52 research outputs found
Data Collection in Virtual Reality Control Room Validation
Virtual reality brings new promising possibilities to the field of control room design. An immersive virtual reality environment can be combined with a control room 3D-model and a simulation of the processes. This makes it possible to extensively evaluate changes or different possibilities regarding user interface solutions in early stages of the control room design.
This study was commissioned by Fortum Power and Heat. The intention of this qualitative study was to determine burdensome tasks regarding data collection and analyzing in traditional control room validations and how these could be improved or supported by using a virtual reality environment. Furthermore, what virtual reality does not significantly improve and what previously impossible or utopian does virtual reality now provide the means for. The study was executed by depth interviews of experts in the field of human factors engineering and control room validation.
The principal conclusion is that using virtual reality in control room validations improves the quality of data or saves time as concerns data collected by video recording, audio recording, movement tracking and timing. Additionally, virtual reality offers possibilities for unparalleled automatic situational tracking and the collection of previously unattainable data by eye-tracking.Virtuaalitodellisuus tuo uusia lupaavia mahdollisuuksia valvomosuunnitteluun. Immersiivinen virtuaalitodellisuus voidaan yhdistÀÀ valvomon 3D-malliin ja prosessin simulaatioon. TÀmÀ mahdollistaa laajamittaisen muutosten ja kÀyttöjÀrjestelmÀvaihtoehtojen arvioimisen jo suunnittelun aikaisissa vaiheissa.
TÀmÀn insinöörityön toimeksiantaja oli Fortum Power and Heat. Työn tarkoituksena oli selvittÀÀ perinteisen validoinnin tiedonkeruun työlÀitÀ tehtÀviÀ ja miten niitÀ voidaan parantaa tai tukea hyödyntÀmÀllÀ virtuaalitodellisuutta. LisÀksi kartoitettiin, mitÀ perinteisin keinoin mahdotonta tai utopistista virtuaalitodellisuus nyt mahdollistaa. Laadullinen tutkimus toteutettiin syvÀhaastattelujen avulla. Haastateltavana oli inhimillisten tekijöiden (Human Factors Engineering) ja valvomon validoinnin asiantuntijoita.
Tulosten mukaan virtuaalitodellisuuden hyödyntÀminen valvomon validoinnissa parantaa kerÀtyn tiedon laatua tai sÀÀstÀÀ aikaa mitÀ tulee tiedonkeruuseen videotallennuksen, ÀÀnittÀmisen, liikkeen kartoittamisen ja ajastamisen avulla. LisÀksi virtuaalitodellisuus mahdollistaa vertaansa vailla olevaa tilanteen seurantaa ja aikaisemmin saavuttamattoman tiedon keruuta katseenseurannan avulla
Direct and indirect pressures of climate change on nutrient and carbon cycling in northern forest ecosystems : Dynamic modelling for policy support
Northern forest ecosystems play an important role in mitigating climate change by sequestrating carbon (C), while additionally providing and regulating other ecosystem services. A majority of the Swedish environmental quality objects (EQOs) that guide Swedish environmental policy and management are associated with the forest, and they have proven difficult to achieve. Several of them relate to the biogeochemical cycling of C and nutrients. Climate change increases the direct pressure on the forest ecosystems, and affects the C and nutrient cycling through direct pressures such as increasing temperatures and the risk of droughts, and through indirect pressures caused by an increasing demand of renewable energy from forests. Dynamic forest ecosystem models can be a useable tool for holistically studying, understanding and predicting the effects of increasing pressures, as a basis for policy support.This thesis aimed to compare, quantify and analyze the effects of direct and indirect pressures of climate change on forest soil and vegetation processes, and indicators related to nutrient and C cycling in forests, focusing on three of the EQOs that relate to forests, Natural Acidification Only, Zero Eutrophication and Reduced Climate Impact. The dynamic ecosystem model ForSAFE was applied on sites in different climate regions in Sweden, with different exposure to deposition. First, the effect of historical land use change on nitrogen (N) leaching and the risk of eutrophication was studied. Then, effects of intensified forest management on tree growth and concentrations of base cations (BC) and N in the soil solution were investigated. Finally, ForSAFE was used to study the effect of climate change on weathering of BC, which is an important process for providing vegetation with nutrients and for buffering against acidification.Using a combined approach with empirical data and the ForSAFE model, we could conclude that present environmental conditions alone are not enough to predict the risk of N leaching from two geographically close and comparable forest sites. Information about previous land use and moisture conditions was required to be able to correctly model the current dynamics of the soil organic matter. The effect of N fertilization on tree growth and N leaching was studied at three sites in areas with high, intermediate and low nitrogen deposition. The tree growth was the largest at the low deposition site, whereas the effect on N leaching was more pronounced at the high deposition site. These results support the Swedish Forest AgencyÂŽs current recommendations for N fertilization, which differ between regions depending on historical and present N deposition. Whole-tree harvesting (WTH), i.e. harvesting of not only stems but also branches and tops at final felling, led to a temporary reduction (20-30 years) of BC concentrations in the soil solution compared to stem only harvesting, in a study on six sites all over Sweden. This could not be explained by higher weathering rates after WTH, which has been suggested in earlier studies. Instead, it could be explained by higher BC leaching and BC uptake in trees during a period after stem only harvesting. Direct effects of climate change led to an increase in weathering rates in all of Sweden, with increased weathering rates year around in southern Sweden but not in winters in Northern Sweden. Future droughts may reduce weathering due to reduced soil moisture, and the risk is the highest in southern Sweden, where low soil moisture during summers already inhibits weathering. The study also highlighted the importance of soil texture and mineralogy for predicting weathering throughout Sweden, moderating the strong effect of temperature on weathering.The results highlighted the potential of using process-based models with high temporal resolution on well-investigated sites, for increasing the process knowledge and providing results useful for policy makers. An important message to policy makers is that site history and soil properties should be taken into account when planning for future forest management recommendations to reach the EQOs
Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South
Slavery, Politics, and the Civil War The Changing of Face of the Young Republic Adam Rothman\u27s Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South is a timely monograph that reminds scholars about the various ideological and political motivations driving t...
PERSPECTIVES FROM AFIELD AND AFAR:Self-Taught: African American Education in Slavery and Freedom
Secret schooling Freedom meant right to free public education With recent memories of commemorations celebrating the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education fresh in many of our minds, Self-Taught seems almost perfectly timed in its release. Like several oth...
Ny utformning av en nÀtbutik : Identifierande av befintliga anvÀndbarhetsproblem och skapande av riktlinjer för redesignarbetet
God anvaÌndbarhet aÌr av stor betydelse foÌr att en webbplats skall nyttjas paÌ ett effektivt och tillfredsstaÌllande saÌtt. FoÌr att lyckas utforma ett graÌnssnitt som tilltalar anvaÌndaren kraÌvs foÌrutom en foÌrstaÌelse foÌr vad som paÌverkar anvaÌndbarheten ocksaÌ en insikt i anvaÌndarnas behov och foÌrvaÌntningar paÌ det specifika graÌnssnittet. Mitt syfte med examensarbetet aÌr att finna och identifiera de anvaÌndbarhetsproblem en specifik naÌtbutik har, foÌr att med beaktande av dem utforma riktlinjer som boÌr foÌljas i redesignarbetet av naÌtbutikens nya graÌnssnitt. MaÌlet aÌr att med riktlinjerna som verktyg, skapa ett nytt foÌrbaÌttrat graÌnssnitt foÌr naÌtbutiken som uteslutit de tidigare anvaÌndbarhetsproblemen och daÌrmed lever upp till kraven gaÌllande anvaÌndbarhet och visuell design. FoÌr att lyckas identifiera den befintliga naÌtbutikens anvaÌndbarhetsproblem utvaÌrderar jag graÌnssnittet med hjaÌlp av Nielsens och Molichs tio heuristiker. FoÌr att finna ytterligare anvaÌndbarhetsproblem utfoÌr jag anvaÌndbarhetstester med fem potentiella anvaÌndare. UndersoÌkningen resulterade i att ett fokusomraÌde foÌr designarbetet tog form, innehaÌllande de identifierade anvaÌndbarhetsproblemen i det befintliga graÌnssnittet och sju riktlinjer som utformats i syfte att foÌrbaÌttra naÌtbutiken. Till slut gjordes en redogoÌrelse foÌr hur riktlinjerna anvaÌnts som verktyg vid utformningen av naÌtbutikens nya graÌnssnitt. Den slutliga designen har uteslutit de anvaÌndbarhetsproblem den tidigare naÌtbutiken haft och anses daÌrmed leva upp till kraven gaÌllande anvaÌndbarhet.Usability is a key for a website to be easy and effective to use. In order to design a web interface, the designer has to not only have a good knowledge of usability, but also have insight in the expectations and needs the users have for the specific web interface. My purpose with the thesis is to find and identify the usability problems that a specific web shop has. With the help of this knowledge I then create guidelines that should be followed in the redesign of the new interface. By using the guidelines the aim is to create a better interface that eliminates the previous usability problems and therefore fulfills the requirements of usability and visual design. In order to identify the usability problems of the existing web shop an evaluation of the interface using Nielsenâs and Molichâs ten heuristics is made. To find additional usability problems user tests are made with five potential users. The study resulted in an focus area for the design including the identified usability problems in the specific interface and seven guidelines created to improve the web shop. Finally a description of how the guidelines were used as tools in the creation of the new interface. The final design of the web shop has undermined the usability problems that the previous web shop had and can therefore be considered to fulfill the requirements regarding usability
Biokolets pÄverkan pÄ markens organiska material - Kan gödsling med biokol bidra till en kolinlagring i marken?
Here I present a conceptual synthesis of the processes governing soil carbon in the event of biochar application. Biochar is a product of a controlled pyrolysis process and is known for its physical, chemical and adsorptive properties. It has been speculated to be a tool for sequestering carbon in soil to offset greenhouse gas emissions, and as a soil amendment. The study is done in collaboration with the company Ecobalans from Lund, and is a part of the environmental system analysis in a research and development project concerning sludge processing through pyrolysis. The aim of this review is to investigate if biochar application to soil can contribute to carbon sequestration in soil, by looking at the processes affecting the soil organic matter (SOM). Preforming a scientific review presenting the results with a causal loop diagram does this. The recalcitrance fractions of the soils organic carbon initially enhances with biochar application, but an enhanced decomposition of the labile fraction has also been reported. There is causality with improved crop yield. There are suggestions that the biochar stays safe from decomposition by forming aggregates and organo-mineral complexes over time. This review shows that effects of biochar on SOM cannot be simplified as they are biochar-specific (feedstock and treatment) and site-specific (soil and climate) but can be qualitatively calculated on in the conceptual model presented in this study.Klas Lucander Biokolets pÄverkan pÄ markens organiska material - Kan gödsling med biokol bidra till en kolinlagring i marken och dÀrmed dÀmpa den globala uppvÀrmningen? HÀr presenteras en konceptuell sammanstÀllning och modell av de processer som styr markkolet nÀr marken gödslas med biokol. SammanstÀllningen konstaterar att de processer som styr biokolets pÄverkan pÄ markens organiska material (SOM) Àr platsberoende (typ av jord som biokolet lÀggs pÄ och klimat) samt beroende pÄ typ av biokol (behandling och rÄmaterial). Dessa tillsammans kommer avgöra hur biokolet kommer att pÄverka mÀngden kol i marken över lÄng tid. Med hjÀlp av modellen kan olika scenarier beskrivas beroende pÄ vilken typ av biokol och vilken jordart som anvÀnds, och pÄ sÄ sÀtt kan den sannolikt högsta nedbrytningen eller den minsta förutspÄs, utifrÄn vad man vet idag. Biokol Àr, liksom grillkol, organiskt material som uppvÀrmts till hög temperatur i en syrefattig miljö i en process som kallas pyrolys. Vid pyrolysen bildas kol, tjÀra och pyrolysgas som kan anvÀndas för energiutvinning. Kolet kan sedan anvÀndas för att grilla med eller föra ner det i marken. Det som utmÀrker biokol Àr dess höga kolhalt med höga andel aromatiska föreningar som nedbryts lÄngsamt, höga specifika yta och porositet, adsorptiva egenskaper, kemiska egenskaper, samt dess egenskap att bilda aggregat och komplex i marken. Dessa egenskaper Àr dock olika framtrÀdande beroende pÄ vilket rÄmaterial som anvÀnds samt pyrolystemperatur. Upp till hÀlften(beroende pÄ rÄmaterial) av biomassans vikt omvandlas till biokol vid pyrolys. Detta kan jÀmföras med det lÄga beloppet kol som kvarhÄlls efter förbrÀnning (3 %) eller biologisk nedbrytning (mindre Àn 10-20 % efter 5-10 Är). TillsÀttning av biokol har föreslagits som metod för lindra klimatförÀndringarna genom att under lÄng tid lagra kol i marken och pÄ sÄ sÀtt utjÀmna utslÀppen av vÀxthusgaser frÄn förbrÀnning eller nedbrytning av biomassa. Dock rÄder det oklarhet kring de processer involverade i biokolets pÄverkan pÄ markens organiska material samt hur snabbt biokolet bryts ner i marken Examensarbetet görs i samarbete med företaget EkoBalans i Lund och Àr en del av en miljösystemanalys för ett större projekt, med syfte att vÀrdera den framtagna produkten, biokolets, kolinlagringseffekt. EkoBalans har tagit fram en metod för att framstÀlla biokol ur avloppsslam, utan att fÄ med skadliga metaller och lÀkemedelsrester. Syftet med den hÀr sammanstÀllningen Àr att undersöka om gödsling med nÀringsrikt biokol kan bidra till kolinlagring i marken, genom att studera de processer som pÄverkar SOM. Den stabila delen av SOM ökar till att börja med vid tillsÀttning av biokol, men en ökad nedbrytning av markens ursprungliga ostabila SOM har ocksÄ rapporterats. Flertal studier har visat pÄ en ökad tillvÀxt vid tillsÀttning vilket indirekt ökar SOM i marken. Biokol antas förbli skyddat frÄn nedbrytning genom aggregatbildning och bilda komplex mad mineraler och organiskt material. Urlakas dessa till djupare skikt frÄn matjorden finns det potential för en lÄngvarig inlagring av SOM. Genom att anvÀnda en konceptuell modell har jag sammanfattat de processer som biokolet pÄverkar i marken, samt Àven modellerat fram möjlig framtidsbild. Resultatet ger insikter i vilka processer som Àr dominerande samt var vidare forskning behövs; det finns fÄ modeller som tar i beaktande biokolet, Àven om just modellering ses som ett viktigt verktyg för att utvÀrdera biokolets vÀrde i bekÀmpandet av klimatförÀndringarna. Handledare: Salim Belyazid Examensarbete 30 hp i MVEM30, Miljövetenskap: Examensarbete för masterexamen - Fördjupning i tillÀmpad klimatstrategi 2015 Naturvetenskapliga institutionen, Lunds universitet Ekobalan
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It is a new kind of militancy : March on Washington Movement, 1941-1946
This study of the March on Washington Movement (MOWM) investigates the operations of the national office and examines its interactions with local branches, particularly in St. Louis. As the organization\u27s president, A. Philip Randolph and members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) such as Benjamin McLaurin and T.D. McNeal are important figures in this story. African American women such as Layle Lane, E. Pauline Myers, and Anna Arnold Hedgeman ran MOWM\u27s national office. Of particular importance to this study is Myers\u27 tenure as executive secretary. Working out of Harlem, she corresponded with MOWM\u27s twenty-six local chapters, spending considerable time espousing the rationale and ideology of Non-Violent Goodwill Direct Action, a trademark protest technique developed and implemented alongside Fellowship of Reconciliation members Bayard Rustin and James Farmer. As a nationally recognized African American protest organization fighting for a Double V against fascism and racism during the Second World War, MOWM accrued political capital by the agitation of its local affiliates. In some cases, like in Washington, D.C., volunteers lacked the ability to forge effective protests. In St. Louis, however, BSCP official T.D. McNeal led a MOWM branch that was among the nation\u27s most active. David Grant, Thelma Maddox, Nita Blackwell, and Leyton Weston are some of the thousands joining McNeal over a three-year period to picket U.S. Cartridge and Carter Carburetor for violating the anti-discrimination clause in Executive Order 8802, lobby Southwestern Bell Telephone to expand employment opportunities for African Americans, stage a summer of sit-ins at lunch counters in the city\u27s largest department stores, and lead a general push for a Double V against fascism and racism. This study of MOWM demonstrates that the structural dynamics of protest groups often include a discrepancy between policies laid out by the organization\u27s national office and the activity of its local branches. While national officials from MOWM and National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People had an ambivalent relationship with each other, inter-organizational tension was locally muted as grassroots activists aligned themselves with whichever group appeared most effective. During the Second World War, this was often MOWM
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