A Method for the Study of Human Factors in Aircraft Operations

A method for the study of human factors in the aviation environment is described. A conceptual framework is provided within which pilot and other human errors in aircraft operations may be studied with the intent of finding out how, and why, they occurred. An information processing model of human behavior serves as the basis for the acquisition and interpretation of information relating to occurrences which involve human error. A systematic method of collecting such data is presented and discussed. The classification of the data is outlined

Rail-freight crew scheduling with a genetic algorithm

peer reviewedThis article presents a novel genetic algorithm designed for the solution of the Crew Scheduling Problem (CSP) in the rail-freight industry. CSP is the task of assigning drivers to a sequence of train trips while ensuring that no driver’s schedule exceeds the permitted working hours, that each driver starts and finishes their day’s work at the same location, and that no train routes are left without a driver. Real-life CSPs are extremely complex due to the large number of trips, opportunities to use other means of transportation, and numerous government regulations and trade union agreements. CSP is usually modelled as a set-covering problem and solved with linear programming methods. However, the sheer volume of data makes the application of conventional techniques computationally expensive, while existing genetic algorithms often struggle to handle the large number of constraints. A genetic algorithm is presented that overcomes these challenges by using an indirect chromosome representation and decoding procedure. Experiments using real schedules on the UK national rail network show that the algorithm provides an effective solution within a faster timeframe than alternative approaches

Quantifying the stratigraphic completeness of delta shoreline trajectories

Understanding the incomplete nature of the stratigraphic record is fundamental for interpreting stratigraphic sequences. Methods for quantifying stratigraphic completeness for one-dimensional stratigraphic columns, defined as the proportion of time intervals of some length that contain stratigraphy, are commonplace; however, quantitative assessments of completeness in higher dimensions are lacking. Here we present a metric for defining stratigraphic completeness of two-dimensional shoreline trajectories using topset-foreset rollover positions in dip-parallel sections and describe the preservation potential of a shoreline trajectory derived from the geometry of the delta surface profile and the kinematics of the geomorphic shoreline trajectory. Two end-member forward models are required to fully constrain the preservation potential of the shoreline dependent on whether or not a topset is eroded during base level fall. A laboratory fan-delta was constructed under nonsteady boundary conditions, and one-dimensional stratigraphic column and two-dimensional shoreline completeness curves were calculated. Results are consistent with the hypothesis derived from conservation of sediment mass that completeness over all timescales should increase given increasing dimensions of analysis. Stratigraphic trajectories and completeness curves determined from forward models using experimental geomorphic trajectories compare well to values from transects when subsampled to the equivalent stratigraphic resolution as observed in the actual preserved sequence. The concept of stratigraphic completeness applied to two-dimensional trajectory analysis and the end-member forward models presented here provide novel tools for a conceptual understanding of the nature of stratigraphic preservation at basin scales

Rotational Grazing Demonstration with Beef Cattle on Conservation Reserve Land in Adams County, Iowa, USA

The United States Dept. of Agriculture\u27s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers who will enroll erosive, marginally productive cropland for a 10 to 15 year period. In return, participants are provided annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish and maintain long- term, resource-conserving vegetative cover to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat. Since the inception of the CRP, policymakers, conservationists, farmers, and rural residents have been concerned about the likely fate of program land after the contracts expire. Most of the existing research, whether it relies on farm surveys or computer models, suggests that a significant proportion, perhaps more than 50 percent, will move back into row-crop production. Many rural residents in areas in which the CRP has significantly affected agricultural production would prefer to see the land returned to some form of agricultural activity, competitive with intensive row-crop production but with management and technologies that lead to acceptable environmental consequences

MAVERIC: Exploring Space Visualization Technology Through Academic Flight Programs

Magnetic Vector and Remote Imaging Communication satellite (MAVERIC) is a science and technology CubeSate designed and built by students at the University of Southern California (USC) and Space Engineering Research Center (SERC). MAVERIC is a student-led and built CubeSat under the Department of Astronautical Project Class for Microsatellites, with a mission to test out science and technology

In vivo cell tracking with 52Mn PET: Targetry, Separation, and Applications

Introduction 52Mn (t½ =5.59 d, β+ = 29.6%, Eβmax = 0.58 MeV) has great potential as a long lived PET isotope for use in cell tracking studies, observation of immunologic response to disease states, or as an alternative to manganese-based MRI contrast agents. Its favorable max positron energy leads to superb imaging resolution, comparable to that of 18F.[1] Manganese is naturally taken up by cells via a multitude of pathways including the divalent metal transporter (DMT1), ZIP8, transferrin receptors (TfR), store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOC-Ca2+), and ionotropic glutamate receptor Ca2+ channels (GluR).[2] These natural transport mechanisms make 52Mn an attractive isotope for applications necessitating non-perturbative cell uptake. In particular, cell tracking is critical to the development and translation of stem cell therapies in regenerative medicine. Alternative-ly, 52Mn could be used in immunotherapy techniques such as adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) to evaluate the ability of external immune cells to reach their intended target. Material and Methods 52Mn was produced by natCr(p,x)52Mn using 16 MeV protons. The average thick target production yield was 0.23 mCi/µA-h with less than 0.25% co-production of 54Mn. Small amounts of 51Cr were observed in the target, but were absent from the radiochemically separated product. Target construction consisted of a water jet cooled chromium disc (3/4” diameter, 0.4” thick). Targets were purchased from Kamis Inc, and are 99.95% pure. Targets withstood beam currents of 30 µA with no visible aberration. Chromium targets were etched by concentrated HCl following bombardment. Mn2+ ions were extracted from 9M HCl to 0.8M trioctylamine in cyclohexane leaving the bulk chromium in the aqueous phase. After isolating the organic phase, 0.001M NH4OH was used to back-extract the Mn2+ ions to aqueous phase. This purification cycle was conducted a total of three times for each 52Mn production. Results and Conclusion For a starting bulk chromium mass of 456 ± 1 mg, a post-separation chromium mass of 5.35 ± 0.04 ng was measured by microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES). This mass reduction corresponds to an average separation factor of 440 for a single purification cycle. Each purification cycle had a 52Mn recovery efficiency of 73 ± 7 % (n = 6), resulting in an overall separation efficiency of approximately 35 %. These efficiencies and separation factors agree reasonably well with the work conducted by Lahiri et. al.[3] Prior to use, the product was passed through a C-18 Sep-Pak to remove any residual organic phase. After four target irradiations and etchings, some pitting became noticeable on the target face. These have not yet compromised the o-ring seal with the target deplater, but it is possible that target replacement after every 6–9 52Mn productions will be necessary moving forward. Following the successful separation of 52Mn from chromium, in vitro experiments were conducted to demonstrate the uptake of 52Mn by human stem cells and mouse tumor cells. A linear uptake response was observed as a function of the amount of activity exposed to the cells for both cell models. These experiments have shown great promise for 52Mn as a long-lived PET isotope in cell tracking studies. Details will be presented

Laser vision : lidar as a transformative tool to advance critical zone science

© The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19 (2015): 2881-2897, doi:10.5194/hess-19-2881-2015.Observation and quantification of the Earth's surface is undergoing a revolutionary change due to the increased spatial resolution and extent afforded by light detection and ranging (lidar) technology. As a consequence, lidar-derived information has led to fundamental discoveries within the individual disciplines of geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology. These disciplines form the cornerstones of critical zone (CZ) science, where researchers study how interactions among the geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere shape and maintain the "zone of life", which extends from the top of unweathered bedrock to the top of the vegetation canopy. Fundamental to CZ science is the development of transdisciplinary theories and tools that transcend disciplines and inform other's work, capture new levels of complexity, and create new intellectual outcomes and spaces. Researchers are just beginning to use lidar data sets to answer synergistic, transdisciplinary questions in CZ science, such as how CZ processes co-evolve over long timescales and interact over shorter timescales to create thresholds, shifts in states and fluxes of water, energy, and carbon. The objective of this review is to elucidate the transformative potential of lidar for CZ science to simultaneously allow for quantification of topographic, vegetative, and hydrological processes. A review of 147 peer-reviewed lidar studies highlights a lack of lidar applications for CZ studies as 38 % of the studies were focused in geomorphology, 18 % in hydrology, 32 % in ecology, and the remaining 12 % had an interdisciplinary focus. A handful of exemplar transdisciplinary studies demonstrate lidar data sets that are well-integrated with other observations can lead to fundamental advances in CZ science, such as identification of feedbacks between hydrological and ecological processes over hillslope scales and the synergistic co-evolution of landscape-scale CZ structure due to interactions amongst carbon, energy, and water cycles. We propose that using lidar to its full potential will require numerous advances, including new and more powerful open-source processing tools, exploiting new lidar acquisition technologies, and improved integration with physically based models and complementary in situ and remote-sensing observations. We provide a 5-year vision that advocates for the expanded use of lidar data sets and highlights subsequent potential to advance the state of CZ science.The workshop forming the impetus for this paper was funded by the National Science Foundation (EAR 1406031). Additional funding for the workshop and planning was provided to S. W. Lyon by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT grant no. 2013-5261). A. A. Harpold was supported by an NSF fellowship (EAR 1144894)

Review of Inverse Laplace Transform Algorithms for Laplace-Space Numerical Approaches

A boundary element method (BEM) simulation is used to compare the efficiency of numerical inverse Laplace transform strategies, considering general requirements of Laplace-space numerical approaches. The two-dimensional BEM solution is used to solve the Laplace-transformed diffusion equation, producing a time-domain solution after a numerical Laplace transform inversion. Motivated by the needs of numerical methods posed in Laplace-transformed space, we compare five inverse Laplace transform algorithms and discuss implementation techniques to minimize the number of Laplace-space function evaluations. We investigate the ability to calculate a sequence of time domain values using the fewest Laplace-space model evaluations. We find Fourier-series based inversion algorithms work for common time behaviors, are the most robust with respect to free parameters, and allow for straightforward image function evaluation re-use across at least a log cycle of time