אלון בלוך

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SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SEMINAR
Monday, December 2, 2019 at 14:00
Wolfson Building of Mechanical Engineering, Room 206

PROVE - A framework for development process design

Avi Shaked
PhD Yoram Reich

The development of systems is becoming increasingly challenging with respect to the complexity of the system as well as to the large scale, collaborative and integrative nature of the development effort. The design of system development efforts is, therefore, considered an essential contributor to their success. Unfortunately, development process design remains an undisciplined domain, lacking applicable, research-proven tools as a design infrastructure. Accordingly, the resulting design artifacts – development process plans – are typically flawed, risking the success of development efforts.
In this research, we propose and validate a fit-for-purpose, model based design framework to support development process design, in a way which corresponds with its ontology and contributes to its rigor. First, we derive relevant domain ontology for development process design, revealing desirable characteristics of such design. We then combine these with pertinent aspects of process modeling, and discuss the inadequacy of existing modeling approaches for the domain. Then, we describe a new modeling framework we designed particularly for development process design. This framework – PROVE – comprises both domain specific modeling methodology and domain specific notation, and embodies adaptations of modern modeling concepts and usability features. Next, we report multiple, diverse case studies in which the new framework was employed. These case studies demonstrate PROVE as a valid, applicative modeling framework, which contributes to various aspects of development process design, including its communicability, consistency and reuse. We also use PROVE concepts to extend a general purpose modeling framework (OPM), increasing both the practical usability of the general purpose framework for process design and the rigor of the resulting process models.  After establishing PROVE as beneficial, we conclude by highlighting further potential in its integration with other domain specific perspective as well as by offering possible generalizations of our work with respect to the design and use of modeling frameworks.

We are very glad to invite you to participate in the Biomedical Engineering Conference, the annual meeting of the Israel Society for Medical and Biological Engineering (ISMBE), will take place on February 25-26, 2020 in Haifa’s Congress Center.
This conference provides a unique meeting place for the leading biomedical engineering scientists, from Israel and abroad, medical doctors and industry leaders, who will present their latest scientific and technological advances. 
It is a highly multidisciplinary conference that focuses on the various disciplines of biomedical engineering, including medical instrumentation, imaging, nano-medicine, tissue engineering, synthetic biology, neuro-engineering, drug release, etc. 
This is the 8th time this conference is given, and we are expecting more than 700 participants. This year, we will continue with the extended format of the conference duration which will be two days, and will host 15-16 oral presentation sessions. In addition, this year, world-renowned scientists from abroad will give several keynote lectures. Furthermore, this year, we will open a special popular biomedical engineering science session.

Important Dates

Abstract submission deadline: December 20, 2019
Author notification: January 10, 2020
Early registration deadline: February 1, 2020

See you in Haifa in February 25-26, 2020.

Sincerely,

Prof. Meital Zilberman, ISMBE President
Prof. Daphne Weihs, ISMBE President Elect
Prof. Tamir Tuller, Conference Chair

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SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SEMINAR
Monday, January 15, 2020 at 14:00
Wolfson Building of Mechanical Engineering, Room 206

Co-conversion of Recycled paper sludge (RPS) to bioethanol and Crystalline Nano Cellulose (CNC) via ozone-based processes

Roi Peretz
PhD Student of Prof. Hadas Mamane

In Israel, more than 1 million tons of paper and cardboard wastes are generated annually, yet only 20% are being recycled, mostly in “Hadera Paper” mill. The waste generated from the recycling process of paper and cardboard results in 31,000 tons of recycled paper sludge (RPS) that is very rich in cellulose fibers (75% dry weight), currently being disposed of in landfills. The high cellulose fiber content makes this waste an ideal source for cellulose-based applications. Efficient means for cellulose recovery and conversion from RPS were examined – by characterization of the RPS, testing and optimization of novel ozonation-based pretreatments and processes, and production of two valuable products: bioethanol and cellulose nano crystals (CNC). CNC serves as a key component in many industrial applications as building blocks, for developing materials including thin films, nanocomposites, biomedicines, water treatment and smart materials. In addition, the RPS remains could be used for sorption of contaminants in water. Results show that up to 35% of the total RPS can be converted to sugars, yielding a total of 15 gr/L of ethanol.  Alternatively, CNC could be produced from the RPS, using weak, recyclable maleic acid hydrolysis. The acid was successfully recovered for repeated use, allowing reduction of acid  costs and generated waste streams. Although the total CNC yield remained relatively low, it demonstrated that ozone can increase the yield, due to it high ability for lignin removal. This research contributes to the waste-to-fuel concept in Israel and globally using RPS, especially given the growing amount of recycled paper, and the amounts of solid-waste being landfilled, following green chemistry and circular economy concepts.