Measurement and Analysis of Wave Loading on a Full Scale Coastal Structure

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/837 on 07.20.2017 by CS (TIS)The aim of this investigation was to measure and analyse wave loading on a full scale coastal structure in order to validate current breakwater design methods and to improve understanding of the physical processes involved. A range of new, robust field measurement instrumentation was developed and deployed at the chosen field site, the Alderney Breakwater in the Channel Islands. The instrumentation deployed in this particularly harsh wave loading environment included an array of wave loading pressure sensors together with co-located void fraction gauges, which were used to measure the percentage air entrained within the seawater. Wave data was measured by means of a sea bed array of six pressure sensors which were logged using an underwater data logger. Data from the instrumentation mounted on the breakwater wall was logged with a high specification remote data logger. Both the instrumentation and the data acquisition equipment were developed and adapted specifically for this investigation and as a result over 150 high quality data sets were recorded at very high logging rates, which allowed field data analysis at an unprecedented level. New calibration and data processing methods were developed for the analysis of this novel set of data records. Due to the meticulous planning, instrument development, data acquisition development, and deployment the data collected is, to the best of the Author's knowledge, the highest quality wave loading field data collected to date. The wave conditions measured at the site were used as inputs to three commonly used design methods for vertical coastal structures, which were used to estimate the maximum wave loading pressures over the height of the structure. The pressures and forces predicted by the models were contrasted with measured values and it was found that the Goda method (1985) predicted the events with a high degree of accuracy provided that the waves were not breaking directly onto the structure. When waves did break onto the structure high magnitude, short duration pressures were frequently measured which sometimes also acted over a very small spatial area. There was a large degree of temporal and spatial variability in the high magnitude breaking wave pressures and they were not accurately predicted by any of the models. The relationship between wave momentum flux and wave loading impulse was investigated both on a record by record basis and using a wave by wave analysis. For the Alderney field site a consistent relationship was found between the wave momentum flux and wave loading impulse, which could be used to estimate the wave loading impulse and duration for known wave input conditions. Features of interest were also identified from temporal comparisons of individual co-located pressure and aeration traces, including negative pressures and a negative correlation between air content and pressure over short time scales

Peer review of team marks using a web-based tool: an evaluation

Of all the problems associated with student learning in a team situation, the difficulty of fair assessment of the individual team members is supreme. Academics who feel comfortable setting examinations and single-person assignments are deterred from setting team assessments because they fear that idle students may benefit from the efforts of their team-mates or that weaker team members might dilute the efforts of the more diligent. This paper discusses how accurately academics can recreate the rewards for good or bad performance in industry through undergraduate team projects. The arguments for allocating equal team marks are examined but the authors conclude this is not the correct approach. A web-based system for applying peer moderation to team marks is described and accumulated data from it allows peer marks to be compared with anonymous selfassessments. Validation is completed by comparing the peer assessment outcomes with control data supplied by independent mentors that were attached to each student team. The results generate a high level of confidence in the approach. Peer review results for teams were further used to estimate the degree of harmony amongst team members: a high standard deviation in peer marks might indicate conflict, whereas a low standard deviation could be a sign of a harmonious team that one might expect to out-perform the individual potential of its members. Previous academic track record was used as the benchmark for potential success but was found to be a poor predicator of actual achievement in team project work

A case study on engineering faculty design projects

There is an established trend in engineering education to incorporate a design component for preparing students for real life practice. A recent report entitled Educating Engineers for the 21st Century[9] stresses that engineering courses need to adapt to the changing needs of businesses and to place a greater emphasis on real-life problems by working in collaboration with industrial partners. An initial investigation of design projects across four engineering disciplines was carried out to understand the breadth and depth of design projects. This included identifying key characteristics of the design projects, analysis of learning and teaching activities with respect to constructive alignment and investigation of assessment practices in these design projects. This research also examines the type of students’ experiences. This paper ends with a discussion on the implications of these findings for design projects

Open Educational Resources (OER) for Control Systems Engineering: Development Case with LabVIEW, Simulink, and Camtasia

The aim of this paper is to report on the development of control systems open educational resources. The paper reports on two control systems education software: 1- A LabVIEW based Control Systems Analysis Toolkit (CSAT) which was developed to assist lecturers in teaching control engineering and students to understand theoretical concepts, and 2- A Process Control Virtual Laboratory (PCVL), developed using LabVIEW. Both software have been created as a stand-alone educational application together with a detailed manual and learning activities. Existing Simulink exercises have been enhanced and specific video tutorials for the Simulink exercises have been developed. Evaluations have been conducted indicating positive impact on students

Reflections on developments in urban security across Europe over the last 30 years: : trends and enduring tensions

This article reflects on the learning, developmental trends and research evidence accumulated over the last 30 years in relation to crime prevention and urban safety in Europe, with a particular focus on urban policies and city-level strategies delivered through multi-sectoral partnerships. Intrinsically, it focuses on commonalities rather than divergences. It draws on an international review of urban security research, interventions, policies and practices conducted as part of a European Horizon 2020 project entitled Innovative Approaches to Urban Security (IcARUS). Scoping reviews of interventions in four focus areas – preventing juvenile delinquency, preventing organised crime and trafficking, preventing radicalisation leading to violent extremism, and the design and management of public spaces - were supplemented by interviews with international experts at the forefront of shaping the knowledge base during the period. Here, consideration is given to some broad trends, trajectories, persisting fault-lines and recurring challenges that feature over time and across jurisdictions. Despite divergent pathways, uneven developments and country-specific programmes that reflect political, cultural, legal/constitutional and economic differences, broad trends and developments are discernible. Against a backdrop of changes in the nature and level of crime and insecurity, the emergence of new harms and significant innovations in digitalisation and technologies, these include the growing importance of design features, place-based interventions, problem-oriented approaches, partnership relations, user engagement and gender implications. Finally, a number of enduring tensions that have restricted progress are explored including institutional responsibility for prevention, data sharing and the dissonance between the research knowledge base and contemporary policy and practice

One Regions Response: The Emergence Of Hispanic Workers In Appalachia

Surveys were conducted assessing level of preparedness of businesses in Eastern Kentucky for the coming wave of Hispanic immigration.   Information was summarized for businesses that have not employed Hispanic workers in the past, including a general overview of the cultural and language barriers providing guidelines to ease the transition.   Specific guidelines were accumulated regarding general cultural differences and language problems. The information has been organized into four areas containing both general and specific concepts

Membrane localization of the ToxR winged-helix domain is required for TcpP-mediated virulence gene activation in Vibrio cholerae

ToxR is a bitopic membrane protein that controls virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae . Its cytoplasmic domain is homologous to the winged helix–turn–helix (‘winged helix’) DNA-binding/transcription activation domain found in a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic regulators, whereas its periplasmic domain is of ill-defined function. Several genes in V. cholerae are regulated by ToxR, but by apparently different mechanisms. Whereas ToxR directly controls the transcription of genes encoding two outer membrane proteins, OmpU and OmpT, it co-operates with a second membrane-localized transcription factor called TcpP to activate transcription of the gene encoding ToxT, which regulates transcription of cholera toxin ( ctxAB ) and the toxin-co-regulated pilus ( tcp ). To determine the requirements for gene activation by ToxR, different domains of the protein were analysed for their ability to control expression of toxT , ompU and ompT . Soluble forms of the cytoplasmic winged-helix domain regulated ompU and ompT gene expression properly but did not activate toxT transcription. Membrane localization of the winged helix was sufficient for both omp gene regulation and TcpP-dependent toxT transcription, irrespective of the type of periplasmic domain or even the presence of a periplasmic domain. These results suggest that (i) the major function for membrane localization of ToxR is for its winged-helix domain to co-operate with TcpP to activate transcription; (ii) the periplasmic domain of ToxR is not required for TcpP-dependent activation of toxT transcription; and (iii) membrane localization is not a strict requirement for DNA binding and transcription activation by ToxR.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73850/1/j.1365-2958.2003.03398.x.pd

How do we build sustainable e-learning tools to meet the needs of engineering educators?

There are a range of e-learning tools available to current engineering educators to assist in supporting teaching practice. Many of the tools developed previously have been transitory, only existing for the period in which they were funded or failed to be transferable, only adopted by the host institution. Funded e-learning tools are usually expected to have a sustainability plan to ensure ongoing support and adoption, past the life time of the funding, however in practice this is hard to deliver once funding has ended and staff have left. This paper will look at a number of issues which can affect transferability and sustainability including: why academics pilot such tools in the engineering discipline? what consideration is given to sustainability when adopting a new tool or system ? who are the key stakeholders for these resources and why? what factors can encourage a community of users to develop and stay engaged? how can the community of users assist with ongoing sustainability? Particular attention will be given to the experiences and the lessons learnt by the WebPA team in trying to build a community of users, both academic and support staff, around the tool in the search for a sustainable future. By examining the user groups which have developed around the open source WebPA tool the paper will highlight what does and does not work in developing a sustainable community within engineering academia