Digital Laboratory Research Articles

Measurement Data Collection Device Based on ESP32 for Digital Laboratory

The potential use of digital laboratories is constantly growing every year, as such a device allows you to conduct research in such fields as biology, physics, chemistry and other natural sciences. It is proved that the use of modern equipment increases the efficiency of laboratory classes in schools. Today, there are a large number of educational digital laboratories, which find many areas of use, from laboratory work at school to laboratories at universities. However, if you analyze these digital labs, you can see that they do not have a user-friendly interface and settings. The purpose of this work is to review existing solutions, as well as find solutions to create an improved version of digital training laboratories. The main disadvantage of existing solutions is the lack of data transfer via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, as well as connection to a computer or smartphone, which could significantly improve the process of working with such a device. One of the solutions to this problem is the creation of digital training laboratories based on the ESP-32 microcontroller. After analyzing the existing digital laboratories, we can conclude that this area needs improvement, as existing technologies allow to create much better devices in terms of ease of use and opportunities for educational purposes. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are the main elements, the addition of which will significantly improve digital laboratories. One such solution is the ESP-32 microcontroller, as it includes these modules, and its technical characteristics allow you to create a device that will collect data simultaneously from many connected sensors. The creation of a digital laboratory with such characteristics will significantly improve the process of laboratory work in schools and universities, as well as allow more organized distance learning online, which will have a positive impact on the educational process in schools and universities.

Reduced-Order Modeling Framework Enables Dynamic Process Optimization

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 202643, “Dynamic Process Optimization Using a Reduced-Order Modeling Framework,” by Ravikishan Guddeti, SPE, IPCOS, and Sathish Sankaran, SPE, Xecta Digital Labs, prepared for the 2020 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, held virtually 9–12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. The role of process operations upstream, midstream, and downstream is critical to fundamental business resilience and production optimization in a dynamic environment. In the complete paper, the authors propose a fast, hybrid, self-learning dynamic process-modeling method derived from routine plant measurements that can be used for short-term forecasts, scenario modeling, and process optimization and control. Introduction The methodology, reduced-order modeling (ROM), can use large quantities of data from plant sensors to create a dynamic process model that can be used to optimize process performance. The authors propose a model structure and a hybrid method that is physically intuitive and interpretable and can learn incrementally in real time and thus can augment human intelligence with fast machine-derived insights. Problem Description In the offshore facility system considered in this work, the oilwell flowlines are connected to the platform through risers that terminate at the facility inlet. Each topside flowline includes a subsea production flowline connected to a pressure-controlled choke. This topsides flowline choke is used to control production rate or manage slugging conditions. The facility is designed to provide separation and processing of the oil and condensate production as required to meet export pipeline specifications. A typical oil-separation train consists of many stages of separation and contains liquid surge volume to accommodate surges in liquid rate that may occur from wells or subsea flowlines. Depending on the space available, these separators are two- or three-phase separators. The liquid from each stage is dumped to the subsequent stage of separation, allowing the three phases (oil, gas, and water) to separate. Gas from each stage of separation is compressed, treated to remove water, and then pumped into the export line. Water removed in the separation trains is routed to treating systems before being dumped back into the sea. The dry oil is stored in the dry oil tank and pumped out to the pipelines. Each well has different characteristics that change with the age of the well. As the wells mature with reduced reservoir pressures and increased gas/oil ratio, the hydrocarbon phases travel at lower velocity, resulting in unstable flow regimes. When wells producing at high water cuts are brought online, combined with low gas flow rates and low wellhead pressure, the potential for slug flow can disrupt steady operation of the separation train. The frequency of these events increases with aging reservoirs and high-water-cut production. An effective real-time tool is needed that can monitor current operating conditions continuously and is able to run through alternative mitigation strategies quickly using the predictive model to analyze the effect on downstream processes.

From Bench to Bedside: Three Imperatives for Making the Digital Laboratory a Reality

From Bench to Bedside: Three Imperatives for Making the Digital Laboratory a Reality

Student' own discoveries in information theory curriculum

A recent approach to learning Information and Coding Theory is suggested basing on power of modern computer science. Students willingly try to rediscover known and famous technologies by means of programming them. In order not to distract their attention, an ‘easy programming’ is suggested for what MATLAB seems to be the best tool. Collection of programs developed mutually by author and his students forms an ‘Information Theory Digital Laboratory’.

KOSMOS: An Open Source Underwater Video Lander for Monitoring Coastal Fishes and Habitats.

Background: Monitoring the ecological status of coastal ecosystems is essential to track the consequences of anthropogenic pressures and assess conservation actions. Monitoring requires periodic measurements collected in situ, replicated over large areas and able to capture their spatial distribution over time. This means developing tools and protocols that are cost-effective and provide consistent and high-quality data, which is a major challenge. A new tool and protocol with these capabilities for non-extractively assessing the status of fishes and benthic habitats is presented here: the KOSMOS 3.0 underwater video system. Methods: The KOSMOS 3.0 was conceived based on the pre-existing and successful STAVIRO lander, and developed within a digital fabrication laboratory where collective intelligence was contributed mostly voluntarily within a managed project. Our suite of mechanical, electrical, and software engineering skills were combined with ecological knowledge and field work experience. Results: Pool and aquarium tests of the KOSMOS 3.0 satisfied all the required technical specifications and operational testing. The prototype demonstrated high optical performance and high consistency with image data from the STAVIRO. The project’s outcomes are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA license. The low cost of a KOSMOS unit (~1400 €) makes multiple units affordable to modest research or monitoring budgets.

A Multi-Sided Platform to Activate the Sharing of Digital Labs

This paper presents a business model for digital laboratories (labs) to promote sharing in network organizations. Using information systems design science research methodology, a multi-sided platform is created and evaluated as a sustainable business model. Digital labs complement theoretical concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to promote understanding of concepts, practical knowledge, and experiences. However, these labs are expensive and typically only available to local user groups, and not every university can offer the same or equivalent labs. Many universities are not well prepared to share labs with other institutions or to be part of a network organization. Among the findings are that digital labs are becoming more important, that there is an emerging trend from product- to service-oriented solutions, that a lab-sharing marketplace should provide targeted offerings for teaching and training, and that industry customers and students are showing interest in digital labs education content. The willingness to pay for students and industry is there, but for students the discussion remains ethical in nature as to who should pay for education. On the other hand, industry customers point out that there is a fear of losing intellectual property and security risks. This paper shows how a sustainable business model for digital labs activates lab sharing. Then universities can offer a better curriculum, instructors have more opportunities to provide a good education, and only then can students have access to more lab environments.

Target State Classification by Attention-Based Branch Expansion Network

The intelligent laboratory is an important carrier for the development of the manufacturing industry. In order to meet the technical state requirements of the laboratory and control the particle redundancy, the wearing state of personnel and the technical state of objects are very important observation indicators in the digital laboratory. We collect human and object state datasets, which present the state classification challenge of the staff and experimental tools. Humans and objects are especially important for scene understanding, especially those existing in scenarios that have an impact on the current task. Based on the characteristics of the above datasets—small inter-class distance and large intra-class distance—an attention-based branch expansion network (ABE) is proposed to distinguish confounding features. In order to achieve the best recognition effect by considering the network’s depth and width, we firstly carry out a multi-dimensional reorganization of the existing network structure to explore the influence of depth and width on feature expression by comparing four networks with different depths and widths. We apply channel and spatial attention to refine the features extracted by the four networks, which learn “what” and “where”, respectively, to focus. We find the best results lie in the parallel residual connection of the dual attention applied in stacked block mode. We conduct extensive ablation analysis, gain consistent improvements in classification performance on various datasets, demonstrate the effectiveness of the dual-attention-based branch expansion network, and show a wide range of applicability. It achieves comparable performance with the state of the art (SOTA) on the common dataset Trashnet, with an accuracy of 94.53%.

Late Adulthood, COVID-19-Related Stress Perceptions, Meaning in Life, and Forgiveness as Predictors of Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to examine multiple direct and indirect pathways of the association between older age and mental health through COVID-19-related stress perceptions, meaning in life, and forgiveness of situations. Participants were 1,382 U.S. adults who were part of the Harvard Digital Lab for the Social Sciences panel who volunteered to complete a 12 min survey in the spring of 2020. The sample had an average age of 56 years, was slightly more male (55%) than female (44%) or other (2%), mostly White (88%), well-educated (70% bachelors degree or more), and middle-income ($60,000–$75,000 annually). Measures included: COVID-19-related stress perceptions (e.g., concerns about infection, job, lack of necessities), presence of and search for meaning in life, forgiveness of situations, psychological distress, hopelessness, and optimism. A latent mental health variable was created that was comprised of psychological distress, hopelessness, and optimism. All hypothesized direct effects were in evidence, and all but one indirect effect were observed. Specifically, older age was related to better mental health through higher presence of meaning and lower search for meaning. Older age was also related to better mental health through a serial indirect pathway from lower COVID-19-related stress perceptions to higher presence of and lower search for meaning and higher forgiveness of situations to mental health. The proposed model was largely supported and confirms existing theory and research on aging, positive psychological processes, and mental health. Findings also offer new insights on the unique potential role of forgiveness of situations and its theoretical relevance to offending situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study offers a beginning for theorists, researchers, and practitioners to consider the connections between aging and mental health and the intricate interconnections between stress appraisal and positive coping resources that may serve to support it.

Sponsored content: Building out the digital laboratory

Sponsored content: Building out the digital laboratory

Educational direction of STEM in the system of realization of blended teaching of physics

Today's requirements for the training of specialists encourage the modernization of education through the introduction of new educational technologies, in particular the introduction of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The article analyzes the aspects of the concept of STEM implementation in the educational sector of Ukraine. The analysis of scientific works on the development of STEM education allowed to establish the features of teaching physics, taking into account current trends in education. The components of STEM teaching of physics include means of blended learning in combination with cloud-based technologies. This concept is especially relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven models of blended learning, which are the most common in educational practice in Ukraine, are analyzed. The concepts of compositional combination of full-scale experiment with the use of digital laboratories, cloud services and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) technologies as tools for the implementation of blended learning in the STEM system are outlined. Guided by the recommendations of the state program to improve the quality of natural and mathematical education, the emphasis is on the use of modern experimental tools and digital laboratories. The use of digital laboratories makes it possible to organize a physical experiment at a fundamentally new level. An example of a complex study of mechanics using a digital laboratory, cloud services and BYOD technology is given. The results of the pedagogical experiment convincingly prove that the technologies of blended learning with the use of cloud services and BYOD tools are a powerful tool in the work of teachers.

Appetite comes with eating. The never ending digital edition of the Codex Pelavicino

The paper presents the potential means of utilizing digital edition tools by retracing the process of the Codice Pelavicino digital edition. We will also explore the related issues of coding, output, easiness of use, relationship with users. The paper presents the reworking of a lecture presented at the webinar “Medieval archival sources in digital environment. The challenge of processing and visualizing semi-structured data , organized on 22-23 June 2020 by the Digital Culture Laboratory (University of Pisa) and by the head of the Engineering Historical Memory project. The aim is to promote future collaboration and experimentation initiatives in the field of processing and extraction of information from semi-structured editions of archival documents.

UNITATE DIGITALĂ DE POMPARE CU POMPE CU ROŢI DINŢATE UTILIZATĂ PENTRU FURNIZAREA DEBITULUI NECESAR ECHIPAMENTELOR MOBILE CU EFICIENŢĂ ENERGETICĂ MARE

In this article, the authors want to present the benefits of digital hydraulics, by presenting a Digital Hydraulic Pumping System (DHPS), consisting of 4 fixed flow pumps, driven by a biaxial electric motor, 4 3/2 on/off electrohydraulic directional valve, 4/2 types electrohydraulic directional valve and a bidirectional hydraulic motor. With the help of a micro-controller, the 4 3/2 electrohydraulic directional valve, which independently control the output of each pump, are operated in a certain sequence, so that a regulation of the flow provided in the system in 15 discrete points is obtained. Due to the construction of the 3/2 electrohydraulic directional valve (electrohydraulic directional valve with port P to T), but also of the microcontroller, a variation of the flow supplied in the system with low energy losses is obtained. This system is designed within the digital hydraulics laboratory of the INOE 2000-IHP Research Institute, in order to obtain preliminary results, which will also lead to its physical realization. The article contains the results obtained by numerical simulation of using Digital fluid power technology in the field of hydraulic drives, systems which have advantages such as: the use of simple, robust components with a high degree of flexibility and programmability.

Characteristics of protective forest strips and their reclamation effect on sunflower in the zone of southern carbonate chernozems

The article deals with the issues related to the characteristics of protective forest strips and their impact on the yield of agricultural crops in the Troitsky farm of the Mikhailovsky district of the Volgograd region. Methodology. The characteristics of forest strips are typical. The spatial orientation of protective forest strips, species composition, height, undergrowth, number of rows, distance between rows and seats in a row, density and safety of plantings, width, openwork, design of forest strips are considered. Forest strips with sunflower biocenosis represent the ecosystem. The inter-lane space was taken into account from the forest strip at a distance of: 5; 10; 15; 25 and 35 heights (H). The control was the middle of the inter-lane cell. The bio-productivity of sunflower was determined by the phases of development: leaf area, assimilating surface, photosynthetic potential. For the analytical expression of the spatial dynamics of the photosynthetic potential an exponential dependence was used. Oil content at the end of the growing season was measured on the basis of interstate standards GOST 10857-64, GOST 13586.3 and GOST 10853-88 using a digital laboratory moisture-oil meter VMTSL-12M. The aim of the research was to identify the reclamation effect of the influence of protective forest strips on the bioproductivity of sunflower with minimal tillage (or no-till technology). Conclusion. Features of the bio-productivity of sunflower hybrid in the inter-lane space are expressed in the patterns of development of assimilating the surface on logistics and photosynthetic potential is exponential. The yield of the hybrid varies depending on the weather conditions, the presence of nutrients in the soil and does not differ fundamentally by year. Consequently, the cultivation of the LG-5456 hybrid in humid years in the zone of influence of forest strips using the no-till technology showed good results. The obtained data prove that forest-reclamation plantings in agricultural landscapes are one of the most durable and environmentally friendly factors for increasing the productivity of agricultural land.

Performance of the Tensiometer Method for the Determination of Soil-Water Retention Curves in Various Soils

Abstract The soil-water retention curve (SWRC) describes the relationship between the soil matric suction and the water content of an unsaturated soil. It is an essential tool in geotechnical engineering and agriculture and is, for example, used in the analysis of unsaturated soil conditions such as those found in tailings dams and in analyzing the water retention capacity of agricultural land. Conventional methods used to obtain the SWRC are laborious and often rely on empirically derived equations to describe the curve. These test procedures can take weeks to complete and usually rely on indirect methods of measuring suction. Recent advances in the development of affordable high-capacity tensiometers (HCTs), the only devices capable of producing a direct and continuous measurement of high matric suctions, enable the introduction of the tensiometer method for the rapid determination of continuous SWRCs. The method requires an HCT, a digital laboratory balance, and a means of sample volume measurement if volume changes are relevant. The method involves continuously monitoring the mass and matric suctions generated in a naturally desaturating soil sample. The method has thus far seen limited implementation owing to the need for measuring specimen volume change to describe the hydraulic and volumetric behavior fully. The performance of the tensiometer method was investigated by determining SWRCs of five different soil types and then comparing them to the SWRCs determined from the filter paper method. A novel method, based on photogrammetry, was adopted for volume change measurement to produce SWRCs for soils that undergo shrinkage during drying. Excellent agreement between the methods was found for both the nonplastic soils and plastic soils tested.

Digital Management Systems in Academic Health Sciences Laboratories: A Scoping Review.

Good laboratory practices (GLP) increase the quality and traceability of results in health sciences research. However, factors such as high staff turnover, insufficient resources, and a lack of training for managers may limit their implementation in research and academic laboratories. This Scoping Review aimed to identify digital tools for managing academic health sciences and experimental medicine laboratories and their relationship with good practices. Following the PRISMA-ScR 2018 criteria, a search strategy was conducted until April 2021 in the databases PUBMED, Web of Sciences, and Health Virtual Library. A critical appraisal of the selected references was conducted, followed by data charting. The search identified twenty-one eligible articles, mainly originated from high-income countries, describing the development and/or implementation of thirty-two electronic management systems. Most studies described software functionalities, while nine evaluated and discussed impacts on management, reporting both improvements in the workflow and system limitations during implementation. In general, the studies point to a contribution to different management issues related to GLP principles. In conclusion, this review identified evolving evidence that digital laboratory management systems may represent important tools in compliance with the principles of good practices in experimental medicine and health sciences research.

Assessment of Technological Setup for Teaching Real-Time and Recorded Laboratories for Online Learning: Implications for the Return to In-Person Learning

Lab-based learning is an essential part of any undergraduate chemistry curriculum as it incorporates necessary and required hands-on experiential learning. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students are learning from home, rendering laboratory instruction a particular challenge. Options for educators include third party virtual and prerecorded materials, at-home laboratory experiments, and original prerecorded and real-time instruction. Here, we report the assessment of a variety of technological setups for real-time and prerecorded original content looking at a variety of audio and video sources as well as one-camera and two-camera options. We intentionally selected equipment that we had readily available and ensured our recordings were as close to the student experience as possible by recording via a secondary computer signed into an online learning platform. Upon a survey of a small group of students at Quest University Canada, we found that 72% of students preferred a two-camera setup using a smartphone to film the instructor as a whole and a web camera to provide a close-up view of the chemistry taking place. This setup was used for a diversity of real-time and prerecorded experiments delivered remotely at Quest University including titrations, basic synthetic reactions, and purifications. For two of the experiments, a titration lab and a synthesis and purification lab, we assessed the ability of different remote learning options to meet pre-COVID-19 learning outcomes. Real-time, digital laboratory instruction is clearly the most effective. In addition, we suggest scenarios where using digital techniques may create efficiencies in laboratory teaching upon the return to on-campus learning.

Digital Instructional and Pedagogical Gaps in Mathematics Education during COVID-19: APOS Theory Based Laboratory Methodology in Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic globally transformed the face to face teaching and learning into digital online teaching and learning. The uptake and integration of digital technology in mathematics education have been gradual for many decades. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the digital teaching and learning and made it an imperative and safe remote instruction and pedagogy of the day in mathematics education and education in general. We explored the uptake and use of virtual mathematics laboratory methodology for undergraduate Calculus teaching and learning as a remote instruction and pedagogy gap revealed during the COVID-19 infections prevention and containment period in Zimbabwe. The main objective of the study was to identify digital instructional and pedagogical gaps that existed in addressing students' mathematical misconceptions in Calculus learning in using the APOS theory and a virtual mathematics laboratory. Data was collected from 160 undergraduate students taking Calculus courses via APOS theory mediated digital mathematics laboratory for a semester. Results revealed that the undergraduate students who took the Calculus courses via the digital mathematics laboratory methodology performed better than those who used to take the same courses using didactical approaches. This COVID-19 crisis ushered in digital teaching and learning experiences that clearly spelt out the existence of digital instructional and pedagogical gaps in mathematics education.

Research on the Principle of Optimizing Teaching with Digital Animation in Experimental Teaching

With the rapid development of computing technology, experimental teaching explores new teaching methods using virtual laboratory and digital laboratory. Based on the characteristics of visualization, continuity and simulation, digital animation technology has become an important form of application in experimental teaching reform. This paper analyzes the artistic characteristics of digital animation, and summarizes that digital animation can display the experimental information intuitively, enable students to quickly obtain the cognition of the experimental content, and obtain psychological pleasure through digital animation in experimental learning, thus improving the teaching effect of experimental teaching.

Toward a cost–benefit analysis of quality programs in digital forensic laboratories in the United States

AbstractThere are few quantitative metrics to help evaluate the adoption of quality measures from a laboratory funder's standpoint. This article synthesizes existing data to create a simple prototype for a model to anticipate the costs or savings associated with implementing a quality program, including accreditation, in a digital forensic laboratory. Digital forensic laboratories were selected as an area of interest, as the field is largely unregulated in the United States, there are disparities in the qualifications of practitioners, and there is no empirical understanding of how frequently error occurs in the discipline. The model is used to determine under what conditions there may be anticipated overall financial savings, assuming an annual case throughput of ncases and a lowered frequency of miscarriages of justice, associated with properly implementing an accredited quality system, given by F. While this model does not account for the human cost associated with miscarriages of justice, it demonstrates that the cost of a robust quality system may prove cheaper than the risk and cost associated with the negative outcomes stemming from miscarriages of justice. Under the parameters used for testing, only under two realistic conditions will the implementation of a quality system never realize a benefit: when the cost of a wrongful conviction is relatively small and when forensic error leads to wrongful conviction on the order of 1 in 100,000 cases or less. In all other scenarios, it is possible that, under realistic conditions, laboratory funders may realize savings by implementing an accredited quality program.This article is categorized under: Jurisprudence and Regulatory Oversight > Interdisciplinary Collaboration Digital and Multimedia Science > Forensic Visualization

Intelligent Digital Learning Services Laboratory in Smart Classroom Environment

The application of the concept of the Internet of Things in a laboratory environment will improve the quality of learning processes in the classroom because several activities are represented by technology so that lecturers and students will organize their assignments more efficiently and effectively. This paper is designed to describe the concept of models, symbols, technology, and the Internet of Thing’s challenges for a better life. The Internet of Things' role illustrates the broader concept of Smart Classroom by offering the integration of multiple ThingSpeak sensors, microcontrollers, actuators, and equipment as the Internet of Things applications and APIs in authenticating experienced and prepared smart laboratory models. The smart laboratory system modeling results based on the Internet of Things are expected to support digital learning services, automatic data processing, and collect statistics on students' whereabouts in each practicum course.