Modeling Techniques for Software-Intensive Systems

Software has become the driving force in the evolution of many systems, such as embedded systems (especially automotive applications), telecommunication systems, and large scale heterogeneous information systems. These so called software-intensive systems, are characterized by the fact that software influences the design, construction, deployment, and evolution of the whole system. Furthermore, the development of these systems often involves a multitude of disciplines. Besides the traditional engineering disciplines (e.g., control engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering) that address the hardware and its control, often the system has to be aligned with the organizational structures and workflows as addressed by business process engineering. The development artefacts of all these disciplines have to be combined and integrated in the software. Consequently, software-engineering adopts the central role for the development of these systems. The development of software-intensive systems is further complicated by the fact that future generations of software-intensive systems will become even more complex and, thus, pose a number of challenges for the software and its integration of the other disciplines. It is expected that systems become highly distributed, exhibit adaptive and anticipatory behavior, and act in highly dynamic environments interfacing with the physical world. Consequently, modeling as an essential design activity has to support not only the different disciplines but also the outlined new characteristics. Tool support for the model-driven engineering with this mix of composed models is essential to realize the full potential of software-intensive systems. In addition, modeling activities have to cover different development phases such as requirements analysis, architectural design, and detailed design. They have to support later phases such as implementation and verification and validation, as well as to systematically and efficiently develop systems.

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Spatial multiplexing holographic combiner for glasses-free augmented reality

Nanophotonics ◽

10.1515/nanoph-2020-0243 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 3003-3010

Author(s):

Jiacheng Shi ◽

Wen Qiao ◽

Jianyu Hua ◽

Ruibin Li ◽

Linsen Chen

Keyword(s):

Augmented Reality ◽

Large Scale ◽

Motion Parallax ◽

Visible Spectrum ◽

Physical World ◽

Spatial Multiplexing ◽

White Balance ◽

Full Color ◽

Entire Visible Spectrum ◽

3D Scene

AbstractGlasses-free augmented reality is of great interest by fusing virtual 3D images naturally with physical world without the aid of any wearable equipment. Here we propose a large-scale spatial multiplexing holographic see-through combiner for full-color 3D display. The pixelated metagratings with varied orientation and spatial frequency discretely reconstruct the propagating lightfield. The irradiance pattern of each view is tailored to form super Gaussian distribution with minimized crosstalk. What’s more, spatial multiplexing holographic combiner with customized aperture size is adopted for the white balance of virtually displayed full-color 3D scene. In a 32-inch prototype, 16 views form a smooth parallax with a viewing angle of 47°. A high transmission (>75%) over the entire visible spectrum range is achieved. We demonstrated that the displayed virtual 3D scene not only preserved natural motion parallax, but also mixed well with the natural objects. The potential applications of this study include education, communication, product design, advertisement, and head-up display.

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Graphene-Based Artificial Synapses with Tunable Plasticity

ACM Journal on Emerging Technologies in Computing Systems ◽

10.1145/3447778 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

He Wang ◽

Nicoleta Cucu Laurenciu ◽

Yande Jiang ◽

Sorin Cotofana

Keyword(s):

Synaptic Plasticity ◽

Weight Change ◽

Time Scale ◽

Large Scale ◽

Synaptic Weight ◽

Low Voltage ◽

Logic Gates ◽

Full Potential ◽

Back Gate ◽

Input Spike

Design and implementation of artificial neuromorphic systems able to provide brain akin computation and/or bio-compatible interfacing ability are crucial for understanding the human brain’s complex functionality and unleashing brain-inspired computation’s full potential. To this end, the realization of energy-efficient, low-area, and bio-compatible artificial synapses, which sustain the signal transmission between neurons, is of particular interest for any large-scale neuromorphic system. Graphene is a prime candidate material with excellent electronic properties, atomic dimensions, and low-energy envelope perspectives, which was already proven effective for logic gates implementations. Furthermore, distinct from any other materials used in current artificial synapse implementations, graphene is biocompatible, which offers perspectives for neural interfaces. In view of this, we investigate the feasibility of graphene-based synapses to emulate various synaptic plasticity behaviors and look into their potential area and energy consumption for large-scale implementations. In this article, we propose a generic graphene-based synapse structure, which can emulate the fundamental synaptic functionalities, i.e., Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) and Long-Term Plasticity . Additionally, the graphene synapse is programable by means of back-gate bias voltage and can exhibit both excitatory or inhibitory behavior. We investigate its capability to obtain different potentiation/depression time scale for STDP with identical synaptic weight change amplitude when the input spike duration varies. Our simulation results, for various synaptic plasticities, indicate that a maximum 30% synaptic weight change and potentiation/depression time scale range from [-1.5 ms, 1.1 ms to [-32.2 ms, 24.1 ms] are achievable. We further explore the effect of our proposal at the Spiking Neural Network (SNN) level by performing NEST-based simulations of a small SNN implemented with 5 leaky-integrate-and-fire neurons connected via graphene-based synapses. Our experiments indicate that the number of SNN firing events exhibits a strong connection with the synaptic plasticity type, and monotonously varies with respect to the input spike frequency. Moreover, for graphene-based Hebbian STDP and spike duration of 20ms we obtain an SNN behavior relatively similar with the one provided by the same SNN with biological STDP. The proposed graphene-based synapse requires a small area (max. 30 nm 2 ), operates at low voltage (200 mV), and can emulate various plasticity types, which makes it an outstanding candidate for implementing large-scale brain-inspired computation systems.

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System design for inferring colony-level pollination activity through miniature bee-mounted sensors

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82537-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Haron M. Abdel-Raziq ◽

Daniel M. Palmer ◽

Phoebe A. Koenig ◽

Alyosha C. Molnar ◽

Kirstin H. Petersen

Keyword(s):

Data Acquisition ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Large Scale ◽

Physical World ◽

Cluttered Environments ◽

Robotic Mapping ◽

Large Scale Data ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Engineered Systems

AbstractIn digital agriculture, large-scale data acquisition and analysis can improve farm management by allowing growers to constantly monitor the state of a field. Deploying large autonomous robot teams to navigate and monitor cluttered environments, however, is difficult and costly. Here, we present methods that would allow us to leverage managed colonies of honey bees equipped with miniature flight recorders to monitor orchard pollination activity. Tracking honey bee flights can inform estimates of crop pollination, allowing growers to improve yield and resource allocation. Honey bees are adept at maneuvering complex environments and collectively pool information about nectar and pollen sources through thousands of daily flights. Additionally, colonies are present in orchards before and during bloom for many crops, as growers often rent hives to ensure successful pollination. We characterize existing Angle-Sensitive Pixels (ASPs) for use in flight recorders and calculate memory and resolution trade-offs. We further integrate ASP data into a colony foraging simulator and show how large numbers of flights refine system accuracy, using methods from robotic mapping literature. Our results indicate promising potential for such agricultural monitoring, where we leverage the superiority of social insects to sense the physical world, while providing data acquisition on par with explicitly engineered systems.

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Exploiting Proximity-Based Mobile Apps for Large-Scale Location Privacy Probing

Security and Communication Networks ◽

10.1155/2018/3182402 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shuang Zhao ◽

Xiapu Luo ◽

Xiaobo Ma ◽

Bo Bai ◽

Yankang Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Case Studies ◽

Real World ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Large Scale ◽

Location Privacy ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Physical World ◽

Typical Type ◽

Location Spoofing

Proximity-based apps have been changing the way people interact with each other in the physical world. To help people extend their social networks, proximity-based nearby-stranger (NS) apps that encourage people to make friends with nearby strangers have gained popularity recently. As another typical type of proximity-based apps, some ridesharing (RS) apps allowing drivers to search nearby passengers and get their ridesharing requests also become popular due to their contribution to economy and emission reduction. In this paper, we concentrate on the location privacy of proximity-based mobile apps. By analyzing the communication mechanism, we find that many apps of this type are vulnerable to large-scale location spoofing attack (LLSA). We accordingly propose three approaches to performing LLSA. To evaluate the threat of LLSA posed to proximity-based mobile apps, we perform real-world case studies against an NS app named Weibo and an RS app called Didi. The results show that our approaches can effectively and automatically collect a huge volume of users’ locations or travel records, thereby demonstrating the severity of LLSA. We apply the LLSA approaches against nine popular proximity-based apps with millions of installations to evaluate the defense strength. We finally suggest possible countermeasures for the proposed attacks.

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Structure Controlled Synthesis of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes Using Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition Process

Journal of Heat Transfer ◽

10.1115/1.4002443 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 133 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Myung Gwan Hahm ◽

Young-Kyun Kwon ◽

Ahmed Busnaina ◽

Yung Joon Jung

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Chemical Vapor Deposition ◽

Vapor Deposition ◽

Large Scale ◽

Chemical Vapor ◽

Controlled Synthesis ◽

Full Potential ◽

Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition ◽

Vertically Aligned ◽

Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Due to their unique one-dimensional nanostructure along with excellent mechanical, electrical, and optical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) become a promising material for diverse nanotechnology applications. However, large-scale and structure controlled synthesis of CNTs still have many difficulties due to the lack of understanding of the fundamental growth mechanism of CNTs, as well as the difficulty of controlling atomic-scale physical and chemical reactions during the nanotube growth process. Especially, controlling the number of graphene wall, diameter, and chirality of CNTs are the most important issues that need to be solved to harness the full potential of CNTs. Here we report the large-scale selective synthesis of vertically aligned single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and double walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) by controlling the size of catalyst nanoparticles in the highly effective oxygen assisted thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. We also demonstrate a simple but powerful strategy for synthesizing ultrahigh density and diameter selected vertically aligned SWNTs through the precise control of carbon flow during a thermal CVD process.

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T-Reqs: Tool Support for Managing Requirements in Large-Scale Agile System Development

2018 IEEE 26th International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE) ◽

10.1109/re.2018.00073 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Eric Knauss ◽

Grischa Liebel ◽

Jennifer Horkoff ◽

Rebekka Wohlrab ◽

Rashidah Kasauli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

System Development ◽

Tool Support

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Technology Acceptance in Healthcare: A Systematic Review

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app112210537 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (22) ◽

pp. 10537

Author(s):

Adi A. AlQudah ◽

Mostafa Al-Emran ◽

Khaled Shaalan

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Technology Acceptance ◽

Large Scale ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Full Potential ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

The Usa ◽

Healthcare Technologies

Understanding the factors affecting the use of healthcare technologies is a crucial topic that has been extensively studied, specifically during the last decade. These factors were studied using different technology acceptance models and theories. However, a systematic review that offers extensive understanding into what affects healthcare technologies and services and covers distinctive trends in large-scale research remains lacking. Therefore, this review aims to systematically review the articles published on technology acceptance in healthcare. From a yield of 1768 studies collected, 142 empirical studies have met the eligibility criteria and were extensively analyzed. The key findings confirmed that TAM and UTAUT are the most prevailing models in explaining what affects the acceptance of various healthcare technologies through different user groups, settings, and countries. Apart from the core constructs of TAM and UTAUT, the results showed that anxiety, computer self-efficacy, innovativeness, and trust are the most influential factors affecting various healthcare technologies. The results also revealed that Taiwan and the USA are leading the research of technology acceptance in healthcare, with a remarkable increase in studies focusing on telemedicine and electronic medical records solutions. This review is believed to enhance our understanding through a number of theoretical contributions and practical implications by unveiling the full potential of technology acceptance in healthcare and opening the door for further research opportunities.

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The Co-Construction of Energy Provision and Everyday Practice: Integrating Heat Pumps in Social Housing in England

Science & Technology Studies ◽

10.23987/sts.55341 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 26-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ellis P Judson ◽

Sandra Bell ◽

Harriet Bulkeley ◽

Gareth Powells ◽

Stephen Lyon

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

New Technologies ◽

Heat Pumps ◽

Consumer Information ◽

Hot Water ◽

Everyday Practice ◽

Full Potential ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Energy Services ◽

The North

Challenges of energy security, low carbon transitions, and electricity network constraints have led to a shift to new, efficient technologies for household energy services. Studies of such technological innovations usually focus on consumer information and changes in behaviour to realise their full potential. We suggest that regarding such technologies in existing energy provision systems opens up questions concerning how and why such interventions are delivered. We argue that we must understand the ways by which energy systems are co-constituted through the habits and expectations of households, their technologies and appliances, alongside arrangements associated with large-scale socio-technical infrastructures. Drawing on research with air-source-to-water heat pumps (ASWHP), installed as part of a large trans-disciplinary, utility-led research and demonstration project in the north of England, we investigate how energy services provision and everyday practice shapes new technologies uptake, and how such technologies mediate and reconfigure relations between users, providers and infrastructure networks. While the installation of ASWHP has led to role differentiation through which energy services are provided, the space for new forms of co-provision to emerge is limited by existing commitments to delivering energy services. Simultaneously, new forms of interdependency emerge between users, providers and intermediaries through sites of installation, instruction, repair and feedback. We find that although new technologies do lead to the rearrangement of practices, this is often disrupted by obduracy in the conventions and habits around domestic heating and hot water practices that have been established in relation to existing systems of provision. Rather being simply a matter of increasing levels of knowledge in order to ensure that such technologies are adopted effi ciently and effectively, our paper demonstrates how systemic arrangements of energy provision and everyday practice are co-implicated in socio-technical innovation by changing the nature of energy supply and use.

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Cellular effects of gliotoxin: Evaluation of a proteomic, isotope-based method to detect reactive cysteines

10.26686/wgtn.17008120.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Sven Sondhauss

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Thiol Group ◽

Disulfide Bridge ◽

Reversed Phase ◽

Cellular Damage ◽

Full Potential ◽

Label Free ◽

Cysteine Modification ◽

Affinity Tag ◽

Cell Vitality

Cysteinyl residues in proteins are important for many cellular processes and unregulated modification of the cysteine thiol group can have negative effects on cell vitality and viability. In this thesis, the potential for use of the isotope coded affinity tag (ICAT) method for detection of cysteine modification has been investigated. ICAT reagents label free cysteine thiols. The aim of this study was to use HL-60 cells treated with gliotoxin, a fungal metabolite with a reactive disulfide bridge, as a system to evaluate the performance of ICAT for identification of cysteine modification in a whole cell proteome. Gliotoxin has antimicrobial, antitumor, immunosuppressive and cytotoxic properties that have been related to cysteine modification in proteins. Cellular assays including viability using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, cell cycle analysis, and measurement of reactive oxygen species using dichlorofluorescin diacetate were used to establish conditions for measuring the effects of gliotoxin on HL-60 cells prior to large-scale cellular damage. Cells exposed to gliotoxin and control cells were then labeled with ICAT reagents and analysed by offline reversed phase liquid chromatography followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The pilot results identified tubulin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase as putative targets of gliotoxin. Additionally, this study showed that ICAT can be used to detect modified cysteines from a highly complex sample, but further optimization is needed to unlock the full potential for detection of cysteine modification in complex samples.

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Digital matter as interdisciplinary commodity

The Journal of Public Space ◽

10.5204/jps.v2i3.119 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 103

Author(s):

Uwe Rieger

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Spatial Data ◽

Architectural Design ◽

Large Scale ◽

Mixed Reality ◽

Digital Fabrication ◽

Digital Information ◽

Design Environment ◽

Digital World ◽

Starting Point

With the current exponential growth in the sector of Spatial Data Technology and Mixed Reality display devises we experience an increasing overlap of the physical and digital world. Next to making data spatially visible the attempt is to connect digital information with physical properties. Over the past years a number of research institutions have been laying the ground for these developments. In contemporary architecture architectural design the dominant application of data technology is connected to graphical presentation, form finding and digital fabrication. The arc/sec Lab for Digital Spatial Operations at the University of Auckland takes a further step. The Lab explores concepts for a new condition of buildings and urban patterns in which digital information is connected with spatial appearance and linked to material properties. The approach focuses on the step beyond digital re-presentation and digital fabrication, where data is re-connected to the multi-sensory human perceptions and physical skills. The work at the Lab is conducted in a cross disciplinary design environment and based on experiential investigations. The arc/sec Lab utilizes large-scale interactive installations as the driving vehicle for the exploration and communication of new dimensions in architectural space. The experiments are aiming to make data “touchable” and to demonstrate real time responsive environments. In parallel they are the starting point for both the development of practice oriented applications and speculation on how our cities and buildings might change in the future. The article gives an overview of the current experiments being undertaken at the arc/sec Lab. It discusses how digital technologies allow for innovation between the disciplines by introducing real time adaptive behaviours to our build environment and it speculates on the type of spaces we can construct when digital matter is used as a new dynamic building material.

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