Modelling and simulation of cell migration in heterogeneous media

Cell motility is a complex process comprising, among others, cytoskeletal remodelling and growth, active force generation, chemical transport and reaction of multiple substances inside and outside the cell as well as on the cell membrane, anisotropic material behavior of the cell and of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and proteolytic cleavage of the ECM. We are working on an evolving finite element based computational framework that is able to incorporate models and methods for all the key features of cell motility. The approach exploits a mesoscopic point of view and aims at a comprehensive 3D model allowing for the simulation of cell motility at reasonable computational costs. In the presentation we will first sketch the overall framework, addressing all the respective models and methods, and will then focus on some essential subunits

An FPGA-based real-time event sampler

This paper presents the design and FPGA-implementation of a sampler that is suited for sampling real-time events in embedded systems. Such sampling is useful, for example, to test whether real-time events are handled in time on such systems. By designing and implementing the sampler as a logic analyzer on an FPGA, several design parameters can be explored and easily modified to match the behavior of different kinds of embedded systems. Moreover, the trade-off between price and performance becomes easy, as it mainly exists of choosing the appropriate type and speed grade of an FPGA family

Users and non-users of next generation broadband

This paper explores the contexts and motivations that underpin the uptake of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN). The findings are drawn from a mixed-methods research study of households using surveys and interviews conducted in 2011 and 2012 in an early release site of the NBN rollout. Whilst use and non-use have traditionally been treated as questions of digital access, inequality and exclusion, there is evidence for emerging forms of non-use characterized by more critical and discriminating approaches. We contribute to this evidence, but our findings suggest that use and non-use of high speed broadband do not occur in isolation or as an expression of individual choice, but as part of increasingly dense household media ecologies of digital infrastructures, devices, services and knowledge

Death and the internet: consumer issues for planning and managing digital legacies

The team of Melbourne University researchers examined licencing policies, terms of use agreements and copyright law, and interviewed a range of people, including funeral directors, religious workers, internet content and service providers, as well as estate planning lawyers. The project identified a range of ownership and access issues, and found that many online \u27assets\u27 are left exposed or stranded after death. The researchers concluded that more Australians should include digital registers in, or with, their wills and these should contain passwords and account locations so that material can then be distributed by the Executor or other designated person. A website was also created as part of the project and provides useful tips and information on preparing a digital register. Visit it here: www.digitalheritage.net.a

Fifteen-foot diameter modular space station Kennedy Space Center launch site support definition (space station program Phase B extension definition)

This document defines the facilities, equipment, and operational plans required to support the MSS Program at KSC. Included is an analysis of KSC operations, a definition of flow plans, facility utilization and modifications, test plans and concepts, activation, and tradeoff studies. Existing GSE and facilities that have a potential utilization are identified, and new items are defined where possible. The study concludes that the existing facilities are suitable for use in the space station program without major modification from the Saturn-Apollo configuration

On the Structure of the Lower Troposphere in the Summertime Stratocumulus Regime of the Northeast Pacific

Data collected in situ as part of the second field study of the Dynamics and Chemistry of Marine Stratocumulus field program are used to evaluate the state of the atmosphere in the region of field operations near 30°N, 120°W during July 2001, as well as its representation by a variety of routinely available data. The routine data include both the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and NCEP–NCAR reanalyses, forecasts from their respective forecast systems (the Integrated and Global Forecast Systems), the 30-km archive from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), the Quick Scatterometer surface winds, and remotely sensed fields derived from radiances measured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. The analysis shows that outside of the boundary layer the state of the lower troposphere is reasonably represented by the reanalysis and forecast products, with the caveat of a slight warm bias at 850 hPa in the NCEP–NCAR products. Within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) the agreement is not as good: both the boundary layer depth and cloud amount are underpredicted, and the boundary layer temperature correlates poorly with the available data, which may be related to a poor representation of SSTs in this region of persistent cloud cover. ERA-40 also suffers from persistently weak zonal winds within the PBL. Among the satellite records the ISCCP data are found to be especially valuable, evincing skill in both predicting boundary layer depth (from cloud-top temperatures and TMI surface temperatures) and cloud liquid water paths (from cloud optical depths). An analysis of interannual variability (among Julys) based on ERA-40 and the 1983–2001 ISCCP record suggests that thermodynamic quantities show similar interannual and synoptic variability, principally concentrated just above the PBL, while dynamic quantities vary much more on synoptic time scales. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that the correlation between stratocumulus cloud amount and lower-tropospheric stability exhibits considerable spatial structure and is less pronounced than previously thought

Opportunity discovery in initiated and emergent change requests

When a change request is raised in an engineering project an ad hoc team often forms to manage the request. Prior research shows that practitioners often view engineering changes in a risk-averse manner. As a project progresses the cost of changes increases. Therefore, avoiding changes is reasonable. However, a risk-averse perspective fails to recognize that changes might harbor discoverable and exploitable opportunities. In this research, we investigated how practitioners of ad hoc teams used practices and praxes aimed at discovering and exploiting opportunities in engineering change requests. A single case study design was employed using change request records and practitioner interviews from an engineering project. 87 engineering change requests were analyzed with regards to change triggers, time-to-decision and rejection rate. In total, 25 opportunities were discovered and then 17 exploited. Three practices and six praxes were identified, used by practitioners to discover and exploit opportunities. Our findings emphasize the importance of the informal structure of ad hoc teams, to aid in opportunity discovery. The informal structure enables cross-hierarchal discussions and draws on the proven experience of the team members. Thus, this research guides project managers and presumptive ad hoc teams in turning engineering changes into successful opportunities