DTI Economics Paper No. 2: A comparative study of the British and Italian Textile and Clothing Industries.

Commissioned by: Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry Conference, Hucknell, Nottingham, February 2004 During the 1990s the Italian clothing and textiles industry grew while the British, French and German textile and clothing industries declined by 40%. In 2001 the Italian textiles & clothing sector was three times larger than the British, accounting for 11.7% of Italian manufacturing output but only 3.3% in Britain. In 2000 Italian fabric exports were 15 times that of the UK. The study was conducted in response to a recommendation by the Textiles and Clothing Strategy Group (TCSG), comprising UK industry, trade unions, Higher Education and the DTI. The purpose of the study was to account for these differences, assess relative merits against value for money and identify best practice in the Italian industry. The methodology comprised comparative analysis and case studies of British and Italian textile mills and tailoring manufacturers, based on my initial recommendations. We visited 5 textile mills in Yorkshire and 15 in Italy plus 3 factories in each country. I conducted a detailed comparative technical analysis of the construction of suit jackets against 13 devised criteria, a number of interviews,compared technologies, equipment and manufacturing methods across all factories, against 8 criteria, drawing on my specialist knowledge and experience as a menswear clothing technologist. The technical reports I compiled formed a section of the final report. Findings were presented to the Clothing Strategy Group and published by the DTI as their Economic Paper No 2 . I made further presentations to industry and academic groups including ASBCI, FCDE, The Textile Society, Savile Row Tailors Association, and LSE. Other outcomes were a publication in the Journal of the Textile Society Text, an article in Selvedge magazine and contributions to the Encyclopaedia of Clothing by Thomson Gale. As a result of this research further consultancy projects have been conducted with the Industry Forum and ASBCI

Cost-Effective NOx Control in the Eastern United States

Reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the eastern United States has become the focus of efforts to meet ozone air quality goals and will be useful for reducing particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the future. This paper addresses many aspects of the debate over the appropriate approach for obtaining reductions in NOx emissions from point sources beyond those called for in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Data on NOx control technologies and their associated costs, spatial models linking NOx emissions and air quality, and benefit estimates of the health effects of changes in ozone and PM concentrations are combined to allow an analysis of alternative policies in thirteen states in the eastern United States. The first part of the study examines the cost and other consequences of a command-and-control approach embodied in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) NOx SIP call, which envisions large reductions in NOx from electric utilities and other point sources. These results are compared to the alternative policy of ton-for-ton NOx emissions trading, similar to that proposed by the EPA for utilities. We find that emission reduction targets can be met at roughly 50% cost savings under a trading program when there are no transaction costs. The paper examines a number of alternative economic incentive policies that have the potential to improve upon the utility NOx trading plan proposed by EPA, including incorporation of other point sources in the trading program, incorporation of ancillary PM benefits to ozone reductions in the trading program, and trading on the basis of ozone exposures that incorporates the spatial impact of emissions on ozone levels. For the latter analysis, we examine spatially differentiated permit systems for reducing ozone exposures under different and uncertain meteorological conditions, including an empirical analysis of the trade-off between the reliability (or degree of certainty) of meeting ozone exposure reduction targets and the cost of NOx control. Finally, several policies that combine costs and health benefits from both ozone and PM reductions are compared to command-and-control and single-pollutant trading policies. The first of these is a full multipollutant trading system that achieves a health benefit goal, with the interpollutant trading ratios governed by the ratio of unit health benefits of ozone and PM. Then, a model that maximizes aggregate benefits from both ozone and PM exposure reductions net of the costs of NOx controls is estimated. EPA’s program appears to be reasonably cost-effective compared to all of the other more complex trading programs we examined. It may even be considered an optimal policy that maximizes net aggregate benefits if the high estimate of benefits is used in which mortality risk is linked to ozone exposure. Without this controversial assumption, however, we find that EPA’s NOx reduction target is far too large.

The Chesapeake Bay and the Control of NOx Emissions: A Policy Analysis

Nitrogen oxide emissions not only affect air quality but have recently been found to be an important source of nitrate pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. This analysis examines the costs, emissions, source-specific and location-specific allocations of NOX emissions reductions and the ancillary ozone related health benefits under a range of policy scenarios. The paper includes analysis of three separate policies. The first is a detailed analysis of the effect on nitrate loadings to the Bay of command and control policies specified in the Clean Air Act and as part of the OTAG process. The second is a comparison of alternative scenarios for reducing NOX emissions that meet nitrate loading goals, with or without concern for reducing ozone concentrations and the health effects they cause. The third is a comparison of alternative approaches to allocate NOX emissions to meet NOX reduction and ozone exposure goals while capturing the ancillary effect on nitrate loadings. This last analysis focuses on the stake the Bay jurisdictions have in the outcome of negotiations over NOX trading programs being developed by EPA for reducing ozone in the Eastern U.S. With the primary focus on the Chesapeake Bay jurisdiction, all three analyses integrate the ancillary ozone benefits of policies to reduce nitrate pollution, including examination of how these ancillary benefits change under alternative meteorological episodes, and explore lower cost alternatives to current regulatory programs in both qualitative and quantitative terms. We find that the Chesapeake Bay benefits from efforts to reduce NOX emissions to meet the ambient air quality standard for ozone. Airborne NOX emission reductions slated to occur under the Clean Air Act in the Bay airshed will reduce nitrate loadings to the Bay by about 27 percent of the baseline airborne levels. The additional controls of NOX contemplated in what we term the OTAG scenario is estimated to result in an additional 20 percent reduction from this baseline. However, the paper's analysis of possible least cost options shows that the costs of obtaining such reductions can be significantly reduced by rearranging the allocation of emissions reductions to take advantage of source-type and locational considerations. In addition, we find that adding consideration of ancillary ozone-related health benefits to the picture does not alter any qualitative conclusions. Quantitatively, unless a link between ozone and mortality risk is assumed, the benefits are too small to affect the cost-saving allocations of NOX reductions. If the case for such a link can be made, the results change dramatically, with large overall increases in NOX reductions and a relative shift in controls to non-Bay states and utility sources. These specific effects are sensitive to the source-receptor coefficients linking NOX to ozone, however. Our analyses also suggest that the Bay jurisdictions have a stake in the outcome of the NOX trading debate -- that some trading designs can lead to better outcomes for these jurisdictions than others. Nevertheless, a common feature of cost-savings policies is that they both rearrange emissions reductions and, in the aggregate, reduce emissions less than a command and control system. Thus, some trading regimes result in significantly smaller loadings reductions (up to 25 percent smaller) than the command and control approach.

Interactive visualisation tools for supporting taxonomists working practice.

The necessity for scientists and others to use consistent terminology has recently beenregarded as fundamental to advancing scientific research, particularly where data fromdisparate sources must be shared, compared or integrated. One area where there aresignificant difficulties with the quality of collected data is the field of taxonomicdescription. Taxonomic description lies at the heart of the classification of organismsand communication of ideas of biodiversity. As part of their working practice,taxonomists need to gather descriptive data about a number of specimens on aconsistent basis for individual projects. Collecting semantically well-defined structureddata could improve the clarity and comparability of such data. No tools howevercurrently exist to allow taxonomists to do so within their working practice.Ontologies are increasingly used to describe and define complex domain data. As a partof related research an ontology of descriptive terminology for controlling the storageand use of flowering plant description data was developed.This work has applied and extended model-based user interface developmentenvironments to utilise such an ontology for the automatic generation of appropriatedata entry interfaces that support semantically well defined and structured descriptivedata. The approach taken maps the ontology to a system domain model, which ataxonomist can then specialise using their domain expertise, for their data entry needs asrequired for individual projects. Based on this specialised domain knowledge, thesystem automatically generates appropriate data entry interfaces that capture dataconsistent with the original ontology. Compared with traditional model-based userautomatic interface development environments, this approach also has the potential toreduce the labour requirements for the expert developer.The approach has also been successfully tested to generate data entry interfaces basedon an XML schema for the exchange of biodiversity datasets

Interactive visualisation tools for supporting taxonomists working practice.

The necessity for scientists and others to use consistent terminology has recently beenregarded as fundamental to advancing scientific research, particularly where data fromdisparate sources must be shared, compared or integrated. One area where there aresignificant difficulties with the quality of collected data is the field of taxonomicdescription. Taxonomic description lies at the heart of the classification of organismsand communication of ideas of biodiversity. As part of their working practice,taxonomists need to gather descriptive data about a number of specimens on aconsistent basis for individual projects. Collecting semantically well-defined structureddata could improve the clarity and comparability of such data. No tools howevercurrently exist to allow taxonomists to do so within their working practice.Ontologies are increasingly used to describe and define complex domain data. As a partof related research an ontology of descriptive terminology for controlling the storageand use of flowering plant description data was developed.This work has applied and extended model-based user interface developmentenvironments to utilise such an ontology for the automatic generation of appropriatedata entry interfaces that support semantically well defined and structured descriptivedata. The approach taken maps the ontology to a system domain model, which ataxonomist can then specialise using their domain expertise, for their data entry needs asrequired for individual projects. Based on this specialised domain knowledge, thesystem automatically generates appropriate data entry interfaces that capture dataconsistent with the original ontology. Compared with traditional model-based userautomatic interface development environments, this approach also has the potential toreduce the labour requirements for the expert developer.The approach has also been successfully tested to generate data entry interfaces basedon an XML schema for the exchange of biodiversity datasets

eCHO Vestis - re-engineering of a waistcoat.

The eCHO project was a collaboration between LCF and Queensland University of Technology, Australia. A collection of vintage garments, neither dated nor identified, was donated by the Australian National Trust as inspiration to generate new ideas and projects. I selected a well worn vest (or waistcoat) for study. When examining the garment it revealed fascinating details: the buckle was 'British Made', the fabric was 'homemade tapestry' yet the construction was professionally tailored. Was the origin of the garment British or Australian? The term 'Vest' is derived from the Latin word 'Vestis' meaning garment, from which the word vestment developed. The early cutting methods were 'direct methods' using individual measurements cut directly onto the fabric. These garments were 'bespoken' for the client. It was much later, in the mid 1800's, that cutting systems (Drafting) became more scientific and pattern blocks were developed. Using as reference points the Cutters Practical Guide from 1850 to 1940 from the LCF tailoring archive I was able to establish that this vest was cut on the more modern scientific system rather than the direct method and establish the date of the vest with reasonable certainty. In addition there is a Fashion Plate showing 'The Newest Vest Styles For 1900' which includes a style almost identical to the garment. Details included four pockets, the omission of the front dart, the pocket watch/chain crossing between the fifth and sixth button positions and the shorter (then modern) length finishing on the top of the hip. The vest also has a 'cloth back neck piece' which is there to strengthen the back neck during wear and rarely seen even on bespoke garments today. From this object analysis I created a commentary and narrative which were exhibited with the original garment in Australia and London in the respective universities

Singular value decomposition applied to compact binary coalescence gravitational-wave signals

We investigate the application of the singular value decomposition to compact-binary, gravitational-wave data-analysis. We find that the truncated singular value decomposition reduces the number of filters required to analyze a given region of parameter space of compact binary coalescence waveforms by an order of magnitude with high reconstruction accuracy. We also compute an analytic expression for the expected signal-loss due to the singular value decomposition truncation.Comment: 4 figures, 6 page

Inflammation and enhanced nociceptive responses to bladder distension produced by intravesical zymosan in the rat

BACKGROUND: Mycotic infections of the bladder produce pain and inflammatory changes. The present study examined the inflammatory and nociceptive effects of the yeast cell wall component, zymosan, when admininstered into the urinary bladder in order to characterize this form of bladder sensitization. METHODS: Parametric analyses of the time-course (0–48 hr) and concentration (0–2% solutions) variables associated with intravesical zymosan-induced bladder inflammation were performed in female rats. Plasma extravasation of Evan's Blue dye was used as a measure of tissue inflammation. Cardiovascular and visceromotor responses to urinary bladder distension were used as measures of nociception. RESULTS: Zymosan-induced bladder inflammation, as indexed by plasma extravasation of Evan's Blue, was significantly greater in rats treated with either 1 or 2% solutions as compared to either 0.1 or 0.5% zymosan solutions. In time-course studies (1 – 48 hr post-treatment), 1% zymosan-induced inflammation progressively increased with time following administration, was greatest at 24 hr and began to normalize by 48 hr. In the studies of inflammation-induced changes in nociception, arterial blood pressure (ABP) and visceromotor responses to graded distension of the urinary bladder were significantly increased relative to controls 24 hr after zymosan administration. CONCLUSION: These studies provide important time-course and solution concentration parameters for studies of zymosan-induced inflammation of the bladder and suggest utility of this model for the study of bladder-related pain

LADEE Preparations for Contingency Operations for the Lunar Orbit Insertion Maneuver

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft was launched on September 7, 2013 UTC, and completed its mission on April 17, 2014 UTC with a directed impact to the Lunar Surface. Its primary goals were to examine the lunar atmosphere, measure lunar dust, and to demonstrate high rate laser communications. The mission objectives, much of which can be attributed to careful LADEE mission was a resounding success, achieving all planning and preparation. This paper discusses the specific preparations for fault conditions that could occur during a highly-critical phase of the mission, the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI). highly critical phase of the mission

MaTSE: the gene expression time-series explorer.

Background High throughput gene expression time-course experiments provide a perspective on biological functioning recognized as having huge value for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. There are however significant challenges to properly exploiting this data due to its massive scale and complexity. In particular, existing techniques are found to be ill suited to finding patterns of changing activity over a limited interval of an experiments time frame. The Time-Series Explorer (TSE) was developed to overcome this limitation by allowing users to explore their data by controlling an animated scatter-plot view. MaTSE improves and extends TSE by allowing users to visualize data with missing values, cross reference multiple conditions, highlight gene groupings, and collaborate by sharing their findings. Results MaTSE was developed using an iterative software development cycle that involved a high level of user feedback and evaluation. The resulting software combines a variety of visualization and interaction techniques which work together to allow biologists to explore their data and reveal temporal patterns of gene activity. These include a scatter-plot that can be animated to view different temporal intervals of the data, a multiple coordinated view framework to support the cross reference of multiple experimental conditions, a novel method for highlighting overlapping groups in the scatter-plot, and a pattern browser component that can be used with scatter-plot box queries to support cooperative visualization. A final evaluation demonstrated the tools effectiveness in allowing users to find unexpected temporal patterns and the benefits of functionality such as the overlay of gene groupings and the ability to store patterns. Conclusions We have developed a new exploratory analysis tool, MaTSE, that allows users to find unexpected patterns of temporal activity in gene expression time-series data. Overall, the study acted well to demonstrate the benefits of an iterative software development life cycle and allowed us to investigate some visualization problems that are likely to be common in the field of bioinformatics. The subjects involved in the final evaluation were positive about the potential of MaTSE to help them find unexpected patterns in their data and characterized MaTSE as an exploratory tool valuable for hypothesis generation and the creation of new biological knowledge