Application of computer-aided tomography techniques to visualize kelp holdfast structure reveals the importance of habitat complexity for supporting marine biodiversity

Ecosystem engineers that increase habitat complexity are keystone species in marine systems, increasing shelter and niche availability, and therefore biodiversity. For example, kelp holdfasts form intricate structures and host the largest number of organisms in kelp ecosystems. However, methods that quantify 3D habitat complexity have only seldom been used in marine habitats, and never in kelp holdfast communities. This study investigated the role of kelp holdfasts (Laminaria hyperborea) in supporting benthic faunal biodiversity. Computer-aided tomography (CT-) scanning was used to quantify the three-dimensional geometrical complexity of holdfasts, including volume, surface area and surface fractal dimension (FD). Additionally, the number of haptera, number of haptera per unit of volume, and age of kelps were estimated. These measurements were compared to faunal biodiversity and community structure, using partial least-squares regression and multivariate ordination. Holdfast volume explained most of the variance observed in biodiversity indices, however all other complexity measures also strongly contributed to the variance observed. Multivariate ordinations further revealed that surface area and haptera per unit of volume accounted for the patterns observed in faunal community structure. Using 3D image analysis, this study makes a strong contribution to elucidate quantitative mechanisms underlying the observed relationship between biodiversity and habitat complexity. Furthermore, the potential of CT-scanning as an ecological tool is demonstrated, and a methodology for its use in future similar studies is established. Such spatially resolved imager analysis could help identify structurally complex areas as biodiversity hotspots, and may support the prioritization of areas for conservation.

A Computer-Aided Decision Support System for Making Locational Decisions, 1990

This report is the product of a first-year research project in the University Transportation Centers Program. This project was carried out by an interdisciplinary research team at The University of Iowa's Public Policy Center. The project developed a computerized system to support decisions on locating facilities that serve rural areas while minimizing transportation costs. The system integrates transportation databases with algorithms that specify efficient locations and allocate demand efficiently to service regions; the results of these algorithms are used interactively by decision makers. The authors developed documentation for the system so that others could apply it to estimate the transportation and route requirements of alternative locations and identify locations that meet certain criteria with the least cost. The system was developed and tested on two transportation-related problems in Iowa, and this report uses these applications to illustrate how the system can be used.

Computer aided parallelisation of unstructured mesh codes

Abstract not available

STRAINING ENGINEERING OF GRAPHENE AND GRAPHENE-BASED NANOSTRUCTURES

Graphene has emerged as an extraordinary material with its capability to accommodate an array of remarkable electronic, mechanical and chemical properties. Extra-large surface-to-volume ratio renders graphene a highly flexible morphology, giving rise to intriguing observations such as ripples, wrinkles and folds as well as the potential to transform into other novel carbon nanostructures. Ultra-thin, mechanically tough, electrically conductive graphene films promise to enable a wealth of possible applications ranging from hydrogen storage scaffolds, electronic transistors, to bottom-up material designs. Enthusiasm for graphene-based applications aside, there are still significant challenges to their realization, largely due to the difficulty of precisely controlling the graphene properties. Controlling the graphene morphology over large areas is crucial in enabling future graphene-based applications and material design. This dissertation aims to shed lights on potential mechanisms to actively manipulate the graphene morphology and properties and therefore enable the material design principle that delivers desirable mechanical and electronic functionalities of graphene and its derivatives.

RISK-BASED MULTIOBJECTIVE PATH PLANNING AND DESIGN OPTIMIZATION FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

Safe operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over populated areas requires reducing the risk posed by a UAV if it crashed during its operation. We considered several types of UAV risk-based path planning problems and developed techniques for estimating the risk to third parties on the ground. The path planning problem requires making trade-offs between risk and flight time. Four optimization approaches for solving the problem were tested; a network-based approach that used a greedy algorithm to improve the original solution generated the best solutions with the least computational effort. Additionally, an approach for solving a combined design and path planning problems was developed and tested. This approach was extended to solve robust risk-based path planning problem in which uncertainty about wind conditions would affect the risk posed by a UAV.

Trandisciplinarity and Design: Comparative Review and Synthesis for the Design Process

Transdisciplinarity gained importance in the 1970s, with the initial signs of weakness of both multi- and interdisciplinary approaches. This weakness was felt due to the increased complexity in the social and technological landscapes. Generally, discussion over the transdisciplinary topic is centred in social and health sciences. Therefore, the major challenge in this research is to adapt design research to the emerging transdisciplinary discussion. Based on a comparative and critical review of several engineering and design models for the design process, we advocate the importance of collaboration and conceptualisation for these disciplines. Therefore, a transdisciplinary and conceptual cooperation between engineering and industrial design disciplines is considered as decisive to create breakthroughs. Furthermore, a synthesis is proposed, in order to foster the cooperation between engineering and industrial design.

Analysis, modelling and design of a groin as coastal protection structure at Lido di Dante, Ravenna

An analysis and a subsequent solution is here presented. This document is about a groin design able to contrast the erosion actions given by waves in Lido di Dante. Advantages will be visible also for Fiumi Uniti's inlet, in the north side of the shoreline. Beach future progression and growth will be subjected to monitoring actions in the years after groin construction. The resulting effects of the design will have a positive impact not only on the local fauna and environment, but also, a naturalistic appeal will increase making new type of tourists coming not only for recreational purposes. The design phase is focused on possible design alternatives and their features. Particular interest is given to scouring phenomena all around the groin after its construction. Groin effects will impact not only on its south side, instead they will cause an intense erosion process on the downdrift front. Here, many fishing hut would be in danger, thus a beach revetment structure is needed to avoid any future criticality. In addiction, a numerical model based on a generalized shoreline change numerical model, also known as GENESIS, has been applied to the study area in order to perform a simplistic analysis of the shoreline and its future morphology. Critical zones are visible in proximity of the Fiumi Uniti's river inlet, where currents from the sea and the river itself start the erosion process that is affecting Lido di Dante since mid '80s, or even before. The model is affected by several assumptions that make results not to be interpreted as a real future trend of the shore. Instead the model allows the user to have a more clear view about critical processes induced by monochromatic inputed waves. In conclusion, the thesis introduce a wide analysis on a complex erosion process that is affecting many shoreline nowadays. A groin design is seen as a hard solution it is considered to be the only means able to decrease the rate of erosion.

Modeling and Design of Phase Shifted Full Bridge Isolated DC-DC ZVS Converter with Peak Current Mode Control

Nowadays, there is a boom in the use of electrification. Electric vehicles are gaining interest worldwide due to various factors, including climate and environmental awareness. In this thesis, a step-down isolated power supply for electric tractors is investigated, specifically the phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) DC-DC with synchronous rectification and zero-voltage switching (ZVS). This converter was selected for its high-power capacity with high efficiency. A 3500 W PSFB converter with peak current control (PCCM) is designed and modeled in MATLAB. The input voltage range is from 550 V to 820 V and the output voltage range is limited to 9 V to 16 V with a maximum output current of 250 A. All components were commercially designed and selected, including magnetics for the high-frequency transformer and inductors, taking into account loss calculations. Zero voltage switching for the lagging leg is achieved at 13% to 100% load. The proven efficiency of the converter is around 90

Ciratefi: An RST-invariant template matching with extension to color images

Template matching is a technique widely used for finding patterns in digital images. A good template matching should be able to detect template instances that have undergone geometric transformations. In this paper, we proposed a grayscale template matching algorithm named Ciratefi, invariant to rotation, scale, translation, brightness and contrast and its extension to color images. We introduce CSSIM (color structural similarity) for comparing the similarity of two color image patches and use it in our algorithm. We also describe a scheme to determine automatically the appropriate parameters of our algorithm and use pyramidal structure to improve the scale invariance. We conducted several experiments to compare grayscale and color Ciratefis with SIFT, C-color-SIFT and EasyMatch algorithms in many different situations. The results attest that grayscale and color Ciratefis are more accurate than the compared algorithms and that color-Ciratefi outperforms grayscale Ciratefi most of the time. However, Ciratefi is slower than the other algorithms.

Research, knowledge and design

The discussion about relations between research and design has a number of strands, and presumably motivations. Putting aside the question whether or not design or “creative endeavour” should be counted as research, for reasons to do with institutional recognition or reward, the question remains how, if at all, is design research? This question is unlikely to have attracted much interest but for matters external to Architecture within the modern university. But Architecture as a discipline now needs to understand research much better than in the past when ‘research’ was whatever went on in building science, history or people/environment studies. In this paper, I begin with some common assumptions about design, considered in relation to research, and suggest how the former can constitute or be a mode of the latter. Central to this consideration is an understanding of research as the production of publicly available knowledge. The method is that of conceptual analysis which is much more fruitful than is usually appreciated. This work is part of a larger project in philosophy of design, in roughly the analytical tradition.

Molecular characterization of the toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and design of a species-specific PCR

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a toxic-bloom-forming cyanobacterium that is commonly found in tropical to subtropical climatic regions worldwide, but it is also recognized as a common component of cyanobacterial communities in temperate climates. Genetic profiles of C. raciborskii were examined in 19 cultured isolates originating from geographically diverse regions of Australia and represented by two distinct morphotypes. A 609-bp region of rpoC1, a DNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene, was amplified by PCR from these isolates with cyanobacterium-specific primers. Sequence analysis revealed that all isolates belonged to the same species, including morphotypes with straight or coiled trichomes. Additional rpoC1 gene sequences obtained for a range of cyanobacteria highlighted clustering of C. raciborskii with other heterocyst-producing cyanobacteria (orders Nostocales and Stigonematales). In contrast, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA and short tandemly repeated repetitive sequence profiles revealed a greater level of genetic heterogeneity among C. raciborskii isolates than did rpoC1 gene analysis, and unique band profiles were also found among each of the cyanobacterial genera examined. A PCR test targeting a region of the rpoC1 gene unique to C. raciborskii was developed for the specific identification of C. raciborskii from both purified genomic DNA and environmental samples. The PCR was evaluated with a number of cyanobacterial isolates, but a PCR-positive result was only achieved with C, raciborskii. This method provides an accurate alternative to traditional morphological identification of C. raciborskii.

The VITATOPS (vitamins to prevent stroke) Trial: Rationale and design of an international, large, simple, randomised trial of homocysteine-lowering multivitamin therapy in patients with recent transient ischaemic attack or stroke

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that raised plasma concentrations of total homocysteine (tHcy) may be a common, causal and treatable risk factor for atherothromboembolic ischaemic stroke. Although tHcy can be lowered effectively with small doses of folic acid, vitamin B-12 and vitamin B-6, it is not known whether lowering tHcy, by means of multivitamin therapy, can prevent stroke and other major atherothromboembolic vascular events. Purpose: To determine whether vitamin supplements (folic acid 2 mg, B-6 25 Mg, B-12 500 mug) reduce the risk of stroke, and other serious vascular events, in patients with recent stroke or transient ischaemic attacks of the brain or eye (TIA). Methods: An international, multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Results: As of November 2001, more than 1,400 patients have been randomised from 10 countries in four continents. Conclusion: VITATOPS aims to recruit and follow up 8,000 patients between 2000 and 2004, and provide a reliable estimate of the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplementation with folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 in reducing recurrent serious vascular events among a wide range of patients with TIA and stroke. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Coronary CT angiography using 64 detector rows: methods and design of the multi-centre trial CORE-64

Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for the noninvasive detection of coronary artery stenoses is a promising candidate for widespread clinical application because of its non-invasive nature and high sensitivity and negative predictive value as found in several previous studies using 16 to 64 simultaneous detector rows. A multi-centre study of CT coronary angiography using 16 simultaneous detector rows has shown that 16-slice CT is limited by a high number of nondiagnostic cases and a high false-positive rate. A recent meta-analysis indicated a significant interaction between the size of the study sample and the diagnostic odds ratios suggestive of small study bias, highlighting the importance of evaluating MSCT using 64 simultaneous detector rows in a multi-centre approach with a larger sample size. In this manuscript we detail the objectives and methods of the prospective ""CORE-64"" trial (""Coronary Evaluation Using Multidetector Spiral Computed Tomography Angiography using 64 Detectors""). This multi-centre trial was unique in that it assessed the diagnostic performance of 64-slice CT coronary angiography in nine centres worldwide in comparison to conventional coronary angiography. In conclusion, the multi-centre, multi-institutional and multi-continental trial CORE-64 has great potential to ultimately assess the per-patient diagnostic performance of coronary CT angiography using 64 simultaneous detector rows.