Fog dispersion

The concept of using the charged particle technique to disperse warm fog at airports is investigated and compared with other techniques. The charged particle technique shows potential for warm fog dispersal, but experimental verification of several significant parameters, such as particle mobility and charge density, is needed. Seeding and helicopter downwash techniques are also effective for warm fog disperals, but presently are not believed to be viable techniques for routine airport operations. Thermal systems are currently used at a few overseas airports; however, they are expensive and pose potential environmental problems

A review of the meteorological parameters which affect aerial application

The ambient wind field and temperature gradient were found to be the most important parameters. Investigation results indicated that the majority of meteorological parameters affecting dispersion were interdependent and the exact mechanism by which these factors influence the particle dispersion was largely unknown. The types and approximately ranges of instrumented capabilities for a systematic study of the significant meteorological parameters influencing aerial applications were defined. Current mathematical dispersion models were also briefly reviewed. Unfortunately, a rigorous dispersion model which could be applied to aerial application was not available

Gi’r selvkørende biler mere plads på vejen?

Med den stadig voksende andel af biler med Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) og Automatic Cruise Control (ACC) vil der komme nye muligheder for udnyttelse af infrastrukturen. Vejdirektoratet har derfor undersøgt om og hvor meget ekstra kapacitet, der kan komme på vejene med disse to funktioner i bilerne. Vurderingen er foretaget på baggrund af VISSIM simuleringer af COWI. I simuleringerne ses på blandet kørsel, hvor der både er traditionelle biler og biler med ACC i trafikken. Der ses ligeledes på de trafikale effekter af at etablere smallere spor, dedikeret til biler med LKA. Den overordnede vurdering er, at flere biler med ACC kan give trafikale gevinster og mulighed for, at afvikle mere trafik på samme veje. Samtidigt tyder det på at der kan være kapacitetsgevinster, hvis man udbygger eksisterende veje med dedikerede spor, så længe de eksisterende spor ikke underlægges begrænsninger. Automatic Cruise Control (ACC) giver anledning til mere jævn kørsel og mulighed for, at bilerne kan køre tættere. Især jævn kørsel betyder mulighed for væsentlige kapacitetsgevinster. Med 33 pct. biler med ACC i bilparken forøges den maksimale teoretiske kapacitet med 10 pct., imens 66 pct. selvkørende biler ved betyde en forøgelse på 20 pct. af kapaciteten. Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) gør bilerne i stand til, at holde sporene ved hjælp af linjerne på vejene. Bilerne følger med andre ord et mere stabilt spor end manuelt førte biler. Det kan vise sig muligt - og sikkerhedsmæssigt forsvarligt - at reducere vejbanernes bredde. Ved muligheden for at etablere et ekstra spor pga. smallere sporbredde viser simuleringerne, at det er muligt opnå en kapacitetsforøgelse på op til 26 pct. ved en tredjedel selvkørende biler (ACC og LKA), imens der vil kunne opnås op til 36 pct. ekstra kapacitet med 66 pct. selvkørende biler. Resultaterne fra dette projekt kan give anledning til en videre granskning af muligheder for mere effektiv udnyttelse af infrastrukturen

Daily electronic monitoring of subjective and objective measures of illness activity in bipolar disorder using smartphones--the MONARCA II trial protocol: a randomized controlled single-blind parallel-group trial

BACKGROUND: Patients with bipolar disorder often show decreased adherence with mood stabilizers and frequently interventions on prodromal depressive and manic symptoms are delayed. Recently, the MONARCA I randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of electronic self-monitoring using smartphones on depressive and manic symptoms. The findings suggested that patients using the MONARCA system had more sustained depressive symptoms than patients using a smartphone for normal communicative purposes, but had fewer manic symptoms during the trial. It is likely that the ability of these self-monitored measures to detect prodromal symptoms of depression and mania may be insufficient compared to automatically generated objective data on measures of illness activity such as phone usage, social activity, physical activity, and mobility. The Monsenso system, for smartphones integrating subjective and objective measures of illness activity was developed and will be tested in the present trial. METHODS: The MONARCA II trial uses a randomized controlled single-blind parallel-group design. Patients with bipolar disorder according to ICD-10 who previously have been treated at the Copenhagen Clinic for Affective Disorder, Denmark are included and randomized to either daily use of the Monsenso system including an feedback loop between patients and clinicians (the intervention group) or to the use of a smartphone for normal communicative purposes (the control group) for a 9-month trial period. The trial was started in September 2014 and recruitment is ongoing. The outcomes are: differences in depressive and manic symptoms; rate of depressive and manic episodes (primary); automatically generated objective data on measures of illness activity; number of days hospitalized; psychosocial functioning (secondary); perceived stress; quality of life; self-rated depressive symptoms; self-rated manic symptoms; recovery; empowerment and adherence to medication (tertiary) between the intervention group and the control group during the trial. Ethical permission has been obtained. Positive, neutral and negative findings will be published. DISCUSSION: If the system is effective in reducing depressive and/or manic symptoms (and other symptoms of bipolar disorder) and the rate of episodes, there will be basis for extending the use to the treatment of bipolar disorder in general and in larger scale. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02221336. Registered 26(th) of September 2014

The politics of innovation: why innovations need a godfather

Innovation is closely linked to the development of technology. Hence it is often assumed that when an innovation fails it is the technology that is at fault. While this may be true in many instances, there are occasions when it is not the technology that is at fault, rather, it is managerial and organisational aspects that cause problems and lead to failure. Studies have shown that individuals who take on specific roles can play an important part in avoiding these problems. These roles include the technological gatekeeper, the product champion and the sponsor/coach. In addition to these roles, this paper argues that there is another, namely that of godfather. With this role a highly respected, senior figure within an organisation provides support that is critical in ensuring the project overcomes the hurdles that lie in the path of any major new development. The nature of the godfather role is explored through three case studies. These provide examples of the role and show how it can facilitate the innovation process