A LISP-Ada connection

The prototype demonstrates the feasibility of using Ada for expert systems and the implementation of an expert-friendly interface which supports knowledge entry. In the Ford LISP-Ada Connection (FLAC) system LISP and Ada are used in ways which complement their respective capabilities. Future investigation will concentrate on the enhancement of the expert knowledge entry/debugging interface and on the issues associated with multitasking and real-time expert systems implementation in Ada

Operational strategies for offshore wind turbines to mitigate failure rate uncertainty on operational costs and revenue

Several operational strategies for offshore wind farms have been established and explored in order to improve understanding of operational costs with a focus on heavy lift vessel strategies. Additionally, an investigation into the uncertainty surrounding failure behaviour has been performed identifying the robustness of different strategies. Four operational strategies were considered: fix on fail, batch repair, annual charter and purchase. A range of failure rates have been explored identifying the key cost drivers and under which circumstances an operator would choose to adopt them. When failures are low, the fix on fail and batch strategies perform best and allow flexibility of operating strategy. When failures are high, purchase becomes optimal and is least sensitive to increasing failure rate. Late life failure distributions based on mechanical and electrical components behaviour have been explored. Increased operating costs because of wear-out failures have been quantified. An increase in minor failures principally increase lost revenue costs and can be mitigated by deploying increased maintenance resources. An increase in larger failures primarily increases vessel and repair costs. Adopting a purchase strategy can negate the vessel cost increase; however, significant cost increases are still observed. Maintenance actions requiring the use of heavy lift vessels, currently drive train components and blades are identified as critical for proactive maintenance to minimise overall maintenance costs

Engaging with immigration policy on the ground: a study of Local Authorities in Scotland

This paper focuses on how policies and practices relating to immigration are developed at the local level. It explores how Local Authorities in Scotland plan for and respond to international migration. The Scottish Government has made it clear that it is keen to attract migrants to Scotland and that it would be more proactive in this if it had the relevant policy levers. However it is Local Authorities that need to respond to inflows of migrants in terms of issues such as service provision or community cohesion. This research was carried out as part of the ESRC Future of the UK and Scotland programme and focussed on 16 Local Authority areas, ranging from cities to remote regions. It raises questions about how the cogent arguments of local policy makers can be better represented in national debates about immigration policy

Executive functioning affects health behaviour in older people too

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A study of project planning on Libyan construction projects

Construction projects are regularly faced by scheduling problems causing the projects to finish beyond their predetermined due date; this is a global phenomenon. The main purpose of this study is to consider the problems associated with project planning generally, with specific reference to construction projects in Libya. This study is unique in two respects. First, despite the recent high volume of infrastructure work in the country, there have been few investigations into construction delays in Libya. Secondly, earlier studies have considered the causes or the effects of project delays, whereas the present aim is to evaluate the potential of applying a planning and scheduling technique that is entirely novel in the Libyan context. The paper reports the results of Phase I of this research

Automatic grounding of vague geographic ontology in data

In constructing an ontological theory of a domain such as geography, it is important not only to take account of the vagueness and ambiguity which is inherent in many of the relevant concepts, but also to be able to relate the high-level definitions of the theory to actual sets of data of varying kinds. Any attempt to ignore or remove vagueness and ambiguity risks errors and conflict in the ontological theory with the knowledge of different domain experts, while an inability to ground the theory in real data limits its practical use. We present here a means of structuring such a theory to handle these issues in a principled manner, which lends itself to concrete implementation. We illustrate with reference to several examples from the domain of hydrography

Sustainable horticultural supply chain: the case of local food networks in the United Kingdom

In the UK there is widespread support from Government, media and consumers for local food networks. These have the potential to provide a more sustainable supply chain and are well suited to the unique production and consumption characteristics of horticultural products. In terms of food marketing, local food is in its relative infancy and is still without any formal definition. This lack of clarity hampers research activities. Although the profile of local food buyers and their expectations has been explored, our knowledge of its social, economic and environmental aspects is minimal. This research contributes by exploring the structure and scope of local food activities in the UK in terms of profiling those specialised retail outlets who provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase locally grown horticultural products

The Canadian ABS Market: Where Do We Go From Here?

The asset-backed securities (ABS) market suffered a major setback during the financial crisis that began in 2007. Its role in the broader market collapse has been well documented, but the need to restore a healthy ABS market is equally clear. Indeed, North American policymakers have readily acknowledged that this market must play a major role in the global economic recovery and policymakers have recently moved beyond addressing the urgency of restarting the ABS market to considering its reform. An analysis of current reform proposals guides suggestions for a policy approach that reflects Canadian market realities. Specifically, it would be prudent in the Canadian context to impose new disclosure requirements for all public market medium-term note issuance.Financial Services, asset-backed securities (ABS), ABS market reforms, Canadian ABS market, global economic recovery

Analysis of offshore wind turbine operation & maintenance using a novel time domain meteo-ocean modeling approach

This paper presents a novel approach to repair modeling using a time domain Auto-Regressive model to represent meteo-ocean site conditions. The short term hourly correlations, medium term access windows of periods up to days and the annual distibution of site data are captured. In addition, seasonality is included. Correlation observed between wind and wave site can be incorporated if simultaneous data exists. Using this approach a time series for both significant wave height and mean wind speed is described. This allows MTTR to be implemented within the reliability simulation as a variable process, dependent on significant wave height. This approach automatically captures site characteristics including seasonality and allows for complex analysis using time dependent constaints such as working patterns to be implemented. A simple cost model for lost revenues determined by the concurrent simulated wind speed is also presented. A preliminary investigation of the influence of component reliability and access thresholds at various existing sites on availability is presented demonstrating the abiltiy of the modeling approach to offer new insights into offshore wind turbine operation and maintenance

Better Barking for ABS: Reform Proposals for the Asset-Backed Securities Market

The market for asset-backed securities (ABS) – financial instruments backed by underlying assets such as mortgages – suffered a major setback in 2007, as a cascade of downgrades and defaults brought turmoil to credit markets and the world economy. Authorities in the United States have since proposed sweeping changes to the ABS market. The Canadian Securities Administrators, representing provincial securities commissions, recently released a discussion paper proposing similar reforms, which would require: (i) sharply enhanced transparency in ABS structures, (ii) CEO certification of the adequacy of such structures, and (iii) disclosure of previous asset repurchases by the securities’ sponsor.Financial Services, asset-backed securities (ABS), credit markets