Experimental archeology and serious games: challenges of inhabiting virtual heritage

Experimental archaeology has long yielded valuable insights into the tools and techniques that featured in past peoples’ relationship with the material world around them. However, experimental archaeology has, hitherto, confined itself to rigid, empirical and quantitative questions. This paper applies principles of experimental archaeology and serious gaming tools in the reconstructions of a British Iron Age Roundhouse. The paper explains a number of experiments conducted to look for quantitative differences in movement in virtual vs material environments using both “virtual” studio reconstruction as well as material reconstruction. The data from these experiments was then analysed to look for differences in movement which could be attributed to artefacts and/or environments. The paper explains the structure of the experiments, how the data was generated, what theories may make sense of the data, what conclusions have been drawn and how serious gaming tools can support the creation of new experimental heritage environments

Modelling Interdependent Cascading Failures in Real World Complex Networks using a Functional Dependency Model

Infrastructure systems are becoming increasingly complex and interdependent. As a result our ability to predict the likelihood of large-scale failure of these systems has significantly diminished and the consequence of this is that we now have a greatly increased risk of devastating impacts to society. Traditionally these systems have been analysed using physically-based models. However, this approach can only provide information for a specific network and is limited by the number of scenarios that can be tested. In an attempt to overcome this shortcoming, many studies have used network graph theory to provide an alternative analysis approach. This approach has tended to consider infrastructure systems in isolation, but has recently considered the analysis of interdependent networks through combination with percolation theory. However, these studies have focused on the analysis of synthetic networks and tend to only consider the topology of the system. In this paper we develop a new analysis approach, based upon network theory, but accounting for the hierarchical structure and functional dependency observed in real world infrastructure networks. We apply this method to two real world networks, to show that it can be used to quantify the impact that failures within an electricity network have upon a dependent water network

The upgrading of glass microballoons

The processes and mechanisms involved in producing glass microballoons of acceptable quality for laser fusion by gas jet levitation and manipulation were studied. Glass microballoons (GMBs) levitated at temperatures below, as well as above the liquidus, appear to diffuse sulfur dioxide, a polar molecule with a moderately large diameter, and hydrogen, a much smaller molecule at comparable rates. Rates on the order of tens of atmospheres per hour (constant volume) per atmosphere of partial pressure differential have been observed at temperatures around the liquidus. Relatively rapid and convenient filling of molten GMBs by levitation in deuterium and tritium appears to be a possibility

MEETING NEW CHALLENGES IN THE RETAIL FOOD BUSINESS

Agribusiness,

Ellipsoidal-mirror reflectometer accurately measures infrared reflectance of materials

Reflectometer accurately measures the reflectance of specimens in the infrared beyond 2.5 microns and under geometric conditions approximating normal irradiation and hemispherical viewing. It includes an ellipsoidal mirror, a specially coated averaging sphere associated with a detector for minimizing spatial and angular sensitivity, and an incident flux chopper

Dual turbopump liquid hydrogen feed system experience

Design and development of dual turbopump liquid hydrogen feed syste