Design Principles Research Articles

Design and implementation of architectural websites based on Java: A case study of architectural firm website

In the contemporary digital landscape, architectural firms are increasingly reliant on sophisticated websites to showcase their portfolios and engage with clients. This paper delves into creating a user-centered website, emphasizing the critical role of front-end development in marrying aesthetics with functionality. Through a detailed examination, the study highlights prevailing trends in user interaction, visual design, and technological integration specific to architectural web platforms. In this paper, a prototype website was designed and implemented, utilizing HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, coupled with responsive design principles and interactive features. The development process involved using interactive keywords, a dynamic project gallery, and a responsive navigation menu, all facilitated by Java Server Pages (JSP) for back-end integration. This approach underscored the importance of user-centered design in web development for architectural firms. This study successfully integrated an intuitive user interface with advanced functionality, resulting in a web design that not only aesthetically aligns with the architectural firms brand identity but also enhances user engagement. Key results include an innovative scrolling gallery showcasing architectural projects, seamless integration of JSP for dynamic content management, and a notable improvement in website navigability and responsiveness, leading to a more interactive and satisfying user experience.

Design Science in business administration

Objective of the study: This article aims to analyse the intellectual structure of Design Science in Business Administration. It Identifies the most influential works and journals, the theoretical approaches for the generation of artifacts, and discusses the intellectual structure of the emerging literature on Design Science. Methodology: The research used bibliographic coupling and citation analyses in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Originality/relevance: This research contributes to a better understanding of the design science in Business Administration. Main results: The articles are, in the main, theoretical, demonstrating that Design Science is still in an initial maturity phase. As for the empirical and theoretical (illustrated) articles, their respective authors indicate as artifacts: framework, method, and instantiation, in addition to Design Propositions, Design Principles, and Technological Rules. The articles that constitute DS's intellectual structure are predominantly in the Systems Information area and, to a lesser degree, in Service Design and Operations Management. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The article contributes to the scientific discussion on design science by identifying the main areas that use the paradigm to conduct research in Business Administration.

Design of constant-force mechanisms using origami

The origami mechanisms possess numerous unique advantages, including folding, reconfigurability, and multi-stability. The presence of multi-stability introduces a novel concept for the design of constant force mechanisms (CFM). In this study, we present a CFM with multi-segment constant-force regions by leveraging the multi-stable characteristics of the origami mechanism. The design principle behind this CFM involves combining an accordion origami structure with positive stiffness and a Kresling origami structure with multi-segment negative stiffness regions. To achieve zero stiffness, the Kresling origami structure is aligned parallel to the accordion origami. To effectively utilize both the Kresling and accordion origamis, we have established a mechanical model that describes their respective stiffness characteristics to establish design rules for the constant-force mechanism. By carefully designing the parameters of these two origami structures, we evaluate how variations in the structural parameters of Kresling influence the constant force properties of our proposed multi-segment CFM. To illustrate its inherent property of providing constant force across multiple segments, we employ finite element analysis and experiments to obtain force-displacement curves for our mechanism. The results demonstrate the feasibility of our presented design method which paves the way for constructing a simple CFM.

Flow stability and distribution in horizontal serpentine tube bundles with vertical headers

Particle-based systems have immense potential for combining thermal energy storage (TES) with renewable energy sources. The so-called sandTES system, which is an active TES system, utilizes sand or other small particles as a storage material and consists of a hot tank, a cold tank, and a reversible fluidized bed heat exchanger. In the preferred design, the tubes are arranged in horizontal serpentine tube bundles; thus, the headers are positioned vertically, for one phase subcritical, two-phase and supercritical water/steam conditions. So far, no design principles have been published for macro-sized vertical headers and horizontal tube bundles. This paper investigates the unbalance in flow distribution and other flow instabilities of such an unusual heat exchanger and its scale-up using APROS simulations.The steady-state simulations of the tallest investigated heat exchanger show a strong unbalance in the mass flows between individual heat exchanger tubes: the smallest mass flow was only 55% of the largest one when generating steam. Smaller heat exchangers experience less pronounced unbalance factors in the order of 88%. When steam is condensed, the unbalance is insignificant. Dynamic simulations of start-up and shutdown revealed instabilities and that the flow maldistributions even lead to flow reversals in most investigated cases although neither last for stationary operation. Part-load cases show higher unbalances than their respective full-load case by 9 to 17 percentage points. Header design modifications – secondary headers with submodules and orifices – improve the unbalance factor from 55% to 88%.

Optimization of EWOC principle in BLRM design for phase 1 oncology trials

ABSTRACT Bayesian logistic regression model (BLRM) is widely used to guide dose escalation decisions in phase 1 oncology trials. An important feature of BLRM design is the appealing safety performance due to its escalation with overdose control (EWOC). However, some recent literature indicates that BLRM with EWOC may have a relatively low probability to find the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) compared to some other dose escalation designs. This work discusses this design problem and proposes a practical solution to improve the performance of BLRM design. Specifically, we suggest increasing the EWOC cutoff from routine value 0.25 to a value between 0.3 and 0.4, which will increase the chance of finding the correct MTD with minimal compromise to overdosing risk. Our comparative simulation studies indicate that BLRM with an increased EWOC cutoff has comparable operating characteristics on the correct MTD selection and over-toxicity control as other dose escalation designs (BOIN, mTPI, keyboard, etc.). Moreover, we compare the methodology and operating characteristics of BLRM designs with various decision rules that allow more flexible overdosing control. A case study of dose escalation in a recent phase 1 oncology trial is provided to show how BLRM with optimal EWOC cutoff operates well in practice.

Analysis of type X bracing on irregular building structure

An irregular structure refers to buildings or other structures that deviate from standard design principles and geometric shapes. Based on previous studies, one of the factors that causes failure of an irregular structure is the asymmetrical shape, which causes uneven load distribution in the structure. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate an irregular-structure building and bracing type X on this structure. The evaluated parameters were the period, modal participating mass ratio, base shear, story drift, and DCR. The modelling process was performed using ETABS, an element-based structural modelling software. The results indicate that failure occurred in the structure under the existing conditions in terms of the modal participating mass ratio, story drift, and DCR. The model with bracing type X indicates a reduction in the period and rotation Z (RZ) of the participating mass. The story drift on the model with bracing type X also indicates a significant reduction; however, in model 1,3, and 5, the story drift value did not meet the story drift requirement. The DCR values of the column and beam in the model with bracing type X also indicate a reduction; however, there are some elements in the structure that do not meet the requirements of model 1,3, and 5. Bracing placement at the corner of the structure has a more significant effect on the structure.

Passivating Contacts for Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: An Overview of the Current Advances and Future Perspectives

AbstractSolar photovoltaics (PV) are poised to be crucial in limiting global warming by replacing traditional fossil fuel generation. Within the PV community, crystalline silicon (c‐Si) solar cells currently dominate, having made significant efficiency breakthroughs in recent years. These advancements are primarily due to innovations in solar cell technology, particularly in developing passivating contact schemes. As such, this review article comprehensively examines the evolution of high‐efficiency c‐Si solar cells, adopting a historical perspective to investigate the advancements in passivation contact techniques and materials to state‐of‐the‐art cell designs. Additionally, this work deeply studies the recent advances and critical design principles underlying each developed passivation scheme. Eventually, this work identifies existing challenges and proposes insights into future directions for c‐Si solar cells through diverse passivating contact strategies.

Power consumption during forward locomotion of C. elegans: an electrical circuit simulation

Biological neuronal networks are of great interest for emerging technological approaches such as neuromorphic engineering due to their capability to efficiently process information. To understand the principles governing this energy efficiency, it is useful to investigate model organisms with small and well-characterized neuronal networks. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is such a model organism and perfectly suited for this purpose, because its neuronal network consists of only 302 neurons whose interconnections are known. In this work, we design an ideal electrical circuit modeling this neuronal network in combination with the muscles it controls. We simulate this circuit by a run-time efficient wave digital algorithm. This allows us to investigate the energy consumption of the network occurring during locomotion of C. elegans and hence deduce potential design principles from an energy efficiency point of view. Simulation results verify that a locomotion is indeed generated. We conclude from the corresponding energy consumption rates that a small number of neurons in contrast to a high number of interconnections is favorable for consuming only little energy. This underlines the importance of interneurons. Moreover, we find that gap junctions are a more energy-efficient connection type than synapses, and inhibitory synapses consume more energy than excitatory ones. However, the energetically cheapest connection types are not the most frequent ones in C. elegans’ neuronal network. Therefore, a potential design principle of the network could be a balance between low energy costs and a certain functionality.Graphical abstractEnergy consumption rates during forward locomotion of C. elegans. a Rates for the ion channels of all neurons, and b average rates for ion channels of a single, active neuron. c Comparison of average rates with respect to the number of active sensory, motor, and interneurons. d Rates for all gap junctions and synapses, and e rates for all synapses of a specific neurotransmitter type. f Average rates for a single synaptic or gap junctions connection vs the total number of connections present for the type of connection (i.e. ACh-synapse, GABA-synapse, Glu-synapse, gap junction).

Simultaneously improving surface area and hydrophilicity of biomass activated carbon for achieving superior desalination performance in CDI

Super activated carbon is a promising electrode material for capacitive deionization (CDI), an emerging sustainable desalination technology. Increasing its CDI performance requires improving hydrophilicity while maintaining high specific surface area. Traditionally this is challenging, but modifying super activated carbon with earth-abundant metal ions at room temperature can achieve both aims through a low-energy process aligned with sustainability. The modified super activated carbon showed higher specific surface area, improved hydrophilicity, and enhanced desalination performance. Particularly, the salt adsorption capacity of Cu2+-modified super activated carbon in 500mg/L NaCl solution at 1.2V increased from 35.4mg/g to 49.3mg/g, among the highest for sustainable carbon materials. The capacity increase was enabled by simultaneously increasing specific surface area and hydrophilicity through themetal modification process. Along with high charge efficiency (93.4%), fast adsorption rate, and good cycling stability (80% capacity retention over 50 cycles), the modified super activated carbon displayed superior overall desalination performance. This study exemplifies how sustainable design principles can be applied to synthesize high-performance CDI electrode materials, through green chemistry and engineering for optimized efficiency.

Elucidating non-radiative decay in near-infrared lumiphores: Leveraging new design principles to develop a telecom band organic dye laser

Elucidating non-radiative decay in near-infrared lumiphores: Leveraging new design principles to develop a telecom band organic dye laser

565 Empowering Community Organizations with the Team Science Community Toolkit

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To introduce the new Team Science Community Toolkit, co-created by community and academic partners, and showcase its potential to empower Community Organizations (COs) in achieving equity in community-engaged research (CER). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In response to the challenges faced by COs in CER collaborations, qualitative interviews were conducted with CO staff from historically marginalized communities. These interviews informed the development of the Team Science Community Toolkit, a collaborative effort involving a Community Advisory Board (CAB) and Team Science experts from Northwestern University. The toolkit, designed using a community-based participatory research approach, incorporates the Science of Team Science and User-Centered Design principles. Integrated into the NIH-sponsored COALESCE website, it includes templates, checklists, and interactive tools, along with a real-world simulation, to support COs in all stages of the research process. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Focus groups and usability testing involving external community experts validated the toolkit’s content and usability. Participants expressed enthusiasm and a sense of empowerment, indicating that the toolkit allows them to actively shape research processes and infuse their specific voices and needs into their partnerships. The toolkit is designed to support breaking down barriers like jargon and cultural adaptability to improve accessibility and open conversation. The impact of this Team Science focused toolkit is under evaluation. This presentation will showcase the toolkit, detail its collaborative development, and explore potential applications, ultimately offering a path to more equitable and valuable community-based research. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: By providing COs with the resources and knowledge to participate as equal partners in research collaborations, it enhances self-advocacy, transparency, and equity. The toolkit has the potential to utilize Team Science to foster productive communication in community-academic research partnerships.

Exploring the Impact of Some Types of Virtual Tours on Data Center Design Proficiency

The use of virtual tours has garnered attention as a promising method to enhance skills in various domains, including data center design. This research delves into the influence of different virtual tour modalities on the enhancement of data center design proficiency among both students and professionals. Through a comprehensive series of experiments and surveys, we investigate the efficacy of panoramic and video-based virtual tours in augmenting participants' comprehension of data center design principles, their capacity to apply these principles practically, and their overall competency in crafting efficient and reliable data centers. Our findings demonstrate a significant enhancement in data center design proficiency facilitated by virtual tours, particularly immersive and interactive formats surpassing traditional methods. Furthermore, our study uncovers the role of individual variances, such as prior expertise and experience in data center design, in modulating the effectiveness of virtual tours. These insights carry substantial implications for the evolution of pedagogical strategies in data center design education and training, advocating for the integration of virtual tour technologies into established curricula.

UAC: Offline Reinforcement Learning With Uncertain Action Constraint

Offline reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms promise to learn policies directly from offline datasets without environmental interaction. This arrangement enables successful RL applications in the real world, particularly in robots and autonomous driving, where sampling is costly and dangerous. However, the existing offline RL algorithms suffer from insufficient performance attributed to extrapolation error caused by out-of-distribution (OOD) actions. In this work, we propose an offline RL algorithm with an uncertain action constraint (UAC). The design principle of UAC is to minimize the extrapolation error via eliminating unknown and uncertain actions. Concretely, we first theoretically analyze the effects of different types of actions on the extrapolation error. Based on this, we propose an action-constrained strategy that exploits the uncertainty of the environmental dynamics model to eliminate unknown and uncertain actions in the Q-value evaluation process. Furthermore, the convex combination of trajectory information and Gaussian noise is novelly leveraged to enhance the generation probability of the optimal actions. Finally, we carry out the comparison and ablation experiments on the standard D4RL dataset. Experimental results indicate that UAC achieves competitive performance, especially in the field of robotic manipulation.

Trust Framework for Self-Sovereign ID in Metaverse Health Care Applications

The research community and digital sector are currently engaged in the development of diverse services within the metaverse ecosystems. Conversely, as concerns about safeguarding personal privacy mount, individuals anticipate exercising greater authority over the way third parties make use of sensitive information, such as medical data. This study aims to develop tools that can facilitate the provision of healthcare services within the metaverse ecosystem in a safe and trustworthy way. This project proposes a trust framework for digital healthcare applications to run in a metaverse environment. The framework is based on the use of self-sovereign identity (SSI) and has been tested on the design principles outlined for the SSI-based architecture. This study outlines two use-case scenarios that can serve as foundations for implementing a trust framework.

Computational analysis of ligand design for Ru half-sandwich sensitizers in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells: Exploring the role of –NO2 group position and π-conjugation in optimizing efficiency

Bulk Heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells offer cost-effective photovoltaic solutions, flexible manufacturing, and improved efficiency with reduced environmental impact. Organometallic half-sandwich complexes, specifically a series of monometallic ruthenium complexes (Ru(1)–Ru(6)), have emerged as promising candidates for BHJ solar cells due to their outstanding charge transport properties. This study utilised Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations with the B3LYP functional and SDD basis set augmented with 6-31 + G(d,p) to assess these Ru complexes with various N,O-chelating ligands, featuring distinct π-conjugated systems and positions of nitro groups, for BHJ solar cell applications. Our investigation focused on elucidating their electronic structures, identifying key electrophilic and nucleophilic sites, and exploring their optical properties. Our findings indicate that these complexes have maximum absorption wavelengths (λmax) ranging from 702 to 1083 nm, highlighting their strong photon absorption capabilities. Specifically, Ru(6), which includes the NO2 group, exhibits the narrowest energy gap but shows relatively lower values for oscillator strengths (f) and light harvesting efficiencies (LHE), indicating efficient light absorption but reduced energy conversion efficiency. In contrast, Ru(3), lacking the NO2 group but featuring enhanced π conjugation through cyclisation, demonstrates the widest energy gap yet boasts the highest values for f and LHE, suggesting superior efficiency in converting absorbed energy into electronic energy. These results emphasise the crucial role of ligand π-conjugation in enhancing energy conversion efficiency, while the strategic positioning of the NO2 group aids effective light absorption. Our study offers valuable insights into the design principles for optimizing organometallic ruthenium complexes in BHJ solar cell applications.

Designing eHealth interventions for children with complex care needs requires continuous stakeholder collaboration and co-creation

ObjectiveHospital-to-home (H2H) transitions challenge families of children with medical complexity (CMC) and healthcare professionals (HCP). This study aimed to gain deeper insights into the H2H transition process and to work towards eHealth interventions for its improvement, by applying an iterative methodology involving both CMC families and HCP as end-users. MethodsFor 20-weeks, the Dutch Transitional Care Unit consortium collaborated with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, HCP, and CMC families. The agile SCREAM approach was used, merging Design Thinking methods into five iterative sprints to stimulate creativity, ideation, and design. Continuous communication allowed rapid adaptation to new information and the refinement of solutions for subsequent sprints. ResultsThis iterative process revealed three domains of care – care coordination, social wellbeing, and emotional support – that were important to all stakeholders. These domains informed the development of our final prototype, ‘Our Care Team’, an application tailored to meet the H2H transition needs for CMC families and HCP. ConclusionComplex processes like the H2H transition for CMC families require adaptive interventions that empower all stakeholders in their respective roles, to promote transitional care that is anticipatory, rather than reactive. InnovationA collaborative methodology is needed, that optimizes existing resources and knowledge, fosters innovation through collaboration while using creative digital design principles. This way, we might be able to design eHealth solutions with end-users, not just for them.

Numerical investigation on thermal-hydraulic performance of variable cross section printed circuit heat exchanger

CO2 transcritical power cycle (CTPC) systems have attracted considerable research focus in the fields of thermoelectric conversion and waste heat recovery. The regenerator is a key component affecting the CTPC system's efficiency. To improve the comprehensive performance of the regenerator, extensive research has been conducted to optimize the regenerator flow channel design. However, the optimization of the traditional Z-channel printed circuit heat exchanger structure (ZPCHE) is limited to constant cross-sectional configurations along the flow direction, which can lead to low channel space utilization. To solve this problem, an efficient variable cross section Z-channel structure (UAPCHE) is proposed in this study. The structure is designed with different cross-sectional shapes along the flow direction to fit the flow path of the main fluid. UAPCHE achieves a coordinated optimization of the heat transfer (Nu), flow (dP), and compactness performance (Q/V) by increasing the effective utilization of the channel space and weakening the damage to the fluid boundary layer. The design principle of the UAPCHE is introduced, and based on this, the structural parameters of the UAPCHE are optimized to achieve the best comprehensive performance. The results show that, compared with the ZPCHE, Nu of UAPCHE can be increased by 16.79%, dP can be reduced by 19.48%, and Q/V can be increased by 22.65%.

Safety hysteresis comparator design for transient overvoltage detection

This research introduces a safety hysteresis comparator that detects transient overvoltage in the track circuit relay interlocking of railway signaling system. This overvoltage is caused by voltage faults transmitted through the electric conductor on the track feed unit to the receiver equipped with the track relay, which acts as the occupied track circuit controller. The circuit was designed using safety system design principles and concepts. Findings illustrated that the transient overvoltage detection of the safety hysteresis comparator in the track circuit activated when the input voltage (Vin) was higher than the high hysteresis signal level (Vhyst_H). When Vin was less than low hysteresis signal level (VVhyst_L), the output voltage (Vo) state was low. Otherwise, it was high. The hysteresis voltage was 4.4 V. The installation of the transient overvoltage detector in the track circuit was to monitor the transient overvoltage fault in the track circuit and to confirm that the hysteresis comparator was in the safety failure mode, which was the safety function for the track circuit to be compliant with the IEC 61800-5-2 standard to ensure the system stability and reliability. It would maximize the performance of the controlling function and commanding of train arrangement of State Railway of Thailand (SRT).

Design of functionally gradient metastructure with ultra-broadband and strong absorption

Rational design principles for ultra-broadband lattice-based metastructure absorbers (MMAs) remain scarcely explored, including elucidation of the governing absorption phenomena. This work presents Octet truss lattices gradient-tailored to achieve highly efficient wide-spectrum electromagnetic (EM) wave mitigation. The optimized 15 mm thick three-dimensional printed architectures comprise three stacked sub-layers with graduated densities spanning a reflective backing. Analysis of unit cell EM responses as a function of geometric parameters facilitates concurrent broadband absorption and minimal mass. Consequently, ultra-wideband absorption below −10 dB persists from 2.84 to 40.0 GHz under normal incidence, with strongly enhanced attenuation below −15 dB between 8.51 and 40.0 GHz. Additionally, consistent absorption capacity endures up to 60° for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations, empowered by the intricate conductive networks established through wave interactions. The unique combination of additive manufacturing, hierarchical metamaterial engineering, and physical insights provides a versatile strategy for customized broadband absorption systems across application domains.

Dimeric peptoids as antibacterial agents

Building upon our previous study on peptoid-based antibacterials which showed good activity against Gram-positive bacteria only, herein we report the synthesis of 34 dimeric peptoid compounds and the investigation of their activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. The newly designed peptoids feature a di-hydrophobic moiety incorporating phenyl, bromo-phenyl, and naphthyl groups, combined with variable lengths of cationic units such as amino and guanidine groups. The study also underscores the pivotal interplay between hydrophobicity and cationicity in optimizing efficacy against specific bacteria. The bromophenyl dimeric guanidinium peptoid compound 10j showed excellent activity against S. aureus 38 and E. coli K12 with MIC of 0.8 μg mL−1 and 6.2 μg mL−1, respectively. Further investigation into the mechanism of action revealed that the antibacterial effect might be attributed to the disruption of bacterial cell membranes, as suggested by tethered bilayer lipid membranes (tBLMs) and cytoplasmic membrane permeability studies. Notably, these promising antibacterial agents exhibited negligible toxicity against mammalian red blood cells. Additionally, the study explored the potential of 12 active compounds to disrupt established biofilms of S. aureus 38. The most effective biofilm disruptors were ethyl and octyl-naphthyl guanidinium peptoids (10c and 10 k). These compounds 10c and 10 k disrupted the established biofilms of S. aureus 38 with 51 % at 4x MIC (MIC = 17.6 μg mL−1 and 11.2 μg mL−1) and 56 %-58 % at 8x MIC (MIC = 35.2 μg mL−1 and 22.4 μg mL−1) respectively. Overall, this research contributes insights into the design principles of cationic dimeric peptoids and their antibacterial activity, with implications for the development of new antibacterial compounds.