Set Of Design Tools Research Articles

Design tool selecting aid: a neuronal approach

The objective of this paper is to prove that it is possible to integrate knowledge engineering in the development of computational design process models. The main contribution of our research is to propose a parametric conceptual model for the design process, adapting neural networks to the design context, and finally an algorithm to aid design tool choice. This algorithm is modular and allows the integration of other functionalities. We were particularly interested in the problem of design tool selection aid and we developed an algorithm that integrates a learning modelling approach (multilayer neural networks). The application stemming from this algorithm gives a computer tool which offers the designers, according to their design problems, a set of adequate design tools. This computer-based design tool selection aid gives very encouraging results.

Designing, Constructing, and Using Plasma Control System Algorithms on DIII-D

The DIII-D plasma control system (PCS), initially deployed in the early 1990s, now controls nearly all aspects of the tokamak and plasma environment. Versions of this PCS, supported by General Atomics, are presently used to control several tokamaks around the world, including the superconducting tokamaks Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak and Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research. The experimental challenges posed by the advanced tokamak mission of DIII-D and the variety of devices supported by the PCS have driven the development of a rich array of control algorithms, along with a powerful set of tools for algorithm design and testing. Broadly speaking, the PCS mission is to utilize all available sensors, measurements, and actuators to safely produce a plasma state trajectory leading to and then maintaining the desired experimental conditions. Often new physics understanding leads to new or modified control requirements that use existing actuators in new ways. We describe several important DIII-D PCS design and test tools that support implementation and optimization of algorithms. We describe selected algorithms and the ways they fit within the PCS architecture, which in turn allows great flexibility in designing, constructing, and using the algorithms to reliably produce a desired complex experimental environment. Control algorithms, PCS interfaces, and design and testing tools are described from the perspective of the physics operator (PO), who must operate the PCS to achieve experimental goals and maximize physics productivity of the tokamak. For example, from a POs (and experimental team leader's) standpoint, a PCS algorithm interface that offers maximum actuator, algorithmic, and measurement configuration flexibility is most likely to produce a successful experimental outcome. However, proper constraints that limit flexibility in use of the PCS can also help to maximize effectiveness. For example, device limits and safety must be built into the PCS, sometimes at the algorithm level. We show how the DIII-D PCS toolset enables rapid offline testing of a new or modified algorithm in a simulated tokamak environment. Finally, we illustrate usage of PCS-based checklists and procedures that enhance experimental productivity, and we describe an asynchronous condition detector system within the PCS that enhances device safety and enables complex experiment design.

Making business models

Well-established companies are currently struggling to secure profits due to the pressure from new players' business models as they take advantage of communication technology and new business-model configurations. Because of this, the business model research field flourishes currently; however, the modelling approaches proposed still rely on linear, rational conceptions and causal reasoning. Through six business cases we argue that participatory design has a role to play, and indeed, can lead the way into another approach to business modelling, which we call business model making. The paper illustrates how the application of participatory business model design toolsets can open up discussions on alternative scenarios through improvisation, mock-up making and design game playing, before qualitative judgment on the most promising scenario is carried out.

Инструментальные средства проектирования систем интегрированной модульной авионики

Growth of modern avionics systems makes design of such systems impossible without involvement of automation. Nowadays an area of such tools is represented by both the proprietary tools developed by the major aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, and a number of open or partially open international projects varying in maturity, availability of source code and documentation. The paper presents a toolset for design of modern avionics systems developed by ISPRAS in collaboration with GosNIIAS. The toolset provides both a generic platform for design and analysis of architecture models and a specialized solution for the particular domain of avionics systems.

Adding diverse noncanonical backbones to rosetta: enabling peptidomimetic design.

Peptidomimetics are classes of molecules that mimic structural and functional attributes of polypeptides. Peptidomimetic oligomers can frequently be synthesized using efficient solid phase synthesis procedures similar to peptide synthesis. Conformationally ordered peptidomimetic oligomers are finding broad applications for molecular recognition and for inhibiting protein-protein interactions. One critical limitation is the limited set of design tools for identifying oligomer sequences that can adopt desired conformations. Here, we present expansions to the ROSETTA platform that enable structure prediction and design of five non-peptidic oligomer scaffolds (noncanonical backbones), oligooxopiperazines, oligo-peptoids, -peptides, hydrogen bond surrogate helices and oligosaccharides. This work is complementary to prior additions to model noncanonical protein side chains in ROSETTA. The main purpose of our manuscript is to give a detailed description to current and future developers of how each of these noncanonical backbones was implemented. Furthermore, we provide a general outline for implementation of new backbone types not discussed here. To illustrate the utility of this approach, we describe the first tests of the ROSETTA molecular mechanics energy function in the context of oligooxopiperazines, using quantum mechanical calculations as comparison points, scanning through backbone and side chain torsion angles for a model peptidomimetic. Finally, as an example of a novel design application, we describe the automated design of an oligooxopiperazine that inhibits the p53-MDM2 protein-protein interaction. For the general biological and bioengineering community, several noncanonical backbones have been incorporated into web applications that allow users to freely and rapidly test the presented protocols (http://rosie.rosettacommons.org). This work helps address the peptidomimetic community's need for an automated and expandable modeling tool for noncanonical backbones.

Fine-Tuning the Oxidative Ability of Persistent Radicals: Electrochemical and Computational Studies of Substituted 2-Pyridylhydroxylamines

N-tert-butyl-N-2-pyridylhydroxylamines were synthesized from 2-halopyridines and 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane using magnesium-halogen exchange. The use of Turbo Grignard generated the metallo-2-pyridyl intermediate more reliably than alkyllithium reagents. The hydroxylamines were characterized using NMR, electrochemistry, and density functional theory. Substitution of the pyridyl ring in the 3-, 4-, and 5-positions was used to vary the potential of the nitroxyl/oxoammonium redox couple by 0.95 V. DFT computations of the electrochemical properties agree with experiment and provide a toolset for the predictive design of pyridyl nitroxides.

ASR Assessment – Concrete Prism Testing within a Regulatory Framework

The experience of ASR and ASR testing varies substantially across Europe and outside. Several testing procedures exist but are not always linked to service life records. Also, the European concrete standard on this issue refers to regulations valid in place of use. An attempt to provide a complete set of design and assessment tools is explained in this paper, whereby concrete performance testing is one key element but must be regarded exactly as that, i.e. one step only within a framework of additional requirements and still linked to regional experience. The performance testing concept development is briefly explained in order to display opportunities and limitations.Performance in the sense of combining constituents for concrete prims expansion testing has been adopted in some countries, e.g. in Norway and, hence, providing a tool set for flexible concrete design regulations. Implicitly, several investigations on fly ash quality scatter and processing have been performed. Evidence of the fly ash mitigation effect is provided, but also strong indications supporting performance enhancement when supplied as a composite cement, compared to that of a concrete mixer blend.

Extension of Highly Elliptical Earth Orbits Using Continuous Low-Thrust Propulsion

Extension of highly elliptical orbits, with free selection of orbit period, using low-thrust propulsion is investigated. These newly proposed orbits, termed Taranis orbits, are enabled by existing low-thrust propulsion technology, offering a radically new set of tools for mission design and facilitating novel Earth Observation science. One example, using general and special perturbation techniques, is the application of continuous low-thrust to alter the "critical inclination" of an orbit from natural values of 63.4 or 116.6 deg, to any inclination required to optimally fulfil mission goals. Continuous acceleration is used to compensate for the drift in argument of perigee caused by Earth’s gravitational field. Pseudospectral optimization techniques are applied to the 90 deg inclination Taranis orbit, generating fuel-optimal control profiles, with a fuel saving of from general perturbation results. This orbit provides an alternative solution for high-latitude imaging from distances equivalent to geostationary orbits and enables continuous visibility of frigid and neighboring temperate regions using three spacecraft, enabling high-quality imaging prohibited using conventional orbits. Finally, order of magnitude mission lifetimes and a Strawman mass budget are developed, where mission lifetimes for spacecraft with initial mass of 1000, 1500, and 2500 kg are limited to 4.3, 6, and 7.4 years, respectively.

AADL-Based Toolset for IMA System Design and Integration

AADL-Based Toolset for IMA System Design and Integration

Dynamic Model of Class-E Inverter With Multifrequency Averaged Analysis

This paper presents a novel dynamic model of a single-switch class-E inverter. Both the transient and steady-state behaviors of main variables are derived using a multifrequency averaged (MFA) modeling method. The analysis of the boundary conditions reveals that, under some approximations, the performance of the generalized averaged model is close to that of the “exact” or topological one. A detailed analysis of the errors and limitations of the model has been derived. Contrary to other class-E inverter models, based on the input-output behavioral black-box approach, the MFA modeling technique leads to a large-signal knowledge-based model. The advantage of this type of model is that it is applicable to a wide set of analysis and control design tools. The proposed model is verified by comparing the MFA, state-space, and experimental results, showing good agreement for the dynamic behavior of the inverter under supply voltage modulation and also for the frequency and phase modulation of the input control signal.

Simultaneous design of ionic liquid entrainers and energy efficient azeotropic separation processes

A methodology and tool set for the simultaneous design of ionic liquid entrainers and azeotropic separation processes is presented. By adjusting the cation, anion, and alkyl chain length on the cation, the properties of the ionic liquid can be adjusted to design an entrainer for a given azeotropic mixture. Several group contribution property models available in literature have been used along with a newly developed group contribution solubility parameter model and UNIFAC model for ionic liquids (UNIFAC-IL). For a given azeotropic mixture, an ionic liquid is designed using a computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) method and the UNIFAC-IL model is used to screen design candidates based on minimum ionic liquid concentration needed to break the azeotrope. Once the ionic liquid has been designed, the extractive distillation column for the azeotropic mixture is designed using the driving force method with a new proposed feed stage scaling to minimize energy inputs. Along with the distillation column, an ionic liquid recovery stage is designed and simulations are used to determine the overall heat duty for the entire process for the best ionic liquid candidates. Use of a designed ionic liquid reduces material and energy requirements when compared to an ionic liquid known to experimentally break a given azeotrope but not designed using CAMD methods. The acetone–methanol and ethanol–water azeotropes are provided as examples.

A novel framework for exploring 3-D FPGAs with heterogeneous interconnect fabric

A heterogeneous interconnect architecture can be a useful approach for the design of 3-D FPGAs. A methodology to investigate heterogeneous interconnection schemes for 3-D FPGAs under different 3-D fabrication technologies is proposed. Application of the proposed methodology on benchmark circuits demonstrates an improvement in delay, power consumption, and total wire-length of approximately 41%, 32%, and 36%, respectively, as compared to 2-D FPGAs. These improvements are additional to reducing the number of interlayer connections. The fewer interlayer connections are traded off for a higher yield. An area model to evaluate this trade-off is presented. Results indicate that a heterogeneous 3-D FPGA requires 37% less area as compared to a homogeneous 3-D FPGA. Consequently, the heterogeneous FPGAs can exhibit a higher manufacturing yield. A design toolset is also developed to support the design and exploration of various performance metrics for the proposed 3-D FPGAs.

Modelling and Performance Analysis of a Network of Chemical Sensors with Dynamic Collaboration

The problem of environmental monitoring using a wireless network of chemical sensors with a limited energy supply is considered. Since the conventional chemical sensors in active mode consume vast amounts of energy, an optimisation problem arises in the context of a balance between the energy consumption and the detection capabilities of such a network. A protocol based on “dynamic sensor collaboration” is employed: in the absence of any pollutant, the majority of sensors are in the sleep (passive) mode; a sensor is invoked (activated) by wake-up messages from its neighbors only when more information is required. The paper proposes a mathematical model of a network of chemical sensors using this protocol. The model provides valuable insights into the network behavior and near optimal capacity design (energy consumption against detection). An analytical model of the environment, using turbulent mixing to capture chaotic fluctuations, intermittency, and nonhomogeneity of the pollutant distribution, is employed in the study. A binary model of a chemical sensor is assumed (a device with threshold detection). The outcome of the study is a set of simple analytical tools for sensor network design, optimisation, and performance analysis.

Experimental Investigations on the Contour Generation of a Reconfigurable Stewart Platform

Reconfiguration of Stewart platform for varying tasks accentuates the importance for determination of optimum geometry catering to the specified task. The authors in their earlier work (Satheesh et al., 2008) have indicated the non availability of an efficient holistic methodology for determining the optimum geometry. Further, they have proposed a solution using the variable geometry approach through the formulation of dimensionless parameters in combination with generic parameters like configuration and joint vector. The methodology proposed provides an approach to develop a complete set of design tool for any new reconfigurable Stewart platform for two identified applications viz., contour generation and vibration isolation. This paper details the experimental investigations carried out to validate the analytical results obtained on a developed Stewart platform test rig and error analysis is performed for contour generation. The experimental natural frequency of the developed Stewart platform has also been obtained.

Dispersions of Aramid Nanofibers: A New Nanoscale Building Block

Stable dispersions of nanofibers are virtually unknown for synthetic polymers. They can complement analogous dispersions of inorganic components, such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanosheets, etc. as a fundamental component of a toolset for design of nanostructures and metamaterials via numerous solvent-based processing methods. As such, strong flexible polymeric nanofibers are very desirable for the effective utilization within composites of nanoscale inorganic components such as nanowires, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and others. Here stable dispersions of uniform high-aspect-ratio aramid nanofibers (ANFs) with diameters between 3 and 30 nm and up to 10 μm in length were successfully obtained. Unlike the traditional approaches based on polymerization of monomers, they are made by controlled dissolution of standard macroscale form of the aramid polymer, that is, well-known Kevlar threads, and revealed distinct morphological features similar to carbon nanotubes. ANFs are successfully processed into films using layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly as one of the potential methods of preparation of composites from ANFs. The resultant films are transparent and highly temperature resilient. They also display enhanced mechanical characteristics making ANF films highly desirable as protective coatings, ultrastrong membranes, as well as building blocks of other high performance materials in place of or in combination with carbon nanotubes.

Immunogenic Consensus Sequence T helper Epitopes for a Pan-Burkholderia Biodefense Vaccine.

BackgroundBiodefense vaccines against Category B bioterror agents Burkholderia pseudomallei (BPM) and Burkholderia mallei (BM) are needed, as they are both easily accessible to terrorists and have strong weaponization potential. Burkholderia cepaciae (BC), a related pathogen, causes chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Since BPM, BM and BC are all intracellular bacteria, they are excellent targets for T cell-based vaccines. However, the sheer volume of available genomic data requires the aid of immunoinformatics for vaccine design. Using EpiMatrix, ClustiMer and EpiAssembler, a set of immunoinformatic vaccine design tools, we screened the 31 available Burkholderia genomes and performed initial tests of our selections that are candidates for an epitope-based multi-pathogen vaccine against Burkholderia species.ResultsImmunoinformatics analysis of 31 Burkholderia genomes yielded 350,004 9-mer candidate vaccine peptides of which 133,469 had perfect conservation across the 10 BM genomes, 175,722 had perfect conservation across the 11 BPM genomes and 40,813 had perfect conservation across the 10 BC genomes. Further screening with EpiMatrix yielded 54,010 high-scoring Class II epitopes; these were assembled into 2,880 longer highly conserved ‘immunogenic consensus sequence’ T helper epitopes. 100% of the peptides bound to at least one HLA class II allele in vitro, 92.7% bound to at least two alleles, 82.9% to three, and 75.6% of the binding results were consistent with the immunoinformatics analysis.ConclusionsOur results show it is possible to rapidly identify promiscuous T helper epitopes conserved across multiple Burkholderia species and test their binding to HLA ligands in vitro. The next step in our process will be to test the epitopes ex vivo using peripheral leukocytes from BC, BPM infected humans and for immunogenicity in human HLA transgenic mice. We expect that this approach will lead to development of a licensable, pan-Burkholderia biodefense vaccine.

Managing the exchange of engineering product data to support through life ship design

An approach for managing the exchange of engineering product data between geographically distributed designers and analysts using a heterogeneous tool set for the through-life design of a ship is described. The approach was developed within a pan-European maritime project called VRShips-ROPAX 2000 that demonstrated how information technology could be integrated into the design process. This paper describes the development of a common model containing neutral ship product data through a bottom-up consideration of the requirements of the tools to be integrated, as well as a top-down consideration of the data requirements for through life design. This common model was supported within an Integrated Design Environment (IDE) that co-ordinated design activity distributed across Europe. The IDE ensured that the users were provided with the right data in the right form at the right time to do the right task, i.e., that the design activity was timely and appropriate. The strengths and weaknesses of the approach are highlighted.

Effective Teaching of the Physical Design of Integrated Circuits Using Educational Tools

This paper presents the strategies used for effective teaching and skill development in integrated circuit (IC) design using project-based learning (PBL) methodologies. It presents the contexts in which these strategies are applied to IC design courses at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, and the National Institute of Applied Science (INSA), Toulouse, France. Collaborations among the faculty members of the two institutions have produced a set of learning resources and design tools to support the development of industry-relevant design skills and lifelong learning skills. At the pedagogical level, the emphasis is on the development of practical circuit design, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills rather than the mastery of complex circuit design tools. The courses enable students to learn about the most recent technological developments and their implications, using a set of user-friendly tools. The PBL methodologies, intuitive design tools, and latest technology models have consistently produced high levels of student satisfaction with the overall quality of the courses at the two institutions.

Development and application of an integrated framework for small UAV flight control development

This paper presents an integrated framework for small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight control development. The approach provides a systematic procedure for flight control design process with a set of design tools that enables control engineers to rapidly synthesize, analyze and validate a candidate controller design. A model-based environment integrated with control synthesis, off-line and real-time simulation is developed for flight control synthesis, analysis and testings. The effectiveness of the proposed integrated framework is demonstrated by applying the framework approach to a small UAV testbed. Software-in-the-loop, processor-in-the-loop and flight testings are conducted with the synthesized controller implemented. Closed-loop performance and robustness results obtained are presented.

Cognitive tactical network models

Unlike commercial MANET applications, tactical networks are typically hierarchical and involve heterogeneous types of radio communications. Future tactical networks also require cognitive functions across the protocol stack to exploit scarce spectrum and dynamically adapt functions and configuration settings. In this work we highlight the need for novel design tools for cognitive tactical networks. We define a system design model that will provide the foundation for generic network design problem formulations via the use of cognitive techniques covering both dynamic frequency adaptations and machinelearning- related aspects of cognition. We use the system model to identify several potential cognitive design knobs and describe how the different design knobs can potentially be adjusted at different timescales of operation. These knobs are used in formulating a cognitive network design problem. Finally, we discuss how a network designer can potentially benefit from the proposed model result, a cognitive network design toolset we have recently developed.