Autonomous Coordinated Airspace Services for Terminal and Enroute Operations with Wind Errors

As novel uses of the airspace continue to multiply, there is increasing demand for access to high-density terminal areas around major airports. Since the predicted demand for urban-air-mobility and urban-package-delivery is very high, and the interactions between these different types of aircraft and missions will be extremely complex, increasingly autonomous systems will be required to manage safety and efficiency. This paper presents the current status of an autonomous safety system designed to ensure safe and efficient trajectories for aircraft in terminal airspace, the Terminal Advanced Airspace Concept. Previous papers have demonstrated the efficacy of this algorithm for handling commercial arrivals into a complex metroplex when there is no uncertainty present. This study extends that work to demonstrate the performance of the algorithm under high levels of uncertainty

Multimetal smithing : An urban craft in rural settings?

Multimetal smithing should be defined as the use of more than one metal and/or different metalworking techniques within thesame crafts-milieu. This complex metalworking has long been linked to centrality, central places and urbanity in Scandinavia.It has been extensively argued that fine casting and smithing, as well as manufacture utilizing precious metals was exclusivelyundertaken within early urban settings or the “central places” pre-dating these. Furthermore, the presence of complex metalcraftsmanship has been used as a driving indicator of the political, social and economic superiority of certain sites, therebyenhancing their identity as “centralities”.Recent research has come to challenge the universality of this link between urbanity, centrality and complex metalworkingas sites in rural settings with evidence of multimetal smithing are being identified. This shows that the relationship between thecraft and centrality (urbanity) must be nuanced and that perhaps multimetal craftsmanship should be reconsidered as an urbanindicator.The thesis project “From Crucible and onto Anvil” started in 2015 and focuses on sites housing remains of multimetalcraftsmanship dating primarily from 500-1000 AD. Within the project a comprehensive survey of sites will be used to evaluate thepresence of multimetal craftsmanship in the landscape. Sites in selected target areas will also be subject to intra-site analysisfocusing on workshop organisation, production output, metalworking techniques and chronological variances.A key aim in the project is to elucidate the conceptual aspects of complex metalworking. The term multimetality is used toanalytically frame all the societal and economic aspects of multimetal craftsmanship. Through this inclusive perspective both thecraftsmanship and the metalworkers behind it are positioned within the overall socioeconomic framework. The metalworkers,their skills and competences as well as the products of their labour are viewed as dynamic actors in the landscape and on thearenas of political economy of the Late Iron Age.The survey has already revealed interesting aspects concerning multimetal smithing and urbanity. Although the multimetalsites do cluster against areas of early urban development there are also other patterns emerging. Multimetal craftsmanship – both as practice and concept – was well represented in both rural peripheral settings and urban crafts-milieus. This means that therole of multimetality as part of an “urban conceptual package” is crucial to investigate. Such an approach will have the dual endsof properly understanding the craft and its societal implications, but also further the knowledge of the phenomenon of urbanityas a whole. Was multimetal smithing part of an “urban package” that spread into the rural landscape? Did the multimetality differbetween urban and rural crafts-milieus? How does early urbanity relate to the chronology of multimetal craftsmanship?This paper aims to counter these questions using examples from the survey of multimetal sites conducted within the thesisproject. A comparison between selected sites will be presented. The purpose of this is to evaluate the role of multimetality withinthe “urban package” and discuss the role of complex metalworking in the establishment of urban arenas of interaction in LateIron Age Scandinavia

Hyper-Local Weather Predictions with the Enhanced General Urban Area Microclimate Predictions Tool

This paper presents enhancements to, and the demonstration of, the General Urban area Microclimate Predictions tool (GUMP), which is designed to provide hyper-local weather predictions by combining machine-learning (ML) models and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. For the further development and demonstration of GUMP, the Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) campus was used as a test environment. Local weather sensors provided data to train ML models, and CFD models of urban- and suburban-like areas of ERAU’s campus were created and iterated through with a wide assortment of inlet wind speed and direction combinations. ML weather sensor predictions were combined with best-fit CFD models from a database of CFD flow fields, providing flight operational areas with a fully expressed wind flow field. This field defined a risk map for uncrewed aircraft operators based on flight plans and individual flight performance metrics. The potential applications of GUMP are significant due to the immediate availability of weather predictions and its ability to easily extend to arbitrary urban and suburban locations

Factors Influencing MFIs Group Loan Repayment Performance: A Case of MSEs’ Service Sector in Mekelle City, Ethiopia

Dedebit Credit  and  Saving  Institution  (DECSI)  is  a  microfinance  institution,  which  is  engaged  in development activities in Tigray regional state, Ethiopia. DECSI mainly provides credit services to low income people who are capable to work in income generating activities. Its corporate objective is to  promote  micro  and  small  enterprise  to  alleviate  poverty  and  unemployment.  However, the institution has been facing increase in loan default rate from time to time on group owned MSEs for the past five years. Thus, the aim of this study was to  identify  and  analyze  the association of loan repayment with the factors that  influence  group  loan repayment performance of the clients of DECSI operating  in  the service sector  as  group  owned  MSEs. This study applied explanatory research approach, cross-sectional primary data, stratified sampling techniques, and finally employed chi-square test to test the association of the independent variables and loan repayment performance. A total of eleven explanatory variables were included in the chi-square. According to the chi-square test, group formation (screening), peer monitoring, loan size, loan term and supervision have significant association with loan repayment performance. Therefore, DECSI, among others, should encourage self-screened group borrowers, revise loan term by considering the time required for the service sector to generate income, regular supervision for borrowers should be in place, and set loan size based on business scope to increase loan repayment performance of the clients. Keywords: Chi-square, DECSI, Ethiopia, Factors, Group Loan, Mekelle, MFIs, MSEs, Service Sector

Crowdsourced Delivery with Drones in Last Mile Logistics

We consider a combined system of regular delivery trucks and crowdsourced drones to provide a technology-assisted crowd-based last-mile delivery experience. We develop analytical models and methods for a system in which package delivery is performed by a big truck carrying a large number of packages to a neighborhood or a town in a metropolitan area and then assign the packages to crowdsourced drone operators to deliver them to their final destinations. A combination of heuristic algorithms is used to solve this NP-hard problem, computational results are presented, and an exhaustive sensitivity analysis is done to check the influence of different parameters and assumptions

Determinants of MFIs Group Loan Repayment Performance: A Case of MSEs’ Service Sector in Mekelle City, Ethiopia

Dedebit Credit and Saving Institution (DECSI) has been facing increase in loan default rate from time to time on group owned MSEs for the past five years. Thus, the aim of this study was to  identify  and  analyze  the factors that  influence  group  loan repayment performance of the clients of DECSI operating  in  the service sector  as  group  owned  MSEs.  This study applied descriptive and explanatory research approach, cross-sectional primary data, stratified sampling techniques, and finally employed binary logistic regression model to identify and analyze the impact of each independent variable on the loan repayment performance. A total of eleven explanatory variables were included in the binary logit regression model test. The binary logistic regression result revealed that among the variables  hypothesized  to  affect  loan  repayment social ties,  business experience,  group formation (screening), internal rule and regulation, saving, suitable loan  repayment period (loan term), and supervision have statistically significant effect on loan repayment of the  group borrowers. Therefore, among others, DECSI should encourage self-screened group borrowers; enhance saving programs, and revise loan term by considering the time required for the service sector to generate income, and regular supervision for borrowers should be in place to increase loan repayment performance of the clients. Keywords: Binary Logit, DECSI, Determinant, Ethiopia, Group Loan, Mekelle, MFIs, MSEs, Service Sector