Set-Based Concurrent Engineering Model for Automotive Electronic/Software Systems Development

Organised by: Cranfield UniversityThis paper is presenting a proposal of a novel approach to automotive electronic/software systems development. It is based on the combination of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering, a Toyota approach to product development, with the standard V-Model of software development. Automotive industry currently faces the problem of growing complexity of electronic/software systems. This issue is especially visible at the level of integration of these systems which is difficult and error-prone. The presented conceptual proposal is to establish better processes that could handle the electronic/software systems design and development in a more integrated and consistent manner.Mori Seiki – The Machine Tool Compan

Voice onset time and formant onset frequencies in Arabic stuttered speech

Neuromuscular models of stuttering consider that making transitions between phones results in inappropriate temporal arrangements of articulators in people who stutter (PWS). Using this framework, the current study examined the acoustic productions of two fine-grained phonetic features: voice onset time (VOT) and second formant (F2). The hypotheses were that PWS should differ from fluent persons (FP) in VOT duration and F2 onset frequency as a result of the transition deficit for environments with complex phonetic features such as Arabic emphatics. Ten adolescent PWS and 10 adolescent FPs participated in the study. They read and memorized four monosyllabic plain-emphatic words silently. Data were analyzed by Repeated Measures ANOVAs. The positive and negative VOT durations of/t/vs./tˁ/and/d/vs./dˁ/and F2 onset frequency were measured acoustically. Results showed that stuttering was significantly affected by emphatic consonants. PWS had atypical VOT durations and F2 values. Findings are consistent with the atypicality of VOT and F2 reported for English-speaking PWS. This atypicality is realized differently in Arabic depending on the articulatory complexity and cognitive load of the sound

Development of Voice Onset Time in Arabic

The research investigated development of voice onset time (VOT) contrasts in children who spoke Jordanian Arabic. The factors investigated were: (1) the age at which VOT contrast is acquired; and (2) the role of place of articulation and emphasis on VOT development. One hundred and twenty children (60 males, 60 females; age range 2;0–7;11) produced word-initial plosives. Linear Mixed Model (LMM), Bonferroni post hoc and t test analyses were conducted on the data. Results revealed that age, place of articulation, and emphasis had significant effects on VOT. In addition, Arabic appeared to follow the general trend of VOT development reported for other voicing languages

Logarithmic rate dependence in deforming granular materials

Rate-independence for stresses within a granular material is a basic tenet of many models for slow dense granular flows. By contrast, logarithmic rate dependence of stresses is found in solid-on-solid friction, in geological settings, and elsewhere. In this work, we show that logarithmic rate-dependence occurs in granular materials for plastic (irreversible) deformations that occur during shearing but not for elastic (reversible) deformations, such as those that occur under moderate repetitive compression. Increasing the shearing rate, \Omega, leads to an increase in the stress and the stress fluctuations that at least qualitatively resemble what occurs due to an increase in the density. Increases in \Omega also lead to qualitative changes in the distributions of stress build-up and relaxation events. If shearing is stopped at t=0, stress relaxations occur with \sigma(t)/ \sigma(t=0) \simeq A \log(t/t_0). This collective relaxation of the stress network over logarithmically long times provides a mechanism for rate-dependent strengthening.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. RevTeX

Reconstructing baselines: use of habitat suitability modelling to predict pre-fishing condition of a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem

As industrialized fishing activities have moved into deeper water, the recognition of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) has become important for the protection of the deep-sea. Our limited knowledge on the past and present distribution of VMEs hinders our ability to manage bottom fisheries effectively. This study investigated whether accounting for bottom fishing intensity (derived from Vessel Monitoring System records) as a predictor in habitat suitability models can (1) improve predictions of, and (2) provide estimates for a pre-fishing baseline for the distribution and biomass of a VME indicator taxon. Random Forest models were applied to presence/absence and biomass of Geodia sponges and environmental variables with and without bottom fishing intensity. The models including fishing were further used to predict distribution and biomass of Geodia to a pre-fishing scenario. Inclusion of fishing pressure as a predictive term significantly improved model performance for both sponge presence and biomass. This study has demonstrated a way to produce a more accurate picture of the current distribution of VMEs in the study area. The pre-fishing scenario predictions also identified areas of suitable Geodia habitat that are currently impacted by fishing, suggesting that sponge habitat and biomass have been impacted by bottom trawling activities.1054-3139Versión del editor2,27

Measurement of the 18Ne(a,p_0)21Na reaction cross section in the burning energy region for X-ray bursts

The 18Ne(a,p)21Na reaction provides one of the main HCNO-breakout routes into the rp-process in X-ray bursts. The 18Ne(a,p_0)21Na reaction cross section has been determined for the first time in the Gamow energy region for peak temperatures T=2GK by measuring its time-reversal reaction 21Na(p,a)18Ne in inverse kinematics. The astrophysical rate for ground-state to ground-state transitions was found to be a factor of 2 lower than Hauser-Feshbach theoretical predictions. Our reduced rate will affect the physical conditions under which breakout from the HCNO cycles occurs via the 18Ne(a,p)21Na reaction.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication on Physical Review Letter

Efikasnost korišćenja vode lubenice navodnjavane kapanjem u umerenim klimatskim uslovima

The objective of the study, conducted in Vojvodina a northern part of the Serbia Republic, was to analyse the effect of drip irrigation on yield, evapotranspiration and water productivity of watermelon (Cirullus lanatus Thunb.) grown with plasticulture. Irrigation was scheduled on the basis of water balance method. Daily evapotranspiration was computed using the reference evapotranspiration and crop coefficient. The yield of watermelon in irrigation conditions (37,28 t/ha) was significantly higher compared to non irrigated (9,98 t/ha). Water used on evapotranspiration in irrigation conditions was 398 mm and 117 mm on non-irrigated variant. The crop yield response factor of 1,04 for the whole growing season reveals that relative yield decrease was nearly equal to the rate of evapotranspiration deficit. The values of irrigation water use efficiency and evapotranspiration water use efficiency were 9,93 kg/m3 and 10,29 kg/m3 respectively. The determined results could be used as a good platform for watermelon growers in the region, in terms of improvement of the optimum utilization of irrigation water.Cilj istraživanja, sprovedenog u Vojvodini, bio je da se analizira efekat navodnjavanja kapanjem na prinos, evapotranspiraciju i produktivnost vode u usevu lubenice (Cirullus lanatus Thunb.), gajene na foliji. Vreme zalivanja je određeno na osnovu vodnog bilansa. Dnevne vrednosti evapotranspiracije su obračunate korišćenjem referentne evapotranspiracije i koeficijenta useva. Prinos lubenice u uslovima navodnjavanja (37,28 t/ha) bio je statistički značajno veći u odnosu na prinos u uslovima bez navodnjavanja (9,98 t/ha). Evapotranspiracija lubenice u uslovima navodnjavanja bila je 398 mm i 117 mm na nenavodnjavanoj varijanti. Obračunata vrednost koeficijenta opadanja prinosa od 1,04 za period vegetacije ukazuje da je relativno smanjenje prinosa bilo skoro jednako relativnom deficitu evapotranspiracije. Efikasnost korišćenja vode navodnjavanjem i evapotranspiracijom iznosila je 9,93 kg/m3 i 10,29 kg/m3, redom. Dobijeni rezultati mogu poslužiti kao dobra osnova za proizvođače lubenice u regionu, u smislu poboljšanja i optimizacije navodnjavanja

UK deep‐sea conservation: Progress, lessons learned, and actions for the future

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Political risk assessment by multinational corporations in African markets: a Nigerian perspective

Political risk assessment (PRA) is one of the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the competitiveness of multinational corporations (MNCs), yet little is known about its use in African markets. This study critically investigates the PRA techniques used by MNCs in Nigeria and their applicability. It uses a multimethod approach to analyze data collected from MNCs and the data set of the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) PRA annual rating for Nigeria from 2011 to 2015. The findings reveal that most firms use qualitative, rather than quantitative, PRA techniques. Regional variations in the outcome of PRA within Nigeria could also contribute to the low use of quantitative techniques. This article identifies that firms are prepared to invest in Nigeria, in spite of high political risk, due to its economic and financial attractiveness. This article’s findings offer some implications for practice with some suggestions on how it could influence firms’ internationalization and their conduct of PRA

Development of a multiplex PCR assay for simultaneous detection of Theileria annulata, Babesia bovis and Anaplasma marginale in cattle

Tropical theileriosis, bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis are tick-borne protozoan diseases that impose serious constraints on the health and productivity of domestic cattle in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. A common feature of these diseases is that, following recovery from primary infection, animals become persistent carriers of the pathogen and continue to play a critical role in disease epidemiology, acting as reservoirs of infection. This study describes development and evaluation of multiplex and single PCR assays for simultaneous detection of Theileria annulata, Babesia bovis and Anaplasma marginale in cattle. Following in silico screening for candidate target genes representing each of the pathogens, an optimised multiplex PCR assay was established using three primer sets, cytob1, MAR1bB2 and bovar2A, for amplification of genomic DNA of T. annulata, A. marginale and B. bovis respectively. The designed primer sets were found to be species-specific, generating amplicons of 312, 265 and 166 base pairs, respectively and were deemed suitable for the development of a multiplex assay. The sensitivity of each primer pair was evaluated using serial dilutions of parasite DNA, while specificity was confirmed by testing for amplification from DNA of different stocks of each pathogen and other Theileria, Babesia and Anaplasma species. Additionally, DNA preparations derived from field samples were used to evaluate the utility of the single and multiplex PCRs for determination of infection status. The multiplex PCR was found to detect each pathogen species with the same level of sensitivity, irrespective of whether its DNA was amplified in isolation or together with DNA representing the other pathogens. Moreover, single and multiplex PCRs were able to detect each species with equal sensitivity in serially diluted DNA representing mixtures of T. annulata, B. bovis and A. marginale, and no evidence of non-specific amplification from non-target species was observed. Validation that the multiplex PCR efficiently detects single and mixed infections from field samples was demonstrated. The developed assay represents a simple and efficient diagnostic for co-detection of tropical theileriosis, bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis, and may be a valuable tool for epidemiological studies aimed at assessing the burden of multiple infection with tick-borne pathogens and improving control of the associated diseases in endemic regions