W.Norton &amp; Company New York/London McHarg, I.(1969), Design with Nature, 1th, New York Spirn, A.W. (1994), The granite garden. Urban Nature and Human Design, ed. Basic Book Ravagnati, C. (2012), L’invenzione del Territorio. L’atlante inedito di Saverio Muratori, ed. Franco Angeli, Milano

Recently, several power plants from the rotation of turbine with tidal current have been tried. Since the density of seawater is 800 times as much as that of the air, the loading of water on a turbine strictly requires much more strength and stiffness of blade compared with the wind turbine. Neither wind turbine nor standard hydroelectric dam turbines can simply be submerged into an ocean current. There are some formidable technical challenges to be overcome compared with the wind turbine. Key issues are cost effectiveness, structural integrity and workability in access and installation. The metal blade has enough strength, but is too heavy to install and handle easily. The light weight and extreme strength are essential to the blade. The objective of this work is to determine the mechanical properties of the tidal turbine, and to examine the availability of the turbine blade of composite materials for an approach to eliminate the above problems. The study was conducted in the preliminary study of the demonstration plant, which will be settled in Oma Promontory, Aomori Prefecture in Japan, whose maximum power output is 300kW and turbine diameter is 11 meters. A number of materials were considered, i.e. comprised rolled steel, aluminum bronze, GFRP for blade. We made two models for structural study based on the propeller blade shape with thin section and the wind turbine blade shape with thick section. The FEM analysis were conducted as follows, Aluminum-Bronze solid model with propeller shape; the real model at the present moment in the Oma plant. Composite material solid model; same shape as propeller but applied with composite materials. Composite material shell model with wind turbine blade Shape; structured by monocoque construction with changing the thickness by 10mm from 10mm to 50mm. The properties of GFRP for the structural study were measured from the ISO-laminates, which were fabricated by VaRTM, of multi-axial non-crimp fabrics and epoxy. Furthermore, the vibratory cavitation erosion tests of Composite materials were conducted. In order to compare with the aluminum bronze and composite, each cavitations weight loss in fresh-water were measured and observed. As the result, the multi-axial GFRP for propeller type blade was insufficient in rigidity and strength of shear. It is necessary to use not GFRP but CFRP for the propeller type blade. In contrast, as for wind turbine type blade, it was led to the conclusion GFRP blade is workable. As for erosion, the durability of composite materials is remarkably inferior to metals.

One of the major concerns in long duration space exploration is to minimize the exposure of crew and equipment to space radiation. High energy radiation not only can be hazardous to the health but also can damage the materials and electronics. Current designs are contained heavy metals to avoid occupational hazards from radiation exposures. As a result the shielding structures are heavy and not effective to attenuate all types of radiation. Therefore, the proposed lightweight sandwich composites are designed to effectively shield high energy radiations while providing structural integrity. In the manufactured hybrid sandwich composite, High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene (HMWPE) woven fabrics are selected as face sheets due to their advanced mechanical properties and excellent physical properties along with effective shielding properties. Basically polymers due to high hydrogen content are considered as effective materials to attenuate high energy radiations. In addition, the core material is epoxy composites incorporating three weight percentages of three different nanoparticles viz. Boron Carbide, Boron Nanopowder and Gadolinium. In fact if polymers as low Z materials are used alone, they usually are not successful to attenuate highly penetrative rays. Therefore, one solution is known to infuse polymer matrix with high radiation absorption properties nanoparticles. Among several different nanomaterials, the three aforementioned nanofillers were chosen because of their good radiation absorption properties. Gadolinium has the highest thermal neutron cross section compare to any other known element and 10B-containing materials are known as excellent radiation absorbers and the composite filled with them have the advantage of convenient and safety in construction, operation and reintegration. The sandwich composites were manufactured using Heat-Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding method (H-VARTM), which is a cost effective method for high volume production of sandwich structures. To evaluate the shielding performance of manufactured sandwich panels the neutron attenuation testing was performed. The results from neutron radiation tests show more than 99% shielding performance in all of the sandwich panels. In comparison with other nanofillers, Boron Nanopowder showed highest radiation shielding efficiency (99.64%), which can be attributed to its lowest particle size and better dispersion ability into epoxy resin. The flatwise compression testing was performed on all four sandwich panels to determine the mechanical strength of materials before and after being exposure to radiation. The results demonstrate that proposed hybrid sandwich panels can preserve their mechanical integrity while being exposed to the radiation.

Extended Abstract and [has] the potential to stimulate local and regional economies” (p.3). A city centre or town centre has been recognised as the beating heart and public legacy of an urban fabric either in a small town, medium-sized city, metropolis or megalopolis. Within this spectrum of scales, city centres’ scopes significantly vary in the global context while considering the physical as well as the intangible and the spiritual features. Concerns such as the overall dimensions, skyline, density and compactness, variety of functions and their distribution, comfort, safety, accessibility, resilience, inclusiveness, vibrancy and conviviality, and the dialectics of modernity and traditionalism are only some examples that elucidate the existing complexities of city centres in a city of any scale (overall dimension) (for further details see for instance Behzadfar, 2007; Gehl, 20210; Gehl and Svarre, 2013; Hambleton, 2015; Lacey et al., 2013; Madanipour, 2010; Roberts, 2013). Regardless of the issue of the context, Gehl (2010) define city centres as interconnected with new concepts such as “better city space, more city life” and “lively and attractive hub for the inhabitants” (pp. 13–15). Roberts (2006) explains the notion of a city centre or town centre as a space “in which human interaction and therefore creativity could flourish”. According to her, the point can realise by creating or revitalising 24-hour city policies that can omit the “‘lagerlout’ phenomenon, whereby drunken youths dominated largely empty town centres after dark” (pp. 333–334). De Certeau (1984) explains that a city and subsequently a city centre is where “the ordinary man, a common hero [is] a ubiquitous character, walking in countless thousands on the streets” (p. V). Paumier (2004) depicts a city centre particularly a successful and a vibrant one as “the focus of business, culture, entertainment … to seek and discover… to see and be seen, to meet, learn and enjoy [which] facilitates a wonderful human chemistry … for entertainment and tourism These few examples represent a wide range of physical, mental and spiritual concerns that need to be applied in the current and future design and planning of city centres. The term ‘concern’, here, refers to the opportunities and potentials as well as the problems and challenges. On the one hand, we —the academics and professionals in the fields associated with urbanism— are dealing with theoretical works and planning documents such as short-to-long term masterplans, development plans and agendas. On the other hand, we are facing complicated tangible issues such as financial matters of economic growth or crisis, tourism, and adding or removing business districts/sections. Beyond all ‘on-paper’ or ‘on-desk’ schemes and economic status, a city centre is experienced and explored by many citizens and tourists on an everyday basis. This research aims to understand the city centre from the eyes of an ordinary user —or as explained by De Certeau (1984), from the visions of a “common hero”. In a comparative study and considering the scale indicator, the size of one city centre might even exceed the whole size of another city. However, within all these varieties and differences, some principal functions perform as the in-common formative core of city centres worldwide. This investigation has selected eight similar categories of these functions to simultaneously investigate two different case study cities of Tehran and Belfast. This mainly includes: 1) an identity-based historical element; 2) shopping; 3) religious buildings; 4) residential area; 5) network of squares and streets; 6) connection with natural structures; 7) administrative and official Buildings; and 8) recreational and non-reactional retail units. This would thus elaborate on if/how the dissimilarities of contexts manifest themselves in similarities and differences of in-common functions in the current city centres. With a focus on the age-gender indicator, this investigation studies the sociocultural aspect of inclusiveness and how it could be reflected in future design and planning programmes of the case study cities. In short, the aim is to explore the design and planning guidelines and strategies —both identical and divergent— for Tehran and Belfast to move towards sociocultural inclusiveness and sustainability. In this research, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the studies of the current situation of inclusiveness in Belfast city centre have remained as incomplete. Thus, this presentation would like to perform either as an opening of a platform for potential investigations about Belfast case study city or as an invitation for future collaborations with the researcher for comparative studies about age-gender inclusiveness in city centres worldwide. In short, this research tries to investigate the current situation by identifying unrecognised opportunities and how they can be applied in future short-to-long plans as well as by appreciating the neglected problems and proposing design-planning solutions to achieve age-gender inclusiveness. The applied methodology mainly includes the direct appraisal within a 1-year timespan of September 2019 – September 2020 to cover all seasonal and festive effects. Later, however, in order to consider the role of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the direct appraisal was extended until January 2021. The complementary method to the direct appraisal is the photography to fast freeze the moments of the ordinary scenes of the life of the case study city centres (John Paul and Caponigro Arts, 2014; Langmann and Pick, 2018). The simultaneous study of the captured images would thus contribute to better analyse the age-gender inclusiveness in the non-interfered status of Tehran and Belfast. Acknowledgement This investigation is based on the researcher’s finding through ongoing two-year postdoctoral research (2019 – 2021) as a part of the Government Authorised Exchange Scheme between Fulmen Engineering Company in Tehran, Iran and Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. The postdoctoral research title is “The role of age and gender in designing inclusive city centres – A comparative study of different-scale cities: Tehran and Belfast” in School of Natural and Built Environment of the Queen’s University of Belfast and is advised by Dr Neil Galway in the Department of Planning. This works is financially supported by Fulmen Company as a sabbatical scheme for eligible company’s senior-level staff. Keywords: Age-gender, Inclusiveness, Sociocultural, City Centre, Urban Heritage, Tehran, Belfast