Many developments, such as the Amazon Fire Phone and Microsoft Zune, fail in the market, often due to addressing non-existent needs or providing no added value. Therefore, it is necessary to validate these needs and benefits in the early phases of development projects. One way to do this is by using a product profile that models needs and benefits and makes them accessible for validation. According to the literature, there are nine challenges and four fields of action for developing a design support in validating these product profiles. These fields of action range from stakeholder integration, method selection, and prototyping to the interpretation of results. This publication evaluates and describes the challenges and fields of action derived through expert interviews and literature research. A total of 28 publications were analyzed, and eight expert interviews were conducted.

This work is driven by the aim to minimize material waste in the production of structural sheet metal components. Thus, a rule-based decomposition process for multiply connected planar shapes is presented, analyzing the shape’s boundary and skeleton. Based on four cutting rules, shapes are decomposed to particularly extract straight and strut-like parts, allowing high packing densities for a reduction of material waste. Additionally, an alternative shape decomposition scenario is described, aiming for the avoidance of stress hotspots in structural components. In a case study with various shapes, effects on material waste are investigated involving a strip packing problem. Furthermore, effects on mechanical stress are analyzed. The results show potential to reduce material waste, but also disadvantages regarding mechanical stress. Aspects for further consideration are pointed out.

A systematic process was used to develop a complete taxonomy of visual representation mechanisms applicable to the display of any kind of engineering information. The resulting twelve categories are broadly divided into eight related to graphical elements treated individually and four related to the arrangement of two or more graphical elements treated in conjunction with each other. The taxonomy is oriented to inform the further development of user interface software frameworks supporting the automated display of interactive engineering information in any form.

The article analyses archival materials from the drafting of the UN Marriage Convention (1962) between 1949 and 1962. This Convention is usually understood as a human- and women’s rights Convention. The article expands this understanding by showing that the Convention was produced through a collaboration between the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and the Trusteeship Council, Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories, and metropolitan administrators of former colonies, then having the status of dependent territories. The treaty-makers focused exclusively on marriages in the dependencies but were in great doubt about the form and amount of force in these marriages. They, accordingly, were unsure how to measure such force. Nevertheless, they proceeded with the drafting, as their visions of free marriage and emancipated women were bolstered by their commitment to the ongoing economic transformation accompanying decolonization of the territories. The article shows how human rights of marriage thus emerged from ideas about economic development convoluted with ideas about marriages and women; and articulates this history’s theoretical implications for the rights’ applicability today. It also expands our understanding of international women’s rights as regulatory models, and of the post-colonial political economy of international law.

Today, Manufacturing companies are adopting a servitization strategy and Product-Service System model to enhance value and remain competitive. Often, this transition also means to embrace a System-of-Systems (SoS) perspective. Concurrently, companies face challenges with volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. One way to tackle VUCA is to utilize simulation modeling. However, developing SoS simulations can be complex and cumbersome. This paper extracts lessons learned from six case studies to identify effective and ineffective practices in developing simulation models. The analysis has led to nine design principles for more effective simulation modeling. Furthermore, the paper explores simulation techniques for modeling SoS and discusses effective VUCA management. Finally, the paper proposes four future research directions to advance SoS simulation research.

This paper highlights the forgotten mental health crisis inside Indian prisons. While thousands of inmates suffer from psychological distress, ranging from trauma to depression to violent outbursts, there is no formal system for psychotherapy in most jails. This silence is not just a public health failure; it violates the Indian Constitution, especially Article 21, which guarantees the right to life and dignity. The paper argues that denying psychotherapy to prisoners is a form of institutional violence, and it contradicts both national laws like the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and international agreements such as the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules. Using real-life examples, legal precedents and government reports, the study shows that prisoners are being psychologically punished rather than reformed. The paper calls for urgent reforms, starting with mental health screening at admission, tele-therapy partnerships with institutions like the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and the recognition of therapy as a basic legal right in the prison system. This work fills a major research gap by framing psychotherapy in prisons not as a welfare option but as a constitutional and human rights obligation, an argument rarely made in Indian academic or policy literature.

Understanding network influence and its determinants are key challenges in political science and network analysis. Traditional latent variable models position actors within a social space based on network dependencies but often do not elucidate the underlying factors driving these interactions. To overcome this limitation, we propose the social influence regression (SIR) model, an extension of vector autoregression tailored for relational data that incorporates exogenous covariates into the estimation of influence patterns. The SIR model captures influence dynamics via a pair of $n \times n$ matrices that quantify how the actions of one actor affect the future actions of another. This framework not only provides a statistical mechanism for explaining actor influence based on observable traits but also improves computational efficiency through an iterative block coordinate descent method. We showcase the SIR model’s capabilities by applying it to monthly conflict events between countries, using data from the Integrated Crisis Early Warning System (ICEWS). Our findings demonstrate the SIR model’s ability to elucidate complex influence patterns within networks by linking them to specific covariates. This paper’s main contributions are: (1) introducing a model that explains third-order dependencies through exogenous covariates and (2) offering an efficient estimation approach that scales effectively with large, complex networks.

This paper proposes a redefinition of interfaces as dynamic, adaptive systems crucial for managing the increasing complexity of modern systems. Drawing on diverse domains, the paper identifies key interface properties such as adaptability, cost-efficiency, and error response. The paper introduces a novel Generic Interface (GI) architecture, utilizing a model-based systems engineering approach. The GI architecture features modular components, designed to handle integration, data management, and error resolution. A case study of smart grids demonstrates the effectiveness of the GI architecture in addressing challenges like integrating diverse energy sources, ensuring grid reliability, and enabling demand response. The proposed GI architecture provides a robust framework for integrating complex systems, emphasizing adaptability, cost optimization, and error response.

This paper presents two studies with packaging design engineers and quality and risk professionals in the pharmaceutical packaging industry, addressing the critical need for design support. The studies contribute to the development of a framework aimed at balancing risk management and multi-user experience in the context of product support. A review of prior work highlights the gap in tailored support for designers in this field. Using structured interviews and thematic analysis, seven key requirements were identified to guide the framework’s creation. A user persona was also developed, capturing the core responsibilities, challenges, and motivations of quality and risk professionals. These findings provide actionable insights to aid designers address complex regulatory and user-centric challenges, paving the way for innovation and improved outcomes in pharmaceutical packaging design.

The objective of this research is to explore the use of publicly available recall data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to extract Failure Modes and Effects Analysis data. This large data set was analysed using a Large Language Model chatbot. To assess the usefulness of priming the chatbot with this data, the chatbot was also asked to generate data without priming it with the recall data. This was performed on two specific products. It was found that primed-chatbot results were more specific and used technical terminology appropriate to the product being analysed. The proposed approach can be used by designers in the forward design process during new product development. The proposed approach provides designers with insight into potential failures, the associated consequences, their severity, and root causes as well.

The diverse knowledge levels among first-year mechanical engineering students lead to significant disparities in individual learning. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) offer a solution by providing tailored digital one-to-one instruction, bridging knowledge gaps, and equalizing learning outcomes. This thesis develops an ITS for design theory based on a knowledge-based engineering system, presenting an innovative model that integrates key features of ITS and knowledge-based systems. Implemented in a specialized environment, the system’s application and validation demonstrate its ability to meet context-sensitive design teaching requirements and provide adaptive tutoring.

The power, speed and sophistication of software for computer-aided design (CAD) drafting has revolutionized the design process and the productivity of experienced users. Assessment and mark-up of student drawings in a university class is still time-consuming and requires teaching assistants to be well-versed and proficient. This bottleneck can slow the learning of students if they are not provided with timely and proficient feedback. Software can be developed that uses the quantitative information stored in electronic files for direct comparison with a solution. This however requires an appropriate learning/teaching approach that is complementary with the assessment approach. A learning approach with complementary assessment is outlined along with the developed software for the assessment of large numbers of student submissions in a university level engineering course on drafting.

Let $\mathsf {KP}$ denote Kripke–Platek Set Theory and let $\mathsf {M}$ be the weak set theory obtained from $\mathsf {ZF}$ by removing the collection scheme, restricting separation to $\Delta _0$-formulae and adding an axiom asserting that every set is contained in a transitive set ($\mathsf {TCo}$). A result due to Kaufmann [9] shows that every countable model, $\mathcal {M}$, of $\mathsf {KP}+\Pi _n\textsf {-Collection}$ has a proper $\Sigma _{n+1}$-elementary end extension. We show that for all $n \geq 1$, there exists an $L_\alpha $ (where $L_\alpha $ is the $\alpha ^{\textrm {th}}$ approximation of the constructible universe L) that satisfies $\textsf {Separation}$, $\textsf {Powerset}$ and $\Pi _n\textsf {-Collection}$, but that has no $\Sigma _{n+1}$-elementary end extension satisfying either $\Pi _n\textsf {-Collection}$ or $\Pi _{n+3}\textsf {-Foundation}$. Thus showing that there are limits to the amount of the theory of $\mathcal {M}$ that can be transferred to the end extensions that are guaranteed by Kaufmann’s theorem. Using admissible covers and the Barwise Compactness theorem, we show that if $\mathcal {M}$ is a countable model $\mathsf {KP}+\Pi _n\textsf {-Collection}+\Sigma _{n+1}\textsf {-Foundation}$ and T is a recursive theory that holds in $\mathcal {M}$, then there exists a proper $\Sigma _n$-elementary end extension of $\mathcal {M}$ that satisfies T. We use this result to show that the theory $\mathsf {M}+\Pi _n\textsf {-Collection}+\Pi _{n+1}\textsf {-Foundation}$ proves $\Sigma _{n+1}\textsf {-Separation}$.

The notion of “zero-sum” games describes situations characterized by scarcity and competition. Reframing these situations to yield more positive sum scenarios benefits from design strategies that can identify new sources of value, oriented toward out-comes that reward collective benefit over maximizing one’s individual strategy to win at others’ expense. This emergent practice, called Positive Sum Design, identifies and critiques the conditions that contribute to zero-sum bias in the interest of creatively reframing challenges and redesigning scenarios to encourage more cooperative strategies and pluralistic values. Positive Sum Design can be thus characterized as both a cultural critique and a set of creative practices applied toward that critique to help practitioners identify opportunities for transcending presumed constraints and transmuting zero sum games into non-zero-sum ones.

This paper examines the effects of prototyping on design space exploration (DSE). Based on a literature review, a study design is proposed that attempts to integrate a longitudinal view from downstream development steps in the point-in-time investigation of design fixation. This study design is tested in a pilot study, the results are presented and discussed. The observation of participants’ design fixation (DF) in downstream activities shows that the need to create prototypes limited DSE behaviour, and suggestions for further adaptation of the study design are made. Challenges related to group dynamics, bias and logistical issues highlighted the need for a more refined study design. The findings highlight the role of prototyping in limiting DSE behaviour and suggest improving metrics, refining interventions and using structured moderation to improve future DF and DSE research.

This paper introduces a novel approach to analysing design protocols using a combination of methods. It describes an approach using a synthesis of concept extraction (using an LLM), semantic analysis (using word vectors and conceptual clustering), and network analysis (following graph construction). It suggests that the resulting measures are useful for studying design framing and for aiding qualitative analysis. It demonstrates this technique with data from a study of 17 designers addressing two design problems. The method enables the comparison of designers working on the same problem as well as the study of individual designers’ use of concepts over time during a think-aloud study.

Pulmonary artery hypertension in children is a progressive, fatal disease secondary to a variety of causes leading to right ventricular dysfunction. Traditional treatments include lung transplantation (LTx) and targeted therapy. However, due to the shortage of donor sources, heavy medical economic burden, immune rejection, and other problems, many patients are discouraged. In the past 20 years, the Potts palliative shunt, which was initially used for the treatment of cyanotic heart disease, has been gradually revived. Studies have shown that reverse Potts shunt can improve postoperative cardiac function, delay lung transplantation, and improve long-term quality of life in children with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, which is a feasible and effective alternative to LTx. The surgical procedure is relatively less complex, so it is worth promoting in resource-poor countries, and limited medical expertise. In the future, with refinements of the reverse Potts shunt (unidirectional-valved shunt and transcatheter Potts shunt) and formulation of guidelines (shunt sizes, involvement of multidisciplinary team), there is expected to be further expansion of indications. This article reviews the physiological mechanisms, past and present status of reverse Potts shunt indications and contraindications, surgical procedures, benefits, future application prospects, and key unsolved problems of reverse Potts shunt in the treatment of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension in children.