Systems Integration Perspective Research Articles

Improved Technology Readiness Assessment Framework for System-of-Systems From a System Integration Perspective

Improved Technology Readiness Assessment Framework for System-of-Systems From a System Integration Perspective

System integration of magnetic medical microrobots: from design to control.

Magnetic microrobots are ideal for medical applications owing to their deep tissue penetration, precise control, and flexible movement. After decades of development, various magnetic microrobots have been used to achieve medical functions such as targeted delivery, cell manipulation, and minimally invasive surgery. This review introduces the research status and latest progress in the design and control systems of magnetic medical microrobots from a system integration perspective and summarizes the advantages and limitations of the research to provide a reference for developers. Finally, the future development direction of magnetic medical microrobot design and control systems are discussed.

Systems Integration Framework for Hybrid-Electric Commuter and Regional Aircraft

System integration is one of the key challenges to bringing future hybrid-electric and all-electric aircraft into the market. In addition, retrofitting and redesigning existing aircraft are potential paths toward achieving hybrid and all-electric flight, which are even more challenging goals from a system integration perspective. Therefore, integration tools that bridge the gap between the aircraft and the subsystem level need to be developed for use in the conceptual design stage to address current system integration challenges, such as the use of space, the share between propulsive and secondary power, required level of electrification, safety, and thermal management. This paper presents a multidisciplinary design analysis (MDA) framework that integrates aircraft and subsystem sizing tools. In addition, this paper includes improved physics-based subsystem sizing methods that are also applicable to smaller, commuter, or regional aircraft. The capabilities of the developed framework and tools are presented for a case study covering the redesign of the DO-228 with a hybrid-electric propulsion system in combination with the electrification of its systems architecture and different subsystem technologies.

From Triboelectric Nanogenerator to Uninterrupted Power Supply System: The Key Role of Electrochemical Batteries and Supercapacitors

Currently, significant advances have been made in the field of high-performance energy storage technologies, such as Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors. However, the limited lifespans, as well as the frequent charging or replacement requirements, pose a set of challenges for their application in the Internet of things (IoTs), because the full power of the IoTs can only be realized by the sustainable operation of physical objects, especially embedded sensors, for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems continually in real-time. A viable option for achieving the sustainability of the IoTs may be the combination of renewable energy harvesting technologies such as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with electrochemical energy storage technologies, where TENGs can harvest mechanical energies from ambient environments and transform them into electricity for charging electrochemical batteries and supercapacitors (SCs) conveniently, thus developing a new type of TENG-based uninterrupted power supply (TENG-UPS). In this review, we begin from a brief description of the operating mode of TENG and the integration strategy of TENG-UPS. The latest advances in the TENG-UPS are then thoroughly discussed from the perspective of structural design and system integration. Cutting edge developments of the as-designed self-powered sensing systems are then concisely illustrated to disclose the application potential in the IoTs. The main obstacles and future prospects for developing TENG-UPS-based intelligent systems are also highlighted in terms of design and manufacture at the conclusion. We expect this review will appropriately shine a light on the understanding of the key role of electrochemical energy storage devices in the development of TENG-based energy harvesting technology as well as the self-powered intelligent systems.

Energy-Transition Options for Offshore Vessels

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 31800, “Energy Transition Options for Offshore Vessels,” by Jeroen Hollebrands, Benny Mestemaker, and Jan Westhoeve, Royal IHC, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ A future offshore fleet must comply with emissions regulations and policies that will become increasingly stringent. Making the right decisions with regard to emissions-reduction technologies and preparing vessels for future fuel options to keep the vessels compliant over time is, therefore, of great importance. The cable-lay vessels (CLV) used as a basis for the analysis presented in the complete paper are designed to meet such requirements. The authors highlight types of fuels and drive systems and the consequences of different combinations thereof on vessel design and operational profile. Alternative Fuels To Reduce Emissions Several alternative fuels are under consideration to replace fossil fuels currently used in the maritime sector. These include the following: - Liquefied natural gas (LNG) - Methanol - Ammonia - Hydrogen (compressed, liquefied, or in a storage medium) Design Approach for Zero-Emission Vessels The drive system of any zero-emission vessel requires four changes to integrate alternative fuels and prime movers effectively from a system-integration perspective: operational-profile design, electrification, hybridization, and modularization. - The operational profile defines the activities and operational demands of a specific vessel. - Electrification is necessary for the application of novel prime movers such as fuel-cell systems. Most CLVs already are equipped with a diesel electric configuration. - Redundancy of the prime movers leads to more engines online than are necessary. This is where hybridization comes into play because an energy-storage system can be used as a spinning reserve. - Modularization of drive systems provides flexibility to optimize the drive system for each task the work vessel must perform. Prime-Mover Technology for Zero-Emission Vessels The prime movers considered for future maritime application can be divided into internal combustion engines and fuel cells. Fuel cells generally are more efficient than engines and produce fewer emissions because the fuel is oxidized in an electrochemical process and not combusted at higher temperatures. However, fuel cells come at the cost of a slower transient response and have a lower tolerance for fuel impurities. In the complete paper, the following three fuel cell types are stipulated for use in maritime applications: - The low-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (LT-PEMFC) operates at 65–80°C with a high power density and good load-following capabilities but requires high-purity hydrogen because of its sensitivity to carbon monoxide. - The high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) operates at 140–160°C with a better tolerance for fuel purity but with a lower efficiency and a slower startup time and transient response than the LT-PEMFC. - The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operates at relatively high temperatures of 500–1000°C, a trait that enables integration with internal fuel processing and waste-heat recovery. Despite their fuel flexibility and electrical efficiencies up to 65%, SOFC products are still relatively expensive, large, and heavy. In addition, cold starts are slow and load-following is sluggish to prevent thermal overloading and fuel starvation.

Design of an Intervention and Education System for Children with Emotional Disorders Based on Semantic Analysis.

In this paper, a semantic analysis approach to children's emotional disorder intervention and education is thoroughly analyzed and discussed, and a corresponding educational system is designed for application in real life. This paper acquires video data by deploying a common camera acquisition and transforms, annotates, frames, and processes the data with the help of feature engineering methods. In addition, this paper proposes a fine-grained action decomposition strategy to solve the problem of extreme imbalance in the dataset to improve the performance of the model and proposes an iterative sampling data fusion strategy, which aims to integrate and fuse data from multiple sources to make them more effective and further improve the robustness and generalization ability of the model. Since it is difficult for families to improve the emotional management skills of migrant children, and it is also difficult to obtain professional help and support from the community or schools, it is important to take advantage of the professional strengths of social work to provide professional support for migrant children and their families. From the perspective of theoretical research, most of the existing studies focus on individual migrant children and cannot give global guidance from the perspective of the family system. The comparison results show that T-SVR trained using data from all subjects outperforms the inductive method based on individual training of trainees, validating the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive emotion recognition model. Therefore, from the perspective of system integration, it is important to explore social work interventions to improve the emotional management skills of migrant children. The system network structure design is determined according to the actual situation; then from the system requirements, the system is abstracted with the help of UML entity-relationship diagram, and the database table design is completed; so far, the overall system can be divided into independent functional modules, and the boundaries of each module and the participating roles are gradually clarified, and the detailed design within each functional module is illustrated by UML timing diagram and class diagram to clarify the classes used. Finally, the system is tested end-to-end to verify whether the results of the view layer meet the design guidelines, whether the system modules work together properly, and whether the functional development meets the requirements.

Doctors on the move 2: a qualitative study on the social integration of middle eastern physicians following their migration to Germany

BackgroundThe integration of immigrating physicians has become a challenge for many societies and health care systems worldwide. Facilitating the integration process may benefit both the uptaking country and the immigrating physicians. Previous studies have approached this problem from a system integration perspective. The present study explores the degree of social integration of an exemplary group of Middle Eastern physicians following their migration to Germany from an individual perspective.MethodsBased on social constructivist epistemology, a series of fifteen interviews and two focus groups with immigrated Middle Eastern physicians (n = 23, purposively sampled) were conducted between 2017 and 2020 in Germany. The audio recordings were transcribed, translated into English and analysed deductively based on Esser’s model of social integration, consisting of four dimensions: acculturation, positioning, interaction and identification.ResultsThe social integration of the participants showed a multifaceted picture. The early phase was characterized by disorientation and trial and error. Cultural differences were of major importance. Acculturation was facilitated by German language acquisition and increased over time, although some cultural difficulties remained. Professional positioning was facilitated by the need for physicians and a relatively low-hurdle relicensing procedure. Interaction and identification depended on the efforts of the individual physicians.ConclusionsThis study provides a comprehensive picture of the individual social integration of Middle Eastern physicians in Germany. Language and cultural adaptation are identified as being of primary importance. Social integration can be facilitated through orientation programmes or cross-cultural training that benefits the uptaking countries as well as the immigrating physicians.

Optimization of Production–Living–Ecological Space in National Key Poverty-Stricken City of Southwest China

Trade-offs and conflicts among different sectors of production, living, and ecology have become important issues in regional sustainable development planning due to both the versatility and limitation of land resources, especially in poverty-stricken mountainous areas. This study builds an optimization model to assist policymakers in simulating land demand and allocation in the future. The model takes socioeconomic and demographic development into consideration and couples local planning policy with land use data from the perspective of system integration. The model was employed for a case study of Zhaotong city to optimize production–living–ecological (PLE) space. The results show that the model provides a feasible method to explore the sustainable development pattern of territorial space, especially in distressed regions.

Doping‐Induced Viscoelasticity in PbTe Thermoelectric Inks for 3D Printing of Power‐Generating Tubes

AbstractThermoelectric (TE) technologies offer promising means to enhance fossil energy efficiencies by generating electricity from waste heat from industrial or automobile exhaust gases. For these applications, thermoelectric modules should be designed from the perspective of system integration for efficient heat transfer, system simplification, and low processing cost. However, typical thermoelectric modules manufactured by traditional processes do not fulfil such requirements, especially for exhaust pipes. Hence, a 3D‐printing method for PbTe thermoelectric materials is reported to design high‐performance power‐generating TE tubes. The electronic doping‐induced surface charges in PbTe particles are shown to significantly improve the viscoelasticities of inks without additives, thereby enabling precise shape and dimension engineering of 3D bulk PbTe with figures of merit of 1.4 for p‐type and 1.2 for n‐type materials. The performance of the power‐generating TE tube fabricated from 3D‐printed PbTe tubes is demonstrated experimentally and computationally as an effective strategy to design system‐adaptive high‐performance thermoelectric generators.

The complexity of scaling up an mHealth intervention: the case of SMS for Life in Tanzania from a health systems integration perspective

BackgroundSMS for Life was one of the earliest large-scale implementations of mHealth innovations worldwide. Its goal was to increase visibility to antimalarial stock-outs through the use of SMS technology. The objective of this case study was to show the multiple innovations that SMS for Life brought to the Tanzanian public health sector and to discuss the challenges of scaling up that led to its discontinuation from a health systems perspective.MethodsA qualitative case-study approach was used. This included a literature review, a document review of 61 project documents, a timeline of key events and the collection and analysis of 28 interviews with key stakeholders involved in or affected by the SMS for Life programme. Data collection was informed by the health system building blocks. We then carried out a thematic analysis using the WHO mHealth Assessment and Planning for Scale (MAPS) Toolkit as a framework. This served to identify the key reasons for the discontinuation of the programme.ResultsSMS for Life was reliable at scale and raised awareness of stock-outs with real-time monitoring. However, it was discontinued in 2015 after 4 years of a national rollout. The main reasons identified for the discontinuation were the programme’s failure to adapt to the continuous changes in Tanzania’s health system, the focus on stock-outs rather than ensuring appropriate stock management, and that it was perceived as costly by policy-makers.Despite its discontinuation, SMS for Life, together with co-existing technologies, triggered the development of the capacity to accommodate and integrate future technologies in the health system.ConclusionThis study shows the importance of engaging appropriate stakeholders from the outset, understanding and designing system-responsive interventions appropriately when scaling up and ensuring value to a broad range of health system actors. These shortcomings are common among digital health solutions and need to be better addressed in future implementations.

The impact of weather patterns on offshore wind power production

Large-scale weather systems have the potential to modulate offshore wind energy production. The Northern European sea areas have recently seen a rapid increase in wind power capacity and thus there is a need to understand how different weather systems affect offshore production from the perspective of energy system integration. In this study, mean sea level pressure data from a new-generation reanalysis (ERA5) are utilised to classify synoptic systems into 30 different weather patterns using a self-organising map (SOM) approach. ERA5 wind speeds are then used in conjunction with a reference 8 MW wind turbine power curve to estimate wind power values at selected offshore sites. We assess how wind power output varies for different weather patterns, specifically, the impact on power production and power ramps.

Industry 4.0: survey from a system integration perspective

ABSTRACT In recent years, a revolution named Industry 4.0 has arisen. Industry 4.0 is presented as the integration of new advances in areas such as Cyber-Physical Systems, the Internet of Things and Everything (IoE), Cloud computing, the Internet of Services, Big Data Analysis, Smart Factories, Augmented Reality, among others. Industry 4.0 is not only a new industrial revolution, but also a crucial integration challenge that involves several actors from the IoE, which are people, data, services, and things. This paper proposes an approach to analyze the integration challenges in the context of Industry 4.0 using five integration levels, which are connection, communication, coordination, cooperation, and collaboration (5 C). In that sense, this paper presents a state of the art of recent studies in Industry 4.0 from an integration perspective, categorized according to the 5 C integration levels versus the four actors of IoE. Specifically, this paper considers several works intended to solve problems of autonomic integration in Industry 4.0 at the highest levels of the 5 C integration stack (coordination, cooperation, and collaboration). Also, this paper presents a case study from an integration perspective, which contemplates autonomy, self-organizing, among other aspects, in order to turn a traditional industry into a smart factory regarding the Industry 4.0 concept.

Recent Advances in Flexible and Stretchable Sensing Systems: From the Perspective of System Integration.

Biological signals generated during various biological processes are critically important for providing insight into the human physiological status. Recently, there have been many great efforts in developing flexible and stretchable sensing systems to provide biological signal monitoring platforms with intimate integration with biological surfaces. Here, this review summarizes the recent advances in flexible and stretchable sensing systems from the perspective of electronic system integration. A comprehensive general sensing system architecture is described, which consists of sensors, sensor interface circuits, memories, and digital processing units. The subsequent content focuses on the integration requirements and highlights some advanced progress for each component. Next, representative examples of flexible and stretchable sensing systems for electrophysiological, physical, and chemical information monitoring are introduced. This review concludes with an outlook on the remaining challenges and opportunities for future fully flexible or stretchable sensing systems.

Research on ship intelligent manufacturing data monitoring and quality control system based on industrial Internet of Things

The paper analyzes several key technologies of data monitoring and quality control system based on the Internet of Things technology from the perspective of system integration, including Web database access, real-time display of dynamic data, dynamic drawing of curves, etc., and gives technical difficulties. Routes and improvements have solved the problems of the system in terms of real time and security. The Zigbee wireless sensor network is used as the data acquisition end, and the server receives the data collected by the wireless sensor network through the serial communication to connect the CC2530 wireless communication module. At the same time, the paper combines the actual needs of users, and designs the server system according to the software engineering development process. While realizing the normal PC browser access to the server, the Android application of the mobile terminal is developed and the mobile is realized. In terminal access to the server, users can access the server by accessing computers on the network and mobile phones with Android systems. Viewing the running status of the device, authorized users can also make judgments based on real-time data and can send control commands and adjust the environment.

Addressing integration challenges of high shares of residential solar photovoltaics with battery storage and smart policy designs

In many countries, the integration of growing shares of residential solar photovoltaics is beginning to challenge existing electricity systems. First, residential solar photovoltaics aggravates sharp system-wide load changes and, in turn, increases the need for fast-ramping generation capacity. Second, it reduces the demand for electricity provision from the grid, causing an increase in electricity prices as grid costs are recovered over smaller volumes of electricity. Battery storage (BS) mitigates the first integration challenge by flattening the system-wide load, but elevates the second by increasing self-consumption behind-the-meter. In face of this dilemma, the integration of high shares of residential solar photovoltaics requires policymakers to re-design public support policies. In this article, we develop an agent-based model to simulate California’s residential ‘solar-plus-storage’ market between 2005 and 2030 in four different policy scenarios. By applying a multi-technology, multi-policy approach, we quantify the complex interplay between the diffusion of individual technologies, several interacting policies and systemic challenges. Our results show that California’s policy status quo initiated a BS uptake and, in turn, a flattening of the system, but, in the long run, will increase the electricity prices. To avoid this, we outline a policy reorientation—including a gradual phase-out of the prevailing feed-in remuneration and an introduction of fixed charges for owners of solar photovoltaic systems. Our results imply that the policy debate should be re-focused away from a single-technology single-policy perspective towards a system integration perspective. Neglecting this could not only jeopardize the affordability of electricity and climate change mitigation plans, but also put at risk the reliability of the electricity supply system. With investment costs of renewables expected to continue to decrease, this further implies that even countries without public support for renewables are likely to face challenges associated with their integration.

The Mediating Roles of Trust and System Quality in Achieving System Success: A System Integrator Perspective

A system Integrator (SI) makes a consortium with multiple providers of hardware and software solutions to sell an information system. The success of information systems (IS) mainly depends on establishing a trustful relationship between SI supplier and client, and delivering high-quality system. However, the determinants of trust and system quality have been investigated mostly from the perspective of s ystem buyers rather than system sellers. This study examines the influence of key variables that SI can handle to improve trust and system quality which finally leads to user satisfaction toward SI. This study adopts resource complementarity, user participation and information sharing as the key variable then builds a research model to explain their relationships to user satisfaction. Respondents are recruited from 251 firms that have built any information system in recent two years in South Korea. Results of partial least square (PLS) modeling analysis show that both resource complementarity and information sharing have positive relationships with trust. Also the relationships between trust, system quality and user satisfaction toward S.I are supported. In addition, the mediating roles of trust and system quality are identified. We discussed some of the key managerial and theoretical implications of the paper and suggested further research directions.

Effects of a sweeping jet actuator on aerodynamic performance in a linear turbine cascade with tip clearance

Sweeping jet actuator as a fresh attempt has been applied in controlling flow separations and improving aerodynamic performances in a linear turbine cascade with tip clearance. In the present study, the oscillating jet process of sweeping jet actuator in the tip clearance was illustrated and a potential advantage from a system integration perspective was validated by an unsteady numerical study. The excitation frequencies and excitation modes were also investigated for achieving the further understanding of the mechanism of sweeping jet actuator for controlling flow separations. By using sweeping jet actuator, the flow separation near the upper endwall was delayed and the flow loss at the outlet of the cascade was reduced. For the optimal case, the time-averaged total pressure loss decreased by about 11.7% with the jet flow rate of only 0.35% of the inlet flow rate. In addition, it was found that there exists an optimum frequency to achieve the optimum controlling effects on the flow separations. Because of the blockage of tip leakage flow at the local gap by the high-momentum fluid from sweeping jet actuator, the controlling effects on the tip leakage vortex loss were better than that on the passage vortex loss. Through the use of four excitation modes in this study, the total pressure losses at the outlet were all reduced in different degrees. Under the present boundary conditions and working parameters, the unsteady controlling mode of sweeping jet actuator was found to perform much better than the other steady modes.

Integration of Central and Peripheral Respiratory Chemoreflexes.

A debate has raged since the discovery of central and peripheral respiratory chemoreceptors as to whether the reflexes they mediate combine in an additive (i.e., no interaction), hypoadditive or hyperadditive manner. Here we critically review pertinent literature related to O2 and CO2 sensing from the perspective of system integration and summarize many of the studies on which these seemingly opposing views are based. Despite the intensity and quality of this debate, we have yet to reach consensus, either within or between species. In reviewing this literature, we are struck by the merits of the approaches and preparations that have been brought to bear on this question. This suggests that either the nature of combination is not important to system responses, contrary to what has long been supposed, or that the nature of the combination is more malleable than previously assumed, changing depending on physiological state and/or respiratory requirement.

The Network Long-Distance Supervisory System Based on Web

From the perspective of system integration, this paper introduces how to apply the Web network technology to the long-distance supervisory system. It is discussed about the implementation plan and software design to form a web-based remote monitoring system. The software design of the entire supervisory system includes the local and the remote monitoring software design. The author analyzes the design purposes, the contents, the methods and the characteristics of these two kinds of softwares. This article studies the working process of web-based long-distance supervisory system. Related questions and the solution measures in the design of the system are also covered.

Book review: The I in the We: Studies in the Theory of Recognition, by Axel Honneth

Axel Honneth The I in the We: Studies in the Theory of Recognition, Polity Press: Cambridge, 2012, 246 pp: 9780745652337, US$35 (pbk) Ever since the publication of The Struggle for Recognition (1995), Axel Honneth has been pursuing the Hegelian theme of 'recognition' as originally outlined in Hegel's Phenomenology (1807). The latest instalment is Honneth's The I in the We: Studies in the Theory of Recognition. A quasi-background of this can be found in the idea to move critical theory onto the theoretical and ethical platform of 'recognition', as discussed in Fraser and Honneth's Redistribution or Recognition (2003). To a large extent, The I in the We is a continuation of Honneth's project. The book has fourteen chapters, divided into four parts: 'Hegel's Roots', 'Systematic Consequences', 'Social and Theoretical Applications', and 'Psychoanalytical Ramifications'. What the book does not have is an introduction providing an overall discussion on Honneth's theme; and nor does it have a conclusion that could have comprehensively discussed 'what we could learn from all this'. After a very brief preface, Part 1 begins with a discussion on Hegel's concept of 'recognition', emphasising the fact that 'Hegel's text is especially difficult to understand'. In Chapter 2, 'The realm of actualised freedom', Honneth positions Hegel's work in its historical context, outlining 'the great disturbance caused by the Counter-Reform in Prussia', which according to d'Hondt (1988), was a period marred by the 'Carlsbad Decrees' of 1819, signifying an historical period of state censorship, reaction, and repression. It was in this period that Hegel wrote his second great book, Philosophy of Right (1821), on which Honneth notes, 'on the whole, the book gives the highly confusing impression', arguing that Hegel's 'three-stage network of institutionalised practices and structures has been completely travelled through [so that] the realm of actualised freedom ... will be presented in its entirety'. By this, Hegel meant the stages of family, civil society, and state. This is needed so that each stage can 'compensate for the flaws that characterise the previous stage'. In Chapter 3, 'The fabric of justice: On the limits of contemporary proceduralism', Honneth highlights the 'deficits of the distribution paradigm', perhaps not only because justice is linked to 'distributive justice', but also as a response to Nancy Fraser's 'distribution model'. For Honneth, justice is a 'reconstructive' issue. He notes, 'this alternative procedure could thus be termed reconstructive, because it does not construct an impartial standpoint from which to justify principles of justice, but reconstructs them out of the historical process of relations of recognition in which they are always already at work'. The chapter on justice is followed by a chapter on 'Labour and recognition: A redefinition', in which Honneth--correctly--notes that many intellectuals have 'turned their backs' on labour (Klikauer 2012), leaving labour relations dangerously exposed to neoliberal economics, human resources management, and management studies. Honneth argues that 'to share Hegel's and Durkheim's conviction that the capitalist labour market must not merely be a means of increasing economic efficiency, but also a medium of social integration ... everything depends on whether we decided to analyse the capitalist market from the perspective of system integration or social integration'. It might be a little problematic, though, to see 'capitalist labour markets' as mediums for 'social' integration, and not as institutions of 'system integration' (Lockwood 1964). The next chapter is on 'Recognition as ideology: The connection between morality and power'. Honneth writes, 'far from making a lasting contribution to the autonomy of the members of our society, social recognition appears merely to serve the creation of attitudes that conform to the dominant system. …