In-house Development Research Articles

A wideband hybrid combiner design for ITER ion cyclotron radio frequency source.

The high-power radio frequency source for ion cyclotron heating and current drive of ITER tokamak consists of two identical 1.5MW amplifier chains. These two chains will be combined using a wideband hybrid combiner with adequate coupling flatness, phase balance, return loss, and isolation response to generate 2.5MW radio frequency (RF) power in the frequency range of 36 to 60MHz. As part of the in-house development program at ITER-India, a wideband hybrid combiner with coupling flatness and return loss/isolation better than 0.4 and -25 dB, respectively, has been simulated. A detailed analysis for matched load performance of the hybrid combiner for the output power level of 3MW as well as mismatched load performance for load power of 2.5MW with voltage standing wave ratio 2.0 and 3.0MW with voltage standing wave ratio 1.5 has been performed. Based on the simulation, a prototype model was in-house fabricated, and the simulated results have been validated experimentally in splitter and combiner mode. To evaluate performance as a combiner, two solid-state power amplifiers were combined through the prototype combiner for input power levels up to 2.5 kW on matched and mismatched load conditions. In the power splitter experiment, the RF power level up to 1.5MW from a single amplifier chain was split through the prototype combiner to be dumped in the high power loads in the frequency range of 36 to 60MHz.

Endurance – Modernisation of the instrumentation suite at the Institut Laue-Langevin

Endurance encompasses more than 30 new or upgraded instrument and infrastructure projects, rolled out over 8 years between 2016 and 2023. Many new or upgraded instruments have already been deployed and are in user-operation including: the fission-fragment gamma ray spectrometer, FIPPS; the upgraded cold-neutron TOF spectrometer IN5; new thermal TOF spectrometer PANTHER; and a second protein crystallography station, DALI. The D3 hot-neutron diffractometer and IN20 thermal triple-axis spectrometer have been upgraded while new and additional detectors for the SANS instruments D11 and D22 have been installed. The D16 cold-neutron diffractometer has been fully modernised and new coldneutron imaging instrument, NeXT, has been installed. Delivering a full suite of modernised instrumentation is dependent on the renewed in-pile beam extraction, H1-H2, new H24 (thermal) and H15 (cold) neutron guides and the in-house development and manufacture of critical technologies such as neutron detectors, monochromator optics and polarisation components. The new H24 guide provides dedicated endof-guide positions to the upgraded D10+ single crystal diffractometer, IN13 backscattering instrument and the new XtremeD powder and single-crystal diffractometer. H15 will accommodate a substantially upgraded D(00)7 polarised diffuse scattering and spectroscopy instrument while D11 will be rebuilt and relocated with an optically cleaner collimation. Two additional end-of-guide positions are available for new instrumentation: The SHARP+ cold-neutron TOF spectrometer and a 4th SANS instrument, SAM. The success of Endurance will provide users with a fully modernised suite of world-class instruments.

Wipro Infotech's Pivot From Computer Hardware to R&D Services for IT

The Indian minicomputer policy of 1978 licensed computer manufacturing to the private sector. Wipro obtained a license, and set-up Wipro Infotech as a division in 1980-81 to manufacture minicomputers. One of their strengths was a strong in-house research and development (R&D) capability for designing minicomputers. The 1984 policy made it easier for multinational computer firms to tie-up with Indian firms and sell computers in India. Wipro Infotech tied-up with Sun Microsystems and other multinationals. This meant an uncertain future for Wipro Infotech's minicomputers and their R&D capability. An alternative was to redeploy this capability to provide R&D services for multinational information technology (IT) firms. The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) policy introduced in 1990 made offshore driven Indian IT services – both R&D and software services – exports attractive. Wipro Infotech leveraged their R&D capability and the STPI policy to pivot from computer hardware to R&D services.

Enabling synthesis in fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD): microscale high-throughput optimisation of the medicinal chemist's toolbox reactions.

Miniaturised high-throughput experimentation (HTE) is widely employed in industrial and academic laboratories for rapid reaction optimisation using material-limited, multifactorial reaction condition screening. In fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), common toolbox reactions such as the Suzuki-Miyaura and Buchwald-Hartwig cross couplings can be hampered by the fragment's intrinsic heteroatom-rich pharmacophore which is required for ligand-protein binding. At Astex, we are using microscale HTE to speed up reaction optimisation and prevent target down-prioritisation. By identifying catalyst/base/solvent combinations which tolerate unprotected heteroatoms we can rapidly optimise key cross-couplings and expedite route design by avoiding superfluous protecting group manipulations. However, HTE requires extensive upfront training, and this modern automated synthesis technique largely differs to the way organic chemists are traditionally trained. To make HTE accessible to all our synthetic chemists we have developed a semi-automated workflow enabled by pre-made 96-well screening kits, rapid analytical methods and in-house software development, which is empowering chemists at Astex to run HTE screens independently with minimal training.

In-house Leadership Development Programs for High-Potential and High-Performing Engineering Faculty

In-house Leadership Development Programs for High-Potential and High-Performing Engineering Faculty

Professional learning by mathematics teachers through video-stimulated recall

This article reports on mathematics teachers’ professional learning prospects through video-stimulated recall (VSR), a tool for in-house professional development. Providing timeous feedback to teachers on aspects of their teaching that they should improve are greatly beneficial. Two Mathematics teachers at a rural high school in a province of South Africa, implemented VSR. The research question was: What is the effect of incorporating VSR on the professional learning of these two mathematics teachers? This qualitative study used the conscious competence learning model as its conceptual lens. VSR-related interviews served as data collection instrument. The findings revealed that the teachers reflected differently and on different aspects of their lessons. Their professional learning varied were they adapted their teaching on some of the aspects noticed and one some not/ to a limited extend. VSR put them in the driving seat of their own learning, allowing them to develop professional as noticed through reflection.

Concept for a Portable Measuring Device for the Quantitative Detection of Legionella

According to the drinking water regulation, drinking water systems must be tested for harmful contamination at specified intervals. To meet the legal requirements and save costs and time, a portable analysis method is to be developed. For this purpose, a concept study was conducted. It describes a portable measuring device for the quantitative detection of legionella using real-time PCR. The study includes the construction elements and conditions that are necessary for the collection, processing, and evaluation of the sample. It was found that commercially available PCR systems do not meet the size requirements and can only be represented by an in-house development. In addition, a microfluidic system must be developed that is designed for one-time use and low production cost.

The Austrian Health Information System “ÖGIS” – supporting implementation of the Public Health Action Cycle in Austria

The Austrian National Public Health Institute (GÖG) started to develop the Austrian Health Information System (ÖGIS) by combining technology of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and common approaches of epidemiology in the early 1990ies. Today, ÖGIS is designed as a specific GIS-application, continuously maintained and developed further by in-house development within GÖG and accessible to all employees of GÖG as well as to interested external institutions and persons. ÖGIS covers all major data sources relevant to health, health determinants and the health care system in Austria. It is used for epidemiological research, health reporting, health services monitoring and research as well as for integrated planning of the health care system. After ÖGIS has proven itself as a useful support for implementation of the Public Health Action Cycle in Austria over many years, the maintenance of the ÖGIS databases will be continued and the employment of ÖGIS for purposes of regional health services research will be intensified in the upcoming years.

Evaluating the determinative factors driving patents and foreign technologies acquisitions in Visegrád countries

PurposeThis paper aims to empirically examine the factors driving the acquisition of patents and foreign technologies in 2,198 firms spanning multiple industries in Visegrád countries.Design/methodology/approachTo fulfil the research objectives, the authors used the binary logistic regression models for the empirical specifications to analyse the various hypotheses to ascertain the factors contributing to patents, foreign technologies and international quality certificate acquisitions in Visegrád countries.FindingsThe results show that technological innovations, in-house and external research and development, intense competition from the informal sector and external knowledge search positively influence firms to acquire patents, foreign technologies and international quality certificates. The study further showed that certain firm characteristics, such as size, having a board of directors, female top managers and top managers’ experience, positively influenced firms’ ability to obtain patents, foreign technologies and international quality certificates.Originality/valueThe authors provide new insights into understanding the factors contributing to international technological linkages in the context of transitional countries such as the Visegrád four group. The authors have shown that international technology linkages through foreign technology licences and international quality certifications are vital for innovations in transition economies.

Improving Online Adaptive Radiotherapy Quality Assurance with Streamlined Clinical Workflow through In-House Development

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> Online adaptive radiotherapy has been clinically feasible through decades of research and development and is now available in the clinical routine with dedicated platforms using CBCT-LINAC or MR-LINAC. The quality assurance (QA) of online plans has become a bottleneck in the clinical workflow as it often requires manual data export/import through third party software, lengthy wait for the secondary dose calculation, and tedious work on report generation and checking, etc. The QA bottleneck not only impedes clinical workflow but also risks plan and treatment quality due to the time pressure with the patient waiting on the treatment table. We have developed and implemented in-house solutions to address such a bottleneck. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> We developed dedicated in-house infrastructure to facilitate online adaptive plan QA and clinical workflow: 1) RT-PACK with SQLite database, which receives and organizes DICOM-RT data from any DICOM sender (e.g., clinical TPS); 2) a general purpose dose calculation server powered by the in-house GPU-based Monte Carlo particle transport engine with electromagnetic field modelling; 3) a report generator that automatically generates reports for secondary dose and plan quality check; 4) a web-portal that allows clinicians to review and sign the report anywhere with a network and VPN connection, even from a mobile phone. The reports and related documents will be automatically sent to the Record & Verify system after obtaining both physician and physicist signatures. An auto-commissioner was also developed to facilitate beam modeling based on water-tank measurements, which serves the purpose of fully independent verification. The dose calculation was performed on the whole patient volume with grid resolution of 2 mm x 2 mm x 2 mm. The 3D dose volume, treatment fields, point dose, Gamma Index with global 3%, 2mm criteria, three orthogonal dose profiles, dose volume histograms, and dosimetric constraints are metrics to compare the plan retrieved from TPS to the secondary dose verification and reported for clinicians' review. The whole in-house infrastructure went through extensive unit tests, dosimetric accuracy verifications, and alpha and beta tests before adopted for clinical use. <h3>Results</h3> The secondary dose and plan check infrastructure went live for CBCT-LINAC and MR-LINAC in our clinic and has since performed secondary check for every plan generated (846 plans and 622 plans, respectively, in less than 6 months.) The average processing time, from DICOM receiving to report generation, was 62 seconds for CBCT-LINAC and 130 seconds for MR-LINAC, which was 3-5 minutes shorter compared to using commercial software. More than 95% of CBCT-LINAC (MR-LINAC) plans had Gamma passing rates >99% (>95%). <h3>Conclusion</h3> The in-house developed software, through strict verification and validation, has been integrated into the clinical system. It has greatly improved online adaptive quality assurance with efficient and streamlined clinical workflow.

PENGENALAN SISTEM INFORMASI AKUNTANSI DI DUNIA KERJA: OUTSOURCING SYSTEM OF ENTERPRISE BUSINESS PROCESS

Accounting Information System (AIS) as an information provider machine, the intelligence of the business language, owned by the company will always change and is needed to change due to various factors, one of which is changes in business processes. Companies are faced with the decision to provide the need for an effective and efficient AIS. Companies can have one of three ways to acquire an AIS, including purchasing software, developing their own software in-house, or using AIS services and products from a system vendor (outsourcing). This community service was packaged in the form of an online public lecture which was attended by around 35 people consisting of college students in STIE Wiyatamandala and the general public. It is hoped that on the next occasion, public lectures or similar events with the topic of in-house system development can be held.

A non-destructive assay of plutonium based nuclear fuels by in-house developed small volume calorimeter

Conventionally, quantitative estimation of radionuclides is carried out by measuring the decay particles/radiation (alpha, beta, neutron/gamma) or electrochemical techniques (potentiometry). Calorimetry is an alternative non-destructive technique for quantitative estimation of radionuclides, especially plutonium-containing fuels. The measurement of total heat in terms of power associated with radioactive decay is the basis of this calorimetry technique. This technique is widely used in the nuclear industry to account for plutonium in fuel pellets, powders, and metals. In the present work, the design, in-house development, fabrication and testing of a cost-effective small volume radioactive calorimeter based on peltier sensing elements is described and its performance in measuring the plutonium concentration is discussed. The calorimeter was calibrated by both electrical and plutonium standards. The results from calorimetry were corroborated with conventional potentiometric analysis and found to be in good agreement, qualified through Bland and Altman analysis.

CMRSegTools: An open-source software enabling reproducible research in segmentation of acute myocardial infarct in CMR images.

In the last decade, a large number of clinical trials have been deployed using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) to evaluate cardioprotective strategies aiming at reducing the irreversible myocardial damage at the time of reperfusion. In these studies, segmentation and quantification of myocardial infarct lesion are often performed with a commercial software or an in-house closed-source code development thus creating a barrier for reproducible research. This paper introduces CMRSegTools: an open-source application software designed for the segmentation and quantification of myocardial infarct lesion enabling full access to state-of-the-art segmentation methods and parameters, easy integration of new algorithms and standardised results sharing. This post-processing tool has been implemented as a plug-in for the OsiriX/Horos DICOM viewer leveraging its database management functionalities and user interaction features to provide a bespoke tool for the analysis of cardiac MR images on large clinical cohorts. CMRSegTools includes, among others, user-assisted segmentation of the left-ventricle, semi- and automatic lesion segmentation methods, advanced statistical analysis and visualisation based on the American Heart Association 17-segment model. New segmentation methods can be integrated into the plug-in by developing components based on image processing and visualisation libraries such as ITK and VTK in C++ programming language. CMRSegTools allows the creation of training and testing data sets (labeled features such as lesion, microvascular obstruction and remote ROI) for supervised Machine Learning methods, and enables the comparative assessment of lesion segmentation methods via a single and integrated platform. The plug-in has been successfully used by several CMR imaging studies.

Large-Scale Agile Transformations for Software Quality Assurance: An Empirical Case Study from Pakistan

Software quality plays an important role in the easy and quick adoption of a software product by the end users. Agile methods have proven to play an effective role in ensuring software quality; however, the public sector is hesitant in its adoption. This study evaluates the adoption of agile methods in the public sector in-house software development and capitalization of potential benefits. A quantitative approach is used with 28 survey questionnaires based on budget, time, quick debugging and correction, maintenance, easy testing, and installation as software quality components to assess the employability of agile methods. The questionnaire was served to 216 information technology (IT) professionals (project managers: 6%, developers: 61%, quality assurance (QA) leads: 8%, and testers: 25%) from the public sector companies having experience in software development using agile and waterfall methods. The quality components and hypotheses are evaluated using the T-test and chi-square test, respectively, with a 95% confidence interval. The results highlight the benefits of using agile methodologies for software quality components in the public sector. Additionally, the findings demonstrate how agile software development approaches significantly affect the quality of software products and successful delivery within budget and deadline.

What Determines AI Adoption?

Over the recent years, firms have showed an increased demand for leveraging the performance potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. However, the general applicability of AI to many settings raises important managerial questions about whether aspects such as potential for in-house versus external AI development, the presence of complementary technological resources (e.g. access to cloud computing), or even the specific use of AI (e.g. product/service development, operational management) would guide firm-level decisions underlying AI adoption. While recent research has provided some insight on worker-level decisions about using AI, knowledge about firm-level AI adoption, as well as heterogeneities in adoption, remains scant. To address this empirical gap, this preliminary paper provides one of the first comprehensive assessments of firm-level determinants of AI adoption while accounting for the heterogeneous sources, applications, and complementary technological resources of AI in organizations. Specifically, this paper reports the first results of a novel firm-level AI adoption survey deployed to a representative sample of South Korean firms from 2017 and 2018. Econometric assessments identified that firm size and use of existing intangible assets are important for AI adoption. However, while these characteristics are significant for AI adoption regardless of whether the technology was produced in-house or obtained from a vendor, analyses suggest that there may be heterogeneities on the determinants of AI adoption depending on the operational application of AI. Furthermore, AI adoption also ensues in tandem with the adoption of other digital technologies (e.g. big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things) and with contemporaneous firm reorganization.

End point prediction in wet etching, cleaning, and rinsing of microstructures in semiconductor manufacturing

Etching, cleaning, and rinsing of micro- and nano-scale features are important industrial processes in semiconductor manufacturing. This study focused on developing an adaptable process simulator that employs user-input criteria drawn from literature and processing conditions to predict end point times for wet chemical processing. Two industrially relevant geometric systems were investigated, a rectangular trench and a cylindrical via, to expand the function of the tool. The effect of varying process parameters, including reactant concentration in the bulk fluid and the mass transfer coefficient, on the end point time was investigated and results indicate that better reactant availability reduces the end point time. Features with stacked layers forming feature sidewalls were studied to provide results on undercut, a critical wet chemical processing challenge. The location of the interface of stacked layers influences the clean up time as well as the onset of undercut. The process simulator developed can be used as a predictive tool for in-house recipe development to minimize invasive experiments and is an adaptable foundation for automated process control.

Innovating beyond firm boundaries: resource deployment control in open source software development

PurposeIn times of open and distributed innovation, many innovation activities that are important for firms' products and services take place beyond the boundaries of the firm and thus beyond firms' direct control. A prime example for this phenomenon is open source software (OSS) development, where multiple actors contribute to a public good, which is also integrated into company-owned software products. Despite the importance of aligning community work on the public good with own in-house development efforts, firms have limited options to directly control the OSS project or the project's outcome. This research reflects on resource deployment control, a control mode in which firms assign own developers to work for an OSS project to influence the OSS project, and tests hypotheses on individual developer levels.Design/methodology/approachThis research tests the effect of perceived resource deployment control on opinion leadership by analyzing employed Linux kernel developers.FindingsThe findings show that developers who perceive being assigned to an OSS project to enact control also exhibit opinion leadership. This research also investigates boundary conditions such as the OSS business model a firm operates and the reputation developers assign to the developers' employer.Originality/valueThis research is the first that is devoted to resource deployment control, and the research closes with a discussion of implications for control theory and the management of innovation beyond firm boundaries.

Inventory and Analysis of Environmental Sustainability Education in the Degrees of the University of Alcalá (Spain)

In order to promote education in environmental sustainability at higher education institutions and establish action priorities, a detailed analysis of the initial situation is needed, both in terms of courses offered and teaching and assessment strategies implemented. This article presents a methodology that can be used to standardize the evaluation of teaching in environmental sustainability at different universities. We exemplify its application at the University of Alcalá, located in Central Spain. The inventory was conducted using in-house software development for the extraction of environmental sustainability concepts in the degree courses’ syllabi, completed with a survey to faculty members and a manual review to confirm its adjustment to environmental issues. Those finally selected were analyzed in depth. The main results indicate that currently, only a small part of the courses (5.5%) offered at the University explicitly include environmental sustainability content. The grades that concentrate most of the courses are those of Environmental Sciences, Biology, Economics, Tourism and Pharmacy, with very low occurrence in the grades of Education and Health Sciences. It is concluded that further institutional commitment is needed in the definition of medium-term strategies to guide the training and dissemination efforts in order to promote sound environmental education in university courses.

Risks associated with the development process of in-house information system projects

To provide a risk management perspective for managers responsible for in-house project development, we investigated how the risks associated with an in-house information system (IS) project evolve during the software development process. We conducted interviews and content analysis to examine the risks that affect project delivery quality. Three companies participated in this research. The results of this study indicate that risks related to organizational structure persist throughout the software development process. Content analysis indicated that in the conducted interviews, sentences regarding task- and actor-related risks characterized the first two phases of this process, and sentences regarding technology-related risks characterized the last two (third and fourth) phases. The results also suggest that different types of risks exert pressure on in-house project teams to reassess the weaknesses and resource allocation in a project and the possible solutions to any potential problems. This research explains risk dynamics throughout the life cycle of in-house IS development. Moreover, the findings of this study can help project managers identify the risks associated with the project development process that directly affect the project results.

In-house development of µ-ECM setup and its experimental validation

ABSTRACT In today’s advanced and competitive environment in the smart manufacturing, the need to develop micro/nano-scaled components made up of typical engineering materials with superior quality has been observed as an issue of paramount importance. For responding to these challenges, well-capable in-house development of microelectrochemical machining (µ-ECM) setup has been targeted in this work. This includes the design of a tool feeding system, wire-circuit-diagram of linear axial movement of tool electrode, power supply system, and electrolyte circulation system. µ-ECM is an advanced machining process that is capable to fabricate micro-cavities, micro-holes, and micro-channels on hard-to-cut materials. The trial experiments were performed at different parametric settings of input variables such as applied voltage, electrolyte concentration, and tool feed-rate; and their effects have been observed over the process measures, i.e., material removal rate and dimensional-accuracy. Furthermore, the validation of developed µ-ECM setup has been done by comparing the performance of the process measures with the previous research works. The results of trials have been found to be in-accordance with the past investigations, which further validate the appropriate development of the designed setup. In-context with the radial-overcut, the µ-ECM inputs duty-cycle and concentration of electrolyte have been observed to be most dominating.