Towards Modular and Formally-Verifiable Software Architecture for Clinical Guidance Systems

Clinical Decision Support Tools

The 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report To Err is Human alerted the healthcare industry and the public to the lack of consistency in the delivery of quality care to the US population. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have become a leading response to this report, and to the growing demand for the promotion of standards-based care delivery. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the recent literature for both the types and effectiveness of electronic CDSS in the primary care setting. An electronic search of the literature was conducted utilising MEDLINE (1996-2006), CINAHL (1982-2006) and all EBM Reviews--Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE and CCTR. The search included various combinations of the MeSH search terms 'clinical decision support systems', 'primary health care', 'ambulatory care' and 'practice guidelines' and was limited to articles published from 2000 to 2006. Studies were selected for review if they involved either non-randomised observational or randomised controlled trials (RCTs) utilising CDSS as a single intervention, were performed in an ambulatory primary care setting and included quantifiable outcome measures. Seventeen studies were included in the review, including five non-randomised observational studies and 12 RCTs. Thirteen studies (76%) found either positive or variable outcomes related to CDSS intervention with four studies (24%) showing no significant effect. Although there is validation that CDSS has the potential to produce statistically significant improvement in outcomes, there is much variability among the types and methods of CDSS implementation and resulting effectiveness. As CDSS will likely continue to be at the forefront of the march toward effective standards-based care, more work needs to be done to determine effective implementation strategies for the use of CDSS across multiple settings and patient populations.

A wearable sensor vest for social humanoid robots with GPGPU, IoT, and modular software architecture

R2P: an Open Source Modular Architecture for Rapid Prototyping of Robotics Applications

Traditional physical design flows force users to intermix distinct information relating to logical design, physical design, technology, and tool concerns during chip implementation, leading to high design effort, costs, and time-to-market. We introduce Hammer, a physical design generator which remedies these problems via separation of concerns. Through its modular software architecture, Hammer is able to separate tool and technology concerns, while Hammer's data format separates logical and physical design concerns, enabling physical design information to be generated in sync with changes to the logical design. We evaluate Hammer's flexibility and effective software architecture by demonstrating wide-ranging reductions in time, cost, and design effort in various physical design tasks through multiple tapeouts using multiple technologies (ranging from 45nm to 16nm), tools, and design architectures.

Open-die forging is a key process for manufacturing large components such as generator shafts and crankshafts for ship engines. Despite its industrial relevance, the process remains dependent on manual labour and operator expertise, leading to challenges in process stability, reproducibility, and efficiency. Traditional automation approaches are impractical due to the high variability and low production volumes typical of open-die forging. At the Institute of Metal Forming (IMF) at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, a novel concept for autonomous open-die forging has been developed and tested. The system combines conventional forging equipment with advanced technologies, including industrial robotics, 3D laser scanning, thermal imaging, and modular control software. Central to the concept is a robot cell operating as a distributed system, where sensor data is used to create a digital twin of the workpiece. This enables adaptive process planning and real-time autonomous operative adjustments. A process planning tool generates pass sequences and commands for manipulator movements, while an electromechanical interface allows indirect control of the forging press. The modular software architecture, coordinated by a central core-module, ensures flexibility and facilitates integration into different production environments. Initial trials demonstrate the system’s potential to improve process stability and quality while reducing dependency on manual operation. Ongoing work focuses on refining the concept to meet industrial requirements and support advanced material applications.

A hybrid hierarchical decision support system for cardiac surgical intensive care patients. Part II. Clinical implementation and evaluation

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) require demanding numerical computations to transfer brain signals into control signals driving an external actuator. Increasing the computational performance of the BCI algorithms carrying out these calculations enables faster reaction to user inputs and allows using more demanding decoding algorithms. Here we introduce a modular and extensible software architecture with a multi-threaded signal processing pipeline suitable for BCI applications. The computational load and latency (the time that the system needs to react to user input) are measured for different pipeline implementations in typical BCI applications with realistic parameter settings. We show that BCIs can benefit substantially from the proposed parallelization: firstly, by reducing the latency and secondly, by increasing the amount of recording channels and signal features that can be used for decoding beyond the amount which can be handled by a single thread. The proposed software architecture provides a simple, yet flexible solution for BCI applications.

In this paper we present an autonomous ground robot developed for outdoor applications in unstructured scenarios. The robot was developed as a versatile robotics platform for development, test and validation of research in navigation, control, perception and multiple robot coordination on all terrain scenarios. The hybrid systems approach to the control architecture is discussed in the context of multiple robot coordination. The robot modular hardware and software architecture allows for a wide range of mission applications. A precise navigation system based on high accuracy GPS is used for accurate 3D environment mapping tasks. The vision system is also presented along with some example results from stereo target tracking in operational environment.

This paper describes the preliminary design, implementation, and testing of a Police Robot for Inspecting and Mapping underwater Evidence (PRIME), an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) developed to aid and support police search teams in shallow-water and inshore reconnaissance operations. Manual processing of such areas can be time consuming and difficult, with dangerous debris and low visibility causing further hindrance in some scenarios. PRIME uses a combination of MultiBeam EchoSounder (MBES) and Side Scan Sonar (SSS) systems for high resolution underwater imaging. Additional navigational sensors provide PRIME with further data allowing for position control, path planning and autonomous navigation within complex environments such as inland waterways. Such applications pose significant design constraints, with the USV required to be compact and portable, relatively inexpensive and scenario-configurable. We present some approaches taken to address these challenges, based around a modular hardware and software architecture using the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework. Data gathered from field tests using initial prototypes for the detection of body-shaped test targets is also discussed.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / Harris Ka-Band Software Defined Radio (SDR) is the first, fully reprogrammable space-qualified SDR operating in the Ka-Band frequency range. Providing exceptionally higher data communication rates than previously possible, this SDR offers in-orbit reconfiguration, multi-waveform operation, and fast deployment due to its highly modular hardware and software architecture. Currently in operation on the International Space Station (ISS), this new paradigm of reconfigurable technology is enabling experimenters to investigate navigation and networking in the space environment.

Respiratory physiotherapy is key to CRD management. Implementation of guidelines can be limited. CDSS analyse and present data so that users can make decisions more easily. <b>Aim:</b> To review the literature on digital and non-digital CDSS in CRD, summarise their key features and relevance to physiotherapy management. <b>Methods:</b> We systematically reviewed the literature&nbsp;(Aug-Dec 2019) including any study design of digital or non-digital CDSS in adults with CRD. Acute respiratory conditions, systems for diagnosis or exclusively wearables were excluded. Key components were themed. <b>Results:</b> From 1716 studies, 40 studies met the criteria after full text review. The majority were in asthma (n=19) and COPD (n=15) and explored a digital system (33/40; 83%). The function of the systems were general patient management (14/40; 35%), to facilitate shared decision making (7/40; 17.5%); medications management (6/40; 15%); exacerbation management (6/40; 15%); monitoring and treatment (4/40; 10%); to categorise disease severity (2/40; 5%) and adherence monitoring (1/40; 2.5%). Most were based on clinical guidelines (28/40; 70%).&nbsp;Twenty-six (65%) were clinician facing, 12 (30%) patient and clinician facing and 2 (5%) patient facing only. 16/40 (40%) were embedded in an EHR. <b>Conclusions:</b> The majority of CDSS in adults with CRD are digital systems, informed by clinical guidelines, aimed at general patient management.&nbsp;Most systems are clinician facing only and not linked to an electronic healthcare record. Only 2 were linked to physiotherapy management. <b>Acknowledgement:</b> Funded by a Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund, QUB.

This paper presents the design and implementation of LostDune, a 2D side-scrolling platformer game developed using the Godot 4 game engine. The project demonstrates the practical application of fundamental computer science concepts including Finite State Machines (FSM) for character behavior management, kinematic physics simulation for responsive player movement, and modular software architecture using object-oriented design principles. The game features three progressively challenging levels with distinct environmental themes, implementing core mechanics such as precise platforming, enemy AI with patrol behavior, collectible systems, and persistent data storage. Performance analysis demonstrates stable 60 FPS gameplay with input latency below 50ms, validating the efficiency of the Godot engine's 2D rendering pipeline. The development process emphasizes

This paper presents a modular Digital Twin software architecture designed for smart cities, leveraging Edge-Cloud Continuum to enable the development of flexible and scalable DT-based solutions. Digital Twin technology provides a powerful framework for simulating, analyzing, and optimizing urban environments by integrating real-time and historical data from various city sensors through IoT, AI, and cloud computing. The proposed architecture addresses the limitations of existing DT frameworks by focusing on smart city-specific requirements such as dynamic resource management, real-time data processing, and autonomous decision-making. The viability of the proposed framework is demonstrated through a case study on autonomous traffic management in the city of Issy-les-Moulineaux. It shows how the proposed framework predicts traffic patterns and manages network resource allocation by adjusting the data sampling frequency to balance prediction accuracy and communication costs. The architecture’s modular design supports seamless integration and adaptability, making it suitable for various smart city applications, thereby advancing the development of more efficient, sustainable, and resilient urban environments.

This paper focuses on the development of a distributed rapid prototyping system via the Internet to form a framework of Internet prototyping and manufacturing for the support of effective product development. The proposed methodology is targeted at a wide audience using a disparate range of computer systems to access remotely located rapid prototyping facilities via the Internet for prototype fabrication. The methodology is useful for both educational research for teaching evolving rapid prototyping technologies and remote scientific visualization. This approach is based on the merger of object‐oriented modular software architecture and client server communications for the remote control of rapid prototyping hardware (called fused deposition modeling) via the Internet. Other Web tools are used to allow the remote user to have higher interactivity with the server applications that have a direct link with the front‐end terminals controlling the rapid prototyping hardware.