Adaptive training interfaces for less-experienced,elderly users of electronic devices

A great number of complex electronic devices are now part of our everyday lives. While many of us learn to handle these products by trial and error; others, especially older users with little experience in using electronic devices, need support. In order to allow the user maximum flexibility in terms of learning time and location, a training programme is presented which is implemented as part of the software embedded in the product itself. Particular focus is placed on the effect of adaptive training on learning. In this study, the training versions differed in their ability to adjust their complexity to the user's experience (adaptive user interface complexity) and their capability to support the learner by prompting them during the learning process (adaptive training advice). The results show that the adjustment of complexity had a positive effect on users’ experience: elderly users who trained with an adaptive interface were more successful in learning to use a mobile phone. Adaptive training advice, however, was found to have no significant effects on learners’ success and reduced their self-efficacy. This work offers guidelines on how to design integrated training applications for electronic devices that successfully help elderly users with little prior experience.     

基于三电平逆变的开关磁阻发电系统的研究

新型开关磁阻发电机具有发电容量大、效率高、起动和发电组合容易等优点,三电平逆变器具有能减少开关损耗和滤波电感损耗并有降低开关应力等特点。利用三电平逆变器转换效率高的优势,结合新型开关磁阻发电机低风速发电特点,降低开关损耗和开关器件电压应力,提高装置可靠性。仿真实验结果表明:用三电平逆变器能够很好的实现开关磁阻发电机的逆变要求。     

自升式钻井平台DCS集成配置的研究

自升式钻井平台DCS（集散系统）是平台自动化控制的核心,该系统可以实现对整个平台及其重要设备的状态监测、控制、报警、记录等功能。本文对现有部分自升式钻井平台的DCS配置情况进行分析,致力于形成一种功能相对完善,配置相对合理的集成配套形式,可为自升式钻井平台项目DCS的搭建提供一个有益参考。     

半钢子午胎硫化供汽系统改造

在原有供汽系统等压运行条件下，通过合理改造，加装减温减压装置，将原系统分类内胎锅炉房高压供汽系统和老锅炉房低压供汽系统，以满足半钢子午胎对高压蒸汽的需求，达到缩短硫化时间，提高生产能力的目的。     

火力发电厂仪用压缩空气带水带油探究

采用系统分析、数学及物理计算的方法,对火电厂仪用压缩空气带水带油的原因进行论证,找出最主要原因,并有针对性地采取了预防和改造措施,对改造效果进行了分析与总结。     

A synthetical development approach for rehabilitation assistive smart product–service systems: A case study

Digital transformation (DT), the combination of information, computing, communication and connectivity technologies, which has triggered an effective upgrade of different aspects of market strategy, customer experience etc. Nowadays, rehabilitation assistive devices (RADs) are evolving to be more digital, intelligent and personalized. Digitalization and servitization have fostered to an emerging business model—the smart product–service system (Smart PSS). Therefore, DT of the RADs’ industry advocates not only the design of products and functions, the more important is the management of service processes and resource integration. With the increase in the elderly and disabled population, the requirement for RADs is becoming more urgent. However, research on Smart PSS for RAD is still limited. The rehabilitation assistive smart product–service systems (RASPSS) was introduced into the development of RADs based on the “Design and Management of DT” strategy through the service design of assistive devices and user requirements analysis. Further, an integrated design of RAD and Smart PSS has been created, a development method of RASPSS proposed, the theoretical model of the Smart PSS based on RADs built. To specify the service framework, this case study discusses the development of a home rehabilitation assistive system for femoral stem fracture patients. This paper evaluates the usability of the system, the results of which prove usability and effectiveness of the RASPSS development method. The RASPSS development model is designed to meet needs of stakeholders, improve the user rehabilitation experience, promote the service innovation of Smart PSS, bring certain market benefits of rehabilitation aids and create social value.     

Enhancing power transfer capability through flexible AC transmission system devices:a review

Global demand for power has significantly increased, but power generation and transmission capacities have not increased proportionally with this demand. As a result, power consumers suffer from variou...     

Cold gas dynamic manufacturing: A non-thermal approach to freeform fabrication

This paper reports on the development of a novel freeform fabrication technique using a cold spray (CS) system. In the CS process, metallic powder particles are accelerated in a supersonic gas jet and impacted with a substrate at speeds in excess of 600 m/s. The non-melting nature of its deposition mechanism ensures that the sprayed material is free from thermally induced tensile stresses, while the underlying substrate remains unchanged. The process is seen as a viable method for additive manufacturing because of its high deposition rates and controllable spray jet. A process was developed to investigate the potential of non-thermal freeform fabrication and was coined Cold Gas Dynamic Manufacturing (CGDM). Here, additive and subtractive techniques were combined to enable the production of complex geometries. Whereas most CS facilities concentrate on the application of wear or corrosion-resistant coatings, CGDM is dedicated to the production of freeform components, whilst still retaining an inherent coating ability. The process can produce functional forms using novel manufacturing strategies that are unique to CS. This paper presents information on the process, and details the various strategies employed during component fabrication. It was possible to construct components from many materials, including titanium, which exhibited freeform surfaces, internal channels and embedded devices. A breakdown of the process economics is also provided, with and without helium recycling.     

Er-doped SiO2–Al2O3 thin films prepared by the sol–gel route

The synthesis of homogeneous and pure silica–alumina binary glasses doped with rare-earth (RE) ions such as Er³⁺ is currently a key challenge for the development of integrated optics devices such as lasers, optical amplifiers or waveguides. In this study Er³⁺-doped SiO₂–Al₂O₃ films were prepared by the sol–gel route. Aluminium sec-butoxide, Al(O-sec-C₄H₉)₃ (ASB), and tetraethoxysilane, Si(OC₂H₅)₄ (TEOS), were used as glass oxide precursors, whereas erbium was introduced as Er(NO₃)₃. The alumina content in the silica matrix was 10 at.%, while erbium doping ranged between 200 and 5000 ppm. The preparation of the starting sol–gel solution and the layer deposition by a dip-coating procedure were performed in dry-box under nitrogen atmosphere. The obtained films were subsequently annealed in air between 300 and 1000 °C. After treatment at 500 °C, layers 200 nm thick were obtained. The composition, microstructure and surface morphology of the films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), glancing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Crack-free, transparent, high purity films were obtained, characterised by compositional and microstructural homogeneity.     

Preparation of flee-standing diamond films for high frequency SAW devices

Free-standing diamond films were prepared by hot filament chemical vapor deposition （HFCVD） method under different conditions. Inter-digital transducers （IDTs） were formed on the nucleation sides of free-standing diamond films by photolithography technique. Then piezoelectric ZnO films were deposited by radio-frequency（RF） reactive magnetron sputtering to obtain the ZnO/diamond film structures. Surface morphologies of the nucleation sides and the IDTs were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscope （AFM） and optical microscopy. The results indicate that the surfaces of nucleation sides are very smooth and the IDTs are of high quality without discontinuity and short circuit phenomenon. Raman spectra show the sharp diamond feature peak at about 1 334 cmI and the small amount of non-diamond carbon in the nucleation side. X-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns of the structure of ZnO/diamond films show a strong diffraction peak of ZnO （002）, which indicates that as-sputtered ZnO films are highly c-axis oriented.