Research and Education in Computational Science and Engineering

Over the past two decades the field of computational science and engineering (CSE) has penetrated both basic and applied research in academia, industry, and laboratories to advance discovery, optimize systems, support decision-makers, and educate the scientific and engineering workforce. Informed by centuries of theory and experiment, CSE performs computational experiments to answer questions that neither theory nor experiment alone is equipped to answer. CSE provides scientists and engineers of all persuasions with algorithmic inventions and software systems that transcend disciplines and scales. Carried on a wave of digital technology, CSE brings the power of parallelism to bear on troves of data. Mathematics-based advanced computing has become a prevalent means of discovery and innovation in essentially all areas of science, engineering, technology, and society; and the CSE community is at the core of this transformation. However, a combination of disruptive developments---including the architectural complexity of extreme-scale computing, the data revolution that engulfs the planet, and the specialization required to follow the applications to new frontiers---is redefining the scope and reach of the CSE endeavor. This report describes the rapid expansion of CSE and the challenges to sustaining its bold advances. The report also presents strategies and directions for CSE research and education for the next decade.Comment: Major revision, to appear in SIAM Revie

Geometric Modeling of Cellular Materials for Additive Manufacturing in Biomedical Field: A Review

Advances in additive manufacturing technologies facilitate the fabrication of cellular materials that have tailored functional characteristics. The application of solid freeform fabrication techniques is especially exploited in designing scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this review, firstly, a classification of cellular materials from a geometric point of view is proposed; then, the main approaches on geometric modeling of cellular materials are discussed. Finally, an investigation on porous scaffolds fabricated by additive manufacturing technologies is pointed out. Perspectives in geometric modeling of scaffolds for tissue engineering are also proposed

An investigation of planar array system artefacts generated within an electrical impedance mammography system developed for breast cancer detection

An Electrical Impedance Mammography (EIM) planar array imaging system is being developed at the University of Sussex for the detection of breast cancers. Investigations have shown that during data collection, systematic errors and patient artefacts are frequently introduced during signal acquisition from different electrodes pairs. This is caused, in particular, by the large variations in the electrode-skin contact interface conditions occurring between separate electrode positions both with the same and different patients. As a result, the EIM image quality is seriously affected by these errors. Hence, this research aims to experimentally identify, analyse and propose effective methods to reduce the systematic errors at the electrode-skin interface. Experimental studies and subsequent analysis is presented to determine what ratio of electrode blockage seriously affects the acquired raw data which may in turn compromise the reconstruction. This leads to techniques for the fast and accurate detection of any such occurrences. These methodologies can be applied to any planar array based EIM system

Software Engineering Timeline: major areas of interest and multidisciplinary trends

Ingeniería del software. EvolucionSociety today cannot run without software and by extension, without Software Engineering. Since this discipline emerged in 1968, practitioners have learned valuable lessons that have contributed to current practices. Some have become outdated but many are still relevant and widely used. From the personal and incomplete perspective of the authors, this paper not only reviews the major milestones and areas of interest in the Software Engineering timeline helping software engineers to appreciate the state of things, but also tries to give some insights into the trends that this complex engineering will see in the near future

Using Noninvasive Brain Measurement to Explore the Psychological Effects of Computer Malfunctions on Users during Human-Computer Interactions

In today’s technologically driven world, there is a need to better understand the ways that common computer malfunctions affect computer users. These malfunctions may have measurable influences on computer user’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses. An experiment was conducted where participants conducted a series of web search tasks while wearing functional nearinfrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and galvanic skin response sensors. Two computer malfunctions were introduced during the sessions which had the potential to influence correlates of user trust and suspicion. Surveys were given after each session to measure user’s perceived emotional state, cognitive load, and perceived trust. Results suggest that fNIRS can be used to measure the different cognitive and emotional responses associated with computer malfunctions. These cognitive and emotional changes were correlated with users’ self-report levels of suspicion and trust, and they in turn suggest future work that further explores the capability of fNIRS for the measurement of user experience during human-computer interactions

New Zealand Building Project Cost and Its Influential Factors: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Construction industry significantly contributes to New Zealand's economic development. However, the delivery of construction projects is usually plagued by cost overruns, which turn potentially successful projects into money-losing ventures, resulting in various other unexpected negative impacts. The objectives of the study were to identify, classify, and assess the impacts of the factors affecting project cost in New Zealand. The proposed research model was examined with structural equation modelling. Recognising the lack of a systematic approach for assessing the influencing factors associated with project cost, this study identified 30 influencing factors from various sources and quantified their relative impacts. The research data were gathered through a questionnaire survey circulated across New Zealand construction industry. A total of 283 responses were received, with a 37% response rate. A model was developed for testing the relationship between project cost and the influential factors. The proposed research model was examined with structural equation modelling (SEM). According to the results of the analysis, market and industry conditions factor has the most significant effect on project cost, while regulatory regime is the second-most significant influencing factor, followed by key stakeholders' perspectives. The findings can improve project cost performance through the identification and evaluation of the cost-influencing factors. The results of such analysis enable industry professionals to better understand cost-related risks in the complex environment

Ordered Statistics Vertex Extraction and Tracing Algorithm (OSVETA)

We propose an algorithm for identifying vertices from three dimensional (3D) meshes that are most important for a geometric shape creation. Extracting such a set of vertices from a 3D mesh is important in applications such as digital watermarking, but also as a component of optimization and triangulation. In the first step, the Ordered Statistics Vertex Extraction and Tracing Algorithm (OSVETA) estimates precisely the local curvature, and most important topological features of mesh geometry. Using the vertex geometric importance ranking, the algorithm traces and extracts a vector of vertices, ordered by decreasing index of importance.Comment: Accepted for publishing and Copyright transfered to Advances in Electrical and Computer Engineering, November 23th 201

Novel Ternary Logic Gates Design in Nanoelectronics

In this paper, standard ternary logic gates are initially designed to considerably reduce static power consumption. This study proposes novel ternary gates based on two supply voltages in which the direct current is eliminated and the leakage current is reduced considerably. In addition, ST-OR and ST-AND are generated directly instead of ST-NAND and ST-NOR. The proposed gates have a high noise margin near V_(DD)/4. The simulation results indicated that the power consumption and PDP underwent a~sharp decrease and noise margin showed a considerable increase in comparison to both one supply and two supply based designs in previous works. PDP is improved in the proposed OR, as compared to one supply and two supply based previous works about 83% and 63%, respectively. Also, a memory cell is designed using the proposed STI logic gate, which has a considerably lower static power to store logic ‘1’ and the static noise margin, as compared to other designs