An Agent-based approach to modelling integrated product teams undertaking a design activity.

The interactions between individual designers, within integrated product teams, and the nature of design tasks, all have a significant impact upon how well a design task can be performed, and hence the quality of the resultant product and the time in which it can be delivered. In this paper we describe an ongoing research project which aims to model integrated product teams through the use of multi-agent systems. We first describe the background and rationale for our work, and then present our initial computational model and results from the simulation of an integrated product team. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the model will evolve to improve the accuracy of the simulation

Type Iax SNe as a few-parameter family

We present direct spectroscopic modeling of five Type Iax supernovae (SNe) with the one dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer code TARDIS. The abundance tomography technique is used to map the chemical structure and physical properties of the SN atmosphere. Through via fitting of multiple spectral epochs with self-consistent ejecta models, we can then constrain the location of some elements within the ejecta. The synthetic spectra of the best-fit models are able to reproduce the flux continuum and the main absorption features in the whole sample. We find that the mass fractions of IGEs and IMEs show a decreasing trend toward the outer regions of the atmospheres using density profiles similar to those of deflagration models in the literature. Oxygen is the only element, which could be dominant at higher velocities. The stratified abundance structure contradicts the well-mixed chemical profiles predicted by pure deflagration models. Based on the derived densities and abundances, a template model atmosphere is created for the SN Iax class and compared to the observed spectra. Free parameters are the scaling of the density profile, the velocity shift of the abundance template, and the peak luminosity. The results of this test support the idea that all SNe Iax can be described by a similar internal structure, which argues for a common origin of this class of explosions.Comment: 21 pages, 7 tables, 16 figures, accepted by MNRA

B cells are capable of independently eliciting rapid reactivation of encephalitogenic CD4 T cells in a murine model of multiple sclerosis

<div><p>Recent success with B cell depletion therapies has revitalized efforts to understand the pathogenic role of B cells in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Using the adoptive transfer system of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a murine model of MS, we have previously shown that mice in which B cells are the only MHCII-expressing antigen presenting cell (APC) are susceptible to EAE. However, a reproducible delay in the day of onset of disease driven by exclusive B cell antigen presentation suggests that B cells require optimal conditions to function as APCs in EAE. In this study, we utilize an <i>in vivo</i> genetic system to conditionally and temporally regulate expression of MHCII to test the hypothesis that B cell APCs mediate attenuated and delayed neuroinflammatory T cell responses during EAE. Remarkably, induction of MHCII on B cells following the transfer of encephalitogenic CD4 T cells induced a rapid and robust form of EAE, while no change in the time to disease onset occurred for recipient mice in which MHCII is induced on a normal complement of APC subsets. Changes in CD4 T cell activation over time did not account for more rapid onset of EAE symptoms in this new B cell-mediated EAE model. Our system represents a novel model to study how the timing of pathogenic cognate interactions between lymphocytes facilitates the development of autoimmune attacks within the CNS.</p></div

Homing and in situ differentiation of resident pulmonary lymphocytes

At birth, T lymphocytes which colonize the lung are mainly of the γδ subset, while αβ T cells predominate in the spleen. Thus, the lung is a preferred site for the homing of γδ T cells in the perinatal period. However, after birth, the pattern of Vγ gene usage among resident pulmonary lymphocytes (RPL) changes with age, from a predominance of Vγ6 at birth to a predominance of Vγ4 in older mice. The generation of the Vγ6 fraction appears to be thymus dependent, since in athymic nude mice, the Vγ6 population present at birth is replaced by Vγ4 T cells. In the postnatal period, both RAG-1 and RAG-2 genes are expressed at high levels in the RPL population. TCR bearing cells are among those that express RAG genes, indicating that maturation of T cells takes place in this organ. In addition, transfer experiments reveal that lymphoid precursors are present in the lung. The stage of differentiation of these precursors will be characterized in future studies. The data presented here indicate that pulmonary T lymphocytes are derived from both migrants of thymic origin and from precursors which have undergone differentiation and selection in the lung. The population that is generated in situ and that has not been selected in the thymus may include cells that are typical for the pulmonary environmen

Mapping the micro-abrasion mechanisms of CoCrMo : some thoughts on varying ceramic counterface diameter on transition boundaries invitro

The micro-abrasion wear mechanisms for CoCrMo against variable size alumina balls, representing typical artificial femoral head sizes, were investigated over a range of applied loads in foetal calf serum solution. SEM analysis of resulting wear scars displayed two-body and mixed-mode abrasion modes of wear. The wear factor, κ was found to range between 0.86 and 22.87 (10-6 mm3/ Nm). Micro-abrasion mechanism and wastage maps were constructed for parameter range tested. A dominant 3-2 body abrasion regime was observed with increasing load and ball diameter. A 28 mm ball diameter displayed the lowest wastage with increasing load. Proteins may act to reduce the severity of contact between abrasive particles and bearing surfaces. Wear volumes did not necessarily increase linearly with applied load and ball diameter, therefore, there is a need to develop further accurate models for wear prediction during micro-abrasion conditions. Wear mapping for hip replacement could provide a useful aid in pre-clinical hip wear evaluations and long-term performance

Youth activism, engagement and the development of new civic learning spaces: Issues about impact

Purpose: We develop a positive but critical appreciation of the nature and meaning of impact as current constituted as UK universities prepare for the government-led evaluation of research quality in REF2021. Methodology: We describe and then discuss impact (generally, and then specifically in relation to one recently completed project). That project was funded by the Leverhulme Trust and titled Youth activism, engagement and the development of new civic learning spaces (see:https://www.york.ac.uk/education/research/cresj/researchthemes/citizenship-education/leverhulmeyouthactivism/) Findings: Currently, there is potential for corporate arguments about impact to have a negative effect on UK universities. It would be preferable to consider impact in relation to general arguments about strengthening societal culture by generating greater respect for knowledge and clarifying its relationship with society; and by knowledge based arguments in that a specific evaluation of impact would allow us to know more about the nature of the research-practice interface

Wind Tunnel Results of the B-52B with the X-43A Stack

A low-speed wind-tunnel test was performed with a three-percent-scale model of a booster rocket mated to an X-43A research vehicle, a combination referred to as the Hyper-X launch vehicle. The test was conducted both in free-stream air and in the presence of a partial model of the B-52B airplane. The objectives of the test were to obtain force and moment data to generate structural loads affecting the pylon of the B-52B airplane and to determine the aerodynamic influence of the B-52B airplane on the Hyper-X launch vehicle to evaluate launch separation characteristics. The wind-tunnel test was conducted at a low-speed wind tunnel in Hampton, Virginia. All moments and forces reported are based either on the aerodynamic influence of the B-52B airplane or are for the Hyper-X launch vehicle in free-stream air. Overall, the test showed that the B-52B airplane imparts a strong downwash onto the Hyper-X launch vehicle, reducing the net lift of the Hyper-X launch vehicle. Also, pitching and rolling moments are imparted onto the booster and are a strong function of the launch-drop angle of attack

Wind-Tunnel Results of the B-52B with the X-43A Stack

A low-speed wind-tunnel test was performed with a 3%-scale model of a booster rocket mated to an X-43A research vehicle, a combination referred to as the Hyper-X launch vehicle. The test was conducted both in freestream air and in the presence of a partial model of the B-52B airplane. The objectives of the test were to obtain force and moment data to generate structural loads affecting the pylon of the B-52B airplane and to determine the aerodynamic influence of the B-52B on the Hyper-X launch vehicle for evaluating launch separation characteristics. The windtunnel test was conducted at a low-speed wind tunnel in Hampton, Virginia. All moments and forces reported are based either on the aerodynamic influence of the B-52B airplane or are for the Hyper-X launch vehicle in freestream air. Overall, the test showed that the B-52B airplane imparts a strong downwash onto the Hyper-X launch vehicle, reducing the net lift of the Hyper-X launch vehicle. Pitching and rolling moments are also imparted onto the booster and are a strong function of the launch-drop angle of attack