Performance and prospects of smaller UK regional airports

This paper investigates the traffic and financial performance of smaller UK regional airports between 2001 and 2014. Fourteen airports that typically serve less than 5 million passengers per annum were selected for the analysis. A period of strong growth in passenger demand was experienced from 2001 to 2007, driven largely by low cost carriers. The period from 2007 to 2014 was characterised by declining demand, resulting in significant losses for many of the airports. Airline strategies, such as the use of an increased unit fleet size and average sector length, may further limit future prospects for smaller UK regional airports in favour of larger ones with greater local demand. The relationship between traffic throughput and the generation of aeronautical revenues seems to vary at airports. There is generally a strong and significant relationship between traffic throughput and the generation of commercial revenues and total operating costs at airports serving 3–5 million passengers, but the situation for airports serving fewer than 3 million is less certain.

Siblings’ Sex is linked to Mental Rotation Performance in Males but not Females

Research has consistently found sex differences in mental rotation. Twin research has suggested that females with male co-twins perform better than females with female co-twins on mental rotation. Because twins share both pre-natal and post-natal environments, it is not possible to test whether this advantage is due to in-uterine transmission of testosterone from males to females or due to socialisation processes. The present study explored whether the advantage of females with brothers can be observed in non-twin siblings. Participants (N = 1799) were assessed on mental rotation. The observed group differences were overall small: males performed significantly better than females; females with sisters performed similarly to females with brothers; importantly, males with brothers performed significantly better than both female groups. The results suggest that sex differences in mental rotation are driven by the group of males with brothers.

Time-Independent Discrete Gaussian Sampling for Post-Quantum Cryptography

As the development of a viable quantum computer nears, existing widely used public-key cryptosystems, such as RSA, will no longer be secure. Thus, significant effort is being invested into post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Lattice-based cryptography (LBC) is one such promising area of PQC, which offers versatile, efficient, and high performance security services. However, the vulnerabilities of these implementations against side-channel attacks (SCA) remain significantly understudied. Most, if not all, lattice-based cryptosystems require noise samples generated from a discrete Gaussian distribution, and a successful timing analysis attack can render the whole cryptosystem broken, making the discrete Gaussian sampler the most vulnerable module to SCA. This research proposes countermeasures against timing information leakage with FPGA-based designs of the CDT-based discrete Gaussian samplers with constant response time, targeting encryption and signature scheme parameters. The proposed designs are compared against the state-of-the-art and are shown to significantly outperform existing implementations. For encryption, the proposed sampler is 9x faster in comparison to the only other existing time-independent CDT sampler design. For signatures, the first time-independent CDT sampler in hardware is proposed. 

Investigation of the effects of flow conditions at rotor inlet on mixed flow turbine performance for automotive applications

Current trends in the automotive industry have placed increased importance on engine downsizing for passenger vehicles. Engine downsizing often results in reduced power output and turbochargers have been relied upon to restore the power output and maintain drivability. As improved power output is required across a wide range of engine operating conditions, it is necessary for the turbocharger to operate effectively at both design and off-design conditions. One off-design condition of considerable importance for turbocharger turbines is low velocity ratio operation, which refers to the combination of high exhaust gas velocity and low turbine rotational speed. Conventional radial flow turbines are constrained to achieve peak efficiency at the relatively high velocity ratio of 0.7, due the requirement to maintain a zero inlet blade angle for structural reasons. Several methods exist to potentially shift turbine peak efficiency to lower velocity ratios. One method is to utilize a mixed flow turbine as an alternative to a radial flow turbine. In addition to radial and circumferential components, the flow entering a mixed flow turbine also has an axial component. This allows the flow to experience a non-zero inlet blade angle, potentially shifting peak efficiency to a lower velocity ratio when compared to an equivalent radial flow turbine.
This study examined the effects of varying the flow conditions at the inlet to a mixed flow turbine and evaluated the subsequent impact on performance. The primary parameters examined were average inlet flow angle, the spanwise distribution of flow angle across the inlet and inlet flow cone angle. The results have indicated that the inlet flow angle significantly influenced the degree of reaction across the rotor and the turbine efficiency. The rotor studied was a custom in-house design based on a state-of-the-art radial flow turbine design. A numerical approach was used as the basis for this investigation and the numerical model has been validated against experimental data obtained from the cold flow turbine test rig at Queen’s University Belfast. The results of the study have provided a useful insight into how the flow conditions at rotor inlet influence the performance of a mixed flow turbine.

Consultation on 'Co-operating to safeguard children and young people in Northern Ireland'

This draft policy has been updated to reflect changes in structures and legislation. The draft policy outlines how communities, organisations and individuals must work to ensure children and young people in Northern Ireland are safeguarded as effectively as possible. Consultation Documents Draft Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People (PDF 356KB) Draft Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People (MS WORD 463KB) Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People - (easy read) (PDF 15MB) Preliminary Equality Screening, Disability Duties and Human Rights Assessment (PDF 99KB) Regulatory Impact Assessment, and Rural proofing Assessments (PDF 37KB)   Consultation Response Questionnaire Consultation Response Questionnaire (MS Word 38KB)   How to respond to the consultation Please use the questionnaire to tell us your views on the draft policy. An Equality Impact Assessment, a Regulatory Impact Assessment and Rural Proofing templates are attached in respect of the draft policy. The deadline for responses is 5.00 pm on 21 August 2015. Please email the questionnaire response to: Child.Safeguarding@dhsspsni.gov.uk Or post it to: DHSSPSNIChild Safeguarding Policy TeamRoom A3.5Castle BuildingsStormont EstateBelfastBT4 3SQ The Department will consider requests to produce this document in other languages or in alternative formats – Braille, audio, large print or as a PDF document. If you require the document in these or other formats please contact us using the details provided above or telephone 02890522543.

Wavelength converters based on four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers for advanced modulation formats

Les convertisseurs de longueur d’onde sont essentiels pour la réalisation de réseaux de communications optiques à routage en longueur d’onde. Dans la littérature, les convertisseurs de longueur d’onde basés sur le mélange à quatre ondes dans les amplificateurs optiques à semi-conducteur constituent une solution extrêmement intéressante, et ce, en raison de leurs nombreuses caractéristiques nécessaires à l’implémentation de tels réseaux de communications. Avec l’émergence des systèmes commerciaux de détection cohérente, ainsi qu’avec les récentes avancées dans le domaine du traitement de signal numérique, il est impératif d’évaluer la performance des convertisseurs de longueur d’onde, et ce, dans le contexte des formats de modulation avancés. Les objectifs de cette thèse sont : 1) d’étudier la faisabilité des convertisseurs de longueur d’onde basés sur le mélange à quatre ondes dans les amplificateurs optiques à semi-conducteur pour les formats de modulation avancés et 2) de proposer une technique basée sur le traitement de signal numérique afin d’améliorer leur performance. En premier lieu, une étude expérimentale de la conversion de longueur d’onde de formats de modulation d’amplitude en quadrature (quadrature amplitude modulation - QAM) est réalisée. En particulier, la conversion de longueur d’onde de signaux 16-QAM à 16 Gbaud et 64-QAM à 5 Gbaud dans un amplificateur optique à semi-conducteur commercial est réalisée sur toute la bande C. Les résultats démontrent qu’en raison des distorsions non-linéaires induites sur le signal converti, le point d’opération optimal du convertisseur de longueur d’onde est différent de celui obtenu lors de la conversion de longueur d’onde de formats de modulation en intensité. En effet, dans le contexte des formats de modulation avancés, c’est le compromis entre la puissance du signal converti et les non-linéarités induites qui détermine le point d’opération optimal du convertisseur de longueur d’onde. Les récepteurs cohérents permettent l’utilisation de techniques de traitement de signal numérique afin de compenser la détérioration du signal transmis suite à sa détection. Afin de mettre à profit les nouvelles possibilités offertes par le traitement de signal numérique, une technique numérique de post-compensation des distorsions induites sur le signal converti, basée sur une analyse petit-signal des équations gouvernant la dynamique du gain à l’intérieur des amplificateurs optiques à semi-conducteur, est développée. L’efficacité de cette technique est démontrée à l’aide de simulations numériques et de mesures expérimentales de conversion de longueur d’onde de signaux 16-QAM à 10 Gbaud et 64-QAM à 5 Gbaud. Cette méthode permet d’améliorer de façon significative les performances du convertisseur de longueur d’onde, et ce, principalement pour les formats de modulation avancés d’ordre supérieur tel que 64-QAM. Finalement, une étude expérimentale exhaustive de la technique de post-compensation des distorsions induites sur le signal converti est effectuée pour des signaux 64-QAM. Les résultats démontrent que, même en présence d’un signal à bruité à l’entrée du convertisseur de longueur d’onde, la technique proposée améliore toujours la qualité du signal reçu. De plus, une étude du point d’opération optimal du convertisseur de longueur d’onde est effectuée et démontre que celui-ci varie en fonction des pertes optiques suivant la conversion de longueur d’onde. Dans un réseau de communication optique à routage en longueur d’onde, le signal est susceptible de passer par plusieurs étages de conversion de longueur d’onde. Pour cette raison, l’efficacité de la technique de post-compensation est démontrée, et ce pour la première fois dans la littérature, pour deux étages successifs de conversion de longueur d’onde de signaux 64-QAM à 5 Gbaud. Les résultats de cette thèse montrent que les convertisseurs de longueur d’ondes basés sur le mélange à quatre ondes dans les amplificateurs optiques à semi-conducteur, utilisés en conjonction avec des techniques de traitement de signal numérique, constituent une technologie extrêmement prometteuse pour les réseaux de communications optiques modernes à routage en longueur d’onde.

Theoretical Performance Model and Initial Experimentation of a Baffled-Tube Ram Accelerator

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Evaluating Form and Functionality of Pay-For-Performance Plans: The Relative Incentive and Sorting Effects of Merit Pay, Bonuses, and Long-Term Incentives

Using two-year longitudinal data from a large sample of US employees from a service-related organization, the present study investigates the relative effects of three forms of pay-for-performance plans on employees’ job performance (incentive effects) and voluntary turnover (sorting effects). The study differentiates between three forms of pay: merit pay, individual-based bonuses, and long-term incentives. By definition, these PFP plans have different structural elements that distinguish them from each other (i.e., pay plan form) and different characteristics (functionality), such as the degree to which pay and performance are linked and the size of the rewards, which can vary both within and across plan types. Our results provide evidence that merit raises have larger incentive and sorting effects than bonuses and long-term incentives in multi-PFP plan environments where the three PFP plans are operating simultaneously. Only merit pay has both incentive and sorting effects among the three PFP plans. The implications for the PFP-related theory, as well as for the design and implementation of PFP plans, are discussed.

A simplified finite element model for assessing steel fibre reinforced concrete structural performance

The present numerical investigation offers evidence concerning the validity and objectivity of the predictions of a simple, yet practical, finite element model concerning the responses of steel fibre reinforced concrete structural elements under static monotonic and cyclic loading. Emphasis is focused on realistically describing the fully brittle tensile behaviour of plain concrete and the contribution of steel fibres on the post-cracking behaviour it exhibits. The good correlation exhibited between the numerical predictions and their experimental counterparts reveals that, despite its simplicity, the subject model is capable of providing realistic predictions concerning the response of steel fibre reinforced concrete structural configurations exhibiting both ductile and brittle modes of failure without requiring recalibration.

The Effect of Carbohydrate Mouth Rinsing On Skill Specific Performance and Cognitive Function Following a Fatigue Inducing Bout of Fencing

The aim of this study was to investigate whether rinsing the mouth with a carbohydrate solution could improve skill-specific fencing performance and cognitive function following a fatigue inducing simulated bout of fencing in epee fencers. Eleven healthy, competitive epee fencers (three female; eight male; 33.9 ± 14.7 years; body mass 79 ± 16 kg; height 162 ± 54 cm) volunteered to participant in a single-blind crossover design study. During visit 1 participants completed a 1-minute lunge test and stroop test pre and post fatigue inducing fencing protocol. A 30 second electroencephalography (EEG) recording was taken pre-protocol participants were instructed stay in a seated stationary position with their eyes closed. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion were recorded following each fight during the fatiguing protocol. Participants mouth rinsed (10 seconds) either 25ml of a 6.7% maltodextrin solution (CHO) or 25ml of water (placebo) between fights and during the EEG recording. Blood lactate and glucose measurements were taken at baseline, pre and post protocol. All measurements and tests were repeated during a 2nd visit to the laboratory, except participants were given a different solution to mouth rinse, separated by a minimum of 5 days. The results showed an increase in heart rate (P < 0.05) and overall RPE (P < 0.001) over time in both trials. There were no recorded differences in blood glucose (F(1,8) = 0.634, P = 0.4, ηp 0.07) or blood lactate levels (F(1,8) = 0.123, P = 0.7, ηp 0.01) between trials. There was a significant improvement in lunge test accuracy in the CHO trial (F(1,8) = 5.214, P = 0.05, ηp 0.40). However, there was no recorded difference in response time to congruent (F(1,8) = 0.326, P = 0.58, ηp 0.04) or incongruent (F(1,8) = 0.189, P = 0.68, ηp 0.02) stimuli between trials. In conclusion mouth rinsing a CHO solution significantly improves accuracy of skill-specific fencing performance but does not affect cognitive function following a fatigue inducing fencing protocol in epee fencers.

The effect of carbohydrate mouth rinsing on fencing performance and cognitive function following fatigue-inducing fencing

This study investigated the impact that mouth rinsing carbohydrate solution has on skill-specific performance and reaction time following a fatigue inducing bout of fencing in epee fencers. Nine healthy, national level epee fencers visited a laboratory on 2 occasions, separated by a minimum of 5 days, to complete a 1-minute lunge test and Stroop test pre and post fatigue. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded during completion of the fatiguing protocol. Between fights the participants mouth rinsed for 10 seconds, either 25ml of 6.7% maltodextrin solution (MALT) or water (PLAC). Blood lactate and glucose were recorded at baseline, pre- and post-testing. Results showed an increase in heart rate and overall RPE over time in both conditions. There were no differences in blood glucose (F(1,8)=.63, P=.4, ηp=.07) or blood lactate levels (F(1,8)=.12, P=.70, ηp=.01) between conditions as a function of time. There was a significant improvement in lunge test accuracy during the MALT trial (F(1,8)=5.21, P=.05, ηp=.40) with an increase from pre (81.2 ±8.3%) to post (87.6 ±9.4%), whereas there was no significant change during the placebo (pre 82.1 ±8.8%, post 78.8 ±6.4%). There were no recorded differences between conditions in response time to congruent (F(1,8)=.33, P=.58, ηp=.04) or incongruent stimuli (F(1,8)=.19, P=.68, ηp=.02). The study indicates that when fatigued mouth rinsing MALT significantly improves accuracy of skill-specific fencing performance but no corresponding influence on reaction time was observed.

Performance des chantiers ouverts en contexte de mines profondes

Le présent mémoire expose les résultats d’une étude de la performance des chantiers ouverts dans un contexte de mines profondes ayant été effectuée dans le cadre du projet de recherche « Mines profondes : défis d’exploitation et impacts sur la récupération minéralurgique » réalisé par le département de génie des mines, de la métallurgie et des matériaux de l’Université Laval. Les données utilisées dans le cadre de cette étude sont en lien avec la planification et l’exploitation de plus de mille chantiers minés entre 860 et 2 450 m de profondeur à la mine souterraine LaRonde de Mines Agnico Eagle, la plus profonde actuellement de l’hémisphère ouest. On y présente une revue de la littérature qui fait la description des problématiques de dilution et de pertes opérationnelles de la réserve minérale liées à la performance des chantiers ouverts ainsi que de leurs conséquences sur les projets miniers. Une comparaison des performances planifiées et réalisées au site de LaRonde y est présentée, ainsi que les résultats d’analyses statistiques ayant permis de montrer que la variation du ratio des contraintes in situ avec la profondeur est un facteur d’influence significatif de la performance des chantiers. L’effet de ce facteur d’influence y est aussi illustré et validé à l’aide d’une série de modèles numériques. Le mémoire présente également une première approche visant à développer un modèle d’évaluation de la dilution dans les chantiers ouverts qui prend en compte la profondeur de minage. Finalement, afin d’améliorer la précision de l’estimation de la réserve minérale lors de l’évaluation de projets miniers, une méthodologie d’estimation intégrant le modèle d’évaluation proposé est présentée pour les projets dont les contextes géologique, géotechnique et opérationnel sont comparables à ceux du site de LaRonde.

Phenobarbital reduces EEG amplitude and propagation of neonatal seizures but does not alter performance of automated seizure detection

Objective: Phenobarbital increases electroclinical uncoupling and our preliminary observations suggest it may also affect electrographic seizure morphology. This may alter the performance of a novel seizure detection algorithm (SDA) developed by our group. The objectives of this study were to compare the morphology of seizures before and after phenobarbital administration in neonates and to determine the effect of any changes on automated seizure detection rates. Methods: The EEGs of 18 term neonates with seizures both pre- and post-phenobarbital (524 seizures) administration were studied. Ten features of seizures were manually quantified and summary measures for each neonate were statistically compared between pre- and post-phenobarbital seizures. SDA seizure detection rates were also compared. Results: Post-phenobarbital seizures showed significantly lower amplitude (p < 0.001) and involved fewer EEG channels at the peak of seizure (p < 0.05). No other features or SDA detection rates showed a statistical difference. Conclusion: These findings show that phenobarbital reduces both the amplitude and propagation of seizures which may help to explain electroclinical uncoupling of seizures. The seizure detection rate of the algorithm was unaffected by these changes. Significance: The results suggest that users should not need to adjust the SDA sensitivity threshold after phenobarbital administration.

Mixing performance evaluation of additive manufactured milli-scale reactors

The mixing performance of three passive milli-scale reactors with different geometries was investigated at different Reynolds numbers. The effects of design and operating characteristics such as mixing channel shape and volume flow rate were investigated. The main objective of this work was to demonstrate a process design method that uses on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for modeling and Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology for manufacture. The reactors were designed and simulated using SolidWorks and Fluent 15.0 software, respectively. Manufacturing of the devices was performed with an EOS M-series AM system. Step response experiments with distilled Millipore water and sodium hydroxide solution provided time-dependent concentration profiles. Villermaux-Dushman reaction experiments were also conducted for additional verification of CFD results and for mixing efficiency evaluation of the different geometries. Time-dependent concentration data and reaction evaluation showed that the performance of the AM-manufactured reactors matched the CFD results reasonably well. The proposed design method allows the implementation of new and innovative solutions, especially in the process design phase, for industrial scale reactor technologies. In addition, rapid implementation is another advantage due to the virtual flow design and due to the fast manufacturing which uses the same geometric file formats.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and aerobic performance adaptations to a 4-week sprint interval training in young healthy untrained females

Purpose The aim of this study was to test the effects of sprint interval training (SIT) on cardiorespiratory fitness and aerobic performance measures in young females. Methods Eight healthy, untrained females (age 21 ± 1 years; height 165 ± 5 cm; body mass 63 ± 6 kg) completed cycling peak oxygen uptake ( V˙O2V˙O2 peak), 10-km cycling time trial (TT) and critical power (CP) tests pre- and post-SIT. SIT protocol included 4 × 30-s “all-out” cycling efforts against 7 % body mass interspersed with 4 min of active recovery performed twice per week for 4 weeks (eight sessions in total). Results There was no significant difference in V˙O2V˙O2 peak following SIT compared to the control period (control period: 31.7 ± 3.0 ml kg−1 min−1; post-SIT: 30.9 ± 4.5 ml kg−1 min−1; p > 0.05), but SIT significantly improved time to exhaustion (TTE) (control period: 710 ± 101 s; post-SIT: 798 ± 127 s; p = 0.00), 10-km cycling TT (control period: 1055 ± 129 s; post-SIT: 997 ± 110 s; p = 0.004) and CP (control period: 1.8 ± 0.3 W kg−1; post-SIT: 2.3 ± 0.6 W kg−1; p = 0.01). Conclusions These results demonstrate that young untrained females are responsive to SIT as measured by TTE, 10-km cycling TT and CP tests. However, eight sessions of SIT over 4 weeks are not enough to provide sufficient training stimulus to increase V˙O2V˙O2 peak.