U.S. Coast Guard Boat Recovery Simulation at NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator

The Boat Recovery Simulation was a collaboration between the U.S. Coast Guard and NASA. The experiment was conducted at the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). The goals were to (1) design a VMS experiment that can accurately simulate the motion of high sea conditions and to (2) collect data for the U.S. Coast Guard on human performance related to small boat recovery operations. The experiment setup included a software operation model designed around empirical boat position data; a replica boat section manufactured to incorporate real-world task elements; and the means to collect objective and subjective data from human participants. The VMS provided a viable testbed to assess certified U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers task performance while in motion

Energy Consumption of Wireless Network Access Points

2nd International Conference on Green Communications and Networking, GreeNets 2012; Gandia; Spain; 25 October 2012 through 26 October 2012The development of low cost technology based on IEEE 802.11 standard permits to build telecommunication networks at low cost, allowing providing Internet access in rural areas in developing countries. The lack of access to the electrical grid is a problem when the network is being developed in rural areas, so that wireless access points should operate using solar panels and batteries. Many cases can be found where the energy consumption becomes a key point in wireless network design. In this paper we present a comparative study of the energy consumption of several wireless network access points. We will compare the energy consumption of different brands and models, for several operation scenarios and operating modes. Obtained results allow us to achieve the objective of this article, that is, promote the development of wireless communication networks energetically efficient.Andrade Morelli, S.; Ruiz Sanchez, E.; Granell Romero, E.; Lloret, J. (2013). Energy Consumption of Wireless Network Access Points. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, LNICST. 113:81-91. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-37977-2_8S8191113Khoa Nguyen, K., Jaumard, B.: Routing Engine Architecture for Next Generation Routers: Evolutional Trends. Network Protocols and Algorithms 1(1), 62–85 (2009)IEEE Std 802.11: IEEE Standard for Information technology -Telecommunications and information exchange between systems -Local and metropolitan area networks - Specific requirements – Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, New York, USA, pp.1–1184 (2007)Lloret, J., Garcia, M., Bri, D., Sendra, S.: A Wireless Sensor Network Deployment for Rural and Forest Fire Detection and Verification. Sensors 9(11), 8722–8747 (2009)Tapia, A., Maitland, C., Stone, M.: Making IT work for Municipalities: Building municipal wireless networks. Government Information Quarterly 23(3), 359–380 (2006)van Drunen, R., Koolhaas, J., Schuurmans, H., Vijn, M.: Building a Wireless Community Network in the Netherland. In: USENIX 2003 / Freenix Annual Technical Conference Proceedings, San Antonio, Texas, USA, June 9-14, pp. 219–230 (2003)Powell, A., Shade, L.R.: Going Wi-Fi in Canada: Municipal and Community Initiatives. Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (2005)Sendra, S., Fernández, P.A., Quilez, M.A., Lloret, J.: Study and Performance of Interior Gateway IP routing Protocols. Network Protocols and Algorithms 2(4), 88–117 (2010)Galperin, H.: Wireless Networks and Rural Development: Opportunities for Latin America. Information Technologies and International Development 2(3), 47–56 (2005)Segal, M.: Improving lifetime of wireless sensor networks. Network Protocols and Algorithms 1(2), 48–60 (2009)Momani, A.A.E., Yassein, M.B., Darwish, O., Manaseer, S., Mardini, W.: Intelligent Paging Backoff Algorithm for IEEE 802.11 MAC Protocol. Network Protocols and Algorithms 4(2), 108–123 (2012)Mohsin, A.H., Bakar, K.A., Adekiigbe, A., Ghafoor, K.Z.: A Survey of Energy-aware Routing protocols in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks: Trends and Challenges. Network Protocols and Algorithms 4(2), 82–107 (2012)Feeney, L.M., Nilsson, M.: Investigating the Energy Consumption of a Wireless Network Interface in an Ad Hoc Networking Environment. In: Proceedings of the Twentieth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies, INFOCOM 2001, Anchorage, Alaska, April 22-26, vol. 3, pp. 1548–1557. IEEE (2001)Barbancho, J., León, C., Molina, F.J., Barbancho, A.: Using artificial intelligence in routing schemes for wireless networks. Computer Communications 30(14-15), 2802–2811 (2007)Tao, C., Yang, Y., Honggang, Z., Haesik, K., Horneman, K.: Network energy saving technologies for green wireless access networks. IEEE Wireless Communications 18(5), 30–38 (2011)Sendra, S., Lloret, J., Garcia, M., Toledo, J.F.: Power saving and energy optimization techniques for Wireless Sensor Networks. Journal of Communications 6(6), 439–459 (2011

Increasing the benefits and sustainability of irrigation through the integration of fisheries: a guide for water planners, managers and engineers

There is increasing recognition of the need to bring about changes across the full spectrum of agricultural practices to ensure that, in future, food production systems are more diverse, sustainable and resilient. In this context, the objectives of irrigation need to be much more ambitious, shifting away from simply maximizing crop yields to maximizing net benefits across a range of uses of irrigation water, including ecosystems and nature-based solutions. One important way to achieve this is by better integrating fisheries into the planning, design, construction, operation and management of irrigation systems. Irrigation – a major contributor to the Green Revolution – has significantly improved agricultural production worldwide, with consequent benefits for food security, livelihoods and poverty alleviation. Today, irrigated agriculture represents about 21 percent of cultivated land, but contributes approximately 40% of the total global crop production. Many governments continue to invest in irrigation as a cornerstone of food security and rural development. Investments in irrigation often represent a pragmatic form of adaptation to changing climatic conditions. This guide focuses on how to sustainably optimize and broaden the range of benefits from irrigation development - not only economic but also social and environmental benefits. It emphasizes the opportunities that fisheries could provide to increase food production and economic returns, enhance livelihoods and public health outcomes, and maintain key ecosystem services. The guide considers possible trade-offs between irrigation and fisheries, and provides recommendations on how these could be minimized

Electric-field-induced change of alkali-metal vapor density in paraffin-coated cells

Alkali vapor cells with antirelaxation coating (especially paraffin-coated cells) have been a central tool in optical pumping and atomic spectroscopy experiments for 50 years. We have discovered a dramatic change of the alkali vapor density in a paraffin-coated cell upon application of an electric field to the cell. A systematic experimental characterization of the phenomenon is carried out for electric fields ranging in strength from 0-8 kV/cm for paraffin-coated cells containing rubidium and cells containing cesium. The typical response of the vapor density to a rapid (duration < 100 ms) change in electric field of sufficient magnitude includes (a) a rapid (duration of < 100 ms) and significant increase in alkali vapor density followed by (b) a less rapid (duration of ~ 1 s) and significant decrease in vapor density (below the equilibrium vapor density), and then (c) a slow (duration of ~ 100 s) recovery of the vapor density to its equilibrium value. Measurements conducted after the alkali vapor density has returned to its equilibrium value indicate minimal change (at the level of < 10%) in the relaxation rate of atomic polarization. Experiments suggest that the phenomenon is related to an electric-field-induced modification of the paraffin coating.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figure