bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NATO, the EU and the OSCE in the Handling of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Competitive Synergy or “Freezing” Crisis Management?
Authors: Tytarchuk Oleksandr  , Khylko Maksym
Published: February 2025

This article offers a general perspective on the involvement of NATO, the EU and the OSCE in the handling of the Russia–Ukraine conflict in terms of interim lessons learned and best practices for exerting international efforts to bring peace and security in the region amid the ongoing deep European security crisis. The authors believe that Ukraine, as a host country, relies too much on international support in resolving this crisis, this being partially triggered by the ineffective policy of the same international players that are now being called upon for support. The authors consider the level of involvement and practical assistance of the above-mentioned organizations in solving the Russia-Ukraine conflict to be rather different than what is generally supposed, while the issue of there being competition between them is not regarded as a serious one. In the authors' opinion, the current efforts of all these organizations are oriented mainly toward crisis management activities related to stabilizing and legitimizing the situation, in order to bring about a formal opportunity to carry out their “business as usual” crisis management activities oriented toward “freezing” conflicts. With the above-mentioned evolving “hybrid” security context in mind, a set of practical recommendations is elaborated with the aim of maintaining a win-win approach and finding ways to work together more effectively, prevent a duplication of efforts, and reinforce the full coherence and synergy of collective actions and responsibility, especially on the ground.
Patterns of Russian Intelligence “Active Measures” in Frozen Conflict Zones
Authors: Ojog Vitalie
Published: February 2025

Strategy and tactics of Russian intelligence active measures evolved in the period of the Cold War with a various range of effects and consequences. Still, in the context of new geostrategic paradigm, Russia showed its revisionist aims and tendency to stop possible EU-NATO expansion and power projection, by controlling the key areas of the Black Sea region. Moreover, Russian intelligence active measures are mainly focused on frozen conflict zones within ex-Soviet states as Georgia, the Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova. Materialized in the so-called “near abroad” policy, contemporary Russian intelligence active measures have methodological patterns whose results develop into a complex hybrid warfare. The analysis of the phases and particularities of actions within active measures in different regions can bring a valuable forecast potential in preventing and countering these actions.
Optimising Mixed Model Assembly Lines for Mass Customisation: A Multi Agent Systems Approach
Authors: Banjo Olatunde  , Stewart David  , Fasli Maria
Published: February 2025

Traditional manufacturing systems are based on large production volumes and repeatable high quality. Recently, with the emergence of Industry 4.0, increasing range of products variations introduced by Mass Customisation can make assembly processes more complex.
Intelligent Semantic Query for Manufacturing Supply Chain
Authors: Saeidlou Salman  , Saadat Mozafar  , Amini Sharifi Ebrahim
Published: February 2025

Current trends in the manufacturing supply chain reveal a promising demand for the development and deployment of intelligent manufacturing systems, where the underlying intelligence of such systems allows enterprises to optimize their manufacturing sites. The aim of this paper is to develop an intelligent data query algorithm for a manufacturing supply chain through the use of semantic web technologies. This research demonstrates the benefits of using ontologies for a manufacturing data query by comparing three different search mechanisms based on multiple criteria. The best results are obtained by introducing a hybrid technique of having ontology and a data repository in place. This has been demonstrated by developing simulation software based on a real case study of a distributed manufacturing system.
Forming Alumina (Al
Authors: Hijji Hasan  , Qin Yi  , Huang Kunlan  , Zulkipli Muhammad Bin  , Yang Song  , Zhao Jie
Published: February 2025

The Alumina (Al2O3), also known as Aluminium oxide, has a good thermal conductivity, but it is an electrical insulator. The Alumina is being used widely in the industry. Several research the sintering of Alumina using the conventional hot pressing process or spark plasma sintering (SPS). However, these methods are and have their own limits and disadvantages, such as long process chains and low efficiency with the processes and, rarely developed for the forming of miniature and micro-scale components. In this study conducted in the report. A new process has been used adapted from the electric-current activated sintering techniques (FAST) and it is been combined with micro-forming technology and called the (Micro-FAST). The Alumina powders were loaded directly into the die, followed by electric-sintering under certain pressure. In this paper Ø4.00 mm×4.00 mm and Ø2.00 mm×2.00 mm cylinder solid samples were produced. This experiment was conducted by use of a Gleeble 3800 thermal-mechanical simulator. Several properties of the solid samples, such as relative density, ESM and EDS, were examined, and these showed good results have been obtained.
Investigating Relationships Between Laser Metal Deposition Deployment Conditions and Material Microstructural Evolution
Authors: Wilson Mike  , Payne Grant  , Ahmad Abdul  , Fitzpatrick Stephen  , Ion William  , Xirouchakis Paul
Published: February 2025

Additive Manufacturing can be utilised for the repair and remanufacture of metallic components with reduced replacement costs and with the potential for better mechanical and wear resistance properties ensuring remanufactured components are better than or equal to originals. This paper presents the current data concerning Laser Metal Deposition deployment conditions and their relationship to material microstructure evolution and mechanical properties. The study highlights the need for experiments involving scan path geometry and topology and details the experiments currently in preparation.
The Case for Small Data in Higher Education
Authors: Fang Berlin  , Shewmaker Jennifer
Published: February 2025

While colleges and universities seek to utilize big, complex and aggregated data to generate insights to support students, big data is limited in its use to design interventions due to limits it inherently has. Small data, or one-dimensional teaching and learning analytics, provide quality feedback to teachers and students. In this paper, we will discuss how Abilene Christian University (ACU), a private university in the western region of the United States, uses alert system to serve at-risk students, IDEA evaluations to gather feedback to improve teaching, and data from the use of a learning management system Canvas to identify ways to improve student learning by providing formative evaluation for faculty to improve their practices. Towards the end of the paper we will discuss what students can do to make informed choices about their learning.
Sensing the Music: An Audiovisual Environment for ASD Therapy
Authors: Biljman Katarina
Published: February 2025

This paper presents the effects of a designed combination of music and color ambience lighting on symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with focus on childhood Alexithymia II, through exposure to a non-invasive audiovisual environment with minimal engagement of parents and medical staff. The proposed audiovisual design aims to further enhance the non-verbal communication of the emotions contained in music through the use of color ambience lighting which dynamically changes according to musical harmonies. The novel tone-color mapping principle was created and technically realized with a program application which communicates the structural analysis of music to the Philips HUE® lighting. Effects of the audiovisual musical experience on cortical activity were assessed in an electroencephalography (EEG) pilot study, and significant effects were observed in cortical areas related to semantic processing and theory of mind. Due to relevance of these regions for the proposed application of the audiovisual environment in therapy for ASD children with Alexithymia II, it is suggested that further experimental work is carried out in order to test its effectiveness in treating Alexithymia as a negative factor in social interactions of individuals with ASD.
ViewBricks: A Participatory System to Increase Social Connectedness for the Elderly in Care Homes
Authors: Lin Xu  , Kang Kai  , Li Cun  , Hu Jun  , Hengeveld Bart  , Rauterberg Matthias  , Hummels Caroline
Published: February 2025

Driven by the maturing of Internet and the development of the Internet of Things, people are becoming connected not only via the smart personal devices, but also via the increasingly responsive and connected environments, which brings up new opportunities to involve potential user group like elderly people into this network through tangible interaction and embedded systems. This paper presents the design and implementation of a participatory view-sharing system which consists of a group of specially designed camera kits and a gallery-like interactive installation, aiming to increase the social connection between elderly people living in a care home and the local communities around. The camera kits are designed to provide openness for local people to share sceneries via public participation, while the interactive installation presents the continuous real-time changes of the shared outside views, and triggers further communication between sharers and receivers through a “postcard-sending” metaphor. In this study, we mainly explore the possibilities of connecting people and facilitating social interaction through the combination of online and offline sharing behaviour, as well as the application of IoT technology.
RFID Based People-Object Direction of Pass Detection
Authors: Parada Raúl  , Melià-Seguí Joan  , Pous Rafael
Published: February 2025

In the smart city context, more and more retailers are equipping their stores with state-of-the-art technologies to create smart spaces. A hot topic between retailers is the customer shopping behavior analysis to identify the hot spots within the space to enhance the novel shopping experience. Along the technologies in the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm, the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology allows the exchange of sensor data between simple objects. We present two approaches of smart infrastructure to detect the direction of pass from passive RFID-labeled objects. The first approach is based on a phased array system and the second version is a tilted system. We perform diverse tests to aim a realistic scenario. Our results return the reliability of our approaches to achieve a smart space.
i-Ribbon: Social Expression Through Wearables to Support Weight-Loss Efforts
Authors: Yang Nan  , van Hout Gerbrand  , Feijs Loe  , Chen Wei  , Hu Jun
Published: February 2025

Many research prototypes and commercial wearable devices have features for detecting health-related data and providing feedback or reflection to their users. However, due to the development of social network and Internet of Things, the social aspects of wearable devices could be far more enriching. In this paper, we describe the concept, design and implementation of i-Ribbon, a wearable ribbon to show a user's weight-loss efforts. i-Ribbon has two types of function: to symbolize the support of weight-loss efforts, and to present the user's amount of physical activity. These features provide a subtle social channel for people who are struggling with overweight to show their efforts and determination, especially before they obviously become less overweight. Prototypes have been made to evaluate the concept. Feedback from participants has been collected and analysed. We summarize the findings and discuss the options for future work.
An Elicitation Technique for Customer Emotional Requirements Based on Multi-Sensory User Experience
Authors: Kuo Jo-Yu  , Chen Chun-Hsien  , Roberts Johnathan
Published: February 2025

Satisfying customer's emotional preferences is the key to success in the new product design and development. In this regard, the semantic differential scale is a very efficient way to collect and analyse customer's subjective impression. It helps customers to express their attitudes through a list of words such as excited and enjoyment. This method, however, could be improved by a few fresh perspectives. Firstly, the semantic items often came from an ad-hoc project, and might not be appropriate because of individual differences. Secondly, it was assumed that customers seeing a product image can recall their feelings while human emotions are evoked by multi-sensory perceptions in a real life scenario. Some words, comfortable for instance, might be only triggered when you have the physical contact with the product. Designers named it as the actual product quality, the actual experience in a human-product interaction. This work therefore aims at investigating the elicitation technique to handle the nature of user experience, such as multimodality and expression preferences. Forty female road cyclists have provided their attitudes of positive emotions towards cycling following by an actual product quality evaluation of two bicycle saddles. The results showed the effect of personal involvement on a semantic differential scale and how users perceived certain Kansei words under different interactions, viz., vision, touch and cycling. Finally, the proposed elicitation technique could help manufacturers to build the design requirement based on customer's emotional preferences before pushing it into the target market.
Towards a Comparative Analysis of Interoperability Assessment Approaches for Collaborative Enterprise Systems
Authors: Leal Gabriel S.S.  , Guedria Wided  , Panetto Hervé  , Lezoche Mario
Published: February 2025

Challenges such as globalization and novel technologies are changes-drivers that require transformation within enterprises and their environments. To handle that, enterprises are progressively collaborating with others and becoming part of a Networked Enterprises (NE). In this collaborative and transdisciplinary context, one of the difficulties faced by companies willing to work together, are the interoperability problems between their systems. In order to avoid these problems and consequently, take corrective actions on time, enterprises need to predict and solve potential problems before they occur. To deal with that, evaluations can be performed to assess interoperability and therefore identify strengths and weaknesses of the considered enterprise systems. Despite, numerous interoperability assessment methods existing in the literature, many of them address only one interoperability aspect. In addition, they can also use different approaches and metrics to perform the interoperability evaluation. Thus, it can be difficult when enterprises have to deal with multiple interoperability aspects within a NE. Hence, the objective of this paper is to propose an analysis of the main relevant evaluation methods regarding interoperability. The proposed analysis is essential and will serve as a first step towards proposing a new approach for assessing enterprise systems interoperability within a NE.
Measuring Compliance During Aircraft (Component) Redeliveries at KLM Engineering & Maintenance
Authors: Burhani Shahir  , Verhagen Wim J.C.  , Curran Richard
Published: February 2025

Aircraft and aircraft components are redelivered to the next operator or owner during the phase-out process. During this process the operator is required by law and contract requirements to show compliance with maintenance procedures. At KLM E&M the phase-out documentation process is under increasing scrutiny as the number of aircraft phase-outs is assumed to rise in the coming years. The compliance process is investigated in order to measure, analyze and improve compliance with regard to maintenance data and record keeping during aircraft (component) redeliveries. For this purpose a benchmarking study is conducted to identify process bottlenecks. This study proved that in the case of KLM E&M phase-out, Landing Gears Life Limited Parts (LG LLPs) form the major bottleneck. Subsequently, an aircraft compliance model is developed to support the compliance cycle. As a case study, the documentation of LG LLPs of KLM's Boeing B737 aircraft fleet is investigated in this research. LG LLPs which are most frequently interchanged and installed on the nose gear miss the highest percentage of documentation necessary to prove back-to-birth traceability (a traceable history of a component over its life), which is a necessary feature from a phase-out perspective. On the basis of the compliance model and the observed data, several improvements to the phase-out process are proposed.
Design for Sustainability in PSS: Evidences of QFD-Based Method Application
Authors: Peruzzini Margherita  , Marilungo Eugenia
Published: February 2025

Nowadays companies are pushed to offer solutions with new functionalities, higher performances, lower environmental impact, lower cost, and high usability for final users. In this context, the concept of Product-Service System (PSS) represents a valid way from manufacturing firms to evolve their market proposition, reduce impacts of their processes, and satisfy the customers' needs. However, the design of PSS is still difficult, due to the lack of structured methodologies and evidences of the benefits connected with their adoption. The research adopts a systematic QFD-based methodology and demonstrates its validity to develop high sustainability PSS solutions. The case study focuses on the definition of a new PSS for green roofs: two groups of students, using respectively traditional methods and the proposed QFD-based methodology, were involved. The two PSSs conceived were evaluated in terms of outputs supporting the design phases and sustainability impacts. The case study results demonstrated how the adoption of a systematic method allows developing more business-oriented and more sustainable PSS in respect to traditional methods.
Homocysteine, Infections, Polyamines, Oxidative Metabolism, and the Pathogenesis of Dementia and Atherosclerosis
Authors: McCully Kilmer S.
Published: February 2025

Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and low blood levels of folate and cobalamin are associated with hyperhomocysteinemia and AD. In elderly subjects with cognitive decline, supplementation with folate, cobalamin, and pyridoxal demonstrated reduction of cerebral atrophy in gray matter regions vulnerable to the AD process. Multiple pathogenic microbes are implicated as pathogenic factors in AD and atherosclerosis, and the deposition of amyloid-&bgr; (A&bgr;), phosphorylation of tau protein, neuronal injury, and apoptosis in AD are secondary to microbial infection. Glucose utilization and blood flow are reduced in AD, and these changes are accompanied by downregulation of glucose transport, Na, K-ATPase, oxidative phosphorylation, and energy consumption. Thioretinaco ozonide, the complex formed from thioretinamide, cobalamin, ozone, and oxygen is proposed to constitute the active site of oxidative phosphorylation, catalyzing synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and phosphate. Pathogenic microbes cause synthesis of polyamines in host cells by increasing the transfer of aminopropyl groups from adenosyl methionine to putrescine, resulting in depletion of intracellular adenosyl methionine concentrations in host cells. Depletion of adenosyl methionine causes dysregulation of methionine metabolism, hyperhomocysteinemia, reduced biosynthesis of thioretinamide and thioretinaco ozonide, decreased oxidative phosphorylation, decreased production of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite, and impaired host response to infectious microbes, contributing to the pathogenesis of dementia and atherosclerosis.
Statistical Evidence for a Lack of Correlation between the Incidence of Lyme Disease and Deaths Due to Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: O'Day Danton H.
Published: February 2025

Reports that Lyme disease (LD) causes Alzheimer's disease (AD) have appeared in academic journals and online. If the biological agent Borrelia burgdorferi that causes LD also causes AD then areas with highest levels of LD should have significantly higher numbers of deaths due to AD compared to low LD areas. Here we show there is no statistically significant correlation between the incidence of LD and deaths due to AD in the US. Furthermore, the 13 states with the highest deaths due to AD were statistically different (P<0.0001) from those with high LD incidence. Recent work by several other research groups has validated this conclusion.
Integration of Technology in the MnTS
Authors: Hostiuc Filip  , Buciu Adrian
Published: February 2025

Telemedicine describes the exchange of medical information between different sites using telecommunications and information systems. Telemedicine helps to improve health status and medical care for those who live in remote areas and who do not have easy access to medical services. In the event of a disaster, telemedicine can enable physicians located in different parts of the world to provide healthcare services remotely, to those found in disaster zones. Disaster management makes use of multiple technologies to provide services in the disaster zones. The idea of using telemedicine in disasters has been around for more than four decades. During the last several decades, there have been many initiatives from the military, space programs, and various governmental agencies to test and evaluate modern telemedicine applications in real and simulated civilian disaster scenarios. The aim of this chapter is to discuss telemedicine applications and how there can be integrated into disaster scenarios, and more specifically, the application and use of technology in the Multinational Telemedicine System (MnTS).
The Middle East & Foreign Fighters in Syria: Cases of Egypt and the GCC Countries
Authors: Ragab Eman
Published: February 2025

This paper examines the flow of foreign fighters into Syria from Egypt and the GCC countries. It analyses the profiles and stories of some Egyptian and Gulf fighters who have travelled to Syria since 2011, and discusses the different types of drivers leading an individual to become a fighter in ISIS. It underscores the importance of the “triggers” that are mainly personal drivers in comparison to the root causes, and contextual drivers. These triggers include personal grievances, wanting to play a leading role or looking for an opportunity, as well as emotional reactions to the dynamics of the conflicts. This discussion is important in identifying the needed policies to counter this phenomenon as discussed in the conclusion.
Comparison of Motion Patterns for Lorentz Force Eddy Current Testing
Authors: Schmidt Reinhard  , Otterbach Jan Marc  , Ziolkowski Marek  , Brauer Hartmut
Published: February 2025

Lorentz force eddy current testing is a recently developed new technique in the framework of motion induced eddy current testing (MECT). In contrast to existing MECT systems, a new portable system is investigated, where the magnet is moving and the electrically conductive specimen is at rest. In this study new solution approaches for possible patterns of motion are elaborated. Finally, the translational and rotational motion of an axial magnetized permanent magnet above a specimen with a defect are discussed.
Study of the Reverse Martensitic Transformation Using Non-Destructive Electromagnetic and Materials Characterization Techniques
Authors: Savin A.  , Fava J.  , Spinosa C.  , Ruch M.  , Landau M.  , Carabedo F.  , Cosarinsky G.  , Steigmann R.  , Craus M.L.
Published: February 2025

The deformation-induced phase transformation hardening phenomenon is normally observed in austenitic stainless steels of the AISI 300 series. The amount of hardening is limited by the structural stability of the material. In fact, during the cold forming process, low nickel austenitic stainless steels can undergo deformation-induced phase transformation of fcc gamma-austenite to bcc alpha'-martensite (DIM). On the other hand, by heat treatments, the austenitic structure can be recovered. The reversion of martensite to austenite is studied on a set of austenitic stainless steel specimens (AISI 316). These had been submitted to 63% deformation at a temperature of (−70°C), followed by isochronic, isothermal heat treatments at temperatures between 200 and 900°C. The reversion of martensite in the specimens is studied by optical and electron microscopy, saturation magnetization and electromagnetic non-destructive (ND) methods (conductivity measurements, Feritscope, and permeability evaluation by eddy currents (EC)). A new calibration curve for the assessment of α' phase with Feritscope is presented. The results obtained with the different techniques are compared and discussed.
Design of Instrument for Measuring Internal Damping of Metal Materials by Determining the Quality of the Piezoelectric Transducer
Authors: Fabo Peter  , Trško Libor  , Faktorová Dagmar  , Iftimie Nicoleta  , Savin Adriana
Published: February 2025

The degree of structural damage and phase transformations in metallic materials can be monitored by measuring the internal damping of materials, which corresponds to the absorption of mechanical energy in the internal structure of the material when it is under mechanical stress. Damping is a complex variable linked to a number of factors, which are related to modifications in the material structure, the temperature and external magnetic field, as well as the amplitude of the applied mechanical force, its frequency, displacement, deformation and the number of loading cycles. The paper proposes a compact instrument for standard laboratory measurements determining the value of the internal damping, utilizing a monolithic impedance converter. This enables the measurement of a complex electrical impedance of the ultrasonic piezo – transducer within a defined frequency range around the resonance of a mechanical specimen, automatic tracking of an amplitude drift and phase of the resonance curve.
New Kid on Copycat Block: Why Do Consumers Choose Shanzhai vs. Counterfeit?
Authors: Qin Yao  , Shi Linda  , Stöttinger Barbara  , Cavusgil Erin
Published: February 2025

In addition to authentic brands and counterfeits, a new product category has surfaced, providing a wider spectrum of choices for consumers. Known as ‘Shanzhai,’ these products closely mimic authentic products/brands while copying key elements and adding innovative features. Given the added complexity in consumer choice, the present study attempts to understand the characteristics of consumers choosing counterfeit vs. Shanzhai products, based on their values, attitudes and demographics. Findings indicate substantial differences in consumer segments. Specifically, (i) Shanzhai buyers weigh functional values more than counterfeit buyers, while (ii) counterfeit buyers weigh status consumption, social conformity, and materialism values higher, implying they seek recognition from peers; yet they experience less clear self-identity than Shanzhai buyers. Our study sheds light on whether different values affect consumers' choices of counterfeit vs. Shanzhai products and offer important implications for brand managers.
Component-Based Data-Driven Predictive Maintenance to Reduce Unscheduled Maintenance Events
Authors: Verhagen Wim J.C.  , De Boer Lennaert W.M.  , Curran Richard
Published: February 2025

Costs associated with unscheduled and preventive maintenance can contribute significantly to an airline's expenditure. Reliability analysis can help to identify and plan for maintenance events. Reliability analysis in industry is often limited to statistically based approaches that incorporate failure times as the primary stochastic variable, with additional strict assumptions regarding independence of events and underlying distributions of failure phenomena. This foregoes the complex nature of aircraft operations, where a whole range of operational factors may influence the probability of occurrence of a maintenance event. The aim of this research is to identify operational factors affecting component reliability and to assess whether these can be used to reduce the number of unscheduled occurrences (i.e. failures). To do so, a data-driven approach is adopted where historical operational and maintenance data is gathered and analysed to identify operational factors with a measurable influence on maintenance event occurrence. Both time-independent and time-dependent Proportional Hazard Models (PHMs), models which incorporate operational factors as covariates, are employed to generate reliability estimates. Results obtained from analysing historical data of a set of ten components with respect to unscheduled removals indicates that adopting new maintenance schedules, derived from the proposed reliability models, could reduce the number of unscheduled occurrences by approximately 37%. The potential benefits of adopting the proposed strategy are extensive. Nonetheless, numerous assumptions have been introduced to overcome challenges imposed by the complex nature of the data. To overcome these challenges, recommendations are made for future development of the proposed approach.
The Subjective Impression of Bicycle Saddles in Different Contexts
Authors: Kuo Jo-Yu  , Chen Chun-Hsien  , Roberts Jonathan
Published: February 2025

Customers nowadays want not only a functional product but also one can reflect their values and personalities. However, their emotional needs are not easy to be identified because people react differently according to personal experiences. Despite the high efficiency of a structured questionnaire, its validity of pre-defined items has been questioning. In order to address this problem, this study focuses on understanding how customers' subjective impressions are constructed in different contexts. When people show their interests in a certain product, their level of involvement increased along with other contexts of usage. An enthusiastic cyclist, for instance, can use bicycles as a means of sport, transportation and leisure. A case study of bicycle saddles has been chosen and thirty-three women road cyclists volunteered for interview sessions respectively. Accordingly, a semantic database and a conceptual model illustrating an enjoyable saddle experience were proposed. The findings can also help rectify current collecting approaches in terms of the emotional needs for sports equipment.
Reflecting Meaning of User Experience: Semiotics Approach to Product Architecture Design
Authors: Zhang Xi  , Hu Fei  , Zhou Kun  , Sato Keiichi
Published: February 2025

Research in product architecture design has been addressing user related issues such as usability and affordance in order to enhance product efficiency, accessibility as well as safety. Yet, issues related to the question how people adopt, position and use new products in different environments, situations and modalities of use have not been well addressed. This paper examines how Semiotic Approach to Product Architecture Design (SAPAD) can be applied to the design of spatial organization of functional systems with an example of kitchen that embodies and reflect functional, cultural and lifestyle requirements of different users. First, the Semiotic Ladder framework introduced by Stamper that addresses six levels of interpretive mechanism was applied to the user observation data in order to understand how users interpret individual components and subsystems and to identify structure of meaning and values formed by the user through the usage process. Then the structure was used as a basis for developing the system architecture.
A Wearable System Designed for Chinese Traffic Police Based on Gesture Recognition
Authors: You Zhenwei  , Liu Jian  , Hou Wenjun  , Wang Xiaochun  , Liu Wei  , Song Wu
Published: February 2025

The body language and gestures of the traffic police can be difficult to identify accurately, especially in China, where there is often fog and haze. Poor judgment and slow recognition will reduce the efficiency of traffic management, and can even cause traffic accidents. To solve this problem, a wearable system has been designed for the traffic police. This wearable system consists of two main parts: a pair of data gloves and a vest with a light-emitting diode (LED) display. The data gloves were utilized to recognize and record the gestures of the traffic police. The gesture signals were converted into traffic instructions and displayed on the vest. The effectiveness of this wearable system was verified through a comparison experiment between only gesture and gesture plus displaying text on the vest. To achieve best effects of recognition, according to the results of further experiment, the simple instructions (stop, move straight, turn left waiting, turn right, and change lane) should be displayed in the form of an image, whereas the complex instructions (turn left, wait, slow down, and pull over) should be displayed in text form.
Perceived and Physiological Mental Workload and Emotion Assessments in En-Route ATC Environment: A Case Study
Authors: Trapsilawati Fitri  , Liu Yisi  , Wee Hong Jie  , Subramaniam Harihara  , Sourina Olga  , Pushparaj Kiranraj  , Sembian Somasundaram  , Lu Patricia Chun Qi  , Chen Chun-Hsien  , Lye Sun Woh
Published: February 2025

One of the largely important focuses in Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations is radar-based operation in enroute facilities. Many aspects in enroute facilities including airspace and Air Traffic Controller (ATCO) factors need to be further investigated in dealing with the continous air traffic increase. Moreover, ATCOs mental workload and emotion were two important constructs that need to be continually assessed to deal with the increase. This study aims to examine the effects of different enroute factors including number of crossing, traffic flow, and separation on ATCOs' perceived and physiological mental workload and emotion as well as to assess the relation between ATCOs' physiological and perceived mental workload and emotion. The results revealed that the number of crossing significantly affect ATCOs' mental workload. Regarding the mental workload and emotion assesments, ATCOs perceived mental workload was generally higher than their physiological mental workload. However, ATCOs perceived emotion was more positive than their physiological emotion. Further, high mental workload was highly associated with negative emotion in enroute ATC environment. This study offers several implications for human performance enhancement in future ATC operations including investigation of airspace factors, appropriate assessment methods, as well as ATC system design for positive emotion.
Design and Simulation of Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robot Based on Human Physiological Characteristics
Authors: Li Lili  , Xiang Zhongxia  , Liu Haitao  , Shao Yixin  , Zhang Junxia
Published: February 2025

Lower limb rehabilitation robot has showed great potential in improving human walking ability. The purpose of this study is to compare the differences in human muscle activity of the lower limb while walking with different patterns. In order to meet the individual needs of different kinds of patients with lower limb dysfunction, an end-effector hybrid rehabilitation robot concept with multi-degree freedom is designed based on human factor. Human-robot coupling model is established in the AnyBody Modeling System, inverse dynamic analysis of movement and muscle activity of the human body is simulated. Effects of gait trajectory and the degree of freedom simplification of rehabilitation robot on human physiological parameters are discussed. The results indicate that foot trajectory, ankle posture, and mobility of robot is of vital importance and can be realized according to specific human factor in rehabilitation robot design and trajectory planning. Analysis methods and results are meaningful for lower limb rehabilitation robot design and rehabilitation evaluation.
Benchmark Pre-Production Practice in Manufacturing Engineering
Authors: Shehab Essam  , Rao Yogeesh  , Al-Ashaab Ahmed  , Beadle Chris  , Sarfraz Shoaib
Published: February 2025

Prototyping stage is a very important phase of new product development, where many decisions need to be taken to get high quality, zero defect products at the right time with minimum cost. Therefore, any value added improvements or best practices in the prototyping stage will support competitiveness of manufacturing companies. This research aims to benchmark the best practices in prototype part manufacture to support early stages of product introduction. A set of of best practices in the prototype component manufacture, along with validated four step prototyping strategy model and best practice prototype journey path model were developed. Research findings provide insight about prototyping trends, best practices and optimum ways of doing prototyping in the manufacturing companies around the globe. Manufacturing companies can use the developed models and best practices to make better prototype strategy in their new product introduction system to achieve their business objectives.
Design Method of Remote Monitoring Service for Elderly Considering Community Characteristics
Authors: Hiekata Kazuo  , Mitsuyuki Taiga  , Ishihara Shotaro
Published: February 2025

With the rapid progress of the declining birthrate and aging population in Japan, expectations for efforts to grasp the behavior of elderly by using human resources or information technologies called “Remote Monitoring Service” have increased. There are many products and researches on remote monitoring service, but they are often made from a technology-centric viewpoint of “How to acquire the situation of elderly”. However, when people actually design remote monitoring service, it is necessary to consider complex characteristics of the target community. This paper proposes a method that can design remote monitoring service by considering such characteristics. For achieving this objective, this paper utilizes the “Systems Thinking” approach that can handle the whole elements in the system. In the proposed method, a previous research called “Remote Monitoring Service Modeling” is regarded as Morphological Matrix (MM) which is one of the techniques of Systems Thinking approach, and evaluation of remote monitoring service design can be conducted by assigning characteristic values from the viewpoints of cost, quality and acceptability. Stakeholder Value Network describes the relationship of stakeholders in the system, and its analysis has a role in creating MM. By using the proposed method, Pareto optimal solutions of remote monitoring service design can be derived from possible options. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by applying method to the case of Japanese local government (Tamaki Town, Mie prefecture) which actually tries to implement remote monitoring service.
Novel Approach with 3D Measurement Data Management for Industry 4.0
Authors: Emmer Christian  , Pfouga Alain  , Stjepandić Josip  , Tiringer Helmut
Published: February 2025

The introduction of virtual product data and predominantly the usage of Computer Aided (CAx) Systems have fundamentally transformed product development. In particular, using 3D CAD and PLM systems yields to higher productivity, better quality and a simultaneous reduction of overall development time and costs. As one of the most important integration tasks for process chains, the implementation of a drawlingless process chain is a key topic in the automotive supply chain. Efficient measurement data management is an important step towards completion of this process chain. To addres this issue, a project group entitled “3D Measurement Data Management” (3D MDM) was set up in 2016 under the joint auspices of the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry) and the ProSTEP iViP Association. In this paper we illuminate the background of the digital transformation, and introduce the term Inspection PlusPlus Data Management Services. We highlight the specific needs and expectations of the automotive industry to 3D MDM. We describe the development approach, based on a framework successfully practised in more then 20 years. This article provides an introduction to 3D measurement data management and describes the challenges that this project group faces and the group's aims.
Mining the Customer's Voice and Patent Data for Strategic Product Quality Function Deployment
Authors: Trappey A.J.C.  , Trappey C.V.  , Fan C.Y.  , Lee I.J.Y.
Published: February 2025

The goal of research and development for new product and service development is to satisfy customers. A company that satisfies customers with short life cycle products like smartphones that match or exceed expectations builds brand equity and a global competitive advantage. Companies are challenged with the task of identifying the market demand that evolves with technological innovations. Since many of the short product life cycle communications products are continuously changing, capturing and measuring the satisfaction of customers is increasingly difficult. One approach to accurately identify market demand and customer satisfaction with the functions of products is to listen to what is said among social networks. The Internet has empowered customers to express their opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and purchase intentions about products using community platforms, social media, customer blogs, and other networks. The words, expressed on these platforms, represent the voice of customers and provide collective and dynamic intelligence about the users' purchase intentions as well as experience using the products. Patent documents disclose the technological evolutions of a domain, and contribute to the features and characteristics of products that differentiate between brands and build customer expectations and loyalty. This research proposes a systematic methodology to combine collective intelligence using Internet web crawling and text mining to access the voice of customers. Patent information (retrieved from global patent search engines and analytic function mining of the patent content) provides critical information for planning strategic product repositioning and improvements that match the voice of customers and increase brand loyalty. The systematic extended QFD approach provides intelligent and dynamic demand-compliant strategies for developing new products and services.
Software Integration of Process Monitoring Equipment in Grinding Controller Design
Authors: Moruzzi J.J.  , Morgan M.N.
Published: February 2025

In grinding it is often desirable to have a control system that can utilise auxiliary Process Control and Monitoring equipment to perform optimised production cycles either using manual (operator) or automatic (CNC) intervention. Implemented functions include wheel balancing, in-process gauging, and touch detection (via acoustic emission and wheel power monitoring). These units can be separate and from different manufacturers, or an integrated subsystem from a single supplier. For optimised machining (including Adaptive Control) the monitoring equipment should be tightly linked to the machine control, with signal states and data values being easily available for action and analysis. It would therefore be highly beneficial to provide for the use of process monitoring equipment as part of the fundamental machine control design. Many elements of the machine and control system – such as the operator control panel and the axis movement or motion control features – can be considered as objects or devices with comparable structures but differing characteristics. If external monitoring equipment is similarly treated as a generic device configured as part of the machine via a standardized interface, its integration and operation can be simplified considerably. A generic software structure abstracts the underlying details of a device's implementation and allows simpler incorporation of additional functionality to the machine. This paper reports on the design and implementation of a grinding machine controller with an Open Device Interface (ODI) software framework that connects a variety of monitoring units to the machine process control.
Requirements Analysis of Digital Technology for the Rail Industry
Authors: Court S.  , Kirkwood L.  , Farnsworth M.  , Orlovs I.  , Shehab E.  , Tinworth N.
Published: February 2025

Personalizing the experience of a passenger before, during and after rail travel is an important target for any train operator if it wishes to retain their custom. The increase in digital technology and its access to both customers and train operators affords the opportunity to exploit and develop solutions that match the needs of the customer for a better and cheaper rail experience, while providing the operator with increased revenue and loyalty. This paper presents a systems requirements review for digital technology in the rail sector, with a particular focus on the use of mobile applications for improved customer experience and train crew efficiency. It considers the challenges faced when implementing such a system and explores the wider socio-economic issues present within the UK rail industry. A prioritization of key functional and non-functional requirements developed in this work promotes alignment with commercial interests of key stakeholders in rail. The literature review and stakeholder interviews reveal there is a need to increase adoption of smart ticketing solutions that allow the use of mobile phones, contactless cards and smart cards.
An Information Security Risk Management Model for Smart Industries
Authors: Sohrabi Safa Nader  , Maple Carsten  , Watson Tim
Published: February 2025

Internet of Things (IoT) has been acknowledged as a new revolution in technology. IoT play an important role in the flourishing of smart manufacturing and in supply chains. However, information security is a controversial issue in this domain. In this paper, a novel information security management model is presented that shows how an appropriate threat model and risk model can mitigate the risk of information security breaches in an industrial environment. Risk identification based on organisational assets, analysis, evaluation, and treatment along with scope specification considering risk management in ISO/IEC 27005, HTRA, CORAS and OCTAVE Allegro have been considered in the framework development. The presented model mitigates the risk of information security for both service providers and service consumers in this environment. At the end of the paper, we highlight the ways in which the current research supplies us with a direction for future research in this domain.