Seawater carbonate chemistry, calcification and dissolution of a coral reef in the northern Red Sea, 2007

In this study we investigated the relations between community calcification of an entire coral reef in the northern Red Sea and annual changes in temperature, aragonite saturation and nutrient loading over a two year period. Summer (April-October) and winter (November-March) average calcification rates varied between 60 ± 20 and 30 ± 20 mmol·m-2·d-1, respectively. In general, calcification increased with temperature and aragonite saturation state of reef water with an apparent effect of nutrients, which is in agreement with most laboratory studies and in situ measurements of single coral growth rates. The calcification rates we measured in the reef correlated remarkably well with precipitation rates of inorganic aragonite calculated for the same temperature and degree of saturation ranges using empirical equations from the literature. This is a very significant finding considering that only a minute portion of reef calcification is inorganic. Hence, these relations could be used to predict the response of coral reefs to ocean acidification and warming.

THE DESIGN OF A POWER SYSTEM FOR A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK FOR LONG-TERM OPERATION

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have shown wide applicability to many fields including monitoring of environmental, civil, and industrial settings. WSNs however are resource constrained by many competing factors that span their hardware, software, and networking. One of the central resource constrains is the charge consumption of WSN nodes. With finite energy supplies, low charge consumption is needed to ensure long lifetimes and success of WSNs. This thesis details the design of a power system to support long-term operation of WSNs. The power system’s development occurs in parallel with a custom WSN from the Queen’s MEMS Lab (QML-WSN), with the goal of supporting a 1+ year lifetime without sacrificing functionality. The final power system design utilizes a TPS62740 DC-DC converter with AA alkaline batteries to efficiently supply the nodes while providing battery monitoring functionality and an expansion slot for future development. Testing tools for measuring current draw and charge consumption were created along with analysis and processing software. Through their use charge consumption of the power system was drastically lowered and issues in QML-WSN were identified and resolved including the proper shutdown of accelerometers, and incorrect microcontroller unit (MCU) power pin connection. Controlled current profiling revealed unexpected behaviour of nodes and detailed current-voltage relationships. These relationships were utilized with a lifetime projection model to estimate a lifetime between 521-551 days, depending on the mode of operation. The power system and QML-WSN were tested over a long term trial lasting 272+ days in an industrial testbed to monitor an air compressor pump. Environmental factors were found to influence the behaviour of nodes leading to increased charge consumption, while a node in an office setting was still operating at the conclusion of the trail. This agrees with the lifetime projection and gives a strong indication that a 1+ year lifetime is achievable. Additionally, a light-weight charge consumption model was developed which allows charge consumption information of nodes in a distributed WSN to be monitored. This model was tested in a laboratory setting demonstrating +95% accuracy for high packet reception rate WSNs across varying data rates, battery supply capacities, and runtimes up to full battery depletion.

Measuring the cost of resilience

Air traffic management research lacks a framework for modelling the cost of resilience during disturbance. There is no universally accepted metric for cost resilience. The design of such a framework is presented and the modelling to date is reported. The framework allows performance assessment as a function of differential stakeholder uptake of strategic mechanisms designed to mitigate disturbance. Advanced metrics, cost- and non-cost-based, disaggregated by stakeholder sub-types, are described. A new cost resilience metric is proposed and exemplified with early test data.

Cruise Speed Reduction for Ground Delay Programs: A Case Study for San Francisco International Airport Arrivals

Ground Delay Programs (GDP) are sometimes cancelled before their initial planned duration and for this reason aircraft are delayed when it is no longer needed. Recovering this delay usually leads to extra fuel consumption, since the aircraft will typically depart after having absorbed on ground their assigned delay and, therefore, they will need to cruise at more fuel consuming speeds. Past research has proposed speed reduction strategy aiming at splitting the GDP-assigned delay between ground and airborne delay, while using the same fuel as in nominal conditions. Being airborne earlier, an aircraft can speed up to nominal cruise speed and recover part of the GDP delay without incurring extra fuel consumption if the GDP is cancelled earlier than planned. In this paper, all GDP initiatives that occurred in San Francisco International Airport during 2006 are studied and characterised by a K-means algorithm into three different clusters. The centroids for these three clusters have been used to simulate three different GDPs at the airport by using a realistic set of inbound traffic and the Future Air Traffic Management Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET). The amount of delay that can be recovered using this cruise speed reduction technique, as a function of the GDP cancellation time, has been computed and compared with the delay recovered with the current concept of operations. Simulations have been conducted in calm wind situation and without considering a radius of exemption. Results indicate that when aircraft depart early and fly at the slower speed they can recover additional delays, compared to current operations where all delays are absorbed prior to take-off, in the event the GDP cancels early. There is a variability of extra delay recovered, being more significant, in relative terms, for those GDPs with a relatively low amount of demand exceeding the airport capacity.

Effect of wind on operating cost based cruise speed reduction for delay absorption

En route speed reduction can be used for air traffic flow management (ATFM), e.g., delaying aircraft while airborne or realizing metering at an arrival fix. In previous publications, the authors identified the flight conditions that maximize the airborne delay without incurring extra fuel consumption with respect to the nominal (not delayed) flight. In this paper, the effect of wind on this strategy is studied, and the sensitivity to wind forecast errors is also assessed. A case study done in Chicago O’Hare airport (ORD) is presented, showing that wind has a significant effect on the airborne delay that can be realized and that, in some cases, even tailwinds might lead to an increase in the maximum amount of airborne delay. The values of airborne delay are representative enough to suggest that this speed reduction technique might be useful in a real operational scenario. Moreover, the speed reduction strategy is more robust than nominal operations against fuel consumption in the presence of wind forecast uncertainties.

European route choice determinants

Different charging zones are found within European airspace. This allows airlines to select different routes between origin and destination that have different lengths and en-route charges. There is a trade- off between the shortest available route and other routes that might have different charges. This paper analyses the routes submitted by airlines to be operated on a given day and compares the associated costs of operating those routes with the shortest available at the time, in terms of en-route charges and fuel consumption. The flights are characterised by different variables with the idea of identifying a behaviour or pattern based on the airline or flight characteristics. Results show that in some areas of the European airspace there might be an incentive to select a longer route, leading to both a lower charge and a lower total cost. However, more variables need to be considered and other techniques used, such as factor analysis, to be able to identify the behaviour within an airline category.

El consumo tradicional de los nuevos medios. Análisis de la usabilidad de las publicaciones autóctonas para tableta en el contexto universitario español y brasileño

Esta investigación aborda el consumo que los jóvenes universitarios de España y Brasil realizan de las publicaciones para tabletas. A través del estudio de seis casos –las revistas españolas Don, VisàVis y Quality Sport, y los vespertinos brasileños O Globo a Mais, de Río de Janeiro; Estadão Noite, de Sao Paulo; y Diário do Nordeste Plus, de Fortaleza– se aplica una metodología cualitativa, el test de usabilidad, para detectar qué aspectos ralentizan y entorpecen la navegación en las nuevas generaciones de usuarios de medios móviles. A pesar de la influencia de las revistas impresas en la configuración de las publicaciones para tableta, los datos muestran que el usuario necesita “entrenarse” para conocer unas opciones de interacción a veces poco intuitivas o para las que carece de la madurez visual necesaria. Por ello las publicaciones más sencillas obtienen los mejores resultados de usabilidad.

Establishing an EGFR mutation screening service for non-small cell lung cancer - sample quality criteria and candidate histological predictors.

INTRODUCTION: EGFR screening requires good quality tissue, sensitivity and turn-around time (TAT). We report our experience of routine screening, describing sample type, TAT, specimen quality (cellularity and DNA yield), histopathological description, mutation result and clinical outcome. METHODS: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) sections were screened for EGFR mutations (M+) in exons 18-21. Clinical, pathological and screening outcome data were collected for year 1 of testing. Screening outcome alone was collected for year 2. RESULTS: In year 1, 152 samples were tested, most (72%) were diagnostic. TAT was 4.9 days (95%confidence interval (CI)=4.5-5.5). EGFR-M+ prevalence was 11% and higher (20%) among never-smoking women with adenocarcinomas (ADCs), but 30% of mutations occurred in current/ex-smoking men. EGFR-M+ tumours were non-mucinous ADCs and 100% thyroid transcription factor (TTF1+). No mutations were detected in poorly differentiated NSCLC-not otherwise specified (NOS). There was a trend for improved overall survival (OS) among EGFR-M+ versus EGFR-M- patients (median OS=78 versus 17 months). In year 1, test failure rate was 19%, and associated with scant cellularity and low DNA concentrations. However 75% of samples with poor cellularity but representative of tumour were informative and mutation prevalence was 9%. In year 2, 755 samples were tested; mutation prevalence was 13% and test failure only 5.4%. Although samples with low DNA concentration (2.2 ng/μL), the mutation rate was 9.2%. CONCLUSION: Routine epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) screening using diagnostic samples is fast and feasible even on samples with poor cellularity and DNA content. Mutations tend to occur in better-differentiated non-mucinous TTF1+ ADCs. Whether these histological criteria may be useful to select patients for EGFR testing merits further investigation.

Sustainability Enhancement of a Turbine Vane Manufacturing Cell through Digital Simulation based Design

Modern manufacturing systems should satisfy emerging needs related to sustainable development. The design of sustainable manufacturing systems can be valuably supported by simulation, traditionally employed mainly for time and cost reduction. In this paper, a multi-purpose digital simulation approach is proposed to deal with sustainable manufacturing systems design through Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and 3D digital human modelling. DES models integrated with data on power consumption of the manufacturing equipment are utilized to simulate different scenarios with the aim to improve productivity as well as energy efficiency, avoiding resource and energy waste. 3D simulation based on digital human modelling is employed to assess human factors issues related to ergonomics and safety of manufacturing systems. The approach is implemented for the sustainability enhancement of a real manufacturing cell of the aerospace industry, automated by robotic deburring. Alternative scenarios are proposed and simulated, obtaining a significant improvement in terms of energy efficiency (−87%) for the new deburring cell, and a reduction of energy consumption around −69% for the coordinate measuring machine, with high potential annual energy cost savings and increased energy efficiency. Moreover, the simulation-based ergonomic assessment of human operator postures allows 25% improvement of the workcell ergonomic index.

Seasonal variation of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in PMsub(10) samples collected at urban sites of São Paulo state, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Samarbete i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt : Vilka mänskliga faktorer påverkar samarbetets effektivitet?

Mänskliga faktorer som till exempel kommunikation och tillit påverkar hur människor interagerar med varandra. I agil systemutveckling ingår relationer, samspel och samarbete mellan människor och dessa påverkar om systemutvecklingsprojektet anses framgångsrikt eller ej. Men ofta i systemutvecklingsprojekt så läggs det mer tid på själva tekniken än de sociala aspekterna, där de mänskliga faktorerna i många fall är en avgörande faktor för projektets slutresultat. Syftet med det nuvarande arbetet är att beskriva vilka mänskliga faktorer som är viktiga för att effektivisera samarbete i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt, samt att beskriva hur agil systemutveckling på Trafikverket utförs. Trafikverket ville ha studien genomförd för att resultatet av studien skulle hjälpa till att minska antalet mindre framgångsrika systemutvecklingsprojekt på Trafikverket. Huvudfrågan i arbetet är: Vilka mänskliga faktorer är viktiga för att effektivisera samarbetet mellan verksamhetskunniga och utvecklare i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt? En fallstudie utfördes vid Trafikverket genom sju semistrukturerade intervjuer som följdes upp av enkäter och dokumentstudier. Det sammanlagda resultatet tyder på att för att effektivisera samarbetet mellan verksamhetskunniga och utvecklare i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt på Trafikverket krävs fokus på följande fem mänskliga faktorer: kommunikation, tillit, ledarskap, kunskap och motivation.

Samarbete i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt : Vilka mänskliga faktorer påverkar samarbetets effektivitet?

Mänskliga faktorer som till exempel kommunikation och tillit påverkar hur människor interagerar med varandra. I agil systemutveckling ingår relationer, samspel och samarbete mellan människor och dessa påverkar om systemutvecklingsprojektet anses framgångsrikt eller ej. Men ofta i systemutvecklingsprojekt så läggs det mer tid på själva tekniken än de sociala aspekterna, där de mänskliga faktorerna i många fall är en avgörande faktor för projektets slutresultat. Syftet med det nuvarande arbetet är att beskriva vilka mänskliga faktorer som är viktiga för att effektivisera samarbete i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt, samt att beskriva hur agil systemutveckling på Trafikverket utförs. Trafikverket ville ha studien genomförd för att resultatet av studien skulle hjälpa till att minska antalet mindre framgångsrika systemutvecklingsprojekt på Trafikverket. Huvudfrågan i arbetet är: Vilka mänskliga faktorer är viktiga för att effektivisera samarbetet mellan verksamhetskunniga och utvecklare i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt? En fallstudie utfördes vid Trafikverket genom sju semistrukturerade intervjuer som följdes upp av enkäter och dokumentstudier. Det sammanlagda resultatet tyder på att för att effektivisera samarbetet mellan verksamhetskunniga och utvecklare i agila systemutvecklingsprojekt på Trafikverket krävs fokus på följande fem mänskliga faktorer: kommunikation, tillit, ledarskap, kunskap och motivation.

Exploring problem-framing through behavioural heuristics

Design for behaviour change aims to influence user behaviour, through design, for social or environmental benefit. Understanding and modelling human behaviour has thus come within the scope of designers’work, as in interaction design, service design and user experience design more generally. Diverse approaches to how to model users when seeking to influence behaviour can result in many possible strategies, but a major challenge for the field is matching appropriate design strategies to particular behaviours (Zachrisson & Boks, 2012). In this paper, we introduce and explore behavioural heuristics as a way of framing problem-solution pairs (Dorst & Cross, 2001) in terms of simple rules. These act as a ‘common language’ between insights from user research and design principles and techniques, and draw on ideas from human factors, behavioural economics, and decision research. We introduce the process via a case study on interaction with office heating systems, based on interviews with 16 people. This is followed by worked examples in the ‘other direction’, based on a workshop held at the Interaction ’12 conference, extracting heuristics from existing systems designed to influence user behaviour, to illustrate both ends of a possible design process using heuristics.