Towards a decision support framework for system architecture design

Early phase design phases of more and more complex systems enhance the need for a more interdependent decision-making process across design disciplines and processes. No clear system architecture design process in industry identifies support tools for system architects' need. In this paper, we conducted interviews and workshop with system architects in a major aerospace company in order to understand what system architecture design process is and what decision support tools are needed in this process. The analysis of the collected data has underlined 10 different decision domains that we define and link to the needs expressed by the systems architects interviewed

Measurement of the W mass in e+e−e^+e^- collisions at production threshold

In June 1996, the LEP centre-of-mass energy was raised to 161 GeV. Pair production of W bosons in e+e- collisions was observed for the first time by the LEP experiments. An integrated luminosity of 11 pb-1 was recorded in the ALEPH detector, in which WW candidate events were observed. In 6 events both Ws decay leptonically. In 16 events, one W decays leptonically, the other into hadrons. In the channel where both Ws decay into hadrons, a signal was separated from the large background by means of several multi-variate analyses. The W pair cross-section is measured to be sigma_WW = 4.23 +-0.73 (stat.) +- 0.19 (syst.) pb From this cross-section, the W mass is derived within the framework of the Standard Model: MW = 80.14 +- 0.34 (stat.) +- 0.09 (syst.) +- 0.03 (LEP~energy) GeV/c2

Un denier inédit (?) d’Henri Ier roi de Chypre

This denier is the only example known of the first coinage in the name of Henri I during the regency of his mother Alice and ther uncles Philippe and Jean d’Ibelin.Callot Olivier, Creuzy Martine. Un denier inédit (?) d’Henri Ier roi de Chypre. In: Cahiers du Centre d'Etudes Chypriotes. Volume 44, 2014. pp. 399-400

Towards an adaptive model for collaborative simulation: from system design to lessons learned. A use case from Aircraft industry

International audienceOver the last few years, vehicle industry has been looking for a better preparation of test and certification phases of their complex products. In this context, Modelling and Simulation (M&S) technics have grown in importance for these companies. Since M&S technics are growing on, the number of people performing those technics have risen exponentially, making their teams work harder to accomplish the simulation objectives. Different alternatives supporting collaborative simulation have been proposed. Nevertheless, most of those alternatives deal only with Information and Technical (IT) problems. This paper proposes the considered solutions, based on a use case from aircraft industry, aiming at develop an adaptive model for collaborative simulation. The results include a holistic view of collaborative problems in simulation processes, distinguished between three different phases: initialization, collaboration and return of experience. In addition, the model combines also three main parts for a successful collaboration: the actors, the process and the objects to exchange. The adaptive model developed gives a clear idea of dynamic interactions between the different phases. Future work will consider a cooperative model based on game theory in order to establish the actors behavior mode

Multidisciplinary Simulation Model Development: Early inconsistency detection during the design stage

International audienceIntegration, Verification and Validation (IVV) practices in simulation-based design helps reduce inconsistencies in multidisciplinary systems, i.e. those combining multiple mechanics, structural, hydrodynamic or other complex components. In current multidisciplinary simulation model development processes, subsystem simulation models are usually Verified and Validated (V&V) at supplier level to assess whether a system meets its intended goals; in such scenarios, each system is verified and validated separately – mechanical, structural, hydrodynamic, etc. However, many problems may arise during the actual integration of these modular subsystem simulations at the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) level, which increases the risk of late inconsistencies such as interface mismatches or other interoperability-based problems. To address this problem, the present work aims to reduce late inconsistency detection through ensuring early stage collaborations between the different suppliers and the OEM by proposing a clear simulation model request. Our approach is illustrated with an industrial case study showing how a Model Request Package that contains the Model Identity Card (MIC) and Model of Intention (MoI) concepts, helps reduce the knowledge gap and inconsistencies between OEMs and model suppliers

Value Proposition Design for Systems and Services by Adapting Affordance-Based Design

International audienceIn early design stages, firms need to generate and assess their value propositions. Although both business developers and systems engineers capture customers’ needs to design the value proposition, they suffer from inefficient business and engineering processes interactions. Moreover, they lack methods to elicit the needs in a structured way and to explore the best value propositions.We propose to extend the affordance-based design for systems and services in order support the elicitation and capture of stakeholders’values; and to identify boundaries of the system design problem to explore the best value propositions. Hence, affordances — which describe what system provides to other systems and stakeholders — help to frame the context. Today, affordance-based design is mainly used for artifact design. We propose to extend this approach to systems and services and complement it with a focus on stakeholders’ activities and external systems’ stages. With regard to the different system design perimeters defined by affordances, value propositions are designed. The proposed method is illustrated on an AIRBUS Defence & Space innovative project

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in e+e−e^+ e^- collisions at s\sqrt{s}=161, 170 and 172 GeV

The reaction e+e- -> HZ is used to search for the Standard Model Higgs boson. The data sample consists of integrated luminosities of 10.9pb-1 1.1pb-1 and 9.5pb-1 collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP during 1996, at centre-of-mass energies of 161, 170 and 172GeV, respectively. No candidate events were found, in agreement with the expected background of 0.84 events from all Standard Model processes. This search results in a 95%C.L. lower limit on the Higgs boson mass of 69.4GeV. When combined with earlier ALEPH searches performed at energies at and around the Z peak, this limit increases to 70.7Ge