Semi-symbolic Simulation and Analysis of Deviation Propagation of Feature Coordination in Cyber-physical Systems

For studying the effects of deviations for uncertain inputs of systems, often multi-run simulation is employed, which is time-consuming. Unfortunately, such simulations also do not directly support the traceability of such effects. A semi-symbolic modeling approach based on Affine Arithmetic Forms allows the representation of uncertainty in terms of ranges. Simulations of such models directly include propagation of deviations and their traceability. This paper presents such a semi-symbolic model of a cyber-physical system including coordination of safety-critical and interacting features. For feature coordination, this model introduces handling discrete uncertainty with two different behavioral modes and their integration. Based on this model, a single simulation run allowed us studying the effects of several deviations. In addition, this modeling approach facilitates specific analyses of deviations based on the traceability information. As a result from simulation and analyses, we got a better understanding of the different deviation propagations within our model

From Presence to “E-Presence” in Online Nursing Education

Online web-based course offerings are now common in many institutions of higher education In response to the current and severe nursing shortage, estimated to represent a 20% vacancy rate by the year 2015, (Tarkin, 2003) many more universities have created online nursing courses for registered nurses wishing to continue their education in nursing. The National League for Nursing (NLN) set research priorities that urged exploration of the impact that technology has on the content and nature of teaching and learning in nursing education (1999). Using a series of separate synchronous, online focus groups and 1:1 interviews with nurse educator experts and online nursing students, this qualitative study explored the meaning of \u27presence\u27 in online nursing courses. This study examined how; (a) nurse educators conveyed being present to students in online classrooms, (b) online students interacted with peers and faculty in the online classroom, and (c) and if, nurse educators used strategies with their online students that urged development of ways of being present with patients\u27 in disembodied environments. A grounded theory approach was used to develop the Theory of Connecting/Being Present in Online Nursing Courses. Conditions or antecedents are identified. The core category of connecting is highlighted along with four key dimensions of connecting. Consequences include situations that stem from making the connection with others or not making a connection with others and shed light on both pedagogical concerns and future patient care issues. Future research implications include implementing other innovative qualitative designs that would add to the theory, such as participant observation in online courses. Studies addressing gender differences and learning styles would add to this growing body of knowledge. Extending the work to examine presence in disembodied places is valuable future work as nurses carry out therapeutic interventions with patients in disembodied environments of care

A socio-technical approach for assistants in human-robot collaboration in industry 4.0

The introduction of technologies disruptive of Industry 4.0 in the workplace integrated through human cyber-physical systems causes operators to face new challenges. These are reflected in the increased demands presented in the operator's capabilities physical, sensory, and cognitive demands. In this research, cognitive demands are the most interesting. In this perspective, assistants are presented as a possible solution, not as a tool but as a set of functions that amplify human capabilities, such as exoskeletons, collaborative robots for physical capabilities, virtual and augmented reality for sensory capabilities. Perhaps chatbots and softbots for cognitive capabilities, then the need arises to ask ourselves: How can operator assistance systems 4.0 be developed in the context of industrial manufacturing? In which capacities does the operator need more assistance? From the current paradigm of systematization, different approaches are used within the context of the workspace in industry 4.0. Thus, the functional resonance analysis method (FRAM) is used to model the workspace from the sociotechnical system approach, where the relationships between the components are the most important among the functions to be developed by the human-robot team. With the use of simulators for both robots and robotic systems, the behavior of the variability of the human-robot team is analyzed. Furthermore, from the perspective of cognitive systems engineering, the workspace can be studied as a joint cognitive system, where cognition is understood as distributed, in a symbiotic relationship between the human and technological agents. The implementation of a case study as a human-robot collaborative workspace allows evaluating the performance of the human-robot team, the impact on the operator's cognitive abilities, and the level of collaboration achieved in the human-robot team through a set of metrics and proven methods in other areas, such as cognitive systems engineering, human-machine interaction, and ergonomics. We conclude by discussing the findings and outlook regarding future research questions and possible developments.La introducción de tecnologías disruptivas de Industria 4.0 en el lugar de trabajo integradas a través de sistemas ciberfísicos humanos hace que los operadores enfrenten nuevos desafíos. Estos se reflejan en el aumento de las demandas presentadas en las capacidades físicas, sensoriales y cognitivas del operador. En esta investigación, las demandas cognitivas son las más interesantes. En esta perspectiva, los asistentes se presentan como una posible solución, no como una herramienta sino como un conjunto de funciones que amplifican las capacidades humanas, como exoesqueletos, robots colaborativos para capacidades físicas, realidad virtual y aumentada para capacidades sensoriales. Quizás chatbots y softbots para capacidades cognitivas, entonces surge la necesidad de preguntarnos: ¿Cómo se pueden desarrollar los sistemas de asistencia al operador 4.0 en el contexto de la fabricación industrial? ¿En qué capacidades el operador necesita más asistencia? A partir del paradigma actual de sistematización, se utilizan diferentes enfoques dentro del contexto del espacio de trabajo en la industria 4.0. Así, se utiliza el método de análisis de resonancia funcional (FRAM) para modelar el espacio de trabajo desde el enfoque del sistema sociotécnico, donde las relaciones entre los componentes son las más importantes entre las funciones a desarrollar por el equipo humano-robot. Con el uso de simuladores tanto para robots como para sistemas robóticos se analiza el comportamiento de la variabilidad del equipo humano-robot. Además, desde la perspectiva de la ingeniería de sistemas cognitivos, el espacio de trabajo puede ser estudiado como un sistema cognitivo conjunto, donde la cognición se entiende distribuida, en una relación simbiótica entre los agentes humanos y tecnológicos. La implementación de un caso de estudio como un espacio de trabajo colaborativo humano-robot permite evaluar el desempeño del equipo humano-robot, el impacto en las habilidades cognitivas del operador y el nivel de colaboración alcanzado en el equipo humano-robot a través de un conjunto de métricas y métodos probados en otras áreas, como la ingeniería de sistemas cognitivos, la interacción hombre-máquina y la ergonomía. Concluimos discutiendo los hallazgos y las perspectivas con respecto a futuras preguntas de investigación y posibles desarrollos.Postprint (published version

Augmented Reality

There is at present no publication specifically dedicated to analyzing the philosophical implications of augmented reality. Applications cover diverse fields like psychopathology and education, implications concern issues as diverse as negative knowledge, group cognition, the internet of things, and ontological issues, among others. In this way, it is intended not only to generate answers, but also, to draw attention to new problems that arise with the diffusion of augmented reality. In order to contemplate these problems from diverse perspectives, the authors are from a variety of fields - philosophy, computer sciences, education, psychology, and many more. Accordingly, the volume offers varied and interesting contributions which are of interest to professionals from multiple disciplines

Designing Trustworthy Autonomous Systems

The design of autonomous systems is challenging and ensuring their trustworthiness can have different meanings, such as i) ensuring consistency and completeness of the requirements by a correct elicitation and formalization process; ii) ensuring that requirements are correctly mapped to system implementations so that any system behaviors never violate its requirements; iii) maximizing the reuse of available components and subsystems in order to cope with the design complexity; and iv) ensuring correct coordination of the system with its environment.Several techniques have been proposed over the years to cope with specific problems. However, a holistic design framework that, leveraging on existing tools and methodologies, practically helps the analysis and design of autonomous systems is still missing. This thesis explores the problem of building trustworthy autonomous systems from different angles. We have analyzed how current approaches of formal verification can provide assurances: 1) to the requirement corpora itself by formalizing requirements with assume/guarantee contracts to detect incompleteness and conflicts; 2) to the reward function used to then train the system so that the requirements do not get misinterpreted; 3) to the execution of the system by run-time monitoring and enforcing certain invariants; 4) to the coordination of the system with other external entities in a system of system scenario and 5) to system behaviors by automatically synthesize a policy which is correct