Inter-limb coordination in swimming: Effect of speed and skill level

International audienc

A French experience of continuous scour monitoring on real sites

38th IAHR World congress, Panama city, Panama, 02-/09/2019 - 06/09/2019Controlling the risk of scouring of structures, beds or banks due to natural hazards (floods, floods, extreme hydraulic regimes, dam failures) is a major challenge for sustainable development and land use planning. These processes are the main cause of destruction of buildings (civil engineering structures, earthworks, buildings) during major floods. The SSHEAR project, "Soils, Structures and Hydraulics: Expertise and Applied Research? has been set up to improve scour mechanisms knowledge, to develop innovative experimental and observational tools and hydraulic numerical models at both laboratory and full-scale, and then to build optimized diagnostic, warning and management methods for bridges operators. This paper reports on the ?field approach? task of SSHEAR project.. Among the work carried out, we have investigated whether relatively inexpensive methods using commercial sensors can be implemented. After a shot remembering of the scour parameters to be monitored, the benchmark study and the choice of monitoring devices available on the market have been detailed. The preliminary results presented here show that the challenge is being met

Artemether administered together with haemin damages schistosomes in vitro

We conducted experiments in vitro to assess the effect of artemether in combination with haemin on adult Schistosoma japonicum, S. mansoni and S. haematobium. When schistosomes were maintained in a medium containing artemether at concentrations of 20 μg/mL or less for 72 h, no apparent effect on the schistosomes was seen. When the medium contained 50 or 100 μg/mL haemin as well as artemether, the schistosomes showed decreased motor activity 2-24 h after exposure, which was followed by the staining of the whole worm body a reddish-yellow colour, dilatation of the intestine, and extensive vesiculation of the tegument. Some of the schistosomes died 24 h after exposure, and almost all died within 48-72 h. When schistosomes were exposed to the same concentrations of haemin alone, they were stained a light yellow colour but there was no apparent effect on their survival. Our findings suggest that artemether interacts with haemin to exert a toxic effect on the worms, which might be of importance in the further elucidation of the mechanism of action of artemether on schistosome

Privacy Preserving Personal Assistant with On-Device Diarization and Spoken Dialogue System for Home and Beyond

In the age of personal voice assistants, the question of privacy arises. These digital companions often lack memory of past interactions, while relying heavily on the internet for speech processing, raising privacy concerns. Modern smartphones now enable on-device speech processing, making cloud-based solutions unnecessary. Personal assistants for the elderly should excel at memory recall, especially in medical examinations. The e-ViTA project developed a versatile conversational application with local processing and speaker recognition. This paper highlights the importance of speaker diarization enriched with sensor data fusion for contextualized conversation preservation. The use cases applied to the e-VITA project have shown that truly personalized dialogue is pivotal for individual voice assistants. Secure local processing and sensor data fusion ensure virtual companions meet individual user needs without compromising privacy or data security.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, to be presented at https://ihiet-ai.org/, Lausanne in April 202

Adaptation of the semi-Hertzian method to wheel/rail contact in turnouts

A procedure is described in order to assess loads applied on a turnout due to track-train interaction. Co-simulation is used between a finite element method (FEM) model of the turnout and a multibody system (MBS) of the vehicle. Wheel/rail contact forces are computed in the MBS and applied to the rails of the turnout modelled as FEM beams. FEM displacements under the wheel are accounted in the MBS in the next time step. A modification has been applied to the semi-Hertzian (SH) method used to assess wheel/rail forces. This adapted SH method is designed to take in account the relative flexibility of the components of the turnout, like the stock rail and the switch rail. Such parts have their own degree of freedom and may in some extent behave independently: the proposed method takes it in account in the contact search. The co-simulation has been first used in a referenced case-study

Track loading limits and cross-acceptance of vehicle approvals

The requirements for track loading limits are one of the main barriers to simple cross-acceptance of vehicles where rolling stock that is already operating successfully in one (or more) networks has to be retested before it can be approved for operation on another network. DynoTRAIN Work Package 4 studied this area in order to determine whether the additional requirements were justified, or if the process could be made much cheaper and simpler without increasing the risk of track deterioration for the networks. The review of national requirements identified modified criteria and limit values for track forces in some member states; however, these can be obtained from additional analysis of the normal test results with no new tests required. The influence of design rail inclination has also been found not to be significant, provided a realistic range of wheel–rail contact conditions are included in the tests. For line speeds greater than or equal to 160 km/h, the current standards for track construction across the member states appear to be similar. On lower speed lines in some countries, a ‘weaker’ track condition may require a lower limit on one of the vehicle assessment parameters. Track dynamics modelling has shown that the vehicle assessment parameters used in international standards are suitable for use in cross-acceptance for track forces. The use of multiple regression analysis allows the estimated maximum value for relevant parameters to be evaluated for different target conditions and then compared with the appropriate limit value, or with values for existing, comparable vehicles. Guidance has also been provided on the relevant parameters to consider when developing operating controls for different types of track deterioration

Validation of simulation models in the context of railway vehicle acceptance

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.The evaluation of a reliable validation method, criteria and limit values suitable for model validation in the context of vehicle acceptance was one of the objectives of the DynoTRAIN project. The presented investigations represent a unique amount of testing, simulations, comparisons with measurements, and validation evaluations. The on-track measurements performed in four European countries included several different vehicles on a test train equipped to simultaneously record track irregularities and rail profiles. The simulations were performed using vehicle models built with the use of different simulation tools by different partners. The comparisons between simulation and measurement results were conducted for over 1000 simulations using a set of the same test sections for all vehicle models. The results were assessed by three different validation approaches: comparing values according to EN 14363; by subjective engineering judgement by project partners; and using so-called validation metrics, i.e. computable measures developed with the aim of increasing objectivity while still maintaining the level of agreement with engineering judgement. The proposed validation method uses the values computed by analogy with EN 14363 and provides validation limits that can be applied to a set of deviations between simulation and measurement values

Validation of multi-body models for simulation in authorisation of rail vehicles

An application of multi-body simulations is to reduce the amount of vehicle on-track testing and present an opportunity for saving the time and costs of vehicle acceptance in regard to running characteristics. One of the objectives of the EU project DynoTRAIN was to define criteria and limits for vehicle model validation. The paper presents investigations carried out by comparing simulations with measurements from a testing campaign using a test train with 4 types of vehicles and a total of 10 force measuring wheelsets and accompanied with continuous measurement of track irregularities and rail profiles. The simulations were performed by using several vehicle models, built in different simulation tools by different partners. The results of the investigations and the criteria and limits proposed for the validation of multi-body vehicle models, intended for simulations of on-track tests, in the framework of railway vehicle authorisations are presented.Une application des simulations multi-corps consiste à réduire la quantité d'essais en ligne et à offrir une opportunité pour économiser le temps et les coûts d'acceptation des Îhicules en ce qui concerne les caractéristiques de fonctionnement dynamiques. L'un des objectifs du projet de l'UE DynoTRAIN était de définir des critères et des limites pour la validation du modèle de Îhicule. Le document présente des recherches effectuées en comparant des simulations avec des mesures à partir d'une campagne de test utilisant un train d'essai avec 4 types de Îhicules et un total de 10 essieux de mesure de force roue-rail et accompagnés d'une mesure continue des irrégularités de voie et des profils de rail. Les simulations ont été réalisées en utilisant plusieurs modèles de Îhicules, construits dans différents outils de simulation par différents partenaires. Les résultats des enquêtes et les critères et limites proposés pour la validation des modèles de Îhicules multi-corps, destinés à des simulations de tests sur voie réelle, dans le cadre des autorisations de Îhicules ferroviaires sont présentés

Does Floatation Influence Breaststroke Technique?

International audienc