Dispatcher3 D5.1 - Verification and validation plan

In this deliverable, we present a verification and validation plan designed to carry out all necessary activities along Dispatcher3 prototype development. Given the nature of the project, the deliverable points to a data-centric approach to machine learning that treats training and testing models as an important production asset, together with the algorithm and infrastructure used throughout the development. The verification and validation activities will be presented in the document. The proposed framework will support the incremental development of the prototype based on the principle of iterative development paradigm. The core of the verification and validation approach is structured around three different and inter-related phases including data acquisition and preparation, predictive model development and advisory generator model development which are combined iteratively and in close coordination with the experts from the consortium and the Advisory Board. For each individual phase, a set of verification and validation activities will be performed to maximise the benefits of Dispatcher3. Thus, the methodological framework proposed in this deliverable attempts to address the specificities of the verification and validation approach in the domain of machine learning, as it differs from the canonical approach which are typically based on standardised procedures, and in the domain of the final prospective model. This means that the verification and validation of the machine learning models will also be considered as a part of the model development, since the tailoring and enhancement of the model highly relies on the verification and validation results. The deliverable provides an approach on the definition of preliminary case studies that ensure the flexibility and tractability in their selection through different machine learning model development. The deliverable finally details the organisation and schedule of the internal and external meetings, workshops and dedicated activities along with the specification of the questionnaires, flow-type diagrams and other tool and platforms which aim to facilitate the validation assessments with special focus on the predictive and prospective models

Dispatcher3 D1.1 - Technical resources and problem definition

This deliverable starts with the proposal of Dispatcher3 and incorporates the development produced during the first five months of the project: activities on different workpackages, interaction with Topic Manager and Project Officer, and input received during the first Advisory Board meeting and follow up consultations. This deliverable presents the definition of Dispatcher3 concept and methodology. It includes the high level the requirements of the prototype, preliminary data requirements, preliminary technical infrastructure requirements, preliminary data processing and analytic techniques identification and a preliminary definition of scenarios. The deliverable aims at defining the view of the consortium on the project at these early stages, incorporating the feedback obtained from the Advisory Board and highlighting the further activities required to define some of the aspects of the project

Pilot3 D5.1 - Verification and validation plan

This deliverable provides the methodological framework which will enable the execution of the verification and validation activities. The actions defined within framework plan will support the incremental development of the prototype based on the principle of Agile paradigm. The verification defines all activities that will ensure the thorough test of different prototype versions, while validation will assess the functioning hypotheses addressing the operational benefits of the tool. The validation campaign will be done primarily through the interaction with the internal and external experts to capture their feedback. The deliverable presents the five-level hierarchy approach on the definition of experiments (scenario and case studies) that ensures the flexibility and tractability in their selection through different versions of prototype development. The deliverable also details the organisation and schedule of the internal and external meetings, workshops and dedicated activities along with the specification of the questionnaires, flow-type diagrams and other instruments which aims to facilitate the validation assessments

Considering TMA holding uncertinaty into in-flight trajectory optimisation

Aircraft crew are aware of the delay they have experienced at departure. However, uncertainties ahead, and in particular holdings at arrival, can have an impact on the final performance of their operations. When optimising a trajectory the expected cost at the arrival gate should be considered. Consequently, taking into account potential congestion and extra delay at the arrival airspace is paramount to avoid taking sub-optimal decisions at the early stages of the flight. This paper presents a framework to optimise trajectories in the execution phase of the flight considering expected delays at arrival. A flight from Athens (LGAV) to London Heathrow (EGLL) is used as illustrative example, systematically exploring a range of departure delays and expected holdings at arrival

Pilot3 D2.1 - Trade-off report on multi criteria decision making techniques

This deliverable describes the decision making approach that will be followed in Pilot3. It presents a domain-driven analysis of the characteristics of Pilot3 objective function and optimisation framework. This has been done considering inputs from deliverable D1.1 - Technical Resources and Problem definition, from interaction with the Topic Manager, but most importantly from a dedicated Advisory Board workshop and follow-up consultation. The Advisory Board is formed by relevant stakeholders including airlines, flight operation experts, pilots, and other relevant ATM experts. A review of the different multi-criteria decision making techniques available in the literature is presented. Considering the domain-driven characteristics of Pilot3 and inputs on how the tool could be used by airlines and crew. Then, the most suitable methods for multi-criteria optimisation are selected for each of the phases of the optimisation framework

NOSTROMO - D1.2 - Final Project Results Report

The main objective of the NOSTROMO project has been to develop, demonstrate and evaluate an innovative modelling approach for the rigorous and comprehensive assessment of the performance impact of future ATM concepts and solutions at ECAC network level. This approach brings together the ability of bottom-up microscopic models to capture emergent behaviour and interdependencies between different solutions with the level of tractability and interpretability required to effectively support decision-making. This report provides a summary of NOSTROMO accomplishments and contributions to the SESAR Programme. It gathers technical lessons learned and concludes proposing further developments to facilitate the use of the NOSTROMO methodology in the future SESAR 3 Programme

Pilot3 D5.2 - Verification and validation report

The deliverable provides the outcomes from the verification and validation activities carried during the course of work package 5 of the Pilot3 project, and according to the verification and validation plan defined in deliverable D5.1 (Pilot3 Consortium, 2020c). Firstly, it presents the main results of the verification activities performed during the development and testing of the different software versions. Then, this deliverable reports on the results of internal and external validation activities, which aimed to demonstrate the operational benefit of the Pilot3 tool, assessing the research questions and hypothesis that were defined at the beginning of the project. The Agile principle adopted in the project accompanying with the five five-level hierarchy approach on the definition of scenarios and case studies enabled the flexibility and tractability in the selection of experiments through different versions of prototype development. As a result of this iterative development of the tool, some of the research questions initially defined have been revisited to better reflect the validation results. The deliverable also reports the feedback received from the experts during the internal and external meetings, workshops and dedicated (on-line) site visits. During the validation campaign, both subjective qualitative information and objective quantitative data were collected and analysed to assess the Pilot3 tool. The document also summarises the results of the survey that were distributed to the external experts to assess the human-machine interface (HMI) mock-up developed in the project

Protocol for parallel proteomic and metabolomic analysis of mouse intervertebral disc tissues

The comprehensiveness of data collected by “omics” modalities has demonstrated the ability to drastically transform our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of chronic, complex diseases such as musculoskeletal pathologies, how biomarkers are identified, and how therapeutic targets are developed. Standardization of protocols will enable comparisons between findings reported by multiple research groups and move the application of these technologies forward. Herein, we describe a protocol for parallel proteomic and metabolomic analysis of mouse intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues, building from the combined expertise of our collaborative team. This protocol covers dissection of murine IVD tissues, sample isolation, and data analysis for both proteomics and metabolomics applications. The protocol presented below was optimized to maximize the utility of a mouse model for “omics” applications, accounting for the challenges associated with the small starting quantity of sample due to small tissue size as well as the extracellular matrix-rich nature of the tissue

Pilot3 D1.1 - Technical resources and problem definition

This deliverable starts with the proposal of Pilot3 but incorporates the development produced during the first four months of the project: activities on different workpackages, interaction with Topic Manager and Project Officer, and input received during the first Advisory Board meeting. This deliverable presents the definition of Pilot3 concept and methodology. It includes the high level the requirements of the prototype, preliminary data requirements, preliminary indicators that will be considered and a preliminary definition of case studies. The deliverable aims at defining the view of the consortium on the project at these early stages, while highlighting the feedback obtained from the Advisory Board and the further activities required to define some of the aspects of the project

Far-infrared spectroscopy of a nanocomposite of polyvinyl alcohol and lead sulfide nanoparticles

A nanocomposite consisting of lead sulfide (PbS) nanoparticles (NPs) with average diameter of 26 angstrom, according to absorption threshold shift, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was characterized using far-infrared absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results are consistent with theoretical calculations that include proper mechanical boundary conditions at the nanocrystal-host interface