articles+ search results

Keywords: ab initio; electronic structure; FANCI; method development; Python Abstract Fanpy is a free and open-source Python library for developing and testing multideterminant wavefunctions and related ab initio methods in electronic structure theory. The main use of Fanpy is to quickly prototype new methods by making it easier to convert the mathematical formulation of a new wavefunction ansätze to a working implementation. Fanpy is designed based on our recently introduced Flexible Ansatz for N-electron Configuration Interaction (FANCI) framework, where multideterminant wavefunctions are represented by their overlaps with Slater determinants of orthonormal spin-orbitals. In the simplest case, a new wavefunction ansatz can be implemented by simply writing a function for evaluating its overlap with an arbitrary Slater determinant. Fanpy is modular in both implementation and theory: the wavefunction model, the system's Hamiltonian, and the choice of objective function are all independent modules. This modular structure makes it easy for users to mix and match different methods and for developers to quickly explore new ideas. Fanpy is written purely in Python with standard dependencies, making it accessible for various operating systems. In addition, it adheres to principles of modern software development, including comprehensive documentation, extensive testing, quality assurance, and continuous integration and delivery protocols. This article is considered to be the official release notes for the Fanpy library. Article Note: Funding information Canada Research Chairs; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; CANARIE; Compute Canada; Research Board of Ghent University; University of Florida Byline: Taewon D. Kim, M. Richer, Gabriela Sánchez-Díaz, Ramón Alain Miranda-Quintana, Toon Verstraelen, Farnaz Heidar-Zadeh, Paul W. Ayers

Electrochemical reactions -- Analysis, Sensors -- Analysis, Gases, Asphyxiating and poisonous -- War use, and Nerve gas -- Analysis

Keywords: Fused deposition modeling; 3D-printed nanocarbon electrodes; Organophosphates; Electrochemistry Abstract 3D-printing has revolutionized various industries and scientific research by its substantial benefits such as fast prototyping, high accuracy, durability, and customized shapes. Fused deposition modeling has been used in the fabrication of 3D-printed nanocarbon electrodes. Utilization of these 3D-printed nanocarbon electrodes in the identification of organophosphates (OPs) such as parathion, methyl parathion, paraoxon, and fenitrothion, has not been reported. These compounds are highly toxic and used as chemical warfare agents and pesticides. Herein, we show that 3D-printing can be utilized for low-cost and diagnosis of priority nerve agents. Supporting information: Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors. CAPTION(S): Supporting Information Byline: Jyoti, Edurne Redondo, Osamah Alduhaish, Martin Pumera

Thin films, Nitrides, Dielectric films, and Aluminum compounds

Keywords: aluminum nitride (AlN); piezoelectric thin film; quartz; surface acoustic wave device Abstract In this paper, we have fabricated surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices with six sets of interdigital transducers (IDTs) on half-inch wafers of quartz with deposited thin films of aluminum nitride (AlN). Firstly, AlN thin films have been deposited by reactive sputtering in Ar-N.sub.2 gas mixture at 400°C with the high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) system which was developed for microfabrication process in the localized clean environment with half-inch wafer (Minimal Fab). After that, IDTs of Al thin films have been prepared on the AlN thin films. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the AlN thin films shows that the AlN films have c-axis (002) orientation. Furthermore, the frequency responses have been measured with four paired IDTs of the SAW devices, which were selected from six sets of IDTs as an input electrode and an output electrode. These results show device properties responding to the design of the IDTs and also suggest the potential of the fabricated SAW devices as the four-paralleled frequency filter and/or sensing system. Biographical information: Asahi Nagano, student member. In 2021 graduated from Kyushu Institute of Technology (School of Computer Sci. and Systems Eng., Mech. Information Sci. and Tech.). B.Eng. (Computer Eng.). Since 2021 postgraduate studies at the Grad. School (Grad. School of Computer Sci. and Systems Eng., Dept. of Interdisciplinary Informatics). Research in fabrication and application of SAW devices and micro-heaters. Kanato Kitamura, non-member. In 2019 graduated from Kyushu Institute of Technology (School of Computer Sci. and Systems Eng., Mech. Information Sci. and Tech.), 2019-2021 postgraduate studies at the Grad. School (Grad. School of Computer Sci. and Systems Eng., Dept. of Creative Informatics). When at the Grad. School, research in design, fabrication, and application of various micro-devices including SAW devices. M.Eng. (Computer Eng.). Shuichi Noda, non-member. In 1984 completed master's course at Niigata University (Grad. School of Eng., Dept. of Chem. Eng.), and was employed by Oki Electric. Development of processes and systems for micromachining using electron beams, SOR light, and plasma etching. 2005 completed doctorate at Tohoku University (Grad. School of Eng., Dept. of Mech. Eng. Intelligent Systems). D.Eng. In 2009 was employed by AIST (Nanoelectronics Research Center), 2015 Tohoku University (Micro System Integration Center), since 2017 invited senior researcher at AIST (Device Technology Research Institute). Development of various manufacturing processes and equipments for Minimal Fab. Sunao Murakami, member. In 2006 completed doctoral course at Kyushu University (Grad. School of Eng., Chem. Eng.). D.Eng. Was worked at National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, then post-doctoral research fellow at AIST, 2012 assistant professor at Kyushu Institute of Technology (Fac. of Computer Sci. and Systems Eng.), since 2018 associate professor. Design and prototyping of various microdevice and systems including SAW devices, research and education in micromachining of silicon glass and various thin films. Kohei Iguchi, non-member. In 2020 graduated from Kyushu Institute of Technology (School of Computer Sci. and Systems Eng., Mech. Information Sci. and Tech.), 2020-2022 postgraduate studies at the Grad. School (Grad. School of Computer Sci. and Systems Eng., Dept. of Interdisciplinary Informatics). When at the Grad. School, research microfabrication processes for SAW devices. M.Eng. (Computer Eng.). Sommawan Khumpuang, non-member. In 2002 completed master's course at University of Bristol (UK), 2006 completed doctorate at Ritsumeikan University (Grad. School of Sci. and Eng.), 2007 worked at University of Freiburg (Germany), 2011 employed by AIST to develop Minimal Fab together with S. Hara (see below), including launch of Minimal Fab systems and trial manufacture of various microdevices. Now senior researcher at AIST (Device Technology Research Institute). Shiro Hara, non-member. Assistant professor at Waseda University (Fac. of Sci. and Eng.), then post-doctral research fellow at RIKEN, 1993 employed by the Electrotechnical Laboratory. Now prime senior researcher at AIST (Device Technology Research Institute) and head of Minimal System Group. 2012-2015 project leader of Minimal Fab National Project (Minimal Fab). Now founded Minimal Fab Promotion Organization to promote industrialization. Article Note: Translated from Volume 142 Number 9, pages 248-253, DOI: 10.1541/ieejsmas.142.248 of IEEJ Transactions on Sensors and Micromachines (Denki Gakkai Ronbunshi E) Byline: Asahi Nagano, Kanato Kitamura, Shuichi Noda, Sunao Murakami, Kohei Iguchi, Sommawan Khumpuang, Shiro Hara

Biogenic amines, Microfluidics, Polyamines, Dimethylpolysiloxane, and Rapid prototyping

Keywords: electrochemiluminescence; microfluidics; biogenic amines; tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II); carbon electrodes Abstract A simple, sensitive, and rapid electrochemiluminescent (ECL) method was developed for the detection of several polyamines on a microfluidic chip. Rapid prototyping of poly(dimethylsiloxane) was used to fabricate flow channels and carbon paste microelectrodes. These devices are easily fabricated and amenable to ECL detection due to their planar and optically transparent nature. The ECL reaction between tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) and amine-containing co-reactants was used to generate the ECL signal. Experimental parameters were optimized and low micromolar limits of detection (S/N=3) were determined for four different polyamines. The method was successfully used to determine the concentration of spermine in milk samples. Supporting information: Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors. CAPTION(S): Supporting Information Byline: Erin M. Gross, Emily R. Lowry, Leah V. Schaffer, Charles S. Henry

Mineral industry -- Surveys and Mining industry -- Surveys

Keywords: activity recommendation; process mining; process-aware recommender systems; resource recommendation; survey Summary Recommender systems have been widely applied in several domains to make informed decisions by recommending items that might be of interest. Considering recommendation during business process execution is also highly advantageous as the efficient suggestions about possible activities or resources can impact process performance. However, the deployment of the recommendation frameworks in process mining still needs more investigations to identify the current challenges to enable the practical application of research findings and ensure a large-scale adoption of this technique. Accordingly, a systematic review is conducted to provide a taxonomy of the published studies on process-aware recommender systems based on specified criteria, including the type and perspective of recommendation, a list of datasets and evaluation metrics used in the setting of PARS, implementation environments, and different algorithms used in PARS. In this regard, there are various insights extracted from this study: (i) Most studies in the business process analysis domain are of descriptive and predictive nature, (ii) recommendation in process mining is an emerging research area that is being evolving; the majority of proposals relate to 2015 and after that, and (iii) due to the lack of common evaluation protocol, datasets, and metrics, most studies are validated through experiments and prototyping, with less tendency to the practical implementation of a solution regarding real scenarios. Byline: Mansoureh Yari Eili, Jalal Rezaeenour

Printed circuit board, Electrical engineering, 3D printing -- Analysis, Antennas (Electronics) -- Analysis, Microwave devices -- Analysis, Electrical engineering -- Analysis, Printed circuits -- Analysis, Power electronics -- Analysis, and Circuit printing -- Analysis

Keywords: additive manufacturing; conformal; frequency selective surface; printed monopole antenna Abstract This article demonstrates the advantages of prototyping microwave components using additive manufacturing (AM) technologies. For corroboration, a frequency selective surface (FSS) with meandered square loop and a monopole antenna are manufactured using AM and printed circuit board (PCB) technologies. The performance of these prototypes designed for sub-6 GHz applications are comparatively analyzed. A parametric study further explicates the high design flexibility supported by AM. The proposed FSS has a unit cell dimension of 0.15[LAMDA].sub.0×0.15[LAMDA].sub.0×0.02[LAMDA].sub.0, where [LAMDA].sub.0 stands for free space wavelength at the lower cut-off frequency. It works as a reflector in the frequency range of 2.96-4.17GHz. The gain of the monopole antenna manufactured with the same technology is improved using the proposed FSS. The average gain is increased by 3 dBi over the operational frequency range. The proposed FSS was verified with a circuit model and also analyzed for conformal conditions. The measured values of all the AM and PCB prototypes shows good concordance with the simulated response. The results support the positive impact of the rapidly progressing AM technology in future RF prototyping. Biographical information: Adeline Mellita Retnam is currently pursuing her PhD degree with the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, at Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Technology, Kancheepuram, India. Her research interests include frequency selective surfaces, metamaterial absorbers, antennas, and microwave passive components. Karthikeyan Sholampettai Subramanian received the BE degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Bharathidasan University, Trichy, in 2001 and ME in Applied Electronics from Sathyabama University, Chennai, in 2005. He obtained his doctoral degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India in 2011. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India. His research interests include electromagnetic bandgap substrates, microwave filters, metamaterials, microwave sensors, and so forth. Damodharan Perumal received the BE degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, India, in 1996, the ME degree in Power Electronics and Drives from the College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University, Chennai, India, in 2001, and the PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology. Madras, Chennai, in 2008. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram, India. His research interests include power electronics and drives. Article Note: Funding information MHRD and DST-the GoI, Grant/Award Numbers: IMP/2018/001932, IMP/2018/002127 Byline: Adeline Mellita Retnam, Damodharan Perumal

Printing industry, 3D printing, Control systems, Commercial printing industry -- International economic relations, and Printing industry -- International economic relations

As the main component of the 3D printing industry, the fused deposition process covers all aspects of the industry with its advantages of low R&D investment, high practicability, and open source programs. However, due to process problems, problems have arisen in terms of printing efficiency and molding quality. To this end, we designed a large-scale multinozzle FDM printing device using the high-current fused deposition (FDM) printing principle. The defects of small size, slow printing speed, and low precision are deeply studied, and the machine structure is optimized according to the structural strength analysis. In this paper, the theoretical design and static analysis of the overall mechanical part of the large-scale FDM device are carried out, and then, the selection of the movement organization structure and movement method is theoretically analyzed. A modular flow chart is designed for the control system to coordinate and control the parallel and precise operation of multiple nozzles, and the relationship function between the main controller, power driver, and heating module is designed. By modifying the firmware parameter command, we can find out the optimal method running on the platform and discuss the function usage of the slicing software in detail. According to the current problems of FDM printing equipment, various factors affecting printing speed were analyzed from the perspective of printing accuracy, and the process parameters of 3D printer were studied through orthogonal experiments. Speed, nozzle temperature, idling speed, and fill rate were studied, and the relationship between factors affecting printing speed and printing accuracy was obtained. Use a simple model print to measure the overall performance of your product. The stability of the system is verified by short-term and long-term printing tests. The analysis results show that the forming performance and stability of the large-scale FDM are improved significantly.
Author(s): Guozhu Li (corresponding author) [1,2] 1. Introduction There are many professional explanations for 3D printing technology, such as manufacturing free solids, additive manufacturing (AM), and rapid prototyping [1]. 3D [...]

Entrepreneurship -- Analysis, Universities and colleges -- Analysis, and Online education -- Analysis

Keywords: design thinking; Entrepreneurial University; innovation; lean startup; prototyping Abstract Innovation and entrepreneurship are factors that can empower and boost a country. One approach to managing these factors is innovation ecosystems, which only work with innovative approaches such as Lean Startup and Design Thinking. Fostering an entrepreneurial university is essential for solving society's problems by developing innovative and sustainable solutions. In this context, this study aims to present a pilot event called 'Entrepreneurial View' for the dissemination of entrepreneurship and innovation in Brazilian universities through a web-based course. To this end, this empirical study employs structured interviews with 22 participants on the second day using Cronbach's [alpha] to assess consistency, in addition to descriptive statistics and content analysis. The main results are the development of two products, two services, and two applications aimed at solving problems for society and other stakeholders. The main contribution of this study is the use of methodologies for the development of innovative offers is highlighted and promotes entrepreneurial thinking at different levels of training through a web-based course. Byline: Nathalya Albina Da Silva Pereira, Roselis Natalina Mazzuchetti, Fernando Henrique Lermen

Robotics industry, Electrical engineering, Robot, Robotics industry -- Analysis -- Social aspects, Robots -- Analysis -- Social aspects, Electrical engineering -- Analysis -- Social aspects, Disabled children -- Social aspects -- Analysis, and Robotics -- Analysis -- Social aspects

Keywords Smart Toys; Smart Tangibles; Robots; Play Abstract Smart toys are regarded as able to offer possibilities to develop social, cognitive, and behavioural skills (among others); however, while appealing, such claims are not yet substantiated by rigorous and sufficient scientific evidence. The first edition of the workshop on Smart Toys, Smart Tangibles, Robots and other Smart Things for Children took place at the 19th Interaction Design and Children Conference (IDC'20), bringing together experts from different fields working on smart technologies for children. Following the workshop, participants were invited to submit their work to this Special Issue in the International Journal of Child Computer Interaction. Together, these contributions address relevant issues in the emerging areas of smart toys and interactive technologies for children, offering different approaches and perspectives, such us as guidelines for the prototyping of innovative Toy Interfaces; guidelines to support the design of inclusive technologies for children with special needs, design considerations about the social aspects of the experience with the technology, concerns of data protection and children's understanding of data. This editorial introduction draws attention to the great potential and need for furthering research on the field to unleash the potential that the new generation of smart toys and related devices may bring. Author Affiliation: (a) Research Centre on Child Studies/ ITI/LARSyS, University of Minho, Portugal (b) Degree Programme of Cultural Production and Landscape Studies (Digital Culture), University of Turku, Pori Laboratory of Play, Finland (c) Departamento de Electrónica e Computación, Centro Singular de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Intelixentes (CiTIUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain (d) Division of Robotics, Perception, and Learning, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden * Corresponding author. Byline: Cristina Sylla [cristina.sylla@ie.uminho.pt] (a,*), Katriina Heljakka [katriina.heljakka@utu.fi] (b), Alejandro Catala [alejandro.catala@usc.es] (c), Arzu Guneysu Ozgur [arzuo@kth.se] (d)

Analysis, Ergonomic aid, Ergonomics, Artificial intelligence, Artificial intelligence -- Analysis, Ergonomics -- Analysis, Elderly -- Analysis, and Aged -- Analysis

Author(s): Zhen Yu (corresponding author) [1] 1. Introduction Since 2014, China's population aged 60 years and above has been growing, and the aging process in China has accelerated, and the [...]
The ergonomic design study of artificial intelligence lower limb-assisted brace for the elderly is a new design standard of lower limb-assisted brace for the elderly with mobility problems. Based on human factors engineering, this study tested and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of human lower limb motion mechanics, human gait motion law, and existing lower limb assisted brace design cases at home and abroad and concluded that the common external assisted method is less man-machine efficient than the internal assisted method. Therefore, a new brace joint rotation curvature, component parameters, and other key information were designed based on the structure of the medial assistance method. With the help of the engineering and scientific analysis methods in human factors engineering, the designed machines and systems are made more adaptable to the physiological and psychological characteristics of human beings. This study explores the interaction between humans and machines and the rationality of their mutual integration, which can effectively avoid repetitive strain injuries and other muscle diseases over time for users in the process of assistance and achieve efficiency, health, and safety. Subsequently, Rhino software was used for digital modeling, physical prototyping, experimental testing, and analysis of the design solution and continuous optimization of the design. At the same time, the perceptual engineering design method was utilized to meet the humanized aesthetic design requirements. The prototype of the design study was finally completed, which is more in line with the evaluation criteria of “human-machine-environment system” than the existing market design in terms of functional rationality, human-machine performance, and human experience. This demonstrates the validity of the design method and is an important reference for the design standard of the lower limb support for the elderly.

Electromagnetic fields, Antennas (Electronics), Wireless sensor networks, and Rapid prototyping

Keywords: metallization; radio frequency performance; SLA reflector; three-dimensional printed Abstract A novel high precision and lightweight reflector antenna is proposed. The fabrication process of the reflector adopted Stereo Lithography Apparatus (SLA) printed and metallization. The proposed SLA Reflector (SLAR) antenna structure adopts three-dimensional-printed, which can design complex geometric shapes flexibly and rapid prototyping. That is a good substitute for the traditional method of millimeter wave reflector processing. In order to realize radio frequency (RF) characteristics perfectly, the metallization process of photosensitive resin was elaborated, which realized by first electroless nickel plating, then copper electroplating, and finally chromium electroplating on the protective layer. For verification, the designed reflector antenna was manufactured and measured. The reflectivity of SLAR was measured well by the bow method, which validates excellent fabrication accuracy and reliability. The gain and pattern were measured in the anechoic chamber. The results show that the proposed reflector antenna achieves the gain of 25dBi and the 3dB gain bandwidth of 43% over the full Ka-band. A good agreement can be observed between measurement and simulation. Biographical information: Liwei Guo received the B.E. degree in from the Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China in 2006. She is currently pursuing the PhD degree in Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China. Her current research interests include metasurfaces, millimeter-wave reflector antenna. Simin Li received the B.S. degree in wireless communication engineering from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China, in 1984, and the M.S. and PhD degrees in electronics engineering from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China, in 1989 and 2007, respectively. Dr. Li is currently the President and a Professor with Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou, China. His current research interests include the design of electrically small antennas, antenna arrays for high-frequency communication systems, and wireless sensor networks. Xing Jiang received the Master's degree in electromagnetic field and microwave technology from Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China, in 1986. Since 2000, she has been a Professor with the Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China. She was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi. Her research interests include smart communication system design, conformal antenna array, and bioelectromagnetics. Xin Liao received the B.E. degree from Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China, in 1990. He is currently a Lecturer with the Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China. His research interests include Electromagnetic Compatibility and antenna measurement. Ying Zhang received the B.E. degree in Harbin Institute of Technology of optical instrument. Now she is a researcher at Beijing Simulation Center. Her research interest is the simulation of visible light/infrared guidance and control systems. Bin Shi is an associate researcher- in Beijing Simulation Center. Her research interest is the simulation of radio frequency target accuracy. Article Note: Funding information Guangxi Innovation Driven Development Special Fund Project, Grant/Award Number: GUIKEAA19254012; Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education, Grant/Award Number: YCBZ2019051; National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Numbers: 61761012, 61661011 Byline: Liwei Guo, Simin Li, Xing Jiang, Xin Liao, Ying Zhang, Bin Shi

3D printing -- Case studies, Engineering schools -- Case studies, Labor market -- Case studies, and Mechanical engineering -- Case studies

Keywords: 3D digitizing; design skills; hands-on activities; redesign; reverse engineering Abstract Today's job market is seeking engineers with competencies to design innovative solutions that meet sophisticated customer needs. Engineering education is then challenged to equip future engineers with holistic engineering design skills, especially functional ones. A powerful means to strengthen these skills is the use of reverse-engineering-based activities, which consist of examining, extracting information, and redesigning existing products. However, most current education endeavours, based on reverse engineering, consist only of practicing simple teardowns that have circumscribed impact on the acquisition of skills. Therefore, there is a need for more elaborated authentic hands-on activities to gain a broad set of design skills. This study addresses this gap by the development of a concept of wide-ranging engineering activities that start with the study of an existing product and ends with an improved redesigned three-dimensional (3D) printed product. This concept of activities was developed to strengthen a conventional course on product design. Thus, a tailored comprehensive redesign process is proposed first, and expanded as a concept of a set of experiential activities, with associated measures for skills acquisition. This concept encompasses teardown, 3D digitizing and rapid prototyping, and aims mainly at facilitating the understanding of components' functionalities, the numerical reconstruction by 3D digitizing, the mechanical modelling and engineering analysis of parts and finally the 3D printing of the redesign output. To understand, experience, and weigh up the relevance of the proposed concept of activities, a preliminary implementation, and a case study are illustrated. Particularly, the relevance of the concept is demonstrated through the assessment of the activities' measures. In short, this study provides educators with an authentic education tool that leverages on a broader reverse engineering vision to boost the job's sought-after design skills. Byline: Mohammed Akerdad, Ahmed Aboutajeddine, Mohammed Elmajdoubi

Program errors -- Analysis, Executives -- Analysis, and Computer science -- Analysis

Keywords Concolic testing; Virtual prototyping; SystemC; RISC-V; Internet of things Abstract Constrained Internet of Things (IoT) devices with limited computing resource are increasingly employed in security critical areas. Therefore, it is important for the firmware of these devices to be tested sufficiently. On non-constrained conventional devices, dynamic testing techniques (e.g. fuzzing, symbolic execution, or concolic testing) are successfully utilized to discover critical bugs in tested software. Unfortunately, the diverse ecosystem and the dependence on low-level details of a wide range of peripherals makes it difficult to use these techniques in the IoT context. In order to address these challenges, we present SymEx-VP an open source emulation-based approach for concolic testing of IoT firmware. SymEx-VP is a virtual prototype for RISC-V hardware platforms and allows concolic testing of RISC-V machine code. To support a wide range of different peripherals, SymEx-VP utilizes SystemC, a hardware modeling language for C++. By employing a SystemC extension mechanism, SymEx-VP can inject concolic inputs into the emulated firmware through the memory-mapped I/O peripheral interface of existing SystemC peripheral models. This allows us to support different operating systems and libraries used in the IoT with minimal integration effort. We provide an extensive description of SymEx-VP, illustrate peripheral modeling and firmware testing using it by example, and perform tests with four operating systems to demonstrate the advantages of our OS-agnostic firmware testing method. Author Affiliation: (a) Institute of Computer Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany (b) Cyber-Physical Systems, DFKI GmbH, Bremen, Germany * Corresponding author. Article History: Received 21 December 2021; Revised 25 February 2022; Accepted 2 March 2022 (footnote) The code (and data) in this article has been certified as Reproducible by Code Ocean: (https://codeocean.com/). More information on the Reproducibility Badge Initiative is available at https://www.elsevier.com/physical-sciences-and-engineering/computer-science/journals. (footnote)[white star] This work was supported in part by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the poject Scale4Edge under contract no. 16ME0127 and within the project VerSys under contract no. 01IW19001. Byline: Sören Tempel [tempel@uni-bremen.de] (a,*), Vladimir Herdt [vherdt@uni-bremen.de] (a,b), Rolf Drechsler [drechsler@uni-bremen.de] (a,b)

Visual perception and Rapid prototyping

Keywords Cerebral visual impairment; Visuoperceptual profile; Serious game-based therapy; Functional vision; Individualized; Adaptive Highlights * Individualized adaptive serious games were developed for cerebral visual impairment. * A multi-informant approach is crucial in serious game-based therapy development. * Visuoperceptual profiles serve as a basis for individualized entry-level difficulty. * Automatic in-game adaptivity can be preliminarily defined using handcrafted rules. * Iterative approach in different user testing groups supported fine-tuning of games. Abstract Children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) exhibit a very heterogeneous clinical visuoperceptual picture, which implies that a targeted individualized and adaptive therapy is necessary. Serious games for CVI are limited, especially those that train multiple visuoperceptual skills in an individualized and adaptive manner without the frequent manual input from clinicians. In this paper, we describe the design, development, and evaluation process of novel individualized and adaptive serious mini-games for visual perceptual skills. First, an informant-led design, including focus groups with relevant stakeholders implementing a participation-via-proxy and brainstorming sessions, was performed. This resulted in rapid prototypes of four mini-games (MatchMaker, Hurricane Chaos, Maze Explorer 2D, and Maze Explorer 3D), targeting six visuoperceptual skills commonly impaired in children with CVI: (1) visual discrimination and matching, (2) object or picture recognition, (3) visual spatial perception, (4) figure-ground perception, (5) motion perception, and (6) visual short-term memory. Therapeutic game content (selecting, manipulating, and rating images; defining entry-level difficulty and in-game adaptivity rules) was evaluated by clinical and research experts. Finally, formative testing and expert feedback, including usability and user experience by clinicians, researchers, and typically developing children, led to important modifications in the mini-games. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Development and Regeneration, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), O&N IV Herestraat 49, Box 805, 3000 Leuven, Belgium (b) Department of Electronics and Informatics (ETRO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium (c) imec, Leuven, Belgium (d) Department of Brain & Cognition, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium (e) Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium (f) Child Youth Institute (L-C&Y), Leuven, Belgium * Corresponding author. Article History: Received 3 August 2021; Revised 16 November 2021; Accepted 26 November 2021 (footnote)[white star] The views expressed in the submitted article are our own and not an official position of the institution or funder. This work was supported by the Fund Scientific Research Flanders (FWO-project) (grant number T003817N). Author JW was supported by the Flemish Government (grant number METH/14/02). Byline: N. Ben Itzhak [nofar.benitzhak@kuleuven.be] (a,*), I. Franki (a), B. Jansen (b,c), K. Kostkova (b,c), J. Wagemans (d,e), E. Ortibus (a,f)

Government regulation, Augmented Reality -- Laws, regulations and rules, Children -- Behavior -- Laws, regulations and rules, Sensors -- Laws, regulations and rules, Medical colleges -- Laws, regulations and rules, Medical law, and Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Laws, regulations and rules

Keywords ADHD; Self-regulation; Technologies; m-health; Wearables; Children Highlights * Technology has the potential to support self-regulation in children with ADHD. * Most prior research has used mobile and sensor technology to deliver intervention for ADHD. * Most technological interventions try to support children at school or at home. Abstract Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent childhood psychiatric condition. Children with ADHD display symptoms of inattention and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors. Behavioral interventions are promising as approaches for improving the control of attention and impulsivity and in developing self-regulation skills. Self-regulation involves controlling one's behavior, emotions, and thoughts to pursue long-term goals and is fundamental to adaptive developmental tasks at all stages of life. Innovative approaches for supporting children with ADHD include using both novel and consumer off-the-shelf technologies to support the self-regulation of emotions and behaviors. This review aims to provide a resource to summarize the current evidence for technological interventions that assist and assess the self-regulation of behaviors and emotions supporting children with ADHD. This review included 36 papers that used multiple technological emerging platforms (i.e., personal computers; mobile; sensors, wearables; virtual and augmented reality; robots) used by children with ADHD. Most technologies are suspended in the design and prototyping phases. However, studies that included robust enough technologies for deployment studies or pilot random control trials exhibit promising implications for supporting self-regulation in children with ADHD. Author Affiliation: (a) Fowler School of Engineering, Chapman University, United States of America (b) Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, United States of America (c) Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, United States of America (d) Department of Informatics, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, United States of America * Corresponding author. Article History: Received 10 November 2020; Revised 1 October 2021; Accepted 4 October 2021 Byline: Franceli L. Cibrian [cibrian@chapman.edu] (a,*), Kimberley D. Lakes [kimberley.lakes@medsch.ucr.edu] (b), Sabrina E.B. Schuck [sabrina@uci.edu] (c), Gillian R. Hayes [gillianrh@ics.uci.edu] (d,*)

Computer science

Keywords Smart thing; Toolkit; Action research; Card; Game; Design; Reflection; Child Abstract Several workshops use toolkits to engage children in the design of smart things, that is, everyday things like toys enhanced with computing devices and capabilities. In general, the toolkits focus on one design stage or another, e.g., ideation or programming. Few toolkits are created to guide children through an entire design process. This paper presents a toolkit for smart-thing design with children. It revolves around SNaP, a card-based board game for children. The toolkit serves to frame the entire design process and guide them through their exploration, ideation, programming and prototyping of their own smart things. By embracing action research, the toolkit was adopted in actions with children, namely, design workshops. Results of actions were reflected over by considering children's benefits, and they were used to make the toolkit evolve across cycles of action, reflection and development. The paper reports on the latest evolution cycles, ending with the 2020 cycle for continuing smart-thing design during COVID-19 times. The paper concludes with general reflections concerning action research and design with children, toolkits for framing smart-thing design with children, on-going and future work. Author Affiliation: (a) Faculty of Computer Science, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Domenicani 3, 39100 Bolzano, Italy (b) DEIB, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio, 34/5, 20133 Milan, Italy * Corresponding author. Article History: Received 25 October 2020; Revised 14 May 2021; Accepted 16 July 2021 Byline: Rosella Gennari [gennari@inf.unibz.it] (a,*), Maristella Matera [maristella.matera@polimi.it] (b), Alessandra Melonio [alessandra.melonio@unibz.it] (a), Mehdi Rizvi [syedmehdi.rizvi@polimi.it] (b), Eftychia Roumelioti [eftychia.roumelioti@stud-inf.unibz.it] (a)

Data warehousing/data mining, Algorithm, Optical radar, Sensors, Data mining, and Algorithms

Keywords: algorithm testing; complex ocean scenarios; data generation; sensors; simulation platform; unmanned surface vessel Abstract Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) have been fully used in the civilian and military fields in recent years, which dramatically expands protective capability and detection range. However, the marine environment's complexity and variability make that verification of various advanced USVs control algorithms face high costs and high risks. In this article, we present USVs-Sim, a novel high-fidelity general simulation platform for USVs autonomous navigation data generation and control strategy testing. USVs-Sim is a collection of high-level extensible modules that allows the rapid development and testing of USVs configurations and facilitates the construction of complex ocean scenarios. USVs-Sim supports the steering or thrusting limits of USVs, as well as unique dynamics profiles. The platform can specify specific USVs sensor systems and change the time of day and weather conditions to generate robust data. USVs-Sim facilitates training of deep-learning algorithms by enabling data export from USVs sensors, including vision data, lidar, relative positions of ocean targets. Therefore, USVs-Sim allows for the rapid prototyping, development, and testing of USVs autonomous control algorithms in a complex marine environment. In this article, we detail the general simulation platform and testing several representative USVs intelligent control algorithms on the platform. Article Note: Funding information Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China, MC-201920-X01; National Natural Science Foundation of China, 61991415; 91746203 Byline: Wei Wang, Han Zhang, Yang Li, Zhenyu Zhang, Xiangfeng Luo, Shaorong Xie

Algorithm and Algorithms -- Mechanical properties

Tensile strength, warping degree, and surface roughness are important indicators to evaluate the quality of fused deposition modeling (FDM) parts, and their accurate and stable prediction is helpful to the development of FDM technology. Thus, a quality prediction method of FDM parts based on an optimized deep belief network was proposed. To determine the combination of process parameters that have the greatest influence on the quality of FDM parts, the correlation analysis method was used to screen the key quality factors that affect the quality of FDM parts. Then, we use 10-fold cross-validation and grid search (GS) to determine the optimal hyperparameter combination of the sparse constrained deep belief network (SDBN), propose an adaptive cuckoo search (ACS) algorithm to optimize the weights and biases of the SDBN, and complete the construction of prediction model based on the above work. The results show that compared with DBN, LSTM, RBFNN, and BPNN, the ACS-SDBN model designed in this article can map the complex nonlinear relationship between FDM part quality characteristics and process parameters more effectively, and the CV verification accuracy of the model can reach more than 95.92%. The prediction accuracy can reach more than 96.67%, and the model has higher accuracy and stability.
Author(s): Hai Dong [1]; Xiuxiu Gao (corresponding author) [2]; Mingqi Wei [2] 1. Introduction Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapid prototyping technology born in the 1980s, which realizes the conversion [...]

Robot, Computer-based entertainment system, Computer entertainment systems, Social distancing (Public health), Rapid prototyping, Child behavior, Robots, Educational assessment, Distance education, Project-based learning, Data collection, Video game equipment, Children -- Behavior, Video games -- Equipment and supplies, Data entry, and Educational evaluation

Keywords Design Tools; Smart toys; Social robots; Rapid prototyping; Remote learning Highlights * Design tools to prototype toy user interfaces following privacy by design principles. * Design tools cover human-centered design stages, including data collection planning. * Qualitative project-based learning evaluation with interdisciplinary stakeholders. * 255 stakeholders implemented 67 paper-based, functional, and digital prototypes. * Adapted tools for remote teamwork and education during the social distancing context. Abstract A Toy User Interface (ToyUI) is a setup combination of one or more toy components with other hardware or software components. As part of new technologies that permeate the Child--Computer Interaction (CCI) domain, a ToyUI can combine physical toy components with social robots, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, among other computing artifacts. This paper compiles a collection of design tools that we develop to support interdisciplinary creators in prototyping innovative ToyUI setups. The design tools aim to help the CCI community understand the benefits of hardware and software integration while delivering solutions that can meet privacy by design principles. We apply the Design Science framework to assess the problem context and propose and evaluate the design tools following a Human-Centered Design (HCD) perspective. The tools cover steps from inspiration to ideation and implementation, including user research, brainstorming, data collection planning, and low to high-fidelity prototyping tools. We detail the current version of the design tools and six years of results through qualitative evaluation in an educational setting (with 255 creators in seven different institutions). We also propose novel versions of the tools to support remote teamwork and education, and we highlight training challenges during the social distancing context.

Keywords: fault detection; fault-tolerant control; hypersonic reentry vehicle; intermittent fault; rapid prototyping ***** No abstract is available for this article. ***** Byline: Matthias A. Müller, Frank Allgöwer, Fuyang Chen, Fan Jin, Zili Wang

Architectural design

Keywords: Architectural Design; Model-based Systems Engineering; Processes; Requirements Elicitation and Management; Systems Thinking Abstract Numerous systems engineering (SE) methods for the model-based and textual specification of systems focus on managing complexity solely by partitioning the system based on physical structures or by defining different views of the system and therefore reach their limits in agile development. The increasing demand for an agile system development requires an agile systems engineering procedure for the model-based and textual top-down specification of systems. Although function-based development, variant management, and product line development are well established in software engineering, previous work has failed to introduce methods for the agile specification of systems by combining established methods from systems and software engineering. For that purpose, this paper demonstrates a new SE methodology, which for the first time combines conventional SE methods with the agile development procedure of feature-driven development. The methodology is systematically developed based on theoretical analyses and its suitability for the application-specific definition of feature-driven development processes is demonstrated using the example of reference architectures for XiL simulation models of electric vehicles. By applying feature-driven development, the resulting CUBE methodology enhances collaboration in interdisciplinary development teams and enables companies to adapt development processes to a more agile top-down specification of systems. Biographical information: Christian Granrath, M.Sc. received the B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering in 2014 and the M.Sc. degree in energy engineering in 2016 from RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. From 2016 to 2021 he performed his doctoral studies at the Junior Professorship for Mechatronic Systems for Combustion Engines, Institute for Combustion Engines, RWTH University. Since 2021, he is working as a technical specialist for systems engineering at FEV Europe GmbH. His research interests include the fields of model- and feature-based systems engineering, agile software engineering, software architecture development and evaluation as well as simulation model development for XiL applications in automotive domain. Mr. Granrath's awards and honors include the Dean's List, representing the top 5% of the best students in each year. Christopher Kugler, M.Sc. received his master in Computer Science at the RWTH Aachen University in 2014. From 2015 to 2019 he performed his doctoral studies at the computer science chair 'Informatik 11 - Embedded Software' at the RWTH Aachen University. His doctorate thesis investigates how the increase in complexity in automotive product development can be handled by means of risk-based verification & validation approaches. Since 2019 he is working as a team leader for Systems Engineering & Test Management at FEV Europe GmbH. The focus of his work lies on the definition and implementation of model-based systems engineering practices as well as verification & validation concepts for automotive customers, where a feature-centric and risk-driven approach is promoted by him and his team. Sebastian Silberg, B.Sc. received the B.Sc. degree in Information Systems in 2016 from WWU University of Münster, Germany. He is currently pursuing a second study in Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. In parallel, he is employed at FEV Europe GmbH within the business unit Intelligent Mobility & Software as member of the systems engineering department. He is involved in several projects and research with the emphasis on Systems Engineering. Max-Arno Meyer, M.Sc. received the B.Eng. degree in vehicle and propulsion technology in 2015 and the M.Sc. degree in international automotive engineering in 2018 from FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Aachen, Germany. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in software engineering at the Junior Professorship for Mechatronic Systems for Combustion Engines, Institute for Combustion Engines, RWTH Aachen University. His research interests include the fields of simulation-based testing of embedded systems, ADAS and autonomous driving, agile software engineering as well as model- and feature-based systems engineering. Mr. Meyer has been awarded the Honorary Plaque of FH Aachen for his academic achievements being among the top five percent of the best students in each year. Dr.-Ing. Philipp A. Orth received his Diploma Degree with distinction in Mechanical Engineering in 2000. In 2005, he obtained a Doctorate Degree in the same faculty of RWTH Aachen University at the Institute of Automatic Control. In his doctorate thesis, he investigated the applicability of Rapid Control Prototyping methods to Industrial Automation, bringing together control analysis and synthesis of discrete controllers with programming of programmable logic controllers (PLC) in an integrated SW tool chain. From 2006 to 2007, he worked at ABB corporate research on engineering efficiency and tool chains for process control systems and safety PLCs. Since 2007, he has worked as team lead at FEV until mid of 2014, responsible for model-based software development of embedded control systems for automotive and/or powertrain series applications, before changing to the position of a senior project manager for SW and systems engineering in the context of heavy-duty and passenger-car applications. Since 2019 he leads the department Systems Engineering within the Business Unit Intelligent Mobility & Software at FEV Europe GmbH, focusing on improvements in SE methodology and establishing SE within FEV as well as at - mainly automotive - OEM and Tier-1 customers. He is author and co-author of more than 30 articles, conference presentations and patents on the mentioned topics. Dr.-Ing. Johannes Richenhagen received the Diploma Degree in Industry Engineering & Management in 2009. In 2014, he obtained a Doctorate Degree in Mechanical Engineering, both from the RWTH Aachen University. In his doctorate thesis, he investigated the applicability of Agile Software Development methods to powertrain control software development to close the gap between engineering and computer sciences for future mobility applications. From 2013 to 2018, he was working as a technical specialist, team leader and department manager at FEV Europe GmbH. He focused on the design and test of embedded software for automotive systems. Since 2019, he leads the Business unit Intelligent Mobility & Software at FEV Europe GmbH. His responsibilities include connected mobility, automated and assisted driving, systems engineering, functional safety and cyber security, vehicle electronics, software development and Data Science. He is author and co-author of more than 50 articles and conference presentations around the mentioned topics. Since 2015, he is as guest lecturer at RWTH Aachen University for 'Software Development for Combustion Engines.' Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jakob Andert received his Dipl.-Ing. and Dr.-Ing. degrees at the RWTH Aachen University in 2007 and 2012, respectively. From 2012 to 2014, he was a project manager at FEV GmbH in the field of hybrid and electrical drive trains. Since 2014, he is Junior Professor for mechatronic systems in combustion engines at the Institute for Combustion Engines (VKA) at RWTH Aachen University. He received his Dr.-Ing. degree for a dissertation about a real time cycle-to-cycle control of homogeneous charge compression ignition engines. The Junior Professorship addresses mechatronic system in combustion engines, such as electrical cam timing actuators as well as real time systems, FPGA indication systems and Vehicle-to-X communication systems. Byline: Christian Granrath, Christopher Kugler, Sebastian Silberg, Max-Arno Meyer, Philipp Orth, Johannes Richenhagen, Jakob Andert

Transceiver and Transceivers -- Methods

Keywords Next-generation wireless; Millimeter-wave; Software-defined-radio; Prototyping; Beamforming; Calibration Abstract The Pi-Radio v1 software-defined radio (SDR) platform incorporates a 4-channel fully-digital transceiver board that operates in the 57--64 GHz band and connects to the powerful Xilinx RFSoC-based ZCU111 evaluation board. This paper illustrates various calibration procedures that have been implemented to avoid relying on expensive laboratory equipment and infrastructure like spectrum analyzers, signal generators, or even anechoic chambers. We conclude this paper with a demonstration of beamforming enabled through geometrically determined beamforming weights, thereby demonstrating that the SDR nodes have been calibrated correctly. Author Affiliation: (a) Pi-Radio Inc., 155 Water Street Unit 4/10, Brooklyn, 11201 NY, USA (b) University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr. La Jolla, CA 92093, USA (c) Nokia, 171 Madison Ave Suite 1100, 10016 NY, USA (d) New York University, 370 Jay Street, Brooklyn, 11201 NY, USA * Corresponding author. Article History: Received 13 November 2020; Revised 22 April 2021; Accepted 31 May 2021 Byline: Aditya Dhananjay [aditya.dhananjay@pi-rad.io] (a,d,*), Kai Zheng [kai.zheng@ucsd.edu] (b), Marco Mezzavilla [mezzavilla@nyu.edu] (a,d), Lorenzo Iotti [lorenzo.iotti@nokia.com] (c), Dennis Shasha [shasha@cims.nyu.edu] (a,d), Sundeep Rangan [srangan@nyu.edu] (a,d)