A Framework supporting collaboration on the distributed design of integrated systems

The work described in this thesis aims to support the distributed design of integrated systems and considers specifically the need for collaborative interaction among designers. Particular emphasis was given to issues which were only marginally considered in previous approaches, such as the abstraction of the distribution of design automation resources over the network, the possibility of both synchronous and asynchronous interaction among designers and the support for extensible design data models. Such issues demand a rather complex software infrastructure, as possible solutions must encompass a wide range of software modules: from user interfaces to middleware to databases. To build such structure, several engineering techniques were employed and some original solutions were devised. The core of the proposed solution is based in the joint application of two homonymic technologies: CAD Frameworks and object-oriented frameworks. The former concept was coined in the late 80's within the electronic design automation community and comprehends a layered software environment which aims to support CAD tool developers, CAD administrators/integrators and designers. The latter, developed during the last decade by the software engineering community, is a software architecture model to build extensible and reusable object-oriented software subsystems. In this work, we proposed to create an object-oriented framework which includes extensible sets of design data primitives and design tool building blocks. Such object-oriented framework is included within a CAD Framework, where it plays important roles on typical CAD Framework services such as design data representation and management, versioning, user interfaces, design management and tool integration. The implemented CAD Framework - named Cave2 - followed the classical layered architecture presented by Barnes, Harrison, Newton and Spickelmier, but the possibilities granted by the use of the object-oriented framework foundations allowed a series of improvements which were not available in previous approaches: - object-oriented frameworks are extensible by design, thus this should be also true regarding the implemented sets of design data primitives and design tool building blocks. This means that both the design representation model and the software modules dealing with it can be upgraded or adapted to a particular design methodology, and that such extensions and adaptations will still inherit the architectural and functional aspects implemented in the object-oriented framework foundation; - the design semantics and the design visualization are both part of the object-oriented framework, but in clearly separated models. This allows for different visualization strategies for a given design data set, which gives collaborating parties the flexibility to choose individual visualization settings; - the control of the consistency between semantics and visualization - a particularly important issue in a design environment with multiple views of a single design - is also included in the foundations of the object-oriented framework. Such mechanism is generic enough to be also used by further extensions of the design data model, as it is based on the inversion of control between view and semantics. The view receives the user input and propagates such event to the semantic model, which evaluates if a state change is possible. If positive, it triggers the change of state of both semantics and view. Our approach took advantage of such inversion of control and included an layer between semantics and view to take into account the possibility of multi-view consistency; - to optimize the consistency control mechanism between views and semantics, we propose an event-based approach that captures each discrete interaction of a designer with his/her respective design views. The information about each interaction is encapsulated inside an event object, which may be propagated to the design semantics - and thus to other possible views - according to the consistency policy which is being used. Furthermore, the use of event pools allows for a late synchronization between view and semantics in case of unavailability of a network connection between them; - the use of proxy objects raised significantly the abstraction of the integration of design automation resources, as either remote or local tools and services are accessed through method calls in a local object. The connection to remote tools and services using a look-up protocol also abstracted completely the network location of such resources, allowing for resource addition and removal during runtime; - the implemented CAD Framework is completely based on Java technology, so it relies on the Java Virtual Machine as the layer which grants the independence between the CAD Framework and the operating system. All such improvements contributed to a higher abstraction on the distribution of design automation resources and also introduced a new paradigm for the remote interaction between designers. The resulting CAD Framework is able to support fine-grained collaboration based on events, so every single design update performed by a designer can be propagated to the rest of the design team regardless of their location in the distributed environment. This can increase the group awareness and allow a richer transfer of experiences among them, improving significantly the collaboration potential when compared to previously proposed file-based or record-based approaches. Three different case studies were conducted to validate the proposed approach, each one focusing one a subset of the contributions of this thesis. The first one uses the proxy-based resource distribution architecture to implement a prototyping platform using reconfigurable hardware modules. The second one extends the foundations of the implemented object-oriented framework to support interface-based design. Such extensions - design representation primitives and tool blocks - are used to implement a design entry tool named IBlaDe, which allows the collaborative creation of functional and structural models of integrated systems. The third case study regards the possibility of integration of multimedia metadata to the design data model. Such possibility is explored in the frame of an online educational and training platform.

Quantifying epistemic actions in human-computer interaction

As digital systems move away from traditional desktop setups, new interaction paradigms are emerging that better integrate with users’ realworld surroundings, and better support users’ individual needs. While promising, these modern interaction paradigms also present new challenges, such as a lack of paradigm-specific tools to systematically evaluate and fully understand their use. This dissertation tackles this issue by framing empirical studies of three novel digital systems in embodied cognition – an exciting new perspective in cognitive science where the body and its interactions with the physical world take a central role in human cognition. This is achieved by first, focusing the design of all these systems on a contemporary interaction paradigm that emphasizes physical interaction on tangible interaction, a contemporary interaction paradigm; and second, by comprehensively studying user performance in these systems through a set of novel performance metrics grounded on epistemic actions, a relatively well established and studied construct in the literature on embodied cognition. The first system presented in this dissertation is an augmented Four-in-a-row board game. Three different versions of the game were developed, based on three different interaction paradigms (tangible, touch and mouse), and a repeated measures study involving 36 participants measured the occurrence of three simple epistemic actions across these three interfaces. The results highlight the relevance of epistemic actions in such a task and suggest that the different interaction paradigms afford instantiation of these actions in different ways. Additionally, the tangible version of the system supports the most rapid execution of these actions, providing novel quantitative insights into the real benefits of tangible systems. The second system presented in this dissertation is a tangible tabletop scheduling application. Two studies with single and paired users provide several insights into the impact of epistemic actions on the user experience when these are performed outside of a system’s sensing boundaries. These insights are clustered by the form, size and location of ideal interface areas for such offline epistemic actions to occur, as well as how can physical tokens be designed to better support them. Finally, and based on the results obtained to this point, the last study presented in this dissertation directly addresses the lack of empirical tools to formally evaluate tangible interaction. It presents a video-coding framework grounded on a systematic literature review of 78 papers, and evaluates its value as metric through a 60 participant study performed across three different research laboratories. The results highlight the usefulness and power of epistemic actions as a performance metric for tangible systems. In sum, through the use of such novel metrics in each of the three studies presented, this dissertation provides a better understanding of the real impact and benefits of designing and developing systems that feature tangible interaction.

Species Diversity of Myrmecofauna and Araneofauna Associated with Agroecosystem and Forest Fragments and their Interaction with Carabidae and Staphylinidae (Coleoptera)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Transcriptomics and systems biology analysis in identification of specific pathways involved in cacao resistance and susceptibility to witches' broom disease

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of the Oxygen on the Mechanical Properties of Ti-Mo Systems Alloys

Titanium alloys normally contain oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon as impurities, and although this concentration is low, these impurities cause changes in the mechanical properties of Ti alloys. Oxygen is a strong alpha-phase stabilizer and its addition causes solid-solution strengthening, shape memory effect, and superelasticity. The most promising alloys are those with Nb, Zr, Ta, and Mo as alloying elements. In this paper, the preparation, processing, and characterization of Ti-Mo alloys (5 and 10 wt%) used as biomaterials are presented, along with the influence of oxygen on their mechanical properties. The addition of oxygen causes an increase in the elasticity modulus of the Ti-5Mo alloy due to an increase in the alpha' phase volume fraction, which possesses a higher modulus than the alpha '' phase. Ti-10Mo possesses a mixture between alpha '' and beta phases, oxygen enters these two structures and causes a dominating effect.

Modeling and Experimental Aspects of Self-healing Bolted Joint through Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

Bolted joints are a form of mechanical coupling largely used in machinery due to their reliability and low cost. Failure of bolted joints can lead to catastrophic events, such as leaking, train derailments, aircraft crashes, etc. Most of these failures occur due to the reduction of the pre-load, induced by mechanical vibration or human errors in the assembly or maintenance process. This article investigates the application of shape memory alloy (SMA) washers as an actuator to increase the pre-load on loosened bolted joints. The application of SMA washer follows a structural health monitoring procedure to identify a damage (reduction in pre-load) occurrence. In this article, a thermo-mechanical model is presented to predict the final pre-load achieved using this kind of actuator, based on the heat input and SMA washer dimension. This model extends and improves on the previous model of Ghorashi and Inman [2004, "Shape Memory Alloy in Tension and Compression and its Application as Clamping Force Actuator in a Bolted Joint: Part 2 - Modeling," J. Intell. Mater. Syst. Struct., 15:589-600], by eliminating the pre-load term related to nut turning making the system more practical. This complete model is a powerful but complex tool to be used by designers. A novel modeling approach for self-healing bolted joints based on curve fitting of experimental data is presented. The article concludes with an experimental application that leads to a change in joint assembly to increase the system reliability, by removing the ceramic washer component. Further research topics are also suggested.

Genotype by environment interaction for 450-day weight of Nelore cattle analyzed by reaction norm models

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of different adhesive systems on microleakage in class II composite resin restorations

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Shear Bond Strength of Different Repair Systems to Titanium After Water Aging

This study evaluated the shear bond strength (SBS) and stability of commercially pure titanium (CP Ti)/repair material interfaces promoted by different repair systems. One hundred CP Ti cast discs were divided into five repair system groups: 1) Epricord (EP); 2) Bistite 11 DC (BT); 3) Cojet (CJ); 4) Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus (SB) (control group); and 5) Cojet Sand plus Scotchbond Multi-Purpose Plus (CJSB). The specimens were stored in distilled water for 24 hours at 37 degrees C, thermal cycled (5000 cycles, 5 degrees-55 degrees C) and stored under the same conditions for either 24 hours or six months (n=10). SBS was tested and the data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test (alpha=.05). Failure mode was determined with a stereomicroscope (20x). The repair system, storage time, and their interaction significantly affected the SBS (p<0.001). At 24 hours, CJSB exhibited the highest SBS value, followed by CJ. At six months, these two groups had similar mean SBS (p>0.05) and higher means in comparison to the other groups. For both storage times, BT presented the lowest SBS, while the EP and SB groups did not differ significantly from one another (p>0.05). There were no significant differences in SBS between the storage times for the groups EP and CJ (p>0.05). The groups BT, SB, and CJSB showed 100% adhesive failure, irrespective of storage time. The CJSB group showed the highest SBS at both storage times. At six months, the CJ group exhibited a similar SBS mean value when compared to the CJSB group. Water storage adversely affected the groups BT, SB (control group), and CJSB. Considering SBS values, stability, and the failure mode simultaneously, the CJ group showed the best CP Ti repair performance.

Interaction between Pluronic F127 and Dioctadecyldimethylammonium Bromide (DODAB) Vesicles Studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Synchronization and Non-Smooth Dynamical Systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Influence of Application Methods of Self-etching Adhesive Systems on Adhesive Bond Strength to Dentin

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Influence of Methods of Application of Self-etching Adhesive Systems on Adhesive Bond Strength to Enamel

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Stability of atomic condensed systems with attractive two-body interactions

In the present report, we review recent investigations that we have conducted on the stability of atomic condensed systems, when the two-body interaction is attractive. In particular, the dynamics that occurs in the condensate due to nonconservative terms is considered in the context of an extension of the mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii approximation. Considering the relative intensity of the nonconservative parameters, chaotic and solitonic solutions are verified. Also discussed is the possibility of a liquid-gas phase transition in the presence of positive three-body elastic collisions.

Stability of the trapped nonconservative Gross-Pitaevskii equation with attractive two-body interaction

The dynamics of a nonconservative Gross-Pitaevskii equation for trapped atomic systems with attractive two-body interaction is numerically investigated, considering wide variations of the nonconservative parameters, related to atomic feeding and dissipation. We study the possible limitations of the mean-field description for an atomic condensate with attractive two-body interaction, by defining the parameter regions, where stable or unstable formation can be found. The present study is useful and timely considering the possibility of large variations of attractive two-body scattering lengths, which may be feasible in recent experiments.