Pilot Information Needs for Electronic Data-Driven Charts

Electronic charting technology is evolving from “fixed” raster-based charts to data-driven charts, in which information elements shown on the chart can be reconfigured during flight. Specifically, we were interested in identifying a set of minimum information requirements for a concept in which pilots brief with a fixed chart showing all information elements but then fly with an electronic chart, which may or may not include all the information elements that were briefed. Two hundred twenty-nine pilots rated the importance of information elements shown on four different types of aeronautical charts. We analyzed the data using one-way chi-square tests to identify a criticality “level” for each information element. This information was then used to identify a “minimum set.” This paper presents an overview of the findings

Pilot Information Needs for Electronic Data-Driven Charts

Electronic charting technology is evolving from “fixed” raster-based charts to data-driven charts, in which information elements shown on the chart can be reconfigured during flight. Specifically, we were interested in identifying a set of minimum information requirements for a concept in which pilots brief with a fixed chart showing all information elements but then fly with an electronic chart, which may or may not include all the information elements that were briefed. Two hundred twenty-nine pilots rated the importance of information elements shown on four different types of aeronautical charts. We analyzed the data using one-way chi-square tests to identify a criticality “level” for each information element. This information was then used to identify a “minimum set.” This paper presents an overview of the findings

Engaging Community Partners to Enrich Preschoolers Learning Experiences with Dramatic Inquiry

Interdisciplinary teams of adults are needed to enhance the capacity of schools to provide the most appropriate educational experiences for young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities (Division for Early Childhood, 2014). When educators, families, and community partners connect around shared goals, we begin to reimagine instructional opportunities and create more equitable access to educational resources for children and families. We share insights from community partners who participated in a collaborative dramatic inquiry study designed to enrich preschoolers’ learning experiences and serve children and families

All-optical packet switch at data-rate beyond 160 Gb/s

Two different paradigms to realize a scalable all-optical packet switch with label swapping will be presented. All the functions required for switching the packets are based on all-optical signal processing without any electronic control. This allows very low latency and potential photonic integration of the systems. We report for both techniques experimental results showing the routing operation of the 160 Gb/s packets and beyond. We will discuss and compare both techniques in term of devices and bit-rate scalability, latency, power consumption, power penalty performance and cascadability as key parameters for the realization of an all-optical packet switch. ©2009 IEEE

Ecological Meltdown in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland: Two Centuries of Change in a Coastal Marine Ecosystem

BACKGROUND: The Firth of Clyde is a large inlet of the sea that extends over 100 km into Scotland\u27s west coast. METHODS: We compiled detailed fisheries landings data for this area and combined them with historical accounts to build a picture of change due to fishing activity over the last 200 years. FINDINGS: In the early 19th century, prior to the onset of industrial fishing, the Firth of Clyde supported diverse and productive fisheries for species such as herring (Clupea harengus, Clupeidae), cod (Gadus morhua, Gadidae), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus, Gadidae), turbot (Psetta maxima, Scophthalmidae) and flounder (Platichthys flesus, Pleuronectidae). The 19th century saw increased demand for fish, which encouraged more indiscriminate methods of fishing such as bottom trawling. During the 1880s, fish landings began to decline, and upon the recommendation of local fishers and scientists, the Firth of Clyde was closed to large trawling vessels in 1889. This closure remained in place until 1962 when bottom trawling for Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus, Nephropidae) was approved in areas more than three nautical miles from the coast. During the 1960s and 1970s, landings of bottomfish increased as trawling intensified. The trawl closure within three nautical miles of the coast was repealed in 1984 under pressure from the industry. Thereafter, bottomfish landings went into terminal decline, with all species collapsing to zero or near zero landings by the early 21st century. Herring fisheries collapsed in the 1970s as more efficient mid-water trawls and fish finders were introduced, while a fishery for mid-water saithe (Pollachius virens, Gadidae) underwent a boom and bust shortly after discovery in the late 1960s. The only commercial fisheries that remain today are for Nephrops and scallops (Pecten maximus, Pectinidae). SIGNIFICANCE: The Firth of Clyde is a marine ecosystem nearing the endpoint of overfishing, a time when no species remain that are capable of sustaining commercial catches. The evidence suggests that trawl closures helped maintain productive fisheries through the mid-20th century, and their reopening precipitated collapse of bottomfish stocks. We argue that continued intensive bottom trawling for Nephrops with fine mesh nets will prevent the recovery of other species. This once diverse and highly productive environment will only be restored if trawl closures or other protected areas are re-introduced. The Firth of Clyde represents at a small scale a process that is occurring ocean-wide today, and its experience serves as a warning to others

All-optical packet switch at data-rate beyond 160 Gb/s

Two different paradigms to realize a scalable all-optical packet switch with label swapping will be presented. All the functions required for switching the packets are based on all-optical signal processing without any electronic control. This allows very low latency and potential photonic integration of the systems. We report for both techniques experimental results showing the routing operation of the 160 Gb/s packets and beyond. We will discuss and compare both techniques in term of devices and bit-rate scalability, latency, power consumption, power penalty performance and cascadability as key parameters for the realization of an all-optical packet switch. ©2009 IEEE

Transmission of 10 Gb/s per wavelength in a hybrid WDM/TDM access network providing bandwidth on-demand

In this paper we describe experiments performed on a testbed of a novel dynamically reconfigurable access network capable of providing bandwidth on-demand to the end-users. Multiwavelength bidirectional transmission of 10 Gb/s channels in different bandwidth allocation schemes is achieved while sustaining substantial power budget to cover the attenuation of over 25 km standard SMF and related power penalties e.g. due to Rayleigh backscattering. Keywords: reconfigurable access network, FTTx, reflective electro-absorption modulator, optical add/drop multiplexer, microring resonators

Transmission of 10 Gb/s per wavelength in a hybrid WDM/TDM access network providing bandwidth on-demand

In this paper we describe experiments performed on a testbed of a novel dynamically reconfigurable access network capable of providing bandwidth on-demand to the end-users. Multiwavelength bidirectional transmission of 10 Gb/s channels in different bandwidth allocation schemes is achieved while sustaining substantial power budget to cover the attenuation of over 25 km standard SMF and related power penalties e.g. due to Rayleigh backscattering. Keywords: reconfigurable access network, FTTx, reflective electro-absorption modulator, optical add/drop multiplexer, microring resonators

Chaotic quantum-dot InAs/InGaAsP/InP (100) twin-stripe lasers for secure encrypted communication

Quantum-dot twin-stripe lasers have been fabricated and characterized. Dynamic features have been observed indicating regimes of chaotic operation that make these lasers suitable for chaotic-encryption application. Keywords: chaos, non-linear dynamics, Quantum-Dots, twin-stripe lasers, chaotic encryption