Participatory simulation in hospital work system design

When ergonomic considerations are integrated into the design of work systems, both overall system performance and employee well-being improve. A central part of integrating ergonomics in work system design is to benefit from emplo y-ees’ knowledge of existing work systems. Participatory simulation (PS) is a method to access employee knowledge; namely employees are involved in the simulation and design of their own future work systems through the exploration of models representing work system designs. However, only a few studies have investigated PS and the elements of the method. Yet understanding the elements is essential when analyzing and planning PS in research and practice.This PhD study investigates PS and the method elements in the context of the Danish hospital sector, where PS is applied in the renewal and design of public hospitals and the work systems within the hospitals. The investigation was guided by three research questions focusing on: 1) the influence of simulation media on ergonomic evaluation in PS, 2) the creation of ergonomic knowledge in PS, and 3) the transfer and integration of the ergonomic knowledge into work system design.The investigation was based on three PS cases in the Danish hospital sector. The cases were analyzed from an ergonomics system perspective combined with theories on knowledge creation, transfer, and integration. The results are presented in six scientific papers from which three core findings are extracted: 1) simulation media attributes influence the type of ergonomic conditions that can be evaluated in PS, 2) sequences and overlaps of knowledge creation activities are sources of ergonomic knowledge creation in PS, and 3) intermediaries are means of knowledge transfer, and interpretation and transformation are means of knowledge integration

Cyber-crime Science = Crime Science + Information Security

Cyber-crime Science is an emerging area of study aiming to prevent cyber-crime by combining security protection techniques from Information Security with empirical research methods used in Crime Science. Information security research has developed techniques for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets but is less strong on the empirical study of the effectiveness of these techniques. Crime Science studies the effect of crime prevention techniques empirically in the real world, and proposes improvements to these techniques based on this. Combining both approaches, Cyber-crime Science transfers and further develops Information Security techniques to prevent cyber-crime, and empirically studies the effectiveness of these techniques in the real world. In this paper we review the main contributions of Crime Science as of today, illustrate its application to a typical Information Security problem, namely phishing, explore the interdisciplinary structure of Cyber-crime Science, and present an agenda for research in Cyber-crime Science in the form of a set of suggested research questions

Aeronautical Engineering: A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes

This report lists reports, articles and other documents recently announced in the NASA STI Database

Opening digital fabrication: transforming TechKnowledgies

This study analyses the field of open digital fabrication where novel digital capabilities and hopes for social transformation have merged to form arrangements that seek to democratise knowledge and technology through collaboration. Through qualitative social science the study analyses FabLabs and open source technologies and the respective collective procedures that produce and organise technology and knowledge that redefine the entanglement of our society and its technologies

Modelling and use of SysML behaviour models for achieving dynamic use cases of technical products in different VR-systems

Digital methods and models help the product designers in performing early evaluations on a product that eventually help to gain understanding about a product’s behaviour and its interactions with neighbouring systems in its later life-phases. Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that can facilitate the early evaluation process by showing later life situations of a product as early as at the design stage. However, the application of VR in the industry is currently limited due to high model preparation effort and poor reusability of already prepared models. Therefore, this thesis pursues towards the development of a method that can facilitate the early evaluations of the product in VR and thus, facilitate the use of VR in the product development process. This method aims at achieving generic behavioural descriptions for use in VR that can be reused as well to form dynamic use cases of a product in different VR-systems. The focus lies on reducing the overall preparation effort of VR-models and on achieving high reusability of already created models. The core components of the thesis consist of the use of Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to develop generic behavioural model descriptions, their use in building different use cases of a product in one VR-system and their reuse in different VR-systems as well. The Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is used to describe the behavioural models, the modelling process is described systematically and is also summarized in the form of general-purpose guidelines for later use. Furthermore, a dedicated physics engine is used to perform the physical calculations on virtual objects in VR and is integrated with the SysML. These SysML behaviour models together with the physics engine are used to achieve a real-time product use case simulation inside VR. The same SysML behaviour models are used across different VR-systems to achieve real-time simulations and to validate their reuse. Two VR prototypes are developed to demonstrate the effectivity and use of the presented method. Finally, one of the prototypes is put to the empirical evaluation performed with the help of experts from academia as well as the industry.Digitale Methode und Modellen ermöglichen den Produktdesignern eine frühzeitige Evaluierung des Produkts, damit sie das Verhalten des Produkts und seine Interaktionen mit benachbarten Systemen in seinen späteren Lebensphasen besser verstehen können. Virtual Reality (VR) ist eine Technologie, die zum frühen Evaluierungsprozess beitragen kann, indem spätere Lebenssituationen eines Produkts schon in der Entwurfsphase angezeigt werden können. Die Anwendung von VR in der Industrie ist jedoch derzeit aufgrund des hohen Modellaufbereitungsaufwands und der limitierten Wiederverwendbarkeit vorhandener Modelle begrenzt. Daher befasst sich diese Arbeit mit der Entwicklung einer Methode, die die frühzeitige Evaluierung des Produkts innerhalb von VR und die Verwendung von VR im Produktentwicklungsprozess erleichtern kann. Diese Methode befasst sich mit dem Prozess der Entwicklung allgemeiner Verhaltensbeschreibungen zur Verwendung in VR, die auch wiederverwendet werden können, um dynamische Anwendungsfälle eines Produkts in den verschiedenen VR-Systemen abzubilden. Der Fokus liegt auf der Reduzierung des gesamten Aufbereitungsaufwands von VR-Modellen und auf das Verwirklichen einer hohen Wiederverwendbarkeit bereits vorhandener Modelle. Die Kernkomponenten der Arbeit bestehen in der Verwendung von Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) zur Entwicklung allgemeingültiger Verhaltensmodellbeschreibungen, ihrer Verwendung beim Erstellen verschiedener Anwendungsfälle eines Produkts in einem VR-System und ihrer Wiederverwendung in den verschiedenen VR-Systemen. Die Systems Modeling Language (SysML) wird zur Beschreibung der Verhaltensmodelle verwendet, der Modellierungsprozess wird systematisch beschrieben und auch in Form allgemeiner Anwendungsrichtlinien für die spätere Verwendung zusammengefasst. Darüber hinaus wird eine dedizierte Physik-Engine verwendet, um die physikalischen Berechnungen für virtuelle Objekte in VR durchzuführen, welche auch mit SysML integriert ist. Diese SysML-Verhaltensmodelle zusammen mit der Physik-Engine bilden eine echtzeitfähige Produktanwendungssimulation in VR. Dieselben SysML-Verhaltensmodelle werden für verschiedene VR-Systeme verwendet, um Echtzeitsimulationen abzubilden und ihre Wiederverwendung zu validieren. Zwei VR-Prototypen wurden entwickelt, um die Wirksamkeit und Verwendung der vorgestellten Methoden zu demonstrieren. Schließlich wurde einer der Prototypen einer empirischen Untersuchung unterzogen, die mithilfe von Experten aus Wissenschaft und Industrie durchgeführt wurde

An Investigation into Dynamic Web Service Composition Using a Simulation Framework

[Motivation] Web Services technology has emerged as a promising solution for creat- ing distributed systems with the potential to overcome the limitation of former distrib- uted system technologies. Web services provide a platform-independent framework that enables companies to run their business services over the internet. Therefore, many techniques and tools are being developed to create business to business/business to customer applications. In particular, researchers are exploring ways to build new services from existing services by dynamically composing services from a range of resources. [Aim] This thesis aims to identify the technologies and strategies cur- rently being explored for organising the dynamic composition of Web services, and to determine how extensively each of these has been demonstrated and assessed. In addition, the thesis will study the matchmaking and selection processes which are essential processes for Web service composition. [Research Method] We under- took a mapping study of empirical papers that had been published over the period 2000 to 2009. The aim of the mapping study was to identify the technologies and strategies currently being explored for organising the composition of Web services, and to determine how extensively each of these has been demonstrated and assessed. We then built a simulation framework to carry out some experiments on composition strategies. The rst experiment compared the results of a close replication of an ex- isting study with the original results in order to evaluate our close replication study. The simulation framework was then used to investigate the use of a QoS model for supporting the selection process, comparing this with the ranking technique in terms of their performance. [Results] The mapping study found 1172 papers that matched our search terms, from which 94 were classied as providing practical demonstration of ideas related to dynamic composition. We have analysed 68 of these in more detail. Only 29 provided a `formal' empirical evaluation. From these, we selected a `baseline' study to test our simulation model. Running the experiments using simulated data- sets have shown that in the rst experiment the results of the close replication study and the original study were similar in terms of their prole. In the second experiment, the results demonstrated that the QoS model was better than the ranking mechanism in terms of selecting a composite plan that has highest quality score. [Conclusions] No one approach to service composition seemed to meet all needs, but a number has been investigated more. The similarity between the results of the close replication and the original study showed the validity of our simulation framework and a proof that the results of the original study can be replicated. Using the simulation it was demonstrated that the performance of the QoS model was better than the ranking mechanism in terms of the overall quality for a selected plan. The overall objectives of this research are to develop a generic life-cycle model for Web service composition from a mapping study of the literature. This was then used to run simulations to replicate studies on matchmaking and compare selection methods

Low-cost Printable Robots in Education

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10846-015-0199-xThe wider availability of 3D printing has enabled small printable robots (or printbots) to be incorporated directly into engineering courses. Printbots can be used in many ways to enhance lifelong learning skills, strengthen understanding and foster teamwork and collaboration. The experiences outlined in this paper were used in our teaching during the last academic year, although much of the methodology and many of the activities have been used and developed over the past 8 years. They include project based assignments carried out by multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, a number of theoretical and practical classroom and laboratory activities all aimed at familiarizing students with fundamental concepts, programming and simulation, and which now form part of our regular robotics courses, and some brief descriptions of how printable robots are being used by students carrying out final projects for Bachelor and Master degrees. The online resources show many of these activities in action.Armesto Ángel, L.; Fuentes-Durá, P.; Perry, DR. (2016). Low-cost Printable Robots in Education. 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