A Highly Dependable Computing Architecture for Safety-Critical Control Applications

. More and more technical systems are supervised, controlled and regulated by programmable electronic systems. The dependability of the entire system depends heavily on the safety of the embedded software. But the technological trend to entrust software with tasks of growing complexity and safety relevance conflicts with the lacking acceptance of rigorous proofs of software safety. Based on an international standard for higher level programming languages for programmable logic controllers (PLC, IEC 1131-3), a mathematically based method for validating the behavioral correctness and the functional safety of graphical designs of safe-critical control applications is introduced. The design elements taken from a domain specific module library are proven correct and safe only once. The functional correctness and satifaction of safety requirements of new application graphical programs can then be shown effectively by reference to the proven properties of the library components used. This app..

Effect of sewage discharge in Spisula subtruncata (da Costa 1778) populations

Sewage discharge is a common source of pollution in coastal marine. Spisula subtruncata (da Costa, 1778) is a common filter feeding bivalve in the Castellon coast (north-western Mediterranean Sea). In the Spisula community of this area several municipal treatment plants dump treated water. We sampled in five locations affected by sewage dicharge. Van Veen grab samples were obtained for the study of the bivalve population and to characterize the sediment. The sewage dicharges studied affect Spisula populations. In the stations near the outfalls the abundance and the average size of S. subtruncata decreases. However this effects do not show correlation with characteristics of sediment, such us granulometry or pH.CONSOMAR S.A. and Entitat de Sanejament d'Aigües

A preliminary investigation of water usage behavior in single-family homes

As regional drought conditions continue deteriorating around the world, residential water use has been brought into the built environment spotlight. Nevertheless, the understanding of water use behavior in residential buildings is still limited. This paper presents data analytics and results from monitoring data of daily water use (DWU) in 50 single-family homes in Texas, USA. The results show the typical frequency distribution curve of the DWU per household and indicate personal income, education level and energy use of appliances all have statistically significant effects on the DWU per capita. Analysis of the water-intensive use demonstrates the residents tend to use more water in post-vacation days. These results help generate awareness of water use behavior in homes. Ultimately, this research could support policy makers to establish a water use baseline and inform water conservation programs