Toolkit For Construction Research Articles

ECSkin: Tessellating Electrochromic Films for Reconfigurable On-skin Displays

Emerging electrochromic (EC) materials have advanced the frontier of thin-film, low-power, and non-emissive display technologies. While suitable for wearable or textile-based applications, current EC display systems are manufactured in fixed, pre-designed patterns that hinder the potential of reconfigurable display technologies desired by on-skin interactions. To realize the customizable and scalable EC display for skin wear, this paper introduces ECSkin, a construction toolkit composed of modular EC films. Our approach enables reconfigurable designs that display customized patterns by arranging combinations of premade EC modules. An ECSkin device can pixelate patterns and expand the display area through tessellating congruent modules. We present the fabrication of flexible EC display modules with accessible materials and tools. We performed technical evaluations to characterize the electrochromic performance and conducted user evaluations to verify the toolkit's usability and feasibility. Two example applications demonstrate the adaptiveness of the modular display on different body locations and user scenarios.

An artificial chaperone serves a dual role in regulating the assembly of peptides through phase separation

AbstractIn biological systems, molecular assembly primarily relies on the assistance of molecular chaperones. Inspired by nature, strategies like ‘chaperone‐assisted assembly’ and ‘catalyzed assembly’ have been proposed for the sophisticated control of molecular assembly. Nonetheless, significant challenges remain in the rational design of such systems, calling for a deep understanding of underlying principles. Herein, we demonstrate an artificial chaperone serves a dual role, that is catalyst in low dosages and inhibitor in high dosages, in regulating the supramolecular polymerization of peptides. Low dosages of carboxymethyl cellulose, as the chaperones, catalyze the assembly of Aβ16‐22 peptides into fibrils through multi‐step phase separation, while high dosages trap the peptides into coacervate intermediates and therefore inhibit the fibrillation. Consequently, the quantity of chaperones does not follow the intuition that ‘more is better’ for catalyzing assembly but instead has an optimal molar ratio. Investigation reveals that the interplay and evolution of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions are the keys to achieving these processes. This study provides insights into the multifaceted roles artificial chaperones may play in a dosage‐dependent manner and enriches the toolkit for efficient and controllable construction of complex assembly systems.

Development of a Novel Production Model for Labour Productivity: Modular Construction Toolkit Design

The building industry faces a number of prominent challenges in the coming period. In this article, we focus on productivity in construction, which lags behind other industries despite technological developments. There is an urgent need for more efficient production methods. In other words, the potential for increasing productivity in construction is enormous. As in other industries, the key to this lies in process orientation, process standardization, and digitization. Lean construction approaches offer innovative solutions here by aiming to maximize customer value while minimizing waste, applying the principles of lean production to construction processes. However, building products are distinct in nature. Efforts to standardize them have achieved partial success, but only within specific product categories and for certain customer needs. Most construction activities remain highly unique. An alternative solution lies in standardizing work processes and not the final product. By adopting this method, one can considerably decrease individuality in production without compromising the essential uniqueness of the building product. Consequently, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the standardization of production processes and the dynamics within the construction sector. This article introduces a modular construction toolkit designed to standardize production processes at construction sites. This toolkit consists of a series of consistent process steps, each linked to a standard time metric. Using this classification, a production model is constructed from a select number of recurring processes, leading to an ontological representation of production. This modular approach allows diverse production processes to be compared based on productivity, as they are composed of consistent and comparable sub-processes. Such a comparison is crucial for continuous production optimization. This method also enables the pinpointing of the most wasteful processes across various construction sites. While the primary data generation use case is centred on special civil engineering (special foundation engineering), the core concepts can be applied to general building construction.

Visible-Light Mediated Deoxygenation of Carboxylic Acid for Late-Stage Peptide Modification Targeting Dehydroalanine.

A visible-light mediated deoxygenative radical addition of carboxylic acids to dehydroalanines has been disclosed. The method can be used in β-acyl alanine derivative synthesis, including those chiral and deuterated variants, and late-stage peptide modification with various functional groups, both in the homogeneous phase and on the resin in SPPS. It provides a new tool kit for rapid construction of bioactive peptide analogues, which has been demonstrated by modification of the antimicrobial peptide Feleucin-K3.

SkinLink

Applying customized epidermal electronics closely onto the human skin offers the potential for biometric sensing and unique, always-available on-skin interactions. However, iterating designs of an on-skin interface from schematics to physical circuit wiring can be time-consuming, even with tiny modifications; it is also challenging to preserve skin wearability after repeated alteration. We present SkinLink, a reconfigurable on-skin fabrication approach that allows users to intuitively explore and experiment with the circuitry adjustment on the body. We demonstrate SkinLink with a customized on-skin prototyping toolkit comprising tiny distributed circuit modules and a variety of streamlined trace modules that adapt to diverse body surfaces. To evaluate SkinLink's performance, we conducted a 14-participant usability study to compare and contrast the workflows with a benchmark on-skin construction toolkit. Four case studies targeting a film makeup artist, two beauty makeup artists, and a wearable computing designer further demonstrate different application scenarios and usages.

An extensible vector toolkit and parts library for advanced engineering of plant genomes.

Plant biotechnology is rife with new advances in transformation and genome engineering techniques. A common requirement for delivery and coordinated expression in plant cells, however, places the design and assembly of transformation constructs at a crucial juncture as desired reagent suites grow more complex. Modular cloning principles have simplified some aspects of vector design, yet many important components remain unavailable or poorly adapted for rapid implementation in biotechnology research. Here, we describe a universal Golden Gate cloning toolkit for vector construction. The toolkit chassis is compatible with the widely accepted Phytobrick standard for genetic parts, and supports assembly of arbitrarily complex T-DNAs through improved capacity, positional flexibility, and extensibility in comparison to extant kits. We also provision a substantial library of newly adapted Phytobricks, including regulatory elements for monocot and dicot gene expression, and coding sequences for genes of interest such as reporters, developmental regulators, and site-specific recombinases. Finally, we use a series of dual-luciferase assays to measure contributions to expression from promoters, terminators, and from cross-cassette interactions attributable to enhancer elements in certain promoters. Taken together, these publicly available cloning resources can greatly accelerate the testing and deployment of new tools for plant engineering.

Building a methodological framework and toolkit for news media dataset tracking of conflict and cooperation dynamics on transboundary rivers

Abstract. The management of transboundary rivers will be one of the great political and environmental challenges of the 21st century if knowledge of conflict and cooperation is not fully developed. Transboundary river conflict and cooperation are critical for the sustainable development of river basins, regional security, and stability and have significant scientific and practical implications. The construction of a dataset of transboundary water events – individual conflictive or cooperative interaction between riparian regions – provides an important data support and a factual basis for the study of transboundary rivers. However, the most representative research, the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database, is built by means of manual reading for information extraction, is, thus, difficult for fast updating, and also does not cover the global changes in the past decade. This research aims to build a methodological framework for news media datasets to track conflict and cooperation dynamics on transboundary rivers, provide a mass of relevant data for the research of transboundary rivers on the globe, prepare a potent research toolkit, lay a solid foundation for further data mining research, and better suit the big data age. In order to test the effectiveness of the methodological framework and toolkit for dataset construction, this research analyses the spatial coverage, both in terms of continental and national, temporal coverage from 1953 to 2019, and content coverage and conducts relevance screening of the articles in the four representative river basins in the datasets. The results show that the datasets built by this framework can capture comprehensive content of transboundary water conflict and cooperation in both spatial and temporal coverage with acceptable data quality.

The Development of a BIM-Based Interoperable Toolkit for Efficient Renovation in Buildings: From BIM to Digital Twin

Nowadays, buildings renovation is a subject of special interest since the building and construction sector is the main body responsible for energy consumption and emissions. Hence, it is necessary to concentrate on refurbishment to achieve Europe’s climate neutrality by 2050 according to European Agenda goals. The BIM4EEB Project, a BIM-based fast toolkit for the efficient renovation of residential buildings, directs the attention toward developing an exhaustive toolkit based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) to be adopted in the renovation of existing residential buildings, to make the flow of information efficient, decreasing intervention working time while improving building performances, quality, and comfort for inhabitants. BIM4EEB is developing a BIM management system connected to an operational and multifunctional toolkit for various architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) stakeholders, integrating a set of tools for improving BIM adoption in renovation environments based on an interoperable flow of information. This paper presents the Horizon2020 Project and the framework used to develop the toolkit. In addition, the first outcomes of the toolkit development are outlined. The validation procedure in real environments has started to demonstrate the efficacy and applicability of the methodology and tools. Although the project is still in progress, benefits connected to the framework and the BIM-based toolkit result in an enhanced building renovation process.

Strategic Individualization of Scientific and Technical Development of the Economy of Industrial Regions of Russia Taking into Account their Hereditary Determinants

Developing an effective strategy for the scientific and technological development of the national economy is a difficult task, especially for the Russian Federation that is known for its interregional distortions. Therefore, the innovation path of each industrial region should be individualized, the territorial predisposition to the development should be taken into account and technological solutions should be launched, which will make it possible to form effective mechanisms of institutional support for the innovation activity of specific territories. The scientific hypothesis of the study is that the hereditary determinants of the industrial region determine the individual features of the strategy of scientific and technological development. The purpose of the study is to develop a methodological approach to the individualization of regional strategies for the scientific and technological development of the industrial economy, taking into account hereditary determinants responsible for the innovative predisposition of the territories. To achieve the goal, the theoretical and methodological features of the individualization of strategies related to the target guideline were clarified, including targeted programs that take into account the historically established features of the territories; stages, and the strategy for the development of the national economy was added to the general scheme. The methodological basis of the author's strategic individualization is the Markov chain construction toolkit, which allows one to determine the innovative differentiation of regions on the basis of the identification of mutations in production, social and institutional determinants,. The testing of the tools made it possible to establish that industrial regions have a hereditary predisposition to scientific and technological development. The strategies of the regions of the North-Western Federal District, the Volga Federal District and the Ural Federal District should stimulate accelerated innovation, and the regions of the Southern Federal District, the Siberian Federal District and the Central Federal District to ensure smooth innovation of the industrial economy. The article also defines the place of the process of individualization of regional strategies in the general concept of achieving basic priorities for the scientific and technological development of the national economy, which ensures the formation of a new innovation policy of the country. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the development of an evolutionary-genetic approach to the development of strategies for the scientific and technological development of industrial regions, expanding the understanding of their individualization in the context of accounting for hereditary determinants responsible for the innovative predisposition of territories. The applied significance of the scientific results of the study consists in expanding the assessment mechanisms used by state and regional authorities in the development of strategic documents of scientific and technological development and their improvement.

SkinKit

The emergence of on-skin interfaces has created an opportunity for seamless, always-available on-body interactions. However, developing a new fabrication process for on-skin interfaces can be time-consuming, challenging to incorporate new features, and not available for quick form-factor preview through prototyping. We introduce SkinKit, the first construction toolkit for on-skin interfaces, which enables fast, low-fidelity prototyping with a slim form factor directly applicable to the skin. SkinKit comprises modules consisting of skin-conformable base substrates and reusable Flexible Printed Circuits Board (FPCB) blocks. They are easy to attach and remove under tangible plug-and-play construction but still offer robust conductive connections in a slim form. Further, SkinKit aims to lower the barrier to entry in building on-skin interfaces without demanding technical expertise. It leverages a variety of preprogrammed modules connected in unique sequences to achieve various function customizations. We describe our iterative design and development process of SkinKit, comparing materials, connection mechanisms, and modules reflecting on its capability. We report results from single- and multi- session workshops with 34 maker participants spanning STEM and design backgrounds. Our findings reveal how diverse maker populations engage in on-skin interface design, what types of applications they choose to build, and what challenges they faced.

Addressing noise in co-expression network construction.

Gene co-expression networks (GCNs) provide multiple benefits to molecular research including hypothesis generation and biomarker discovery. Transcriptome profiles serve as input for GCN construction and are derived from increasingly larger studies with samples across multiple experimental conditions, treatments, time points, genotypes, etc. Such experiments with larger numbers of variables confound discovery of true network edges, exclude edges and inhibit discovery of context (or condition) specific network edges. To demonstrate this problem, a 475-sample dataset is used to show that up to 97% of GCN edges can be misleading because correlations are false or incorrect. False and incorrect correlations can occur when tests are applied without ensuring assumptions are met, and pairwise gene expression may not meet test assumptions if the expression of at least one gene in the pairwise comparison is a function of multiple confounding variables. The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to GCN construction is therefore problematic for large, multivariable datasets. Recently, the Knowledge Independent Network Construction toolkit has been used in multiple studies to provide a dynamic approach to GCN construction that ensures statistical tests meet assumptions and confounding variables are addressed. Additionally, it can associate experimental context for each edge of the network resulting in context-specific GCNs (csGCNs). To help researchers recognize such challenges in GCN construction, and the creation of csGCNs, we provide a review of the workflow.

Sham: A DSL for Fast DSLs

Domain-specific languages (DSLs) are touted as both easy to embed in programs and easy to optimize. Yet these goals are often in tension. Embedded or internal DSLs fit naturally with a host language, while inheriting the host's performance characteristics. External DSLs can use external optimizers and languages but sit apart from the host. We present Sham, a toolkit designed to enable internal DSLs with high performance. Sham provides a domain-specific language (embedded in Racket) for implementing other high-performance DSLs, with transparent compilation to assembly code at runtime. Sham is well suited as both a compilation target for other embedded DSLs and for transparently replacing DSL support code with faster versions. Sham provides seamless inter-operation with its host language without requiring any additional effort from its users. Sham also provides a framework for defining language syntax which implements Sham's own language interface as well. We validate Sham's design on a series of case studies, ranging from Krishnamurthi's classic automata DSL to a sound synthesis DSL and a probabilistic programming language. All of these are existing DSLs where we replaced the backend using Sham, resulting in major performance gains. We present an example-driven description of how Sham can smoothly enhance an existing DSL into a high-performance one. When compared to existing approaches for implementing high-performance DSLs, Sham's design aims for both simplicity and programmer control. This makes it easier to port our techniques to other languages and frameworks, or borrow Sham's innovations "\`a la carte" without adopting the whole approach. Sham builds a sophisticated and powerful DSL construction toolkit atop fundamental language features including higher-order functions, data structures, and a foreign-function interface (FFI), all readily available in other languages. Furthermore, Sham's approach allows DSL developers to simply write functions, either using Sham or generating Sham, without needing to work through complex staging or partial evaluation systems.

Invisible Hands and Fine Calipers: A Call to Use Formal Theory as a Toolkit for Theory Construction

In recent years, a growing chorus of researchers has argued that psychological theory is in a state of crisis: Theories are rarely developed in a way that indicates an accumulation of knowledge. Paul Meehl raised this very concern more than 40 years ago. Yet in the ensuing decades, little has improved. We aim to chart a better path forward for psychological theory by revisiting Meehl’s criticisms, his proposed solution, and the reasons his solution failed to meaningfully change the status of psychological theory. We argue that Meehl identified serious shortcomings in our evaluation of psychological theories and that his proposed solution would substantially strengthen theory testing. However, we also argue that Meehl failed to provide researchers with the tools necessary to construct the kinds of rigorous theories his approach required. To advance psychological theory, we must equip researchers with tools that allow them to better generate, evaluate, and develop their theories. We argue that formal theories provide this much-needed set of tools, equipping researchers with tools for thinking, evaluating explanation, enhancing measurement, informing theory development, and promoting the collaborative construction of psychological theories.

A scalable pipeline for designing reconfigurable organisms

Living systems are more robust, diverse, complex, and supportive of human life than any technology yet created. However, our ability to create novel lifeforms is currently limited to varying existing organisms or bioengineering organoids in vitro. Here we show a scalable pipeline for creating functional novel lifeforms: AI methods automatically design diverse candidate lifeforms in silico to perform some desired function, and transferable designs are then created using a cell-based construction toolkit to realize living systems with the predicted behaviors. Although some steps in this pipeline still require manual intervention, complete automation in future would pave the way to designing and deploying unique, bespoke living systems for a wide range of functions.

Design and Evaluation of DIO Construction Toolkit for Co-making Shared Constructions

We present the design and implementation of DIO, a novel digital-physical construction toolkit to enable constructionist learning for children from age group 8-12 years. The toolkit comprises of dome-shaped (D) tangible modules with various attachments that allow suspension on the body of multiple children and/or in the environment to support a variety of sensing/input (I), actuation/output (O) functionalities. The modules are enabled for wireless communication and can be linked together using an Augmented Reality based programming interface running on a smartphone. The smartphone recognizes our hemispherical modules omnidirectionally through novel computer vision based 3D patterns; custom made to provide logical as well as semantic encoding. In this paper, we show how, owing to its unique form-factor, the toolkit enables multi-user constructions for the children and offers a shared learning experience. We further reflect on our learning from a one-year long iterative design process and contribute a social scaffolding based procedure to engage children with such constructionist toolkits effectively.

Tripal MapViewer: A tool for interactive visualization and comparison of genetic maps.

Tripal is an open-source, resource-efficient toolkit for construction of genomic, genetic and breeding databases. It facilitates development of biological websites by providing tools to integrate and display biological data using the generic database schema, Chado, together with Drupal, a popular website creation and content management system. Tripal MapViewer is a new interactive tool for visualizing genetic map data. Developed as a Tripal replacement for Comparative Map Viewer (CMap), it enables visualization of entire maps or linkage groups and features such as molecular markers, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and heritable phenotypic markers. It also provides graphical comparison of maps sharing the same markers as well as dot plot and correspondence matrices. MapViewer integrates directly with the Tripal application programming interface framework, improving data searching capability and providing a more seamless experience for site visitors. The Tripal MapViewer interface can be integrated in any Tripal map page and linked from any Tripal page for markers, QTLs, heritable morphological markers or genes. Configuration of the display is available through a control panel and the administration interface. The administration interface also allows configuration of the custom database query for building materialized views, providing better performance and flexibility in the way data is stored in the Chado database schema. MapViewer is implemented with the D3.js technology and is currently being used at the Genome Database for Rosaceae (https://www.rosaceae.org), CottonGen (https://www.cottongen.org), Citrus Genome Database (https://citrusgenomedb.org), Vaccinium Genome Database (https://www.vaccinium.org) and Cool Season Food Legume Database (https://www.coolseasonfoodlegume.org). It is also currently in development on the Hardwood Genomics Web (https://hardwoodgenomics.org) and TreeGenes (https://treegenesdb.org). Database URL: https://gitlab.com/mainlabwsu/tripal_map.

Tripal v3: an ontology-based toolkit for construction of FAIR biological community databases.

Community biological databases provide an important online resource for both public and private data, analysis tools and community engagement. These sites house genomic, transcriptomic, genetic, breeding and ancillary data for specific species, families or clades. Due to the complexity and increasing quantities of these data, construction of online resources is increasingly difficult especially with limited funding and access to technical expertise. Furthermore, online repositories are expected to promote FAIR data principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) that presents additional challenges. The open-source Tripal database toolkit seeks to mitigate these challenges by creating both the software and an interactive community of developers for construction of online community databases. Additionally, through coordinated, distributed co-development, Tripal sites encourage community-wide sustainability. Here, we report the release of Tripal version 3 that improves data accessibility and data sharing through systematic use of controlled vocabularies (CVs). Tripal uses the community-developed Chado database as a default data store, but now provides tools to support other data stores, while ensuring that CVs remain the central organizational structure for the data. A new site developer can use Tripal to develop a basic site with little to no programming, with the ability to integrate other data types using extension modules and the Tripal application programming interface. A thorough online User’s Guide and Developer’s Handbook are available at http://tripal.info, providing download, installation and step-by-step setup instructions.

Two-dimensional materials: Emerging toolkit for construction of ultrathin high-efficiency microwave shield and absorber

Two-dimensional (2D) materials generally have unusual physical and chemical properties owing to the confined electro-strong interaction in a plane and can exhibit obvious anisotropy and a significant quantum-confinement effect, thus showing great promise in many fields. Some 2D materials, such as graphene and MXenes, have recently exhibited extraordinary electromagnetic-wave shielding and absorbing performance, which is attributed to their special electrical behavior, large specific surface area, and low mass density. Compared with traditional microwave attenuating materials, 2D materials have several obvious inherent advantages. First, similar to other nanomaterials, 2D materials have a very large specific surface area and can provide numerous interfaces for the enhanced interfacial polarization as well as the reflection and scattering of electromagnetic waves. Second, 2D materials have a particular 2D morphology with ultrasmall thickness, which is not only beneficial for the penetration and dissipation of electromagnetic waves through the 2D nanosheets, giving rise to multiple reflections and the dissipation of electromagnetic energy, but is also conducive to the design and fabrication of various well-defined structures, such as layer-by-layer assemblies, core–shell particles, and porous foam, for broadband attenuation of electromagnetic waves. Third, owing to their good processability, 2D materials can be integrated into various multifunctional composites for multimode attenuation of electromagnetic energy. In addition to behaving as microwave reflectors and absorbers, 2D materials can act as impedance regulators and provide structural support for good impedance matching and setup of the optimal structure. Numerous studies indicate that 2D materials are among the most promising microwave attenuation materials. In view of the rapid development and enormous advancement of 2D materials in shielding and absorbing electromagnetic wave, there is a strong need to summarize the recent research results in this field for presenting a comprehensive view and providing helpful suggestions for future development.

Vinyldiazo Reagents and Metal Catalysts: A Versatile Toolkit for Heterocycle and Carbocycle Construction

AbstractOver the past decade, vinyldiazo compounds have provided mild, efficient, and highly selective methods for the construction of heterocycles and carbocycles. Dinitrogen extrusion with suitable catalysts provides the carbon framework for [3+n] cycloaddition with a large variety of dipolarophiles. This minireview, covering the latest achievements in the field of metal‐catalyzed cyclization reactions with vinyldiazo reagents, focuses on reagent‐ or catalyst‐dependent chemodivergence: different vinyldiazo reagents or metal catalysts direct reactions to different cyclization pathways that give different reaction outcomes. Accordingly, metal‐catalyzed cyclization reactions of vinyldiazo compounds with nitrosoarenes, nitrones, indoles, and other diazo compounds are chosen to showcase the controllable versatility of the combination of vinyldiazo reagents and metal catalysts.

Tripal Developer Toolkit.

Tripal community database construction toolkit utilizing the content management system Drupal. Tripal is used to make biological, genetic and genomic data more discoverable, shareable, searchable and standardized. As funding for community-level genomics databases declines, Tripal’s open-source codebase provides a means for sites to be built and maintained with a minimal investment in staff and new development. Tripal is ultimately as strong as the community of sites and developers that use it. We present a set of developer tools that will make building and maintaining Tripal 3 sites easier for new and returning users. These tools break down barriers to entry such as setting up developer and testing environments, acquiring and loading test datasets, working with controlled vocabulary terms and writing new Drupal classes.