Abstract
Significant developments on semiconductor technology have captured the electronic industry and paved the way for dominating household appliances market. Typical loads in this market generally have nonlinear voltage current characteristics. Therefore, highly-integrated power-electronic based electrical equipment in the demand side has caused harmonic pollution, which is one of the most important power quality problems in distribution system operation. To address this issue, there have been significantly great attempts to keep total harmonic distortion (THD) and total demand distortion (TDD) levels within International standard limits defined by IEEE 519 and IEC 61000. On the other hand, load shifting has recently drawn special attention of power grid planners to improve system performance substantially in the smart grid paradigm. In this study, the real harmonic measurements of residential appliances (both linear and nonlinear) are carried out in the Smart Home Laboratory in Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. Different load profiles are then created with a high accuracy based on the measured voltage and current, active, reactive and apparent power. Also, three case studies are considered to investigate the impacts of load shifting strategies on power quality requirements in terms of satisfying the relevant standards. As a result, it is shown that the TDD value decreases below nearly 8% limitation by mitigating the harmonic distortion and the TDD index, which indicates the harmonic distortion effect on the system regarding the desired standard limits of IEEE.

Abstract
As life expectancy grows and the population requirements for satisfactory health and wellness levels increases, there is a clear opportunity for the incorporation of alternative techniques and tools for promoting health and preventing disease. One of these tools, is the use of thermal water-based treatments, commonly known as thermalism, as tools to trigger patients’ overall wellness. Despite the collective assumption of the effects of thermalism, there is little to no scientific evidence of these treatments, thus impairing the potential of this activity to become more widespread in society. Thus, with this paper, we present a conceptual model for a non-invasive sensing system based on wearables that can monitor a set of patients’ biomarkers which will serve as the basis for the validation of the effects of thermalism. This system will also serve as a management and operation control tool for thermal SPA managers and technical directors.

Abstract
This paper presents a methodology for the optimization of bilateral point-to-point power transactions between prosumers/electricity consumers, taking into account the physical constraints of the power grid, aiming to minimize the total cost of electricity expenditures. As a resolution strategy, the optimization problem is divided into two stages. The first consists of a purely energy problem, in which prosumers/consumers establish energy exchanges in an efficient manner, in order to obtain an adequate balance between demand and total system generation. The second stage is physical, in which the grid constraints are modeled, such as maximum line loading and bus voltage level. A 14-bar system with 19 peers (agents) that also considers the possibility of switching with an external grid, which can be another set of peers, another energy community, or simply the grid under the responsibility of the local utility, is modeled for the evaluation of the proposed methodology. The proposed method proved to be effective because it achieved results where the operation of the electric grid is feasible.

Abstract
Robotics competitions are environments that foster teamwork, AI, and technology development by encouraging students, researchers, and academics to test their solutions against each other. These competitions often challenge the competitors' prototypes with tasks specifically designed to benchmark them with the current optimal solutions. During the prototype stages of a robot, the development costs and time spent are often higher than other stages, as changes in the prototype are frequent. Simulation is often used to reduce these variables as it allows flexibility in all development stages before transitioning to the real scenario. However, a digital twin can be used to increase even further flexibility and effectiveness. Digital twins are virtual representations of real assets, providing replication and prediction of real scenario events, and real-time monitoring of the real object. Thus, this paper presents the development of a digital twin of an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) to the Robot@Factory Lite competition and the tests performed to validate the approach.

Abstract
This study tackles the initiation of industry convergence to develop a patent-level framework aiming to anticipate convergence. Despite the vast amount of studies in the convergence literature, much remains to be understood about the dynamics of convergence, from the outset at the technology level to further development at the industry level. The evaluation of technical domain combinations facilitates the identification of industry convergence at early stages. This study analyzes patent data to measure the continuity in the combination of technical knowledge domains, which drives convergence. We also identified the patent indicators which promote the formation of the influential combinations that drive industry convergence. The present findings revealed that only a few unprecedented combinations in technical domains developed in future technologies, which implies the significance of distinguishing the combinations that may be expanding rapidly in subsequent years. The results also reported that the influential combinations need to be identifiable for future inventors, useful and practical for future technologies, and compatible with a variety of technical domains. This research provides insights for studies in innovation and technology management as well as implications for inventors, managers, and policymakers toward technology road-mapping.

Abstract
This work reports on preliminary findings about the learning process of a diverse set of users playing an immersive Virtual Reality serious game based on hand tracking to complement conventional occupational therapy in hand rehabilitation. Two test sessions with a one-day break between them were carried out with seven able-bodied participants. Participants went through twenty minutes guided functional task practice followed by a Semi-structured interview. The System Usability Scale (SUS) scores obtained for the first (75.36) and second (76.43) test sessions positioned the serious game above the average in terms of usability. Insights about the learning process., SUS and the obtained trial results., confirm the potential of the developed solution as a viable complement to conventional hand rehabilitation and highlight possible points for improvement. © 2021 IEEE.