Description and composition of bio-inspired design patterns: a complete overview

In the last decade, bio-inspired self-organising mechanisms have been applied to different domains, achieving results beyond traditional approaches. However, researchers usually use these mechanisms in an ad-hoc manner. In this way, their interpretation, definition, boundary (i.e. when one mechanism stops, and when another starts), and implementation typically vary in the existing literature, thus preventing these mechanisms from being applied clearly and systematically to solve recurrent problems. To ease engineering of artificial bio-inspired systems, this paper describes a catalogue of bio-inspired mechanisms in terms of modular and reusable design patterns organised into different layers. This catalogue uniformly frames and classifies a variety of different patterns. Additionally, this paper places the design patterns inside existing self-organising methodologies and hints for selecting and using a design pattern.     

From the times of the first scribes: innovation and technology within graphic design

The authors use their different work and training background as perspectives for discussing the changing world of graphical design. In this digital world, expert knowledge of the technology is essential, but the authors argue that a consequence of prioritising technical expertise in the new interdisciplinary IT- design studies may be a loss of quality in design. To improve the depth in design the authors introduce a psychological framework for design work and on this basis they suggest a systematic method. The method is a 4-step conceptual model: reason, function, emotion and senses, and technology. The model interacts with all phases of the design, and functions as a generating-creating and execution-evaluation system. The authors emphasise that evaluation is embedded throughout the design process. They suggest that a systematic method becomes the guiding tool in interdisciplinary design education, an essential part of the students design qualifications as well as an essential tool in design work.     

Antioxidant mechanism of grape procyanidins in muscle tissues: Redox interactions with endogenous ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol

The present study investigates the antioxidant mechanism of grape procyanidins and, in particular, their aptitude to establish redox interactions with two important components of the endogenous antioxidant system of muscle tissues, α-tocopherol (α-TOH) and ascorbic acid (AA). To this end, the progress of lipid oxidation was monitored in fish muscle supplemented with grape procyanidins at the concentrations usually employed in antioxidant food applications, and then related to the redox stability of the endogenous α-TOH and AA. In addition to the lipid oxidation protective effect, the incorporation of procyanidins also provided an improvement of the redox stability of the endogenous components in a straight procyanidinic concentration-dependent manner. Results showed the capacity of procyanidins to repair oxidised α-TOH at medium-long term, and to delay the AA depletion. Therefore, such cooperative redox interaction of exogenous procyanidins adequately complements the natural α-TOH regenerative system supplied by AA that is efficient at the early post mortem stages.     

Analyzing locality over a P2P computing architecture

A characteristic of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) computing networks is their huge number of different computational resources scattered across the Internet. Gathering peers into markets according to their multi-attribute computational resources makes it easier to manage these environments. This solution is known as market overlay. In this context, the closeness of the markets with similar resources, known as locality, is a key feature for ensuring good P2P resource management. Thus, the locality feature over a market overlay allows a lack of resources in a given market to be compensated quickly by any other market with similar resources, whenever these are close to each other. Consequently, locality becomes an essential challenge.This paper addresses the analysis of the locality of P2P market over-lays. According to this, a new procedure for measuring locality is applied together with an extensive analysis of some well-known structured P2P overlays. Based on this analysis, a new P2P computing architecture, named DisCoP, oriented towards optimizing locality is proposed. Our proposal gathers the peers into markets according to their computational resources. A Hilbert function is used to arrange multi-attribute markets in an ordered and mono-dimensional space and the markets are linked by means of a Bruijn graph. In order to maintain the DisCoP locality whenever the overlay is not completed, a solution based on the virtualization of markets is also proposed. Finally, the DisCoP locality is tested together with the proposed virtualization method for approximate searches over uncompleted overlays. The simulation results show that approximate searches exploit the DisCoP locality efficiently.     

Electrical and mechanical characterization by instrumented indentation technique of La0.85Sr0.15Ga0.8Mg0.2O3−δ electrolyte for SOFCs

La_0.85Sr_0.15Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O_3?δ pellets obtained by the polymeric organic complex solution method, isostatic pressing and sintering at 1350 °C have been electrical and mechanically studied. Electrical measurements evidenced reasonable ionic conductivities (0.01 S cm^?1 at 800 °C), which were comparable to those reported for the La_1?xSr_xGa_1?yMg_yO_3?δ prepared by other synthesis methods. On the other hand, the mechanical properties (elastic modulus, E and hardness, H) have been determined at micro/nanometric scale using the instrumented indentation technique. While E did not vary significantly with the increasing indentation depth (h), H values strongly decreased with the indentation depth up to 500 nm. For h > 500 nm, both mechanical properties remained almost constant, thus obtaining E = 271 ± 6 GPa and H = 13.2 ± 0.4 GPa. Finally, the residual imprints and fracture mechanisms have been observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

On the Use of Static Temperature Measurements as Process Variation Observable

In this paper we present the use of static temperature measurements as process variation observable. Contrary to previously published thermal testing methods, the proposed methodology does not need an excitation signal, thus reducing test cost and improving built-in capabilities of thermal monitoring. The feasibility of the technique and a complete test methodology is presented using a narrowband LNA as example. Finally, a complete electro-thermal co-simulation test bench between the LNA and a differential temperature sensor embedded in the same silicon die is presented in order to validate the results. Results prove that RF figures of merit can be extracted from DC temperature measurements done without loading or exciting the RF circuit under test.