ATM automation: guidance on human technology integration

© Civil Aviation Authority 2016Human interaction with technology and automation is a key area of interest to industry and safety regulators alike. In February 2014, a joint CAA/industry workshop considered perspectives on present and future implementation of advanced automated systems. The conclusion was that whilst no additional regulation was necessary, guidance material for industry and regulators was required. Development of this guidance document was completed in 2015 by a working group consisting of CAA, UK industry, academia and industry associations (see Appendix B). This enabled a collaborative approach to be taken, and for regulatory, industry, and workforce perspectives to be collectively considered and addressed. The processes used in developing this guidance included: review of the themes identified from the February 2014 CAA/industry workshop1; review of academic papers, textbooks on automation, incidents and accidents involving automation; identification of key safety issues associated with automated systems; analysis of current and emerging ATM regulatory requirements and guidance material; presentation of emerging findings for critical review at UK and European aviation safety conferences. In December 2015, a workshop of senior management from project partner organisations reviewed the findings and proposals. EASA were briefed on the project before its commencement, and Eurocontrol contributed through membership of the Working Group.Final Published versio

GENE EXPRESSION TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS OF CAMPTHOTECIN EFFECTS IN U-87-MG AND DBTRG-05 GLIOBLASTOMA CELL LINES

The clinical efficacy of camptothecin (CPT), a drug specifically targetingtopoisomerase I (TopoI), is under evaluation for the treatment of malignant gliomas. Due to thehigh unresponsiveness of these tumours to chemotherapy, it would be very important to study thesignalling network that drives camptothecin outcome in this type of cancer cells. To address thisissue, we had previously compared the expression profile of human U87-MG glioblastoma cellswith that of a CPT-resistant counterpart, giving evidence that the development of a robustinflammatory response was the main transcriptional effect associated with CPT resistance.Here we report time-related changes and cell line specific patterns of gene expression after CPTtreatment by using two p53 wild-type glioblastoma cell lines, U87-MG and DBTRG-05, withdifferent sensitivities to TopoI inhibition

A Multi-Perspective View on Human-Automation Interactions in Aviation

Part 3: Specific Contexts; International audience; Control mechanisms for the evolving potential of autonomous systems are not yet sufficiently established. However, there is a need for control to be allocated throughout organisational and institutional levels of society in order to manage increasing complexities. This study, which applies to the domain of Air Traffic Management (ATM), aims s to gauge stakeholders’ attitudes at an organisational level in order to lay the foundations for an easier identification of the challenges and paths to improvements in this industry. Using Grounded Theory (GT), the study maps and interprets workshop data and questionnaires gathered to elicit professionals’ views on automation in the aviation industry. The themes identified, which resonate with all those reviewed in the literature, will form the basis for the construction of a checklist and survey of automation issues expressed at an organisational level of control

A multi-perspective view on human - automation interactions in Aviation

Paola Amaldi, Monica S. Quercioli, ‘A multi-perspective view on human - automation interactions in Aviation’ in J. Abdelnour Nocera, B.R. Baricelli, A. Lopes, P.Campos, T. Clemmensen, eds., Human work interaction design: work analysis and interaction design methods for pervasive and smart workplaces (Switzerland: Springer, 2015) ISBN 978-3-319-27047-0, eISBN 978-3-319-27048-7.Control mechanisms for the evolving potential of autonomous systems are not yet sufficiently established. However, there is a need for control to be allocated throughout organisational and institutional levels of society in order to manage increasing complexities. This study, which applies to the domain of Air Traffic Management (ATM), aims s to gauge stakeholders’ attitudes at an organisational level in order to lay the foundations for an easier identification of the challenges and paths to improvements in this industry. Using Grounded Theory (GT), the study maps and interprets workshop data and questionnaires gathered to elicit professionals’ views on automation in the aviation industry. The themes identified, which resonate with all those reviewed in the literature, will form the basis for the construction of a checklist and survey of automation issues expressed at an organisational level of control.Peer reviewe

Socio-technical system design and organisational power structures: : Addressing growing complexity in aerospace

Paola Amaldi, Monica S. Quercioli, Anthony Smoker, ‘Socio-technical system design and organisational power structures: Addressing growing complexity in aerospace’, poster presented at Human Factors in Complex Systems, Nottingham, UK, 7-8 June, 2016.This study identified and analysed the concerns of aviation stakeholders (regulators, air traffic controllers, engineers , pilots) about automation at different levels within organisational and societal structures. It also generated themes to illustrate possible relationships, associations and inter-connections between these concerns. The resulting hypothesis stated two key points: first, a somewhat deficient human communication, cooperation and interaction; second, a lack of awareness about deeper power & cultural issues (such as the dynamics of hierarchies and power structures) that lie beneath the surface of day-to-day operations. In acknowledging these two points, it could more effectively highlight areas for improvement in resiliency in what are still today predominantly techno-centric system. Essentially, organisations could create cultures that produce the genuine change needed for resilience in the face of rising complexity and emerging risks.Peer reviewe

The use of omics-based approaches in regulatory toxicology: An alternative approach to assess the no observed transcriptional effect level

The evaluation of chemical hazard is based on the identification of the quality and the quantity of adverse effects as a consequence of exposure. The adverse effects that do not involve genetic damage are often related to the chemical dose or concentration. The adverse outcome is the consequence of a row of key events, each targeting a different biological trait. The identification of these key events at molecular and cellular level would provide novel biomarkers of exposure and risk. The application of toxicogenomics approaches to experimental models of chemical exposure allows the detection of gene pathways involved in response to low doses of the chemical as an early endpoint of adversity. The use of toxicogenomics would improve the knowledge on the dose-response relationship, linking the environmental exposure to the effect on the population and allowing a better refinement of the quantitative risk assessment. In this context, the gene modulation data can be used to calculate a No Observed Transcriptional Effect Level (NOTEL).In this paper we present a method for evaluating the NOTEL based on anomaly detection: a classifier is built that discriminates between target class instances, i.e., normal cases, and anomalies, i.e., samples with significant transcriptional effects. The strength of this method is that (i) it can be applied to cases in which few samples are available and the space dimension is high and (ii) it makes use of the complete gene expression profiles

Different sensitivity of BALB/c 3T3 cell clones in the response to carcinogens

none11Cell transformation assays (CTAs) are currently regarded as the only possible in vitro alternative to animal testing for carcinogenesis studies. CTAs have been proposed as screening tests for the carcinogenic potential of compounds that have no evidence of genotoxicity but present structural alerts for carcinogenicity. We have extensively used the BALB/c 3T3 model based on the A31 cell clone to test single chemicals, complex mixtures and environmental pollutants. In the prevalidation study carried out by ECVAM, the improved protocol is based on BALB /c 3T3 A31-1-1 cells, a clone derived by A31 cells, that is very sensitive to PAH-induced transformation. The present study was performed in the aim to compare the results obtained with the two different clones exposed to different classes of carcinogens. Cells were treated with PAHs (3-methylcholanthrene, benzo(a)pyrene), alkylating agents (melphalan) and aloethanes (1,2-dibromoethane). The induction of cytotoxicity and the onset of chemically transformed foci were evaluated by two experimental protocols, differing for cell seeding density and chemical treatment duration. The A31-1-1 cells showed higher inherent transformation rate after PAHs treatment, but they were insensitive to 1,2-dibromoethane at concentrations that usually induced transformation in A31 cells. As 1,2-dibromoethane is bioactivated to reactive forms able to bind DNA mainly through the conjugation with intracellular glutathione, these results suggested a reduced activity of phase-2 enzymes involved in glutathione conjugation in A31-1-1 cells. Our results give evidence that inherent metabolic capacity of cells may play a critical role in in vitro cell transformation, cautioning against possible misclassification of chemicals.The knowledge of both metabolic pathways of carcinogens and the effective ability by cell lines to perform such metabolic activation is a key point. In fact, they allow to avoid possible misclassification of various agents as to their ability to increase cancer incidence in mammals by means of extrapolation of the results obtained in in vitro cell transformation. Epub ahead of print 2011 June 6mixedColacci A.; Mascolo M.G.; Perdichizzi S.; Gazzilli A.; Quercioli D.; Rotondo F.; Morandi E.; Guerrini A.; Silingardi P.; Grilli S.; Vaccari M.Colacci A.; Mascolo M.G.; Perdichizzi S.; Gazzilli A.; Quercioli D.; Rotondo F.; Morandi E.; Guerrini A.; Silingardi P.; Grilli S.; Vaccari M