Integrated engineering environments for large complex products

An introduction is given to the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, along with a brief explanation of the main focus towards large made-to-order products. Three key areas of research at the Centre, which have evolved as a result of collaboration with industrial partners from various sectors of industry, are identified as (1) decision support and optimisation, (2) design for lifecycle, and (3) design integration and co-ordination. A summary of the unique features of large made-to-order products is then presented, which includes the need for integration and co-ordination technologies. Thus, an overview of the existing integration and co-ordination technologies is presented followed by a brief explanation of research in these areas at the Engineering Design Centre. A more detailed description is then presented regarding the co-ordination aspect of research being conducted at the Engineering Design Centre, in collaboration with the CAD Centre at the University of Strathclyde. Concurrent Engineering is acknowledged as a strategy for improving the design process, however design coordination is viewed as a principal requirement for its successful implementation. That is, design co-ordination is proposed as being the key to a mechanism that is able to maximise and realise any potential opportunity of concurrency. Thus, an agentoriented approach to co-ordination is presented, which incorporates various types of agents responsible for managing their respective activities. The co-ordinated approach, which is implemented within the Design Co-ordination System, includes features such as resource management and monitoring, dynamic scheduling, activity direction, task enactment, and information management. An application of the Design Co-ordination System, in conjunction with a robust concept exploration tool, shows that the computational design analysis involved in evaluating many design concepts can be performed more efficiently through a co-ordinated approach

Electron exchange model potential: Application to positronium-helium scattering

The formulation of a suitable nonlocal model potential for electron exchange is presented, checked with electron-hydrogen and electron-helium scattering, and applied to the study of elastic and inelastic scattering and ionization of ortho positronium (Ps) by helium. The elastic scattering and the $n = 2$ excitations of Ps are investigated using a three-Ps-state close-coupling approximation. The higher ($n\ge 3$) excitations and ionization of Ps atom are treated in the framework of Born approximation with present exchange. Calculations are reported of phase shifts, and elastic, Ps-excitation, and total cross sections. The present target elastic total cross section agrees well with experimental results at thermal to medium energies.Comment: 16 latex pages, 7 postscript figure

Change or control? Developing dialogues between research and public protection

This paper aims to scope out some of the implications of desistance research for the community management of high risk offenders. Acknowledging the limited empirical research exploring this interface, this paper outlines the evolving evidence base and what this tells us about the process of desistance and what supports it. The evidence as to whether 'high risk offenders' desist and what we know about this process is discussed prior to outlining the landscape of current and principal practice approaches which can be located in the community/public protection model. Potential dialogues between desistance research and public protection practices are discussed to explore ensuing implications and opportunities for practice

A minimally invasive optical trapping system to understand cellular interactions at onset of an immune response

T-cells and antigen presenting cells are an essential part of the adaptive immune response system and how they interact is crucial in how the body effectively fights infection or responds to vaccines. Much of the experimental work studying interaction forces between cells has looked at the average properties of bulk samples of cells or applied microscopy to image the dynamic contact between these cells. In this paper we present a novel optical trapping technique for interrogating the force of this interaction and measuring relative interaction forces at the single-cell level. A triple-spot optical trap is used to directly manipulate the cells of interest without introducing foreign bodies such as beads to the system. The optical trap is used to directly control the initiation of cell-cell contact and, subsequently to terminate the interaction at a defined time point. The laser beam power required to separate immune cell pairs is determined and correlates with the force applied by the optical trap. As proof of concept, the antigen-specific increase in interaction force between a dendritic cell and a specific T-cell is demonstrated. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that this interaction force is completely abrogated when T- cell signalling is blocked. As a result the potential of using optical trapping to interrogate cellular interactions at the single cell level without the need to introduce foreign bodies such as beads is clearly demonstrated

T2 Values of Posterior Horns of Knee Menisci in Asymptomatic Subjects

[[abstract]]Purpose: The magnetic resonance (MR) T2 value of cartilage is a reliable indicator of tissue properties and therefore may be used as an objective diagnostic tool in early meniscal degeneration. The purpose of this study was to investigate age, gender, location, and zonal differences in MR T2 value of the posterior horns of knee menisci in asymptomatic subjects. Methods: Sixty asymptomatic volunteers (30 men and 30 women) were enrolled and divided into three different age groups: 20–34, 35–49 and 50–70 years. The inclusion criteria were BMI＜30 kg/cm2, normalized Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) pain score of zero, and no evidence of meniscal and ligamentous abnormalities on routine knee MR imaging. The T2 values were measured on images acquired with a T2-weighted fat-suppressed turbo spin-echo sequence at 3T. Results: The mean T2 values in both medial and lateral menisci for the 20–34, 35–49, and 50–70 age groups were 9.94 msec±0.94, 10.73 msec±1.55, and 12.36 msec±2.27, respectively, for women and 9.17 msec±0.74, 9.64 msec±0.67, and 10.95 msec±1.33, respectively, for men. The T2 values were significantly higher in the 50–70 age group than the 20–34 age group (P＜0.001) and in women than in men (P = 0.001, 0.004, and 0.049 for each respective age group). T2 values were significantly higher in medial menisci than in lateral menisci only in women age 50–70 (3.33 msec, P = 0.006) and in the white zone and red/white zone of the 50–70 and 35–49 age groups than that of the 20–34 age group (2.47, 1.02; 2.77, 1.16 msec, respectively, all P＜0.01). Conclusion: The MR T2 values of the posterior meniscal horns increase with increasing age in women and are higher in women than in men. The age-related rise of T2 values appears to be more severe in medial menisci than in lateral menisci. Differences exist in the white zone and red/white zone.[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]電子

Convergent close-coupling method for positron scattering from noble gases

We present the convergent close-coupling formulation for positron scattering from noble gases (Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe) within the single-center approximation. Target functions are described in a model of six p-electrons above an inert Hartree–Fock core with only one-electron excitations from the outer p6 shell allowed. Target states have been obtained using a Sturmian (Laguerre) basis in order to model coupling to ionization and positronium (Ps) formation channels. Such an approach is unable to yield explicit Ps-formation cross sections, but is valid below this threshold and above the ionization threshold. The present calculations are found to show good agreement with recent measurements

The lives and deaths of positrons in the interstellar medium

We reexamine in detail the various processes undergone by positrons in the ISM from their birth to their annihilation using the most recent results of positron interaction cross sections with H, H2 and He. The positrons' lives are divided into two phases: the 'in-flight' phase and the thermal phase. The first phase is treated with a Monte Carlo simulation that allows us to determine the fraction of positrons that form positronium and annihilate as well as the characteristics of the annihilation emission as a function of the medium conditions. The second phase is treated with a binary reaction rate approach, with cross sections adopted from experimental measurement or theoretical calculations. An extensive search and update of the knowledge of positron processes was thus undertaken. New reaction rates and line widths have been obtained. We investigate the treatment of the complicated interactions between positrons and interstellar dust grains. New reaction rates and widths of the line resulting from the annihilation inside and outside of the grain have been obtained. The final results of our calculations showed that dust is only important in the hot phase of the ISM, where it dominates all other processes. Combining the new calculations, we have constructed annihilation spectra for each phase of the ISM, considering various grain contents, as well as an overall combined spectrum for the ISM as a whole.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures. accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Repeatability of Foveal Measurements Using Spectralis Optical Coherence Tomography Segmentation Software

PURPOSE: To investigate repeatability and reproducibility of thickness of eight individual retinal layers at axial and lateral foveal locations, as well as foveal width, measured from Spectralis spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans using newly available retinal layer segmentation software. METHODS: High-resolution SD-OCT scans were acquired for 40 eyes of 40 young healthy volunteers. Two scans were obtained in a single visit for each participant. Using new Spectralis segmentation software, two investigators independently obtained thickness of each of eight individual retinal layers at 0°, 2° and 5° eccentricities nasal and temporal to foveal centre, as well as foveal width measurements. Bland-Altman Coefficient of Repeatability (CoR) was calculated for inter-investigator and inter-scan agreement of all retinal measurements. Spearman's ρ indicated correlation of manually located central retinal thickness (RT0) with automated minimum foveal thickness (MFT) measurements. In addition, we investigated nasal-temporal symmetry of individual retinal layer thickness within the foveal pit. RESULTS: Inter-scan CoR values ranged from 3.1μm for axial retinal nerve fibre layer thickness to 15.0μm for the ganglion cell layer at 5° eccentricity. Mean foveal width was 2550μm ± 322μm with a CoR of 13μm for inter-investigator and 40μm for inter-scan agreement. Correlation of RT0 and MFT was very good (ρ = 0.97, P 0.05); however this symmetry could not be found at 5° eccentricity. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate excellent repeatability and reproducibility of each of eight individual retinal layer thickness measurements within the fovea as well as foveal width using Spectralis SD-OCT segmentation software in a young, healthy cohort. Thickness of all individual retinal layers were symmetrical at 2°, but not at 5° eccentricity away from the fovea

Differentially expressed microRNAs in experimental cerebral malaria and their involvement in endocytosis, adherens junctions, FoxO and TGF-β signalling pathways

Cerebral malaria (CM) is the most severe manifestation of infection with Plasmodium, however its pathogenesis is still not completely understood. microRNA (miRNA) have been an area of focus in infectious disease research, due to their ability to affect normal biological processes, and have been shown to play roles in various viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, including malaria. The expression of miRNA was studied following infection of CBA mice with either Plasmodium berghei ANKA (causing CM), or Plasmodium yoelii (causing severe but non-cerebral malaria (NCM)). Using microarray analysis, miRNA expression was compared in the brains of non-infected (NI), NCM and CM mice. Six miRNA were significantly dysregulated between NCM and CM mice, and four of these, miR-19a-3p, miR-19b-3p, miR-142-3p and miR-223-3p, were further validated by qPCR assays. These miRNA are significantly involved in several pathways relevant to CM, including the TGF-β and endocytosis pathways. Dysregulation of these miRNA during CM specifically compared with NCM suggests that these miRNA, through their regulation of downstream targets, may be vitally involved in the neurological syndrome. Our data implies that, at least in the mouse model, miRNA may play a regulatory role in CM pathogenesis.This work was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (#1099920 for GEG). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.S