What distinguishes a model of systems engineering from other models of designing? An ontological, data-driven analysis

This paper investigates how the core technical processes of the INCOSE model of systems engineering differ from other models of designing used in the domains of mechanical engineering, software engineering and service design. The study is based on fine-grained datasets produced using mappings of the different models onto the function-behaviour-structure (FBS) ontology. By representing every model uniformly, the same statistical analyses can be carried out independently of the domain of the model. Results of correspondence analysis, cumulative occurrence analysis and Markov model analysis show that the INCOSE model differs from the other models in its increased emphasis on requirements and on behaviours derived from structure, in the uniqueness of its verification and validation phases, and in some patterns related to the temporal development and frequency distributions of FBS design issues.

Multiscale 3D Analysis of Defects and Temporal Development of Electrode Morphology in Lithium-Ion Batteries By X-Ray Computed Tomography

X-ray computed tomography is a 3D imaging technique that is able to provide information about both inner and outer parts of battery cells without their destruction. We will present this technique allowing us access to the batteries data in the whole range of scales – from the analysis of entire cells down to microstructure of electrodes. We will focus on the changes in the structure during the battery's aging process and the manufacturing defects.

Prevalence and duration of loss of smell and taste among COVID-19 affected dentists

Objectives: This study was aimed to look into the prevalence of Sensory loss of Smell and taste among dentists and dental faculty affected with COVID-19 during the current pandemic. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in August, 2021, carrying out detailed evaluation of onset, temporal development and resolution of loss of taste and smell among 207 COVID-19 patients with confirmatory PCR lab reports. Clinical and epidemiological variables of COVID-19 symptoms were studied that included age categories, gender, onset and resolution of loss of taste and smell as compared with other symptoms. This study also included altered taste aspect experienced by the COVID-19 affected dentists. Results: Of 207 previous patients of COVID-19, 168 (81%) reported that they experienced loss of smell and/or loss of taste during the ailment. Of these 168, 151 (89.88%) patients experienced both loss of taste and smell while 17 (10.11%) reported to have been afflicted with isolated loss of smell or isolated loss of taste. Among 114 (67.85%) patients, Onset of loss of smell and taste was reported to be occurring at the same time along with other symptoms. A vast majority of the patients 141 (89.24%) also reported altered taste associated with recovery period of COVID-19. Conclusion: Sensory loss of smell and taste should be regarded as important symptom at the very early stage of COVID-19 and patients should take isolation measures upon appearing of these symptoms. Key Words: Anosmia, Hyposmia, COVID-19, Dysgeusia

How feelings of unpleasantness develop during the progression of motion sickness symptoms

To mitigate motion sickness in self-driving cars and virtual reality, one should be able to quantify its progression unambiguously. Self-report rating scales either focus on general feelings of unpleasantness or specific symptomatology. Although one generally feels worse as symptoms progress, there is anecdotal evidence suggesting a non-monotonic relationship between unpleasantness and symptomatology. This implies that individuals could (temporarily) feel better as symptoms progress, which could trouble an unambiguous measurement of motion sickness progression. Here we explicitly investigated the temporal development of both unpleasantness and symptomatology using subjective reports, as well as their mutual dependence using psychophysical scaling techniques. We found symptoms to manifest in a fixed order, while unpleasantness increased non-monotonically. Later manifesting symptoms were generally judged as more unpleasant, except for a reduction at the onset of nausea, which corresponded to feeling better. Although we cannot explicate the origin of this reduction, its existence is of importance to the quantification of motion sickness. Specifically, the reduction at nausea onset implies that rating how bad someone feels does not give you an answer to the question of how close someone is to the point of vomiting. We conclude that unpleasantness can unambiguously be inferred from symptomatology, but an ambiguity exists when inferring symptomatology from unpleasantness. These results speak in favor of rating symptomatology when prioritizing an unambiguous quantification of motion sickness progression.