Optimising the locations of thermally sensitive equipment in an aircraft crown compartment

A Design of Experiments (DoE) analysis was undertaken to generate a list of configurations for CFD numerical simulation of an aircraft crown compartment. Fitted regression models were built to predict the convective heat transfer coefficients of thermally sensitive dissipating elements located inside this compartment. These are namely the SEPDC and the Route G. Currently they are positioned close to the fuselage and it is of interest to optimise the heat transfer for reliability and performance purposes. Their locations and the external fuselage surface temperature were selected as input variables for the DoE. The models fit the CFD data with values ranging from 0.878 to 0.978, and predict that the optimum locations in terms of heat transfer are when the elements are positioned as close to the crown floor as possible ( and ?min. limits), where they come in direct contact with the air flow from the cabin ventilation system, and when they are positioned close to the centreline ( and ?CL). The methodology employed allows aircraft thermal designers to optimise equipment placement in confined areas of an aircraft during the design phase. The determined models should be incorporated into global aircraft numerical models to improve accuracy and reduce model size and computational time. © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Audiovisual citation: a project update

Existing referencing systems frequently prove inadequate for the citation of moving image and sound media such as vidcasts, streaming television, sound files, un-catalogued archive footage, amateur content hosted online or
non-broadcast radio recordings. Back in 2009 and 2010 a British working group funded by Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and co-ordinated by the British Universities Film and Video Council investigated this problem. This report documents the early stages of the project.

Simulation using novel equipment designed to explain spirometric abnormalities in respiratory disease enhances learning in higher cognitive domains

Simulation of disorders of respiratory mechanics shown by spirometry provides insight into the pathophysiology of disease but some clinically important disorders have not been simulated and none have been formally evaluated for education. We have designed simple mechanical devices which, along with existing simulators, enable all the main dysfunctions which have diagnostic value in spirometry to be simulated and clearly explained with visual and haptic feedback. We modelled the airways as Starling resistors by a clearly visible mechanical action to simulate intra- and extra-thoracic obstruction. A narrow tube was used to simulate fixed large airway obstruction and inelastic bands to simulate restriction. We hypothesized that using simulators whose action explains disease promotes learning especially in higher domain educational objectives. The main features of obstruction and restriction were correctly simulated. Simulation of variable extra-thoracic obstruction caused blunting and plateauing of inspiratory flow, and simulation of intra-thoracic obstruction caused limitation of expiratory flow with marked dynamic compression. Multiple choice tests were created with questions allocated to lower (remember and understand) or higher cognitive domains (apply, analyse and evaluate). In a cross-over design, overall mean scores increased after 1½ h simulation spirometry (43-68 %, effect size 1.06, P < 0.0001). In higher cognitive domains the mean score was lower before and increased further than lower domains (Δ 30 vs 20 %, higher vs lower effect size 0.22, P < 0.05). In conclusion, the devices successfully simulate various patterns of obstruction and restriction. Using these devices medical students achieved marked enhancement of learning especially in higher cognitive domains.

Brain responses and looking behavior during audiovisual speech integration in infants predict auditory speech comprehension in the second year of life

The use of visual cues during the processing of audiovisual (AV) speech is known to be less efficient in children and adults with language difficulties and difficulties are known to be more prevalent in children from low-income populations. In the present study, we followed an economically diverse group of thirty-seven infants longitudinally from 6–9 months to 14–16 months of age. We used eye-tracking to examine whether individual differences in visual attention during AV processing of speech in 6–9 month old infants, particularly when processing congruent and incongruent auditory and visual speech cues, might be indicative of their later language development. Twenty-two of these 6–9 month old infants also participated in an event-related potential (ERP) AV task within the same experimental session. Language development was then followed-up at the age of 14–16 months, using two measures of language development, the Preschool Language Scale and the Oxford Communicative Development Inventory. The results show that those infants who were less efficient in auditory speech processing at the age of 6–9 months had lower receptive language scores at 14–16 months. A correlational analysis revealed that the pattern of face scanning and ERP responses to audiovisually incongruent stimuli at 6–9 months were both significantly associated with language development at 14–16 months. These findings add to the understanding of individual differences in neural signatures of AV processing and associated looking behavior in infants.

Brain responses to audiovisual speech mismatch in infants are associated with individual differences in looking behaviour

Research on audiovisual speech integration has reported high levels of individual variability, especially among young infants. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that this variability results from individual differences in the maturation of audiovisual speech processing during infancy. A developmental shift in selective attention to audiovisual speech has been demonstrated between 6 and 9 months with an increase in the time spent looking to articulating mouths as compared to eyes (Lewkowicz & Hansen-Tift. (2012) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 109, 1431–1436; Tomalski et al. (2012) Eur. J. Dev. Psychol., 1–14). In the present study we tested whether these changes in behavioural maturational level are associated with differences in brain responses to audiovisual speech across this age range. We measured high-density event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to videos of audiovisually matching and mismatched syllables /ba/ and /ga/, and subsequently examined visual scanning of the same stimuli with eye-tracking. There were no clear age-specific changes in ERPs, but the amplitude of audiovisual mismatch response (AVMMR) to the combination of visual /ba/ and auditory /ga/ was strongly negatively associated with looking time to the mouth in the same condition. These results have significant implications for our understanding of individual differences in neural signatures of audiovisual speech processing in infants, suggesting that they are not strictly related to chronological age but instead associated with the maturation of looking behaviour, and develop at individual rates in the second half of the first year of life.

The Finometer can function as a standalone instrument in blood pressure variability studies and does not require support equipment to determine breathing frequency

Objective: The Finometer (FMS, Finapres Measurement Systems, Amsterdam) records the beat-to-beat finger pulse contour and has been recommended for research studies assessing shortterm changes of blood pressure and its variability. Variability measured in the frequency domain using spectral analysis requires that the impact of breathing be restricted to high frequency spectra (> 0.15 Hz) so data from participants needs to be excluded when the breathing impact occurs in the low frequency spectra (0.04 - 0.15 Hz). This study tested whether breathing frequency can be estimated from standard Finometer recordings using either stroke volume oscillation frequency or spectral stroke volume variability maximum scores. Methods: 22 healthy volunteers were tested for 270s in the supine and upright positions. Finometer recorded the finger pulse contour and a respiratory transducer recorded breathing. Stoke volume oscillation frequency was calculated manually while the stroke volume spectral maximums were obtained using the software Cardiovascular Parameter Analysis (Nevrokard Kiauta, Izola, Slovenia). These estimates were compared to the breathing frequency using the Bland-Altman procedures. Results: Stroke volume oscillation frequency estimated breathing frequency to <±10% 95% levels of agreement in both supine (-7.7 to 7.0%) and upright (-6.7 to 5.4%) postures. Stroke volume variability maximum scores did not accurately estimate breathing frequency. Conclusions: Breathing frequency can be accurately derived from standard Finometer recordings using stroke volume oscillations for healthy individuals in both supine and upright postures. The Finometer can function as a standalone instrument in blood pressure variability studies and does not require support equipment to determine breathing frequency.

Audiovisual translation on Portuguese news bulletin

The daily access to news broadcast is something that, generally speaking, we do not abstain ourselves from, whether it is to be aware of what is going on in our country or to be informed about international events. But are we attentive to how the information about those events, namely those that occur outside Portugal, reaches us? How is that information handled – and who handles it – until we have it at our disposal? Is the audience aware that a large part of the news must be translated and must have a linguistic treatment? And how can we describe that same translation and the way it is presented? This case study is just an example of translation‘s role and its crucial presence on TV news broadcast, considering the way translation is processed, how it is barely noticed – or not –, how it influences the construction of the story and how the story influences the translation process. This case study was presented at the 2nd International Conference ―Media for All‖, with the theme ―Text on Air, Text on Screen‖, which took place at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, on 7-9 November 2007. O acesso diário a serviços informativos noticiosos é algo de que, de um modo geral, não nos privamos, seja para ficar a par do que se passa no nosso país, seja para ficarmos mais informados sobre eventos e acontecimentos internacionais. Mas teremos noção de como essas informações sobre esses acontecimentos, nomeadamente os que têm lugar fora de Portugal, chegam até nós? Qual será o tratamento dado a essas informações – e quem trata essas informações – até serem colocadas à nossa disposição? Será que o público, de um modo geral, se apercebe que grande parte das notícias é alvo de tratamento tradutológico e linguístico? E como se caracterizará essa tradução e a forma de apresentação da mesma? O presente estudo de caso é apenas um exemplo do papel e da presença fulcral da tradução em serviços noticiosos televisivos, seja pela forma como é feita, pelo modo como passa despercebida (ou não), pela influência que terá na construção da peça noticiosa e pela influência que a peça noticiosa terá no modo como se processa a tradução. Este estudo de caso foi apresentado na 2ª Conferência Internacional ―Media for All‖, subordinada ao tema ―Text on Air, Text on Screen‖, que teve lugar no Instituto Politécnico de Leiria de 7 a 9 de Novembro de 2007.

Remistura de vídeo: um estudo exploratório de diferentes estilos

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Audiovisual e Multimédia.

O panorama do audiovisual infantil em Portugal: a problemática da surdez equacionada na concepção de filmes de animação

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Audiovisual e Multimédia.

O Arquivo Audiovisual da SIC: a reutilização dos conteúdos da estação na produção diária de notícias

Relatório de estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Audiovisual e Multimédia.