The Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto

This book presents the collectively authored Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto and accompanying materials.The Internet and the media landscape are broken. The dominant commercial Internet platforms endanger democracy. They have created a communications landscape overwhelmed by surveillance, advertising, fake news, hate speech, conspiracy theories, and algorithmic politics. Commercial Internet platforms have harmed citizens, users, everyday life, and society. Democracy and digital democracy require Public Service Media. A democracy-enhancing Internet requires Public Service Media becoming Public Service Internet platforms – an Internet of the public, by the public, and for the public; an Internet that advances instead of threatens democracy and the public sphere. The Public Service Internet is based on Internet platforms operated by a variety of Public Service Media, taking the public service remit into the digital age. The Public Service Internet provides opportunities for public debate, participation, and the advancement of social cohesion. Accompanying the Manifesto are materials that informed its creation: Christian Fuchs’ report of the results of the Public Service Media/Internet Survey, the written version of Graham Murdock’s online talk on public service media today, and a summary of an ecomitee.com discussion of the Manifesto’s foundations

Structural Health Monitoring Damage Detection Systems for Aerospace

This open access book presents established methods of structural health monitoring (SHM) and discusses their technological merit in the current aerospace environment. While the aerospace industry aims for weight reduction to improve fuel efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and to decrease maintenance time and operating costs, aircraft structures are often designed and built heavier than required in order to accommodate unpredictable failure. A way to overcome this approach is the use of SHM systems to detect the presence of defects. This book covers all major contemporary aerospace-relevant SHM methods, from the basics of each method to the various defect types that SHM is required to detect to discussion of signal processing developments alongside considerations of aerospace safety requirements. It will be of interest to professionals in industry and academic researchers alike, as well as engineering students. This article/publication is based upon work from COST Action CA18203 (ODIN - http://odin-cost.com/), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation

Inferring Human Pose and Motion from Images

As optical gesture recognition technology advances, touchless human computer interfaces of the future will soon become a reality. One particular technology, markerless motion capture, has gained a large amount of attention, with widespread application in diverse disciplines, including medical science, sports analysis, advanced user interfaces, and virtual arts. However, the complexity of human anatomy makes markerless motion capture a non-trivial problem: I) parameterised pose configuration exhibits high dimensionality, and II) there is considerable ambiguity in surjective inverse mapping from observation to pose configuration spaces with a limited number of camera views. These factors together lead to multimodality in high dimensional space, making markerless motion capture an ill-posed problem. This study challenges these difficulties by introducing a new framework. It begins with automatically modelling specific subject template models and calibrating posture at the initial stage. Subsequent tracking is accomplished by embedding naturally-inspired global optimisation into the sequential Bayesian filtering framework. Tracking is enhanced by several robust evaluation improvements. Sparsity of images is managed by compressive evaluation, further accelerating computational efficiency in high dimensional space

Numerical Simulation in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering

In the first contribution, Morbiducci and co-workers discuss the theoretical and methodological bases supporting the Lagrangian- and Euler-based methods, highlighting their application to cardiovascular flows. The second contribution, by the Ansón and van Lenthe groups, proposes an automated virtual bench test for evaluating the stability of custom shoulder implants without the necessity of mechanical testing. Urdeitx and Doweidar, in the third paper, also adopt the finite element method for developing a computational model aim to study cardiac cell behavior under mechano-electric stimulation. In the fourth contribution, Ayensa-Jiménez et al. develop a methodology to approximate the multidimensional probability density function of the parametric analysis obtained developing a mathematical model of the cancer evolution. The fifth paper is oriented to the topological data analysis; the group of Cueto and Chinesta designs a predictive model capable of estimating the state of drivers using the data collected from motion sensors. In the sixth contribution, the Ohayon and Finet group uses wall shear stress-derived descriptors to study the role of recirculation in the arterial restenosis due to different malapposed and overlapping stent conditions. In the seventh contribution, the research group of Antón demonstrates that the simulation time can be reduced for cardiovascular numerical analysis considering an adequate geometry-reduction strategy applicable to truncated patient specific artery. In the eighth paper, Grasa and Calvo present a numerical model based on the finite element method for simulating extraocular muscle dynamics. The ninth paper, authored by Kahla et al., presents a mathematical mechano-pharmaco-biological model for bone remodeling. Martínez, Peña, and co-workers propose in the tenth paper a methodology to calibrate the dissection properties of aorta layer, with the aim of providing useful information for reliable numerical tools. In the eleventh contribution, Martínez-Bocanegra et al. present the structural behavior of a foot model using a detailed finite element model. The twelfth contribution is centered on the methodology to perform a finite, element-based, numerical model of a hydroxyapatite 3D printed bone scaffold. In the thirteenth paper, Talygin and Gorodkov present analytical expressions describing swirling jets for cardiovascular applications. In the fourteenth contribution, Schenkel and Halliday propose a novel non-Newtonian particle transport model for red blood cells. Finally, Zurita et al. propose a parametric numerical tool for analyzing a silicone customized 3D printable trachea-bronchial prosthesis

Summaries of FY 1995 geosciences research

The summaries in this document, prepared by the investigators, describe the scope of the individual programs. The Geosciences Research Program includes research in geophysics, geochemistry, resource evaluation, solar-terrestrial interactions, and their subdivisions including earth dynamics, properties of earth materials, rock mechanics, underground imaging, rock-fluid interactions, continental scientific drilling, geochemical transport, solar/atmospheric physics, and modeling, with emphasis on the interdisciplinary areas. All such research is related either direct or indirect to the Department of Energy`s long-range technological needs

An integrated approach to span design in open stope mining

In order to develop an appropriate mine design, a thorough understanding of the rock mass conditions and its potential response to mining is required. Rock mass characterisation is a key component in developing models of the rock mass and its engineering behaviour, and relies on disparate data collected by exploration geologists, mine geologists, rock mechanics engineers and technicians, in a variety of formats. Optimal rock mass model development requires the effective integration of all data sources, which currently requires considerable effort in collecting, managing, collating, validating and analysing this data.The importance of understanding the spatial variability of rock mass conditions has been highlighted as a major issue. The traditional approach of using simplistic models of “average” rock mass conditions can lead to sub-optimal designs, which may result in unplanned additional costs or economic implications of dilution and ore loss. The design of stope and pillars should be optimised for the prevailing rock mass conditions in the various regions of the mine.Some of the existing design tools used for open stope design have shown poor reliability in their performance predictions. Though some may have been originally developed to assist in initial stope size selection (i.e. pre-feasibility and feasibility levels), they are potentially being inappropriately relied upon for detailed design. Consideration of large scale structures on stability and their influence on local rock mass conditions are also important aspects of open stope design that are commonly over-looked. There is a need to select design methodologies that are optimised for the stage of project development. It is also important to emphasise the iterative, evolutionary and interdisciplinary nature of open stope design.This thesis proposes a framework that attempts to integrate different rock mass characterisation models, numerical modelling and stope performance data to assist in improving the overall excavation design process. The key philosophy behind design optimisation is the continual reduction in uncertainty in collected data, analysis and design methods used with a view to improving the overall reliability of the design. A stope span design optimisation approach is proposed which attempts to ensure that the appropriate methodologies in data collection, data analysis, rock mass model formulation and stope design are utilised at relevant project stages in order to minimise uncertainty and maximise design reliability. The design optimisation approach recognises that the appropriateness of a particular design methodology is highly dependant on the availability of an appropriate rock mass model, which is in turn dependant on the availability of quality rock mass data. With respect to the design of spans in open stope mining, the key aims of the proposed integrated approach are to; • Assess the suitability of data for analysis • If data is unsuitable, assess the most appropriate data collection strategy • Assess the most appropriate approach to rock mass modelling • Assess the most appropriate design methodologies • Assess the reliability of the design criteria and quantify the potential economic impact of the design on the projectOptimisation of the design process also requires integration of state-of-the-art techniques in data collection, analysis, modelling and engineering analysis and design at the appropriate stage of project development. During development of this thesis a number of improvements have been proposed in key areas in the rock engineering design process which can be incorporated into the integrated approach, including; • A rock mass data model has been developed that assists in facilitating the ongoing rock mass characterisation process. The data model is capable of integrating rock mass data from various sources, which promotes sharing of data and avoids duplication of data collection efforts. The data model is able to query rock mass data, define relationships between data types, apply bias corrections, and perform basic analysis for use in subsequent detailed analysis and rock mass modelling. • An implicit based approach to spatial rock mass and deterministic discontinuity modelling can be employed to improve understanding of the spatial variability of rock mass parameters, inter-relationships between rock mass characteristics on their role in design. For example, understanding the influence of large-scale structures on rock mass characteristics and excavation performance. • Improved scale independent geometrical assessments of stope performance have been proposed that maximise the use of stope performance data. • An integrated back analysis framework has been presented that is able to account for structural complexity, scale and features that cannot be directly incorporated into linear elastic numerical modelling codes. • With regard to linear elastic back analyses, an number of improvements have been proposed, as well as a suggested method to assess appropriateness of continuum models based on discontinuity intensity and critical span