PeerJ Computer Science Preprints: Computer Aided Designhttps://peerj.com/preprints/index.atom?journal=cs&subject=8900Computer Aided Design articles published in PeerJ Computer Science PreprintsAppropriateness of low cost sensor network for environmental monitoring in a tropical country: Experience and lessons learnt from real world deploymenthttps://peerj.com/preprints/272242018-09-202018-09-20B H SudanthaEmeshi J WarusavitharanaRangajeewa RatnayakeP K.S. MahanamaMassimiliano CannataDaniele Strigaro
Despite the advances in low cost open hardware and open software IoT (Internet of Things) enabled devices, their application in regional scale environmental monitoring has not been explored until the launch of 4ONSE (4 times Open and Non-conventional technology for Sensing the Environment) project, which is an ongoing research project between University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). The project has paved the path for deploying low cost, open technologies based, non-conventional environmental monitoring systems in Deduru Oya river basin area of Sri Lanka. This research presents the selection process of appropriate sensors suitable for tropical climatic condition of Sri Lanka, issues encountered and remedies taken during the design and deployment phases.
Despite the advances in low cost open hardware and open software IoT (Internet of Things) enabled devices, their application in regional scale environmental monitoring has not been explored until the launch of 4ONSE (4 times Open and Non-conventional technology for Sensing the Environment) project, which is an ongoing research project between University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). The project has paved the path for deploying low cost, open technologies based, non-conventional environmental monitoring systems in Deduru Oya river basin area of Sri Lanka. This research presents the selection process of appropriate sensors suitable for tropical climatic condition of Sri Lanka, issues encountered and remedies taken during the design and deployment phases.Ten simple rules for writing a comparative software reviewhttps://peerj.com/preprints/22212016-07-032016-07-03Amy BeestonLarisa BlazicNeil Chue HongRichard DomanderRoss MounceRobin T Wilson
We provide the following set of rules as a framework for researchers in any domain to undertake a comparative software review and determine the best software for their task.
Rule 1: State your credentials and motivation
Rule 2: Define and justify your scope
Rule 3: Perform a comprehensive search
Rule 4: Make your longlist data available to others
Rule 5: Summarise your software shortlist
Rule 6: Define the software quality criteria
Rule 7: Define the task suitability criteria
Rule 8: Mind the gaps
Rule 9: Summarise the findings as clearly as possible
Rule 10: Involve your community
We provide the following set of rules as a framework for researchers in any domain to undertake a comparative software review and determine the best software for their task.Rule 1: State your credentials and motivationRule 2: Define and justify your scopeRule 3: Perform a comprehensive searchRule 4: Make your longlist data available to othersRule 5: Summarise your software shortlistRule 6: Define the software quality criteriaRule 7: Define the task suitability criteriaRule 8: Mind the gapsRule 9: Summarise the findings as clearly as possibleRule 10: Involve your communityPutting the ghost in the machine: exploring human-machine hybrid virtual patient systems for health professional educationhttps://peerj.com/preprints/16592016-01-212016-01-21David ToppsMichelle L CullenNishan SharmaRachel H Ellaway
Background: Virtual patient authoring tools provide a simple means of creating rich and complex online cases for health professional students to explore. However, the responses available to the learner are usually predefined, which limits the utility of virtual patients, both in terms of replayability and adaptability. Using artificial intelligence or natural language processing is expensive and hard to design. This project description lays out an alternative approach to making virtual patients more adaptable and interactive. Methods: Using OpenLabyrinth, an open-source educational research platform, we modified the interface and functionality to provide a human-computer hybrid interface, where a human facilitator can interact with learners from within the online case scenario. Using a design-based research approach, we have iteratively improved our case designs, workflows and scripts and interface designs. The next step is to robustly test this new functionality in action. This report describes the piloting and background as well as the rationale, objectives, software development implications, learning designs, and educational intervention designs for the planned study. Results: The costs and time required to modify the software were much lower than anticipated. Facilitators have been able to handle text input from multiple concurrent learners. Learners were not discouraged waiting for the facilitator to respond. Discussion: The implementation and use of this new technique seems very promising and there are a great many ways in which it might be used for training and assessment purposes. This report also explores the provisional implications arising from the study so far.
Background: Virtual patient authoring tools provide a simple means of creating rich and complex online cases for health professional students to explore. However, the responses available to the learner are usually predefined, which limits the utility of virtual patients, both in terms of replayability and adaptability. Using artificial intelligence or natural language processing is expensive and hard to design. This project description lays out an alternative approach to making virtual patients more adaptable and interactive. Methods: Using OpenLabyrinth, an open-source educational research platform, we modified the interface and functionality to provide a human-computer hybrid interface, where a human facilitator can interact with learners from within the online case scenario. Using a design-based research approach, we have iteratively improved our case designs, workflows and scripts and interface designs. The next step is to robustly test this new functionality in action. This report describes the piloting and background as well as the rationale, objectives, software development implications, learning designs, and educational intervention designs for the planned study. Results: The costs and time required to modify the software were much lower than anticipated. Facilitators have been able to handle text input from multiple concurrent learners. Learners were not discouraged waiting for the facilitator to respond. Discussion: The implementation and use of this new technique seems very promising and there are a great many ways in which it might be used for training and assessment purposes. This report also explores the provisional implications arising from the study so far.Frequency components with negative resistance for intellectual measurement systemshttps://peerj.com/preprints/15062015-11-142015-11-14Roman V Krynochkin
The aim of the given paper is a critical analysis of the prospects of further development of the frequency components with negative resistance. The possible and most promising areas of the development of new and improvement of existing frequency components in various technical fields, such as measurement of non-electrical and electrical parameters, the creation of computer systems and components of radio circuits, are shown.The most promising components, the development of which probably has a substantial interest for further improvement of technical and economic parameters of the engineering equipment, is given in a separate group.
The aim of the given paper is a critical analysis of the prospects of further development of the frequency components with negative resistance. The possible and most promising areas of the development of new and improvement of existing frequency components in various technical fields, such as measurement of non-electrical and electrical parameters, the creation of computer systems and components of radio circuits, are shown.The most promising components, the development of which probably has a substantial interest for further improvement of technical and economic parameters of the engineering equipment, is given in a separate group.Generation of high order geometry representations in octree mesheshttps://peerj.com/preprints/13162015-10-092015-10-09Harald G KlimachJens ZudropSabine P Roller
We propose a robust method to convert triangulated surface data into polynomial volume data. Such polynomial representations are required for high-order partial differential solvers, as low-order surface representations would diminish the accuracy of their solution. Our proposed method deploys a first order spatial bisection algorithm to find robustly an approximation of given geometries. The resulting voxelization is then used to generate Legendre polynomials of arbitrary degree. By embedding the locally defined polynomials in cubical elements of a coarser mesh, this method can reliably approximate even complex structures, like porous media. It thereby is possible to provide appropriate material definitions for high order discontinuous Galerkin schemes. We describe the method to construct the polynomial and how it fits into the overall mesh generation. Our discussion includes numerical properties of the method and we show some results from applying it to various geometries. We have implemented the described method in our mesh generator Seeder, which is publically available under a permissive open-source license.
We propose a robust method to convert triangulated surface data into polynomial volume data. Such polynomial representations are required for high-order partial differential solvers, as low-order surface representations would diminish the accuracy of their solution. Our proposed method deploys a first order spatial bisection algorithm to find robustly an approximation of given geometries. The resulting voxelization is then used to generate Legendre polynomials of arbitrary degree. By embedding the locally defined polynomials in cubical elements of a coarser mesh, this method can reliably approximate even complex structures, like porous media. It thereby is possible to provide appropriate material definitions for high order discontinuous Galerkin schemes. We describe the method to construct the polynomial and how it fits into the overall mesh generation. Our discussion includes numerical properties of the method and we show some results from applying it to various geometries. We have implemented the described method in our mesh generator Seeder, which is publically available under a permissive open-source license.Discrete time-cost tradeoff model for optimizing multi-mode construction project resource allocationhttps://peerj.com/preprints/12992015-08-202015-08-20Shuangshuang NieJihong Gao
The project scheduling and resource allocation problems have been studied using different optimization methods. The resource leveling problem was proposed to reduce the resource fluctuation and was always studied independently resource constraint problem. For example, resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) was proposed to optimize scheduling under resource constraints. This research proposed a new model which integrates the resource leveling problem and resource-constrained time-cost tradeoff problem. The evolutionary multi-objective optimization technique, strength Pareto evolutionary approach II (SPEA II) was applied to calculate the Pareto front of time and cost. The resource leveling measured by the metric, resource release/re-hiring, was converted to resource cost. The analysis of the time complexity of the model showed that the runtime of the algorithm was polynomial times of the number of activities. The results of case testing showed that the model was reasonably accurate in comparison with a proposed baseline model.
The project scheduling and resource allocation problems have been studied using different optimization methods. The resource leveling problem was proposed to reduce the resource fluctuation and was always studied independently resource constraint problem. For example, resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) was proposed to optimize scheduling under resource constraints. This research proposed a new model which integrates the resource leveling problem and resource-constrained time-cost tradeoff problem. The evolutionary multi-objective optimization technique, strength Pareto evolutionary approach II (SPEA II) was applied to calculate the Pareto front of time and cost. The resource leveling measured by the metric, resource release/re-hiring, was converted to resource cost. The analysis of the time complexity of the model showed that the runtime of the algorithm was polynomial times of the number of activities. The results of case testing showed that the model was reasonably accurate in comparison with a proposed baseline model.