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Smart Business Technologies:22nd International Conference, ICSBT 2025, Bilbao, Spain, June 11–12, 2025, Proceedings
No full textThe proceedings contain 7 papers. The special focus in this conference is on Smart Business Technologies. The topics include: The Ecosystem of Information Systems in Higher Education: A Strategic Perspective on Business Intelligence and Decision Support; gathering, Matching and Aggregating Bibliographic Records; disturbance Propagation in Smart Construction Sites: A Framework and Simulation-Based Approach; key Trends in Green Accounting and Environmental Sustainability; hidden Champions Revised: From Hidden Champions to Ocular Champions: A New Conceptual Framework for Innovation, Digitalization and Sustainability.</p
Towards Ultra Low Thermo-Mechanical Sensitive Capacitors in CMOS
No full textFully integrated capacitors in CMOS with a low sensitivity to temperature and externally applied mechanical forces are crucial for highly stable, fully integrated frequency references. Thermal changes and external forces alter the physical structure of capacitors, affecting their capacitance. This paper presents measurements of the temperature dependency and mechanical stress sensitivity of several custom back-end capacitors, with a front-end capacitor for benchmarking. On-wafer and in-package measurements were conducted to (try to) separate thermal and stress effects. We show that both measured sensitivities are hardly (cor)related for backend capacitors. Thermal effects appear to be mainly related to inter-terminal oxide material whereas external force sensitivity shows a dependency on the capacitance direction and the distance from the top of the backend
Isobaric Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium of the Azeotropic Mixture n-Hexane + Ethanol with 1-Butylpyrrolidin-2-one as a Greener Entrainer and 1-Methylpyrrolidin-2-one as a Benchmark Entrainer
No full textGreen solvents have emerged as promising green entrainers to substitute conventional entrainers in extractive distillation to separate azeotropic mixtures. However, the limited availability of thermodynamic data for green-solvent-containing mixtures continues to hinder their practical implementation in this process. This study is the first to report experimental vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for the n-hexane + ethanol azeotropic system containing the greener entrainer 1-butylpyrrolidin-2-one (NBP) alongside the benchmark entrainer 1-methylpyrrolidin-2-one (NMP). Using a Fischer Labodest VLE602 ebulliometer, VLE measurements were performed at pressures of 50.0 and 100.0 kPa and various entrainer-to-feed ratios (E/F). The reliability of the reported VLE data was tested and confirmed using the Van Ness thermodynamic consistency test. The results show that NBP enhances relative volatility and effectively eliminates the azeotrope, performing comparably to the benchmark entrainer NMP. The nonrandom-two-liquid (NRTL) model was utilized to regress the investigated VLE data and determine the optimum binary interaction parameters (BIPs). As a result, the NRTL model demonstrates good agreement with the experimental data. This thermodynamic modeling confirms the data’s reliability and suitability for process design, highlighting NBP’s potential as an environmentally friendly alternative entrainer in extractive distillation.</p
A predictive model for bubble–particle collisions in turbulence
Get PDFThe modelling of bubble–particle collisions is crucial to improving the efficiency of industrial processes such as froth flotation. Although such systems usually have turbulent flows and the bubbles are typically much larger than the particles, there currently exist no predictive models for this case which consistently include finite-size effects in the interaction with the bubbles as well as inertial effects for the particles simultaneously. As a first step, Jiang and Krug [2025] proposed a frozen turbulence approach which captures the collision rate between finite-size bubbles and inertial particles in homogeneous isotropic turbulence using the bubble slip velocity probability density function measured from simulations as an input. In this study, we further develop this approach into a model where the bubble–particle collision rate can be predicted a priori based on the bubble, particle, and turbulence properties. By comparing the predicted collision rate with simulations of bubbles with Stokes numbers of 2.8 and 6.3, and particles with Stokes numbers ranging from 0.01 to 2 in turbulence with a Taylor Reynolds number of 64, good agreement is found between model and simulations for Froude number Fr ≤ 0.25. Beyond this range of bubble Stokes number, we propose a criterion for using our model and discuss the model’s validity. Evaluating our model at typical flotation parameters indicates that particle inertia and settling effects are usually important. Generally, smaller bubbles, larger particles, and stronger turbulence increase the overall collision rate
A 12.8-GS/s Time-Interleaved Sub-Sampling ADC Front End With 38-GHz Input Bandwidth and >39-dB SNDR for 1–32 GHz in 22-nm FDSOI
No full textIn this article, we present a 4× times time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter (ADC) front end operating at 12.8 GS/s. We designed for a high tracking bandwidth (BW) of 38 GHz and optimized the SNDR up to the 5th Nyquist zone. This allows covering the targeted Ka-band frequencies of 27–31 GHz allocated for high-throughput Earth-to-satellite communication without the need for a dedicated mixer, enabling a wideband direct RF sub-sampling receiver approach. We employ an inductor-based input network together with co-optimized push–pull buffers and an active bootstrapping concept in the critical first track-and-hold (TH) for BW enhancement and improved linearity. Because the focus of this work lies in achieving a high SNDR at multi-ten-GHz inputs rather than maximizing the sampling rate f S , we implement a single 1st-rank TH to eliminate the need for skew and BW mismatch calibration. A prototype of this two-rank TH is implemented in 22-nm FDSOI technology. Measurements of four different chip samples indicate SNDR >39 dB up to 32-GHz input frequency at 12.8-GS/s operation while consuming 87 mW. A sweep of f S from 4.8 to 15.2 GHz and ±10% supply variation causes <1.3-dB SNDR fluctuation at a 30.2-GHz input. We estimate the total aperture jitter to about 25 fs, and an input S 11 < -12 dB is achieved up to 35 GHz.</p
Brillouin Photonics Engine in the Thin-Film Lithium Niobate Platform
No full textWe report the first Brillouin photonics engine in the thin-film lithium niobate platform. We demonstrate the first stimulated Brillouin laser in this platform. Moreover, we demonstrate the first Brillouin-based microwave photonics processor with versatile functionalities, including notch filters, bandpass filters, and true time delay.</p
Critical observations on the conceptual framing and categorization of wearbles in the manuscript by W. Iwasyk et al.: “Wearable Technology in Orthopaedic Surgery: Applications and Future Directions”
No full textDesigning with non-humans for agricultural systems transformation:An interdisciplinary review and framework for reflection
Get PDFCONTEXT: In response to growing concern over agriculture's contribution to climate and ecological crises, recent definitions of sustainable food systems have expanded beyond productivity to emphasize interconnected ecological and social dimensions. Responding to this challenge, agricultural system design scholars have moved beyond a focus on merely increasing productivity, supply, and profitability, to include goals such as animal welfare and ecological health. However, this selection often fails to move beyond anthropocentric needs and values. For design to be transformative, addressing who can participate in design and how participating actors relate to each other is critical. Notably, non-humans, which are foundational to agricultural systems, are largely overlooked as actors to be involved in design processes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the article is to develop a framework to assist agricultural design scholars in meaningfully integrating non-human needs in agricultural design processes by identifying and reflecting upon trade-offs and providing methodological tools with the goal of contributing to just and sustainable transformations of agricultural systems. METHODS: A critical review of the state-of-the-art of non-human participation in agricultural systems design research was done. This was followed by a narrative review, consulting several approaches from critical social sciences, such as transition studies, Actor Network Theory, animal studies, feminist posthumanism, postcolonialism and indigenous scholarship to enhance our understanding of participation by non-humans. This analysis informed a synthesized framework for reflection. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The review points at three themes for better engagement of non-humans in design, notably regarding the role of (1) agency; (2) temporality; and (3) deliberation of non-humans. Based on these themes, practical steps forward are proposed to include non-humans in five design phases: problem definition; system analysis; design requirements; measurements; and selecting design solutions. SIGNIFICANCE: By opening a dialogue between agricultural systems design and different bodies of research on inclusion of non-humans, this article aims to support agricultural systems designers in their reflection, making informed, context-sensitive decisions by fostering new ways of thinking and relating to non-humans as active rather than passive actors in these processes, thereby enhancing the transformative potential of agricultural systems research and design beyond anthropocentric perspectives.</p
EMI Reduction in a Multi-converter Setup: Correlation Analysis using Pearson’s Random Walk
No full textThis paper extends a previously developed statistical methodology that uses Pearson’s Random Walk (PRW) to model common mode (CM) current in multiple power electronic (PE) converter configurations. The proposed methodology investigates emission reduction with respect to a single harmonic of the switching frequency in power electronic converters specifically examining how additional converters affect the emissions of a single converter. Correlation analysis between fundamental, third, fifth and seventh harmonics is performed to determine potential interrelationships. The primary objective is to achieve electromagnetic emission reduction across the entire frequency spectrum rather than focusing on individual harmonics. Initial findings demonstrate that a worst-case relationship can be established between contributions at the fundamental frequency and contributions at higher-order harmonics. These results can potentially enable control schemes that reduce overall electromagnetic interference (EMI) in multi-converter setups
Disparities in cancer incidence and stage at diagnosis between male and female patients in the Netherlands
No full textWe investigated how sex differences in incidence of cancer and stage at diagnosis manifest across age groups. A retrospective cohort study was performed based on data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Adult patients diagnosed with one of the top 10 not-sex-specific cancers in the Netherlands between 2017 and 2022 were included. Tumour incidence and stage at diagnosis were analysed using age-standardized and sex-specific incidence rate ratios (IRR), with 95 % confidence intervals. The 10 most frequent cancers affected 194,304 patients of which 43 % were female. Median age at diagnosis was 72 years for males and 71 years for females. Incidence rate ratios showed no difference between sexes aged 18–49 (IRR=1.00), but higher rates in males aged 50–69 (IRR=1.34) and ≥ 70 (IRR=1.76). Largest IRR differences (IRR&gt;3.00) were observed for bladder, urinary tract cancers, and oesophageal cancers. Stage IV was the most frequent stage overall, particularly for lung, pancreatic, and oesophageal cancers, though this varied by cancer type. Males were diagnosed at more advanced stages, especially for oesophageal and head and neck cancers. Bladder cancer was mainly stage 0, melanoma stage I, and colorectal cancer stage III in males and stage I in females. Our study showed sex- and age-specific differences in cancer incidence and stage at diagnosis, with males showing higher incidence rates. Males were also diagnosed at more advanced stage. These findings underline the importance of taking both sex and age into account in cancer prevention and early detection strategies.</p