Open Architecture Research Articles

Enhancing Privacy and Security for Sensing Applications in Wireless Community Networks

Wireless Community Networks (WCNs) have become a viable option for underprivileged areas to have internet access. These networks are fundamentally open and decentralized since they are created by a community of users who contribute resources like bandwidth. The open architecture of WCNs and decentralized nature, and not having well defined regulation policies in place, necessitate addressing privacy and security issues around WCNs. Especially for sensing devices / applications that transmit large volumes of data, having strong security and privacy measures becomes essential. We are basing our research on the invited paper by Delphine et al., (2010) for taking the proposed solutions further

Cationic tantalum oxide nanoparticle contrast agent for micro computed tomography reveals articular cartilage proteoglycan distribution and collagen architecture alterations

ObjectiveCationic tantalum oxide nanoparticles (Ta2O5-cNPs), as a newly introduced contrast agent for computed tomography (CT) of cartilage, offer quantitative evaluation of proteoglycan content and biomechanical properties. However, knowledge on the depth-wise impact of cartilage constituents on NP diffusion, particularly the influence of the collagen network, is lacking. In this study, we aim to establish the depth-dependent relationship between Ta2O5-cNP diffusion and cartilage constituents (proteoglycan content, collagen content and network architecture). MethodsOsteochondral samples (n = 30) were harvested from healthy equine stifle joints (N = 15) and the diffusion of 2.55 nm diameter cationic Ta2O5-cNPs into the cartilage was followed with µCT imaging for up to 96 hours. The diffusion-related parameters, Ta2O5-cNP maximum partition (Pmax) and diffusion time constant, were compared against biomechanical and depth-wise structural properties. Biomechanics were assessed using a stress-relaxation and sinusoidal loading protocols, whereas proteoglycan content, collagen content and collagen network architecture were determined using digital densitometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and polarized light microscopy, respectively. ResultsThe Pmax correlates with the depth-wise distribution of proteoglycans (bulk Spearman’s ρ = 0.87, p < 0.001). More open collagen network architecture at the superficial zone enhances intake of Ta2O5-cNPs, but collagen content overall decreases the intake. The Pmax values correlate with the equilibrium modulus (ρ = 0.80, p < 0.001) of articular cartilage. ConclusionThis study establishes the feasibility of Ta2O5-cNPs for the precise and comprehensive identification of biomechanical and structural changes in articular cartilage via contrast-enhanced µCT.

Architecture for Smart Buildings Based on Fuzzy Logic and the OpenFog Standard

The combination of Artificial Intelligence and IoT technologies, the so-called AIoT, is expected to contribute to the sustainability of public and private buildings, particularly in terms of energy management, indoor comfort, as well as in safety and security for the occupants. However, IoT systems deployed on modern buildings may generate big amounts of data that cannot be efficiently analyzed and stored in the Cloud. Fog computing has proven to be a suitable paradigm for distributing computing, storage control, and networking functions closer to the edge of the network along the Cloud-to-Things continuum, improving the efficiency of the IoT applications. Unfortunately, it can be complex to integrate all components to create interoperable AIoT applications. For this reason, it is necessary to introduce interoperable architectures, based on standard and universal frameworks, to distribute consistently the resources and the services of AIoT applications for smart buildings. Thus, the rationale for this study stems from the pressing need to introduce complex computing algorithms aimed at improving indoor comfort, safety, and environmental conditions while optimizing energy consumption in public and private buildings. This article proposes an open multi-layer architecture aimed at smart buildings based on a standard framework, the OpenFog Reference Architecture (IEEE 1934–2018 standard). The proposed architecture was validated experimentally at the Faculty of Engineering of Vitoria-Gasteiz to improve indoor environmental quality using Fuzzy logic. Experimental results proved the viability and scalability of the proposed architecture.

LATIN AMERICAN MEMBERS OF CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE: THE ARGENTINA’S WAY

According to Beijing, its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides an inclusive platform for cooperation between participating countries in order to build an open and comprehensive architecture of international relations. The BRI’s extension to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2018 is one of the evidences of its success.&#x0D; The article analyzes Argentina’s entry into the BRI in the context of Sino-Argentine relations in 2018–2021 and the main reasons for signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the BRI in February 2022. Particular attention is paid to the reaction to this event within Argentina and abroad, as well as the impact of the participation in the initiative on Sino-Argentine relations and the implementation of the BRI in the Latin American region. The possible ways of further development of the situation are predicted.

Sistema de adquisición de datos de bajo costo para determinación de deformaciones con acelerómetros

In this article, a proposal for a data acquisition system specifically designed to evaluate fracture failure caused by vibration in an electrical harness bracket in a commercial vehicle is presented. The proposed system is a low-cost open architecture solution that allows comprehensive data collection, visualization, and analysis. The data captured by the accelerometers are sent to the microcontroller for processing and subsequent analysis using MATLAB software. In order to validate the proposed system, tests were performed using five different conditions on the vehicle. The electrical harness bracket was instrumented in the area where the fracture failure occurs to evaluate its performance under different scenarios. In addition, a stress analysis was carried out on the harness material, and the results obtained through the presented data acquisition system were compared, which demonstrated its effectiveness and the obtaining of satisfactory results. This research represents a significant advance in the detection and analysis of vibration failures in electrical harnesses, providing a useful tool for the validation of commercial vehicles.

Diffusion kinetics of ionic charge carriers across Ti3C2Tx MXene-aqueous electrochemical interfaces

Titanium carbide MXene -Ti3C2Tx - is a representative and well-employed electrode material for a variety of electrochemical energy storage applications. Despite exhibiting metal-like electronic conductivity, restacked Ti3C2Tx films show mediocre rate performance. Here, we report on the estimation of diffusion coefficients of aqueous cations (H+, Li+, Na+and Ca+2) across Ti3C2Tx MXene interlayer spaces by employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Proton diffusivity across 2D slits is found to be 2.2 * 10−8 ± 0.4 * 10−8 cm2/s, which is three orders of magnitude slower than in bulk water. Such a sluggish diffusive behavior is attributed to interfacial confinement effects in the 2D space. It is found that protons diffuse three times faster than hydrated metal cations (Li+, Na+and Ca+2) through Ti3C2Tx slits and exhibit strong potential dependent behavior. Therefore, the rate performance of Ti3C2Tx MXene electrodes is limited by the ionic transportation in the 2D slits rather than electronic transport. This study provides insights into the engineering of open 2D electrode architectures for better ionic diffusive pathways towards the design of high rate MXene based energy storage devices.

Teachers' work today: Exploring Finnish teachers’ narratives

This study employs narrative as a theoretical perspective and methodological approach, looking at the current nature of teachers' work from the viewpoint of 25 Finnish basic education teachers. Several categories such as multiple teacher roles and fragmentation of teachers' work, teamwork and multi-professional cooperation, pupils' diverse backgrounds, changed learning skills and behaviour, opportunities and challenges of digitalization, schools' open architecture, and pandemic were identified. These categories illustrate teachers' work today as hectic and changing, involving relational intensification, and as challenging and redefining teachers' identities. The implications for pre- and in-service teachers’ professional development are discussed.

Effectiveness Of Detecting Android Malware Using Deep Learning Techniques

The pervasive adoption of Android in the smartphone market has attracted the attention of malicious actors who continually exploit its open system architecture. A number of cybercriminals have been targeting Android in recent times due to its popularity. As a result of the increasing demand for smartphones, malicious users have recently been drawn to Android and taken advantage of its open system design to commit crimes. As Android has grown in popularity, attackers have been targeting it more. It is possible to gain access to data hidden from view using algorithms even though security measures have been implemented. An Android malware detection system based on machine-deep learning has been developed by utilizing dynamic analysis, in which suspected malware is executed in a secure environment in order to observe its behavior, as well as static analysis, in which malware files are examined without being executed on an Android device. As a result of our experimental results, our suggested models have a higher accuracy rate than industry standards, with a static accuracy rate of 99 and a dynamic accuracy rate of 98 for CNN-LSTM

Single-cell trapping and retrieval in open microfluidics

Among various single-cell analysis platforms, hydrodynamic cell trapping systems remain relevant because of their versatility. Among those, deterministic hydrodynamic cell-trapping systems have received significant interest; however, their applications are limited because trapped cells are kept within the closed microchannel, thus prohibiting access to external cell-picking devices. In this study, we develop a hydrodynamic cell-trapping system in an open microfluidics architecture to allow external access to trapped cells. A technique to render only the inside of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel hydrophilic is developed, which allows the precise confinement of spontaneous capillary flow in the open-type microchannel with a width on the order of several tens of micrometers. Efficient trapping of single beads and single cells is achieved, in which trapped cells can be retrieved via automated robotic pipetting. The present system can facilitate the development of new single-cell analytical systems by bridging between microfluidic devices and macro-scale apparatus used in conventional biology.

Ni-W solid solution alloy as a high-performance catalyst for hydrazine electrooxidation

In the development of earth-abundant anodic electrocatalysts for direct hydrazine fuel cells (DHzFCs), one of the daunting challenges is to improve the electrocatalytic activity for the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) while effectively suppressing the non-faradaic decomposition of hydrazine. Herein, we present the synthesis of a Ni foam-supported Ni-W solid solution alloy (SSA) catalyst through a solvothermal approach followed by reductive calcination. Our study demonstrates that the Ni-W solid solution alloy outperforms intermetallic compound in simultaneously enhancing the electrocatalytic activity and inhibiting the non-faradaic hydrazine decomposition under alkaline conditions. Benefiting from its enhanced intrinsic activity, the open porous architecture, and good electrical conductivity, the Ni95W5(SSA)/NF catalyst has exhibited remarkable activity, good stability, and an impressive selectivity nearing 100 % towards the 4-electron hydrazine electrooxidation, surpassing most reported Ni-based alloy catalysts. Inspired by the exceptional catalytic performance, we have subsequently constructed a DHzFC utilizing Ni95W5(SSA) as the anode catalyst, and evaluated its performance under ambient temperature.

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a biocomposite interference screw maintains graft fixation survival and improves clinical outcomes at 1 year: A multicenter prospective case series

A biocomposite interference screw with an open architecture was developed to provide a greater available surface area for bone ingrowth compared with conventional solid interference screws. We herein describe a prospective, single-cohort study conducted using this interference screw in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Sixty subjects (mean age, 34.9 years; standard deviation, 10.6) undergoing ACL repair using the biocomposite interference screw were enrolled at 3 sites in the United States. Subjects were followed preoperatively (baseline) and postoperatively at 6 months and 1 year. The primary endpoint was graft fixation survival rate at 6 months and 1 year. Secondary endpoints included graft survival (failure defined as that occurring for any reason); International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score (exam and subjective forms); Tegner Activity form; Lysholm score; and EQ (EuroQuol)-5D-5L index score and visual analogue scale. There was a 100 % rate of graft fixation survival at 6 months (54/54; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 100-100) and 1 year (50/50; 95 % CI: 100-100). One patient experienced a complete tear of the ACL 5 months following index surgery, resulting in graft survival rates of 98.1 % (53/54; 95 % CI: 94.6–100) at 6 months at 98.0 % (49/50; 95 % CI: 94.1–100) at 1 year. Significant improvements (p < .0001) were obtained between baseline and 6 months for the majority of patient-reported outcomes, and were maintained out to 1-year follow up. There was no significant difference over baseline in the IKDC sub-scale of symptoms. Nine patients (15.0 %) experienced serious adverse events during the course of the study; three of these patients’ adverse events were considered possibly or definitely related to the procedure device (ACL tear, pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis, and a patellar fracture). In conclusion, this biocomposite interference screw has a favorable safety and efficacy profile at 1 year, with no failures of graft fixation, noted during that time.

Open to Evolve Embodied Intelligence

For the goal of automatically evolving Embodied Intelligence (EI), we investigate an open software architecture inspired by the high surface area to volume ratio of animal lungs, which aims to avoid information theoretic limits on long term evolution experiments (LTEE) encountered with monolithic genetic programming trees. Instead individuals are teams composed of 1023 trees whose inputs and outputs are linked by a low entropy loss branching data (air) pathway. Most trees are shallow and software engineering’s failed disruption propagation (FDP) is observed in the small fraction of deep trees. After initial search, most improvements are at intermediate depths and performance is still rising even after 100 000 generations.Despite the use of double precision for the bifurcating data interconnect, some information loss is seen, particularly in early generations. The static optimisation benchmark, appears to encourage early convergence, which locks the population into possibly sub-optimal phenotypes. Later thousands of small improvements, sometimes in large bloated ensemble members, appear to compensate for early overfitting.Using tournament fitness selection and subtree crossover, we target pure nested side-effect free floating point functions, which are known to have low FDP, and high fidelity data paths, in the hope of generating code which is not too robust so as to prevent on going improvement. However, we again find genetic changes deep within trees are silent. For single precision, we find a maximum evolvability sweet spot with trees of depth 10 to 100. Accordingly, we suggest to evolve very large very complex programs needed for Embodied Intelligence, an open structure with a high surface area permitting most mutation sites to be within 10-100 levels of the organism’s environment, and many better placed test oracles to monitor the impact of mutated code, will be needed.

ColO-RAN: Developing Machine Learning-Based xApps for Open RAN Closed-Loop Control on Programmable Experimental Platforms

Cellular networks are undergoing a radical transformation toward disaggregated, fully virtualized, and programmable architectures with increasingly heterogeneous devices and applications. In this context, the open architecture standardized by the O-RAN Alliance enables algorithmic and hardware-independent Radio Access Network (RAN) adaptation through closed-loop control. O-RAN introduces Machine Learning (ML)-based network control and automation algorithms as socalled xApps running on RAN Intelligent Controllers. However, in spite of the new opportunities brought about by the Open RAN, advances in ML-based network automation have been slow, mainly because of the unavailability of large-scale datasets and experimental testing infrastructure. This slows down the development and widespread adoption of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) agents on real networks, delaying progress in intelligent and autonomous RAN control. In this paper, we address these challenges by discussing insights and practical solutions for the design, training, testing, and experimental evaluation of DRLbased closed-loop control in the Open RAN. To this end, we introduce ColO-RAN, the first publicly-available large-scale O-RAN testing framework with software-defined radios-in-the-loop. Building on the scale and computational capabilities of the Colosseum wireless network emulator, ColO-RAN enables ML research at scale using O-RAN components, programmable base stations, and a &#x201D;wireless data factory&#x201D;. Specifically, we design and develop three exemplary xApps for DRL-based control of RAN slicing, scheduling and online model training, and evaluate their performance on a cellular network with 7 softwarized base stations and 42 users. Finally, we showcase the portability of ColO-RAN to different platforms by deploying it on Arena, an indoor programmable testbed. The lessons learned from the ColO-RAN implementation and the extensive results from our first-of-its-kind large-scale evaluation highlight the importance of experimental frameworks for the development of end-toend intelligent RAN control pipelines, from data analysis to the design and testing of DRL agents. They also provide insights on the challenges and benefits of DRL-based adaptive control, and on the trade-offs associated to training on a live RAN. ColO-RAN and the collected large-scale dataset are publicly available to the research community.

AN INTERACTION MODEL OF RELAY PROTECTION MEASURING TRANSDUCERS WITH COMPUTING SYSTEMS VIA IIOT TECHNOLOGY

"The object of this research is the interaction model between measuring transducers and computing systems, particularly focusing on its application within the framework of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Cloud technologies. The imperative driving this study is the increasing demand for precise and efficient data acquisition, protection and processing in various industrial sectors. The research aims to address this need by elucidating an interaction model that optimizes measuring computing systems through IIoT and Cloud technologies. As a result of our research, a comprehensive interaction model that encompasses the entire data flow process was established. This model integrates data acquisition, analytics, real-time communication protocols, and secure data transmission methodologies. It offers a structured framework for acquiring, transmitting, and analyzing data with high accuracy and efficiency. The significance of our results lies in their capacity to resolve critical challenges in data acquisition and processing of the electrical power data, as well as monitoring and protection against electrical faults. These results hold practical value under diverse industrial conditions, including manufacturing, energy production and energy distribution. Keywords: relay protection, open architecture, encryption, data processing, data visualization, internet of things "

Ultrastrong colloidal crystal metamaterials engineered with DNA.

Lattice-based constructs, often made by additive manufacturing, are attractive for many applications. Typically, such constructs are made from microscale or larger elements; however, smaller nanoscale components can lead to more unusual properties, including greater strength, lighter weight, and unprecedented resiliencies. Here, solid and hollow nanoparticles (nanoframes and nanocages; frame size: ~15 nanometers) were assembled into colloidal crystals using DNA, and their mechanical strengths were studied. Nanosolid, nanocage, and nanoframe lattices with identical crystal symmetries exhibit markedly different specific stiffnesses and strengths. Unexpectedly, the nanoframe lattice is approximately six times stronger than the nanosolid lattice. Nanomechanical experiments, electron microscopy, and finite element analysis show that this property results from the buckling, densification, and size-dependent strain hardening of nanoframe lattices. Last, these unusual open architectures show that lattices with structural elements as small as 15 nanometers can retain a high degree of strength, and as such, they represent target components for making and exploring a variety of miniaturized devices.

Technology embodiment and the immersion aesthetics—Comments on the VR reset of “The Legend of Sword and Fairy I”

&lt;p&gt;Virtual reality departs from and transcends reality, and the VR reset of “The Legend of Sword and Fairy I” aggregates the complete industrial ecology formed by the extended development of old game IP and the VR blue ocean commercial market. From two-dimensional to VR, the digital technology field has shaped the virtual embodied world where traditional culture and modernity are intertwined, and constructed the “Immortal Sword World” that gathers, condenses and reshapes the national complex, cultural consciousness and modern discourse. A series of physical operations enables players to interact with the “Immortal Sword World” in real time and in a natural way. The absolute and unique rules and mechanisms of “The Legend of Sword and Fairy I” VR create a 3D community discourse field with an entire new social system + technical system. The open interactive architecture of “Immortal Sword World” provides a meta-statement for free exploration, ideally presenting the pre-determined sequence of the immersive “Immortal Sword World” and allowing players to open up an imaginary future dreaming space in a step beyond reality.&lt;/p&gt;

Open government, civic tech and digital platforms in Latin America: A governance study of Montevideo's urban app ‘Por Mi Barrio’

AbstractDigital technologies have a recognised potential to build more efficient, credible, and innovative public institutions in Latin America. Despite progress, digital transformation in Latin American governments remains limited. In this work, we explore a peculiar yet largely understudied opportunity in the region: pursuing digital government transformation as a collaborative process between the government and civil society organisations. To do so, we draw from information systems research on digital government and platforms for development, complemented with governance theory from political science and conduct an interpretive in‐depth case study of an urban reporting platform in Montevideo called ‘Por Mi Barrio’. The study reveals three mutually reinforced orders of governance in the trajectory of the project and explain how the collaboration unfolded over time: (i) a technical decision to use open platform architectures; (ii) the negotiation of formal and informal rules to make the project thrive and (iii) a shared, long‐term ideology around the value of open technologies and technical sovereignty grounded in years of political history. Using a contextual explanation approach, our study helps to improve our understanding on the governance of collaborative digital government platforms in Latin America, with specific contributions to practice.

Cloud-based system for monitoring loads generated on the quay wall by ship propeller jets

The paper presents a cloud-based system for monitoring loads generated on the quay wall by ship propeller jets during berthing and unberthing maneuvers. The system provides online measurements of the dynamic pressure generated loads by propellers and warns of exceeding the permissible jet velocities over the seabed protection along the berth. The system has a modular structure consisting of a network of pressure sensors, information mapping server, communication module and web server. The suitability of the system was confirmed during two years of operation in Port of Gdynia. The open architecture of the system allows for its further extension with additional berths and integration with the smart port system.

A Survey on Thwarting Memory Corruption in RISC-V

With embedded devices becoming more pervasive and entrenched in society, it is paramount to keep these systems secure. A threat plaguing these systems consists of software vulnerabilities that cause memory corruption, potentially allowing an attacker to breach the device. Software-based countermeasures exist, but suffer from high overhead. In this survey, we investigate whether this could be mitigated using dedicated hardware. Driven by the advancements of open hardware, we focus on implementations for RISC-V, a novel and open architecture tailored for customization. We distinguish between methods validating memory accesses beforehand, obfuscating information necessary for an attack, and detecting memory values corrupted earlier. We compare on qualitative metrics, such as the security coverage and level of transparency, and performance in both software and hardware. Although current implementations do not easily allow for a fair comparison as their evaluation methodologies vary widely, we show that current implementations are suitable to minimize the runtime overhead with a relatively small area overhead. Nevertheless, we identified that further research is still required to mitigate more fine-grained attacks such as intra-object overflows, to integrate into more sophisticated protected execution environments towards resilient systems that are automatically recoverable, and to move towards more harmonized evaluation.

Polyhedron-Like Biomaterials for Innervated and Vascularized Bone Regeneration.

Neural-vascular networks are densely distributed through periosteum, cortical bone, and cancellous bone, which is of great significance for bone regeneration and remodeling. Although significant progress has been made in bone tissue engineering, ineffective bone regeneration, and delayed osteointegration still remains an issue due to the ignorance of intrabony nerves and blood vessels. Herein, inspired by space-filling polyhedra with open architectures, polyhedron-like scaffolds with spatial topologies are prepared via 3D-printing technology to mimic the meshwork structure of cancellous bone. Benefiting from its spatial topologies, polyhedron-like scaffolds greatly promoted the osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) via activating PI3K-Akt signals, and exhibiting satisfactory performance on angiogenesis and neurogenesis. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation elucidates that polyhedron-like scaffolds have a relatively lower area-weighted average static pressure, which is beneficial to osteogenesis. Furthermore, in vivo experiments further demonstrate that polyhedron-like scaffolds obviously promote bone formation and osteointegration, as well as inducing vascularization and ingrowth of nerves, leading to innervated and vascularized bone regeneration. Taken together, this work offers a promising approach for fabricating multifunctional scaffolds without additional exogenous seeding cells and growth factors, which holds great potential for functional tissue regeneration and further clinical translation.