Building a Driving Simulator as an Electric Vehicle Hardware Development Tool

Driving simulators have been used to support the development of new vehicle systems for many years. The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) as a means of reducing carbon emissions has lead to the emergence of a number of new design challenges related to the performance of EV components and the flow of power under a variety of circumstances. In this paper we describe the integration of an EV drive train test system with a driving simulator to allow the performance of EV systems to be investigated while under the control of real drivers in simulated scenarios. Such a system offers several potential benefits. The performance of EV drive trains can be evaluated subjectively by real world users while the electrical and mechanical properties can be tested under a variety of conditions which would be difficult to replicate using standard drive cycles

The State of the Art in Fuel Cell Condition Monitoring and Maintenance

Fuel cell vehicles are considered to be a viable solution to problems such as carbon emissions and fuel shortages for road transport. Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells are mainly used in this purpose because they can run at low temperatures and have a simple structure. Yet to make this technology commercially viable, there are still many hurdles to overcome. Apart from the high cost of fuel cell systems, high maintenance costs and short lifecycle are two main issues need to be addressed. The main purpose of this paper is to review the issues affecting the reliability and lifespan of fuel cells and present the state of the art in fuel cell condition monitoring and maintenance. The Structure of PEM fuel cell is introduced and examples of its application in a variety of applications are presented. The fault modes including membrane flooding/drying, fuel/gas starvation, physical defects of membrane, and catalyst poisoning are listed and assessed for their impact. Then the relationship between causes, faults, symptoms and long term implications of fault conditions are summarized. Finally the state of the art in PEM fuel cell condition monitoring and maintenance is reviewed and conclusions are drawn regarding suggested maintenance strategies and the optimal structure for an integrated, cost effective condition monitoring and maintenance management system

Management by objectives: a case study

Management by objectives is a relatively new phrase in the management literature and this report investigated some of the characteristics and implications of this approach to management.The literature on this topic was reviewed where it was found that management by objectives was concerned with the identification 'of the important areas in which objectives need to be set, the specification of the relevant objectives within these areas, and the derivation of adequate plans to ensure that the objectives will be achieved. It was advocated that there should be a broad range of objectives established in every area affecting the survival of the organisation.The review of literature was followed by a case study in which management by objectives was introduced into an industrial organisation,, Field conditions that need to be satisfied if action research of this kind is to be conducted were carefully examined.Working according to the principle of management by objectives involved several phases of operations. The first dealt with establishing objectives and corresponding levels of performance or targets. Next was the period in which corrective action was taken if accomplishment looked like falling short of expectation. At the end of this period a work review session was held in which variances were examined, and factors preventing the achievement of the objectives identified. This led to the establishing of revised objectives and targets for the new period of operation.It was found that establishing and working towards the achievement of objectives had implications for other management practices, It provided a means of readily identifying the training needs within an organisation, and could offer a rationale for formal appraisal concerning questions of promotion and possibly aspects of salary administration.These practical aspects of the research were supplemented by an analytical study involving the assessment of organisational effectiveness. It was found that the organisational units examined in this study could be placed on a scale of effectiveness, so that those units that were "effective" were so over a range of ten organisational criteria, while those units at the other end of the scale were rated poorly with respect to most of the criteria.It was also hoped, to use the same kind of criteria to assess the change in effectiveness resulting from the introduction of management by objectives. It was found, however, that the period of 13 months over which the research was conducted was too short for there to be fundamental changes brought about in some of the organisational variables used in the above analysis

Revealing flows in the local economy through visualisations:customers, clicks/cliques and clusters

It is well known by now, that the world has suffered an economic downturn. This has led many governments and organisations to invest resources into researching varying strategies to combat such problem. For some time now, governments have been promoting growth by encouraging local spending; we have witnessed this through ?shop local? campaigns and local currencies. We introduce BARTER a moBile sociAl netwoRking supporTing local Ethical tRading system to tackle this issue, at it?s core an information system that encompasses technology, social media and business analytics are brought together to engage customers, traders and citizens to spend locally by featuring the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of trading local. After situating BARTER at the heart of the community (with varying traders in and around Lancaster, UK) for some time, this paper is a follow on from a ?BARTER Visualisations? design concept, reporting on the progression and recent developments in the project. Whilst these systems are in place within the community, further research is being conducted to evaluate if revealing and transforming transaction data in a playful and informative manner will help citizens better understand the flow of money in the local economy

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a recessive genetically heterogeneous disorder of motile cilia with chronic otosinopulmonary disease and organ laterality defects in ∼50% of cases. The prevalence of PCD is difficult to determine. Recent diagnostic advances through measurement of nasal nitric oxide and genetic testing has allowed rigorous diagnoses and determination of a robust clinical phenotype, which includes neonatal respiratory distress, daily nasal congestion, and wet cough starting early in life, along with organ laterality defects. There is early onset of lung disease in PCD with abnormal airflow mechanics and radiographic abnormalities detected in infancy and early childhood

Visualizing Mississippi Histories: Two Short Films

Raisin\u27 Cotton / Emma Knowles Lytle (1941), introduction by Andy HarperHomeplace / Michael Ford (1975

Exploring sustainability research in computing:where we are and where we go next

This paper develops a holistic framework of questions mo- tivating sustainability research in computing in order to en- able new opportunities for critique. Analysis of systemat- ically selected corpora of computing publications demon- strates that several of these question areas are well covered, while others are ripe for further exploration. It also pro- vides insight into which of these questions tend to be ad- dressed by different communities within sustainable com- puting. The framework itself reveals discursive similarities between other existing environmental discourses, enabling reflection and participation with the broader sustainability debate. It is argued that the current computing discourse on sustainability is reformist and premised in a Triple Bottom Line construction of sustainability, and a radical, Quadruple Bottom Line alternative is explored as a new vista for com- puting research

Preparing community forestry for REDD+: engaging local communities in the mapping and MRV requirements of REDD+

Based on fieldwork carried out over the last five years, this article presents the case for communities being permitted to make their own forest carbon inventories for the purposes of monitoring under national REDD+ programmes, following brief training. Modern technology, particularly PDAs (small, handheld computers), can provide the platform both for mapping and for storing data, and can easily be used by people with only a few years primary education, although a technical agency will be needed to back up such systems. There are many advantages to this approach: costs are much lower than when professionals do the work, while the data are equally accurate. ‘Ownership´ of the data may be important in legitimising communities´ claims to carbon credits in the forests they manage