Launch pad lightning protection effectiveness

Using the striking distance theory that lightning leaders will strike the nearest grounded point on their last jump to earth corresponding to the striking distance, the probability of striking a point on a structure in the presence of other points can be estimated. The lightning strokes are divided into deciles having an average peak current and striking distance. The striking distances are used as radii from the points to generate windows of approach through which the leader must pass to reach a designated point. The projections of the windows on a horizontal plane as they are rotated through all possible angles of approach define an area that can be multiplied by the decile stroke density to arrive at the probability of strokes with the window average striking distance. The sum of all decile probabilities gives the cumulative probability for all strokes. The techniques can be applied to NASA-Kennedy launch pad structures to estimate the lightning protection effectiveness for the crane, gaseous oxygen vent arm, and other points. Streamers from sharp points on the structure provide protection for surfaces having large radii of curvature. The effects of nearby structures can also be estimated

A Prototypical Dashboard for Knowledge-Based Expert Systems used for Real-Time Anomaly Handling in Smart Manufacturing

The use of machine learning in digitized production increases potentials for production automation. A milestone on the path to autonomous production is real-time anomaly detection. However, increasing complexity of production makes autonomous decisions difficult to understand for humans as central stakeholders. In this paper, we create a dashboard that incorporates elements from knowledge-based systems, requirements for real-time anomaly detection, and design guidelines for dashboards. Using design science research, the dashboard is designed, implemented and comprehensively evaluated with 98 participants. After the second design science iteration, the dashboard is approved in terms of usefulness and ease of use. Our research primarily contributes to practice, as our implementation constitutes a starting point for designing the interface between humans and autonomous production. We also contribute to academia as the dashboard is an instantiation in the research field of interface design for knowledge-based systems, which can be further developed in future research

Detection and control of brucellosis in reindeer vaccinated with Brucella suis biovar 3

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1993The objective of this research was to provide a vaccine for the control of brucellosis in reindeer, that allows serologic discrimination between vaccinated and infected animals. Three vaccines were tested: (1) Brucella suis 1, (2) B. suis 3, and (3) A rough mutant of the infective strain, B. suis 4. All were heat-killed and prepared in Freund's incomplete adjuvant. Each vaccine was administered to four animals. All vaccines stimulated the production of high levels of antibody in Rangifer that were maintained for the 483-day experiment. Significant delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions were seen in all vaccinated Rangifer. Both B. suis 1 and B. suis 3 vaccines allowed serologic discrimination between vaccinated and infected Rangifer. This was accomplished by means of an indirect ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). This test used whole cell B. melitensis and B. abortus as A and M-dominant antigens. Distinction could be made between vaccinated and infected reindeer based on a percentage difference in spectrophotometric abosorbance values obtained with these antigens. The B. suis 3 vaccine provided the best discrimination. Eighty-nine percent of 117 reindeer were correctly classified as either B. suis 3-vaccinated or B. suis 4-infected. Discrimination between vaccinated and infected reindeer was sufficient to allow assessment of the prevelance of brucellosis and vaccinated herds. In addition, the ELISA was more sensitive than standard agglutination tests in identifying reindeer with exposure to B. suis. The B. suis 3 vaccine was further evaluated in a challenge of 7 vaccinated reindeer. The vaccinated group consisted of 5 pregnant adults and 2 8-month-old female calves. These reindeer were challenged with 3.16\times10\sp7 colony forming units of B. suis 4 at 63 days post-vaccination. Five pregnant adults and 1 female calf served as experimental controls. B. suis 4 was isolated from 3 of 7 vaccinated reindeer (43%) at the time of necropsy. B. suis 4 was isolated from the aborted fetus of 1 of the infected vaccinates. Another infected vaccinate bore a healthy calf for which B. suis 4 could not be isolated. All control reindeer were infected and all 5 adults aborted. B. suis 4 was isolated from all 5 fetuses. The B. suis 3 vaccine provided significant protection against infection and abortion in reindeer challenged with B. suis 4

User-Centered Visual Design of Alarms in Manufacturing Dashboards: Insights on Comprehensibility and Preferences

The digitization of the manufacturing domain results in an enormous amount of available data decision-makers are continuously exposed to. Consequently, critical alarm information must be easily comprehensible and suit decision-makers’ preferences to facilitate timely reactions and thus prevent harm to production processes and employees. However, despite its importance, academia and practice show little consensus regarding alarm design in manufacturing dashboards. Against this background, the purpose of our study is twofold. First, we identified 5 factors for visual alarm design with overall 12 design options in a structured literature review. Second, we investigated the effect these design options have on users’ comprehension and preferences in a conjoint study and a best-worst scaling approach with 98 participants with experience working in manufacturing. Our results show that alarm description and their visual integration are the most important factors for alarm design. In this regard, a cluster analysis reveals more nuanced and more stable preferences in more experienced users. Further, we find that color-coding-based content classification entails best performance in recognizing alarms. We contribute to academia and practice by providing actionable insights that may support improving alarm design in manufacturing

Lightning Hazards to Aircraft Fuel Tanks

The hazards of lightning strokes to aircraft fuel tanks have been investigated in artificial-lightning-generation facilities specifically constructed to duplicate closely the natural lightning discharges to air craft determined through flight research programs and analysis of lightning-damaged aircraft over a period of many years. Explosion studies were made in an environmental explosion chamber using small fuel tanks under various simulated flight conditions. The results showed that there is a primary hazard whenever there is direct puncture of the fuel-tank wall, whereas the ignition of fuel by hot spots on tank walls due to lightning strikes is unlikely. Punctures of fuel-tank walls by artificial-lightning discharges produced explosions of the fuel in the mixture range from excessively lean to rich mixtures. None of the aluminum alloys, 0.081 inch thick or over, were punctured by the laboratory discharges representative of natural-lightning discharges to aircraft; however, reliance on this wall thickness for complete protection would not be justified, because occasional strokes are known to be of greater magnitude and because statistics reveal variations in the damage pattern. Data gathered by the Lightning and Transients Research Institute on lightning strokes to aircraft show that 90 percent of the strokes recorded have occurred in the temperature range of -10 to +10 C, where many of the jet fuels are flammable but where aviation gasoline is overrich. Also, 10 percent of the strokes recorded have been to the wings, which are the principal fuel-storage areas for modern aircraft. Thus, there is a hazard, particularly for jet fuels. Certain protective measures are indicated by the studies to date, such as the use of lightning diverter rods, thickening of the wing skin in areas near the most probable stroke paths, and the use of fuel-tank liners in critical areas

Low molecular weight cellulose ethers as aerosols for the the consolidation of cohesively weak paint layers

Due to Edvard Munch’s (1863-1944) unconventional painting technique, choice of materials, and the unstable climate conditions of his studios, where the paintings were stored during his lifetime, many of his paintings, now housed at MUNCH, have cohesively weak and loose paint layers. As a result, consolidation and re-adhesion of these fragile paint layers are the most frequently performed conservation treatments on his paintings. A selection of low molecular weight (lmw) hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ethers (HPMC), new to the field of conservation, have been evaluated in comparison to methylcellulose (MC) A4C and sturgeon glue regarding their suitability for the consolidation of cohesively weak paint layers. The mock-ups used for these investigations were of a similar composition (pigment, binding medium and pigment-binding medium ratio) and porosity to a paint sample from the painting “Beach Landscape with Trees and Boats” from 1905-06 by Edvard Munch. Viscosity and surface tension of aqueous solutions of the consolidants and their influence on the imbibition time and depth into porous paint layers were investigated. Fluorescence labelling was used to visualize the imbibition depth of an aqueous solution of the lmw HPMC E3 and MC A4C, applied as an aerosol. With this method it could be shown that the applied amount and the application method of the consolidant (with or without intermediate drying steps) can play a crucial role in the imbibition depth. To evaluate the consolidation effect of the tested polymers, the aerosols of their aqueous solutions were applied on the paint mock-ups in a reproducible and standardized way, using an automated two-axis-table. A customised abrasion test was developed to evaluate the comparative increase of the paint layer cohesion after consolidation. These preliminary investigations show lmw HPMC as promising alternatives to established consolidants. They allow for an ultrasonic nebulisation in higher concentrations and thus for the paint layer’s consolidation in a lower number of applications

Marine yeast isolation and industrial application

Over the last century, terrestrial yeasts have been widely used in various industries, such as baking, brewing, wine, bioethanol and pharmaceutical protein production. However, only little attention has been given to marine yeasts. Recent research showed that marine yeasts have several unique and promising features over the terrestrial yeasts, for example higher osmosis tolerance, higher special chemical productivity and production of industrial enzymes. These indicate that marine yeasts have great potential to be applied in various industries. This review gathers the most recent techniques used for marine yeast isolation as well as the latest applications of marine yeast in bioethanol, pharmaceutical and enzyme production fields. Keyword

Is benign MS really benign? What a meaningful classification beyond the EDSS must take into consideration

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease with an unpredictable course that has a broad clinical spectrum and progresses over time. If a person with MS (PwMS) shows overall mild to moderate disability even after a long duration of disease, the term benign MS (BMS) is used. However, there is currently no generally accepted definition of BMS. Most definitions are based on EDSS in connection with disease duration, i.e. EDSS ≤3.0 after 15 years' disease duration. The question arises whether focusing on EDSS alone is adequate for classifying the disease course taking into account that 'hidden' or 'soft' symptoms are not sufficiently covered by this instrument. The aims of the study are to assess the prevalence of BMS in one of the largest patient cohorts, to describe the prevalence of patients without disabilities and to assess the further disability progression of these patients over another 15 years. METHODS: Based on data exported from the German MS Registry, PwMS with a disease duration of 15 years or more were included in the analyses. PwMS were divided into BMS (EDSS ≤3.0) or non-benign (NBMS, EDSS >3.0). RESULTS: Out of 31,824 PwMS included in the German MS Register, we identified 10,874 patients with a disease duration ≥15 years of whom 4,511 (42%) showed an EDSS ≤3.0 fulfilling the criterion of benign MS. In the subgroup with EDSS measured exactly at 15 years' disease duration, the proportion was 54%. This proportion decreased continuously with increasing disease duration and fell to 30% after 30 years. Female sex (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.84) was associated with BMS, while a progressive (HR: 2.09) and late disease onset (HR: 1.29) were associated with NBMS (p<0.001). With a more rigorous definition of BMS (EDSS ≤1.0, absence of disability, and active employment), only 580 (13%) of the initial BMS remained 'benign'. CONCLUSION: Our data propose an alternative definition (EDSS ≤1.0, absence from any disability, and the ability to work after 15 years of disease duration) which might truly reflect BMS