Capturing the industrial requirements of set-based design for CONGA framework

The Configuration Optimisation of Next-Generation Aircraft (CONGA) is a proposed framework in a response industrial need to enhance the aerospace capability in the UK. In order to successfully address this challenge, a need to develop a true multi-disciplinary Set-Based Design (SBD) capability that could deploy new technologies on novel configurations more quickly and with greater confidence was identified. This paper presents the first step towards the development of the SBD capabilities which is to elicit the industrial requirement of the SBD process for the key aerospace industrial partners involved in this CONGA approach

Capturing the Industrial Requirements of Set-Based Design for the CONGA Framework

The Configuration Optimisation of Next-Generation Aircraft (CONGA) is a proposed framework in a response to industrial need to enhance the aerospace capability in the UK. In order to successfully address this challenge, a need to develop a true multi-disciplinary Set-Based Design (SBD) capability that could deploy new technologies on novel configurations more quickly and with greater confidence was identified. This paper presents the first step towards the development of the SBD capabilities which is to elicit the industrial requirement of the SBD process for the key aerospace industrial partners involved in this CONGA approach

Integrated artificial intelligence effect on crisis management and lean production: structural equation modelling frame work

It is a goal that manufacturing companies strive towards on a regular basis, and it involves enhancing the efficiency and productivity of maintenance operations. It is especially vital to avoid unforeseen breakdowns, which may result in costly charges and production losses if they do not occur in advance. While the execution of an acceptable management plan affects maintenance productivity, it also affects the adoption of proper procedures and tools to help in the assessment processes in this field. This difficulty, among other things, affects a company's capacity to achieve high performance with the equipment it employs, as well as the judgement process and the design of the firm's maintenance plan. In order to achieve this goal, the aim of this paper is to exemplify how intelligent systems can be used to enhance judgement techniques in the implementation of the lean maintenance perspective, allowing for an advancement in the functional capabilities of the industry's technological infrastructure. The reseachers employed artificial intelligence technologies to look for connections between specific operations carried out as part of the deployment of lean maintenance and the findings achieved. The raw set notion, which was used in this situation, was used to determine whether or not the lean maintenance method was being used in this study. The crisis management process carries with it some of the most complex data technology concerns ever encountered. It necessitates, among other items, active information gathering and information transfer efforts, that are used for a range of functions, such as decreasing uncertainty, attempting to measure and manage consequences, and attempting to manage resources in a way that goes beyond what is generally possible to deal with daily problems. It also needs the employment of artificial intelligence technology, among other things, to increase crisis awareness.Campus At

Seasonal resource pulses and the foraging depth of a Southern Ocean top predator

Seasonal resource pulses can have enormous impacts on species interactions. In marine ecosystems, air-breathing predators often drive their prey to deeper waters. However, it is unclear how ephemeral resource pulses such as near-surface phytoplankton blooms alter the vertical trade-off between predation avoidance and resource availability in consumers, and how these changes cascade to the diving behaviour of top predators. We integrated data on Weddell seal diving behaviour, diet stable isotopes, feeding success and mass gain to examine shifts in vertical foraging throughout ice break-out and the resulting phytoplankton bloom each year. We also tested hypotheses about the likely location of phytoplankton bloom origination (advected or produced in situ where seals foraged) based on sea ice break-out phenology and advection rates from several locations within 150 km of the seal colony. In early summer, seals foraged at deeper depths resulting in lower feeding rates and mass gain. As sea ice extent decreased throughout the summer, seals foraged at shallower depths and benefited from more efficient energy intake. Changes in diving depth were not due to seasonal shifts in seal diets or horizontal space use and instead may reflect a change in the vertical distribution of prey. Correspondence between the timing of seal shallowing and the resource pulse was variable from year to year and could not be readily explained by our existing understanding of the ocean and ice dynamics. Phytoplankton advection occurred faster than ice break-out, and seal dive shallowing occurred substantially earlier than local break-out. While there remains much to be learned about the marine ecosystem, it appears that an increase in prey abundance and accessibility via shallower distributions during the resource pulse could synchronize life-history phenology across trophic levels in this high-latitude ecosystem

Hybrid Workstations: Establishing Interactive and Responsive User-Interfaces for Daylight Applications

The research project presented in this paper explores the benefits of utilizing a hybrid workstation in a daylight design application. The prototype developed for this work links a physical design object with digital modeling and simulation tools. The aim of the work is to integrate physical and material properties of kinetic design objects in the digital workflow. Additionally, the hybrid system utilizes smart hand-held devices to provide designers with a user-friendly interface to control modeling parameters. The developed workstation provides real-time interactive features and live responses to visualize and evaluate design options in both the digital and physical environments. The proposed work demonstrates unique possibilities for daylight applications, which will assist designers in making informed decisions regarding both the aesthetics and the performance of a kinetic architectural system

Micro-fading spectrometry: investigating the wavelength specificity of fading

A modified microfading spectrometer incorporating a linear variable filter is used to investigate the wavelength dependence of fading of traditional watercolour pigments, dosimeters and fading standards at a higher spectral resolution and/or sampling than had previously been attempted. While the wavelength dependence of photochemical damage was largely found to correlate well with the absorption spectra of each material, exceptions were found in the case of Prussian blue and Prussian green pigments (the latter includes Prussian blue), for which an anti-correlation between the spectral colour change and the absorption spectrum was found

ALBA HIGH VOLTAGE SPLITTER -POWER DISTRIBUTION TO ION PUMPS

Abstract High Voltage Splitter (HVS) is an equipment designed in Alba that allows a high voltage (HV) distribution (up to +7kV) from one ion pump controller up to eight ion pumps. Using it, the total number of high voltage power supplies needed in Alba's vacuum installation has decreased significantly. The current drawn by each splitter channel is measured independently inside a range from 10nA up to 10mA with 5% accuracy, those measurements are a base for vacuum pressure calculations. A relation, current-pressure depends mostly on the ion pump type, so different tools providing the full calibration flexibility have been implemented. Splitter settings, status and recorded data are accessible over a 10/100 Base-T Ethernet network, none the less a local (manual) control was implemented mostly for service purposes. The device supports also additional functions as a HV cable interlock, pressure interlock output cooperating with the facility's Equipment Protection System (EPS, ref: [1]), programmable pressure warnings/alarms and automatic calibration process based on an external current source. This paper describes the project, functionality, implementation, installation and operation as a part of the vacuum system at Alba

Nailfold Videocapillaroscopic Features and Other Clinical Risk Factors for Digital Ulcers in Systemic Sclerosis: A Multicenter, Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: To identify nailfold videocapillaroscopic and other clinical risk factors for new digital ulcers (DUs) in a 6-month period in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), the videoCAPillaroscopy (CAP) study. METHODS: Overall 623 patients with SSc from 59 centers (14 countries) were stratified into two groups: "DU History" and "No-DU History". At enrollment, patients underwent detailed nailfold videocapillaroscopic evaluation and an assessment of demographics, DU status, and clinical and SSc characteristics. Risk factors for developing new DUs were assessed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of the "DU History" group (n = 468), 79.5% were female, the mean age was 54.0 ± 13.7 years, 59.8% had limited cutaneous SSc, and 22% developed a new DU during follow-up. The strongest risk factors for new DUs identified by multivariable logistic regression (MLR) in the "DU History" group included: mean number of capillaries/mm in the middle finger of the dominant hand, number of DUs (0, 1, 2, ≥3), and presence of critical digital ischemia. The receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC-AUC) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of the final MLR model was 0.738 (0.681-0.795). Internal validation through bootstrap generated a ROC-AUC (95% CI) of 0.633 (0.510-0.756). CONCLUSION: This international, prospective study including detailed nailfold videocapillaroscopic evaluation and extensive clinical characterization of patients with SSc identified the mean number of capillaries/mm in the middle finger of the dominant hand, number of DUs and presence of critical digital ischemia at enrollment as risk factors for the development of new DUs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Cold plasma: a new technology to modify wheat flour functionality

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma has the potential to modify biological chemistry and modulate physical surface properties. Wheat flour was treated by low levels of cold plasma (air, 15 V and 20 V) for 60 or 120 s. There was no change in the total aerobic bacterial count or total mould count as a result of treatment. Treatment did not impact the concentration of total non-starch lipids, or non-polar and glycolipids. However, treatment did reduce total free fatty acids and phospholipids and was dose dependent. Oxidation markers (hydroperoxide value and head space n-hexanal) increased with treatment time and voltage, which confirmed the acceleration of lipid oxidation. Total proteins were not significantly influenced by treatment although there was a trend towards higher molecular weight fractions which indicated protein oxidation and treated flour did produce a stronger dough. This study confirms the potential of cold plasma as a tool to modify flour functionality