PASTIC::News Letter

Executive Editor

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Akram Shaikh

Director General, PASTIC

Managing Editors

Ms. Nageen Ainuddin

Dr. Saima Huma Tanveer

Editor

Dr. Syed Aftab Hussain Shah

Composer

Kashif Farooqui

ECHNOLOGY

OUNDUP

Technology Information Services Section (TIS)

Pakistan Scientific & Technological Information Centre

PASTIC

September-October, 2019

Vol.11 No 5

A NEWS BULLETIN

Tech News Headlines

Tech & Trade Offers

Phone: 051-9248103-4, 9248128
Fax: 051-9248113
Email: tis.pastic@gmail.com
Web: www.pastic.gov.pk

PASTIC National Centre
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P.O. Box 1217, Islamabad

Editorial Board

Power System State Estimation using a Robust Estimator

An Investigation of Prototyping Technique in Pakistani Software
Industry

Moskinator: a brand new type of Bug Catcher/Killer

Artificial Skin creates first Ticklish Devices

Twist-based Refrigeration: Twisting and Coiling 'Twistocaloric'

Yarns to keep Cool

Portable Electronics: A stretchable and flexible Biofuel Cell that runs

on Sweat

Machine learning Predicts behavior of Biological Circuits

Harnessing Tomato jumping Genes could help Speed-breed drought-

Resistant Crops

Forthcoming Tech Events

International Conference on Information and Education
Innovations

International Conference on Recycling and Waste Management

International Conference on Agricultural and Biological Science

International Conference on Science, Health and Medicine

International Conference on Science Technology and Management

International Conference on Education and Management

Innovation

8 International Conference on Information and Education

Technology

International Science, Technology and Engineering

TLAS

ENERGY

OLUTION

Technology Roundup

Power System State Estimation using a Robust Estimator

Source:

Zahid Khan, Katrina Lane Krebs, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Misbah Munawar. NED University Journal of
Research 2019. XVI (4): 53-65. https://doi.org/10.35453/NEDJR-ASCN-2018-0038

State estimation (SE) is a primary data processing algorithm which is utilised by the control centres of
advanced power systems. The most generally utilised state estimator is based on the weighted least squares
(WLS) approach which is ineffective in addressing gross errors of input data of state estimator.

Researchers have presented an innovative robust estimator for SE environments to overcome the non-
robustness of the WLS estimator. The suggested approach not only includes the similar functioning of the
customary loss function of WLS but also reflects loss function built on the modified WLS (MWLS)
estimator.

The performance of the proposed estimator was assessed based on its ability to decrease the impacts of gross
errors on the estimation results. The properties of the suggested state estimator were investigated and
robustness of the estimator was studied considering the influence function. The effectiveness of the proposed
estimator was demonstrated with the help of examples which also indicated non-robustness of MWLS
estimator in SE algorithm.

Technology Roundup

An Investigation of Prototyping Technique in Pakistani Software Industry

Source:

Muhammad Janas Khan, Rafiq Ahmad Khan, Mehran University Research Journal of
Engineering and Technology, [S.l.], v. 38, n. 4, p. 945-960, oct. 2019. ISSN 2413-7219.
https://publications.muet.edu.pk/index.php/muetrj/article/view/1241

Requirements elicitation is one of the important and major activities within the Requirements
Engineering phase.

There are different techniques used for requirement elicitation process. Selection of any requirements
elicitation technique depends on complexity, size, time and other resources of proposed software project.
Selection of suitable technique for requirements elicitation is not a trivial process and if it is done properly
then it can reduce time, budget, and risk constraints of system being developed. Sometimes researchers
have found a gap between theory and practice that is gap between literature and industry practices.
Therefore, goal of this paper is to find out the gap between literature and industry practice about
requirements elicitation practices in PSI (Pakistani Software Industry).

The researchers in this study have shown the usage and impact of prototyping technique of requirements
elicitation on product quality in Pakistani software companies. 29 Software companies following
prototyping technique practice were surveyed using questionnaire, to investigate about usage of
prototyping technique of requirements elicitation in industry, and impact of prototyping technique of
requirements elicitation on product quality in term of schedule, cost and the customer Satisfaction.

The study concluded that the appropriate practice of prototyping technique of requirements elicitation
can reduce the project failure rate in PSI.

Technology Roundup

Moskinator: a brand new type of Bug Catcher/Killer

Source:

www.blogs.dailylifetech.com/pNL2/moskinator/d1/this-creative-new-device-traps-mosquitos-without-
chemicals-1122

Two German Engineers have designed a brand new type of bug catcher/killer called Moskinator, which claims to
keep you and your loved ones mosquito free. They found that the traditional anti-pest devices were all either using
harmful chemicals or didn't work!

The design is both innovative and very effective. Instead of trying to keep the mosquitoes away, it actually attracts
them, then catches and kills them! It lures the flies and mosquitoes near using a safe, completely harmless UV
phototaxis thermotaxis inducing light translation. The flying pests can't resist it! Next to the UV-PT light is a
powerful, yet efficient reverse fan that sucks the insects through a 1-way trapdoor. Once trapped in the drying
basket they are dried to death by the fan a matter of 2mins. (They die without moisture.) You can simply empty the
dead bugs into the trash, without even touching them.

In Pakistan, a simple mosquito bite can mean serious illness or death. Mosquitos can infect you with Malaria,
yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika and dengue. All can kill you. A certain mosquito called "Aedes aegypti" bites
during the day. That's the mosquito that carries Zika and dengue. It infects 400,000,000 (400 million) people per
year. No vaccine exists for either disease. So we spray large areas with pesticides. But this negatively affects the
whole ecosystem and your health. All pesticides will eventually become useless when mosquitoes evolve to resist
it. So a Moskinator can be one of the choices as it is cost effective as compared to other appliances.

Technology Roundup

Artificial Skin creates first Ticklish Devices

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905090929.html

A new interface developed by researchers in Bristol and Paris takes touch technology to the next level, by
providing an artificial skin-like membrane for augmenting interactive devices such as phones, wearables or
computers.

Courtesy:

The Skin-On interface mimics human skin in appearance but also in sensing resolution. The researchers adopted
a bio-driven approach to developing a multi-layer, silicone membrane that mimics the layers present in human
skin. This is made up of a surface textured layer, an electrode layer of conductive threads and a hypodermis layer.
Not only is the interface more natural than a rigid casing, it can also detect a plethora of gestures made by the end-
users. As a result, the artificial skin allows devices to 'feel' the user's grasp -- its pressure and location, and can
detect interactions such as tickling, caressing, even twisting and pinching.

Artificial skin has been widely studied in the field of Robotics but with a focus on safety, sensing or cosmetic
aims. This is the first research we are aware of that looks at exploiting realistic artificial skin as a new input
method for augmenting devices.

Researchers created a phone case, computer touch pad and smart watch to demonstrate how touch gestures on the
Skin-On interface can convey expressive messages for computer mediated communication with humans or
virtual characters.

The next step will be making the skin even more realistic. They have already started looking at embedding hair
and temperature features which could be enough to give devices -- and those around them.

https://ein.iconnect007.com/index.php/article/120256/artificial-skin-creates-first-ticklish-

devices/120259/?skin=ein

Technology Roundup

Twist-based Refrigeration: Twisting and Coiling 'Twistocaloric' Yarns to

keep Cool

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191010142152.html

Portable Electronics: A stretchable and flexible Biofuel Cell that runs on

Sweat

Researchers of international team led by researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas and Nankai University
in China have discovered a new technology for refrigeration that is based on twisting and untwisting fibers. They
demonstrated twist-based refrigeration using materials as diverse as natural rubber, ordinary fishing line and
nickel titanium wire.

According to the International Institute of Refrigeration, refrigeration and air conditioning consume about 20%
of global electrical energy. Conventional refrigerators also release gases that significantly contribute to global
warming.

As consumption continues to grow, especially due to the increasing needs of developing nations, researchers are
investigating alternative cooling technologies to increase refrigeration efficiency, lower costs and reduce size.
To investigate the origin of the cooling effect in the fishing line, the researchers turned to X-ray crystallography,
which allowed them to determine what was happening on the molecular level when twist was changed by
stretching a coiled fiber.

Many challenges and opportunities exist on the path from these initial discoveries to commercialization of twist
fridges for diverse large- and small-scale applications. The opportunities include using performance-optimized
twistocaloric materials, rather than the few presently studied commercially available candidates.

A unique new flexible and stretchable device, worn against the skin and capable of producing electrical energy by
transforming the compounds present in sweat, was recently developed and patented. This cell is already capable
of continuously lighting an LED, opening new avenues for the development of wearable electronics powered by
autonomous and environmentally friendly biodevices.

The potential uses for wearable electronic devices continue to increase, especially for medical and athletic
monitoring. Such devices require the development of a reliable and efficient energy source that can easily be
integrated into the human body. Using "biofuels" present in human organic liquids has long been a promising

Technology Roundup

avenue.
The biofuel cell, which follows deformations in the skin, produces electrical energy through the reduction of
oxygen and the oxidation of the lactate present in perspiration. Once applied to the arm, it uses a voltage
booster to continuously power an LED. It is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce, with the primary cost
being the production of the enzymes that transform the compounds found in sweat. The researchers are now
seeking to amplify the voltage provided by the biofuel cell in order to power larger portable devices.

Neural networks cut modeling times of complex biological circuits to enable new insights into their inner
workings

Biomedical engineers have devised a machine learning approach to modeling the interactions between
complex variables in engineered bacteria that would otherwise be too cumbersome to predict. Their algorithms
are generalizable to many kinds of biological systems.

the researchers trained a neural network to predict the circular patterns that would be created by a

biological circuit embedded into a bacterial culture. The system worked 30,000 times faster than the existing
computational model.
To further improve accuracy, the team devised a method for retraining the machine learning model multiple
times to compare their answers. Then they used it to solve a second biological system that is computationally
demanding in a different way, showing the algorithm can work for disparate challenges.
The researchers are now trying to use their new approach on more complex biological systems. Besides
running it on computers with faster GPUs, they're trying to program the algorithm to be as efficient as possible.
Scientists now aim to improve these neural network systems to provide a window into the underlying dynamics
of more complex biological circuits.

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190925123431.html

Machine learning Predicts behavior of Biological Circuits

Bacterial colonies in dish (stock image). Credit: © jarun011 / Adobe Stock

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191002165235.html

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Technology Roundup

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Technology Roundup

Pakistan
International Conference on Information and Education Innovations

www.researchsociety.co

International Conference on Recycling and Waste Management

www.researchsociety.co

International Conference on Agricultural and Biological Science

www.iser.co/Conference2019/Pakistan/2/ICABS/

International Conference on Science, Health and Medicine

www.iser.co/Conference2019/Pakistan/2/ICSHM/

International

International Conference on Science Technology and Management

www.iastem.org/Conference2020/France/2/ICSTM

International Conference on Education and Management

Innovation

www.wikicfp.com

8 International Conference on Information and Education

Technology

www.iciet.org

International Science Technology and Engineering

www.10times.com/istec-penang

17 November, 2019
Lahore

25 December, 2019
Lahore

28-29 December, 2019
Rawalpindi

28-29 December, 2019
Rawalpindi, Pakistan

25-26 January, 2020
Paris, France

13-15 February, 2020
Barcelona, Spain

28-30 March, 2020
Okayama University, Japan

8-10 April, 2020
George Town, Malaysia

Forthcoming Tech Events

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About PASTIC

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Technology Roundup

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